Interim Home

I have intended on showing pictures and telling the stories of each of the puppies we have been fostering, and time and lack of discipline has gotten in the way, but, I hope to do better.

The puppies on this post are at my home and available for adoption.

If you are interested in fostering any of them, or making one, or two, or three . . . hehehe a part of your family, feel free to email me at thepadens@cox.net.

This is Valentine!  She is such a sweet loving girl!  We started fostering Valentine when she was just nine weeks old!  She is now pushing 8 months old!  She weighs 33lbs and I don't think she will get much bigger than that.  She is the calmest puppy I have ever been around!  She is FANTASTIC with all dogs and cats!  In fact, when new puppies/dogs are brought in, she is the one I use to introduce them to.  She is amazing with children, but is calm enough for any senior citizen!  Valentine has my heart and my hopes are that she will be a part of a home that will love her for life!  Valentine's previous owner did not care for their mommy well and let them sit in a  hole.  If not for the love and protection of their neighbor, they would have drowned during a rain storm when the hole they were delivered in flooded!  Valentine's adoption fee is $95.  She is up to date on all her shots, including Rabies and she has been spayed.  You may contact me at thepadens@cox.net if you are interested in her and I will put you in touch with her owner, as well as schedule a time for you to meet her.  

This is Polar!  We call him, "Po-Po!"  He answers to both.  Polar's mother had a horrible virus that she passed to her four babies during nursing.  She and three of her puppies (Polar was one) suffered from seizures.  Two babies did not make it; but Polar did!  Because of his seizure he has lost some vision.  His eyes react to light, but an object must be moving in order for him to see it.  He is also wobbly and clumsy; BUT, that does NOT stop him from trying!  He runs and plays and does his best to hang with the big kids, he just sleeps a little more!  Polar will always be small, but he has grown more than we thought he would!  At 4 months old he only weights 11lbs!  Polar is struggling with being house broken; but we are working on it!  All Po-Po wants is to be loved, lay in your lap and lick your face!  Polar is available for adoption through SouthBARK Animal Rescue.  To receive an application to adopt Polar, you may email Adopt@saveasoutherndog.com or if you are interested in fostering one of our many dogs in boarding, you may email Foster@saveasoutherndog.com.

This is Happy!  Happy is a 4 year old lab mix.  Happy is great with children and does well with older dogs.  Happy does not like to be jumped on by puppies or hyperactive dogs.  Happy is playful, housebroken, and loves to be near you.  Happy is crate trained and trust me, he loves his crate!  Happy is happiest when he is greeted in the mornings or when you take him outside to go potty!  I have never seen a dog dance, but Happy dances with excitement!  We have only been fostering Happy for three weeks, but he has already brought great joy to our home.  Happy is available for adoption now.  As I type this, he is nudging my arms for attention :)  Happy is up to date on all shots and has been spayed.  His adoption fee is $95.  You may contact me at thepadens@cox.net if you are interested in adopting Happy.  I will then put you in touch with his owner.

This is precious Shelby.  Shelby belonged to an elderly lady.  She was outside all the time.  The elderly lady's son was supposed to be taking care of his mother, the house, and the dog, but he did not do that.  She lost her health, her home, and Shelby.  A neighbor went over and cared for Shelby for a week.  She gave Shelby her booster shots, and started them on a dewormer.  She eventually took Shelby to her house and cared for her there.  Shelby was brought to me for a hopeful adoption to a senior adult.  That adoption did not go through, so we have decided to continue fostering her until she finds her forever home.  Shelby is great with cats and other dogs; but she does not want young children climbing on her or other dogs.  Shelby loves treats and sneaky snacks from whoever is cooking, and I did find out that Shelby LOVES PINEAPPLE!  How funny is that!?!  We do not know exactly how old she is, but we suspect she is over 10 years old.  Shelby does have all her teeth.  Her hearing is good (other than having selective hearing, but I guess at her age she has that right!) and good eye sight.  Shelby is up to date on her shots and has been spayed.  If you are looking for a more mature, calming pet to add to your family, you will not be disappointed in this jewel!  If you are interested in adopting Shelby, please email Adopt@saveasoutherndog.com and fill out the application for adoption.

Oh my goodness!  This is Wilbur!  The picture says it all, doesn't it?!  Wilbur LOVES the water!  With the Florida heat, we try to keep lots of water on hand, but nothing prepared me for this!  I had to grab the camera and FAST!  Every day fresh water goes in the turtle, and every day, Wilbur goes for a swim ;)  Wilbur is approximately 6 months old.  He is up to date on his shots and has been neutered.  Wilbur is excellent with ALL dogs, and does great with my children, but likes to chase the cats.  Wilbur would be content just lying in your lap as long as you will let him.  Wilbur is a doll.  We don't know anything about Wilbur other than he came from Fayetteville, GA and was pulled with only 12 hours left to spare before he would be put to sleep.  Wilbur is ready to meet his forever family!  His adoption fee is $95.  You may email me at thepadens@cox.net if you are interested in adopting Wilbur.  Below is another picture of Wilbur so you can see his beautiful face!

Friday night, on the way home from taking 13 dogs to Atlanta for a Maine transport, we received word that a momma dog had been shot at.  They didn't know if she was dead or alive, but she had 12 babies that were 3 days old.  Between myself and another foster, we split the 12.  Today, the babies are 11 days old!  Their eyes are not open yet and their little ears are starting to unfold.  They are starting to go potty by themselves (it's the little things that make you happy!) and are learning to walk.  We were supposed to have them for just 24 hours, but it has turned in to a week, as of today.  The rescue is currently looking for adopters and/or a puppy rescue to take the puppies.

I have several puppies we have fostered that have already been adopted.  In the coming days I will share those as well.  Our family has truly been blessed by sharing our home with these amazing animals.  My children help pick up poop, bathe, and love on these babies and my husband is up and down with them at various hours of the night.  It has definitely been a team effort and has been a true blessing to my heart.

If you are interested in fostering, please contact me at thepadens@cox.net.

Thanks for stopping by! 

Animal Rescue Contest

Hey Friends!

I need your help!

Our family has been fostering puppies since February through SouthBARK Animal Rescue.  Many of the puppies and dog they pull from death row from various shelters, leave sickly; which requires extra vetting; which means more money to pay out!

There is a contest going on at The Animal Rescue Site.

We are currently in 7th place; but need a LOT more votes to even get close!

Would you please help us out?

When you vote, please type in SouthBARK.  Location is Loxley, AL.  You can vote once a day; BUT, if you are like me and use Internet Explorer and google plus; then you can use both providers and actually get TWO votes in a day!  If you have internet on your phone, that is another resource as well!

PLEASE share this post on your blog or fb page!  The extra votes could earn us a 1st place spot and bring in money that will save lives!

Thank you!

Stacey

From Foster Home To Forever Home

Today we said farewell to our precious Zoe.

This picture was taken right after Zoe came home from beating parvo!  She was soooo tiny!  Notice the white on her chest makes a cross.  :)

 Kaitlyn and Christopher saying bye to Zoe :)  I laughed cause usually it is one of them with their eyes closed, but this time it was the dog!  LOL!

 Being a foster mommy to puppies . . . . so rewarding!

 Zoe gives lots and lots of kisses!  

 She knows she's leaving us . . . . 

BUT . . . . . God answered our prayers for her, that He would bring her the perfect mommy, and He did!!

 Look at that smile on her mommy's face :)

 Zoe went crazy EVERY TIME her new mommy came to visit!  It was the most precious experience to see Zoe recognize the sound of her car and her voice, even after the first visit!  Brought tears to my eyes every time!

 Zoe saying bye to Max, her brother, that also beat parvo!

We fall in love with each puppy we foster.  Each one truly is unique.  While saying bye is tough, knowing the roll we played in saving their lives is more rewarding than words can speak.

If you are interested in fostering or adopting any animals, please feel free to contact me, or you can find SouthBARK Animal Rescue on facebook.

Children, Animals, NLO, and Babies!

I have so missed blogging and promise to get back to it! 

It has been a whirlwind around here the last four weeks!

Kayla was home visiting for two weeks, kids had therapy appointments, and we started our THIRD set of rescue pups!   SouthBARK has been FANTASTIC at providing financially for these pups and continue to take care of Momma Dog's expenses as well.  She had to have emergency surgery for a rotten uterus while Kayla was here also!  Then we had another pup with a hernia the size of a golf ball that had to have emergency surgery this last week and NOW, we have two precious puppies with the dreaded Parvo.  I am praying the other five do not catch it. 

I hated to see Kayla go, but I know she will come back when she can.  She calls regularly and texting is always a plus!  She has an interview tomorrow for a job; please pray for her that the Lord would have His way.

Christopher developed full body tics last week; horrible to see it.  We believe they were triggered by a very bad emotional and embarrassing experience that morning; won't get in to it, but it was devastating for my little guy.  Because of Christopher's aggression issues, we are weaning him off of several of his meds.  The number one side effect on all of his meds is aggression.  We are weaning him because they are unfortunately addictive drugs.  We are trying some natural oil supplements that I purchased last year and never did anything with; I will share more about that later, but am trusting the Lord will provide for them.  Insurance doesn't cover them, and lets face it, we are below the poverty level with no income for 19 months now.

Several people have asked me about my involvement, or lack of recently, in Nothing Lost Outreach.  For months God allowed me to be an active part of providing clothing for the homeless.  When my daughter's sensory and anxiety problems became more and more of an issue, I had to make some cuts.  My prayer began that God would show me what to cut and what to keep and grace to walk through the tough choices.  Not only did He make it clear that I needed to reduce my AVON customer load, but that my time at home was what was needed.  My first thought, well, argument with God was, "I am home SIX days a week, what's the BIG DEAL about Sunday afternoons!"  So I went in disobedience.  My heart wanted to be there so bad, that I disobeyed God and put others before my family.  My heart still yearns to be involved; and while I don't have a huge room full of clothes for the homeless anymore, I do still have items on hand to distribute when I can, and still play an active roll in praying for this phenomenal ministry.  I do not know why God put this ministry on my heart, just to yank it out from under me, but what I do know, is that God gives us scriptural references that our priorities are to be Him, family, and then others.  My family needs me more than anything right now, so my hope, my prayer, is that God would honor this momma's heart in trying to be obedient to the calling He has given me, my family.

Thanks for stopping by today, and will add lots of pics soon!

OH!  OH!  OH!   My sister had her babies also!  She had them while Kayla was here!  They were four weeks EARLY, but are wonderful and are ALL HOME NOW!  I am adding a picture of her with both babies!

Congratulations to my beautiful, beautiful sister, Michelle, and brother in law, Ron on the birth of these beautiful baby girls!



Our First Fur-Foster

For the last eleven days, we have had the joy of fostering a momma dog and her eleven puppies.

Momma Dog was found wandering some one's property.  She had been wandering for thirty days. 

I do not know when she had her puppies; but I know this past Friday, the 17th they were 5 weeks old.

She was in the Mobile County Animal Shelter for 30 days.

When she was in the shelter, she was thin.  When she left the shelter after those 30 days, she was emaciated.


She, and her puppies were due to be euthanized on Thursday, February 16th, at 4:00 if they were not adopted/rescued by someone, or an agency.

We love dogs and want one desperately, especially for Christopher. 


We have researched and heard how dogs are calming for children with Asperger's; so we have remained optimistic for a pup when employment comes our way. 

I received a link to "Momma Dog" from a friend that knows how desperately we want a dog. The link took us to SouthBARK Animal Rescue.

After a few quick emails explaining our financial situation, and how we would love to help but that we are not able to accept the financial responsibility of a dog, it was done.

Momma Dog, "January" and her eleven puppies were at our house by 1:00 on Friday afternoon.

 



Not sure why this is posting sideways, it's upright in my files; nonetheless, the purpose of this particular picture is for you to see the puncture wounds on the sides of her spine.  There are at least four of them.  There are also two scars around her neck from a chain that was embedded.  This pup has been through hell; yet she has the sweetest temperament.














This picture shows pure exhaustion on this momma dog's face. 

She slept for four hours ;)

Momma Dog has taken a likin' to my husband ;)



He's hooked ;)

Momma Dog has made herself at home ;)

The puppies left us Monday morning at 5:50.  :( 

While we have missed them, I know they are in good hands! 

They were delivered safely to Puppy Pleaser's in Orlando.  SO, if you are in the Orlando area, and are looking for a puppy; I can assure you, these eleven puppies are precious!  Our hearts melted over the baby runt, that we called Natalie.  We almost lost her when momma stopped nursing.  She's a fighter and a lover though!  We are very thankful for Safe Harbor Animal Hospital going above and beyond to see her through!

Overall, our first fur-fostering experience was a great success!  Having puppy breath to greet us every morning was precious!  It was worth all the poop and pee that came with ELEVEN puppies!

Momma Dog is still at our home.  While she is much better than she was, she is still a sick puppy.  She had kennel cough (which she is still being treated for), has a uterine infection from afterbirth that has not passed and also will be getting treated for heart worms. 

She has become VERY protective of our family!  We have four cats.  She has done GREAT with two of the cats, but has tried to chow down on the other two on a regular basis.  To say the least, we do not leave them alone together!

I will update more on Momma Dog!  Below is a picture from today.  She is curled up on the couch, but she has put on several pounds in the last many days!

OH, in case you are wondering, SouthBark carries all the financial burdens of their animals.  I have added a ticker to the top left of my blog for anyone that is interested in donating to help cover the expenses of Momma Dog and her pups.  They acquired several vet bills while here.  As I mentioned earlier, Momma Dog has many more visits yet to come.  Pray about your part.  $1 makes a huge difference in this agency! 

Thanks for stopping by today! 

Stacey


P.S.  I have been trying to post this blog for several days; but have been having blogger problems I guess?  Nonetheless, today we picked up our second set of puppies to foster!  We have four more puppies for the next few weeks!  I will post pics when I get a chance!