Charles in charge!

A cute little dog named Charles needed a ride to the vet today, so at around 5:45 this evening, he gleefully hopped into my Soul and we went for a ride through the city. We didn't get to hang out for long, but he's one of the best little car riders I've ever had the pleasure of driving.

Charles is an adoptable Puggle, who was recently rescued by AARF (http://animalalliesrescue.org/). He was in a kill shelter and was reported to be Deaf and possibly blind and 13 years old. He didn't have a good chance of making it until AARF stepped in. And thank goodness they did. Charles is an all around great boy. He's amazingly sweet and loving and very happy. He was happy to see me and I was just as happy to pet his soft little ears. He was very curious about being in car and kept switching between looking out at the Christmas lights and laying on the seat with his head in my lap. When we walked into the vet, Charles was greeted by a very huge and jumpy Lab puppy, but he didn't really seem to mind. You see, Charles couldn't hear the puppy barking at him, so he could have cared less. He just wanted to get to the back room with the vet so he could get his stitches out and go to bed.

If you are looking for a wonderful little-ish dog to keep you company, Charles is your boy. He doesn't mind other dogs and can co-habitat with cats. And most importantly, he will be forever grateful to the person who gives him a warm lap and lots of love. If you are interested in adopting Charles, please visit his AARF page (http://animalalliesrescue.org/adopt_a_dog.html) for more info.

King of the WORLD!

Hi, Bmore Lucky fans! My name’s King! Let me show you around my foster pad and introduce you to my host siblings. It’s pretty cool here. I was an outdoor dog my whole life but now I get to enjoy the outdoors in a whole new way. Here I get to lounge around and enjoy the sunshine while my foster mom is out gardening. If it wasn’t for the comfortable dog bed inside, I could lay here all day!

This here is my foster bro, Scruffy, and my foster sister (Zuzu, the cat). Scruffy is a lot of fun. He likes to play all the time and makes me feel safe when I get nervous. The cat is ok too, I guess. She seems to think she rules the house. But that’s fine with me. I don’t pay her much attention.

Inside the house I’m not quite as confident since I didn’t grow up there. Scruffy has got the whole “inside” world figured out so I look to him to help me out when I get a little overwhelmed. You know, like when there’s a loud noise I don’t understand or when new people come over and are talking loud and moving fast. I just don’t know what I’m supposed to do with myself in those situations, so usually I’ll just go upstairs for a bit to get my courage back.  Now that I’ve been in my foster home for over a month I rarely have to do that though. I’m adjusting.  

Oh, I almost forgot to tell you about my favorite things!! So my first and most favorite thing is to go for walks at the park. Why? Because I get to smell everybody that’s already been there and then let them know I’ve been there too! Actually it’s best when I get to meet another dog in person. For those occasions I have a special happy dance!! Oh yeah, you should see my moves. I’ve coined the most adorable “hop and circle” technique. It makes everybody laugh.  The only other time I use it is when I’m about to get my dinner.  You’d dance too if you were getting such delicious morsels!

The only other thing I might love as much as going for walks and eating is attention!! Scruffy and I compete all the time for who gets to be the center of attention. Unlike him, I’m not pushy. He likes to poke and lick people. I prefer  a gentle head rest on the lap. Every once in a while I’ll also ask for a belly rub. For that I turn on the real charm. I make eye contact and then gently rollover so it’s clear what I want. Hahahaha, my foster mom is no match for my adorableness. It works every time.


So I guess you probably realized I’m up for adoption, huh? My foster mom said she’d love to keep me because I’m such an angel but then she couldn’t continue to save other dogs like me. So maybe you would like to adopt me?  I’m really easy going. I don’t bark, chew on things I’m not supposed to, or get into stuff. I’m past that stage.  According to my foster mom, I’m the easiest foster she’s ever had! Wow, now that's saying a lot!

If you would like to learn more about adopting me, please visit http://www.dogsxlrescue.org/ or see my Petfinder page: http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/21432627

Lucky Number Deuce.



Deuce loves love.



If you have been keeping up with Deuce's story on the Dogs XL Facebook page (http://tiny.cc/ddv2v), you would know that our favorite fluffy Malamute has really had a rough time during the past two weeks. Shortly after the first Bmore Lucky blog post about Deuce, he went to his first adoption event and then went home to hang out with Dogs XL foster mom, Mary, and her lovely family. After about 24 hours of rest and relaxation in Mary's home, Deuce started to cough a lot. Then he coughed up blood. Then he became very, very weak. So weak that Mary and her husband had to carry Deuce to the car to get him to the vet's office. The vet diagnosed Deuce with kennel cough, gave him meds and sent him home. The next day, he hadn't improved so we sent him to another great vet (http://www.montgomeryvillagevetcenter.com/) that monitors their patients 24/7. Dr. Petros said that Deuce had a very high fever, pneumonia and possibly complications from his heart worm treatment. Essentially, in the span of a week, Deuce had been from North Carolina to Baltimore, neutered, treated for heart worm, diagnosed with kennel cough and pneumonia and was in heart failure. He should have died. Dr. Petros didn't think that he was going to make it. But he didn't give up hope. Deuce didn't give up hope. No one gave up hope.

It was one week ago that Deuce went to stay at Montgomery Village Vet Center. For the last week, Deuce has been the best darn patient that Dr. Petros and his staff have ever seen. They LOVE him! And who WOULDN'T love him? He is the fluffiest, sweetest guy EVER! Seriously.

Shortly after I posted Deuce's story on Bmore Lucky, I got an email from a woman named Judy. Judy said that she and her husband, George, saw Deuce's story (and his cute little face!) and fell in love. They wanted to talk about adopting him. OMG! They wanted to talk about adopting him!!! My heart raced. I looked at their adoption application. I talked to Judy on the phone. Everything was perfect. And then Deuce became ill. I knew from my conversation with Judy that she and George had been extremely dedicated dog parents. The three lucky dogs who were fortunate enough to be a part of Judy and George's lives were also rescued pooches. Dedicated is putting it mildly. You see, Judy and George live in New York. Deuce lives in Baltimore. Actually, his vet is in Gaithersburg. Despite the long trip and despite the fact that Deuce is very sick and they could easily adopt a healthier dog, Judy and George made the trek to see him today. The visit was amazing. Deuce took to them instantly. They sat with him for hours, petting him, loving him, talking to him, taking pictures with him and just being a part of his healing process. Judy and George were sad to leave Deuce. They were hoping that Dr. Petros would say that Deuce was well enough to travel home, but that wasn't what happened.



Judy and George say, "until we see you again" to Deuce.

Deuce still needs our help. Dr. Petros said that Deuce is still in critical condition. His heart is still enlarged. He is still very weak and he is so very, very skinny. Please keep Deuce in your thoughts and prayers. He needs to feel our love. It's what makes him stronger. He is not going to give up. He wants nothing more than to jump in the car and head to his forever home in New York. Long Island, to be exact.

Deuce's heart shaped fur.

To donate to Deuce's growing vet bills, please visit the Dogs XL Critical Care Blog (http://dogsxlrescue.blogspot.com/).



Deuce loves his treats!



Special thanks to everyone who loves Deuce, including but not limited to, Suzanne, Jan, Donna, Giullia, Vinny and Sal, Ozzy, Mary and (of course), Judy and George.





Deuce and George.

The One Called Deuce

Before they arrive, I get to see the pictures and bios of all of the dogs that we are bringing in to our rescue, Dogs XL...each and every one makes me so sad to see them behind the bars of their shelter kennel and then instantly overjoyed that WE are the ones to give these great dogs a second chance at life. That's exactly what happened when I saw Deuce's sweet face pop up in my email. If you know me, you know that I have a crazy soft spot for Huskies...especially white Huskies with blue eyes. Blue eyes that sometimes cross. And a big fluffy, curly tail. Deuce isn't a Husky, but rather an Alaskan Malamute...the cousin of the Husky. Just as cute, just as fluffy, just as wonderful. My sister recently moved back to Baltimore from Alaska and I thought that perhaps my little nephews needed a doggie foster brother to liven their spirits and remind them of Alaska. If only Deuce could have come with a snow storm!

Deuce, on the way to his foster home!

Before Deuce arrived, we learned that he had heartworm. Heartworm in dogs is totally treatable and dogs with heartworm go on to live long, active lives. Dogs XL didn't give up hope and committed to pulling Deuce out of the high kill shelter he was in and transporting him to Baltimore for a better life. When Deuce arrived, he headed to an animal hospital in Baltimore to be treated for his heartworm. I picked him up yesterday and delivered him to his new foster home. When he walked into the waiting room at the vet's office, he greeted me with a big old tail wag and I don't think his tail has stopped wagging since.

Deuce and I headed to my sister's house so he could meet his new foster family. He LOVED his car ride and was perhaps the most well behaved dog that has even been in my car (my own dogs included). His new foster brothers were so excited to see him and Deuce greeted them with little gentle kisses. The boys were learning to gently pet Deuce's tail, but one of their little hand's slipped and accidentally hit Deuce's recent neuter stitches. This is what happened...

Don't worry, guys...you won't hurt me! I'm just so happy to have belly rubs!

In the hours that followed, Deuce got comfortable in his temporary home. He followed Giullia and the boys everywhere! He got to cuddle and, most importantly, got so many belly rubs. Deuce is very receptive to learning and is already mastering basic commands. He doesn't mind being in his crate but spent his first night in his foster home by in sleeping in the doorway of his foster mom's bedroom. He woke her up at a reasonable hour by gently kissing her face to let her know that he needed to go outside to potty. What a good boy, Deuce! He obviously loves kids (especially two year old little boys!) and would make a great family dog.



Deuce gives a big smile! He loves hugs from Vinny.



Vinny and Sal think that Deuce is the sweetest boy!



Deuce and Vinny, just chillin'!

Deuce is a fantastic dog who needs a loving, forever home...for more information on how to adopt him, feel free to email me at sera@dogsxlrescue.org or view his PetFinder profile here: http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/21966328 .