Team Orange

Well, we bid adieu to Team Orange last week. They went to another foster home, and I'll be checking to see where they all end up in the weeks ahead. Why did they go to another foster home, you ask? Well, a certain pointy-headed puppy got extremely jealous over all the attention they were getting, and acted out so badly we decided bringing them back was the best course of action.
He crapped in the house.

He tore up the carpeting in the hallway.

He destroyed our futon mattress in two places.

And what was the last straw?

The night he busted out of his LOCKED kennel (which unhappily resides in the kitten room), ate all the kitty litter, ate all the kitten food, peed on the carpet, and took a giant runny shit down the side of my shopvac and onto the floor.

I love Team Orange, but enough was enough. They went right to a new foster home, and Bruin has calmed his wicked ways considerably. I guess taking on four kittens at once was just too much. I hope to foster again in the future, but I'll opt for less kittens, or an older and wiser BruBear.

More Ado About Marley

Poor Miss Marley-O. All these fosters and dogs taking up the attention.

Love you, MO :)

The Itty Bitty Kitty Committee

After the first foster kitten didn't make it, I swore I would NEVER foster again. Ever!

Then, walking through the Stray Cat Room at work, I saw Team Orange. So many of our kittens at work are sick with URI's, and this crew had nary a snuffly nose or gunky eye.

Long story short, they are currently residing in Bruin's kennel for a couple of weeks until they weigh enough to be fixed and put up for adoption.

Go Team Orange!

We'll Miss You, Little Buckaroo...

He never had a name, he was only around for two weeks, but I'll never forget him.

We got an orphaned two week old kitten in at work, and as no one was around to take him home for the night, (he couldn't eat or go to the bathroom on his own), I took him. "Just for the night", and then a foster parent could take him the next day. Well, one night turned into two weeks, and while it was gross throughout (stimulating a cat to poop isn't as cool as it sounds), and heartbreaking at the end, I'm so glad I had him.

Our little bud made himself at home, tried to suckle off the dogs, found nirvana snoozing under shirts in my cleavage, and wobbled around the apartment like an unsteady gray dust bunny. The dogs loved him and quickly learned to "freeze" when he was under foot.


He had bloody diarrhea most of the time, and constant bathing led to a very sore bum for our little friend. He still played and cuddled regardless, although diarrhea turned to bloody diarrhea, and then in the end just blood oozing out. He had medication, but it didn't seem to help. I've been told that such young kittens really need their mothers to survive, that 80% of kittens his age don't make it without the antibodies, nutrition, social training, and emotional support provided by mum. We tried our best, but in the end his little body got cold, and wouldn't warm up again no matter how many warmed blankets we wrapped him in. When he couldn't lift his head, I wrapped him up and lay him on my chest, tucked under my chin. He died in his favorite spot.

I'll miss you, baby.

Reservoir (Loofa) Dogs

I forgot to mention...on our trip away we picked up a four-pack of "Loofa Dogs" for the boys as a "sorry-for-leaving-you-behind" present. If you're a pet person, you've seen these things at the pet store...
They have squeakers in the head and rear-end, and each one has a different tone. They were such a hit that upon receiving them, Bruin commandeered all FOUR toys and joyfully squeaked
his heart out in a little pile of Loofa Dogs until we had to take some away from him so Gryphon could try them out.

Naming them after Reservoir Dogs seemed appropriate, and they are, respectively, called Mr. Red, Mr. Green, Mr. Orange, and Mr. Blue. Sadly, Mr. Blue was killed in action shortly after coming home (aka, a visit from Kira). The others have suffered as well. Mr. Orange no longer has any ears, and Mr. Red is missing his face and half his stuffing. Only Mr. Green prevails. They are so popular around here, we'll have to go out and buy another pack!

Back to Town

Nik and I flew to Thunder Bay for a wedding last week, and stayed with my parents for 5 days.
It was a beautiful wedding, and I got to spend time with a lot of old friends and family.

The furry elements of our family stayed home, however, and got babysat by our good friends down the hall. We expected Bruin to not care that we were gone, because really, a whole FIVE days with Kira? Awesome! We expected Gryphon to be a nervous wreck, and expected Marley to be her usual attention-seeking, bug-eyed self. Well, we were right about the cat.

Gryphon begged for attention, but he had a blast! He wasn't upset in the least. Bruin, on the other hand, screamed so much during the first two nights, Greg and Lesley had to move his kennel back down the hall to our apartment. Can you believe it? Goofy, oblivious Bruin, who tries to get into strangers cars at Bruce Pit, actually missed us.

All is well now that we're home again. My new job means less time spent with the pooches, and Gryphon doesn't like that (he's licked himself a giant hotspot on his foot due to stress), but they're becoming more adjusted to it. Speaking of work, Gryphon is going to be doing his temperament test through the Humane Society to see if he can volunteer in the Brightening Lives program (dogs who visit hospitals and schools). Wish him luck!

Pet me please, Auntie Lesley?

Pleeeeease?

Bruin, destroyer of plushies

They even got in a trip to Bruce Pit! Auntie Lesley (who is clearly insane), took all THREE pups by herself

Hurray for week long playdates!

Hello? Mom? Dad? Anybody?

Digga Dig Dig!

Digging up Bruce Pit, one day at a time...

Going in Circles

I took the dogs out for another photo shoot in the college gardens, and couldn't resist hoisting Bruin into one of the neat architectual designs on the way...

Pppppbbbbbt!

Oh Hai!

All Updates, All the Time!

Sorry about the week long absence, both computers decided to go kaput at the same time, and all my pictures were tied up between them. One computer is still blown, and we had to drag my dusty old laptop out of the closet so we both have something to work on. Funny how life seems to grind to a halt once the computers are out of commission!

Anyhow, dog life goes on at our place. Mom was supposed to come into town tonight for the weekend (my first time seeing her in a year!), but her flight was cancelled, so she won't be meeting her new grandpup after all. I'm bummed about that, but Nik and I (and hopefully Gryphon) will be flying to Thunder Bay next week to attend a wedding, so I'll get some family time in after all.

Bruin has had two weeks of agility class out at Dreamfields, and we love it! I'll try to get some pictures next time. Meanwhile, we keep practicing our clicker training and new tricks. Bruin can now "Stand Up" and "Roll Over".

Here is a video from today of Gryphon and Bruin "kind of" playing (more like Bruin playing and Gryphon tolerating, per usual)

Isn't it amazing how BIG Bruin is now?

From Bitty to Beastly

Bruin at 6 months resembles a small horse. He is nearly unrecognizable as the tiny pup we brought home 3 months ago. From a wee brown bundle of fuzz to a gangly, pointy-faced, long-legged black beastie. I love him!

Here is his second night home, too tired to go down the stairs!

Here are the obligatory engagement gift shots. Nik, um, "slipped" a bit when making his proposal, so he got me a puppy to make up for it :)

He was so tiny next to Gryph

Getting bigger...
(and darker!)


A little more grown up

And here he is as of the Walkathon, all caught up to Gryphon in height and starting to fill out.

He's adorable right now, stumbling around on his over-long legs and trying to fit into places he's hopelessly too big for. I think that once we get past the adolescent stage, Bruin is going to be QUITE the handsome dog (of course I might be a bit biased) :)

Much Ado About Marley

Poor Marley-O. Everyone makes such a fuss over the dogs, she often gets overlooked. My poor kitty had a misadventure yesterday, and my heart is still skipping beats thinking about it. I left the apartment to take the pups out, got talking with a friend, and forgot I'd left the balcony door wide open.

Marley loves to go out there and sun herself on the deck chairs, and we always keep an eye on her. She has always been mindful of the edge, but the ONE time I forget and leave her unsupervised, she falls off the balcony (we live on the third floor). I got back into the apartment, said hello to Nik who had arrived home in my absence, and SOMETHING made me go right out to the balcony and look over. My heart dropped when I saw her little blue collar lying in the grass with no cat inside it. Nik ran outside, and I got our friend down the hall who works for a vet. We found her sitting in the window sill of the bottom apartment, crying and shaky. The people in the apartment thought she was a stray, and had put out food for her (they had no idea she'd come from above!), as Marley had frantically tried to get IN their apartment window. She has never been outside, and was probably scared to death!

We felt her all over and besides being scared, she seemed fine. She spent the evening on my lap, purring and snuggling on her favorite pillow. We've watched her closely since then, and she's back to her normal self. Rest assured, she will never get out again! How a cat can walk away from a three story fall is beyond me, but I'm so glad my Marley girl is all right.