Christmas Time in NC

Savana gets a bath

Savana got a bath this afternoon in the bathtub. To get her in the tub I had to throw a towel over her head and lift her up and in and close the sliding doors. Of course I was in there with her. I turned the water on slowly and started pouring it over her with a pitcher. She sat down and seemed to like it. So I shampooed her and rinsed her off.
John came to help towel her off because by now my back was shot from leaning over to wash her.
She's now no worse for wear and seems to be luxuriating in her after bath glow.

Bailey and Savana

Snuggling

Savana in the sunlight

Savana is catching a little snooze in the patch of sun.

Bonding

Bailey and John on the annual bird hunt in upstate NY this past October. Dad and dog had a great time.

10/25/07

Have been traveling

Have not had the time to post much since I've been traveling to NC to oversee the transition of my 88 year old Mother from her house to an assisted living center. Have left on 3 trips since the end of Oct. Had to leave my doggies. While there I 'd get a dog fix wherever I could. Once it was at a PetSmart with a young, pure white, pit bull female being walked by her owner. Another was a neighbor's dog near my mother's house.
But once home, it was wonderful to be with my own doggies.

Have you ever had this happen to you?

My little Dalmatian, Savana, was snuggled up close to me the other morning. It was just starting to lighten up outside and she decides to sit up, stretch and yawn. The yawn turned into a gag and she bent her head and hacked up a piece of apple and what not onto my chest. I was Oh so lucky, since it was dry. And there was no mess. But this little incident colored the rest of the day. Nothing went right for me.

SpotSavers Dalmatian Assistance League of St. Louis at the Canine Carnival in Tilles Park

Dalmatian Drill Team Demo

A Message From Cesar Milan

Greetings,
I am proud to live in a country where the entire month of October is dedicated to promoting and celebrating the adoption of shelter dogs! Dogs across the nation are abused, abandoned, or neglected and end up in the arms of passionate and dedicated shelter and rescue workers. All too often, these facilities are overcrowded, and, as a result, many of these animals are put to sleep.
Rescuing these unfortunate creatures is a noble cause, but I want to encourage you not to make this decision based solely on emotion. Adopting a dog is a serious commitment. By bringing a dog into your home, you are making a promise to care for the animal for the rest of its life. Particularly with shelter dogs, you may be inheriting issues and problem behaviors. Many of these animals were neglected, abused, or relinquished by frustrated people unable to resolve their problem behaviors. You must be willing to take the extra steps to understand and help this dog that the previous caretakers were not. Be sure that you are ready and able to take on this responsibility.
Having said that, I also want to remind you what a rewarding experience it can be to rehabilitate a wayward dog. Helping a frustrated or anxious animal return to its natural balanced state, and receiving unconditional love in return, is a profound experience.
I cannot imagine life without canine companionship. There is a reason that dogs are brought in to cheer up patients at hospitals and residents at retirement homes. The love, honesty, and loyalty of dogs enriches the human experience. I hope you will find or have found the right dog to enrich your life.
Stay calm and assertive!
Cesar Millan

Taking a walk in Wildwood

Just our everyday walk on a beautiful day. Friday 9/28/07

KirKwood Dog Days

SpotSavers was represented by Debby and Savana at the Kirkwood Farmer's Market Dog Days event, Sat. 9/22. We even got on TV. There were all kinds of rescue groups present promoting adoption of dogs. What energy. Every breed from Huskys, Pointers, Weimereiners, Viszulas, Labs, Poodles, Chihuahuas, Spaniels, Pit Bulls and more.

A Comment from JC

I knew those critters. And, they were very special. Deb & John were lucky to have crossed lives with them.

Julian Corsello

Syracuse, NY

Jolly and Jennine

This is SpotSaver volunteer Jennine with her Dal Jolly. A very small, well trained female rescue.

SpotSavers Dalmatian Assistance League of St. Louis

SpotSavers is dedicated to finding loving new homes for Dalmatians in need. My dog Savana is on the left and she is a rescue from a year ago. This is a picutre of volunteers this past Saturday at a local Petco to spread the word about rescue and to raise money.

Hi Deb,
Not sure if this is the correct way to post to your blog...but here goes.
I can appreciate your love of dogs. We have four beasts who rule the household...each is more psychotic than the it's housemate (with the possible exception of Daisy who appears to be comatose much of the time).
Give 'em all a kiss from me!
Dan

Long Days hunt Nap

Glenn Prestwich's dogs

These are Glenn Prestwich's dogs on a hike in the Unitas Hills in Utah.

Typical afternoon rest

Savana

and Bailey

John and Bailey in upstate NY 10/06

Here's John with Bailey on her first big hunt in Fulton, NY area last Fall.

Connor

Last October, John was away on his annual hunting trip in upstate NY. I'm a member of Spot Savers, the St. Louis Dalmatian rescue organization. This is Connor. I took him for a weekend as a foster to help out. It was agony. He was young and barked. Savana and Bailey just looked at him. It was very uncomfortable to have a strange dog who had no training at all. I had to return him to another foster home the next day. ... Happily, Connor was adopted a few weeks later into a good home. My conscious is clear. He was cute. A great face with black ears.

Nice dogs

Nice dogs

Naughty Dogs

Savana and Bailey have not been happy about being left alone without their leader -- me. We have to move everything away from their reach otherwise it will be destroyed. It doesn't matter what it is. Today they went after a pile of magazines. I was only gone about an hour to have the oil changed in the Ford. When I got home, the kitchen had shredded paper everywhere. The day before it was checkbooks waiting to be shredded. Before that it was some tomatoes left on the counter. The list is endless.
Savana, does her Dalmatian smile and looks guilty and stupid. Bailey just looks innocent. But they're both guilty and naughty.

Dog Dug Out -- Check this out.

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/living/2007/08/21/wsaz.dog.dug.out.affl

My Dogs

The happiness in my life is due in large part to my two dogs. Savana, a rescued Dalmatian and Bailey, an Ivory pointing Lab teenager.

Savana is OK Now

Savana is OK now and has almost completely recovered from her surgery.

Bailey Enjoying Her Pool

This is Bailey taking it easy in the shade on a very hot Missouri afternoon

Savana Had Lump and Bumps Removed

Savana had 3 tumors removed today. She's still at the hospital for observation.

Puppy Heaven

Patch was 14 years old when he left us in March 0f 2007. A wonderful Dalmatian, also a rescue.

Roxy, a female black Lab., was 14 and left us Oct. of 2005.

Tiger, a male black Lab, was 16 and left us July of 2003.

All wonderful, faithful, loving dogs.

Current dogs

Bailey and Savana are my current dogs. Bailey is a 1 1/2 year old female, Ivory pointing Lab. Savana is a rescued dog through Spot Savers. She's about a 5 year old female Dalmatian.

Please feel free to post your thoughts.

Please feel free to share you thoughts about dogs.

Dogs are Wonderful

Nothing on this earth can make you feel as good as a dog wagging his tail when he sees you. The happy face and body wiggle of a greeting is a true joy. All my dogs have been happy dogs. They love to be close and they love to love you back. The greatest thing I can do for them is to walk them every single day. Pretty much rain or shine. They should always have the chance to get away from their own home base. They need to see what's out there in the world. They are much better for it. They can relax after a walk and then calm themselves down. Drink a little water and then sleep for awhile.