We are almost done!

The work on the additional kennels is almost complete.  My guys will pick up the kennels from Tractor Supply on Monday and by the end of the day we will be back to normal.  That is if you can call anything around here normal!

With this new addition, all the dogs will have a nice big run when it is necessary to kennel them.  The covering will certainly help keep it cooler and drier.  One of our hounds, Lady, is already enjoying the raised deck area.

Many thanks to Tractor Supply for asking us to participate in their Pet Adoption Day.  They made room for us inside! We did not have any adoptions, but we did make some great contacts.  One of the foster homes for the Greyhound rescue offered to help the Humane Society with a fund raiser.  He is a member of a bluegrass band and he said the band would play at our event for free!!  I will definitely contact him when we get our ideas solidified and a date selected.

Our normal schedule for Tractor Supply does not begin again until late September when we will be there the 1st and 3rd Saturday of the month, weather permitting.  We hope to have great success with this location. 

Jade is doing much better.  She continues to suffer with allergies and dry eyes, but we had her groomed and she looks like a new girl!  Some of you may remember her story.  Her 92 year old mama was placed in a nursing home and there was no one willing to take Jade.  I must admit, she looked awful when we received her.  Her skin was raw in places and her hair was just about gone.  She had a serious eye infection and just looked so sad.  These days she is a happy camper!  Her favorite activity is snoozing under my desk.  Because of her age and ongoing medical conditions, it may be difficult to place her.  She will need a special home with no children and a very stable environment.  A single lady would be a perfect match for her!

ADOPTION EVENTS!!!!

Tonight - Petco in Denham Springs

5 pm to 7 pm

It's Ladies Night - Come see our lovely ladies who need a home.

Saturday - Tractor Supply - Hammond

This is their nationwide event to help rescue groups. We will have six 7 week old Corgi/terrer puppies up for adoption. 

9 am to 3 pm

An Exciting Day - Two adoptions - 6 Intakes!

Okay, I know I am suppose to base my in take on the number of adoptions.  Because only 1 of the dogs that found a home today was housed here, I am suppose to take only ONE new dog.  However, I received a call from a friend who told me a story of an elderly couple who had a litter of puppies that they just could not continue to house.  This sweet couple's terrier/corgi mix had a litter of 6 puppies.  They are just too cute!  They live on a limited fixed income and they realized they could not afford the vaccines, flea medication, etc that comes with 6 puppies.  While the puppies are basically healthy, they were full of fleas and worms.  We have an appointment with the vet for tomorrow morning to give them their first shots.  I gave them a good flea bath and spent some time picking fleas off their tiny little faces.  These pups will only be around 10 pounds when grown.  I know they will find forever homes really fast.   I will get individual photos of the puppies and put them on Petfinder.

Tish and Buddy found forever homes in Lafayette.  I drove the two to Lafayette today to meet their new families.  I am so excited for both of them.  The families are just perfect for the dogs.  I can't wait to get pictures and updates on their progress.  When I place a dog with a great family, it makes all the work worth the effort. 

Kennel Update -  They poured the concrete today and the roofs for the decks are on in the 10 x 10's. The dogs are enjoying the shade and cooler place to lounge.  My contractor, Mr. Billy Hutchinson, has some great ideas.  We always have a drainage problem.  Billy added drains in front of the new kennels to drain the water as it comes down the slope of the land.  Tomorrow he will add a covering over the new 5 x 10 runs.    By mid week, we have a completed project.  I must admit I cannot wait.  I love every dog here, but having all 13 of them inside while the construction is going on is a bit too much. They are really good in crates, but they are dogs and do bark when the phone rings or someone comes to the door.  The sound is deafening!  It is the perfect opportunity to work on the "ENOUGH" command.  When they start barking, I get out the water spritzer and use a harsh "ENOUGH" to get them to quiet down.  It works like a charm on some dogs, but one or two of them just don't care and will continue to whine or bark!  But, I'll keep working on it!

A Wonderful Surprise -  I received an email from a family that sent a lovely donation toward our vet bills.  I had tried to place a dog for them.  The elderly lady's family wanted only the best for Jazz so they elected to let her stay in her surroundings until the last minute.  They made sure she had the best vet care and were willing to send Jazz to any group that would guarantee she could live out her life in a loving environment.  Some of you may remember Jazz and her story.  Her mama had to be placed in a nursing facility and Jazz had no one at home to care for her.  Fortunately, an absolutely fantastic neighbor stepped up to the plate and fed and walked Jazz daily for several months.  She was certainly Jazz's guardian angel.  We tried to help Jazz, but her guardian angel, Bobbi, found her a home at the last minute.  We were preparing to go get her when a family was found.  At any rate, the family of the elderly lady, wanted to thank us.  It warmed my heart to know that there are people out there that really care about the dogs left behind when an elderly person can no longer care for their pets.

So take this opportunity to speak to your elderly family members and see what plans they have for their pets.  We make plans to give the furniture and jewelry to our relatives when we pass, so why not make sure the canine companion is guaranteed a home.

Yahooooo! The rain has stopped and work has begun!

The hot weather made some of our kennels unusable during the day.  When I selected the original location, I thought we would have enough shade for the dogs.  The location of the trees made it impossible to put a permanent structure over the kennels.  If I needed to contain the dogs, I had to bring them inside and put them in wire crates.  They didn't complain about being in the A/C, but I just could not leave them for more than 3 hours so a solution to our problem had to be found.  The large trees over the 3 large dog kennels kept it shady until around 11 am.  Then the concrete was just too hot for the dog. So, we are constructing a raised deck and covered area for them.   Tomorrow the roofs will go on and they will have shade and cool deck for lounging.

We are also adding 4 additional 5 x 10 x 6 runs.  I am so excited.  At this very moment I have 11 (yep, that is right) crates in my living room.  With the heat index well over 105 degrees, some of the dogs just have to be inside.  However, there are others that will do well in a new run with a cover.  The location of these runs will allow us to put a nice metal roof over the entire 20 feet.  Hopefully it will dry up enought to have dirt delivered and concrete poured later in the week.  I can't wait to have it all finished.

Update on Bella and Katie -  Both of these little ones have found homes.  Bella was adopted Friday night and Katie is in a wonderful foster home that may turn into an adoption.  While I miss them, I know it is so much better for these babies to be the center of attention in a home.

We are still looking for a home for the Beagle we found on a busy highway.  We rarely have such a sweet well behaved dog!  This guy is housebroken, gets along with the other dogs and cats, and loves to snuggle on the sofa.  I think I am going to name him "Velcro"  because he just sticks to your side all the time.  If I go to the kitchen, he sits at the door.  If I work on the computer, he is under my desk.  If I forget to close my bedroom door, he lays beside my bed.  He is absolutely the sweetest dog ever!  If I didn't have so many personal dogs I would keep him.  I am going to be very particular about his forever home. 

Two New Additions!

One of our local residents who always visit us at adoption days rescued a little Australian Shepherd mix puppy from a guy giving them away in a parking lot!  After talking to the guy for a little while she determined that the man was not the best doggie parent so she took the puppy.  The next day she called us to see if we could take "Bella" .  I am a big sucker for Australian Shepherds so I naturally said yes.  The breed is very smart and loyal.  Bella is 8 to 10 weeks old and a real sweetheart.  She loves to snuggle.  She is up for adoption and will be spayed when she is 12 weeks old.

Crystal is a dog we had in foster for two weeks.  She was found at a construction site with cuts, abrasions, and an injured hind leg.  This poor mama dog had just  weaned a litter of puppies and was dumped.  The gentleman that found her took her home and contacted us.  Her cuts and scrapes are healing, but her leg is a different story.  We think she was thrown out of a vehicle and her knee took the brunt of the fall.   After a few weeks of great care, her scrapes have healed and she looks great. As I write this, she is in surgery.  The vet is trying to repair the knee cap in order to save her leg.  She is such a sweet dog she deserves a second chance at finding a forever home.  She is housebroken, crate trained, and good with children and cats! She would be the perfect dog for an apartment.  She is only 25 lbs and quiet!

It is tooooo HOT do to anything but READ!

Even the most energetic dogs have been finding a shady spot and snoozing during the heat of the day.  With the heat index at 114 today, some of the double coated dogs needed to be inside.  If we have a breeze then I don't worry about them, but today was so very still, that I was a bit concerned. So my living room became the crate room.  I have 10 crates in a very small area that is a combo living room / dining room.  I can't use the table because I have three crates under it.  I can't have guests because I moved the extra chairs to the bedroom and I can only seat two people on my love seat. Well, actually it seats one person and a large husky mix.  No wonder my kids call me the crazy dog lady!  Oh well.... the dogs are always happy to see me, (unlike some humans), they never talk back, never ask for anything other than love, and when I get tired of them I can CRATE them (unlike humans).  The heat is really taking a toll on everyone and every thing. 

I've been doing a bit of catching up on my reading list while it is too hot to do anything but hybernate in the A/C.  I highly recommend any book by Temple Grandin.  There is also a movie about her life.  For those of you who may not be familiar with Dr. Grandin, she was diagnosed with autism at a early age.  Through her mother's hard work, Temple found her niche in life. She completed college and became a very well respected animal behavorist.  Because she views the world in pictures, her perspective on animal behavior is quite interesting and very educational.  She challenges us to see the world from the animal's visual perspective so we can better understand their behavior.   

I have always been impressed with the work done at Dog Town in Utah.  The story of its beginning is told in a book called Best Friends.  It is a quick read.  I always need encouragement, inspiration, and ideas!  This book does all three.

Another great book is "How to Speak Dog" -  Do you know what your dog is trying to tell you through his different types of barks?  Well, this book discusses barks, behavior, and body movements.  It is well worth the price.  There is a chart in the back that shows what play, aggressive, and fear body positions are and how to read the dog.

Take care of all your pets in this extremely dangerous weather.  Give them lots of shade and water, and when possible bring them inside!

It's Back to School Time for Me!!!

No, I'm not going back to college.  I am taking my private investigator's course so I can be licensed in Louisiana to conduct an investigation if necessary.  All of this is for my new job ( volunteer) with the Humane Society of Louisiana - Livingston Chapter.  The Humane Society has no investigators in Livingston Parish.  Once I complete this training, then I get on the job training from the New Orleans group. 

It is important to know how to collect evidence and interview people properly so if we have to go to court we have the proper documentation.  I will finish up next weekend!  I actually am enjoying the class, I just hate the long drive to New Orleans.

I also hate being away from the farm for 12 hours.  My poor little inside dogs just can't seem to hold it very long and even with my son coming in the let them out, my house is full of accidents at the end of the day.  There is nothing like coming home at 11 pm and having to mop the floor!  Ever since Precious got stuck in the wire crate, I don't leave her in any crate.  When I am home I take her out every two hours.  Unfortunately her housebreaking is taking far too long! 

This Is What Keeps Me Going!!!

Our little Sadie is quite the spoiled dog princess!  Her new human companion makes sure she is dressed appropriately!  Infact, Sadie may soon need her own closet!  It warms my heart ot know that she is bringing such happiness into the life of a little girl.

Thank You Youth Group!

Wow, what a great bunch of young people!  Yesterday was bath day at Swampy Paws.  My only regret is that I didn't take pictures!  The teenagers showed up to help me get ready for our Friday Night Adoption Event.  The dogs were given a bath and lots of love!  We arrived at Petco smelling good and looking all shiny and clean. 

This adoption evening was a successful event.  Lucky, our very special lab mix, may have found a permanent home!  Today we will take him for a get acquainted visit and if all goes well he will have a new family!   I am so excited for him. 

Many many thanks to the youth group of Killian First Baptist Church!

I'll do better!!!

A dear friend of mine reminded me that I need to update this blog more often.  She is so right, but sometimes I'm just overwhelmed with all the things I'm supposed to do!  But, I promise to do better.  There are days when  have a lot to say and actually make myself wait to post something.  These are the days when I've just rescued a dog that has been dumped and is almost starved to death, full of fleas and ticks, and has wounds that show how cruel the "dumped" life can be for a dog.  I want to write about the horrors these dogs go through when they are left to fend for themselves.  I want to rant about the people who do such things.  I want to find the cowards and have them spend a week on the street with no shelter, food, or water.   But then there are weeks like this one, when I feel that we are really accomplishing something good.  Our little parvo Pom, Sadie, when to her forever home tonight.  She is going to be a present for a 6 year old little girl.  Our Sadie, who had such a hard start in life, will be the center of attention and love from  a sweet little girl.

Oreo is being spayed tomorrow and her new owners are anxious to take her home on Tuesday, July 12.

Last week we accepted a 6 week old pit bull puppy.  I really don't like to take young puppies because they require so much work!  A 6 week old puppy needs a lot of attention and socialization.  This little cutie has been named Katie.  I met Katie's breeder when I was in Baton Rouge at a local pet supply store.  He had just been to the vet with her.  She was crying and in a lot of pain.  It seems as if she had developed septic arthritis.  I have never heard of such a thing, but the vet said with medication she should be okay.  Since he did not want to sell her or give her away, he asked me if I could place her in  a good home once she was weaned.  I agreed, thinking I would probably never hear from him.  Well, he called and I kept my word.  Wow, what a great guy.  He really loved this little puppy and knew that he didn't have the time or ability to find the right home for her.  She weighs 7 pounds!  She will be put up for adoption in 2 weeks.  Our policies for pit bulls are quite strict - fenced yard, experienced  dog owner, vet references, and obedience classes are required. This breed gets a really bad reputation because of bad owners.  We hope to change that!  The best dog I have is a pit bull / catahoula mix.  He is AWESOME!

And there is Happy, our latest addition.  She was found on Happy Woods Drive in Killian.  She had been a stray for a few weeks.  She looks like a miniature German Shepherd.  She is quite thin, but in good shape.   My vet thinks she is about a year old.  She is so smart.  In no time she has learned her manners.  She doesn't jump up as much and has learned to sit in order to get attention.  She also has learned that she cannot mouth my hand!  She never bit hard, but I just don't allow the dogs to mouth anyone.  She will make a wonderful pet because she is a good watch dog, and seems to want to be with people.  She is a bit camera shy, so her photo will have to wait until I have help taking her picture!

Precious gave me quite a scare this week.  I woke up at 2 am to loud horrifying shrieks.  She had gotten her right front leg caught between the wire of the wire crate and could not figure out how to get free.  She had torqued herself so much that I had to run to the barn and get the bolt cutters and cut the crate.  If I could have gotten her to calm down, I probably could have gotten her free, but she was so frightened and upset that she was just thrashing about.  She does tend to be quite vocal even if she isn't in any real danger.  I know she does this because she is blind and feels very vulnerable.  So, no more wire crates for her.  Thankfully she didn't do any damage.  She seems to be quite happy to be in the bathroom when I can't watch her.  She is large enough know that she can't get under the tub, or behind the washer! 

We are getting ready for our adoption event at Petco.  On Friday evening, we are having a "BIG DOG" night.  We will have a lab mix, Lucky, a purebred Walker Hound, Boudreaux. a mystery mix, Tish, and a huge Golden/Lab mix named Buddy.  We will be at the store in Denham Springs from 5 until 8 pm.  Drop by and say hello. 

Many many thanks to the Petco staff.  The manager, Ron, is such a great guy.  He allows us to be inside and even gives the dogs treats.  He certainly makes us feel very welcome.  So, support Petco when you can.