Dog Rescue | biscuit's space | The blog of photographer Katherine Carver

Feb 14

Happy Heart Day!

Happy Heart Day! We celebrated Valentine’s Day a little early, this past weekend, with Alex and Victory, along with a dinner at one of our favorite restaurants! Alex and Victory are quite the pair! I am so grateful for our beautiful girls, and I am so grateful to be their Mama! Today, Doug is attending Alex’s Valentine’s Day celebration at school, and Alex is over the moon exited for Doug to come to her class! Alex loved making valentine cards and valentine gifts for her friends!

In other news, very recently, a new rescue dog joined our family. His name is Finn, and he is a puppy mill survivor, who traveled a long distance to his forever home. Finn was adopted in honor of Nick, our first beloved rescue papillon dog. Below is a short video of Finn, enjoying his first Valentine’s Day, in his new forever home! He is still acclimating to his new home, and making steady progress each day! He barked for the first time today, after seeing is reflection in a mirror, and he is learning to walk on a leash and go potty outside. He also has a Hound About, as well, and he enjoys going out for rides! We cannot wait to meet him! Alex has already made art for Finn, and she put a bag of goodies together that she picked out at the store for him! Finn is the most adorable little pup—just look at that handsome face, and those beautiful eyes! We are so grateful he joined our family! He is so loved and cherished!

Here is a video of Finn!

I hope you have a great day celebrating with the ones you love.

You can view our previous Valentine’s celebrations here.

“I know for sure that loves saves me and that it is here to save us all.” —Maya Angelou

Dec 5

Christmas Time: Visiting Santa

We recently took Alex and Victory to visit Santa, an annual tradition! All went well with both of our girls during their Santa visit!

Victory, our beautiful fur girl, did very well, like always! And, of course, Santa and his helpers remembered our beloved girls, as this is Victory’s eighth time visiting Santa and Alex’s fourth time visiting Santa! You can see Victory’s previous trips to visit Santa: here, here, here, here, here, here, and here. This is the only Santa in our area that welcomes both of our girls, while also allowing me to take photographs! Victory wore her pink sweater, and Alex wore a coral dress. All proceeds from visiting Santa are donated to a local dog rescue, a very good cause near and dear to our hearts, as Biscuit and Victory are rescues. If you are interested, be sure to check with and visit your local pet stores to see if there is a Santa in your area that specializes in furry family members!

A few images from Victory’s and Alex’s fourth visit together with Santa are shown below, along with images of Victory with Santa from the previous seven visits, excluding 2020 and 2021, due to COVID-19. The time really does fly by too quickly! We are so grateful for our fur girl, Victory!

Below are images from Victory’s eighth visits to see Santa: 2014 – 2023 (excluding 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19, sadly).

The girls’ visits to see Santa in 2018, 2019, 2022, and 2023.

Pictured below is Alex in front of our Christmas tree in 2020; and Alex in front of my parents’ Christmas tree during 2021 and 2022. We truly missed seeing Santa in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19.

And, after seeing Santa, Alex and Victory made hand print and paw print ornaments at the pottery shop, shown below! It was so much fun, and a wonderful, unique keepsake for our girls!

Below is a video from Alex’s recent Christmas program at school.

We hope that you are enjoying the Holiday season!

Nov 9

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Victory: A Birthday Celebration — 12 years

October 12, marked ten years since we adopted our sweet dear little Victory! The time is going by much too quickly! We decided to make October 12 Victory’s birthday — the day we went to Michigan and adopted our sweet fur girl.

As such, we recently celebrated Victory’s birthday marking her tenth year with us since her adoption! This also marks six years celebrating as a ‘big sister’ to Alex! This year, for Victory’s birthday, we did a personalized dog and pastel themed birthday! (As shown below, last year, we did a personalized fall theme and pastel theme; two years ago personalized theme and a pastel theme; three years ago pink theme with gold accent; four years we did a pastel rainbow theme with a silver accent; five years ago we did pastel theme with a gold and silver accent; six years ago we did a gold and champagne theme; seven years ago we did a light pink and gold themed birthday; eight years ago we did a pink themed birthday; and nine years ago, we did rainbow themed birthday for Victory!) For this double-digit birthday, we had another cake made with Victory’s likeness — Victory riding in her Hound About, which was formerly Biscuit’s Hound About! It turned out beautifully! We also purchased some fun decorations and balloons, along with a pink sweater for Victory, a tradition, in honor of her birthday! Victory also enjoyed a steak prepared by Doug, along with her very own cupcake (with no icing, of course!) Victory looked absolutely adorable and beautiful on her birthday, as always, shown below! This is the sixth birthday that Victory celebrated with her sidekick, Alex! It is wonderful to witness their relationship blossom as Alex grows older. Alex loves giving Victory treats and hugs! Victory had a fun birthday and she truly enjoyed being over fed and the center of attention! I sincerely believe Victory knows her birthdays are all about her!

We are truly the lucky ones to share our lives with this wonderful, loyal, and loving being. Victory has been such a source of comfort to us all. Victory has also fully embraced her ‘big sister’ role! Victory is very attuned to her little sister and loves to greet Alex in the mornings and evenings! It melts our hearts! Victory continues to join us each morning and evening for play time and story time, in addition to all feedings! We also do our best to keep Victory fully integrated in our trips and outings as well, and we had a fun fall together with many outings together, including a trip to Lexington, Kentucky! We are so very grateful and thankful for our Victory. She means the world to us and we love her very much.

For Victory’s birthday, we gave her: a Keeneland leash; a blanket; a toy; assorted treats; and a new pink sweater! Additionally, Alex also made some art for Victory, along with a special card!

(All birthday decorations are via Sweet Lulu.)

Here is a video of Victory enjoying her steak!

A look back at Victory’s birthday celebrations over the years…

Here is a look back at Victory on her birthdays!

If you are considering getting a dog, I hope that you consider adopting a rescue dog. There are so many dogs in need of a good, loving home, especially now. As shown below, Victory, a rescue, has changed so much physically and emotionally over the years since we adopted her, pictured on the left (image from Victory’s foster mom via the Michigan Sheltie Rescue). You really can save a dog’s life, while simultaneously enriching your own life/lives. We cannot imagine not having a rescue dog in our lives!

Oct 5

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Victory: Animal Blessing

It is almost Victory’s birthday, it is difficult to believe we have had our beloved fur girl for nearly 10 years! She brings so much joy to our lives. We are immensely grateful she is a part our our little family. We have a fun birthday celebration planned for our precious Victory next week! October 12 is the day we adopted her from the Michigan Sheltie Rescue, and that is the day we made her birthday!

We recently attended the Blessing of the Animals at Alex’s school. We first attended this event last year, and it was really fun to witness Victory receive another blessing. Victory did well, and I am certain she knew that this event was all about her! She took the most adorable photograph, shown below, with the Spirit Bear, and then received her blessing while the Spirit Bear held our fur girl! And, we were given a certificate to take home with Victory’s blessing. It was a fun time together!

Dec 16

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Christmas Time: Visiting Santa

After a two-year hiatus, due to COVID-19, we recently took Alex and Victory to visit Santa, an annual tradition! All went well with both of our girls during their Santa visit! Alex was a little apprehensive to visit Santa because she viewed the photos from her last visit with Santa, in 2019, when she was in tears on Santa’s lap, but she did wonderful this year! I even found a dress in her favorite color, orange, which she loved wearing to visit Santa!

Victory, our beautiful fur girl, did very well, like always! And, of course, Santa and his helpers remembered our beloved girls, as this is Victory’s seventh time visiting Santa and Alex’s third time visiting Santa! You can see Victory’s previous trips to visit Santa: here, here, here, here, here, and here. This is the only Santa in our area that welcomes both of our girls! Victory wore her light pink monogramed cardigan sweater and her holiday burgundy velvet ruff; and Alex wore an orange jacquard dress. All proceeds from visiting Santa are donated to a local dog rescue, a very good cause near and dear to our hearts, as Biscuit and Victory are rescues. If you are interested, be sure to check with and visit your local pet stores to see if there is a Santa in your area that specializes in furry family members!

A few images from Victory’s and Alex’s third visit together with Santa are shown below, along with images of Victory with Santa from the previous six years! The time really does fly by too quickly! We are so grateful for our fur girl, Victory!

Below is Alex’s letter to Santa that she recently made!

Below is a video from Alex’s recent Christmas program at school.

Below are images from Victory’s seven visits to see Santa: 2014 – 2022 (excluding 2020 and 2021).

The girls’ visits to see Santa in 2018, 2019, and 2022.

Pictured below is Alex in front of our Christmas tree and my parents’ Christmas tree during 2020 and 2021, since we were unable to visit Santa during those two years due to COVID-19.

Happy Holidays!

Nov 9

Victory: A Birthday Celebration — 11 years

October 12, marked nine years since we adopted our sweet dear little Victory! The time is going by much too quickly! We decided to make October 12 Victory’s birthday — the day we went to Michigan and adopted our sweet fur girl.

As such, we recently celebrated Victory’s birthday marking her ninth year with us since her adoption! This also marks five years celebrating as a ‘big sister’ to Alex! This year, for Victory’s birthday, we did a personalized fall themed and pastel themed birthday! (As shown below, last year, we did a personalized theme and a pastel theme; two years ago pink theme with gold accent; three years we did a pastel rainbow theme with a silver accent; four years ago we did pastel theme with a gold and silver accent; five years ago we did a gold and champagne theme; six years ago we did a light pink and gold themed birthday; seven years ago we did a pink themed birthday; and eight years ago, we did rainbow themed birthday for Victory!) For this double-digit birthday, we had another small cake made with Victory’s likeness, with a fall twist — Victory peering out of a pumpkin! It turned out beautifully! We also purchased some fun decorations and balloons, along with a light pink sweater for Victory, a tradition, in honor of her birthday! Victory also enjoyed a Snake River Farms steak prepared by Doug, along with her very own cupcake (with no icing, of course!) Victory looked absolutely adorable and beautiful on her birthday, as always, shown below! This is the fifth birthday that Victory celebrated with her sidekick, Alex! It is wonderful to witness their relationship blossom as Alex grows older. Alex loves giving Victory treats and hugs (with supervision!) Victory had a fun birthday and she truly enjoyed being over fed and the center of attention! I sincerely believe Victory knows her birthdays are all about her!

We are truly the lucky ones to share our lives with this wonderful, loyal, and loving being. Victory has been such a source of comfort to us all. She is always by our side, and I have enjoyed working from home full time with her since COVID. Victory has also fully embraced her ‘big sister’ role! Victory is very attuned to her little sister and loves to greet Alex in the mornings and evenings! It melts our hearts! Victory continues to join us each morning and evening for play time and story time, in addition to all feedings! We also do our best to keep Victory fully integrated in our outings as well, and we had a fun fall together with many outings together! We are so very grateful and thankful for our Victory. She means the world to us and we love her very much.

For Victory’s birthday, we gave her: a Snake River Farms steak; a customized Yeti water bowl with her name on it; treats; and a new light pink sweater! Additionally, Alex also made some art for Victory!

(All birthday decorations are via Sweet Lulu.)

Here is a video of the girls celebrating our fur girl, Victory!

A look back at Victory’s birthday celebrations over the years…

Here is a look back at Victory on her birthdays!

If you are considering getting a dog, I hope that you consider adopting a rescue dog. There are so many dogs in need of a good, loving home, especially now. As shown below, Victory, a rescue, has changed so much physically and emotionally over the years since we adopted her, pictured on the left (image from Victory’s foster mom via the Michigan Sheltie Rescue). You really can save a dog’s life, while simultaneously enriching your own life/lives. We cannot imagine not having a rescue dog in our lives!

May 27

Victory’s Bedtime Routine

Our fur girl, Victory, has a urinary tract infection (UTI). Thankfully, she is on an antibiotic, that seems to be working. Victory is integral to our bedtime routine in the evenings. We typically turn Alex’s bed down and Victory happily hops onto Alex’s bed and waits for Alex to finish her bath and getting ready for bed. After Alex’s bath, we have been reading and playing games like Candy Land, Chutes and Ladders, and Bingo. Victory stays on the bed, during this time, and she occasionally gets off to get some treats, which we keep in Alex’s room. Alex has a butterfly pillow that she shares with Victory so that she can put her head down on it to rest, she’s so thoughtful! Victory and Alex usually play together, and Victory is so tolerant. Right before bed, Alex and I usually cuddle and talk, Alex is a pro at stretching out her bedtime, so she does not have to go to bed, and Victory stays with us until Alex gets into bed. We feel so grateful for Victory! She is a great fur sister, and our bedtime routine will never be the same without her!

Here is a video our girls together before bed.

Apr 26

Favorite Dog Quotes

Below are several quotes about lessons learned from our dogs. Victory is an integral part of our family and she goes with us everywhere and we are so blessed she is in our lives. She has taught me so much about life, one of my greatest teachers. And, Alex is learning greatly about love and animals through her experiences with Victory.

“We try to teach our dogs new tricks when there’s so much we can learn from them.” —Robert Coane

“Dogs are how people would be if the important stuff is all that mattered to us.” —Ashly Lorenzana

“If I could be half the person my dog is, I’d be twice the human I am.” —Charles Yu

“Everything I know, I learned from dogs.” —Nora Roberts

“No animal I know of can consistently be more of a friend and companion than a dog.” —Stanley Leinwoll

“Dogs. They are better than human beings because they know but they do not tell.” —Emily Dickenson

“Dogs come into our lives to teach us about love. They depart to teach us about loss. New dogs can never replace a former one — they merely expand the heart. If you have loved many dogs, your heart is very big.” —Author Unknown

“The world would be a nicer place if everyone had the ability to love as unconditionally as a dog.” —M.K. Clinton

“Every once in a while a puppy enters your life and changes everything.” —Author Unknown

“I am convinced that petting a puppy is good luck.” —Meg Donohue

“Dogs are our link to paradise. They don’t know evil or jealousy or discontent. To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring — it was peace.” —Milan Kundera

“The dog has an absolutely uncanny knack of knowing what we are thinking, even of what we are feeling.” —Brian Vesey-Fitzgerald

“Once you have had a wonderful dog, a life without one, is a life diminished.” —Dean Koontz

“In a perfect world, every dog would have a home and every home would have a dog.” —Author Unknown

“One could say that dogs see the world faster than we do, but what they really do is see just a bit more world in every second.” —Alexandra Horowitz

“When the world around me is going crazy and I am losing faith in humanity, I just have to take one look at my dog to know that good still exists.” —Author Unknown

“Some of my best leading men have been dogs and horses.” —Elizabeth Taylor

“If I had a dollar for every time my dog made me smile, I would be a millionaire.” —Author Unknown

“Before you get a dog, you can’t quite imagine what living with one might be like; afterward, you can’t imagine living any other way.” —Caroline Knapp

“I think dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love. For me they are the role model for being alive.” —Gilda Radner

“A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself.” —Josh Billings

Mar 21

A Silver Lining of the Pandemic

How are you doing these days? The news is heavy. Reports from Ukraine are horrifying, and the pandemic rages on, while so many people are suffering in this world.

The pandemic has definitely had it challenges, and it has especially had a toll and great impact on parents and children. Despite all of the challenges, I have been fortunate to be able to spend more time with our rescue sheltie, Victory! Victory and I have spent the most time together out of everyone in our little family over these past two plus years, and it has truly been a gift. I never take the time we have with Victory for granted, and it has been so wonderful to have her with me, each day, sitting under my desk while I work, a trusted companion, who is always on the look out for treats. I always look forward to our cuddles during the day! It has also been helpful to be able to walk her and take her potty as many times as she needs, without relying on a neighbor or dog walker, especially since she is prone to urinary tract infections (UTIs). And, since the weather is finally feeling spring like and it is now officially spring, thank goodness, I have been able to take her for rides in her Hound About, and it has been great, she loves it, and I love seeing her big smile!

Being home more, due to the pandemic, I have certainly had my share of cabin fever, especially during the cold winter months, so we are sure to get Victory out and about as much as we can, which she loves! I will always cherish this special time time together. And, as a byproduct of the pandemic, our fur girl, has come out of her shell even more in her senior years, which has been wonderful to witness. Victory has been more flexible, even letting Alex taker her on walks; and Victory is now jumping into Alex’s big girl bed at night for story time, while Doug reads his girls Curious George books! She literally has found her ‘inner-puppy’ later in life! I am so grateful for our beloved and precious fur girl!

Aug 30

We are Back and National Dog Day!

We are back and we all had a good time away together at the beach for our summer vacation! With being gone and a lot going on here, I am behind on my photo editing, but I will share some of our summer highlights and our vacation in photos, as soon as I get somewhat caught up. We no sooner got back from vacation, and Alex and I both got sick, which was no fun. Victory, of course, spent days in the bed with me, and it was so comforting! I love our fur girl so much. She goes everywhere with us and she is a constant source of happiness in all of our lives. Thus, I am a few days late celebrating National Dog Day, but Victory, as Alex always says, “is the best puppy, ever!” And, we could not agree more!

Here is a video of our girls at the beach!