Penny Sanford Designs

Email Philly Eagles re: hiring Michael Vick!

Here is a link to send the Philadelphia Eagles an email with your thoughts about them signing Michael Vick (Atlanta Falcon quarterback disgraced by huge dog fighting operation).

He was signed for two years at $1.6 million dollars for the first year. He may have spent 23 months in federal prison, but that does NOT make up for what he did to those dogs (torture, killed the losers, etc.)

Please share this with all dog lovers so that the Philly Eagles will know how the general population really feels about their hiring of Michael Vick!

http://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/fanzone/Thanks.asp

What is Jenny B up to these days?

Jenny B came to live with us here on the farm March 21, 2009. She has long since captured our hearts, all three humans. (Heck, she captured my heart in the first five seconds.)

Jenny B is busy being Jenny B these days.

She and Mackie have formed a very close bond. Anywhere Mackie goes, Jenny B is right behind him. Anything Mackie does, Jenny B is his shadow.

Sometimes they look like a tiny team of furry white horses the way they run together, as if they were in invisible traces.

Every morning, Jenny B wakes me up by licking my face, especially my nose. I've GOT to find a resource that tells why a dog wants to lick around a human's nose and mouth.

I don't want to stop her licking, but I do not like the face licking. 

She is so cute when she licks away my tears.  They must taste very different because she stops and studies my face before resuming her self-appointed role as tear-annihilator.

Jenny B is a Mama's girl, but she also flirts and plays with Gordon and Unc. Gordon has discovered that she can't stand for him to lightly blow in her ear...like he might blow over my ear...light and ticklish. Those two have turned it into a game of hide and seek among the pillows on the bed.

Gordon blows across her ear. Jenny B hides among the pillows. Gordon finds her and blows. Jenny B wriggles all over and scurries around on the bed to hide behind me or burrow under another pillow. It is quite a delight to see them play like this.

Jenny B patrols the back yard with Mackie, every time. During all this rain, she has come in soaked and muddy, just like Mackie. She brought in just as many seeds in her fur during those weeks it would not stop raining enough for Gordon and Unc to mow.  I'm sure she wonders why the Westies here get so many baths!

It's past time to give her a little trim, and I am deliberating whether to cut those adorable little tufts of hair around her eyes. They look SOOO cute. We have been brushing her every day and working with her to get her more accustomed to being groomed. We don't want to create any anxiety in her sheltered little life.

Jenny B is so tender and trusting and loving. As I mentioned before, she was hand-raised by a breeder who knows how to prepare the vibrant terrier personality for loving homes. Jenny B would be fabulous around children, and terriers are not always recommended for households with children.

You know there will be more photos and blog posts about Jenny B and all of our Westies! Until then, here are some Jenny B posts you may have missed:

Jenny B Learns to Sew
Jenny B's Perspective
Jenny B's Third Day
Jenny B's Second Day: A Real Beazer with an Adorable Beazer
Jenny B's First Day: Shhhh, The Baby is Sleeping
Jenny Be Still My Heart

Heavenly Sunshine

Today was the third day of beautiful, glorious, blessed sunshine!

Gordon caught these quick photos of the Westies sunbathing this afternoon.

It was so bright that even the appropriate camera adjustments could not adjust. But then, little white Westies are not easy to photograph in bright sunlight.

Unc planted basil and bell pepper seed in the cold frame this afternoon. He has a nice little garden started in spite of the rain. That is for another post with different photos.

Gordon and I are working steadily at our various projects. Plus the dogs. Plus Rosalie (who is missing at the moment...not unusual of her, but it still gives me anxiety until we find her.) Unc is great help with housekeeping and mowing.

Jenny B Update

I have not blogged much this week. Not by choice. Just busy. This is part of the reason:  That little Jenny B is an angel in a fur suit! She is in season, so we are following her around inside and outside like her own private militia!

As soon as she is out of this enforced quarantine, we will be taking her to Dr. Duncan for a snip snip.

More soon, I promise!

Jenny B Learns to Sew!

This afternoon I tried to sew.

Most of the interruptions were not welcome. They arrived at my sewing nook on two legs.

Interruptions that are brought to me on four legs are always welcome.  I felt soft fur weaving in and out and around my legs for a good while this afternoon as the Westies played around my feet.

Then Jenny B let me know by one of her many sounds that she wanted to see what I was doing up there with the funny sounding machine.

On the sewing table I made a puddle of fabric for her from a dog bed cover awaiting my repairs.  Jenny B was engrossed!

The second quilt block I made this afternoon skimmed through the sewing machine effortlessly with chirping birds serenading us and spring breezes fanning our studious endeavors.

Then Lillibeth, titillated by jealousy, came over and teased Jenny B down to the floor for a romp and a toy tug.

Happy, happy new memories.

Mackie "John Wayne" Fikes

My sweet, lovable, adorable, TRUSTWORTHY, precious, loyal Westie boy, Mackie!

When we traveled deep into Arkansas to pick up Jenny B, the new ray of sunshine in our family. I somehow managed to bring only one toy with me, Mackie's beloved Louisiana Lou.

It was THE little squeaky toy, part of a set, that Mackie fell in love with when he lived with Westie Foster Mom Vickie Claflin in Louisiana, before he came to the farm to be my Big Boy! Vickie sent Louisiana Lou to live with Mackie forever on the farm.

Now, two-and-a-half years later, you may remember that we spent a week washing dog toys and preparing for that trip to pick up Jenny B. Somehow the clean dog toys did not make it into the van, but Mackie's one toy that I try very hard to keep just for him, DID make it into the van. (I can't remember if I have ever blogged about and Louisiana Lou and Mississippi Miss. If not, I'll try to get around to it soon.)

The poor little tyke probably thought we were taking him to give him away. In hindsight, I feel terrible about causing him one nanosecond of concern!

Mackie had a last minute shower with me that morning because Gordon finally said "yes" to letting him come with us, thanks to the wise words of Westie Foster Mom Martha Beck in Alabama. My requests had fallen on deaf ears, but Martha apparently said some magic words that Gordon heeded, and Mackie made our trip much more enjoyable, sitting on my lap, in the front passenger seat, the full 4.5 hour trip, one way.

Anyway, back to my Big Brave Boy!  Mackie's demeanor changed into this "John Wayne" character when we started home with Jenny B.  You remember how John Wayne was always a bit put out at silly females? A bit irritated, definitely grumpy and crusty?  Underneath it all, though he respected women and felt a strong sense of duty for protecting them.

Mackie turned into Mackie "John Wayne" Fikes the minute we pulled out of Judy Young's driveway with Jenny B, Mackie and me in the back of the van! He was a bit irritated and grumpy, but not vocal about it. He let the little frisky lass try to play with him, but he just avoided her where possible.

I could just feel him asking in exasperation, "MOM! WHY do we need ANOTHER female? Could you not have gotten me another guy to help protect this pack of girls?"

Now, a week-plus later, Mackie is
romping and playing with little Jenny B. He is showing her the little mole holes and field mouse sites in the back yard.

Gone is John Wayne Mackie, and gone, too, is any lingering doubt that this farm is home forever for my Big Boy!

Oh, and Louisiana Lou is in a very special place that only Mackie and I know. She will stay there just for Mackie and me to play with.

Jenny B's Perspective!

Somebody's gonna be in BIG trouble! I hope it is the English Shepherds!

Somebody's been digging...not in the back yard, but a fenced in yard beyond the back yard. Just look at the first two pictures and all that dug up ground! Unc called it the "garden". Maybe that is a yard just for dogs to dig in and roll in and have fun like a big playpen for dogs?

Mama said the English Shepherds are dogs too and that they are here to guard and protect all of us, including a beautiful Westie lady like me.  She said I should not growl or bark at them just because they are so tall and have such ridiculous long legs.

Mackie said under his breath where Mama could not hear him that HE is the Pack Leader because of his rank as Major Mackie of the Westie Special Forces, and the English Shepherds follow his orders.

Then Lady Lillibeth reminded Mackie that Mama and Daddy are the top, top  pack leaders, even if Mackie is the dog pack leader.

Phew, it is a lot for me to try to keep up with.  Charlotte just lets me play with her. She is cool, and she only fusses when something startles her awake.  Mama and Daddy and Unc laugh when she gets startled. They say she sounds like a braying mule. Is that another kind of dog?

Anyway, the English Shepherds are ok, I guess.  I have to bounce up a couple of steps to look at them eye to eye. They don't fuss at me, and they let me check out their individual food bowls without too much fuss.

Daddy says it is not ladylike for me to check everyone's food bowl before I eat out of my food bowl. We get fed twice a day around here which I do like. Mama also gives me an "after school" snack of a piece of banana and sometimes an orange slice. There is a big watering hole in the kitchen and one in the den where Mama and Daddy live.

I've had two baths since I got here, even though Mama said I was not dirty. The first one she wanted me to have a shower with her so that I would smell like the other dogs. Charlotte got a shower too so that I would not be scared.

A shower bath was a bit weird at first, but It was ol, and afterward, Daddy made a game out of rubbing me dry with a towel. I liked that part.

The next day I stood too long on top of a fire ant mound, and Daddy grabbed me up to give me another bath in the sink. He ran into the house with me, and he and Mama were scared I would be bitten by the fire ants.

I was not bitten anywhere because the ants could not get through my beautiful fur before Daddy washed them away. Gee, it was a lot of fuss over nothing, if you ask me. How was I to know fire ants are bad for young Westie Ladies?

Then Unc took poison outside to take care of all the fire ants that had decided to build a mound in the back yard. None of us could go in the back yard until the next day.

Mama and Daddy really laughed hard when I got Unc to dance with me! He is 83 which almost 12 years in dog years, and he danced a short jig with me while I was standing on my hind legs, no holding paws. Have these folks never seen a puppy dance on their hind feet before?

Mama and Daddy say they want me to do this again when they have a camera or video camera ready. Silly people!

Somebody reading this, please let Mama Judy know that living on the farm is going to be fun, but I still love her first. Then someone send a bark message to my sister Fizz to let her know that all is well here. I'd love to get a bark messsage from her to know she went to a good home too!

Westies do not look alike... Explain this!

Westies do NOT all look alike, not by a long shot!.

Does this side-by-side comparison of Annie and Jenny B evoke any thoughts for you?

More than a few times today, I have teared up with an overwhelming sense of thankfulness... and humility.

Jenny B has Molly's playfulness and protectiveness of her mama.

Jenny B has Daddle's Mommy Devotion and the same expectation of being picked up and loved when she came toward me (something Daddles apparently never had before..

Jenny B has Annie's studious approach to everything. She observes and learns at a lightning pace. She is fast learning how to be my best little friend, my shadow, just like Annie.

But Jenny B has something else. She has that untarnished and un-scarred view of humans and of the world. Thanks to a loving hand-raised beginning from breeder/handler Judy Young of Gaelic Pride Westies.

Jenny B has not first been loved and then relegated to a laundry room night and day before being thrown away in a kill shelter...lilke Molly.

Jenny B has NOT been so physically used and abused that she is written off for soon-to-be-dead and thrown away even by a horrible puppy mill...like Daddle's story.

Jenny B has not been first loved, pampered and adored, only to be thrown outside like garbage when her beloved master died. After a year of neglect outside, Annie and her brother were thrown into a kill shelter where Annie had to protect her feeble brother from the other dogs.

Jenny B knows none of that. She sees an approaching human hand as a giver of love or food.

She sees her new pack as playmates and instant new friends. She sees her new humans as laps to be snuggled in, feet to follow closely, big warm bodies to snuggle against, and givers of food, water and love.

Jenny B accepts instruction with open-eyed contemplation followed by rapid understanding so that she can apply that new knowledge to other situations.

Jenny B has Presence. She commands the room with her loving spirit. She expects to be loved, and she gives love freely, unconditionally...

Today I have been so deeply moved by the realization that in one selfless gift from a caring breeder/handler in Arkansas, God has given to me the priceless gift of a bit of Molly before she was discarded, sick and heartbroken.  There is a good bit of Daddles in Jenny B.

There is so much Annie in Jenny B that I can't yet put it in words.

Martha Beck, Vicki Claflin, Pat Ozborn and others who know me in Westie Rescue circles know that I don't "see" beloved dead pets in our new adoptions.

Jenny B is a gift that only a Loving, Living God could have created and arranged. I never realized just how much God cares about the day-to-day hurts and aches in our lives...until He sent Jenny B.

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Yes, this post is emotionally raw and revealing and outside of my comfort zone. I just needed to share this with so many of you who have cried with me after the deaths of Molly, Daddles and Annie.  Long live Princess Jenny B!

A real beazer with an adorable beazer

Jenny Beazer has become one of our affectionate names for little Jenny B. I looked it up to be sure it was nothing derogatory. The Urban Dictionary is where I finally found a modern slang definition.

1. beezer

Northern Irish slang when describing something is cool, amazing or cracker.

2. Beezer: A nose. A schnozz. 

	That is our Jenny B! A real beezer with an adorable beezer! Computer really misbehaving on me tonight. Two attempted blog posts with pictures, stories of pet roosters, Unc dancing with Jenny B without holding paws... Will try again another day. Come Jenny B, lets snuggle away the stresses of the day!

Shhhh, the baby is sleeping!

It's the first real nap she has taken. Yes, she slept last night, but today she has been running at full tilt.

ALL the dogs are exhausted. The three humans are very tired, but happy.

So much to share with you, which I will do, one story at a time.

Jenny B is a 10 month old Westie from Judy Young of Gaelic Pride Westies.

I want to check my emails and check with Judy again to be sure I tell you the correct parentage of Jenny B.

Later I will give you my credentials for saying what I am about to say.

I have never met a more gentle dog with a more gentle mouth. Never have I met a dog more gentle to train.

Jenny B studies everything and learns at lightning speed.

There was no, NO, N-O transition time for Jenny B settling into our household.

She was quite indignant because of the creatures with the very, very long legs. Dogs, in her experience, do not look like our English Shepherds, so she wanted to growl and bark at them.

It was the first time we had heard her beautiful melodic voice in six or seven hours. I did not want to thwart her natural protective instinct or the emergence of her individuality in a new "pack".

Today, she sometimes still growls under her breath when one of the English Shepherds approaches me, but that possessiveness is well in hand. She is so amazingly gentle to train with an approach as soft as cotton candy!

Oodles more to share. Our first shower together tonight. I think I will let Charlotte shower with us so that Jenny B will see there is nothing to be scared of. Judy Young is a breeder/handler who spent time teaching me about grooming yesterday.  Jenny B is so at ease in a human's hands. 

I have so much to share with you about the difference between a Westie raised in a loving home environment vs. the emotional scars inflicted on the Westies raised in other environments.

Jenny is too amazing for words. Her beauty and gentle spirit has moved me to tears several times today.  Judy, may God bless you richly for the blessing you gave us in this precious little package.