pet

As the 4th of July weekend approaches, so does Buddy's adoption anniversary date.  As of next weekend we've had this beautiful, gentle giant for one year.  At a now healthy 90 pounds Buddy has come a long way since that day, a year ago, when we first met him.  He was a dirty, scrawny bone rack of 55 pounds, half starved to death and living in 6 inches of feces with 38 other dogs - all in bad conditions.  Happily all animals were seized and re-homed or fostered.  And Giant Dawg is now content with his full belly, his sheltered home and his new family. 

This is also the photo I chose to enter for the I Heart Faces Photo contest.  It's a recent one but also one of my favs.    Check out the link for tons of other adorable photos!  

www.petresearch.net is a pet resource site that Jason and I started up about a year ago. It's come a long way in that year and started out as just a pet project (no pun intended) and has grown to be a valuable resource. We have spent the last several weeks revamping the site and adding in user pet blogging capabilities, a discussion forum and other hands on features, with more to come in future releases. If you're a fellow animal lover, come check us out!

A screenshot of the site would have been a cleaner image, but that would be cheating for Project365, now, wouldn't it? ;)

If a dog's prayers were answered, bones would rain from the sky.

Wednesday evening as I was perusing around Facebook I came across a post from a friend of ours that read "Can anyone foster a Great Pyrenees/Golden Retriever mix till Monday?".  Since Jason and I have been kicking around the idea of adopting another dog for several months we thought it might be a good opportunity to help out and to see what life would be like with four dogs in the house. 

What we weren't aware of was the reason the dog needed to be fostered and the condition he would be in when he got to us. On June 30 there were 37 dogs removed from a mobile home in Mt. Vernon, Kentucky.  Every dog was severely emaciated and covered in fleas.  There were dogs from chihuahuas to great danes, young and old.  They were living in filthy conditions where they were standing in up to 6" of feces in some areas.   Every single dog was removed from the home and sent immediately to the vet.  Currently all of the dogs are in foster homes, apart from the ones that are still too bad off to leave the veterinary office.  For the full story and photos visit the United Rescues of Kentucky web site.  There are updates, news videos and press videos linked from this page.  (If you are sensitive to photos of starved dogs, you may want to refrain from going past the first page.)  There is also a donation form to help out with the vet expenses for this group of dogs - if you can help out any at all it would be greatly appreciated.  If you do donate, please leave a comment and let me know!

So Buddy came to stay with us from Thursday until Monday, when he would then be transported to the Great Pyrenees Rescue in Indianapolis.  In the first day alone we realize how sweet and gentle and how starved for attention and food Buddy was.   They marked him as a Great Pyrenees/Golden Retriever mix, however we fail to see where the Golden Retriever is.  At any rate, he came to us weighing 55 pounds when he probably should average about 100 pounds.  He looks big and healthy but one pet down his back and you can feel ever vertebrate, every rib and every bone in the poor guy.  

By day two of Buddy being with us we started pondering on either fostering him longer or outright adopting him ourselves.  The more time went by, the more we wanted to keep him.  So finally last night we submitted our application to adopt him.  Last night we got an email ending with "Congratulations on becoming pyr'ents!" so we're assuming we're good to go. ;)

We're working on fattening him up, grooming him, house training him and he's scheduled to be neutered on Saturday.  He's a little food aggressive with our dogs (who could blame the poor dog) but other than that he gets along wonderfully with all of them.  And he LOVES kids - it's really cute!  So needless to say, you'll be seeing a lot of Buddy photos in the coming months as he heals and transitions into our family.

As for updates on the other dogs, Lois Lane had another seizure and has been officially diagnosed with epilepsy.  The vet put her on phenobarbital which she's been on since Thursday and so far so good.  The meds make her a little drunk acting, however the vet said that would diminish after a couple of weeks.  Fingers crossed that she continues to do well. 

Blue is, well, Blue.  He's put out with Buddy being here and stealing all of his attention, but he'll get over it once things calm down.  And Hardy is deaf as ever, but still going strong.  Happy Dogs = Happy House! And a really bad photo taken with my phone, but it shows Buddy's size - imagine when he's gained 40 pounds!  :P

B Dog is 8 years old today! He had a good stretch after his nap...before laying down for another. ;)

And of course we can't forget the other two.

Hardy and his unruly eyebrows:

Lois Lane, occupying my office chair as usual:

Feb 13, 2007 vs. Feb 13, 2009

So it’s been exactly two years since I wrote my “100 Things About Me”.  I thought it might be kind of cool to go back and revisit these items to see what all has changed in two years.  The black text is the original – the blue is the update.  Good for you if you make it to the end – this is a long one!

1. My first name is Christy but most of my family calls me Dawn.
   #0000ff;">Yup, this is still the case.
   
2. I have the best husband in the whole, wide world!!
   #0000ff;">Definitely – hands down!
3. I've had pet rats for over 10 years...they're cute!
   #0000ff;">I don’t have pet rats anymore, though I miss them lots.  However I have acquired three pet mice, so I’m not exactly rodent free. See mouse pictures here.
   
4. I moved a lot growing up resulting in living in 4 different states and going to 8 different schools.
   #0000ff;">We may be adding a state to this list in the next few years, but that’s still just an idea we’re kicking around.
5. I hate most types of cheese.
   #0000ff;">No change here – cheese, blech.
6. My college degree is a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration focusing on Computer Information Systems.
   #0000ff;">No change here – and the degree is still in full use.
7. I can easily sleep 12 hours every night (though rarely get a chance to).
   #0000ff;">Still  a sleep fiend – still don’t get enough of it .
8. I love organizing things...it's just fun...you should see my craft room.
   #0000ff;">Said craft room has barely been used in the last year – but it is still organized.
9. I love Arts and Crafts, I'll try out just about anything that looks interesting.
   #ff0000;"> #0000ff;">And one day I’ll have time to do this again.
10. Photography is a recent new hobby...my Nikon D50 is my friend.
    #0000ff;">Still a growing hobby, actually my hobby of choice in my free time.  And I’ve upgrade the D50 to a D80 and have added a few more lenses, a light kit, a speedlight and a lot of miscellaneous gadgets to the mix.  See my photos here.
11. My fingernails and toenails are off limits - nothing touches them and certainly nothing goes under them.
    #0000ff;">Off limits!  Though I did manage my first pedicure in the last two years thanks to my neighbor and good friend, Wendy.   It wasn’t too bad, but not something I yearn to do.
12. I have a blue belt in Kenpo karate.
    #0000ff;">Jason has informed me that we were up to our green belt when we stopped lessons.  See how much I pay attention?
13. I own my own business which has recently become my second full time job.
    #0000ff;">And still is my second full time job!  My goal it to only have one job here in the next few years.
14. I take my coffee with splenda and heavy cream.
    #0000ff;">Last year I discovered Mocha flavored splenda.  So now chocolate coffee is my favorite!  And I’ve ditched the heavy cream for regular creamer – not on low-carb anymore.
15. My average body temperature is 96.8 - I'm always cold.
    #0000ff;">Unfortunately I don’t think this will ever change.
16. One of my biggest pet peeves is the sound of people chewing their food.
    #0000ff;">I will never get over this. *urk*
17. I legally adopted my daughter, Portia, in December of 2004. She is 14 years old.
    #0000ff;">Portia is now 16 – I haven’t disowned her yet.  ;)
18. I plan to retire by the time I am 40.
    #0000ff;">Yup – in the works.
19. I will only be 35 when Portia graduates high school.
    #0000ff;">As long as she doesn’t flunk a grade this will hold true – I think we’re safe!
20. I have a tattoo of a black panther on my right ankle.
    #0000ff;">Still there.  Would like another, but not sure what yet.  Or where.
21. Due to the fact that I hate to shave, I had laser hair removal done on my legs, pits and bikini line.
    #0000ff;">Still shaving – this procedure diminished the amount of shaving required, but didn’t eliminate the need entirely.
22. I'm always up for bartering for web work...that's how I got the laser hair removal.
    #0000ff;">I still do this within reason – but money is best.  Afterall, it pays the bills.
23. I get allergy shots once a week.
    #0000ff;">I’m down to once every three weeks now.
24. I never had allergies until I moved back to Kentucky.
    #0000ff;">If we make that move they might go away again.  Having the mice hasn’t helped.
25. Allergies suck.
    #ff0000;"> #0000ff;">Indeed.
26. I'm a computer nerd.
    #ff0000;"> #0000ff;">Hopelessly so.
27. There are 10 working computers in my house.
    #0000ff;">I believe this is still true – give or take.
28. My cursive writing sucks, I always print.
    #0000ff;">Still true – I don’t even bother to write cursive unless signing my name.
29. I have never been out of the country.
    #0000ff;">Still true – though I’d love to go to Australia.
30. There is a 125 gallon reef tank in my living room.
    #0000ff;">Not anymore.  We’ve downgraded to two 1-gallon beta bowls each with a single fish.  You can see my fish, Poe, here.
    
31. All three of my dogs have birthdays that fall on holidays.
    #0000ff;">And all three are alive and well.  And we’re pondering adding another to the mix.  You can see my pups here!  :)
    
32. I started chewing on my fingernails in kindergarten and still do.
    #0000ff;">Still do, though try not to.
33. I drive a Ford Escape.
    #ff0000;"> #0000ff;">The Escape now belongs to Portia.  I now drive a Ford F-150 pickup and LOVE it.
34. I love snow but hate the cold.
    #ff0000;"> #0000ff;">Still true – and another reason for pondering a move further south.
35. Beer is my alcohol of choice...rum and diet coke is a close second.
    #0000ff;">Mmmm beer.  Like white zinfandel wine as well.
36. I wear a bite guard at night because I grind my teeth.
    #0000ff;">I do still grind my teeth, but since having my porcelain crown replaced with a gold one, I no longer need the bite guard.  (I broke the porcelain one in 3 pieces – my dentist said I needed a more durable crown).
37. I hate to talk on the phone.
    #0000ff;">Still true – I’d rather chat on IM.  I can multi-task a little better that way.
38. I have been pulled over 4 times but have never gotten a ticket.
    #0000ff;">I’ve managed to be a good driver the last two years – no more pull overs.
39. Three of the four times I was pulled over for turning left on red.
    #0000ff;">Haven’t done that anymore either.
40. I love to read.
    #ff0000;"> #0000ff;">Love it, just not much time for it.  I joined a book club but have missed the last two meetings.  My book list is here.
41. I collect rat figurines.
    #ff0000;"> #0000ff;">Not so much anymore.
42. One of my cousin's played football for the University of Louisville.
    #0000ff;">And he’s getting married this year!  Congrats Matt!
43. I have 5 email addresses that I use on a daily basis.
    #0000ff;">I’m down to four now.
44. When I eat apples I also eat the core...seeds and all.
    #0000ff;">Still like those apple cores.
45. I hate doing laundry.#0000ff;">
    I don’t think you can learn to like doing laundry.  But I did get a new dryer that kicks booty.
46. I don't cook - Jason is the cook in the family.
    #0000ff;">Thank goodness for Jason or I’d have starved to death by now. :P
    
47. I have been involved in a hit and run accident - luckily the guy was a moron
and I got his plate number.
    #0000ff;">And got a nice settlement for it too – hello screened in porch!
48. I can't sleep with socks on.
    #ff0000;"> #0000ff;">Nope, not possible unless it’s 42 degrees in the house, such as last month during our ice storm provoked two day power outage.
49. I love writing with colored ink pens - purple is my favorite.
    #0000ff;">I’ve recently found that colored thin point sharpies are the best, even if they are stinky.
50. My co-workers bring me empty kleenex boxes to give to my rats to play in.
    #0000ff;">Not anymore – no ratties and the mice don’t shred them as quick as the rats did.
51. I love to eat raw biscuit dough.
    #0000ff;">|Jason always saves me one uncooked biscuit.  Did I mention that he’s the best?
52. I can barely stand to watch tv without my TiVo...commercials suck.|
    #0000ff;">The TiVo is still hanging in there.
53. My favorite outfits consist of comfortable jeans and a long sleeved t-shirt.
    #0000ff;">Still my fav – and now we get 2 jeans Friday’s a month at work.  Woot!
54. I hate to shop...unless it's for craft supplies.
    #0000ff;">Replace craft supplies with photography equipment.
55. I practically live on my screened in porch in the summer.
    #0000ff;"> I can’t wait until summer.  Thanks to hurricane Ike and the latest ice storm we now have to replace two panels of screen.
56. I love to water ski but refuse to snow ski.
    #0000ff;">But would love to go tube sledding!
57. When I was 6 years old I made my brother eat a dandelion. I told him it tasted like peanut butter.
    #0000ff;">Now he has a kid to do these goofy things.
58. I stopped picking on my brother when he was big enough to pick me up and turn me upside down.
    #0000ff;"> I still don’t pick on him- of course, I rarely see him.
59. I have a beautiful niece named Taylor.
    #0000ff;">And she’s almost 4!
60. I used to own and maintain one of the largest rat web sites on the Net.
    #0000ff;">Still own it but no longer maintain it.  It’s in archival mode.  Visit RatPalace.com!
61. I am a recent Mac convert. I have an iMac and a MacBook that I love dearly.
    #0000ff;">They are still my babies – I’ve upgraded to the 20” iMac and added two 20” wide screen monitors on either side.
62. When I was a kid my parents called me Daffy Dawn because I often asked stupid questions.
    #0000ff;">I still ask stupid questions and make stupid comments.
63. My junior year of high school I was grounded during spring break so I painted an Aladdin mural on my closet door.
    #0000ff;">Thankfully I’m too old to be grounded now.  Now I have to do the grounding!
64. When we moved my parents brought the closet door with them....it is now framed and hanging in their basement.
    #0000ff;">I believe that door is still hanging in their basement.
65. My living room is painted red and black and has Salvador Dali prints all over the walls.
    #0000ff;">It is now sage green with black trim.  The walls are still blank because I haven’t gotten around to printing photos of backyard critters to frame and hang in the room.  These are some of the photos we'll be choosing from.
66. I can wiggle my eyeballs and freak people out.
    #0000ff;">Yup
67. Until last year I never wore flip-flops because I couldn't stand anything between my toes.
    #0000ff;">I now own 4 pairs of flops – Croc and Reef flops are the best!  Unfortunately Lois Lane ate my Reef flops, again.
68. Jason and I had a massive cake fight at our wedding...I started it.
    #0000ff;">This still makes me laugh.
69. Stray and lost animals have a knack for finding me....I must have "SUCKER" stamped across my forehead.
    #0000ff;">We’ve managed to only acquire one mouse in need.
70. I never had a cavity until I was 23 years old.
    #0000ff;">I’ve now had 5 cavities.
71. Aside from having my wisdom teeth removed, I've never had any type of surgery.
    #0000ff;">Had one surgery in November of ’07 – I won’t go into detail.
72. I've broken the same toe 3 times.
    #0000ff;">Add a fractured elbow to the broken bone list.  That freaking hurt!
73. I lost all my baby teeth by the time I got to third grade.
    #0000ff;">Haven’t lost anymore teeth.
74. I was the teacher's pet in the fourth grade.
    #0000ff;">Ahh so long ago.
75. I have no musical talent whatsoever.
    #0000ff;">Like that’s ever going to change.
76. I can't even snap my fingers.
    #0000ff;">Nope, no snapping for me.
77. am directionally challenged and could probably get lost in my own backyard.
    #0000ff;">I think I’ll buy myself  a GPS this year.  I’d be much better off and save a lot of time.
78. I plan to one day live in the middle of 20 acres of wooded land. Hopefully I won't get lost.
    #0000ff;">I’d like to up this to about 50 acres.
79. My husband wants 2 pet goats...and I'm ok with that.
    #0000ff;">When we get that farm we still plan to get goats.
80. I'm afraid of clowns and still can't bring myself to read "It" by Stephen King.
    #0000ff;">”It” is still collecting dust on my bookshelf.
81. I sleep walk on a regular basis and often wake up in different rooms around the house.
    #0000ff;">On a weekly basis, probably.  I actually unlocked and opened the back door last year.  Luckily it was winter and the cold woke me up.  I also managed to pull the bedroom bookcase over on top of me.  I was dreaming I was being chased and climbing a fence.
82. In the 13 years Jason and I have been together we have only had 3 major fights.
    #0000ff;">15 years and still only 3 major fights.  We’re happy people.
83. I don't like milk unless I'm eating something chocolate with it or if it's in cereal.
    #0000ff;">This ranks with cheese, though I try to drink more than I used to.
84. Math and Chemistry were my worst subjects in school.
    #0000ff;">Thank goodness my job requires little to none of these subjects.  I can handle basic math.
85. My only D in high school was in Chemistry my Junior year.
    #0000ff;"> No way to change this.
86. After one more exam I will have my certification in General Insurance.
    #0000ff;">I still haven’t taken this last exam.
87. I have been at my current job for almost 7 years.
    #0000ff;">Almost 9 years. Though I’ve had a title change to “eBusiness Developer”.
88. "Beautiful" by Este Lauder is my favorite perfume.
    #0000ff;">And I’m out of it!
89. I don't mind paying the price for Este Lauder products because they do not test on animals.
    #0000ff;"> I hope this is still true.  I don’t do a very good job of checking up on these things.
90. All of my dogs are rescues...only one is a pure breed, the rest are mutts.
    #0000ff;">We’re thinking about adopting another – possibly another blue  heeler named Tess.
91. I have a cat (also a rescue) named Big Worm who hates me...I'm just his food source.
    #0000ff;"> #0000ff;">He’s still loitering around.  He likes his warm cat house on the front por#0000ff;">ch.  See Big Worm here.
92. My friends that live on the west coast think I have a "hick" accent...but I don't agree.
    #0000ff;">This probably gets worse the longer I live here.
93. I wore braces from 4th grade until 8th grade. My teeth are still straight.
    #0000ff;">Yup, still straight.
94. I have glasses for reading, though only need them when I'm on the computer for 10+ hours at a time (which is very often).
    #0000ff;">I stopped wearing glasses for a while and then had to get a new prescription for a different reason last year.
95. I love to play the game Taboo, especially when Jason is my partner - we win almost every game.
    #0000ff;">We haven’t played this in forever.
96. My yard is very dull looking - I do not have a green thumb.
    #0000ff;">Jason, it seems, has a knack for gardening.  Our yard is much prettier now and actually is landscaped!
97. I'm hopelessly addicted to Survivor.
    #0000ff;">New season started last night!
98. I do not want any more children even if I never "have one of my own".
    #0000ff;">This is no longer possible anyway.
99. My most favorite food in the world is pizza.
    #0000ff;">Mmmm pizza!
100. It took me over a month to write this.
     #0000ff;"> Only took an hour to update.  But it was fun!

For the last month friends have been sending me Flickr and Facebook requests for "25 Random Things" so I'm finally getting around to it.  Figured I'd post it to my blog as well...why not!  So if you have a blog, post your 25 Random Things and pass it on!   It's kinda fun.  I'm cheating a bit and using my Flicker "16 Things" to get me started.

Here's the deal: Once you've read this, you are supposed to write a blog post with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, comment on the blog you read this on, to let them know to read yours!

1. My first name is Christy but most of my family calls me Dawn, which is my middle name.  Most of you will notice that Jason calls me Dawn as well.
2. I moved a lot growing up resulting in living in 4 different states and going to 8 different schools.
3. I hate most types of cheese.
4. My college degree is a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration focusing on Computer Information Systems.
5. I love organizing things...it's fun...you should see my craft room.
6. My fingernails and toenails are off limits - nothing touches them and certainly nothing goes under them.
7. I drive a Ford F-150 Lariat pickup.
8. My average body temperature is 96.8 - I'm always cold.
9. I have a tattoo of a black panther on my right ankle.  I would like another one day.
10. All three of my dogs have birthdays that fall on holidays.
11. I have been pulled over 4 times but have never gotten a ticket.  Three of the four times I was pulled over for turning left on red.
12. I read four books a month, on average. Almost all fiction and trash.
13. I love to eat raw biscuit dough.
14. I used to own and maintain one of the largest pet rat web sites on the Net.
15. I can wiggle my eyeballs and freak people out .
16. Jason and I had a massive cake fight at our wedding...I started it.
17. I have a green belt in Kenpo karate.
18. Jason and I own a 6 acre plot of wooded land in Southern Indiana called "Dog Woods" that we use for camping.  We love it there and go often when the weather is nice.  We bought it partially to make it easier for our dogs to go camping with us without being leashed the entire time, hence the name.
19. I basically have 3 full time jobs - eBusiness Developer at my day job; owner of a web design/development company; Mom to a 16 year old human, 3 dogs, 3 mice, 1 cat and 1 fish.  Now you know why it has taken me so long to do this!  :P
20. I have an abnormal fear/dislike of clowns.
21. When Portia is out of high school (in 2 years), Jason and I plan to buy a 30+ acre plot of land to live on within a one hour drive of Louisville.
22. Jason and I are kicking around the idea of adopting, or possibly fostering, a fourth dog.  Preferably one with enough energy to play with Lois Lane.
23. I never had allergies until I moved back to Kentucky.  Now I have to get allergy shots to keep them at bay.  But they do wonders!
24. Jason and I joined a co-ed volleyball league and play for our local chiropractic office - go team!
25. A couple of years ago I did one of these that was "100 Things About Me".  In reading back through those things I'm surprised at how many items in that list have changed!

My friend Jenn sent this YouTube video to me the other day and I just had to post it!  I have so many rat owners that read my blog that I know it will be appreciated!  I sure do miss having pet rats.  They are so much fun and so curious about everything.  They really do make great pets.  For more information on keeping rats as pets check out my RatPalace site for tons of information.  (Note: Not all cats get along with pet rodents - please take care in introducing different animal species!)

Welcome 2009!  It's going to be an interesting year.  Portia turns 16 in a couple of weeks, Jason is working for himself full time and I'm vowing to get in shape - and am actually going to do it this year.  Business is booming, friends are plentiful and life is good!

Speaking of friends, we had a great turnout for the New Year's party last night.  I think we had about 30 people in the house.  It's been a while since we've thrown a New Year's party and we had a blast!  The night went so fast, as it always does when having fun.  We slept in until 9:30 this morning, cleaned up from the party aftermath and are focusing the rest of the day on vegging out and relaxing - a rare occurance for us.  I'm relaxing so much that I changed out of one pair of pajamas in trade for another pair of pajamas!  Can't beat comfort.

Some other miscellaneous updates.  Jason has started his new finance blog called Understanding Finances.  This is something he's been wanting to do for quite some time and I'm glad he finally got it started.  Also, Emily, my mother-in-law, started her own blog for her wonderfully delicious recipes.  You don't want to miss out on the Marvelous Recipes blog!  Both blogs are highly recommended...no bias at all, nope.  ;)

All the Mesker critters are doing well.  Pip the mouse is growing, but still isn't big enough to go in a cage.  We have discovered that Pip is a girl, so at least we can stop calling her s/he.  She prefers to keep to herself for the most part and mainly comes out at night to play and eat.  She's a bit intimidated by Hazel, one of the pet store mice who is the biggest girl in the cage, but I think in time they will get along just fine in the long run.  I can put my hand in the cage now without freaking them all out too badly, so progress is being made.  I hope to have more photos soon.

That's my update for now.  Happy New Year to all!  I hope 2009 brings you much peace and happiness.