On Nov 20, 2009, at 5:07 PM, Caroline Kaufmann wrote:
nn
I think my message was too long with the threads prior, so I am re-
posting only it.
Of course I am still around! Busy with work tho mostly :( I'm on
Facebook with a lot of felv members and that's how I mostly keep up
with them.
I also violated all the rules and became a traitor- rescuing and
keeping a monster dog I found abandoned near my work. And horror of
horrors...are you ready for this? I don't think you are! He's
likely a pit, rott mix and started out as a clear predator. And
here I am with cats. And he was like, yummy, mommy filled her house
with prey! I took him in in March and the first 6 mths of my
becoming a dog person was HELL ON EARTH! I prayed to Monkee every
night! He sucked up all of my non-work time, so in no way did I
feel it was right or fair to bring any fosters into the house until
I had the beast more de-sensitized to cats and I already felt like I
was neglecting my Yoda cat. And I had no time for fosters anyway b/
c the 48 lbs of shear muscle required his daily runs, weekend trips
to the park for trail running, taking him to obedience classes, tons
of at home training and working to integrate him with my moms dogs
and by "integrate"- I really mean, not kill my moms dogs, and time
spooning his mommy on the couch. All in all, it was the hardest
thing I have ever done...become a real dog person. Actually I
pretty much became a dog trainer. I had to! I named him Normandee
("Normandy")- the double ee a tribute to The Monkee of course. As
horrible as that all sounds, he's never gotten a cat, the cats are
fine with him, he's pretty de-sensitized to them but we have some
more work to do as "new" cats to him-- it's like, oh I can't eat
mommy's cat, but that one is for me! And it's not like me, Normandee
and Yoda are all spooning together on the couch or anything. UGH.
Cats are so much easier-- and this is coming from someone who had
four die in my arms...I mean really. I have told Normandee not to
ever make me "chose" b/c he will lose out! He took that to heart
and has done nothing but accept the structure and training with
undying love. It honestly surprises even me when I look back on how
much I have accomplished with this dog and to realize that nothing
is impossible. Our dog trainer is always singing
my praises because she admits that even she wouldn't have taken on a
dog like him, but the turn-around I have worked so hard for is
nothing short of amazing.
Now that the beasty is under control, I have a brand spanking new
foster cat (after not fostering for a year)...a white and black
female tuxie-- similar markings to Monkee. She's been living
outside and had a tipped ear so I knew she'd been spayed by likely
the fix-only and re-release group so I was on pins and needles when
she went for vetting. I think me, the vet and the tech were all
scared of the results since she had been outside and only
fixed...the chances of a positive test are so much higher. And for
me, gosh, I was having flash backs to Monkee's first vet visit b/c
her markings are so like his...and the vet's face when she came back
in the room and I just started crying, I was like, I can't go
through this again with a cat that looks like him! Thankfully, all
her tests are negative!!!!!!! Now I just have to work on the slow
introduction to my two monsters- Yoda and his adopted brother Smokey
that I took in in August when my best friend found two kittens in
her garage, she kept one, despite being allergic to cats and I
agreed to foster Smokey to adoption but I don't believe neither Yoda
or I can part with him now. They are my Yin and Yang. And I felt
bad for Yoda living the life of the cat that fosters other cats and
becoming best friends with fosters, only to have them either die or
be adopted! I felt bad for his revolving door life. Smokey is
still a kitten so I have not yet neutered him and he is an alpha
male like no other. The dogs are afraid of him (ironically, that
includes the beast dog)!
So I will end 2009 with NO losses-- be it due to felv, fip or beast
dog-- and knowing I saved 4 lives this year (3 cats, and 1 dog from
hell), and got one kitten adopted without even lifting a finger
other than to type a few emails (one of my foster's parent's saw a
kitten on the rescue site and wanted my help connecting her with the
powers that be to adopt her)...and I have to say it feels really
good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Monkee works in the most mysterious ways. I
have learned to just go with it and not question it too much. How
else would I end up with a pit/rott, gargoyle-looking, mommy's-baby
dog!?
I hope everyone is doing well. Find me on facebook if you are on
there!
caroline kaufmann
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