Some Sad News

 

It is with great sadness we wanted to pass on the news that Shy unexpectedly passed away today.

As Heather's fiance Kyle writes  The details of what happened are unclear, but we know it was not from a lack of love and care from her new owners and online followers. Please keep her in your hearts, and know that she will always hold a part of ours. We want to thank everyone for the overwhelming support that we received through this process. It reminds us of how truly generous strangers can be. Future posts will discuss what is to be done with the donated funds. Thank you again from the bottom of our hearts and know that Shy thanks you too.  We know so many of you have been touched by the Story of Shy, and we were so excited to have so many people work together to fund her cataract surgery. 

Heather is taking this especially hard, as she worked so hard with Shy from the beginning, and truly thought of her as her own dog. Any condolences can be made to Heather on her blog here.

We were so amazed how many people were touched by Shy's story, and worked generously to give her a second chance. Here is the story Heather wrote about Shy that was published on Stubbydog earlier in the week:
Shy is a sweet, courageous 4 year old pit bull who was brought in to an animal hospital in central Illinois in August 2010.  She was shockingly emaciated, weighing only 28 pounds – half of what her normal weight should have been.  Her hair coat was dull and falling out and her owners were ready to euthanize her due to her condition, since she was also drinking and urinating excessively.  Despite her horrible circumstances, she wagged her tail through the entire visit and smiled that adorable pit bull grin whenever anyone got near her.  A veterinarian at the animal hospital asked the owners to relinquish her to the hospital instead of euthanizing her, recognizing her courageous and lovable spirit.  She was diagnosed with diabetes mellitus and treatment began immediately.  For six months she lived at the animal hospital, allowing everyone who met her to immediately fall in love.  She readily accepted her twice daily insulin injections without a fight, knowing that there would be kibble and someone to love on her for a few minutes afterward.  Due to the onset of diabetes, she developed cataracts during her time at the clinic, losing almost all vision in both eyes.  Still, her spirit never faltered.  She relished her time out of the kennel, giving puppy kisses and loving smiles to everyone she encountered.  While in her kennel, she was quiet and obedient until someone approached her – then her tail would wag so hard against the stainless steel cage that it could almost be heard anywhere in the hospital.  With help from Facebook and the Blog community, funds began to be raised to help pay for her treatment and to entice people to take a chance on her.  Finally, a sweet, young couple found out about Shy and adopted her two weeks after their first meeting.  They renamed her Khloe, and she has become a loved member of their little family.   She is a quiet reminder to us all about having a true passion for life and she shows us the amazing resilience of animals and their innate ability to not hold grudges or get angry when times get tough.  Through the wonderful generosity of the online community, we are working to raise money to correct Khloe’s vision (cataract surgery), and any and all support is truly appreciated to give this little girl a new out-“look” on life!
We are all truly shocked and saddened, but we want to thank everyone for your generosity and support, and really believing that every dog deserves a chance for happiness and love.

Daily Walk: Mr. B's St. Patrick's Day Parade in 10 Pictures

 

Though poor Mr. B wasn't able to partake in the St. Patrick's Day Parade, we made it up to him by taking him and Ms. M on their own parade around the city.

He was so excited to get out and show off his Leprechaun get up to everyone...which is what we tell ourselves. Lucky for us, Mr. B and Ms. M are willing to wear hats and fancy costumes.

He looked quite dapper in his hat and bow tie collar from Silly Buddy.  

Problem is that the hat would sometimes fall over Mr. B's eyes and obstruct his view.

Which would lead to him ramming hat first into light poles and trees.

Mr. B and Ms. M had so many admirers and people would run up to the window and sometimes come out to say hi.

Ms. M made a repeat performance in her actual parade costume.

By the end of our walk, Mr. B was ready to get home and take off the costume...until next year.

However, we might need to get a new hat for him.

City Dog: How to Prepare to Take your Dog to a Parade

I think part of the reason people were treating Miss M like an exotic zoo animal during Chicago's downtown St. Patrick's Day Parade was because they were shocked to see a dog so well-behaved amongst all the chaos. The other dog-owners we met at the parade were curious to know "our secret". We know all dogs are different, but these are some things we've done to prepare our dogs for crazy and crowded situations:

1) Explore different areas as our regular routine

 Mr. B used to be a country dog, and when we first adopted him he was overwhelmed with all the sights, sounds, and scents of the city. It used to be so hard just taking him on a walk because he needed to check out EVERYTHING. Eventually, we made it a habit to go on our  "family walks" and as he was continually exposed to new situations and sounds, it didn't become as big of a deal for him.

2)  Practice sitting in crowded areas

The above photo was taken by Miss M's pet eye camera. I can imagine it can be quite scary being so low to the ground and having to move among all these legs going in different directions. To prepare her for crowds, Miss M and I used to practice sitting in crowded locations. Back when I lived in Lincoln Square, we would go sit in the square where she would practice "sit stays" and "down stays" as crowds would pass by, and kids would run around her. We started out just doing a minute or two each day, but then she was able to stay longer. Just check out her concentration in this photo where she is able to "stay" with her back to a creepy leprechaun and a crazy drunk guy flailing about in the background:

3) Practice training all the time:

I can always get Miss M's attention by bringing treats and asking her to perform We practice "sit stays" and "down stays" routinely on our daily walks. The training forces her to remember to focus on me when we're outside, so she isn't distracted by the crowds and people. Plus, you should see people's faces when she starts "waving" at them.

4) Expose the dogs to new people all the time

I think the more people the dogs are exposed to, the easier it is for them to be in crowded situations. We started by having a lot of people over at our house to be able to control the interactions. Then, as we went on more walks, the pooches became accustomed to other strangers coming over and greeting them. This is especially important at crowded places like parades where people act erratically, wear weird costumes, or just come over and grab her.
Again, these are just some thing that work with our dogs. Does anyone else have tips to successfully take your pooch out in crowded areas?

PS. If you haven't already, please check out our raffle to raise funds to restore Shy/Khloe's vision. We are also excited to add another "Everyday Dog" prize from the talented cooking guru Trissi. She has whipped up 2 jars of biscuits (peanutbutter-pumpkin and cheddar) packaged in jars tied with ribbons and including the recipe and cookie cutter used to make the treats.

PPS. Please visit HoundDogMom's blog where she is "collecting comments" and she will donate $1 for each comment received to help Shy/Khloe and two other very deserving dogs. We are so impressed by her generosity, so please stop by her blog to say hi.

Things to do in Chicago with Dogs: Downtown St. Patrick's Day Parade

 

St. Patrick's Day is a huge holiday in Chicago. So much so, that every year they even dye the Chicago River Green.  Knowing how much the pooches have been trying to meet people all winter, I thought it would be fun to bring them to the parade where they would get plenty of petting. I headed out with Miss M, while E and Mr. B were supposed to meet us later. To avoid parking and downtown congestion, we took a cab.

The drivers were both really nice, despite Miss M starting to sing as we neared our destinations.Miss M donned a lime-green hoodie that we loved ever since seeing Lollie model one at Love and a Six-foot Leash. Miss M had a great time getting petted:

And petted:

And being the center of attention:

People were so intrigued by her, she even had her own paparazzi. Here she is posing for her cameras:

Meanwhile, E got caught up in some work things and he wasn't able to bring Mr. B to meet us. So, much like Halloween, Mr. B was all dressed up, waiting patiently in his tepee, but he was left behind:

P.S. If you have not done so already, please check out our raffle to raise the final amount for Shy's cataract surgery. Our donors have given so many great prizes, and we're almost there.
P.P.S. Also, please check out HoundDogMom's blog where she is having a "commentathon" to donate money to several dogs in need, one of whom is Shy/Khloe!  For each comment left, she is generously donating $1, up to $100! Plus, she does have the cutest Bassethounds (We owned Bassets when I was growing up).

Our Favorite Things: Animal Rescue and Raffles

Update 3.1.7.11--We are so saddened to report that Shy unexpectedly died yesterday.

As Heather's fiance Kyle writes The details of what happened are unclear, but we know it was not from a lack of love and care from her new owners and online followers. Please keep her in your hearts, and know that she will always hold a part of ours. We want to thank everyone for the overwhelming support that we received through this process. It reminds us of how truly generous strangers can be. Future posts will discuss what is to be done with the donated funds. Thank you again from the bottom of our hearts and know that Shy thanks you too.  We know so many of you have been touched by the Story of Shy, and we were so excited to have so many people work together to fund her cataract surgery.

So, we have an update, some good news, and some better news. We had written before about Shy: the sweet courageous, emaciated pit bull who was originally brought to the animal hospital to be euthanized. Seeing something special in her, the veterinarian asked the owners to relinquish her instead. Shy was diagnosed with diabetes and treated; however, since she was brought in so late, she developed cataracts and lost much of her vision. When we last wrote, we were looking for a foster or forever home for Shy, and we opened a Chipin page to raise money for a specialized surgery to restore Shy's vision. We were absolutely astonished by the generosity of the online community to help Shy in her plight.

 Since we last wrote, a sweet, young couple found out about Shy, and they adopted her two weeks after their first meeting. They renamed her Khloe, and she has become a loved member of their little family.
As a way to thank everyone for their generosity, and hopefully raise the final amount towards Shy's surgery (only 29%!), we have put together an online raffle that includes the "favorite things" we've showcased throughout this past week! Here is a recap of the prizes, with specific raffle directions at the end of the post.

"Specialized Prizes"--We were lucky enough to get some large ticket donations for the raffle. To increase the odds of everyone winning the prize they really want, each raffle ticket will be entered into 1 of the 'specialized prizes' drawings, and all of the 'Everyday dog' drawings. Specialized Prizes include:

 1) The Ruffwear Approach pack as modeled by Mr. B on our daily walks. We love how this backpack not only helps us carry dog groceries and farmer's market finds, but it can also be an amazing training tool and a way to way to tire your dog out on even the shortest walks. The winner of this drawing will indicate the specific size needed. Donated by Shy's new family.

 2) A DianaF+ Mini Lomography Camera with flash.We can't get enough pictures of our pooches, and we especially love this camera with it's serendipitous shots. I love seeing how our pooches would have looked circa 1972, and the artistic surprises we get with with light leaks and blurs. Scenery shots are especially fun and give a whole new tone to your vacation. It's cute enough to be its own accessory, and it takes regular 35 mm film. This camera is new in the box, unopened with plastic wrapping, and includes the flash. It retails for $105. Donated by Miss M and Mr. B.

3) A custom dog painting of your pooch on canvas. The talented Lauren of Kitty+Coco is donating her time to paint a custom portrait of your pooch. The portrait will be a 16x16 acrylic on canvas. The winner will need to send 2 clear photos (at least one close up) and choice of background color. There will be a 3 week turnaround time for completion and shipping. I love the Victorian element of having your pooch "sit for a painting", and I am still amazed how she captures each and every one of Coco's wrinkles.
P.S.If you are interested in Lauren's work, which would also make the most amazing gift, she will offer a special discount to anyone who orders a painting in reference to this post ($75 for a 12x12 with FREE shipping). Just click on contact and say "For Shy". A 4x5 mini pet portrait is $25 total with shipping Check out more of Lauren's work at her Etsy shop here. Donated by Lauren of Kitty+Coco.

Each ticket will be entered into your prize of choice above, as well as being eligible for all of the "Everyday Dog" prizes below:
 We had written about some of our favorite collar-makers, who are also involved in rescue efforts, and we are so delighted that they have donated collars for Shy's raffle.

1) Two winners will receive collars of choice from Sirus Republic. We love their array of colorful, stylish collars that have us thinking of spring. Plus, Sirus Republic will be donating  20% of the proceeds from sale of collars, leashes, and dog tags, and 10% of other items to Shy's surgery! Customers will need to enter the donation code "funds4shy" during checkout in the "Rescue Code" field.

 2)  One winner will receive a standard collar of choice from Silly Buddy. We are especially smitten with the tartan collars (and even in hot pink!).

3) One winner will receive a collar of choice from Pecan Pie Puppies. I'm loving these dainty special-occasion collars, but you really have to check out the site to see what they have for the male dogs.

4) One winner will receive a 6 month supply of flea/tick preventative for dogs or cats. Winners will need to indicate the weight of the animal to ensure the correct dosage. Donated by Shy's Animal Hospital

 5) One winner will receive a Saucony Backpack perfect for toting items while running, hiking, or just going on a picnic with your pooch. Donated by Vet School Drama Queen

Two winners will receive doggie care packages including jars of homemade dog biscuits complete with ribbon, recipe and and bone cookie-cutters. The biscuits are pumpkin-peanutbutter and cheddar-flavored and donated by cooking guru Trissi.

Update--We are so excited to have reached our surgery goal of $2,000! Thank you so much to everyone for their generosity and for taking a chance on Shy/Khloe! Since we stated the raffle will be open for 2 weeks, we will keep the raffle open until the end of this week. Funds donated at this time will be used for unanticipated surgery costs (since surgery quotes are never certain), and any donations beyond the surgery amount will be donated to an animal-related charity. Thank you again!

 Logistics:
 This is our first time doing this.We really want to thank everyone who has donated to help Shy, and we are still amazed by the generosity of this online community. Below are some of the technicalities. We want to make this a fair and positive experience for everyone, but if there is something we happen to have overlooked, please do let us know.
-Each $10 donation will count as one raffle ticket.
-When donations are made on the chipin page, please indicate in the comments which "Specialized Prize" you would like to put your ticket in. (Dog Backpack, Lomography Camera, or Custom Dog Painting)
-Heather will be contacting previous donors to see which "Specialized Prize" you are interested in
-All tickets will automatically be entered into all the "Everyday Dog" prizes in addition to your "Specialized Prize". If you buy multiple tickets, you will be entered multiple times to increase your chances of winning.
-"Everyday Dog" prizes are chosen at random. Unfortunately, you cannot select which of the prizes within the "Everyday Dog" category you would prefer.
-The raffle will be open for 2 weeks--until March 26.
-Winners will be chosen at random through an online random number generator that Heather will coordinate.
-When winners are notified, we will coordinate the information and shipment of your prize.
-Shipping only within US and Canada
-For specific questions, please contact Heather here: hprochnow at gmail.com 
You can donate by clicking on our sidebar, or by clicking here.
Again, we want to thank everyone for your amazing support and generosity. We are still humbled seeing the amount of people who have come together to support Shy to give her a chance for a happy life.

Our Favorite Things: Dog Fashion

One of my friends called me out the other day after I wrote this post about our pooches' collars. My friend couldn't understand why we are so willing to dress our pooches in tutus, angel wings, and even frog costumes, while we could much more easily just change their collars around, like normal people.
Especially since American Dog Shopper alerted us to The Rubit which is an easy way to switch out their numerous dog tags so they can easily change collars.
So, I started paying more attention to collars. And I realized, a lot of the collar companies just so happen to donate a portion of their proceeds to support animal rescues. I had first learned about Sirius Republic dog collars when worn by the fashionable Darwin; the colors on this collar are just so striking.

Besides offering an array of beautiful, well-crafted collars, Sirius Republic also donates 20% of their collar proceeds to various Rescue Partners. I like how they have fashionable martingale colors, which are often so hard to find.
We also happened upon Silly Buddy, local to Chicago, who uses their beyond adorable pooch Buddy as a collar model:

 

We were particularly smitten with their bowties, and we're loving their tartan collars --even available in hot pink! They also work to donate a portion of proceeds to the local shelter.

And as we've been hoping for spring weather, we have also been drawn to Pecan Pie Puppies array of  custom flower collars.

The sales of collars help support their animal rescue work. They foster while also having 4 dogs of their own. We also love that one of their pooches is a Mr. B look-alike.

So we might be switching the pooches' collars out as the occasion calls for it, but we're still keeping true to their original collars.

Our Favorite Things: Keeping Dog Memories

When I was going through my files at school the other day, I found this photo of Miss M taken just after I'd adopted her. I purposely move it to different files just so I can have the chance encounter of finding it again.
Looking back at this photo, seeing how young (and skinny!) she looks, makes me remember how fleeting our time is with our pooches.

 While we do take an extraordinary amount of photos, I'm always looking for something genuinely keepsake-worthy. We were lucky enough to take part in a photography fundraiser a few years ago to capture these photos:

I always thought it would be quite 'Victorian' to capture the pooches via painting, especially seeing how Kitty+Coco's mom captures Coco's little wrinkly face in acrylic, along with other pooches in her Etsy shop. How cute would this be as a surprise gift?

 Has anyone else been 'thinking Victorian' and either considered or had your pooches painted?

Our Favorite Things: Taking Photos of your Dog with a Diana F+ Mini Camera

 Much like our previous post, our pooches have moved beyond being a way to "use up film" to becoming front and center of our photo attempts. Much of our time is spent walking around the city, and we're always looking for new ways to photograph our travels. We wrote before about the Lomography Fisheye Number 2 Camera, and now we're working with another Lomography camera: The DianaF+ Mini.
This is another "toy camera" which is cute and lightweight, but intentionally uses poor construction and light leaks to create serendipitous photos. We like the vintage look, imagining how our pooches may have looked in the '70's.

 And the surprises we get with fading and light leaks:

We're especially excited to take it on an upcoming trip, as the photos give an ethereal view of the scenery. Like this trip to Navy Pier which looks a bit circa '78 :

And the fact that you can take photos on photos, where I was able to magically move the Ferris Wheel over the the city skyline:

The photos work best on sunny days. I also need to remember to focus up, as the image through the viewfinder is different than the lens, and some of my photos are coming out a bit "low". There is also the old school anticipation of waiting for the roll to finish, before you can actually see your photos. This has actually been a lot of fun for us, and we'll continue to post as we take pictures.

P.S. Today is also a special day because it is E's birthday! I wish everyone knew how smart, funny, generous, and kind he is. The other day he not only did all the grocery shopping but he picked up ALL these flowers. Just because:

E also works hard to make our lives easier. He always takes the cold shift to walk the dogs. He surprises me by making my lunch for the week (the thing I absolutely hate about Sundays!). He buys me fancy electronics I never knew I needed, but now can't live without. And he makes up songs for Miss M and Mr. B.
Happy Birthday to E! We're so glad you were born!