Lady

Hello you awesome readers,

It's been a few days since I've written, due to a bee sting reaction (I felt rather yucky).

Today I have chosen to write about my lovely Lady cat. Lady is a three-year-old rescue from a shelter here in Sioux City, and when I got her, I knew I was getting myself into a lot of work. To be frank, Lady was disgusting when I adopted her. I saw her head shot on the web, went to look at her, and then I knew why that is all they chose to show. She was covered in feces on her rear end, tail, belly, and neck...I most certainly do not blame the shelter-they said they had cleaned her up! I didn't think it was possible for her to look worse but apparently she must have.


I snuck her home (holding my nose) and gave her a bath, and she was an absolute angel for it. I cut off so much hair that has now grown back, and clipped her nails (she is my only cat that isn't declawed in the front, since I am afraid to put her under anesthesia-I forgot to mention she is a big bundle of love weighing in at 16 pounds). After all of this, I could still hardly go near her without a clothes pin on my nose, so I gave her two more bathes.


At first, I could tell Lady didn't feel like the proper lady she was on the inside, but now she is not only a lady...she is queen of this household. She sits on what I call her "throne" in the living room (really it's just a carpeted cat house) and our dogs don't bother her, nor do the other cats. She is one of the most appreciative rescues I've ever adopted. Most cats I bring home hide for a few days up to a week before feeling at home, but not miss Lady-she knew she had a forever home with me.


Miss Lady requires a lot of brushing and I have to give her a bath more often than any dog or cat I've ever owned. She has also struggled with seizures two times that I have seen, but I think there have been more. The vet doesn't want to jump in to putting her on seizure medications yet, due to the fact that it usually makes the patients gain weight (at 16 pounds we don't really want to risk that, do we!?) She is currently on medication for an ear infection that she has been trying to fight off for quite some time, but she is much more confident than ever before. She is now a gorgeous girl that loves lap time, and sleeps with me nearly every night. Sometimes she thinks it is acceptable and her right to sleep on me, so it's a good thing she is on low calorie food! I had the vet check her thyroid, and do a complete blood panel on her, and everything looked normal, so she's just a big girl. :)


I've been asked if I'm sorry I adopted her now that I know she has so many health issues to be dealt with, and no...not for a second am I sorry for taking her into my heart and our home. Whomever owned her before had bigger priorities than taking care of this sweetheart, and I don't see why. It was a classic case of neglect in my opinion, and I just think to myself, "how hard is it to run a brush through a cat a few times a week?" especially when she tolerates it so well. Heck, look at her picture-she didn't even care when I threw a hat on her.

I adopted Lady in February of this year, and am already so attached to her, and we have such a great bond. She definitely suits her name. She is, to say the least, a Lady...

Have a good one,

Jess

Aflack and Geico

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Greetings you wonderful people who have been reading my pet biographies. :) I hope you are having yourself a great day.




Today, I've decided to tell you about my experience with two special ducks, Aflack (male, left) and Geico (female, right). These birds were Rouen Ducks (this breed is like a cousin to the Mallard) and I purchased them from a feed store as ducklings, just days old. In order for most poultry to be old enough to show the upcoming summer, they must be hatched by at least February. So, it was the dead of winter, and I had two ducks, among multiple chickens, in a cardboard box, in the computer room, under a heat lamp. What was that? Did I have to dust much? Much was an understatement. They stayed in the house for about five weeks, then I moved them to the garage when it began to warm up a bit and I thought they could handle it. Baby chicks always seemed to eat, sleep, eat, sleep, and eat some more, but ducklings...they got bored and would chirp their hearts out for attention. So, to solve this problem of chirping all night, at about 10 o'clock, I would fill up my bath tub with water, put Aflack and Geico in the tub, and watch them tire themselves out. They played, swam, dived, and played some more. After about 45 minutes, they would settle down, and cuddle in the corner of the tub. Then, I'd put them back in their box, and out like a light they went.


Aflack and Geico were two overly spoiled ducks. When I say overly, I mean they followed me and purred on my shoulder. Yes, purred; I would almost mistake them as one of the cats. When the weather was warmer, and the snow was long gone, I let them wander and have a kiddy pool. That Halloween, I dressed up as Little Red Riding Hood, and took Aflack and Geico to the nursing home and the residents absolutely loved them. They would purr and let the residents hold them. They never tried to flap their wings, nor did they have one "accident" (don't worry-they never had one in my bath tub either!) Aflack was by far a therapy duck. :) He would lay his head and gorgeous long green neck on a resident's shoulder and purr right in their ear. He loved his job, as well as his wifey Geico. He would chirp for her whenever she was out of his sight, as she would insist on quacking back (females are much more loud and outspoken).


Unfortunately, ducks do not have a very long life span, and they were like Johnny and June...after June passed away, John didn't live long without her love, and that's how Aflack was after Geico went first. I heard somewhere that ducks have the same mate their entire life, and when something happens to that mate, they do not get another, and now I completely believe it. (I secretly kind of envy the love those two had for one another).

I tried putting a mirror in Aflack's pen, but he just admired himself a little and didn't buy that it was another duck. I also bought two more ducks, hoping he'd take to one of them as a friend, but he was one depressed little fellow. I tried to keep him company as much as I could, and let him out to follow me occasionally while I did chores, but he just hung is head, and when his day came, it was very sad, to say the least, but I was glad he was out of his misery. These couple of love birds (literally) are now in Ducky Heaven, among the stars...you know, like Daffy Duck n' such.


I hope you enjoyed reading about my very loved and now very missed birds. :)


Have a great day,


Jess

Kandi :)

Hello again. :)

Today I chose to share with my fellow readers about my newly adopted shadow (she goes wherever I go), a six-year-old labrador retriever, Kandi.

We adopted Kandi in February of this year from one of the two shelters here in Sioux City, Iowa. We were told that Kandi's old owner went overseas a year or two ago (bless his heart) and gave his four dogs to his sister to care for (whom already had multiple dogs). We were told that he found out he had to stay at least another year, and he gave her permission to give a couple of his dogs up for adoption. It must have been pulled on his heart strings to make this decision, but I have to say I'm glad he did, because I love her dearly.

Kandi is a very different adoption. She is by far one of the most appreciative adoptions I've ever had; that's for sure. I have a feeling that her original owner gave her much love and affection, but her (aunt I suppose I'll call her) wasn't so nice to her. Maybe she got frustrated with the amount of dogs she had in town. Who knows...not exactly sure. All I know is that Kandi has exceptionally good manners (most of the time...she did just sneak some of my boss' lasagna today), but she's a little "whoop shy" like somebody has hit or beaten her before. She occasionally cowers at the lift of a hand, or objects. For instance when I brush my hair and reach to pet her, and have a comb or brush in my hand, or if I'm sweeping, and come near her. She's got a great deal of trust in me now, but in the beginning I had to watch my every move, and constantly reassure her.

This chocolate Kandi is as sweet as her name. Her soft brown eyes say everything...you can read those eyes like a book. The way her ears perk up when asked if she wants to go on a W-A-L-K (shhh I can't say it...she could be looking over my shoulder) gives me almost instant energy as if I just downed a Redbull. Kandi goes to work with me quite often, and either naps, plays, or follows me as usual. She is an all around great addition to my family.

I give my entire heart to making each and every one of my animals' lives full of health and happiness, as they give me their hearts, love, and companionship in return.

This kind of chocolate Kandi doesn't melt in your mouth, but melts your heart.

Have a wonderful day,

Jess

Frankie

For the past ten years, I have had a blast raising and showing rabbits. I've had at least a couple dozen rabbits, but there were a few that hold a special place in my heart, and this is one of them: Frankie.

Frankie was one of the kits (baby rabbits) from my 4-H leader's last litter of the French Lop Breed. He was originally named Frannie (I love the show "The Nanny") due to the fact that I was oh so certain that he was a she...but as she got older, well...let's just say I felt rather stupid...she was indeed, a he :).

So now that you all know my rabbit's gender, let's move on.

Most French Lop rabbits are known for being "overweight beasts" as I've heard people call them as they poke their fingers into the cages at rabbit shows, as I secretly hope for one of those fingers to be mistaken as a carrot for calling my rabbit a beast. Frankie, though, was a little different. Oh I'm not saying he wasn't large. He was, but it was hard to keep his weight on him. The poor guy suffered from hair balls, so I had to create my own recipe for him containing dry oatmeal, alfalfa pellets, rabbit pellets, and tasteos (an off brand of cheerios that really helps their coat remain silky smooth) with an occasional piece of fruit. Mmm...now that's what I call yummy goodness.

I took Frankie countless times to nursing homes for pet therapy. He amazed me. He had such a way with the elderly. I would have expected it from one of my dogs...the ability to sense when somebody is down, but never a rabbit. He would actually lick somebody's face! Again...expected from a dog, right? No offense Frankie, but most of the time, you just sat there like a big white pile of fur. His true colors really began to show at the nursing home (get it...true colors...he's pure white!) Ok ok...it wasn't that funny. In the photos above, I'm in 7th grade :) you've got to love those braces.

Most French Lop rabbits live an average of five to six years. Frankie lived to be almost seven years old. It was very sad, no doubt about that, but Frankie had a good long life, and brought so much joy to so many, including myself. I'm sure of the fact that he's in bunny Heaven. :)

Hope you enjoyed reading about my big furry therapy rabbit,

Toodles,

Jess

Samuel

Hi everyone.
I noticed my friend and neighbor, Annette, said that my first blog should be about Sam, my first horse.
So here we go... Sam was the best first horse a girl could ask for. The only thing I would change about him was his age-Sam and I didn't get enough time together. Sam came from a woman who lived in Sioux Falls, SD whom had found him about 8 years prior "half dead" in a pasture near their home. The original owners moved and left him to starve. They opened their barn and hearts up to Sam, and gave him a temporary home, until I came along. The woman from Sioux Falls we knew, because my mother had previously done business with in her career as a decorating consultant, and she remembered that she had horses, and called her to ask if she knew of anyone with a well broke horse for sale for me. It turned out-she did know of someone-herself! I took a big horse stuffed animal that I thought was good luck, and rode with it all the way to Sioux Falls with my parents to go meet Sam, to see if we had a connection and to see what I thought about riding him.

When I got there, I'm not going to lie-I thought Sam had beautiful markings (he was a bay Paint) but was quite frankly a skinny, malnourished, awkward looking horse. His foster mom, as I like to call her, asked if I wanted to ride him and I said yes, and when I climbed on Sam, my whole view of him changed-and no, I don't mean my view from three feet higher. I mean my personal view of Sam himself changed in a matter of seconds-from thinking of him as simply a beautiful heart of gold rather than a skinny horse.

I rode Sam for quite some time then cantered up to my parents with a huge smile, almost sliding into them, as they asked, "well, what do you think?" "Are you kidding?!" I asked them. It was undoubtedly love at first sight.

Not long after, Sam's foster mom delivered him to us, all the way from Sioux Falls. I remember walking him out of the trailer, and him having what looked like blood all the way down his leg. My eyes about fell out of my head, until I realized it was just red paint that rubbed off of the trailer. She told me it would be wise to wait at least a few days to a week to ride him since he just traveled. I agreed, but back then I still believed in crossing fingers behind your back. :) I would never do this now, but I rode him that day (shhh).

We were told that Sam was in his early twenties, and that he would probably need his teeth floated (this is when the teeth are filed down so they can more easily chew), but when the vet came to float them, he looked in his mouth, and said "Well folks, he's got no back teeth to float..I'd say this fella is closer to thirty than twenty" I was shocked, but the vet said to keep doing what I was doing. He said to "Let the old man have some fun. Keep riding him. You ain't going to hurt him any. He's got good strong legs." We had a horse nutritionist come to our house, and give us some advice on what to feed him, since he had poor teeth, and he really put on some weight.

Sam and I had a few great years together. We had countless rides together, and did I mention how quick he was? I could race my friends with horses fifteen years younger, and he'd leave them in the dust. I always laughed about it, but I believe he had a larger heart than average, I really do. I recently learned that Secretariat's heart was three times a normal Thoroughbred heart, so it's not that crazy to believe is it?

Sam had a stroke three summers ago, and I had to make one of the most difficult decisions of my life. I chose to have the vet put him down...he didn't know who anybody was, nor did he move, eat, or drink. I could see in his beautiful soft eyes my reflection of tears streaming down my face, but I knew it was the right thing to do...he wouldn't have wanted to be a vegetable.

Sam will forever be in my heart. Now I am blessed to have a Thoroughbred named Mercy that reminds me much of Sam, though he can Never be replaced.

Somewhere in time's own space
There must be some sweet pastured place
Where creeks sing on and tall trees grow
Some paradise where horses go,
For by the love that guides my pen
I know great horses live again.
~Stanley Harrison

Hope you enjoyed reading about my first love :)

Jess

Great news!

Hey everybody,

Today at work, I was just going along washing each dog as they came in, and having fun as usual, when my boss asked me, "would you be interested in learning how to groom?" As I was jumping up and down inside, I said "yes!" When I first got this job, I knew that I would eventually like to explore the world of grooming, but didn't really want to mention it for a while. I thought to myself, "I love this job, and I could do this for a very long time. I'm not going to ask about grooming yet...I'm definately good with this." In the back of my mind though, I am one who loves to continue to learn! I am so excited! My boss told me she would start taking me to Animal Control to teach me (what better place to learn!? There's a lot of dogs that would be in great need of it there). She said she would help me pick out my tools, which could cost quite a bit, but I'll get them a little at a time. It'll pay off I believe :) Grooming is such hard work, but I am WELL aware of that-bathing is pretty physically demanding as well. I have total faith that I could handle it-I'm pretty forgiving to any biting/spazzing dogs ;)

So anyhow, I'm pretty psyched!

Love all who is reading! :)

Jess

My first blog :)

Well let's see...
I have always wanted to openly express my thoughts and opinions about my interests without having an actual diary...that's not exactly open is it? I named this blog "Hearts, Paws, Horses, and Claws," because if you have met me, you already probably know that I am an animal lover. If I haven't had the pleasure of meeting you, then hello, my name is Jessica Wade, and I love to take in/rescue animals in need of a home or place animals in other families' homes if I am unable to keep them for some reason (if they didn't adapt well with my other pets, etc.)

I am currently studying to become a horseback riding instructor. I would love to have my own stable someday and teach lessons and board. It sounds ridiculous, but I sometimes consider myself a full time mom. :) I recently got an awesome job bathing dogs at a pretty new business called Canine Design, LLC. I really do enjoy it. I have had other jobs in the past where I basically did "bitch work"...I got no respect and was paid way too little for doing way too much work. I have three co-workers, who are all groomers, and I love working for them! They ask me so nicely to do things around the shop, and I'm glad to do them with a smile. I come home, do chores outside, clean house, and try to get a ride in if I can. I am just like anybody else-I do things like grocery shopping....it just includes a few extra stops to some feed stores and pet stores. I am always looking for a good deal as well! I'm a coupon freak. If I see any majorly great deals, I will tell you about them on here. I'm always trying to be thrifty :)

I try to work really hard and give it my best to support my kids (4 horses, 5 dogs, some kitties, rabbits, goats, turtles, and a parakeet). Some people think I am crazy for taking on so many, but like my mom has told me, "the human heart is incredible, and can always find more love to give". My mom is my rock. She has lost two husbands, and is the strongest person I know.

Well, I hope I get a lot of followers, and I will try not to "blab" too much. I am thinking for the next few posts, I will title it the name of one of my animals, and the post will be that particular one's story.

Talk to you soon!
Jess