Nolan is climbing stairs

Sorry I have been gone a lot in July but I wanted everyone to know the boys have been doing great!!
Nolan is getting around so good and last week he showed us he can now go up stairs!!
I can't believe it I was so excited for him! He is so brave and Strong!! And Mr Luca is standing up
more and taking a few steps on his own. He is also so brave and strong!  :) Please go down on the blog and watch the video of Nolan going up the stairs!!!

I also wanted everyone to know the Boys will be at: 
Paws on Grand
Sunday, August 7 · 9:00am - 12:00pm

grand ave in St Paul
take your dogs down the ave, all day for many pet friendly events and even stores allowing your pets in! 

Come down and meet and give the boys some kisses they love to see everyone.

Thanks!!

Nolan and Luca would like to Thank everyone who stopped the booth at the Pet Palooza event!! They loved meeting everyone that came by to get Kisses from them!

They also loved meeting Ruby and hanging out with her for a while at the event and getting her autograph book!   http://www.rubystales.com.


They are taking it easy and resting today after all those Kisses and can't wait until the next event that they will get to see all of you again!!!!


Pictures below of some of the fun they had!!

Boys have been up to!

Sorry I have been very bad at letting everyone know how Nolan and Luca are doing!! 
They are doing great Luca is still getting use to his wheel chair and Nolan is getting use to his braces.
Nolan is walking all over the place with and without his braces. Luca has been getting up more and taking a few steps but mostly doing is commando crawl to get where he want to go!

They have had a foster dog Cisco staying with them for a while and they have been having fun playing with him for the last week they also had Miss Kea stay for the weekend and Nolan loved her!

Both boys went to the clinic last week and were neutered I was a wreck worried about putting them under to do the procedure. We had done all the test on them before to make sure they would be okay to be under  anesthesia and they passed all the test (I was still nervous) but  the boys did great and are doing good!!

We have been looking for a bike trailer to hook up on the back of my bike to take the boys for a ride so if anyone has one that they would like to donate to the boys please let me know!

The boys will be at

Pet-A-Palooza 2011 | Presented by The Urban Dog

cbsradiompls.com

It is at the MN State Fairgrounds Located on Machinery Hill
(Streets north of Randall and south of Hoyt)
 State Fairgrounds Address:
1265 Snelling Ave. N.,
St. Paul, MN 55108-3109
We will be there from 10am to 7pm come see the boys and get some kisses from them.

Nolan has his new braces tomorrow and Luca will be getting his sling and fitted for his wheel chair! Need to do some modifications and hope to have him in his wheel chair next week! We are very excited to be getting these items for the boys to help get them up and moving around a lot easier! Pictures of them with their new items will be posted! Nolan has been feeling a little under the weather last 5 days but is feeling much better and spent a lot of yesterday enjoying the nice weather outside the back yard! Luca is doing great and also spent most of the day hanging out in the back yard! The boys will be at two events in April for Wags & Whiskers so if you would like to come out and meet these boys they will be at Spring Ladies Night Out Friday, April 29 · 4:00pm - 9:00pm Bodyblast Studio in Eagan 2020 Silver Bell Rd # 26 Eagan, MN 55122 No Kill Walk for the Animals Saturday, April 30 · 9:00am - 12:00pm Como Park Lakeside Pavilion 1360 Lexington Parkway North

April 13, 2011 4:29 AM

Nolan and Luca came into Wags and Whiskers at 8 weeks of age.  They were thrown away like trash and found in a ditch on the side of the road in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  They were extremely underweight, very small and unable to walk properly.  When they first got to MN, we thought their inability to walk was due to malnutrition.  As the weeks progressed, the boys grew but never could walk. 

Over the next couple months the boys were seeing the vet regularly to monitor their progress.  X-rays were taken to see what was causing the boys to scoot around, rather than walk.  The bones were not fusing together properly, and due to the lack of proper nutrition, their bones were mush.

Splints were made to help form the bones and also assist the boys in standing.  This was done in the hopes that as the boys stood and walked; their muscles would become stronger and they would eventually be able to walk. 

Nolan and Luca’s splints were changed every three days in the hopes that they would be able to walk after 6 weeks of splinting.  Some time passed and the splinting did not seem to be doing what the vets had hoped; so off to a specialist Nolan and Luca go…

Nolan and Luca met with an orthopedic vet.  This was a sad day for Wags and Whiskers…

Nolan and Luca were diagnosed with Osteopenia. (Osteopenia refers to bone mineral density (BMD) that is lower than normal.) They were also found to have chondrodystrophic dwarfism.  This would mean that the boys were going to struggle with life for as long as they were around.

What this meant to Wags is that Nolan and Luca would never leave so we made the decision to make them our official mascots.

Nolan and Luca became the meaning of “rescue.”  They would require physical therapy, numerous trips to the vet, many more meetings with specialists and at some point might require surgery.  Wags could not adopt out Nolan and Luca and not know for certain that their special needs were going to be met.

The chondrodystrophic dwarfism brings many problems.  The boys have a weak immune system and may never be able to completely walk without some sort of assistance.  The dwarfism can cause seizures, problems with their jaws and it shortens their lifespan.

Nolan and Luca are two of the happiest, loving dogs you will ever come across.  They do not discriminate with their love…they love other dogs –big and little; people-young and old.  Their tails start wagging like crazy as someone approaches them.  Their desire to fight and live is like no other, these two boys are truly amazing – which is why Wags cannot ever give up on these two boys.

They touch the lives of everyone they meet.  Luca appears to be smiling all the time, even in his sleep. They scoot over to anyone willing to just say “hi” and give them a friendly pat or rub behind the ears.

Wags has created the chip-in to ensure that Nolan and Luca will always receive the best care available.  Whatever surgeries are needed, whatever vet bills need to be paid, whatever splints or wheelchairs need to be ordered.  These two boys are truly little angels full of love and only deserve the best.

Any funds contributed via the chip-in or the “Nolan and Luca” merchandise will be saved and used to benefit Nolan and Luca for as long as we are lucky to have them.

So please spare what you can, forward their story, stop up at any Wags and Whiskers events and meet our rescue mascots, Nolan and Luca…as kind words and loving pats on the head makes their days.

They are going to be pricey little buggers…but after you meet them, they will find their way into your heart in no time and you will see that they are both worth whatever the dollar amount comes too.