Today is our “Triple Gotcha Day!"

Written by Mom
 

Bea, Neha, and Zander Celebrate their Triple Gotcha Day!

We adopted Bea and Neha together on 9/24/2008 after they bonded in foster care.  Bea was an owner surrender and her family could no longer afford to take care of her and Neha belonged to an elderly woman who died.  They were fostered in Virginia.  Neha was grief stricken for several months, barely lifting her head to eat and not interested in much around her.  Bea changed that and when she came, Neha got back her vitality.  Neha chased the soccer ball around her foster mom's yard and Bea bounced into her and played with her and her foster brother.  Six years later, Bea is 14 1/2 and blind and Neha is 12 1/2 and they are still fast friends.  Bea still manages to find Neha to bump into and play with.

Zander found his way to us as our first foster on 5/4/2009, I saw his picture on the CRM page and actually asked to foster him by name.  We were told he was a puppy mill rescue and estimated to be 7-10 years old.  He was in such bad condition that he barely survived his transport to us.  He weighed under 11 pounds and had a severe cough when he arrived.  Our housecalls vet put him on medications and he was diagnosed hypothyroid with chronic yeast issues.  He suffered from fear aggression, resource guarding, and fear biting.  He had a failed 19 day adoption and we took him back and decided to adopt him.  We saw a behaviorist and worked on his issues.  He still needs a muzzle at the groomer and the vet, and lacks bite inhibition, but we are one and a half years out from the last bite.  We dated his paperwork 9/24/2009 so they could share their gotcha day.  At the time we were sure that we would wake up one day and he wouldn't.  He has really beat the odds and our vet re-aged him and she thinks is close to 10 years old now.  They are wonderful additions to our 'furmily'.

Read About our 1^st Triple Gotcha Day!

http://postadoption.blogspot.com/2009/09/big-celebrations-for-bea-neah-and.html

Caruso Celebrates his 2nd Gotcha Day!

Contributed by CP Caruso

CP Caruso is a Happy 4 year old Boy!

Hey!!!  Caruso here!  Can you believe a whole year has gone by since I talked to you guys?  Well, it’s true – and do you know what that means?  Today is my 2^nd Gotcha Day!!!  Yay!!!

My Mom and Dad are so Great, they celebrate two special days just for me!  Mom says that because I was rescued by Col. Potter on June 8^th, and because nobody knew exactly when my birthday was, she and Dad decided to designate my rescue date as my birthday – so we celebrate on June 8^th!  Then, they adopted me officially on August 1^st, so that’s my “Gotcha Day!”  Two celebrations and two for-sure sets of new balls!!!

Caruso loves to hang out with big sister, Cindel…

…and he and Wicket have shared lots more brotherly love too!

And there is Lots to celebrate!  Mom says that I am doing much better on walks!  I knew that because I have heard different people giving me compliments!  Last week, for example, I was walking with Wicket and Mom didn't see the big dog coming since he was hidden by some shrubs.  All of a sudden, out pops this girl and her big dog, but Wicket and I didn't bark or anything!  Mom was so impressed!  Wicket doesn't like certain dogs and I have always had issues with most big dogs, so she couldn't believe how good we were - and she didn't have any treats in her pocket!  I think it’s that “maturity” she talked to me about last year, don’t you think?

Actually, I’m not so sure she should have been surprised.  After all, when she took me to my Big Birthday Party in June, I was very well behaved!  She kept calling the party “CRAP” - which I really didn’t understand, but I figured it was some kind of code about my 4^th birthday!   Anyway, I think the “maturity” thing started sticking to me then – ‘cause when you’re four, you got bigger responsibilities!

Caruso celebrated his Fourth Birthday at CRAP!

For example, I take full responsibility to get myself into my crate on my own now, and I don’t even wait for Mom to have a treat in her hand first.  This is a big deal, Mom says, because it means I trust her more, and that makes her very happy!  All she has to do is point to my crate now and I go right in!  Even if she walks away for a bit, I will still be sitting there in my crate when she comes back – and she always comes back with a treat!

Waiting for Mom to come home is very mature work!

Yes, I am growing up!  Even my Grandma and Grandpa say the same thing!  Of course, Grandma gets to observe my “maturity” quite a lot because I like to follow her around when I’m over at their house – which makes me a Grandma's Boy as well as a Mama's Boy!

Shhhhh… I’m hiding…

Don’t worry!  I’ll never let “maturity” take all of me!  I still love to play ball, any time, any place, and that is very, very good!  In the morning, Mom plays fetch with me for a while, and then I snuggle into my special "hidey spot" at the end of the bed when she is getting ready to go to work – just like I did when I was just a two-year old baby!

Some things shouldn’t ever be changed by “maturity”!

Thanks again to everyone in Col. Potter who worked so hard to save me and set me up for the Best two years of my life - so far! 

Check out my video where I am very mature, playing ball with a little baby!

Check out my video where I am playing ball with Wicket!

Check out my Third Year Blog Post:

http://postadoption.blogspot.com/2013/06/cp-caruso-cruses-into-year-four.html

Darby Wins the Roses!!

Written by Darby fka CP Gentry

Darby fka CP Gentry has been Home for Two Years!

Hello to all my Col. Potter friends!  Darby here, fka CP Gentry, celebrating my 2nd Gotcha Day!  Actually, it was really on May 5^th, which happened to be Kentucky Derby Day two years ago (and how I got my new name!), so I’m stretching out the celebration this year, hoping we’ll have another Triple Crown Winner to make my day even more special! 

My Mom and Dad are very special!   They didn’t worry because I was an older Cairn (about 8-1/2 years old back then).  They decided I would be just perfect because they both worked and felt they couldn't devote the right amount of time to a puppy.  In addition, Chia, the dog they already had, was an older rescue, about the same age as me!

Darby and sister Chia relaxing on the verandah

Chia is a 10lb. Border Terrier mix, and she thinks that she rules the roost.  Well, I don’t mind so much, letting her think that.  I sort of fell in love with her as soon as we met, and I’m fine deferring graciously to Her Majesty in all things.  Chia has a “mysterious and checkered past” Mom says, which results in occasional anxiety issues, but I have no anxiety about anything, so I’m a good influence.  Mom says that my gentle and happy attitude have actually calmed Chia down and made her much happier and relaxed over the past two years.  I think that makes me the true Alpha, but we’ll keep that little secret between us, OK?

Darby’s coat is healthy and all grown out!

When I first arrived, I had a terrible skin condition, with lesions and hair loss.  My Foster Mom, Monika, had worked wonders with me to get me on the road to healing, and my new Mom and Dad took over from there.  After a couple of rounds of antibiotics, a major food change, and regular grooming, my skin healed completely after a few months, and now my coat is thick and gleaming!  My vet can't believe I’m even the same dog she saw when Mom and Dad brought me in two years ago!

Mom thinks that I’m the sweetest, most well behaved little boy in the whole world, and she finds it hard to believe someone would ever give me up.  She is very grateful, however, that they did the right thing by calling Col. Potter so I could find my way to my new Forever Home!

Darby and Chia cuddle with Mom on the verandah

I cuddle right up and snuggle all the time, and give many, many kisses to Mom and Dad.  I even occasionally let them discover a trick I’d learned in my “former life” - when someone cared about me and worked with me – before I got frightened of them picking me up.  I don’t know how to explain what happened to scare me so bad, but Mom and Dad have really taught me that I can trust them completely, so I’m a little hesitant now, but I’m not frightened by them picking me up.  My first major breakthrough was only after about three months, when I rolled over to ask them for a belly rub.  It made them smile so much, I know it made them happy!

Darby and Chia take Dad for a walk

Mom says that I am so well trained that she has taken to calling me "Mr. Regular" just because I give her a soft little "errr" almost every morning - at the same time - to let her know I want to go out!  I’m also so obedient, I even dropped a rabbit I caught once when Mom sternly told me to do so – which was a real shock to her! She says she has never had a Cairn do THAT before!  The rabbit even survived, by the way...

Darby and Chia doing some yard work…

Chia and I have our own wonderful huge fenced yard with trees and bushes galore, and we get to chase off those pesky birds and squirrels daily, and we keep the neighborhood cats on alert.  Apart from snoozing on the verandah with Mom and Dad and Chia, my favorite spot is to camp out by the front gate.  This is where I get to "protect the yard" from those people and dogs without Terrier passes who dare to walk by.  I am an excellent watch dog!  Mom and Dad even installed full length glass doors in the bedroom and dining room so I can keep an eye on things while I’m in the house.

Darby has his doubts about the big water...

I’m a terrific traveler too, and I settle down right away to snooze during our long trips to northern Wisconsin.  We have a cabin on the Wisconsin River - and lots more squirrels!  I don't like that "big water" thing, however, and I would rather that Mom would stop going swimming in it!

Mom and Dad say they can't imagine life without me – and I feel the same way about them!  Adopting an older dog was perfect for them, and I fit in like I’ve been here my whole life.  Even though I’m now 10-1/2 years old, I am very healthy and I know we will be a happy family for many years to come.  Mom says I should urge everyone not to ignore the many benefits of adopting an older Cairn!

Darby and Chia waiting for cookies

Thank you Col. Potter - all of the great Volunteers - for making this and many other happy stories possible!

Now, Go California Chrome!

A Toast to the Dude!

Written by Dude fka CP Blaiser (with a little help from Mama)

Dude fka CP Blaiser has been Home for a Year!

Hello Col. Potter people!  The Dude here, after celebrating my very first Gotcha Day on March 29th with a gala party in my private backyard.  Guests included my sisters, Lucky Girl (a cat), Alex (a cat), the lovely Lovie Dovie (a beautiful Cairn), and of course, Mama herself. (Here in Alabama we say “Mama”.)

Lovie Dovie used to be CP’s Gloves - my long-time girlfriend and fellow Foster down in Texas.   I must have been a very good boy, because Mama surprised me for Christmas by adopting her too and reuniting us!

Anyway, back to my party!  For eats we had dog and cat treats with a bowl of yogurt for dipping.  Yum!!!  I had to restrain myself from being a piggy because I really love yogurt!  And bubbly too!  The guests toasted me with sparkling, effervescent “Terrier Water” (I think that’s what Mama called it?).  Then they all (but mostly Mama) sang “For He’s a Jolly Good Cairn!”  I almost lost it and cried, but I was able to man it out.  Mama recorded the event with pictures.  I wanted Lovie to come take a picture with me, but she is so shy she wouldn’t do it.

Oh…  Come on, Lovie Dovie!  The camera doesn’t really put on ten pounds…

Mama Nature smiled on me as we had beautiful sunny weather - after a rather unseasonably bad Winter – so we all really enjoyed the day!  We also played with some party favors that Mama bought us.  Lovie got a cow squeaky, the kitties got balls with bells inside, and I got an elephant squeaky.  It has a thick rubber middle where the squeaky is so I can’t destroy it.  Not that I would do that on purpose, of course, but I am all boy and rather hard on my toys…  Well, it is so much fun to pull them apart!

Oh, this “Terrier Water” is so refreshing!

Well, it’s been an exciting and wonderful year, and I couldn’t have done it without help from all the great folks at Col. Potter who found me at the puppy mill and got me to safety, then taught me to be a good boy so I could find a great Forever home.

Thank you to all the wonderful Col. Potter Volunteers!

ReadDude/CP Blaiser’s Intake Story here:

http://cairnrescue.blogspot.com/2010/04/two-more-furkids-join-cp-family.html

ReadDude’s 1st Forever Story here:

http://postadoption.blogspot.com/2013/05/cp-blaiser-nka-dude-finds-his-special.html

A Toast to the Dude!

Written by Dude fka CP Blaiser (with a little help from Mama)

Dude fka CP Blaiser has been Home for a Year!

Hello Col. Potter people!  The Dude here, after celebrating my very first Gotcha Day on March 29th with a gala party in my private backyard.  Guests included my sisters, Lucky Girl (a cat), Alex (a cat), the lovely Lovie Dovie (a beautiful Cairn), and of course, Mama herself. (Here in Alabama we say “Mama”.)

Lovie Dovie used to be CP’s Gloves - my long-time girlfriend and fellow Foster down in Texas.   I must have been a very good boy, because Mama surprised me for Christmas by adopting her too and reuniting us!

Anyway, back to my party!  For eats we had dog and cat treats with a bowl of yogurt for dipping.  Yum!!!  I had to restrain myself from being a piggy because I really love yogurt!  And bubbly too!  The guests toasted me with sparkling, effervescent “Terrier Water” (I think that’s what Mama called it?).  Then they all (but mostly Mama) sang “For He’s a Jolly Good Cairn!”  I almost lost it and cried, but I was able to man it out.  Mama recorded the event with pictures.  I wanted Lovie to come take a picture with me, but she is so shy she wouldn’t do it.

Oh…  Come on, Lovie Dovie!  The camera doesn’t really put on ten pounds…

Mama Nature smiled on me as we had beautiful sunny weather - after a rather unseasonably bad Winter – so we all really enjoyed the day!  We also played with some party favors that Mama bought us.  Lovie got a cow squeaky, the kitties got balls with bells inside, and I got an elephant squeaky.  It has a thick rubber middle where the squeaky is so I can’t destroy it.  Not that I would do that on purpose, of course, but I am all boy and rather hard on my toys…  Well, it is so much fun to pull them apart!

Oh, this “Terrier Water” is so refreshing!

Well, it’s been an exciting and wonderful year, and I couldn’t have done it without help from all the great folks at Col. Potter who found me at the puppy mill and got me to safety, then taught me to be a good boy so I could find a great Forever home.

Thank you to all the wonderful Col. Potter Volunteers!

ReadDude/CP Blaiser’s Intake Story here:

http://cairnrescue.blogspot.com/2010/04/two-more-furkids-join-cp-family.html

ReadDude’s 1st Forever Story here:

http://postadoption.blogspot.com/2013/05/cp-blaiser-nka-dude-finds-his-special.html

Paddy Celebrates 2 Years!

Contributed by Paddy fka CP Patterson

Paddy fka CP Patterson, no longer the Ides of March baby boy!

Sure and begorra!  St. Paddy here!  Wishin’ you all the Luck o’ the Irish!

OK, well... Mom says I have to be honest...  Paddy here, fka CP Patterson.  You might remember I was the last little tiny puppy born on March 15, 2012, and, being two years old Today, I like to do my own thinking...  It just seemed a good idea to celebrate with “Happy St. Patrick’s Day!” than “Beware the Ides of March!” – don’t you think?

Mom and Dad find it really hard to believe that I am already two years old!  I’m not sure why because I certainly don’t look the same!  I am a big boy now, and quite the young man, if I do say so myself.  I weigh a hefty 15 pounds – not a hint of that tiny little pup anymore — and I lift my leg, and I dig up things, and scratch around - just like any grownup dog I’ve seen.

Mom says I still walk like a little soldier, and that I run like a little bunny rabbit, but that just makes me Special!  Special is good!  I really love that Mom and Dad just love me to bits and I feel like I somehow got that pot o’ gold, so lucky that I’m part of our family!

Paddy relaxing with big sister Kerri fka CP Señora

Happy Birthday to all the other Ides of March puppies!  Wishin’ you all that pot o’ gold this side of the rainbow! 

…and that’s no Blarney!

Read More about Paddy’s 1^st Year:

http://postadoption.blogspot.com/2013/03/paddy-celebrates-wonderful-1st-year.html

Read More about the Ides of March Puppies:

http://postadoption.blogspot.com/search?q=Ides+of+March