They are all mine…

I swear I say that almost on a daily basis.  I know large families are not as common as they once were,  so when people stop me when I'm out with all five kids to ask I don't mind.  I usually just say "I'm a really slow learner".  I love having five kids, I have some really cool kids.

We all choose our own unique way to parent and that is OK.  The way I choose to parent is to lead by example. I feel that showing instead of just telling is more effective. I show my kids the importance of being healthy, how to make better choices for eating. I show them that daily exercise is important. I show them that we need to have humility & compassion. I show them how to have a strong work ethic. I don't just tell them, I lead them by example.

I know I'm doing my job, I have some pretty amazing kids.  This past weekend Mia showed me that she is listening.  She did a pretty brave thing and stayed extremely calm & confident.

We were driving up Telegraph this past Saturday to pick up a dog that had been found in a busy intersection, we were taking her to a foster home. On our way we noticed a large shepherd laying on the ground with another dalmatian/boxer mix standing over him. They were in a cemetery right on Telegraph. So we of course could not just drive by. We went in the cemetery and I got out with some dog treats(always have them on hand). I slowly approached the dogs, walking at an angle to not threaten them. The dalmatian mix quickly started walking towards me while I shepherd was slow to get up. They both were wet, cold and very friendly. Something was not right with the shepherd. Knowing I could not fit these two large dogs in my car with three of my five kids I got on the phone. I called two of my rescue friends and asked for help. I left some food and we went to pick up the other dog. I arranged to meet back at the cemetery in about 45 minutes.

Finally on our way back, we get to the intersection they were at and we saw them sitting now right next to the busy road. The shepherd was once again laying down and the other dog was standing over him.  Sensing something was really wrong with the shepherd and knowing we had to do something that moment or these two dogs were going to get hit by a car. But also where we were, I could not stop the car.  So Mia said  hesitation "I got them mom" She grabbed the slip and opened her door. With out thinking twice I told her to slip lead the shepherd(the other dog would not leave him) and to sit there until I loop back around to where I could stop and park on the side of the road. She jumped out of the car and did exactly what I told her to do. I had to do a couple, three to be exact  Michigan left hand turns to get back to her. In this time, she was out of my sight for a couple minutes. As a mom, I had a moment of a panic but when I saw her sitting there with her arms around this shepherd and getting kisses from the dalmatian I knew all was good. That was a very proud mom moment.

We had to wait about 20 minutes for help to arrive with a larger car.  Mia sat there in the cold rain never complaining.

We then had to take the other dog to foster, while we were doing that we were networking like crazy trying to find a temporary boarding facility for these two dogs.  Thankfully we were able too. After dropping off the little dog, we headed to boarding. On our way there we received a phone call saying that an ad was placed on Craigslist looking for two lost dogs with the same description. We called and sure enough it was there family. We also learned that the shepherd had just gotten out of the hospital for seizures and he was over due for his daily medicine. Which is why he was laying down and struggling to walk. The dalmatian, which we thought was deaf, was indeed deaf. Those two dogs worked so good as a team, they really are an inspiration. They made it across two of the busiest three lane roads in Metro Detroit, one having seizure, the other deaf.

We happily returned them to their very grateful owners who had been out looking on foot all day/night.

In rescue we don't get too many really amazing happy stories. These mean so much. But also Mia showed me so much courage & compassion, she remained so calm under a lot of pressure. I know I'm doing an ok job as a mom.

M~

Three special girls

These past two months have been extra busy.

We have three special rescue cases that have kept us hopping.

First we have Shawn. She was the  feral street dog that was born in a a junkyard in Detroit. Shawn needed to be rescue'd before she added to the population, at 6 months old she was getting to that age where the boys in the hood would soon be calling. But she was also at the age where rehabilitating her was also coming in to question. She needed to be caught while still young enough to erase her negative past with humans.  It was not easy to plan, it took several weeks and many people who either donated equipment or their time to catch her. Once we did, we put her in my heated garage in a large 10x10 enclosure. I have been spending several hours each day with her and have been making great progress. I also made her a facebook page called "Shawn's Journey" to educate people on the feral/stray dog problem in Detroit but to also show that there is a solution, even just one person and one dog can make a difference. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=244922115525103&set=a.244921978858450.81060.244401612243820&type=1&theater#!/pages/Shawns-Journey/205173346239713

Next we have Grace. She was a dog that I rescue'd never intending on keeping at our house. Once I picked her and her "brother" up from their bad situation it was pretty clear that Grace was a special case. She lived her 9 years outside in a cage. She is an extra sweet girl but doesn't understand anything about living in a house and it terrified of everything. Also because she had never lived in a house, potty training was in order. So she was not a dog that could live in just any foster home. So she has stayed with us and Scott has taken on the project of her rehab.

The last girl we have is Blanca. I was called in after another group found her living in poor conditions outside. She was very pregnant and very malnourished. We worked with her family who wanted to keep her. After delivering ten puppies and losing one, we had to make some decisions for her. We spent several hours at an er vet with her and learned she has many health concerns, some could be fatal. We also have been hand raising one of her puppies, which has kept several of us, including some good friends very busy.  You can read about her story here.

http://furryfourpaws.blogspot.com/2012/02/cooperation-education-compassion.html

I have learned so much from each of these special needs girls. I have learned to have a lot more compassion for others. Like I always say, everyone comes in our lives for a reason. It's up to us to learn and understand what those reasons are.

M~

Shawn's life on the street

Grace & Ava

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blanca two days after giving birth