AUGUST 22, 2020
It was only a matter of time before the stork showed up at Crazy Town.
He brought a tiny baby girl and a slightly less tiny baby boy and asked if I’d give them a chance. They are part of a litter of 7 puppies delivered prematurely via cesarian after their mommy got hit by a car. She is recovering, but she doesn’t have enough milk.
Ellen and I discussed it and said, “who are we to say no to the stork?!”
Soon after our agreement, however, it was discovered baby Al had departed for the Rainbow Bridge. I wish we’d all gotten to see him grow up, but these babies are so fragile, they have questionable genetics, and unfortunately death is part of the gamble when you sign on for love. Al Einstein was born into 2020, he smelled the calamity, and left. But he was here. He lived. He occupied space in my home and my heart. And clearly he was wise.
Initially weighing in at a mere 7oz, his tiny tenacious sister is hanging in! She is a voracious eater and has a strong latch. She has a healthy little ‘tude, and she’s quite capable of telling me when she’s hungry, dissatisfied, or needs a snuggle. She is unable to regulate her body temperature, and as her makeshift bassinet is by my bed, I have found myself adjusting to sleeping without the fan, which I have used, religiously, every night since I was a child.
The black pearl is known for being a sign of love and wisdom, a healer of wounded hearts, and is said to be formed inside the heads of dragons.
She is precious and she is fierce.
Everyone, this is Pearl.
AUGUST 23, 2020
Baby Pearl continues to fight the good fight. Because she is so tiny and I have a few opinions about bottles made for animals, I found myself on the phone with Buy Buy Baby yesterday morning:
“Hello. Buy Buy Baby, this is Liz.”
“Good morning, Liz, my name is Ani and I need to talk to you about your nipples.”
After an awkward pause and explaining myself, she kindly recruited a fellow employee named Kahmaad to help me. He was on the phone with me while he perused the aisle and found some premie nipples which he assessed to be smaller than the ones I already own. I told him what I wanted and he left it at the customer service desk so I could just come and pick it up.
Liz was there at the desk when I arrived and as I was waiting for my turn I noticed a male employee coming around the corner. He had the eyes of someone who probably wears a smile under his mask. I confirmed that he was, in fact, bottle baby hero Kahmaad, and I was able to thank him for his heroic service to the homeless animals. As we all stood around the desk, we had a big laugh when the group became aware of how the phone call started. I thanked them profusely, told Liz she had nice nipples, and darted back to Pearl.
At home in the nursery I had two other (diametrically opposed) litter mates I was babysitting. The tiny boy weighed 6oz and the big chunker (who looks just like baby Lenny) was over 11! Fat boy was hungry every hour.
Sadly, the tiny boy took a turn for the worse. I caught it in time and was able to revive him, but he ultimately did not make it. He had already been saved once this week and I just think he had failure to thrive. He was tiny even compared to Pearl.
I am inspired by his valiant fight, though, and I will be forever grateful to him for all he taught me. His life, short and fragile though it was, meant a great deal to me.
Mister Fat Butt went back to his foster mommy this morning to try to stimulate mama dog’s milk supply. Let me tell you he is well suited to the task and if anyone can get milk flowing, it is he.
Today Pearl is resting up. She has her first day of work in the morning.
AUGUST 26, 2020
I thought pretty Pearl needed a pudgy pink pig to snuggle with. It came today. Let’s just say there’s room to grow…
Happy National Dog Day, but frankly it’s always dog day in Crazy Town!
AUGUST 27, 2020 – VIDEO UPDATE
https://www.facebook.com/AnisOrphans/videos/824039291467085/
AUGUST 28, 2020
“Pearl goes to work.”
Ben is my heart. We have spent copious amounts of time together since COVID cancelled life, and I’d say we have a relationship founded on mutual respect, love, and burping. Ani’s homeschool curriculum has consisted of things like working on functional skills and independence, understanding our emotions, social skills, and….
…SMALL ANIMAL CARE!
Ben has met and played with just about every foster that has been through here since March. He has a way of meeting the animals that is uniquely his: he befriends them by asking if they like the matchbox cars he always has in hand. As you might guess, every one of them has given him some indication that they too like the toys, and instantly a friendship is born.
Ben and Pearl were fast friends, and today, the day she reached (and exceeded!) ONE WHOLE POUND of body weight, Ben wanted to hold her.
For a million reasons, I am proud of him. I love how he loves animals.
AUGUST 30, 2020
Just a couple days shy of her 2nd week on earth and just a few ounces short of 2 pounds, my pretty Pearl became poopy Pearl and today she had to have her first baby wipe bath. She thought it was the pits and says that she will not be doing that again!
Normally babies Pearl’s age only poop when stimulated by mom (or me) but Pearl is on an odd pooping schedule, occasionally pooping JUST after I’ve given up and put her back in her bed.
Let it be known that my girl, my Pearl — she’s advanced!
AUGUST 31, 2020
Pearl has brought back so many sweet memories of Ellen and Lenny when they were her size.
Lenny, always bigger than the rest, was the “bottle finisher.” He drank his own bottle and then finished whatever Ellen and Pickles did not consume. He continued that habit well into weening and he still cleans everyone’s bowls as though it is his most important job.
When Ellen was Pearl’s age, I’d go to the whelping box to wake her and then pick her up. The second I touched her, she’d start suckling the air as fast as she could. I couldn’t get the nipple in her mouth soon enough. She knew my hands meant food.
I guess it’s no surprise they both ended up with slow feeder bowls.
It’s special to lay in bed with them and snuggle and remember, and think of how far we’ve come while the baby Pearl sleeps in her warm baby bed beside us.
I am better for Pearl because of Lenny and Ellen (and the Piddle!!)
My babies showed me the way.
SEPTEMBER 1, 2020 – HAPPY 2 WEEKS VIDEO UPDATE
SEPTEMBER 5, 2020
I have been trying for 3 days to get decent documentation of the opening of Pearl’s eyes.
When awoken, Puppies of Pearl’s age are designed to root around for a nipple, so naturally it is a challenge to get a still photo of of a 2.5 week old Pearl, let alone one of her eyes.
Ellen really wanted to show off her baby, so here’s the best video production we can offer.
Welcome to the seeing world, Pearl. I’m sure you sensed that you were (practically)
born into the nuthouse, but this is what we look like!
SEPTEMBER 6, 2020
I was hesitant to start telling Pearl’s story when I did. She and her litter mates were born prematurely, after all, and by cesarian. The odds weren’t that good. I knew there was a chance I would have to report bad news, and I wasn’t sure if I was being irresponsible.
I decided to write about the puppies that didn’t make it because I felt that by doing so I honored and acknowledged their lives. Everyone has a story, even if it is a short one.
After Fat Butt went back to mama, Pearl was the only one left with me. I could choose the safety of keeping her life hidden from the public, or I could believe in her and tell her story.
I chose the latter.
At just 7oz, Pearl had a strong suckling reflex and was vocal and active and full of life. Many preemie babies of that size would have needed tube feeding until they grew a bit, but not my Pearl. She wanted to live.
Just a couple weeks later and she is growing like a weed. She has an attitude about her— she never fails to tell me when she needs something. She hates to be hot and as she’s regulating her own body temperature now, she doesn’t need to be warmed.
Pearl wouldn’t poop for a few days at the beginning and it had me a little worried. I had never had a newborn that I couldn’t get to poop. It is one of the most gratifying parts of hand rearing a dog and I couldn’t get her started. But Lenny, my big old sensitive goof, kept coming around during potty times and watched and lingered and obviously wanted to help.
I invited him over. Lenny instinctually knew what to do and he got Pearl to poop for the first time. My babies are becoming incredible partners when they aren’t helping Rio shred the mail.
Of course Pearl is still fragile, but we won’t be telling her that. Her tenacity won’t allow it.
Look at that healthy attitude. She’s showing you that she’s going to get her first manicure today… after breakfast!
SEPTEMBER 7, 2020
Lenny came to my aid this evening when he heard Pearl pitching a fit.
In this video Pearl has decided she’s outgrown her current bottle situation (does not hold enough for her fat ass) and is campaigning for a bigger nipple.
This is hangry Pearl and helpful Lenny.
https://www.facebook.com/AnisOrphans/videos/757009031799812/
SEPTEMBER 8, 2020
On August 18th I didn’t know that tonight I’d be in my kitchen sink having strong feelings about bottle brushes.
Three Tuesdays ago, Pearl made her premature and abrupt entrance into the world on a surgical table. I don’t know her birth weight, but when she arrived here 2 days later, she was a mere 7 ounces. I had never cared for a baby so tiny.
Today she is as feisty, strong, and opinionated as ever. At well over 2 pounds, she has spent the last couple of days protesting her living space, asserting that it is for “babies.”
Luckily for her, the mom has been on the hunt for an upgrade, and today Pearl and her piggy and Farley’s puppy all moved into a Pack-n-Play.
She’s beginning to walk and potty on her own now (cue the laundry) and she is full of personality. The girls of Crazy Town really believe in charisma!
Weaning will be here before we know it.
My once tiny girl is becoming a dog.
https://www.facebook.com/AnisOrphans/videos/351848719530008/
SEPTEMBER 10, 2020
Ellen woke Pearl up a little before feeding time, so I took the opportunity to try and get some pictures.
Our girl is on the move; she is strong. Even when she is still, she is moving. Pearl photography is a bit of a challenge.
Sometimes I wish I could capture flawless, professional photos for you, and then write a post that is inspiring and poignant and captivating that makes you contemplate whether you want to adopt my foster, but I just don’t always have time to lurk around waiting for that perfect photo op. Many times I am writing late at night, or quickly between tasks, or from my respite: the can. Sometimes I am lucky and I get to sit down to think first, but usually I am just reporting in on the fly, shooting from the hip while wearing at least a faint skid mark somewhere on my person.
I used to think perfection was a good aim, but it is paralyzing and unapproachable and severely lacking in authenticity, not to mention unattainable. Crazy Town is perfect to me just the way it is — warts, poop, flawed mom and all! I am learning and I am growing and I live by the “better tomorrow than I was today” mentality. By those measures, I am successful.
And on that note, maybe tomorrow I’ll be able to get you some better pictures of the tiny dragon who sleeps by my bed. But for today, and in the spirit of this post, here are some mediocre ones.
This girl is such a looker, she’s cute even when she’s out of focus!!
EDIT: The original version of this post was evidently (and not at all on purpose) posted to my personal page. I am finding it so perfect that I messed up a post about perfection that I’m leaving it there and reposting it here with additional shitty pictures!
SEPTEMBER 11, 2020
There is a trade off with bottle babies. Yes, it is exhausting for the first couple of weeks because they feed so often. Then there’s a lot of poop and a lot of laundry, and a lot of wondering about the future.
But in return I get to witness all the milestones that come prior to adoption—all the things that most dog parents don’t get to see. This is special and it is one of the reasons I foster failed Ellen (and couldn’t say no when Lenny came back.) I know when Pearl’s umbilical cord fell off, I watched her learn to stand, and then walk; I’ve seen her beautiful Shepard-like markings emerge, I was the first person she saw when her eyes opened, and I gave the initial nail trim.
Today I must report in a very important milestone that occurred in the middle of the night when I was drifting back to sleep after a feeding. It is the first time I bore witness to this particular first.
Let the milestone record state that in the wee hours of Spetember 11th, at 12:46am to be exact, the Pretty Pearl released her first fart into the atmosphere.
Atta girl, Pearl!
SEPTEMBER 14, 2020
Pearl has decided that she can no longer be fully satiated by milk replacer alone and was introduced, by request, to the concept of feeding herself and using her fancy hot pink bowl last night.
Every puppy has to stand in it at first. It’s a rite of passage that I just accept and clean up after.
Lenny and Ellen were happy to finish up the leftovers and plan to assist with every future feeding until the day she’s adopted. The slurry seems to have magically reignited the flame of their feeding time helpfulness that had nearly burned out.
As I type this at 2:41am, I am celebrating that I’m back to being able to sleep through the night, but I’m evidently not capable of it yet.
September 15, 2020
FOUR-week-old Pearl wants everyone to know she is a grown up now.
Here she’s posing for the camera after a big romp around the room where she went under the bed, attempted to chew some cords, and shat twice.
Pearl is officially a puppy!
SEPTEMBER 17, 2020
I’m not really sure what they say to each other during these exchanges of puppy noises and odd Rio sounds, but as the two least potty trained dogs in the house, I’m fairly confident he’s encouraging her newfound love of pooping under my bed. She did it again tonight!
There is a reason I am invested in everyone having solid poops — it saves me time on the back end (so to speak.)
SEPTEMBER 17, 2020
Pearl wrangles her first wild beast!
https://www.facebook.com/AnisOrphans/videos/739131830001962/
SEPTEMBER 20, 2020
Thor’s making great headway in his recovery. He’s had his sutures removed, is walking well, but sadly the cone will remain a while longer. He is polite, potty trained, and perfect. And he is so gentle and calm around Pearl.
This crisp fall evening revealed that Thor is, perhaps, more of a warm weather dog. He was pitiful and shivering, so Pearl shared a blanket and we cranked up his heating pad, and there he laid, warm and content on his homemade orthopedic bed, fully unaware of his homelessness.
SEPTEMBER 21, 2020
The Pearl did her first 2 outdoor pees today AND has taken to the water bowl already. She is full of herself and curious about everything.
Peeing a lot. Still pooping under the bed.
She is the worst, but she is the best.
SEPTEMBER 22, 2020
I feel bad for Rio. He absolutely LOVES Pearl and wants to play with her, but she avoids him like the ‘rona.
Today she learned to climb stairs to get away.
This gives me a little chuckle, but it is so telling. Pearl knows that she is not safe around Rio — he is not steady and he wobbles; he makes a loud and abrupt entrance. I have avoided letting the two of them be in the same space alone as we all know Rio doesn’t fall gracefully and I really don’t want to take any chances of an incident.
But Pearl just keeps proving that she’s growing up; she is aware of her surroundings and she knows to ensure her own safety.
I still won’t be leaving it up to chance, but I know I’m on borrowed time. Pearl has made it clear that she’s ready to move out of her cramped sleeping quarters in the bedroom and into the vast expanse of the puppy room.
She’s already claimed her bed there.
SEPTEMBER 23, 2020
Pearl stalks and studies her prey from under the bed, then she darts out to do her big attacks.
Sometimes it’s Lenny; sometimes it’s my foot.
September 25, 2020
Pearl insisted that she have proper attire to attend her first birthday party this evening.
OCTOBER 5, 2020
Pearl has decided that Rio is a pretty fun playmate and that she no longer needs the safety of the partition that once divided the puppy room.
Short of all the bottles, I can’t take much credit for the rearing of my baby Pearl, for she has practically raised herself.
OCTOBER 5, 2020
I can’t decide whether this post is appropriate, but I like to dance the tightrope from time to time, and frankly I’m just the storyteller, covering the goings on of the animals in my care.
Our Pearl has an unusual gift.
She craps letters and numbers. She’s been creating masterpieces since around my birthday, and I have been sending these fecal facsimiles to her adopter several times a week. He, of course, was firm his intention, but after the first poo proclamation text, he felt solid in the decision; sure in his gut, and so did I.
At the receiving end of these texts is my own little brother, and I don’t know if any other future dad of Pearl could appreciate her stool stories quite as much as my own people. It’s as though she knew exactly what to do to fit in as a card carrying Cannon.
Pearl, The Cryptic Crapper, is staying in the family!
OCTOBER 7, 2020
Pearl went out for some practice on the leash this evening. She had a ball running around in the ditch. We didn’t quite make it to the street, but surely her enchantment with the grass will fade in time.
The fungus brothers enjoyed turkey tendons in the spacious outdoor isolation pen, happy as they could be. I will be introducing them by their names as soon as I get some acceptable pictures.
I cannot help but thank my lucky stars about the fortuitous weather patterns as of late. These guys have gotten to go outside just about every day. All beings benefit from fresh air and sunshine!
OCTOBER 10, 2020
Rio finally got her in the sack!
He doesn’t mind that he has to lay in her dinky bed without a proper place to rest his head; comfort is but a trivial matter when it comes to his love for Pearl.
With deafening squeals and avoidance behavior, Pearl taught Rio some important social skills. He had to tame his emphatic and somewhat barbaric approach to befriend and coax her out of hiding, and then he had to build her trust.
Now she’ll climb over him and wedge herself into position in her bed. Rio says, innocently, “just as long as we’re together…”
Teachers come in all shapes, sizes, and ages, and there’s as much to learn from our youth as there is from the old and wise.
OCTOBER 10, 2020
Pearl accepts she has to sit and be calm if she wants my affection.
Evidently she’s also been observing the ritual lineup at the door and has concluded that she belongs in it. Pearl marched her mammoth personality over to the leash queue this morning, and put her tiny little hiney on the floor beside Lenny, Ellen, and Rio as if to say, “I’ll be attending all the walks now.”
The girl is fascinated by the great big world on the other side of the door, and she’s discovered that scratching at or whining near it effectively lands her in this magical land.
It’s so great, in fact, she’s considering pooping there.
https://www.facebook.com/AnisOrphans/videos/365996801186217/
OCTOBER 12, 2020
The data seem to be showing that I raise intrepid little girls and although I’ll need lots more bottle babies to be statistically relevant, I couldn’t be more delighted about this emerging trend.
Ellen and Pearl both have strong opinions and larger-than-life personalities. They are fun and endearing; clever, kind, and curious. Relentless, too, and their presence takes up a lot of space, even if their stature doesn’t.
Pearl is aware that she has her own bowl, but it doesn’t stop her from inquisitively popping her head through the vacant spot in Rio’s raised feeding station to compare his menu choice to her own. Ellen goes to great lengths to make sure every foster feels welcome and loved here, but when she herself is feeling vulnerable, she ensures her own needs are met.
In the animal world, they are revered as bitches!
In this video, sweet Lenny, devoid of any such bitchiness, guards the bleach while watching the girls from a cushy spot on the futon, hoping that Pearl will notice he’s created a spot in which she’d fit perfectly.
https://www.facebook.com/AnisOrphans/videos/2618718905107201/
OCTOBER 12, 2020
My Pearl turned 8 weeks old yesterday. Her days in Crazy Town are numbered, and even though she’s only going a couple miles up the road to her forever home with my brother, I am still feeling a little sad that she won’t be getting in trouble in MY house anymore.
It seems like just a few days ago she was the size of a mouse, requiring so much care in order to survive.
But here we are, 2 months later, and she’s a big girl. Big enough to walk with Lenny and Ellen, she asserted at the door. The loons were more than happy to oblige as it meant they got 3 walks today.
That means I did 5 walks and my feet hurt.
https://www.facebook.com/AnisOrphans/videos/780125569475672/
October 21, 2023
In all fairness, I sometimes lunge for a scoop of peanut butter myself, but Pearl is learning better manners. And wherever there is a Pearl, there is a Rio.
Our big girl is off to spay on Friday and she’ll officially move in with my own baby brother this weekend. It’s almost time to say goodbye to the pup I have loved and believed in since she was a tiny ball of neonatal puppy mass sleeping by my bed.
She and Rio have become the best of friends—the kind of inseparable tricksters that might call and ask if your refrigerator is running, or disguise themselves as Scouts to collect a little cash for sodas and Slim Jims.
They’re a team who delight in using the advantages
of their respective sizes to commit terrorist activities in Crazy Town. Pearl is small and nimble and inquisitive, and her need to explore, paired with Rio’s height and giraffe-like neck, grant the duo access to the contents of any receptacle in this nuthouse.
Driven by innocent curiosity, their antics have brought me a lot of joy and a modicum of annoyance, and as I sit here thinking about my journey with Pearl and how grateful I am that I’ll get to continue to tell her story as the auntie, my mom heart aches that Rio is losing his live-in bestie.
As a human adult I accept and even appreciate that some people come into our lives to stay, and others’ time is finite, but the real friends, the best friends—the important ones; those who get us, and with whom we’ve connected and shared countless special moments— we hang on to those people and never release our grasp. But sweet Rio, just learning the facts of life, will indeed have to endure the loss of, and adjust to a home without his most treasured companion. I will lovingly bear witness to this transition and hope that Rio adjusts without incident. We know he doesn’t do well when he is under stress.
I look forward to passing the potty training baton over to my brother, but I will surely miss Pearl’s spunky personality and her adoring face. She recently stopped suckling on my arm when I hold her, and that means it’s time for me to let go, too.
And I will. Okay, I sort of will. I’ll let go enough and I’ll be respectful of my brother, but she’ll always be my baby girl, and I am grateful that this time I don’t have to let go completely.
But I’m telling y’all, if Rio gets sad, I am going to cry a river.
OCTOBER 21, 2020
A juxtaposition of Pearl and her soon-to-be big brother, Leroy.
Side note: my little buddy, Ben, took the picture of Pearl during “recess” today.
OCTOBER 24, 2020: The Adoption
Our Pearl is officially a Cannon! I sent her off with lots of her favorite things, and joined her new dad (my brother) for the inaugural trip to the pet store.
In true Pearly style, she’s adjusted rapidly, and with plenty of sass, to her new pack, and I’ve been receiving lots of updates as I’ve been whirling around town today.
I didn’t know whether Pearl was going to make it when she came here as an itty bitty preemie, but I could feel the fire in her soul and believed in her when it was uncomfortable and risky to do so. Today I celebrate that she beat the odds and survived, and she graduated out of this nuthouse.
For the first time since my whopper of a foster fail with Lenny and Ellen, I get to keep telling her story past the point of adoption. This post concludes the chapter of Pearl’s life in Crazy Town, and it opens the next.
Stay tuned for Chapter 2, which is sure to be entertaining from the sidelines.
OCTOBER 27, 2020 Post-adoption update
Update from Pearl!
As we all expected, she’s totally fine. She walked in to her new house and promptly peed under the island, thus taking command.
She, too, hasn’t a clue she’s a “rescue.”
Her new dad says Pearl likes to eat his beard, wake up too early, and laments that she has not produced any “creative turds.”
She loves her big brother, who has adjusted to the idea of being a mentor, and he’s been gentle and patient with her when they play tug.
As you can see, my brother spared no expense ensuring they have ample carpet remnants to lay on while everyone is hanging in the garage.
NOVEMBER 9, 2020
I got to see Pearl this weekend! Because it was at a family gathering, none of the videos are appropriate to post, so here are some great pictures that I didn’t take.
DECEMBER 3, 2020
Guess who came over for her heart worm preventative and took the cacophonic sounds of Crazy Town to a level 10?
Yes, of course it’s Pearl! She’s huge and still just as perfect as ever.
https://www.facebook.com/AnisOrphans/videos/1138977516534967/
DECEMBER 12, 2020 Update
From the looks of the background, I’d surmise that Pearl has been doing hard work since graduating Crazy Town.
According to her dad, she is still a spitfire and is leading her elder brother, Leroy, into puppy trouble.
Atta girl, Pearl!
JANUARY 30, 2021
Trying not to infringe on my pipsqueak little brother’s parental rights, I merely suggested getting Pearl a slow feeder bowl.
He texted me this pic to assure me the $6 investment is unnecessary as she’s slowed herself down by spilling her food and eating it off the floor.
I hope he mops.
Hard to believe that lanky girl was a mere 7 ounce premie in August.
AUGUST 18, 2021 Pearl’s First Birthday
I can hardly believe that today the (once) Baby Pearl is a whole year old!
Her dad (my brother) reports that she collects rocks like they’re treasures and covertly hides them in her bed. Pearl gets upset when her collection grows so large my brother has to dump her prized treasure back into the yard.
She’s amazing.
Happy Birthday, Pearl!
