Author Archives: Aleksandra

New foster: Gonzo Bunny-Ears!

March 13, 2011 By in Gonzo 39 Comments

Introducing our new foster, Gonzo Bunny-ears!

Can you even believe how cute this little fellow is?

Poor little Gonzo was caught running loose in Prince George’s County in November. He was taken in to the shelter, and his owners were called in to pick him up. Just a few weeks later, Gonzo was caught again! The second time his people were called, they decided not to come. Can you imagine? This sweet little dog was abandoned by his people because they were too careless to keep him contained, and too disinterested to come save him.

The county shelter in Prince George’s County is extremely overburdened and underfunded, which means that they simply cannot afford to keep dogs very long before they are forced to put them to sleep. Little Gonzo was a staff favorite, but his time was limited. So there he stayed, lonely, worried, and homeless. Just in time, he was pulled by Partnership for Animal Welfare, a local rescue group with which we volunteer. Unfortunately, there were not enough foster homes for Gonzo, so he had to stay at a kennel. Kennel life did not suit him, as evidenced by his barely-furry tail. Poor little guy had banged his tail against his cage so obsessively that he wore the fur right off!

When we met Gonzo Bunny-Ears, we knew he had to be ours to foster.  We have always wanted what we call a “pocket pittie” – which he looks like – and his enormous ears are just a sweet little bonus. He came into our home over the weekend and is settling in beautifully. He is a ready-to-go house dog, and is sweet as can be.

I bet we won’t have him very long before a lucky family snaps him up!

A letter from Lily (Lollie Wonderdog)

March 10, 2011 By in Lollie 12 Comments

Lollie/Lily sent us a letter, and her dear mom said it would be ok if we shared it on the blog — so check out how great she’s doing in her new home!

Dear Fostermom and dad,

I hope you guys had a fantastic time in Costa Rica. Someday i’d like to go there . . . do they let dogs go?

Well, I’m getting settled in my new digs, and I’ve already had my new mom and dad redecorate for me!  Since they have low windows, I just can’t resist yelling at ALL the squirrels . . . and there’s a lot of them.  So I helped them put up some “frosted” things on the windows.  Wasn’t I suprised when I realized I couldn’t push them aside with my snout like I could do with the curtains!  The nice thing is that my mom doesn’t have to clean the snout marks off the window anymore, and I’m much quieter now that I can’t see all the squirrels, but I wonder if they miss me as much as I miss them?

I’m loving my new dad . . . he picks me up, sings me songs, calls me ‘sweetie’, and lets me hang out on his lap . . . imagine a pit bull as a lap dog!  And he didn’t think he even liked dogs very much!  I’m still waiting for that purse I was promised, though.

Isaiah and Olivia use me as a pillow when they read, and I’m getting better at letting them know I’m ready to get up. Before I learned, their heads hit the ground hard when I decided being a pillow wasn’t working for me and I got up . . . oops!

Speaking of oops, mom made a GIANT oops when she bought me some new treats!  I tried to tell her I don’t do wheat well . . . I showed my new family how I can clear a room in two minutes when not very lady-like scents came from me. Important lesson noted!

I also started doggie school . . . It’s in a big room full of dogs!  I really want to sniff everyone’s butts, but my teacher says “not yet!”  All the assistants told me I was the star of the class!  They were impressed that I already knew so many tricks . . . they couldn’t believe that I have only been with my family for a few weeks.  My mom told the teachers my story and how I was with a fantastic foster family, and then they talked a lot about the benefits of fostering bully breeds.  The teachers were so impressed with how loving I was.  Fostermom, we’re all so glad you got me out of the shelter, so everyone could see how loving and sweet I am.  I have been working very hard on “watch me”, “touch” and loose leash walking . . . When I’m the only dog around I do just great . . . but all these little dogs in the neighborhood! I keep picturing them slathered in ketchup . . .yum! My parents say that’s not acceptable, so I have a lot of homework to do!

It’s not all work though!  We’ve gone hiking a lot . . . I fell off a log into a stream once, and I realized I could swim! That night I had a nice warm bath, and rested in a nice warm blankie by the fireplace . . . I requested an irish coffee or a hot buttered rum, but I settled for a peanut buttery kong!

Anyway Fostermom, I just wanted to let you know I’m doing great . . . I’m settling in with my new people. They take care of me, and I’m doing fine . . . as long as there’s no wheat around – stinky!!

See you soon and love to all my adoring fans!

Lily Fireworks

Your chance to save a life: meet December

March 9, 2011 By in Uncategorized 9 Comments

Meet December.  Like Lollie Wonderdog, December is a beautiful, affectionate, gentle dog with a terrible, sad past. And like Lollie Wonderdog was just weeks ago, December is looking for a home.

Her story is still waiting for a happy ending and her journey is far from over, but this sweet girl’s sad beginnings came to a close in late 2009.  December was still practically a puppy when she was discovered in a cold, abandoned house in rural Virginia. She was cold. She had no food. No water. She was left in a tiny crate – far too small to stretch out or even move around at all, and abandoned. She had been there, alone, for a long time. When she was found, she was laying still in her own waste, too scared to wag her tail, too weak to even cry for help. She had given up.

When the property’s landlord found her she was rushed to the vet, where she was found to have a critically low body temperature, and in such a state of undernourishment that she weighed just 21 pounds. It took days to stabilize her, and she stayed with the vet far longer before she was able to get her strength back. During her time there, the vet uncovered signs—bad signs. Cigarette burns on her body. Other bad signs.

Once back to health, December returned to the shelter in Radford, VA, where she has lived for more than a year. She has bounced back from her tortured youth and has somehow learned to trust again. She now weighs 43 pounds. She loves all people and other dogs. She is very attentive, staring lovingly into the eyes of anybody who will paying attention, and wags her tail at the slightest hint of kindness. She has a steady temperament and a big heart. The cutest ears you’ve ever seen.  Eyes the color of roasted almonds. She is spayed, vaccinated, and heartworm/Lyme disease tested. She has adoring fans at the shelter where she lives. She even has a free ride from the shelter where she lives to her foreverhome– wherever it may be– through Rural Shelter Transport. She has it all – except a family and home of her own.

Unfortunately, the small rural shelter where December lives cannot keep her forever, and cannot provide the enriching, warm environment that an intensely social animal needs to thrive.  Recently, December has begun to show signs of kennel stress and depression. This condition is almost inevitable in dogs living in a shelter environment long-term. It tends to vanish quickly once a dog moves into a home, but is next to impossible to treat in a shelter environment. If December isn’t adopted soon, she may not make it out at all. Her fragile little life could be over before it really had a chance to begin.

I am not one to preach to the choir, but without the kindness of strangers, dogs like December have no chance. Looking for your very own special four-legged companion? Consider adopting this dearheart. Know someone who might be a match? Shoot them a quick email. Have a great network online or in the real world? Share December’s story to help her find a home. Thinking about getting into fostering? She might be the perfect dog for you. You may not be able to independently find December’s forever family, but you may be able to play a role. Not every small act can save a life, but a large number of small acts certainly can—and has—time and again.

If you are interested in meeting December or just learning more, please contact pals@psknet.com or visit her on petfinder: http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/15884113

6/16/11 update: December was adopted!! She now lives with this adorable young couple in the DC area. They love spoiling her and carrying her around like the little baby that she is!

Why we foster: part 1 of 2

March 7, 2011 By in on fostering 14 Comments

Our decision to start fostering was not rooted in one single reason, although I could most cleanly trace it back to this: I have always wanted to foster dogs. It’s an intangible and squishy reason, which makes it an utterly unsatisfying answer. So last week after our very first foster, Lollie Wonderdog / Lily Fireworks, moved into her new forever home, I thought it was time to search for better answers. I came up with a few. The first two are below. The next few to come.

Chick is a good mentor.

Our resident wonderdog, Chick, really is a model dog. He has impeccable manners, never says a peep, wouldn’t dream of asking for anything, is the best cuddler in the world, and has the most expressive ears and eyes. He has been an excellent tutor in good behavior to his rather uncivilized uncle Tex the black lab, who in his worse days is a slobbery, bouncing, yipping terrorist (though on his good days, thanks to Chick, he is sweet and quiet). I have always had a nagging feeling that it is a waste of Chick’s excellent dogness not to share his talents with other animals who are still learning how to behave. He may not have taught his foster sister Lollie/Lily much, but he did teach her how to pee outside, and that certainly counts for a lot.

teaching tex how to bounce

Pit bulls need all the advantages they can get.

It’s easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than it is for a homeless pit bull to get out of a shelter alive. Is that how the old adage goes? I won’t depress you with statistics, but pit bulls really do have a hard time being adopted. They have an unreasonably bad reputation (although fabulous groups like BAD RAP and StubbyDog are working hard to turn this around), and with so many worthy dogs available in shelters, pit bulls are often overlooked. I have often said that people who don’t already adore the bully breed group are just people who haven’t really spent time with any bully types. Put simply, many people just don’t know what these dogs can be like, and can’t picture one in their lives. Fostering is a perfect way to counter this all-too-common lack of imagination. If we, a non-controversial young professional couple, bring a foster pit bull into our home and successfully demonstrate how perfectly a dog like Lollie/Lily can fit in, won’t that open some minds? It’s hard to make any sweeping generalizations, but since we took Lollie/Lily in, handfuls of people have written us to say that their eyes have been opened.

noncontroversial Chick and his somewhat controversial hand-knit sweater

5 things we love about Lollie Wonderdog

March 4, 2011 By in Lollie 9 Comments

I will quickly admit that sometimes the post comes first, and sometimes the photo. I often have my camera on hand to capture the cute, the weird, and the totally normal elements of daily life at Casa Walldeczka, and often the photo and the post come together in unison. Other times, there is a photo that inspires a post all on its own. This is one of those posts.

Lollie Wonderdog (now Lily Fireworks) had been in her new home for almost two weeks now, which means that we have been almost two weeks without her. We still talk about her all the time (really — all the time), and there are a few things in particular we look back upon with special fondness:

1. Her willingness to play dress-up. This is why Lollie/Lily was a perfect match for a family with kids. I swear, this dog will let you do anything to her. Cover her in blankets, make her wear a necklace, a boa, a hat, whatever. And she looks great in everything. 

2. Her soulful brown eyes. Not much needs to be said here. Her deep, caramel-colored eyes are mesmerizing. 

3. Her unshakable steadiness. Nothing can make this girl jump. Pull her tail, her ears, poke her, she doesn’t care. But in reality, don’t do any of those things. It’s not nice. 

4. Her “pet-me” headstands. I can’t describe it any better than the photos and video. 

5. Her heart-shaped booty. This is the one. The inspiration for the list. We just can’t get enough of her cute little butt! 

Lily’s sending off party

March 2, 2011 By in Lollie 18 Comments

The night before Lollie Wonderdog left our foster care and became Lily Fireworks in her forever home, we had a little goodbye celebration for her. All her favorite people came, bearing gifts, treats, and hugs. From her foster mom and dad she got an indulgent helping of treats and an extra-long walk.

From her aunt Kelly she got a fun bone-shaped stuffie to rip apart, and a very cute new sweater:

From her uncle Dave/Santa, she got a fabulous new pink feather boa . . .

and a visor with her new name on it (also doubles as a neck kerchief)

Everybody except the dogs toasted to Lily F’s progress, journey, and beautiful new life with a nice craft beer (the dogs toasted with their regular old bowl of water). It was a lovely send-off for a spectacular wonderdog.

How Lollie’s new mom tells it (Part 2)

February 28, 2011 By in Lollie 8 Comments

“After John and I got home from meeting Lily (Lollie!), I called the kids to the computer and showed them Lily’s pictures. They adored that she had a red hoodie — Isaiah has a similar one.  After they quickly fell in love, I showed them the “headstand” video — who can resist that?

Several questions followed the headstand video:

Does she do cartwheels?

Can we get a trampoline for her?

Despite their history of pleading for a huge trampoline, I think they thought this would be yet another opportunity . . . (Cue the obscene image of well-endowed Lily flying though the air . . .)

Can we get her a tutu? And will she wear a tiara?

Despite all of the answers to the above being “no” they still wanted to meet her. I was nervous. I had already fallen in love with her. Would they like her as much as I did? Would my husband consent to walking yet another dog with — ahem — udders?

So the family loaded up and went to visit Lily.  She was of course a very well mannered lady that night.  Aleksandra let them feed Lily vegetables, Lily licked their faces, they loved it! They peppered Aleksandra with questions. She patiently answered all of them.  And then Aleksandra asked them one: “Do you guys like her?” . . . “YES!” So we gave her our paperwork and loaded back up. Once back in the car, we discussed some more.  The kids were excited:

Can we get a purse big enough to fit her in?

Can she ride on my sled? Can she sleep in my bed?

Then Olivia piped up, announcing she liked her but “could we still get a maltie-poo to put in my purse?” I still haven’t figured out what an 8 year old would need a purse for, let alone a dog, but . . .

Driving home I was nervous.  Would she be a good fit for our family? Would she be able to adjust to our house with loud kids and homework and general day to day ruckus? Was I even remotely crazy for bringing home a pit bull mix as the newest family member? (cue my mother’s nagging voice-A PIT BULL! A PIT BULL! A PIT BULL? Can you just hear her yelling all the way from New York about her grandkids and this “Lollie monster”?)

I laughed to myself — no,  I can certainly look past the stereotypes and bad rap, and I knew we could offer our home and our family to this sweet loving dog. If only MCHS approved us! Would we be acceptable? Would I answer all interview the questions right?”

Meet our Chick

February 25, 2011 By in Chick 29 Comments

Many of Lollie’s friends and fans have been asking about her foster brother Chick, our own resident wonderdog / child / greatest source of pride.

Over the next couple of weeks we will slowly introduce you to Chick. We don’t want to go too fast, because it would be easy to overdose on cuteness.

Lollie’s dancing skills got a lot of attention, but Chick wants you to know that he has skills too. Check ’em out.

How Lollie’s new mom tells it (Part 1)

February 23, 2011 By in Lollie 25 Comments

“We weren’t looking for a dog. In fact, we had decided we probably wouldn’t get another dog. We had just watched our neighbor’s extremely high maintenance Jack Russell mix for a week, and were pretty sure we didn’t want another dog. It was really Lollie’s nipples that made me really reconsider it. No, I’m not into dog porn or anything odd like that . . . let me explain . . .

I had breast cancer at 24, had a few breast surgeries, lost all my hair, all that fun stuff . . . Fast forward six years, and we’re looking for a dog. We found Daisy, a beagle with giant “udders.” A breast cancer survivor finds a dog with udders…it was meant to be! Last year I went through chemo again when my cancer returned, and Daisy beagle was the sole reason I got up and got any exercise some days. She lay next to me on the couch when I felt pukey, she sniffed my head when my hair fell out again, she saw me through the whole year of chemo. That’s a lot of walks together . . . Sadly, we lost Daisy very unexpectedly a few months ago, and I didn’t want another dog . . .

Last month, we babysat a friend’s pitbull puppy for a few days, and I was in love. My husband was in love. We just didn’t want to do the “puppy thing.” But secretly, I started scanning the dogs in rescues and local shelters anyway. I came across the MCHS site, and something caught my eye . . . What’s a wonderdog? There was Lollie. She had her own website! What a cutie! I scrolled through a few weeks of her blog. She was crate trained! Housebroken! Had manners! Was done with the puppy stuff! Eats her veggies! Looks great in red hoodies! Hmm . . . I closed the laptop, and I thought about it all day.

The next night I stayed up obsessively reading ALL of the blog. And there in the pictures, I saw it- Lollie’s got a boob issue too!!! Giant nipples!! Daisy, a beagle with udders, then Lollie, a pitbull with droopy nipples . . . and me, a two time breast cancer survivor . . . If this isn’t meant to be I don’t know what is!

I showed my husband “Look! The dog has a website!” He deadpans: “You know the dog didn’t write that, right?” We thought about it some more. I had always wanted a bigger dog so I could start running trails again by myself . . . She’s got her house manners . . . The kids have been nagging us for a new dog (though Olivia specifically wanted a dog she could dress up and fit in a purse—not sure Lollie would agree to the purse part) and she’s got a BOOB ISSUE!

We contacted Aleksandra and set up a time for John and me to meet her Lollie Wonderdog. If we thought she’d be a good family member, then we’d tell the little ones. We went to meet Lollie. I couldn’t get over her itty bitty waist. She was adorable. Those giant eyes . . . she licked my stinky shoelaces, and it was love. How could a dog who had been through so much still have so much love to give? I thought about it — Lollie and I are both survivors . . . I think we’d be just fine . . . we just had to see if the little members of the household would get along . . .”

Lollie/Lily goofing around with new mom Jen and new sister Olivia

Lollie/Lily expressing her love

Are these not the cutest three ladies ever?

 

A new start and a new name

February 22, 2011 By in Lollie 25 Comments

After we saw some of the heartfelt, emotional reactions to our last post, we promised that the next one would be more silly and lighthearted. Don’t lead yourself to believe, though, that silly and lighthearted mean unimportant, because this is serious business.

After much deliberation, Lollie Wonderdog’s new family decided to gift her a new name to go along with her new charmed life. Lollie’s new human siblings, 8 and 9-year-old Olivia and Isaiah, were major contributors to this important decision, and came up with a few strong contenders.

Names considered, but not ultimately chosen: Firecracker Leonard and Lily Frankfurter.

No, in the end, Lollie’s new family selected a name that conveys her natural beauty and her nice-smelling nature, as well as her universal likeability and her sparkly personality that dazzles all. As a bonus, her new name has a similar sound and feel to her old name, which will make it easy for her to learn.

So, without further delay, we proudly present to you . . . .