Faces of Turtle Gardens

It was -18 last night not the paltry -8 forecasted. The dragon was smouldring gently alleviating some of the chill but not enough to be condusive to easy rise and shine. These old bones do not like cold and protested strongly this morning. No choice – when you gotta go – you gotta go! Aching bones or not! Dave soon had the dragon roaring and the warmth slowly penetrated sore bones to make getting around a whole lot more pleasant.  Good coffee was soon made, floors mopped up with help from the pups – they think the mop is a tug toy!! That first cuppa is ambrosia from Heaven and makes getting up worthwhile.

The dogs are doing well. The Moricetown teenagers are scheduled for spays next week. They are sweet, cuddly in your face kind of girls. The pound guys are adapting very well. The big black shepherd – we named Tarot. The long and low is Wee Willie Wagon – what a very nice dog.  The little beagle looking fellow has no name.  The mom and pups will be named through McNeil and McRoberts Animal Rescue Club as a fundraiser for their medical eexpenses – how cool is that!

A preview of the pups.

Cute puppies

And a few faces of TG

Wee Willie Wagon

The namelless fellow

 





Working at Turtle Gardens

There is always a lot of work needing to be done around here and many hands makes the job so much easier. Especially when 4 pallets of dog food arrive at the same time. Thanks to Jerry of Jake and Daisy’s for gathering all the food when he actually deals in a very good raw dog food and Lucid Distributors for sending two pallets of food. We so appreciate it. And to Bandstra Transportations for giving us such a good deal on shipping.  Without your support we could not feed all these dogs so very well and share our wealth with other rescue groups. It all has to be moved into storage. And this is how it is done.

The dog food has arrived.

Sean on the tractor

double load, wood and dog food

Brian on the snowblower getting ready to cut our week's supply for the dragon.

 

Carma on the move all the pups are going outside

And that makes my job that much easier!



A “How Cool Is That” Update!


Remember little Spot who was fostered by Lisa B? They were present at McNeill School for Yvette’s presentation back in Dec/11 Spot was adopted shortly after that and renamed Jack! Here’s a cool update from Jack’s new family.

We are sorry that we haven’t been able to send the update on Jack until now, as we have been so excited enjoying our time with him.

Jack has been a welcomed addition to our family and was able to settle in with us very quickly as we all love him to pieces. His laid back and calm demeanour was noted to us by Lisa, but even we didn’t expect that he would be this amazing. Jack has been so good with the kids, and even goes to check on them each night before we head to bed ourselves. Jack recently went to a new neighbourhood groomer for a bath and tidy, and even they commented on how well behaved he is.

Handsome Jack


They even said he was able to help calm a new friend named Zoe who was nervous for her bath.

Jack gets a couple of walks a day, and is always eager to meet new friends in the neighbourhood, but very good to wait patiently for them to arrive. He absolutely loved the recent snow fall, but we have discovered he isn’t very fond of going through puddles.

We have been so amazed with Jack as he continues to show his love for our family, and are so happy that Lisa chose us as his new family home.

Here are some photos of Jack and our kids Erik and Alysse, hoping to stay in contact and would love to hear on any get togethers with Turtle Gardens.

Thanks again.

Chris/Heather/Erik/Alysse/Jack

Jack and his new family



Uncertainty in snowy northern BC

The Babine Forest Product Mill fire has devasted Burns Lake. The uncertainty, the unknown and the shock affects all of us in the area. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families who have lost loved ones.

The majority of our dogs have come from Burns Lake and area. The Canadian Animal Assistance Team’s wellness/spay neuter clinic has made an impact in the lessening of puppies arriving. The puppies that are here now are from west of us – Hazelton to the Kispiox.  Our main concern is the economic impact if the mill is not rebuilt. It is not something anyone of us can imagine. The impact will be felt throughout the region.

puppy pile

The eight puppy – a brown female!!

Molson, Beans,Grizz, Squire,Mcdimsum,BJ Thomas and Chief



An update that will give smiles.

Good morning, Yvette.

These aren’t great pictures, but I thought you’d enjoy them nonetheless. The one of the bottom of the Christmas tree comes with a little Tilly tale. See the flat place just to the left of the manger and farther back? Several times, much to my surprise, I found Tilly happily snoozing there. Whether she longed to be a part of the manger scene, or more likely it was another proof of her fondness for hidey-holes. I could never get to the camera and have her stay put. I wish I had, because it would have made a great picture! The other pictures are of the kids in their boots.

Manger scene minus Tilly

It is 19 here. 19 above, but that is cold for here. And there is a nasty little wind out of the north. They get salt and ice in between their toes, so it’s boot time. I have RuffWear boots for Doots, Des and Lola from last winter. Grace is wearing Power Paw socks with red Pawz boots on top. (I feel like a fashion reporter!)
New Boots New Boots Coats New Boots
Remember that the vet at Burns Lake noted that Grace had a “poor coat.” I was a little mystified, because her coat was so sleek and shiny. I understand now. She has developed a huge bushy tail like a fox, and she has feathers on the back of her hind legs that look like very baggy pantaloons from the rear. The fur around her neck is also impressive. She is gorgeous! You can see a little of that in this picture. Tilly isn’t wearing boots, because the socks and boots I have are a little too big. She started out in the same ones that Grace is wearing, but they looked like clown shoes, and they came off one by one. I’ve ordered the next size down. The Pawz colours come by size.
Smalls are red and XSmalls are orange, so Tilly’s when they come will be orange. Tilly has a new coat to fit her new svelte bod. Such an incredible pack with duds or without!
Cheers,
Maureen



Crisis at Turtle Gardens

Losing the computer is a major crisis for Turtle Gardens - our heart and soul. It is most likely a power source problem but how do we find out? It is not like a repair service is just around the corner. I talked to board members and it made sense to buy a laptop. We went local and found a resonably priced well made laptop with everything I needed including a dial-up modem. so now I have a new operating system to get used to and a whole lot of work getting all my software and missing documents. Emails are back. I can blog, check the weather, almost everything I had before. BUT I am missing my pictures and loads of documents. Next step is to find a repair service for my old desk top – now almost 7 years old!!

And now for another problem – foster homes for my puppies. I have 1 foster home for puppies and 1 Finishing School for ready to adopt but needs lifeskills/city skills teens to adult - Lisa B. Scotty is taking up another primo foster home.

The puppies will be 11.5 weeks old next weekend – they were born November 3rd. They are collie/shepherd, 2 males and 5 females. They have really good dog social skills. They are fairly social with people. They will have 2 vet checks, vaccinations, revolution, dewormed multiple times. They do go outside but back slid with the -35 degree weather. They are personable and smart and playful, play with balls, toys etc.

shepherd collie pup for adoption

the smallest, black and tan female

shepherd collie pup for adoption

black and tan fluffy female

black and white speckled female

shepherd collie pup for adoption

brown and white female amber eyes

shepherd collie cross pup for adoption

brown female

shepherd collie mix male pup for adoption

red and white male amber eyes

shepherd collie male pup for adoption

brown male

If interested please email me. Our next transport depends on th epups getting foster homes.

And new arrivals – very nice dogs as usual.

black pound male with Chief

The new fellow is about 8 months old, a shepherd mix now neutered,vaccinated,vet checked. He is quite people and dog social. An excellent family companion.

The other pound pup is just a little guy in height but lone and low. He weighs 32 pounds, long haired and built like a corgi. He has th esoftest face. What a treasure for a lucky family!

little pound guy

 



Sukhi’s Update

Greetings,

Today I enjoyed playtime at Willows beach. There were large white clumps of cold wet powder that melted when it landed on my nose. I ate as much of it as possible and it was great fun to roll in in.

I have decided to retrieve my ball back to my humans and chase everyone’s ball as well. Ha! Today I dug and dug in the sand, finding all kinds of things…leaves, driftwood, clam shells, seaweed and crab
claws…my mom took the smelly things away from me!

I played chase with a little rough coat Jack Russel girl and ran up the beach with Bobbie the white westie…he was really fast for an old guy! I hope that I see Lulu my Havanese girlfriend…she wrestles so nicely! Needless to say I snoozed all the way home and look forward to doing it again. What was that white stuff in the air and on the beach???

arf,
Sukhi pants aka Sukhi Dayo



Cold Spay Day at Turtle Gardens

It is really cold today! -35 is a tad chilly alright. Dave spent two hours stringing a heavy duty extension cord high up along the fence so he could plug in the TG Bus – this was after driving yesterday to Houston to buy it!! He had no vet days this week right? So he didn’t have to worry about starting the van is super cold weather. Not so. Once our Vet clinic knew about Jack-y they fit her in asap – today! So there it was no choice. The van is now parked on the new improved parking area – the driveway was too steep and the vehicles kept getting stuck in icy weather. The old cord didn’t reach. Hence the rush in trip to Houston and holy cow a 125 foot cord is over $159!!! And a 75 foot cord- $99!! Good grief just to plug in a vehicle? Mind you it is state of the art and lights up so you know it is working. How cool is that!

Dave went out this morning and the van was cold – the block heater is broken! It is a new van and lo and behold she started! Again a how cool is that moment! Dave was soon on his way. Today is also pound pick up day – Dave says that the new guy looks just like BJ Thomas! Jack-y was very good though reluctant to go in she was non-aggressive. Not like BJ who is terrified in a cage and bit the hand that was helping him. Jackie understood he was fearful and took it in stride. He hadn’t acted aggressive at all while Dave put him through the examination/weigh in and into the cage. He was fine when Dave went to take him out – happy and bouncy so glad to see him. Now we know that he needs to learn trust in strange situations and crate training to lessens his fear of them.

Jacky

Shiva – the very ill Maramma is coming along very well. Today for the first time, she took food from my hand. She dances when I bring her her dish of kibble and finally stayed out when I put it down – that was yesterday’s milestone. She was darting under my bed at approach. Progress is slow but she will be a family companion. That I promised her. She plays with the 10 week old puppies.

Shiva and puppy playing

Shiva and pup

 



Rescue in the trenches – new arrivals in nasty weather

Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. Even when it is downright scary. The dogs were picked up and ready for transport. They had to come to Turtle Gardens now. With the long range forecast for similar weather there was no waiting for “warmer/better” weather. so Dave and Brian agreed to meet Linda in Smithers. The pictures will tell the story.

starting out in Topley

Hungry Hill outside of Hoston, going in

 

keeping an eye on the storm Gangster

almost in Smithers

They met Linda in the parking lot between Zellers and Safeway – which has Starbucks coffee and kickass corned beef sandwiches. They transferred the dogs and turned around for the trip home again. Thank you Linda for going above and beyond for the dogs. And thank you Julia for driving the 3 smaller dogs from Kispiox to Hazelton. The guys hoped to be back home before dark – the snow was trying to turn into rain.

The summit at Hungry Hill on the way back

almost home, thank doG

And Pepsi Refreshes Project for our new safe and reliable van with its brand new snow tires. Thank you to our supporters who supplied the funds for the gas to pick the new arrivals up. Your donations do a lot for the dogs and Turtle Gardens.

The two little terriers are related. One is young and though a bit shy warms up quickly. The other is older and terrified but wagging his tail when I feed and water them.

Older male terrier

the younger little fellow

possible beagle mix pup

Jacky

Her name is actually Jack cuz they thought she was a boy! She is Seely’s mother!! Brojack is his father so we have the entire family. She is a very nice girl, sweet, friendly and very dog social. She needs a spay sooner rather than later – she was bred two weeks ago. Now we can relax a bit – the new arrivals have settle din. With the temperatures dipping to -29 this coming week there will be other trips.



Look at our wonderful Bubba aka Dexter.


Hi there,
We just wanted to shoot you a quick update on “Bubba”. We named him Dexter and it only took a few days for him to start responding. He is doing so well and is soo spoiled! we are so glad that we are able to be his mommy and daddy! He can now sit, shake, laydown and come. We are working on stay. :) He loves going to the dog park and is such a lover. He snuggles at our feet in bed every night and when my husband leaves in the morning, he moves up to snuggle by my chest. I am attaching some pictures so you can see how big he is getting, 34.5 pounds now!!
Thank you again for our baby boy,
Brittany and Patrick Fournier