And....It's A Girl....for sure!!! She's Home!!!!

Little Miss Ginger has had quite the journey these past few weeks.  From Pakistan to NY.  From NY to MD, and now home sweet home in VA.  I am in absolute amazement that such a petite little girl who has seen the face of war is full of so much love. 

We finally went off to pick up our girl yesterday.  It was a very exciting day!!!  I haven't seen Josh so excited in quite a while.  Don't tell him, but I think he and this girl will have a very special bond ;).....there was a very special connection before they even met!!  I recently found out that Josh and his unit had a little furry mascot on his very first deployment to Iraq.  Sadly, their pup had to stay back.  Puppy Rescue Mission wasn't in full force at that time sadly.  The great news is that they are now though and saving so many lives..not just animals, but our very much deserving soldiers too!  It's a very miraculous thing!!!

We had a very rough week this past week.  Every single one of us ended up sick.  We're all on the mend though, and the crud is slowly creeping it's way out of our house.  Despite the sick week....we've all been super duper excited!  We hopped into the truck to begin our journey yesterday.  Josh had a smile from ear to ear!  He was by far the most excited out of all of us!

We met up with an incredible family that made part of the trip of transporting Ginger - The Moury Family.  What incredible people!!  They had a little carepackage for Ginger...so incredibly sweet!  Thank ya'll from the bottom of our hearts!!

Ginger warmed up to us right away.  Her tail was wagging nonstop.  She gave us numerous kisses.  She was an angel on the ride home.  She sat in the front seat between Josh and I like she was born to ride.  Ginger was petted the entire right home I might add (a nearly 2 hour drive). 

Well, this is to be continued...little munchkins are waking up and mommy duty calls. 

Welcome Home Ginger!

A warm cozy bed...

We bought new doggie beds for our furry friends yesterday evening.  We saw these cute ACU beds in the store and could not resist!  We agreed both our boy and girl needed matching beds, so we bought Hemi one too.  We'll see if he is interested in it though.  He's had a Scooby Doo blanket for the past 3 1/2 years (no worries, it's been washed several thousand times ;).  Josh actually brought the blanket back from a deployment.  Well, our furry friend decided he would pull it off of our bed several times.  So, we gave in and let him have it.  That blanket goes everyone with him now including trips.  If he doesn't like his new bed, it'll be no big deal.  We wanted to be fair though.  So Miss Ginger....you officially have a warm comfy bed that is all yours waiting for you. 

Update

Ginger is now in Pakistan where her flight will be easier.  Not too much longer for her flight home ;)

Just a few reasons.....

Starvation...kids stoning pups to death as a game...being caught under the wheels of armored vehicles...being eaten by packs of wild dogs or other animals...being shot....these are just a few of the reasons we feel the need to rescue Ginger.  Anxiously awaiting the arrival of our baby girl!!!!

Where Ginger is currently located - Kabul, Afghanistan

Ginger is currently in Kabul, Afghanistan for those of you that do not know.  Here is the link to the shelter where she is located.  http://www.afghanstrayanimals.org/index.php  What they are doing there is beautiful!  Here is their mission:

"The Afghan Stray Animal League is a private non-profit organization in the U.S.that operates and supports a shelter and low-cost veterinary clinic for homeless, abandoned, sick or injured small animals in Afghanistan. The shelter is located in a refurbished house in Kabul, the Afghan capital, which has a large population of neglected street dogs and cats as well as thousands of backyard animals such as goats and donkeys whose owners cannot afford treatment for them.
 
The shelter has been open full-time since the fall of 2004. It can comfortably house about 20 dogs and about 30 cats, and we have helped more than 400 animals so far. The shelter has a full-time Afghan staff including a veterinarian, an assistant veterinarian and manager. It has a fully stocked pharmacy and a small surgical clinic. The shelter staff accepts any animal that is brought to the door for help, including treatment of injuries, vaccinations, deworming, bathing and treatment of skin diseases. We have a car and driver to pick up any small animal that is injured, sick or found by someone who cannot bring it to the shelter.
 
One of our major goals is to reduce the population of unwanted street animals. We offer both neutering and spaying of cats and dogs, in consultation with international veterinarians who visit the shelter or work with the national university veterinary school. No fees are charged for any services, although any foreign pet owners who come for vet care are asked for donations to cover the cost of vaccines and medicines. Our policy on euthanasia is that this should be used only as a last resort in the case of severe trauma or untreatable illness.
 
Our primary mission is to care for needy small animals, restore them to health and find them loving homes. Most of those who adopt our animals are foreigners, and we are able to arrange to ship their rescued pets home if needed. We are also working to foster and encourage a culture of companion animal ownership in Afghanistan. The country has been devastated by war and poverty, and there is widespread neglect, abuse and fear of animals. We provide free dog houses, food, vaccines and other supplies to any Afghan who adopts a pet, and we conduct home visits to ensure the animal is being well treated. We also offer free talks at  local non-profit children’s programs about the humane treatment of animals."

Counting Down

The countdown has began.  There are only about 15 days left until Ginger is supposed to arrive in The U.S.A.  I'm not real sure what day she will be arriving at our home for sure.  One thing is for certain though.  We're all super excited!  For those of you that know me...I love taking pictures!  I usually always have my camera with me.  I look at her photo now, and I can just see the sadness written all over her face.  It should be interesting to see if the look in those sad puppy eyes change after spending time with us for a few weeks.  I think once this flight is behind her, and once she realizes she's safe, we'll see a much happier pup!  Her caretaker mentioned to me how sad she looks.  Don't you worry Ginger!  2011 is going to be a new year full of happiness and new beginnings.  Labs seem to adjust quite easily in our experience.  So, we're hoping Ginger will as well.

What first inspired us....

 So, we have tried and tried to figure out how to post this video.  We haven't been able to get it figured out though.  We watched it for the first time on www.godvine.com.  I have to thank Yoly for this.  She actually watched this video and liked it on her facebook page.  Well, I clicked on it to see what it was about.  The story tugged at my heart right away.  My curiosity got the best of me...and so I began the search to find out more about Puppy Rescue Mission (PRM).  Just click on the link, and the video should pull up.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/07/29/eveningnews/main6726122.shtml

This video was very inspiring!!! 

Happy New Year!!!

Neither Josh or myself have ever blogged a day in our life.  So, please bear with us.  This in itself is going to be an adventure!!  Thank you for joining us as we attempt to share with you Ginger's Journey Home.