Eight is Enough, version 2.0

Some things don't always work out the way you planned.  The plans to adopt Rossi fell through with some bad news from the rescue group that had him.

Turns out the people who wrote Rossi's web page bio forgot to mention that he didn't get along with other male dogs. Then, when they sent me an email two days ago telling me this they just happened to comment: "because Ruff is 11 years old how do you you plan to keep them separated until he goes to the bridge." I told them to keep their dog, Ruff is more important to me. 

But I have another rescue in mind so don't be disappointed. Please meet Alexa. I fell in love with her the moment I saw her eyes.

Alexa is a southern girl who comes from Miami, Florida by way of Gulfstream Guardian Angels Rottweiler Rescue. She is 5 years old.

But life is not always easy. This applies to Alexa as well as me. This Rottweiler rescue group in Florida has no organized transporting system. This means it is up to me to find volunteers to pick her up and drive her north to Kentucky. 

One small advantage is location. Right now Alexa is located in Gainesville, Florida and that is right on the Interstate 75 corridor. And up here in northern Kentucky, so am I. Its only a matter of 775 miles or a one way 12 hour drive. 

Because of Ruffin's loss of eyesight I feel he cannot be safely put in a boarding facility so I have to take him wherever I go. That limits me to round trips within a single day.

One of my long time friends of this blog, the man named Sam who I have written about a few years ago, has volunteered to take Alexa part way. Sam retired to a small town in the western part of North Carolina but he loves Rottweilers so much he told me he is willing to travel a bit south to meet up with anyone bringing Alexa north. And we plan on meeting up in Berea, Kentucky, about 30 miles south of Lexington.

So all we need is a few more people to fill in the gap.

All expenses paid. (by me)

 

Eight is Enough

How about some good news. I filled out an application last night with Southern States Rescued Rottweilers to begin the process to adopt another Rottweiler. The Rottweiler's name is Rossi and he is about 6 or 7 years old, about twice the age of Bess but still only 3 years difference in age. He is located in a foster home in Yorktown, Virginia. Rossi's bio says he gets along fine with Rottie girls and the only question I have is that he is on the small size, and only weights 70 lbs. I never had a Rott that small before. Bess weights 110 lbs and Ruff weights 130 lbs.

I have no doubts about the current health of my big old friend Ruffin but he will be 11 years old next month and he won't live forever. I want someone to be best friends with Bess after Ruffin is gone.

This may be premature because they haven't accepted my application but I am confident they won't hold my age against me. I hope the stories and photos on my blog will make up the difference.

Funny that I should just recall the title of one of my favorite old time TV shows from the late 1970s called, Eight is Enough. The fact is I have thoroughly enjoyed living with seven Rottweilers and now, as late as it is, am seriously thinking of adding one more. Realistically speaking, none of this would have happened if I had been able to find and adopt a mature adult Rottweiler female to take Sassy's place after she died four years ago. Ruffin was so much in love with her that his mourning for her loss was making him sick and I was desperate to find him a companion. 

My big mistake back then was trying to limit my search to find a Rottweiler within easy driving distance from my home. Then yesterday I came across an article on the AKC Marketplace web site about adoption and rescue groups and one of them was Southern States Rescued Rottweilers which just happens to provide free transportation. If I had known about them fours years ago I think everything today would have been different. Except for one thing. Ruff would never have had the chance of a lifetime to raise a 7-week old puppy by himself. And this blog would not have had a hundred pages of stories and photos like this.

Maybe this all happened for a reason.

See the photos of Ruff in action

More than a few words have been written about the magnetic attraction Ruff seems to have on women and girls. And when he fails to get the response that he wants he becomes very persistent. Even after he lost his eyesight he still knows when he is in the presence of a woman and he gets very affectionate. And here are two photos to prove it. The lady's name is Tara and she is a Registered Nurse that my health insurance provider has been sending to my home for weekly visits. When Ruff first met her he kept trying to give her kisses but she resisted. Last week as soon as she sat down on the couch Ruff casually climbed up and laid down next to her.

Not bad for an old blind dog. But Ruff is not just any dog, he is a Rottweiler and that makes all the difference.

 

Some new stuff to add to the catch up

Our wonderful vacation in California

Our memorable California vacation. Starting in Los Angeles and ending in San Francisco, our second trip took in Sequoia National Park and a swing back to Yosemite. There are 5 entrances into Yosemite and we went tru all of them including Tioga Pass which is almost 10,000 ft above sea level. Amazing how crystal clear the air was up there. Before we left we stayed for a few days at the Holiday Inn in Chinatown and ate all of our meals from menus that used English as a second language and even ate in one restaurant that didn't even have English translations on the menu. And we enjoyed some of the best Chinese cooking we ever tasted.

No one can visit Yosemite without buying one of their famous Go Climb A Rock t-shirts and you cannot leave without climbing a rock to justify it.

Besides enjoying the gorgeous mountain scenery in Yosemite, Jacqueline had a strong taste for mountain stream water. It seemed like we were stopping the car every time we passed a stream so she could run out and fill up a jar. I jokingly reminded her that bears were peeing in it upstream.

 

 

 

Back to the present. Its holiday time.

Just wondering, is it time yet?

I love holidays so much I start planing way too early. Hard to believe that Halloween is still two weeks away. Gee, I made these scary pumpkin faces years ago and just noticed I created a Wonder Woman fang design with the WW logo.

More to come.

Catching up with some long delayed posts.

I hate to dwell on the subject but crappy health has been keeping me indoors way too much. And every time I turn around I find Ruff and Bessie taking naps behind me like this small den has become their new whole world. 

So while I have been posting little tidbits on my Facebook page to keep my Rottie fans happy, I have been reminiscing about a lot of the good old days. Here is a recap of some of my posts.

Memories of some wonderful vacations while working for Pan Am

Memories are made of this. 30 years working for Pan Am gave us some of the best vacation trips anyone could ask for. Flying Stand-By in First Class was as memorable an experience as the destinations themselves. Modern day flying with plastic-wrapped meals cannot compare to the delight of having a Flight Attendant arrive at your seat with a serving cart and cutting board like the first photo. So off to our first destination: Hawaii.

On to the Island of Kauai a most unexpected find, The Grand Canyon of the Pacific. And our helicopter ride hit all the right notes when it swooped over it.

The Nightly Sign Off

Signing off at the end of the day has given me a chance to share some of the many photos of our sleeping beauties. 

Its getting very late and I'll have to say Good Night. Ruff is already sound asleep and I have to wake him to get him into his bed.

Well, another day has come to an end. So its time to call it a night. Good Night everyone.

And some lighter notes.

 I just found another photo of me singing to one of my Rottweilers. It so happens its also Sassy who was also in the previous singing photo. In both cases it looks spontaneous so I cannot explain it but she was a special little girl. Both photos were taken in 2007.

And in the meantime there is this

My two constant companions have taken up residence in my den because that's where we spend most of the day. They sleep snuggled up together and sometimes Bess wiggles her way under my computer table to dose off to sleep.

More catch up to come