It Can't Possibly Be Monday Already!

My weekend was a blur. I can't believe it's over already.

Friday morning I found out my car will not be finished until Tuesday. They are waiting for the last part-my bumper cover- to arrive and then it needs to be painted which takes even longer. *sigh*. I'm really hoping they are right since I'm so sick of my rental; it rides rough and doesn't corner worth a shit plus it's an automatic. It gets me to work though and I could be driving A's piece of shit truck with questionable brakes and an even more questionable starter.

Then I was rushing to get finished with work Friday since I had a 1.5 hour drive to take Nifty to another rescuer's home. Of course when you have to be somewhere you can NEVER get out on time. That meant rushing home and rushing around and that just increased my anxiety about her leaving.  A and I put a pillow over the console between the front seats and Nifty rode there comfortably and was petted and cuddled the whole way. Of course the only one stressed was me; the change is harder on me than on her. Nifty was cool as could be and just walked in that house and the next rescuer's house Saturday like she had always been there. Her new mama and I have been chatting as she gets everything ready for Nifty's arrival. She wants her to be as comfortable as possible. I don't think it's going to be a problem.

Last July we picked up some dogs from a breeder and then transported them south for their vetting. That day I met a tiny little mill mama named Jackie O. It was love at first sight as I watched her scoot on her belly and bury her face in the grass; nervous little tail wagging. Friday her foster mom, Joanne, left a message asking if we would be willing to bring her home with us; kind of a Nifty trade or consolation prize. LuLu is so timid and after 6 months in foster care she hasn't made much progress. She hoped LuLu could benefit from a smaller quieter environment and we have experience with this type of rescue. Joanne knows just how to work me (I've mentioned my love of LuLu many times) but getting by the "gate-keeper" is another story. A who had said no more fosters for awhile gave in surprisingly easy. I didn't really even ask (or beg); I just told her the situation and asked her opinion. So let me introduce LuLu (no drumroll please-that's way too scary).

She is 5 years old and the smallest creature in this house...even the cats look huge next to her. I would estimate she is only about 5-6 pounds and the smallest chin I've ever fostered but not the smallest I've seen. She scuttles from one dog bed to another and does all she can to avoid contact with us...except when food is involved. We've been luring her in with bits of chicken and fingers dipped in yogurt.

Saturday I dragged my tired ass out of bed to go help at an adoption event in the Twin Cities. I took 2 foster girls along for the marathon 5 hour event. It actually stretched into 6 hours (plus a one hour drive each way) and people were still approaching us as we were heading for the door. It was incredibly busy and I know I easily talked with a hundred people. As A has written about before, dealing with all those people can be a challenge for me but luckily talking about the dogs/rescue is something I can visit about all day. There was only me and one other rescuer there for our group so I literally talked non-stop the entire time. My foster girl Cassie was a standout; friendly and greeting everyone and she had a lot of interest. We don't do on-the-spot adoptions but one of our previous adopters (actually he adopted 3 from us in the last 2 years) showed up and took home a 4th. I'm happy to say that most people were asking "good" questions about the chins. I like that but then there are always a few that I think "You fucking ignorant asshole!".

It's fun sometimes just to listen to people because a lot of idiots lack a censor. Give them enough time and they will tell you everything you need to know. One guy was looking for a couple dogs to breed (duh, we're trying to get them out of the breeding cycle), a woman was visiting with me and her son asked if these dogs like to run away since their dog "runs away all the time". Okay, big red flag beacon flashing over their heads! I had one particular woman who became a pest and was actually a little confrontational. During our multiple visits she had told me she had returned one dog and had 2 others put down because she could not house train them. She kept pressuring me for a "guarantee" that one of our dogs would be completely housebroken and telling me another group had offered that guarantee. After 4.5 hours into the event and 4 conversations with this bitch, I finally (and politely) put the smack down on her. "Ma'am, I don't know exactly what you want from me, but I cannot and will not offer a guarantee that any of our dogs will be completely housebroken and any rescue who tells you that is lying. The only fully reliably trained animal is a stuffed one." She stomped off but I don't feel like it's any great loss.

As you can imagine, Sunday I spent my day in a vegetative state on the couch. Now It's time to shovel some snow so I can get to work today. I took the day off tomorrow for no particular reason...I just wanted to. Happy Monday to you all!