At 715 yesterday morning, i wandered downstairs to start our day. But our day did not get started in the usual way.
I discovered that 8 baby land sharks had broken out of the nursery and had spent a considerable part of the night partying like it was 1999. It took me an hour to find all of them and get them semi-corralled.
Once all sharks were accounted for, i fled to my car where i called Carol.
Carol: Hello?
Me: Help. Im being held hostage by land sharks. They partied all night and I dont even know where to start.
They had emptied the trash all over the floor. They got into the clean laundry bins and dragged the sheets, towels, and blankets all over the place. They pooped everywhere the urge took them...which left a literal minefield of turds...There was carnage and destruction everywhere I looked.
Thank God Carol LIVES for these types of messes. She boldly marched in, grabbed a trash bag and a poop scoop....and 2 hours later, order was restored, land sharks were clean and back in a now spotless nursery...and sleeping off the effects of a long night of partying.
Its a funny thing about a sleeping pile of puppies. They are so sweet when they sleep...you kind of forget to be mad. Kind of.
#nogooddeedgoesunpunished
Baby Soot is here to make your Monday pawsome!
Last week, the shelter director at Humane Society of Marlboro County sent me pictures of two other dogs and this video. It was a doggie-in-need buffet for me to choose from.
Except there was no choice.
Maybe it was because the extraordinary human Twitch had passed and I was feeling sentimental.
Maybe it is because I am a sucker for the underdog.
Maybe it is because I am a masochist who likes to cry herself to sleep.
Maybe it was D. All of the above.
It does not really matter WHY I picked him. It only matters that I DID pick him.
And I won! This fellow is a DREAMBOAT. I fell in love when I walked out the front door and the transporter had him sitting in the yard. I walked up to him. He rolled on to his back, thumping his tail. And just like that...I was in love.
Please give a warm, MMM welcome to TWITCH.
He will need a Neuro consult.The suspicion is that he is a survivor of distemper and this is as good as it gets. But we will need to make sure he does not actually have some treatable brain eating amoeba. We do live in swamp country. 🤷
#twitch #neurology
Check out pur new baby...Betelgeuse.🤣🤣🤣
Seraphim has been an unwilling participant in leash-walking. Terrified of the leash itself, she thinks it is bullsh*t.
Nonetheless, her hankering for food wins out. Wave a weenie in that girl's face, and she will do most anything, even walk on a leash. While she is tentative and hesitant and a wee bit suspicious, she is getting the hang of it, slowly but surely.
She has come a very long way from the shut down dog quivering in a corner and refusing to make eye contact. We expect she will be a real dog one day, soon!
#willworkforfood #patienceisavirtue #leashwalking
ADOPTION OPPORTUNITY!!!
We seldom do direct adoptions; we simply do not have the time to work with the special animals in our care AND give adopters the time and attention they deserve. But this little guy is EXTRA special and we are looking for an EXTRA SPECIAL adopter for him.
Brain is a 2 to 3 year old feist mix who weighs under 15 pounds. He is neutered, microchipped, heartworm negative and on preventative., and up to date on vaccinations.
Brain is fine with other dogs, though he fancies himself rather a lot and does not mind being your one and only. As you can see, he is a stage 5 velcro dog.
BUT....he does not become a stage 5 velcro dog immediately. It takes him a couple weeks. And in the beginning of your friendship, he will be actively trying to kill you.
And this is where the EXTRA SPECIAL adopter comes in. Brain needs someone who will give him the time and space he needs to learn to trust. He needs someone who will understand he is not going to be friends with their friends. He is not going to go for walks around the neighborhood (unless you hate your neighbors). He will need to be crated or put in another room when you have visitors. And he will need to be muzzled at the vet. He requires a securely fenced yard.
As you can see, Brain has a TON of love packed in that tiny body. He is worth the extra time and effort.
If you live within 100 miles of Conway SC and would be interested in discussing adopting him, please pm the page and tell us a little about your family.
#adoptable #Lovable
This wild one is Magret. She is the last of the Hemingway Artists to be caught. She was actually caught a couple months ago...but she is the poster child for severe ADHD and does not stay still for pictures. She barely stayed still enough to video her😂😂😂
Magret is hilariously wild and very naughty. She is the ringleader of the Mona Lisa, Munch, Magret circus and the other 2 follow her right into naughtiness.
Right now all 3 are on crate rest during their heartworm treatment. They have each had the first of their 3 injections. They are no longer allowed to play together as they get too crazy. Keeping then to a dull roar, even 1 by 1, is quite a chore😂
Magret will also need an fho once recovered from heartworm treatment so i will get to enjoy her hilarity fotlr quite some time. 😅
Please give a warm, MMM welcome to MAGRET.
#wildchild #naughty #ADHD #heartwormdisease #heartwormpositive #heartwormtreatment
Seraphim is afraid of leashes. If my fingers so much as brushed a leash and she saw it, she would run back to her closet and hide, quivering in terror.
We can spend hours trying to guess why a leash strikes terror in her heart but (1) it will only be a guess, not a fact and (2) all the guesses in the world wont do a thing to change her fear.
And leashes are important. They make things like vet visits a great deal easier.
I have spent months slowly desensitizing her. It started with just leaving leashes laying around with treats scattered near them.
It progressed to sitting a leash near me and giving her treats just for coming near us both.
Then we moved to putting the leash on the floor and putting treats in it.
And now we are working on her taking treats while i hold the leash.
The really amazing thing is that she will let Carol hold the leash and take treats from her, too.
Seraphim has been a study in patience; a long, slow project earning her trust. It has taken a lot of slow, consistent, repetitive work to get her here. But she is "here" voluntarily. She is EXCITED to do the work. She is happy to be a "good girl". She actually WANTS to please us.
And she is SUCH a silly and charming and funny girl. It is such a privilege to be befriended and trusted by Seraphim.
#laboroflove #forcefreetraining #desensitization
They say 3rd time is the charm....we will see if that is true. FB/Meta apparently no longer likes videos...they are hell to post.
This is Burton. He is really a wonderful, sweet, well behaved pup but I am the only one who sees him this way. He still deranged-barks and lunges at everyone else. So this is proof. He DOES have a sweet, soft, silly side.
I love this little bug. Which is a good thing because he will be here for a long while. Here at The Manor, he has all the time he needs!
#timetoshine
Seraphim is a FUNNY and charming dog. For a long time, I was the only one who got to enjoy her antics but now she is showing off to Carol, too. That means I can sit back and video her so YOU can meet the real Seraphim, too!
If I could convince her to walk on a leash, she would be ready to go😂
#patience #goodthingscometothosewhowait #trustisearned #feraltofriendly
Burton has blossomed.
This little guy landed in a shelter as an emaciated 8 week old puppy with a skin issue, a bad attitude, and a bite history. The shelter was a bit worried about him because he was not a FERAL pup, and yet he was displaying "aggressive" behaviors.
Burton IS fear aggressive with strangers. He gives trust slowly. His first week here was rugged as he was EXTREMELY defensive. He barked. He bared teeth. He lunged. He gnashed his teeth at me.
His second week here, with the help of lots of toys and treats, he learned to love me and to trust me. Now when he encounters something new and scary, he runs to hide behind me. He looks to me for guidance.
While new people are still scary for him, this bully boy LOVES other dogs. Even when they HATE him. Munch wants to rip Burton's face off. Burton does EVERYTHING in his power to show submission, deference, playfulness, no threat. It is OBNOXIOUS behavior as he does not read the annoyance, but it is to his credit that his response is deferential rather than counter-attack.
For Munch's sake, i redirect Burton quickly usually...but i wanted to show off Burton's strengths. He is a rugged pup that is tough to get to know....but he is soooo worth the effort of earning his trust. He is a delightful and silly and loving boy. And once he loves you, you could not have a more loyal or loving friend.
#trustisearnednotforced #slowandsteady
Giles is a 4 month old puppy with seriously wonky legs. While our vet did an exam and x-rays, he was not able to determine what is specifically wrong, and more importantly, if it is fixable. He referred us to the orthopedic surgeon in Mt. Pleasant.
On Tuesday, Giles and I will be visiting the ortho. With exam and expected additional rads, the visit will be around $500.
We need your help to ensure that Giles can get the care he needs. There may be nothing. We may need to wait until he is grown because he is a growing puppy. Or we may need to go to surgery this week. But we wont know until we see the orthopedic surgeon.
Your tax-deductible gift can be made via:
Venmo @muttsandmittensmanor
Paypal: https://www.paypal.me/muttsandmittensmanor
#deerdog #hounddog #wonkylegs
A year ago when this dog came to us, she was among the most broken down and terrified dogs I had ever seen. The video an advocate posted of her showed her literally cowering at the back of a kennel, quaking in terror, and unable to make eye contact.
Seraphim baby-stepped her way to trusting me and she is a really FUNNY dog, full of life and curiosity when it is just me around. She stands on her hind legs and covers my face in kisses. She pokes me with her nose to ask attention. She is affectionate and even demanding with me.
But she still hides in the back of her closet when visitors come.
Until this week. My friend Carol came by to help me clean. Taking a break, Carol sat in my chair and started tossing butter beans (charlee bear treats) to Seraphim in her closet. Before long, Seraphim was unable to resist the lure of yummy treats. She inched out of the closet. She inched to Carol. She started slurping butter beans straight from Carol's hands, and even started poking Carol with her nose when the treats did not come fast enough.
And then she let Carol give her chin a scratch...
We are not racing the clock at Mutts and Mittens Manor. Here, time is not the enemy. Here, time is on our side...and your support literally buys the precious TIME that so many of our babies need in order to heal and to trust...and to learn how to be family members.
I got teary eyed watching Seraphim's world expand to include more people and I hope as you watch it that you know how profoundly grateful we are for your support that allows us to help damaged dogs like Seraphim. This is only possible because of you!
#buyingtime #timeisonourside #feralisjustanotherwordforfearful #trustisearned #bribeshelp #herworldjustgrewlarger #gratitude #wecouldnotdoitwithoutyou
A local shelter director sent me this video late on Monday night when this cat arrived at the shelter from the emergency vet.
Can you imagine being that skinny and still wanting to go head boop someone? The sweetness alone makes you want to save him.
The fact that he also looks like my old (deceased) cat Tangerine just made it more...essential? Imperative?
When Tangerine was sick and dying, it took me 8 days to get over myself and do what was right for my cat. I was going to be so sad. It was going to be too hard. In short, i made his death about me when it should have been about him. He lived his whole life putting me first and the ONE time I had the opportunity to put him first...i did not. And it, rightfully, haunts me. I tortured my own cat for 8 days.
When Zeppelin arrived yesterday, he immediately started head booping me through the crate door.
But the video does not show the wounds. The torn and tattered pad pads. The sloughing skin of his rectum, his pen*s, his belly. The litter ground into scrape wounds on his chest. The video does not show the smell of rot.
Tangerine was named after the song Tangerine by Led Zeppelin (and because he was orange).
I named this guy as a nod to Tangerine...and because he was going to fly high one way or another.
After an hour with me, it became clear that Zeppelin was going to fly with the angels. His outer extremities started to go cold as his body started directing all blood to his organs. This process can take hours or days before the animal goes into a coma.
But it hurts. Zeppelin HURT. His whole body, inside and out, hurt. And his odds of survival were small.
Folks. Euthanasia is NOT to END suffering.
Euthanasia is to PREVENT suffering.
I wanted to help Zeppelin. And the best way, the ONLY way to help him was to let him fly.
Tell Tangerine I didn't do it again.
New this week: Scat eats treats directly from my hand!
He and Quinn are partners in crime, wreaking all kinds of havoc around the manor. They break into boxes and steal things. They play tug of war with my t-shirts. They gnaw my shoes that they swipe out of my shoe bin. They break into the recycle bag and steal empty soda bottles to crinkle.
The other day, they ate Brian May's bed while he was laying in it. He let them. 😂
They provide me with endless entertainment...and exasperation.
They love other dogs and often break into other play groups so they can turn them into delinquents as well.
These 2 crack me up with their silly ways. They also frustrate me as I STILL can not touch them. And seriously. They are SOOOOO CUUUUTEE!! I NEED to touch them!😂
Many thanks to Rescued in SC for sending us these wildly popular little butter bean treats!
#slowbutsteadyprogress #iwilltouchthem
