Shelby's blog

Here is a note we received from Homeward Bound.

“Bring Your Homeward Bound Dogs and Help Us Shine a Spotlight on Homeward Bound!  Photograph on The East Capitol steps…  Saturday, October 2nd
Schedule
Arrival Time: 9:00 AM to 9:15 AM
Media Interviews: 9:00 AM to 9:40 AM
Live TV and Photo Opportunity: 9:45 AM
We need you, your family and your Homeward Bound dogs to join hundreds of other Sacramento area families who have adopted Goldens from Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue (HBGRR) for a photo opportunity and live television shot. The theme of the event is:
Even in these tough times…
California is still “The Golden State!”
 
This photo opportunity will be a major media event designed to draw media attention to the over 800 Golden Retrievers and other dogs that are rescued and placed each year by HBGRR. All adoptive families and their dogs will be staged as one big group on the East Steps of the Capitol under a banner displaying the event’s theme. The official photograph will be taken at 9:45 AM. The wire services, local newspapers and all Sacramento area TV and radio stations will be invited to cover this historic event and publish the official photo.”

Charlie, my brother, and the worlds most handsome Cocker Spaniel, finally did it. He passed his test at Paws for Healing in Napa and is now a certified social/therapy dog!

 Charlie really found his calling in the reading dog program. So in addition to visiting the Santa Rosa Main Public Library through the Sonoma Humane Society, he will make 2 monthly visits to the Healdsburg Public Library. He will have his own photo bookmark that he can give to the kids after they read to him. The reading dog program is called, “Paws for Reading.”

He just got a bath today, he was so gross they had to run him through the soak cycle twice! He startes his visits next month but tomorrow he goes with mom to Kenwood, they love him out there.

I’m pretty proud of my brother, it’s really nice that he has something he can do on his own. He gets to hang out with just mom or dad, whichever one takes him to the library. Then they always go out for burger at In and Out.  

So I guess he really is all that… and a bucket of chicken!

Shelby, the P.P.

Howdy, we took Shelby to the vet a couple of weeks ago to see about pulling a lower canine tooth that looked bad. The tooth never had any enamel on it. The vet said she most likely was born that way. As the vet was checking here over and looking at her other teeth he found something he didn’t see on her earlier exams. He found that her upper right jaw had been fractured/broken at one time and as it healed the bone grew around one of her molars. She had 1 cracked tooth, 1 broken tooth and an impacted tooth that needed to come out.

We set up the appointment and Cindi took her in at 8AM last Friday morning. They took a full set of xrays of her teeth and found the canine tooth that we were originally concerned with was just fine. The root was in good shape so he left that one but took the tooth next to it. So she had 4 teeth pulled that day. They took really great care of her at the hospital and called over the weekend to make sure everything was alright. Friday night and most of Saturday was a sleepy, relaxing time for the Princess. We all know how much she loves her kibbles and her biscuits, but no hard food for a week. By Sunday she was almost back to normal and now she’s back to creating havoc and running amok. She goes back a week from Friday and they’ll check her over and deal with stitches

I could deal with the teeth being cracked and broken, what made my stomach turn was that her upper jaw had been broken. Our dogs have suffered and been through so much, but thinking of how hard she must have been hit to break her top jaw was a bit more than I could deal with. I really didn’t to well at work last Friday, I was worried about her. I knew the Doctor and his staff would take excellent care of her, I just hated that she had to go through more pain.

Once again she reminds me to take what life gives you and do the best you can with it. Whining or complaining does no good but things go a whole lot better if you smile and do what you know how to do. Over time things will return to “normal”, like getting to eat her kibbles and biscuits, and knowing that you’ve dealt with and made it though another bump in your life, makes it sweeter.

Thank you Shelby for reminding me that today is the time to enjoy what you have and give the one’s you love an extra hug.

We just got home from the Marin – Sonoma County Fair.

 The new group that we work with, “Paws for Healing” in Napa, had a “Paws for Reading” booth at the fair. This was Shelby’s first reading dog experience. We had three very special children come by and read to Shelby during our one hour shift that ran from 2 to 3PM. There were 2 readings dogs and handlers assigned to the booth for each hour from 1 until 6PM.

We had a ton of kids read to dogs that ranged in size from a Chihuahua to a Borzoi. Every child who read to a dog got 2 very special presents, one was a white pencil with blue paw prints on it and the second was a book marker with a photo of the dog they read to. Shelby now has her very own book marker.

Our booth was in the area where “The World’s Ugliest Dog Contest” takes place. One of the PAWS member has won the the title seven times with 2 different dogs. The Animal Planet Network films the “Ugliest Dog Contest” and airs the show in October. So the Animal Planet let our friend know that they were very interested in filming in the “Paws for Reading” booth so people could see what the reading dog program is all about. I wasn’t aware of it, but the film crew was filming when Shelby and I sat down with our first reader and filmed other reading dog teams throughout the afternoon.

As we were winding down and getting ready to close the the booth, the Ugliest Dog Contest was just getting underway. The MC said last years contest video was one of the top 10 visited YouTube sites last year. The coverage is world wide! There were photographers all over the place, I saw lenses on camera’s that were as big as Shelby! Not really, but man they were HUGE!  Our friend has been on the Tonight Show, twice! Still photographers, movie crews, local  TV and newspaper reporters, and a ton of spectators. It was an amazing sight to see.

Our mentor/leader said that today was a big success! A lot of kids got to read to dogs, a lot of people found out about the reading dog program and want to get involved. We had kids tell us in their school they have to do extra credit work in order to read to the dog that comes to their classroom twice a week. And Shelby carried the TRIPAWD banner high! We told several people about the website and about the Nor-Cal group.

Shelby slept all the way home, about a half an hour and she is sacked next to me on the couch. I am still blown away, humbled and amazed at what she has been able to do since she came to live with us, and just think, in Taiwan, she was a dog they had thrown away.

I hate that my friends are dying…Cherry, Caira Sue, Maximutt, Maggie. These were incredibly amazing dogs, each and every one of them. I miss them, I miss my friends. I can’t stand to think of the pain and heartache their friends and pawrents went through.

It’s not fair, it’s not right, I hate cancer.

Shelby, the P.P.

Saturday, April 4th, 2009 was a big day in our lives.

That’s the day we met and were smitten by a 3 legged Princess named Sherry.

You all know the story about how we adopted Sherry/Shelby from the Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue and Sanctuary in Elverta, California. In addition to meeting Sherry that day, we also met Kathy and Jim, her foster parents and one other very important lady, Jana Mauk. Jana is the Secretary at Homeward Bound and along with Kathy and Jim, helped us in our decision process about adopting Sherry. I honestly believe the 5 of us talked for a good 2 hours before we all came to the same conclusion, that we were the right forever home for Sherry. I laugh and joke about the “grilling” Jana, Kathy and Jim put us through before allowing us to adopt, but we came away with a tremendous amount of respect for the love and care that the fosters and the adoption people give to the dogs that are put in their care.

Even though we had previously been visited by a team from Homeward Bound and found to have a home environment that was acceptable for one of their dogs, I have no idea how you meet someone and in a matter of a couple of hours decide these folks would be the right family for one of your dogs, but they do just that week in and week out.

I’ll never forget one of the last things Jana told me, she said, remember, this is not a dog you can go out and run 4 miles a day with. And I’ll never forget what I thought, but did not say, I thought, lady, does this look like the body of someone who runs 4 miles a day? I think the last time we ran was across the parking lot at a Foster Freeze to make it to the window before they closed!

What an amazing year it has been since Shelby, Kathy, Jana and Jim came into our lives. We keep in contact with the 3 of them and share the adventure that is raising Shelby. We will be forever in their debt for the compassion, care and love that they not only showed to Sherry/Shelby and us, but for the hundreds of other dogs they have helped.   

Thank you to Homeward Bound for bringing a petite little dog, that in Taiwan was a throw away, to the US and giving her a chance to touch and enrich so many peoples lives. Thank you to Kathy, Jana and Jim for caring enough to foster Shelby and to give us a good grilling to make sure we were the family that deserved her. And finally, thank you to Shelby for taking us on an such an incredible adventure. We can’t wait to see what happens next!!!

My brother Charlie is turning 8 years old on April 1st. It is also his 6TH adoptaversary. Yup, he’s been here since 2004.

The hired help is all excited about Charlie having a birthday, said something about taking him to In and Out on Saturday for a cheeseburger and french fries.

He’s pretty cute and he never messes with me and he does like little kids and he doesn’t look a day over 5 and he taught me how to catch popcorn when the chauffeur tosses it my way…

OK, FINE, I hope he has fun on Saturday and I just have one more thing to say…

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHARLIE!!!!  Woo Hooooooo!

This is kind of hard to write.

The Princess the maid and I arrived at the hospital a little after one this afternoon. We stopped at the admissions office and one of Shelby’s friends told us they lost their 8 year old German Shepard to cancer yesterday. All I could do was say how sorry we were. The hurt on her face and entire body showed. Sometimes words just aren’t enough. I felt stupid and inadequate. She went back to her office and we went up to the second floor where the critical and intensive care waiting rooms were. As we got off the elevator we saw one gentleman sitting in the last chair at the very end of the hallway. Shelby and I asked if we could sit down.

We chatted for a few minutes and he told me his nephew was brain dead. He said his brother and his wife were in Haiti rebuilding a church and were trying to get back to Santa Rosa. I mentioned that a mentor of mine and his wife did Christian volunteer work in Haiti and told him their names. He said that’s my brother and his wife and they should be here in the next 10 minutes. They had spent the last 36 hours trying to get home. I walked back down the hallway and told Cindi what was going on. It was about that time that the elevator door opened and they walked out.

We weakly smiled at our weary friends, bikers hug each other,when we greet each other and when we say see you later, these hugs seemed to last a bit longer and I’m so sorry was about all I could come up with. We excused ourselves went on with rest of our hospital visits.

Shelby and I had one incredible visit. A woman had been hurt terribly through domestic violence and had been in the hospital for quite a long time.  Even though we are not supposed to do this I put Shelby on her bed and she hugged and stroked Shelby for at least 20 minutes. All I could say is no one deserves to be treated like that and the courts would never let him off of the tons of charges he faced. I gave her one of Shelby’s autographed pictures and left the room.

We hurried back to the other side of the hospital to be with our friends. They told us their youngest son will be a organ donor and has a very rare blood type so hopefully every organ will be used. Cindi told them that would be an incredible legacy for their son. They will keep him on a respirator until all of the paperwork is done and recipients are found and then the organs will be harvested and sent out to those waiting.  We spent a long time in the waiting area where Shelby continued to give out love.

It’s been a very rewarding day on one hand, and terribly sad on the other.  Shelby put in 5 very long hours today. She helped many, many people smile and gave one very broken lady something to hold onto for a while.

Well, it’s time to visit the hot hospital tomorrow, What shall I wear?

Shall I wear the PINK collar with the reflective silver bones and matching 6 foot leash?

Shall I wear the SKY BLUE collar with the matching 6 foot leash?

    or

Shall I wear the gold, tan , light brown narrow stripe, oh so revealing harness, with the matching 6 foot leash from the AKC Hemp collection? The chauffeur picked this set, I wonder why? 

I would model them so the chauffeur could take pictures but I’ve been at the beauty parlor most of the day getting fluffed and buffed so I’m ready for the big weekend. Saturday morning, Penny and I will make a guest appearance at the retirement home in Petaluma. Home for a quick snack and then to Memorial Hospital for a solo appearance and Sunday another solo gig at the VA Hospital in Martinez. 

Decisions, decisions, what’s a Princess to wear while making public appearances…

Today was Charlie and dads first day at the Reading Dog Program!

He and dad have been gettting ready for this day for quite a while. I had to laugh, they took Chuckie, that’s Charlies nick name, to the doggie laundry last night for a rinse and fluff. Charlie can get a little, Odiferous, as they say. When he came home from the rinse and fluff, he looked like a little bear, hair all poofed out and and smelled really good. Let me tell you, that was really nice for a change!

OK, here’s what Charlie told me they did. They went to library in the middle of downtown Santa Rosa and parked across the street from the library. Dad said the walk would do them both good, heck, it was only 1 block, give me a break! So they walk down the alley to get to the back door, me, the Petite Princess would never enter through a back door, but Charlie could have cared less! They meet the security guard and as he and dad are shaking hands, Charlie does a #2, right there in front of librarian and the security guy, he has no manners, but Charlie could have cared less! So dad cleans it up and the the security guy says. you can throw that away in my office. I know my dad and he was probably laughing inside and saying, you’ll be sorry if I do that! So, he throws the bag in the trash, across the parking lot and heads for the back door.

Wednesday evening mom and dad went to Costco and picked up a big ol picture of Charlie just like the one above, it was bigger than the 11 x 14 photo that Maximutt’s dad sent me of me.  So mom goes to Kinko’s and get’s this “billboard” size picture laminated so no one messes up Charlies picture. Mom takes the picture to the library on Friday and they put a sign on it, “Come and read to Charlie this Saturday morning from 11 to 12.”

So they enter the library through the BACK DOOR and make their way to the children’s part of the library, and there are people waiting for them, there was a waiting list of kids that came to read to ‘ol whats his name! So dad puts Charlies official “Humane Society of Sonoma County” neckerchief on him and they go to work.

The first little girl was 5 years old, she couldn’t read, but she wanted to tell Charlie about all the different animals that was in her book. She was a bit timid at first and Dad told her Charlie is her new friend and not to worry. She told them a dog bit her about 2 months ago on her head pretty close to her ear. Dad said we were very sorry to hear that but it’s really important to remember not all dogs are like that. Dad told her to always ask before petting a dog she didn’t know and she said she would from now on. As they finished their time with her, dad gives her an autographed picture of Charlie and a very special book marker from the library.

Dad said they got to work with 8 different kids this morning, one little boy was 7 and he was a lot smarter than dad or Charlie, than a boy about 12 came over and he was having a hard time with some of the words, so Charlie helped him out a little bit. A mom with 2 little girls came over and the older daughter, 6, read 2 books to Charlie and the younger girl read a little of 1 book to him.

Charlie loves to watch what’s going on in the world, he sits at our front door for hours and watches stuff. When they first came into the small area in the childrens library dad figured if he placed the kids between Charlie and the big window to the street, they would think that he was looking and listening to them read,  IT WORKED!!!  The 6 year old told the librarian that Charlie sat and listened to everything they read to him!!!

Dad said their hour went really quickly and as they were leaving, the librarian just gooshed over Charlie, Charlie did this and Charlie did that and how they can’t wait for Charlie to come back! Then another library lady came over and did the same thing! She actually sat down and KISSED HIM, right on the head!!!! 

Well,  dad is very proud of Charlie, he told mom that this is something that Charlie can do and he does it very well. Dad said he didn’t know exactly what to expect, but it was really very cool and he can’t wait to go again. 

I can’t believe that lady really kissed Charlie on the head…I’m pretty proud of my big brother, he really is a good guy, but I still can’t believe that lady kissed him on the head…