Today is the first day of our "main man’s" new 6 week regime! He was told yesterday that the first week should be spent in bed - a complete no weight bearing for his injured leg. Injured leg? What happened you ask?  Picture a heavy step. A fragile covering on a floor, a big hole and a sudden drop. Painful, quick and quite damaging. By the time Dave consented to going to the  Houston Heath Centre he NEEDED to go. When he came back shortly afterwards - this is what he wore!

A Cast!!

That is a very good qustion! Who will tak eth edogs to the veterinarian for vaccinations, speuters and vet checks? Who will pick up the dogs from the pound? Who will do the grocery shopping? Pick up dog food???
Dave still has a sense of humour - but really it isn’t a laughing matter!

Who will pick up the cremains, doe the cremations and deliver the ashes? Who will take Dave’s place for 6 weeks????? Who will drive the adopted dogs home tot heir new families? We are in deep doo-doo with out Dave. The house is only half done, money is short. and a lot of work still needs to be done. Stan and Kelsey will only be here a short time longer - they have lives too! Who will pick up the slack from Dave? And how ? and if Dave needs surgery next week -  a possibility to repair the two breaks if  needed ???? This is the worst possible news for TG -  How many people will it take to do the work that Dave did?

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

           It always amazes me when a puppy is chosen with so little care for a new home. The couple looked at the pups through the fence and chose the pretty smooth black and tan pup after looking at her for five minutes. A lot of the time this works out but when it doesn’t, the consequences are devastating. This is not a bicycle or stereo paraphernalia that is returned for a refund if found to be defective. Puppies are a living, breathing entity that deserves more thought put into its existence than a piece of entertainment equipment. We have put together a list of questions to ask yourself when you decide to look for an addition to your family. This should give you an idea of what you are looking for in a family pet and reduce the chance of a mismatch. Remember this only a guideline and that animals have a way of breaking all rules of conduct. They are living, thinking and acting creatures.

        1 What do I want the dog for ? Watchdog, companion, performance, kid’s toy, babysitter, guardian/vermin, backyard dog, exercise for human

       2. Temperament - attentive to you, following kind of dog or self-reliant independent or feisty like a terrier, or sensitive like a border collie, For kids you do not want a real sensitive dog, but one that can take a bit of roughhousing - should be some give and take - dressing up, going in a buggy, pulling a sled, just hugging and laying on as a pillow

      3. Looks - practical - size, coat -indoors or outdoor - shedding, (short haired dogs shed differently than long haired clumps vs individual hairs),texture of hair - silky, wiry, straight, curly, single coat or double coat, length of hair, amount of grooming and kind of grooming daily, weekly etc,

      b)Ascetic - what appeals to you, colour, and markings, blonde vs black, body shape and type, colour and shape of eyes, type of face, type of coat - appearance

     4.Sex, altered? Male vs female ,Is there personality differences between the sexes? ,Is marking (male dog lifting his leg) an issue?

    5.Intelligence - for the average housepet you do not want a really smart dog because they are too difficult to keep occupied ie, border collie needs a job to be happy, terrier - jack russell cute to look at but hard to keep busy in socially acceptable manner

   6. Trainability - dog that is interested in doing what you want, will learn and obey even if it will take it longer than a super bright, delinquent. Willingness is the key

     B) what is Your energy level, are you a jogger or a couch potato

              These questions will get you started in the search for the family pet that will fit into your lifestyle and be the loving companion you all can live with as a “Happy Ending”.            

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

The weather is cloudy with no rain for the next week so the backhoe is coming in today. This side is the water side - where our water lines and sewer lines etc are congregated. Also our telephone line is coming here from there. So…. my blog needs to be early or very late. I opted  for early and maybe a late one to let you know if any damage happened!! If I can.

More incomplete supports, rotten timbers etc. This shows the hazards of buying an old house without a basement. Mind you we bought the property because it was zoned right for Turtle Gardens. It has served us very well and TG has placed over 2500 animals since moving here in ‘97.  Now it will be much safer, warmer and comfortable for the animals and for the caretakers. TG will have a future - a continuance somewhere to be proud of. Now if only the digging goes without a hitch or broken lines. My fear - the sewer and water lines! Oh my I really don’t want to have to use the outhouse! See you later .

Gucci has been adopted! A family from Ootsa came in last night to look at dogs but it was Gucci that caught their eye. She knew it was her turn whether they wanted a puppy or not! It is a lot more work the teens were told and you will have to clean up after her. Gucci is well started in potty training so that job will be easier and there is a Canine 4-H for Gucci in September - classes for both her new girls and pup. All in all a good life for Gucci the last of Boots’ pups. be good little one!

Smart active Gucci.

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

The weather is playing havoc with our repairs outside and under the house! It has been raining like we live in a rain forest! Torrential downpours!! The backhoe can’t come in to dig as the holes fill up with water - the water table is very high this year. It has been a very unusual summer so far - a week of very hot weather then rain and more rain - very cold nights almost to zero! Stan is chafing at the bit wanting to finish the job to get back to his own life but the weather is not co-operating. It is sunny now with big fluffy clouds. The ground is slowly drying out. IF it doesn’t rain tonight we should be able to start digging on the near wall and then remove our little porch - yay (I will get my bigger porch after all!! - Maybe with windows to grow herbs and flowers?) I know - I am dreaming!!) at least it will have dog food storage and a place to do adoptions out of the weather. My adopters will like that - me too.

Misty and Lady are adapting well. Neither have tried to jump the fence, dig out or rush the gate. They sleep on the porch with the rest of the crew in crates or igloo houses and lots of soft blankets. The porch has a roof and walls to keep them draft free and the door to the Blue House is usually open - Dave finds it too warm in here! so far I don’t see her anxiety and I do leave them while I go to the Red House - not far away but not in sight either. Even my old dogs are adapting to me actually being out of their sight for a half hour or so.  They have howled and ki-yied and though I yell at them Aardvark and Colby are now deaf and can’t hear me. Maybe Lucy tells them I am nearby?  We are all adapting to smaller quarters. It is surprising what we can do when we have to. It will be another month or two before everything is back to normal but much better than before. For that I am willing to stay here happily. Stan has to leave soon but he wants to make sure the hard work of shoring up the house, putting in the foundation and laying the new floors is done first. Then he and Davy will come back to finish the tile so another two weeks of waiting before we can walk on it. It has to cure to be impervious. But what a floor it will be - clean, shiny and easy to maintain. Floors and dog rooms to be proud of and so very comfortable for the dogs - more homelike so they can be ready for their own families. Yet still a part of our family so they can learn how to be a well mannered companion. TG teaches them first to be dogs then we help them become companions and family members. Thank you "Somebody" for making it possible for Turtle Gardens to continue doing what we do best and to the donators who are meeting the Challenge - we THANK YOU.

A rainbow for Turtle Gardens!

To meet or beat the challenge up to $5000 - your donation is doubled:

Lady - $60.00

From pop cans – challenge other recyclers to meet or beat – Donna - $37.50.

From the professional beggar – Rayla – at the TG Fleamarket - $60.00

In respect for the abandoned dog on Forestdale Canyon Road : $50.00

Sassy from Courtenay : $50
Canines North Dog Club : $100

Miss Maxine: $50
Molly : $50
Razz: $50
Mia : $50
In memory of Shadow: $50
in memory of Rever: $50.
in memory of Kiro: $50

A dog proof fence with a double gate is our goal with the challenge. Please help us reach our objective!

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

Misty is a three year old Rottweiler mix who was adopted by a young couple in December of 2006. For two months, she was a perfect companion. Then all of a sudden she started showing severe separation anxiety that manifested itself in destructive behaviour.  Crated - she destroyed the heavy plastic and chewed her way out. She bent wire crates to get out. She chewed through moldings and doors to get out. Relegated to outside, she dug under the fence or jumped the gate. She slipped out of harnesses and collars when tied up. She ran around the neighborhood until picked up by animal control.

Four  months ago, a black lab female came back with Misty. No one claimed her so they kept her hoping she would calm Misty. They became very good friends but Misty still would not stay home alone without humans.  A call to Turtle Gardens assured them that Misty could come back here - I ALWAYS take back my dogs.

Yesterday they arrived with Misty and Lady. Misty pulled like fury on leash.  She wouldn’t sit. She drooled. She was stressed to the max. Lady is a solid black, chubby lab girl. She was calm, her tails slowly waving. She was happy to see me. The woman was cuddling a small white, fluffy terrier mix puppy. She left Misty’s bed and half a bag of food and a small donation for Lady - yes we offered Lady a safe haven too. And left holding the cute puppy.

Lady and Misty were brought into our new yard and turned loose but dragging their leashes so I could catch them if they tried to escape. They had a drink, checked out the yard, the other dogs then wandered up to the porch with all the crates and beds. They found the food dishes, and a comfortable igloo house to sleep in. They are adapting very well. They have eaten, slept, drank and wandered the yard. They have not tried to dig, jump or destroy. Mind you they are nor alone either. They have come into our cabin to check in, had treats then went out again. Turtle Gardens welcomes Misty and Lady.

Misty looks like a small rottie.

Beautiful Lady.

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

First an update : Teeny Teena now renamed Molly -

She’s a wonderful lovable baby! She’s only a puppy so she’s doing puppy things,chewing,chewing,playing,playing,sleeping and the rest.

Yesterday I wrote about our new arrival the nameless breedless puppy from the Burns lake Pound! I had a pre-approved home from Prince George stop in to look at puppies and guess who caught their eye?  The new pup! Kelsey ran in and found a collar and leash for her so she could visit with the couple. It was soon obvious that she had chosen them as Her family. She walked beautifully on leash - no training whatsover!! She sat, she lifted her paw. She did everything she could to convince her new people that She was the ONE.
Papers were soon sifned and off she went in the camper! Some dogs are very fortunate to find their families right away. Others like Kingston, Chuck who looks like he is staying (his new home has disappeared!!   )

Here she is between Sweetpea and Raven - our "woo" dog.

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

The phone woke me up this morning at 7 am - my grand daughter was calling as she got ready to come up to Topley all on her own. She couldn’t find her dog leash, then she couldn’t find the soft sided carrier for her Lupi  (a chihuahua/min pin) I called to Stan and he was up already making coffee in the Red House!  Dad of course knew exactly where it was!! He told her to call when she picked up her ticket at the airport and all was quiet again. But we were all wide awake so our day started early!! Coffee was quite the eye opener - Stan likes it very strong.

Char and Jesse arrived near 10 am with the new arrival from the Burns Lake Pound. Char called her a collie/husky while our vets called her a shep/lab. I think she is a kelpie mix!! She is quick and agile, full of confidence, eager to please and very very alert/attentive/focused? And that was the first 15 minutes!! She reminds me of a short haired Cap! She is about the same age, activity level and intelligence. Any agility/rally O/flyball enthusiasts out there looking for a prime candidate? This little Fireball is the next champion. She will need a very special home. - like Merry now Mairin and Cap. Someone who will exercise her brain as well as her body. She also needs a name!!

The new pup - the other guys had ripped a stuffie apart!! She is 5 months old and is quite small very much like Cap.

Char and Jesse who is visiting from Germany came to TG to work! Thank you so much guys - extra hands make a difficult job almost fun! See - lots of friends and family!!

Char carrying out the bricks from the broken chimney.

Jesse shoveling!

Kelsey has just arrived! And Bear is resting her back from shoveling!

Dave cuddling little Kingston!

My job? I am chief cook and coffee maker/juice and water bringer and dog keep quieterer (is that a word?) Someone has to keep TG going and i guess it is me. Here are pictures of the dogs enjoying today’s sunshine!

Lilianna, Tara and Merlin playing tug then the girls relaxing in the sun. Lili is recovering from a bout of demodex that recurred after her spay. This should be her final regression as she is nearing 18 months of age.

Gucci is lying in the sun while Jaime has a happy grin on her face. Jaime came back for x-rays as she is limping. She has totally recovered from her demodex!

My dogs - Squire and Sweetpea!

And finally Merlin’s eyes!

Clear perfect blue eyes!

Sassy from Courtenay : $50
Canines North Dog Club : $100

Miss Maxine: $50
Molly : $50
Razz: $50
Mia : $50
In memory of Shadow: $50
in memory of Rever: $50.
in memory of Kiro: $50

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

Morning comes early at TG - Stan has a class A personality  and is a go-go kind of guy. Thank goodness as the work just keeps getting bigger and bigger - old houses hide a lot of mistakes from their past.
Our house on stilts! Now the back side also needs to be done as the back section of the addition was never blocked properly.

The broken brick and the back supports on bare ground!

We didn’t buy the property for the house that’s for sure. It was the only property zoned correctly for the shelter! We bought this for the dogs! And now because "Somebody’s" generous donation and Challenge we can continue. Turtle Gardens’ future is assured.

The dogs though are doing well, they have adapted and are enjoying their new yard.  Merlin has an adoption pending in Bellingham and is going for his rabies vaccine this week. Heidi ’s new dad is anxiously waiting for her to go down to Squamish too. Hamish was adopted locally - his perfect match! Boots has an enquiry locally- yippee!! Gucci has an enquiry from Qualicum Beach. A couple of starving dogs are waiting for their benefactor to bring them in - meanwhile she is feeding them. Life goes on no matter where we lay our heads at night.  As long as my computer is up and running and th ephone line working - dogs in need find me and people looking for a great family companion find me too. TG is doing well.

To meet or beat the challenge up to $5000 - your donation is doubled:

From pop cans – challenge other recyclers to meet or beat – Donna - $37.50.

From the professional beggar – Rayla – at the TG Fleamarket - $60.00

In respect for the abandoned dog on Forestdale Canyon Road : $50.00

Sassy from Courtenay : $50
Canines North Dog Club : $100

Miss Maxine: $50
Molly : $50
Razz: $50
Mia : $50
In memory of Shadow: $50
in memory of Rever: $50.
in memory of Kiro: $50

A dog proof fence with a double gate is our goal with the challenge. Please help us reach our objective!

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