Mon, 24 Mar 2003 17:14:26 -0700 - from Boni

Hi Mag - We drove to Phoenix and met Vesna & Martin at a new dogpark in Phoenix --- they drove from San Diego to meet us. They brought Clyde, a minpin they adopted from IMPS last year.

They are just tickled to have her in their life, and are changing her name to "Bonnie".

Here are a few pictures of Ellie-Mae (Bonnie), Clyde and her new family, Vesna & Martin. All the dogs (we brought both Cricket & Dancer) had a wonderful time in the dog park and slept like rocks all the way home.

Ellie gets a hug from new mama, Vesna.

Vesna and Ellie ("Bonnie"), Martin & Clyde

Vesna just loves her 2nd new minpin!

"You check the front, and I'll check back here" says Dancer to Ellie as they meet a friendly boxer at dogpark in Phoenix!

Boni
Abby & Basco (the doberkids)
Cricket & Dancer (the minpins)
Rio Rancho, NM

Thu, 16 Feb 2006 11:41:52 -0700 - from Boni

Maggie - I get the digest and decided to send you these pictures I took of the six fatties that we rescued from Valencia County. I was called by the chihuahua rescue lady who works at that shelter. A woman was getting divorced and couldn't handle the stress of everything, so she surrendered her six minpins. Judy knew that I got my first minpin from IMPS and called me. She also knows that I work with Fran, the local IMPS rep here in the Albuquerque area.

We didn't want the six fat minpins at the shelter, so arrangements were made to board them overnight at a vet clinic. They got their rabies vaccine and I made arrangements to pick them up the following day and move them to a boarding kennel for a couple days.

Judy had warned me that they were extremely obese -- and she wasn't kidding. With all the talk on the IMPS list about fat minpins, I just had to share these photos. I took 3 crates with me and we barely squeezed them in!! The smallest minpin was 22 lbs and the largest was 36 lbs. Judy described them as "June Bugs" but I thought they more resembled really fat ticks. It is so awful to look at that it makes you laugh.

Fran now has these girls, and she has prospecitve homes for 2 of them already. I used larger crates to transport them to Fran and she is now fostering them here in Albuquerque.

Enjoy the pics and feel free to forward my post to the saluki list so everyone will check out the photo page to see these fat girls. They are all spayed. But they had never eaten dog food before...they only ate people food. The youngest 3 are about 4 years old and the senior girl is probably 10-12 yrs of age. Clover, aka Moose, is the biggest of them all.

Take care,

Boni
Doberman Rescue of NM
Abby & Basco (the doberkids),
Cricket & Dancer (the rescued minpins)

Wed, 27 Sep 2006 06:53:29 -0600 - from Boni

I have a permanent foster at my home, Tink (short for Tinkerbell) is a tiny, 7 lb miniature pinscher that I got from Animal Humane. Her tail was docked too short when she was younger and she has nerve damage in her rectal area. She poops when she is "full" and it hurts every time... kinda like chapped lips cracking in that area. There is no surgical method to fix this...I've consulted a couple vets. So she is on stool softeners and seems to be enjoying life at our home...as long as I don't touch her butt. When she seems to be more uncomfortable than not, I will help her cross the Rainbow Bridge -- meanwhile, she is enjoying life at our house. She loves her crates and plays with Billy. Her favorite sleeping spot is next to his ankles under the covers.

Last night, my husband and I were watching a video and eating some Belgian Waffles with a tall glass of milk to wash it down.

Tink came in and hopped up on Billy's lap - she just adores him. He was finishing his milk when she barked at him and looked at the glass. He tipped it slightly and I saw a KODAK moment before my eyes!!

These are kinda cute, I think. And yes, I use a dishwasher to sanitize my glasses and dishes!! :-)

Boni G

Fri, 7 Mar 2008 03:34:16 -0700 - from Boni

Tink is a minpin that I got from Judy B of Quixote Humane almost 2 years ago. She had rescued her from AHANM in April 2006 (formerly known as Natalie) and gave her to me. Tink had some significant health issues, so I kept her.

Tink joined our family in April 2006. She arrived at the shelter as a stray and was about 5-6 years of age. Her tail had been docked almost flush to her body, resulting in nerve damage that affected evacuation of her bowels. (Her anus never seemed to look closed, always looking raw and chapped.) Every time she had a BM, she cried. She also had luxating patellas in both of her back legs. She looked like a crab when she would run around with her legs half bent in a squatting position. I had her examined by two different veterinarians, and there was nothing that could be done. They recommended euthanasia.

I decided to give her a comfortable life until the quality deteriorated significantly. She had been a breeder dog at one point, and I can't imagine the discomfort she experienced whelping puppies in her condition. We gave her stool softeners and added fiber in her diet.

She preferred to spend much of her time either in her crate or in one of the many dog beds we have in the house, usually buried under the blankets. You could hardly notice when she was under a blanket because she was so tiny, she barely made a lump underneath.

One time she was accidentally rolled up in the sheets/blankets off our bed when we pulled them off to do laundry. We couldn't find her and checked the pile of linens in the laundry room. We started pulling the blankets up and apart and out she rolled. She was perfectly content wrapped up in her snuggly blankets on the floor!

Last week it was obvious that Tink was in more discomfort than we had seen. She couldn't get comfortable and was constantly licking at her bottom. She had also started losing her hair and her skin was getting rough. I felt it best to allow her to cross The Rainbow Bridge before she became more uncomfortable.

We were able to give her almost 2 years of pampered life in our home. She adored my husband, Billy and would squeal with happiness when he got home from work. He was her favorite person. She loved special snacks, especially ice cream. Billy once let her lick the last of the milk out of his glass. Her head was so tiny she was able to reach all the way to the bottom!

She was a special needs little girl and we enjoyed sharing part of our life with her. I know that she is free of the pain of her past and will be waiting for us when we cross the Bridge some day.

Boni G