Dalmatian | German Shorthaired Pointer

I am obsessing over designer dogs, so when a friend pointed out Linguini's absence from the blog, I immediately felt the need to oblige thus sticking with my recent "designer dogs" theme.

Designer dogs? Huh?

Linguini's story started at the Pasadena Humane Society, an animal shelter. M had one dog, Rosie, a chocolate lab, and didn't want another at the time. She wasn't into rescuing yet. She did however lose her cat and while looking at the pound for her, spotted ... the spotted Dalmatian. Now all puppies are adorable, and Dalmatian puppies are no exception, but Linguini was different. M was told that Linguini was a German Shorthaired Pointer and Dalmatian mix.

Who needs Dalmatian puppies, when you can find a fine specimen of a

Dalmatian and German Shorthaired Pointer mix?

Linguini is proud to be a mutt

I already consulted my precious "designer dogs" list and there was no special term for our Linguini. BTW Linguini was initially named Daisy to match our Rosie. She was no dainty Daisy, but she did move like a wet noodle, so she was renamed Linguini shortly after her adoption.

"Daisy" and Rosie

Linguini and Rosie appeared to be two peas in a pod. Wrong! M was fooled, and, as soon as she let her guard down, Rosie attacked Linguini and ripped her throat. Linguini was hospitalized for a while and later spent a month recovering at home with a tube sticking out her throat. She required around the clock care. She recovered in the end, but only after losing control of her bladder for a couple more years.

About three years later, Rosie got killed, but I'm not allowed to talk about that. Linguini regained control of her bladder, which made life easier on everybody. She decided she was going to be an escape artist next and soon was nicknamed Houdini. There was no stopping her. The pound pounded our door many times to demand that we take control. They threatened with fines, taking her away, putting her down (OMD), but Linguini didn't care. M mounted a 60 foot tether in our back yard, by the pond and had to keep Linguini tied whenever she wasn't around. Needless to say M and Linguini were both miserable. 

Can you see the German Shorthaired Pointer in her? 

Other than the fact that she frequently and clearly points, we can't see it

Linguini is a happy dog that wants to please. If a human looks at her she falls on her back to get a belly rub. She's peace-loving and never cared to interact much with other dogs. Until recently. 

This is Sue, Linguini's BFF

Sue doesn't make friends very easily either, but those two had their own chemistry going. Funny story, Sue playfully bumped Linguini while horsing around the other day and Linguini was airborne! Rhodies are tough and strong. No hard feelings of course. Anything goes during playtime. Sue and Linguini have set their own boundaries. They visit each other's homes, hang, share toys and marrow bones... When you see a loner take to another dog the way those two did, it's magic. 

Happy spotted dog, um, Dalmatian, um, mutt

The minute I joined the family, Linguini was gentle with me. She would run towards me, but as she approached, she'd take tiny leaps to make sure she didn't hurt me. I'll never forget that. For a couple of years, we shared the home as the only dogs, peacefully, each doing her thing. 

When Frankie, the "Chiweenie" joined us, I thought, "this is it!" Frankie was constantly hanging from Linguini's face, jumping on her, tugging on her ears with her sharp puppy teeth, and I was sure that one day she'd become appetizer. It never happened. The worst thing Linguini's ever done to Frankie is a low warning growl, but the brat doesn't care anyways.

This is Linguini now

She loves to spend her days by M's feet

The closer to M, the happier she is

She enjoys sharing whipped cream with her pack

She loves food and has become a skilled counter surfer! 

As if Linguini's life hadn't been complicated enough, when she was about to turn ten, about a year ago, she started getting sick. She had difficulty getting up, her energy was low, and M took her for a check up. She had several dog tumors (benign) and her liver and thyroid functions were slightly compromised. M changed her diet, put her on a joint juice, and started exercising her religiously. Ta-da! A brand new Dalmatian/German Shorthaired Pointer was born. 

Our new dog

Linguini's health is restored for now, and a year later she hikes, swims, loves her visit to the horse barn, and has a bestie. She's constantly happy and the other day she even caught a bird, to M's dismay (only a couple of weeks ago spotted dog had caught a gofer). 

Gorgeous!

When Linguini was sick, last year, M told her, "I gave you ten good years, you owe me at least that many." I think Linguini got it!

As we all well know, it's not about quantity but quality. We all love her and appreciate every moment we have left with her. That was the story of my sissy, the gentle and happy Dalmatian/German Shorthaired Pointer mutt! 

 

Last Global Animal Blogging Event day!
Don't forget to leave comments to be eligible for the free giveaways!

Twinkie

Chihuahua Photo Tagged--Again

The photo tag is making its rounds apparently, because I've been tagged again. The rules are as follows:

1. Open your first photo folder

2. Scroll down to the tenth photo

3. Post the photo and tell the story behind it

4. Tag 5 more people

Well, since I only have one first photo folder and it still contains the same tenth photo, here's the link to my last Photo Tag

Have a nice day! (jokey-jokey)

On a second and more serious thought, I was glad I got picked to participate again by Zoolatry, the creator of the G.A.B.E. badge, but I had to pick a different photo. I tried to remain true to the principal, so I arbitrarily picked the tenth photo of  my last photo-shoot; an album I hadn't even had a chance to look at. I was excited to find that my tenth photo was the following:

Coincidentally, I counted 10 dogs in this photo
all are dog adoption pups right out of the streets and the animal shelter
I spot lots of chihuahua pups, a couple of blue heeler pups, and a couple of doxie pups

This was taken yesterday morning. It was taken at the barn I'm always talking about. It was so windy that nobody could go riding so instead they played with us. Who is "us" though?  I noticed many of you are confused by all the dog adoption participants. The bipeds are of various backgrounds and ages, but they have one thing in common: They are all for rescuing critters; mostly dogs, but just about anything alive and in need can find at least a foster home through our barn folks. There are many bipeds that ride at our barn, at least 20 and they're all active in not only giving but also finding forever homes. Each biped's home has between two to over ten critters living in their homes. That's how come you see so many adoptions. I can also tell you that for the time being, M is trying to "be good" and help with placements and donations only--let's see how long this will last. 

Let the tagging continue! 

1. Stella & Ali Zophia--I have much to say about these wonderful furiends but I'll do it some other time in detail.

2. Benny and Lily--BOL! You quack me up.  

3. My beloved XXL furiend Darwin, who is so sensitive and caring. I'm thinking of her constantly recently because she's got a booboo and I hope it heals by itself, fast. 

4. The belles over at Houndstooth. You can help them with their fashion quandary when you visit. 

5. The Feisty Three--They're feisty alright and since I'm ornery, we're a good match. 

Every time I post about the multiple dog adoption barn, I want to scream, adopt a dog, adopt a pet, just ... adopt!!!

Twink!

Another Dog Adoption

Dino was his nam-o!

So adorable!

We think he's about a year and a half old and some type of chihuahua mix. He's fresh out of the animal shelter. He's very submissive and has a soft white stripe running up and down his face. 

.

Nice, huh? 

Another emaciated pup...

I had to test sniff Dino first
I liked him right away!

Frankie liked him okay, but she was a bit afraid of him

He was a bit afraid of Frankie

Our barn furiend Louie aka Nugget, another chihuahua,

came over to give us his seal of approval

The sniffing ceremony

As you can see, Dino fit right in with my family

So we took a family portrait

Dino is in good hands now and he has a pawesome forever home.

Dod adoption accomplished! No more animal shelter for this little chihuahua mix. You don't have to worry about him one bit

Unless my sissy chokes him, of course

And I still want to tell you a little story about Louie... soon. He's quite the character.

* * * 

Delightful Blogs, placed GABE's logo on their homepage to help spread the word. On behalf of all of us who want to participate, thank you. Now of course, had I made the badge DB would probably not have offered. Phew, I'm so glad the ZH from Zoolatry did it! 

Twinkie

Horse Show | Most Shocking News

I was at a horse show with Frankie having a swell time. I was attached to the chiweenie all day, but we had fun; at least I did.

Attack!

Most importantly, we got to move around and be social, unlike the prisoners below.

POWs

The weather was nice and M didn't even try to put dog clothes on me, an extra bonus. My sister rode most excellently in the horse show, another plus. M forgot our dog food, so we got to eat her food, another positive experience. By now, I bet you're wondering: What was so shocking? 

As we're having a leisurely and fun day, a golf cart approaches, breaks screeching, dust all over the place, and this lady is pointing her finger at Frankie screaming, "That's MY dog. That's MY Lilly." At this point, I was like "Whoa, lady, that's MY sister" but M's interest was piqued. Frankie's kneecaps were shaking.

The lady insisted that she adopted "Lily" out of an animal shelter, but then she changed her mind. She said she does that a lot. She does a dog adoption and then changes her mind and passes the dogs on to others. No judgment on our part, because obviously she makes sure the dogs find homes. Guess what else she told us! Frankie is NOT a Chiweenie. The lady was pretty sure that Frankie is a Chihuahua/Italian Greyhound mix. Is Frankie, Francesca?

SHOCKING!

Have you ever heard of a Chitalian Greyhound? An Italian Greyhuahua? 

What's up with that? I am going to further look into these allegations tomorrow. Wish me luck. And of course, make somebody's life better, adopt a dog!

Twink!

Dog Shelter Pup | A Whole Lotta Sniffing Going On

We may be sniffers by nature, but the sniffing escalates when there's a new pack member introduced. May I present:

Timone!

This little guy took matters into his own hands. Instead of going through the animal shelter, he wondered right into our barn. He was too skinny and scrawny for words. Needless to say, he got a home that day. It's been two weeks, he is no longer looking emaciated and nobody has claimed him. He's got it made. His new mom, a young equestrian, is taking excellent care of him. He visits the barn several times a week, but I had yet to meet him.

There, I'm glad that's out of the way

Frankie, come here!

This is Timone

The Sniff-train

Frankie gets a proper introduction too

Mr. Timone is quite pleased with his current situation. He not only got a nice home and food in his plate every day, he loves the barn and he....

... fit right in!

Welcome new furiend. We are all so very happy for you. Hopefully you'll put on a few more pounds soon so that the dog vet can neuter you and you can stop riding Molly's tail. 

Timone spent most of his day in this manner

This horse barn excursion was a rather adventurous one. M brought only two cameras and took only five hundred horse pictures. Stay tuned to find out what Linguini and the runaway horse did! 

Until then, a couple of acknowledgements: 

The gorgeous banners, were both made by Zoolatry. Zoolatry stems from the Greek words "zoo" which means animal and "latry" which means "worship" and "love". Thank you, you animal lovers! It would have been embarrassing to leave M's banner up during our GABE. 

Our Euro-trip with Mack and Sally Ann has come to an end. We had a wonderful time and learned a lot. I am exhausted from all the teleporting back and forth, but it was all worth it. Mack and Sally Ann even gave us a lovely memento:

I did! I went to Europe with Mack and Sally Ann

2010

Our wonderful trip a finis, finito, it's o-ver! Until next time.

Oh, and this Wednesday some of the barn members will be paying a little visit to the local shelter. I sniff more adoptions, how about you?

I'm excited!

Twink!

PS: Please spread the word about GABE. The more the merrier. We only have two weeks left.

Maine coon cat Max: His Story

Alright, get your tissues ready. I'm geared up to talk to you about Maxwel, Maximilian the Grrreat, Maxine (because he sounds like a girl), Maxi, etc. Our newly adopted main coon cat.

MAX in the shower

Momma was coming home from the animal shelter and she was supposed to bring home a large Akita and German Shepherd mix, Darla--only. Well, as it turns out, when M goes to the pound, ya never know what she'll bring home. So, I wasn't terribly surpised when she got out of the car, Darla's leash in hand and a huge box in the other. What was that box doing there and what was in it?

As M was leaving the shelter with her daughter, my beloved Sissy D, they discovered that one of the cat cages had a notice on it. Of course they rushed in the office to enquire. Max's hours were numbered. Momma tried to plead with the shelter, to give her 'till Monday (it was a weekend), but they shook their heads and confirmed that Max would NOT be around on Monday.

"Well, in that case, wrap him up!" M is decisive that way. Apparently, not only was Max "too old", he was eight, he had also been adopted out once. He had made it to the parking lot. Between the animal shelter and the lot he had apparently coughed up such an enormous cough ball that the lady turned around in her heels and returned him! OMD the fool!

It was July of 2008 the day M brought Max home. She hadn't even seen him at the animal shelter, not a glimpse. He had been curled up at the back of his cage at the shelter and he was barely visible. We all got to see him for the first time when he started coming out of his box, and coming, and coming, there was no end to this dude. Max is enormous! I now know that it's normal for a maine coon cat. He's much bigger than me, no surprise there, but he's also much bigger than the twins, the catnip addicts, Bob and Jet.

Max was covered in poo and we all held out breaths at both his beauty and his stench. M took care of the latter and we could all breathe again. Underneath the poo was one of the most gorgeous kats we'd ever seen.

This is Max the day he came home.

The face! This dude was not supposed to enjoy life any longer? What?!

See the "M" shape over his eyes? We think he's a Maine Coon Cat

The problems with Max became obvious immediately. M would occasionally and half-heartedly try to find him another home. I'd hear her on the phone: "I'm looking for a home for Max. He's awesome. He's the best. We should all adopt a pet. You can only have him if you really want him, because I want to keep him. Plus he has a couple of health issues. I love him sooo! Are you sure you can provide him with the best home, because actually, no, never mind, I want him." Needless to say, nobody dared adopt Max from my mom. But there was also no controlling the twins, out tailless cats. They hated. The reason? I personally believe they're still afraid of him. It's been a year and a half since then, but things haven't changed much. We've seen very little blood, and their fights are a mockery, but they do not get along. M got a bunch of feline anti-anxiety sprays, some herbal potions, and she did everything the experts said, but it didn't make a difference. M had a personal problem with Max too. He didn't want her. She'd try to pet him, and he'd worm away. She'd find him lying about contented, attempt to touch him, and he'd move. I could see the disappointment in her face. The worst part was, that when my human siblings would visit, Max was all over them, begging to be petted. What's up with that cat behavior? M is a charmer (with animals mainly, don't get me wrong), where was her mojo? My guess is her mojo left along with that first poo she had to clean off him.

Rescue Maine Coon Cat in his bed on his bed in his own bedroom

We lived like this for eighteen months, when M decided to get Max an As Seen on TV EmeryCat Scratch Board. Scratch boards are Max's passion, plus he hates having his nails clipped. So, M ordered him two and held her breath. Would they work on Max's nails? Would they make him happier? The Emery Boards finally arrived. They came with a kitty toy, that Max loves and two cheap looking de-shedder tools. Hmmm, M put the tools aside. She's got the Furminator and she loves it, even though Max winces and tries to squiggle away from her, somehow they were getting the hang of it. Golly, this almost sounds like a review, but I can't tell you much about the Emery yet. I need more time to have a educated opinion. Anyhow, the cheap looking de-shedders were abandoned in some kitchen drawer, until ...

Happy Max The Yogi

Friday night, a long time after we adopted Max from the animal shelter, we were all hanging in the living room, and what do I see? Max is all over M being brushed with the de-shedder and purring loudly. I guess Max didn't like the Furminator, his loss. M was mesmerized while Max was hypnotized. They remained there for about half an hour, while Bob made uneasy circles around them, vocalizing his frustration. Frankie put an end to it. She got fed up. She went up to Max's face and yelped "My turn!". He got the message and left to play with the fluffy cat toy that came with his EmeryCat. I have never seen a shinier kat. I have never seen Max more content. As for me, I'm a lady, and I patiently remained on my heating pad from where I observed all I just recounted, even though, between us, I was dying for my turn!

There's a feeling of tranquility in my home that wasn't there before. I want to believe that the Max-saga is coming to a fast end. We want him not just alive, but happy too, and he's finally getting it. What can I say, katz may be able to catch birds in the air, but when it comes down to their IQ, they are slower than k9s. Oh, I can also say that EmeryCat's de-shedders get an A+ from me, as does the Furminator for the rest of us. 

Twink!

Rescue Dogs and More Barn Trouble

For those of you who do not remember my Barn Trouble post, let me summarize. Linguini, Frankie, and I were spending a lovely day at the animal shelter, um, barn among furiends, when Linguini and Frankie decided to leave us and go visit a bridge across the street. When Momma yelled at them to get back, I was waiting for them too. I set them straight. I was the good one.

Today, I have a different story to tell. There are several versions. Here's a little sequence.

Do my feet ever touch the ground?

Oh, before I forget again, I have uploaded a video on youtube: a hike at the much changed Station Fire Forest with furiends.

Twink!

My Animal Shelter, My Home

'Tis the Day Before Thanksgiving

I've been tweeting to friends and strangers. A couple of the trend Trending Topics for the day are Thanksgiving related and I'm now on a roll. Things my pack and I are grateful for:

#1 TLC

All ex-strays and homeless, know the value of being loved. 

A hug is a hug is a hug

As the upside down Chiweenie

Food on the floor, bowl, grass, wherever!

I will finish this bone before I meet my maker

That's a mighty bone for a tea cup Chihuahua

Good friends!

Hanging with friends, aaah
More Lhasa Apso Pictures coming your way soon

A roof over our head

Okay, so I'm a little squished

And of course, my beloved family: I love you all and I'm grateful for each and every one of you, Mom, Frankie, Linguini, Bob, Jet, Max, J&D

A treat: Before I go,  I would like to share a single photo of my buddy Jude, aka Deputy Dog, whose home I'll be feasting at tomorrow (if he doesn't step on me first). Dear Mango, this one's for you. Here's my other ginormous friend. He is a mastiff and proud of it. 

1 Jude-paw = 3 Twink-heads

Remember: Adopt a pet

Twink! Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Maine Coon and Akita | German Shepherd

Max and Darla's Story

Adopt A Pet

I should have know when I heard Mom was going to the animal shelter, that she wouldn't come home alone. She brought back two old geezers. LOL. She cleaned up. She found out who was in trouble the most and adopted them. OMG! Who would have expected this! Darla, a seven year old Akita and German Shepherd mix was enormous. Just a scary sight.

Along with Darla came Max, an eight year old giant fluffy maine coon--a cat, I was told. Max's days were numbered. Actually, in his case, his hours were numbered. A lady had adopted him once, but then Max coughed up a fur-ball (of epic proportions) on the way to her car, and she turned around and un-adopted him. Humans! Oh, well. Max, Maximilian, Maxwell, Maxine, this time decided to empty his bowels on the way to his new home, our home. What a stinker! 

 Darla, the German Shepherd and Akita mix, was an awesome dog but not the best pal for me. She spoke English and German. She was also the first dog at our house to play "fetch" or "bring" as they say in Germand. She could "sitz", "platz" and all the good things, but we had a little problem. She would pick me up and put me in her mouth! Yikes! That was scary. Apparently, I wasn't the only one who thought so. Mom was terrified. She got on the phone and found Darla a superb home. Darla stayed with us for a few short terrifying for me days, but we miss her. At the moment, she lives happily with her new family at a home in Malibu. She goes to the beach almost every day, lucky girl. Braver hund, Darla!

Senior maine coon Max was awesome  too but not the best companion for our kitties, the famous tailless twins, who were half his size. Our cats freaked, but Max didn't seem to care. He still doesn't. Things haven't changed much although it's been a year. Every now and then the twins and Max get into minor cat fights, but Max is a loner and all he cares about is to have his water, food, and petting only--when he wants it. He's a bit old and every now and then his arthritis bothers him, but the vet gives him Rimadyl and Mom keeps him on a healthy diet. It's manageable. I actually like Max. He's quiet and gentle and we never bother each other. The only one who could really complain about Max is Linguini, the Dalmatian and German Shorthaired Pointer mix, aka The Spotted Dog. Max stole her bed!

But Linguini doesn't mind because...

She got an even better one!

Adopt a pet. 

Twink!