First Post :)

A lot to summarize in a first post.  First, lets talk about Austin.  He was picked up at the Shelter in Troutdale, Oregon in late spring/early summer of 2007.  He was almost missed because he's rather big for a Rat Terrier (He's Decker, thus taller and bigger.) Fortunately the rescuer, his wonderful Auntie Susan, saw him and pulled him out.

He was very sick from the get go and the rescuers did everything they could to make him better.  Following an ultrasound, we discovered that he had a foreign body in his abdomen.  Surgery to remove the foreign body (a rotten stick) was first in fall of 2007, and then he had a subsequent surgery in Feb of 2008 to deal with adhesions and sepsis from little slivers that had spread into his abdomen.  He nearly died after the second surgery.  We are all grateful to Dr. Scarpinatto, Dr. Minor and Dr. Procassini who worked very hard to make him better.  As well as to the people at Ratbone Rescues who put the time, energy and funds into his recovery.

I adopted Austin right before the second surgery.  I had fallen in love with him over all the time he had spent in our hospital and although I knew the outlook was grim, I couldn't help myself.  Something about his eyes.  He just looked into mine and I knew he belonged with me.  I took him home the night before surgery and he slept right next to me, even though I knew he felt awful.  After the surgery I stayed at the hospital the first 2 nights..then I took him home. .I'm not sure that I slept at all for days.

Since I am a veterinary technician,  I was able to do a lot of nursing at home with him.  IV fluids, medications, chicken slop (boiled chicken and other goodies). Carrying him up and down stairs, dealing with abdominal bleeding that we were afraid would never stop...Somehow, he pulled through and despite very tangled intestines, is a mostly normal dog.  Watching him run you'd never know what happened to him.

We adopted Molly (formerly Trish Ratbone) from Ratbone Rescues in April 2010.  She is a dog out of Rat Pack kennels in Alabama.  Her previous owner flew her up here and couldn't handle her, so she was going to leave her at the dog pound. (She jumped up on them...*sigh*)  Fortunately someone referred that person to Ratbone and we were glad to adopt her and have her as a friend for Austin.  We didn't realize how lonely he was for other dogs until we brought her home.

Every day is really an adventure with these two.  They bring an incredible amount of joy (and frustration...) to our lives, and we were looking for a way to write down all the good things, and put up pictures of their cuteness and celebrate the bond we share with them.