Category Archives: Pets

Polar Arrives

Polar was almost an immediate foster fail, which means we decided he would become part of our family in part because it might be hard to have him adopted and in part because he fit in well.

It was through a circuitous route that this senior never-ending-story-looking dog ended up in our home probably in part because of our volunteering and activism for the Humane Society of the North Bay. We know that he needed to be homed on a crisis basis and that seniors generally are much less adoptable, especially if they have special needs or medical problems, acute or long-term.

Polar’s personality is such a winner. He truly does the hug and affectionate eyes closed to almost every dog and person he meets, which makes him so endearing. He is making himself at home, despite some medical issues he had. Our vet found a foxtail embedded in his gums and he had an open gash in his backside which required stitches. This is why he got sheared in the rear looking sort of like a lion with a mane for a while. We put him on some medicine to clear up things so that he would become a lot healthier. He’s about ten years old and very healthy otherwise. In the video below he is playing (post-op) with a small guest dog, but fortunately Polar gets along with everyone.

Dinky gets a Not-so-dinky Tumor Removed

We’re happy to show a picture of Dinky, who we had fostered for several months, after her operation. She is a twelve-year-old tiny red chihuahua and she had a huge tumor in her mouth which didn’t even allow her to close her mouth all the way. There are lots of pictures from previous months in which you can see it, although you might think it’s her sticking out her tongue.

Dinky went through a lot from what we understood. We were told that her guardian was murdered by her own son in Benicia and afterward the other son was unable to take care of her.

Dinky loved to worship the sun at our house and got along with all the dogs, never intimidated by the largest of dogs next to her. I think she was respected universally and never had to growl. You’ll even see her playing with a few of the dogs as if she was a puppy. We knew she was pretty healthy because she had a wonderful appetite, so we were glad to fatten her up for surgery. We’re so glad that we were able to foster Dinky until she found a permanent home with another animal she gets along with very well.

Foster Poopsie R.I.P.

This is hard to talk about because it ended so tragically. Shando and I fostered this gorgeous puppy (not the guest dog named Cookie, who is having a moment), for about a week.

When we got Poopsie, I thought it was really cute because that’s the pet name that my grandfather had for my grandmother, although if we would have kept him, he would have been called Iggy.

We almost immediately found a home nearby where we knew he would be treated well, but unfortunately, while they were out walking Poopsie, a vicious dog in the neighborhood, who was being dog-sat, got off leash and attacked and killed Poopsie (who had been renamed). It was traumatic for our neighborhood and many of us rushed to the scene with the screams, which also threw Poopsie’s new mom to the ground and injured her. I could not believe my eyes and openly sobbed when our vet, who had rushed over, could not resuscitate him. Life is so short and can be so unfair. This is probably the only footage we have of him, which I was glad to find.

In Memoriam of Peanut Hayden fka Koa

We only had Peanut for about five months. He came to us as a foster in January at age 13 as his previous family moved away and said they could not take him. We determined there was something wrong with his health, which perhaps the family who had abandoned him was aware of. We took him for X-rays, but what it ultimately turned out to be was advanced kidney failure. After several months of his only being slightly unbalanced with his equilibrium, he deteriorated and could not gain weight. We tried to get encourage his appetite in so many ways, but his poor little body just wasn’t cooperating.

Peanut was super affectionate and bonded with me very quickly. As a chihuahua-dachshund mix, he did remind me of my Tucker. We knew almost immediately that he would not just be a foster once I saw that handsome face and his attentive eyes. I know he felt loved. He very rarely barked, but he had a very deep voice when he did. He loved car rides and being near me. He loved meeting new dogs and would shadow them until the novelty wore off. I’m so glad we had him in our family, even if it was for just a short period.

Disjointed Montage: