it was a busy day

we were down one staff person, the vet came to do some more work on sparkles' teeth. our delivery of four pallets of feed etc. came, we started dismantling and re-vamping the feed room to make room for the new horse. i bought the pigs some marshmellows so when they move into their new bedrooms they won't be so pissed cuz their spaces will contain lots of nice and yummy white and puffy treats...my way of trying to avoid a couple of freaking pig fits.

chyna came home from her sleep over (i will talk more about that in a minute) suzie and chica had their vet re-checks and i forgot to ask carrie how that went, i hit bosleys and stocked up for over xmas and made sure everyone had special treats for xmas day, and the new stray and trapped cat made her way up to saints today. i gave one tour to a very nice couple with a very great boxer of their own, they seemed quite interested in bridgette...hmmm, wondering where that might just lead.
it is still very cold but we now have water again to the shop and the inside tap at the barn so that will make things easier again.

i did not get to the kids store to pick up some socks for bridgette but i did buy her another very comfy and cute jacket so she has a spare when her other one is in the wash. i pomise to get to the store tomorrow and find her some very warm socks.

quite a few are sporting new sweaters, i bought some sizes that we were missing...and yes mo, tiny half pint now has a winter jacket that fits for when she is out walking in the snow.

tomorrow we need to finish the feed room and convince the pigs to move and then set up the stall for lahanie's arrival sometime on this weekend i think.

so chyna...i think this home is not going to work for her and it is a very nice home and a great family. but they are nervous of the iron clad committment i expect because quite rightly they cannot see what the future holds. for me...i can see into those shadowy mists...i see dogs and cats and others who lose their homes for many of the very same reasons...they bark, they pee, they poop, they bite, they cause allergies, or make moving hard, they get sick or hurt, or take up too effort in all the wrong times and places....and then they lose their homes.

i want families like heidi who sells her townhouse and buys somewhere else so trevor will be welcome, like pugsy's family who travel to seattle to see a specialist so she can be well again, like mo who worries if i am late in letting out her dogs cuz they might have to really pee, like johanna who loved that holy terror mighty mouse despite himself, like nicole who takes our old and sickest ones and loves them no matter what until they die, like laura and lana who worship their lady and cathy who adores her lippy and his lady, like emma who is determined that nudge shall not be sick and tammy who is worried about sam's extra weight and he might also be waiting for his dinner cuz she is late..i want sheila's and leila's who think a blind deaf ancient lab was the best dog in the entire world and chris and deb who take videos of stretching poms, feed ancient mable's 15 times a day and gave an old leaky tucker the first real home and family in his 15 years of life. i want the milo's to have families who think he is the greatest dog in the world, i want the zoe's who are absolutely determined that cody can one day go for a full walk around the block....i want all of this and more.
folks think i am anal and i expect too much but all i really expect is this...that once they leave our gates, it is forever and it is to somewhere great but more importantly it is also where they are valued and treasured and protected and cared for no matter what comes that may.
it is a lot to ask for but if we can't find this for them outside of saints, we will find it here for them instead.

i honestly do not think people realize what happens when their dog loses its home...forget the initial confusion and fear and loneliness, forget the risk of one day ending up in a shelters back room...think about star who once had a home that gave her comfort and love on the bed and then they gave her way to something else, a journey, how ever long and with how ever many other homes that eventually led to a puppy mill who starved and bred her close to death. think of raymond alone and hungry on his chain, breaking his teeth in trying to get free, think of jed rotting to death because he had such a god awful and uncaring family.

the average dog has more than 5 homes in it's lifetime and statistically each home becomes worse than the one before...that is the cycle we just have to break, a dog is for life and a dog is a full and complete and treasured member of the family, forever.

then i can retire from rescue.