Randy was the right dog at the right time- Levi can be the right dog at the right time for you...

Levi

Breed:	Basset Hound/Labrador Retriever Mix	Color:	Tan/Yellow/Fawn	Age:	Adult
Size:	Large 61-100 lbs (28-45 kg)	Sex:	Male

Already neutered, housetrained, up to date with shots, good with kids, good with dogs, and good with cats.

Mutzer a.k.a Randy - looking quite comfy

Our guest blogger today is Jodi Crubaugh - a wonderful free-spirit who has a way with children, animals, and nerd engineers.

Life has been absolutely interesting since Randy came into my life.

I had recently divorced when we first met. As I walked through my new neighborhood with my best canine friends, Pippin and Quigley, three children approached. Their own four-legged friend followed close behind. “Would you like another dog?” they asked.

Another dog—were they joking? “As you can see," I said, untwisting tangled leashes, "I already have two, and they're quite the handful.”

“But our mom says we can’t keep him," they replied. "He barks and he stinks."

I was dumfounded. I'd heard a plethora of silly reasons for bundling off a pet, but “barking and stinking” took the prize. "What's his name?" I asked.

"We call him Randy."

After regarding their story with a mixture of sympathy and skepticism, I asked the children to take me to their mother. To my surprise, she confirmed the situation.

I felt I had no choice that night but to continue my walk with three dogs.

The children followed me home in a somber parade to ensure that Randy arrived safely. When they told their pet goodbye, I promised they could visit him anytime.

And they did.

Unbeknownst to them, I cherished their company during what was, otherwise, a very lonely time. When they couldn't visit my house, the children often found me with all three dogs on a neighborhood walk. Sometimes the kids brought Scooby Snacks in their pockets. They also informed me that Randy’s nickname was “Mutzer.”

He was quite the quirky dog.

The nickname stuck.

When I picked him up, Mutzer sounded just like Chewbacca, the giant wookie in Star Wars. Without fail, each meal or drink from his bowl was followed by a loud and juicy burp! He never stank quite as bad as the children claimed, but his manners were a bit lacking! And that smell? It went away with the bathwater!

Randy has been with me, through thick and thin, for 10 years now. These days, I carry him halfway through our walks, but he manages well for a dog his age. Although he's likely 14 years old, he dashes around with bursts of energy between his long and restful naps.

Meanwhile, our little family has changed dramatically. A husband, two stepsons, and a bright-eyed baby girl have joined the household. Sadly, my beloved Pip and Quig have crossed rainbow’s bridge. While I often recall what joy they brought into my life, I'm so thankful that Randy was there for me when they had to leave. In their absence, we welcomed a new dog named Xena. She has also been a joy, and a wonderful companion to Randy, a.k.a. “Mutzer Dog.”

Levi

Levi's Story...

Levi is a 5 year old Basset/Lab mix and weighs in at 55 lbs. More affectionately called a Bassador.  How can anyone resist that face and those eyes!  

He came from a high kill shelter and is so grateful to have a second chance at a FORever home. 

This sweet boy is FULL of love and he wants to be RIGHT with you. He is great with dogs, cats and kids. He currently shares his foster home with two other large breed male dogs. Levi is learning to walk on a leash and handles correction well. He enjoys riding in the car and basically being anywhere you are. He is quite the HAM!  He even will sit at the breakfast table with his human family if you let him. 

If you can provide this precious boy with a loving, FORever home - please email us at info@FORrescue.net 

He is neutered, current on his vaccines, heartworm negative, microchipped and current on heartworm/flea prevention. He is being fostered in Huntsville, AL but is available for adoption to your area.

If you would like to contribute a story to the FOR blog, please mail the contents along with an image or two to blog@forrescue.net.

 At the end of 2014 individuals who submitted content for the FOR blog will be entered in a drawing for a free pet portrait. 


You can make a donation or sponsor an animal by clicking here.

Peanut's Story...
I dont know what happened. Once minute I was riding in the car with my family and the next minute they drove off without me! Luckily a lady came and picked me up but Im still hurt my family would leave me. I guess I'm looking for a new family that wont desert me! Im housebroken and I stay in a crate at night. I ignore the cats and Im not huge on playing with dogs. Id rather just sit in your lap and know that you're close by. I like those green things...what are they called? Oh yea! Greenies! I love car rides and luckily my foster mom gets to take me to work with her so im never really alone anymore. I share my foster mom with a 4 year old little girl. I dont know any tricks but being cute! If you want a little guy to cuddle with on the couch, then Im your man...I mean dog! Im currently in Huntsville, AL but they said I could go wherever there's an adopter! So email info@forrescue.net to get an application! Hugs and kisses! Sincerely, Peanut.

Pirate Petey is looking for his forever home and Gunther is a "bad ass" cat!

Update:  Pirate Petey is adopted!  Thank you!

Pirate Petey- a 2 year old dog who has been looking for his forever home too long!

Gunther- one bad-ass cat!

Harriet Dobbins, local artist, is our guest blogger today.

     In my family, both growing up and as an adult, we have always had dogs and cats.  I currently have a beautiful black and white standard poodle, named Splash, who makes me laugh every day.  He is gentle, kindhearted, full of energy and he loves to make people laugh. He is the joy of my life.  

But I am going to tell you about a cat that was in my life.  We were at the lake in Guntersville, when my daughter came running to get me, to see a cat she had found near the edge of the woods.  What I saw, was a terribly thin cat with five abscesses and a paralyzed leg.  As I approached him, he tried to stand to come to me but was too weak and fell over on his side.  I reached out to pet him and he pushed his head into my hand and rubbed his face on it and purred sooo loud.  My daughter told me someone had gone to get a gun to kill him.  She begged me to take him home with us.  She said it was not right to kill anything that was so loving while in so much pain.  So, we scooped up this poor injured cat and took him straight to the vet. The vet said he would not have lived another twenty-four hours because he was so dehydrated.    We had to leave him at the vet about a week on IV’s, and then we brought him home.  The vet told us, he would have to amputate his leg when he got stronger.  We named him Gunther.  After, a month of food and water and rest, we had his leg amputated.  He recovered from that surgery just fine.

  

         We don’t know what might have happened in Gunther’s former life but he was terrified of men.  I had a husband and two boys, so Gunther spent a lot of time under my bed for the first year he lived with us.  My boys, loved cats so they spent many hours laying on the floor next to the bed with the dust ruffle tucked up, playing with Gunther.  They had tied a string on to a short stick and put a squirrel tail tied on the end of the string.  Gunther just loved that squirrel tail.  After, about a year,  Gunther decided men couldn’t be all that bad and came out and joined the family even when the males were home. 

         During, that first year we had Gunther, he developed a bladder condition that could not be controlled by drugs or diet, so he had to have another surgery and this time there were complications and the vet thought he would not make it.  He got on the phone to Auburn and over the phone step by step they walk him through the procedure to fix Gunther’s problem.  Now Gunther had been on death’s doorstep for the second time in a year.  With all the things that Gunther had been through, they never seemed to bother him.  He was sweet and affectionate but he was also tough as nails.  We had two miniature schnauzers at the time that were inside dogs and two Labs that were outside dogs.  Both of my other children had there own dogs, which they brought to the house when they came over, a boxer and a German shepherd.  Gunther let those dogs know right away that he was in charge.  He would run at them side ways and slap them with his "invisible leg".  He did this with such assertiveness that the dogs believed they had been hit. They would back off.  Then once he knew he had control, he would rub up against them like they were friends.  

        Gunther had a game that he played with the little schnauzers everyday.  They would eat breakfast every morning in the kitchen and Gunther would hide behind the door and wait for them to come through and jump on them.  They knew he was waiting to do this and so they would walk ever so slowly to the doorway and then try to run through so fast that Gunther couldn’t get them, but he always did.  Gunther loved this game but I’m not so sure the schnauzers like it that much.  They were all friends.  Never had a fight and slept in a big pile together on the sofa.  Gunther lived with us for seventeen years.

         The reason I write about Gunther is he was an inspiration to me in my life and I think he was to others as well.  With all the things that happened to Gunther, he remained sweet, affectionate, yet tough and confident.  Of all the animals at my house Gunther was the favorite, especially with the young males.  You could hear them say to their friends, “you need to come see this ‘bad ass’ cat”.  Clearly they admired him and how well he got along on three legs and how precisely he could use his “invisible leg.”

Breed:  Italian Greyhound/Miniature Pinscher Mix
Color:  Tan/Yellow/Fawn
Age:  Young
Size:  Small 25 lbs (11 kg) or less
Sex:  Male

Neutered, house trained, up to date with shots, good with kids, good with dogs, and good with cats.

Pirate Petey's Story…

Pirate Petey is a 13 lb two year old italian greyhound/min pin mix. He is good with cats and some dogs. Because he is small we prefer he go to a home with no children or children over 12. He is a HUGE SNUGGLE BUDDY! He will cover you in kisses. His favorite past times include perfecting his balance on the human arm, and keeping up with the latest fashion trends. This is a seriously precious dog!

Help Petey find his biggest treasure- his forever home!

 Email amanda.howard@FORrescue.net for more information or fill out an application at forrescue.net . He is currently fostered in Huntsville, Alabama but we adopt to many different areas.

 See Petey in action!

If you would like to contribute a story to the FOR blog, please mail the contents along with an image or two to blog@forrescue.net.

 At the end of 2014 individuals who submitted content for the FOR blog will be entered in a drawing for a free pet portrait. 

You can make a donation or sponsor an animal by clicking here.

Aspen and Peanut - two little animals with big spirits to inspire us!

Aspen is looking for his forever home

Dana Brown, animal rescuer and artist, is our guest blogger today. 

She has been inspired by Peanut.

When I met Peanut, she was hiding in the back of a pet carrier, terrified and tiny.  She was only 3 pounds, dirty, and confused.  A breeder of Persian cats had decided to surrender some from her overcrowded home and Pea was in the second batch that our rescue group convinced her to give up.

When we opened the carrier door in a small bathroom, tiny Peanut slowly came out and headed behind the toilet.  She was partially shaved in a haphazard way and her eyes were rimmed with black.  She was a strange looking little thing and our first impression was that she was very old.  We thought it was possible that euthanasia might be the kindest thing to do.  This tiny cat was obviously uncomfortable, sick, and terrified.  I felt like she had already shut down.

My heart went out to her immediately because we had been told that she had lived in a cat cage, basically staying in her small litter pan.  Cats are always frightened in new circumstances but something was different here.  I could believe that Peanut had never had any freedom in her life.

In her carrier was a handwritten note scrawled on a rumpled piece of paper that told some of her story.  She was only a year old and had been born to a mother cat who suffered from the Herpes virus.  The entire litter was born very ill and all had died except Pea and her sister.  The sister only lived a few months and Pea had survived but one eye had already ruptured and we could see that both eyes were in terrible shape.  I didn’t realize then how much pain tiny Pea had already been through in her life but I would soon understand.

I wanted to foster Pea to be sure she got every chance possible.  She came home with me and our story together began.  Pea and I have been through countless drives to Birmingham for eye grafts and rechecks.  She had three surgeries and in the end, still lost one eye.  She has battled through numerous herpes outbreaks where she can’t breathe, won’t eat, and seeks a dark corner to hide.  Together, Pea and I learned how to get through these times – I learned to not panic and she learned to trust me.  At three pounds, maintaining a healthy appetite was a priority and we’ve tested food after food.  Pea loves food!

I admire Pea for her courage and love her for her sweet spirit.  She is now 3.4 pounds and has many more good days than bad.  She tiptoes around the house, under dogs and through our family of cats without a care.  She purrs instantly when picked up and loves to be snuggled in my housecoat before we go to bed.  Pea knows what love is now.

Pea taught me to never give up on an animal.  If they are trying, then I will too.  I hope to have many more years with my tiny Pea. 

Aspen is ready to be your driving companion.

Aspen is a 12 to 13 year old chihuahua poodle mix.  He is built like a chihuahua but has fur like a poodle.  He needs some regular brushing and trimming.

Aspen came from one of our local shelters, where he was an owner turn it at 12+ years.  He was at great risk because of his age.  Lucky for him, his foster mom saw him and offered to foster him with FOR.  He is definitely an older guy and has some older guy problems.  He is deaf and suffers from arthritis.  The first is not too hard to deal with, but he probably needs a home without really small children, because he doesn't really have a way to know to get out of the way and that kind of thing.  He is absolutely fine with kids of all ages, so grandkids that are around sometimes would be no problem whatsoever as long as they don't run over him!  His foster mom realized early that he was deaf, so she has been working with him to teach him some ways to communicate.  He now knows a hand signal for come, one for sit and also one for shake hands.  He absolutely loves working for treats so would be fun to teach some more signals too.  He definitely is not too old to learn and learning signals has really helped him get thru every day - he knows what is going on around him now!

 

He is a very easy dog to live with.  He is completely housebroken and will talk to you if he needs to go outside (or if he wants on the couch).  

He is willing to go outside even in the rain, which is nice with a little dog!  He can't get up on the furniture because of his age and hips but he absolutely loves sleeping in dog beds, especially poofy comfy ones.  He sleeps in a dog bed overnight and doesn't need to be crated.  He will sit on your lap and sit next to you on the couch, but he is not obsessive about it.  He'd just as soon be curled up in a nice bed.  He loves going for walks and will come running if you wave the leash in the air where he can see it.

  He also loves to go for car rides, he will sit in the seat next to you and just loves to come along (in the right weather of course).

He is on a daily dose of medicine for his arthritis, which seems to affect his hips.  He suffers in this colder winter weather and may not require the medicine in the warmer months, but he definitely does better on it this time of year.  He also has a few other old guy issues that need to be monitored - a bladder stone and a heart murmur.  He doesn't show symptoms of either, but they could affect him in the future.  He is being fostered with other dogs and cats and is fine with both.  He can be a little nippy on greeting some dogs but he usually calms once he realizes nobody is going to step on him.  He is great with cats as long as nobody sneaks up on him and pounces. 

I'm not so sure about this!

He is a pretty even keeled guy, about 16 lbs but on a diet.  He has a fun little personality but is very low maintenance.  He eats his food no problem and just likes being a little companion dog.

If you would like to contribute a story to the FOR blog, please mail the contents along with an image or two to blog@forrescue.net.

 At the end of 2014 individuals who submitted content for the FOR blog will be entered in a drawing for a free pet portrait. 

You can make a donation or sponsor an animal by clicking here.