Light at the end of the tunnel!

Okay, so it seems I've slacked in blogging lately.
Lots to catch up on!

2 weeks ago, we visited the shelter to meet a potential foster. I selected this boy (who we have named Mario) because of his extremely intimidating features & his supersweet personality. He has cropped ears, bow-legged feet & is 80+ pounds of pure muscle. He was very responsive & seemed un-phased by our beagles & just happy to be out of his kennel. We provoked a few scuffles between him & Buddy & he was remorseful when he was yelled at, but we just weren't ready to take him on. I am keeping an eye to see if he's still at the shelter & hopefully we will be ready to take him on next round with some routine training.

And then came Igor. We wanted a break from the puppy routine (housetraining every 20 minutes in the bitter cold weather was brutal), so there was this smaller pit mix that was cowering & shaking in his kennel. He refused to come to us & refused to walk on a leash. We carried his 27 lbs. out to meet the beags. He was so happy to be free & wagged his tail furiously as it was tucked between his legs. He came home with us an hour later. Typically we would wait until he was neutered, but he had kennel cough, so that needs to be treated before he can undergo surgery. The shelter was no place for this shy boy to get better. His endearing underbite earned him the name of Igor. He has a face only a mother could love!

First stop was the Canine Corral for a much needed bath. Not only was this the smelliest dog we have brought home, to date, but the poor guy's nerves got the best of him & he got carsick on his ride home. This must be what having kids is like!

His first week with us was hectic. His cough progressed quickly & after 3 days, we were really worried. With visits to the vet every other day, some intravenous antibiotics & fluids, he finally started feeling better after about a week.

When he first came home, there were a couple of issues we were baffled by. He refused to walk up stairs. He was fine going down them. He also had a weird thing about doorways. We had to carry him out to the yard to use the bathroom. Same thing with the gates on our fence. We did take him on his first walk successfully with a harness. He does not like anything to pull on his collar. He mimics the beagles (including an obsession with squirrels), so that has helped tremendously. A HUGE thank you to Angela Lullo Caldwell (a high school friend on facebook) who always gives me great advice for new challenges with our fosters.  Sign up for her dog training classes at the Orland Hills Petsmart.

2 nights ago as we were watching t.v. & we witnessed Igor out of the corner of our eyes, tugging & kissing Buddy's ear. We sat quietly in anticipation of Buddy's reaction. Buddy finally caved & reciprocated to sweet Igor. Since that night, they love to wrestle, chase each other & play tug of war. It warms our hearts to see this boy come out of his shell & for our beagles to finally accept him. Igor has also been given the nickname of Mr. Wiggles. When you talk to him & give him any type of attention, his whole body wiggles. And like several of our previous fosters, he seems to be working on his beagle 'howl' every so often.

We picked up Santo from his 3 weeks of prison training & delivered him successfully to his new home. He put on a much needed 20 lbs. & is reportedly doing well in his new home with his human mom & dad. This lucky boy will definitely be spoiled.





We received an email from Stella (previously Rosebud)'s adopters who are having some issues with her after 3 months. They have agreed to work with a trainer & our fingers are crossed that things will work out for them.

Lastly, a fertility update. After 1 unsuccessful attempt at IUI (intrauterine insemination), the insurance case manager called with good news this week. She insisted the physician reviewer give an exact number of attempts at IUI that would be required before approving IVF. He stated only one more IUI would be required. Finally, a light at the end of the tunnel. The first round of IUI was difficult, both physically & emotionally. After the disappointment of that failed attempt, we decided to take this next month off from any fertility procedures... and are taking a spontaneous trip to go skiing in Breckenridge, Colorado, our favorite ski spot & the very first vacation we took together 5 years ago.

'Don't litter. Spay & neuter your pets.'