Underdog

I love the underdog. The one who is destined to fail. The one who is unpopular. Or funny looking. Or whatever cliche you want insert here. I will rally behind the underdog because I have faith that the underdog can, and will, kick a little ass. And when that happens, I will be there with tissue box in one hand, pom pom in the other, and will cheer like the high school cheerleader that I am was.

My husband also shares in my love for the underdog. The first time I fully realized this was the day he brought home a Christmas tree. Picture Charlie Brown's tree. Or as our neighbor put it, a 2x4 with lights wrapped around it. It was the saddest tree on the lot and Gary knew he had to bring it home. So it came to our house to live out it's Christmas tree destiny. Displayed in our front window, the tree (and Gary) was mocked endlessly. But it didn't matter all that much to us.

A year and a half ago, I met a dog named Chloe at the shelter. I wrote a blog about her, which you can read here. This is how she looked the first day that I met her:

The shelter did a great job nursing her back to health and putting some meat on her bones. She found a home with a sweet young woman who took very good care of her for a year and a half. Unfortunately, life has thrown a curve ball and she is no longer able to keep Chloe (who is now named Jozy). Through no fault of her own, Jozy has found her way back to the shelter where she is hoping that the third time is the charm.

Some friends at the shelter let me know that Jozy was coming back today. I wanted to stop by and say hi and to get some new photos of my old friend. You see, I sort of fell in love with her the first time I met her.

A year and a half later, I found myself in the familiar place of taking her portrait, hoping that it will find her a new Forever Home. I was able to spend some quality time with her today and am so glad that I did. Would you like to see how Jozy is doing now? I thought you might.

HI!!!!! I'm Jozy!!!!!

I have a bad habit of examining animals when I first meet them.

My exams always start with the head and the first thing I noticed about Jozy?

Sparkling white teeth. None of my animals have teeth this nice.

None.

And of course there is the obvious scarring, the result of injury and neglect from her previous, previous owner.

My daughter pointed out that she has a constellation on her side.

Which looks much better now than when I first saw her:

Jozy had just been placed in her habitat when I came in to photograph her. She was a little anxious and liked to look out the window to see what was going on. 

I tried to break the ice by telling her a joke. She thinks I'm hilarious.

Not really.

Sorry to bore you, Joz.

Thanks for the smile.

 And for pricking up your cute little ears.

And for this lovely profile shot

(again, notice the sparkly teeth!).

But promise to not look at her toes, as she could use a pedicure.

I have tried to paint my dogs' toenails. It didn't go so well.

Our photography time was briefly interrupted by a group of kids who were on a tour.

I think Jozy enjoyed their company.

She was kinda sick of me anyway.

I wanted to stay with Jozy all day. She sat in my lap and licked my face. 

For the record, I am thoroughly disgusted by saliva. Especially dog saliva. 

Which has to do with the fact that my dogs like to find snacks in the litter box. 

But I digress.

Seriously, look at this adorable face!

Eventually, I packed up my things and headed out. But not before saying goodbye to Jozy one last time.

She may be an underdog, but she is a survivor.

I have faith that her perfect Forever Home is out there.

And I also have a box of tissues. Just in case...

*UPDATE* On July 29, 2012, Jozy was adopted by a most wonderful couple. I will be stalking am hoping that I can follow up with Jozy in her new home and bring you photos of her life in her Forever Home. Congratulations Jozy!!!

Blogging. Meh?

I used to blog. A lot. And now... not so much. I blogged about things like mac n' cheese in my baby's belly button or setting my scrubs on fire. I loved telling stupid stories and posting pictures to prove just how ridiculous my life can be. But then Facebook came along and it became oh-so-easy to slap a few photos on my wall. Not as satisfying to my inner Hemingway, but it got the job done.

A few weeks ago, I signed up for a bloggers luncheon at one of my favorite places, The Vintage Bricoleur. They had invited Courtney of French Country Cottage to speak. I admit that I am a rabid fan of her blog, where she posts the most beautiful photos of the DIY projects she completes in her lovely French-inspired home. Most of the time, she posts very detailed instructions on how to do it yourself in your own home. I am not very crafty. And I can't seem to suture fabric as neatly as I do the skin and assorted tissues of my patients. But her images and instructions inspire me to try, and I think my home is a little prettier because of it. Which is a tall order for a place that houses 4 dogs, 3 cats, 2 small children, a parrot and a very dirty and stinky husband (he works with cows - need I say more?).

The workshop was held in the old fruit shed of the High Hand Nursery in Loomis. If you haven't been there, you should treat yourself to a visit, because it is pretty amazing.

Isn't this space awesome! Anyone interested in a photo session there, please let me know because I am dying to shoot there!

Courtney did a wonderful job outlining various aspects of blogging - for fun and for profit. Turns out I "blog for bliss". As she spoke about different things, I was amazed by the comments and questions that flowed from the other attendees. They were intelligent. They were insightful. They were technical. And you know what? Most of the women (there were only women present) are my mother's age, or older. My mother, who just learned how to text on her phone. Ladies, please do not take this as an insult as it is intended as a compliment. I'm serious. You ran circles around me and my poor little pea brain. For example, meet Joy:

She is 80 years young and author of the blog The Olde Farmhouse. 

And talking here with Joy is Helen. She is the mother of Terry (owner of The Vintage Bricoleur) and author of her own blog, Wildberry Ranch.

The discussions were quite lively:

And if a question arose, people would jump on their laptops to find the answer.

If it appears that I spent a lot of time photographing Joy, you would be correct.

I was so mesmerized and inspired by this woman, I couldn't help myself.

Another person I found to be inspiring would be Kim Mazzei 

who is partnered at Not Too Shabby in Folsom. 

Kim, don't kill me for posting this photo. I love it because it shows your wild and crazy personality. Kim is a vibrant woman who touted, multiple times, "if you don't put yourself out there, nobody will". So true, so true. Any time that I am scared to post something for fear of what people will think, I will remember those words. And this picture of your beautiful self!

Of course, I can't go without saying that these two women inspire me:

On the left is Terry from The Vintage Bricoleur, and the right, Courtney from French Country Cottage. Terry is genuine and kind. One thing I love about her? She remembers people's names. Do you know how cool it is to walk into her store and hear "Hi Nicole, how are you?"? Personally, I love it. I also love strolling through her store, looking at all of her vintage pieces which have stories to be told. 

And Courtney. What a dynamic woman! Can you believe she has a 19 year old son? She has been blogging professionally for only a couple of years, but she has definitely made her mark. I look forward to each and every one of her posts, complete with the beautiful images from her home.

Courtney, you are FABULOUS!

Some wonderful, unexpected goodies came along with the luncheon.

Of course, there was a box lunch, courtesy of High Hand.

I had the vegetarian option, which was a most delicious salad, complete with mixed greens and grilled corn. And the most heavenly lemon vinegarette dressing. 

I'm pretty sure most everything I ate came direct from the High Hand nursery.

Each person received a lavender sachet.

I have left mine in my camera bag, to help calm and relax me
after a long session of shooting.

Perhaps the most appreciated gift of all was the neck massage from Connie Spade.

In five minutes, this woman managed to melt away months of tension that I have stored in my neck and shoulders.

Here she is, massaging the hands of one of the luncheon attendees.

She'll come to your home, and I'm thinking about having her over very soon.

If you would like to escape for a little while, please call her at (916) 410-4884. 

I can happily say that I came away from this luncheon with so much more than I had anticipated. I was hoping to rediscover a love for blogging... which I have. The tricky part will be keeping up the motivation to post more regularly. After meeting such an amazing group of women, I am hopeful that I will be able to do just that. 

Thank you again Terry and Courtney. 

I am already looking forward to the next one!

Doctor Feelgood

A couple of weeks ago, I received a text from my friend at the shelter that said "wanna save a life?". My response? "Oh shit". I was afraid that it would involve something like fostering a litter of baby opossums or performing surgery in my garage because there wasn't money available to do it in a real clinic.

Her request was simple: perform physical examinations on 2 cats. A woman had just moved to an assisted living facility and needed a veterinarian to sign off that her cats were healthy. The problem was that this woman did not have the money to pay for a trip to the vet's office. And she was panicked that she would have to find a new home for her little friends.

That's it?!?!? No bottle feeding baby rodents in the middle of the night? No trying to keep spiders out of my incision? Just a couple of PEs? Well I could do that. So I packed my stethoscope and my two fine assistants kids into the car and headed out. Nancy was so nice and incredibly grateful. And her cats? Adorable. Especially Lil' Guy, who likes to eat ice cream out of a bowl. With his paw. But shhhhhhhh, don't tell the vet.

In exchange for my professional service, I asked one favor: to photograph Nancy with one of her cats. As it turns out, my friends at The Chester Foundation were looking to update their website and needed a new photo. And since this foundation aims to help people like Nancy, I thought it would be perfect. Nancy was so gracious and said yes. So here she is with her adorable ice-cream-eating Lil' Guy:

I donate a portion of every Pet Session to The Chester Foundation because I feel very strongly that no animal should be denied emergency veterinary care for the sole reason that there is no money to pay for it. And that is exactly the idea that The Chester Foundation was founded upon. You can read more here and I'm sure you will agree that it is quite an amazing thing they are doing.

Nancy thanked me countless times for my help. But I'm not sure that I thanked her back. Because what she gave me in return was priceless. For the first time in a very long time, I remembered why I loved being a veterinarian. And it felt really, really good.

Every little thing is gonna be all right...

A friend once made the comment "ALWAYS bring tissue to read Nicole's blog... ALWAYS!!". I hate to think that I make people cry. I prefer to make people happy. Sometimes I make people laugh, but that is usually unintentional and due to my own buffoonery.

I'll be honest with you. This post will infuriate you and likely make you cry. And for that I will apologize in advance. My purpose is not to make you sad or angry, but to fill you with hope. Because these little guys sure deserve it.

I'd like to introduce you to two very special dogs:

Meet Shadow and Baby... aren't they adorable? Cute little dogs, snuggled together in their little bed. Enough to make anyone's heart melt, wouldn't you say? They met at the shelter and have formed an unbreakable bond.

Here comes the infuriating part: both dogs have suffered heinous, unspeakable abuse. I will not reveal that details of their abuse, because it is not my place to do so. But what I can tell you is that the sick son-of-a-bitch who abused one of these dogs is in jail. For TEN years. And it is perhaps the first time that Jessica's Law has ever been applied in the case of animal abuse. Personally, I am hoping that Karma does truly exist and that she is as big of a bitch as everybody says that she is. 

The verdict in this case is a huge victory for Shadow, for Baby, and for animals everywhere. And it was all made possible because of the remarkable work done by the officers, veterinarian and staff at Sacramento Animal Control and Regulation. Not to mention the district attorney's office who successfully prosecuted this case. Thankfully, justice was most definitely served.

Shadow and Baby have been under the care of a wonderful foster mom. A friend of mine, I can personally attest to how much she has done to care for these two. To provide them with a life that is as normal as can possibly be. And now, with the case closed, comes the bittersweet time where they have been cleared for adoption. Bitter, because these dogs have weaved themselves into our lives and it is almost unthinkable to let them go. Sweet because the thought of them living in their Forever Home with a family who loves them is enough to make my heart burst. 

The purpose of this post is not to make you feel sorry for Shadow and Baby. Don't you dare feel sorry for them. Yes, they have a horrendous past, but it is long behind them. And their future is so bright... The purpose of this post is to introduce Shadow and Baby to as many people possible with the hopes that their future family is out there and is ready to bring them home.

Recently, I spent the morning with these two kids and their foster mom to try and get some photos to show you what amazing little creatures Shadow and Baby are. Would you like to get to know them a little better? I thought that you might.

Here they go, on one of their many daily walks:

They have their own yard at the shelter to do their business

(they are potty trained)

and to catch a breath of fresh air.

All this cuteness is hard work, you know.

This is Shadow. 

He is the quieter of the two and is very, very shy.

Physically, Shadow is the picture of health and there are no signs of the internal injuries he sustained at his previous home.

He does have emotional issues secondary to the abuse that he has suffered - he is

wary of new situations and people, and will run and hide if worried.

And this here is Baby.

She is outgoing and silly. And with her scruffy hair and underbite,

she is a girl after my own heart.

She has some subtle physical signs of her abuse - she occasionally hops on

one of her back legs. She may also have future issues with arthritis as

she suffered a serious pelvic fracture in her previous home.

Baby is Shadow's protector... nothing happens to him without her knowing about it.

Their foster mom tells me that when Shadow was neutered, the vet staff asked if

Baby could stay with him as Shadow was nervous all by himself.

Baby was right by his side the entire time, and was even sitting on top of him while he

recovered from anesthesia.

Most of their day is spent working with their foster mom.

As she sits at her desk and works, Shadow and Baby wander between their four dog beds. 

When it's business as usual, they take a quick nap. In the same bed.

But when their foster mom so much as glances in their direction,

they are at her feet, ready to receive plenty of love and affection.

The rest of the time, they just do regular dog stuff.

 Like sing a tune.

Or dance a jig.

Or take care of business.

Or warm mama's lap.

You see, they are just like any other dog.

 Shadow, with his floppy ear.

And Baby with her mohawk.

 They have history.

But more importantly, they have a future.

If you are interested in adopting Shadow and Baby, there are some important conditions to be met:

1) They are to be adopted together as they are strongly bonded to each other. They are each other's support system.

2) Prospective adopters will be thoroughly screened to ensure the best possible placement. This will include a home check if the adopter is a person not known to the shelter. I am pretty sure that their foster mom will be a part of this screening process. And believe you me, she is tough. These dogs will not go home with just anyone.

3) If the adoption does not work out for any reason, BOTH dogs must be returned to the shelter and to the shelter only.

If you have questions about Shadow and Baby, please contact Laura Badeker at (916) 876-7657.

Please share this post with any person that you think might be the perfect Forever Family for these two special dogs.

I'll let you know when they have found their new home. I plan to make a trip over there because this is one chapter of Forever Home that I can't wait to write.

*Update 6/8/12 - With great happiness, I can report that Shadow and Baby left the shelter today for their Forever Home. Their new mommy is wonderful... I haven't met her, but from the photo I have seen, I can tell that she has much kindness in her heart. I hope some day that I can meet her and give her a big hug and a thank you for bringing these two kids into her life. And you can bet your bottom dollar that I will be making my way over to their new home (along with their longtime foster mommy) to take some photos of their new life. This is a good great day!

Mercy

I sure am glad to be alive today. 

Yesterday I photographed this:

and this:

I almost died of cuteness overload.