Daycare April 11

Hey Everybody!

In honor of our recently acquired donation, todays blog stars the one, the only, Domino-Pomino :)

Our precious Domino comes to daycare everyday. She is such a regular that she has her own spot on the couch. If you are looking into the lounge from the lobby it is the spot out of the sun all the way to right but not quite in the corner and if you ask her, Yes... it has her name on it. When Domino has the unfortunate task, due to her Dad's early classes, of coming in to the Paw at the ungodly hour of 9 am-ish she enters the lobby half asleep and yawning her head off. She slowly walks into the lounge and WHAM! ... she is hit slam into the wall by an over-eager, totally in love, Rocco. You may not know this, but Domino is the President of the Friend Committee. She didnt choose this role but if you watch the web-cams carefully you'll see why she has it. Domino is everyones best friend. When she enters the daycare room, its an event and when dogs get picked up at night and their owners ask "who did they play with?" one of the most common answers is "Domino-Pomino". We even interviewed a few pups to see what they had to say about her.

Paw: "Marlon, who would you say is you best friend here at daycare?"
Marlon: "Well, I dont want to be mean... and I really love everyone but I do seem to have an amazing time with Domino. She been here since my first day and she plays great!"

Paw: "How about you Olive, who's, your favorite?"
Olive: "Omg! Ijusluvevybdy! Ofcrs, Domsjesgreat! " (hope you got that, she talks pretty fast)

Paw: "And you Rocco? How do you feel about Domino?"
Rocco: "She's...... so..... fun....!"

Rocco is mid play with Domino as we speak so is unable to comment at length but I think you get the point. Nip, nip, chase, STOP, bark bark, nip, chase... it goes on and on, Domino giving each of her friends a chance to play with her ... until suddenly.... YAaaaaWN... its nap time again, back in that special corner she calls her own.

Thanks Domino for being the awesome dog you are and thanks Bob for your very generous donation to a basset in need.

An Angel Visited Us Today...

If you have been following along in the Blog, you know we have been trying desperately to raise funds to save Rupert, our newest rescued basset. To date, we have raised only $200 which doesn't cover his current vet bills...and he still needs surgery!

We were all feeling a little dejected when today, the most amazing thing happened. Domino, a gorgeous English Setter who frequents Metropawlitan Dog, and her parents got together and decided to do something. As Domino was picked up for daycare, her parents told us they had a surprise for us....and boy, were we surprised! They very generously donated $500 to help us save Rupert!!! Let's be honest, the entire Metropawlitan Staff nearly broke down into tears when we got the news...We have some more fundraising to do, but this amazing gift helps so tremendously and we are so grateful.

Thank you to Domino (we know she was behind this!) and her amazing parents, Bob and Linda. We are truly blessed to receive this gift. Rupert thanks you too from the bottom of his doggy heart. Words cannot express our gratitude. Rupert will express his gratitude with doggy kisses for everyone tomorrow at daycare!

Thank you so much!

Daycare April 10

One day, with the sun shining and the dogs barking, Olive came to her first day at the Paw. She entered the daycare room a little unsure and frightened of the other dogs. What was this place? Who were all these dogs and why were they barking at her? Who were these people and why were they gushing over her? She hid under a bench and started working through the possibilities. Maybe this was the initiation to the Paw dog club. Like if you can stand the barking for long enough, your in... but that wouldnt explain the people gushing. Maybe she had lost a tooth ... but that wouldnt explain the dogs barking. Gasp! Maybe she had poop on her nose! How embarassing!... but no, that wasnt it either. She left for home that day still confused.

On her third or fourth day at daycare Olive, still a little worried, watched as a brother/sister pair, Bella and Radar, entered the room. From the moment she saw them, she knew... these are my sole mates! She burst from under the bench and ran straight over to them. Radar smelled great but Bella... WOW! She had never met a dog so wonderful in her life and regardless of Bella's reserved personality, she knew she felt the same way about her. She started talking so fast she couldnt get all the words out ... "Omigosh! mynumisOlive an iluvyou!" And you know what!? Bella loved her too! In fact, everyone loved her... ie the barking, ie the gushing. It all made sense now and her Bella let her see it all. She vowed to spend the rest of her paying Bella back for this gift with a million kisses... more if she could count any higher :)

Now that Olive is an old hand at the daycare thing she has become very involved in many of the daycare activities. In fact, as of a week ago, she was appointed the new head of the welcome crew (a title she practices heavily on her greatest love Bella every Thursday). She is also working her way up the ladder in puppy class.. her goal, of course, to become the best and teach Bella everything she knows.

Daycare April 09

Wow! So this is blogging! Hello all!

Today was a nice busy day here at the Paw. So busy, in fact, that as I look into the lounge my eyes fall on a bunch of sleeping angels. Rocco, Vegas and Stella (pictured to the right) are all dozing in a pack under the ray of sun from the window... sooooo sweet... until I accidentally woke them up by trying to take their picture! Still sweet, but now very much awake.... oops :) Among the loungers is a new member to our family, Nacho. Nacho, is a superbly adorable Cavelier that love LOVES me whenever I come in the room. We have a very special connection that Im sure has nothing to do with me being the only person she sees all day... right?

In the big room, big mama MJ is patrolling. She checks the street out the daycare window... good, nobody loitering. Then she checks on her BFF Bella (recovering in her crate) ... good, not fidgeting with her cone. Then she mosies on over to Maritza to make sure she still loves her... yup, she does (duh!) and finally she checks the food and cleaning closets to make sure she can still open both doors easily... perfect, not a problem at all! Time to get back to playing :) Now where are those boyfriends of mine... Duke!! Blue!! Of course they come running.

While that is taking place, Otis and Argos are having their own little love fest. Otis, entering daycare late today, is fresh meat and very lively. Argos, with enough energy of his own to spare, cant get enough of the puppy airdale and his crazy ways. Up in the air, mouths together, running, running, Gotcha! Both dogs roll to the floor, wrestling for the championship. Whose to say who will win... Ill have to ask Maritza later.

Thats it for today! Until next time...

Help Us Save Rupert!

As you may or may not know, we at The Collared Scholar run a rescue and rehabilitation program to help save dogs in need. Recently we took in a dog named Rupert. Rupert is a Basset Hound puppy who was in terrible shape when he entered our program. He was lame in his back leg, had internal parasites and he wouldn't eat. We tried coaxing him with all sorts of goodies for days but by the end of the 5th day, Rupert was skinny and needed medical treatment.

Rupert was immediately hospitalized and placed on IV antibiotics, pain medication for his leg and IV fluids. The next day, we received bad news. Rupert still wasn't eating and had gone lame in a second leg. The vets suspected an infection of the blood that had settled into his joints and caused high fever and lameness.

With the help and care of the loving vet staff at Rancho San Carlos Vet Clinic, Rupert made a full recovery. However, his care and treatment cost our tiny rescue a fortune.

We at The Collared Scholar believe you can't put a price tag on life, so we made a down payment on the bill and are now accepting donations to help cover our costs. To date, we have raised $200. Ruperts bill was $1200 and he still requires a dental cleaning and tooth extraction as several of his rear molars are seriously infected. If you can help, please call us at 619-233-1005. Thanks in advance for your generosity!

Upcoming Events!

Join The Collared Scholar at the following events!

Woofstock 2008 - Saturday April 12th at Balboa Park

The day begins with the Peace, Love, and Walk ’n Roll healthy mile fun dog walk to help raise funds for Canine Companions for Independence. After the walk, the Festival begins! There will be live music, munchies, and shopping for unique pet products. Watch exciting demonstrations of Disc Dogs, Flyball, and Canine Freestyle and learn more about these wonderful sports. See working dogs in action. Wear your 60’s threads to compete in the Grooviest 60’s Costume contest, and fish for prizes in the fun zone for kids. Win great prizes in our hourly opportunity drawings! Festival admission is $5 (free to registered walk participants), and includes an opportunity drawing ticket. Parking is free, and admission is free for children 10 years of age and under.

The San Diego Humane Society Walk for Animals - Saturday May 3rd at Crown Point Shores

Enjoy a morning filled with a beautiful walk around Crown Point Shores, eating pancakes, enjoying our vendor village, and taking part in fun activities for pets and people alike. For more information or to register for the walk, visit http://www.sdhumane.org