Yesterday was a very busy day with the speuters and shopping and visitors that came bearing gifts Drew and Christine work at the Burns Lake Veterinary Clinic - and wanted to see Tutle Gardens and meet me. I rarely leave home so to meet me you have to come to me!! They came with 20 bags of dog food. And carried them over the fence to the porch door! All I and Dave had to do was bring them into the dog room.  Then they threw all the firewood over the fence as well. Thank you so much for helping with these chores - chores that had been plaguing Dave and me as one more thing to do on our list!! The dogs were excited to have someone else to give them attention. They were surprised to see the scared pound dogs already happy and confident. They were vying for attention too - jumping up just like all the rest. Clean clothes are not an option when visiting here! First we give them joy then we teach them to moderate that exuberance. It is all part of learning manners but they need to want to please first. Thank you Drew and Christine, I really enjoyed your visit!

Jade and Kernel Pupter came home and pottyed as soon as they stepped out tf the TG Bus! They were very glad to be home. Kernel headed for the food dish while Jade plopped down on a cushion in the kitchen for a good long nap. She weighs a hefty 30 pounds but is only 12 inches tall! She is now ready for a family of her own. Kernel weighs 50 pounds and is still growing. As well as his neuter, he had his vaccinations updated, had a rabies vaccine as his prospective home is in Spokane Washington - we need to get him there!! He has an international health certificate and all his paperwork is ready to cross the border - dogs need passports too!

The new pound pup is a puppy!! What a gorgeous labish/houndish boy he is! And what a personality - confident, friendly, so very good natured - Snoopy is a gem! (Char named him - thank you Char saved me another chore) He is about 17 weeks old and is black with white and tan. He has hound ears and a mask on his beautiful face. He is very agile and quite busy - he has explored both yards and the house before going to bed. He will need an active outdoorsy person - Jeff - you will have to come see him. He just might be the one!

Ruby Red went to her family on Monday - they came down from Fort St. John to pick her up. She was sick on the way and quite scared with all the new changes. A bit of rescue remedy and treats for potty outside and she is doing well. Time and patience always win the day.

Little Jana found her new home on Sunday. An older couple came out to see Jade and fell in love with Jana - that happens a lot! The dog chooses the people. The people just have to agree - it is usually a perfect match - the dog knows. They were surprised at how many small dogs are here, and family dogs too. There are a lot of  really nice dogs that end up in shelters through no fault of their own. People are the problem.

©Turtle Gardens Animal Rescue Society. Have your pet spayed or neutered today.

The sun is shining but oh man there is no heat in it!! It is -18 this morning. The TG Bus started up without any problems. Dave’s buddy called him this morning asking for a ride so Dave who heard the phone was up ahead of me to make the coffee. And fill the woodstove. All I had to do was get the two victims ready. Jade is a short legged girl just a year old but already had a puppy which died - she was an outside dog. Kernel Pupter is a doberman cross - a big, slender fellow who is very good natured. He may have a home in Spokane, Washington if we can figure out transportation - he can’t go fed-ex unfortunately. The puppies will go this afternoon when Dave picks up the groggy guys. and pick up a big labish/houndish puppy from the pound.� It is also bulk week at the Super Store - so a very busy day for Dave! It makes the trip very cost effective - multi tasking - an hour’s drive uses a fair amount of gas! These are hidden costs to running Turtle Gardens. The time to drive an hour to drop off the dogs and then back home again. Later in the afternoon drive the same hour back to pick them up - a lot of time and gas but it has to be done! All dogs are spayed or neutered (speutered) vaccinated and vet checked before adoption. That is our mandate and the only way to ensure each dog is healthy, and cannot contribute to the over population of pets. They are also in a group foster to help them adapt to home type situations. They start potty training, and basic manners. They learn to be indoors - a lot of these guys have never been inside a building let alone a home. A lot are strays - some are second gerneration strays and need a lot of TLC to just start to be good canine citizens. and good family pets. It all takes time and a lot of money to do it right. We hope Turtle Gardens does it right and send good family pets to happy families.

A Happy Endings!! - An Update from Spice!

Spice is the brown girl! Thank you Spice for the update - I LOVE Happy Endings!!

©Turtle Gardens Animal Rescue Society. Have your pet spayed or neutered today.

It is finally a tad warmer - only -9 this morning and dry so it doesn’t slide right into your bones to chill the core. I can see the sun trying to peek around the clouds. It is a good day in the neighbourhood.

Flopsy and Mopsy are turning into “follow you everywhere” kind of girls. They are so quick and agile - must be border collie in there somewhere. They can be out the door in seconds betwen my legs but never touching me or knocking me down.  They have also learned what a bed is and how comfortable it is cuddling next to their person. It is getting quite crowed in bed. Both are very nice little dogs - just the right size to go anywhere hiking, jogging, playing in the park, or cuddling on the couch to watch TV. What more can you ask for in a companion! Flopsy standing - she is spaniel size!

Here is Mopsy with her floppy ears!

Grey Ghost asleep on one of the crates.

Sweetpea an dJade playing tug!

Here is Wally - one of the new pound boys! He is not much bigger than the girls.

©Turtle Gardens Animal Rescue Society. Have your pet spayed or neutered today.

It was a cold morning again and oh so warm under the duvet with Sweetpea in my back (44 pounds and under the covers), Grizzly at my knees (9 pounds of heat under the covers) , Lily (18 year old, 8 pounder) under my arm, Squire (fuzzy 45 pounds - but on top of the covers) asleep with his head on my shoulder, and old Lucy (40 pounds and 14 years old) on the end of the bed. I could hear Dave moving around in the kitchen, the enticing smell of coffee tickling my nose. No bacon though. I got up anyways - the woodstove was chugging away in the front room - the warmth welcoming after the chill of my room. Did I mention that the doggie door is in my bedroom? And every time a dog goes out a blast of frigid air comes in? And when they come in too? Yet my guys prefer to sleep near me -  in doggie beds around the room as well as the priveledged ones on the bed. It was -18 this morning - so it is a bit warmer. At 12.30 it is -11 still brrr outside.
   The two sisters Flopsy and Mopsy have decided that today is the day they have shed their fears! They met me this morning jumping on me with glee. Flopsy has to learn to shut her mouth when she jumps up - she clipped my chin with her open mouth - we will work on that. For now I am just glad to see her out and happy. Mopsy was also jumping on me and both girls followed me outside the front door  with the rest of my crew. they sure are pretty. Both are now sitting at my feet. thank you Jean for naming them.
    Lorna suggested Jan or Janie (January) for the littlest pound girl. So welcome Jana!! I changed it slightly!

My new babies (they are doing very well thank you - they are playing now) have new names - I just have to decide  who gets what name. This is the email I received from Lorna.

Thinking of names for the pups, if they were found under a boat why not go with a nautical theme, they could be Sailor, Captain, Mate, Crew, Admiral, Cadet,etc, or go with famour sailors, Drake, Nelson, Columbus, Leif (Erickson), can’t think of any more.

All snug in their beds. Ideas anyone on who is who? Just comment and tell me please!!

©Turtle Gardens Animal Rescue Society. Have your pet spayed or neutered today.

It was -21 at 9 am when I turned on my computer! It is darn cold out there. The sun doesn’t seem to be working! As of this week the sun is coming in the windows again! It is finally high enough to go over the small mountain in front of us. Rainbows across the floor. So very happy! Colourful. I love rainbows!
    The dogs are not playing outside every long. They are trying to play indoors - NOT. The new puppies already know my voice and start crying as soon as they hear me in the morning! They want their warm milk and kibble. They are so cute cuddled in their little round fuzzy cat basket with the warm sheepskin lining! With warm full tummies they are back to sleeping. They are scheduled for their vet check on Tuesday our next speuter day. Hopefully they will be old enough for vaccinations. Then they can socialize with the other well behaved dogs - usually Old Sophie the Coyote looks after orphan pups.
  The new guys from the pound are slowly integrating into the group. Cindy is finally up on petfinder and was part of Lorna’s training program on Thursday. She was not very happy about leaving th eyard! She walked slower and slower the further away she got. When Lorna turned around to come back - she wanted to run! Cindy likes it here!!
I love this picture!

The newest pound pup has no nmae yet. She is small and cuddly and quite cute. She looks jack russell-ish but without  the "out-to-lunch" personality.

She needs a nice name! Help!!

The two sisters - maybe border collie/spaniel? Mixes are quite shy. The little black one is coming out to see me now. Jean emailed me some names - Flopsy, Mopsy, Tess and Shyla. I think Flopsy and and Mopsy are suited to these two. What do you think?
Flopsy for the  black one and Mopsy for the black and tan.

©Turtle Gardens Animal Rescue Society. Have your pet spayed or neutered today.

©Turtle Gardens Animal Rescue Society. Have your pet spayed or neutered today.

The Burns Lake dogcatcher has been a very busy bee! Two more little girls have come in. They are sheltie or very small border collie mixes. One is black and tan the other is all black. They have medium lenght silky hair and cute floppy ears. One is very shy but wags her tail the other is very friendly. They were spayed and vaccinated yesterday before Dave picked them up. they are very cute. They are both in a large crate with the door open, a dish of water in front of them and the communal food dish just outside the crate. I want them to move around a bit. They are youngsters, (pictures soon - batteries are charging) teenagers about 8 months old - no babies for them. The other dog with them has heavy teats - she has puppies. So she was left to run to her door. Stay posted in 4 weeks or so for their arrival. I am sure they will be wandering around the neighborhood  as soon as they can walk.

Dave of course called them “Chuck” - All the dogs are “Chuck” to him - he can never remember their names. He calls them Chuck after Chuck Norris because they have had a tough life.  So two more names to think of - suggestions anyone?

And a Happy Endings and Welcome to our area!!

Hello,

We adopted Iris almost 1year ago. I think it was last March. She was brought down to Williams Lake. You still have her mom, who is a white Terrier. We renamed her, and she is now Tizzie. I emailed you a few months ago, but I’m not sure if I had sent it to the correct email address.
I just wanted to give you an update on how she was doing. Tizzie is the most amazing and lovable dog! She is the best thing that has happened to our family! She is such a love!
This weekend we are moving to Burns Lake and our new phone number will be ###. I would really like to stop by for a visit. Right now we will be just renting a small house right in town, and once our house here in Williams Lake sells, we will be buying a home outside of town with a bit land. Once we do that, we will be looking at adopting another dog. Probably a much larger dog. I would like to go through you for our dog, so I would like to keep in touch.
If you would like a picture of Tizzie, let me know.

Take care,

Debbie

Tizzie is my own Sweetpea’s sister!! Her mom “Pea” now renamed Daisy Mae lives in Ashcroft with a  wonderful lady who caters to her every whim!

©Turtle Gardens Animal Rescue Society. Have your pet spayed or neutered today.

               Dogs are brought into a shelter for a variety of reasons. Some of the more common excuses heard, and alternate solutions are:

 1. He’s too big! ( You should have some idea of the size he will grow into by looking at his feet and bone structure. Research the breeds before you buy. Resist impulse buying. Better yet, adopt a full-grown dog.)

 2. He can’t be housebroken! (Buy a crate or confine the pup or dog to a small area. Borrow the book by Job Michael Evans “How to house train your dog” from the library. Be consistent.)

 3. He barks too much! (Is he left outside? Dogs are very social animals, so why get a dog which craves human companionship and leave it outside by itself. If he must stay outside, give him a doghouse. This shelter provides comfort for the dog and appeals to the “denning” instinct. Make sure he has plenty of toys such as a kong filled with treats to keep him occupied.)

 4. He doesn’t listen; He has no manners; He makes a mess etc . . .   (Take him to obedience classes. A well-trained dog has manners and knows his place. He is a pleasure to be around. Classes are a fun way to train. You are with a group of people sharing a common goal; a well trained dog.)

 5. He sheds too much! (Ten minutes a day, while you are watching television, brush the dog. He’ll enjoy the attention. You’ll enjoy the lack of hair elsewhere. Brushing stimulates oil glands in the skin, producing a shiny, healthy coat. The addition of a teaspoon of cooking oil on his food will enhance the shine and health of his coat.)

 6. She has too many pups! (Have her spayed. The surgery is relatively inexpensive when stretched over a few months. It averages two cartons of cigarettes, or five cases of beer, or ten large pizzas. If you start saving when she’s a pup, you should have the spay fee by the time she is seven months old without any hardship.)

 7. The kids won’t take care of him, and we got him for them! (A dog can be one of the best tools for teaching children to handle responsibility. While young children should never be given complete responsibility for the care of the dog, parents can have a child take reasonable responsibility for helping care for the dog. This is the key: any child will greatly love and benefit from being around a dog; if a parent is willing to spend some time with both and to help direct and nurture the relationship between the child and the dog. A dog is a partner situation. You only get out of a relationship what you put into it. With training, love and attention the relationship can be gratifying for both the family and the dog.

©Turtle Gardens Animal Rescue Society. Have your pet spayed or neutered today.