Charlie (formerly known as Clayton) had fun this weekend! His new mom dropped him off on the way to Church Sunday for a grooming session, then picked him up on the way home. He remembered Ashley from the time she gave him his first bath. But Charlie would not let her groom his front and back legs & paws too much... he kept growling so she let him be.

After grooming:

Going for a walk: The raincoat outfit is before his grooming session -- he's not butt-sniffing! Noth that there's anything wrong with that! His buddy just walked by when the picture was taken.

Augusta or Busta!

Augusta, Georgia. Many home foreclosures have filled up the local animal control shelter, forcing them to euthanize owner turn-ins. A plea went out to rescue 5 little puppies turned in by their owner because they had ringworm (a very treatable fungus) and she didn't want to bother with the treatment. This owner had allowed her cocker spaniel breed with her chihuahua, resulting in these 5 adorable puppies. I have 3 words for her: SPAY, NEUTER and IRRESPONSIBLE. Those are my nice words...

We quickly evaluated space & foster room, and decided to drive to Augusta and pull these pups from certain death. And off we went, on Sunday, Sept. 14. It's about a 140 mile, 2 hour drive from Atlanta to Augusta. We figured we'd drive there in the morning, pick up the puppies, and drive back, arriving in Atlanta by 1 p.m. Ha! Little did we know....

First hurdle: Augusta traffic construction. Jeez, ya think they could put SIGNS on their EXITS! What a concept. So after passing our exit not once, not twice but 3 times, we finally exited correctly. By the way, nice canvas covers on all the informational signs. Thanks.

OK, we finally made it to Animal Control, just before noon, after passing by a TRACTOR SUPPLY COMPANY (on one of our wrong exits). So I said, Hey! Let's stop there on the way back to get a few bags of pine pellet horse bedding. For those of you in the kitty rescue biz, it may "behoove" you to know that pine pellet horse bedding is.... Feline Pine! Yup, it's the same thing and it costs a mere 6 dollars per 40 pound bag at the feed store. It makes GREAT kitty litter!

So we get the puppies loaded up in the car (not too difficult since they're so tiny) and head back to the Tractor Supply Company. I find a semi-shady spot (it's only 100 degrees in Augusta) (at least that's what it felt like) and park. Nancy stays with the pups while I shop. After loading up 4 bags of horse pine pellets, and other miscellaneous supplies -- what a great store -- I jump in the car and get ready to go.

And..... it won't get out of Park. No matter how hard I press the brake, jam the shift stick, or turn off/on the car, open/shut doors, etc. It will NOT get out of Park. I cannot shift the car. OMG, what do we do??? We're 140 miles from home, we know no one in Augusta, it's 100 degrees, and we have 5 puppies!

After futtzling around a bit, I decided to go back into Tractor Supply Co. and ask around. "Ummm, hello. I was just in here and got in my car and can't get it out of park. We're from Atlanta, we've got rescue puppies in the car, and don't know who to call. Do you have any ideas?" The bright cheerful cashier checks her watch, and says, "Well, if you can wait for 10 minutes, John is coming in, and he's a mechanic!" Yes, I can wait 1o minutes. "And, you can bring the puppies in here while you wait!"

Wow. We LOVE Tractor Supply Company!

After John arrived and checked out our car, while sweating profusely (it was really hot), he called his mechanic friend, who headed over to fix the car for us. All this on a Sunday afternoon when everything was closed. All for strangers. And puppies. Two women stranded in a strange city, and everyone was so helpful.

So I am here to tell you: If you ever need a mechanic in Augusta, go to Hinson Automotive. If you ever need farm or pet supplies, go to Tractor Supply Company (they have many locations throughout the southeast).

As for those 5 puppies: Ringworm treated, spayed & neutered, and all adopted now. See our website for the pics: Moki, Tallulah, Pakuna, Tavo (and Mukki the runt will be adopted this Saturday).

CLICK FOR SPAY/NEUTER CLINIC GRANT!

Help RPR win a $25,000 grant so we can host a free spay/neuter clinic in Abaco! All you have to do is click to help rescued animals, and then vote for Royal Potcake Rescue at the top of the page. No registration, absolutely free and you can vote once a day, every day, from September 29 through December 14, 2008. Every time you vote, or tell a friend to vote, you are making a huge difference for us. Vote today!Visit: http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/

Potcake Puppy Goes Boating!

Just got back from Abaco, and brought back 3 potcake pups with us this time. One of them, Freckles, loves to go boating! He's already been adopted, too!

An update from our Miranda Puppy, adopted on the 4th of July:

Thing are going very well. We have named her Sachi (pronounced Sah-chee), it’s Japanese for joy and she is so joyful! Sona, our other dog, lets her cuddle (see pic) at times, but also still puts her in her place if she gets too rambunctious! We were at the vet last week for the next round of shots and got the stitches out, no problems there. She had tapeworms and we got that addressed as well and also got her (and our older dog) micro chipped.

Sachi has got to be the smartest dog I’ve ever had. She figured out the doggie door in a day and can go up steps, but not down. She watches me all the time and picks up on cues. She has dinner time all figured out, I feed Sona first and then her. Sachi waits till it is her turn and then gets all excited. She does not like being confined, but has accepted her crate at night, as long as we are all sleeping. When she’s in the crate during the day and people are around she is not happy. But I think that is because she is a real people dog. We are still working on house breaking which is to be expected. She goes all night without needing to go out, so that is a relief. She had a hard time getting used to a collar and a leash and will still back away from me when I pick up the leash to take her for a walk, but she is starting to get used to it.

There is one other funny thing that she did. I discovered that we had an issue with bees in our backyard. So I called Critter Patrol to get it taken care of, but it turned out they were carpenter bees and did not sting. Well, every once in a while one of these bees will die and fall to the ground. Sachi bats around the bee’s body, playing with it like a cat toys with a mouse. At least she didn’t try to eat it. Anyway I had critter patrol spray the tree to make the bees go away and we’ve been fine ever since.

I hope her sisters are doing well and her brother too. She has been a great addition to our family. Thanks for rescuing her and letting us adopt her! ….Mary

Check out this great article in the local Dunwoody Crier newspaper:

http://www.thecrier.net/articles/2008/07/22/front/dogstory.txt

The potcake transfer has been completed! On Saturday, the pups flew into West Palm via Bahamas Air with Chris & Molly Roberts. Then Chris & Molly rented a minivan and drove to Gainesville, Florida, to spend the night at the pet-friendly LaQuinta Inn. Sunday, I jumped in our minivan and drove down to Valdosta, Georgia, where Chris & Molly drove up to meet me. We met at Exit 29 and completed the puppy transfer. I drove back with 5 pups in the van, and not one of them made a peep (or a poop). Upon arrival in Atlanta, they were "released" into my backyard for exercise and exploration. Then Al & Sandra came by to pick up the 3 brown ones that they are now fostering. I'm fostering the 2 white ones. All are doing well!!!



My friend and fellow potcake-lover, Jacq Marie, had magnetic signs made up for the minivan... Thanks to Diirga the Laughing Dragon! (a local Atlanta artist who drew them up)

Me with the sign:

Chris & Molly with the puppies:

From Taffy's new owners, with pictures of her after her eye surgery (for cherry eyes)....

Just a quick update on Taffy; she is still doing just great and fitting into our lives so well, we can't remember life without her! We discovered a hidden talent the other day...she "sings" when you do - it's really quite a show! :) Her eye surgery is scheduled for next Thursday (both eyes); this is the same vet that did both of our other cockers; I have know him since 1991 and have complete faith that it will go just fine. I will send some pics online after they have healed. She had her first grooming today since coming to live with us; that went well and she looks beautiful! I hope you are doing well and that many adoptions have taken place in the last month; I will check your site tonight!

We Are Not Alone!

The following article was published in St. Catharines Standard in Ontario Canada (1 hour south of Toronto and 15 minute north of Niagara falls):

Puppy love: Woman brings strays back from Bahamas
By DON FRASER
Posted 4/24/08
Jill Gandza took one look into the row of glistening puppy-dog eyes and was hooked. She knew there was no turning away from these helpless mutts. During the March break, she and her family travelled to the Bahamian island of Great Exuma, where she stayed at a home co-owned by her friend Donna Baer and Baer’s mother, Flora. Great Exuma is known for its stunning Caribbean beauty and mixed-breed dogs called potcakes. Many of those pooches are strays, whose lives are shortened by starvation, disease or run-ins with cars.

“When I was near our house there, I noticed this mother dog running around with all kinds of puppies,” she said. “We stopped our car, saw one run underneath an abandoned van and there were 12 little heads peeking out. Because I’m an animal lover, I was upset and started to cry. It was very disturbing,“ said Gandza, who lives with her family in west St. Catharines.
“I knew there was no life for them.”

Last week, the nurse at St. Catharines General Hospital returned to the island to bring those pups that had stolen her heart back to Niagara for adoption. To her dismay, she learned all but five had been killed by vehicles along Queen’s Highway, which runs the length of the 60-kilometres-long island.

Because of airline restrictions, only four dogs could be brought back. So Gandza decided to take the four females of the litter and leave the male pup, in an effort to help control the breeding of the island strays.

In all, she and her son Greg, 13, took about an hour and a half to round up the dogs. The pup’s mother could not be caught. The puppies were deloused and de-wormed on the island. They will be immunized and will be spayed.

On Thursday, a day after their flight from the Bahamas in two crates, the pups were seen safe in Gandza’s garage, sniffing around their temporary home. A moment later, all four — Flora, Potcake, Santana and Bahama — flopped on top of each other like a canine layer cake.

The four animals are not the only ones to be rescued from the island, thanks to the efforts of Donna Baer and her business partner Dale Halsey. The two co-own the Pet Valu store at the Pendale Plaza in St. Catharines. Aside from the latest animals, two dogs and five kittens have been rescued from the island in the past five years, Baer said. All now have homes.

“It started when I found a stray dog that was so skinny and eating garbage,” said Baer, who has since adopted that pooch, and named her Potcake. “Last year, I went down and found one living under a hut.” That dog’s name is Mango and she also found a home with Baer.

Baer and Gandza say people have asked them why they’re concerned about animals in a foreign country, when others in Canada need adopting. Their answers are the same.

The stray pups are in jeopardy. The women come face-to-face with them. It’s a circumstance that compels them to do something. Baer tells these questioning people, “Well, these animals cross your path, you’re there and see it and you can’t just turn your back.”

Gandza also describes a gut reaction. “I saw the puppies. The image I saw remains, and I have to go back,” she said, as her rescued babies drifted off to sleep inside their cage.

Meanwhile, Gandza said she’s trying to convince her husband, Ron, to let the family keep one of the potcakes. Their house already has four rescued animals.

The other three animals will be adopted through the Pendale Pet Valu, with a charge for each animal to cover the cost of spaying. Donations for further rescues and efforts to spay and neuter stray animals in Great Exuma will also be accepted at the store. A donation from a Pet Valu customer helped defray some of the costs of the Gandza mission.

“We’re all hoping to continue the potcake rescue missions,” Gandza said. “There is a problem on the island, so if we can help, we’ll do it.”

Caption: ST. CATHARINES, APRIL 24, 2008 -- Four puppies, Potcake mix were brought from a Bahamian Island looking for good homes. The puppies were brought over by the Gandza family and will be at the Pendale Plaza Pet Value. Front are Greg and Jill Gandza with Donna Baer and Dale Halsey. Staff photo by Bob Tymczyszyn

P.S. Jill did keep one for herself and calls her Flora!

Hi, my name is Caroline and I was one of the girls that donated the proceeds of our lemonade sale to help your foundation grow and especially to help your dogs. From left to right in the photo are Anya, Myself, Connelly, and Anna. We all are very passionate about animals and all want to do every thing in our power to help them. I was especially fascinated by the fact that you rescue a lot of these dogs from the Carribean islands because one of my dog's names is Flea. We think Flea was the runt of the family and so she couldn't get to her mom's milk and got kicked out of the litter. My mom and I were driving around Grenada, West Indies and she popped out onto the road. We took her home and washed her (she had worms, mange, fleas, ticks, etc.) and took her to the vet. After my brother and I had begged so much my parents said we could take her home, and we did. Now she's a healthy dog with her best friend our lab Sunshine. Thanks to you guys more dogs can have better lives in nice comfy homes in the U.S.

Sincerely, Caroline

Wow!!! We had an incredible group of young ladies come into Petsmart today to present us with their earnings from lemonade sales! They decided to donate their earning to help homeless pets, and we (and the pets) were the lucky recipients! It is always so great for us to see young people who care for animals, and you can see that our animals benefitted from their extra loving today! Thank you very much!!!

Fortunately for us, we were very busy, but unfortunately we did not get the names of these girls. So if you know these girls, or you are these girls, please drop us an email so we can acknowledge you personally!

Another Update!

Updates are so important to us. When we adopt our dogs out, we miss them very much and we often wonder how they are doing. Please send us a photo of your Royal Potcake baby!

Here's one from Avis (formerly known as Trixie) who we adopted out in August 2007:

Just wanted to update you a little on Avis. (Not the car rental place- we named her after a song) She is doing great! She is full of love, likes camping, playing disc golf, and hanging with her best buddy Cooper- the white fluffy thing in the last picture. She is also very good at playing by herself- throwing a ball around etc. We get left out of the game quite often!
She is very smart- knows a lot of commands and after a little training, has become great on a leash. She loves stuffed animals- some get the stuffing taken out in about 40 seconds, and others she keeps for months! Still trying to figure out what makes her choose the ones to keep.
There was an occasional shoe or cell phone charger that was eaten, but now she is almost always well behaved. She goes everywhere with us- not sure how she is going to handle being left at home more when it gets really hot out.
Well, enough of the proud mommy stuff. Thank-you for the blessing of our baby. She makes our world a better place. You couldn't possibly know how much we love her. You do a wonderful job going and getting these babys. Let us know if you want to see her sometime.

Jay wants another one. I want a bigger house! We'll call you once we have more room.
Take care!
Jay, Amanda, & Avis

Report from Treasure's Mom:

We love hearing from our adopters! Here's a report from Treasure's Mom -- Treasure was the first potcake we ever rescued!!!

Hi Judy, I took Treasure to the beach last weekend and he loved the sand, did not like the water at all, you'll see in the one photo he is actually running from the water. They were having a dog walk on the boardwalk to benefit the local shelter, so we signed him up, got a bandanna and walked with the other dogs, he loved it. And this week I'm going to start taking him to doggie day care 1 or 2 days a week, we checked out the place Friday at their "Yappy Hour" and he made so many new friends. Can we say spoiled!??!!
--Roni

We now have a litter of 4 kittens, just a week old today, along with their momma. Sandra , the lady who's been feeding momma wants to keep her (indoors) so at least momma has a home when she's done with these little ones (after we spay her!)... Momma's sister also just had 3 babies, and Sandra will also be adopting her too. So needless to say: kitten season has officially begun, and we'll have kittens available for adoption in a couple of months! See one 7-day old kitten:

Franz & Cainin Make the AJC!

These sweet boys made the Lifestyle section under the Petdish column. Sandy Eckstein has featured them as an example on caring for your pets in the event of your death or incapacitation. Hopefully this article will help get them homes. Dottie has been great as a foster mom but they need to find a real home! They graduated a week ago from a 3-week intensive training program from Man's Best Friend -- kindly donated by Jon Bolander, the owner. Anyone who adopts them gets a free lifetime of training for them (and for you)! They also come with Heartguard and Advantix. Please tell your friends to check them out in the AJC!

Kitten season has officially started! Yikes -- please get your kitties spayed and neutered! Here's the latest product -- a formerly feral mom and her 4 babies. Today they are 4 days old. Mom is hiding, but I got a picture of the little ones.

The Story on Roo by Nancy Foster Mom

Roo, short for Kangaroo, earned her name right on the spot when she came home with me on March 23rd. Judy and I had already rescued and adopted out her two pups (Pearl and Ella), the Norcross family that found them adopted the third (Bear Bear), and now it was her turn. Roo hung around the Norcross house where she was appeared as a stray, but could not be contained by a newly installed chain link fence. We all assumed that she dug out as her puppy tried to do. So we didn’t think too much about that when she came home to my house. She initially seemed to fit in and got along with everyone. But as soon as I turned away to do a few chores outdoors, she took the 4’ fence in a single bound and was gone! Eek! She didn’t know me, she didn’t know the neighborhood, she hadn’t even eaten anything – how much worse could it be? So I called Judy, who had just left; she turned around and came back and we then searched for the next two hours in my neighborhood. Finally Judy spotted her heading over to another neighborhood behind a cul-de-sac but she wouldn’t even look back. We both went home to make posters and I headed over to the other neighborhood later on in the evening. I had to go 2 miles all the way around to get there – I never knew my neck of the woods was literally so woodsy and had these pockets of homes. I posted a few signs and then saw her! She looked at me from about 50 yards away, then turned and went in the other direction – darn! Now what? I lost sight of her, put up a few more signs and went out to dinner. After dinner, I came by again, saw her again but she just wouldn’t come to me. I was off on Monday so I went looking for her a few more times and didn’t see her at all, but the folks I talked to said they saw the posters so I suppose that was good. I widened my search a bit and put up a few more posters, but still no luck. On Tuesday on the way home from work, I went all over the neighborhood again, talked to a woman walking her dog who hadn’t seen her, and headed across the bridge to Stone Mountain Middle School -- and there she was at the edge of the woods and parking lot -- looking longingly at the woman walking her dog! Was she hungry? Lonely? Tired? I think all of the above because when I put down a little wet food, walked away and held the rest out, she gradually crept up to me to finish the meal. Then I got her! And now she is never without a leash or lead. Needless to say she needs a privacy fence and would love some agility training to be the perfect companion. She also sits, shakes hands, and is crate trained and housebroken. I think she wouldn’t run away now that she knows me, but I just can’t take that chance. Look at her sweet innocent face! Ha!

I found a really cute website the other day. I mean, really really cute! If you like some cute pictures, check it out:
http://www.cuteoverload.com/
Yes, sometimes I do have a small amount of time to troll the internet...
Thanks for the comments!

Wow, I am so bad at this blog thing. It's because I don't know if anyone is reading it! If you are, please leave me a comment so I'll know to continue!!!

The latest is that we've been getting in a run of heartworm positive dogs! Some aren't on our website yet since we're waiting to see how they do. But two are on the website: Trixie Potcake and Ralph. They had a low infestation and are doing great. Already adopted are Bambi and Little Rascal, also treated for heartworm. Please keep your pets on Heartguard or Ivomec!!!

Meanwhile, my dog Cookie says: Hoppy Easter!

A Potcake's Progress

Tupelo Honey Potcake

......From tiny little potcake found in Freeport, Bahamas

Travelling to Florida and then to Atlanta....

and finally finding her perfect FOREVER home!!!!!!!!

Little dogs, little dogs, little dogs! We have little dogs! And boy are they cute! I'm not usually much of a little dog fan, but I have to say that these 3 that I'm fostering have a lot of personality. Unfortunately for them, they all have (or I should say HAD) heartworm. They've all been treated now, so I have to keep them calm -- ha! Have you ever tried that with a little dog???

The best things about these little dogs is that they're quiet (no yappers!), housebroken (yay!!!) and friendly -- tails waggin' a mile a minute. They all get along too, so I've got them corralled in the kitchen to keep each other company.

They're up for adoption, so if you've been looking for a little dog, check out our Available for Adoption page! They all came from a local Georgia animal control.

All the potcake puppies have been adopted! It must be a record -- 8 puppies in 16 days! Everybody loves their potcake. Bongo is now in Massachusetts in the snow, and his family bought a coat for him so he'll stay warm. They report that he loves to stick his nose in the snow! And Tambourine is in Virginia Beach. The rest were local adoptions. Don't forget, we still have Dinky Potcake, who is shy with people but loves dogs -- he's a dog's dog, and needs a playmate!

Some more good news: the mom & dad dogs of the white puppies have been spayed & neutered in Abaco. So that's the last of that line of pups! Yay!

Yesterday we picked up a little chihuahua mix from Animal Control, and today we're off to check on some puppies in Norcross. We want to see about getting the momma dog spayed from these puppies too.

The eight new Potcakes have been named with drumming-related monikers in honor of a great drummer who recently lost a long time pal. Seven of them have now been "fixed" (....not that they were broken!) -- except for Ludwig, who has an undescended testicle (yikes!) so has to wait a bit before being neutered. He's still available to be adopted, we'll just get him back to neuter once his manlihood drops in. A couple potcakes have already been spoken for.... Tympani goes home TONIGHT! and Bongo goes to an Abaco-lover in MASSACHUSETTS next Thursday! Another application is pending.... The three 'cakes being fostered here at RPR Headquarters are confined to the greenhouse/foster inn, since it's raining cats and potcakes here! We are sure they will all be popular at Petsmart this weekend, and will find forever homes really soon. Be sure and check out the 'Potcakes Frolic' video on our homepage!! Next update after the weekend adoptions!!

Puppy Potcake Video!

http://s90.photobucket.com/albums/k280/fans-on-the-run/PotcakePool%2008/?action=view¤t=c0dd7db3.pbr

Only 8 puppies arrived, because one was adopted while still in Abaco, and one was met at the airport in West Palm Beach to be adopted! Yay! They all flew in via Delta Air Cargo, with no problems.

The Potcakes are coming, the potcakes are coming! Ten puppies from Abaco are arriving tomorrow at 6 p.m. We'll soon have a bunch of new pictures, and maybe some video too!

The new Blog

This is the new Blog website, to save precious space on the potcake.org website!

We had an interesting run of conversation on the Abaco Bulletin Board http://abacomessageboard.com/, with people posting pictures of their puppy potcakes and then all grown up! So cute! Everyone loves their 'cake! See some of the pictures:

Oscar Potcake:

Sophie Potcake:

Rosie Potcake:


Sammie Tippy Potcake:

Electra Potcake:

See the old blogs here, with pictures:

http://www.potcake.org/6.html

December 22, 2007

Today was a busy day at the pet adoptions, lots of lookers but we only did one adoption -- Tupelo Honey Potcake. And what a great home she went to, we've already received emailed pictures of her enjoying her new life. This is what makes it all worthwhile! She has come a long way, from Freeport to Florida, from living in a dark crate to snuggling in a new bed with a corgi friend to play with. We took in 2 puppies today that we could not turn down. Someone found them in south Atlanta and they're only about 4 weeks old. Fortunately they're eating on their own so I don't have to bottle feed! One is black and one is brindle, look like little lab mixes. It's a regular revolving door around here!