Giant Schnauzers

More Puppy Mill Dogs

A few weeks ago Valley of The Sun Giant Schnauzer Rescue was contacted by a gal in Nebraska about giant schnauzer puppies being available from the mills in the Midwest.  When puppy mill dogs are not sold to the broker, the millers want to cull them or get rid of them.  There are a few rescue brokers who alert animal rescues about these dogs.  That email started a whole flurry of email that lasted over several weeks.  VSGSR ended up renting a panel truck and two other brave rescuers drove to Colorado to meet Mill Dog Rescue after they had done another mill dog rescue run.  They left on a Saturday afternoon and drove twelve hours to Colorado Springs.  There they helped process the dogs in where they were vet checked and the older dogs were given probably their first innoculations ever. At 4 am on Monday morning the dogs were loaded into crates for the trip back to Phoenix. 

This is the truck before it left.

When the van arrived Monday evening, it contained  eight eight week old giant schnoodle pups, two giant schnoodle mommas, five ten month old giant schnauzers that were to have been a future breeding program for one miller and one giant schnauzer pup.  They all smelled to high heaven.  They have never been groomed or bathed.  The poor ten month old male pup had an ear infection and to ease his pain, he had rubben his ears on the ground.  The ground in his case consisted of what must have been poop because he had poop impacted and caked in his ears which were raw and red and infected.  How any human being can do that to any creature is beyond me.  When we live in the wealthiest country on earth, why are humans allowed to use animals for such ill gotten gains with no concern about their well-being?!?!?  I just don't understand it.  But he is a pretty happy camper now.

The dogs when they first arrived were terrified and many still are.  It will take weeks and months of quiet loving for some of them to come out of their shells.

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The schnoodle pups got baths immediately and loved the attention and the food.  They thought the food was not coming at all!  They let their feelings be known loudly and clearly.

They come in strange colors to us. 

We had thought eight giant schnauzer pups were coming from a different miller but they turned into six mini schnauzer pups.  They are as cute as they can be.

These pups would probably have met their demise because they hadn't been sold.  They don't sell, they are goners.

She is my favorite and I think she is going to have to come for a visit this weekend.

I can't emphasize enough not to buy pups from pet stores.  These dogs come from such horrific conditions.  The mommas are bred repeatedly with no health care, poor food, with small dogs living in wire cages and their feet are misshapen from forever walking on the wire. They will not stop as long as the American public continues to buy their products... poor poor dogs. VSGSR does NOT support the breeding of giant schnoodles but we will help the poor unfortunate dogs.  They don't deserve to die.  But they will all be spayed and neutered so that they will not beget more of their ilk.  VSGSR  could not do what we do without the help of Dr. Suzanne Higgins and her staff at Deer Creek Animal Hospital in Phoenix, Arizona.  She is an incredible lady.

A Whirlwind of Two Weeks

About two weeks ago Tom and I went back to Indiana to see family, particularly my mom who turned 86 while we were there.  Mom has always been an inspiration to me.  She is the reason I do animal rescue.  She got me a pup before I was born so I would have a dog to grow up with.  So many dogs are turned into rescue because the couple becomes pregnant.  Not my Mom!  One of my favorite pictures of her is on her riding lawn mower cutting her acre of grass.  She finds it hard to use the push mower these days but still uses her riding mower even though she has lost much of her sight to macular degeneration.

We traveled on a short trip to Clay City, Indiana to visit the Clay City Pottery. My grandfather was from Clay City and the pottery was started three years after he was born in 1885.  It is still run by the same family. Most of my family has these beautiful blue bowls in their kitchens.  You can find them online at www.claycitypottery.com.

There were a few of my favorite flowers in bloom while we were there.  One of them is this dogwood which is not the typical wild dogwood found in that area.

This purple clematis is not the original one that has been in our family for some time.  That one bloomed just after we left.  The late blooming one is one that belonged to our grandmother.  She had left it at house where they lived when they moved from Terre Haute to Indianapolis.  The house was going to be torn down to make way for a gas station.  I had just gotten my driver's license when we were over in Terre Haute visiting family.  My brother and I were given permission to drive over to see the house.  When we got there, we found several plants she had left behind.  We both remembered the purple clematis crawling up over an old wagon wheel at the farm where they had once lived.  It held a lot of memories for us so we found something and dug it up and put it in the car along with a few other plants which are long gone from my memory.  But the clematis has moved at least five times since then with Mom and where ever she moves to.  There was only one poor flower left on this vine so you will have to use your imagination with the picture.

I always groom Mom's two dogs when I am back there.  Poor Riley is a chow that one of my brothers found wandering a freeway one Thanksgiving on his way down from Chicago.  A state police officer helped him catch him and then told if he could find a home for him to take him.  He had seen him wandering for some time in the area.  So he went on and found a home with Mom.  He normally has a beautiful red coat but sheds like he feels obligated to provide wool for someone weaving a rug.  To help Mom out, I clip him down to the skin.  Duffy is part schnauzer, so it is easy for me to groom her.  This is Riley before.

Here they are wanting in the house.

Here is Mom with my brother's beautiful dogs, Bear and Scout.

We went down to Bedford, Indiana to vist one of the cemetaries there which is filled with the most incredible tombstones many of which are carved of limestone by incredible artist or stonecarvers.  It is really an amazing place.  Visitors can pick up printed self guided tours.

Our trip was over all to soon and we returned to Phoenix.  In the week that we have been back our oldest daughter and her son spent the Sunday after we got back in the emergency room with migraine headaches, on Monday we took Schultz into the vet for a cough and he had Valley Fever and on Friday Tom went to pick up a prescription at the VA and ended up being admitted over night for something that hit him very suddently and violently.  We are not sure what is was but we are glad the week is over and hoping this week is a big improvement over the last one.

Here is our giant schnauzer Schultz when he was younger. He is on meds now and we are hoping for the best.

And There Was Water Everywhere!

And There Was Water Everywhere!  Last weekend Tom and I flew to see my mom in Bloomington, Indiana.  We had gotten the tickets about eight weeks ago having no idea of the weather that was to be in the area at the time.  We arrived in Indianapolis about 10:30 at night and picked up our rental car.  Before leaving the plane everyone was advised to check with relatives and friends as to what roads were open and possible routes to take safely.  The night before parts of the area had had more than ten inches of rain!  My brother called the county sheriffs in two counties and routed us directly south and then east to Bloomington.  By some stroke of luck the people had not lost power so their outside lights were still on by the barns out in rural areas.  As we drove south down the center of a two land road that was lightly covered with water, we could see water as far as we could see in the dark on both sides of the road.  It was quite eery driving at night through awful lonely  flooded areas in central Indiana. The pictures are of the next few days AFTER the flood waters had receded some.  It was much worse that night.  And later that week almost three more inches came down on Friday and heavy storms are predicted for tonight. 

These pictures are of the West Fork of the White River in southern Indiana.

In many cases the water had been over the roads we were on 24 - 48 hours before.  Some places had large steel plates where the water had washed out parts of the road or undercut the road.

And many people in the Midwest are still dealing with these waters and more in the few days since we were there.

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.    

Go Baseball!

We had great fun watching our oldest grandson play baseball the other evening.  It is hard for me to believe how good these little guys are since our girls didn't start playing softball until they were in either 3rd or 4th grade.  In the intervening years, organized sports for kids has gotten started earlier and the kids seem to be having fun and learning a lot.

 

Have yet to figure out where the bat went in that picture, but you can see the focus and intensity on his face.

Remember we are in Arizona and the bright rays do get in the eyes when facing the setting sun in the late afternoon. 

Treats after the games are always good!

Thank You For Your Continuous Service!

This afternoon I was the very proud spouse watching while my husband recieved an award from the Arizona Chapter of the Paralyzed Veterans.  Tom has designed their logo, set up the local web page, takes a couple of them fishing each year with the Fishing Knows No Boundaries program for paralyzed vets and others, and is working on developing things that will help paralyzed vets and others get better paying jobs.

He loves being able to do these things and I am very proud of him for all he does.

Go Marines!

Desert Dogs and Flowers

Lilfe keeps rolling along out in the desert.  The doctors decided my squamous cell place on my shin wasn't healing quickly enough, so I got to visit a wound care specialist who removed the junk around the area and put me in an elastic stocking to reduce the minor amount of swelling around the area.  That is a little bit of pain, agony and remorse.  This evening I get to change the tiny medicine on it and replace all of the bandages which now go from my toes to my knee!  I am a little bit embarrassed by the size of the bandages!  No pictures of it.  Too ugly!

But it is easy to forget all of that with the beautiful Spring we are having this year.  The amaryllis are in bloom and the flowers are exquisite.  Out here they grow outside.

The palo verde are in full dress and are amazing.  Being a Midwesterner the closest thing is the forsythia to compare them to.   But the palo verde far outbloom the forsythia.  They are larger for one thing and just a mass of small yellow blooms.  Since they are a native tree the dot the desert and washes as you drive around.  They are also the Arizona State Tree and deservedly so.  They line the road out towards our house,  the back of the corral, and at just about every turn we come to.

This afternoon two of our giants needed to visit the vet who is open on Sundays.  Roger, our largest male at 29 inches and 92 pounds is the world's largest wimp when it comes to leaving his kingdom.  He always depended on Greta before but now that she is gone, Queenie is filling her paws.  When Roger got to the examining room. he got up on the bench so that he had his back to the wall and felt quite secure there.  Queenie got up in front of him,  and he was set to go.  He allowed the vet tech to take his temp and check him out with out being a quivering mess.  He then allowed Dr. Suzanne to examine him and had no problems.  Of course, Queenie was in between Roger and the vet.  Queenie had all four legs off the bench but was secured there by his hind legs sticking out under her and keeping her there.  Much to Roger's relief.

Queenie weighs 60 pounds and Roger weights 93 pounds, but she protects him.  He protects us at home. Here is an idea of their size difference out in front of the clinic.

Cacti have thorns, but their flowers are incredible.  This one bloomed for the first time this evening.  Enjoy!

   

Happy Birthday Princess B!

Our granddaughter turned seven a few days ago and she had her party last Sunday.  She has been taking horse backriding lessons and for a six year old, she is good!  Her party was at the home of the gal who teaches her to ride and B got to show off before the other young guests had their turn to ride. 

 

She controls the horse with her legs and very little bridle movement.  No wonder I have always had such trouble riding a horse!

   

We think she is pretty good for such a young age!  Even brother got to enjoy the fun.

   

 

Happy Birthday Miss B!  Love you lots!

The Arizona Desert In Bloom

The Arizona desert is at its best this year with all the rain we have had.  It is glorious just to drive through the city and today I carried the camera in the car with me as I traveled on errands.  Here is part of the drive to pick up my grandson at school this morning.

 

Here is a close up of the palo verde tree.  You can see that it has thousands of tiny flowers  just as it has tons of tiny tiny leaves.

There were all kinds of other yellow flowers in different places.

The agave sometimes has very different blooms.

The red family of spring flowers in the desert is widely varied.  There is the bouganvillea which comes from Mexico but is found everywhere in Arizona in the warmest areas.

The ocotillo is a desert native but is also grown for its shape and spring flowers.

The red aloe is another native plant that is grown for landscaping.  The more water it gets, the larger it grows and the more it flowers.

These tiny pink flowers together make quite a statement also.

Verbenas abound in the desert landscape and these purple ones make for a bright corner.

Pomegranates are in bloom in our yard, and the flowers are stunning.

Tiny apples are starting to take on a reddish tinge, but this is the first year for this apple tree, so I don't know if the fruit will make it to maturity or not.

Guarding all of the produce is Farmer Hank.  He is only being good and not bothering anything because I was out there with him.

Last is an Indian Chief iris that was one of my grandmother's favorite flowers.  I have a little bit of her with me out here in the Arizona desert in the springtime.  I know she would have loved all of the flowers just as I do.

Only Out West

Could you drive towards home and see this cowperson riding along side the road. 

As we passed, I thought the rider was a cowboy, but several have said they thought it was a cowgirl.  Has anyone ever seen them riding northwest of Phoenix out off of US 60?  This was quite a bit east of there, but the same general area. The dog is securely harnassed  to his Norwegian Fjord pony and seems to be enjoying the ride.  He/she has a very cushy lambskin to ride on.  I was envious of his mount.

We were coming home from the doctor's office where I had a squamous cell place on my shin removed.  The doctor used the MOHS procedure which is supposed to have the highest cure rate.  I am hoping so but going to go lay down now.  The feeling kind of reminds me that maybe I had a drill bit used on my shin!  But the horse back rider and friend were a welcome diversion!

Happy Easter!

From the years 1875 to 2124 Easter will only be on March 23 twice, today and in 1913.  Traditionally the Easter lily is the flower of the day.  It is rich in history and symbolism but Easter lillies don't grow easily in the desert but other beautiful flowers do.

The Texas Mountain Laurel is one I had never seen until we were in a nursery last Spring and I saw one in bloom.  It is a small evergreen tree with beautiful purple flowers that smell similar to a grape.  Ours is tiny so I was suprised to see that it has two blooms on it this year.

This white flower is an Arizona desert wildflower that is growing in our yard.  The flower is about 3/4 of an inch in diameter and looks like a pincushion of sorts.  I have seen the name recently and will look for it again and post it.

They are tiny dainty plants.

These are teeny tiny white daisy like flowers that you almost don't see until you are right up on top of them.  They little white flowers are less than 1/2 inch in diameter.  I don't think I have seen these posted on any of the wildflower sites I have looked at recently.

The last flower is the Olympiad rose that is growing in a pot.  I had never grown a rose in a pot anywhere I have lived, much less in the hot desert of Arizona.  It is doing incredibly well.  This is the first flower and the plant is covered with blooms.  I can't wait to see them all in bloom.

Happy Easter from the Arizona desert!

Anam, Cara, Chris and Jacob...You Were Greatly Loved

This afternoon my brother made the painful decision to put down his beloved Jacob, an almost four year old red doberman.  Jacob is the fourth red dobe he has lost to cardiomyopathy in about about six years.  First had come Anam on October 10, 2001, and then a shortwhile later his littermate, Cara.  They were beautiful gentle dobes with but a fatal flaw.  They carried the gene for cardiomyopathy.  They lived very short lives, but they were full of life and love on beautiful Vancouver Island. 

Their littermate Chris had joined them when the person who had bred them could not find a home for him.  Chris was of the same gentle spirit.

They loved playing together around the island on their daily walks.