Betrayed by an Angel on Amazon

My book, Betrayed by an Angel is now Available on Amazon!

When an angel appears to tell Shay Deville she can’t marry her fiancé because she will forever alter his destiny, she thinks she is going crazy. Shay learns she was supposed to die seven months ago, but Merrick, her own guardian angel, broke angelic law and saved her. Now she is a woman without a future – or a guardian.

In spite of the angel’s warning Shay refuses to give up her dreams. She hunts down Merrick, her renegade angel, and demands he help her.

Guardian Angel Merrick knows the Heavenly Handbook better than anyone, but when the time came to help Shay Deville cross over, he just couldn't do it. Now Merrick is stripped of his wings and banished to the earthly realm until he corrects his mistakes and completes the destiny of his charge. But how can Merrick arrange to take Shay’s life when he has fallen in love with her? How can he not?

Will Merrick give up his wings and forever be cast to Earth for the woman he loves?

Can a woman without a destiny ever find happiness, or true love?

Check out Betrayed by an Angel on Amazon!

Pancake Dogs Need Forever Homes

I've been fostering for a few years now and I've probably had maybe 100 dogs through my house. (Only 1 or 2 at a time!) some are here and quickly get adopted. Others are harder to find homes for. They have issues. Things happened to them in their short lives that left scars. Invisible scars that can't be seen from the outside.

They might have been neglected. They might have been unsocialized. They might have been beaten. They might have watched other dogs being abused. We may never know. But there's something there. Its in their eyes, in a look of panic they have when approached, in the tension in their bodies. And we have to deal with these issues when they come into the foster home.

I don't want to scare a potential foster to think every dog that might come into your home has a problem. Most don't. Most of the dogs I've had were loving, sweet pups who went on to make great family dogs. If you find a good rescue who knows the ins and outs of fostering they will make sure your foster dog fits your family dynamics so that your fostering experience will be a good one.

When I get a dog into my house that has that deep fear I ignore them. I set up a bed and a crate and show them the water dish. Then I let them sit there, crate door open and ignore them. A dog with fear issues doesn't trust easy. They need time more than anything else. So I watch TV, prepare dinner, do my computer work and avoid eye contact. Eventually they venture out to explore their surroundings. Slowly. We have a fenced in back yard and after a day or so I'll just leave the door open and let them wander in and out. I offer treats and if they don't want to come near me, I just drop them on the floor.

Because these dogs came in contact with some very bad people, they need time to learn to trust again. It's not going to come quickly and sometimes it's not going to be easy. They say time heals all wounds but these dogs need kindness too. They need to know that not all people are bad. Not all people will hurt them.

Corona came from a Hoarder but she pancakes when I reach for her. Pancake is when the dog flattens itself to the floor and cowers in fear. I've had this pup since January and she still pancakes. This shows me that not only was she from a hoarding situation, she was abused, too. Corona weighs 10 lbs, a little Chihuahua.

Sometimes its hard to hold the anger at the people who did this at bay. I have to remind myself that this little soul came into my life to share love and kindness. The anger I feel at those horrible people is useless at this point. It has no place between Corona and I and I have to let it go.

After those first few days of ignoring her, Corona slowly came to trust. She now will take treats from my hand, come over to be petted and runs around the yard chasing squirrels. She is now free from the hoarder and most of the fear that kept her a prisoner in her own mind, but the scars are still there. When company comes over, she barks incessantly. I either have to hold her or crate her. But its improving. It's one of the last things we're working on.

Right now she's beside me on the couch, tapping me with her little paws so I pay attention to her and not my keyboard. She's giving me kisses and letting me know when she has to go out. She's sweet and loving but at 8 years old, adopting her out will be hard.

Gracie Home Again

Gracie took a while to wake up at the vet and I kept calling and calling. Nervous mama.

But she's home now and determine to lick her self better. During the day I'll just watch her but at night or if we go out, its cone time. After I got the cone on her she walked in circles. Between the sore paw that she's limping on and the cone, she has no navigational skills left. She just flops around in circles until she flops down. Then she glares at me, "what did you do to me Mom?"

But we're taking our meds (pain killer, inflamation killer and antibiotics) with yummy chicken and cheese and that's got her smiling again.

We go back next week for biopsy results and to have our stitches out. Please pray for good results on the biopsy. Gracie's had a hard life. She deserves a break and a good life from here on.

Dogs and Surgery

My sweet little Gracie is in for surgery on her paw today. Last week we found a growth on the side of her paw, under her dew claw. It feels like a soft bubble but the vet said he didn't like the look of it and wanted to remove it.

So here I sit by the phone waiting and worrying.

Gracie was my foster dog two years ago. She came from a Missouri puppy mill. When she arrived she sat where ever you put her, looked at the floor and didn't move or make a sound. She had infected spay incision and double ear infections and was shaved to the skin.

After medication she was feeling better but still shy. She'd sit in her little bed and just watch us as if she expected something bad. She was so gentle and sweet that she stole my heart as none of the twenty or so previous fosters did.

Gracie stayed. She warmed up slowly, learned to play with toys and after a couple of months she actually barked. Hearing her bark for the first time brought tears to my eyes. It was a sign she was truly home and felt comfortable enough to express herself.

Now I sit and wait for the vet to call and tell me that the surgery went well and I can come get her.
Time drags.....

Hidden Cost of Rescue

These costs are just a fraction of what's spent on dogs in rescue. Some dogs come in with issues that cost thousands of dollars to cure.

Heart worm pups come in all the time and the loving people in rescue have to make a big decision. Do we let this beautiful 2 year old dog die or do we nurse him through treatment to live a good life? They always choose life. Add a couple of hundred dollars.

A litter of puppies come up from the south and immediately start displaying symptoms of Parvo, a nasty and contagious virus. These pups require around the clock nursing, medication and a foster that will deal with the other issues to prevent Parvo from spreading. Some puppies will require lengthy overnight boarding at the vet to get better. K-ching!  More unexpected costs.

A dog, fearful because of all the changes in his life, runs from his foster or new adoptive home and gets lost. Rescue angels immediately organize search parties to find this scared pup. If that doesn't work, they hire professionals. More $$$$ goes out. A good rescue never gives up on any dog that comes into their care.

Foster families still need to feed the dogs in their care. Some fosters are able to afford the food themselves, others receive food from the rescue. Hopefully, this food has been donated by wonderful companies or caring people. If not, it needs to be purchased. K-ching! More $$$

So aside from the fees listed in this little cartoon, there are plenty of hidden costs associated with Rescue. If I thought about it a little longer, I'm sure I'd remember more. I'm sure tomorrow something else will come up, another fee, another unexpected expense, but the rescue will manage to cover it. A good rescue takes full responsibility for their dog.

One special needs dog is Clarence a Newfie found sick and injured. He's coming into the Castle of Dreams to find a family, but first he has major medical bills. Clarence's full story can be found here; http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/clarence

Fundraising is year 'round and constant. The rescue volunteers are constantly looking for new ways to make money to care for the dogs. If you see a rescue set up at a pet store, park or other venue drop your spare change in their jar or leave a couple bucks in the donation box. A little goes a long way in the work to save just one more dog or puppy.

Surgery for bump found on leg. . .

The groomer found a soft bump on one of Gracie's legs, just below the dew claw. We were at the vet yesterday and they want to remove it. We did blood work and scheduled the surgery for Friday.

My poor baby! Gracie was rescued from a puppy mill two years ago. She came to my home as a foster and stayed. She is the sweetest dog ever! Gentle and friendly to every person, dog and cat.

I'm so worried. She has my heart.

More on Friday after surgery.

:-(

Hoarder Dogs

Saving dogs from Hoarders can be one of the hardest things a rescue can do. Most hoarders think they are either saving these dogs or in love. Some simply don't spay and neuter and then when the puppies come they can't give them up, can't afford to spay or neuter and the cycle continues. Soon the Hoarder is in over their heads and they lose control. They can't keep up with cleaning, cost of food and vet bills or socializing necessary for all pets.

When you have 100 dogs in your house and yard there is no way to give them all the affection they need to love and trust humans. These dogs will run from humans and seek to hide in the pack. Although pack life can be hard, too. Smaller dogs are often starving as the minimal food offered is often claimed by bigger more aggressive dogs.

Hoarder dogs are often aggressive because its how they had to survive. All are fearful of people and new places. The world which used to be confined to a pen, home or yard is now huge and they don't know what to make of it.

Another problem with Hoarders is that they don't want to give up their dogs. We had one incident where the woman with 130 dogs in an apartment in the city agreed to let rescue take her pups. She knew she was in over her head and neighbors were now complaining of the smell and noise. When several rescue groups arrived with crates and leashes the woman changed her mind and refused to let the rescues take any dogs. Luckily for the dogs, the police who where present told her either the dogs go with the rescue or he would have the moved out by animal control. The woman relented and the dogs were taken into rescue.

One of these dogs was Madison (little black dog pictured above) who came to my house skinny and extremely shy. It was evident she had just had puppies but there were no puppies found in the apartment. I set up a crate and put her bed in there with a small blanket. I was worried she'd be cold since she was so thin. For the first week I fed her next to the crate and she ventured out only to use the wee pad. Luckily, she knew what those were for. Gradually, she ventured closer to us, first for a sniff only to run back into her crate. We tempted her with treats and sometimes that would work. It was a few weeks and then she was on the couch getting belly rubs. When company would come she's hide behind the couch. That changed too over time.

Madison went to a good home. She learned her social skills and how to accept people as part of her pack. It was a slow go. Her normal socialization was stunted by a Hoarder who, although she meant well, was in over her head. She may always be a bit on the shy side but I know she'll have a happy life. Madison is a very good dog.