Hi my name is NOT #241 anymore, it is Crystal Dawn.  I am no longer a number thanks to RAGOM and my foster Mom and Dad.  I have a name and I really like it. I will tell you a little bit about me.  I was sold at an auction a week and a half ago from a puppy mill that didn’t want me anymore along with 4 of my puppy mill friends.  They must have had a lot of dogs if I was number 241.  All of us rode in a big scary machine yesterday from MO to MN.  I feel really itchy a lot of the time and found out I have these tiny friends called fleas and ticks living on me.  They got to come to Minnesota too. Foster Mom and Dad don’t like the fleas so they made me sit in the bathtub for 3 shampoo scrubs last night.  I have to admit, I liked it.  I mean I was shaking and trembling and foster Mom let me hide behind her leg, but the rubbing really felt nice and now I don’t smell as bad anymore. I think the fleas might have left too. They also brushed me and told me I was pretty.  I don’t know what that is but it made me feel special.  I decided I’d better hide my tail between my legs and not look at foster Mom and Dad much yet.  I got wrapped in these really soft things called towels and dried my fur nicely.  I even got some soft, dry towels in my kennel to snuggle with.  I decided I was too scared to walk so foster Dad carried me outside to potty.  I remembered I was supposed to go outside, so I did.  Then foster Mom carried me to my kennel where I got a nice big bowl of food with gravy on it.  I ate all of it!  Then I met my 3 foster siblings; Stetson, Sierra and Autumn.  Sierra wants to play all the time.  I told her I was scared and maybe tomorrow I’d try to learn to play.  Autumn likes to mother me and lick me.  She lets me hide behind her in her kennel.  I really like Autumn.  She also told me that she came from a puppy mill and RAGOM saved her too.  Autumn made me feel more comfortable to know she came from a puppy mill too and once was scared of her humans.  Stetson brought me these things called tennis balls.  I don’t know what they are but he sure wanted to share with me. He seems like a nice brother. Then it was time for bed. Since I was a bit scared foster Mom put a blanket over the top of my kennel.  It helped me sleep really well. 

Today was another really big day for me.  My humans took me in the machine again to see the vet.  I got to go in my kennel for the whole trip.  Finally I came out and hid near my foster Mom.  They had all these shiny gadgets there with lights and beepers to examine me.  The doc says I’m underweight and malnourished.  She also noticed my flea friends and that I need to be spayed. They put a microchip in me and used this beeping thing to scan me.  The doc says I need to get more shots again the first week of September.  That’s ok because I’m still pretty shy and will probably need some time here to learn to trust my humans, to learn how to play, and to make sure I’m in good health.  I am going back on Thursday to be spayed.  It’s time to go now.  I see a shiny food bowl for ME! 

XOXOX

Crystal Dawn

Crystal Dawn is still pretty scared.  But now has a nice safe place while she comes out of her shell.

Ah.... first bath!  No more fleas for this pretty girl.  She's still not quite up to making eye contact though.