QUITTERS

Yep, that's what we feel like...QUITTERS! Mitzi's time with us ended last Saturday after 4+ months of us desperately trying to give her love & teach her that it's not OK to urinate in our house, on our furniture, on our clothes/shoes, or anywhere else indoors for that matter. *sigh* The poor, sweet thing just did not get it. Her psychological issues ran too deep & we had to give up on her. We made the long journey to Costa Mesa to return her to the rescue group from whence she came. SORRY MITZI....we loved you, but you were just too much for us.

It has been several days since her departure. I'm not sure what's more sad...the fact we had to give up or the fact that the house is so peaceful, calm & relaxing now that she IS gone??? I never realized how much of my time she consumed, even when I was not home....she was always on my mind. She was always on Mike's mind. The non-stop flow of urine coming out of her was always bothersome & we had high hopes that in time, it would pass. Now that she is gone, I am so much more relaxed when I am home. While sad to send her packing, I feel free again.

Mitzi is no dummy -- she learned to "sit", "stay", or "go lay down in your bed" with relative ease in recent weeks, but she could not stop urinating anytime she was happy, nervous, scared or insecure. We treated her like gold & yet, she could not stop. Medically, there was nothing wrong with her. We had the vet examine her to make sure. We were told it's common in dogs that were abused & she may or may not get over it in time --- and we should invest in dog diapers, which we did...to no avail.

Frankie is adjusting, although he appears to search for her at times. I'm sure he once again loves being the center of attention. He also loves getting to be indoors more often. When Mitzi was there, we tried to treat them equally, which meant he was banned from the house during daylight hours to be in the yard w/ Mitzi. I think he hated the lack of human contact no matter how much he liked to wrestle with his little canine pal. Our hope is she finds a permanent home with someone that is more tolerant -- although, I think we had the patience of Saints in dealing with her, maybe she still needs more??

Farewell, little Mitzi-Mae.....best of luck to you! May you have a happy life wherever you land. XOXO

"Won't you come on down to my RESCUE?"

Okay...I might have stolen a line from an old Echo & the Bunnymen tune, but I felt it was applicable here. *wink*


These are my precious pups, captured on my new LUMIX digital camera (which is a fun little camera -- that hopefully I can learn how to use someday)....pure luck with this photo, I swear! Frankie & Mitzi-Mae were just in a "chillin" kind of mood this day. Chillin' is not something I often catch these 2 rascals doing. They are an endless supply of energy when together! They were alternating between playing ball in the yard & sunning themselves on the (covered) outdoor sofa. I was home sick with a bad cold -- went outside to soak up some sun myself as I sipped some hot green tea, hoping for relief.....and, thankfully, had the camera nearby so I could snap a few photos of my precious angels. This is just one of the many cute ones I scored last week. *sigh* They melt my heart!

Frankie will have been with us a full 3 years as of tomorrow. Happy anniversary my precious boy!!! He was by FAR the best dog we have ever adopted & to this day, I cannot get over how truly lucky we are that he found us. You can never be unhappy when you see Frankie's sweet face. He is lovable, smart beyond words, and just plain fun to be around. His intelligence never ceases to amaze me or Mike. I still can't believe that someone let this little guy get away....what fools you were, whoever you are! (refer to my post 12/22/08 to read more about Frankie "the precious").

Mitzi-Mae was just adopted in early October, for those that did not already know. She comes to us with a LOT of issues and we are working hard to make her see we are good people & that she can trust us to take very good care of her. My friend Erika says she wants to be reincarnated as our dog in her next life because she thinks we give our dogs such "royal treatment". Mitzi is extremely sweet & loving...and once she gets over her numerous insecurities, I think we have another smart hound on our hands. She was clearly mistreated by her original owners & spent nearly a full year in a rescue getting healthy before we took her home. At times, her care is challenging, but we are determined to convince her she's in a good, safe place now. She is quickly winning over our hearts. (for more on Mitzi-Mae, see the October '09 post "the right kind of ugly".)

Frankie & Mitzi play together endlessly and it's so stinkin' cute to watch. We love these little guys! To us, they are not just dogs, they are our family....and a darn cute little family we make! Someday, I will have to upload footage of them in action.

To all the other dog lovers in the world....please RESCUE whenever possible! There are SO many wonderful dogs out there that need homes. I have never "bought" a dog & I never will. I may love my designer handbags or shoes, but I have no tolerance for "designer dogs" and wish more people would rescue dogs from shelters or other organizations. My RESCUED dogs have all had immense intelligence & a ton of love to share, once they come to know and trust you. It's so incredibly rewarding. My only regret is my lack of winning Lottery numbers which would enable us to be able to stay home more & pal around with these 2 wonderful creatures, Frankie & Mitzi-Mae. We love them so much. They bring us great joy and I just wanted to share these recent photos with anyone that may be reading.....ENJOY!