Here I am again. Seems that no matter what else goes on in my life I keep coming back here to talk to Starskey. I'd really like to be talking to him in person - but I will do what I can. Somewhere here I will probably switch from the third person to the first person - that is just how things go in my mind. Don't get confused - it is still me talking.
Ike is lonesome. He thinks I am a pretty good snuggler and I don't toss a bad ball either but after a trip to Robin's house and several days with a real dog pack - he is kinda in the dumps. Doesn't even want to play tug-of-war with the knots as much. It isn't the same with me as it was with Sid and the silly new dog at their house....and it has been rainy outside so we can't go running or playing like we usually do.
You've never met Sid. He is Pokey and Pilot's new pack member. He came to them last winter as a very sick little baby with Parvo. Everybody worked hard to get him healthy again - and boy did they succeed. Pokey is only part Pit - but Sid is all Pit and so solid and strong. Since Ike is so tall (not small like you were) Pokey doesn't look at him as a puppy - even though he still is one. She didn't want much to do with him so that meant Ike and Sid could become pals.....when Pilot wasn't causing trouble. Pilot doesn't fit under the couch anymore so he is more particular about the trouble he causes so he can get out of there fast.
It took a day of sniffing and licking and stare downs for everybody but the next morning they all had it figured out. Ike is tall and Sid is solid and Pilot is a brat and Pokey just stayed away from it. Then there is the new guy. I can't remember his name but he is the oddest little stinker I think I have ever seen. He is part Chiquia and part terrier (has whiskers) or something. He is smaller then Pilot so he does fit under the couch but he and Sid are best buddies so he doesn't spend much time there. It is funny to watch the big guy and the little guy play together - reminded me of you and Dufus!
Sid shared the little guy with Ike too....now that is pretty cool. The three of them would play tug together - Ike and Sid would each have an end of the rope and the goofy little guy would jump up and bite on in the middle and just dangle there....Ike held his own pretty good. Taking that rope was the best idea I ever had so I just left it there. Ike has one here at home. Sid will probably just drag the new kid around by it - unless Pokey decides to play too. Sid might be stronger then Pokey - but she is determined. There are 4 dogs and 4 kids there now - plenty to do tugs!
You need to come home or find a way to get checked for your chip. Ike really needs a doggy kind of playmate and you are the only one I KNOW of that Jeff will be happy to see and have back home. I don't think he is too keen on the idea of getting a new guy.....He really likes Ike and they have a special bond and routine together - but he really wants you back home as much as I do!
Jeff has been pretty sad here lately too. Too long without a job and too tight on money isn't helping. He did get a driving job to deliver motor homes and took one trip already. He seemed so upbeat whenever he called home while on the trip - but that hasn't lasted. His back hurts and that doesn't help either. Sees the Doc tomorrow. We've both gotten a little short tempered lately and that doesn't help either
Ike is going to need special care for his hips. He has pretty bad displazia that was made worse by an injury before we got him. You wouldn't know it in the morning after a good nights sleep and his aspirin....he runs all over the place and makes sure everything is where it is suppose to be outside. He runs a while then comes in for a nap then goes out for another adventure and then in for another nap and so on. I have noticed that as the day goes on his naps get closer together and longer - probably as his hips get tired or start to hurt...
He figured out the stick thing better then you did...he picks them up and brings them to me instead of trying to drag them the other direction or hitching a free ride on the pile I am dragging. He really likes the pond too. He knows the same short cut that you know....what is it with black dogs and water anyway?
Midnight has become a terrible tease. He knows that Ike is bigger then he is so he won't let him get as close as he did you. Do you remember when that cat was bigger then you? That is when he taught you how to ring the bell to go outside....You weren't understanding what I was trying to teach you! Ike caught on pretty quick so he is a bell ringer too. Now Midnight just comes half way down the steps and sits there where Ike can see him but can't reach him - and he just sits there. It drives Ike crazy and Midnight knows it....Brat cat!
I am beginning to feel a little better now that I have talked to you for a while - but I sure do wish I could talk to you in person. This just isn't the same! I have 2 hands - one for each of you so it sure would be great if you came home to be Ike's playmate - and to show him the ropes he hasn't learned yet....well - maybe not all of them. There is an outdoor kennel now and there will be fencing going up to make a safe dog play-yard for when I can't be out there with you to let you run loose and get in the pond and all that neat stuff.
Ike is using your pillows and beds - and he fits in everything but your Pet Lodge - and he can fit in that too but he can't turn around in it - so we got him a bigger one. He sleeps in some of the oddest positions. Sometimes he curls up in a ball and fits inside your bed with the sides on it. Other times he is a sprawler and uses his special foam pad, your bed and another floor pillow. His favorite position is on his back with his legs stretched out (or up) or leaning against the TV.
Grandma was here last week and thinks he must be triple jointed to be able to get in all those crazy positions. She also thinks we have an awful lot of pillows - but when you want to let a dog be comfortable (without letting them on the furniture) you have to have enough pillows for them - besides some of the car pillows are in here to be washed so it looks like even more.
It is time to come home Starskey. Ike and me are waiting for you! I have 2 hands and one of them is for you......I am still keeping in contact with all my new Rescue friends and trying to keep your "Lost" postings up to date. I have NOT given up hope but you could help a little from your end too.................
Starskey
At Freedom Park summer 2010
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Friday, August 12, 2011
Okay - Acceptance isn't the end....
How can I accept that Starskey is gone when I can't stop thinking about him? How can I stop looking for something that I loved so much? How can I accept NO answer to what has happened? Prayers for an answer just leave me with more feelings of hope.....God - Is that You telling me something ???? I need some clarity...........
I told you that Ike was his own man - and he is.....but almost everything he does reminds me of Starskey. It must be the Lab in them or something......Maybe it is the age. Ike is now 8 months old and Starskey was 11 months old when he went missing, after 9 months of stealing our hearts and teaching us a whole new way to love and be loved.
To explain how much Ike reminds me of Starskey would mean I would need to duplicate many of the experiences I have already written about having with Starskey. I just read all my entries to this blog and they are all on target - for how much and why Starskey has come to mean so much to me, as well as some of the adventures we shared that are so similar to the ones I am now sharing with Ike. These two boys belong together!!!
Ike had an extensive vet check this week. He will have serious challenges in life that we will have to help him through. For a fellow who is only 8 months old he already has a pretty severe case of hip displazia. Xrays confirmed that. You wouldn't know it to see him prance around the yard but his prancing has gotten shorter in duration and his naps have gotten longer. He has a foam pad in the house and in his bed and some dog cushions in the outside kennel. He uses them all. He gets an asprin a day (in a small chunk of hot dog) and that helps him sleep comfortably at night.
His breed mix is still in question too. The front half of him is all Lab but his back half is in question. We thought maybe Dobe or Hound but our vet wonders if maybe there is some Dane in there - especially given his growth. He has gone from a thin 30 lb. 4 1/2 month old to a 60 lb. 8 month old and he is still slim and almost twice as tall as he was. Vet says he has more growing to do too.........hopefully just filling out.
Ike is a mighty big puppy! None of that changes who he is!!!! Like a toddler - I just have to move the things he can't have to a higher location. His size should not be intimidating to Starskey - whose first and best non-family friend as an Akita called Dufus. Ike is also submissive....or is that just well behaved?
My mind says to accept that Starskey is gone - but my heart will not let go and with no definite answer as to where he is and what has happened to him - I have to continue to hope that he is alive and will find his way back home! Ike is as far as I can go forward without knowing...... I will care for Ike and love him and pray for the time when I do have an answer (or God guides me elsewhere). That is when Ike will get his playmate - whether it is Starskey returning home or another dog in need of rescue and love.
There are those moments when Ike will awaken from his sleep - sit straight up, look at the door, sniff the air and bark. I'll go to the door and look out and see nothing or a deer across the pond and I will wonder if Starskey is near and Ike can tell. If I don't see a deer or something (and there is no cat sitting at the top of the steps to tease him) I will go outside, sit in the swing and talk to Starskey. I'll tell him that it is okay for him to come home and that Ike would love to have someone to play with. I tell him how much I miss him and still love him. I tell him any new news he should know and then I just sit and hope and pray for a while. Then I come back in and give Ike a big hug.
I have stopped baiting. The only dogs that ever came were dogs from area farms who already had homes. Otherwise it was mainly raccoons or skunks that took advantage of the stinky cat food bait. I could tell that by their tracks and the feces left behind. I hope that means that you (Starskey) are not surviving in the wild but have found a home or were picked up.
My greatest fear is that you got caught up in the rescue system and have already been adopted out......but therein also lies my greatest hope. You have a chip so that rescues and vets can identify you and you are posted as "lost" on two chip sights. Those rescue people have a network all of their own as well. They let each other know when there is news or need of help and they check for chips. If you were to get picked up - the shelter should check for a chip. If you were to be adopted out (because you are so charming) then the new owners should take you to a vet who should also check you for an existing chip before installing a new one.
I need to say THANK YOU to all of the rescuers and shelters that have added me (and you) to their network of contacts. I can't do much to repay them except to share the requests and postings they send to me - but they can do so much for us by helping keep your photo and description active so that some other rescuer or vet or just regular person see you and let's us know where you are!
A huge Thank You too goes to Kathy for the tips on how to search for a dog in survival mode. I so wish it had worked because then you would have been home by now. If anyone else is baiting and waiting for a medium size black dog to come in to their trap.....it might be Starskey. Please contact me!!!!!
The only thing worse then not having a job that pays a living wage anymore (but still having bills to pay) is having a hole in your heart. Ike is helping ease my pain but he is making is own path in to my heart, which means that Starskey's path remains untraveled and waiting for him to come back in to my life.
Please don't forget that Starskey is still out there somewhere and that I am still here missing him and running out of options for finding him on my own. I do need your help! Please share our story and his description with as many people as you can. Maybe somebody has seen him somewhere!
Starskey - COME HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I told you that Ike was his own man - and he is.....but almost everything he does reminds me of Starskey. It must be the Lab in them or something......Maybe it is the age. Ike is now 8 months old and Starskey was 11 months old when he went missing, after 9 months of stealing our hearts and teaching us a whole new way to love and be loved.
To explain how much Ike reminds me of Starskey would mean I would need to duplicate many of the experiences I have already written about having with Starskey. I just read all my entries to this blog and they are all on target - for how much and why Starskey has come to mean so much to me, as well as some of the adventures we shared that are so similar to the ones I am now sharing with Ike. These two boys belong together!!!
Ike had an extensive vet check this week. He will have serious challenges in life that we will have to help him through. For a fellow who is only 8 months old he already has a pretty severe case of hip displazia. Xrays confirmed that. You wouldn't know it to see him prance around the yard but his prancing has gotten shorter in duration and his naps have gotten longer. He has a foam pad in the house and in his bed and some dog cushions in the outside kennel. He uses them all. He gets an asprin a day (in a small chunk of hot dog) and that helps him sleep comfortably at night.
His breed mix is still in question too. The front half of him is all Lab but his back half is in question. We thought maybe Dobe or Hound but our vet wonders if maybe there is some Dane in there - especially given his growth. He has gone from a thin 30 lb. 4 1/2 month old to a 60 lb. 8 month old and he is still slim and almost twice as tall as he was. Vet says he has more growing to do too.........hopefully just filling out.
Ike is a mighty big puppy! None of that changes who he is!!!! Like a toddler - I just have to move the things he can't have to a higher location. His size should not be intimidating to Starskey - whose first and best non-family friend as an Akita called Dufus. Ike is also submissive....or is that just well behaved?
My mind says to accept that Starskey is gone - but my heart will not let go and with no definite answer as to where he is and what has happened to him - I have to continue to hope that he is alive and will find his way back home! Ike is as far as I can go forward without knowing...... I will care for Ike and love him and pray for the time when I do have an answer (or God guides me elsewhere). That is when Ike will get his playmate - whether it is Starskey returning home or another dog in need of rescue and love.
There are those moments when Ike will awaken from his sleep - sit straight up, look at the door, sniff the air and bark. I'll go to the door and look out and see nothing or a deer across the pond and I will wonder if Starskey is near and Ike can tell. If I don't see a deer or something (and there is no cat sitting at the top of the steps to tease him) I will go outside, sit in the swing and talk to Starskey. I'll tell him that it is okay for him to come home and that Ike would love to have someone to play with. I tell him how much I miss him and still love him. I tell him any new news he should know and then I just sit and hope and pray for a while. Then I come back in and give Ike a big hug.
I have stopped baiting. The only dogs that ever came were dogs from area farms who already had homes. Otherwise it was mainly raccoons or skunks that took advantage of the stinky cat food bait. I could tell that by their tracks and the feces left behind. I hope that means that you (Starskey) are not surviving in the wild but have found a home or were picked up.
My greatest fear is that you got caught up in the rescue system and have already been adopted out......but therein also lies my greatest hope. You have a chip so that rescues and vets can identify you and you are posted as "lost" on two chip sights. Those rescue people have a network all of their own as well. They let each other know when there is news or need of help and they check for chips. If you were to get picked up - the shelter should check for a chip. If you were to be adopted out (because you are so charming) then the new owners should take you to a vet who should also check you for an existing chip before installing a new one.
I need to say THANK YOU to all of the rescuers and shelters that have added me (and you) to their network of contacts. I can't do much to repay them except to share the requests and postings they send to me - but they can do so much for us by helping keep your photo and description active so that some other rescuer or vet or just regular person see you and let's us know where you are!
A huge Thank You too goes to Kathy for the tips on how to search for a dog in survival mode. I so wish it had worked because then you would have been home by now. If anyone else is baiting and waiting for a medium size black dog to come in to their trap.....it might be Starskey. Please contact me!!!!!
The only thing worse then not having a job that pays a living wage anymore (but still having bills to pay) is having a hole in your heart. Ike is helping ease my pain but he is making is own path in to my heart, which means that Starskey's path remains untraveled and waiting for him to come back in to my life.
Please don't forget that Starskey is still out there somewhere and that I am still here missing him and running out of options for finding him on my own. I do need your help! Please share our story and his description with as many people as you can. Maybe somebody has seen him somewhere!
Starskey - COME HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Stages of Grief
They say the first stage of grief is denial. Oh boy - I am an expert at that one! I believe I have denied or explained away every possibility put before me when it comes to why Starskey is missing or what could have happened to him. Denial does not help. In fact it creates more problems that just seem to make everything worse and harder to get through. It can cause you to push away the very people who could comfort and help you. You, afterall, are not the only person who loved that animal or who is grieving the loss!!!!
They also say the last stage of grief in acceptance......I don't have to like it or even agree with it - but I do need to accept it. Starskey is gone. I didn't say he was dead, stolen, rescued or anything else - I just said GONE. That does not mean there isn't still a chance he might come home (he does have a chip) or that we might eventually find evidence of his demise or that somebody might just bring him back. Hope is still there but I have accepted that he is gone - for now.
We knew Starskey's family tree (at least part of it) so we kind of knew what to expect from him but Ike suprises us sometimes because we know nothing about him except what is physically visable. He is a BBD - part lab and part who knows what. He is the BBD that lays on the step in front of the house and watches the cars go by on the road - but can hear and identify our vehicles miles away and will be waiting there to meet us at the end of the drive when we come home.
Ike is gentle and tender and would rather be around the people he loves then just about anything else. He helps (?) in the garden, follows the mower, supervises hanging clothes on the line and lays at your feet in the house or near the door when outside. He does enjoy a good rabbit or squirrel chase from time to time and patrols the pond bank to keep us safe from aquatic invaders. Although he has his own pool Ike has to occasionally inspect the pond itself and spash and splatter to scare those invaders away.
Ike is twice the size that Starskey was at his age so it feels rather odd to watch this BBD do the same things that the LBD did at 7 months old. Frogs, toads and turtles are of great interest. They get nudged around with a nose and if they jump it is a delightful suprise. On occasion they have been carfully picked up and carried to Mommy - but only if they don't pee in the mouth first. If they do pee they are carefully returned to the ground and the spitting begins. Then they are looked at as if being asked "why did you do that?".
Starskey's favorite friend (Dufus/Sam) has moved and is living in a house full of kids. I am so happy for him. He was such a gentle giant and played so carefully with Starskey that I have no fear for the kids he now plays with. Dufus did not get the chance to know Ike as well as he did Starskey. Ike was being house trained so he was inside more then outside. That has reversed now - unless the weather is hot. It is probably a good thing that Ike and Dufus didn't become good friends - Dufus was a rover and I would always be afraid that Ike might rove with him and get lost, hurt or killed. Starskey did from time to time but together the two of them seemed to stay pretty close to one home or the other. I think I like my "home boy" Ike just the way he is - lazy and happy!
Bringing Ike in to our lives was very necessary for me.....my heart was broken and denial led to depression and then to stress related health issues. I began by volunteering at the local Humane Society shelter. It was a selfish reason to go but the animals gave me love and I began to put my life together again. I loved them all, talked to them, asked them if they had seen Starskey and where they would go if they were him......I know it sounds silly but it made me feel better and the animals benefitted from the attention.
Ike's name wound up on the adoption papers as a fluke. The papers had been there for a while but I hadn't added a name. One day I did and I don't know why it was his shelter name that stuck in my mind....I wasn't even sure whose name I was putting down. I just knew it was time and somebody there needed me as much as I needed them. When the Shelter called me to say that I was approved - I had to go over just to see who I had adopted. I would not have said no to any of them but Ike has proven to be a perfect fit. Sometimes the Lord works in strange or curious ways - but I am so glad that He works to take care of all of us.
Having Ike here meant that I got less anxious when I received "lost dog" calls and reports. I got smarter about asking questions about the "found" dog and about giving the callers some advice. Checking for collars and tags was the first thing I told them to do. There is a vet number on any rabies tag and many people add additional tags. If the animal had a chip there may be a chip tag or they needed to have a vet scan the animal to find out and to identify it.
I learned that the area shelter and Humane Society only accepted animals from official agencies (Animal Control, Law Enforcement, cities, DNR, etc.) so local lost pets, found by well meaning individuals, had no place to go if an owner could not be notified....unless an official agency would assist to help get them in to a shelter or the local vet could assist in finding good homes. Hey, if the local vet could do that every time it was needed, we'd have less need for the Humane Society and animal shelters and foster homes......
Thank You to the many wonderful vets who do help strays and unwanted pets to find homes and more Thanks to all of the vets that provide their services (for reduced rates) to the Humane Society and shelter and help the rescuers. Adopted pets are just extra special you know. They know that you have chosen or rescued them and they display their gratitude with great love and devotion.
Ike is now my man. He is my shadow and my friend. I feel at peace and believe that if Starskey were anywhere near and could get home - he would have by now. There is some reason he hasn't and I hope that someday he still can or that I will know the reason why he couldn't. He didn't leave me or intend to go away - he is just gone. I will love and remember him always.
I will love and remember all of the wonderful animals who have shared their lives and love with me!
They also say the last stage of grief in acceptance......I don't have to like it or even agree with it - but I do need to accept it. Starskey is gone. I didn't say he was dead, stolen, rescued or anything else - I just said GONE. That does not mean there isn't still a chance he might come home (he does have a chip) or that we might eventually find evidence of his demise or that somebody might just bring him back. Hope is still there but I have accepted that he is gone - for now.
All I pray for is that wherever he is (Heaven or earth) that he is loved and cared for. He will always have a very special place in my heart that no one else will fill - that is Starskey's space, but it doesn't mean I won't go on to love another dog in a similar way - but it will not be the same.
Starskey![]()
As I look out at Ike, stretched full length in the grass in the shade enjoying the breeze and cooler temps of today, I can't help but think of Starskey and of how he and Ike would be playing in this wonderful weather. How much more enjoyable Ike's life would be to have a friend to play with....he is still just a puppy himself at 7 months and full of energy - and love!
Ike is a different sort of fellow then Starskey - but his life has been different as well. Instead of having someone watching over him and making sure he had food and water until someone came to adopt him - Ike spent his early life having to fend for himself. It didn't make him a scared or angry fellow - but he is quieter, especially without a canine playmate. The felines around here just seem to pester him.
We knew Starskey's family tree (at least part of it) so we kind of knew what to expect from him but Ike suprises us sometimes because we know nothing about him except what is physically visable. He is a BBD - part lab and part who knows what. He is the BBD that lays on the step in front of the house and watches the cars go by on the road - but can hear and identify our vehicles miles away and will be waiting there to meet us at the end of the drive when we come home.
Ike is gentle and tender and would rather be around the people he loves then just about anything else. He helps (?) in the garden, follows the mower, supervises hanging clothes on the line and lays at your feet in the house or near the door when outside. He does enjoy a good rabbit or squirrel chase from time to time and patrols the pond bank to keep us safe from aquatic invaders. Although he has his own pool Ike has to occasionally inspect the pond itself and spash and splatter to scare those invaders away.
IKE![]()
Ike is twice the size that Starskey was at his age so it feels rather odd to watch this BBD do the same things that the LBD did at 7 months old. Frogs, toads and turtles are of great interest. They get nudged around with a nose and if they jump it is a delightful suprise. On occasion they have been carfully picked up and carried to Mommy - but only if they don't pee in the mouth first. If they do pee they are carefully returned to the ground and the spitting begins. Then they are looked at as if being asked "why did you do that?".
Starskey's favorite friend (Dufus/Sam) has moved and is living in a house full of kids. I am so happy for him. He was such a gentle giant and played so carefully with Starskey that I have no fear for the kids he now plays with. Dufus did not get the chance to know Ike as well as he did Starskey. Ike was being house trained so he was inside more then outside. That has reversed now - unless the weather is hot. It is probably a good thing that Ike and Dufus didn't become good friends - Dufus was a rover and I would always be afraid that Ike might rove with him and get lost, hurt or killed. Starskey did from time to time but together the two of them seemed to stay pretty close to one home or the other. I think I like my "home boy" Ike just the way he is - lazy and happy!
Dufus & Starskey![]()
Bringing Ike in to our lives was very necessary for me.....my heart was broken and denial led to depression and then to stress related health issues. I began by volunteering at the local Humane Society shelter. It was a selfish reason to go but the animals gave me love and I began to put my life together again. I loved them all, talked to them, asked them if they had seen Starskey and where they would go if they were him......I know it sounds silly but it made me feel better and the animals benefitted from the attention.
Ike's name wound up on the adoption papers as a fluke. The papers had been there for a while but I hadn't added a name. One day I did and I don't know why it was his shelter name that stuck in my mind....I wasn't even sure whose name I was putting down. I just knew it was time and somebody there needed me as much as I needed them. When the Shelter called me to say that I was approved - I had to go over just to see who I had adopted. I would not have said no to any of them but Ike has proven to be a perfect fit. Sometimes the Lord works in strange or curious ways - but I am so glad that He works to take care of all of us.
Having Ike here meant that I got less anxious when I received "lost dog" calls and reports. I got smarter about asking questions about the "found" dog and about giving the callers some advice. Checking for collars and tags was the first thing I told them to do. There is a vet number on any rabies tag and many people add additional tags. If the animal had a chip there may be a chip tag or they needed to have a vet scan the animal to find out and to identify it.
Mr. Ike![]()
I learned that the area shelter and Humane Society only accepted animals from official agencies (Animal Control, Law Enforcement, cities, DNR, etc.) so local lost pets, found by well meaning individuals, had no place to go if an owner could not be notified....unless an official agency would assist to help get them in to a shelter or the local vet could assist in finding good homes. Hey, if the local vet could do that every time it was needed, we'd have less need for the Humane Society and animal shelters and foster homes......
Thank You to the many wonderful vets who do help strays and unwanted pets to find homes and more Thanks to all of the vets that provide their services (for reduced rates) to the Humane Society and shelter and help the rescuers. Adopted pets are just extra special you know. They know that you have chosen or rescued them and they display their gratitude with great love and devotion.
Ike is now my man. He is my shadow and my friend. I feel at peace and believe that if Starskey were anywhere near and could get home - he would have by now. There is some reason he hasn't and I hope that someday he still can or that I will know the reason why he couldn't. He didn't leave me or intend to go away - he is just gone. I will love and remember him always.
I will love and remember all of the wonderful animals who have shared their lives and love with me!
Friday, May 13, 2011
Life and learning go on
Every person and every animal in my life has taught me something new or reminded me of how important some of my past lessons have been. Ike is proving to be no different.
Since living here we have had many wonderful pets. Ebony (lab/setter) taught us that wild animals and pets can get along together better then we imagined. She shared her dog food with the deer and they curled up around her heated dog house on extra cold nights. She had been dumped with her mother and brother in the State Park where I worked. Mom hunting to feed the kids was one thing but when she began to teach them to hunt we had to remove them from the park. They came here as fosters while we searched for homes. A loving home was found for the well trained mother and her son and we adopted Ebony. She was with us for 4 years before being stolen, along with several other dogs in the area. She was never recovered and only one of the other dogs was recovered.
Scooter (cocker mix) was a gift left on our doorstep after Ebony disappeared. He won our hearts and taught us that even a little unassuming black dog can put on more miles and meet more people then we could ever really know. He introduced us to many of his friends when they would call the number on his tag to tell us he was visiting them. Scooter was with us for 12 years before his health failed him.
Missy was a stray American Eskimo that we adopted after fostering for 6 months. She too had a roving nature (as a result of time surviving on her own) but once she knew she had a loving home her range became smaller and her roving less often. She was a devoted family guardian and the protector of the wild geese that nest here each spring. She was also extremely loyal and loving.
Jack (Jack Russell mix) came to live with us after we'd had Missy about a year. He had been my daughter's and was only suppose to be here a short while.....Missy put up with him in the beginning but their bond grew stronger and they grew inseparable. He had short hair but refused to be in the house without Missy. Missy refused to be in the house period - too confining and likely a bit too warm for her double fur coat. They took care of each other, sleeping together in the doghouse when it was cold and when Missy's sight began to fail her Jack became her eyes and steered her around gently keeping her off the road and out of the pond.
We lost Missy a couple of years ago due to heath, age and an accident that Jack couldn't protect her from. She was 15 years old and had been with us for 13 of those years. Jack did his best on his own. He kept up their routine as best he could and we gave him the heated dog house when the weather got cooler (he still wouldn't come in the house). He would disappear for hours and I would get scared but he always came home. I suspect the two of them had a route to follow and he was keeping up that patrol but he was never the same without Missy. He missed her. She was his other half. He went away one day in December and never came home. Jack was about 12 or 13 years old himself.
We were dogless that winter and I could not believe how much advantage the deer took of us because of it. It was March when I first met Starskey and I wasn't sure I was ready for a new dog - much less a puppy - but he had a way of getting to you.....Starskey came to live with us the first week of April 2010. If you have read this blog - you know his story. He taught us so much that I can't even explain it all. I was a farm kid with all kinds of animals all of my life but not one that crawled in to my heart as deeply as he did. I think Missy and Jack started the route there and he just crawled in the rest of the way.
I watch Ike now as he sniffs everything with such care. He is meeting Scooter, Missy, Jack and Starskey through scent in the things they left behind. Sometimes he'd rather be outside wandering the yard then to be inside on his pillows. I believe that he is looking for those playmates that aren't here anymore. I still hope that we will be able to bring Starskey home so they can be friends and playmates.
I am learning from Ike that secondhand toys are way okay (I already knew that) and that just being loved and feeling safe goes a long way for a guy who was a stray and spent time in a city kennel. He is so appreciative of everything and would rather spend time laying at my feet then just about anything else on earth. Walks are fun but love is better.
I love you Ike - I have loved all of you and I miss you all too. I will tell Ike stories about you and keep looking for Starskey so that he has a partner like Jack and Missy had each other. Life does go on but I will never forget and never stop loving all of my wonderful pets
Since living here we have had many wonderful pets. Ebony (lab/setter) taught us that wild animals and pets can get along together better then we imagined. She shared her dog food with the deer and they curled up around her heated dog house on extra cold nights. She had been dumped with her mother and brother in the State Park where I worked. Mom hunting to feed the kids was one thing but when she began to teach them to hunt we had to remove them from the park. They came here as fosters while we searched for homes. A loving home was found for the well trained mother and her son and we adopted Ebony. She was with us for 4 years before being stolen, along with several other dogs in the area. She was never recovered and only one of the other dogs was recovered.
Scooter (cocker mix) was a gift left on our doorstep after Ebony disappeared. He won our hearts and taught us that even a little unassuming black dog can put on more miles and meet more people then we could ever really know. He introduced us to many of his friends when they would call the number on his tag to tell us he was visiting them. Scooter was with us for 12 years before his health failed him.
Missy was a stray American Eskimo that we adopted after fostering for 6 months. She too had a roving nature (as a result of time surviving on her own) but once she knew she had a loving home her range became smaller and her roving less often. She was a devoted family guardian and the protector of the wild geese that nest here each spring. She was also extremely loyal and loving.
Jack (Jack Russell mix) came to live with us after we'd had Missy about a year. He had been my daughter's and was only suppose to be here a short while.....Missy put up with him in the beginning but their bond grew stronger and they grew inseparable. He had short hair but refused to be in the house without Missy. Missy refused to be in the house period - too confining and likely a bit too warm for her double fur coat. They took care of each other, sleeping together in the doghouse when it was cold and when Missy's sight began to fail her Jack became her eyes and steered her around gently keeping her off the road and out of the pond.
We lost Missy a couple of years ago due to heath, age and an accident that Jack couldn't protect her from. She was 15 years old and had been with us for 13 of those years. Jack did his best on his own. He kept up their routine as best he could and we gave him the heated dog house when the weather got cooler (he still wouldn't come in the house). He would disappear for hours and I would get scared but he always came home. I suspect the two of them had a route to follow and he was keeping up that patrol but he was never the same without Missy. He missed her. She was his other half. He went away one day in December and never came home. Jack was about 12 or 13 years old himself.
We were dogless that winter and I could not believe how much advantage the deer took of us because of it. It was March when I first met Starskey and I wasn't sure I was ready for a new dog - much less a puppy - but he had a way of getting to you.....Starskey came to live with us the first week of April 2010. If you have read this blog - you know his story. He taught us so much that I can't even explain it all. I was a farm kid with all kinds of animals all of my life but not one that crawled in to my heart as deeply as he did. I think Missy and Jack started the route there and he just crawled in the rest of the way.
I watch Ike now as he sniffs everything with such care. He is meeting Scooter, Missy, Jack and Starskey through scent in the things they left behind. Sometimes he'd rather be outside wandering the yard then to be inside on his pillows. I believe that he is looking for those playmates that aren't here anymore. I still hope that we will be able to bring Starskey home so they can be friends and playmates.
I am learning from Ike that secondhand toys are way okay (I already knew that) and that just being loved and feeling safe goes a long way for a guy who was a stray and spent time in a city kennel. He is so appreciative of everything and would rather spend time laying at my feet then just about anything else on earth. Walks are fun but love is better.
I love you Ike - I have loved all of you and I miss you all too. I will tell Ike stories about you and keep looking for Starskey so that he has a partner like Jack and Missy had each other. Life does go on but I will never forget and never stop loving all of my wonderful pets
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Survial - for both of us
Okay Starskey. I am about to enter a different phase of my search for you. Since you don't seem to be irritating anyone enough for them to call the cops on you I am going to have to change my search tactics. You are probably out at night and hiding during the day. You are not a hunter but you are a good scrounge and/or thief. Stay off the road - the road kill isn't that good anyway.
I'll let you know up front that Ike is not going away - he is here for when you come home and to help me maintain my sanity. We will have to learn how to introduce the two of you when that time comes - but I have to find you first, since you don't seem to be making it home on your own. It is my guess that you have moved in to survival mode and my techniques for finding you are going to have to change.
First off - how much have you changed? Longer fur? Skinny or fat? Straight hair or wavy like your Mom's? You are still black and the star is still on your chest but have you taken on any more of your Mom's features and coloring? Are you covered in burrs? All that will affect the appearance of dog that I have to be looking for now. You are no longer the boy who disappeared in December.
Have you found a place for shelter during the day? Is it in the open under a tree or bush or on a hillside in long grass? Have you found a barn, shed, garage or even bales of hay where you can get in a corner and keep warm and feel safe? Where do I need to look now?
Are you hungry or have you found a source of food? Is somebody feeding cats or even dogs outside so you can sneak in and get some of that? Or are you living off nature like weeds and seeds or better yet - some horse poop? I kinda have to know what you're surviving on to know where it is best to begin to make it easier for you to find your way home.
If I put out some little cans of really stinky catfood (it's your favorite anyway) will you come eat it or will you let the raccoons and opossum have it? I am going to try that - just to see if you show up once in a while. I may even sprinkle some white stuff around on the ground so I can see your tracks better. It might even stick to your feet a little and give me an idea what direction you go when you leave.
I can't look for you the same way that I did when you first went missing because - even though you are still Starskey - you are probably a little afraid of people after all this time. I am sure that you have not heard anyone call your name for a very long time or you would be home by now. Are you by yourself or have you found a friend of some kind? Hey - if you found the horses or some cattle you've got many friends - and they aren't going to tell me where you are hiding all day.
I may have to use a live trap to catch you now, since people may scare you - even me. I am sorry about that but you are kind of blowing through your teens faster then you should have to. Survival may be making you closer to being an adult now. Hey - that is a change for both of us! It is sure not one either of us had planned for. I just want you to know that if I have to use a trap it is only because I love you and I do not want you to spend the rest of your life living like you have had to these past 4 months.
I have talked to a lady who knows about pets who have gotten in to survival mode. She has given me tips and ideas on how and where to begin looking again. She says I should not look for you like I did before - because I may just scare you away. Now I have to sort of fool you and try to get you to come to what is most important to you - and that is probably food. I also need to figure out where you might be taking shelter - not to look for you but to move the food closer to you.
I might have to use a night camera to be sure that it is a dog eating the food and then to try to be sure that you are the dog because I know that you look a little different now. That is a hard thing for me to wrap my mind around and it is even harder to imagine what you might look like now. I am not being rude but I bet you are pretty scroungy by now and you probably stink really bad too. Especially if you have kept warm in horse and cow poop piles. Go find a creek or pond and take a bath Dude!
I am not sure where I am going to start but I have some good ideas, based on some of the more reliable sightings of you. I should have a paycheck in a day or two so I can get the supplies I need to get started and then we will go from there. You'll be okay until then won't you?
This would be a really good time to be visiting places during the day so folks see you again. If you are staying with somebody - you need to get them to take you to the vet for something so the vet can check you over and find your chip.....nothing serious - fleas will do!! A check-up or Rabies shot update will work too.
I am going to try to let everyone else know that we have to deal with you differently now too. I don't want them scaring you away so we have to start looking for you all over again. You are going to have to come to us - on your own or in the trap. That is just where we are now. We are not without hope or resources - we just have to do things differently in order to get you home.
Oliver Alert has a saying that I like. It goes something like this; "Never give up looking for something that you can not stop thinking about every single day". Until I find you - I will never stop looking. If all I find is some bones and your collar I will be able to stop looking but since we haven't found that - I am still looking for a live black dog with a white 5 point star on his chest. Now you need to start looking for me again too.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
His name is Ike
Ike was picked up in Mason City early in March as a stray out by Eisenhower Ave. (Walmart) and the shelter called him Dwight. We thought that Ike suited him better and he seems to like it. I think somebody loved him for a while because he is doing real good with being in the house. Only a couple of accidents in almost a week. He is catching on to the bell thing - well kinda. You being here to show him how well it works when we are busy or not looking would help a lot.
We took him down to meet Paucha this weekend. I think Paucha likes you better - or maybe he knew that you knew that you were his company so he didn't have to mark the whole place. After Saturday everything was okay though and you would have thought they had been friends for years. You missed the chance to run in circles with them! They had donut shaped bones together like you and Paucha always did. Paucha still doesn't share his donut.
Carma, Luchi, Adrian and Camilla were all there too. That meant the boys got lots of walks and spent a lot of time out doors. It was warm and sunny so they liked that - even when Camilla was in charge. They all were sure that you would like Ike too. They were glad that he is your size but that he is all black. That way they would never get you mixed up.
There is a lot you have to teach Ike. He keeps pooping in his play zone so I have to wash his feet off whenever he comes back in the house. I don't think he is going to be a porch swing dog so your spot there is very safe. He doesn't like the swing moving when he is trying to get on it either, and doesn't seem to want to learn. He does like the summer doghouse but isn't sure about the winter one yet....maybe it has to get cold enough to turn the heater on for him to figure that one out. He'd just rather be in here on the pillows in front of the fireplace - just like you.
The cats have figured things out. They sneak past when he is napping or when he is outside. They take whichever route is necessary depending on where he is. Spook is curious enough to sniff him when he is asleep. He obviously smells different then you do so she has to get him recorded to memory so she knows who she is dealing with. My bet is that she'll stay upstairs most of the time anyway. Booger does everything on the sneak. I don't even see or hear her until she heads back up the steps. I think Ike does though because sometimes he'll just stop and listen and sniff the air.
Midnight is a little cautious but still feels that he is the house boss. He rings the bell and waits for us to get a hold of Ike and then come let him out. He will go right out (or in) with Ike there - as long as we are holding him....and Midnight is smart enough to move slow so he doesn't look like anything exciting. He used to tease you by running the minute he got out the door......just so you would chase him - but then he knew what to expect from you and he hasn't figured that out with Ike yet.
Learning a new fellow's signals and remembering to stay patient and forgiving is easier for me then for Jeff. He forgets that Ike doesn't know what sit, stay, lay down and come mean yet - although Ike does know a little bit - he knows what "no" and "get down" mean. I really think that somebody loved him long enough for him to learn a few things and for him to learn to trust people. Even though he is about 5 months old (and your size) he is still very much a puppy and sleeps a lot and wants to chew on everything. Thanks again for leaving the chew toys. I got him some new ones too.....and some new floor pillows that don't smell like anybody else.
I was thinking how, when you were about his age, we wondered if you thought your first name was "No bite" and your last name was "leave the cat alone". I sometimes wondered how you learned that your name was Starskey.....it must have been early on - before you started doing naughty things. We seemed to have to use the other phrases far more often. We don't seem to have to use them with Ike so much - but then he hasn't been camping yet either.....that comes in another week or so.
I hope he learns his name better soon so that he will come when called. We forget to use his name as often as we should. With you we were just grew to know what you wanted or needed, and you were so used to just following our lead that we didn't have to call your name a whole lot. When the van door opened - you just jumped in and when the golf cart moved - you just hopped on. Ike has all that to learn yet. I'll try to remember to use his name more often so he gets used to it.
This whole thing would be a lot easier with you here to serve as big brother and teacher! Yes, Dufus has been over to check him out but doesn't stick around like he did with you. That is okay with me. I don't want all you boys wandering off together - it seems that Dufus is the only one who can find his way back home again. A kennel will be coming for short term confinement (instead of the cable) but a fence is going up for a play yard so dogs can play outside together and not get in to trouble...or run off.
We're still waiting for you to come home...and still looking for you so that you can come home to us and your new playmate. Wherever you are - tell them it is time for you to go home! Then get yourself here or go to someone who will help you get back here. We love you and miss you. Starskey Come Home!!!!!!!! We are all waiting for you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Playmate coming
Starskey - you really need to come home soon! There is a playmate for you who is coming to live with us. Somebody needs to teach him the ropes (cat secrets and bell ringing) and tell him what he will get in trouble for - like getting in the road or following Dufus......
He is younger then you but he is about your size. He is a lab mix too so you will have a lot in common. Is it okay if he uses your bed and chews on your toys until you get home? Then you can decide what gets shared and what doesn't.....but you will need to share Dad and me. I'll put Care Bear up - he is your bed partner after all.
NO - I have not given up hope that you will come home. Hope is what I am hanging on to more then anything now. Everyone has looked so hard and kept looking for you for so long that we are all sure that someone has picked you up and taken you somewhere. That should mean that you are being taken care of and for that I will have to be grateful. We still pray everyday that we will get a call or an email from one of the many places you are listed as lost - or from someone who has seen you......WE HAVE NOT GIVEN UP HOPE!
You are loved and always will be......you were our first baby and we learned so much from you about raising a baby and about loving someone with a blank slate for us to write on. You taught us a lot about ourselves as well - and about our true beliefs and abilities to deal with things as they came along. Yeah - I would do a few things differently if I could do them over - but not a lot. There would be a fence - and there will be now. Official dog training might be a good plan too.
Hey - we did pretty well without that all but if there had been a fence - you would not be gone because you would never be outside the fence unless we were with you. You trusted us to take care of you and love you and you rewarded us with your love and your respect. You walked beside me (except on timber adventures), you brought the ball back when I threw it for you, you sat when told, you waited when asked, you shook hands when a hand was offered and accepted treats with great gratitude. You stayed off the upholstered furniture but found that padded lawn chairs were pretty comfortable outside and that pillows on the floor were good inside - as long as they were close to us or in front of the fireplace. You never jumped on anybody!!!! You sat and waited for them to offer a pat on the head or a shake. You were a good boy in the car (except for the phone book thing) and you did enjoy your rides!
See - there is a lot you need to help teach this new guy - and especially about ringing the bell. You don't want Midnight to upstage you on that one! He already did it to me - but you were a lot smaller then and this new fella isn't that small. Midnight might not be much help this time.
He doesn't have a forever name yet. They call him Dwight now - but that just doesn't seem to fit. Should he be Hutch? You'd need to come home for sure then because Starskey and Hutch are a team!!! I get to go pick him up this afternoon but I couldn't do it without first telling you about him.
You disappeared after the first big snow fall in December - and he will come after the last crazy snow fall in April....a little over 1 year since you came to live with us. There is something strange about that but I don't know if it is a good strange or a bad strange.....
I have been going to the Humane Society almost every week and meeting a lot of cool cats and wonderful dogs but couldn't bring myself to pick one yet. Two weeks ago I went over and took my paperwork for them to hold until I had a name to fill in. I kinda thought I would bring home a beagel guy that Phillip fell in love with - so he had a home and Phillip could come see him a lot, but when I got there he had already been adopted....but he did come to Forest City so maybe we'll be able to find him and visit him.
I went and looked at all the puppies....and all my other friends. I do have favorites and some of them were gone (a good thing). There were a couple of other dogs on my mind but I still didn't think there was a perfect one. When I got ready to leave - I put Dwight's name on my application.....I don't know why - something just told me to write his name down. They called last week and said he could be mine - so last Saturday I went and spent some special time with him. He is a really okay dude! You will like him! Some things are just meant to happen the way that they do - and I think this might be one of them......
He is not house trained - so thank you for house training me! I know how to do that now! I have a new timer even. He is getting adult dog teeth so thank you for teaching me to have lots of chewy toys and bones on hand - it saves on the furniture! I put a new gate up to the back room so the cat food is safe - thanks for teaching me that trick too. He is going to need lots of exercise (besides potty walks) so thank you for leaving the tennis balls here.
He is going to need a playmate. I know Dufus will be here - that is the reason I need a fence. He can play with Dufus inside the fence but Dufus will teach him bad things like roaming. You need to come home and be his house and yard playmate and best buddy. Nothing would make me happier then to give you to each other...............
Starskey - come home! There is training to do and playing too!
Gee - I wonder what the cats are going to think of this???? I think the gate to the back room tipped them off that something was happening. This could get exciting and scary! Come on home and tell them everything will be okay!
He is younger then you but he is about your size. He is a lab mix too so you will have a lot in common. Is it okay if he uses your bed and chews on your toys until you get home? Then you can decide what gets shared and what doesn't.....but you will need to share Dad and me. I'll put Care Bear up - he is your bed partner after all.
NO - I have not given up hope that you will come home. Hope is what I am hanging on to more then anything now. Everyone has looked so hard and kept looking for you for so long that we are all sure that someone has picked you up and taken you somewhere. That should mean that you are being taken care of and for that I will have to be grateful. We still pray everyday that we will get a call or an email from one of the many places you are listed as lost - or from someone who has seen you......WE HAVE NOT GIVEN UP HOPE!
You are loved and always will be......you were our first baby and we learned so much from you about raising a baby and about loving someone with a blank slate for us to write on. You taught us a lot about ourselves as well - and about our true beliefs and abilities to deal with things as they came along. Yeah - I would do a few things differently if I could do them over - but not a lot. There would be a fence - and there will be now. Official dog training might be a good plan too.
Hey - we did pretty well without that all but if there had been a fence - you would not be gone because you would never be outside the fence unless we were with you. You trusted us to take care of you and love you and you rewarded us with your love and your respect. You walked beside me (except on timber adventures), you brought the ball back when I threw it for you, you sat when told, you waited when asked, you shook hands when a hand was offered and accepted treats with great gratitude. You stayed off the upholstered furniture but found that padded lawn chairs were pretty comfortable outside and that pillows on the floor were good inside - as long as they were close to us or in front of the fireplace. You never jumped on anybody!!!! You sat and waited for them to offer a pat on the head or a shake. You were a good boy in the car (except for the phone book thing) and you did enjoy your rides!
See - there is a lot you need to help teach this new guy - and especially about ringing the bell. You don't want Midnight to upstage you on that one! He already did it to me - but you were a lot smaller then and this new fella isn't that small. Midnight might not be much help this time.
He doesn't have a forever name yet. They call him Dwight now - but that just doesn't seem to fit. Should he be Hutch? You'd need to come home for sure then because Starskey and Hutch are a team!!! I get to go pick him up this afternoon but I couldn't do it without first telling you about him.
You disappeared after the first big snow fall in December - and he will come after the last crazy snow fall in April....a little over 1 year since you came to live with us. There is something strange about that but I don't know if it is a good strange or a bad strange.....
I have been going to the Humane Society almost every week and meeting a lot of cool cats and wonderful dogs but couldn't bring myself to pick one yet. Two weeks ago I went over and took my paperwork for them to hold until I had a name to fill in. I kinda thought I would bring home a beagel guy that Phillip fell in love with - so he had a home and Phillip could come see him a lot, but when I got there he had already been adopted....but he did come to Forest City so maybe we'll be able to find him and visit him.
I went and looked at all the puppies....and all my other friends. I do have favorites and some of them were gone (a good thing). There were a couple of other dogs on my mind but I still didn't think there was a perfect one. When I got ready to leave - I put Dwight's name on my application.....I don't know why - something just told me to write his name down. They called last week and said he could be mine - so last Saturday I went and spent some special time with him. He is a really okay dude! You will like him! Some things are just meant to happen the way that they do - and I think this might be one of them......
He is not house trained - so thank you for house training me! I know how to do that now! I have a new timer even. He is getting adult dog teeth so thank you for teaching me to have lots of chewy toys and bones on hand - it saves on the furniture! I put a new gate up to the back room so the cat food is safe - thanks for teaching me that trick too. He is going to need lots of exercise (besides potty walks) so thank you for leaving the tennis balls here.
He is going to need a playmate. I know Dufus will be here - that is the reason I need a fence. He can play with Dufus inside the fence but Dufus will teach him bad things like roaming. You need to come home and be his house and yard playmate and best buddy. Nothing would make me happier then to give you to each other...............
Gee - I wonder what the cats are going to think of this???? I think the gate to the back room tipped them off that something was happening. This could get exciting and scary! Come on home and tell them everything will be okay!
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