Even though she came into Mayday pretty chewed up from a recent dog fight, her foster Mom looked past all of this and found her to be an awesome girl. Big Sexy has lots of personality and charm, complete with snorting and grunting, but beware this girl can snore!!

Big Sexy was found by a young college girl. The circumstances are a little unclear, but looking at Big Sexy’s wounds, it was clear that she had gotten into a really bad dog fight. After being taken in by her foster mom, she was taken to the vet and was put on antibiotics to help heal her infections.

Big Sexy lives with 3 other dogs and 2 cats in her foster home, but it has become clear, when bringing in any new dogs, that she needs time to adjust to the new dog, as she gets a little overly stimulated, and will need a firm experienced owner to correct the behavior. Once she is corrected, she can usually get along with no issues. This behavior probably stems from having to defend herself in the past.

She has been in foster care for 4 months now, and has become a different dog, she loves to go for walks and does not pull on the leash, which is nice, she loves to wrestle with her foster siblings, and enjoys running around the yard chasing them. She was recently introduced to the pool and doesn’t care for swimming but will get in when she gets too warm. Big Sexy is absolutely adorable, she is smart, and learns quickly. She is crate trained, spayed, and micro-chipped and is up to date on her vaccinations.

For more info on Big Sexy, contact Mayday Pit Bull Rescue through their website at  www.maydaypitbullrescue.org.

Here is Karly…

Hi, I’m Karly! I think I’m around 4 yrs old, but I could be off a little. I’ve been in rescue since May 2009. I weigh 13 pounds, so I am sort of a little pug. I like hanging out with both people and other dogs, and I just love, love, love to just snuggle on a lap! I am what my foster mom calls a “special needs” pug. I am very happy to be in rescue, and while it isn’t a good story to tell, I think it is important that you know. You see, I was just moments away from being euthanized, when one of the nice techs at the vet clinic said “Please wait; I bet APARN will take her.” (Oh, did I mention, that tech is my hero!)
 
I know what you are thinking! Why would anyone want to euthanize an adorable little pug like me? Well, the short answer is…because I couldn’t go potty. I hadn’t gone potty for almost three weeks, so the vet took an X-ray, and told my people I needed surgery for a broken pelvis, and they weren’t going to do that. I hear the surgery is pretty expensive, as the vet said I would have to go to a specialist to have it done.

 
So, APARN stepped in and saved me!  Then my foster mom took me to see the specialist vet, what a nice guy he is! He said if he didn’t already have four dogs, he would be tempted to adopt me! He took X-rays, and showed them to foster mom. He said he was pretty sure I was hit by a car at least a year ago (two years now!) and nothing was ever done. He said the right side of my pelvis is broken in 4 places, and all “smooshed” in, and it healed that way. Anyway, it makes it so that the opening through my colon is pretty narrow, and I can get very constipated if not kept on strict diet of soft food, mixed with lots of water to make it like soup. (I love it like that, by the way!) So, it is very important for me to stay on my proper diet and some medications to keep my poop soft (a prescription called Lactalose, and some Metamucil fiber supplement), so that I can go potty. Otherwise, I will get “stopped up,” and that is no fun! It is also possible that I will get “stopped up” now and then, and when that happens, I have to have a doggy enema. Whoo-wee, let me tell you…I am not a fan of that process, but the results are terrific!

The doctor also said I can get arthritis as I get older, so I need to start on glucosamine supplements now. He also mentioned something about my right hip maybe needing an FHO in the future. I thought that was some kind of doggy HMO, but it turns out that is a surgery where they take the top of the longest leg bone off! I am hoping if I stay at a good weight, it won’t get that bad, but I suspect the Doctor knows best!

 
The doctor said he would be willing to do surgery on my pelvis, but he said it would require breaking it in the 3-4 places it was originally broken in, and putting everything where it should be, and then lots of healing time. It would be a long process, and lots of money. He said that the proper diet, medications and enemas as needed is a perfectly fine option for me, but he stressed the following: I can not go to a home with a doggy door, because my forever person has to pay attention and monitor me daily, to make sure I go potty. I have to have canned food with water and added fiber, to help keep my stool soft. I have to have my Lactalose three times a day. I need to start on glucosamine and get that daily. And I need enemas to help me “go” after just one day of missed bowel movement.
 
Oh, I almost forgot…one more thing. When I had my spay surgery, the doctor also removed a few small tumors that were on my back legs. One of them turned out to be a Grade 1 Mast Cell Tumor. Foster mom said that Grade 1 means benign, but doctor said I should be checked over for new “lumps and bumps” at least once every couple of weeks. It is a pretty easy thing to do during bath-time, as I am very good about getting my baths. I love the special attention and “me” time!
 
So, I know it is a lot to ask. But in return, I will sit by you and let you rub my tummy for hours!

My adoption fee is $275. If you are interested, you can ask APARN for a list of prices of my monthly needs.

You may remember little Nugget the baby black Pug from a post about a month ago. Nugget is still up for adoption! Click here for her info. She came along with Kyla for her photo session and we took a few new photos of her. She’s sooooo cute!

My doctors have put me on a change of diet to help with my seizure control and to help me lose weight. Dr. Lyons has also began to lower my medicines and has added some great vitamins and herbs to keep me healthy. It’s really working great because I haven’t had any seizures since I’ve been on this new regimen; almost 2 months.

Losing weight is really tough though! I walk about a mile every evening but I’m hungry all the time and sometimes get very curious about what is on the kitchen cabinets and in the garbage can. My foster mom and dad is teaching me that’s not a good idea and I’m improving on this everyday.

I still like to play and rough house with my foster furry brother and sister, but because I’m still a big guy sometimes my foster mom and dad have to remind me not to play too rough.

I get along great with older kids. The little ones I might accidentally knock down, but I don’t mean to. I’m such a happy go luck guy that I just want to give lots of kisses!!

I don’t care for the furry animals that go ‘Meow’ They seem like a good snack to me!

If you can give me lots of love and attention and pay for my very reasonable seizure medicine and take me in for occasional veterinary checkups then I’m the dog for you!! Remember my name ‘THOR’

To find out more about Thor please visit www.almosthomeboxers.org

Hi everyone! I’m Nugget, and I am just about the cutest little black pug girl you will ever meet!

I was born on Jan 2, 2010, so I am just about 3.5 months old now. I had kind of a shaky start to life, as my mommy quit feeding me when I was 5 weeks old, and I almost didn’t make it.  But APARN took me in and nursed me back to health.

Speaking of health, I seem pretty healthy, but the vet thinks I could have hydrocephalus, which is a big word (bigger than me, almost!) that means fluid on the brain. I have not shown any neurological symptoms (like seizures), but whoever takes me home to live with them needs to be aware that there is a possiblity that I could have them at some point in my life, and APARN wants to make sure that my new people will commit to me no matter what.

Right now though, I love to play, and I like to chase the bigger pugs in my foster home. I just started teething, so I really like to chew, and I need to have some healthy things to chew on, so I don’t chew on things I shouldn’t, like fingers or the other dog’s ID tags!

I am pretty small, I weighed just about 3.75 pounds at my last weigh in. So I need to be in a home where I won’t get trampled by bigger dogs, or enthusiastic kids.

I don’t get to go to the APARN events, as I haven’t finished getting all my shots yet, so if you are interested in adopting me, your first step is to fill out the adoption application, and send it in! Hope to see you soon!
Nugget
 
My adoption fee is $325.

Please contact the Arizona Pug Adoption and Rescue Network for more information – http://www.arizonapugrescue.com/

My name is Sookie and I am a female Boxer that is the foster care of the Almost Home Boxer Rescue.

I love so many things in life….wiggling like crazy, playing chase and doing boxer burns around the yard and playing with my squeaky plush toy! Man, I could play with my squeaky toy for hours!!!!

Most of all, I love cuddling and giving kisses! 

 Before I tell you more about what I love—a little about me—I was picked up by the Humane Society with a dislocated elbow. They called Almost Home Boxer Rescue and I was whisked away to the vet, where my arm was surgically fixed. I sported a fancy cast for a couple months, and when my cast came off, I had to go through rehab because I had this crazy limp. But I worked REALLY hard over the last few months, and now you can’t even tell I had surgery!  To keep my elbow super healthy, I need two 15 minute walks daily, and a little glucosamine with my meals.

 
Ok, so back to what I LOVE. I LOVE my crate! During the day when my foster mom is at work, she let’s me hang out in there all day. Sure, I could hang out in the house because I am housetrained, but why give up an awesome crate and a luxurious dog bed?
 
In my forever home, I would love to have a family that would give me all the hugs and kisses I could ever want. Ok… my foster mom says I should tell you that I do best following “Nothing in Life is Free” training. It makes me a very well-behaved pup—but if you let me sneak up on the bed and snuggle every once in a while I PROMISE I won’t tell! A handsome male dog to play with and a cat or two would be ok too.
 
Let all your friends and family know that I am ready for a forever home!!!!
 
PS…..I’m about 4YO

For more information on Sookie and many other dogs that are available for adoption through the Almost Home Boxer Rescue, please contact them directly:

Phone: 602-332-1626

Email: almosthomeaz@gmail.com

Web: www.almosthomeboxers.org

Photo editing by Laura Sand (my new, super awesome assistant!)

Not only is it FREE, it is also designed to raise funds for your rescue group.

Here’s the scoop:

• Rescue groups are allowed one free in-studio photo session of one dog per month. (The dog must be predominantly of one breed. I love mutts, too! But the products are breed specific. There will be mutt photo projects coming up in the near future.)
• The rescue group will receive at least 3 digital photo files of the dog that can be used to promote the adoption of the dog or the rescue group (cannot be used for any resale purpose).
• A posting of the photos and information about the dog and where/how the dog can be adopted will be posted on A Dog’s Life Photography’s blog, Facebook and Twitter accounts.
• If the dog is a good model, he/she could go on to be a star! The photos may be used to create photo products such as clothing, coffee mugs, calendars, etc. to be sold on A Dog’s Life Photography’s online gift shop!  
•  The rescue group that supplied the “doggie model” will receive 25% of the net profits from the sale of any items sold from the gift shop with their mug shot on them. A Dog’s Life will do their fair share of promoting the sale of these items but YOU are the one that knows the market for your dog breed the best. The more marketing that you do of the products to people and organizations that love your breed, the more funds you will raise for your group.

The gift shop is under construction right now and looks very ugly! But when it is complete (hopefully by February 5th), it will look something like this:

When you select a dog breed, a list of designs that are available for the breed will appear. Once you select the design, a list of products that are available with that design on them will appear:

Right now, most of the breeds just have one “I’ve Got It Ruff™” design but there are many more to come in the future. (Proceeds from the I’ve Got it Ruff™ line of products will solely benefit the PACC 911 Emergency Medical Fund. All other designs will directly benefit the respective dog breed rescue)

I am totally open to design ideas that you have that you think will sell well for your breed.  Take a look at the Basset Hound section for a good example of fun things that we can do with the photos.

It’s easy to get started. Just visit the calendar page on this blog to see the available photo session times. Then send a message to susan@adogslifephoto.com to reserve your times.