Cocoa Takes a Vacation

Another friend of mine, Linda, decided that she and her husband should fly off to exotic Costa Rica for ten days, but couldn't take Cocoa, their cat.  So, while Linda and Ramon were jetting to South America, lavishing in the luxury of resort life, enjoying the sun and exotic drinks, Cocoa got to lollygag at Moxness Manor.  She and SuzyQ got along quite well, and Cocoa seemed happy to have a friend to play with, when all was said and done.  Cocoa went home today.  My SuzyQ is still looking for her.  And speaking of names, Cocoa?  For a black and white cat?  I must ask Linda about that!

Aha!  A room with a view!

What do you mean no room service?

Are those birds in those eaves?

I hope I get a chocolate on my pillow tonight!

I don't need no stinkin' roommate!

OK; I'll humor SuzyQ by playing Hide 'n Seek

SuzyQ: Which one should I read next?

The Spark of Sparky

Sparky is currently residing at Molly's Country Kennels, awaiting her new family to take her to her new furever home.  She's sweet, laid-back and has no issues.  She needs a cat-free foster home temporarily, unless her new family finds her soon.  Here's a link to her web page.  I don't know how she managed to create her own web page with those short arms!  She's small but mighty, I guess.  Maybe sparks will fly when she meets you, or maybe you know someone who would be pleased to make Sparky their little sparkler.

http://almosthomedogrescue.rescuegroups.org/animals/detail?AnimalID=7009640.

Twins & Andrew

Coleman & Colin

On June 14, 2014, Linda once again coordinated transport of many dogs.  Coleman and Colin are brothers.  I seriously doubt that they can tell themselves apart!  I think the clue is to determine which one usually has his tongue hanging out, and stick with it.

Andrew wanted to be their best friend, as they languished at the overnight host's house.

Note tongue peeking out.

Note no tongue

Andrew wonders how he'll ever tell Coleman & Colin apart

Come on!  Let's play!

No one will play with me.  I bet it's Coleman with his stupid tongue hanging out!

It's Raining Cats

I know, I know.  My blog name is "Underdog Railroad".  And dogs are man's best friend.  But according to cats, dogs drool and cats rule! So what's a blogger to do?  Ignore cats?  I don't think so!  Although cats have perfected ignoring their people.  But I can't help it.  I still love 'em.  And most other animals as well, although I must confess I'm no big fan of snakes.  And would never in a million years think of having one as a pet.  But dogs and cats have been a big part of my life, and I'm going to give our feline friends equal time.

My transporting and dog walking days have come to a halt due to a knee and ankle problem I have, so I'm not sure how soon I'll get the opportunity to write about my transporting experiences again.  Hopefully it will be soon, as I really miss the dogs!

Fortunately, my friend Linda has become more involved than ever with her transporting efforts and now coordinates the transports for Darlington Express, which always arrives in Pennsylvania with a huge truck full of yippers, yappers, woofers and meowers, all of whom are heading to various rescue groups, including occasionally the group I belong to, Almost Home Dog Rescue.

Are we at Disney World?

In April, due to Easter Sunday and transport overload, Darlington Express was unable to get drivers to New York for ten cats, plus two mommy cats who were nursing their kittens.  Instead of subjecting them to staying at the shelter, one of the overnight hosts, Brigette, kept them for two weeks until the next transport, which was May 3rd and 4th.  Brigette was quite entertained by them all and snapped some photos of the cutie pies as they enjoyed rollicking with toys and each other.  All the kittens and cats did arrive in Buffalo, NY, safely after their two week vacation at Brigette's.  What a dedicated and animal-loving soul she is!  Kudos to Brigette!

I hope this photo spread doesn't come back to bite me and ruin my career!

I'm king o' the world!

Hey, batter, batter, batter!

Are you exhausted, Fred?  I'm sooooo tired!

The name's Beth, but you may call me Elizabeth.

Gracie and her kittens.

Now, which one shall I name George Burns?

I'm Cody; yes, I'm the handsomest cat you've ever seen.  And I pose well too!

Pearl and her brood.

You're my brother? Uh, I don't think so.  You don't look a thing like me!

Yum yum!

See Layla on TV!

Wonderful Layla, who is still looking for her furever family took part in Fox Fursday recently.  You may see the video at this link:


http://www.myfoxphilly.com/video?clipId=10087207&autostart=true


You will have to suffer watching a commercial for Audi, but it could be far worse.  It could be an ad for a Yugo!  And the segment is a bit bumpy, but you'll enjoy the cute little girl who talks about Roxy Reading Therapy Dogs (another great cause!).  We are very proud of Layla's behavior during this video, as she has often been stressed when attending Meets & Greets, so to see her so relaxed and easily directed was amazing.  She sports a yellow bandana.


Quinn, another Almost Home pup, appears as well - an absolutely adorable hound mix who is four months old, and enjoys being held throughout the entire segment, like the baby he is.

Opie & Layla Could Use Some Help!

Geesh -- after not posting for a long time, I found that blogspot.com, where my Underdog Railroad blog resides, had to be associated with a G-mail account.  This caused me much consternation, but I believe I may have finally figured it all out!  So hooray for un-techno-savvy me!  Anyway, here I am.  During the lousy winter we had, I had few opportunities to transport rescue dogs.  And then when I could, someone else beat me to the transport.  Which is a good thing, of course.  It would be wonderful to always have too many drivers for the number of transports.  We need to aim for that!  Better yet -- aim for no more homeless dogs!

Layla and Opie are two great dogs that have been waiting patiently at Molly's Country Kennels for their furever homes.

Opie's Into Relaxing

Opie, a seven year old lab mix, lost his human to illness, and then lost one of his back legs to a non-invasive tumor.  But that doesn't keep him from wagging his stub of a tail, and he's known to be a big kisser.  He enjoys car rides and taking short walks.

Opie's favorite thing, though, is laying quietly next to his special someone who will scratch his belly.  He doesn't ask for much and would be a great companion for someone who is looking for a more mature dog that requires only moderate exercise.  Just think -- you could have a dog who requires little exercise!  That would give you the perfect excuse not to exercise too.  That just might be your dream come true.

Opie Accepts All Belly Rubs

Opie's dream come true would be living with someone who is also a more mature person, as he isn't into young children or cats much. Well, not at all, actually.  A home with zero to two stairs maximum would be best for him too.

Opie has been through a lot and will need a little time to transition into his new home, so Almost Home Dog Rescue will provide an in-home training session with their certified dog trainer to the right person who wants to adopt him.

Layla being Layla

Now -- who wants to adopt a famous dog?  One so famous that Eric Clapton named a song after her.  Layla doesn't need to be center stage, but she'd sure love to have a family and home she could call her own.  She's been at Molly's for about nine months now, but still enjoys life and has an upbeat attitude, and she just loves chasing tennis balls.

Layla is about four years old, and she has some Akita in her, which gives her a more exotic look.  She walks nicely on a leash.  I know because I walked her one time, and she was the easiest dog I've ever walked.  She knows some basic manners, such as sit and down, and she loves road trips!  She can be selective about her doggie friends (as we humans should be about picking our friends).  However, Layla does discriminate against cats.  I don't know why.  Cats rule.  But apparently, Layla isn't aware of that.

Perhaps you know someone who would be perfect for adopting one of these great dogs.  Put on that thinking cap.  Wouldn't it feel great to make a match?

Darlington Express Keeps on Truckin'

Linda has kept me informed about some of her activities as the new Transport Coordinator for the Darlington Express rescue dogs, so I thought I'd share a few brief stories about them.

Cameo and her new friend.

You've just got to love this picture!  The black and white is a female named Cameo, who was headed to One Life to Live in Scranton.  After her long journey from the south, she had a sleepover on March 15th, which proved to be oodles of fun for Cameo -- and the little girl from the host family for the night.  Good thing the crate was big enough for both of them!

Pinky -- In the Pink!

Then there's Pinky.  Pinky had to have a blood transfusion when she was about five weeks old, and only 1 1/2 pounds!  As she got healthier, the color of her feet, belly and gums started to turn pink, after being a pale yellow.  She's up to five pounds now and is at One Life to Live in Scranton waiting to be adopted.

Favoring his leg a little bit.

See what a good dog I am?

Linda also wanted to share a picture of another cutie pie who arrived right after getting out of a leg cast.  He must go through some physical therapy, but he looks like he's doing quite well, and hopefully he'll find a furever home soon.

Serenity, serene and comfortable on her overnight visit.

And then finally, there was Serenity, who you can see was quite spoiled during her overnight visit recently, while on her way to a safe shelter to await adoption.

The dogs just keep on coming, sadly.  I would like nothing better than to see no supply of dogs left to meet adopters' demands, because they all have good homes.  To get there, we MUST stop puppy mills, find solutions for feral cats, and spay/neuter our own pets.