Annie needs a home - Her adoption fell through :(

Unfortunately, Annie's adoption didn't work out. 

I'm re-posting this in hopes of finding her a forever home. Poor Annie is in her 4th home in 2 years and Melanie and I are hoping to find her one that sticks. If you, or somebody you know is interested, please contact skeletor@fuelmultimedia.com. 

We would prefer not to move her into a foster home, but I'm afraid that will have to do if we can't find her a forever home. Thanks in advance to anybody that can help by spreading the word!

Info from original post...

Melanie had to give her up last year. A friend took her in, but she can no longer keep her.
Annie is almost 2 years old. She's a spayed pit-lab mix. She's good with kids and animals.

Mel would love to take her back, but she can't have a dog Annie's size in her apartment. Also, she doesn't think apartment life is what Annie would want.

If you or someone you know is interested in adopting or even fostering Annie, please contact Skeletor@fuelmultimedia.com.

Please spread the word and help us find Annie a good home!

Pit Bull Needs a Home: Black Dog

I received this email and wanted to post this and try to find a home for this guy... 

Please contact Amy at 904-246-0093 or olivieria@att.net if you're interested in adopting Black Dog or if you happen to know his owners.

"My name is Black Dog.
Man, you were skinny, but look incredible now.  Way to go dude. Props. You found some good peeps.

Now, let's talk about me. I don't know where the hell I am. I followed  these two hounds and a really tall guy home two days ago in the  Atlantic Beach area. I'm not sure where my family is or if they want  me back. They've alerted animal control, had me scanned and put up  signs.  I look really good, you know - for the ladies. I'm not skinny  like you were, but I'm confused as to why I'm here.

I was hoping that you could help a brutha out or at least point me in  the right direction. The people I found don't want to send me to  animal control because I'm really sweet and they know what happens to  pits in the clink. But they can't keep me. Any ideas? I'm really the  perfect dog... my favorite thing is PEOPLE I LOVE TO BE WITH PEOPLE OH  MY GOD I LOVE PEOPLE PEOPLE PEOPLE PEOPLE. I can sit and have pretty  good manners. Might you know of anyone who would want to keep me or  keep me for a bit until I find my old or a forever home?

You are an inspiration, Skeletor. Truly.

Peace and good luck with your search for a forever home. You deserve it.
Black Dog, as translated by
Amy"

A funny mental picture for you...

Picture this...

Yesterday I was walking Skells on a leash and Sophie was walking with us with no leash. I've been getting better about bringing poo bags with us. This time was an exception, and I was poo-bagless. I noticed the mail lady was doing her thing.

I know Skeletor better than he knows himself. Something about going on a walk gives him the urge to drop a stinky load. It was just a matter of time.

We were almost to the area where it's "ok" for him to poo, and I was worried that he would handle his business prematurely. I decided to pick up our pace to a jog.

So I was running with Skelly on the leash and Sophie was doing her best to keep up. We get to the poo zone and Skelly goes straight to work. *whew!*

It was a rather large payload too! Glad it wasn't in somebody's yard!

Anyways, we were walking along and the mail lady pulls up and says... "When you guys were running, it looked like you two were being fleeing from the dachshund! bahaha!"

I agreed with her that it was quite a funny picture!! We will have to stage some photos!!

The vicious pittbull!!

I bent down to kiss the monster's head and what do ya know?! I got headbutted! Pitbulls have very HARD HEADS! He is lucky he is so dang cute! :-)

Another checkup at the Vet

Thursday, I took Skelly to the vet for a checkup. I was going to take him right after lunch, but through better of it. I decided to take him and sophie for a walk first in hopes of calming him down.

I had been getting better at remembering to bring dog poo bags with me on walks. Of course, this time I forgot, and of course, this time Skelly dropped a stinker right on the sidewalk!!

After a quick walk, we loaded up the car and headed to the doc's office. Skelly didn't hesitate to say "hi" at the top of his lungs to every dog, cat and person that came near us. I didn't even bother trying to sit in the actual waiting room this time. Skelly and I just went out front to wait instead. (it was nice and sunny out there!)

I'd say that there was about a 70/30 split in favor of those who were NOT scared and/or horrified by Skelly's appearance and mannerisms. Not too bad. He's far from menacing, but some people just see a pit bull and judge based on stereotypes.

At any rate, the skeleton dog weighed in at a whopping 57.8 lbs! As we waited for the doc to arrive, Skelly was yelling at anybody he saw pass by the window. Some of the nice vet techs came in to say hi. Skells was quite thrilled about this!

Everybody was super stoked about his weight gain. They commented about how much he looked like a totally different dog! While we waited, I let Skeletor earn some yummy dog biscuits. He was sitting, shaking hands and even staying like a champ. Of course this was when we were alone in the room. If anybody else is around, he's way to excited to be bothered with silly dog tricks!

Dr. Fish arrived and was very pleased (I think he actually cheered a little) when he saw how much Skelly was up to! He listened to Skelly's heart and lungs and said that everything sounded good. They took Skeletor off to draw some blood.

A while later, Dr. Fish returned with some more good news. Skeletor's red blood cell count was up to 40%, which is within the normal range! Now that his white and red cells are where they need to be, we're going to continue weening him off of the Prednisone.

After Dr. Fish is satisfied that he can maintain a normal cell count with no drugs, Skeletor will be ready for the next step in his treatment. That step will most likely begin with another dose of the heartworm preventative. This time, they are going to administer it at the vet's office, just in case he has another nasty reaction.

Dr. Fish said that theoretically, if he has a reaction next time, it should be less severe. However, we just won't know until we get to that stage.

I got a good bit of video footage at the vet. I'll try and throw something together this weekend. I know I am way behind on videos, but there's no time man!!! :)

Pepsi Refresh - Your Vote Can Help Rebuild North Mecklenburg Animal Rescue

I'm spreading the word for friend of Skelly, Maureen...

You may already know the story of Gunny the Pit Bull. Gunny was used as a bait dog until he was no longer of any use, dumped on the side of the road, and left to die. Fortunately, his story did not end there. Gunny was found by a good samaritan and taken to a local shelter. There he was found by Amy, a volunteer from the North Mecklenburg Animal Rescue (NMAR), on the night before he was to be euthanized.

NMAR and Amy took Gunny in and saved his life. Together they took Gunny through the many grueling surgeries it would take to save his life and rehabilitate his battered body.

Gunny now spends his time as an Ambassador for NMAR and Pit Bulls worldwide. He and Amy have been teaching children the cruelty of dog fighting and responsible pet ownership. Gunny has won countless accolades for his courageous and inspiring story. You can see his amazing tale of courage and the love that saved him on YouTube here:  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWcQUsGT_nA

And now, Gunny’s friends at North Mecklenburg Animal Rescue need the help of the votes of the Pit Bull and dog community. NMAR, who lost their building to a devastating flood in 2008. is currently in the running for a Pepsi Refresh Project Grant! Their project - Kennels for K-9s - is in the running to win a $50,000 grant to rebuild their facility. Winning the grant means dogs in need can be moved from the outside kennels that went up after the flood. It means NMAR can continue to do what they do best -- help save man’s best friend!

They are currently in 19th place. They only need to move into one of the Top 10 places to win one of the $50k grant! It costs nothing more than voting one time each day.
 

I am asking all my favorite Pitties to reach out to their fans and lets see if we can’t help Gunny’s friends build a new home! How fantastic would that be? Pitties helping pitties and other pups.

Here's the website of the animal rescue

http://www.northmecklenburganimalrescue.org/ 

Here's the Pepsi Refresh link to cast your vote

http://www.refresheverything.com/northmecklenburganimalrescue 

Skelly to be featured on GivingDog.com

Skeletor has been selected as the very first featured pet on GivingDog.com. GivingDog is an online retailer specializing in natural and organic products for pampered pooches.

Their new website will be launching in the next week or two. There will be a write-up about Skelly and his story. I'll post a link when the story goes live! Thanks for spreading the word about Skelly. I hope that his story will inspire others to rescue animals (especially pit bulls) in need.

Stay tuned!

How far he has come... 54 days on the road to recovery

Skelly still has a ways to go on his journey to recovery.

He has not yet begun his heartworm treatment. He has issues with his throat that cause him to cough and wheeze. He's getting stronger each day, but remains in a weakened state.

Be that as it may, it's astonishing to compare photos!

What a difference 54 days make!!

Keep it up Skells!!

Crate Retraining, Phone Eating, Sitting and Shaking

Howdy folks,

So, Skells went about 9 days with no kennel. During that time he slept outside in his dog house. A kennel was donated to us, but had been run over with a car. Using my hackneyed handyman skills, I took the 2 busted kennels (which were identical except for a 6 inch size difference) and made one tricked out, and fully functional kennel.

Here's the muck he walks through when it gets wet out. That's the same muck that he decided would be a good spot to drag his blankets into.

As it turns out, Skeletor has completely forgotten all of his crate training. He'll walk into the crate at night (after a little convincing).  After that, you had better just put in some ear plugs. He will be making strange noises for about 2 hours. These noises range from "excited monkey troupe" to "lamb in anguish" to "crying infant."

I'm not exaggerating when I tell you that an hour after going to bed, Mel and I were still laughing at Skelly and his bizarre sound effects! We have only had 2 kennel nights so far, and I'm sure that conditions will improve. (that is, as long as people STICK TO THEIR GUNS and don't CAVE TO SKELLY'S DEMANDS)

Some people around here have a tendency of caving to their animals' demands and that is just not how to train them... that is them training you!

Another funny thing about the new kennel.. You see, there's a 6 inch size difference in the bottom panel. It's shorter than the rest, so there's a small opening at the back.

Skeletor can't fit through this opening, but he can and does pull in anything he can reach. He can also move the kennel across the floor using this hole. This morning, the kennel was moved and rotated by about a foot. The black blanket that was draped over the top was inside with him. He had also pulled in his leashes and harness.

"If I have to be in here, so does everything else!"

So, the other day I returned home while talking on my cell phone and Shawn placed an item on my desk in front of me. It was a mangled piece of plastic that was once a cell phone.

Apparently he was playing my xbox while Skelly was being a good boy, munching on one of his many toys. What Shawn didn't realize is that his phone was in fact, that toy.

Kim got quite a kick out of the incident because she warned Shawn before going to take a shower: "Keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't chew anything up."

He's a truly unique individual! Enjoy another Lil' Skelly Vid... 



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLgUPhZJ4uE

New Kennel, Flea Season, Dog Blankets

I really should be working, but wanted to drop a quick post in...

The other day was a HOT ONE! (there will be many more of those to come!)
We were scrambling to get out the door in the morning, and there was just one last thing to do.. toss Skelly's blankets in the wash.

He had pulled them out of his dog house and into the muck. They were damp and needed to be washed. The plan was to throw them in the washer before we leave, then toss them in the dryer when we get back so they are dry by nightfall. Skelly's been stuck sleeping outside since he busted up his crate!

So we were all loaded in the car and I said "oh crap! I forgot about the dog blankets."

I ran out and picked up the 2 blankets only to realize that they were far beyond "damp." The top blanket was damp, the bottom blanket must have weighed 30 lbs!! It's hard to describe just how smelly and gross 30lbs of muddy dog water blanket actually is.  I hurriedly carried the dripping monstrosity through the living room, kitchen, hall and finally dropped it into the washing machine! It was dripping all over my leg and the carpet the whole trip.

I started the washer, locked up the house and hurried to the hose so I could rinse off my leg. Fun times :)

I'm all over the place with this post, but hey I'm in a hurry.

So, a friend and old client of mine was over here the other day and I introduced him to Skelly as we waited for a DVD to burn. The next time he dropped by, he asked about Skells and said that he has a nice, big dog crate that he doesn't need and would like to donate!  We're super thrilled about this for many reasons. 

1. We can not yet afford one. 
2. We want to keep Skelly's crate training skills intact.
3. We don't like him sleeping outside with the fleas and other vermin.

So thanks much for the kennel, Jason! Ian and I are going to pick it up this evening!

OK I guess that pretty much sums it up.
I'm uploading a new video!

Skelly Threads - New Design Available: I'm too SEXY for my hat!

Hiya folks,
Just a quick one to let you know about a new design I added to the Printfection Skelly Threads store. Please take a look and let us know what you think!

http://www.printfection.com/helpskeletor/Things-You-Wear/_s_346886

I'm trying to come up with designs that not only look cool and fun, but also spread awareness and urge people to adopt or rescue a PitBull.

I know these "print-to-order" items are PRICEY!!! I'm hoping to come up with a design that is so irresistible that I can print up 50 or so and offer them at a much lower price.

In the meantime, I'm afraid "print-to-order" will have to do.

A trip to the vet, a busted kennel and a new trick

While we were out of town, Kim and Shawn taught Skelly how to shake hands. Mel and I noticed that he almost always shakes with his left paw. Being left-handed ourselves, we always suspected that since he's so very cool, smart and awesome, Skelly must be a lefty. This confirms it!!!

Chillin' in the shade

So, yesterday was another visit to the vet. Mel and I loaded Skells into her car and headed off. He was rather excited to be going on a car ride and wanted everybody within a 2 mile radius to hear about it!

Time to go to the vet, pal!

We arrived at the vet's office and Skelly was ecstatic. We checked in and had a seat. Skells felt the need to yell and scream at every single dog he could see.  I couldn't help but consider how strange this would be in a regular doctor's office... everybody else is just sitting quietly and one guy is screaming his head off....

"Man, it's freakin' hot back here!!"

"HEY YOU!!! HEY! HEY! HEY! OVER HERE! HI THERE!! HEY!!!"

"Let me get some of that A/C!"

Needless to say, some of the uptight old folk weren't as amused as we were. They were shooting daggers down their noses at us with looks that said something about how poorly we trained our dog and/or how vicious he was.

"Calm down Skelly!"

We finally decided to go wait outside so Skelly would chill out a bit.

"Put her there, pal!"

The lady poked her head out and asked "Is that Skeletor?"

"Who's out there!?"

We took him into the back and walked him over to the scale. He weighed in at a big fat 54 lbs!! She directed us to a room to wait for the doc. Once inside, he was super stoked to perform some of his amazing new tricks in exchange for some of the vet's treats.

"What's up with some more of them treats?"

Dr. Fish arrived and took a listen to his heart and lungs. He said everything sounded good. We told him about how Skeletor chokes / coughs when he gets excited (even with no leash on). They whisked him off for some blood work and to listen for the cough we described.

Good boy!

When they returned, they said that he did a little bit of coughing. It's the same coughing that is characteristic of pups who have suffered a bad heartworm preventative reaction. His white cell count was within the normal range. His red cell count is still a little bit low :(

Skells was enjoying the nice, cool floor!

We were instructed to try and keep the stress off his throat. This means keeping his excitement levels low to avoid too much yelling and heavy breathing. Looks like it's gonna be a boring 2 weeks for Skeletor :(

Dr. Fish and his assistant listening to Skelly's heart and lungs

Overall, it was a rather positive visit though! He gained another 4 lbs, his infection cleared up and he's "full of life" as Dr. Fish put it!

"I think I hear something!!"

The bad news is that he has effectively destroyed his sleeping crate. I don't like him sleeping outside with the fleas, mosquitoes and other rif-raff!! We will need to get a new one of those. We're also saving up for a carpet shampooer. It's not cost effective to rent a rug doc every month. His accidents have been getting less frequent lately, but they do occur on occasion.  Also, he can't seem to grasp the concept of wiping his feet when he comes inside :)

First trip to Petsmart

Hey everyone, Kim here. Wes, Mel and Ian are in The Keys on vacation so I am on dog duty!

Today was Skells first time to Petsmart. He was wayyyyy excited. He pulled me a lot and was sliding all over the slick floor. After he realized that there were other dogs around every corner he got verbal. <----UNDERSTATEMENT

Skelly has the most high pitched, LOUD bark EVER! I totally forgot about his bark because the only time he really ever barks is when we go to the vet. Note to self: he also barks when we go to Petsmart. And let me tell you, that store echoes! Everyone knew who he was by the end of our visit.

We wanted to love on any one that would give him love, which a few people were more than happy to oblige. Other people were scared... of what? I have no idea.

I got him some food, a new Wubba and a huge bone. I also got what they call "Busy Bones" - I guess they are supposed to keep the dog busy for a long time. HA!! Yea, it is keeping Sophie plenty busy.. Skells? he was done with it in 2 minutes *slaps forehead*

I didn't get any pictures because my camera phone isn't so great indoors. Other than the Petsmart trip, we have just been hanging out on the couch (shhh!!) and I am pretty sure I do not have ANY FLEAS! Skells made sure of it. He is constantly nibbling at me.

We may go out to the beach tomorrow since I am off of work and it is supposed to be a beautiful day!

OH MY GOSH YOU GUYS!! I ALMOST FORGOT!! Skelly learned how to shake!!! I will definitely get you some footage of that ASAP :-)

Skeletor and the case of the mysterious behaviour

Let me start by saying that the weather around here lately has been absolutely amazing! We are finally being rewarded for suffering through one of the most agonizingly long winters in recent memory.

The other day when I was walking Skelly, it was about 85 degrees and sunny. (YES!) We were walking on the street and just as we were passing somebody's driveway, he stopped dead in his tracks. This is not unusual, he often has to stop and pee. I turned around and was shocked to see him doing much more than peeing right there in the middle of the road.

Don't get me wrong, I'd much rather he drop a stinky load in the street than in somebody's yard. It's just that the middle of the road seemed like a funny place to plant one.

I have not yet trained myself to bring doodoo bags with me on walks and this was the first time I had actually needed one. I nonchalantly glanced around to see that the only possible witness was too far down the road to have noticed.

We reversed direction and headed homeward :)

We were in the final stretch of sidewalk when suddenly he stopped in his tracks again. I turned around and this time he was lying down in some random person's lawn. I could tell he was hot... perhaps he was tired and could continue no longer. I urged him to continue with his walk as he playfully rolled around in these people's grass. I busted out the camera and snapped this little video...



Today was another fantastic day for weather, and off we went right after lunch. We were nearing the home stretch, and Skeletor stopped in his tracks again. Being the scumbag that I am, I was once again doodoo bag-less! I turned around expecting to see horrified neighbors watching as Skelly desecrated their lawn.

What I saw was Skeletor laying in the grass again. The very same grass as last time! I realized that this was the only yard with a big giant shade tree, and that Skelly chose it for that very reason. I breathed a sigh of relief, and snapped a couple of shots on my phone. Case closed!

Skelly's got it made in the shade!

Breakfast Frolicking

When Skelly gets excited, he prances and frolics about like a deer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SsvnRvvkTY