Pit Bulls And Parolees - General Discussion

[chenoa333]

On 1/1/2019 at 9:54 AM, CrazyInAlabama said:

I stopped contributing to the ASPCA when they started advertising like they are national, instead of limited to NYC only.    

I never knew they are NYC only. Does that mean all contributions go to NYC only? 

[CrazyInAlabama]

The ASPCA is NYC only, the five boroughs.    They aren't even the official animal control group.    

They got rid of the humane enforcement section that was featured on Animal Precinct (or Animal Cops), years ago.     They also had a hoarders unit that would confiscate animals from horrific conditions, and in the cases they showed on TV would give some back to the person.    

Edited February 12, 2019 by CrazyInAlabama

[SRTouch]

On 2/12/2019 at 1:33 PM, chenoa333 said:

I never knew they are NYC only. Does that mean all contributions go to NYC only? 

Just my opinion, but I look at the big national animal welfare non profits as a double edged sword. They do a great job at raising awareness - not so great at actually helping individual animals. The starving and shivering puppy in the commercial will, in all probably, not receive help from any money donated to a big time national non profit - may be saved if you donate to a local rescue organization. Before contributing anything take a few minutes, go online, and check the charity rating.

Last I checked ASPCA, most of the money goes to overhead and money raising expenses. May have changed, but IIRC there was quite a stink when someone noted head of ASPCA was receiving half million dollar plus a year salary. Just seems wrong to air commercials of shivering animals and claim I can save them if I donate from my fixed income retirement check when the guys in the suits running the show are are banking big bucks. Yes, money is spent on shelters and investigation of animal cruelty, in NY, where the ASPCA is contracted to run shelters and investigate - but none filters down to local shelters.

Soooooo, if there is a needy shelter/organization in your area, donate directly (after checking THEM out). Likely, the only benefit they get from the big national organizations is the tugging on your heartstrings.

Edited February 14, 2019 by SRTouch
Added text in bold

[Bronzedog]

Damn you show!  I’m sobbing like Humperdinck was one of my dogs!

[Bastet]

Holy crap, I gasped upon seeing the update that Humperdinck died three weeks later.

I wonder if the adopter will get her next senior locally or return to VRC; Molly-O was adorable, and Anthony’s lazy self cracked me up.  There was something a little off about the adopter to me that I couldn’t put my finger on when she was at VRC, but whatever it was I didn’t sense it at her home, so maybe it was just some awkwardness in an unfamiliar environment.

I salute her mission of going through the grieving process over and over so the seniors can spend whatever time they have left in a home.  I’m really bummed it was such a short time, but I hope he settled in nicely – as great as a home is, it must be quite an adjustment after so long in a kennel – and lived out his final weeks in comfort and love.

Humperdinck’s fate really deflated my balloon, but I loved seeing Country Matt again.  I just adore him.  His banter with Earl in the grocery store was funny, and I love him making Earl don the chef’s hat.  If he looked up a recipe, he should have known to grind everything up, but I’ll go with it.

Those poor puppies with all the fire ant bites!  Just one of those suckers hurts like hell.  Tia’s reaction to the Teletubbies names was terrific.

[Bronzedog]

Humperdinck having a home for only three weeks breaks my heart, but, I hope he knew he was really loved way before he found his home.

[SRTouch]

Followup on Hump's story from the VRC FB page - after he passed the adopter returned and took home Anthony. So, not only did Humperdinck have a chance to punch a few items on his bucket list in his last days, Anthony Soprano found a forever home.

Oh, and apparently a few posters criticized VRC for Hump's adoption, saying he looked 'sad' as he was laying on the grass and that he was better off back at VRC.... uh, WTF!?! I certainly didn't get that vibe when I watched that scene. Seemed to strike a nerve with Tia, as she went off on the nay sayers.

[walnutqueen]

The only thing sadder than Hump dying 3 weeks after finding a home would have been Hump dying in a VRC kennel.

I am very glad Anthony Soprano has a chance at a better life.  I just loved the look of him, and his energy (or lack thereof) was just my style!

[Bastet]

2 hours ago, SRTouch said:

Followup on Hump's story from the VRC FB page - after he passed the adopter returned and took home Anthony. So, not only did Humperdinck have a chance to punch a few items on his bucket list in his last days, Anthony Soprano found a forever home.

Yay!  I was wondering if she'd come back for one of them.  Now Anthony gets to do absolutely nothing in the comfort of a home, and that's fantastic.  And he was "only" ten or so, so I like that she may be cosmically rewarded for choosing Hump - she came in wanting to save the one who needed her most, and that's what she did, without hesitation - by having her next one stick around a while.

Quote

Oh, and apparently a few posters criticized VRC for Hump's adoption, saying he looked 'sad' as he was laying on the grass and that he was better off back at VRC....

I hate people.  The dog had just arrived at a home after a very long time in a kennel.  Of course he's going to need an adjustment period, and the adopter explicitly said - and this was just as important as her willingness to handle the meds and subQ fluids - she'd give him time and space to settle in however he wanted.  Just because he wasn't frolicking around the yard - and, hello, he's quite old - doesn't mean he was sad.  And how would he have been better off at VRC?  It's possible the stress of moving moved up the timeline some, but better to die a little earlier in a quiet home with the love of one person on a daily basis than to hang on a little longer and die in a busy kennel with a variety of people who love him but can only spend limited time with him.

Edited February 17, 2019 by Bastet

[slippity slack]

Good for Anthony! I love him and his low energy style and am glad the adopter came back for him! I think Hump was definitely better off having a loving home even if it was for a short time but that news was still heartbreaking at end of show.

[Calamity Jane]

I had a feeling poor Humperdinck wouldn't live long after his arrival, partly because of the way he plopped down on the grass in a new place instead of exploring a little.  That read as extreme exhaustion to me, not sadness at all.  I hope he got royally spoiled while he was there.  Heartbreaker, and as usual upsetting for my cats when I cry out loud.  

[CrazyInAlabama]

At least Humperdink had a great life, in a home, no matter how short a time it was.   14 is a very old dog for an animal of his size.     I love that the adopter could come back and get Anthony.    She's a wonderful woman to only get senior dogs.    

[SRTouch]

39 minutes ago, Calamity Jane said:

I had a feeling poor Humperdinck wouldn't live long after his arrival, partly because of the way he plopped down on the grass in a new place instead of exploring a little.  That read as extreme exhaustion to me, not sadness at all.  I hope he got royally spoiled while he was there.  Heartbreaker, and as usual upsetting for my cats when I cry out loud.  

Exactly right. I felt everyone, VRC staff, the vet, and the adopter felt his adoption was more hospice than a forever home. IIRC we heard that he had been receiving fluids once a week, and they were upping that to twice a week. If I heard right, his blood pressure had been 160 on his last vet visit, and was up to 200 during the checkup for the trip... I was kind of surprised the vet gave the go ahead for the trip. Had me googling to find out how you measure a dog's blood pressure - pretty simple, actually - looks like what I have on my nightstand with a smaller cuff, pretty cheap to buy a monitor, too.

[Gradylydon]

Does anyone know what happened to Dr. Kristen?

[Bastet]

33 minutes ago, Gradylydon said:

Does anyone know what happened to Dr. Kristen?

She's still the owner of Cypress Lake Animal Hospital, but VRC is going to a different veterinary clinic now (I'm not sure if it's in addition to or in place of Cypress Lake), so that's why we're seeing a different vet.  Cypress Lake isn't all that conveniently located to either the city or country location (although I don't think much of anything is conveniently located to Assumption Parish), but obviously Dr. Kristen and staff were fantastic, so they started driving there (rather than the place in the city they'd initially been going to upon relocating to New Orleans).  This place may be better located, at least in relation to the city, so if they found another vet they can trust and get reasonably-priced services from, that would be a logical reason to switch.  But I haven't paid attention to the clinic name to look it up.

I did just check Cypress Lake's Facebook page, though, and VRC, Tia, the Tayho, etc. are all still listed as related pages/liked by this page, so perhaps they take the country dogs there still and now use this new place for the city dogs.  And it seems Cypress Lake works with other rescues as well.  Dr. Kristen is good peeps!

[PrincessPurrsALot]

As someone who has fostered senior dogs (and fought vehemently for two of them the shelter almost tagged unadoptable due to poor early socialization) and who has taken in my share of senior and fospice cats, I absolutely believe even a few weeks in a home is worthwhile.   The old man in my photo took longer to come around than any cat I ever had, but he got there.  When his partner cat died, he stepped up and took over the important cat jobs (asking for food, getting underfoot, filing complaints with management).  My aunt has the first dog I fostered.  He was a mess.  Within days we could see what a great dog he was.  He is now 12 and the happiest, most spoiled dog in the world.  He fills my aunt's world with joy.

I am sure Humperdink had the best ending he could.  His person came for him, cared for him and gave him a safe place to call his own.  If all animals and people could have that, the world would be a much better place.  And now Anthony is with this same wonderful person.  It's a win in my book. 

[dbell1]

There were some ugly tears in my house watching that. If I had the money and space, I'd have nothing but shelter hospice dogs and cats. Hell, I'd even take in other animals. 

I thought Matt moved north with a girlfriend? Going back for 2 months is super loyal, but what about his new life? 

[CrazyInAlabama]

I think they use Cypress Lake for the Assumption Parish animals, and a closer vet for the city location.

Yes, Matt married his girlfriend and stayed in NYC.    In fact they both came down and filmed a couple of hound adoption episode a couple of years ago.   He also came down and was working with his brother a few episodes or so, so maybe this was all filmed around the same time. 

Edited February 18, 2019 by CrazyInAlabama

[Bastet]

Unless his ex and their daughter moved, Matt has a kid in New Orleans, so I'm sure he visits a fair bit.

[Rlb8031]

On 2/16/2019 at 10:07 PM, Bastet said:

I wonder if the adopter will get her next senior locally or return to VRC; Molly-O was adorable, and Anthony’s lazy self cracked me up.  There was something a little off about the adopter to me that I couldn’t put my finger on when she was at VRC, but whatever it was I didn’t sense it at her home, so maybe it was just some awkwardness in an unfamiliar environment.

Tia also posted on her page that Molly-O was successfully adopted out, so all three seniors in this episode found forever homes!

[CrazyInAlabama]

Some people are very nervous about being on camera.    I hate having my picture taken, and if someone stuck a video camera in my face, I would look like a zombie.   So maybe the adopter was just very nervous about talking on camera, and who knows how many takes they had to do.  

[Bastet]

There aren’t a lot of places you can just stop showing up for work or even responding to calls, and then get your job back, but it’s great that Tia just wants these guys to be honest and in a better place – if so, she’ll give them another chance.

Hattie crawling right into Jammall Jr.’s lap during kid testing was funny.  She has a lot of highly-adoptable characteristics, so I was almost surprised she wasn't already in a home by the time the episode was put together -- it just shows how many dogs there are compared to available homes.

Lookback’s fire house is really cute – except for “pitt” bull.  That is all I would see.

That first hound opting to just lie down in the shade is my kind of dog – no way in hell I’d be running around in the humid heat of Louisiana.  But watching Floki and Whiskey show they have a hell of a lot more energy than I do was great.  Like Tia said, the fact the adopters came in intending to let their dogs decide shows they know what they’re doing. 

I laughed at how tickled Mariah was by the sight of Floki with the ear muffs on at the firing range.  And, wow, that is a huge backyard the adopters have, and terrific for energetic dogs who like to chase each other. 

[Rlb8031]

On 2/23/2019 at 10:14 PM, Bastet said:

There aren’t a lot of places you can just stop showing up for work or even responding to calls, and then get your job back, but it’s great that Tia just wants these guys to be honest and in a better place – if so, she’ll give them another chance.

And this is why VRC is so great. Tia recognizes that the population of folks she's working may lack the coping skills to know what to do in that situation. It's also a little self-serving on her part. She knows exactly how hard it is to get guys that understand the dogs and instinctively want to make sure they are happy and doing well. Jammall was pretty rare among those guys originally, and I think that's probably why she was so willing to give him a second chance so easily.

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, Rlb8031 said:

And this is why VRC is so great. Tia recognizes that the population of folks she's working may lack the coping skills to know what to do in that situation.

Yep, and that's why, although it makes me sad when these guys - even when told by the others, "hey, man, you can tell her what's up" - don't go to her and say, "I have major personal shit going on and can't make my hours/just can't deal right now," it makes all the sense in the world that they don't -- they have zero experience telling them they can trust that.  It's a far more natural response to just disappear, and I'm impressed when guys do like Jammall, and brave showing back up and asking for their jobs back.

2 hours ago, Rlb8031 said:

It's also a little self-serving on her part. She knows exactly how hard it is to get guys that understand the dogs and instinctively want to make sure they are happy and doing well. Jammall was pretty rare among those guys originally, and I think that's probably why she was so willing to give him a second chance so easily.

Absolutely.  She's not exactly swimming in applicants to begin with, and the job is physically difficult, period, and emotionally difficult for many.  So they get a lot of people who leave quickly.  (And they have a terrible time keeping people at the country location, because people don't understand just how country it is until they get there.)  When she gets someone willing to do the work and who doesn't just treat the dogs properly but with true compassion and forms a bond, she will find a way to make it work so long as that guy is honest with her.  I like that about her -- she'll accept a lot of flaws others would regard as deal-breakers, but not lying to her. 

[Linderhill]

I just finished reading Tia's book. I very much enjoyed reading about her life's journey and her canine companions and her kids. I did think it interesting that nothing was mentioned about the husband that was in jail out in California. I mean nothing, just miscellaneous comments about her poor choices in men. I remember her being so very enthused when Aaron had drawn up plans for the Tehachapi kennel, which, we all know failed for various reasons. I too wish that the book could have been longer with more stories about more of the dogs they've had. It was nice to learn about Monster and the others that have been mentioned on the show.

[Rlb8031]

1 hour ago, Linderhill said:

I just finished reading Tia's book. I very much enjoyed reading about her life's journey and her canine companions and her kids. I did think it interesting that nothing was mentioned about the husband that was in jail out in California. I mean nothing, just miscellaneous comments about her poor choices in men. I remember her being so very enthused when Aaron had drawn up plans for the Tehachapi kennel, which, we all know failed for various reasons. I too wish that the book could have been longer with more stories about more of the dogs they've had. It was nice to learn about Monster and the others that have been mentioned on the show.

This wasn't a surprise to me. I get the sense that there was a lot of enmeshment between the boys, their issues and her husband. While she alluded to both boys having been close to the edge and having problems, there was a fair amount of public speculation at the time that Aaron either got them involved in drugs and theft or was covering for them when he went to jail. Either way, Tia seemed to want to steer clear of telling any parts of the story of her kids lives' beyond what has been shared as part of the show.

[Bastet]

On 2/27/2019 at 2:37 PM, Rlb8031 said:

there was a fair amount of public speculation at the time that Aaron either got them involved in drugs and theft or was covering for them when he went to jail.

I read the court documents years ago, and don't remember which twin it was, but one of them was in it up to his eyeballs and was dealing with a drug problem.  If Aren faced a life sentence (and took a ten-year stretch) for his stepson, that would be quite a sacrifice.  The twin would have received a far lighter sentence (due to lack of priors), so I don't think he was covering for anyone; the stolen property was there either because of him (as the prosecutor alleged) or because of one of the parolees (as Aren claimed).  I don't know and won't ever know.  I do know I hate the prosecutor on that case, the courthouse his case was heard in (the judges are notoriously biased against defendants), and loathe with every fiber of my being CA's draconian "three strikes" law, so Aren was behind the eight ball and if he wasn't guilty, he got thoroughly screwed.  If he was, he faced a far-longer sentence than he should have, and even the ten-year deal is excessive.  Tia spent a shit ton of money on his defense, so I hope he was worth it.  I have my doubts, but I respect that she doesn't talk about it.

At any rate, the twins both turned out incredibly well for how they started out, and I'm really glad Mariah brought "the strays" home and started them down the road that wound up giving them a family far better than the one they'd been born into.  Now they're doing work they love and found great women to share their lives - and that work - with.

My cat and I were cleaning out my closet during tonight's episode (it took longer than I thought and I didn't want to lose momentum by pausing to focus on the show), but I still got to see plenty.  Tamale drinking out of the toilet in her new home and promptly being handed a water bowl instead was hilarious.  And I loved M2 saying Earl would do the jog testing and she'd do the "hang out at a restaurant with a drink" testing and Earl protesting that's backwards. 

I'm glad Cordelia got out of the shelter; it's impressive for a shelter with that few resources to reach out to a rescue for proper temperament testing rather than just euthanizing an "aggressive" dog.

I'm also glad - and pleasantly surprised - only one of Valentina's tumors was malignant.  I appreciate them including the vet explicitly saying if you spay a dog young, she will not get mammary tumors, if you let her go for years, she probably will.  I remember reading that sweet little pajama-clad Almonaster didn't make it, but I think this was the first time it was said on the show, and he was such a sad yet hopeful case I like that they used Valentina's skin condition as a means to remind us of/update us on his story.

Edited March 3, 2019 by Bastet

[EtheltoTillie]

I was so happy for Tamale. What a cute little face. 

[Gramto6]

I am always so happy to see these sweet dogs go to a loving home. Makes my heart happy.

[EtheltoTillie]

Last night was just too much.  That poor dog who was not rescued.  I just could not stop thinking about that.  But thankfully there were some nice adoption stories. 

I enjoyed watching Hunny, who wouldn't climb into the truck.  My dog will not climb into the car.  She can easily jump on the couch or bed, same height.  She can easily jump OUT of the car.  So silly.  I have to hoist her in.  Fortunately, she is a medium size dog about the size of Hunny.  I see they sometimes have to hoist the other dogs in the cars too. 

When the weather gets better, I will try again to practice with treats. 

[nitrofishblue]

Not being able to catch that dog was really sad. You could see that the traffic was bad and people just didn't care enough to slow down. I am sure that Tia and the girls are upset over that sad result. They tried but weren't able to make it happen.

So happy to see the update on the adopter who adopted Humberdink and gave him happiness in his final days. Then she adopted the other dog she looked at when making her first choice. Wish there were more adopters like her.

I adopted an eight year old baby from the local SPCA. She is now 14. I am afraid her final days are approaching faster than I like. She is suffering from Congestive Heart Failure. Her rear legs are not the best and she is now deaf. She is the love of my hubby and those two make a great couple. We are happy for every day she is still with us.

[Bastet]

I knew from someone posting about it here that Humperdink's owner adopted Anthony, but it was really nice to get to see it on the show.  I hope he has several good years left, for his sake, and for the owner's -- she deserves to enjoy his lazy butt for quite a while after losing Hump so quickly.  It's nice that she consoles herself with the belief that Hump just chose to let go, knowing he was safe, comfortable, and loved.

Hunny trying to get in the truck was cute, and I think the angle plus the texture threw her off; the guy said he was going to take her occasionally, so she won't be getting daily exposure, but I suspect after a while he won't have to lift her.  And, even if he always does, oh well - he can get in and his wife can hand her up.  That she's not bothered by the noise is the main thing.  And she sure loved those kids.  It was adorable seeing her run around the circle the family had formed, jumping up and giving everyone kisses.

And this is an episode that needed two adoption stories, to balance out the failed rescue.  I had a bad feeling the dog was going to get hit by a car, but I kept telling myself they hardly ever fail to catch or trap a dog they're after.  Poor dog; I can only hope it was instant.  The driver who wound up hitting her may very well not have been doing anything wrong, and has to live with the memory of accidentally killing a dog, but goddamn there were a whole lot of people not even slowing down, just honking their horns in annoyance.  Tania gets flustered sometimes, and I certainly don't blame her for doing so this time; I loved her (of course, bleeped out) "Fuck you, you fucking piece of shit" to one nasty driver.

[EtheltoTillie]

6 hours ago, Bastet said:

I knew from someone posting about it here that Humperdink's owner adopted Anthony, but it was really nice to get to see it on the show.  I hope he has several good years left, for his sake, and for the owner's -- she deserves to enjoy his lazy butt for quite a while after losing Hump so quickly.  It's nice that she consoles herself with the belief that Hump just chose to let go, knowing he was safe, comfortable, and loved.

Hunny trying to get in the truck was cute, and I think the angle plus the texture threw her off; the guy said he was going to take her occasionally, so she won't be getting daily exposure, but I suspect after a while he won't have to lift her.  And, even if he always does, oh well - he can get in and his wife can hand her up.  That she's not bothered by the noise is the main thing.  And she sure loved those kids.  It was adorable seeing her run around the circle the family had formed, jumping up and giving everyone kisses.

And this is an episode that needed two adoption stories, to balance out the failed rescue.  I had a bad feeling the dog was going to get hit by a car, but I kept telling myself they hardly ever fail to catch or trap a dog they're after.  Poor dog; I can only hope it was instant.  The driver who wound up hitting her may very well not have been doing anything wrong, and has to live with the memory of accidentally killing a dog, but goddamn there were a whole lot of people not even slowing down, just honking their horns in annoyance.  Tania gets flustered sometimes, and I certainly don't blame her for doing so this time; I loved her (of course, bleeped out) "Fuck you, you fucking piece of shit" to one nasty driver.

1)  I noted the texture.  It's like sidewalk subway grates here in NYC.  My dogs always avoid those like the plague!

2)  Yes, wasn't that sweet.  Such a happy dog.  I hope they eventually fence in that yard, since they do have a pool.  A fence is usually required.  Then the dog can just run around.

3)  I too was dreading that somehow.  Obviously they were filming it not planning to fail.  But maybe something about the voiceovers. Then when they came back from break with the bad news, it was heartbreaking.  I appreciate that the actually showed the story instead of cutting it. 

[SRTouch]

Sad news from the VRC FB page. Last of the California OG dogs, Rhino, is gone 😢

[Bastet]

Oh, that's a big loss.  They love all their dogs, but he was literally a mascot for them (and then for the VooDoo).  He was a great ambassador for the breed, and will be mourned even by people who never knew him - not a bad legacy. 

I looked the post announcing the news, and it was the folks at Cypress Lake who gave him his peaceful ending, so they are indeed still serving VRC (something that was wondered about upthread since they're also using a different vet clinic on the show now).

[chenoa333]

On 3/10/2019 at 8:54 AM, nitrofishblue said:

Not being able to catch that dog was really sad. You could see that the traffic was bad and people just didn't care enough to slow down. I am sure that Tia and the girls are upset over that sad result. They tried but weren't able to make it happen.

So happy to see the update on the adopter who adopted Humberdink and gave him happiness in his final days. Then she adopted the other dog she looked at when making her first choice. Wish there were more adopters like her.

I adopted an eight year old baby from the local SPCA. She is now 14. I am afraid her final days are approaching faster than I like. She is suffering from Congestive Heart Failure. Her rear legs are not the best and she is now deaf. She is the love of my hubby and those two make a great couple. We are happy for every day she is still with us.

Aww...bless you and your hubby for adopting this dog and showing her love, kindness and compassion. Your story is a happy one (for now). Thanks for sharing it 💞

[Bastet]

It was poignant to see that clip of Rhino, knowing he recently died.

The adopters’ dog who passed away was adorable!  The head tilt Beesa (?) did in her introductory segment was very cute, too.  Creole was an instant hit – the way he wiggled up onto the couch and proceeded to audition for World’s Sweetest Dog.  Well played, Creole, well played.  He is going to be great when the grandkid visits, going by how he was with Luke.  "Do you want to go inside" and he sprints for the door?  I die.  It just goes to show how many great dogs they have at any given time that someone with his looks, personality, and temperament with kids was there for several years.  I think he'll make a great therapy dog in time, and love that they're training him for that.

Sassy coming up for water the way dogs normally do for hot dogs or other high-value treats was heartbreaking.  But it was so nice to see her body relax when she got comfortable with them, and then her jumping into the passenger seat like, “No, this is where I sit.”  That was cute.  The owner shouldn’t just let her out like that, and should have her tagged and chipped, but she loves Sassy and that dog is treated better than a whole lot of dogs in that area.  It’s nice that they gave her a tag and encouraged her to get her chipped and go out with the dog.  It’s more effective than lecturing.

I burst into instant, hot, fat tears when Cairo broke free and ran after her owner.  I’m glad she’s in the Pitz Carlton.  Separation anxiety is very hard to deal with; she’s going to need a very specific type of owner, and there aren’t a lot of them out there.  I'm glad she's making some progress.

[walnutqueen]

16 hours ago, Bastet said:

I burst into instant, hot, fat tears when Cairo broke free and ran after her owner.  I’m glad she’s in the Pitz Carlton.  Separation anxiety is very hard to deal with; she’s going to need a very specific type of owner, and there aren’t a lot of them out there.  I'm glad she's making some progress.

I cannot bear to watch shit like this.  I am gutted.

[SRTouch]

Watching old episodes (around 2015) Animal Planet has on during the day today. One thing that really struck me was in the episodes where Sui's Mom comes to visit. Tia is at a b&b/hotel trains get a dog not to bolt out the door, and she sort of skips up and down the steps..... had me checking the dates and googling when exactly she had her big couch jumping leg injury ('16) and marveling how much that injury stills seems to slow her down

[CJKing]

39 minutes ago, SRTouch said:

Watching old episodes (around 2015) Animal Planet has on during the day today. One thing that really struck me was in the episodes where Sui's Mom comes to visit. Tia is at a b&b/hotel trains get a dog not to bolt out the door, and she sort of skips up and down the steps..... had me checking the dates and googling when exactly she had her big couch jumping leg injury ('16) and marveling how much that injury stills seems to slow her down

I've been watching some of the older episodes and noticed that too. That must have been a very bad break. It really seems to have set her back. 

[friendperidot]

Tia is a little younger than me, I'm 68, but I broke my foot last June, my whole life has changed. I can't walk like I used to, my back bothers me after I stand or walk for short periods of time, my stance changed while I was wearing my boot. And I have osteoporosis, now I'm terrified of falling, it isn't even a conscious decision, my balance is off and if I'm faced with a situation where I'm uncertain, I'm scared of falling. Broken bones when you get older are a big deal. It took months for my foot to heal and it still hurts on occasion. I get where Tia's at, we aren't spring chickens any more.

[CrazyInAlabama]

From what I read, the break was very bad, and involved several surgeries, and several months non-weight bearing, and lots of pain.    

[Rlb8031]

1 hour ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

From what I read, the break was very bad, and involved several surgeries, and several months non-weight bearing, and lots of pain.    

Not to mention an shortly developed addiction to painkillers (after less than a week taking them) and then withdrawal when she went off of them - Tia described it in her book!

[EtheltoTillie]

On 3/17/2019 at 2:10 PM, walnutqueen said:

I cannot bear to watch shit like this.  I am gutted.

Darn, I'm bursting into tears reading this, and I haven't even watched the episode yet. 

[SRTouch]

Still watching the old episodes - today we had disgusting piece of 💩 who dumps his dog over fence into neighbors yard because dog peed on his Xbox (so, of course dog is now called Xbox).

Still during the period when Tia was dealing with her injury and surgery, and Earl his relapse and rehab, so emotional episode

[Bastet]

6 minutes ago, SRTouch said:

Still watching the old episodes - today we had disgusting piece of 💩 who dumps his dog over fence into neighbors yard because dog peed on his Xbox (so, of course dog is now called Xbox).

I remember that -- one of the few times Lizzy got really angry at an owner.  I was livid, too; that asshole 1) was too busy playing with his damn Xbox to pay attention to his dog, 2) responded to the fact the dog started peeing all over the house not by taking him to the vet to see, yep, infection, but by tossing him over a neighbor's fence, and then 3) when confronted about his actions, just shrugged his shoulders like this was a completely normal action to take.

[Bastet]

Poor Silver winding back up at VRC as a senior; I'm so glad she gets to retire to Florida.  She's adorable, and so cute with Diesel; she'll keep him good company without overwhelming him.  And I agree with Lizzy that it's nice to see a kid get as excited for an old dog as most kids would be with a puppy.  Silver is in a great home, and I hope the owner who could no longer keep her knows that.  (I can't imagine rehoming my cat under any circumstances, but over the years I've come to learn that not everyone who gives up a pet is a jerk, and she/he did return her to VRC rather than dumping her in a Los Angeles shelter [which is usually fatal for pits].  If she/he truly was out of good options and did the best of the remaining bad ones, I hope Silver's happy ending brings comfort.)

Jammall has such palpable compassion for dogs; I really like him and am so glad he's back at VRC.

M2's story about nervous Kanani missing on the first kiss and kissing her ear instead was funny.  His relationship with Luke is very sweet.  I think having a non-biological mom himself made him particularly open to the notion of being Dad, not stepdad.  They seem to be a nice family. 

That were really nice moments between the twins at the wedding; I love Moe supporting him during his vows.  I wonder if Kanani was just really nervous, but it seems like he has trouble reading.  The ways Luke was included were really cute.  I could have done with more dogs and less wedding footage (thank you, again, Mariah and Marcel, for just going off and getting married), but with the work they do I don't begrudge them getting things comped in exchange for appearing on the show.  It looks like they had a very nice evening.

[brilliantbreakfast]

Well I have just watched the March 23 episode and I am just weeping with joy.  I think that the weddings of Tania and the twins have been lovelier than any of the real-life weddings I've ever attended.  I know that the twins had a troubled past before Mariah brought them home, but I actually felt pride in how well they have done.  Lizzie and M2 are utter prizes (as is Marcel).  Whatever anyone says about Tia, she has definitely done something right.  Think about what these kids do, between the shelter and the parolees and the restaurant (which was their idea) and the shop.  It's really quite impressive.  I know that we don't really "know" people that we see on TV, and we see what they want us to see, but it's hard not to love this family.

This show just keeps getting better.  I don't have a big bucket list, but walking dogs at Villalobos is on it.

[Bastet]

I enjoyed this update episode to close out the season.

And we got to see Perry again, which was nice.  I liked getting an update on Renegade; I remember that rescue so well (Tania handled herself perfectly for her first time without Tia) and the two of them adopting him, so it's nice seeing a little of the family dynamic.  I laughed at him dragging stuff into his crate.

Marcel bringing Pastor home and being ticked that he turned into Mariah’s dog is hilarious, too.

Lucky and Tia's relationship is great; I so enjoyed all the pictures and videos my friend would send me from Facebook during Tia's recuperation -- after he eluded her for weeks when she tried to catch him, wouldn't let anyone in the kennel with him, that dog wound up stuck to her like glue. 

It's certainly not anything I didn't know, but it was still sad to see how many dogs whose rescues were featured on the show - who thus have a greater chance of someone wanting to adopt them - are still waiting for their home years later.

Like Mr. Wilson being back there; he had such a rough life and was so excited to get off that awful chain, and even though he didn't turn out to be a candidate for life as a service dog he's now well trained. 

And Rock has made such progress, I’d love it if someone adopted him and one of his confidence-building buddies together.

I really hope this update on Wanda prompts someone to adopt her – the way she just falls over to roll around on her walks is something someone out there has to want in her/his life!  Same with Xena invading Tania’s space as they drive down the road.  It always makes me sad when puppies/kittens all get homes but momma gets overlooked for years.

[Bronzedog]

Perry talking about Renegade, "I taught him how to shake hands."  Tania - "I saved his life."  Ha!