Happy birthday my little angel!

Today is Rocco's "Gotcha Day" (adoption anniversary), and his unofficial 4th birthday! I'm so thankful he walked (or sulked, as it really worked out) into our lives two years ago.

Here's a little story, accompanied with pictures, on how we found Rocco Charles Velociraptor two years ago.

I was at the shelter to pick up my TNR cats from surgery. I walked through the runs to waste time as they were finishing up. There I saw Rocco's pitiful face and knew immediately that he needed to be ours. His head was practically glued to the ground like this...

...and you could just see the FML look in his eyes (he was sharing a run with a Jack Russell that was jumping off the walls (literally), and Rocco isn't exactly known for his love of high energy dogs or loud settings).

In the next few weeks, it was crystap clear by his behavior that he had been abused in the last. He was very fearful, had no clue how to play with toys, growled at almost anything, and flinched or cowered if you moved too quickly. His medical care had also been neglected, and he had this lovely tumor growing out of his ear:

The night before we brought him home, I was in absolute tears because, as much as I wanted to bring him into our family, I was terrified that there was no way that I could love him as much as I love Lizzi. Two years later, I'm cracking up at how I worried for nothing - he's our sweet angel boy, and I undoubtedly love him just as much as Liz. Plus, look at how perfect these two are for each other. How they survived without the other is beyond me.

The past two years have involved a lot of patience and love in rehabbing Rocco from his past life, but we wouldn't have it any other way. He's perfect just the way he is, and he makes our family whole.

Tonight Rocco enjoyed some delicious birthday cookies, and tomorrow he'll have his birthday cake (I was a bad momma and didn't have all the ingredients I needed today). And of course Sunday is Hound Dog Homecoming, so I'm hoping as a belated birthday gift he gets crowned Homecoming King (last minute donations are still welcome)!

And now, it's off to snuggle in bed with my birthday boy. And my human boy. And Lizzi. And probably Emma and a cat or two. I need a bigger bed...

Rocco's regal pose

A heart for every year of life

Special hearts for every year with us

Licking the candles!

We're in the home stretch!

The big Hound Dog Homecoming Event at CMHS is just a few short days away! Rocco's been fundraising his little heart out, and is hopeful his efforts pay off with a crown. If not, he is fully satisfied knowing that all of the money he's raised goes to a great organization.

If anyone else is interested in placing a last minute donation to the Central Missouri Humane Society for Rocco's run for Hound Dog Homecoming King, let me know.

Those crazy attack ads against Rocco haven't stopped, though we are pleased to have gotten official endorsement from Queen Candidate Xena and a couple of adorable kittens (above), which proves the point that Rocco does, in fact, like kittens. By the way, our endorsement kitties are in Tennessee and need a home. You can email me about those guys too, and I'll put you in contact with their foster momma.


In other news, Miss Maddie the pittie is making the long journey to Minnesota this weekend (it was originally last weekend, but transport plans changed). She'll be going with 29 other dogs and a kitty. That's going to be a CRAZY huge transport, but it's getting her one step closer to her forever home! When she arrives in Minnesota, her new dad will meet up with the transport and then drive her all the way home to Washington State!

Maddie the Pibble

Oh blog, how I've neglected you.

This past week has been full of fun times in animal rescue.

Meet Maddie.

Maddie showed up a couple of weeks ago at the Central Missouri Humane Society as a stray. This situation is hardly uncommon, but Maddie's case was a little different.



Maddie came into the shelter with these massive burns along her neck and back, which the vet staff suspects is from a chemical burn (perhaps some jerks were trying to brand her). They were massive, and gross, and obviously super uncomfortable for her.


I felt sad for Maddie, so I brought her some cheeseburgers. Her outlook didn't look so great. Option A: her horrible owner claimed her (bad)
Option B: euthanasia (also bad)

This sucks.

I told my awesome friends about Miss Maddie, and the outpouring of support and desire to save her was absolutely incredible (as usual). The day before she was set to be euthanized, people from across the country were calling and emailing rescues everywhere begging them to take her in their program. These people opened their homes for fostering her and their wallets to cover her expenses and make a nice donation to the rescue group that agreed to take her.

Thanks to an awesome friend and fellow volunteer who coordinated it all, and another awesome friend in Texas who contacted them, next Friday Maddie will head to a new foster home in Minnesota with Midwest Animal Rescue & Services (MARS) where she will have the opportunity to be placed in an incredible forever home that will treat her like the angel that she is.

We are temporarily fostering her until she can get to her new foster home, and she's such a sweetheart. She has every reason not to trust humans, but she is an absolute love with us. I think she's just grateful to be around people who just love on her and treat her the way any living creature should be treated.


Her wounds are healing really nicely too!




It's stuff like this that makes me so happy to rescue animals. She should be dead right now, but thanks to so many incredible people (Amanda and Matt, Jennifer, and the rest of the P&F girls), she's alive, and will never have to experience that kind of pain and abuse again. Yay!

Sikeston Native, and America's Got Talent Winner, Neal Boyd's first single

http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20283179,00.html

Sweet! Way to go Neal!

The Attack Ads Continue

Bloated

That's me. I just ate half jar of cheese dip in about 10 minutes. It was awesome.

This campaign is getting ugly

Smear tactics have hit Rocco's campaign for Hound Dog Homecoming King. This is unacceptable (and hilarious), and we must counteract it. If you believe in Rocco's vision of a world where there are no homeless animals, where all are adopted into loving homes that spoil them with treats, toys, and high quality pet foods, please help. Donations towards Rocco's campaign so that he can pursue his dream to represent the homeless animals of Columbia, Missouri are greatly appreciated. Email Rocco's campaign manager for details.

(click any picture below to make it larger, and thanks to Amanda and Matt for the laughs!)