Wow, I can't wait for Monday?

I must be getting old. I am only 33, but I think I have left the better part of my late night dancing days behind me. I went out Saturday night with the girls for a bachelorette party, and I danced all night! I had such a fantastic time, I love dancing. But today, my abs are killing me! I apparently need to work on my core a little more at the gym.

Which is why I can't wait for tomorrow- yoga. It will stretch all my muscles back out, it always feels so good. I love yoga, I love the way I feel during yoga, and after. I have Chrissy to thank for dragging me to my first class, I never thought I could do it. But I loved it from that very first class. I actually love it so much, I want to master it so that I can eventually be a yoga instructor. I think my dream career life would be a yoga instructor/photographer/writer, all jobs I can do and still have time for animal rescue. While living on my farm, in a big old rickety house with a huge front porch I could relax on . With my goats, dogs, rabbits and cats. And apple orchard in the backyard.

We leave for California next week, and I am a little nervous about leaving Penny in a kennel. I wish I didn't have to do it. I was very picky though, about where she went, since we have only had her 6 weeks and she has already put us through the emotional wringer, running away the first week, and then eating Christmas garland, complete with wire, two weeks ago. I really wanted a place that would have 24 hour monitoring, late pick up times, close to my home so my mom could visit, and I also did not want her to go outside. I guess I just don't trust anyone to watch her the way I do. I couldn't find anything that fit all of these qualifications however. I did find a place I can live with, the vets office where Penny had her surgery. They are familiar with her, and the kennel is on the second floor, so I am not afraid of her escaping as much. It is close to my mom's house, so she can visit, and they do have late pick up hours, but not 24 hour monitoring. So they came pretty close! They are open until 10 at night, and the staff I talked to said more often than not, there are people there working until the wee hours of the morning, performing emergency surgeries, like Penny had. The vet stayed with Penny until 3 a.m. that night/morning, and that happens often I guess. So, she may only be in the building a few hours alone. It is the best I can do. I only hope she doesn't hate us when we get back for putting her in a kennel!

Maggie the Cat

Maggie is our foster cat, brought home from the crowded pound. She has a bit of an URI, so we are now giving meds to two animals. It is starting to feel like a clinic around here!

Maggie is a sweet cat, I am so glad we brought her home, even though we are only a temporary stop on the way to her forever home, wherever that may be. We named her Maggie the Cat after Elizabeth Taylor's character in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, one of my all time favorite movies. Our Maggie is so spirited, and all she wants is attention and to be loved. She also loves to watch TV, which is hysterical to my husband and I.

I have never had a cat before. It is so different from having a dog, it is hard to explain. Penny greets me with such energy and affection, she makes these little aquatic sea life noises to get my attention, and is just so excited to see me! Maggie I know is happy I am home too, but her show of affection is more subtle- she climbs up next to me and her purr motor just takes off. Dogs are just so obvious in their love, while cats make you work for it.

Penny really is funny with Maggie- she doesn't quite know what to think about this little furry thing running around our house. Maggie will step boldly up to Penny, and sniff her nose. Penny will jerk her head around to look at me, her eyes super wide, looking at me like she is in a panic! I have to tell her that she is a good girl, and that it is ok to make her relax. When she is in sleep mode, however, she doesn't care if Maggie is right on top of her. The other day Maggie flopped down in front of Penny on the floor, facing her, and put her tiny paws on top of Penny's big paw. They napped together like that for about 30 minutes. I wanted a picture so badly, but I knew if I got up for my camera they would both wake up to see what I was doing. They are both so nosy. Right now they are napping, which sounds pretty good to me also. I was going to watch Mamma Mia, but for some reason our DVD player is not cooperating. So I think I will imitate my animals, and take a nap too.

Kitten Season..

Spring and summer are always busy for those involved with animal rescue, and this summer has not been any diffferent. First it is kitten season, everywhere you turn there is someone there with a litter of kittens they found in a yard, a garage, or under their deck. This year is even more difficult, with the economy in Michigan being what it is. People are losing their jobs, their homes, and giving up their pets to rescues and shelters, and in some cases, just letting them loose or leaving them behind. So we volunteers are busy giving shots and medicating sick animals, taking pictures for petfinder, taking animals to events, hoping that an animal will not just find a home, but a good home that will love them, and take care of them. We also clean cages, socialize feral cats, and walk dogs. But all this work is worth it for that feeling you get when you leave the pound and all the animals are fed, their kennels are clean, and they are snuggled in content and happy, or when you leave an event knowing that a cat or a dog has found their perfect match.

Sometimes you lose your heart, and alot of times your heart breaks. Sometimes you take them home. I found my dog in the pound, an underweight English Setter, who was starved for love as well as food, a stinky faced girl who would look out at me from the bars every day with her big brown eyes, and get mad at me when I would put her back in the kennel after her walk. One day as I sat in the field across from the pound where I was walking her, she crawled into my lap, all 30 pounds and long legs of her, and I knew she was mine, and I had to keep her. Luckily for me, my husband is an animal lover, and fellow animal rescuer, and fell in love with her as well.

Penny has been a challenge, but one we are happy to undertake. We got her out of the pound a week after our much loved 15 year old American Eskimo Chevis passed away from lung cancer, and named her Penny. I believe that Chevis sent her to us to care for and love, she is our "Penny from heaven," as corny as that is. In the 5 weeks we have had her, she has escaped from our yard, gotten terrible diarrhea as we learned that she has a sensitive stomach, and then eaten christmas garland and had to have emergency surgery to remove the wires. This makes us sound like terrible owners, but really, truly we are not. She is a silly, sweet girl, who just has a nose for mischief. We are quickly learning her personality, as she begins to trust us. (she is also gaining her healthy weight)

The day Penny ran out of our yard, we had had her about a week. My mom and stepdad came over and opened the gate to our backyard, where Billy and I and Penny were gardening. Well, Billy and I were gardening, and Penny was patrolling for rabbits and squirrels. As soon as they opened the gate and came in, Penny ran up to them to say hi, and then noticed, hey she could get out of the yard and really investigate! She took off at the fastest run I have ever seen, and Billy and I lost sight of her within 40 seconds. I was panicking, scared to death the worst was going to happen to her, and I ran off behind her, Billy and my stepdad not far behind me. My mom was the smart one of the group, and ran for her car. She saved the day, and the dog, by spotting Penny in a parking lot. Not thinking about anything other than, I have to get her! my mother jumped from her moving car. Good thing mom was only going like 3 mph. As soon as mom called to Penny, Penny jumped in the car like nothing ever happened.

We are now taking Penny to dog training, where we hope she will learn some better habits. We also need to learn how to communicate with her too, so we have high hopes for this class. So far so good!