FEBRUARY 1, 2023
I have done it again. Crazy Town was at capacity and then a tiny little husky mix baby got returned from foster due to … hind end weakness and had no place to go.
So now we’re at capacity + one whittle Hascal who doesn’t know anything is peculiar about himself, and that is just as well. He’s ridiculously cute, overly floofy, and he is happy, funny and playful, especially at 6 in the morning.
Wanna send me a love note? Or a gripe? Or tell me joke? Amazon will print and send your messages at no charge when you also buy something from my lists. 
FEBRUARY 3, 2023
Hascal is an early riser with oodles of spunk, and he’s been determined to get Archie to play with him. It’s hard to resist a cute little bear!
FEBRUARY 5, 2023
FEBRUARY 7, 2023
Crazy Town before the sun comes up.
It used to be Jax who’d alert the pack, in husky talk, that we all must arise for his AM poop, but Hascal is the rooster around here now.
From the bathroom, Hascal signals to Archie in his playpen and Simon in his crate. They alert Jax who mobilizes from living room and appears at my bedside to deliver a message I’ve already heard LOUD AND CLEAR:
It’s a new day!
FEBRUARY 8, 2023
Hascal is telling them how to get more treats.
FEBRUARY 9, 2023
I was feeling a little guilty that y’all sent Hascal TWO beds, but when one of them was peed upon, our little bear had a spare and I didn’t have to do emergency laundry. 
THANKS, YOU GUYS!!!
FEBRUARY 9, 2023
“Disabled my butt! Watch this!”
-Hascal
FEBRUARY 13, 2023
I often feel a bit contradictory for asserting that dogs are an entirely different species from us and deserve to be understood and respected as such, because in the same sentence I can also say that the parallel I’ve observed between kid and dog behavior cannot go without mention.
Kids and dogs are able to freely access and advocate for their needs, and in this beautiful example, Zoe lands on her mom and has pointed, emphatically, to her shoe, saying her hug tank is THAT low.
Without missing a beat, Mom knows what she needs and they engage in a tank-filling embrace that found me reaching for my camera.
Within a short time, Zoe was full again, of life, of love; secure in knowing that when she expresses a need, Mom always has her back, which, incidentally, was the occasion for our puppy pizza party.
Three days later, I’m still feeling like the lucky one.
FEBRUARY 15, 2023
Very tiny. Boisterous. Opinionated. Floofy. Adorable.
And very much a terrorist. Hascal. 
FEBRUARY 27, 2023
Gail came and walked Simon this afternoon so Hascal could… get in trouble in the road.
Thanks Gail! We love and appreciate you!
FEBRUARY 28, 2023
Over the last day or so, Hascal’s been showing up places unexpectedly, leaving tiny little poops in inconvenient locations, arriving jubilantly to playgroups to which he wasn’t invited, and quietly stealing from my closet. Had to know how he was escaping — this baby who’s anything but disabled.
https://www.facebook.com/reel/514437907560199
MARCH 4, 2023
Hascal sees no reason for a baby water bowl as there are no babies in this Crazy Town!
He and Archie both outgrew their playpens and have graduated to crates, so now we have space to wrastle!
MARCH 10, 2023
Hascal would never sleep through the most important meal of the day, which he’s also decided should come BEFORE the sun rises and after just a little wrastlin’.
MARCH 16, 2023
More big news today, this time it’s from our baby!
Hascal’s been walking on his left rear knuckle, as we all know, and though his gait has improved and he’s built strength in the leg, knuckling causes its own issues.
Knuckles aren’t made for walkin’ and they become raw and bloody if not protected. Plus, walking on the top of his foot alters his height on that side and is probably not good for his hips or spine developmentally or longterm.
Protecting the foot of a little rascal is easier said than done, but weeks of trial and error, observation, and gradual manipulation of the foot led me back to a skill I learned on the ambulance and honed in the emergency department – SPLINTING.
I air out his foot while he’s resting in his crate/sleeping and then cover/splint it when he’s on the move, but this morning he darted out of his bed and over to the water bowl with a naked foot, pads down. That’s huge!
I have ordered him a legit puppy orthotic boot as it seems his foot now may be capable of wearing one. We’ll see where it goes, but around here we call this HOPE.
MARCH 21, 2023
Hascal thinks he’s taking over Mona’s bed since she’s moved into mine.
Not a chance. I don’t get enough sleep as it is….. 
MARCH 23, 2023
My toxic trait is not calling any dog by their real name, like ever. It’s as though they come in the door with some nickname I’ve randomly assigned them, and over time it morphs into various spin-offs of the original.
I have found, however, that these silly nicknames give me an advantage in group learning sessions, so .
This evening Ellen was cleaning up the yard and some of the younger dogs joined in because they noticed I pay by the toy. The rules change the second Ellen and/or Jax assume mentor roles, so they get paid even when a baby steals their toy.
Hascal brought his first toy tonight and because I’m trying out this new video tool that I am too stupid to use, I got it on camera!!
MARCH 25, 2023
Whatever he’s plotting, I will have to clean it up.
MARCH 31, 2023
Hascal made it through surgery and after drinking all my water is back in the orphanage feeling strangely vindicated without his nards.
That’s because the vet said he was a little underweight, which means he gets to upgrade to being a pupper who eats FOUR meals every day!
Truth be told, he’s at that lanky stage where he’s having faster growth spurts in some body parts than in others and he’s eating the max he can eat without getting the Hascal squirts.
He is DELIGHTED that indeed this means he gets a bonus, late night meal, and apparently THAT is worth giving up your balls for! Welcome back, Hascal the Rascal who was not even groggy for a moment.
APRIL 4, 2023
Jax is showing Hascal how huskies cool off in a heatwave, and Hascal is snubbing a refreshing green bean. 
Ahhh, springtime.
APRIL 5, 2023
Hascal Report:
Our baby boy has been up and down the highway again this week — this time for X-rays. They wanted to evaluate whether he was a candidate for amputation.
The good news is that Hascal gets to keep his leg. They found some abnormalities in his hip and pelvis which have become more apparent as he’s grown, and which make his gait a bit abnormal, according to the doctors and their textbooks, but extra CUTE according to his mom!
From what I understand, no one wants to operate on our tiny tot – not to remove his leg nor to attempt a sketchy repair so young, and with what would be a guarded prognosis and lengthy recovery at best. He’ll go up for adoption as he is.
I got the okay to call in Sam the PT. Knowing Hascal was likely going to need her, I’ve been pinching pennies, eating beans ( actually my favorite food) and otherwise asking for more financial help than I normally do. We have enough money to get our baby a physical therapy consult with our heroin and greatest ally, Sam, and we’re going next week.
Sam gave me hope for RIO, okay, which means she’ll surely have valuable perspective about Hascal that will lead him to the future of every dog’s dream.
If anyone’s been thinking of adopting a special needs baby and is feeling called to his sweet face, Hascal is exponentially special, and you should come meet him or invite us over! He’s tenacious and funny and he smiles on cue.
He will come with a wealth of optional perks: a trainer for life, an established PT regimen, a growing community that believes our special needs dogs AND THEIR FAMILIES deserve radical solutions and continued support; help 24/7, and the smiliest little baby you ever did see.
A special thanks AND Happy Birthday to Jillian who showed up this winter with a dog sprinkler and a van load of other fun stuff she thought we could use in Crazy Town!
APRIL 11, 2023
Okay, y’all… Hascal could be the next Rio, both in how cute he presented at physical therapy, and in complexity.
Hascal is orthopedic and neurological and somewhat of a conundrum in terms of treatment, and THAT is why we went to see Sam.
The question for Hascal has not ever been whether he’ll need surgery one day; it’s pretty much certain that he will. What we don’t know YET is how to support him in the interim and whether physical therapy now will benefit him later.
I told Sam about how he presented as a wee little baby— knuckling on the left and with very little strength, often with the leg fixed in extension — but that I checked his range of motion, just like she taught me, and found the leg was capable of bending at the knee. And then I told her the rest of what I did — all my ghetto mom attempts to give him quality of life and allow him to be a puppy, how I wrapped his foot to keep him from infecting his wounds by stepping in an inevitable poop, how he started using the leg, and finally, that his foot turned over the right way. I even had some video.
It turns out my rinky dink at-home PT regimen wasn’t so bad. Hascal was headed for a quadriceps contracture which is debilitating and permanent, but it appears we averted that with our adaptations from Rio’s routine, and, of course, a little winging it.
The X-rays were so interesting that Sam and the vet poured over them as Hascal poured himself over their laps and tried to abscond with parts to their laser machine. They looked at the rads and then looked at the baby, and they were surprised by his mobility, but even more enchanted by his little face.
We talked about Rio, of course, and Sam told the whole room about how special he was. I still identify as Rio’s mom at PT. And I’ll always have pictures when they’re requested, just as I did today. We shared a giggle as we remembered him “doing the cones.”
APRIL 15, 2023
Who is surprised he’s been stealing ball pit balls?
Last year, with the help of power tools, I made some mods so the ball pit could drain and double as a ball cleaner, and also not overflow and spill out all the balls when it rains.
Super glad I did that. 
APRIL 19, 2023
Wind up duck $4.99. Hascal hunting it down in the pool: priceless.
APRIL 21, 2023
For a neutered baby, Hascal sure is ballsy. He steals my drawers, gets them caught around his arm, and then acts like it’s MY fault. 
MAY 20, 2023 – RIP, water heater
“FIRST THERE WAS AN INDOOR SPRINKLER AND THEN WE GOT THIS NEW BOX!!” -Hascal
AUGUST 6, 2023
“Pssst….just use it like a climbing wall.
– Hascal
AUGUST 13, 2023
The day Chris showed up at the orphanage was a really good day.
I have adopted him as my little brother and he’s been such a blessing to me and to Crazy Town.
Thanks for being here, Chris, and for bailing me out of all my procrastinations!!!
AUGUST 21, 2023
One of the things I’m most grateful for are the people who take an interest in special needs.
Today Hascal and I visited Littlepage Animal Hospital to get an evaluation now that our little baby has grown a ton.
My mom heart couldn’t stop worrying about whether he is in pain, and luckily today’s exam put that piece of my concern to bed.
We’re going back for sedated X-rays in a week, and then we’ll be able to compare films and determine the best course of action to ensure my baby doesn’t live a life of suffering.
It may be surgery, it may be rehab, it may be more waiting, but I trust that they will help us make a decision that is in HASCAL’S best interest, which is all I could ever ask for.
I know you all are helping us so much already, but if you’re inclined to help with Hascal’s medical journey, we have a fund setup for him.
Thanks for loving us!!!!
Help support our fundraiser for Anis Orphans, Inc. https://givebutter.com/vGBqkC
AUGUST 28, 2023
Hascal was not a smiley baby this morning, and – note to Mom, he’s not much of a baby at all.
Still, he and the rest of the pack got up as usual, but nobody ate.
Okay, I did feed loudmouth Cookie, but it was in secrecy.
If one dog is NPO for sedated x-rays, we’re ALL NPO until after the dropoff.
Good luck Hascal – I promise you’ll get every morsel you are owed, and I’ll come running as soon as they say you can come home!
AUGUST 28, 2023
Hascal is home from his X-rays, still a little buzzed, but no worse for the wear.
He wasted no time having his makeup breakfast in the car, and he’ll ensure I don’t chintz out and count that late breaky as lunch!
Anyway – these recent appointments, though for Hascal, have also been good for … my neurosis.
He’s not in pain, but should he become painful, we’ll just call our vet, who, by the way, has recommended we go see 
SAM THE PT!
I am so excited about this because Sam is really good at what she does, she’s really special to us, and she knows me. In FACT – when the vet team showed her the films, they didn’t have to tell her I was the client. Crazy Town dogs have a profile and I LOVE it!
It’s up to Sam to prepare herself for Ms. Twenty Questions to worm back on the schedule, because Hascal is not Rio, and I need her to do the thing again … the one where she shows me how to be a good mom to our precious baby Tot.
SEPTEMBER 21, 2023
What did we forget today at physical therapy? TO TAKE A PICTURE!
Hascal was not aware he was there to be the patient and was trying to befriend a white Hooskie down the mat, and we forgot.
Sam did lots of magic and gave us some recommendations and stretches to do at home, taught me lots of stuff, and sent me off a better mom!
SEPTEMBER 29, 2023
No matter how much you plan for the opposite, there’s always someone willing to assist in Crazy Town.
As for Hascal, he loves the treats but is only about 15% committed to his home physical therapy regimen thus far.
