Chicken Jerky Warning!!!

I know it's been a while. okay a few weeks since I last posted. but gimme a break i have been busy with work, school, and my research project. i did do a lot of fun stuff in between, but i will tell you about it in a later post.
Right now Mindy is in the ICU fighting to get her kidneys jumped started. ruben took her to emergencey monday night and after a few blood and urine samples it turn out she has kidney failure. what was the cause you ask...chicken jerky we bought at costco. a treat that shows 'chicken' as it's only ingredient. we researched the web and found out that there are oodles of people out there who's dog got ill and were diagnosed with kidney failure after feeding them the same treats. unfortunately there were some who passed. so why did i feed my dogs these? THEY WERE NEVER RECALLED! the fda never recalled them even though they had hundreds of complaints and a study done by banfield hospitals. you can go to costco and other stores and they are on the shelves. go figure. i would advice anyone who is feeding there dogs or cats to check the label out carefully. we through out EVERYTHING that had any ingredients from china away. we will start making them food and treats ourselves.
As for Mindy...she is fighting. her kidneys will never function 100%, but at least she will be with us. to let you know how bad she was...the doctor only sees those types of results after a pet drank antifreeze. she is constantly getting kidney flushes and dialysis. here is our little tank.

Strike a Pose!

Last night my Sonya came over to cheer me up and see the pup's. After watching America's Next Top Model with us (ANTM is my guilty pleasure) Kodos and Sonya decided to show off their modeling/acting skills as a goofy pair. Here are some pics of the two:

They are so good together don't you think...Doesn't it seem as if Kodos is listening to the photographer's instructions? Well he isn't. He is listening to Auntie Sonya instead.

How cute is this...they are both in sync with each other.

Kodos is saying: Yeah, she's my peep!

Foster puppies growing up

The past week I have been busy shelling corn. I was shelling during the weekend and will be in the lab early monday morning to do more.
On another note. I got an e-mail from one of the people who took in 2 of our foster puppies and here is the story on her two pups from when we received them last October to foster to when she took them home and how they have impacted her life:
So Ruben and I foster for the local animal shelter. In October we received a litter of 5 husky mixes. Oh so cute and small.

There were 2 females (who we named Cindy(the light brown/white/red on the right side near Ruben's hand and the other little female Jan (cute little brown/white/black one on the lower left side). We named this litter after the Brady bunch. The males were named: Bobby, Peter and the last male was originally Greg, but we changed it to Gizmo.

We got the pups home and they were covered with ticks. when i say covered i mean COVERED. it took ruben and i 3 straight hours to de-tick 5 tiny dogs that weighed a few ounces each. some of them fell asleep while we picked ticks off. Jan (currently named Dolly) became very ill. we started bottle feeding her and tried to keep her hydrated, but she was just too ill. when Ruben took her back to the shelter for care, they told us they weren't sure she would make it.
the other pups were doing great except foe a skin condition. they all recovered from that. here are pictures of the 2 females that were adopted by a wonderful woman named Sandy.
This is Dolly (aka Jan). This is her after her intensive treatment. Is she cute or what.
This is Molly (aka Cindy). She had fur missing from her tail from a skin condition. She still stole our heart...how can she not.

I recieved the e-mail from Sandy with her story and an up-to-date picture of the two girls. When I read the story and saw their picture i cried. i took the picture home and just stared at it...teary eyed. So what has happened to this adorable little girls since getting adopted. Here is Sandy's story:
They are in between 35-40 pounds now, soft and loving and the joy of our lives. Their confirmation is perfect and their gorgeous fur is soft and thick. We found by putting Vit E in their food that the fur grew back that was missing. Husky's have this deficiency according to the Internet and lo and behold it worked. When the fur started to grow out on Molly's tail.... It formed not only a beautiful full tail but she was blessed with a white tip! And, Dolly has the most beautiful paws you would ever want to see.
They do not like collars so we are in the process of getting them used to just wearing one now and the dreaded leash is next. We will start their training on April 5th. Dolly has sit up for treats since she was tiny. Molly has been a little lazy about wanting to do it but found that the morsel in my hand was worth the effort. They love to eat. They also will chew up anything in sight and have learned the word "no" and as a norm will never touch that object again even though I would leave it in plain view to try and tempt them. But, they will find something else even though they have rawhide bones and toys!
Something else that is wonderful.... They are never any further apart than you see them in this picture. When I only see one ... I run to see where the other one could be. My husband is retired but active in a lot of things and I am a Realtor so we have very busy lives and are in and out of the house a lot but there are times when they only have each other. I have never regretted getting Molly even though our family thought that one pup would be enough. But that is another story.
I could go on and on about our little girls. And, I say "our" because without you taking them when you did, I would never have had the opportunity to experience the gift of their love. The girls at the Humane Society were so great in their care.... And then of course my awesome daughter Sherry taking Dolly when she did was almost a miracle in itself. And, for me to see her when I did and just fall totally in love with her just sealed my fate. Sherry presented me with their ownership papers along with colorful collars and leashes, puppy baby books and everything one would need to start life with our new babies for Christmas. What a gift.
Just look at them (Molly in the back, Dolly in the front). Can you see why this picture brings tears to my eyes? This is how i like to see my babies...happy and with such wonderful parents. Sandy has invited us to see the girls and ruben and i are VERY excited. This is what love does. i can't believe how Dolly looks. The last time i saw her she was on the shelter counter and couldn't stand on her own. she fit in my hand. she almost didn't make it.but look at her now.love and care. that's all it takes. i thank everyone who was involved in her recovery and Sandy and her husband for taking these angels in and loving them.
If anyone out there can foster for local animal shelters, do it. this story alone has made it worth it.

Corn cob holders anyone?

So what have I been doing at work lately? I have been shelling corn. yes, corn. To pay for grad school and research expenses I had to keep my job as a research tech working in a plant molecular genetics lab. the lab plants specific maize plants with specific genes of interest during the spring and summer months. next week we have to plant and since it is spring break many of the undergraduates are gone. the only people here are myself and one of my co-workers (who is also a grad student). the only thing, we are both part-timers because of school and work. we have a lot of corn to shell. so what do i do? i have specific corn cobs (corn ears) in which the seeds must be removed, counted, and placed into a labeled envelope. doesn't sound hard right. it isn't. it's just boring. it also gets tedious when you have several different seed colors involved and they have to be separated. my eyes are red from seed strain. i am going home for a quick dinner and i am coming back and staying in the lab late. i will see how much more i can do. after all i have been waking up at 5am and was out doing my own research in the early hours.
some corn ears are fine, others have hundreds of seeds, but the worse ones are the ones like the picture. they are covered in mold. after removing the seeds and counting my hands are a greenish-black.gross.

Sleepy at work

Yesterday I had fun in the afternoon. Went out to the field at 6am (waking up at 5am will be the norm for now on), hurried to seminar, then went "people watching" with an undergrad that works in my lab. We are coffee/people watching buddies. It's fun just sitting around watching people pass by and catch up on life. Got home and had to leave to help out the local shelter during their time of crisis. I was super tired by the time I got home.
Today I worked from home in the morning so I could be with the kids. Played fetch with Hoju. Maggie laid in the sun. Mindy played tug-o-war with me. Barney joined in. And Kodos practiced his guard dog run and growl move. i didn't know he had to practice, but I guess he feels he can better. Called my mom, went to work to do other stuff. Currently at work and I need coffee ASAP before I fall asleep. Can't wait to get home to my kids again. Now that it's warming up Maggie is using the kiddie pool more. I will post pictures of her splashing around. She is a big goober puppy and knows it. She is beautiful, inside and out...like all her other siblings.
I am pretty sure a cot would fit in my office. I will have to look into that.

Bad Days

It's been hectic the past few days. A roller coaster ride I really don't want to be on. Not very happy. Right now I have to say that I do envy singles. I am going to play with Hoju, run from Maggie, Mindy, Kodos, and Barney. That will cheer me up.
How can this not cheer you up?

Puffy dogs

Yesterday we had to take Mindy to the vet. She jumped into bed and Ruben noticed she looked funny (not in a good way). Her eyes were so puffy that they were closing and her muzzle looked the arms of inflatable furniture. She had either eaten or had gotten bit by a bug and was having an allergic reaction. Off to the vet she went to get anti-inflammatory shots. By mid day her swelling was gone and she slept for the rest of the day.
This morning Ruben, myself, and a student I am helping with a project all went out to my field plots to place my bee sticks. How many did we put out today...about 300! Tomorrow we have another 400 to place. I love this time of the year. my field season.

Happy Birthday Hoju!

Yesterday was Hoju's 3rd birthday. I can't believe that our hoju-baby is already 3 years old. I remember when we first adopted him and he was able to sit on my lap. He still does, but he doesn't quite fit anymore. Ruben and I made a meaty cake with mash potato frosting and letters made from doggy treats. All the kids got a chunk of his birthday cake and we celebrated with singing and lots of pets and hugs.
Happy 3rd Birthday Hoju baby. We love you very much!!

Welcome home honey!

So it's been a while since my last blog. I've been incredibly busy studying for exams, reading, catching up with stuff at work, getting ready for my field season, and of course dogs. The past week went well and we all survived it. that is all that matters. Ruben got back this morning at 9am. I stayed home until he got in so Maggie could see her daddy before she went to daycare. they were so excited when they saw Ruben get out of the car. They really missed him. I really missed him. here are some pictures of Ruben at the orchards. he said it was beautiful out there, but he would rather of been with all of us instead. how sweet he is.
This is the picture I wanted to make sure he took. Ruben is in his bee suite and check out all the honeybees flying around. cool huh
Luckily he had Holly around. She is a former student who has been working with Ruben on his various crazy projects for the past 3 years. She is really sweet.
Today was just such a great day. Ruben gets home (for good), I found out I was awarded a small research grant, and I had ice-cream with some great people. Don't know if the day could have gotten any better. of yeah, it will because i have a great man and five awesome dogs waiting at home for me.

Tasty Treats

After work, go pick up Maggie at doggy daycare, get home and throw some trader joe's turkey breakfast sausage in a pan, play with the kids while the sausage cooks. i eat a salad from trader joe's (love their salads), go over basic training commands with the girls, then the boys. cut up the sausage into bits for the girls training class, take a breath and play with the boys more. the sausage smelled so good (they have maple...yummy), but it was for Maggie and Mindy's training class. lucky dogs. took the girls to their second training class. They were both good once we got into the building. Of course both (especially Maggie) are one of the loudest, but hey she is a puppy. I was proud of Maggie because she got the "down" command. I had tried it before at home and she just didn't get it. Mindy is also doing very well. A lot better than when we first took her last year. I think her confidence is beginning to build up which is what she needs. Good girls. Mommy is proud of you. I also took Maggie to get weighed at the vet for her heartguard. The last time we weighed her she was 34 pounds. When we first brought her home she was 19 pounds, she got sick, got better and her weight went up to 34 pounds. She will be 7 months at the end of the month and she currently weighs 48 pounds. Big baby bubba. She is still so puppy though. The way she hops around and play. very puppy. I also took the boys out last night after class. there was no one there, but I had big dogs with me, so I didn't worry too much. Kodos and Barney enjoyed it. they got to smell EVERYTHING. Hoju happily played fetch again when we got home. all of them were so good. so proud of my good dogs. i love them.

Working hard for the money

There was a small celebration at my lab today for one of the students in our lab. He is the same student who has been working with me for the past 2 years and I was with him at his poster session yesterday. These are the main people I work with and whom I love being around. This has to be the best lab to work in. Everyone is nice and we all joke around. It's great. And I couldn't believe that Troy (student, also wearing the sweater vest) actually listened to me and wore a sweater vest. Congrats to him on his award!

Confused dogs & grad student life

Why do you have to study mom? What about just staying home all day and playing fetch with me?
Tuesday was another good day. It was a long day for me. I had to stand with one of the students who works in the lab with me by his poster in the morning, then it was class all afternoon. I got home later that evening and nothing was destroyed. I was bad however...I didn't take Kids out for a walk. I have a lot of reading and studying for an exam I have next week. And I am still drying and drilling away at sticks for my artificial bee nests.
This was my rockin' night last night. Yes, I know it's just too nerdy but who cares.
So when is dad coming home?? tomorrow Kodos.

Happy Days are Here Again!

Yesterday was a great day. So far the week is going good. I got home and nothing was torn. My babies were happy to see me home early. I decided to spend time with them instead of going in to work in my second lab. I thought, if I can do the work at home I would rather be with my dogs than in the lab with earphones. I took Kodos and Maggie out for an early walk to the park. We were wondering the park for an hour and a half which they loved. We also ran into a group of disabled kids who gave Kodos and Maggie oodles of love. The kids loved the dogs and Kodos nuzzled himself right next to one of the girls who thought he was the best puppy...and he is. At least I think so. Maggie also liked the attention and pets. The kids thought the "baby dog" was cute. Kodos and Maggie make such a great walking team. About 2 weeks ago when Ruben was back we took Maggie and Kodos to the park. A man riding a bicycle said Kodos was a handsome devil, but wouldn't you agree. When we were walking back to the car another man opens the door to his car and starts yelling about what a beautiful dog Maggie was. And isn't she. She was tired and had the famous large grin that bullies get when they pant. One day I will capture it and post it.
Back to the great day...Auntie Sonya helped me walk the rest of the dogs. She handled Barney while I walked Hoju and Maggie (Mindy wanted to stay at home on the warm comfy couch). They were all so good and they love to see their Auntie Sonya. I think she should spend the night and we could watch movies (I have all the Sex and the City DVDs...hint hint). She is so awesome to help. And the best part was she bought me the HUGE chocolate cupcake with marshmallows. I wasn't on campus when she went to get one, but she still thought of me. How sweet is that. She is such a great person. We all love you Auntie Sonya!
When we got back from the walk Mindy and Maggie had more sister time.
And Hoju was happy because I took time and played fetch for 30 minutes after we got home. How I love that boy!

Murphy's Law at it's best

So let’s see what has happened. Ruben has been gone for 2 weeks and Murphy’s Law has moved in to keep me company. Anything that could go wrong has done so this past week. First there was the water pipe which I wrote about, and then Maggie figured out how to climb the fence and run out of the yard. So I thought things would be better, but no. Bad luck was just not done with me. I get back home valentine’s night and I have this to come home to. Kodo’s has been stressed and mad that Ruben has been gone, so he decided to take it out on the couch.

And a pillow.

This didn’t get me mad because they don’t understand what is going on and this is the only way they can express their feelings. What did get me mad is when Barney and Hoju got into a fight. Barney + a diet – walks for 2 weeks = VERY ANGRY Barney. So first let me explain why I haven’t taken Barney out and why he is on a diet. Barney was diagnosed with hip dysplasia 2 weeks ago. He is normal in weight, but to help ease pain in his hips and slow down the progression he has to lose some weight. He also had to stay off walks so the inflammation in his hips can go down. So I am not trying to torture the boy, but just trying to help. This is not going to be an option while Ruben is away because of how angry and grumpy he gets. So after picking up the pillow filling, Barney starts to pick on Hoju. Next thing I see is two giant dogs getting into it. I have never seen a dog fight and I hope to never see one again after that night. So here I am…I am not that big, yet I had to get in the middle of 200 pounds of angry dog. Not cool. When it was over I was freaked out, mad, and crying. Surprisingly there were no injuries. Barney just had 3 scratches, but nothing bad. Still, not cool. The night just got worse. I ordered a pizza so I could watch the bad dogs, eat pizza and finish watching Amalie. Pizza man gets here and he forgot the credit receipt. We argue about leaving the pizza and I end up staying in all night waiting for him to bring back the receipt so I could sign it. Ruben got back Friday night and I slept well this weekend. This is Kodos all cute and snuggled on Friday when it was cold and rainy. This picture made me smile.

My dad also came by (from California) to put up the rest of the metal sheeting fence so none of the kids can get out. It looks nice and now I don’t have to worry about my little monkey girl Maggie escaping. I am hoping this week is better….please let it be better!

Plumbing problem's and monkey girl

The beginning of this week was not a good one. During these frustrating times I am glad to have a house full of furry love to help me cope (or at times contribute to my frustration). After Ruben left on Monday a water pipe in our backyard decided to pop open. First we need to turn the water to the house off so we don't become wasteful. I had to get back to work and figured by the time I got home the pseudo lake in the backyard would be dry and the pipes would be drained so I could cement them back together. Wrong. The water was still there. When I decided that water is important to have around, I went to the store and bought a turkey baster and sucked up all the water around the pipe and inside so I could get it cemented. Kodos, Maggie, and Mindy were kind enough to assist me during suctioning and drying.
After cementing the pipe things were starting to look up. Since Ruben is gone for a while my friend Sonia has volunteered to help me walk my posse of dogs. Not only has she volunteered her time, but she was nice enough to ask some of her friends to help out. Tuesday night Sonia, Alicia and I walked the dogs, except for Barney who needs to rest for another week before we can take him out.
The kids LOVE their auntie Sonia (as do I), so they were excited. I walked Kodos and Hoju, Sonia walked Maggie, and Mindy walked Alicia. Sorry, but the girls are not the best walkers yet and Sonia and Alicia didn't seem to mind. How cool are they. Thanks so much for your help...you guys were awesome and the pups love you to for the help.

On Tuesday I experienced my first heart attack. I got out of the shower and had Hoju rush into the bathroom barking like a crazy dog. I get clothes on and run outside...no Maggie to be found. My heart fell. I ran outside the front yelling her name like a mad woman. Here she comes running back to me with 2 other stray dogs. My neighbor was nice enough to help me get the 2 other dogs in the back of the truck so I could take them to the humane society. I put Maggie back into the house and what does the trouble maker do...she climbs up the chain-linked fence and gets back over. In case you don't know, Maggie is now a monkey. On the bright side, I figured out how she got out and she is currently on lock down. If I'm in the shower she is in the bathroom with me. This weekend Ruben and my dad will be coming over and we will be putting up the rest of the metal sheeting fence so monkey girl can't get out.

This is the face of a dog who is not happy with me since we did not get to go out for a night walk on Tuesday night. So sorry Kodos...mama loves you...she's was just too stressed that day.

Spring weekends

This past weekend I took Hoju to the wash so he can splash around in the water (while it's here) and cool off a bit. Hoju is our water dog, so when there is water near by I try to take him. The nice thing about taking him to splash around is that it makes him tired. It's one of the only activities that does get him tired. Here he is running through the wash...
And this is a semi-tired dog thinking about whether he should go for one more romp in the water before it's time to go
The breeze was nice on the way back home.
When I got back I let the girls out of their crates and let them romp around the backyard. I went out back to play with them just in time to see them run out from under the shed
Here comes troubles...
After chasing each other around, Maggie decided to lay out in the sun and Mindy just doesn't see the appeal

The weather has been nice here...nice and warm. Sonya (aka Auntie Sonya) and I were able to get out and walk dogs at the humane society on Saturday morning. So many cute pups that need good homes. Sonya fell in love with an 8 month old aussie mix named Ty. He was adorable! It was a great weekend!

A note to our dad...

I would give up playing with my toys and fetching my ball...










I would give up all my tasty treats...








I would give up my treat filled kongs...











I would give up the cushy couch I sleep on...










I would give up walks...

As long as we're all with you!