Tuesday, December 11

Puppy Love

I'd like you all to meet the newest addition to our family - Kali. She is a Jack Russell mix - mixed with what, we don't know, because Kali is a rescue dog.

We 'adopted' her in August. The home she had come from was small, filthy and crowded with other animals. At only 10 weeks old, Kali was already undernourished and infested with fleas. When we first brought her home, she hardly moved at all, except to shiver or to duck her head whenever a human hand came near. She kept her ears flat
against her head and the little stub of her tail (someone had docked it way too short) never wagged.

Over the weeks, Kali relaxed in our home. Her personality completely changed. In fact it was only after those first initial weeks that she got her name... Kali, the Hindu goddess of destruction.

We've changed, too. The kids, who couldn't have a pet in the corporate housing in Japan have learned to put Kali's needs to walk, go out, get fed and be loved before their desire to park in front of the TV or computer screen. (OK, to be fair, sometimes they park with Kali in their arms.)



It's like having a baby in the home. Each day with her is a new discovery. Last week,we got our first 'real' snowfall, which was fun in itself since we didn't get accumulating snow in Tokyo, but the most fun of all was watching Kali's first experience in the white stuff. She loved it and bounded around like a little bunny (when she wasn't pushing snowballs with her nose or eating the snow.)

Anyone else have pet or rescue stories? How do you celebrate the holidays with your pets?

Share with us!

Gerb

13 comments:

Jessica Burkhart said...

Oooh! Black and white is so adorable! A puppy is still on my wish list. :)

Chelsea said...

Aw. She's adorable! I have a Jack Russel named Ziggy, and he's the cutest. Except when he pees in the house and I have to clean it up. I also have two other dogs. So it's a grand ol' time.

Wendy Toliver said...

Kali is adorable! We rescued our cat, Moxie, a part Siamese who was almost dead because she was way too young to be apart from her mom. (Kali's first home sounds a lot like Moxie's.) And when we got our high bred Lab as a gift, we made sure his companion was a dog pound doggie. I know you'll have many years of fun with little Kali!

Anonymous said...

Awwww! She's so cute! My DH is dying to get a puppy but unfortunately I'm allergic to most dogs...plus we have a beloved cat who probably would not react well. But maybe someday down the line we'll have our own sweet Kali!

Alyson Noel said...

Oh, I have dog envy in the worst way, and Kali is adorable!!

Someday, when our lives slow down a bit and I get my allergies under control, I hope to get a dog too!

Sara Hantz said...

Awwww she is so gorgeous. You're going to have such fun with her.

Leigh Brescia said...

Kali is So Cute!

My dog, Trixie, isn't a rescue dog. She's a seven-year-old miniature dachshund. She's special needs now, though, because she had a back injury about a year and a half ago (it's a common thing for dachshunds). She's able to move her legs again, but still can't walk. She uses a "doggie cart" with back wheels to get around. She's so sweet, and her "handicap" doesn't even bother her--she's just as spunky as she always was, just able to do a little less.

~Leigh~

Kelly (Lynn) Parra said...

I want to cuddle her right now. haha! Congrats on the new addition to the family. :) ;)

Erica Orloff said...

Oh, she's adorable!

We rescused two cocker spaniel/jack russell mix pups from similar conditions--filth and squalor. They are adorable--but I have a dog trainer coming Thursday . . . they are crazy and like "Frisbee-catching" dogs because they can jump in one leap on tables! :-)

E

Gerb said...

Thanks, everyone. Yes, we were taken with how cute she was when we got her. She just melted our hearts and there was no way we could have left her to stay in the terrible situation she was in. I don't quite understand the psychology of people who claim to love animals and yet they take in too many to care for and force them all to live in deplorable conditions. It's just beyond my understanding.

Best of luck, page flipper, working with Ziggy to stop peeing in the house. Males are more difficult in that area, I think. Especially when there are other doggies in the house and they want to be territorial.

Nicole and Alyson, if you really want to get a dog, there are some breeds that are less likely to shed, like poodles and schnauzers and wheaton terriers, that might work well with allergies. The poodles tend to be a little high-strung, but mixed breeds can combat that. My neighbor has an adorable maltie-poo (who is friends with Kali) and she's a lot more calm than a pure poodle.

Leigh, I've seen little dogs with the wheeled contraption you describe and they seem happy as can be - they just like to be mobile! I've often wondered, though, do you have to unstrap Trixie from her cart for her to go to the bathroom? Does she wear it all the time or just when you go out for walks?

Erica, I'll bet your dogs are beautiful. What a nice mix. Are their coats wavy? I think a trainer in the home is worth his/her weight in gold. Especially for terrier and similar breeds with a lot of energy. They (and the owners) just need to learn how to focus that energy and not get into trouble...

Gerb

Leigh Brescia said...

Hi Gerb!

Yes, Trixie stays in her wheels to use the bathroom (it doesn't affect her in any way, and actually makes it easier for her to go). I put her in them whenever she needs exercise. She's getting older, so she likes to rest and sleep a lot. I'd say she "rolls around" a few hours out of every day. We take breaks, though, and she has to be watched in them. When we're gone she stays in a crate. Otherwise I keep her in a basket in the living room.

~Leigh~
http://www.myspace.com/leighbrescia

Amanda Ashby said...

OMG - is that just the cutest dog ever!!! We've had two stray cats before. One was old and totally adapted to its new life of being spoilt rotten. But the other was a feral kitten and despite it only being a couple of weeks old when we rescued it, it never became remotely friendly - we still loved it - just not when it sharpened its claws on our legs!!!!!

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