Returning from a blogging and social media break (sort of)

We are back!!  Sort of.

I wanted to share that I'll be taking part (later this month) in the Caring for Critters Round Robin, which is sort of like a blog hop except folks can't just hop on and post -- it's an assigned thing.  Our post will be live on Sept 28th, so mark your calendars!  The Round Robin is hosted by Jodi and her pups, Sampson and Delilah of Heart Like a Dog.

We took a month or so off from blogging and social media due to some family medical issues of both the human and canine kind.  I promised I would keep the the human stuff private, so you won't hear about that here. This is the dog and cat blog, anyway!

Our dear senior pup, Hobie, has been having health issues, on-and-off, all year.  There were at least four times this summer when I thought we were going to lose him, but he recovers miraculously and this week was no exception.  After bringing him to the vet two days ago, when he seemed to be on death's door, we awoke this morning with a rather energetic Hobie on our hands.  Just now, he wanted to go down the big stairs into the back yard (he went UP them this morning for the first time in weeks).  I decided not to allow him to go down.  It's a bit too much, too fast, after weeks of him being unable to maneuver just ONE step, let alone 13.  It's nice to see him "chipper" for a change, and now I am starting to wonder if the pain meds we've been giving him for a year were causing his ongoing issues in some part. His kidney tests came back normal yesterday, but he is a tad anemic. We have him on anti-nausea meds for the weekend, and then we'll have the vet run more tests next week to try to determine what may be causing the anemia and constant bouts of vomiting every two weeks or so.

Hobie resting after going to the vet this week.

During this month, we've had lots of doctor appointments to go to, and big schedule changes regarding work and other things.  I did manage to get to the Tori Amos concert, which was so meaningful to me and I'm grateful for the four or five people who helped me out at home so that I could attend the show.  It meant the world to me.

Good seat, bad picture!

The cats have been a source of steadiness, comfort and delight through all of this.  They are the ever-present "anchor" of the household.

Cali on the roof of the car

Newman and Tux holding down the fort.

Other than that, I brought Charlie, just last weekend, to Pet Rock, which is a music festival for pet-related non-profits in our area.  It's been going on for 16 years, and they do a great job, it's a lot of fun for the dogs that is for sure.  I was so afraid Reactive Charlie would cause trouble, but he was amazingly well-behaved, and in fact he was one of the BETTER-behaved dogs at the event, overall!! At PetRock we saw our friends from Great Dane Rescue, Paws 4 a Cure and our human neighbor, who happens to be named.... Charlie! -- with his no-longer-nervous Newfoundland!  We may attend another event tomorrow, hosted by Second Chance Animal Shelter, if we're not too tired.  Two years ago at the same Second Chance event, I wrecked my shoulder walking Charlie, so I'm a bit hesitant ... but we shall see.

Charlie Brown at PetRock Festival

Feeling empowered, a few days later, I brought Cooper to PetSmart for the first time, ever.  Again, I thought Mr. Reactive Dog would be the one to cause trouble inside the store.  But nope! I was pleasantly surprised by my wonderful hound again!!  He was the perfect gentleman, and in fact it was ANOTHER dog that got all up in his face and started trouble!  Aside from Cooper nearly breaking my finger with his collar and leash in his enthusiasm to get inside the store, it was a great experience, and I'm going to bring him to the pet stores with me more often.

Cooper in the car after we went into PetSmart.
Good dog!

Our topsy-turvy schedule will continue for quite some time, so I will probably only be blogging occasionally -- probably on weekends and for special assignments such as the Round Robin mentioned above, DoggyLoot, and a few others.


Until next time!  Keep meowing, woofing and wagging!

If it weren't for Facebook...

I have a love/hate relationship with Facebook.  Mostly hate.

I hate that it's addictive, I hate that if you are a blogger, pet advocate, business owner or photography buff, you are more or less obliged to have a Facebook account and/or page.  I hate that they are now pushing page owners down, down, down on the totem pole unless of course you want to pay $5 a day to "boost" your posts!!  I hate that most of all.

I love that the site has connected me with old friends (one of whom I had lost touch with for over 30 years, and how cool was it to reconnect with that person!?).  I love that it has revealed cousins that I did not know before (ok, ancestry.com helped with that one, too).  I love that I can stay in touch easily with my nieces, nephews, cousins, sisters-in-law and aunts -- all at once, just by posting a stupid photo or remembering a birthday or anniversary.  I love that I am actually "Friends" with musicians I have adored my whole life.

And then there's this:

If it weren't for Facebook, we wouldn't have Charlie Brown; and we wouldn't have Cooper, either!

Five months after the sudden loss of our beloved Hector, we weren't looking for a new dog.

Handsome Hector Huge!  We love ya, buddy!

We were enjoying our time being a one-dog (and three cat) family.  Enjoying trips to the beach and the lake with Hobie, and spoiling him rotten.  Hobie missed "Hec" just as much as we did, maybe more.  They were brothers from other mothers.

Hobie, at the lake, after a spa day!
(Bandana provided by groomer)

I had been on Facebook for about 3 years, having joined because of a high school reunion.  So, after the reunion came and went, I ended up spending a lot of time-wasting on Facebook.  Once the cold weather set in, and trips to the beach with Hobie would be on-hold for a few months, I started looking at PetFinder and was following a bunch of shelters.  I kept showing puppies to Gil and he kept saying no, we are not ready yet.  At one point, he casually mentioned how his next dog should be a combination between Schulz (his beloved Collie-mix from before he knew me) and Hector (our beloved hound-mix).  Remember that for later: a collie, and a hound... 

A day or so later, I saw that a friend of mine had "Liked" the Facebook page of a local rescue called "Great Dog Rescue of New England".  I just went to their Facebook page and clicked "Like" for no other reason than it was something to do.  

And a few days later, there was this picture and post about a dog named Charlie Brown.  

Charlie Brown is a smart, cuddly, 7 week old Collie/Hound mix who weighs 8lbs. He was rescued along with his siblings after being discovered in rural Tenn by a construction worker who was sent to bulldoze a house. When he looked inside to do a final check of the home, he heard a cry and started looking around. That is when he found the momma, Kate and her 8 tiny babies hidden in a closet. The worker thought he did the right thing by taking them to a shelter, but unfortunately it was a kill shelter where Kate+8 faced certain doom. Luckily for this little family one of the kind shelter workers called a Southern Rescue partner of Great Dog Rescue New England. She saved the family and kept them healthy and well until they could be moved to MA where they now are living with one of our wonderful foster mommies who loves and adores each and every one of them! Charlie Brown is the leader of the pack and the first to climb in your lap, grab a toy or let you know hes ready for fun. He likes to be cuddled and play with toys and his littermates. He has the sweetest face and a tail that is always wagging.. Due to his age, he is not crate trained or house trained, but he is such a smarty, he should not have any problems learning. 

We didn't adopt Charlie right away.  Someone else had beat us to it.  But a few weeks went by, and I decided to see if Great Dog had any other guys available for adoption.  Lo and behold, the adoption fell through with the original family, and we were next in line!  We got Charlie Brown in 2012, and 7 months later, we adopted his brother and litter mate, Cooper, the three-legged cuddling machine!

So, you see, Facebook isn't all bad!  

To follow my Facebook page, go here:  K2's K9s and Kitties, on Facebook