Failures

CONTENTS

PETS & Dog Rescue

BOOK REVIEWS

Oh what did we do?

PETS:

Scott, Lou in lap, Ella by his side

Well, we decided to adopt Lou & Ella. This is what rescue calls "foster failure", which should not be used in a negative sense. It simply means we opened up not only our home, but our heart to a dog (or two) in need, in hopes of finding an adopter for them. But sometimes, they work deep into your heart and you can't let them go. Therefore, you failed at fostering, because you didn't find a new home for them. But of course, they have found our home and that is a positive. So, we've doubled our pack within about only 2 months of settling down.
Other past foster failures...Sophie, Pillsbury (both now deceased).
My heart is with the older dogs. I think this is where my maternal instincts lie/lay?. I never wanted human children and thankfully never had a "accident" (in my opinion). I love the stoic demeanor of the senior dogs. They somehow seem to appreciate the care I give them.

If you're not interested in dog rescue, you can skip over this of course. But this is just ONE  dog's story. This is what Above & Beyond English Setter Rescue does. We get so many heartworm positive dogs also. Our adoption fees do not cover the cost of health care for the dogs that come in to our rescue, so we depend on generous donations. Donations can be made through our PayPal account or by check sent to our Treasurer (email me for address).

The County Judge would not authorize the shelter to spend any additional money on the dog after they found out she is diabetic; in fact, he ordered her to be put down. Thank goodness they did not listen. 
I picked Sophia up today and she looked worse than I expected. When I got her to the vet clinic 2 Dr.'s immediately rushed to her side along with 2 tech.'s. They stated that she was the 2nd worst they had seen since the practice began.  She should be around 45 to 50 pounds but she is currently only 27 pounds. (When I began fostering her, she was about 30 pounds. She was up to 52 pounds when I finally adopted her) Her blood sugar is high, over 400, but they are most concerned about her liver. Her liver is not functioning properly. They said that it could be due to being extremely malnourished. Sophia is every bit the sweetheart they said she was. 
Her spine seems to stick out 2 inches above her back and her skin is draped over her ribs. It was all I could do to hold it together. Thanks to you all, we really saved her life. She could not hold out much longer without serious medical attention. To be honest, she looked like a dead, dog that has been killed on the side of the road--she is just still moving

Below is a video of Sophie after she regained her health.


Pillsbury was my "heart" dog. We had him 1 day and couldn't let him go. We adopted him at 7 years old. We called him the Gentle Giant. He was a large Irish Setter. He came to us at 105 pounds. We got him down to 95 pounds which was an appropriate weight for his size. He was very TALL. And so so sweet.

Watching the squirrels

Pillsbury was our Irish Setter Rescue ambassador. He would go up to people and lean in for pets. Because he was so large, hairy and such long ears, he drew a lot of attention.

In 2011, we lost both the Irish Setter pictured above. The one in the background was our Ryley, who died of bone cancer and Pillsbury in the foreground, died of a burst stomach tumor or something like that.

During Pillsbury's last year of life, he lost all feeling in his hind legs from Degenerative Myelopathy. Many German Shepherds suffer from this disease. The good news is that it is not painful to the dog. Pillsbury needed to be lifted into the doggie cart, he also had to wear diapers. I used a human type of incontinence pad which worked great. Purchasing those adult diapers I guess was preparing me for my possible future?
In January of 2011, we had our 5th wheel and truck purchased for our plan to Full Time in July of that same year. We planned to bring our blind Irish Setter, Ryley, our lame Irish Setter, Pillsbury and our deaf English Setter, Lyla. We would somehow make this work. But they both died unexpectedly prior to our full time adventure. Ryley did make it on our maiden weekend voyage though and Lyla is still with us.
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BOOK REVIEW:
21 Tales by Dave Zeltserman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Never heard the term "noir genre" until reading this book's reviews. Oh please, be down to earth and call it "dark". On to review.
I must admit I did not finish this book. Not because it wasn't good, simply that I have come to realize, I don't like short stories. I will search out a full length book of Zeltersman to try.
Melki's review was spot on, so I have just pasted it.

Here's a fun collection of crime/noir/suspense and paranormal tales.

- A stolen fortune cookie messes up one man's fate.

- A writer takes care of his pest problem for good.

- One man deliberately gives bad advice to his fellow bar patrons.

- The desire to keep a Beacon Hill apartment becomes a treacherous struggle.

- A man attempts to scam the Nigerian Prince internet scammers.

Zeltserman is quite skilled at writing stories about people trying to screw other people. He concocts great dialogue, inserts plenty of laughs and frequently pulls it all together with a delightful twist at the end. Watch a master at work as he manages to pull off a double, triple and even a quadruple cross. The stories keep you on your toes as you're never sure who will end up with the money and who will end up dead. Good stuff!


The Art of Seducing a Naked Werewolf by Molly Harper
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Molly Harper's series are ALWAYS good for an easy light hearted paranormal romantic comedy. I've read a number of her books and have NEVER been disappointed.
These stories are nothing deep and dark, but a lot of sarcasm about werewolves living among and even having very close happy relationships with humans.

Desert Mornings - Tales of Coffee, Cactus & Chaos by Kathleen Walker
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Nice light reading with your morning cup of coffee. While visiting the Southwestern part of the US, we met the author at a book signing and decided to purchase who book.
An easy read about life in the Southwest and some funny things that have happened along the way. She can be somewhat sarcastic, which I enjoy.