Honoring their memory
Dia de los Muertos,
The Day of the Dead for pets is typically celebrated on November 1st, which is known as Dia de los Inocentes (Day of the Innocents). This day is dedicated to honoring deceased children and infants, as well as beloved pets who have crossed the rainbow bridge.
Since the conception of Safehaven in 2008, hundreds of dogs have been through the rescue, some however were unable to be adopted and stayed for the rest of their lives. They became family, beloved and cared for. Today I honor those souls that touched my heart and moved on, who I hope will greet me at the bridge.
Good Morning.
May is one crazy month! Between the littles' acupuncture, laser and chiropractic appointments and my PT, seems like I am running nearly every day! But its worth it. I know therapy isnt going to "fix" their issues, but if it helps them be pain free and more mobile, I call that a win. You can see in the video just how bad Meemaw's knees are. I know the treatments wont fix them but it may offer her some pain relief and a bit more mobility. And after all, isnt that whats most important in their old age?
Oh the cat in the video is only about 6 months old (spayed feral)so you can see just how tiny Meemaw really is.
Cindy is doing so much better. Not as anxious outside and willing to explore a little. I noticed, as I'm sure you will too, that she is still limping on her hind legs even on pain meds. I honestly think she could benefit from laser or acupuncture therapy. Will be making an appointment for her sometime soon.
Dogs, just like people, have coping mechanisms to deal with stress. This is one of them. I was told that Cindy loved to go outside, so I took her out for a short time. She was obviously not ready for that. Being blind she had no idea where she was and panicked. Yes, I brought her right back inside and the circling stopped. Baby steps.
The good news is she finally ate. It's normal for new rescues to refuse food for a day or two, but with her being so thin, I worried. She flat out refused the food her owner's son gave me. But tonight I gave her what everyone else got. Pedigree canned topped off with some cooked chicken. She nearly cleaned her plate! Now she's curled up napping. Baby steps in the right direction.
sleepy Safehaven
The first question anyone asks when they find out how many dogs are here is ... How can you stand the noise? It always makes me laugh. I guess they think the dogs bark constantly. Truth of the matter is, they bark only when there is something worth barking at. They ignore the UPS guy and the trainand traffic, and usually only bark if someone knocks at the door. 80% of the time, this is how they are. Snoozing and quiet.
Every one of the "kids" has their own special quirk. Bubbles is no exception. She is blind and has few teeth, but loves the easy to chew pedigree kibble even though she gets canned daily. Since she is blind, she feels she has to announce to the world that she found the food bowl. It's cute during the day but can bring you straight out of a sound sleep at 3 am 😆
It's just a very short clip but this is Beanie tonight. I carried her down the steps into the yard but before I could get back down there, she trotted up the steps all by herself. Her therapy has ended for now but we can always schedule more sessions if needed. So proud of this little old fighter!
People always ask if the acupuncture really makes a difference. Two days ago Beanie could not use her right rear leg at all. It was stiff and when it was tested she had no orientation as to where her foot was. Today she is walking, a bit unsteady, but using that leg and placing her foot correctly. I would saw that is a big yes! It makes a difference!! We will continue with the therapy as long as Dr. Dunphy thinks is necessary.
The sweetest silence. No coughing
Old man Tito is having a rough time with his collapsing trachea issues. He is now on antibiotics, cough suppressants and steroids. It's so heartbreaking to hear them struggle but his oxygen is good, we just have to relieve some of the inflammation.
It has been a crazy, sad year and a half. With the move from PA (personal reasons) to Covid, then losing 8 dogs in 2020, and 5 in 2021 – most due to old age, cancer, kidney failure and heart failure, then the loss of my friend and roommate who owned the land the Kennel was on. The uncertainty of being able to find living space for me and 20 dogs. Hard decisions had to be made. I gave some of my personal pets to good friends, and placed some of the rescues with people I knew would care for them for the rest of their lives. Decisions I never wanted to have to make, but situations demanded it. All I can say is it has been a very stressful 18 months.
But that is in the past. I was lucky enough to find a place and blessed enough to be able to finance it. It is still a work in progress, but the remaining 11 dogs and I are comfortable and safe. And we will never have to be uprooted again. So I want to say Thank You to everyone who had faith in me, who stood behind me and helped anyway you could. It’s because of you that Safehaven is still going strong.
I know you are all probably anxious to see the place we now call home, so I made a little video tour for you. Again thanks four having our backs. Puppy Kisses and hugs <3
Uh oh! "Somebody" aka Pedro raided the toy box and got all of Calvin's monkeys out. LOL. At least he is having fun!
I sat down for a few minutes after mopping and Beanie decided she needed attention NOW! She has such a great personality
