Through the eyes and words of Taysia Blue

May 5th, 2008
Today was another stressful day for me in the kennel... the dogs in this room with me are loud and bark all the time. We're all scared and lonely. We don't know why we're here. Many of us are sick or injured.

I vomited today, but no one is overly concerned about it, they seem to think it's stress related... and I agree. My food is different, I don't know where my family is... why did they leave me here.

The lady who says she's going to come back for me came again today to visit. I sang a little song for her, she looked a little worried and sad. She said that she's going to get me out of here as soon as she can and take me to my new home. That would be nice.

The lady who calls me Taysia (I never liked my old name, Princess anyway) was really interested in the paperwork on the front of my kennel. It says PTS, but she says "no way that's going to happen", she was making sure of that. She read through the owner surrender paperwork again and again and also read the vet tech's notes... she saw that I wasn't feeling well this morning and gave me some nice pets. I nuzzled her hand through the bars on the cage and gave her some kisses to let her know that I was okay and that I trusted her.

The lady also noted a handwritten note from the Doc on staff that gave an 'approval' for her to adopt me. We're down to a matter of a day or two on the mandatory wait. I hope, I hope, I hope that the dog introduction goes well with the lady's dogs. She says they are wonderful and they will love me. I hope so with all my heart.

I still have a lot of living and loving to do!!!


May 6, 2008
The lady that keeps visiting me stopped by again today to give me some Mother Hubbard treats and some dried liver! She kept looking over her shoulder to see if anyone was watching. I don't think she's supposed to be in here, but she isn't afraid to break some rules.

She told me that my mandatory wait on my surrender will expire at 4:00 tomorrow. The lady is really pretty nervous about it, but my former owner is not going to come rushing back from Indiana or Idaho or where ever he went to save me - he left me already 4 times now and doesn't even have a phone.

That will mean that on the 8th (Thursday), I will be assessed for my behavior (sweet, gentle and docile) but they have to make it official and then I will be given a full health check and screen. The lady thinks the best case scenerio is that she'll be able to bring her 'resident dogs' (Badger & Jambalaya) to meet me on Friday.

If all goes well, I could be in my new home by Friday or Saturday - then I can call the lady 'mom'. A lot needs to happen between now and then, but I'm waiting patiently.... I just hope the lady brings back some more of that dried liver... yum!


May 7th, 2008
Today I was excited for the lady to come and visit today… it’s becoming routine so I look forward to it now. I could hear her footsteps coming and as soon as I saw her, I got up from the back of my kennel where I was resting and met her at the front with my tail wagging. She tried to give me a Mother Hubbard crunchy treat, but I just spit it out… I knew she had the dried chicken livers!!! And she did of course.

I am officially no longer property of my former owner – I’m now considered abandoned and officially the property of the NE Humane Society.

I can't wait for the lady to come back tonight, she said she’d find me whichever kennel I’m in. She said that she’d take me for a walk and would bring some Yummy Chummies… I hope they are as good as the chicken livers! I could meet Badger & Jambalaya and go to my new home as early as Thursday.

It’s not that bad here. I have a really big kennel and some nice people brought me a kong with peanut butter. I’ll be glad to be in a real home though. I want to be outside and smell the grass and flowers.


May 10, 2008
I'm in my new home at last!!!!!!!


May 11th, 2008
Wow, yesterday was a rocky road for all of us, but it's been good.

Mom came to the shelter to take me home, I had to first meet Badger & Jambalaya and the shelter behavior person had to approve of the introduction. We sorted out some initial things and all went home.

Mom and dad gave me a bath. They shampooed me 2 times and the water was filthy. I got brushed and brushed and brushed. Mom thinks that she got most of the mats out of my fur, but there's some yet to work on. My coat is already softer.

I crave human touch, but I don't yet know what to do with the other huskies in the house.

Badger and I get along really well, but Jambalaya and I are having some issues. Okay, more than just issues, but it was just a little bit of blood.

Mom and dad are being patient but firm with us so I think we'll all be fine - it will just take some time.

I've got a ton of energy and pull for a 9 year old girl. I've had a rough life - I was at the same shelter back in 2002 and then returned again last week.

Mom says that I have a bit of an overbite and a little bit of a snagle tooth. Put that together with the stress I've been under and it all aids my drooling problem. I don't really care. Mom and dad say that I'm adorable.


May 16th, 2008
we've finally achieved some harmony in our house!!!
It's been pretty rocky with Jambalaya, but Mom has been taking advice from Nika's mom and things are working out pretty well!

I'm getting used to my new food, new surroundings and new rules.

I have a chronic cough, mom says it sounds like I've been a smoker all my life. It is worse in the morning and according to the sporadic vet records my new vet was able to find, it's been a problem since 2002! The seizures have also been on my record since 2002. No lab work was ever done to try to find the cause of either. I'm going in next week to have a full day of tests.

I don't look or feel like I'm 9 - Some of the funny things I do is:

I stomp my front feet to get my humom's attention
I do a hand stand on my front 2 legs to pee
I don't walk or run, I prance

I'm so happy now, I'm going to love my new life!



May 23, 2008
Mom has been kind of sad lately... I'm not sure why, but I think she's worried that Jambalaya and I are not getting along.

She called a behaviorist early this week and the suggestion was that she needed to adopt me out or put me down. Niki's mom has been a God send spending up to an hour on the phone with her offering insight and suggestions ... Dad says that if we have to live (worst case scenerio) by keeping me and Jam separated all the time, then we will. Mom agrees, but thinks that we can work through and at least tolerate each other. She would never have me put down and she doesn't want to adopt me out... no one would ever be good enough!

The vet delayed my tests for another 2 weeks, but I'm doing pretty good health wise. I got a professional bath and brush yesterday and I think I lost a couple pounds in fur!!!


June 29th, 2008
Megaespohagus... wow, that's a big word for a dinky dog. My vet thinks this is probably what I have... we're doing a process of elimination, but this seems to be what we're dealing with.

Essentially this is what it is all about... the esophagus in the tube connecting the throat to the stomach. When food is perceived in the esophagus, neurologic reflex causing muscle contraction and relaxation lead to repid transport of the food into the stomach. When these reflexes are interrupted, the esophagus loses its ability to transport food. Instead the esophagus loses all tone and dilates.

There are variations of this condition and luckily I don't have it horribly bad - if I did I probably wouldn't still be around! But I've probably had it for a long time and have never been treated so here I am at 9 years old and I'm just now working on a treatment.

I am able to eat solid food - kibble works just fine (some dogs with this need a feeding tube and have to be fed a liquidfied diet). Mom and Dad need to feed me in an elevated position or standing up on 2 legs.

The next step is to try to figure out what condition exists that caused the Megaesophagus.

The vet told mom that this is a difficult condition to manage, treatment requires dedication and commitment and the results may not be over the top great... but they are committed to making me as comfortable and as happy as possible.

Even Jambalaya has decided to be nice to me - that makes mom happier and it gives me more time out of my kennel so that's less stress! We're all feeling very blessed.


March 19, 2009
So the dog fighting has mostly ended, but I still end up annoying Badger or Jambalaya. I take their toys, but I don't know what to do with them because for 9 years no one played with me or taught me to play. I didn't know what toys were.

I sometimes try to steal their food and they get really mad. I'm full and have put on weight, but what if I don't have food tomorrow? I used to have to worry about that. I have a condition that causes me to regurgitate my food. My new parents make sure that I eat standing on 2 paws vertically so it gets to my stomach. No one did that to me before so it was hit or miss that I got nutrition.

Because I regurgitated all the time, I've irritated my larynx so I cough all the time. Mom calls me Darth Tay sometimes and does really bad James Earl Jones imitations and talks about "Luke" Whatever.... silly mom.

I still regurgitate from time to time - I just can't help it. It's mostly water, but mom calls it jelly fish because it doesn't clean up as easy as water.

I do throw up mucus many times a day which is also due to complications from the Mega E. Mom and dad just clean it up. I flinch thinking maybe this time they'll hit me, but they never do. I guess memories from my other owner won't ever go away.

Mom hugs me and cries over my first 9 years of so called life. I don't care, I'm getting loved now...

I don't like the phone... Dad owns his own business and works from home and is on it a lot. I get really upset and start coughing and eventually might throw up over it. It's a mystery to my mom and dad why this would be... what happened in my life that makes me get so upset when someone's on the phone? If I had a better memory, I'd tell you...

My mom travels too much. That upsets me too. Dad says I have bad days when mom's gone. I just miss her and get upset and throw up more than usual.

I lived 9 years and never realized that there were other dogs out there - and that they were fun to play with!!! I used to want to eat other dogs and was what mom called unsocialized. That's not true anymore and mom just bought me a half year of daycamp and I get to go with Badger and Jambalaya every Wednesday! I love day camp!!

I've had a hard life up until I finally found a family to call my own. I look into mom's eyes and try to tell her that "I know" I try to let her know that I am so thankful everyday for the lovies, the walks, the patience, the treats, the healthy food, the vet care...


March 24, 2009
this has been a rough week for me. I don't have much energy, it seems like it's taking everything that I have to breathe. I'm not very hungry and it's hard to stand up on my back legs to eat. I have just enough energy to stand up and cough and lay back down again.

mom is going to take me in to x-ray my lungs, but she suspects that they are clear and the problem is with excess phlegm in my esophagus. she says its better to be safe than sorry.

mom's been gone and that's always really hard on me, but she told me this morning she doesn't have any more trips for awhile so that's good.

mom has been lying next to me in the evenings... so things aren't all bad.


March 28th, 2009
So.... a week ago, mom was actually worried that I wasn't going to make it through the night I was having so much difficulty breathing.

She was convinced that I had aspiration pneumonia. She brought me to the vet for some chest x-rays and a white cell test and good news! no pneumonia!

The vet checked me out all over and I came away with a pretty good bill of health. They did find that I have severe irritation in my larynx (no big surprise there) along with an infection. They gave me some drugs to supress my coughing and some others to clear up my infection.

It's been 48 hours and virtually not a cough has come out of me! Mom and dad haven't cleaned up any mucus pukeys either... (also knows as jellyfish).

I'm eating like a horse, playing with my sisters... mom doesn't know what to do with all my energy all of a sudden. After almost a year she feels like she has my MegaE under manageable coltrol and now thinking I may be able to be cough free. My cough has been pretty much chronic 24/7!

There's a saying among MegaE dog owners... "what worked today probably won't work tomorrow" But so far, so good.

Mom keeps asking me who the new dog is that moved in and looks a bit like Taysia Blue.



April 30, 2010
Another year has gone by and mom says I'm happy and healthy. I'm proof that with a little patience and consistent work, any dog can have a home for life!

March 11, 2011

It's been a big year for me and my family.  I inspired mom and dad to start a rescue so maybe we can save more dogs like me and give them a 2nd or 3rd chance to live and be loved.  I get to be the face of the rescue and I even started my own Facebook page.  Won't you be my friend?  

The rescue website is none other than Me!!!  don't forget to stop by, maybe make a donation or volunteer your time and help us out... or best yet - adopt a homeless husky!  Who knows what that will lead and inspire you to do!  www.TaysiaBlue.com