Everybody loves a Cupcake!

I had no sooner said that I was done with rescue when I got a semi-frantic phone call from my sister stating that she found a dog lying on the side of a country road.  Concerned for the dog’s welfare, my sister stopped but the dog was growling and snarling at her so she needed help with the dog.  We chatted for a few minutes and agreed the pup had probably been hit by a car and was acting aggressive due to fear or pain.  The Reluctant Farmer, Katzya and myself quickly loaded up the car with a leash, crate, and salami intent on rescuing this dog.

When we arrived the little dog was lying just as my sister had described: in the ditch.  I approached the dog and immediately was greeted by growling and an impressive display of shiny white teeth.  The ditch was fairly deep and I asked my sister how she even noticed the dog was there and she explained that whenever anyone stopped at the stop sign the dog’s little head would pop up out of the ditch like she was looking for someone.  I asked her if she had seen the dog move and she stated the dog did briefly stand up but quickly crouched back down into the ditch as soon as the car passed.

I stood there a few brief moments before making a few quick assumptions about the dog: 

1)  She was not socialized and that was the cause of a lot of her fear.

2)  Someone she trusted dumped her on the side of the road, because she was looking at every car hoping it was “her person” coming back for her.  (About broke my heart!)

3)  If she could stand then hopefully she had not been hit by a car.  Also, because she had the ability to stand, she could move quick enough to bite me.  (Thank goodness she was a small dog!  Small teeth = smaller puncture wounds!)

I decided to use the leash as a lasso and attempted to throw it around the dog’s neck but missed when one of her ears slipped out.  She was very angry with me at this point, so I tossed some turkey next to her feet and attempted to lasso her as she bent down to sniff it.  It worked, and the next part happened lightning quick!  Suddenly, on the end of the leash I had this snarling, screaming, urine splashing, poop infused beast that was bucking and rolling all around the ditch.  I had no choice but to stand there, reeling her in, like a person that was chartered for a deep sea fishing excursion.

We immediately took this girl to a veterinarian who examined her and agreed she had not been hit by a car.  She could not find anything else wrong with her other then very long toenails and severe fleas.  She confirmed that the dog was probably dumped.  We took the dog home with us, and called the animal shelter the next day to report her as found on the off chance that she was someone’s pet that had been stolen or a newly rescued pet that had run away.  The shelter employee assured us that if anyone called for the dog she would give them our phone number so they could pick up their dog.  No one ever called, so we officially became the foster parents of “Cupcake” on Friday and she will be up for adoption through Lost & Found K9 Rescue ( http://www.lostandfoundk9rescue.com ) as soon as she gets spayed.

Dogs for warmth!

The temperatures around our area have been dipping into the mid 30's and 40's for the last several weeks, however I refuse to turn the heat on because it is too early!  We live in an older Cape Cod style house and it does not heat well on the top floor which is where our bedrooms are.  We have many down comforters and blankets to keep us warm, but the best form of warmth in our house is a dog.  (This is the only time all year that our dogs pull their weight around here on the farm!)  We all have our favorite sleeping companions, and Katzya's favorites are Suzi and Larry.  After going up to Katzya's room tonight I think I might have to cave in and turn on the heat.  They do look super cute all snuggled in together but I must admit defeat and say some heat might be in order tonight.....  

Wordless Wednesday: Suzi's New Sweater

"Does this paisley print sweater make my ears look big?!"

How To: Advent Calendar

The origin of the advent calendar started in Germany in the 19th century. By drawing a chalk line to mark off the days and lighting a candle every night the days leading up to Christmas were easily counted. 

The first printed calendar was produced by Gerhard Lang in Germany. When he was a child, his mother attached pieces of candy to a cardboard picture and each day he would take one off. His first produced calendars consisted of miniature colored pictures that would be attached to a piece of cardboard each day in December.  After Gerhard created his advent calendar, others started popping up all over and eventually someone made one with little doors to open on each day. Inside the door, the child would find a small piece of candy or a trinket relating to Christmas.

The German calendars were sold until World War II, at which time production was stopped due to the war shortages. After the war though, the production of calendars resumed in 1946 being produced by Richard Selmer, and President Eisenhower can take the credit for helping the tradition grow in the United States.  A newspaper article in 1946 showed the Eisenhower grandchildren with an advent calendar, and from then on the concept was planted in the United States.  

The advent calendar tradition grows every year, and is the tradition I remember most in my childhood.  This year I set out to create an advent calendar for my house, and it turned out so cute and so simple I just had to share. 

First, I went to the local craft store and purchased small paper mache boxes and acrylic paint in green, yellow, and brown.

I then painted 20 of the boxes green to make up the body of my Christmas tree, 1 of them yellow to make the star, and 4 of them brown to make the trunk of the tree.

After they were dry I glued magnets to the back of the boxes.

I then used a circle punch from my scrapbooking days and punched out 25 circles.  I labeled the circles 1-25 and used chalk to color them. 

I glued the circles to the front of the boxes so that they resembled Christmas lights and then filled the boxes and hung them on the refrigerator!

This was such an easy project to complete and I hope you enjoy this craft as much as I did.  The directions are fairly straight forward, but if you have any questions, feel free to ask!

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Buying local has never been so cute!

Katzya is celebrating her 13th birthday this weekend with her friends.  I wasn't sure what to do for party favors, and I personally hate when my child goes to parties and brings back a bunch of trinkets that I will only throw away later.  I remembered seeing these adorable cupcake shaped soaps made by Skin Soap Co. on Facebook, and knew this was my answer!  I went to high school with the owner of the company, and was happy to support her local business.  She brought the soap by my house tonight, and I was just blown away by how great they smell and honestly they look good enough to eat!  I love them!  

Need a bit of local cuteness in your life?

Skin Soap Co.

937-475-0506

or find them on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/SkinSoapCo?fref=ts

Homestead Security

We have had a very stressful several days here at the homestead, starting with a theft which included our house and garage keys.  Thankfully we have amazing friends that came to our rescue and new locks were installed on the doors and windows yesterday.  The Reluctant Farmer narrowly missed meeting the thief (by minutes!) and I am grateful that she was not harmed yesterday when he robbed us.  I thought this was over and behind us however after returning home tonight, there was obvious signs that someone was back again tonight in the few hours that I was gone.  I can't help but feel violated and I hate not feeling comfortable in my own home.

Yesterday we shopped at Menard's for new door and window locks, however tomorrow I will be shopping at Old English Gun Shop.....

The secret is no more.....

Promptly after announcing the much needed break I was going to take from rescue, an alleged puppy mill was raided in our community and we were asked to help.  Due to the fact that this is an on going criminal investigation, we are unable to adopt the dogs to new homes at this time, but at least we are able to acknowledge that we have them in our care now!  We were able to bring 6 dogs into the rescue and I am happy to report that they are adjusting well to their new life.  We are in desperate need of donations as explained in the letter below, and where I have never asked for donations before on this blog, if you are able to help us out with a donation of any size, it would be much appreciated.

Without further ado, let me introduce you to the "Maplewood 6 Pack!"

Marty

Freddie

Archie

Benji

Emma

Cera

Dear Friends,

                On Saturday, November 17, 2012 the Ohio SPCA and Shelby County Sheriff’s Department raided an alleged puppy mill in Maplewood Ohio.  In this raid 241 dogs were pulled to safety.

                We at Lost and Found K9 Rescue were able to admit 6 dogs from this raid into our rescue program with the hope of rehabilitating and adopting these dogs out as an end result.  Sadly, these dogs all came into rescue in poor shape, mentally and physically.  They had not been vaccinated, altered, and several had terrible ear infections, dental problems, and urinary tract infections.  The estimated cost of vet care alone to care for the “Maplewood 6 Pack” is $2306.00, which is a taxing amount of money for any rescue and especially a small rescue.

                We know many of you have dogs that share your heart and home, and we are asking a favor of you.  (No, we are not asking you to adopt a dog …)  What we are asking for is a monetary donation to a wonderful rescue organization that is busy saving lives.  A rescue that is allowing these dogs to experience grass under their feet for the first time in their lives, warm beds, full bellies, and human kindness. 

                Any amount that you could donate would be appreciated, and no donation is too small!  Rest assure your donation is going to a registered Ohio non-profit organization and your donation is tax deductable. 

                If you are able to donate to this cause feel free to do so one of 2 ways:

1)       Make checks payable to:   Lost & Found K9 Rescue

                                                        1890 Old Staunton Rd.

                                                 Troy, OH 45373

2)       Make a secure donation using your credit card  to our Paypal account at lostandfoundK9@gmail.com

Thank you,

Christie Remy,  Andrea Pindell, and Emily Browning

Lost & Found K9 Rescue 

www.lostandfoundk9rescue.com