Back to life and catching up

Zoey, hanging out on one of her many puppy-training pads. She's totally newspaper/puppy pad trained...very impressive...and easy for me to clean up!

Sorry it's been awhile. California took the life out of me, and I needed a bit of time to catch up since returning this Tuesday. Zoey is back in the Santulli household, and boy is she a different dog. Don't get me wrong...She's still totally pathetic and has some issues to overcome, but her legs look normal again, her cough has pretty much disappeared, and she's a wiggly, no-cares-in-the-world puppy. As it should be. We visited Dr. Ramos yesterday, who said that Zoey looked great. She even got her first booster shot. Today, Colin and I get to give her her first bath! Sebastian, the Arecibo kitten we rescued a few weeks ago, is still reeking havoc in our apartment. He also saw Dr. Ramos yesterday and received his second booster and rabies vaccine and tested negative for FIV/Feline Leukemia. He should be ready to go on our next flight to St. Hubert's (at which point our dog, Boca, will whine in withdrawal of her kitty for days, and our cat, Scout, will party like it's 1999 in honor of regaining his throne).

Zoey, chewing on her favorite treat, compliments of Cody. She'll even keep one in her mouth while she goes to the bathroom.

Iris has not had her surgery to amputate her leg yet. Dr. Ramos would like to see a little bit more meat on her bones before he performs her surgery. She definitely looks like she's fattening up, and she is on painkillers to help her get through the day with such horrific wounds. Bambi is ready to go "home." "Home" for now will be at Liz's apartment, though right now Liz is tied up with a handful of kittens and a recently rescued puppy from the Arecibo shelter.


For those of you who do not know yet, Liz and Efren trucked out to Arecibo (while I was in CA) and attempted to pick up the remaining 14 or so puppies. Alas, most of the puppies we saw while vaccinating the entire facility had died. Six puppies were saved, however one died in Liz and Efren's car on the drive back to San Juan. A majority of the pups are being boarded with Gloria at Save a Sato. Liz is hanging on to one lucky pup, who she calls "Freckles Beckles," who will soon be traveling stateside to her new forever home with our beloved volunteer, donor, and friend Chrissy Beckles. Chrissy has already lovingly named her soon-to-be new family member Boom Boom (pictured on the right with one of Liz's foster kittens; photo from LIz). How sweet!

In Los Machos news (I know, it's been awhile!!), I have some sad and happy news about the Cha Cha clan. Awhile back, two of Cha Cha's pups fell ill and did not make it. However, three of her lucky pups found homes among friends of Dr. Ramos and his staff (they have all grown very attached to Cha Cha and her puppies). The remaining puplets are doing well and are ready to be sent to the States.

Blondie is doing fantastic! She's still a lovebug, which will never change. She just had another special chemotherapy treatment, to be thorough, and Dr. Ramos has officially deemed her in the clear of her tumors. Karla and I are working on finding her a home still...and if any of you are interested, the time is now!!! Let's get this girl out of her cage, shall we?!?!?

Chip looks like a totally different dog now, will a almost full coat of fur and a perma-grin on his face. He's my current personal favorite, and sometimes I fantasize about keeping him for myself. He's just that sweet. However, in a week or so, we are hoping to send him on his way to St. Hubert's or one of our other trusted shelters where he will find his forever family. I am going to miss that boy.

Lulu and Bongo are also ready to go. Lulu, in fact, who overcame Parvo beautifully, has become a bully. She has a bit of sibling rivalry with Bongo, and I would like to split them up ASAP. Poor Bongo just takes it like a good boy. Since Dr. Ramos' is fully booked right now, they remain in the same kennel. I am hoping to send one of the two to a shelter in the States within the next week.

I will be going to Los Machos on Tuesday or Wednesday of next week to FINALLY pick up Toby, given that Dr. Ramos can make some room for him. Toby does have an adopter who has been waiting patiently for our busyness to die down. We currently have a boatload of animals to care for and not enough money or room to do so. Therefore, our abilities to continue our flow of Los Machos rescues has retarded a bit. I think of those dogs everyday, which is enough to bring a tear to my eye relatively often. However, there have been dogs in need elsewhere, as there always are. I am looking forward to going back to my rescue stomping grounds. I'll let you know how it goes.

Dakota, a reborn Red Sox fan

Thanks for reading, as usual,
Shanti