Sunday, September 30, 2007
Marcel
We've had quite a busy weekend here, as we got prepared for a new addition to the household. We have rescued another poodle. Dad had a poodle named Max from puppy to big rock in the back yard. Ever since Max's death he has wanted another poodle, however they can be hard to come by on the islands (you can't just bring one in from the main land without going through months of pre-medical, then quarantine, at a cost of thousands of dollars (this is why Tolver and I didn't even try to bring a cat, but it means that there is no rabies on the island.) An alternative is to bring in an animal from another rabies-free country, like Australia, but it still ends up costing quite a bit. There are a couple of poodle breeders on Oahu, so we were always on the look-out. Max was a "red" poodle, and Dad had had his heart set on the new poodle being black, and he would name him Mozart.Well, about a year ago, an acquaintance from the social group died, and we rescued his very old black toy poodle, Lakshmi, which we just called Muppet, because she looked like an really old, threadbare, muppet doll. Lakshmi must have been 16 or 17 years old; she was almost completely blind, and covered in tumors. We gave her lots of love, and a paradise to live in for her final few weeks, but she was old and tired, and expired after just a few weeks.
So we kept looking. Last week, Tolver found the ad on Craigslist for Marcel, a white male poodle on Oahu. The owners were very elderly, yet Marcel was only 2 and a half years old (apparently he was the third Marcel. The owners were being moved into a nursing home, and their children had taken Marcel to the pound to be destroyed. Luckily, for everyone, a rescue worker (Lorie pictured with Marcel below) at the pound decided Marcel should be placed instead (Thank You Lorie!) So, Dad went over to Oahu for the day, and came home with Marcel last night.
Whew! He seems to be integrating into the family very well. He is very friendly and definitely likes to snuggle with people. He and Makua (our rat terrier) are quickly becoming friends. Molly (the only girl in the house, a carne terrier) is grumbling, and trying to make sure that her position as queen has not been usurped by the new prince in the house.
link | posted by Reese at 9:56 AM