The WHOLE Crew

 Here are every single one of my babies.    Formal photos except for Goldberg.
The note on the photo indicates he was originally my brother's dog. Additionally most of the photos we have are from BEFORE digital and I haven't gotten around to scanning them yet. So he got his own section.....

Rescues...

I think prior to Volos we had it pretty easy with the dogs we've adopted & raised.   Our first abused dog was Sheba who was 6 months at the time.  She was wary of men and would become agitated at anyone "throwing" or doing the throwing motion.   She flourished with us and was extremely protective of us.   Other than that, she was a good dog and had no other big issues, outside of "puppy" issues.

Athena was our second dog with issues.  Assumed puppy mill escapee-since she was found outside- from the visual evidence it appeared as such.  She was underweight, had infections all over, was missing skin off her backside, and had "callouses" on her underside and elbows from where she rested all the time. Additionally she had distended teets.  We were lucky with her.  She was a joy. She craved attention and loved being doted on. She struggled with stairs-never having done them and long walks and running-as she rarely used them.  While we rehabbed her back to health-struggling with house training--she did well.   Once we able to get her strong enough, she loved going to the dog parks and running with all the dogs. That's all she did and she was happy.    We really had it easy with her.

Right now we are struggling as we deal with the Degenerative Myelopathy. Having to assist her in getting up, walking, going outside, cleaning up after her, making sure she eats--it's a lot of work.  We love her and she's still all mentally there, so we're going to work to let her enjoy her life as long as the disease holds off.  

Back when I still lived with my parents our family dog Max had DM.   Then it was pretty much a death sentence. When he got to the point where he was unable to hold himself up, we had to say goodbye.  Times are much different and there are so many resources at our fingertips.  

The sad thing is though, there are so many people out there that when they get a dog--don't "sign up for" this stuff. When the dog becomes older and begins having Senior dog problems, they take then to be put down or surrender them to a shelter.    What is even worse, there are those who get a puppy or dog without doing ZERO research and return the puppy/dog when they begin to act the say they are bred to.    I see so many Cattle Dog postings for people returning them because they were mouthy or they were herding their children.   THEY WERE BRED FOR THAT!!!!    All some people see is a cute puppy and they want it---end of story.  This is a disservice to the dog and to the people who adopt.  

Foster parents and any person willing to take on the special cases-- to give them a chance at having a good home/life are amazing.  While we could never foster, we welcome dogs into our home --even special cases.

he came into the office willingly

Volos is a special case. We've been pretty fortunate with every single dog we've had before him.  We brought them home and soon integrated them seamlessly into our family.   Volos is the first dog where we have to give him space.   Whomever had him before obviously frightened him terribly.  His flinches when you move a certain way.  He runs from the littlest things. It is killing me that this sweet dog is so terribly frightened.

In my last blog post I mentioned I've been running into some issues with him.   It's very hard not to let it get to me.   I've been spoiled in the past that the dogs we've rescued have been welcoming to be loved on and gotten over any fears rather quickly.     Volos--he loves attention. He still likes it from me--but he's not skittish around me and it kills me.    Believe me I'm aware it takes time --all I want to do is sit there and hold him and just pet him all night long.   I know he wants that--but getting from where he is to that seems like a long way. He's not even been here a month and he still has possibly months before he'll feel at home...hopefully.   

I know he was meant for us. I firmly believe if anyone else had taken him home, they may have given up on him already. He obviously feels more secure with Rich and that is good.   It's just hard to sit back and give him time and space.  Peryn so badly wants to play with him-but Volos isn't there.

There are good signs-- he'll happily greet me in the morning or when I come home.  He has been sneaking toys or my slipper.  He shares the same bowl as the rest of the pack.  Outside he will love up on me like there is no tomorrow. He loves to be out in the snow. 

It's just the isolation that he keeps himself in--saddens me.   Right now he's across the hall in Rich's office, lying there alone.   Peryn is in the basement and the other 2 are in my office with me.   If I were to get up and go to him, he'd leave his room.   I don't want to make him uncomfortable so I don't.   I do pop my head in to talk to him sweetly and give treats--and it is so hard not to try to get him to love up on me like he did a week ago.  

Hoping it's just a phase or maybe a reaction to the pain from his surgical sites.   I really adore this dog and it kills me that we've taken steps backward.    I know this is requiring patience and I will give him the space, but part of me just wishes we could FFWD to that day already…

He really is an easy dog overall.  He is super quiet—still have yet to hear him bark.  He stays out of the way and doesn’t beg. He’s mostly house trained.  He only asks for attention ever so often and we’re happy to give it.   Putting our wants and wishes aside to make him comfortable and help him feel safe is all that matters now.

Our Big Sister

Happy Eat lots of delicious smelling food day. It's me, Duchess.

Don't know about you, but we're POOPED.  Busy day. Mommy took us on a walk this morning and then she was busy cooking all this wonderful smelling food that she won't share with us.

Then all these people came and ate the food and they were annoying and loud-especially the little humans. Then we got locked in the office and it annoyed me.

Besides all that, I'm here to tell you we lost our big sister. About two and a half weeks ago. I miss her. She was a good big sis.  I wish she would have played with me all those times I tried to get her too.  

I lost my big brother and sister all in the same year. That sucks. I love Athena though. I hope I don't lose her.


I just wanted to say Hello and tell you about Sheba.    We'll be back with more info and pictures to share.
We're going to go pass out. In spite of Mommy's attempts to not feed us or have them feed us, we found food.

Turkey coma!!!!!

Big Brother Galen & Big Sis, Sheba



My Big Brother was very handsome

My beautiful big sis

Galen & Sheba, together.

Smile!

My first few hours with my new siblings

Me hanging with the bro

Me & Sheba getting comfy

They were waiting for Daddy

Me & Sheba again

At my favorite place, the dog park. See me in the background?



Here we all are.

Welcome to redesigned site

Hey. If you're here looking for Athena updates, you're at the right place.


don't ignore us

Since Athena has been doing so well and she spends much of her time with her sister, Duchess, this has been changed to focus on the both of them.

Background info:

Duchess was adopted June 14, 2013.  At the time we had Galen, an almost 14 year old Collie/Eskimo mix.  He was pack leader and was on the decline.    We had adopted him in January of 2000 while we lived in Pensacola, Florida.

After moving to the Cleveland area, finding it not as pet friendly as Pensacola had been, we adopted another pup to keep Galen company.

Enter
Sheba, his life mate/sister, was about to turn 13. The two of them had been together since Galen was about a year and a half old and Sheba was 6 months. She's a Dutch Shepherd and a beauty.

  
The two of them bonded and were best friends.

Goldberg, a Lhasa/Terrier mix came into the picture a year later. He had many issues and while he did not bond with them the way they bonded with each other,  the three of them were a happy pack.

Galen watched out for each of them and they wouldn't go anywhere with out the other.

Sadly and suddenly, we lost Goldberg in April of 2012.  We never intended to adopt any more for awhile. We were going to be pet free. 
HOWEVER, with Galen's health on the decline, we worried for Sheba.  She had never been alone and already had separation anxiety issues.  We worried should Galen go first, she would not handle it well.


That's where Duchess came in.  At first she was the perfect addition. Wasn't very reactive to the other two and miraculously was well trained.   However, we soon discovered once she became
comfortable, she came out of her shell.
We soon realized we had a much younger dog than originally thought. Her boundless energy was too much for the other two.  She would try to engage them, but they were not having it.

We talked and knew that when the time came, we would have to adopt another as a companion to Duchess. She would be a handful by herself.



Sheba & Galen in the back, Goldberg in the front

We sadly lost Galen at the end of January this year, 2014.  Sheba mourned, Duchess didn't appear to be affected seeing as her time with him wasn't long.

April, we adopted Athena after seeing her picture in story in a forwarded post on Facebook. Duchess and Athena complement each other well.  They're wonderful together.

Sheba came out of her mourning with renewed vigor in trying to keep up with her much younger sisters.  Her will is there, but old age is winning the race.   Our time with Sheba has come to an end and we will sadly be saying goodbye to the oldest sister in the next few days. 

Duchess and Athena will go on and this is where will share those highlights.


The new family, Duchess, Sheba, Mommy, & Athena

The first group photo with Duchess

Long time.....

Hi! 
Sorry it's been awhile. 
So much has been happening, time got away from us.

First off, Athena Update.

Athena is doing VERY well. She's quite happy and healthy.  She LOVES her life.  Her life includes walks with her sister (s), trips to the dog park (2-3 times a week), and just a general appreciation of life.

She is very well loved.  She's still the sweetest thing and still incredibly cuddly.  Her Daddy & I love her to pieces. 

Our only concerns are she is a little bit territorial with the food bowl and treats.  She growls at Sheba often when she wanders to close.  We've done all we can & still continue to correct that when we can.

Additionally, she's a barker.  An annoying barker.  Good thing our neighbors love us otherwise, she'd get us in trouble.   I've nicknamed her Barky Barky & the Furry Bunch or Sir Barks A lot.   We are addressing this and working on reigning it in. A definite work in progress.

I will upload photos later today. They're either on my phone or tablet and I prefer to write this on my laptop.  I need to download those photos to share.  I'll be generous with the photos when I do.


Secondly, I'm going to rename the blog.  The first part will always be about Athena from the time we rescued her to now.  From this point on, it's going to be about Duchess and Athena.  The two of them are cohorts and deserve their spotlight.  Plus it's going to be more fun.


So when you come back in a few (days? weeks?) Don't be thrown when the name is new and Athena is no longer the sole focus. Besides, two dogs instead of one? Winner!

Thank you for all those who cared enough to follow Athena's adoption and rehabilitation.  WHICH reminds me...back to Athena...


Item#3...
Her healing/rehab.
It looks as those the patch of missing fur is permanent.  That's ok. It's not really noticeable.  It is much healthier and 'black' like the rest of her affected areas are.  It's part of who she is and we really do not get questioned on it.    She is no longer on meds other than Fish Oil.  Her coat is gorgeous. She is so shiny and soft.  A big furry sweetheart.

Her back legs are strengthened. She jumps more easily and runs all over.  She has an awkward gait, but it's just who she is now.   She doesn't appear to have the normal strength in her back legs that a normal dog (gsd) would, but she is stronger than she was.

We're headed to the dog park in a few. It is by far her most favorite place. She gets so excited when we get there. She never stops the whole time.  It's really a joy to see.


Here's one pic of her, her sister, Duchess, & Daddy from July.  I will add more later on when we're back.

Thanks for checking in on her.

 

Check in

I apologize it's been a bit since I posted an update. We've been extremely busy here and haven't had much time to just sit down and write.

So Beautiful.

Athena is doing wonderful. We love and adore her so much. She is just a very happy dog.  She loves to watch. She loves looking out windows and loves to sit or lay in the back yard and just observe (or watch for her nemesis: any squirrel.

In all the years that we've had dogs, Athena is by far the sweetest.  She has the hub wrapped around her paw.

She and Duchess play every day, several times a day. She loves Sheba and is always trying to get her engaged in activities.

I'm trying to upload photos from my phone, but am running into issues.  

She's done with all her meds, but the prednisone. As soon as she finishes with that, she'll be able to be spayed.  



SMILE!  with Mommy

She has a VERY healthy appetite. Some of that may be due to the prednisone. 

She's gotten use to our routine and that makes me very happy.  That was one of my hopes, that she assimilate into our routine with ease.  The hub says most of the time the dogs leave him as he's getting ready to leave for work and they go to their respective spots, where they'll stay while we're away.  

Athena has taken over the ottoman in front of the office window that faces out front.   Duchess takes the bed in the office/guestroom and looks out the same windows from there. Sheba tends to sleep on the floor by the door.

 She adores our neighbor Master Chief. They both wish they weren't tied up so they could REALLY run around with each other.  It is quite adorable to watch.   I know if makes Master Chief's day since NONE of the other dogs have ever played with him.  

Next post I'll discuss how she's healing.    Thanks for checking in on her.

Mommy loves to hug me.

With Daddy & Sheba

Pooped!  Ready for bed.