Another busy weekend

It seems that the weekends just fly by. Rick wanted to go down to Cabela's yesterday and the three of us trekked down there and by the time we got home it was dinner time. Of course, while we were down there we had to go to the Antique mall. I can't believe I did not find anything to buy!!! It was amazing as I always find something.....

Last night I started making belly bands for the min pin fundraiser. I made about 10 before I ran out of velcro. We had to make a trip to Mill end fabrics first thing this morning to pick up more velcro and I found some more fabric. I think I have enough to make about 30-40 of these things. If they all don't sell I will donate them to the foster homes to use.

This morning we got an application for Roo. We set up the home visit in Maple Grove at 2 and came home dogless. We now have NO FOSTERS!!!!! I wonder how long this will last.........

Then I came home and started to put away the Avon (that I needed from the auction). Bob is still going throught the boxes and finding what I need and the rest I sell on ebay. This week with the holidays I did not list much. But we still have an overwhelming amount of boxes downstairs to go through and list.

I made about 5 more belly bands now I am ready for bed.... I think I need a vacation!

Merry Christmas

We had a wonderful Christmas! I got up early and started Christmas Dinner. Bob got up around 10 and started helping. Everyone was due to arrive around noon for dinner.

I had asked Jessica to come a little early to help set the table. Her and Chopper had stayed in Wisconsin with his family for Christmas eve to celebrate. When they got here everyone chipped in and helped. Jessica and Chopper set the table and fixed the drinks. Bob went to pick up his mother and Rick mashed the potatos (Yes! we had homemade mashed pototoes) Rick thought I didn't know how to make homemade mashed potatoes, but he forgot that boxed potatoes are fairly newer (since were old) and this was the only way to make them......before the boxed stuff. We ate at exactly noon - we couldn't have planned it better.

Bob's mom made a homemade pecan pie (with fresh pecans direct from Georgia). Boy! Was it good. Jessica was supposed to bring the pumpkin pie, but was apparantly sleeping when Bob called her as she did not remember the conversation.

We had a wonderful dinner with all the favorites....then opened presents. Everyone seemed happy with their gifts.

Bob, Jessica and Chopper had to work this evening and take naps so we were done by 3 pm. And of course I forgot to take pictures..... So sorry nothing to see! I have to get better with the picture stuff.

Chocolate and Dogs - Do not go together

What Fun! We came back from the grocery store to find a wrapped box of Cashew turtles ripped open on the floor (it was on the coffee table). Out of 24 pieces of candy 12 were missing and we had 4 guilty dogs! After running to the internet, we called the local 24 hour animal hospital for advice.

Step 1 - Get a syringe and hydrogen peroxide.

Step 2- Every 15 minutes shoot one tablespoon of peroxide down the each dogs throat.

Step 3- Watch them throwing up and repeat steps 1 & 2 three times.

We had all four dogs throwing up candy....

Step 4- Watch them for three days for signs of trembling, bloating , diarrhea, etc.

Step 5 - Any signs from above immediately take them to the vet!

This was not fun! Please do not wrap candy and put under the tree or anywhere they can get to it if you have dogs.

Christmas is coming....

We had major snow yesterday and Jessica did not want to drive from work to LeSueuer. She came over to sleep and hang out until she had to go back to work at midnight. We went shopping at Kohl's and Cub foods. Boy! It was bitter cold with the wind blowing.

Bob and I went up to Hinkley in the morning to deliver Ruby to her new home. We knew the snow storm was coming and got an early start. Even though it was snowing, we made it there in 2 hours (normally it should take 1 hr. 40 minutes). We left there at noon and started back. We stopped at a thrift store in Pine City and had lunch at the KFC buffet. It wasn't too bad until we got to north Minneapolis and started to see cars in ditches and the white out conditions with snow & ice. We made it home about 3 and Bob had signed up to work overtime (he had to be at work at 10pm). He went to sleep and Jess and I went shopping.

I bought her some gloves and ear muffs for Christmas. I am really a stickler for not letting the kids open there presents before Christmas even when they know what it is. But last night when she left for work I told her to put on the gloves and ear muffs (as she did not bring any with). I think she was shocked!!!!

I just got an email from Ruby's new owner and she already is in love! She slept with them and gave them hugs and kisses this morning. I only have Roo left to find a home. He will have to go to a family with no kids (he was given up because he was nipping at the kids). Joey is doing great and is back to be a cranky old man, but he is also starting to play with the other dogs. A sign that he is not in as much pain and discomfort as he previously had.

Today, I am going to start putting everything together for Christmas dinner. Check my list to make sure I have all the gifts and food, otherwise I will have to go out again.....It looks nice out, but I am sure it is way to cold to venture out in.

Kimmie is a star

Click on Kimmie is a star and see Kimmie's bio on petfinder.com in the Happy Tails section!

Save the Min Pins

Please click on the title Save the Minpins and watch the video. This is why we help minpins. Sometimes the cruelty is unbelievable.

Day off

I took today off work to put up Christmas decorations. Hopefully, I will get it all done today. I wanted to show everyone my aerogarden. I bought it at Linens n things at their going out of business sale. It was 40% off and is a indoor hydrophonic garden. This means...no dirt. The pre packaged (sold separately) pods fit into holes and water is absorbed through sponges that the seeds sit into. As they grow (1-3 days to sprout) you remove the clear plastic tops and within 3-4 weeks you have salad for up to 4 months. I bought the salad greens kit, but there are many other kits available. I planted this last Sunday night and from the pictures you can see how well it is doing.

Kimmie's new mom will be coming to meet her tonight and taking her back to Canada tomorrow. She is doing so.........well. I did get another minpin named Roo - he is three years old.

Well Bob just got up and probably want to do some work before we take Joey for his 1pm vet appt.

Christmas shopping

Not much going on! Just Christmas shopping, got another minpin named Roo, babysitting Jessica's dogs! Jessica is celebrating Christmas today in Wisconsin with Choppers family. She dropped off her dogs this morning and will pick them up tonight.

Our six monsters (min pins) have been going nuts....The dogs (Cronus & Beagle) took over their area and they are not allowed in the 4 season porch to lay by the fire. We actually put on the living room fireplace, brought in their pillows & toys and tried to entice them to the new spot!!!! Not working too well at the moment.

Kimmie is going to be adopted and moving to Canada on Saturday. Boy!!! I am going to miss her.

Thanksgiving - Bob's Birthday - Kimmie update

We had a great Thanksgiving. It was the last Thanksgiving at the Lillie house (as they will be moving to Indiana. All the family was there and we had a great time and ate lots of good food.
Hats off to Lori, Jody and Dean for cooking.

Friday was Bob's birthday. We did not do much - had some cake, etc.

I wanted everyone to see some pictures of Kimmie. It is amazing how much better she looks after only one week.

Foster Dogs Updated Thanksgiving 2008

Raining Min Pins

Well, I got another call last night that there was a female min pin in the Maplewood impound shelter that needed to come in. Bob and I went up and picked her up and found out that not only did she need all her shots, but she wasn't spayed and had just gone into heat. She was a stray that had been picked up 6 days prior and no one claimed her....Poor little girl! She is scared to death and very skittish. She had no name and on the drive home Bob saw a billboard with the name Martina on it. We discussed Marty, Martina or Tina and finally came up with her new name TINA!

Today, she went to the vet and got all her shots, microchip, etc. and has a clean bill of health. One of our new fosters called and would like to foster her, but will not be back in town until Saturday or Sunday. So she will be heading to a new foster home, until she gets adopted.

But not to worry!!!! Heather called again tonight and guess what. A puppy mill in Iowa was raided with 120 min pins...........I did tell Heather I do have limits and probably could not even come close to taking that many dogs....LOL Another rescue group did step up and take a bunch, but there are still many more that need fosters. We are waiting to hear and may be taking a road trip this weekend to pick up as many as we can rescue and foster. I will keep you posted on the progress.

If anyone of my WONDERFUL family or friends is looking to become fosters, we can always use more homes.

Update on Kimmie

Well, all of Kimmie's test came back normal except for crystals in her urine. We have her on prescription food to take care of the problem. The consensus is she was not being fed...as her owner lived in the Minneapolis homeless shelter (no dogs allowed). A friend of hers took in Kimmie, but she had to fend for herself among a couple of rottweilers. So she is eating every few hours and loving it....She was up to 6.4 pounds when she went back to the vet yesterday.
She just came running in here and jumped on my lap with two other dogs chasing her. I wonder what she did to create all this trouble! LOL! She is fitting in really well with the group and they don't try to eat her food (since she is getting less, but more frequently). She is a really friendly and playful little girl who just needs some love, food and attention.

She is on minpinrescue's website, and I have already received some inquiries. She will need to gain some weight before she is ready to be adopted.

Gayle, Rumor has it that she loves kids! ummm!

Joey and Kimmie

Well....I know I said not much has been going on, but today was busy.

The pictures are Kimmie and I will tell you her story after you hear about Joey!

Joey (my soon to be adopted by me - min pin) was hurt by another dog appr. a month ago. Joey (my little guy) picked on a dog three times his size and the other dog grabbed him in the head. He went to the vet and has been on prednisone for appr. 20 days. He walks kind of hunched over and leaning to one side. The prednisone helped, but as soon as he was weaned off of it, he started showing signs of pain and decreasing movement.

Today we saw Dr. Tomlinson at Twin Cities Rehab. Clinic for an hour evaluation and treatment. She was worried about permanent neurological damage, but after her assessment and chiropratic adjustment there was noticable improvement. He does have some exercises to work on at home and will be in for another adjustment on Monday. She thinks there is a good chance of recovery. We brought him home and he was walking and holding his head normally.

I got a call today from Heather at Minpin rescue that a female dog needed to come in. She was only 5 pounds and should weigh appr. 8 pounds. They were unsure of her story, but her owner could not take care of her or afford vet care.

I picked her up (she was wrapped in a blanket) from the vet and put her in the kennel. The vet did a fecal and it showed no signs of worms, etc. The vet said she looked healthly except for the low weight. They did a thorough set of blood work and we will have the results tomorrow, but did not think that there was anything wrong with her, other than the lack of nutrition. After instructions from the vet... I took her home.

Heather called the minute I walked in the door, but I still had not had a chance to really look at her. So, I opened her kennel and out she came (she had on a T-shirt), but you could see her hip bones sticking out with skin, but no sign of any meat on her bones. I took off her T-shirt and was horrified to see this beautiful little girl and all her bones sticking out through her skin. HOW CAN SOMEONE ALLOW THEIR PET TO GET TO THIS CONDITION!!! Her former vet records had been faxed over and in June 2008, she had received all her shots and weighed 7.6 pounds - now she weighs 5 pounds. She is only 14 months old and is needing love, care and attention.

She is currently quarantined from the rest of the animals, until I receive her bloodwork back tomorrow. It is a good thing that I have the next three days off from work. Between Joey's exercises and making sure Kimmie is eating small amounts of food every 3 hours - I am going to be busy.

I am still hoping to go Christmas shopping tomorrow and try to put a dent in the list.

Not much new

Well, I haven't posted in a few days because there is really not much new. I have been working on listing Avon on ebay and ebid. I have started selling a few high priced items on Amazon and am really happily surprised with the sales.

For anyone who doesn't know... Bob started a new job as a bus mechanic with Metro Transit on 10/20. During his first week, he learned to drive a bus and got his CDL license. It was pretty intense, but he is now working at the downtown garage (an indoor job which is nice in the Winter).
He currently has the weekends off and we are spending the time.....working on ebay!

Happy Birthday!!! Jessica

Happy Birthday !!!! Jessica is 23 today. Wow! Time flies, she was just born and now she is all grown up! She is going to school to be a vet tech, working FT at Canterbury Park, bought a house and is engaged!

I picked up Ruby tonight (a 5 yr old Red Min pin). I arranged to meet her owner at Southview animal hospital at 5. She finally showed up after 6. She seems like a good little girl and I hope I can find a home for her quickly.

Blackjack

Jess, Chopper and Glen came by at 9:15 to visit and play blackjack. Jessica was counting cards and won alot of chips... Too bad, it wasn't real money. She is learning to count cards for her job as surveillance. Seems like it was working.

Since we would not see her until after her birthday she wanted her birthday present. It was a craftsman tool set to help her work on the rustbucket (48 truck) she has in her garage. She was thrilled!!!!

They are still here and it is 11pm. I do have to work in the morning and am falling asleep fast.

I got a call tonight about a 4 year old female that needs to come into fostering. Of course, I said yes! Her name is Ruby and she is from Hastings.... So Gayle I will be coming into your area to pick her up sometime this weekend.

Nite all!

Auction Stuff

Bob and I drove 4 hours to Iowa for an auction on 10-25-08. We filled the van and 1/2 a uhaul with Avon!!! I am opening a box at a time and going through the items to find what I need for my collection (It's like Christmas) and the rest I am putting on ebay! So needless to say, we have been extremely busy.

Right now, I have no foster min pins..... It is the first time since we started doing this in March.

Jessica's birthday is Friday the 14th. We were going to try to get together for dinner, but Bob is in training this week and working from 2-10pm until Friday night. We may have to wait until next week to celebrate her birthday.

This blog is something new for me to do, we will see how long it lasts. Hopefully, it is addicting and I will keep it up!

Foster Dogs

Little Red Dog

Little Red Dog was my Christmas present in 2006. He is a min pin and is spoiled. He loves lying in the sun and sleeping when he is not terrorizing the cats.