January 1, 2010


I’ll tell you what…the New Years Day gets rougher and rougher every year. You know Elizabeth here isn’t getting any younger! I used to be able to dance the night away, sip on cocktails ‘til the wee hours in the morning and pop out of bed with not even a headache. Not any more…my body aches, I see double and I have to lay in my bed all day long to recuperate. I woke up this morning, took one look at myself and said to heck with it…I am not even going to bother with a shower nor even comb my hair. I am headed back to bed! Hey Mom, where are the aspirin?

January 2, 2010


You know how they say blondes have more fun???? Well Estee and Tianna here are listening to Demi’s advice. She says a little bleach will take care of the problem. We are getting tired of being red heads soooo, we will be attending Demi’s Beauty Salon tomorrow to get our makeover. She even said she would throw in a manicure and pedicure. Hope no one has any serious applications in for us because this is going to be a complete makeover. We are even going to get contacts to change the color of our eyes.

January 3, 2010


Hey, we got hit in the butt (not the expression Dad uses, but we cannot repeat) with snow again today! But we are loving every minute of this. We are hoping that the snow blower will break down so we can continue to romp and play in all of this fluffy white stuff. Of course Mom really doesn’t appreciate all of our wet bodies and has towels lined up to dry us off as we come back inside. Hey, she doesn’t have anything else to do but wait on us and what good is it to have a washer and dryer if you don’t make use of them?

January 4, 2010


What do you mean…why am I screaming? Probably because none of you are paying any attention to my dilemma. Quit laughing so hard. It wasn’t at all funny for you pupsters to tip the cubicle over while I was sleeping. You’d best right this situation immediately before Rory here really gets revved up vocally. When Mom arrives on the scene you won’t think it is so funny. I hope you enjoy your time outs!

January 5, 2010


Honest Mom, Fauna and Scamp know this is Vanni’s personal bed, but she is on the other side all snuggled in and we asked permission if she would share with us. She told us no problem as long as we were good. Boy, Vanni must be really special to get a bed like this all for herself. We promise we will behave and stay very quiet for we know that Vanni needs her rest. She isn’t getting any younger you know!

January 6, 2010


Ho Hum, first it’s sleet, then it’s snow, and then it gets really windy. Moxie here has just about had it with Michigan weather! I am getting soooooo bored! You know you can only watch so much TV, read so many pupster books and play so many games. I just can’t wait until the sun begins to shine and I can stretch out and enjoy the rays. I hope there is a Weather Fairy and she will wave her magic wand pretty soon!

January 7, 2010


Hi Mom! No, I am not holding Grady down! I have been researching all kinds of techniques on the internet and am doing touch therapy for him. Now Barry here isn’t trying to say anything bad about Grady, but he surely does need a bit of therapy to start slowing him down a bit. I figured if I started in the area of the brain that might be the way to go. So, I am massaging his head in hopes of reaching the inner workings of his brain to see if we can correct his need to always be movin’ and groovin’.

January 8, 2010


Well, the ice and snow still has not left us, but we wanted to let anyone who may live in the south know that we can still sunbathe! Julian and Macy showing all of you southerners that Michigan sun is still the best no matter what the temperatures may be. At least we do not need to run out and cover up palm trees, and fruit trees when the temperatures drop. For anyone that has hot flashes this is the best remedy!

January 9, 2010


Hi All, making my first debut in the Foster Journal. Santo here just recently arrived. I have been researching family trees and boy, is that a lot of work. Let’s see so far I have figured out that I am Saxon’s Grandson which would make me Sydney’s great Grand Son and BJ’s great Nephew. I am going to continue on with my research for I am sure there is someone else I am related to. One thing I know is that I have Mom wrapped right around my little paws already!

January 10, 2010


Whew, sun has been very sparse lately so whenever a bit comes through the windows you can bet we are going to take advantage of it. Of course the spots are small as you can see with Bishop, Caprice and Joslyn sharing the space. But, hey, whatever it takes we can do it. We love to be close to each other….can you tell? Mom and Dad have taught us well. Number one: Respect each other; Number two; Be kind to each other and Number three: Hold each other close for as long as you can.

January 11, 2010


Every day we wait patiently for Dad to frequent the kitchen. You know he just cannot resist our big eyes soulfully begging for a treat. We will have to admit that he is good about giving us healthy stuff. Of course Mom has a lot to do with that…she is always lecturing him…don’t give them this…don’t give them that…geez she sure can ruin our fun sometimes. Today was apple day and we surely love apples! So we guess healthy food is OK and really appreciate Mom looking after our nutritional needs.

January 12, 2010


We don’t know if you would remember, but a few years back we informed you of Harlan’s potty habits. At that time we felt he had been hanging around Dad a bit too much. Now, not saying that Dad would potty on the deck through the lattice, but it is the stance that is the kicker…we boys have watched Dad and Harlan surely resembles him! Only difference is Dad is a lefty and Harlan is a righty. Hope Dad doesn’t see this foster journal entry or we are going to be in big trouble!

January 13, 2010


What do you mean we have to move???? You can fit in here somehow. Yeh, we know you are trying to work on emails and other stuff, but we so love to be close to you Mom. You can just tuck your feet up into the chair and you will be good to go. Of course the best scenario is if you would just crawl in with us. You know how much we love that. To heck with getting anything done, we need some lovin’ here. Awww, we knew we could talk you into it….you are such a softee…

January 14, 2010


Alright everyone, get your treats out! Dolan and Jake have begun their wrestling match. Shilo as usual is keeping an eye out for Mom so that she doesn’t stop the match before it is finished. Right now Dolan has Jake in a leg hold…don’t know if Jake will be able to get up before the count or not. Boy, this is one of the most exciting matches we have had yet. Might end up being a tie you never know. Boy, that would be disappointing…no one would get all of the treats!

January 15, 2010


You know, I often contemplate what we would do without each other. Every day is filled with love and we all care so much about each other. Promise here, resting comfortably with my step sister Dottie. You know Dottie is blind, but she is always here for us. She teaches us so much. We know that she faces darkness every single day, but her tail is always wagging and she tells us life was made to enjoy! She assures all of us that there is a special home just waiting for us, and what Dottie says always comes true!

January 16, 2010


As you can see Kia is totally relaxed and enjoys life to the fullest as we all do. She heads up one of our classes, “How to get the most out of a Belly Rub”. She is demonstrating the proper positioning, making one’s belly available for lots of rubs. Notice how her tail is placed and her feet positioned. For the past week we have been taking written tests and have looked forward to today when we can actually start practicing what we have read. Wish us luck!

January 17, 2010


Mom, Joslyn and Nougat need to talk to you about Mason. Is there something you can do to slow him down a bit? We were all settled in for the night and here he is pouncing at us ready to play! He just doesn’t seem to get the routine around here. It is after 9, all of us are snuggled up next to each other and then the “Mason Volcano” erupts! Now, it is all fine and pupster dandy during the day, but we do need to get our beauty rest you know. You need to address this situation as soon as possible or we may have to take into our own pupster paws.

January 18, 2010


Well, leave it to Precious to throw the whole household into turmoil! Mom keeps a close watch over Precious and suddenly she could not find her. She hunted and hunted. When she couldn’t locate her she ran to Dad hysterically. Dad tried to calm her…said Precious couldn’t have gone far and there was no way she could have escaped the “lockdown” that is in place here. Our sweet, little, innocent sister had taken up residence in the toy box under the end table. Who would have thought? That’s our Precious!

********************************************************************************************** Did you know that the Foster Journal will be celebrating its' sixth year in April of this year? We pupsters and Mom can't believe it! Well, as you can see we got a bit behind on the Foster Journal. It is tax time, we had some babies that needed special attention and time just slipped away from us. When this occasionally happens Mom feels really guilty for she knows that many of you visit the Foster Journal Daily. We pupsters came up with a really good idea. Many times Mom and us will sit down and reminisce and one great way to do that is to go back through the Foster Journal entries so we suggested to Mom that when we get behind all of you may enjoy revisiting some of us.

ENJOY A "GLIMPSE INTO THE PAST"

January 19, 2005


Hey, CoCo, isn’t this the greatest – nice crisp clean air, wind blowing through our hair and sitting here on the hood of the car being able to observe the beauty around us. Was darn nice of Mom to give us a towel to keep our hineys warm while we supervise the snow removal. Tinsel here is the official snow shovel counter. Hey, Mom keep that shovel working, one, two, three – scoop and throw – keep the rhythm going there. Oops, sorry CoCo – just got a bit carried away. I know I can be a bit pushy sometimes so I will take a break for a bit and let you make sure that Mom does not stop until the walks and driveway are free of snow.**NOTE: CoCo met his Forever Mom and Dad on July 3, 2005 and Tinsel left for her Forever Home on January 23, 2005.

January 20, 2005


You know right now the puppies are over running all of us. We really prefer the older pupsters, but these babies were in need so here they are. All of them are truly wearing us out though – they interrupt our nappy times, jump on our backs, pull our tails and the list goes on. Now Nitro is hogging the bones – he may be small, but just try to get the bone away from him – he thinks he is a Super Puppy! Mom keeps telling him to share, but he just isn’t listening very well – Mom says he has something called selective hearing, whatever that is.**NOTE: Nicki (FKA Nitro) met his Forever Mom and Dad on March 28, 2005.

January 21, 2005


We all wanted to dedicate today to all of the aggressive dogs that many say cannot be helped. We thought our Kina would be the best example of what love can do. Kina has been with all of us for over 2 years and boy, was she a trip when she arrived. She didn’t like any of us pupsters so we just gave her all the space she wanted. Mom and Dad couldn’t touch her for almost 3 months, but they said love will overcome this we just know it so we just kind of hung out with Kina and waited. Well, as usual Mom and Dad were right – here is our Kina giving our Dad the biggest, slurpiest kiss ever. Now, Kina can still be grumpy with all of us and she still thinks about biting on occasion, but she knows how good belly rubs feel now and we wouldn’t give her up for the world!**NOTE: Our sweet Kina remained part of our family until she quietly left us for the Rainbow Bridge on July 1, 2008.

LOVED FOR JUST BEING ME
I moved from foster home to foster home in 2002,
All that met me just didn’t know what to do.
You see I was so fearful of all and would bite,
Everyone thought I was doing this just out of spite.
I wanted to tell everyone what was going on in my mind,
But they just didn’t have the patience to be kind.
No one seemed to understand how to meet my needs,
And my future looked very dim indeed.
I made a move to another foster home with a heart filled with grief,
For I believed once again the stay would be brief.
I was amazed at the difference in this foster home,
And the love and care for me that was shown.
They accepted me for who I was without question,
And told me helping me was their mission.
The foster home became my permanent home in 2003,
They adopted me and I was safe finally.
Mom and Dad taught me that love conquers all,
I was surrounded by love no matter my faults.
I worked diligently at learning how to give kisses,
For I so wanted to bring joy to Mom and Dad and fill their wishes.
I leave this world contented and carefree,
For I was pampered and loved for just being me.

January 22, 2005


Now, we want to tell you, we are one very special group of pupsters – no shy here you know. We got this very special HUGE pillow bed with our, you got it “Pupsters” embroidered on it from this really nice family. Man, we can get 10 or more of us on this bed. It is cushy and soft and our nap times are so much more fun now. We have had a few discussions about the bed though – there are some that tend to think that if they get in the middle no one else should be able to get on like our very own JD, Penuche and Rufus, but Carley managed to sneak on – HA! Mom takes care of it though and gives her famous lecture about sharing. Man, we are napping in comfort now! **NOTE: Carley left for her wonderful Forever Home on March 21, 2005. The "Collins" kids JD, Penuche and Rufus still continue to try to hog all of the beds.

January 23, 2005


It will be OK Tinsel. You have a wonderful home to go to and who could resist your beautiful face and wonderful personality? Now, Gabriela here will wait a bit for my Forever Home – I need to heal from all of this surgery. I am really going to miss you although we haven’t known each other very long. You have so much energy and are always so happy. The other pupsters told me that we will get lots of emails and pictures so we will know what is going on with you. I am fairly new to this so can’t wait to be able to sit down at the computer with Mom and write a few emails to you. You take care now and know that you will be in our hearts forever. **NOTE: Sweet Gabriela remained with us and crossed the Bridge on April 28, 2006.

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN
To whom it may concern,
Evidently your love I had not earned.
For you left me alone without a care,
And in my heart that just was not fair.
I have no idea what I did wrong for you to abandon me,
Weren’t my kisses as sweet as you thought they should be?
I ended up in this horrible place,
Confused, afraid and everyone around me had such sad looks on their face.
Then suddenly I realized that maybe I really was worthwhile,
Someone picked me up, held me close and enjoyed my kisses with a smile.
To whom it may concern,
I want to thank you for the lesson I have learned.
You are not the example of what true love is really all about,
I have found so many that love me without a doubt.
I hope that you can live with the choice that you have made,
Leaving me alone and so afraid.
I leave this world knowing that there are so many people who truly love me,
They asked nothing of me except for my sweet kisses and loved me unconditionally.

January 24, 2005


Wow, we got double whammied within the last two days. Our Garland left us today and Precocious was really upset. She and Garland had been quite the buds and so Precocious was whispering in Garland’s ear trying to get her to change her mind. Garland kept telling her, “Mom says this is the best thing for me – I will get so much love and attention in my new home. You know Precocious, Mom and Dad tell us when we arrive that this is only our stop over point to get healthy physically and emotionally, before going on to our wonderful homes, obviously you have not been listening.” So now we not only have to hug and cuddle Mom and Dad to get them past the parting, but Precocious too!

January 25, 2005


Oh come on Fabian, just come a little closer and Neka here will plant one wonderful, sweet kiss right between your big handsome brown eyes! Don’t be such a scaredy pupster, Mom isn’t anywhere around – what the heck is one little kiss going to hurt? OK, so I will admit I got a little over exuberant the last time we were alone and just could not keep my paws off from your body, but you have to admit, you are one handsome Pekey! I promise I will control myself – come on please, please? Just one little itty bitty kiss is not going to hurt you. I am telling you if I don’t get my way with you I will have to transfer my attentions to one of the other Pekey boys – you have no idea what you are missing. **NOTE: Neka found her Forever Home on January 28, 2005 and Fabian left Michigan to sun bathe in Florida on February 17, 2006.

January 26, 2005


Alright everyone, let’s get this straight right now! I do not care how big the bed is, I have it, I am in the middle of it and I am comfortable. Spud, here means business. You guys can all go find your own bed, there are plenty of choices and I can see 4 open beds right now. So big deal, don’t even complain, I was here first. I am all set to settle in for the evening, have had my nightly treat, have my belly band jimmies on and I am not budging! OK, so Mom is taking a shower right now and doesn’t know what I am up to. You pupsters will probably all tattle on me and I will have to move. Mom has this hang up about sharing, but for right now I am King of the Bed!! **NOTE: Our sweet Spudder Man remains with us and is loved beyond measure.

January 27, 2005


Ho Hum, what a boring life. 14 degrees below zero???? CoCo here is not stepping out of this house for anything. I am going to stay right here on my warm perch on the couch with my soft fuzzy toy. He will keep me warm. If all the other pupsters want to venture out in this sub zero temperature they can go for it! I am the champion poop and pee holder and I can hold out until it is at least 10 degrees. My little pawsies just can’t handle that cold ground. Mom needs to get us all some warm, snuggly boots. I have my order in for some nice bright red ones. She kind of looks at me cross eyed when I mention it. Says that would make 16 pawsies she would have to put boots on. Geez, you’d think she has other things to do!

January 28, 2005


Well, today was a sad day for us, but a wonderful day for our “Woodman”. After being with us pupsters for over a year, Woody has found his perfect home. We kept telling him, Mom knows what she is doing. He kept getting a little impatient because Mom would turn away applicants for him because she just knew it wasn’t the right fit. We knew there was the right home out there for him and all of a sudden we heard Mom yell for joy when she finished processing this one application. Sometimes we don’t understand Mom, because she was crying at the same time, but told us it was tears of joy. Auntie Judy made him his own very special blue sweater so he would look really “hot” when his new Mom arrived. He thought he was really cool because he had something special and we didn’t, swingin’ his butt and prancing around in front of us. That’s our Woody! **NOTE: Our Woodman traveled to the Rainbow Bridge on June 30, 2008.

FROM WOODY'S MOM
Dearest Woody,
I’m writing this letter to reminisce with you and reiterate that I will always love you and hold you tightly in my heart. You gave me more than I imagined possible. You were so intuitive and just delightful to share a life with. You never missed anything and made sure I didn’t forget important tasks. If I forgot to turn off the garage light, you made sure I turned it off. We had our own language and communicated easily and freely. Thanks for always listening to me, thanks for taking me into your heart, thanks for making me feel safe, thanks for letting me cry on you, thanks for being beside me through some of the most difficult days of my life, thanks for letting me be me, but MOST importantly thank you for being you. You were the most precious and most gentle soul I have ever known. You and your love revealed a part of me I never knew existed. I’m a better person for loving you. I will always thank you for that and all the many, many other special moments we share and remember. Your love and companionship was and always WILL be my best blessings now and for all eternity.
You let me into your heart slowly and carefully. I never doubted you would come to realize that this home we shared was the totally free zone. You knew from the beginning everything you did was just fine with me. I hope you smile and wag your tail remembering all the times we went shopping at WalMart and The Dollar Tree, to name a few, and were never caught. You always listened at the register and never said a word until we arrived outside at the truck. I would take you out of your pouch and turn you loose to roam in the back of the truck while I unloaded our stuff. You always knew a treat was waiting for you up front in your seat. Surely you have lots of treats now! We made lots of memories together on our walks, our road trips, going swimming with friends, going to the park, going to the bank and the list goes on and on. Remember our rock at the park where we would sit and watch the river? Sometimes you would take a nap while I was writing in your diary. I hope these memories are keeping you company as they do me until we meet again at The Rainbow Bridge.

January 29, 2005


You know what they say – the Pekeys and the Tzus are very similar. Well Paris and JD take this to heart. They romp and play together like you wouldn’t believe. JD has taught Paris how to be Super Man – flying from couch to couch and chair to chair, drives the rest of us pupsters crazy! We are so relieved when evening comes, we have done our last potty breaks and they finally calm down. Then we can all sit down with Mom, help her finish up her emails and then settle down to read a good pupster book. We think they both need to take a break from each other, get involved with someone else, but they just will not listen to any advice we have. **NOTE: Paris traveled to his Forever Home in Florida on May 28, 2006. He and JD still stay in contact via email.

January 30, 2005


Quigley here, reporting in for the first time – just arrived a few days ago. It has been a whirlwind of activity-grooming, bathing, meeting everyone. Then today Gwenique left and I didn’t even have a chance to get to know her yet – all I know is everyone is very sad right now. Then all of the pupsters took me aside and told me about this game playing thing and said to be on my paws and avoid all involvement. Guess I wasn’t quick enough on my paws, because here I am already being asked to make these decisions and I have no idea what I am doing-Shilo said just bluff, whatever that means. All the pupsters said I was very special because I got to play with the new PATR cards that are just for us pupsters. Frankly, I think the Pekingese should be bigger than the Shih Tzu on these cards, just my humble opinion. **NOTE: Quigley remained with us until he made his journey to the Bridge on February 15, 2009

PLEASE FULFILL MY DREAM
Fifteen years of age was nearly here,
When I left all that were so dear.
I had five wonderful years in my foster home after retiring as a breeder,
But having my very own Forever Home would have been so much neater.
Sadly many people use age as a judge,
And will not change their minds nor budge.
They have no idea what a wonderful experience would come to be,
If they would open their hearts and homes to a senior such as me.
Hopefully my dream will come true some day,
And I will look down to see my senior friends in their own Forever Homes at play.

January 31, 2005


Hi Everyone! We pupsters thought we would end the month in a very fun way. Look how much our two new brothers and sister have grown? They were such a surprise. Their Mom arrived suddenly from a very abusive situation and then a miracle happened and there were puppies! We pupsters haven’t picked names for them yet – we are having a contest and are getting close. We have had such a good time watching them grow – we kept asking Mom how come they look so weird, no eyes, but voila, somehow they have eyes now and it just happened all of a sudden – this puppy stuff is really interesting. We really love them a lot and they are only 12 days old now. We can’t wait until we can run and play with them, but Mom says that will be awhile yet so we just have to wait patiently. **NOTE: Parker & Payton went to their Forever Home together on June 18, 2005. Paige followed shortly and joined her new Mom on July 28, 2005.

We hope you have enjoyed a trip back in time with us pupsters. See you in February!