Not a dedicated blogger
I had every intention in blogging here every day, but sometimes life just gets in the way. We have had a few rescues pass through here, all dogs. One was a sweet pit bull. Someone really did this girl wrong. She was pencil-thin and running along the highway. I was able to get close to her, put a leash on her and pick her and put her in the truck, even though Lei was in the back. She didn’t growl, whimper or try to bite me.
We did find out where she belonged, the people were really nice, they had just rescued her as well and were in the process of trying to determine what was wrong with her. But, while she was here, the cats climbed all over her, she was calm as toast with us and Lei. We would have kept her even though pits have such a bad reputation. She was black and white. We noticed that while she was here, Lei’s attitude changed drastically. She calmed down so much and was on her best behavior.
This got us to thinking that maybe another dog would be a good idea. I know that I miss Chloe so much, darn her, if she just could have stayed on our property. So we went to all the humane societies and animal shelters in and around our area up to as far away as Portland.
We found a beautiful 4 year old female Belgian Sheepdog . She met Lei at the shelter for the “meet and greet” and they got along great. Equally matched in personality and size. She loved the horses, got along great with us, but lordy, lordy, we took her inside the house and she tried to eat Oliver! Thankfully she was leashed and disaster was averted, but she was intense on the cats. It was more than I have ever encountered. Not the “eye” that some herding dogs have, this was an intense, you couldn’t break her gaze stare, riveted on the cat(s) snapping jaws, slobbering…and she was advertised on her kennel card as “cat friendly!” HA! We took her back immediately and the workers decided they weren’t going to believe me, because when she was “owner surrendered” he told them she lived peacefully with cats! They weren’t going to give us our money back either, until I got ticked off (after coming home) I wrote a long letter to the admin of the shelter, explaining about my background with animals. I told her I really thought she would be heading for some legal issues if she adopts this dog out as “cat friendly.” I explained to her that my cats are used to dogs coming in and out of here and this “you have to quarantine them for ten days” to get used to each other, doesn’t fly in my book. I should have known, I told her, when I brought her into the house, all the cats scattered. We didn’t see them for hours. Had I been listening to them, I would have just turned the dog back then. But the first cat to come in ,almost became lunch. 
I sent off the email and about 4 hours later I get a phone call from the assistant to the admin. we got our money back.
We went to another shelter and found a puppy. She is part Queensland Heeler, Rottie, and Border Collie. She is 2 months old and has already had 3 homes! She is smart, fiesty, and fitting in quite well. Her photo is below. We are calling her Kodiak, because she bluff charges Lei and the cats like a little bear. We call her Kodio for short.
On the cat man front, I think I saw his bicycle in Albany sans the cat carriers! He wasn’t around, the bike was in front of Carls jr. It really looked like the same bike, although this could just be wishful thinking.
I wrote an article about him and In Defense of Animals printed it in their newsletter. I have been flooded with emails from people who read it. Some know of him, he lived in Washington for four years apparently, Others, just want me to do a “snatch and grab” and a small majority want me to leave him alone because the cats are his only touch with reality. But I was ill-prepared for all the responses coming in.
Cole has been adopted out. The couple are older, they recently lost their black cat and they have been looking for another. I told them all about the declaw on the one paw issue and they agreed to keep an eye on it and take him in to have the claw removed if it comes to that. Which I hope it doesn’t.
The weather is warming up finally and at night when I am cleaning the enclosure and the lights are on, the cats are having a field day with all the flying insects attracted to the light. They get up on the roof of the introduction cage and wait for the bugs to come through the wire, then it is anyone’s guess who gets the trophy first.
Kodio is crying, time to let her out of her run (in the living room) and take her outside for a potty break.