Diary of a Dog Transporter

Transport #40: Cagney (aka Rusty)

2011-03-20T17:44:00.000-04:00

My gosh I haven't done a transport in ages! This has been a really rough winter here and that combined with the agility classes I've been doing on the weekend, made it difficult to do much transporting. Sure, they were coming through but people doing them in that weather tend to have all-wheel drive vehicles and all I have is a small car! So for the winter I gave it up. I still may not do too much of it with all the dog classes, but I'll do more than I have been.

This transport was originally set up to be for a deaf 5-month old Australian Shepherd puppy and a pregnant adult Aussie. The puppy got adopted before the transport by someone who worked with deaf people and was looking for a puppy she could teach ASL to. So the transport ended up just being for Rusty (renamed Cagney by ARPH). The drive out to the meeting place was uneventful. It was a lovely day, around 40 degrees outside and bright and sunny. I threw some great music on and tore on off down the highway singing at the top of my lungs!

I arrived and not more than 5 minutes later the person meeting me with Cagney arrived. Poor Cagney! She was glued to the inside of the car as far away from the open door as possible. This isn't usual dog behavior. Usually, if the dog has issues with the car, it's that they don't want to get in the car and are desperate to get out. Not poor Cagney. She was so shy that she found a safe space in the car and wanted to stick with it. We managed to get her out with a bit of difficulty, but she finally came out. Once outside she skittered every which way, body hunched over and her tail (which she did have!) tucked so far under that at first I didn't even think she had a tail.

We walked her around for a bit, hoping she would find a place to do her business, but she was too nervous for that. So we ultimately ended up sitting in the grass with her. There she finally seemed to settle a bit and even asked for a bit of attention. I tried offering her some cheese and she at least licked at it. When I first offered her cheese (inside the car in the hopes that the smell of something delicious would lure her out) she wasn't interested at all. A sure sign of a stressed dog, unfortunately.

Cagney is a beautiful dog, but oh so nervous and shy. She warms up to people, but it'll take some time to get her through her issues I would imagine. She hopped up into my car quickly enough and took up the same spot huddled in the back of it. After about 20 minutes of driving, she managed to settle down enough to fall asleep.

The next meeting place was a carbon copy of the first. I ended up having to lift a very pregnant dog who seemed more dead weight than dog out of my car and this time, since it was obvious she wasn't going to find a place to pee and wasn't going to drink anything, we put her right into the next car. She settled in there ok, though she hadn't had a chance to warm up to the next people in line like she did with me. I'm sure she'll be fine for the rest of her trip.

I just hate seeing what people have obviously done to this beautiful dog. I'm not sure if she's been abused but it's fairly certain she's been neglected by people. She's not terrified of us and does warm up, but she's shy and nervous upon first meeting people. I'm sure the trip and the constant changing of cars is hard on a dog like that. But by tonight she'll be in her foster home and on her way to a new life!

Update on "Eddie"

2010-10-11T14:09:00.000-04:00

It's fairly rare that I get any sort of update on the dogs I transport. Some I see have gotten adopted, but I don't hear much about their adoptive families. The three lab mix puppies I transported back in July got adopted pretty quickly, and we just got an update about Eddie, now named Ollie.

Here are a couple of photos of Ollie (aka "Eddie") the pup. He is now around 6 months old, I think, and is a handsome boy. He is very kind, good natured, likes to please humans and occasionally likes to please himself too (such as when he grabbed a plate full of food off the dinner table)! :-D He a...nd the cat are best friends, and the cat likes to sleep on top of Ollie. Ollie's other best friend is "Jack", my brother's dog. Ollie usually sleeps upstairs with my sister and the cat, but when we were all gathered for a family wedding this weekend, Ollie chose to sleep in the guest bedroom with other family members. He is the most mellow dog I have ever seen, and likes to just lie around like "an old hound dog" much of the time. He'll launch himself into play mode occasionally, but is mostly just happy to hang out with everyone.

Transport #39: Truman (aka Dakota)

2010-10-03T20:28:00.001-04:00

I cannot resist puppy breath. It's just impossible. And it's even more impossible when that puppy is only about 8 weeks old, fat, and fluffy. Truman is, they believe, a Golden retriever/Chow mix and he certainly seems to have the physical characteristics of both breeds. He does have the spotted tongue, though that's meaningless as a marker for being a Chow mix, but he has plenty of other physical characteristics of the Chow breed.

I headed out to pick up little Truman at 11:30am. It was an absolutely gorgeous day: mid-50s and sunny, just a great day for a drive! The transport was running ahead and so by the time I got there (also 20 minutes ahead), Truman had been walked and done all his business. I got some kisses, a few little puppy bites, and then he was in my car and we were off (after a few pictures). He settled down really well in the car, which I find is typical of puppies. He was almost instantly asleep with his head on the arm rest (so cute!). I had to make one stop on the way through to run into the bathroom. It was a cool day and so he was fine in the car with the windows down a little. When I got back to the car, he had managed to get down off the seat and was stuck behind the passenger's seat, the poor guy. He was just too short to get back up. So I helped him back up and we were on our way.

The rest of the trip was entirely uneventful. We arrived in Liverpool about 25 minutes ahead of time and I knew that the person meeting me was on another transport which was going to make him a little late. So that meant I got to walk Truman around and play with him for a bit.

"Play with him" actually meant having various pieces of clothing and body parts substitute as a tug toy. At varying times he latched onto my pant leg, sneaker, fleece jacket, elbow and fingers. All with puppy teeth. He also pounced on a woman's toes who came up to meet him. Whoops! Crazy little puppy but SO CUTE.

The next transporter showed up just about the time he was supposed to leave and since Truman had been walked, gone to the bathroom, and had some water, he was all set. We got him into his car and off he went, just about 5 minutes late.

Truman is one of the truly lucky ones. He's meeting up with his adoptive family tonight. So he's already going to a great home. Go Truman!

Edited to add: We have heard from his new family and he is settling in nicely. They've decided to name him Dakota.

Transport #38: Geri, Jack, and Precious

2010-09-21T09:17:00.000-04:00

This weekend I was away from town and heading back home via one of the common transport routes so it seemed ridiculous for me to have an empty car the whole way home. I volunteered for a transport early last week and took the last three legs of it. Of course, I should have known it would never be that simple. Because, of course, the transport went from two dogs to four rather quickly. Two I can handle. Three I can handle if they're not huge dogs. Four? The only time I've had four in my car is when most of them are small puppies in a crate. This transport was for one overweight lab (80 pounds), and three medium sized dogs (30-35 pounds each). That's just too much for my little Saturn Ion.

In the end, it was agreed that I would take the three smaller dogs as they were going the farthest and I could fit them all the in car. It meant that I would have three dogs in the car for approximately 2 1/2 to 3 hours and I wouldn't make one stop between the pick up and drop off points.

Except, well, I had to make a stop. I met up with the transport at 9am in the morning and met all of the dogs. The overweight lab, Lucy, was a huge sweetheart who wanted to play tug with her leash (yikes!) and wanted belly rubs. She was enthusiastic, but the poor thing was breathing so heavily from just a little bit of exertion that she broke my heart. I know whomever ends up with her will knock that weight off the poor girl and make her life a little easier.

The other three dogs were Jack (a Boxer/beagle mix who was a huge sweetheart), Geri (supposedly a Lab/basset mix -- I see lab and some sort of hound but I'm not sure it's basset), and Precious (another lab mix). Precious was super calm and very relaxed. Jack was sweet and just wanted to give you kisses and curl up. The problem was Geri. Originally I decided that it would be easiest to put Jack in the front seat as he seemed to be the dog who required the most attention. I thought the girls would be ok in the back. Huge mistake. Precious immediately settled down but Geri could not. She paced back and forth, kept trying to get in the front seat (both from the middle area and around the left side of my seat, which would never happen). She irritated Precious who growled at her a couple times. I was starting to get worried about the two dogs in the back. I ended up getting off the highway and stopping at a gas station to switch the dogs around.

And here comes the other scary moment of the trip. In order to do this I had to get two dogs out of the car: Jack and Geri. I started with Geri who, thankfully, I had on a slip lead as she pulled so hard on the other lead (I had her double-leashed) that she snapped her collar right off. Phew! Then I got out Jack. I was trying to get them situated and into the car when Geri suddenly leapt up, knocked me off balance, ran into Jack's leash and I discovered a problem with slip leashes: they also slip right out of your grasp! The leash flew out of my hand and suddenly Jack was free. He didn't race off, thankfully, but instead sort of ran around near me a bit, sniffing and checking things out. He saw people at the next car over and ran over to them and when they stopped to pet him I was able to step on his leash and capture him. That had to be my scariest moment ever. I thought that I would lose him and what a horrible thing that would be. I was, honestly, starting to get really angry with Geri, though I kept myself in check. I got her into the front seat and Jack into the back. I tied Geri up pretty well so she couldn't get into my lap or move much.

And then we were on our way.

Geri finally settled down and I was able to loosen up her leash from where it was tied enough that she was able to curl up and sleep. Jack and Precious were sound asleep in the back. I heard only one more growl from Precious when Jack suddenly got up and, as far as I could tell, stepped on her head. Otherwise the two of them curled up together and slept.

The remainder of the trip was uneventful. I arrived at the meeting place in good time. I got out Jack and Geri and we quickly got them into crates in the next car (which belonged to the woman who runs the rescue these three characters were ending up at). And then, since I hadn't had much time with Precious, I took her out for a little walk around the area. I pretty much instantly regretted not having her in the front seat. She was wonderful. I was trying to get photos of her and at one point sat down on the ground figuring she would wander around and I might get a few. Nope. Instead she saw me sit down and immediately jumped into my lap, gave me kisses and leaned heavily on me, trying to roll over in my lap. She was just the sweetest dog and reminded me a lot of my own: She's a calm, relaxed dog who really likes her own space! I got the impression pretty quickly that she'd be a great companion for Dahlia. But alas, no more dogs for me, as we all know!

I was sad to see Precious go. Jack was sweet but he wouldn't be the dog for me. Geri was adorable but I was glad to see her off as she drove me a little bit crazy. I'm sure they'll all find some good homes quickly!

Lucy

Jack

Geri

Precious

Transport #37: Indy (aka Indigo, aka Drama)

2010-08-01T18:39:00.004-04:00

Another Aussie, another transport I couldn't resist. You guys know the story by now! This one was for an Aussie they were originally calling Indigo, though the rescue renamed him Drama. The first name didn't seem to fit. He's not indigo. The second name didn't seem fit either. There was nothing "drama" about this dog (except perhaps his dramatic colouring). So some of us ended up calling him Indy instead.

At any rate, I saw some pictures of yesterday's portion of the transport so I knew this dog was going to be absolutely beautiful. There was some concern that he was a bit too thin, but he's not. It's good old standard teenage gawkiness. He'll fill out, but he's only about a year old. He's going to be one big Aussie. I'd bet he'll weigh at least what Dahlia weighs (which is 50 pounds), but might very well weigh 55-60 when he's done growing.

At any rate, I headed out his morning and got to Binghamton with about 10 minutes to spare. I saw the other person pull in and drove over to meet her. Upon meeting Indy, the first thing he did was put a paw on my leg and reach up to cover my face in kisses. This was one kissy dog! Everyone got their face washed on transport. He was even more beautiful in person and I immediately set to taking pictures, while still trying to pet him and love on him.

The person I was meeting said he had a reputation as a chewer and so I decided to grab one of the toys I had in my car to give him something to do. As soon as he saw it, his eyes just lit up and he jumped up a bit to get it. I tossed it on the ground and he pounced on it and started to squeak it. Over. And over. And over again. If anyone knows Dahlia, this is exactly what she does. Then he laid down to squeak it and suddenly flung it away from himself and rushed to grab it (unfortunately barreling into my open car door, which didn't faze him at all). I got the impression that perhaps he was used to playing on his own a bit.

After a little bit of playing, I tossed the toy into the car and in Indy went, just as easy as that.

He settled down really well in the car and did a few Dahlia-like things, which I was pretty amused at. He slapped a paw on the arm rest between the seats and grinned up at me. And later during the trip, he rested his face on it and promptly fell asleep. I've renamed it a "snout rest" as it seems to be a good place for that!

Once we arrived in Nedrow, I had about 15 minutes or so to spend with him. I tossed him the toy again and he played with it for a little while. He was utterly adorable with it. This time he ended up rolling over onto his back and chewing it and tossing it around while upside down. Too. Freaking. Cute. I got a ton of pictures of him doing this.

I even pulled out a few treats and got him to sit nicely for a couple portrait pictures. Good dog! It's obvious he doesn't know any commands, but he caught on super quickly, as any good Aussie should!

And then the next people showed up to take him away from me. Oh no! I tried to steal him, but no luck. Drat! I did get some kisses out of my attempt though, so I guess that's good! Indy has now made it safely to Ontario where he'll stay at a foster home until someone adopts him (no doubt quickly!).

Transport #36: Chloe, Max, and Eddie

2010-07-26T09:02:00.004-04:00

Being the owner of a formerly unwanted black dog myself, I couldn't possibly resist doing a transport for 3 lab mix puppies. Like my girl, they were headed from a high kill shelter to a rescue in Vermont for a chance at a new life. This transport was slightly different than the other ones I've done to date. The puppies only had their first shots and so we weren't supposed to allow them on the ground. Parvo, you see. It's a deadly disease and a horrible puppy killer, especially shelter puppies. It's possible they could contract it in the shelter, but if they come out of there parvo-free, we want to make sure they're not going to get it on the transport. It's not 100%, but with parvo "better safe than sorry" is a good rule of thumb.

So the trio of puppies, who came with no names but were given various names during the transport, were crated and allowed out only onto towels, tarps, and blankets that were clean and parvo-free.

I met up with the transport here in Syracuse and got my first glimpse of the puppies when the person I was meeting opened up the back of her SUV. The two fluffier puppies reminded me a lot of my dog, except for having darker eyes and radically different ears. Looking at the pictures later I realized exactly how much my girl's eyes stand out. It's not that often you see a black dog with such intense amber eyes!

Ok enough about my dog. Back to PUPPY BREATH! And not just puppy breath, but puppy breath times three.

We first got Max out. Nicknamed Max for "Maximum," he was the least shy and likely to be the most troublesome of the trio. We had been told they were shy and nervous, but little Max was none of the above. He immediately crawled to the edge of the SUV and we brought him down onto the towel. He wanted to run off to explore, but obviously couldn't, so instead, tried to crawl into our laps and eventually ended up on his back getting a big belly rub. Max was one happy puppy.

The second one we got out of the car was the only girl, Chloe. She was a bit shyer than her brother, but very sweet. She gave me kisses immediately upon meeting me and when let down onto the towel, opted to crawl back into the crate sitting next to it. She sat near the front of it and grinned at us, was happy to receive petting, but she definitely seemed to view the crate as a safe space.

The third one, who was alternately called Special or Eddie (of the two, I prefer the name Eddie, though I wouldn't name a dog either!), was the shyest of the bunch. Little Eddie (the only smooth-coated puppy of the three), immediately crawled to furthest side of the SUV he would and didn't want to come out. We opted to not stress him out too much (he was showing a lot of whale-eyed looks, tail tucked between his legs), so we put the crate in my car, put the other two pups in, and decided to just bring Eddie right from one vehicle to the other. I lifted the little guy in my arms and he immediately snuggled into me, putting his little head on my shoulder. It was incredibly sweet, but I'm sure he was quite happy to be put back into the crate with his siblings.

For the trip, I left the crate door open to allow them to wander out of it and onto the pillow next to it if they wanted to. No one did until the very end. Every time I glanced back to check on them, they were all laying squished together sound asleep. Puppies are just so cute and these little guys are making me change my mind about getting a puppy someday. Uh oh!

I arrived at the Herkimer exit in good time and decided that this time I was going to get little Eddie, the most scared one out first. I thought he needed a little TLC and a little one on one time. So I got him out of the crate (poor guy was pretty nervous) and picked him up and again he clung to me. I set him down on the tarp and after a moment of looking a bit disoriented, he looked up at me, wagged his little tail and crawled into my lap to give me kisses. Yay! Eventually he ended up upside down for a big ol' belly rub.

There really is nothing more disheartening than seeing a puppy closed down and afraid. He's only about 12 weeks old. What sort of life did he have that made him so scared? On the good side, I think he'll recover quickly and easily if our time together was any indication.

After getting Eddie out for a bit, I put him back in with his siblings and brought out the lovely Miss Chloe. I thought she needed a bit more one on one time than Max, who had plenty at the last stop and seemed to be pretty well adjusted. She snuggled into me and rolled over too. Lots of belly rubs were given that day (I gave belly rubs to three puppies, Dahlia, and the dog down the road, Maggie -- 5 dogs in one day!). In the middle of that, the person meeting me showed up and we made a quick transfer of the crate and puppies into her car (what a challenge that was!). And then she was off.

I really wanted to bring Chloe home with me. She was so sweet and reminded me so much of Miss Dahlia. I'm sure they'll all get amazing homes, but (as often happens) I wish I could have been one of those homes!

Some pictures of the trio follow.

Chloe

Max

Eddie (aka Special)

The group

Transport #35: Betty

2010-06-20T19:33:00.004-04:00

It's been far too long since I've done a transport. I always want to do one, but I find every weekend seems to be tied up in something. I think maybe some of it is just wanting to spend time with Dahlia. I work all week and during the school year also disappear some evenings, so my weekends are my Dahlia time. With session every other week, I find it hard to pull myself away from her and do a transport.

But when one comes up for a black dog of a similar size and mix? I couldn't resist. Betty was billed as a lab mix, possibly a purebred. She's definitely not purebred and from the way she moves and the shape of her body and especially her tail, I would guess she's a border collie/lab mix. Whatever she was, she was incredibly sweet! Which is really amazing as Betty's story is quite a sad one. Her people went on vacation for four days and left her tied up outside with no water, no food, and no shelter. She was found suffering from sun stroke and removed from the house. She was taken to a shelter after that where no one wanted her. Luckily someone from the rescue did and so off she was going to Vermont!

I met up with the transport here in Syracuse around 10:30am. I usually take an earlier leg so that I have the rest of my day free, but the transport had 4 dogs on it and I just cannot handle 4 dogs in my little car! At Syracuse, three of the dogs were heading north to Ottawa and one was heading west. I opted to transport the one heading west. Three is still a lot for my little car. And considering the personality of one of the other dogs boy was I happy I only took the one!

When I arrived, I found his huge van already parked there. I knew who I was meeting thanks to the din coming from his car. One dog was barking. And barking. And barking some more. Thankfully it turned out not to be Betty! It was, instead, Mia the pug. Mia was 12 years old. I tried to walk her around but all she did was frantically run around on the end of her leash and bark. And bark. And...well, you get the point. She was a noisy little bugger!

I also met Jose the Chihuahua. The poor little guy was scared to come out of his crate, but once we got him out, he did just fine. I can honestly say I have never walked a dog that small before! Wow it was like having nothing at the end of my leash! He was cute though and very sweet. When I sat down near him he came over to me and licked my hand with his teeny tiny tongue.

Then I finally got to meet Betty. She hopped out of the van and started slinky around, very nervous at first and seemed rather unsure of herself. She moved like a border collie but very much had a lab head and the lab coat over a much narrower body than you'd see on a lab. Beautiful dog! And so sweet. She immediately warmed up to me and started giving me kisses. I got her into the car and she explored it before quickly settling down in the back to sleep most of the way there.

The trip out to Herkimer was very easy and we arrived in good time. Alas, the person who I was to meet was already there. Most unfortunate! I was hoping to have some time with Betty. Luckily we were ahead of the game so we had a bit of time to get some pictures. Now here's the interesting thing. Betty refused to get out of my car. She just laid there and looked up at us like "uh huh no way I'm staying here thank you very much." I felt bad making her move! She did finally and I walked her around a bit, got a few pictures.

At one point I sat down and she immediately crawled into my lab and leaned against me. Ah Betty! I would have taken her home with me in a heartbeat! Such a pretty and sweet girl. Everyone who met her at the transport spot just loved her and couldn't believe she was homeless. I was very sad to hand her off, but finally I had to part from her and then I was on my way home to my own dog!

Some pictures, of course.

Betty

Jose

Transport #34: Singin' Simon

2010-03-29T09:25:00.007-04:00

I think this is the first time in a very long time that I opted to do a transport for a dog that was not an Australian shepherd. I haven't worked for Kim in ages and so when a transport came up for a dog named Simon I decided to jump on board. Judging by his picture, he's a Beagle/Australian Cattle Dog mix. It certainly seems the most likely explanation for his interesting colouring. Gorgeous dog.

While waiting for the transport to begin for me, I got several updates about Simon and the other dogs on transport. This is one of the things I like best about Kim's transports: She really keeps everyone up to date with the progress of the transport and how the dogs were doing. I had several messages about Simon's antics on transport.

he's been barking the entire way since he left. he also tried to chew through his leash while tethered in linda's car.

he also chewed thru two leashes so keep two on him and watch him he's quick!!!!!

And he IS REALLY QUICK chewing the leashes – did his double leash in about 2 seconds while waiting to load.

Noticing a pattern? Simon is a chewer. Big time chewer. I wonder how many leashes he did actually eat through.

At any rate, I was almost to the service area with Tim Horton's where I was going to get a soda, when I got a call from the folks I was meeting, They were running far ahead of the game and were almost to the meeting spot. I wasn't too far from it and so opted to not stop for a snack and headed right to the hotel off exit 46 where we were meeting.

By the time I got there, they had already had Simon out and walked and were ready for him to head out with me. Luckily, someone along the line had thought of getting a chain leash (not a choke chain -- he had a regular collar -- but rather a leash made out of chain!). Smart move! I easily hooked him up in the car and learned quickly that he still had enough room to get in the front of the car.

He spent the first part of the trip jumping from the front to the back, sniffing everything, trying to find any little crumb that might be in the car, and licking my face. He finally settled down in the back with his rawhide chew and alternately chewed and howled. I attempted to sing to him, as they said he liked to be sung to. And it did quiet him down, but when I hit the high notes he cocked his head to the side and howled. I'm not sure if that meant he wanted to participate or he didn't enjoy my singing! ;-)

He did finally settled down and was so sound asleep that I had to wake him up when I stopped.

Now, at this point, we were running nearly an hour ahead. The problem, of course, was that the people meeting me could not get there that early as they were coming from quite a distance away. So I had an hour to kill with Simon. I ended up taking him down to the Onondaga Lake Park and let him walk off some energy and let the hound in him sniff anything and everything his heart desired. He seemed to enjoy that.

I finally met up with the next folks at 1:20pm and he was off to the next meeting spot. Simon was a really nice dog and very handsome. I have no doubt he'll find a home quickly!

(Excuse the blurry spots on some of the photos -- Simon decided that licking my camera was a good idea and I had nothing to clean the lens off with...oops!)

The transport that wasn't

2010-02-28T20:44:00.003-05:00

I hesitated to post this as I don't mean to say anything bad about people who obviously get involved in transporting because they love dogs. But if this is going to give a complete picture of my transporting endeavors, it needs to include both the good and the bad.

At any rate, I had set up a transport for today. It was one for two 1-year-old Aussies, one male, one female, both from a hoarding situation. It was one I couldn't resist.

So, all was well. I took off at 11:45am this morning to head out to Rochester to the arranged meeting point.

At around 12:10pm I received a phone call. The folks I was meeting were running 20 minutes behind. No biggie. That meant I had time to stop and grab something to eat.

"Oh and do you have a crate?"

No. I have no room in my car for an Aussie-sized crate, much less two Aussie-sized crates.

"Are you traveling with someone?"

I rarely do. David has come on exactly three transports with me and one of those was the time we got Dahlia. So 30 transports I've done all on my own. As anyone who has read my adventures in transporting knows, I've handled them all fine. Some dogs I was happy to let go, but for the most part all went well. No trouble on my watch. I've kept them all calm, even the dogs people thought were a bit out of control.

Well, these folks warned me of DIRE THINGS. The female is crazy out of control and eating their car. The male constantly humps the female. They don't know if I can handle it on my own. I assure them that I'll be just fine. We hang up, business as usual.

A half hour later, they call again. They have decided I cannot handle it and have pulled me off the transport. *blinks* What? They are going to go all the way to Syracuse. Mind you, I'm almost to Rochester at this point. I assure them, again, that I'm experienced with this sort of thing and I can handle it. Nope. No go. They've already arranged it with the next person down the line. There's just "no way" I could do it...blah blah blah. There's no budging them. They thank me for my attempt, as if this is my first time doing this, and hang up. Lovely. I wasted two hours of my life for nothing because of those folks.

Now mind you, there had been no updates about the dogs being out of control. There usually is if there's a problem. The transport coordinators are very good about this.

So I head back.

Meanwhile, the rest of the story comes out.

The person I was to meet in Syracuse e-mails me. She says these folks were extremely rude to her, demanding they meet somewhere else than where we had set up the meeting point. And they were freaking out. The woman was shouting into the phone, spazzing out over the male dog humping. The man is screaming in the background about the dog eating their seatbelt and her leash and OMG WHAT ARE THEY GONNA DO.

And so why are the dogs out of control again? Hmmm...

The person I was to meet is a bit taken aback (especially as she and I have met on transport several times!) but goes to meet them anyway.

She e-mailed me later that day with some extra information, including the fact that the folks were 20 minutes early for the meeting spot and did not even get the dogs out of the car. Some people really should not be transporting if this is how they react to normal dog behavior. I'm really peeved off that I got pulled off the transport by these people. It's not like they discussed it with the coordinator (who, by the way, I have done several transports for). They just simply made a decision and refused to meet me. I don't know if they were new to transporting or thought I was, but either way it was a waste of time and money and just completely aggravating.

Transport #33: Charlie, Charlene, and Chai

2009-12-06T23:03:00.005-05:00

I signed up for this transport over two weeks ago. Who would resist puppy breath x 2? Which then became puppy breath x3? Not I, of course. I love puppies. Who doesn't? But when it comes to these little special needs guys, I just can't refuse those transports.

You see, all three of these pups were special needs. All were deaf; two were visually impaired as well. Charlie and Charlene, the older pups (8 weeks old) were going to be put down for their visual and hearing impairments. Their idiot BYB was selling his puppies in an open air market and these two were going to be put down. Luckily someone was able to convince him to turn them over to her and so now off to rescue they go. The third puppy, also deaf and visually impaired, was Chai. I don't know her story, but she's a bit younger than the others (6-7 weeks old) and so no doubt came from a pretty awful place. Despite where ever she came from, she was just the sweetest little ball of fluff ever.

I picked them up in Binghamton in the last light of the afternoon. I tried to frantically take pictures in the lousy light in the hopes of getting some good shots in. Lucky for me the flash made some pretty good pictures up in Syracuse. We loaded all three of them in the car pretty quickly and easily. Charlie and Charlene just wanted to play; Chai just wanted to curl up and sleep. They had very different personalities.

The trip up was pretty easy. One of them kept crying and I felt bad, but eventually all three settled down. When we arrived I had the biggest scare of my life. Charlie and Charlene were moving, but Chai was not. She was pressed up against the backseat and not moving at all. Prior to Charlie and Charlene getting up, they had been squished in there with her. I reached out and touched her. And did not get a response. I nearly panicked, afraid they had somehow suffocated the little girl and I didn't know. So I started to really push at Chai. And she woke up. Phew! Wow does that dog sleep hard. She didn't even try to snap at me or anything when I pushed her around and shook her a bit. You can't imagine my relief upon finding her alive and well.

I got all three puppies out of the car then. Getting them to the grass was a bit of a challenge. Charlie wanted to forge ahead, but Charlene was more cautious and Chai just did not want to move. Eventually I picked up Chai and let the other two walk. Charlene was a bit more bold than Chai with her brother at her side.

Once there, the puppies wanted to play and play and play some more. Charlie and Charlene were mostly interested in each other. And Chai was interested in me. She spent a lot of time crawling around my lap, playing tug with my pant leg, and trying to untie my shoes. So cute. I loved that little dog so much. Seriously. If I could have taken her home with me I would have. She was just so really awesome.

The most amusing thing about the whole situation were the Gulliver and the Lilliputian moments. They kept getting their leashes tangled around my ankles and they'd cross and go in the opposite direction around me, therefore coming close to knocking me over. It was amusing. Frustrating, but amusing nonetheless!

The person I was meeting finally showed up. He was a bit late. He had heard that the transport was running behind. That was yesterday's. Oops. It was kind of nice though as I got to play with the puppies.

I cried when I handed over Chai. I really loved that dog and I barely knew her.

Some pics.

Meet Charlie.

And his sister, Charlene.

And Chai.

How could they...

2009-12-02T13:58:00.002-05:00

This coming weekend I'm going to be doing a transport for three Aussie puppies. Two are only 8 weeks old, the 3rd is all of 7 weeks old. Three tiny little puppies.

1. Puppy one cannot hear.
2. Puppy two cannot hear and is visually impaired.
3. Puppy three cannot hear and is visually impaired.

They all deserve a chance at life. In fact, the first two were going to be taken to the vets to be killed by their breeder because they were, essentially, defective. Why were they defective? Why did one litter have two dogs with hearing and vision problems?

Because of the breeder. The merle coloring, that lovely flecked coat so many people admire in Aussies (and Border collies and some other breeds of dog) comes with a gene for deafness and blindness. When two merle dogs are bred together, some 25% of the puppies are born with these defects. It comes with a variety of names, from Double Merle to Lethal White (many of these dogs are put down before they ever have a chance to live) to much more technical terms.

Any way you look at it, it's caused by bad breeding. No good breeder would breed two merles together. But people looking to make a quick buck will do so and not feel any sadness over culling the innocent deaf and/or blind pups they brought into the world.

Two of the puppies on the transport were part of a litter that was being taken to an open air market to sell to whomever wandered by (good breeder? I don't think so). The deaf and blind ones were going to be taken to the vet to be put down. Luckily someone else got to them first and they're going to be coming to rescue. The pups were only 5 weeks old when this stellar example of dog breeding was going to sell them.

It's just so disheartening to think people continue to breed in such a way. To date, I've transported five deaf dogs. These will be numbers 6, 7, and 8.

Some resources, for anyone who finds themselves with a dog they didn't know was deaf or is considering adopting a deaf dog.

http://www.deafdogs.com

http://www.lethalwhites.com

This is pup #3 for the transport this coming weekend. Cute, isn't she?

Transport #32: Two Aussie pups

2009-11-22T16:30:00.006-05:00

I don't know the back story on this one. Usually I do, but earlier this week I was simply contacted and asked to help out with a transport of two three-month old Aussie pups, litter mates. I'm not sure how purebred puppies from the same litter end up dumped at a shelter. Or abandoned. Or however they were found and then put on a transport to Ontario. But there they were. Two completely adorable Aussie pups. How can you not fall in love with those faces?

I met up with the previous person at the Super 8 motel in Henrietta, a common meeting spot for our Aussie transports (in fact, the person I met in Henrietta and the person I met in Syracuse I've done transports with in the past). There I was introduced to the dynamic duo, who the shelter was calling, apparently, Canoe and Kayak (I have to admit that I'm not fond of the names!). The boys looked virtually identical until I spent a little time studying them. one had more white on his face and once he was out of the crate and on the ground, I could see that he had much more white overall.

The shelter had sent the pair with slip leads, one of which was a silly looking Christmasy one made out of cloth. I hate slip leads. I really need to pick up a few cheap regular leashes and toss them in my car for future transports.

The boys were incredibly affectionate and just wanted to be in your lap giving you kisses, kisses, and more kisses. The larger of the two really loved being petted in the same way Dahlia does. He'd throw his head up with this total look of ecstasy on his face. Yep, he'll be eating up the belly rubs someday soon.

I secured them in my car, not an easy task with two wriggling Aussie boys both wanting to kiss you. While hooking up one of them I ended up with quite the tongue bath! Silly dogs.

They settled right down for the trip and slept most of the way out to Syracuse. I realized on the way out that the easiest transports are puppies and older dogs. It's the teenagers, the 1-2 year old dogs, who are the most difficult to deal with! They're fully grown puppies who often want to chew everything or crawl into your lap. The Aussie pups were content to curl up together in the back seat and sleep.

When we got out of the car in Syracuse, there was a woman there with a friend and her pit bull. Who was wearing a pink coat to keep her warm. The dog was incredibly sweet and good-natured. She would jump up on her owner when she asked her to and give her a hug. I got a kiss from her and she just adored the Aussie pups. She was a rescue too. Apparently dumped when pregnant, had her pups, had recently weaned them, and was then adopted by this woman. She still looks very much like the mama dog. Just a sweetheart. It was fun seeing the Aussie pups play with her.

Then the Aussie pups hit he grass to do their business and get down to some serious puppy play. They had a blast rolling around in the grass together. Sadly, the next person showed up and after a quick exchange, off they went to rescue.

I know these little pups will quickly find a home!

Aussie pup #1

Aussie pup #2

The two together

The pit bull we met

Transport #31: Lincoln

2009-09-27T18:24:00.005-04:00

Last week I got an e-mail from the folks with ARPH looking for transporters for an extra special transport. Lincoln, a tri-colored Aussie needed a ride out of Cleveland, Ohio to Ottawa. The story told about Lincoln was heartbreaking and horrifying.

[Lincoln was] rescued from shelter by someone who was transporting for another rescue. She noticed this dog covered in motor oil that had dried over matted fur. He was placed in the shelter thru a puppy door and warden didn't know how they could have shoved him in there as door pretty small.

This poor guy had a high temp, very sick and wounds smelled horrific. She took him to the emergency vet to look at him and she thought he would probably be euthanized. He had been sitting in a cage like that almost a week, with puncture wounds to front elbows, back feet and his scrotum. She could see the bones of his front legs. Vet couldn't be sure but felt the dog was dragged or tortured in another way.

Vet felt he could be saved. His bandages are changed daily for the next couple weeks. The whites of his eyes are very red and vet says it is stress, as no damage whatsoever to the eyes. Here is his pix. Great with other dogs and appears to be housebroken. Loves loves loves people and very velcro.

The picture that was attached (which you can see at he top left of this post) showed a very happy dog in a cone. Lincoln the conehead. With all he had been through he was still smiling. I think that shows a lot of promise for this wonderful dog.

With tears in my eyes, I immediately signed up for the transport.

The drive out this morning was uneventful, except for the typical NYS construction and a good amount of rain. It was rather unfortunate that we were in the midst of a downpour as it meant little time outside for Lincoln and not as much time for me to get to know him.

The person I was to meet in Rochester was running a little bit behind (caused by a miscommunication as to where they were meeting), so we got Lincoln out of her car, let him do his business and got him into my car rather quickly.

My first impression of him was that he appeared somewhat traumatized. His eyes were wide open. You could see the whites. He looked around himself as if he were in a bit of a daze, not quite sure where he was or where he was going. He didn't seem to be able to focus his eyes on anyone or anything. Once we got him on the ground (due to his condition and his multiple stitches he wasn't allowed to jump on his own), he darted back and forth. He still had the cone on his head, so he would try to sniff and was then thwarted by the giant cone. I'm not really sure if he was traumatized or if the cone was leaving him a bit disoriented. It would leave me that way if I had that thing on my head!

We lifted him up into my car and placed him on the pillows in my back seat. There he seemed to settled a little bit, though he spent much of the trip pacing back and forth and looking out the windows (what the passersby must have thought of Lincoln the Conehead!). At one point, he decided he wanted to be up with me in the front, though that attempt was thwarted by cone once again. He ended up settling for standing with his paws on the divider and trying to stick his face into mine. Also rather difficult with that cone! I'm sure I would have been covered in kisses and had a dog in my lap if it weren't for that darned cone!

I do have to say though that nothing Lincoln did was done frantically. He was completely calm the entire time, though I did get some smiles out of him by talking to him for much of the trip. His eyes were no longer red, though they were wide open. I'm not sure if that were from stress and nerves or if his eyes are always like that. Either way, he was a sweet dog and a really handsome one. He'll find a new home soon I'm sure. I look forward to hearing about his new life!

Transport #30: Gypsy and Carly

2009-08-10T11:58:00.006-04:00

Like the last couple transports, when one came up for a couple Australian shepherds I just couldn't resist. No bones about it, Aussies are one of my favourite breeds! This particular transport was for Gypsy, a 2-3 year old blue merle and Carly, a 14 week old red and white. Carly also happened to be blind, though after spending a little time with her, we figured she wasn't 100% blind. It seemed like she could at least see shapes, though it was obvious she could see little else.

The ride out to Rochester was harrowing for a number of reasons. There was a lot of construction. And by "a lot" I mean miles upon miles of narrowed roads blocked on both sides with large concrete slabs. People, of course, insisted on driving fast through it regardless of the construction. And then I got an extremely aggressive (and here you must pardon my French) "Masshole" behind me. He was one of those sorts that really just wanted to intimidate you. He'd get right up and tailgate and then when you got over to let him pass, he'd just hang in your blind spot and never pass. This happened 3-4 times as I would then get behind someone going slower, so I'd speed up, get back in front of him, and the whole process would repeat. Finally we got to a 3-lane section of the road, I slowed WAY down and he was forced to get over and around me. Phew!

Then to top it off, I got to Rochester and it was starting to rain and it looked like a storm was headed our way. Luckily, the dogs had already been walked and given water and so we simply tossed them in my car and I was on my way.

The two dogs were incredibly sweet. They both wanted to give me all sorts of kisses and I got quite the face washing before I took off.

The drive back to Syracuse was easy. Both dogs settled right down and slept. Carly curled up facing the back seat with her little rabbit and Gypsy settled down next to her. Carly cries if Gypsy is away from her. I think she'll have to go to a home where there are other dogs. She gets very lonely when she's all alone, poor girl.

We made good time back to Syracuse and managed to outrun the storm. I was a bit early and the people meeting me ended up being a bit late (they had to meet someone ahead in Syracuse and ended up getting turned around trying to get to the proper exit). So I had some time to spend with the dogs. I first got Gypsy out of the car and let her explore a bit, but poor Carly was crying, so I went back for her and held onto them both for a time. Carly was hilarious. She really wanted to play tug of war with a leash, but she kept choosing to tug on Gypsy's, this pulling Gypsy with her where ever she wanted to go. Gypsy was calm and just let her do it, not a warning growl or anything. Which I found amazing as they put a choke collar on Gypsy. I hate those things. Really hate them. This is the second dog I've had to deal with being hooked up to one of those devices and I'm considering bringing along some collars in various sizes so next time I can hook the dog up to a proper collar. I do not like hearing a dog gag as she tries to tug you along places. I get it. She pulls. They were worried about her pulling out of a collar, but they had said she was coming with a Martingale, not a choke. And on top of that she was FUZZY to the extreme. From what I understand metal chokes can pull on the fur of long-haired dogs, making it even more painful. I kept reaching over and loosening the collar and trying to keep her from pulling it tight.

At any rate, the dogs had a fun time out on the lawn and then they were off with the next folks. I grabbed Carly's rabbit and handed it to her, saying "Now don't forget this -- carry it to the car." And she did. Adorable. She really loves that stuffed rabbit!

These dogs were really fantastic. Gypsy reminded me a lot, personality-wise, of Dahlia. She was calm and cool and really mellow. She had an adorable natural bob-tail and just a sweet, quiet personality. I think Dahlia would have liked her!

And, of course, I bring you pictures.

Gypsy

Carly

Both of them together

Transport #29: Tucker

2009-07-04T18:01:00.006-04:00

I can't resist an Aussie. But even more, I can't resist an Aussie puppy. And even more than that I can't resist a deaf Aussie puppy. So when a transport came up for a 4-month old deaf Australian Shepherd, I jumped on it. The folks who work for and transport for ARPH (the Aussie Rescue and Placement Helpline) are also awesome folks so I love working with them. They're really easy-going and just love their breed. I don't blame them. Aussies are awesome dogs!

Tucker, the young man in question, was being transported from New Jersey up to Ontario, where no doubt someone will quickly adopt him. How could they not? He's incredibly sweet.

I met up with the transport in Syracuse, which means driving down from the north side of Oneida Lake as we had spent the night up there. It was a bit more travel than usual, but it was well worth it. I got to the meeting spot a bit ahead of time and the folks meeting me pulled in just a couple minutes later. We were running a good 15-20 minutes ahead. Tucker and one of the transporters raced off to burn a little energy and hopefully pee, while I chatted with the other transporter for a moment. We got all his stuff loaded up (food, but most importantly his paperwork -- without that it would be tough to cross the border into Canada!) and then got Tucker into the car. He jumped right in, no problem.

The first part of the trip was a little worrisome. He was down behind my seat and I could see him, it felt like the leash tying him to my backseat was really taut, and he wasn't moving around...at all. He was a 4 month old puppy so I expected more out of him. Since I had to visit a restroom anyway, I got off at the nearest exit and high-tailed it to a gas station. When I pulled in and stopped, I leaned around the seat to see if he was ok. And there he was, all curled up. He had been sleeping! Phew. I quickly hit the restroom (luckily today's temps are only in the 60s, it's overcast, and really breeze...he was fine in the car for a couple minutes) and then we were on our way. Luckily he got up on the seat where I could see his back end. He promptly fell asleep again and not another peep was heard out of him until we arrived in Watertown.

I was a good 20-25 minutes early and since I knew the person before me was doing a wee bit of shopping, I decided to just get Tucker out and burn off some energy. We raced across a big field of grass (which was unfortunately rather wet!) and I discovered his current favourite game: "attack the leash." He really wanted to play tug of war with it. So we did. A few times he jumped up to get the leash and almost got my hand in the process (and once he did get my coat -- I didn't see any holes in it amazingly). I played a bit of fetch with his Nylabone and eventually we sat down on the pavement (where he proceeded to eat rocks -- I had to rescue a few from his mouth -- luckily no signs of resource guarding there!).

The other transporter finally arrived and it was a quick and easy shot to get him into her car and into a crate (mostly to stop him from eating the food in the back with him as he was quite into trying to get the treats). And then they were off to head into Canada and I was off to head back to Syracuse.

All in al it was an easy transport, but I was sad to see him go. He was a really cute and really nice dog!

All of my pics from the transport can be found here. A few of my favourites are below.

Transport #28: Pops and Justice

2009-05-31T12:57:00.007-04:00

When a transport came through this weekend for two Aussies, I couldn't resist helping. I don't get to do so many these days because I want to spend time with my dog, so I'm a bit more particular about which ones I do. I'm no longer allowing myself to be overwhelmed by the amount of dogs in my car, trying to limit it to just one or two unless they're older and more sedate. I wish I could help with them all, but it's just not possible these days.

Aussies are one of my favourite breeds, so I was thrilled to help these guys get to their foster home. Pops is an older, tri-coloured Aussie, they estimate 6-7 years old, though I think he could be older. Justice is a younger, Red Merle, Aussie, somewhere around 1-2 years old. The age guess seemed appropriate for him. His teeth were pretty white.

I met up with the transport at 9am this morning in Rochester. Despite a bit of construction, the ride out was easy. We got Pops out of the car first and easily into mine. He was an incredibly easy-going dog with a sweet face, amazing blue eyes, and a long coat. Unfortunately, he stunk. Horribly. He was in desperate need of a bath and his breath smelled like he had been eating fish out of Onondaga Lake. Just gross! I'm sure he's got some periodontal disease going on there and probably should see a vet about it, poor guy.

Justice was a bit more difficult. He got out of the other woman's car easily enough and trotted around with no problem, but he refused to get into the car (apparently he had been doing that all along, so it wasn't just my car!). Eventually, I just lifted him up into the car. The run sheet said he weighed 40-45 lbs, but I would be surprised if he weighed that much. He was very skinny. You could feel and see his ribs and spine far too easily. And his fur was completely shaved off, shaved right down to the skin in some places. He had been a mess coming out of the shelter and it was the only thing they could do. Poor guy was so matted there was no hope except to shave it off and start over. It made his head look strangely huge.

The drive back to Syracuse was easy. Justice curled up in the back seat and fell asleep. Pops took shotgun and curled up into a little ball. He was a bit more restless than Justice during the trip, but not horribly so. At one point, he crawled closer to me and then half rolled over, asking me to rub his belly. I gladly obliged. When the sun got too much for him on the seat, he crawled down onto the floor and fell asleep there. It was adorable and made for some silly photos.

I had some time to kill in Syracuse. I was some 15 minutes early and the guy following me was a little later than he should have been. I got Pops out first and let him wander around, get a drink, and managed to get plenty of pictures of him while he sat looking quite majestic. Then I tried to get him back in the car so I could get Justice out. He eventually got in the car, but Justice wouldn't get out. Poor Justice would crawl to me but if I tried to get him to leave the car, he fled to the other side. It was clearly a safe space for him.

While trying to get Justice out, Pops got back out. I hooked his leash around my handle for the mirror, went to the other side, where Justice was still huddled, and simply picked him up and put him on the ground. It went easier from there (though Pops was having none of it when I tried to get him back in the car). I ended up walking them together and eventually the three of us just plopped down on the grass. The two dogs were so not a flight risk that I actually dropped their leashes for a moment to take a few pictures. They simply lay there and Justice attempted to crawl into my lap. I finally put the camera down, sat in between them, and petted them both for a time.

I hadn't heard from the guy who was meeting me, so I took both dogs back to my car to see if he had called. While trying to get my cell phone, Justice simply hopped into the car like he belonged there and Pops followed. I ended up getting back in and then saw the guy drive by to a different part of the lot. I drove over and met him there.

I really didn't want to send the dogs on. I actually teared up when I let Justice go. He would make an awesome addition to our household and I think Dahlia would like his calm nature. He never once irritated Pops. He was just a good dog and so in need of some loving kindness. He's shy, but not aggressive in his fear of others. He wants to be with you, but he's just nervous sometimes. It wouldn't take much for him to grow into a great dog.

So now they're off to their rescue in Massachusetts. I hope they find a wonderful home soon.

Justice

Pops

Both dogs

Transport #27: Phoebe

2009-04-20T07:47:00.007-04:00

This began as a very confusing transport. I had no contact from the coordinator at all beyond my volunteering and her putting me down. When Friday evening rolled around and I had heard nothing, I was pretty sure it wasn't going to fly. It was a HUGE transport. 36 dogs and a crate of kittens in all, with multiple drivers for many of the legs. I wrote on Friday and found out the run had been filled. I didn't get a contact sheet for the run until 11pm Saturday night. Talk about cutting it close! Luckily, the coordinator had also coordinated where each meeting place was so I didn't have to set up the places to meet. Phew!

My leg of the transport was for only one dog. It was the end of the road for this one. I was meeting the rescue to give her to them. It was nice being the "ending point" for once, though she still had a bit of a drive up to Canada. All I knew of Phoebe prior to meeting her was this: Phoebe, female Aussie/Catahoula mix, 25-30 lbs.

What I didn't know was that she was a puppy! Only 6 months old. Everyone say "awwwww."

When I met up with the people who had her before me, the first thing she said to me was, "You don't have a crate?" I thought...uh oh! Chewer? It turns out she has carsickness. The woman told me she threw up in a couple people's crates and pooped in someone else's. My thought? Maybe the crates make her uncomfortable. I put down a blanket just in case and decided to hope for the best!

And then I got to meet little Phoebe, who was just the most striking of dogs. Her colouring is beautiful and she was incredibly sweet and soft. She gave me puppy kisses and then rushed off to explore for a short bit. She easily got into my car. She definitely wasn't a shy dog, but she was a calm and adorable and sweet one.

The drive up to Watertown was easy. Phoebe rested in the back pretty comfortably and would, every once in awhile, stick her head up in between the seats and give me kisses or shove her head under my hand for some petting. She was just so sweet. She had no problems with getting sick.

We spent a little time on the grass outside of Cracker Barrel, just wandering around and playing. She started play bowing for me and running around me. I think she was just happy to be out of the car and to have a chance to run around a bit. I finally called the woman we were to meet, who was inside Cracker Barrel doing a bit of shopping and she came out to get her.

I was incredibly sad to see Phoebe go. She's just an awesome dog. Quiet, calm, sweet, loving, and so soft. She has 7 applications in on her already, so she'll be off to a new home before she knows it. I know whomever ends up with her will just be so thrilled with her.

And now some pictures:

Transport #26: Giggles

2009-04-13T09:12:00.006-04:00

The original call for the transport for Giggles described her as this: Giggles is a soft, white, lady-like Sibe who loves everyone, whether 2-footed or 4-footed. On a side note, Giggles was also deaf.

They were certainly right about her being soft, white, and loving everyone. But "lady-like"? Well, this message came later: Giggles is not only hyper, but STRONG. One driver said she walked well on a leash but everyone else said she pulls. REALLY pulls. Pretty far from "lady-like," isn't it? They ended up buying the poor dog a prong collar. I wasn't too happy with that. I don't like using anything that causes pain to a dog, especially one as out of control as poor Giggles was.

Giggles was also advertised as a Siberian husky. We're pretty sure that is not the case. Siberians aren't really prone to deafness, nor to being all white. And her body and ears and face were just not Siberian-like. In looking at pictures, we're pretty sure she's either an Australian Cattle Dog or an Australian Cattle Dog mix of some sort.

Whatever she was, she was a nice dog. My first introduction to her was when she raced out of the car of the driver before us. She made a beeline for me, threw her ears back, and jumped up to greet me. As I bent down to her, she covered my face in kisses. She was an absolute sweetheart but full of a lot of pent-up energy. They walked her a bit and she proceeded to jump and pounce and try to chase the birds. Ok so no going to the bathroom that time!

The trip out to Herkimer started off with my worrying about keeping her out of things. She tried to chew on her tether a couple times but I kept her away. She tried to get into the front seat, but she didn't have enough room on the tether to get up there. She found a water bottle I hadn't removed from underneath my seat and she tried to eat that, but I got it away from her before there was water all over my car. After she paced a bit, panted with this horrible high-pitched noise (hey, she couldn't hear it!), and jumped on the windows a few times in an aborted attempt to get at something outside of the car, she finally settled down and alternately dozed off and just sat there looking out the window.

It turned out to be an easier trip than I expected, considering how the beginning of it went.

The handoff was done easily. I got her out and wandered around for a bit with her in the hopes she might need to pee. No such luck. She was again very distracted and sniffing everything. We got her up into the SUV for the next leg of the trip. She wasn't certain about jumping up into it, so we got her front feet up and then I lifted her from the butt end and helped her get in. Once there, she was a happy girl and ready to go.

I really adored this dog. She was incredibly sweet and the way her ears would go back just sconds before she jumped up on you was sweet. In some ways, those ears can become a good signal that she's going to jump and you can stop her before she even gets her feet off the floor. That ought to help her future people!

Transport #25: Boogie and Stacy

2009-01-26T10:46:00.006-05:00

Boogie. What a name for a dog, right? These two Corgi girls (Pembrokes as I've come to find out) were on their way to a new forever home. They're 8-month old sisters and the family adopted the two of them together. This is probably best for poor Stacy. Boogie, the smaller of the two, was outgoing, happy to give you licks and desperate for belly rubs. Stacy, however? Poor little girl was just as nervous as could be.

I picked the girls up in a windswept truck parking lot. The temperature was frigid and the winds were blowing at a decent clip. I was frozen to the core almost as soon as I got out of the car. Boogie and Stacy, however, were just as happy to roam around outside in the cold. Corgis are hardy little dogs and these two were definitely up to breed standard there!

I was a bit worried about getting their crate into my car. Their foster mother, God bless her, couldn't let them go without having a crate for the two of them. A crate. For two 28 pound dogs. This was simply a HUGE crate..one of those airline jobbers. Luckily, someone had disassembled it somewhat and with the two sections tucked into each other, I was able to slide it into my backseat. It became more of a bed than a crate, but it still worked well. After taking some pictures of the transporters with the dogs, we got Boogie up into the crate, where she settled down nicely. Boogie, however, made a beeline for the floor behind the driver's seat. That was fine. She fit down there nicely and it was a little cozy space to tuck herself into in her nervousness. I let her stay there for the entire trip.

The trip was rather uneventful. Boogie settled down nicely in her bed. Stacy settled down nicely on the floor and I didn't hear much out of either of them. Until I decided that stopping to get a milk shake was a good idea. I was incredibly thirsty and running far ahead of schedule, so it seemed like a good plan. While waiting in line, I gave Boogie some attention, let her lick my hands and patted her head. For the rest of the trip, she was wide awake. Sometimes trying to lean over her crate to give me kisses. Sometimes just shifting around a lot.

And then the barking started. And the howling. She spent the last 20-30 minutes of the trip barking and howling on and off. It was cute for a time, but nothing seemed to settle her down, not even the couple Cheerios I tossed back into the crate with her (besides food and the like, they were sent with a box of Cheerios). We finally arrived at exit 35 and after getting them out to walk around a bit, settled back into the car to wait.

And wait...

And wait some more...

The person who was meeting me finally called me to find out when I would arrive. Confused, I told him I was there and we must not be in the same spot. It turned out we weren't.

I was at the exit 35 Holiday Inn.

He was at the exit 37 Holiday Inn.

We had had some e-mail miscommunication apparently. He said exit 35, but meant exit 37. Oops! He high-tailed it out of exit 37 and met me at exit 35. The girls were quickly transferred into his car and they were on their way.

We got the news last night that they were with their new family, who were just utterly thrilled with them.

As always, a few of the pictures I took are below.

Boogie

Stacy

The girls with their new family

Help the Best Friends Animal Society!

2009-01-16T08:21:00.003-05:00

Neko Case is donating $5 for every blog post of her new song, People Got a Lotta Nerve, to the Best Friends Animal Society.

You can download the song here: Neko Case: People Got a Lotta Nerve

You can find out more here. Best Friends is a very worthy cause!

Transport #24: Whitney

2008-12-29T11:26:00.005-05:00

Ah, my last transport of the year! Whitney was dog #44 for the year and she was a gorgeous little pup. She was a 2-year-old Brittany on her way from a foster home to her forever home. The original transport had been set up for last weekend, but with the horrible weather that cropped up, it got postponed. I hopped on board for one last drive of doggy love for 2008.

I met up with Whitney out in Rochester. She was taller than most Brittanies I had met and her face seemed somewhat longer. I'm pretty sure she was purebred, but she seemed to look just a tad bit different from many of the others I had transported. If left to my own devices, I might have thought she was a mix of Brittany and perhaps Border collie. But either way, the first thing one would really note about Whitney was how skinny she was. I'm not sure how long she was in foster care for. I'm guessing not long before the adoption went through, as this poor girl clearly needed to gaine some serious weight. Her ribs were prominent and you could clearly see her backbone. She made Nonami, of the last transport, look like the picture of perfect doggy health.

Despite her clear need of some good food, Whitney was a love. She was also strong. So incredibly strong that she would pull on the leash, causing her front legs to go up into the air and she would then keep walking on her hind legs. It was pretty amazing to watch, but she was clearly going to be a handful to control. I hope her adopting family has some good strong folks in it!

I got her into the car easily enough. I've never seen a dog quite so eager to just hop on in and explore. She sniffed around a bit, checked everything out, though unlike Morey (of an earlier transport), she didn't try to eat anything. We finally got on the road and she settled down for a bit.

The scariest moment came when, driving 70mph on the Thruway, she decided she wanted to look out the window. My window. And did so by standing on my legs. This is all well and good as I was able to see out the window, but then she decided to see if she could crawl further into my lap and see out the opposite window. Oh no no no, I don't think so, kiddo! I did what I've done many times before with dogs who are a bit over exuberant about getting into my lap. I tried to shove her off and back onto the other seat. I must have hit a tender spot (perhaps even a rib) because she actually snapped at me. As soon as she did that, however, she immediately retreated to the passenger seat and leaned over to smother my face in kisses. I got the sense that she knew she had done something bad and wanted to make it up to me in the only way she knew how. She clearly didn't hurt me, didn't even touch me with her mouth, so I wasn't terribly worried. I'm sure being as thin as she was made things like pushing against those bones a bit painful. Poor kid.

The rest of the trip was incredibly uneventful. We hit a good stride and booked it back to Syracuse rather quickly. Whitney settled down on the front seat and slept for much of the trip, only occasionally popping her head up to nose my hand for a pat. She was a sweet girl despite our one incident of freaking out.

The handoff went quickly and for once, I was done with a transport a good 20 minutes earlier than scheduled!

A few pics:

Transport #23: Nonami

2008-11-24T12:20:00.005-05:00

This transport started out as being one for a deaf Australian Shepherd named Whisper. Her owner was giving her up because she lost her job and found a job as a long-distance trucker. She felt that life would be unfair to her dog. But in the end, she just couldn't do it and decided to give it a chance first. If she needs to give the dog to a rescue, we'll help transport her later. So instead, we picked up and transported a beautiful red merle Aussie from a shelter in Ohio. Little was known about this girl. She had no name (hence "Nonami" -- the name some of us call dogs with no name, pronounced "No-NOM-ee") and no one knew her age. All we knew was that she had a flea bite allergy and "wasn't the prettiest site."

I got the message around 10:50am that the transport was 45 minutes ahead. In a panic, I rushed out the door and off to Rochester. I was most pleased that the roads were completely clear all the way out. I arrived in good time and ended up relaxing for a little while at the meeting place. It turned out that the person meant to write 15 minutes, not 45, but by that time it was too late. I was long gone and had no internet access!

The person finally showed up and the most amusing thing was that she thought I would be later, since they were running a bit ahead, and she walked the dog at a different location (why, I don't know). So it was a quick handoff.

My first impression of this girl, Nonami, was that she was not in any sort of bad shape. She was gorgeous! Too thin, that's for sure (her head looked too big for her skinny body), but otherwise she was absolutely stunning. We only had her out of the car for a few minutes when someone came over to meet her because she was so pretty. She was also just a really nice dog. She leaned against me as a I petted her, easily got into the car, and settled right down in the back after a little exploring.

Like Dahlia, she slept most of the way.

Also like Dahlia, I would have adopted her in a heartbeat! Ah, another one gone and on her way to a new place.

The ride back was fairly uneventful. Nonami slept. I listened to the radio. The roads were dry and clear until I got north of Syracuse. They were wet for most of the way and then as I got near Pulaski (ah, the Tug Hill Plateau) I hit some snow and the roads were covered with a light dusting of snow.

I got into Pulaski and couldn't find the meeting place at first (it was one just picked at random off the internet). I finally found it, got Nonami out of the car and then was greatly disappointed when the next folks showed up right away. Bah! I wanted to spend some time snuggling with that poor girl in the car. And taking pictures. She was really striking and ever so gentle.

She was off to Ontario before I could even blink. I missed her presence in the car on the way home.

Transport #22: Abby, Speckle, and Nesbit

2008-11-17T09:11:00.006-05:00

I agreed to help out the Brittany folks yet again. They seem to be the ones most interested in my services and the ones who keep the number of dogs on a transport to a reasonable level. Several of those who have come through my area recently have had 4, 5, or even more dogs. Far too many for my little vehicle. It would be nice to have a large vehicle for transporting, but that won't ever happen. So I limit myself to no more than 3 medium sized dogs, 2 large dogs, one giant dog, or a handful of puppies/little dogs.

So this time it was for three Brittanies. Nesbit was 6 years old, an orange and white boy who was heading. Abby and Speckle were two 10 year old Brittanies (one liver and white, the other black and white) who were going to a forever home in Vermont. It always warms my heart to see these older dogs getting a home.

I arrived in Rochester a little bit after the folks I was going to meet. I misjudged the time a bit this time. I thought I needed to arrive by 2:20pm and it was really 2:10pm and the other folks were moving pretty quickly. I got there about 2:05pm, but they still beat me by about 10-15 minutes. They had already walked the dogs and were waiting in their car for my arrival. I met Nesbit first and I was amazed at his size! He was incredibly tall and much bigger and stronger than most Brittanies. We all looked at him and thought he was the size of a Springer Spaniel, but clearly looked like a Brittany. He was a bit more exuberant than I expected a dog of his age to be. The other Brittanies I've met who were over 3 were much calmer than he was. I got him into the car and wasn't surprised to see him immediately hop up into the front of the car.

Then I met Abby and Speckle. Amusingly, we all had them reversed as to their names. I was sure that Speckles was the little liver and white one was she was quite speckled. But her name tag said Abby on it, so I guess they were reversed. Much like Nesbit, I was amazed at how active they were. Wendy and Pepper, who I had transported before, were much calmer than these two. I got them into the car, got all the paperwork, and then returned to the car to find Abby on the floor of the driver's side seat with her head stuck under the seat. I guess I missed a couple french fries when cleaning and she managed to find them. Amusing. In order to get her into the back seat, I had to drag her out of the car and get her to go to the back seat. Nesbit, who was now on the front driver side had to be physically forced backward onto the passenger seat.

I got in. Shut the door. And though "how on earth am I going to keep them all under control?"

I started up the car and started driving, and as if by magic, they all suddenly settled down, curled up, and slept! I looked in the rearview mirror a few times and saw that Abby and Speckle (who have been together since they were pups, I believe), were curled up together. Everyone say "awww!"

The ride was uneventful from there on out, except for the lake effect snow and wind.

Oh and the next driver calling to tell me he'd be late because he locked his keys in the car. Well, that was unexpected! It turned out that the battery in his car had died. When they jumped it, all the doors immediately locked (I hate those automatically locking doors!) and his keys were in the car at the time. Just great. I didn't have any major plans, but I wanted to get home to my dog!

I arrived at Syracuse and the folks who were there for Nesbit arrived shortly thereafter. It was easy to get him out and on his way.

I decided that, since I had to hang around a bit, I might as well sit in the back seat with Abby and Speckle. I could give them some attention and take some pictures. Well, I found out one thing. Those poor girls were starving for attention. They were all over me as soon as I got in the back with them. I don't know where they came from originally (they were owner turn-ins), but it seems that their emotional needs were a bit neglected. Speckle was also ITCHY. Seriously itchy. She kept itching her ear for a few minutes at a time (when I checked on it, it was clear that she had a hot spot behind it from all the scratching) and then she would roll around on the back seat trying to get some relief. I'm not sure what was causing it. I didn't see any fleas, so maybe it's the food she's eating or some sort of allergies. Either way, I felt bad for the poor girl. Both she and Speckle seemed to have some issues. Their ears were turned funny (matts or just bad breeding, I'm not sure) and both were really tiny for Brittanies. They were nice dogs, but they need some help to get healthier and happier.

The next driver called me and was on his way only about 10 minutes late. We did a quick transfer of the dogs and then he was off.

A few pictures:

Nesbit
(click for a larger image -- whole image did not fit here)

Abby

Speckle

More can be found here.

Free to a good home?

2008-10-30T12:13:00.003-04:00

I see ads like this all the time..."free to a good home." I know the people mean well. They need to find a new home for their dogs or cats, sometimes animals that are well past the puppy/kitten phase and therefore harder to place. They feel that if they offer them for free, they're more likely to find someone to take them and take them quickly.

The animal might end up in a great home. But this is not always the case. For anyone considering offering their pet as "free to a good home" or know someone who is considering it, for anyone who has seen one of these ads, please go to this page:

Free To Good Home?

It describes the many perils of an animal in this situation: from being used as bait for a dog fighting ring, to being used as a breeder in a puppy mill, to being a dog chained up with no room to move.

If you do need to find a new home for an animal, please consider these steps instead:

(1) Decide if you really do need to find a home for an animal. A lot of times people give the "we're moving" reason for rehoming their pets. This is not always necessary. Animals adjust well to moves. You can easily transport them even across country or to a new country and they will adjust quickly. Finding an apartment can be trickier, but it is not an impossibility. The first thing you should always do is to consider keeping your animal(s). You are their home, not the house or town or state or country you live in.

(2) If you absolutely cannot find a way to keep your animal (dog, cat, rabbit, etc.), check with friends and family to see if anyone is interested in adopting it.

(3) Contact local no-kill shelters and rescues to see if someone can take your dog. If your dog is of a specific breed, there are guaranteed to be breed-specific rescues that may be able to take it in. If you are afraid that because your dog is a mutt, you will not find a rescue for it, then I have good news! There are plenty of rescues that are all-breed (including mutts) rescues. Some breed-specific rescues will also take in dogs that are clearly mixed with their breed if they have room. Ask around or look on petfinder.com for nearby rescues.

(4) If you absolutely must post an ad on Craigslist or some other similar place, always ask an adoption fee. Always ask the person questions, set up an interview, maybe even do a home visit. It is your responisbility to ensure that your companion finds that good home. This means asking a lot of questions. If the person is not interested in answering them, then they are not interested in adopting your dog. You can find many adoption applications on the internet. Here is just one that you could use as an example: http://www.adorableadoptables.com/Our_Adoption_Application.html

This certainly takes time, but very few people move so quickly that they can't take a couple weeks to find their animal a good home. Once you know you are moving, set everything in motion and give yourself the time to find a good home for the pet. I notice many ads that sound frantic and I wonder how long those folks knew they were moving before they posted the ad.

Please remember that your pet is a commitment and part of that commitment is always ensuring that the animal has a good life. Do not ever get a dog or a cat if you think you may be the sort to dump it if you have to move.

Transport #21: Abby

2008-10-12T17:51:00.005-04:00

My 21st transport of the year was an absolute breeze. It went by a little too fast, in my opinion. Abby was a 10-year-old overweight Brittany who was on her way to her forever home in Maine. I'm all too happy to help out the Brittany folks. They're good people and the dogs are just lovely. I haven't met a Brittany I haven't adored and Abby was no different.

I drove out to Victor this time and met up with the people before me. They arrived about 15 minutes after I did and the transfer was done quickly and easily. Abby was sweet, profuse with kisses, and easy to settle down in the back. She spent about half the trip laying down asleep and the other half with her nose stuck to the crack in the window, taking in all the smells. She was cute to watch.

I arrived in Syracuse in good time and found the next folks already there. I had no time to really get pictures or anything. Abby was loaded into the next car and on her way before we could blink. She's now in her forever home in Maine and going to spend the remainder of her years with some lovely people. I'm sorry I didn't get to know her better, but I'm glad to have been able to help!

A couple of the decent pictures I did get are below.

Transport #20: Bonnie

2008-09-14T21:29:00.005-04:00

When a transport for an Aussie came up earlier this week, I jumped on it right away. I won't make any bones about it. I love herding breeds. Border collies, Aussies, even Pulik. Love them all. So it was an easy decision to make. Not that I ever give any real preference to which breeds I help. I don't really care for flat-faced smooshed dogs like pugs, but I was all too happy to help a few when I had a chance some months ago. But I do love my herders!

The transport was a bit of a mess with trying to figure out who, what, when and where. But we managed to get it all together (miraculously!) and I set off to meet up with them at 1:00pm. The previous people had already arrived so getting Bonnie into the car was quick and easy. I was surprised at how small she was. She probably weighed no more than 30 lbs. I'd guess she might have been more of a miniature Aussie than a full sized one.

She was incredibly easy to transport. She fell asleep in the back and partway through the trip I decided it would be a lot of fun to have her up front. I stopped at a parking area and got her up front quickly and easily. She spent the next 20 minutes curling up half on my lap and half in her seat and then finally settling down in the back once more.

Bonnie is a doll...an absolute love. We had a lot of time to get to know each other at the transfer point. We were way ahead and the people after us were quite a bit behind. So Bonnie and I spent a good 45 minutes to an hour just chilling out at the stop in Herkimer.

We met some nice people who were really interested in what I do for these dogs. I got to tell them all about it and they all got to meet Bonnie (who was as good an amabassador for rescue dogs as could be imagined). One of the guys told me they have a puggle, which immediately made me tense up, but then he went on to tell me they got it at the local SPCA (yay!). Another one of the group donates to the Humane Society every month. Another had a cat they had rescued, found as a stray. And yet another told me she would pray for me and Bonnie. Just really nice folks. I enjoyed talking to them all.

Whenever I sat on the ground, Bonnie would immediately crawl into my lap, roll over, and smother me with kisses, and when others came near, she went in between my legs and stayed there for much of the time. When they'd reach out a hand, she'd come out and accept pettings. She really was an incredible dog and so beautiful. She was going off to a new family, so they were very lucky!

The next folks finally arrived and I got Bonnie off with them quickly enough. They had a girl with them who was probably 10 or 12 or so. She asked if Bonnie liked kids and Bonnie responded by jumping up and putting her feet on her. Very gently. I think she likes kids!

I was sad to see her go, but aren't I always?

I took a bunch of pictures. They can all be found here. Here are a few of my favourites:

The Ten Commandments for Pets

2008-09-03T13:13:00.004-04:00

I thought this was incredibly beautiful and moving. I think it should, I hope, make people stop and look at their pet and hug them. It's certainly a reminder to cherish your animal, whatever he or she may be.

The Ten Commandments For Pets
by Stan Rawlinson

1. My life is likely to last 10-15 years. Any separation from you is likely to be painful
2. Give me time to understand what you want of me.
3. Place your trust in me. It is crucial for my well-being.
1. My life is likely to last 10-15 years. Any separation from you is likely to be painful.
2. Give me time to understand what you want of me.
3. Place your trust in me. It is crucial for my well-being.
4. Don’t be angry with me for long and don’t lock me up as punishment. You have your work, your friends, your entertainments, but I have only you.
5. Talk to me. Even if I don’t understand your words, I do understand your voice when speaking to me.
6. Be aware that however you treat me, I will never forget it.
7. Before you hit me, before you strike me, remember that I could hurt you, and yet, I choose not to bite you.
8. Before you scold me for being lazy or uncooperative, ask yourself if something might be bothering me. Perhaps I’m not getting the right food, I have been in the sun too long, or my heart might be getting old or weak.
9. Please take care of me when I grow old. You too, will grow old.
10. On the ultimate difficult journey, go with me please. Never say you can’t bear to watch. Don’t make me face this alone. Everything is easier for me if you are there, because I love you so.

You can read the original version here.

Transport #19: Sebastian, Willie, and Jett

2008-09-02T15:45:00.007-04:00

This transport turned out to be the one that was perhaps the MOST fun I've ever had on a transport. I ended up laughing and giggling and talking to the dogs the entire trip. It started out with an easy drive out to Victor to meet up with the person driving before me. The only problem? We agreed to meet at Chili's and she drove to TJIFriday's because that was where she met someone last. Oops! After a bit of a miscommunication, she pulled into Chili's and we did the handoff. The dogs this time were Willie, a 6 month old Brittany pup, Jett, an 8-month old something (all black, funny ears, no clue what his mix really was), and Sebastian, a 4-year-old Border collie/Brittany mix. We got Willie and Jett out first and the two hadn't had a chance to meet yet. They were hilarious together, bounding over each other and wanting to play. I decided to put the two of them in the back seat together and see how they did. As soon as we got them in, they started to play, jumping on each other in the car. They amused me terribly! Then we got out Sebastian, who was 30 lbs of underweight border collie. I'm almost positive that dog doesn't have a bit of Brittany in him. He looks 100% pure border collie and as a huge border collie lover, I was thrilled. He was just as sweet as could be. I got him up into the front seat without any problem.

Much of the trip was spent laughing at Willie and Jett in the back and petting Sebastian, who decided that my lap was where his head belonged. He didn't try to crawl all the way onto my lap (which he could have). Instead, he put his head, and sometimes his paws, on my thigh and looked up at me with very happy brown eyes. I was in love! Totally. I wanted to bring that dog home with me. He was just so wonderful.

Partway through the trip, I stopped paying attention to Willie and Jett and suddenly found myself with TWO dogs on the front passenger seat. Willie had jumped up there, pushing Sebastian off my lap and against the door. Sebastian looked none too happy but took it ok. Willie crawled around and finally Sebastian had had enough. He crawled OVER Willie and put his head back in my lap! He successfully managed to trap the guy on the seat. He couldn't get back to Jett (who seemed somewhat lonely in the back by this time!). Eventually, after crawling around and Sebastian keeping himself tight to my lap, Willie settled down and fell asleep laying on Sebastian. So. darned. cute.

Jett laid down and relaxed in the back and the last 10 minutes of the trip were quiet in the car.

I really adored those three dogs and especially Sebastian. I really would have taken him home with me if I could have more than one dog. I was none too happy to pass them off, especially since the people after me didn't seem to care about my wanting to say goodbye to the dogs. Ah well. They're off to their foster homes now and I hope they all find wonderful homes!

As always, some pictures! The rest can be found here.

Sebastian

Willie

Jett

More than one dog

Transport #18: Lacy

2008-08-25T09:47:00.005-04:00

I had vowed not to do any transports this weekend. We really needed to concentrate on getting our apartment set up and so I swore that I would leave the weekend for that. I looked past several transports. But then Friday afternoon rolled around and there was no one for the Syracuse to Herkimer leg of a trip to help one St. Bernard get from a high-kill shelter to a rescue in Vermont. I couldn't say no and so I volunteered with the stipulation that if someone else volunteered, they have him/her do it. Well, Sunday morning rolled around and no one had volunteered.

So I headed out to exit 37 to pick up Lacy, a 100-pound St. Bernard. Luckily, Lacy was a pretty calm dog and easy to work with. The woman who met me talked to me for a moment, gave me her stuff, and then left me with a dog that didn't want to get into my car. Apparently Lacy got sick of traveling and people were having to force her into their cars. Nice. I was real thrilled with being left with 100 lbs of stubborn dog! The woman before me just lifted her in. Well, sorry, but I don't have the strength to lift even a PART of a 100-lb dog! So instead, I decided to crawl into the back seat and see if Lacy would follow. Luckily for me, she liked me enough to do exactly that. I got the doors shot and we were on our way.

She was an incredibly easy passenger. She settled right down in the back, laid down and relaxed for the entire trip out there. They had mentioned her wanting to get into the front seat, but I saw none of that on our trip. I had tethered her in the back just in case, but she didn't really move from the place she first lay down in.

We arrived in Herkimer in decent time and I got her out of the car to drink (a lot!) and pee (also a lot!). And then began the wait. Everyone was warned that things might run early and they sure did...about 30-45 minutes early. The woman before me took two legs of the trip, which meant no 15 minute change over, and apparently both she and I must drive at a good clip. I ended up sitting around in the heat with this giant dog for quite some time. Not that I entirely minded -- Lacy was very sweet. She walked great on a leash (thank god because I couldn't control a lunging 100-lb dog!), gave me big kisses, rolled over for a belly rub. The poor thing was an owner surrender. She and her sister Maggie were owned by an elderly person who ended up going into a nursing home. It was clear they were well socialized, but not entirely taken good care of. She had evidence of flea problems (fur missing in spots from where she had no doubt licked or bit too much) and had never been spayed (just spayed before the trip -- still with stitches in). She was a good girl though and we had fun together until the next person showed up.

Because I spent a lot of time with Lacy, I got some really good pictures of her. Here are a few of my favourites. The rest can be found here.

Transport #17: Sophie and Lily

2008-08-18T13:39:00.008-04:00

The transport for this weekend began with my volunteering to help out with one dog heading from Syracuse to Rochester. I had worked for this coordinator before transporting our favourite deaf Aussies and jumped on the chance to transport, yet again, a deaf dog. This time, it was to transport a Louisiana Catahoula Leopard dog named Sophie. This isn't a breed many are familiar with and I had never met one in person before, so I was excited to not only help out another deaf dog, but also to meet a dog of a breed I hadn't met before.

Of course, things always seem to change on these transports. One thing I'm learning quickly is to always expect the unexpected. Toward the end of the week, I heard from the transporter and she wondered if I or another woman could switch legs and do the Binghamton to Syracuse route. I volunteered to switch and so suddenly I was transporting two dogs. The deaf Sophie and the hearing Lily, both Catahoulas.

The trip down the transport was a bit rushed as I couldn't find the entrance to I-81S. I went a different direction at David's instruction and it turned out they were missing an important sign, so I couldn't find the entrance. I had to backtrack to a different entrance, thus wasting about 25 minutes of time. So I booked it down to Binghamton and arrived at just about the same time as the other woman.

I found out that apparently Sophie was having some issues with Lily. They said that she had attacked Lily, though there was no bite marks, "just slobber." On the previous segment of the trip, Sophie had suddenly started growling and barking at Lily. They suggested keeping them tethered and separated, which we succeeded at for the most part.

Sophie road up front and boy was she an active little kid! I spent most of the trip making sure she didn't turn around to see Lily and making sure she didn't eat my entire car. She managed to get distracted by trying to get at a candy wrapper underneath the mats (which, mind you, she never got) and eating the water dish. At one point she tried to grab the water bottle and I was afraid she's puncture it with her teeth, thus leading to an entire liter of water getting dumped on the floor of my car, drenching not only my purse, but my book and the info for the transport. *smacks forehead* I managed to shove it out of her range and she went back to chewing on the bowl.

Sophie did eventually start to bark a bit (not really growling, but more barking). First she barked at ME, probably in frustration because I wouldn't let her get in the back with Lily and I wouldn't let her eat things in my car. Then she barked at the windshield wipers when I had to put them going. She was fairly close to them as she had stood up and was trying to reach the water droplets that were hitting my car. I guess they startled her. And then she did finally start barking at Lily. But I saw no aggressiveness in her -- just her being startled. I think I might feel a little off if I couldn't hear too!

Now, all that aside, Sophie was a VERY good girl. She was really sweet and affectionate, walked well on a leash, and would be a total cuddlebug if given the chance.

Lily, on the other hand, was a dream -- she's a WONDERFUL dog and the type I adore. She settled down in the back and slept most of the trip. When Sophie started barking at her, she just kind of turned her head away and didn't really respond. When we got her out of the car at the handoff, she was just so wonderful. She would give you big kisses all over your face and just wanted to be close to you. She's a fantastic dog. From what I understand, she has potential adopters meeting her today and I'm sure they're going to fall totally in love with her.

This transport was definitely one of my more challenging (along the lines of the Morey transport), but they're both wonderful dogs and will make someone very happy someday soon!

I did manage to get a lot of pictures this time, so here are a few. The rest can be found here.

Lily

(with one of the other transporters)

Sophie

Transport #16: Seymour, Ruby, and Jerry

2008-08-13T15:16:00.006-04:00

On Sunday I opted to help out with the Brittany transports again. I haven't gotten to meet any new Brittanies since the crazy Bindi transport back in April. This transport started off with one dog planned (Seymour) and a possibility of two others joining in. When I found out all three were coming along, I was a little worried about fitting them all in.

I met up with the transport at a Chili's in Victor, NY. The woman who was meeting there is well-known as a bit of a lead foot, so it was no surprise that, even though I was 10 minutes early, she was already there waiting for me. To her credit, she didn't try to call me and see where I was.

We first got little Seymour out of the car (at 35lbs fully grown, he's small for a Brittany). He was a terribly nervous dog and kept skirting behind Kathy a bit when I bent down to approach. They believe the poor guy had been abused or mistreated in some way, maybe treated harshly. We managed to get him into my car easily enough, though he was still a bit skittish.

I got out Ruby, the old gal. She's somewhere around 8 or 9 years old and incredibly sweet. She's a special needs gal -- on some sort of medication for a heart murmur that occasionally causes her to pass out. I saw none of that on the transport, but it's still a concern for a future adopter. For an old gal who was a bit on the thin side, she did really well climbing in and out of cars.

Jerry was the third one out and he was the bigger boy. Boy was he friendly! We're pretty sure that Jerry was indeed NOT all Brittany. I'm not sure what else might have been in there (perhaps English springer), but Brittany was not the first word that came to mind. He was bigger and his ears were set differently. At any rate, he was a sweetheart and so incredibly soft!

We got all three dogs into the car and the amusing thing was they ALL wanted to be in the back. So all three of them curled up together and were absolutely calm during the drive. I loved transporting them! Compared to poor Bindi, who kept trying to get into my lap the entire trip, they were an absolute dream. I would occasionally stick my hand in the back to see if I could get poor little scared Seymour to sniff my hand and each time I did, Ruby put her head underneath my hand. So instead I started to reach back to scratch her head a bit. She's a bit of an attention hog, that one!

When I arrived in Syracuse, I took each dog out one at a time. I spent the most time with Seymour and he very quickly warmed up to me. The next thing I knew, he was licking my hand and leaning up against me as a petted him. Winning him over wasn't tough at all! I just needed a little quiet time with him.

The next driver showed up and we got Jerry and Ruby into his car easily enough. Now poor Seymour? He was scared to DEATH. We're all pretty sure that he was abused by a man at this point. He first kept hiding behind my legs and then made a beeline for my car. Every time I tried to reach in to get him, he would run to the other side of the car. Eventually I managed to catch him on one side, picked him up, and carried him to the next driver's car. Once inside the car he was settled pretty well, so hopefully he warmed up to the poor guy who was driving him.

I took a handful of pictures but unfortunately didn't have my good camera on me and the camera I borrowed from a friend had batteries that were on their way out.

These first two of Seymour are from the overnight stay (taken by someone else):

Jerry

(Yes, he's peeing -- it was the only moment I could catch a picture of him and I didn't realize what he was doing when I held up the camera!)

Ruby

Transport #15: Blesk and Butterscotch

2008-07-15T11:42:00.008-04:00

It's been a long time since I've done any transporting. Between the move and spending time with Dahlia, I just haven't had much of a spare moment on the weekends. I had some time this weekend and a transport was set up to head out to Trish (where we got Dahlia from), so I jumped back on the bandwagon.

The transport was for a collie mix puppy now named Blesk (which means "lightning"), about 6 months old, supposedly 45 lbs (though probably half that in reality), from the same rural pound that Dahlia came from, and a lab/hound mix named Butterscotch. Butterscotch was one of the cell dogs. If you haven't heard about this program, it's a pretty neat one. Inmates are carefully selected (good behaviour, non-violent crimes, etc.) to work with dogs who need training. The dog lives with them in their cell and the provide all the care for it: walking, food, water, etc. A trainer comes in and teaches the inmates how to train the dogs. Once the dog graduates, it moves on to become someone's pet. It's a great program for both the dogs AND the inmates.

I met the transport in Rochester. I had been warned that Butterscotch was not an easy dog to get into the car and boy where they right! We got the collie in quickly and easily. But Butterscotch? Nope. No go. As soon as you tried to get her near the car, she backed up, legs stiff, and wouldn't budge. In the end, the other woman hefted all 55 lbs of her up and shoved her in the car. Once there, she was fine.

The collie pup, who we had put in the front seat, quickly crawled in the back to be with Butterscotch. The pup seemed to really like the older dog. Butterscotch attempted to get into the front a couple times but was easily put off by my arm blocking the way (and gave me kisses on the side of the face -- so sweet!). I've dealt with dogs who would barrel through my arm without batting an eyelash so it was nice to have one who didn't!

The ride itself was pretty uneventful. Butterscotch eventually settled down and slept. The collie pup seemed to be asleep before I even left the parking lot. We arrived in good time to the meeting place in Syracuse, and after some cojoling and shoving, got Butterscotch into the next person's car.

It was really nice to be back "in the saddle" as it were and help out a couple of great dogs. Blesk went to her new forever home the day after the transport and Butterscotch will be going home soon!

A few pictures, some from another of the transporters.

Blesk:

Butterscotch:

Both:

A few more can be found here.

Transport #14: Coeby

2008-05-18T21:40:00.001-04:00

What started out as a transport for three dogs (two golden retriever puppies and a 2-year-old cocker spaniel) first changed to one golden puppy, his mom, and the cocker, and then all the goldens developed kennel cough, so we ultimately ended up with one small dog for the transport.

Coeby was an utter sweetheart. He really just wanted to be close to you, so he would snuggle up as soon as you bent down to him. He had a heck of a lot of energy and was horribly untrained. Not that he was bad, but he was CRAZY. He pulled on the leash (almost tugged me off my feet and he weighed 26 lbs!) and when we grabbed food at McDonald's quickly, within seconds of David handing me the bag, he ripped it open and scarfed a bunch of fries. Whoa! David ended up taking my food, scarfing his down while standing outside the car, and then he took Coeby for a walk while I scarfed mine down. Not the most satisfying meal! But worth it really. Coeby was going to his new home that very night. I felt sorry for the poor thing. He had obviously come in SERIOUSLY matted as his fur was shaved down and he had scabs by his ear (I'm guessing those were caused by some horrible mats that had to be cut out). But despite all that, he was a happy little dog!

Of course, the best part of the transport was when we gave Coeby off to Trish (from Bare Bones Rescue) and got our own wonderful Dahlia to take home with us!!

Here are a some pictures of Coeby.

Dahlia is coming home to us!

2008-05-12T12:38:00.004-04:00

I think I spent hours looking at dogs on petfinder. I had over 30 of them saved, all possibilities, some more so than others. And in the end, the perfect dog for us was right under my nose. Well, sort of.

Dahlia, of the transport in April, is coming home to us on May 17th.

After reading her description on petfinder, we knew she was just the perfect dog for us.

If ever there were a PERFECT companion dog--Dahlia is it. Which breaks our hearts, cause we pulled her one day before she was to be euthanized--the curse of the BBD (Big Black Dog) syndrome : ( Dallie is 3 yrs old, so at the age of sanity, and only 46 Lbs, so not a BIG big dog (the breed mix has been the guess of several knowledgeable dog people). And what a LOVE!! She lives for love and affection, and while not a velcro dog, is a want-to-be-with-you-cause-that-makes-me-happy kind of dog. NO, none whatsoever, bad behaviors!! None of the Border needs for high exercise nor herding behaviors. Dallie is house trained, leash trained, learning sit, sleeps right next to you, not barky (but will let you know someone is at the house), SWEET and LOVING girl. I fear she might be one of the many foreclosure dogs that are turning up in the shelters these days. She obviously came from a loving home and is of a very endearing nature. Dallie is good with other dogs, fine with cats and kids, and she really wants to be your baby.

After putting in an application, much shifting around and getting set up, we've been approved to adopt her. We're very excited to welcome her home soon!

More dogs

2008-04-21T14:39:00.000-04:00

Two more dogs to add to my possibilities list:

Nicky

Nicky is right here at the CNY SPCA! Supposedly some sort of lab/chow mix (though I don't see much chow in him, really). No clue on weight...just described as "large" (which may ultimately mean we can't have him but I'm trying to talk David into it! lol). Described as "always wagging his tail, ears up and ready to go." He looks so soft and fluffy and happy!

Link

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Dahlia

Dahlia is, of course, the dog I met this past weekend. She was sweet, fairly mellow but still with some energy, and quiet. She was a definite hit with me!

No link yet

Transport #13: Dahlia

2008-04-20T16:06:00.005-04:00

Lucky #13! And boy was I lucky. My weekend was supposed to consist of two transports. The first one was for a random couple dogs (which kept changing, finally ending with an Airedale mix named Kelly). That one was set up for Sunday morning. Well, Friday rolled around and suddenly it got switched to Saturday and I could no longer do it. They found someone else and the transport went on without me. The second transport was for three Brittanies. A woman had written to find out if I could help out. I volunteered for a leg and never heard back from her. On Friday I finally got in touch with her and she said she didn't need me. So, since those two got canceled, I contacted the people who needed help with Dahlia, a BBD (big black dog). For those who don't know this, BBDs often have a harder time getting adopted than dogs (and even cats) of lighter colours. Some of it is attributed to not photographing well in the confines of a shelter, some is attributed to people not being able to read their expressions as easily, and some is attributed to people finding BBDs more frightening. Whatever it is that causes it, BBDs are euthanized more often than other dogs. Dahlia was scheduled to be euthanized last Tuesday and a rescue pulled her for transport this weekend. I stepped in at the last minute to relieve a driver from having to drive 164 miles each way to help this beautiful dog. And wow am I happy I did!

Today was a beautiful day. Mid-70s, sunny. I drove all the way out to Rochester with my windows down partway (of course, some of this is attributed to my air conditioning being broken!). I arrived about 15 minutes early, relaxed, and then met up with the other people and Dahlia. My first impression of Dahlia was that she was a wonderful dog, and seemed much smaller than the 50 lbs they said she was (I would guess more like 40-45). She was utterly sweet and wanted to do nothing more than snuggle up to you. She immediately came over to me and gave me kisses. She walked over to the other women that had brought her on the previous leg, sat down, and put her leg up on her. She was just utterly sweet. We got her into the car easily enough and then it was on our way!

Unlike last week's crazy transport, this one was incredibly easy! Dahlia curled up in the back seat, not even tethered, and slept the whole way. She popped her head up a couple times and I reached back to pet her a bit (and was rewarded with some kisses), and then she'd just curl back up and sleep again. She was quiet and mellow.

We arrived a bit early, which was just fine with me! I got her out of the car and we wandered around a bit. She only pulled a bit on her leash and frequently ran back to me and looked up to me. She seemed like she'd be an easy dog to train. She already knew sit and shake, that much I discovered! We spent a bit of time out on the lawn. I sat down and let her explore around me and she would return to me and press her face up against mine. She was SO sweet. I would have adopted her in a heartbeat if I could...in fact, I may get in touch with the rescue she's going to about possibly adopting her. I just totally fell in love with her!

The other woman showed up way too early and I think she could tell I didn't want to let her go. Oops! They finally took off and now Dahlia is on her way to Vermont. *sniffles*

Here are a few pictures. The rest can be found here.

Keeping track of the dogs

2008-04-18T07:09:00.002-04:00

So far, these are the dogs we're seriously interested in. "Shaggy," from the last post ended up getting adopted and we're very happy for him!

Sammy

French Brittany, only 23 lbs, 11 months old, described as "a bundle of energy, kisses and love all wrapped up in one."

Link

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Toby

Flat coated retriever mix, 40 lbs, 2 years old, described as "super affectionate, crate and leash trained, quiet, polite with silky shiny fur and a great perosnality." Toby sadly keeps getting passed over!

Link

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Buck

Brittany, 1 year old, described as "one nice boy, cute as a button, does well in crate, quiet." We'll get to meet him this weekend!

Link

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Tanner

That's right...this boy is still up for adoption!

Australian Shepherd, 8 months old, deaf, and described as "pretty active, but settles inside, curious, still very much the puppy, and loves getting belly rubs."

Link

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Pepper

Sheltie mix (supposedly), 1 1/2 years old, described as "the sweetest dog, beautiful, very gentle, and sweet." For some reason, this poor kid keeps getting passed over.

Link

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Rosie

You might remember this girl from this post. She's the one whose owner decided to put her down instead of finding her a home, despite her young age!

Schipperke mix, 30-35 lbs, a bit over a year old, described as "gets along with other dogs, loves people, just wants a home to call her own."

Link

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Shamus

Whose name should really be Seamus!!

Papillon/spaniel mix, 25 lbs, unsure of age, described as "I love to run and play and if you visit me we can go on my favorite walk-through the woods, over logs & stuff and finally back to my place. I could sit on your lap for hours while I get treats. Then we could plan on going to your place for toys galore. I would like to be your pampered pup."

Link

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Winston

Sheltie, unsure of age, deaf, described as "a real cuddlebug, choosing to lie near your feet or with you on the couch, in bed, etc. He is even a little demanding for petting -- nudging his nose forcefully under your arm to get some lovin'. He also follows his foster mom and dad around the home -- to the bathroom, to lie down nearby when you are cooking, etc. He really prefers humans to dogs, although he gets along fine with other dogs."

Link

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Cheyenne

American Eskimo dog, 2-3 years old I think, right here in CNY, came in with her puppy who has been adopted, described as friendly

Link

Gee...is that ALL for now? LOL I'll be adding to this as more dogs come up that interest me!

In search of a dog

2008-04-14T10:17:00.006-04:00

My partner and I do not have a dog. I know this is probably a surprise as my blog is all about the dogs I transport. I got involved in transporting because I was looking for a way to get involved with dogs, to help dogs, and partially to hopefully quell this driving need to have a dog of my own.

The two first ones have gone off brilliantly. The last one? Not so much. In fact, it has made it worse. I went from wanting a dog and accepting that it would happen sometime down the road to needing a dog now. And I mean like yesterday. To that end, we are moving this summer...from our cozy little too small apartment in Liverpool, NY. To somewhere else that will allow me to have that dream.

But then comes the search for the perfect dog. This has been a somewhat agonizing search as so many dogs need homes and so many of them look so right for us.

It all started with Tanner, the lovely deaf Aussie who we helped to transport around St. Patrick's Day. David fell totally in love with him, as did I. He's still available, living up in Ontario with his foster family. The problem with Tanner? He's an Australian shepherd and we're going to be living in an apartment in the city. While there is plenty of room to walk in the area, it doesn't seem quite adequate for most Aussies. We know Tanner is somewhat different, as most people describe him as calm and say he doesn't quite have the Aussie personality. But still. Surely he would have too much energy for us. I think I may still look into him when we are able to finally adopt a dog, but I think it's going to be darned unlikely that he would be allowed to come home with us.

Then I got involved in transporting Brittanies. Lovely dogs all. Energetic, but not the working dogs that Aussies are. We settled on the possibility of getting a Brittany and in searching, I found what looked to be the perfect dog. She's a little French Brittany (23 lbs), named Sammie sweet. David thought she looked special too. There's something about the look in her face and the little tuft of hair on her tail. They described her as "a bundle of energy, kisses, and love all wrapped up in one." We both agreed she's a definite possibility. She's fostered in Delaware, but we could easily pick her up or get her transported up to here.

When I arrived home Friday evening, I had a message waiting for me from a friend of a friend, about her mother's dog, Sam. She needed to rehome him as her mother's husband died and she was moving into an apartment that doesn't allow dogs (always a shame -- I wish we were like Ontario where, I understand, there is a law prohibiting people from having a no pets clause in their lease). Her mother's dog is a 6-year-old male American Eskimo dogs. David loves spitz-type dogs and I think they're beautiful. They tend to be no larger than 35 lbs, with many quite a bit smaller (they have toy and minature versions as well). We know nothing about this dog, but we're open to the possibility of adopting him. I haven't heard back, so it's all up in the air anyway. (The picture to the left, btw, is not this particular dog...it's just a picture of some American Eskimo dog...I have not even seen a picture of this dog!).

And then last night I was searching, yet again, and I found this lovely dog, named "Shaggy." He's a puli mix. David's dog, Heidi, was a puli mix and I've heard him talk about how much he loved her and how much he loved pulis. I showed him this dog and he immediately was smitten. He's in Ohio and we know nothing about him...not his age, weight, temperament, anything. I told David I would check into him whenever we find out if we can get this apartment for sure. Maybe we could get him fostered for a month if we think he'd be a good match for us.

All of this is so up in the air that I'm just so unsure of what to do! I guess we'll know when the time is right. But I do think they're all great looking dogs and only time will tell.

The Meaning of Rescue

2008-04-14T10:13:00.003-04:00

This is a lovely poem sent to the Canine Rescue list.

~The Meaning of Rescue~

Now that I'm home, bathed, settled and fed,
all nicely tucked in my warm new bed.
I'd like to open my baggage, lest I forget,
there is so much to carry - so much to regret.

Hmmm...Yes, there it is, right on the top,
let's unpack loneliness, heartache and loss.

And there by my perch hides fear and shame.
As I look on these things I tried so hard to leave -
I still have to unpack my baggage called pain.

I loved them, the others, the ones who left me,
but I wasn't good enough - for they didn't want me.
Will you add to my baggage? Will you help me unpack?
Or will you just look at my things - and take me right back.

Do you have the time to help me unpack?
To help put away my baggage, to never repack?
I pray that you do - I'm so tired you see,
but I do come with baggage - Will you still want me?

~ Author Unknown ~

Transport #12: Bindi and Eli

2008-04-13T09:23:00.006-04:00

To date, this was probably one of the most fun, but most challenging transports I have done. I'm finding that each transport is a sort of "live and learn" experience and this time I definitely learned some things NOT to do. The drive out to Rochester was easy. I stopped to grab lunch at Tim Horton's along the way and had a lovely conversation with the janitor at the rest stop. It started when I got napkins to clean off my table and he said "Looking for a job?" It turned out that he had a rescued cockapoo and his sister had a rescued lab that had some one on of the transports like I do. Neat guy and it was nice to chat for a few minutes. I arrived at the site right at 12:45pm and the other people were already there with the dogs. Getting them into my car was a bit of a pain and took a lot longer than it should have. She was insistent on tying them to the so-called "oh shit" handles. She said it worked well for her, but I had some issues with it. My first issue was she wanted to tie them on such a short lead that they couldn't even lay down. No no...that wouldn't work. I got her to tie them at a longer distance to allow them some freedom.

We finally took off, pretty much on time. But immediately there were problems. Eli, who had been tied into the front seat crawled into the back. And then Bindi, who had been tied in the back, wanted to be up front. She ended up getting herself into such a position where she was almost hanging herself. I tried to undo her from the lead, but couldn't with one hand, so I ended up pulling over on the side of the thruway in order to do it. I got her loose, Eli settled down in the back, and Bindi curled up on the front seat, free to move about the car as she pleased.

We started off again. This was when I discovered that the one place Bindi really wanted to be was in my lap. She would crawl into my lap and roll over, legs splayed, in order to get a belly rub. All well and good in normal circumstances, but I was driving. She was leaning into the steering will sometimes, and then at other times she's stretch her legs out and they'd come to rest on the steering will (or even hanging over part of it). Eek. I started to get a little worried that she might move suddenly and jerk the wheel! A couple times I was able to get the strength to pull her away from me and push her back onto her seat, but she always came back. She was what people describe as a "velcro dog" -- she really just wanted a belly rub and to lick your face (a lot!). It finally got to a point at which I was very nervous about continuing to drive with a 40 lb dog crawling around my lap. So, once again we stopped, this time at a rest area. I got Bindi fixed up in the car so she could get only over to my lap but not lay across it. It left us in a much better position than we were in before.

We started off yet again. The trip seemed to be going ok at this point, until Eli decided he wanted to get up front. First he tried to go underneath Bindi and she growled at him -- she definitely did NOT like having him underneath her. I got him into the back and he ended up getting into a strange position he couldn't get out of, again nearly hanging himself in the process. Like before, I couldn't undo his the lead from his collar with one hand, so for a third time, I stopped. Like the first time, I stopped on the side of the thruway. I managed to unhitch him, remove the lead from the "oh shit" handle and tie him around the back of my seat, which gave him a bit more room to move (it also, unfortunately, gave him the room to get to the plastic bag I had sitting down there -- which I managed to remove from him, leaving my purse to the effects of his teeth...alas, now my purse has a strap that is chewed in half *smacks forehead*).

Yet again, we started off. The remainder of the trip wasn't too difficult. Despite three stops on the way through, we made it to our meet up spot just 2 minutes after we were supposed to be there! I handed off the dogs to the next woman (who had a crate large enough to put Bindi in, which I'm sure was a great help!) and who agreed that tying them to the handles is definitely not a good idea (like I said, "live and learn"). And then they were off on the next leg of the trip.

Now, I know this all probably sounds like they drove me nuts. But really, I adored both of these dogs, and especially Bindi who clung to me the whole time. They were incredibly sweet and silly and their new families will be very lucky!

Here are a few of my favourite pictures. The rest can be found here. I didn't get nearly as many pictures as other trips since I had Bindi in my lap most of the time and needed one hand on the wheel and one hand to keep her away from the wheeel!

Bindi

Eli

Transport #11: Indie and Sweeney

2008-04-06T08:37:00.005-04:00

I had been looking for a transport that would get David and I out in the general vicinity of Rome so we could bring my parent's dog, Teri home with us. It seemed like a logical idea since we had to go that way anyway. It turned out there was a transport for two lovely 2-3 year old Brittany spaniels heading out that afternoon.

We arrived at 2:45pm to discover the driver before us had arrived about 10 minutes early. That gave us a chance to meet the dogs a bit. David took Sweeney out for a little bit of a run, since he seemed to have a little excess energy to burn of. I held onto Indie, who just seemed to want to hang out near you. After the previous driver took off, we first got Sweeney into the car. Immediately, he went for my Erik doll. Poor Erik! He's now been mauled by two transport dogs. I was able to get him away from Sweeney easy enough, no fight, no attempts at playing tug of war with him (god forbid!). Erik, who has guarded my car for over 8 years, was relegated to a place in the glove compartment...poor guy!

I hopped in the back with Sweeney (who then proceeded to sit across my lap) and David got in the front with Indie and we were off.

The trip out to Herkimer was one of the easiest trips I've ever had with these dogs. Sweeney immediately curled up with his head almost in my lap and rolled sightly over so I could give him a belly rub. He fell asleep fairly quickly and spent nearly the entire trip like that. Indie curled up on the front passenger seat and with David petting her, curled into a tight little ball and also fell asleep. There wasn't a peep out of either of them and they didn't really wake up until we got off at the Herkimer exit.

It always amazes me that dogs that are so active when you first meet them, raring to go for a run, climbing all over you, eating your stuffed toys, can so quickly settled down and fall asleep. It must be something about the rocking of the car.

We arrived at the Herkimer exit about 10-15 minutes before the next driver did, which gave us anothe chance to get the dogs out for a little walk. Sweeney found some sort of trail he had sniffed out and was following it, nose to the ground. David just let him run. I spent my time with Indie, who just wanted to wander around aimlessly a bit and really just wanted someone to pet her and sit with her. She was an incredibly quiet, calm dog who clearly just loves people.

The next driver finally arrived (to much sadness on our parts!) and after letting them get acquainted, we loaded them up in his car. Sweeney jumped up easily enough and set off to exploring. Indie (who had recently had her spay stitches removed) had to be helped into the car. I had to laugh at Indie though. She turned around and sat with her legs hanging over the edge of his vehicle and refused to budge. We had to sort of force the poor girl back into the vehicle (by having me go around to the other side and get her attention) in order to shut the door so he could be on his way.

David and I agreed that either one of the dogs would have been wonderful companions for us. Brittanies are such gentle, sweet, energetic dogs. Because there were two of us on this trip, I got a TON of photos. A few of my favourites are below. The rest can be found here.

Sweeney

(Sweeney with my poor Erik doll!)

Indie

Both dogs

Books

2008-04-01T09:49:00.002-04:00

Someone in a dog lovers community recently asked for suggestions on books to read. I made some and then thought I should put together a more comprehensive list. Here are the books I recommend, followed by a couple I read that I don't recommend!

Memoirs
These are books people wrote as a tribute to the dogs in their lives.

What the Dog Did: Tales from a Formerly Reluctant Dog Owner by Emily Yoffe -- Yoffe is one of those people I never quite "got" -- she didn't want a dog and yet ended up with one anyway. Funny at times, a very good read with a happy ending.

Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog by John Grogan -- John and Jenny Grogan bring home Marley, their "Labrador Evader," who gets into a whole lot of trouble. A fantastic read, follows all of Marley's life so you can imagine what the ending is like.

For Bea: The Story of the Beagle Who Changed my Life by Kristen Von Kreisler -- This was a sweet story about a woman who finds a beagle who had been used in medical experiments and her rehabilitating her. It was well-written and both funny and sad at the same time.

A Good Dog: The Story of Orson, Who Changed My Life by Jon Katz -- Jon Katz adopted a neurotic border collie without really understanding what border collies are like. The book is funny, a good read, but will make you angry at times if you're a lover of herding dogs and understand them. As a warning, because it surprised me and I wish I had known: the book has a really unhappy ending.

The Dogs Who Found Me: What I've Learned from Pets Who Were Left Behind by Ken Foster -- While not entirely a memoir of his dog, this book tells the story of how Ken Foster came to adopt a shelter dog and how he got involved in rescuing dogs. A very good read.

Beautiful Joe by Margaret Marshall Saunders -- This book is told from the dog's point of view. Beautiful Joe was horribly abused and finds a new home with a family of animal lovers. Densely-packed, without a lot of action, but a lovely story nonetheless.

Dogs of Dreamtime by Karen Shanley -- Another book about working dogs that end up being a bit of a problem. It starts off warm and fuzzy, but quickly turns to the darker reality of dealing with problem dogs. Nevertheless, it was a fantastic book. Shanley is a great writer. She has a blog which is well worth reading: http://www.karenshanley.com

Amazing Gracie: A Dog's Tale by Dan Dye and Mark Beckloff -- Dye and Beckloff are the founders of the Three Dog Bakery. This book tells the story of the Gracie, a partially blind and completely deaf Great Dane who was the inspiration for starting the bakery.

Dogs I have Met and People they Found by Ken Foster -- A continuation, of sorts, of the other book by Foster. In this one, he introduces some of the people and their dogs that he met while promoting the other book.

Shelter dogs
These are books that generally have a bunch of shorter tales about dogs who are adopted out of shelters (or not, in some cases).

Disposable Dogs: Heartwarming, True Stories of Courage and Compassion -- Sweet book, definitely heartwarming. Many of the dogs in the book were on the brink of being euthanized when they were rescued by some loving person and given a second chance at life.

Stories of Dogs and the Lives They Touch -- Another sweet compilation of short tales from people about dogs they rescued.

More Stories of Dogs and the Lives They Touch -- Sequel to the previous book. Sweet compilation, but it didn't click with me as much as the first set of stories did.

Second Chances: Inspiring Stories of Dog Adoption -- This is Petfinder.com's compilation of stories written by people who rescued dogs through their site. It's a sweet read and it is also a great advertisement for a wonderful site.

Found Dogs: Tales of Strays who Landed on their Feet by Elise Lufkin -- Another uplifting compilation of short stories about dogs who get a second chance.

One at a Time: A Week in an American Animal Shelters by Marilee Geyer -- This is a true to life account of what happens in an animal shelter. Some of the animals chronicled make it out, to new homes. Some don't for varying reasons (no room in the shelter, dog turns vicious from being in the shelter too long, etc.). Some stories make you cry with joy, others make you cry with sadness.

Animal rescue
These books are about rescuing animals -- included are books on rescuing animals from disaster areas and books about animal sanctuaries. While not 100% about dogs, they are still a large part of these books

Out of Harm's Way by Terri Crisp -- This is the story about how Terri Crisp came to rescuing animals from disaster areas. It is both heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time.

Best Friends: The True Story of the World's Most Beloved Animal Sanctuary by Samantha Glen -- This tells the story of the founding and eventual success of the famous animal sanctuary in Utah. A great read. It convinced me to taking a "working vacation" sometime to volunteer there.

The Man Who Talks to Dogs by Melinda Roth -- This tells the story of Randy Grim, who takes to rescuing stray dogs in the St. Louis area. Very well-written and covers all of his exploits with rescuing dogs -- from dealing with puppy mills to rescuing dogs off the street.

Miracle Dog: How Quentin Survived the Gas Chamber to Speak for Animals on Death Row by Randy Grim -- Quentin is an amazing dog and while much of this book is more about Grim's speaking out for animals and Quentin's being his "spokesdog," it tells a fantastic story.

Fifteen Legs by Bonnie Silva -- Bonnie Silva discovers the wonder and joy of animal transport. While I was disappointed that many of the stories were not about dogs, it was still nice to see someone writing about what I do!

Other books
Books that don't fit the other categories.

Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul -- Typical chicken soup book...short tales sent in by people. Most are sweet and fun to read.

Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul -- Similar to the last book, except all the books are about dogs.

Thurber's Dogs by James Thurber -- This is a compilation of articles written for the New Yorker by James Thurber. He often wrote of dogs and drew dog cartoons to go along with them. Some of the stories are very funny, others sad and heartbreaking. It appears the book is out of print, but you can still purcahse used copies on Amazon.com.

No Dogs in Heaven?: Scenes from the Life of a Country Veternarian by Robert T. Sharp -- Sharp, a small animal vet, ends up in rural Ohio working on large farm animals. It's a great read and while there are only a handful of stories about dogs, I still recommend it.

A Cup of Comfort for Dog Lovers: Stories That Celebrate Love, Loyality, and Companionship -- This is similar to the chicken soup books...a quick easy read of many short stories

Books I do not recommend
The Gift of Jazzy by Cindy Adams -- I wanted to like this book. I really did. The parts talking about Jazzy's life and the crazy things he did was great fun, and the parts where she talked about her aging husband's struggles and finally dying were poignant. But then it all became about name dropping...which big stars and political people she had lunches with, etc. That got annoying really quickly. She wrote a sequel, but I won't be reading it.

Stealing Love: Confessions of a Dognapper by Mary A. Fischer -- I honestly didn't think I'd finish this book. I had started at one point and then point it aside, finally picking it up later determined to finish it. The problem? She starts with a bang, about how she was sneaking in to take the dog belonging to some guy who abused it. But then she veers away and says she needs to explain how she got to this point. That took all but about 30 pages of the book. Well over 200 pages devoted to her life, with little mention of dogs. So it wasn't so much about the dogs she rescued and found good homes, but more about the way she grew through the years. She wrote well, but the title was terribly misleading. I'd love to see her follow up the book with one actually about the dogs because I would certainly read that.

Dog Culture: Writers on the Character of Canines -- I read books about dogs because I love dogs. Many of the stories in this book were more about people who didn't like dogs coming to tolerate (but not love) their presence. Some of the stories were quite good, but overall, it left me feeling cold.

Transport #10: Moe, Marcie, and Lilly

2008-03-29T16:59:00.004-04:00

Today I helped transport three sad little pugs named Moe, Marcie, and Lilly. They were all surrendered from a puppy mill in Pennylvania and were being taken to a pug rescue in Vermont. For those who know little or nothing about puppy mills, they are horrible mass breeding places. The dogs are not cared for. The females are forced to have litter after litter until they can no more, and then they are either dumped off at a shelter, dumped on the side of the road...or even worse. The puppies are generally ill and many die from horrible diseases very young while others have medical problems that last throughout their often shortened lives. These three were some of the lucky ones. They were surrendered to a shelter.

I drove down to Binghamton...a luckily uneventful drive. I got going a bit too early and decided o stop off a few places to take pictures with my new camera (a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18). When I finally got into Binghamton, I was still running ahead of schedule and discovered that there was a Botanical Garden right near the meeting spot, so off I went to take more pictures.

The transport was running about 15 minutes late, so around 11:30am, the driver before me arrived. We got the dogs out, walked them for a short bit. I tried to get some pictures, but alas, these kids were not easy to take pictures of, and the driver was talking to me so it was hard to snap off any good shots. We were worried their crates wouldn't fit into my car, but it turned out they were just fine. After loading them up, I was on my way back to Syracuse.

I tried to make up a little time on the way back by driving a little fast, but alas that did not work out so well. There were cops galore out (end of the month and all that). I made it back to Syracuse about 5 minutes earlier and we got the dogs out and into the next person's car quickly. We didn't even take them out of the crates so, unfortunately, I still didn't have much of a chance to take pictures.

The dogs are now off at their rescue association where they'll be socialized and adopted to wonderful new homes!

Here are a few of the pictures I got.

Moe:

Lilly:

Alas, I got no pictures of Marcie.

Transport #9: Holly

2008-03-23T18:46:00.006-04:00

From a possible three transports, I went down to zero...and then I got the call Saturday morning that the transport for Holly, a lovely chocolate lab, was on. Someone volunteered to take the three missing legs and so she was able to head off to the rescue who had agreed to take her in.

Now Holly was a special case of a sort. Her petfinder.com profile had the following to say:

Holly was hit by a car at least a week ago. The farmer who owned her let her lay in a barn for 3 days before a concerned neighbor called asking for help. She is now under our care and we need your help. She has no outward signs of being hit by a car but she appears to be in pain. She lays around a lot and yelps when we touch her back end. She needs to be seen by a vet or sent to a rescue where she can get the proper medical attention she deserves. She has a wonderful temperament. She wagged her tail while watching us take pictures of other shelter animals. And a little girl wanting to pet her was her motivation for getting up.

So this girl really needed to get to rescue. I heard from the woman I was going to meet and they were ahead of schedule, so I rushed out (forgetting my laptop and some other stuff in the process) and met up with her at about 10:45am or so.

My first impression of Holly was that she was much smaller than I had expected. I didn't realize this, but almost every lab I've ever met has been male! I think she was even small for a female lab...I'd guess she weighed less than 50 lbs. My second impression was that despite being hit, she was doing great! I noticed a little bit of weakness in her back legs. They shook when she let all her weight rest on them. So she's not at 100%, but she was doing pretty well.

After walking her a bit, letting her do her business and getting her a little water, we were off. She was pretty relaxed for most of the trip, though she did shift positions and awful lot. I wonder if it bothered her to lay down. She was very inquisitive and stuck her head up to see me a bit, and then sniffed around the umbrellas in the back of the car. Then she did the unthinkable! I saw her try to get my Erik doll down. Now, for those who don't know what my Erik doll is and why it was so worrying for her to go after him, he's a Phantom of the Opera doll (hence Erik) that I got at CVS on Halloween 1999. I still remember bringing him out to the car and holding him; it was right around the time the show would have ended, closed forever, in Toronto. Erik has guarded by car ever since -- and I haven't been in one accident since then! There have been some times where I was sure someone would hit me, but somehow we didn't collide. Yeah so it's a bit superstitious...but darnit all, Erik protects my car! So...Holly tried to get him. I called her off...twice. And then saw her settle down. I thought that was the end of it, but then I glanced in the rear view mirror and saw he was gone! And Holly had settled down...to chew...something. I could only imagine what it was! I ended up, in a moment of insanity, stopping on the side of the road (yes....the side of the NYS thruway!) to rescue him from her clutches. Luckily, she had only drooled all over him and had ripped his cap off. So, Erik was a bit worse for the wear, but he's still guarding my car!

Holly and I stopped for a short breather a little while afterward and then continued on our way.

We arrived far ahead of schedule and lucky me, no one had called ahead, so I got to spend time with Holly. First we just kind of walked/ran around willy-nilly, but then I decided I could spend a little time working with her to get better walking on her leash. Despite my love of dogs, I've never been totally responsible for training one and I was amazed at how quickly and easily she responded to me. I got her to walk slowly by my side and got her to return to my side when she got over-excited and charged away (especially after leafs!). I would just tug lightly on the leash and she'd rush back to my side and stand there. I'd lavish her with praise and we would walk slowly around. She was great, very responsive, and very smart!

Finally, the next person showed up and it was a quick transfer to get her on her way. The funny thing was that Holly seemed confused and kept trying to come back to me. It took a little while to coax her into the next woman's car. Actually, I guess that isn't really that odd. I seem to have an odd affinity with dogs. Many of them have tried to stay with me. It always makes me smile!

As always, there are plenty of pics. You can find them all here. Here are a few favourites:

Where are they now?

2008-03-20T10:24:00.003-04:00

It's time for another transport update. This time I was lucky enough to have a lot of updates from foster parents and new adopters, so when possible I'll include their words.

Transport 5
Morey's new family met him and fell in love with him, which was not a surprise. From his new family: Just want to let you know that Morey is now in his new home and all is just great, he met our female Brit Sophie and all seems to be falling in to place...I can't thank you enough, we are just thrilled...Thanks to you and everyone that helped bring Morey all the way to the east coast today, job well done...

Grady is happily ensconced in his foster home and perhaps might even find his forever home with the foster family. From his foster family: Just wanted to let you all know that Grady is here and doing well. After less than 1/2 hour, hubby was already thinking we should keep him.

Transport 6
Lucky is at his new home. From his new family: Lucky is home and doing wonderful. He has met the 4 cats, the 125 pound Rottweiler and the 90 pound K-9. He also met my Bitchy dog last night, the neighbors dog and has done SO very well with my Daughter ( whom I got Lucky for) . What a GREAT little dog he is. He is settling in nicely. Still working on house rules but, we expect that don't we.

Transport 7
Both Jack and Tanner made it safely to their new foster homes. Hopefully they'll find a forever home soon (and if Tanner doesn't by the time we move into a new apartment...perhaps this summer...I know David will want to look into adopting him!).

Transport 8
I handed Roxie off to her foster family last Sunday. They seemed like wonderful, caring people, so I know she'll have a wonderful time there and will hopefully find her forever home soon.

Wendy and Pepper have landed very well with a woman who obviously already adores them. From their new mom: Your amazing Brittany Railroad brought me two beautiful and charming dogs! Wendy sleeps on my bed, and Pepper follows me everywhere. Wendy did not want to eat at first, but finally ate in MY chair at my table. Both love walks, and are very strong, pulling me along where--usually--THEY want to go. Wendy seems to be the strongest. Many thanks to your incredible team (of 15?) for all their efforts. (I see you were a team member as well as organizer!) I'll have pictures later when my daughter teaches me how to attach them.

Hopefully we'll see some pictures of these kids in their new homes!

Transport #8: Wendy, Pepper, and Roxie

2008-03-16T12:12:00.006-04:00

I was set up to do a transport for the Brittany rescue last week, but due to weather in Ohio it fell through. Then they added another two dogs to the group. I contacted the person in charge of it and said I didn't have the room. Rather than find an extra driver, she pulled me off it, found someone with a larger vehicle, and suggested I contact another coordinator who had two senior dogs and a puppy who needed to go. I was all to happy to!

From what I understand, Wendy was a poor dog found as stray and brought into a kill shelter. Some good samaritan, who was there to adopt a younger dog, saw her and since they were going to almost immediately euthanize her, brought her to the Brittany rescue. Pepper was an old guy whose owner was going in for major surgery and then going into a nursing home. So off they went to a new home. Roxie was a sweet mix-breed puppy (Brittany and something else -- we think she looked a bit like a Weimaraner), whose origins I don't really know.

I headed off this morning to pick up Wendy, Pepper, and Roxie in Victor. The drive out was basically uneventful I hit a little bit of snow in Rochester, but nothing that was really worrying. I met up with Roger, who had the trio in his SUV. We got them out, walked them, let them do their duty and all. We chatted for a bit, as I was running ahead and he was quite the talkative type! Really good guy. He had this way of doing the dogs up in his truck that was brilliant and he offered to make me some of those tethers. He also offered me his crate for Roxie (the 4-month old puppy), but I declined as I was worried about room in my vehicle.

We got Roxie into the car first and he managed to tether her up really well. There was no way she was gettng into my lap, which was perfect. Then we got Wendy and Pepper in. I was told we had to help them in and out of the vehicle and that held true for Wendy, with her strange dislocated leg (likely a bad break that healed poorly), but Pepper was able to get in and out with no problem. Luckily, my car is pretty low to the ground.

The drive was entirely quiet, especially compared to yesterday's insanity! The two old dogs immediately curled up and slept. Roxie settled down nicely within the first few minutes and also slept for most of the trip. I couldn't believe how well behaved they all were!

When we arrived, the people picking up Roxie were right behind us. We got her out of the car, walked her and the other two, and then I finally convinced him that it was ok to leave me alone with the old kids. They took off and I crawled into the back seat with Wendy and Pepper and the three of us spent some time snuggling up. The guy who was picking up the seniors finally showed up and after chatting for a bit, we got them into the car and off on their way. They were already curled up before he even took off.

I took a lot of photos and managed to get good shots of all three. Here are some of my favourites:

Roxie

Pepper

Wendy

The rest can be found here.

Transport #7: Jack and Tanner

2008-03-15T22:23:00.011-04:00

When the call came out for this Aussie transport, I just couldn't resist. I

Jack is a super-sweet snuggler whom you will surely fall in love with in less time than it takes to drive a leg. So be prepared to leave a bit of your heart behind when you hand him off to the next driver.

Reading further told me that Jack was deaf, leading me to believe that he was a double merle, since deafness is common when you breed two merles together. Merle colouring, for those who don't know, is a sort of dappled colouring. It's a gorgeous colouring (you can see an example here), but it also contains a gene for eye irregularities, sometimes resulting in blindness of some sort and deafness (generally caused by inner ear hair having no pigment...this lack of pigment causes them to atrophy and die in a few weeks, resulting in deafness). Reputable breeders don't breed merles together, but others do, and so you end up with these utterly precious deaf dogs who are often dumped off at shelters when their owners discover the "problem."

Jack was indeed a super sweet snuggler. We also got the addition of the gorgeous Tanner, a 6 month old deaf Aussie. He was incredibly sweet too.

David (my partner) decided to join me for this trip. I've been wanting him to go along and today seemd like a good time to. We had plans in the morning and afternoon, which meant he wasn't likely to get much work done, and I knew he would love these two dogs. Besides, I thought I could use the help with the two dogs.

And boy could I ever! We got the dogs into the car with little difficulty. They were all too happy to go with us. We spent the first bit of time trying to calm them down. Tanner immediately was in the front seat and David got him over to the passenger seat. I kept Jack in the back with me, though that was a constant chore. As we got going, we had a few hairy moments as Tanner kept trying to get into David's lap.

But finally, we made it onto the Thruway just fine. What we discovered about the dogs was that they were both very smart. Tanner turned out to be incredibly laid back. He laid down on the front passenger seat and when David started to pet him, he just shut his eyes in pleasure and then fell asleep.

Jack spent much of the trip either throwing himself into my lap (and I do mean throwing! he was almost violent in his affection) or nibbling on my hands (which sometimes hurt -- I managed to communicate ok to him that it hurt a bit) and then finally, in the last 20 minutes or so, managed to calm down enough to sleep. Poor Jack had gotten into something recently as his hair was matted some places and he had a couple burrs in his fur. I didn't dare remove them for fear of upsetting him.

These were really special dogs and it's hard to describe them correctly. Both had amazing blue eyes with strange eye defects (starburts, dropped pupils, extremely blue eyes). They were smart, gorgeous dogs. Neither had any problem with us petting them when they couldn't see us. Neither appeared deaf, though you could tell they were by the way their ears did not move when we talked to them. But they were so smart that they picked up on small body movements.

Outside of a few hairy moments when Tanner tried to crawl into David's lap, it was a pretty easy trip. John, who was picking them up from us, called as we were arriving and we met him in a slightly different place than we expected. It worked out well though. We very sadly passed the dogs off to him (and worried a bit as he was only one person and it took both David and I to control the dogs) and went our separate ways.

David, especially was saddened to see Tanner go. He really bonded with that great dog.

Here are a few of my favourite pictures:

Jack

Tanner

The rest of the collection can be found here.

It all started when...

2008-03-12T13:59:00.012-04:00

One does not take up animal rescue without having had experiences that caused him/her to reach that sort of turning point in his/her life.

My experiences with dogs started quite young. My grandmother had a dog, Nippy, an adorable black miniature poodle. I was never certain why her name was Nippy. She had certainly never nipped at me. But then again, looking back, I always did seem to have a strange effect on dogs, this sort of "nurturing" aura of total and complete dog love. At any rate, we would watch Nippy for a couple months out of every year while my grandmother went to Tennessee to visit my Uncle. During those times, Nippy was our dog.

But then there were the 10 months in between Nippy's visits with us that we were dogless. And the clamor went up, from mom and kids alike, to get ourselves a dog, our own dog, a dog that we would have year round instead of for only two months.

My Dad, however reluctant (as he generally is), relented in the face of overwhelming opposition. Thus began a rather strange journey, which consisted various dogs that just weren't right for us: the husky puppy that was too rambunctious for too young children and eventually went on to my Aunt and Uncle; the border collie who my mother rescued from my aunt's cruelty (she tied her up to a dog house for three months and barely paid attention to her), who turned out to be understandably crazy and neurotic, chewed everything, and ran away every chance she got -- even though we loved her dearly, she went off to a friend who lived in the country; the little pet store puppy who turned out to be terribly sick when we brought her home -- distemper and then pneumonia...we'd only had her for two weeks when we had to put her down (for the record, the pet shop was shortly thereafter shut down -- small vindication for the loss of a beloved little puppy).

It was really a sort of comedy of errors and looking back, I can clearly see all the mistakes that were made. My parents were wonderful, caring, pet owners, but they didn't quite know what was right for us at first. No doubt they would be passed over by rescue associations due to those early mistakes. But they made it all right.

They got Pepper. Well, Pepper II, as the little pet shop puppy was named Pepper as well. Pepper II was a sweet wheaten terrier/poodle mix puppy born on Valentine's Day 1984. My mother found out about her through an advertisement in the classified ads looking for people to adopt these dogs, "free to good home." Sometimes the best things in life really are free! The people who had her were certainly not the best people in the world. Their poodle had gotten pregnant by a local Wheaten terrier who had gotten loose. While I loved Pepper dearly, and still do, despite her death occurring nearly 10 years ago now, it's situations like this that remind me why I'm such a strong supporter of spay/neuter programs. The people who owned Pepper's mother clearly did not want to spend the money to spay their dog and the consequence was unwanted puppies. The man seemed to be so angry about this that he would sweep the puppies under the couch when they got in his way! In this way, Pepper learned an innate fear of men. She would overcome it with various men throughout her life, through contact and their demonstrating over time that they would not harm her. But it always took her months to warm up to someone. She was a wonderful dog. And she is still missed.

Three years after Pepper's death, my mother and I again talked my father into a dog. This time we ended up with Teri, another wheaten terrier/poodle cross (though purposely so this time). She was well-cared for and well-socialized as a pup and we ended up with the sweetest, most loving, and most spoiled dog imaginable. She's now almost 7 and she has my parents wrapped around her little paw. I can't imagine how we got along without her for so long! She's loved by everyone she comes into contact with. So loved, in fact, that we're always afraid someone is going to run off with her! She wouldn't make a peep that's for sure. She'd just roll over and try to get the person to pet her belly or hang her head and let them rub her neck.

The dogs we cared for are only one part, perhaps even a small part, of how I ended up here. The story is certainly much longer than I could tell here!

I can remember certain incidents in my life where I was involved, even as a child, in some sort of dog rescue. I recall finding a pregnant dog at one point...some sort of Basset hound or Basset mix. She was extremely pregnant and was wandering aimlessly through our neighbourhood. Because I wasn't sure what my parents would think of her, I hid her in our shed, brought out food to her, and provided towels. At some point, my parents discovered what I was doing, found the poor pregnant dog, and somehow she was either returned to her owner or turned over to the shelter. I was rather young at the time -- this was before Pepper and I was all of 8 when we got her.

I will also never forget Lightning, my aunt's dog. My aunt (and uncle, and cousins) lived with my grandmother for much of her life. I think it was a way to mooch off my grandmother, unfortunately. But...at any rate...she had a dog named Lightning. Looking back, I suppose I would have to call her some sort of yellow lab/shepherd mix. I still have a rather vivid picture of her in my mind. Nippy was allowed in the house. She was small. Lightning was a 50 lb dog and since my aunt was a neat freak to the extreme, Lightning was not allowed in the house. This meant that Lightning spent her life in a cold, damp basement and was occasionally allowed out to romp in the backyard. No one paid attention to her and she always seemed so sad and lonely, stuck in a small gated area in the basement. I don't ever remember her having a dog bed down there, or anything resembling someplace comfortable and warm to rest her body. When we went to my aunt's house for Christmas every year, I eventually ended up in the basement, sitting down in a place that smelled entirely of dog urine (as they never let Lightning out enough) and playing with this poor beautiful dog. I spent many an hour sitting down there with her, just petting her and giving her some much needed attention. She would perk up as soon as I came down the stairs, her great tail sweeping arcs at such a speed I was sure it would fall off...or launch her into the air. Every year, I would ask my aunt if we could let Lightning up, just for the day, let her enjoy Christmas with friends and family. The answer was always no..."she's too big, too messy, too in the way." So off I went into the cold and dampness to be with her since I couldn't bring her to us. One year I did actually just let Lightning out and she careened up the stairs with me close on her heels. My aunt was angry and no one seemed to understand that Lightning needed people. I know now, as an adult, I would have done more to help her. I would have found a way to get her out, find her a new home with people who would let her stay with them upstairs. But I was young and had no influence, no way to go about what needed to be done. In a lot of ways, I still feel like I failed that sweet dog somehow.

There were plenty of other dogs in my life, some in good places, some in not so good places. There were the dogs I've come to dub "The Paper Route Dogs." those dogs I met daily in my travels on my middle school paper route. Shadow, an older black lab mix was owned by an elderly lady and loved dearly. I used to bring her biscuits when I came to collect the money and Shadow was always thrilled to see me and would push herself up against me, nearly knocking me to the ground in her exuberance to be petted. There was the miniature schnauzer, whose name I have long since forgotten, who always had a reddish face from being fed spaghetti. And the St. Bernard puppy who grew at such an alarming rate that I could notice the size difference from one week to the next. But then there were the dogs who were not in the best place. There was the Irish setter, a poor creature left in a fenced in yard with little attention. She would bark...and bark...and bark some more. They told me she was mean, but whenever I approached, her barking was coupled by a wagging tail and she's sniff my hand through the fence, occasionally give me a little lick. Pooper, the beagle, was no doubt well-loved, but his owner never had his collar done up properly and he would slip it. This always seemed to happen just as I approached his house and the next thing I knew, I had a little companion on the rest of the paper route. Pooper would follow after me and I would occasionally reach down to pet him. He would follow me down the road, around to the next block and all the way back to my house. Like the Pied Piper of dogs, I generally showed up with some creature at my heels. And then there was Tackleberry. Ah, dear, sweet Tackleberry. Tackleberry was an absolutely gorgeous young English springer spaniel who lived on the corner of Ivanhoe and Heather. The problem for Tackleberry? His owners didn't care if he was loose. If he had to go out, they'd just let him out the front door and not worry about him. While we didn't live in an area with truly heavy traffic, there were enough cars to be constantly worried about him. The good news for Tackleberry? He would always find me on my paper route, sometimes far from his house, and he would spend the rest of the route with me, and like Pooper, he would follow me home. Sometimes the two did together. My mother would take one look at me and my entourage (which also sometimes included a cat) and we would hop in the car and drive the dogs back to their houses, knocking on doors and explaining that their dogs had, once again, followed me home. Tackleberry came to a sad end, that we know of. My mother, some years after I was off at college, my mother ran into Tackleberry's owners while on a walk. She noted she hadn't seen him for some time and wondered what had happened to him. They told her they had him put down because they "didn't want to put up with him anymore." My mother was shocked. I was outraged. I don't think I could speak to that family ever again. A little part of me hopes the vet claimed they put him down and really found another home for him. He was a great dog, but understandably unruly!

Other dogs have had great influence on my life: There was the dog I truly rescued one late night in Terre Haute, Indiana. I was driving down the road when I saw someone hit a dog. The person kept going and the dog rushed off to the side of the road. I didn't even stop to think about what I was doing. I pulled into gas station across the road and rushed across 4 lanes of heavy traffic to get to the dog. He was laying in the grass on the side of the road and when I approached pulled himself up and came over to me. He wasn't wearing a collar and so very likely was one of the city's strays. This might scare a normal person, but not me. I squatted down and let him come over to me. He seemed fine. He was walking ok, but there was a little blood coming from his nose. I wasn't sure what to do and so I walked a few paces away. Of course, he followed me. And so I knew I had to do something. I got him to follow me all the way across the road and back to the gas station. I went in to talk to the cashier, see if he knew what to do. It was late, so I knew the humane society would not be open. I thought maybe I could talk to the cops. The cashier's reaction was to tell me not to..."the last time someone did that, the cops took the dog out back and shot it." No way in hell was that going to happen. I eventually got an emergency number for the humane society and a woman came out to take him off with her. I spent a total of two hours with that dog...about an hour or more of it, sitting outside the gas station with this dog who was laying down on the sidewalk, looking as forlorn as could be. A lot of people passed by me, some stopped to talk, asked about the dog, and shook their heads when they found out he was a victim of a hit and run. A lot of people thought it was great what I was doing. When the humane officer finally showed up, around midnight, she took a look at the dog and thought he was done for, thought it was internal bleeding. I gave the woman my number and asked her to call and tell me what happened to him. She called me the next day and told me it was just a bloody nose and they would be washing him up and helping him find a new home.

It's for that injured stray dog, for dogs like Bandit who were tied up (some for much longer than Bandit), for dogs like Lightning who were forced to live their lives in a dank basement with little human attention, that I do what I do. If I can give one dog a chance to have a new life with loving people, then I feel good about having lived my life. It means that I've done something worthwhile with it. And living a worthy life is all important to me.

FAQ

2008-03-10T10:16:00.004-04:00

I have been talking about my dog transporting endeavour with a lot of people and I've gotten a fair amount of questions from them, many of the same, so I thought I'd write up an FAQ on what it is I do.

Do you work through a particular organization, like the Humane Society?
No. This is set up by various rescue organizations in the USA and Canada. Someone finds dogs (or cats or bunnies or horses) from a place where they're in dire need of help (kill shelters, etc.) and says "I can take this animal into my rescue." From there, the coordinator puts out a call for people to help and if they can fill the transport, the run will go.

How do I find out about these transports?
I made a post earlier with some information, so you can read more about it there. Basically, I use one of two major sites to find out what's going on each weekend: Acme Pet Transport has a message board where I look for transports in my area. You can also post your information so that those looking to fill a transport can contact you. The yahoo group, Canine Rescue, also has information on transports. It's a very busy group, so I find it easiest to filter them to one folder and search for messages that contain "NY."

How exactly do these transports work? How do you get these animals across country?
Each person will volunteer for one leg of a longer trip. You drive your leg, meet up with the next person, and then pass the animal(s) off to them.

What kinds of animals are being transported?
There are transports for every animal imaginable, from rabbits to cats to dogs to horses. I mainly focus on dogs, since dogs are my passion. The dogs can be of any size. I've transported two 5 lb beagle puppies and a St. Bernard/Bernese Mountain dog puppy who was 10 months old and weighed over 85 lb.

How do I know specifically what animals are on each transport?
Each call for transport will include information on the dog(s) needing help, including age, gender, neutered/spayed, weight, and any personality information they know of. They will tell you if the dog needs to be crated or tethered (tethering is clever way of keeping the dogs in the car when you open the door -- you do up the seatbelt through the loop in their leash -- this means that even if the dog tries to bolt when you open the car door, they're safely attached).

How many animals go on each transport?
This varies greatly. I've been on some transports where I've taken just one dog. Those are generally the easy ones! I've also been on two transports where I've taken three dogs each time. I've seen transports that have had several animals (upwards of 15 or more!) where they required 2, 3, or even 4 drivers for each leg.

I only have a small car. Can I still do transporting?
Yes! I drive a 1998 Chevy Prism. It's a pretty small car. Having a small car just means you have to pick and choose which transports you can comfortable do. If there are too many dogs or too many large dogs, you just don't do it. There are plenty of transports for just one dog or for a couple smaller dogs. You do what you can. Any bit helps!

I don't own a crate of any size. Can I still do transporting?
Yes! Some dogs will need to be crated, but many will not. I've only used my crate once on a transport (though I wish I had brought it for another one!). The rest of the times I've tethered the dogs.

How do I know a transport is going through my area? How do I know which legs are available?
Each post for the transports is set up in a very specific way to make it as easy as possible for the coordinators to fill and the volunteers to find a leg they can cover. Here is an example of part of a run sheet:

Leg 4
Fredonia, NY to Buffalo, NY
47 mi, 1 hr
10:45 AM – 11:45 AM
NEEDED:

Leg 5
Buffalo, NY – Henrietta, NY (Rochester)
69 mi, 1 hr 20 min
11:45 AM – 1:05 PM
NEEDED:

Leg6
Henrietta, NY – Syracuse, NY
85 mi, 1 hr 35 min
1:05 PM – 2:40 PM
FILLED

Looking at the sheet, you know exactly what time, how far, and where the legs are. You know what has been filled when the message is sent out and what hasn't been filled.

What happens to the dogs if a transport doesn't get filled?
I've seen a handful of these transports not get filled (a surprising amount do) . Generally, they try to fill it the next weekend. I've also seen transports get postponed due to weather. I live in an area of the country that is precarious for weather (snow/ice/wind/sleet/etc.) from about November to April. I've had transports I was supposed to help with postponed and I've helped ones that were postponed.

Ok. I want to get involved...how does all of this work?
Let me lay out the steps for it all:

1. Find a leg of a transport you're interested in taking.

2. E-mail the transport coordinator. Be careful when e-mailing! These are often crossposted by some well-meaning person, so the person who is sending the e-mail you received might very well not be the transport coordinator. The information they'll need from you is your name, e-mail address, home phone number, cell phone number, and car information (make/model/sometimes license plate #).

3. The transport coordinator will get back to you and let you know if the leg you wanted is taken or if they now have you down for the leg.

4. They will generally put you on the list of people involved in the transport at this time, so you'll get updates as to whether or not the transport is filling. Hopefully all the legs will get filled by the time the weekend rolls around!

5. Once it's filled, the coordinator will send out an e-mail with everyone's information on it. if the transport is monitored, they will also include their phone number.

6. At this point, you should contact the person before and after you to find out where they want to meet. In NYS, where I do my driving, we often meet at the park and rides right at the Thruway exits. People also meet in hotel parking lots, gas stations right off of exits, etc. Generally people who have been doing this for awhile have spots they prefer for meeting so let them guide you in picking a spot.

7. During the transport, if you're one of the later legs, you will get multiple updates from the coordinator letting you know how things are going, if anything has come up concerning the dogs (fighting or health problems), and if the transport is running ahead or behind. You will occasionally even get pictures of the dogs forwarded from others who have already done their legs.

8. Plan to arrive at the meeting spot about 10 minutes before the other person is supposed to arrive. This is especially important if there are multiple dogs. You can help each other get the dogs out, walk them, and let them get a potty break. Things go much smoother when there are more people there to help out!

9. When the other person arrives, the first thing you want to do is get the paperwork. I know that going right to the dog will be awfully tempting! But most of these dogs are traveling with important paperwork and sometimes even food. You'll want to have that in the car ahead of time.

10. Once you take off and drive your leg, you will repeat the procedure at the next stop on the trip. Again, make sure you hand off the paperwork before the dog! Often, people will give the dog a little bit of water between legs. Since they are allowed a potty break every hour to hour and a half, this is ok.

11. Once the dog is off with the next person, you need to call the transport coordinator and update him/her on the progress. That way the rest of the group still yet to go is kept up-to-date.

12. At this point you're done! You can now go home, feel good about what you did, and upload any photos you took that you want to share! I always take my camera along so I can keep pictures of all the dogs I've helped.

Should I bring anything with me on the transport?
I always make sure I have the following items: paper towels, a pooper scooper, some plastic bags (i.e. like the ones you get at your grocery store), a pet blanket, an extra leash, a bowl and some water, and some old towels. I also always bring a book (in case you arrive too early or the transport is running behind) and my camera.

Phew! I think that's all I can think of for now. Please comment if you have any questions.

Transport #6: Lucky

2008-03-10T08:58:00.007-04:00

Yesterday was probably the transport that went the least well and had me the most frustrated. The morning started off with a lot of snow and wind...blizzard conditions. I wasn't even sure that we could make it with that weather. But luckily, it started to peter out just before I needed to leave. Well, the snow did at least. The wind was crazy all day.

I decided to head out around 8:10am, knowing I needed to pick up Lucky at 8:45am on the other side of town. I unlocked the car, grabbed my snow brush, and then went to shut my door. It wouldn't shut. This has happened any number of times to me. Something with the locking mechanism and ice. Usually once the car heats up a little, it shuts just fine. I brushed the car off and it still wouldn't shut. I sat in the car for another 10 minutes and the door still would not shut! I started to panic. The door handle was floppy feeling, as was the mechanism that keeps the door shut. Nothing. Dead. In a real panic, I called the person I was supposed to pick Lucky up from and told her my dilemma. After some confusion (it turned out that she had been misinformed and thought I was driving in from a town over 60 miles away instead of from the other side of town), the door finally shut and I decided to get in from the passenger's side and head out.

To top everything off? I opened the passenger side door and WHAM, the piece of paper that I had put all the information I needed for the transport on flew off. The wind just took it. There was no catching it. The winds were gusting at over 30mph. I was not going to be able to catch up to that little piece of paper. Luckily, I remembered the directions to the house and got there only about 3 or 4 minutes after the scheduled pick-up time (how was that for luck?).

I arrived, threw some more windshield wiper fluid in the car, and got Lucky into the car. And then the real challenge began! Lucky was nervous. Very nervous. He was panting and shaking and as soon as I sat down, he crawled into my lap. Mind you, I needed to drive. I actually drove all the way from her house to 690 to 481 and to the Thruway entrance with a 15-lb dog on my lap! Yikes. I was not really comfortable with that as it made maneuvering the car difficult. I kept trying to get him over to the passenger seat but it was a no-go (and at one point he tried to turn around on my lap and caused my horn to blare multiple times!). I had to stop at the park and ride and tether him up in a different way that wouldn't allow him onto my lap.

He did finally settle down to some degree, but he was extremely restless for the entire trip.

The trip across the thruway, at least, was fairly uneventful. The roads were ok, just a bit wet, and there wasn't much traffic. We arrived in good time and I took Lucky out for a short walk. The wind was bitter, so we got back into the car until the next folks arrived.

To top everything off, I brought my camera, but forgot I took the memory card out. Since my camera doesn't even have any internal memory, I was screwed out of taking any pictures of the little boy. Oh well. One person on the transport did at least get a picture of her, her husband, and Lucky.

So here you go, the one and only picture I have of poor little Lucky.

Transport #5: Morey and Grady

2008-03-01T18:08:00.005-05:00

So I was off on the road again to help the dogs! This is really becoming a fairly regular thing. Today's transport was set up by a Brittany Spaniel rescue and consisted of two Brittanies: Morey, a 1-year-old orange/white and Grady, a 5-year-old liver/white. Both were really wonderful sweet dogs, but Morey was really quite the handful!

The trip out to Rochester was uneventful. I drove through small bits of snow here and there, but the roads were mostly clear all the way out to exit 46. I arrived with about 10 minutes to spare, got to relax just a little bit before the dogs arrived.

Than came the fun part! We got Grady out of the car first and tethered him into my car. We turned around to get Morey and when we turned BACK to the car, discovered that Grady's leash was long enough for him to get into the front seat. Uh oh. I hadn't counted on that! Well, we got Morey into the car and then I hopped in...Grady immediately went to the back seat and so it was time to go.

But...Grady crawled onto the passenger seat just as I started the car up. And Morey? Morey put both paws up on the seat and proceeded to lick my face and try to eat my hair! It was hilarious. I finally got him to settle down (a bit) and so I was able to head on out.

The beginning of the trip was fairly uneventful. Grady stayed on the front seat where he got a lot of attention and Morey set to ripping apart my blanket. But things soon got a little crazier. Grady decided to go sleep in the back seat. All well and good. But I quickly discovered that Morey could come up front too. And he did. And he didn't really leave for the rest of the trip. It was nice at first. He looked out the window, nudged me for a hand. I petted him, he licked me, he rolled over, and was just too cute. But then I think he discovered all the other things up front in the car! He chewed a hole in my scarf (I'll have someone sew it). He chewed on my gear shift (which now has some lovely teeth marks all over it). He tried to eat my little stuffed dog. He tried to eat the cords to my Zune, the case to my Zune, my diet coke bottle (with diet coke IN it), the change I had sitting out (quickly put in the ashtray), the plastic bag, my gloves. I managed to pull a towel up and a leash, and he wasn't interested in those! Oh of course not! I could just see what was going through his head.

Morey: Oooo glove!
Me: No...no glove.
Morey: Ooooo cords!
Me: No...no cords!
Morey: Oooo...PLASTIC BAG!!
Me: No!!! No bag! Here Morey...try this tasty towel.
Morey: What? Are you freaking kidding me? You're allowing me to chew it. That makes it not as interesting!

So yeah...towel did NOT really go over well. I had to laugh...it was pretty funny. Not the easiest thing to deal with on the road, but just freaking hilarious!

He did finally settle down. At exit 39. About 5 miles from the stopping point! Silly doggie. The handoff happened quickly and easily. I wonder how the next girl fared. She tethered Morey down pretty tightly so hopefully he wasn't able to create as much havoc as he did in my car (her response was: "he can't chew on my car! it's a lease!" Oh dear.

A few of my favourite pictures of the crew. The rest can be found here.

Morey:

Grady:

Some dog rescue resources

2008-02-27T11:04:00.004-05:00

I thought I would share a few resources on dog rescue for anyone interested in helping out with transporting or for anyone interested in rescuing a dog him/herself.

I find out what sort of transports are going on, where they're going through, and contact people to help out through two sites:

Acme Pet Transport
This link will take you directly to the "transport needed" section of the message board. Each transport will list the states it will be going through in the subject header. Within the body of the message, you will find the legs of the trip (each will include location, date, time, and how many miles it is). Generally legs fall between 50-75 miles. You contact the person listed with your information and this will hook you up with the transport! Warning: It's addictive once you start!

Canine Rescue (Yahoo group)
This is a mailing list that includes not just transports, but dogs that desperately need to be pulled out of shelters. It's a resource for rescue associations, transporters, and kill shelters looking to move animals out to rescues. It is a very active group and at times can be heartbreaking to read. I have it filtered so I can easily sort through what comes in.

If you are interested in rescuing a dog to make your own pet, I know of two great sites to help you out.

Petfinder.com
This is really the site for finding a new pet. Here you can find pets of all types located in all places in the USA. You can search by area and breed. You can make sure your potential new friends is good with cats or young children, if those are important to your situation. You can search for animals with special needs, if you want to adopt a truly needy animal. Also included on the site is information on what to do before you plan on adopting a pet and a place to list and look for lost animals.

Rescue Info Center
This is a part of the larger dogbreedinfo.com site. If you've always wanted a particular breed of dog, this place is for you! There are listings of rescue associations for every type and breed imaginable (cats, dogs, small animals, and farm animals included). If you're not sure if the breed you're interested in is really right for you, you can head over to the main site (dogbreedinfo.com) and read up on the breed and see pictures. The entire site is a great resource.

The other place to look is at your local shelter. There are so many unwanted animals in the USA. Please do not adopt a puppy from a pet store! Do not support puppy mills! There are many wonderful dogs and puppies languishing in your local shelters. Give them a home. You and he/she will be happier for it.

Where are they now?

2008-02-27T10:08:00.004-05:00

I'm set up to do another transport this weekend -- two Brittany spaniels. But I thought, in the mean time, I would update anyone who reads this on where the dogs I've helped so far are.

Transport 1
Molly, the old arthritic lab, met the woman who was hoping to adopt her the same night of the transport. The woman was thrilled with her and Molly went to her home that very night. A very happy ending for an old girl.

I think I have the final word on one of the beagle pups. It seems that one of them was adopted into a family with two kids and a 90lb doggie brother and was renamed Trixie. The other is unknown at this point, but as she is not up on the site as needing to be adopted, I'm guessing she went to a home. She's not on the "happy tails" list either which leaves me to assume she was quickly adopted, too quickly to be listed on petfinder.com.

Transport 2
Buddy...despite the wonderfulness of all the other dogs, Buddy still remains my favourite and still remains the one dog I wish I could have brought home with me (so far!).

Buddy was slated to meet a family who was interested in him the day of the transport. He met them, a family with two teenage boys, and they were thrilled with him. He went home with them that day! That family really has no idea how lucky they are.

Transport 3
Like Buddy, Marvin was meeting up with a potential new family. Well, the family (a mother and a young boy) just adored him. They renamed him Patches (which fits!) and he went home with them to his new life.

Bernie was put up on the petfinder website and his post was taken down almost as quickly as it went home. The note on the "happy tails" section says he went home with a wonderful family. Another lucky family. Bernie was 85 pounds of lapdog (and no doubt even more than that by now!).

I'm unsure of what happened to Buttons at this point. Hopefully we'll hear about him sometime in the near future!

Transport 4
Bea was going to a new home, rather than a rescue. Her new mom wrote the day of the transport to say she was home, excited, and happy to be spending time with her big brother (another beagle). Bea was an absolute sweetheart and it sounds like she's got a wonderful new home to call her own!

Transport #4: Bea

2008-02-10T18:50:00.003-05:00

This was probably the craziest transport I've done. Not because of the dog -- the passenger was just one sweet little beagle. But because of everything else.

First, I headed out the door at 8:30am with the intention of getting on the road by about 9am. I needed to brush off my car (it snowed last night) and I needed to pick it up a little bit. All of that was accomplished easy enough and after getting gas, I managed to get on the Thruway around 8:50am. Wonderful, right?

Well, right before exit 45 (I needed to get to exit 46), I suddenly thought "wait a second...shouldn't it be more like 10:50, instead of 9:50???" And then I realized I'd left an hour early. I stopped at the travel plaza and called the transport coordinator to confirm. Yep...sure enough...I'd left an hour early. D'oh! No biggie really though. I got a muffin and coffee at Tim Horton's (and could only think "there is no food in Canada!" -- long story there), bought a paper, and sat down to read for a little bit.

About 20 minutes later I looked up and out the window. It was snowing. And I don't mean flurries. I mean all out raging blizzard with high winds. I wasn't expecting that! I knew they were calling for occasional lake effect, but they weren't calling for much! I decided to get back on the road and get going, since I thought it would be a little slow-going.

Well...it was. I couldn't see a thing. It turned out that between the heavy snow falling and the wind, I was in white out conditions. Lovely. Luckily, I was close to exit 45, and some guy was nice enough to let me get in front of him (since everyone and their brother chose to get off there). I stopped on the side of the road and called David. He confirmed that it was a fairly small patch of heavy snow coming through and that there might be a couple smaller bands, but that was the worst. Sure enough, while talking to him, the snow lightened a lot and I decided to get back on the road and get to exit 46.

The roads were a bit slick and I was fighting the wind, but I made good time and by the time I GOT to exit 46, I was under blue skies (gotta love the weather around here!). I was 45 minutes early, so I spent some time listening to an awesome radio station (called "Fickle 93.3" because they play rock music from any period) and took some pictures of the area around me.

Finally, the driver before me showed up with Bea, a sweet little beagle. They pulled her out and she was shaking SO BAD. I was told she was shy, but she seemed fairly calm despite the shaking. They tried to walk her a little bit, but she didn't seem to want to do anything, so we put her in my car. After the door was shut and the heat put on, Bea stopped shaking, sniffed around the whole back seat, and then settled down, curled into a ball, and fell asleep.

The drive back was fairly uneventful. The wind was horrible -- it kept hitting my car and nearly knocking me off the road (I found out later that the winds were gusting at about 40mph!). We made good time despite that and pulled into the Liverpool exit's parking lot around 1:15pm. Amy, the woman who was meeting me, was running a bit behind thanks to an accident on the thruway which kept her at a standstill for a little while.

I tried to get Bea out of the car to go for a walk, but as soon as I opened the door, she started to shake. Instead, I opted to crawl into the backseat with her. Again, as soon as the door was shut and the car warmed up a bit, she calmed right down. Eventually, she crawled over to me and into my lap, gave me kisses, and curled up into a little ball next to me and slept some more. I finally figured out that she wasn't shy -- she was COLD...and quite likely scared of the intense winds. So instead of walking her, we spent some time just hanging out in the backseat, much like I did with Buddy.

And much like Buddy, she really wormed her way into my heart. She was such a little sweetheart! Amy finally showed up and we tried to get poor Bea out of the car. She did NOT want to go and resisted with all her might. I finally managed to pick her up and we immediately got her into Amy's warm car where she no doubt settled down once inside.

I was really sad to see her go. But, on the good side, she's with her forever family right now and they're so thrilled to have her. She has a beagle playmate and a cat playmate who she already seems to adore. It's nice knowing that little sweetie has a real home!

Pictures of Bea can be found here.

A few of my favourites:

To get an idea of the weather, check out the following pictures.

These two were taken about a half hour apart. The weather was basically the same between the two times (though it was slightly more cloudy in the first picture).

With wind:

Without wind:

Footstep in the snow:

Look...there's a face in there!

A few more pics can be found here.

Transport #3: Bernie, Marvin, and Buttons

2008-01-20T21:52:00.003-05:00

Today started off with a phone call from my somewhat frantic parents telling me I shouldn't go on the transport today because the weather was going to be awful (lake effect snow and all that). I told them it was on and I would deal with it. A short while later my Dad called and offered to help out. So we took his car (a Chevy HHR we call the Great Pumpkinmobile) and he and my mother accompanied me.

The weather was fine the whole way out. Windy, cold, but clear and sunny. We picked up the dogs at the same exit I've been meeting everyone at. The St. Bernard/Bernese Mountain dog puppy (who everyone has been nicknaming Bernie) was MASSIVE. I knew he was going to be, but you never realize how big 85 lbs of dog is until you meet him face to face! Marvin was a sweetheart, but he definitely was not a big fan of Bernie's -- whenever the big clumsy oaf would get near him, he'd growl a bit. Some of that might have been because he had JUST been neutered, still had the stitches and all. Poor kid! Buttons, the Shih Tzu, was as sweet and calm as could be. He so desperately needed a trim and a bath, but other than that he was doing well.

Buttons ended up curled up on my mother's lap. Marvin we put in the back seat with me. And we put Bernie in the back part (it's a station wagon). Things were going along fine until Bernie decided he wanted to get some attention from me. First he stuck one foot over the seat and kept tapping me on the shoulder. I started paying attention to him and the next thing I know, he's trying to crawl over the seat to get up with me. Bernie was absolutely convinced he was a lapdog, despite the fact that he weighed at least 85 lbs! We managed to get him to stay in the back and he finally settled own and slept the rest of the way there. Marvin also settled down and slept most of the way (after having to give everyone a kiss! awww!). Buttons spent part of the trip curled up on my Mom's lap and part of it laying on her feet, sound asleep.

All three were absolutely sweet dogs. When we arrived at the site, the people who were taking Marvin off to his forever home were already there. We walked him, let him do his business and passed him off to them and he was off. We walked the other two dogs and then hopped back in the car with them (poor Buttons was so cold he was lifting his feet off the ground). Bernie crawled over into the back seat with me and tried to crawl into my lap. Like I said...massive lapdog!

The other people finally showed up and we handed them off easily enough. And then they were on their way to the rescue association. I hope they both find good homes!

As always, I took some pictures. My favourites:

Bernie:

Buttons:

The rest can be found here.

Transport #2: Buddy

2008-01-19T18:41:00.004-05:00

Today was my second transport. I had agreed to take Buddy, a cocker spaniel/poodle mix from Syracuse to Rochester. I met Patti, the woman who had the leg before me at exit 38 and got to meet Buddy. My first impression of him was "spaz." He ran all over on the leash, couldn't calm down. But he seemed to love me on first sight (and I felt the same!). He rushed over to me and jumped up to give me a big "hug." He was so sweet!

We got him into the car really easily and we were on our way. The trip out was rather uneventful. Buddy paced back and forth for a little while, looked out the windows, stuck his head between the seats to get a pat, and took to ripping apart the the paper thing I had put down to keep the pet blanket from slipping. Note to self: toss that thing out! lol

He finally settled down and slept for much of the rest of the trip.

We arrived some 45 minutes early at the meeting place. My first thought was to call and let them know I was really early. But then I decided...why should I? That gave me a lot more time to hang out with Buddy. So we walked around the ground of the Hampton Inn a bit. He had a ton of energy and so it was more like a pulled run. After making the rounds, I decided I was too cold to stay out in that wind much longer, so I got into the back seat and Buddy followed me in. Once in there, he was TOTALLY calm. All he wanted to do was crawl onto my lap and get petted. Every time I stopped, he would look back to me and curl up a little closer. He was such a sweetie! We had quite a time to bond and he really seemed to like me.

He didn't seem to like the people who showed up to pick him up (lovely people, I'm sure). He growled at them, barked a little, and immediately tried to run back to me. It was really strange. I SO wanted to take that dog home with me. He was such a wonderful sweetheart. Whomever adopts him is going to be REALLY LUCKY. He's perfect: sweet and cuddly, but with plenty of energy to burn off on long walks! It was really hard seeing him continue on the transport.

I managed to get some great photos of him (and a few of me with him, despite having to take them myself! lol).

A few of my favourites:

The rest can be found here.

Transport #1: Molly & beagle puppies

2008-01-13T20:11:00.005-05:00

So I'm all done my very first transport and it was so much fun!

I took off a little before 1pm and just as I was leaving, I got a call from the person who was meeting me there. She had arrived early. So I rushed off, put some gas in the car, and met up with them. The dogs were just ever so sweet. Molly hopped right up into the car, though she limped a bit and shuffled her way over. She's the calmest dog I've ever met.

The beagle puppies just wanted to play, but it was easy enough to get them into the crate. They chewed on the towels and shoved them around a bit, but settled down within the first 5 minutes of the trip. I almost forgot I had them most of the time because everyone was just so quiet. I regretted not having Molly on the front seat as she kept sticking her nose in between the seats for a pat.

I arrived at Herkimer really early. So I took Molly out for a bit first. The main problem was that they didn't provide leashes for the puppies, so I had my leash plus Molly's which meant only two at a time. Since I couldn't get Molly to go back in the car at first, I had to take the puppies out one at a time. Of course, this gave me a chance to play with each and get photos of each. By the time the other woman had arrived, I got Molly back into the car and had the two puppies out.

I didn't quite count on Molly's intelligence there and left the back door open by the crate, thinking she couldn't get around it. She did and got out of the car, but luckily, we were both there and the other woman (Marci) just hooked her up with one of her leashes.

The transfer went pretty smoothly and we got the puppies into their crate, Molly into the car, and we were off in our opposite directions.

And then came the real fun. ;-) My key chain had come undone in Herkimer and I didn't think to check the keys until I was well on the road. Well, one was missing..the one to our apartment! Oy! I stopped at a rest area, got the number to the apartment office, and managed to talk the woman into leaving a key for me in the box. Phew.

So now I'm back and with lots of pictures!

Here are a few of my favourites:

The rest can be found here.