Happy Thanksgiving

To all my friends in blog land…

May your day be filled with food, family and great memories!

Until next time…

Carmen and the Primcats

Happy Friday!

Hi Friends,

Just wanted to pop in and say hello on this beautiful Friday!

Lots going on for me this weekend but I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and as always…

Until next time…

Carmen, Holly, Katie and the Primcats

My favorite mini garden!!

Hello again!

Yes, I am back! 2 posts WOW!

Today I thought I would share with you my favorite mini garden. I just love this one. It’s nature inspired in a primitive dresser drawer!

Now… I made a huge mistake on this so if you undertake this project don’t do what I did.

It started like this…

The mistake I made was that this was a perfect drawer and I didn’t bother to line it with plastic before adding the dirt. It warped severely. This could have been prevented. It drives me crazy but there is nothing I can do now. 

So back to the finished project.

Moss, succulents, Brass buttons are the tiny ferns, A nest, some rocks and some tiny potted hens round it out.

So serene. Love it.

I found this moss growing under my back deck steps! I was SOOO excited!

The whole porch set up where it sits!

I hope you enjoyed!

Until next time…

Carmen, Holly, Katie and the Primcats

My latest obsession ~ Mini Gardens!

Hi Everyone!

 

Long time no write! Thought I would make an attempt at catching up!

So what’s been keeping my busy lately?

Mini gardens! I am obsessed!

So far I have built 3. Working on my 4th!

This one was my first one. It’s my mini kitty garden!

It has undergone more than one transformation since I took these pics.

Sadly the moss didn’t make it so I have lots of fun different plant sin there now. I will have to get an updated pic!

So fun!

How cute is that teeny strawberry pot and the bee skeep!

It’s like playing doll house in the garden! So much fun!

I’ll post another one soon!

Until next time…

Carmen, Holly Katie and the Primcats

♥ More Katie ♥

 

Hi Friends,

Thank you for all your sweet comments about Katie. She is doing great. She’s been here for 2 weeks and 2 days now and she had made AMAZING strides in both behavior and personality…and yet she has such a long road ahead of her.

So now… lets share a few more pics of Miss Katie and her NEW LIFE with you. Because from here on out it only gets better.

Look how tiny!!!

No, that isn’t a giant chapstick! LOL!

Katie had her vet visit last Tuesday and we found out she isn’t 4.3 pounds… she is 3.4 pounds. I think they transposed the numbers at the HS. At least a pound underweight. We will remedy that right away.

She took to the raw diet we feed right away and I know just like we did with Holly that we will get her back to a healthy weight. Right now you can feel every bone in her body when you pet her.

She’s way to skinny!

It’s hard to tell in pics because her silver shines back at you, but she is balding pretty bad. Her little blond head is hiding the fact that you can see her scalp. I know that proper nutrition will remedy this situation.

Holly’s hair was very thin and short most everywhere when we rescued her, and not from being groomed. It was from lack of proper nutrition, not being spayed and overactive hormones and living a very stressful life. Today her hair is thick and long and lustrous.

I know Katie will get there too.

Snoozing on the couch. Awwww.

This pic was taken right after we introduced Holly and Katie. Holly didn’t do anything to Katie which was good, and Katie loves Holly, she loves all dogs and trust them easily, but as you can see in this pic Holly is pressed against me as hard as she can trying to get away from Katie.

Holly never had any other positive dog interaction or socialization so she doesn’t understand that Katie is a friend… Yet. I have no doubt someday in the future they will be best friends.

While Holly really wants nothing to do with Katie yet, the difference in Katie in a room alone, compared to when Holly is the room is remarkable. Her confidence perks up 100% even though they have no interaction. It’s quite amazing to see it.

Size comparison. It’s hard to imagine a dog could even be smaller than Miss Holly, who is 4.5 pounds, but you can see here she is much smaller.

Holly in front, then Bear next to Katie. A RARE moment of sleepy calmness. She is getting better with the kitties. Bear climbed up after she was asleep so we didn’t have any drama. She still gets WAY over stimulated if they come near her when she is coherent but it is getting better by the day. Someday I think she will be better with the kitties than Holly is. Holly bosses them around like she runs this joint. lol.

Katie’s first bone. Oh boy she loved it. We gave her half of a Zukes Z-bone (all natural, of course) and Holly got the other half. Don’t worry… no one got jipped. We always only give half a bone to Holly. They just don’t make them small enough for my mini’s. Holly was done in 15 minutes… Katie took a full hour to finish hers. And she loved every second of it!

And then a nap in Mommy’s loving arms.

♥ I am blessed.♥

I agree with all of you about the puppymills and breeders. It breaks my heart. You all know I am an an animal advocate and speak always for those who can not speak for themselves. I always have. But now I have a dog that has suffered this abuse and it is now a daily part of our lives.

You just have no idea. You can’t even imagine.

Imagine a dog that runs in circles NONSTOP because that is all she has ever known in a cage. Nonstop!

Imagine a dog that has never felt a loving pet and shrinks into the smallest thing they can be when you lift your hand to pet them with love.

Imagine a dog so skinny that they are ravenous for food.

Imagine a dog who’s body is in such poor condition you feel you might hurt them just with your pet.

Imagine petting a skeleton.

Imagine a dog who’s feet have never walked on a floor so they cannot walk freely around your home.

This was Katie’s life.

10 years in a basement in a cage. Making babies without an ounce of compassion for her life.

Everything I ever *thought* I knew is all in perspective now. It’s all about making this little ones senior years the best they can be… and I swear to you on my life… they will be phenomenal.

But what Katie needs… what all dogs in Katie's position need is for you to speak up.

I ask you to speak up. Say something about it. Don’t be silent. I have never been silent about it. I have always spoken up… but now I am SCREAMING it from the roof tops! Don’t let another dog suffer Katie’s life. Don’t look away when you see it.

Look at Katie!!! Speak for those who cannot speak for themselves!

Be silent… and there will be thousands more just like her until the end of time. We must speak up and stop this! Is it depressing and hard to talk about? Yes! Would you rather look away than share that post? Yes! But if you do not speak for them, this will never end.

Katie came from a situation just like this.

 

DO SOMETHING TO STOP THIS!!!

Don’t shop!!! Adopt!! Never buy a puppy from a breeder or a pet store. Please. Adopt those who have already paid the price of being born and landed in a shelter. Please. I beg you. For Katie and for all like her.

I know that not all breeders are bad. I have friends that breed… however they know that I am against it. They are not bad breeders but the fact is… a dog in a shelter will die because they are selling a puppy instead.

What about the breeders that show you two beautiful parents under foot, living in their perfect houses while there are cages in their basement filled with the real parents. What about that? You would never even know. You only think you are getting a dog from a good breeder because they hide their dirty secret away from your eye’s. Please. I beg of you.

Adopt don’t shop! ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Until next time…

Carmen and the Primcats

Meet the newest honorary Primcat… er Primdog!

Hi Friends,

How is everyone? Good I hope! Has this weather been crazy or what? I hope you all have survived the polar vortex. Geesh… it’s been miserable. And everyone here at Primcats has cabin fever! Ready for spring. It can’t come soon enough!

So the big news around here is that we adopted another dog.

What?

The Primcats adopted another dog?

Yep, sure did.

Meet Katie!

Katie is a 10 year old Yorkshire Terrier.

Katie has a pretty sad story to tell.

Katie was a basement breeder. A puppymill dog. She lived in a basement for 10 years mass producing puppies so her “owner” could sell them. There were 4 of them. 3 females and one male.

She wasn’t loved.

She wasn’t part of a family.

She wasn’t bathed or brushed.

She wasn’t fed enough.

She wasn’t petted.

She wasn’t played with.

She slept in her urine and feces.

She existed for the sole purpose of making money for a very evil, cruel, heartless person… and nothing more.

But Katie got lucky.

That evil person passed away and a family member took all 4 of the dogs to the local Humane Society and surrendered them.

Katie was taken in and freed of her terribly matted fur with a full shave and a bath. 

She was also spayed and they cleaned her teeth. Many were rotted and she lost some of them. But now she was ready for a new life!

I saw Katie’s picture they day they put it up and I was instantly taken with her.

That look in her eyes… it broke my heart. I didn't know her story then (I found out later) … but I could already see it in her eyes.

These are the two pics taken and posted by the Humane Society after she was shaved and freed of her matted fur.  

I posted Katie to my face book right away hoping someone else would save me from what I was about to ask my husband for. LOL! I begged someone to adopt her and save me from myself. I REALLY did.

There she sat for days… and then it was a week.

I checked every day.

DAMMIT! I texted Shane her pics.
And the conversation went like this:

Me: Picture, picture, 10 yr old 4.5 pound yorkie. Mine?

Him: Cute.

Me: Mine?

Him: Cute.

Me: MEAN!!!!

I was kidding… sort of.

End of conversation, or so he thought.

(side note: I have wanted a yorkie for years. He has always known that. Just like he always knew I wanted and would have a Chihuahua someday. In fact just over New Years our neighbor’s sister was in town with her little one so we had JUST had a conversation about how I want one so bad. And in total fairness he loves them too.)

So then the HS put up some new pics of her coming out of her scared shell a few days later.

And that was it… I had to meet her.So off I went to the Humane society at lunch. And I took these pics to send to Shane.

She looks kinda fat here but it’s because she’s bunched up. She is thin as a rail and her spine and hip bones stick out.

She laid on my lap and didn’t move once in 40 minutes. It was sad. She pancaked flat to every touch. Poor thing.

So I sent the pics to him. I can only imagine what he was thinking. I told him I met her and requested a home visit with her because of the kitties and Holly. Holly doesn’t like other dogs. At ALL! So honestly… this was a long shot. But to me it was worth it. He agreed… but I am sure he cussed me. LOL!

The Humane Society agreed to a home visit since I am a previous foster for them and we set up a time for her to come out and I could keep her for the weekend.

I got a nice spot made for her and we waited.

She came on Friday night the 17th. The day before my birthday. Shane took one look and said “Awwwww.” And I knew he was taken.

We took her into a quite room and she promptly peed on the floor. lol. Mine she said.

And then we had to introduce her a cat for the very first time. I was nervous. They didn't cat test her before she came. But it had to be done.

I decided on Tracy because before we rescued Tracy she lived with dogs and knew what they were. Katie however had clearly never seen a cat… And in the span of a minute she went though every emotion ever. It was crazy.

Happy, Sad, Scared, fearful, bouncy, frightened, joyful, attacky, barking, whimpering, whining… EVERYTHING!

She had clearly never seen a cat in her life.

Tracy took it all in stride just like I knew she would. Good kitty!

Here is a clip AFTER Katie calmed down a bit. If you can believe that’s calmer!

Tracy just looked at her like… CHILL!!!!! HA!

We all just shook our heads and said… well… lets try it anyway.  

Introductions to Holly went as I expected, Holly doesn't like her. She just wants her to go away. lol. But alas… that’s not how it works around here.

We had our ups and downs over the weekend. Problems with Katie towards the cats. Problems with Holly toward Katie. Problems with Katie’s behavior issues. But by Tuesday I had made my decision.

Katie wants to be a good dog… she just needs a safe,  loving home to do that in. ♥ And we are it.

Holly still hasn't accepted Katie. And that’s ok. We know it will take time. But here are my two little girls  being tricked by me into sitting together for green bean treats.

I will post more pics soon.

Until next time…

Carmen and the Primcats (and dogs!)

Happy New Years 2014

Happy New year from our home to yours!

Until next time…

Carmen and the Primcats and Holly