Giant Schnauzers

A Little of This and That

It has been a strange month so far here in the desert northwest of Phoenix.  Tomorrow is the first of June and we have only had the AC on for 3-4 days earlier this month when the temperatures reached 109 briefly.  Then they dropped and we had rain.  With the temps pushing 100 again, the AC is about to come back on and stay there until probably the first of October.  So we have been enjoying this respite from closing the house up as tight as we can to keep out the blowing hot winds and dirt that comes with them.

Queenie was spayed this last week and now she is feeling well healed and wanting to race with the boys.  This evening for the first time, she really was outside and racing with a couple of the boys.  She first raced Schultz up and down the side yard and later Hank came out and she did the same thing.  It wasn't until later that I realized what she had been tossing over her head and then running away from were my small green cabbages.  I resisted the urge to yell at her and tomorrow we will drive more rebar and put up more chicken wire fence.  She avoided my beautiful red cabbages thank goodness! 

 

As a director of Valley of the Sun Giant Schnauzer Rescue I get the euthanasia lists from our county animal care and control.  This last weekend there was a standard schnauzer mix on there and because of the holiday, we couldn't get into see her until Tuesday.  One of our members went down to check her out and while she may be a schnauzer mix of some sort, she got a definite reprieve from a certain death sentence.  What we didn't know was that she only has three legs!  She was a stray so we have no idea of her history.  She is about 7 years old and gets along just fine with three legs.  She is a real sweetheart and gets along with all the other dogs.  She is looking for a forever home.

 

The baby hummingbirds are out on their own and we have a hummer feeder on the back porch.  So far I have only gotten shadow pictures, but this afternoon as I was coming in from the car, the baby came to the feeder just as I was standing by it.  He landed on the outside and I was about eighteen inches or less from him and had my hand on one of the feeder perches while the baby ate from the other side.  It was pretty amazing and I was so sorry I didn't have the camera with me at the time.

 

The zucchini are growing and just starting to bloom.  They look like they might make some that we can eat.  As long as the giant schnauzer gardeners don't decide they want them also.

 

The doves have been perching on top of the saguaro that is blooming back towards the corral.  Notice that they are really perching on the flowers at this point.  But they do land up there without the flowers.

 

The beautiful ironwood tree is in bloom.  From a distance the blossoms are barely visible.  But up close or through the telephoto lense they are incredible.

 

Up close to the blossoms, you see this...

Update on Mill Dogs and Other Dogs

The little mill dog rescues are slowly coming along. Little Prancer as he is now known, spent four days at the hospital on an antibiotic IV.  He is now home and starting to eat and see what the world outside a wire cage is like.  He is a very handsome mini schnauzer who went to a new foster home and possibly his final home.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Little Millie needs your prayers as she is pregnant but she also had a severe infection in her uterus and is on antibiotics.  She has another week or so before it is known whether any of the pups will be viable. But this will be her last time through this and she will be spayed before being placed in a home.  She is much heftier now than in this picture.  She is also learning to walk on a solid floor.  Her feet were sore from having spent her life in a wire cage and walking on the wire all the time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our sweet Toto has had surgery where she was spayed and her double hernia repaired.  She is such a Ms. Busybody that her activities have had to be restricted as she wants to be up and involved in everyone's business. One of the mini schnoodles has already gone to a new home and the male has several people interested in him.  They continue to do well.  They are learning what love and special treats are.  And they more than deserve all of the love and attention they are getting. 

 

The Spirit of Matty's Dreams

Our oldest grandson Matty had a birthday or will have but he had his party early.  My husband, Tom, is one very talented guy and made Matty a model plane for his birthday.  It is modeled on the Spirit of Sant Louis and symbolizes any dreams, hopes, and wishes that Matty may have in his life. 

  

Matty has seen his plane and is waiting not so patiently for it to be delivered to him.  I hope he will think it is as neat as we do.  Happy Birthday Matty!  We love you!

 

Do NOT Buy Animals From A Pet Store!

You may wonder why I say this, but in my opinion as I have learned recently, those animals are bred in what I consider the most horrific conditions.  Those conditions are called puppy mills and many of them are approved by the United States Department of Agriculture.  Dogs are bred and raised in possibly worse conditions than the chicken you eat.  Why? Because they are an easy way for some people to make money.  Valley of the Sun Giant Schnauzer Rescue had the opportunity to work with many other rescue groups in Phoenix. Arizona to work with Mill Dog Rescue from Colorado.   At pet stores people see the best of the pups, but don't realize the conditions under which they were bred and born and where the sire and dam still reside.  I learned some of that this last few weeks.

Mill Dog rescue says

"here at Mill Dog Rescue Network we acquire our dogs in a different way

We have rescue contacts in both Missouri and Kansas that have developed relationships with several mills across those states. They have worked with certain breeders to help them understand that they can find permanent homes for their retired breeding stock rather than killing the dog or allowing it to languish on in the mill, furthering its suffering. These dogs are given to our rescue contacts and in turn, given to us. There is no money exchanged for these dogs. This is absolutely the only chance that these dogs will ever have to know what life should have always been for them.

We are all involved in this effort because we love dogs and rescuing them comes natural to us and our volunteers. However, the most important part of our mission is to educate. We have found that showing the dogs and telling their stories is the best way to help people understand their plight. The average animal-loving citizen needs to know the truth about the commercial dog breeding industry. You need to understand the anguish and the misery of the parents of pet store and Internet puppies. No matter how tempting that darling little face is in the pet store window or on the computer screen, people must stop supporting this industry by purchasing these puppies and we must tell everyone we know to do the same. This is a supply and demand problem and when enough people stop supporting the industry, things will begin to change.

Please, on behalf of commercial breeding dogs everywhere, STOP supporting the industry. Go to your local shelter or rescue group and get a dog that is already in need of a loving home.  Be proud to tell others that you rescued your dog and that you are taking a stand against the commercial dog breeding industry. Together we can make a lasting difference."  You can visit their web site to learn a lot more.  http://www.milldogrescue.org/

Last Tuesday evening the folks at Mill Dog Rescue drove east through Kansas and Missouri picking up more than 120 dogs from various mills. They had a difficult trip that wasn't made any easier by the weather which caused them to not arrive in Phoenix until after 8:30 Saturday evening.  Between 40-60 rescuers and volunteers awaited them to help take in and process more than the 120 dogs that they brought with them. 

Here is a great Dane that is less than a year old who looks as though she has not been outside of a much too small crate.  By the end of the evening, she was doing visibly much better.

VSGSR took in several mini schnauzers who are in great need of medical help.  This little guy was referred to as a trainwreck.  At some point in his life someone cared as his ears are cropped, but when I first say him and picked him up, he was rigid with fear. Nevermind that he smelled so bad, I could hardly stand it.  But as the minutes passed and I adjusted to his "odor", he adjusted to my holding him.  He was matted to the skin and hadn't been bathed or groomed in probably years.

Underneath all of the matted mess, is a very cute fellow!!  Now it will take several weeks of love and tenderness to get his heart to match his new handsome looks.

Toto won hearts as soon as she was picked up by Mill Dog Rescue.  One day she walked all over one of the farms as they picked up dogs without a leash of any kind.  She knew which way was the road out of there for her, and she was not leaving Theresa's side. She is missing hair on her backsides and has a double hernia that will need to be repaired.  She is an escape artist just because she wants to be where ever the people are.  She is so happy to be free of her crate where she has spent her life.

We tease her and tell her than in her hurry to get out of Kansas, that she left Dorothy behind.  Now she needs to find her Dorothy that she can attach herself to.  She is just a love and it is hard to imagine how she has been treated and can still be such a wonderful and loving little girl.

This little schnoodle is only 6-7 months old and his crime is that he will need some special surgery for neutering and has ear mites.  He is afraid of people but within 24 hours, his little butt and tail were just a waggin' away.  He stole my heart as did all of them.

The folks are Mill Dog Rescue returned to their homes today and will go back to their "normal" lives this week until they do this all over again.  Thank you ALL for all you do! And I want to thank my mom for instilling in me her love of animals and nature.  Happy Mother's Day Mom! 

Schultz, The Talking Giant Schnauzer

Schultz was our first giant schnauzer whom we got from the Arizona Humane Society.  He knew nothing when he came at the ripe old age of ten months and he didn't really want to learn anything either.  He would give in and follow a command, but deliberately turn his head to the side and would not accept a treat for having followed a command.  That included ignoring raw steak.  Trying clicker training with him was a hoot.  He didn't care that you wanted to give him a treat for doing something.  When he went to a class or rather an interview to see if he would be allowed to enter a beginner's class, he looked at the lady evaluating him and lifted his leg on several places in her office.   Talk about being embarrassed!  But in the intervening years, he has learned a few things.  One thing he didn't have to be taught was his love of people.  Wal flew from Germany to pick up her RV and travel across the United States for six weeks and Schultz was delighted to see her again.  He is quite the embassador for giant schnauzers!

Such Good Boys and The Wacky Girl!

Two of our giant schnauzers males are left out together when we are gone.  All of the dogs get a cookie before we leave the house.  Tom has trained them at Cookie School in the early mornings outside in the cool desert when the sun is just coming up.  All the dogs have to sit, do a down and then get a cookie placed right in front of them.  They must leave the cookie there until they are released to eat it.  We practice that with them individually and in times such as this, when we are leaving the house.

Here are Schultz and Hank waiting patiently while I take their pictures.  I am sure they are muttering at me in dog language to hurry up and get the pictures over!

Here is a  close up of the cookie by Schultz's paws.  Such good boys they are!

Queenie on the other hand is a voracious eater.  She goes ballistic when it is time for a cookie or a meal!  She bounces from one end of the house to the other as you can see in this video.  She is such a hoot to be around. A lot of the training we do with the dogs is based on Nothing In Life Is Free or NILF.  We have found these concepts to be really helpful in dealing with these wonderful intelligent dogs.