She Speaks, Again!

Rosa insists on keeping her own diary. I told her I'd be happy to write updates for her, but she reminded me that she'd been without a voice for long enough, and would really like to say things herself. (Hay español más abajo - las palabras de Rosa).

Good Evening!

So, this is my second blog entry. Call me the blog dog or something...I'm on a roll! Speaking of rolls, I watched Iggy roll off the couch a few times today. It was epic. He's really fat for a cat, and that really messes with his center of gravity.

A couple of interesting things happened today...

First, I got to try a new canned food which I really liked. It's Hawaiian BBQ and has inspired me to get a part time job waitressing so I can save up for a trip sometime. Unfortunately, when I told my parents of this plan they shot me down...telling me to calm down and be content where I am.

Have they been outside?
Oh...speaking of outside...my foster mom keeps taking me out there with a piddle pad, putting me on it, and saying "go peepee! go potty!" Seriously? I haven't seen her drop trow yet! I just sit there and look at her like "on your life." Eventually she gets cold and gives up.

Then, I run as fast as I can to the piddle pad and go pee. It's hilarious.

When I'm not faking my folks out into thinking I might actually pee outside (in your dreams), I'm either snoring in my bed...watching Vampire Diaries, or playing with my toys. Every day, I love my toys more and more. Seriously. I never knew I could have so much fun! I can play with my toys for a long time before I get tired.

I got caught doing something embarrassing today. You know how I was talking yesterday about how dogs who stick their tongues out are ugly? Well, I totally got caught by Matt with my tongue out. I was just thinking; it was my thinking face!

Also, I ran too fast and couldn't stop myself and I slipped all around and fell on my face and everyone laughed. Mom scooped me up and coddled me right away, but I was in shock at what had happened and hated being seen like that. She sat with me and we watched Vampire Diaries. I really hate Katherine and I continue to love Damon. He's so captivating and I can watch him all day.

Or at least for as long as he's on screen. But I'm not interested in anyone else....although dog-like sounds really grab my attention.

Other things I did today include licking Mom's fingers and sniffing the cats. I also watched as a homeless man tried to kidnap them. He smelled worse than I did, and I was really comfortable in my bed. He didn't seem that interested in me, and I wanted to see whether he would really try and share his sandwich.

By the way, I discovered the mirror. I love looking at myself in it...and sniffing it...
I'm so beautiful.

- Over and out.
Rosa

(Oh!, hablo español)

Buenas noches!!

Ayer, escribí solamente en inglés porque estaba muy cansada. Pero esta noche, voy a escribir en español!! Hoy ha sido un día muy peculiar. Tengo un gato gordo aquí y pasé mucho tiempo mirar a él. El pobre gato quiere tener agilidad pero...no la tiene. Me da mucho placer para verle.

En otras noticias...podía probar comida nueva esta tarde. Me gustaba mucho esta comida. El sabor es de Hawaii y me gustaría viajar por allá algún día. Quería trabajar en un restaurante pero mis padres me dijeron "no... no necesitas un trabajo! necesitas quedarte aquí."

Pero..por qué? No han visto en donde vivimos? Hace frío! No me gusta el invierno para nada!! Y mi mamá continua a llevarme al patio y me dice "haga pipi!" En serio? Ella no está haciendo la misma cosa...

Entonces, me gusta mucho sentarme y mirar a mi mamá hasta ella tiene frío. Después de entrar a la casa, corro muy rápido a mi papeles de entrenamiento y hacer mis cosas. Pienso que es muy gracioso.

Si no estoy jugando con mi gente, estoy jugando con mis juguetes. Me encanta mis juguetes. Cada día los me gustan más. Y también me gusta ver los Vampire Diaries. Estoy enamorada de Damon. No me importa alguien más. Sólo pago atención a la tele si Damon está hablando.

Otras cosas hice hoy:
- corrí demasiado rápido y me caí (pero mi mamá me ayudó).
- lamí los dedos de mi mamá
- olí a los gatos
- miraba mientras un hombre trató de robar los gatos a la casa...su olor estaba muy fuerte, más que yo, y pensé que compartiría su comida...pero mis padres lo pararon.
- me di cuenta al espejo por primera vez... me encanta el espejo, me gusta admirarme...

Soy linda. Soy hermosa.
Y ahora, me voy.

Besos xoxo
Rosa.

A Letter by Rosa

Hey friends,

My name is Rosa. I'm 6 years old, and I kind of look like a mop. Sometimes, it looks like I'm biting my lip like I'm unimpressed, but really...I'm just missing my teeth and I can't help it. At least I'm not like some of those other dogs who always have their tongues sticking out (not that there's anything wrong with it, it's just not a look I feel like partaking in).

My snout is unreasonably small and velvety. I'm totally cool with you petting it. I also have long, floppy ears that scare me...and when I shake my head I think there are things flying around it. I try to catch them, but then I realize they are my ears...and I get really embarrassed.

This is me playing after getting scared by my ears:

Usually if that happens I'll go find a toy and start tossing it up into the air and chasing it so that no one knows I was afraid of my own ears. I like playing with stuffed mice and a tiny santa stocking. I also like my monster-puppy. If you touch it, I will give you a concerned look. Just because it's ugly doesn't mean it shouldn't be loved.

I went outside a few times today. It was warmer than the last two days...but it was stilly cold. I took a few steps, but then I sat down. My foster mom brought the piddle pad out with us, but I just looked at it. I am not sure why she thinks it would be fun for me to pee out there.

I mean, I don't see her doing the same.
I'm perfectly content with the piddle pad.
I also really like spending time in my bed....like...most of my time. But mom gets me out and tries to make me cuddle with her on the couch. I like this, too. I like being carried around more than anything, though. After a good "carrying" session, I run around with my tail wagging...I eat all my food, I smell the cats, and then I go back to bed.

Also, I snore. I've been told I sound like a person when I snore. They cats find this interesting, and they come to stare at me. I really like them, and tried to cuddle with them on the couch today...but they weren't interested. I hope they learn to like me soon because I think it'd be really nice for us to all hang out together.

Oh...I've been watching Vampire Diaries over the last few days. It's been cold and foster mom has had free time...my personal favorite is Damon. Whenever he comes on screen, I stop napping and look at the computer.

This is me watching Netflix:

I don't like it when people stand over me in a domineering manner, and I really like it if you call my name from another room so that I can run in there...but when I see you, I'll high tail it back to my bed and start throwing my toys around.

I really like my name, and I am confused whether or not I speak English or Spanish. Maybe both?
One thing I know is that I'm really happy, and I'm starting to feel really comfortable in this house with my people and cats.

Good night,
Rosa (AKA Rosita, CaluRosa, Rosalina, Rosalinda, RosaChica)

Play Day

All the awesome things Rosa has been up to today, in list form:
Todas las cosas extraordinarias Rosa ha hecho hoy (en una lista):

1. Playing, playing, playing. Jugar, jugar, jugar. She plays with the toys in her bed, she looks at you like she wants to play and then runs away. Today has been a very playful day! Ella le gusta jugar con sus juguetes o te mira como si quisiera jugar (pero se escapa si quieres jugar con ella). Hoy ha sido un día de juegos!

2. Eating her food. Also - despite the fact that she's missing half her teeth, she prefers kibbles to wet food. Rosita ha estado comiendo su comida....y a pesar de perder la mayoría de sus dientes, Rosa prefiere comer "kibbles" a "wet food." Lo siento, no sé cómo hablar sobre la comida de perros en español. 

3. Cuddling with a specific stuffed monster as if it is her own puppy. She picked this ugly monster, and she just loves it. She cuddles it, carries it, hides it. It's her little monster. Rosa ha estado apapachando su juguete favorito...un monstruo. Piensa que este monstruo feo es su propio perrito. Lo lleva, lo oculta, lo apapacha...

4. Snoring and sleeping and snoring. Rosita likes to sleep, and when she sleeps deeply...she snores. It's awesome (and super cuuuute). También, Rosa ronca! Rosa duerma, ronca, duerma otra vez...y mientras está durmiendo...está roncando. Es demasiado liiiindo.

And now for a photo (notice the monster-baby):
Y ahora, su foto - Rosa y su monstruo:

Rosa the Explorer.

Si quieres leer en español, mira más abajo.

Rosa's morning wasn't a very good one. She didn't want to eat, she didn't want to come out of the confines of her kennel. She didn't want to explore. She just wanted to hide.

And she hadn't eaten in almost a day, and hadn't used the bathroom by 12. Since she has had a slight infection, this worried me greatly. With the help of the rescue and a friend, I was able to get her in to the vet.

This funny dog loves the car.
This funny dog loves the vet!

When we got there, she acted like nothing was wrong. Of course. The vet felt around and decided that she may have a small gut infection/issues with digestion because of her surgery (her spay was coupled with a hernia surgery), and the antibiotics which kill the good bacteria.

She's on a medicated food now, with a probiotic.
She finally used the bathroom, too.

But here's all the real good news: when we came home from the vet, Rosa was in such a good mood she bursted from her kennel as soon as the door opened. With her tail wagging at full speed, she trotted all around the apartment - greeted the cats, smelled everything, climbed behind and over things.

She even will look if you call her name, but she won't come over to you. That's a trust thing, and we'll get there.

For now, she's very comfortable in her new home. She's decided to claim it as her own, and that is a huge success. And the vet gave her a pedicure...so she's had a great day.

Oh, and she has not 1...not 2...but 3 new toys which she cuddles with in her kennel (the kennel top is no longer on, so it's more like a bed).

It's only been a few days, but she's progressing in leaps and bounds!
Here are the things that we need the most work on:
[ ] trust of humans - as in not being so hand shy, and approaching us as opposed to us approaching her (although right now she's totally spooning my leg while we chill on the couch). She also won't eat if human beings are in the room with her. The cats, though? No probs.

[ ] house breaking - she uses the piddle pads consistently...no off-piddle-pad-accidents...but the outdoors are cold and new and different and distracting, and she's not totally sure she wants to do her business out there yet.

Otherwise, she's great and not giving me much to write about!
She did want me to post her pictures for you guys (and a video, too). She does enjoy having her photo taken. See below for photo documentation of Rosa's adventures today.

Rosa waiting for the vet.

Rosa está esperando el veterinario.

 Rosa en su cama.
Rosa in her bed. 

Rosa the explorer!

Rosa la exploradora!

Español (es mejor que inglés):

Rosa no tenía una buena mañana. No quería comer, quería quedarte en su perrera. No quería explorar...solo quería esconderse.

A las 11, todavía no había comido ni usado el baño...y porque ha tenido una infección por su cirugía, sus incapacidades de comer y hacer popo/pipi me dio miedo. Pero, con la ayuda de la gente con Second Hand Hounds, podía llevarla al veterinario.

Mi perrita graciosa le gusta mucho el carro.
Mi perrita graciosa también le gusta la oficina del veterinario!

Cuando llegamos a la oficina, ella actuó como si estuviera completamente saludable. Por supuesto.
El veterinario hizo una examen y me dije que Rosita tenía problemas a causa de su cirugía y las drogas. Ahora, tenemos comida especial...
También (y finalmente) Rosa ha hecho las cosas del cuerpo.

Pero aquí están las buenas noticias que he querido compartir con ustedes: después de la aventura al vet, cuando regresamos a la casa, ella dejó su perrera y corrió sobre la casa - quería oler cosas y conocer a los gatos.

Rosita sabe su nombre, pero todavía no quiere venir cerca de mi.... pobre Rosa y sus problemas de confianza.
Yo estaba muy feliz para verla más o menos cómoda en su casa nueva - con su familia nueva. Rosa ha decidido que aceptar su hogar...

Oh, y mi perrita afortunada recibió una pedicura....y 3 juguetes nuevos! Ella le gusta apapacharlas en su cama. <3 nbsp="" p="">
Aunque ella ha progresado, tenemos cosas en que necesitamos trabajar:
[ ] necesita tener más confianza en mi y mi marido...tiene miedo de los humanos en general, y necesita aprender que nadie va a dañarla otra vez. (Esto digo mientras estamos apapachando el en sillón).
[ ] necesita aprender cómo hacer sus cosas del baño en el patio - todavía el viento y la nieve y las ardillas y los coches dan miedo a Rosita. Puede usar sus toallas de entrenamiento sin problema - y eso me da esperanza.

Mi Rosita estará muy bien. Ya está haciendo mejoras grandes!  

Rosa is Hogging the Good Space Heater.

Scroll down for English. 

Rosa es similar a un bebé. Se despierta de buen humor y quiere socializar....desafortunadamente, esto sólo dura 5 minutos. Pienso que se despierta feliz y después de 5 minutos recuerda todas las cosas malas del mundo.

La única cosa Rosa necesita temer es el invierno.
Oh, invierno.

La nieve y el hielo y el viento hacen que Rosa tenga miedo. Nunca ha experimentado viento ni hielo ni la naturaleza en general. No podía sentir el viento en su jaula.

A pesar de todo, Rosita ha tenido 3 éxitos hoy.
1. 5 minutos de alegría
2. Usó el baño en el patio [pienso que realmente Rosa tenía miedo y también un accidente, pero tomaré lo que Rosita me dará].
3. Conoció a su nuevo amigo de Facebook: Bali.

También han sido cosas con menos éxito...como el hecho que Rosa no ha comido desde esta mañana.

Hemos apapachado mucho, pero todavía prefiera esconderse en la perrera.
Oh --- y anoche bañé a Rosita!! No le gustaba mucho, pero realmente necesitaba ser bañado.
Ahora, intentaré a alimentarla otra vez...

Rosita quiere su privacidad...
Rosa wants her privacy...

Rosa y yo después de su aventura en el patio.
Rosa and me after her bathroom experience in the yard!

English!

So, Rosa reminds me of a baby. This morning when I woke up, I went over to see her and she was sleeping. When she woke up and saw me, she was instantly happy...wagging her tail, accepting being pet. But, after 5 minutes...it was like she was reminded of everything terrible in the world. She resigned herself again, and decided she'd had enough for the day.

Oh, Rosa! Don't you know you have nothing to fear!? Except for the winter...stupid winter. All the snow and wind and ice really freak her out. And that's no big surprised. Living your whole life in a cage, I highly doubt you experience much of the weather...and you definitely don't do much walking around in it.

But despite her resignation and apprehension, Rosita has 3 successes today:
1.) She woke up happy
2.) She used the bathroom outside once! She was nervous and cold, but she did it. She hasn't repeated this yet...but a success is a success and we have to celebrate them.
3.) She made a friend on Facebook. She has a penpal now; he's a dog named Bali who lives in Mexico. He's my friend's dog...and she enjoyed sending him messages earlier this afternoon.

And, of course, there have been less successful occurrences today - her appetite hasn't been great (although it seems to be picking up now), and she's preferred to to hide away in the kennel (but while I've been writing this, she's been wandering around, huffing and puffing).

We got a lot of good cuddling in today, too. That's never bad.

Oh -- and last night, Rosa got a bath! We had to cut a few dreads off of her...and she didn't exactly love being bathed, but she tolerated it....and desperately needed it. She's definitely come a bit more out of her shell since then (although the two things may not be related at all).

Who knows what tomorrow will bring us...

Rehabilitating Rosa

Hay una traducción en español más abajo...

I need things to write about. When I was in Mexico, my writing had direction and purpose. The mundanities of life are only interesting up to a point. There's only so much you can do to make your routine sound exciting. Without street artists and zocalos...well, I've got nothing to tell you but stories of scraping the windshield or running on the treadmill.

Enter Rosa.

Some of you may know that Matt and I have fostered various animals through Second Hand Hounds. It's been challenging, sometimes heartbreaking, but always worth it and always rewarding. If you have space in your home for a foster animal, I highly recommend you try it out.

Rosa is a 6 year old Shih Tzu. She's black, with a little white beard and white spot on her chest. She spent her life as a breeding dog in a puppy mill. This means a dirty cage, limited contact with people or other animals, etc. If you want to know more about the tragedy of puppy mills, I highly recommend you check this out: http://www.prisonersofgreed.org/

As one might expect, she is very shy - resigned to the fact that she has no choice in the things that come her way. She has a million mile stare that lets us know she's got her mind on something else, something that we cannot understand.

But Rosa is about to become accustomed to the life she deserved to have all along.
And I'm going to blog about it, day by day.
Join us in the milestones Rosa reaches by tuning in....starting now:

Last night, Rosa had no interest in coming out of her kennel. We've set up a safe, enclosed area for her to wander when she feels comfortable {and to help with the housebreaking she needs}. She was (and is) hand shy, noise shy, world shy.

She didn't even have any interest in food.
Until we put it by the kennel entrance. She was willing to stick her head out a few inches to eat.

And she did come out during the night to use the piddle pad. Excellent!

This morning, she requested her breakfast be served kennel-side again...
After that, I wrapped her in a blanket (it keeps her calm) and snuggled her on the couch for a while. She's absolutely terrified of going outside, and the plan is to slowly introduce her to the fact that 1.) humans can be friendly and 2.) the outdoors are a dog's best friend!

So, today we started with cuddling on the couch with the blanket (while wearing the collar)...and cuddling while standing outside with the blanket (also collared).

But there is something I've been eager to share...I've been writing this post for the sole purpose of telling the world that...after 4 cuddle sessions...when I went to put Rosa back in her bachelorette pad, I filled up her food and....

she came out of her kennel to eat it!!!

She also wagged her tail today. Twice.
I hope to see that little tail wagging a lot more in the coming days.

Rosa and I snuggling on the couch. She enjoys watching Hulu and sending emails to her friends.

Rosa y yo estamos apapachando. Ella le gusta ver Hulu y enviar emails a sus amigos. 

En español:

Me gusta escribir, pero no sin razón. Cuando estaba en México, podía escribir con dirección y propósito. Las cosas rutinarias sólo son interesantes hasta un punto. Sólo puedo hacer tantas cosas para engañarte que mi vida realmente es interesante. Pero...sin vendedores y el zócalo...bueno, no tengo nada para decir a menos que quieras saber sobre mis aventuras en el gimnasio o con el hielo en la ventana de mi carro.

Pero ahora, tengo la perrita Rosa.

Probablemente ya sabes que Matt y yo hemos tenido muchos animales orfanatos y/o abandonados y/o abusados en nuestro cuidado. Ha sido difícil, gratificante, a veces muy triste...pero siempre una buena experiencia. Si tienes el espacio en tu casa para "foster" un animal, lo recomiendo mucho.

Rosa tiene 6 años. Tiene pelo negro con una barba blanca y también hay blanco en su pecho. Ha vivido toda su vida en una jaula...sin contacto con gente, otros animales. Ha tenido 36+ perritos pero nunca porque ella los quería. Ella estaba una perra de cría. La jaula estaba muy sucia, y nunca antes había caminado por el suelo. Nunca. Si quieres saber más sobre la vida de perros en "puppy mills" (las fábricas de perros), visita a esta página: http://www.prisonersofgreed.org/

Puedes imaginar pasar tu vida en una jaula? :[

No es una sorpresa que Rosa es muy tímida. Ella ha sido abusada, y puedo ver en sus ojos la tristeza y miedo que tiene. Pero, poco a poco está aprendiendo sobre la manera la vida debe ser.

Y voy a "blog" sobre sus aventuras y experiencias cada día. Y voy a empezar....ahorita.

Anoche, Rosa no quería salir de su perrera. Construí un espacio pequeño y seguro en caso de que ella quiera caminar un poco (y para ayudar con su entrenamiento). Ella parecía tímida, asustada...no quería comer...nada.

Sólo quería quedarse en su perrera...y sólo quería comer si la comida estaba muy cerca a la perrera...
Pero, durante la noche, ella usó la "piddle pad" --- algo para permitir perritos y perros sin entrenamiento usar el baño sin destruir la casa.

Esta mañana, ella sólo quería comer en su perrera (otra vez). Después de comer, la envolví a Rosa en una manta (porque la manta ayuda con el miedo) para apapacharla. Ella tiene mucho miedo de humanos y de la naturaleza...y voy a apapacharla en fases...en el sillón, en el patio...y eventualmente (lo siento pero quería usarla) voy a ponerla en el suelo.

Poco a poco.

Pero, tengo algo que decir....porque he querido decirlo a alguien todo el día...
Hoy, después de apapachar Rosita en el patio, cuando la puse en su "departamento"...ella decidió a comer fuera de su perrera!

También ella se movió su cola -- dos veces! Espero que verla con más alegría mañana, y el día después...y después...

We Will Call it Jan 7

This violent episode begins innocently enough;

a game of tag between shades of blue, 

which batter and bruise each other into 

deep shades of purple.
What appear at first like surface injuries become

internal bleeding; capillaries burst -

blood red fireworks which bleed and bleed

until the crimson blood runs black, 

a coagulated scab of a sky

which will be picked off come morning - 

a vicious cycle of abuse 

called sunset. 

---- 

Life: 

The engines on the Bombardier 700 falter, and the passengers hearts begin beating in time, 

a collective jolt and we've lost seconds of our lives - which we acknowledge as we meet each other's gazes:

Are you afraid?

Are you?

The oddly all-male flight crew moves through the cabin with poker faces. 

If I die, I will die writing. 

If I die, I will die editing these words. 

Funny, how we do not think about the fact that we are alive until that screaming, terrified heart in your chest reminds you that - 

things fall.
things fail. 

Everything is temporary.