Giant Schnauzers

Rescue....What It Is All About

Valley of the Sun Giant Schnauzer Rescue took in two young giants from a family in Northern CA that very unexpectedly lost their owner.  The father died and the wife was too frail to care for two young very large energetic giants who are very bonded to each other.  I think Jed is the younger one and Chelsea rules the roost.  The family requested that they be placed together if at all possible. 

VSGSR was originally going to place Jed and Chelsea in a home here in Phoenix.  Even though it appeared to be  perfect in the beginning, things started making us suspicious that it wasn't quite what it appeared to be.  So we didn't place them there and put them back up on Petfinder.  We were inundated with emails  from all over the country from  people offering to come here and/or fly them everywhere but one application really stood out.  It was an app from a couple in their 50's who  have had several giants over the years.  Just talking to them on the phone, the warmth and caring came through.  We found another rescue, National Mill Dog Rescue,  that we know well in Colorado Springs to do the home visit last weekend.  When the email came back saying  that the lady's husband who did the home visit had asked if they would adopt him, we thought that was a pretty good sign.  In the email follow up, she said she would adopt any dog she fostered to them and if she ever  had to give up any of her personal dogs, she would love for them to go this couple. We didn't know until this morning that this couple also helps 4-5 young people who are often at their home and must help them on the ranch.  He said he loves helping them and will see them through until after high school, but he is not sending them to college.  ;-)) The couple doing the home visit met most of these kids.  And we thought they were wonderful even before we knew this!

So we approved and yesterday they drove from Colorado Springs to Phoenix.  This morning we met them and they met Jed and Chelsea.  To say it was love at first sight is an understatement.  Jed and Chelsea love them and the new owners loved them in return.  They brought their 8 year old standard poodle with them and he loves them also.  Jed and Chelsea went out to the car where their dog beds were placed along with the kongs that came with them.  They jumped in and had no desire to get out.  In fact they had to be made to get out so we could finish the paperwork..  Jed loves them both.  His tail never quit wagging. This was a major concern because Jed doesn't love just anybody.  The adopters have trained their giants in obedience before and were talking about agility for Jed possibly since Jed demonstrated his jumping skills. He leaps over the front  counter at Deer Creek Animal Hospital and this morning he leapt with grace onto the examining table.

Jed and Chelsea are going to live on a 160 acre ranch outside Colorado Springs where they will have three acres fence  just for them to run in.  The couple has 15 horses of their own and many more that they board.  They have several barns  and Jed and Chelsea will learn to go with them as they care for the property and other things they are involved in and run.  They will be the working dogs they were born to be. and will probably end up on their websites. 

We have learned in the last couple of months that Chelsea is hypothyroid and is now  on medication for it.  She was retested and the amount she is on is just right for her.  We also learned that she doesn't always let Jed eat and that Jed backs away from his food so they were fed separately.  It made a huge difference in Jed's personality.  This morning he was coming up from hugs constantly from me and others which is so different than when I first met him.  I think just about everyone who met those two has fallen in love with them. So from a very sad reason that they had to come to us, they are going to a truly loving home together.

Few adoptions have touched us all as deeply as this one has.  We wanted the two to stay together and to have a good home.  They won the jackpot with this home! I believe their first  dad must have had his hand in this adoption. The adopters commented that Jed and Chelsea had a party to send them off, and there will be an even bigger party for them when they get to their new home.  There are at least 12 people awaiting their arrival.  Talk about getting spoiled.  They are meeting the new groomer on Friday just so they know who she is and she is very excited waiting to meet them.

This was  such a touching opportunity for VSGSR.  It  was, is, and will be. I care deeply about all the dogs that come into our rescue, but this one really touched my heart as I know it did Ron's, who was there with me.  Several of the staff also made the same comment.

I was amazed watching their new owner with both of them.  He said something to them and they obeyed!  His wife said he is that way with all of their animals.  He had them both sitting on command by the time they left.  And Jed loves and adores the man.

Thank you to Dr. Suzanne Higgins  and Deer Creek Animal Hospital for working with them and for all she does for all of our giants and other dogs we take into rescue!  She is awesome! It took many people along with Dr. Higgins to get these dogs here and work with them to find a new home.  National Mill Dog Rescue did the home visit for us and several of our members helped with the transport to get them here. A big thanks to all who help in any way in rescue every day.  It can't be done without the help of lots of people.  All of our dogs go to very loving and caring homes, but this story just seemed to tug at our hearts more than normal.

So, You Think English is Easy????

I love this!    Enjoy............,

The bandage was wound around the wound.
The farm was used to produce produce.
The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.
We must polish the Polish furniture.
He could lead if he would get the lead out.
The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.
Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.
A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.
When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.

I did not object to the object.
The insurance was invalid for the invalid.
There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.
They were too close to the door to close it.
The buck does funny things when the does are present.
A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.
To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.
The wind was too strong to wind the sail.
Upon seeing the tear in the painting, I shed a tear.
I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.
How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?

Let's face it, English is a crazy language. There is no egg in eggplant, nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple. English muffins weren't invented in England nor French fries in France. Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat.

We take English for granted, but if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.

And why is it that writers write but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn't the plural of booth, beeth? One goose, 2 geese. So one moose, 2 meese? One index, 2 indices? If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught? Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend? If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it?

Sometimes I think all the English speakers should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane. In what language do people recite at a play and play at a recital, ship by truck and send cargo by ship, have noses that run and feet that smell?

How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites? You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out, and in which an alarm goes off by going on.

English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of the human race, which, of course, is not a race at all. That is why, when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible.

PS. – Why doesn't Buick rhyme with quick?

You lovers of the English language might enjoy this:

There is a two-letter word that perhaps has more meanings than any other two-letter word, and that is UP.

It's easy to understand UP, meaning toward the sky or toward the top of the list, but when we awaken in the morning, why do we wake UP? At a meeting, why does a topic come UP? Why do we speak UP and why are the officers UP for election and why is it UP to the secretary to write UP a report?

We call UP our friends. We use something to brighten UP a room, polish UP the silver, warm UP the leftovers, and clean UP the kitchen. We lock UP the house and some guys fix UP the old car. At other times the little word has real special meaning. People stir UP trouble, line UP for tickets, work UP an appetite, and think UP excuses. To be dressed is one thing but to be dressed UP is special.

And this UP is confusing: A drain must be opened UP because it is stopped UP. We open UP a store in the morning but we close it UP at night.

When it threatens to rain, we say it is clouding UP. When the sun comes out we say it is clearing UP
When it rains, it wets the earth and often messes things UP
When it doesn't rain for awhile, things dry UP

We seem to be pretty mixed UP about UP! To be knowledgeable about the proper uses of UP, look the word UP in the dictionary. In a desk-sized dictionary, it takes UP almost 1/4th of the page and can add UP to about thirty definitions. If you are UP to it, you might try building UP a list of the many ways UP is used. It will take UP a lot of your time, but if you don't give UP, you may wind UP with a hundred or more.

We could go on, but I'll wrap it UP, for now my time is UP; so: Time to shut UP!

Oh… one more thing: What are the first thing you do in the morning and the last thing you do at night? U-P

Living With Giant Schnauzers And Other Dogs

If I even stick my hand in the treat box or move it out of the way, Queenie is trying to get into her crate, Roger runs to his room making loud noises that he wants his treat NOW or better yet yesterda, BG crashes into her crate door (she hasn't learned the fine art of opening your own crate door yet) and Schultz and Hank sit there begging. Hank adds saliva dripping from his mouth to the scene.   They get different treats for different things and they know which box is the treat for going into crates box.  Now Queenie is royally confused since Vern stays in her crate now and she stays with Roger in our room when we leave.  So she runs back and forth between the two just to cover all bases and yips and yipes while doing so..

Hank is back to getting into anything to eat anywhere it may be while we are gone, so he is going to have to start staying with Roger or else we are going to have to bring in another crate.  Roger gets his own room because he, too, will get into anything edible anywhere it might be when we are gone.  I am not sure what Roger's reason is other than he craves carbs, but Hank did have a good reason with having been almost starved before he came.

Oh, life in a circus...... ......... ;-))

Know the Difference between Cold and H1N1 Flu Symptoms

This seemed like a good thing to post.  Very informative I think.

This is such a helpful chart; pass it along to anyone you know.  

Print it out and put it on the refrigerator.  

  Know the Difference between Cold and H1N1 Flu Symptoms

Symptom	Cold	H1N1 Flu
Fever	Fever is rare with a cold .	Fever is usually present with the flu in up to 80% of all flu cases . A temperature of 100°F or higher for 3 to 4 days is associated with the flu .
Coughing	A hacking, productive (mucus- producing) cough is often present with a cold .	A non-productive (non-mucus producing) cough is usually present with the flu (sometimes referred to as dry cough) .
Aches	Slight body aches and pains can be part of a cold .	Severe aches and pains are common with the flu .
Stuffy Nose	Stuffy nose is commonly present with a cold and typically resolves spontaneously within a week .	Stuffy nose is not commonly present with the flu .
Chills	Chills are uncommon with a cold .	60% of people who have the flu experience chills .
Tiredness	Tiredness is fairly mild with a cold ..	Tiredness is moderate to severe with the flu .
Sneezing	Sneezing is commonly present with a cold .	Sneezing is not common with the flu .
Sudden Symptoms	Cold symptoms tend to develop over a few days .	The flu has a rapid onset within 3-6 hours . The flu hits hard and includes sudden symptoms like high fever, aches and pains .
Headache	A headache is fairly uncommon with a cold .	A headache is very common with the flu, present in 80% of flu cases .
Sore Throat	Sore throat is commonly present with a cold .	Sore throat is not commonly present with the flu .
Chest Discomfort	Chest discomfort is mild to moderate with a cold .	Chest discomfort is often severe with the flu .

Have heard from several people that doctors say that the H1N1 has intestinal symptoms with it.

The only way to stop the spread of diseases is to spread the awareness.    

Wash your hands, cover your cough and stay home when you're sick! 

Vern

We have little old Vern who has been here for about three months now I think.  He was turned into the pound by his owners who were moving and couldn't be bothered with him anymore and they said he was a mini schnauzer and 11 years old. He probably has some schnauzer in him some place, but not much.  For the first two months, he lived quietly in the garage and took a long time to get over his kennel cough.  Then he started going out in the yard with all of our dogs and he was like a ghost.  They never acknowledged him or even looked his way.

 Finally, they did start going up and sniffing him. We called him the ghost dog because he could walk around among them like a ghost might.

 The other night it started getting cold and we insisted he spend the night in the house instead of the garage.  He came very unwillingly into the house and went straight in the first crate he saw.  He laid down and nary a peep was heard from him all night.  He curled up and went to sleep.  The next night he came in and the crate door was closed so he went between two crates and we had a heck of a time getting him out of there.  Then he went into his crate.

 But in the meantime, he started barking outside in the yard when he thought someone was approaching that shouldn't be.  He started becoming part of the pack.  Tonight I opened the back door and he came right in with the dogs that were outside in the yard.  He went right into the living room and plopped down on the first dog bed he came to and curled up.  He hasn't moved from there in the last couple of hours.  He has a horrible underbite and one of his bottom canines sticks out of his mouth at an awful angle.  He has long legs and a short round face.  He looks an awful lot like a capuchin monkey but he is finally developing a personality and belonging.  You have to wonder what his first 11 years were like.  He has actually played a couple of times.  Queenie in her wonderful Mama way has gotten him to play with her and once or twice he has played with TBone.