touch junkie jondi

your ship will come in too, Jondi. 'til then, keep on doing what you do best.

Star has left the building

Below, Star nuzzles Elliot just moments before her new foster/adopt family pulled up to take her home. These two have shared the sweetest friendship since Star first came to the barn.

Sending this one home was a little bit nerve wracking. We all worry: "Will they like her? She's such a busy girl - Will she be good and not make a pest of herself? How long before she settles in?" I guess it's our job to worry. But Star and the Morrow family did their best to remind us that they were just fine - and four humans and one dog all drove off on Christmas Eve with some of the biggest smiles we've seen all year.

Below: A Christmas Eve sunset walk before loading her up into the car.



The little red head is the exact reason why we wanted to build the barn, so she'll be holding her place of honor on our blog banner. Below is a re-cap from a post in June, explaining where she came from and why we call her a trail blazer:

Star came to us after surviving a suspected dog fighting operation in Los Angeles County back in March. (News) According to Animal Services Director Marcia Mayeda, Star is the first adult dog the county has ever released to rescue from a dog fighting case. One puppy was spared and went to Karma Rescue. (Thank you, angels!) The first little history makers can thank Found Animals for championing their cause.

This news comes with heartache, unfortunately. Fourteen of the 17 dogs from this yard were destroyed at the shelters that held them, despite the fact that a large number passed behavior evals with high marks and were slated for rescue. Los Angeles County Animal Services accepted full responsibility for the deaths and blames an internal communication error for the tragedy. Director Mayeda expressed her dismay by phone and told us they're committed to making sure the same mistake isn't repeated. We're surmising that the newness of this type of rescue contributed to the error - It seems 'firsts' rarely come without some degree of confusion and struggle and strife. The Los Angeles case was a big reminder of our need to stay vigilant as the shelter world gets used to a new era with a better way of helping dogs - victims of cruelty especially.

So, Star is suddenly even more special in that she managed to escape two terrible fates. She's a darling and we're honored to be part of so many of her triumphant firsts. Welcome to real life, you little trail blazer.

During the six+ months that she was with us, Star welcomed every new barn dog with an enthusiastic tongue bath and she entertained even the most obnoxious puppies without complaint. She helped worriers like Jiggs get his bearings, gave dogs like Jondi, Spanky and Danny the best reason to do zoomies, showed our campers the fun of rile work, kept a baby squirrel safe from the other dogs, helped new volunteers learn the joy of nose work and only gave us one teeny heart attack when she snuck out of the gate to follow a small flock of turkeys down the road one summer morning. Her kennel will be filled with a new dog asap, but for now, the barn feels very, very empty without her.

Enjoy your new life, darling. You sure deserve the best.

Ayse earns her belt

When Ayse went to live at her new home - a studio in West Oakland that doubles as a small martial arts school - we hear tell that some of the students were a wee bit afraid of her. It seems the new setting was sooo super exciting that Little Miss Bounce-a-Lot reverted right back to caveman manners and jetted off the walls like a ping pong ball. Ruh Roh.

Her new family told all the students that she was just a white belt, and they could help her learn good form by reminding her of the house rules - and so they did. Here she is with Brian, a favorite new friend. We're told no one's afraid of her anymore. In fact, the newest challenge is carving out enough time for happy visits with everyone who comes by for lessons.

Nice job Jarvia and Rudy. Ayse is turning into a patient little grasshopper under your tutelage.

puppy outtake

Recognize this schnoz?

It's Clyde, formerly known as Rascal.

He sure was.

Season's Greetings

The barn residents would like to wish everyone a happy holiday and to also thank all of their supporters for your continued generosity.

Dan, keeping an eye out for visitors bearing packages, hopefully, with lots of squeeky toys.

Star, checking on the barn holiday decorations.

Dan, thinking he heard Santa approaching, or perhaps the UPS delivery person.

May everyone have a happy and healthy New Year, and a home to call one's own.

Star gets Naked and Tries Modeling

Sunday was bath day so Star got naked and let me take her picture.

She looks very innocent and puppy-like in the nude.

Hey lady, stop taking my picture, this is embarrassing! I mean, make sure you post this on the internet because I hear this is how Stars get famous.

After her bath Star and Uba tried out matching sweaters so they could stay warm and look cute.

They modeled the sweaters as athletic attire.

Later they enjoyed a long walk

And finally, Star snuggled up on the couch and took a long nap.

Its was a busy day for The Star. She has been a really great house guest and its been very nice getting to know her soft and relaxed side.

Dear Star,

Wow Star - it sure does look like you are having fun on your vacation. Going to the place with all the dog stuff sounds really exciting!!!
I didn't do anything like shopping while on my vacation - but I had lots of fun at the barn lady's house.

I spent a lot of time with my new friend Rube...


















Here we are after he told me a really funny joke about how stupid cats are...


















We had a lot of fun running through the house...


















And I have done a lot of relaxing this week too...

All in all I had a really nice week. I helped barn lady in the office at work, I met barn lady's mom and dad and a lot of other nice people. I am going to miss being at the barn lady's house, but I'm looking forward to seeing my barn friends again. Barn lady told me that she really loved having me at her house and that everyone is going to miss me so much. I told them to come and visit us at the barn any time they want!

See you soon,
Your friend Jondi

Shopping Like a Star

Star's note to Jondi about an exciting adventure:

Hi Jondi, hi!

I hope your vacation is as fun as mine. My vacation is fun!

Guess what? Yesterday I went to an amazing place. Did you know there are places full of stuff for dogs and cats? You can go there and pick out stuff and take it home. Its amazing. The lady took me in the car. Then we went inside this huge place and looked at stuff.

I looked this way

I looked that way

I sniffed things

I thought about all the stuff

I met this lady who had a kong and smelled like a puppy. I licked her jeans.

Then we took the stuff back to Lulu and Uba's house. And I thought about it and told Uba and Lulu, and they acted bored. But I know its exciting. It is exciting, right?

See you soon!

Star

Danny gets a pet

When Danny returns to the barn at the end of the week, he'll be taking - not just one, but two of his very own, special pets!

Boy toys ain't cute (like Jondi's pink pig) but Dan loves his just the same.

He's been wearing his new snake stuffie coiled around his neck when he's not wrangling it around the room, and he loves to cuddle with his Monkey pillow-pet that Santa Paws brought him as an early Xmas present.

The weather outside may be frightful, but for Danny, playtime with his beloved new pets sure is delightful.



Coming soon - a little update on his adventures this week as Dan the Office Dog.

Star's Work Week

Star is learning about the work of being a house dog this week. Luckily she has a good tutor in her host Uba who is also a hard working dog.

Star has practiced keeping the couch warm,

She has worked on her dance moves

and added to her wrestling skills.

She has also made Uba laugh by looking crazy

and helped a friend read The Pit Bull Book.

Star has been searching and searching for her forever home for such a long time. This week she is getting ready for her own couch and her own family. She is learning that sometimes even a Star can take a little nap.

An ode to cushions

Dan is spending a week as a house-dog and has fallen in love, so he wrote - well, OK, dictated - a poem about it. And hey, if the rhymes and cadence aren't exactly on point, well waddya expect - he's just a dog!


I am Dan, Dan I am
Dan the dog I am, I am
My favorite things are NOT green eggs and ham,
green eggs and ham are fine for Sam,
but not for Dan, Dan I am,
Dan the dog I am, I am.

Green eggs and ham are fine for some,
but the feeling I like on my tum
the things I like most under my bum....
are cushions, cushions, CUSHIONS!


I like Cushions that are puffy,
I like Cushions that are fluffy,
I like Cushions puffy, fluffy and stuffy.
I like cushions on the couch, I like cushions on the floor,
green or red, round or square, I like cushions galore.


But the cushions where I like most to rest,
the cushions I like the very best,
the cushions where I like to lay my head,
are on the barn lady's big soft bed.

Packing for a Princess

Did I remember everything you need for a week at my house, Jondi??

Comfy familiar blanket - check

Jondi ball - check

Kong - check

Piggy toy - check

Lots of other toys - check

Now we just need to add some treats and we're all packed.

Let's go!!

steppin' out

Last evening the Wags Hotel in San Francisco hosted a lovely event for BADRAP, and a couple of familiar barn faces were able to attend.

That's Dan in the back sitting on the sofa with barn crew member, Ana. Christine, our generous organizer for the event is on the right, along with some new friends Dan made. That little guy enjoying his hors d'oeuvre is Doc, stopping by with his person to learn more about what BADRAP does.

And we were absolutely thrilled that our friend and former barn resident, Nita, could join us. That's Nita with her mom on the right and Christine, again, on the left.

Thank you Wags Hotel for giving us the opportunity to show off some of our incredible dogs, and to Christine for all the time and effort involved in the preparation, set-up and then clean-up afterward. It was great fun spending time with everyone who stopped by.

Illicit Affairs

The other evening Star and Dan had a mad wrestle session on the sofa.



That's Star's head peeking out as she's attempting to wiggle her way free from Dan's hold.

"Oh oh. I think I hear someone coming."

Poor Elliot. He thought he was your one and only, Star, and that those heated play sessions on the sofa were reserved for you and him alone.

What's a girl to do when there are just so many handsome guys around?

All the Beautiful Barn Boys

Friendly, confident, connected, smart, fun-loving. These are the boys in the barn. All of that along with being good-looking...

Handsome Dan

Check out his wrinkles? Too young to be due to age, and Dan doesn't need worry wrinkles any longer.

Gorgeous Ruben

Ruben is still a teen, so will be growing into a handsome adult as we follow his progress.

True, the boys certainly are lookers, but nicer fellows you'd be hard-pressed to find.