You've got a friend

Agnes - MDAS Survivor

 

When you're down and troubled
And you need some loving care
And nothing, nothing is going right

Mr Gibbs - Heard County Animal Control Survivor

Close your eyes and think of me
And soon I will be there
To brighten up even your darkest night

Frannie - Heard County Animal Control Surviver

You just call out my name
And you know wherever I am

I'll come running to see you again

Lucy Moonchild - abandoned on a country road

Winter, spring, summer or fall
All you have to do is call
And I'll be there
You've got a friend

Lilly

If the sky above you
Grows dark and full of clouds
And that old north wind begins to blow

Albert



Keep your head together
And call my name out loud
Soon you'll hear me knocking at your door

Georgia on my mind

You just call out my name
And you know wherever I am

 

Bam Bam

I'll come running to see you
Winter, spring, summer or fall
All you have to do is call
And I'll be there

 

Mulligan found crippled abandoned on a dirt road

Ain't it good to know that you've got a friend
When people can be so cold



Sydney Barrett MDAS Survivor

They'll hurt you, and desert you
And take your soul if you let them
Oh, but don't you let them
 

Beagle - Gas Chamber Survivor

You just call out my name
And you know wherever I am
I'll come running to see you again
Winter, spring, summer or fall 

Ellie Mae Walton County Animal Control

 

All you have to do is call
And I'll be there
You've got a friend

 

 

 

New Horizons

We would like to thank all our friends who offered inspiration and encouragement during Abbie's long illness.  We've crossed through the abyss with nothing but a new horizon up ahead.  We are estatic having our Abbie back.

On the wind soaring free
Spread your wings, I'm beginning to see
Out of mind far from view
Beyond the reach of a nightmare come true

Well I've had dreams enough for one
And I got love enough foir three
I have my hopes to comfort me
I got my new horizons out to sea

But I'm never gonna lose you precious gift
It will always be that way
"cos I know I'm gonna find my own piece of mind
Someday, someway

Justin Haywood

Poe Poe, a dream within a dream

Today we celebrate our sweet beagle dream. A dream known as Poe Poe to honor his dream. Poe's dream has been a beacon of light shining through darkness of night. This dreamer renamed this sweet boy Poe-Poe to honor the icon who's namesake he represents. It was nine years ago today that Poe entered my life, a dream within a dream that came through the darkness of night.

Today we celebrate that dream. Poe's dream was to simply love and be loved; that's the dream Poe now lives.


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Poe Poe and Bam Bam

Born in the spring of 2001, could it be destiny or fate that our lives would soon cross or just a night's dream running late? In a dream Poe must have been a sweet little beagle boy - all innocent and sweet like all puppies are.

Somewhere before he was two that dream got lost. He found himself lost in a nightmare of doubt abandoned by those he loved and left to fend for himself.

Poe was found wandering along the side of the road. His savior was a local vet tech who spotted Poe; opened the door and Poe jumped in. This forgotten mangy looking soul was now in the arms of his savior.

Was it fate or a dream that answered I answered a call from Poe's now desperate savior needing a place for Poe to go before animal control was called. Poor Poe was lost in a maze of unwanted fog unable to see any beacon of light. One look at Poe's sweet but pathetic face was all that fate would need. Poe found his dream and fate would reward us with our dream as well.

When I first met Poe he had been left behind at a local vet's. Poe's savior brought Poe to work and took great care to help stop the suffering this poor boy had been left to endure.

For dreamers the life we see during the darkness of night are our life's dream.

It's our dreams just before the dawn ekes out the darkness of the night and our prayers of faith in the light that reward us by honoring our dreams.

It was then that this kind woman gave Poe his greatest gift, she sought out a dreamer who would help Poe rekindle his dream.

In the nine wonderful years living Poe's dream he has been a beacon of light whom I am quite proud.   A beacon of hope of dreams that come true down through the clouds.

My sweet little Poe is no longer young yet with his touch of grey he is now my forever friend.   As we stumble through life's valley's and peak's, one thing is certain our dreams do come true.  It is our dreams that will make our lives complete - not the promises of riches we can not spend.  Life promises us nothing but the riches of finding our dreams.

There are those throughout the history of time who tell you - to find your dreams you must be a dreamer yourself.

We might all be different and lost in life's fog, but in the end aren't we all just living Poe's dream within a dream?

"A Dream within a Dream"

Take this kiss upon the brow!
And, in parting from you now,
Thus much let me avow-
You are not wrong, who deem
That my days have been a dream;
Yet if hope has flown away
In a night, or in a day,
In a vision, or in none,
Is it therefore the less gone?
All that we see or seem
Is but a dream within a dream.

Edgar Allen "Poe"

A Brand New Day

Abbie and Cleo - a bond formed years ago

From the onset I realized that while I am extremely pleased with our dear Abbie's physical improvements after surgery to remove her cancerous front leg I also realize that even though we've climbed that mountain together our real journey starts now.




Well the first days are the hardest days
Don't you worry any more
Cause when life looks like Easy Street
There is danger at your door
Think this through with me
Let me know your mind
Wo, oh, what I want to now is are you kind?
Uncle John's Band

It's difficult to judge what Abbie's thinking after waking up to find her leg gone.  It is obvious her new life is a complete shock.  What Abbie needs most now is a little "are you kind".  This isn't going to be easy for me or Abbie but together with the bond we've formed over the past eleven years will help make this transition go forward.  It will take lots of time but hopefully we now have the advantage of having that time.

Everything Abbie does from this day forward will be different.  She'll need a new place to eat and get her water, she'll need a new routine for going outside to take care of her business, she'll need to learn that life will still have everything she enjoys doing but will simply be different.  What won't be different is the amount of love and support she gets from both me and some of the other hounds.

Last night I saw the hounds like Cleo, Agnes, Beagle and Poe all step up and form a circle of love around their long time fellow pack member.  Cleo and Agnes stayed by Abbie's side throughout the night.  I've never doubted the therapeutic effect that packs have when one has been injured or falls seriously ill.  Of course as alpha leader in our pack I reaffirmed the role the "elders" play in helping bring things back to normal for Abbie.  I count on the help from some of the older hounds in helping keep the newer members of the household in their place.

Over the next five days Abbie will be heavily sedated in order to help allow her wound to start the healing process.  The wound itself looks clear.  She is quite painful so her schedule will be broken down into little steps we will take.  She did go out this morning but turned around and wanted back in.  I offered her breakfast but at first she wasn't interested.  So I sat there and hand fed her a few bites and left her alone.  When I came back she was eating some of her breakfast.  Then she went back to sleep.  We'll try again with taking her out and encouraging her to eat every few hours.

Later today I'm going to move a large cage in the bedroom and use it only to put her food in.  Hopefully I can teach her that when she's hungry there will be food in the cage where the rest of the hounds haven't had access to.  It was kind of funny when the staff told me they tried to feed Abbie but she turned her nose up to everything but a few treats.  I was going to mention that Abbie has a thing about her food - she really wants to watch you prepare it or she takes this attitude you must be trying to poison her and won't touch it.  Besides, only dad knows what she likes.

As we move forward on introducing Abbie to her new life we'll just take things real slow and take things one day at a time.  Days we are now blessed with thanks to a whole bunch of Abbie's dear friends and we thank you all.

Memories of Zoe

Today marks two years since the passing of Zoe Monster. 

"God saw you getting tired and a cure was not to be. So he put his arms around you; whispered come with me. With tearful eyes, I watched and saw you drift away.  Although I loved you more than you'll ever know I could not make you stay.  A golden heart stopped beating as I stroked your soft coat.  God broke my heart to prove he only takes the best".  While your loss has proved to be more than I thought I could endure your heart still is close as memories inside my heart."

Today marks two years since the passing of my dear sweet Zoe Monster.  Zoe's passing came only weeks after losing Maggie.  I had just come to lean on Zoe to help me deal with losing Maggie when her time came as well.  Maggie and Zoe set the stage for the hundreds of hounds to follow.  They were inseparable in life and live on together in their passing.

I found Zoe in August 2001 while visiting South Florida.  Zoe was listed as "free to a good home" in the classified ad that caught my eye during breakfast at George's Diner in Deerfield Beach.  I'll never forget introducing Maggie to this sweet super petite little puppy.  Maggie was initially not impressed and answered the introduction with an uncharacteristic little growl.  That lasted all of about fifteen seconds before they became the best of friends. 

Zoe idolized her big sister Maggie with a bond that never wavered.  This is one of my favorite pictures of little Zoe buried beneath the blankets sleeping with her big sister Maggie.

                              
As a puppy Zoe was so full of life. Always happy and energized Zoe added a unique personality far different than Maggie's laid back approach at life. She loved our travels quickly adjusting to a life on the road never missing an opportunity to ham it up when she could. This in contrast to her short past as a product of an Oklahoma puppy mill where she found herself in a south Florida pet shop for sale.



Zoe would mature into a strikingly regal yet petite red and white basset who was truly beautiful.  Zoe never met a camera that she couldn't pose for either resulting in some of our best shots.

While there isn't a day that goes by where her presence isn't felt it is the memories she left behind that I will always cherish.  The days spent on the road with Maggie and Zoe were some of the happiest memories of my life.  Till we meet again my dear sweet Zoe remember you were always loved.   

Sweet dreams Zoe Monster - sweet dreams.

 

Once there was a time

When your down and feeling blue there's no better medicine than a smile.  That's why I love the hounds - you can't be feeling sorry when their whimsical ways makes you laugh. 

Keep looking forward, forget the past, it's up to me to make me laugh.

Once there was a time when things weren't quite so blue, we'll just keep looking forward to days anew.

An adaptation of Alvin Lee's song

"Once there was a time".

Once there was a time I'd rob my mama
For a good meal and a smoke
Once there was a time I'd sell my brother
For a dollar when I was broke

But I'd never sell my hound dogs
And things were always great
'Cause if I don't have a hound dog
I'll be strumming on some angels harp

And if I don't get to heaven
And I go down there below
Better be a hound dog when I get there
Or, I will refuse to go

Once there was a time I was hungry
And I'd find my food in some bin
But I'd never, never sell my hound dogs
'Cause that would, darling, be my sin

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmlnx2KmjFE

Agnes surviving MDAS "Ten Years After"

Strike Force prepares for mission "Save Agnes"

It was ten years ago that we loaded up the "Deadmobile" Emergency Strike Force  for a journey to south Florida to extricate and rescue our girl Agnes from MDAS.  Gilmour wasn't able to make the journey as he was still recovery from his injuries he sustained at MDAS.

For those who think MDAS kill rate is high now ten years ago over 80% of the animals that entered MDAS never emerged. Many were simply left in their cages until they died horribly slow deaths from the diseases in the West Wing.

Agnes and Gilmour both MDAS Survivors

We made it to the shelter early the following morning and I went swiftly to the counter and "adopted" Agnes, even though she looked deathly ill. With her safely on board we turned our transport vehicle around and started back to Atlanta> I soon became concerned that perhaps Agnes wasn't strong enough to make the ten hour journey so we pulled up in Punta Gorda so I clean an open pussy head wound she had and to check her out.

We left early in the morning heading for home. I remember passing through Tampa when an officer who identified himself with the Miami Dade Police Department called and informed me the address on my Florida's license was a warehouse and MDAS policy "forbade" to commercial addresses. I informed the officer that I lived in the Atlanta area and that was also going to be where Agnes would reside as well.

Agnes with her please let me kiss you eyes

He then informed me that adopting dogs out of state was also forbidden and then proceeded to order me to return Agnes to MDAS. I informed him that I had no intention of turning around and my next stop was to take Agnes to MY vet for treatment. I was then informed I would be banned from ever "adopting" from the shelter and cited for violating some law. I probably can’t repeat what my response to his comment was and proceeded on home.

The following day I took Agnes to my vet where she was observed to have a two inch head wound that was infected and was suffering from severe whipworms which my vet suggested would have killed her in a few short days. I told him about my conversation with Officer Killhappy and he said not to worry about it and that he would fax this guy his comments. I’m not entirely sure what was in that fax but I never received a citation in the mail.

We have been blessed with having Agnes as part of our crew for ten years now. Around here she’s also known as the "Mad Kisser" for her habit of planting wet sloppy kisses on whoever she meets. Here’s to Agnes "ten years after".