Running VERY Late

I'm really late with my post today. I've been pretty busy for a Saturday. Casey is in with me today getting a few things ticked off of our "to do" list. We had a nice little lunch together and just enjoyed each other's company. I'm still impatiently waiting for comfirmation of my reservations for the Atlanta Pet Fair. They said if I didn't receive confirmation in 24 hours to give them a call. Looks like I'll be doing that right after work today.

No big plans for the weekend. The weather looks to be a complete wash out anyway. We are running a quick trip to Aquatic Critter tonight for crickets. We are gorging Rose, the bearded dragon, on crickets. She suprised us both by laying more "slug" eggs last week. This time she laid 12!! Now she looks super skinny again. Casey and I've decided that we may just have to relocate her somewhere to keep her from being super stimulated by Mupit, our male.

I'm definitely looking forward to Monday again this week. Monday is my day to work at Kindred Spirits. I've never been so excited to go to a job before, and I must admit the change is refreshing. It's 7 hours of pure bliss for me to be there with the dogs and to be helping them. I've definitely found my "zen" there with them all.

I'll leave you all with a happy ending story that I found over on Modern Pooch. A sad beginning with a much happier ending. KUDOS to the groomers that helped to make this happen! Everyone have a fabulous weekend!

Pooch gets extreme makeover after suffering years of neglect

Pooch gets extreme makeover

BY DONNA SKATTUM FOR FLORIDA TODAY

Looking good. Rambo shows off the results of a six-hour grooming session at the Central Brevard Humane Society, which restored his appearance. Donna Skattum, for FLORIDA TODAY

It could be considered a "makeover" in the most extreme sense of the word. In this instance, however, the recipient was the one likely to be doing the "nipping" and was more than a little "tuckered" out following his transformation.

When workers arrived at the Central Brevard Humane Society in Cocoa one morning in January and checked the carriers left outside the facility to receive drop-off animals, they found a dog with an extremely matted coat.

"Never in my life have I seen an animal so neglected," said Theresa Clifton, Humane Society executive director. "It was so sad."

What the workers initially thought was a "medium-sized" dog, was actually fairly small. With so much matted hair on him, by the time all the clipping and grooming were done, he weighed nearly 5 pounds less.

"He could hardly move he was so matted. He must have been caged for at least a year," said Clifton, who added there was no way to tell when the last time was he'd been groomed -- if ever.

Despite that, the dog appears to be in relatively good health.

Veterinarian Scott Hemmingway said he tested negative for heartworm and doesn't appear to be malnourished. The dog is most likely a Lhasa Apso.

But it wasn't until kennel manager Margaret French and office manager Melissa Crawford got out the scissors and went to work that they realized what a huge task they had undertaken.

"We literally cut a helmet of hair from his head," said French.

The cleanup proved too much for the little guy to handle, and workers were forced to put him under anesthesia to complete the job.

"He started crying when we began to shave him," said Clifton, "and we had to be so careful. We didn't know where the fur ended and the dog started."

It took workers more than six hours before the true dog beneath emerged.

"We started shearing him -- just like a sheep," said French.

After penetrating what they estimated to be between six and 10 inches of fur, they finally found the dog. By the time they were finished, he was 4.8 pounds lighter.

"I don't know how anyone could stand to look at this dog without wanting to do something," said Clifton. "This represents several years of neglect."

The staff at the Humane Society continues to care for the dog. Several sores on his legs are healing and Clifton is cautious about when he'll be available for adoption.

"With extreme cases like this, he has been through so much, we have to make sure he goes to the right home. He's very lucky we got him when we did. I don't know how much longer he could have gone on the way he was," Clifton said.

Crawford, who has worked at the Humane Society for four years, called this situation "the worst I've ever seen."

"If he could talk, he'd be able to tell us what happened to him. Because he can't, it's our responsibility to watch out for him. We take care of those who can't speak for themselves. If anyone sees an animal like this, they need to report it," Clifton said.

"He's so sweet," she said of the dog, whom they estimate is about 6 years old and now weighs about 16 pounds.

Workers at the shelter have given him the name Rambo.

"We thought he needed a tough-guy name," said Clifton, "considering all he has been through."