Hey folks, it's me Artie....all my friends call me Artie not Ardis and I even come to Artie!! I figured out this computer thing yesterday so I'm doing my own update again....my paws are just the right size to hit the keys. I bet you are all wondering what us pups have been up to these days. Well, we have been busy. I've had a few extra doctor appointments as I had some digestive stuff going on....seems things were not coming out as solid as foster mom thought they should be so now I get to eat a special mix of homemade food and kibble....all my siblings are so jealous as I get my own dish and they all have to share....ha, ha, sometimes it pays to be smaller cause you get special treatment. I've also been pretty itchy and foster mom said that I have some hair loss so we went to the doctor to get that checked out too. After the doctor looked me over she decided I needed to be treated for sarcoptic mange, so I got two shots and some medicine on my skin. Then foster mom had to go get all my siblings so they could get the same stuff done....boy they were not happy about that....no one likes shots and we had to stay at the vet office for 1 hour while the medicine on our skin dried. What a day....started out fun but then the shots....yuck, hate shots. Well, at least the itches are a bit better and foster mom says they should be all gone soon. Oh, and I weigh 14.2 pounds now, when I came to foster mom, I weighed 4.75, so I've gained almost 10 pounds in 7 weeks!!

I'm enjoying my time with foster mom, actually I love foster mom, as she does lots of fun stuff with us pups. I get to go outside on a leash and run around the big back yard with the big dogs....I play with Rocco and Tanner....Jimmie not so much as she is older and does not like us young pups cause we try to bite her ears and pull her tail so she tells us not to do that. Foster mom says I have to learn what is ok and what is not so it is all good....Jimmie would not hurt me. I also love to run around the house, can go up and down stairs and I know where to go when it is time to eat....I wait for my own personal dish to be served to me.

Last week we had tons of visitors and one of the families that came by decided that they want to make me part of their forever family....how neat is that!! I will have a mom, dad, teenage human brother, college age human sister and best of all......a Golden Retriever named Daisy to teach me all the things I need to know to grow up to be a happy, well adjusted, best dog I can be, adult dog!! I am so lucky. Next week I will go to the doctor for my surgery so I can not make any puppies and then at the end of the week I will go to my forever home. I will miss my foster mom and I know she will miss me, but I know she is already planning some play dates and a reunion at Goldzilla in September. She says it will be so nice to see me all grown up.

Talk to you all later, your buddy Artie.

To quote a favorite song, “I don’t want to be anything other than what I’ve been trying to be lately. All I have to do is think of me and I have peace of mind…” Thanks to musician Gavin DeGraw, I think that’s my new slogan! I just like being me. I’m sweet and snuggly and I’ve decided I don’t have to be a linebacker like Kitra, a princess like Rona, or a silly girl like Quigley to be special. What do you think?

Check me out in this picture with Lwood (he’s got to wear a life jacket to protect his new food delivery system)! In the picture with all the pups, you’ll have to guess which one is me. Here is a hint, I’m the cute and furry golden one!

Though Ardis is looking good in this photo, his condition deteriorated overnight. When his FM checked him into the clinic this morning, he was lethargic, dehydrated and fighting a fever. Like the others, he is receiving IV medications and fluids to help manage his condition. The cost to support these dogs has topped $15,000 and is continuing to rise daily. Please help! To donate visit http://ragom.org/shop/featured/donate-93.html