8/23/06 - Hi everyone! Well, it's been about a month now and it no longer is the boys and Lacey, but truly the "gang".
   When she's not snoozin', "little sis" (Lacey) follows the boys around and while they don't let her sleep on their pillow, she does snuggle right up against it. Boz pays her the most attention. She takes the lead @ mealtime; getting a little bouncy and her tail curls up again. I do worry about her. She's very fragile and she seems to have lost some energy the last week or so, but she surely enjoys the peace and quiet.
    Winnie ("the love Bug") follows me everywhere and has developed a new habit, "barking". When we are out in the backyard and someone walks down the side street, Winnie takes off like a bolt of lightning barking at the top of his lungs. Unfortunately, Lacey, Bozley, and I are the only ones who hear him, and by the time he gets to the edge of the driveway, they're usually a couple of blocks away. He's working on it!
  As for Bozley; whom I fondly refer to as "the cantankerous old fart"; has certainly made himself at home. He walks around like he signs the mortgage check every month. In the morning when I'm showering, if he can't push the door open, he scratches 'til I open it. After dinner when we're all playing on the living room floor, Boz will play along for a couple of minutes, but then whines for me to put him up on the couch. I guess he likes to keep an eye on his domain. He's had a couple of rough days. Sunday night he started hacking real hard. Carol called me at noon on Monday and said he was still doing it so I made an appointment for Monday night at the animal hospital. They examined him but told me to drop him off Tuesday morning (yesterday)to do tests and xrays. They said he has congenital heart disease (enlarged heart) and had fluid in his lungs. In addition to his current med, they gave me 2 more; one to dry his lungs out and one to lower his blood pressure. He'll have to be on all three permanently. He had a quiet night and seemed better already this morning although they said it would take a couple days to clear up. While things are not going without incident,  everyone is being well cared for and given lots of love.
   As for me, the high point of my day is pulling into the driveway after work and seeing those three little "munchkins" waiting at the patio door for me. Like I said, we're all taking good care of each other!
- The over the hill gang -

7/27/06 - Just a quick note to let you know "the over-the-hill gang" is settling in nicely. While the boys are a little finicky with their food thus far (definitely eat all their people food), Lacey dives right in 'til her bowl is empty. Same @ potty time, Lacey & Winston get their business done quick, and Boz, well he's Boz. He's already marked every tree and bush in the yard. He had a marking accident in the house when he got here, but nothing since. Everyone is settling in nicely. Lacey keeps pretty much to herself and Winston will follow Boz around from time to time, but Boz is like my
shadow. I swear he's so close, if I pass wind, he'll cough. He insisted on sleeping with me last night. I tried to ignore him, but he stood there grunting and finally barked. So I gave in and he spent the night curled up on my legs. Well, that's all for now! Just wanted to let you know, everyone is doing fine.

7/30/06 - Winston and Bozley, "brothers" for over 3 yrs, have been together while in Boxer Angels, were adopted out together, and when a life changing even forced them to have to be returned together, came back and were fostered together for almost 1 1/2 yrs. They were very dependent on one another (well, actually Bozley more so on Winston, but none the less dependent) and the decision was long ago made that they would not be split apart. Over the last 1+ yrs, we have had applications for one or the other, but we were not going to entertain that.

It is not everyday that we get applications for a senior pug, we hardly ever get an app for a pair. All were resigned to the fact that Winston and Bozley would remain in foster care together for the remainder of their days, which, quite frankly, was just fine. These are 2 of the gentlest souls you will ever encounter. They ask for nothing, are content with anything and everything you give then.

Needless to say, it was a quite a pleasant surprise when we recently rec'd an app asking for Winston and Boz. As the application process proceeded, the results could not have been better. It slowly started to sink in that maybe, just maybe, these two "brothers" were going to get a home of their very own. While talking to Will, their prospective daddy, we mentioned that recently we "found" Lacey, who was also looking for a home, and Will said...sure, I would love to have her too.

Lacey had developed a cold, and was not responding to her antibiotics, so as we got closer to the end of the process, we were not totally sure she was going to be ready. A visit to the vet, a change of antibiotics and presto, Lacey's condition improved over the next day or so.

Their prospective home was in Binghamton, NY, and the trio was being fostered on Long Island. Normally a home visit, the last step in the process would be done by a local volunteer, and then, if approved, the adopter would come down and get their new babies. That was not going to be good enough for me in this case. So, Saturday, we packed up the convertible, got everyone comfortable, and took a 3 1/2 road trip to do our very own home visit and see if everyone was happy and sure that this was the perfect place for them. It was a beautiful drive, beautiful day, and a perfect trip. When we arrived, there was a sign out from welcoming the "over the hill gang", with pic's of all three. Neighbors were clearly waiting for our arrival. The home visit went very well, the guys all checked out the grounds, and all gave the thumbs up.

After fostering the boys for as long as I did, I obviously had some mixed emotions when it was sinking in that these boys, who I considered members of my household, would not be coming home with me, and that they did, in fact, have their very own new daddy. Even Lacey girl, who I have spent the last 2 months with, had her very special place in my heart. I was quite proud of myself, I did not cry in front of anyone.  I pulled myself together and left, knowing that my job was completed for these guys.  I had promised Winston and Bozley they will never be separated, and I kept that promise. I also promised Lacey girl that I would find her a perfect home for her, and I kept that promise.  I refer to this day as a "trifecta", and could not be happier for them. They all got exactly what they deserved.

I will look forward to their updates and wish them all a happy and healthy life together.
Take care guys, you were all very special to me, Love you guys.....your foster daddy, Gary

6/26/06 - Lacey is a 12-year-old senior pug girl that was brought into the shelter to be put to sleep.  She 

has been with us for over 6 weeks now. We happened to "stumble" upon Lacey while at the shelter to 

pull Domino. I saw this tiny petite little girl in the back of her cage, just sleeping away. She looked soo sad, 
her nails looked like they had not been trimmed in a yr, she had dried feces on her, and her eyes were gooky. 
When I read that this girl was surrendered to the shelter, well, lets just say that those people who had her will 
have "their" day sometime, hopefully soon.

So I took her home and cleaned her up. Nails trimmed, nice bath, eyes cleaned. WOW!! She is the sweetest 
little girl you have ever met.  Although her tail no longer curls like a typical pug, it sure does wag a lot.  All she 
has to do is see you and it moves.  When it is time to eat, this old girl gets a distinct bounce in her walk, as she 
very quickly walks across the room with her tail moving a mile a minute.  She doesn't have many teeth left (well, 
the vet said there are 4 left), but that does not hamper her ability to eat. 

She is living with many other dogs, and has no problems with them. She really doesn’t bother with them, but 
doesn’t mind having any around her.

She had a complete check up at our vet.  Her heart and lungs are fine. She has limited sight and hearing, but gets 
around with no problems.  She does not have any cataracts.  She did have some worms in her stool, which she 
was treated for. If taken out during the day, every 4 hours, she will not have any accidents in the house.  She also 
goes through the night without any accidents.

She doesn't ask for much.  She loves to be loved and loves to eat.  She deserves to live the rest of her life as a queen.  
If you have an empty throne, perhaps there will be room in your home and hearts for this special little girl.