Canine KIDS

Josephus Bartholomew Binks
(A.K.A. Jo-Jo)
19 APRIL Y2K - 22 DEC 2007

I kept my horrible promise to JoJo. I held him in my tight in my arms and looked him in the eyes as he took his last breath. I can only hope that in that final moment he felt how loved he was (is) and how dear the spot he holds in my heart... JoJo was and will always be more to me than just my pet. JoJo was my friend, my companion and my K9 child. The hole in my heart and in my life is deep.

I sat alone in darkness that terrible night consumed with remorse and doubt over my decision to put an end to JoJo's pain and suffering... My unyielding grief, compounded by self doubt and self pity. The black December night seemed to drag on endlessly without his presence at my side. My quiet lonely grief interrupted only by the sounds of the relentless howling wind against the antique glass windows and wood shutters.

It was just such a howl of the winter wind that first drew my bloodshot gaze east. At the very edge of the darkness a tiny glow of the sun was just beginning to grace the sky. My eyes, tight and heavy from a seemingly endless parade of tears were now fixed on this majestic array of colors peaking out from the edge of the earth. I was transfixed as the sky became filled with brilliant colors of pink, amber and gold. I felt strangely in awe at the majesty and spender that was before me. It was at that very moment, when the suns first warm rays kissed the cold earth, I spotted a single delicate pink Camellia bloom upon the bush outside my window. The lonesome bloom was located in such a spot that could only be view from that very spot where I sat all night in self pity and doubt. The beauty of that bloom in the soft morning light was both glorious and profound. My sadness turned to comfort and I was consumed with a delightful feeling of peace. Perhaps that lone delicate Camellia bloom was JoJo's way of telling me that his pain was at long last gone and that he is now at peace.

I cannot begin to explain how spiritual and special that moment was to me. That moment when the mornings first light showed that single perfect pink Camellia bloom upon a sea of green. It was as if the days first ray of light peeked out over the horizon and focused all its grace upon that one delicate flower just for me...

Lu's Ridem' Cowboy
(A.K.A. Cowboy)
28 Jan 1998

Cowboy is our first K9 kid... We adopted Cowboy in February of 1999 from a puppy mill operation in Jones Oklahoma. I wish we could have gotten all the animals away from that wretched place; However, we can say that shortly after we rescued Cowboy that place was shut down... When the "breeder" brought out a box of 12-14 puppies and dumped them in the floor like a box of old clothes all of the puppies scattered for cover except Cowboy. Cowboy made a bee line straight for Marshal and climbed up in his lap as if he were saying get me the heck outa here!!!

The decision was an easy one, Cowboy was coming with us! We could tell that Cowboy wasn't quite breed perfect and that he was at the very least infested with ear mites. We watched as the "breeder" stuck a dirty old needle into him (his fist round of puppy shots) and then we paid the $175.00 asking price got his papers (no telling if they are really his dam or sire) and got him out of there as fast as we could.

We almost lost Cowboy in his first year of life. We used a vet that gave Cowboy a Cortisone shot to treat him for hair loss. Well, the hair loss was due to sever food allergies and guess what he is allergic to cortisone too... We almost lost that little guy and if we had not had the good sense to do our own research and switch vets I feel that Cowboy would not be with us today.

Fast forward eleven (11) years: Cowboy is a real lover but has a host of health problems, which include 1. Seizures 2. Skin Allergies and 3. Food Allergies. For years we treated Cowboy's seizures with Potassium Bromide and Phenobarbital, with limited success. Our current vet told us about DMAE, which has STOPPED Cowboy's seizures and has gotten him off Phenobarbital and Potassium Bromide! We have been seizure free for 1 year, which is the longest Cowboy has gone without a seizure since his seizures began about 6 years ago. We treat his skin allergies by bathing him in special shampoo's and keeping him away from tall grass (especially Bermuda grass), being in the dirt to long. We treat his food allergies by keeping him on a strict diet.

We hope that we have many more good years with Cowboy...

My Cheri Amore
(A.K.A. Re-Re)
24 Aug 2005

Cheri is a beautiful petit female French Bulldog that was rescued by Diana Erwin of OBTRS & FurKidsRus. Cheri was rescued from a garage puppy mill where she was found living in a crate with her pup. This puppy was likely the only real companionship she had ever known. It goes without saying that Cheri had been used as a breeder and had given birth to at least one litter of puppies before being rescued. In her short life Cheri had known very little attention or kindness. This made Cheri very untrusting/unsure toward humans (especially women). Cheri is super sweet and she has so much love to give but just did not know how to accept attention.

It took most of 2008 for Cheri to come out of her shell and show us her true personality. Knowing that crate life was all that Cheri had ever known we decided to keep a big wire crate set up in one of the bedrooms. We found that when she felt overwhelmed, insecure or just plain scared she would get into her crate for security. As time went by we began shutting the crate door during the day (not latching it but closing it). This did not detour Cheri in the least. Cheri would simply open the door and let herself into her crate (especially when we left the house). As more time passed her desire to enter her crate lessened to the point that months had passed without her entering the crate. As of 06/2009 the crate was put away.

Cheri was very food aggressive when she came to us. We had always been a free feed home but Cheri would stand at the bowl and eat until she was literally sick. So, we now feed twice a day. This seems to have done two things. First it has helped us control how much she eats and second it has stopped her aggression toward our other dog at the food bowl.

Here we are 2+ years after adopting Cheri and we couldn't be happier with her. She is the perfect companion for me and a perfect fit for our family. Cheri still gets a bit nervous when to many people are around her but she is getting more and more outgoing. Two new mile stones have been reached with Cheri; #1 she no longer cowers in submission when I reach down to pick her up. #2 She seems to no longer be timid around women.

I think Cheri is pretty much perfection in K9 form!!!

We adopted Cheri 01/12/2008 from The Oklahoma Boston Terrier and French Bulldog Rescue Society OBTRS, c/o Diana Erwin, 11332 W. 165th St. S., Sapulpa, OK 74066 or Sally Coppedge, 8128 NE 26th, Spencer, OK 73084 paypal accounts: copton1@yahoo.com or jdcerwin@ecewb.com.
Snail Mail Address:
OBTRS
8128 NE 26
Spencer, OK 73084