roofus the roof-top cat.

i went into work a few days ago and my co-worker told me about this gimpy cat with a hurt leg. she joked around about how if i'd seen the cat i would have been out there trying to catch it. OF COURSE! about an hour later we were on the phone and she points out the window. of all places for this cat to be, he is on the roof of a few rowhouses across the street from my office. he kept limping along the very edge and i'll never

forget how helpless i felt watching him wander around out there. (photo of the roof where he was...)

 we went out to look for him and on the second attempt we spotted him in the fork of this tree leaning against the roof of the rowhouses.

i put down some food and water hoping he'd come down. with his hurt leg i wasn't confident he could even get down on his own and put a plea out to my fellow BARCS fosters. i went back the next morning and thankfully he was off the roof, out of the tree and on the ground near the food i'd left for him. he meow'd at me and let me pet him. he was friendly! he had a chance. 

i started my volunteer shift at BARCS planning to go back again that night or the next day but i worried about him the entire time i was trying to work on stuff. i was put in touch with a super awesome person with way more cat experience than me and a trap. we met in the alley where he was spending his time and popped open a can of food. he came running on over and went right into the trap with little convincing needed. i took him to BARCS for intake. his leg didn't seem obviously broken and he didn't seem in pain.

the next morning Roofus was sent out to a local vet for x-rays since he refused to put weight on his leg. his care and treatment is being provided by the BARCS Franky Fund. this fund is to help injured animals that otherwise would not have a chance. i am super thankful for this and can promise my next fundraiser will have all the proceeds going there. he ended up with an old healing fracture of 2 arm bones and is in a splint for the next 2-3 weeks.

the second i knew i was going to get this kitty and take him to BARCS i began frantically looking for a foster. no such luck, so this big boy is hanging out with me and my other 2 foster cats and my 3 dogs. the husband doesn't totally know yet that we got a 3rd cat today. speaking of the other cats....

Gracen (aka The Governor) is ready to be adopted! he got his hernia checked out today and it is stable and does not need surgery. a co-worker is interested so i hope he pulls through with a home so i can move Roofus upstairs to his own room.

Daryl Dixon's eye is just not gotten any better. he still has some infection in it and is essentially blind in that eye. i got meds today to try for another week but he'll probably end up losing his zombie eye. he is up to 2 lbs and can be neutered and adopted very soon once his eye situation is resolved. i'm just hoping they can do both surgeries at once and then someone will want an awesome moo-cow pirate kitty. i know i certainly would!

baby daryl dixon.

about a week ago i agreed to take yet another cat foster from BARCS. her name was fruity pebbles and she had severe bi-lateral eye infections. sadly, she also tested positive for FIV and did not make it. i agreed instead to take this little kitten without knowing it's name, sex or story. it also had a gunky eye and also had a kitty-cold.

this little baby turned out to be a boy and to keep with our WALKING DEAD theme, he was promptly named Daryl Dixon. he is a fighter this one. he was found wandering around by himself at only 4 weeks old. he was covered in fleas and he was given a bath and then packed up into a carrier and loaded into my car. this is by far the youngest or sickest animal i've ever fostered. JT calls him my "little project". i've learned all sorts of things. kittens cry when they are hungry or cold. they need non-chemically litter or it will get stuck to them and they'll eat it. they start to feel much better and frisky about 5 days into their medication. and kitty claws don't retract until they're a bit older. i've also leaned and mastered the purrrito. see below.

his eye infection appears gone and he never really showed many symptoms of his kitty-cold. his entire left eye is now clouded over though which is concerning. he is going back to the shelter friday for a check-up and a 2nd deworming. i've only had him about 1 week and i will of course keep everyone posted but i wanted to share my first little baby and his story so far.

goodbye, october.

i really cannot believe october is already over. i'm pretty sad about it. my favorite month and i didn't even decorate the house. no haunted trails or hayrides. LAME. my family's health hasn't been the best. two surgeries within a few weeks but they're OK now. i did manage to work in a few fun things, though.

JT and i celebrated our 1 year wedding anniversary. we stayed at the wayside inn which we also stayed the night of our wedding. we had literally theee best breakfast ever and then went and explored the state park where we got married. we also did some exploring of other nearby state parks. this deer stopped by to wish us a happy anniversary.

i helped out at my very first community pit bull day. WHAT an experience. it was so much fun and so rewarding. it definitely helped make me more open-minded and even more dedicated to this wonderful breed. i ended up helping an injured dog get to the vet and staying with his owner while they waited to be seen by a vet. she appreciated everything we did for her and i appreciated her dedication to her dog, no matter the circumstances.

hurricane sandy certainly stressed me out but everyone here weathered it nicely. our house only leaked minimally and no trees through our garage this hurricane! i helped evacuate BARCS animal shelter. we moved 200+ animals in 2 hours. it was quite an experience and i met so many wonderful dogs and people. there was probably 1 volunteer to each animal. people drove from counties away with horse trailer and grooming vans. the animal shelter made it though just fine and the animals were all safely returned the next day. two of the dogs i met are now in danger of losing their lives though which is heartbreaking and why i try my hardest not to work directly with the dogs.

i went to early voting this past friday. the line was only 10 minutes long and it was a positive experience. i absolutely love voting. whomever looks at my ballot will be very confused. i'm generally split down the middle on various issues but the issue i always vote "with" is women's rights so i'm sure it is pretty clear who got my vote.

we still have foster cat gracen but he has now been renamed THE GOVERNOR. here is an updated photo of my favorite little guy. he's started stealing bread off the counter and dragging it under the bed in his room. he's still available for adoption....maybe.

gracen.

just when things were settling down around here and all of our foster found homes....i caved and decided to take a temporary foster. then i went a step further and volunteered to take a long-term foster. and now, ladies and gentlemen, i'd like to introduce you to Gracen.

he was on the URGENT list at BARCS because he was very scared and shy but also sick with a kitty cold. i can assure everyone, he is not shy. he is lovable, snuggly and friendly. he lets us hold him like a baby and let me give him his medicine without any issues. i'm entirely too smitten with this fellow. aside from spraying in his carrier on the way home in my husband's truck, he's a dollbaby. he might need a new name though.

a new title.

wow. it has been SO long since i've posted. life very much so got in the way. we dove head first into the adventure of fostering. at one point we had 8 fur-kids in the house. all but one has been adopted so things are finally calming down.

this is Scooba, now named Miami. she was rescued by a shelter staff member

from a man standing on the corner broadcasting "free pit bull puppy". her new

dad is a co-worker of mine and he's smitten to say the least.

this is the Itty family. they were kind of a "trade". another volunteer's husband

was deathly allergic so we took them in exchange for her pulling one of my favorite

blue boys, Oliver, from the shelter. he now lives with a new dad and fur-sibling.

the two black kittens went home to 2 of my mom's co-workers. the grey boy went

home with one of my co-workers, his name is now Max. the grey girl, our favorite,

and hopeful foster-fail, went home last night to her new family she met in the lobby

at the shelter. Momma is going to live at Petco tonight so she gets more attention.

summer appears to be nearly over. the weather right now is amazing. i've been in an excellent mood the last few days since the weather's gotten cooler and i'm so excited about...life. i know that sounds silly but with a job like mine you get excited sometimes about just being alive and being surrounded by those you love the most. october is going to be incredibly insane, but in a good way, so stay tuned for that.

and we even managed to go on vacation

 between all that life saving. 

welcoming myself back.

it has been over a month since i've blogged. i have been busy and life gets in the way. we had a crazy heat wave that kept me swamped at work and limited any outdoor activity i would have blogged about. i am doing GREAT on weight watchers. i've lost a total of 16 pounds even though i haven't been able to exercise nearly as much as i'd like since i don't have a gym membership and i don't want heat stroke. the A/C in my car is broken so it has really been hell. a few cool things have happened though that i can share.

i met world-renowned author PATRICIA CORNWELL.

she came to my office to see the crime scene rooms she donated to us.

we went camping for JT's birthday at green ridge state forest, the same place we had our first date and also where we got engaged. we try to go every year now. rivers and creeks are my 'church' and i can spend hours exploring and swimming. while camping a cat wandered into our campsite and refused to leave so we networked a bit and found her a ride to the local no-kill allegany county animal shelter. their resources are tapped so if anyone would like to donate they have an amazon wish list !! 

we named this little lady Scrapple after she snagged half of our breakfast one morning. JT was so smitten but we just cannot afford proper vet care for a 4th animal.

while we were camping, all the kids went to their grandparents' house. Moocow got a haircut while she was there since her akita-fur always has her so overheated and huffy puffy. (and as you can see, Corbin is still painfully handsome)

squeezing a real weekend in here somewhere.

i have managed to have a pretty rad weekend even though i'm working a total of 20 hours. last night my dad met me at work and we went to the monster jam 'path of destruction' tour at M&T stadium. it was our first time going to that venue and it was amazing. the weather was perfect, the obstacles were great and i got some beloved dippin dots. apparently monster trucks are now into this new backflip move which is pretty awesome to witness. i have a video but can't quite figure out how to add it.

monster energy truck rolled with wheel ripped off.

today i slept in and made breakfast for JT and i. it is absolutely gorgeous outside today so instead of sitting around the house we went our exploring. we went to gunpowder falls and explored another smaller section. we went back to the bigger area i was at the other day and there was practically nowhere to park! it is a pretty happenin' area. we couldn't take corbin with us because his paws were acting up and we try not to take the girls anywhere in the summer b/c they overheat quickly with their shaggy fur and magik's lungs have never been that healthy since she was so sick as a puppy when i got her. we wandered around just ourselves and found a little frog friend.

there were also a lot of flowers in bloom.

i have only been on weight watchers a few days but i am feeling SO positive about it. i've also been trying to be more active (hence the naturey exploring/hiking) and make sure i take care of myself better. feeling pretty good about everything.

gunpowder falls exploring.

yesterday was my only day off this week and it was absolutely beautiful outside. as soon as i woke up and let the dogs out i knew i had to get out of the house. i'm fanatical about rivers, creeks and streams and i've been wanting to check out a state park near our house. corbin's sore paw was feeling better so i packed up some ice and drinks and off we went. the directions said it was 7 miles down the road off the beltway but it was most certainly only 5. i had planned a certain hike while i was at home but the map was confusing so we just headed off. we hiked for about an hour and i had some quality time next to the water.

i think corbin also enjoyed it.

and we also found some hippie graffiti. 

it felt really great to get off my arse and get out and do something new. my work schedule gives me off during the week a lot while my friends are typically at work, including JT. i am glad corbin is so well-behaved because he makes a great adventure buddy. i was a little scared to go hiking off into the woods by myself but felt much safer with him until 2 different sets of passing people said "hi little guy!" and "oooh what a cute puppy!". sigh. so much for being a big scary pit bull. i really thought the stigmas his breed carries might have one benefit at least but apparently he looks just as friendly as he really is. either way, can't wait to take JT here soon and maybe get some fishing in. 

memorial day weekend.

i'm only off work one weekend a month. this month it just so happens i was off memorial day weekend! (i am currently at work right now since actual memorial day is one of my mandatory holidays to work this year.) on saturday we lazed around and got absolutely nothing accomplished except for making breakfast and lunch, napping and going to a party that evening. it was a pretty good time. we had woodchuck summer cider for the first time and found that it goes down quickly. the food was delicious, especially the ribs.

sunday we went to SOWEBO arts festival. JT and i really wanted to take corbin but he has skin issues which then cause him days of limping/pain so he had to sit this one out. we went with our friends kasey and kurt. it is only a block from our office so parking is always convenient. we wandered around and it was HOT outside. we visited my friend's booth and i checked on my set of prints i've wanted for over a year. they're still there. (yes, i know about the concept of RE-printing haha) we broke all the rules and brought coolers and beer. i wandered around with my plastic cup full of boh without any issues. i wouldn't be forced into breaking the law if they'd just serve natty boh there. this is baltimore, after all. there was so much delicious food but it was almost too hot outside to partake in anything. almost.

fried oreos. my 2nd time, JT's first.

while walking around in the ridiculous heat, JT suggested we go swimming. it was entirely too hot to hang out there all day like i'd originally hoped so and kasey and kurt bailed a bit early which i totally understand, so we headed over to my parents for a last minute cookout. we went swimming in the bay for the first time this year. we had two chesapeake bay retrievers join us, too. i also had my first snowball of the year. then i made the mistake of laying out in the sun for a wee bit too long and my legs are sunburned for the first time in years. i drank some more beer and we had burgers and hot dogs. 

our view for the better part of the day.

ignorance.

i went to BARCS this morning to give the shelter dogs baths before their photo shoot with the orioles at camden yards this afternoon. we bathed them on the back side of the shelter, in the garage on the "animal control" side of things. i witnessed an animal control officer bring a dog in and i had a flashback to a moment from several years ago.

i am a full-time death investigator in baltimore city. i'm approaching my 5-year anniversary here at the medical examiner's office. baltimore city is a tough place full of ignorant people that simply don't know any better. i responded to a house call for a gentleman that had obviously been deceased for several days, if not a week. as soon as i walked in the door i am greeted by a pathetic looking white pit bull in a crate. i asked if anyone has taken him out, given him food or water. immediately the police say "i ain't messin' with that thing, that's a PIT BULL!!" i grab a leash and find a bowl to give him some water. his legs are so weak and cramped from being in that crate for close to a week his legs gave out as soon as i opened the door. he thirstily drank the water and i took him outside for his first bathroom break in days. this poor pooch was obviously house-trained because the crate was spotless inside. i walked him around the block and tried to comfort him until animal control arrived to pick him up. EMS, police, neighbors and family had been inside that residence for 2 hours before i arrived. i don't understand how people could look at this poor animal suffering and refuse to do anything for it just because it is a pibble. absolutely disgusting. i think that is the moment when it really hit me that these dogs, innocent dogs, need my help the most.

and whenever i get sad or hear about a dog i know from the shelter that didn't make it out, i think about the ONE dog i was able to save and that there is one less pit bull that was a victim in all of this. and that is this guy right here. mister corbin dallas.

pibble parade + ottobar.

thankfully i woke up feeling much better yesterday. i'd been fighting a cold or who-knows-what for several days but felt SO much better. good thing, because we had a lot planned yesterday. we attended our first ever pit bull parade organized by b-more dog. i also became a paying member yesterday! we started off the parade at rash field and walked through the entire inner habor. one of my favorite stops was the water fountain. definitely have made a mental note to go back another day to enjoy the fountain and the rita's right next door.

about 60 pit bulls and their families showed up. several media agencies were there and we were on WBAL11 and WJZ13. several articles have also been written showing pit bulls in a positive light. there were no incidents yesterday between these dogs (because they are no different -and better- than a lot of other dogs) and everyone (mostly) was very excited to us out there. one of the highlights was a family with small children aching to pet corbin and he of course obliged, gently nosing the kids ages 2-8. 

after the parade we headed to the hard yacht cafe for some beer and noms. corbin went with us and laid under our table. after consuming delicious crab dip and shrimp stuffed egg rolls and a few bohs it was time to head home for a nap. 

we then went to the ottobar to see stillborn, world inferno friendship society and the adicts. stillborn were great, as always. i had never seen world inferno but a previous description of "circus punk" was accurate and i cannot wait to see and hear more of them. the adicts....well, were disappointing to say the least. yes, i heard my three favorite songs, danced and sang along but was seriously disgusted by the encouraged display of underage girls making out on stage. i will not be going to see them again. i don't think the last 10 years have been good to them. dirty old pervs. 

stillborn - ottobar, baltimore.

happy hour.

last night i volunteered at 'tipsy tails happy hour' for BARCS. it was at miguel's cantina in silo point, near locust point. they featured an all-you-can-eat mexican buffet and JT loves mexican food so i immediately thought to bring him. the event was outdoors on this really cool covered patio with outdoor furniture and the weather was perfect. the cantina is a big supporter of BARCS and pets in general so dogs were invited to attend as well. JT and corbin showed up after having been at the canton dog park. JT threw down a good amount of delicious food (the goat was phenomenal) and i had two lemonade drink specials. corbin was on his best behavior, as always and made some new friends. he is a true ambassador to the "pit bull" breed and a fantastic example of a BARCS alumni. i think he changed a few people's opinions and opened up some minds for sure. as JT was leaving, some woman at the wine bar next door to the cantina were making over corbin and asked if my husband was "afraid" to own a pit bull. JT replied "why would i be? he's just a dog." i just so happen to think he is more than "just a dog" but you get the idea.

my two handsome men making friends with a puggle.