We got both Jake and Lindy through the Rhodesian Ridgeback Rescue. For a long time now, I’ve wanted to get more involved with this organization – after all, two of our family members came to us because other people volunteered their time and lives.

A couple of weeks ago, we heard about two dogs who were purchased at an auction. They were puppy mill dogs – dogs that came from a place where they were caged, mated, and bred to sell. One, Mac, an adult male, had been so neglected that he was covered in ticks. Thousands of ticks. The organization picked him and a puppy, Buck, up in Missouri. They medicated Mac, who was so miserable that he wasn’t active and wouldn’t eat.

RRR got foster homes set up in New England, but needed to get the dogs there. A bunch of folks started planning the transport, and asked for volunteers to take legs and keep the dogs overnight as needed. They coordinated a crazy caravan of folks.

David and I just drove a short piece of the trip – Indianapolis to Columbus – but it was a neat experience. For one, we got to meet some of the folks we’ve been talking to over the past couple of years. There’s another woman in Indianapolis whose home is a foster home for local rescue dogs – we met her and her husband (they kept the dogs overnight before we took them).

We also met Carol, a wonderful woman who lives in Ohio – she’s the one who arranged both of our adoptions. We left Mac and Buck with her. She was a delight to meet, and just the kind of person you’d think would open her home to hopeless dogs.

Being involved in this transport has made me realize that I enjoy doing things that matter. Getting involved, even in small ways, with things and groups that make a difference. I hope we get a chance to help out again – some day, I think I’d like to foster dogs – but Dave’s still getting used to our two. =)

A couple of (bad) pictures:

My dog got beat up by a vampire dog.  After a being attacked by a “borderline” dog at the doggy daycare, he has puncture wounds on the top of his head and on his neck.  Look at this!

The daycare is a great place, and the owner is really good with dogs.  She ran Jake over to our vet and took care of him and bill.  She’s also not taking that other dog back.  This kind of thing happens rarely, she tells us as we pick up our dogs (and so say friends who also use this place), but it just figures that our poor super-sensitive Jake is the victim. 

The vet gave us antibiotics and pain meds for him.

Dave picked up the dogs last night (Lindy at the daycare and Jake at the vet) – apparently Lindy was really confused and concerned that Jake wasn’t around.  He said she couldn’t wait to get out to the car, and then when she didn’t find him there, she started crying/whining until she picked up his scent at the vet.

Jake is fine.  Dave says he looks sad, but he’s a hound – he always looks sad.  Dave also says he’s pretty lethargic – but the dog just spent 3 days and nights running around with tons of other dogs, as well as having a traumatic experience.  =)  I’m betting he’ll be fine soon – he’ll just look crazy, what with the shaving and all.

Insatiable desire for attention – that’s my Lindy.

Last night, there was this amazing storm. It rolled through after we went to bed, so I wasn’t ever awake enough to think about recording a few seconds of it – and now that I want to share it with Leah, I’m kicking myself.

It was riotous – lightning never more than a second apart, and more often than not, 3-4 bolts PER second. Thunder crashing constantly – never silence or the sound of rain, just some very loud crashes amidst a dull, rolling roar. (This is the first time I’ve ever understood the phrase “rolling thunder”.) It was intense – an awesome display of power.

But I had other things to think about. The street was flooded – a river that ran almost up onto the sidewalks. The water was rushing – we had to check the backyard and the basement for flooding (after the big flood a couple of years ago, we always do a check before we enjoy the storm).

And there was the dog. Who was hysterical. Accompanying the constant roar of thunder (for at least two hours), we heard the constant whine of a scared dog, punctuated with little (and big) yelps when big crashes came.

This is something we’re not sure about. He’s very frightened of thunder and fireworks (and gunfire). In the past, we’ve tried staying up with him downstairs (he’s not allowed upstairs). We’ve tried bringing him upstairs to sleep in our room (didn’t work, so he’s still not allowed upstairs). We’ve tried leaving him in his crate and draping it. We’ve tried ignoring him. NOTHING calms him down.

Aside from the dog’s misery, we were pretty happy – I love storms like that. Everything about them. The sound, the blinding light, the charge in the air before it breaks, the smell of the rain on a hot street, the lightness of the air after the storm has passed…

We didn’t get much sleep last night. But man, what a show! Wish you were here, Leah.

Here are some random (and I’m not kidding when I say random) photos from the few days it’s been since I blogged. (sorry, no fun stories this time)

David got a few things done around the house. He fixed the trash can. It’s one of those with a pedal, and the pedal hasn’t been lifting the lid. It’s been like this for a month or so, and I was STILL stepping on that pedal. He finally fixed it for me and it works like a dream. Yeah, coat hangers and electrical tape:

He also mowed. It was time:

We’re trying to teach Jake to fetch (consistently). He’s got the idea – we throw, he retrieves – but he gets tired of it after two throws. On the third, he settles down to chew whatever it is we’ve thrown:

We went to Elayne’s second wedding (to the same guy). They were married quickly and rather privately in March because his visa was expiring and he didn’t want to leave her to go back to Colombia. They had their [already planned] and big wedding this past weekend. Elayne and her dad:

On the way home, the clouds were crazy interesting:

And… the ongoing saga of the bathrooms. So, here’s what the paint looked like when we moved in (it’s HORRIBLE):

And here’s David mixing paint just before we painted the room a solid, non-barf-inducing color:

… has met an untimely end. He died today, on our deck. Our dog did his hound dog thing and killed us a rooster. R.I.P., Dumplin’.

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Jake at the window, originally uploaded by tara.aukerman.

That’s my puppy!

on guard, originally uploaded by tara.aukerman.

Jake’s the self-appointed guardian of our backyard. He’s taken to standing just like this – completely motionless – for minutes at a time… just in case some bird or squirrel trespasses.

pawprints, originally uploaded by tara.aukerman.

Jake’s muddy pawprints. The snow is melting and the ground is completely saturated. Lots of mud. And, since it’s snowed and rained so much, who knows what else is mixed in with the mud? We haven’t been able to scoop up all of his mess… So, I try to get him to run around on the deck a bit before coming into the house. Who really wants that mess on their kitchen floor? Not me!

pawprints, originally uploaded by tara.aukerman.

Jake’s been traipsing across the frozen fountain pond in the backyard. Now that the snow is all but melted, the ice is starting to look thinner and thinner. The only snow/ice that remains, aside from the thin, flat layer on the top, is built up around the dog’s footprints. It’s bizarre – the ice around the prints is inches tall!