Merry Christmas 2011

This will likely be my final post of 2011.  I sincerely thank everyone who has followed me through the year  as I write of the craziness that is living with rescue dogs.  Although I started this blog for myself so I would always have the memories of my beloved fosters who come in and out of my life, I am very happy that so many others enjoy my stories as well. 

This year, as usual, has had it's highs and lows.  The deeper I dive into the rescue world, the more often I feel like the lows exceed the highs.  If I stayed out of the networks, and stopped viewing the "urgent" lists, focusing only on my personal foster dogs, it would be easier.  However, I know the problem will not go away simply because I choose to keep my head down.  So I keep up with the latest goings on, both nationally and locally, helping where I can and continuing to have my heart broken on a regular basis.

That being said, there were many successes in animal welfare this year!  Several new laws were passed throughout the country in favor of the animals.  Some of them seem so ridiculously obvious that one would never imagine a law would have to be created for such an issue.  Sadly, that isn't the case.  Like having to pass a law that you have to feed your dog.  That is a law in Missouri now, thank God.  Commercial breeders  are now required to provide adequate food and water to their breeding dogs.  Missouri has a long way to go, but at least this is a step in the right direction.   A few more states banned greyhound racing.   Many states have created more strict punishments for animal cruelty offenders.  Some states have even started in on spay and neuter laws, the absolute most important issue in animal rescue!  Until all states adopt some form of this law, we are fighting a never ending battle.  Hopefully 2012 will continue this trend!

There have been plenty of personal highs as well.  Of course, the biggest were having six dogs (Calista, Lincoln, Bindi Sue, Rheagan, Derby and Percy) successfully placed in forever homes and having Ezra thriving in a wonderful long-term foster home.  I will never forget any one of them.  I am thankful that our home was the bridge from their pasts to futures. 

Other high points are when I hear from the adopters of my babies.  Just yesterday, I got a Christmas card from Lincoln.  His mom sent me several pictures of him and he looks awesome.  She also reminded me of how much they love him and thanked me yet again for "bringing him up to be such a sweet dog".   I talk to Rheagan's mom  quite often.  I have been helping her with some training that she has been doing with Rheagan.  She also sends pictures.  Calista's mom isn't much of a talker, but  I got a video sent to my phone one day from a number that I didn't recognize.  It was titled "WWF...boxer style" and I figured it to be a silly forward.  In fact, it was a video of Calista wrestling around the house with her doggy friends. There were no words, but I guess she knew that the video said it all.  It brought both tears and laughter.  I think moments like these may be my most favorite part of rescuing. 

Enzo in his Christmas attire!

 Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you and all of your four-legged family members!

I have attached a Christmas video (created by a different rescue).  It's hilarious to me, because I have experienced nearly every scene of it!  If you have a naughty dog or two, you will agree!  If not, well it's still pretty darn cute. Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/embed/bYTK18xq4DA?rel=0

Home for the Holidays!

Percy will be spending her first Christmas in her forever home!  As I expected, there was interest in her right away.  I contacted the person on Friday afternoon and by Friday evening, Percy and I were in his living room doing the meet and greet.  While I was there, I did the home inspection as well, which he passed with flying colors.  She will be getting picked up tomorrow night. 

I have rarely seen two dogs come together so perfectly as quickly as Percy and her new "brother" Heath did.  He is a two year old male who has rarely socialized with other dogs.  Of course that concerned me at first, but the chemistry was instant.  The second they saw each other, the chase was on.  They wrestled and played for an hour.  Although he is at least twice her size, my little tom boy held her own and loved every minute of it. The home is a perfect fit and they are so excited to have her!

Even though I totally expected her to be chosen before he was, I can't help but to feel a little sad for Enzo, who will surely miss his sister terribly.  I'm sad that they will be separated, but trying to find a single home for two large dogs is nearly impossible.  We can't pass on great homes waiting for something that may never come.  They are young and they will move on and be fine. Still, it hurts my heart a little to see them cuddled up on the couch together right now knowing that tomorrow night she will be gone and they will be apart for the first time since birth.  We will give Enzo extra attention for a while and he will be happy and loved here until he finds a forever family of his own

Good luck in your new life my little one! 

Puppy update

Both pups are doing well, have very few issues, and will make great dogs.  As attached as they are to one another, they have proven to be quite different.  As they came out of their shells, their personalities became very distinct. 

The first word that comes to mind for Percy is "sassy."  She loves to run and wrestle and won't hesitate to get into guard dog mode if there is any commotion on the other side of the fence.  As un-boxer like as it seems, she also has a talent at retrieving.  She is certainly the more dominant of the two, but her dominance seems to be limited to her brother.  She is just so bossy with him.  She attacks  him when he tries to play with the other dogs.  It's not a serious attack, it's play, but it's pretty harsh.  She likes all of his attention to be on her.   She is also much more independent than he is and she seems very smart.

Enzo is more like all of the other male boxers that we have had.  Laid back, clumsy, and not quite as bright as the girls, but so very happy and sweet.  He is overly friendly, always wanting to be as close as possible to anyone that will cuddle with him, human or canine.  A big, dopey, love bug.  Of course, he lets Percy bully him, appreciating any attention that he gets. 

The weather has been rainy and cold.  We hadn't even seen frost on the lawn yet and we woke up the other morning to an inch of snow!  This has not been an ideal situation for potty training.  They hate going out.  I have to get to the store and get poor naked Enzo a sweater!  The forecast is looking up though, so I suspect more success and less accidents for me to clean up. 

I have also decided that I need to start getting them some time apart.  I am going to be walking them in pairs, one puppy and one adult at a time.  I am also considering putting the divider in the crate.  It seems harsh, but it's for their own good.  I don't foresee them getting adopted together and it's better that they adapt to it slowly.  I think it will also help her to not be so possessive of him.  It's play now, but as she matures, I could see it escalating.  I want to nip that in the bud early. 

It's funny (and actually really annoying because deaf dogs are unbelievably loud) when Jax plays with them.  When the pups are wrestling with each other, they are totally in the zone.  Jax circles them barking like crazy to get their attention, clearly bothered by being ignored.  He has never really been the third wheel.  If he can get them to acknowledge him, he can usually bring their attention to him.  He'd rather be double teamed than feel like second fiddle. 

When Dixie gets involved in the chaos too (the twins adore her!) it's a real hoot.  I can watch the four of them like I watch TV.  I try to capture the giant ball of fur flying fun on camera, but the pictures just don't do it justice. 

Meet the twins!

Our newest additions (Yes. That would be plural.) are  eight month old siblings that were seized from their owners in Fort Smith, AR for reason of neglect.  They were very skinny but have improved after being at the shelter for three weeks.  They also have mange, which is why our rescue pulled them.  Mange dogs rarely get adopted from shelters and are therefore usually euthanized to make space for healthy dogs.  The female, Percy, we named after vikings wide reciever Percy Harvin.  He was having a stellar day today as we were thinking of names while watching the game!  She is a beautiful little flashy (white on boxers is called "flash") brindle.  She actually has very little hair loss, just a few small bald areas, but mostly just thinning.  The male, Enzo, was named by Jonathon, after a favorite "Big Brother" house guest.  He is fawn colored and actually reminds me a lot of our last mange dog, Lincoln, whom I was crazy about!  He has lost about half of the hair on his body and will take longer to fully recover.  They have been getting treated for the mange at the shelter for three weeks now, so they aren't obsessively scratching.   In fact, they seem to feel great.  Luckily, they are young enough that they are both heart worm negative.  Hair loss aside, they are absolutely adorable.   They are also very sweet and love to cuddle.

As you can see, little Enzo has suffered in his short life.

If you have never had the experience of smelling mange...consider yourself lucky.  Twice weekly baths are a must!  Lucky for me, he was a perfect angel for his first bath.

Isn't she a beauty? You can kind of see the hair loss on her face and ears.

These are the worst spots on her body.  Somehow she got luckier than her brother.

They have been together since birth and are extremely attached to one another.  They stick together like glue. It's pretty darn cute.  Plus, they keep each other occupied playing so they aren't pestering the rest of us like puppies often do:-)  It would be awesome if they could get adopted together, but the likelihood of that is slim to none.

Clearly they were used to sleeping outside. After playing for hours, they nested up in the flower bed. 

They seemed pleased to have a soft indoor bed of their own.

But by morning, they had joined the other two on the couch.

The plan is to get to the vet this week for mange medications and rabies shots, and set up a time for a spay and neuter.  This needs to be done asap!  If they really are eight months old, Percy could potentially be pregnant already.  I don't think Enzo is "interested" yet, but they were with another dog when taken away.  If she is closer to six or seven months,which I suspect, she could go into heat any time.  No thank you! 

Dogs this young and cute, especially around the Holidays, should be adopted quickly.  It wouldn't even surprise me if Percy had a forever home for Christmas.  Enzo will probably have to stick around a little bit longer while he heals up.  There isn't much interest in a hairless boxer.

To go ahead and answer the question that I am sure I will get, yes.  We still have a three dog policy in house.  Jonathon made this exception because our rescue is overwhelmed right now and had to pull nine more dogs this weekend.  When it rains, it pours.

Derby's Forever Home.

Wow.  Two weeks since my last post and I missed "Wordless Wednesday" too.  Sheesh.  In my defense, I have been very busy lately.  The highlight of my absence from the blogging world was my trip home to MN.  I spent time with (most of) my favorite people.  Thanksgiving was wonderful this year with the addition of two little ones...for once I mean babies, not dogs!  I am very thankful that I got to make the trip. 

In doggy news, though most of you already know, Derby has found his forever home!  This was in the makings since I first got him.  I broke one of my personal policies and decided to adopt him out to an employee of ours.  I hesitate to do this because as anyone who has ever had employees or even been an employee knows, it doesn't always end well.  George has been a great member of our team so far, but I have seen other good guys go downhill.  I remain in touch on at least some level with the adopters of almost all of my dogs.  I would hate to ever be on bad terms with someone who has something that means so much to me.  I did have this very conversation with George, expressing my concerns. I wouldn't exactly say I "threatened" him, but I definitely got my point across;-)  I put my own paranoia and cynicism aside this time because I know that George's family will take wonderful care of Derby.  Their whole family is full of dog people.  Ironically, George's first dog was a boxer from our rescue, almost 20 years ago.  He grew up with that dog and has wanted a boxer ever since.  He and his wife just closed on their first home.  They have two little girls. 17 months and four years.  Derby makes a great addition.

Derby is a dog that I became extremely attached to.  I love them all, but some just fit so perfectly into our lives that it's hard to imagine them ever leaving.  I thought "oh, what I could do with this dog!"  I was worried that his potential might be wasted somewhere else.  After seeing this picture, my perspective changed.  I know that his job will to be this little girl's best friend.  He will be there for her and her sister as they grow up.  That is the most important job a dog can have. 




Derby stayed with them while we were in MN.  Although the adoption is yet to be "official," we didn't want him to come back into our home for the completion of the process.  He is slowly adjusting and I don't want him to have to start over.  George had Derby at the office when we got back to town (of course, our first stop was work). He and Dixie and Jax had a joyous and rambunctious reunion.  I'm glad that he will still be in our lives.  I for see many play dates in the future.

Happy note!

I was thrilled to find this in my inbox last night! 

Message body

Hi Leslie!

Ezra is doing Wonderfully! she goes to work with me everyday, she is one spoiled little girl. All the animals here adjusted well to her and her to them. She makes me laugh everyday with her silliness. I took pictures last night of her lying on her back with a schnauzer on each side of her and it looked like she was smiling. I will post them later- you will smile. I want you to know that I love that girl very much and she is a true blessing and I am proud to be her foster mom. Thanks, Phoebe

Wordless Wednesday!

Ezra's next step.

Early Wednesday morning I sat in traffic with tears streaming down my face.  The day that I feared may never come was here.  I was heading out to Mississippi to take Ezra to her new home, a "long term" foster home!

I worked hard to make this happen and I didn't even want to write this post until I knew that it was really going to stick.  Although I felt in my heart that she was ready for this step, I didn't want to get my hopes up.  I have now been given confirmation that things are going very well.  Ezra is learning to be a house dog!

Ezra still has plenty of issues, but the progress she has made is incredible.  That is what I was thinking about as I sat in my car crying as the sun came up.  I looked back at her curled up on the back seat, perfectly content, and remembered that it took three of us to force her into my car when I first got her this summer.  She flailed back and forth smashing her body and head against the windows.  It was like I had captured a feral animal.  This dog that ferociously guarded her food, now allowed me to take even a yummy bone out of her mouth.  (I'm not claiming that she would let anyone else do that yet, but she will get there.) This dog with absolutely no bowel or bladder control now potties each time she is walked.  No accidents in the office for over a month.   It's hard to believe that I ever worried that she might be beyond help.

When I first acquired Ezzy, she wasn't ready for a home environment.  It was just too big of a change for a dog like her.  She needed a middle step.  A place that she could start to trust and interact with people, yet not be over stimulated with the constant activity of a household.  She could come with me on day trips to spend time in real life situations and have an isolated, quiet, stable, place to go back to.  I owe much of Ezra's success to the management and staff at the Pet Resort who helped me with her this whole time.  They helped give her the structure that she needed to make the transition.  They helped her to trust that most humans and other dogs were good.  They spoiled her.  I am forever grateful to them. 

She will never be a "pretty" dog.  She has a face that only a mother could love, so to speak.  She is covered in scars.  Being so high strung makes it hard for her to keep weight on, so she is boney.  To top it off, she is also quite bow-legged.  But I don't see any of that anymore.  Her beauty, (cliche, I know) is on the inside.  To know Ezzy is to love her.  She has won the hearts of all who have cared for her.  Despite her issues, she is one of the sweetest dogs I've ever met.  She greets everyone she meets so enthusiastically, as though they were her very best friend.  She loves to be held tight and hugged. She has surrendered completely to human love and affection. 

I was tempted to take Ezra back into our home.  Jonathon and I discussed that possibility.   We know and trust her now and she does us.  We didn't feel that she would be a threat to the other dogs anymore.  The advantage that she will have in this other home is that someone will always be there with her.  She can't get that luxury here.  Her separation and crate anxiety is the one thing that she still really struggles with.  It won't be an issue for her in the new home.  It really is an ideal situation.

I will really miss Ezra, and I will still be keeping up with her closely.  I wish I could have completed her rehabilitation myself, but I know that she has graduated on to her next step in life.  Her new foster mom is committed to her 100 percent.  Here, she will hopefully achieve her highest potential.  And who knows.  Often times, long term fosters even turn into forevers!   

Happy Halloween!

Wordless Wednesday!

Meet Derby!

There is a bear in our house!  Well, at least a bear of a dog:-)  Derby is our new foster dog and he is one big boy!  He is a 70 pound gorgeous brindle boxer who has a real intimidation factor...until you meet him that is. 

Derby comes to us from Louisianna.   His owners are moving to Seattle, where they feel that it will be "too cold" for him to live.  Because nobody has dogs in Seattle...right?  Whatever.  Translation...they think it will be a hassle to keep him and are giving him away with the furniture and other household objects that they no longer want.  They have never once taken him to the vet.  He has never had any vaccinations,  any heartworm prevention, nothing.  What a miracle that he was negative for everything apon testing!

After getting to know him over the weekend, I absolutely can not believe that anyone would want to give this dog up.  Besides being so beautiful, he is extremely well mannered.  He is only a year and nine months old, but he is very mellow.  He was an outside dog before and I am told that he isn't house trained, but we are yet to have any accidents.  He just goes out when the others do.  He goes right into the crate when told to, even though he was never crate trained.  He also knows how to sit, walks fine on leash, and rides perfectly in the car.  Many people would give anything to have a dog this well behaved and they just gave him away.  Oh, well.  If they didn't consider him a family member, he is better off without them. 

Although he doesn't really understand how to play with the other dogs, he enjoys their company and has shown no signs of aggression.  His old family had a chihuahua, but he seems a bit weary of the bigger dog's exuberance.  This morning, he did actually try to engage in their antics a little.  I give it less than a week before he is totally into it.  He is also fine with the office cats.  There doesn't seem to be a mean bone is his massive body. 

He is a bit confused and sad about his big life change, which is to be expected, but is showing constant improvement.  When I stopped home at noon, I got my first full boxer-wiggle...the most sincere of all wags:-)

Wordless Wednesday!

A Hard Goodbye.

First of all, I must stress that  I am incredibly thankful for animal transporters.  These truck and trailer teams work long, exhausting hours, driving around the clock.  Besides picking up and dropping off, they stop only for the dogs to be walked and watered, which can take hours in itself.  They work very hard for very little, only for the love of the dogs.  Unfortunately, they often go unrecognized because of their behind the scene role in the process. 

That being said, last night was one of the hardest moments that I have ever experienced in fostering.

I got a call from the rescue team that they would be in Little Rock at 9:15 p.m.  Jonathon and I took Rheagan over to the meeting place, which was a Cracker Barrel parking lot.  There were a few other cars with at least 10 dogs already there when we arrived.  The generator keeping the trailer air conditioned was so loud.  The scene was pretty chaotic.  Rheagan was nervous right away.  As we sat on the curb, watching the other dogs get loaded one by one, she could tell that something was happening.  She was shaking.  When the man came to take her from us, she cowered.  Right in front of me, all of her newly found confidence drained from her body and a look of fear and sadness took over.   She was heart broken.  In her eyes, the only people that she had ever trusted were abandoning her.  Her new home, that she was so happy in, was being taken away. 

I could barely stand to watch as she flailed and struggled as they tried to get her loaded.  It killed me to see her go through that.  I know that she will be fine.  She will arrive at her new home (a suburb of Washington DC) at 2:30 am tonight.  After some adjustment time, she will bounce back.  I understand that.   Dogs, however, live in the moment.  It's one of the many reasons that they are so wonderful and how they can overcome so much.  But, it's also why she has no idea that things will ever be okay again.  I wish I could tell her that they would be.  I wish I could tell her that I was sorry.

Giving up a foster dog is never easy.  In the past, however, our adopters have been close enough that we have met them.  They usually come to our house to pick up their dog.  The dogs are always a bit nervous, but they can feel the excitement in their new family and have always gone happily with little hesitation.  Seeing the joy in the new owners face is so rewarding.  It balances out the sadness.  There was no reward here.  It was just plain painful.

I guess I am being selfish, worrying that after all she experienced in our home, this is how she will remember me, but I can't help it.  It breaks my heart.

Not So Wordless Wednesday!

On this particular Wednesday, I just have too much to share to go "wordless."

My sister, brother in law, and 8 and a half month old niece (Emily, Patrick, and Olivia) came to stay with us for a week.  Although super excited about them coming, I was also very nervous about how the dogs would do around Olivia.  None of them had ever been around a baby, to my knowledge.  I had conjured up all these possible scenarios in my head, trying to come up with potential solutions to the potential problems.  Knowing my dogs like I do, it never even crossed my mind that they wouldn't "like" the baby, or that they would be in any way malicious toward her.  I was more concerned about the energy level in the house.  I thought they would be too rambunctious, too loud, and too careless.  I was also concerned that Rheagan could be very nervous around her. 

My worries were put at ease very shortly after their arrival.  The dogs were all wonderful with Olivia from the start.  They were enamored, especially Dixie, who rarely left her side.  Olivia is an animal lover just like the rest of us, so she really enjoyed all of the doggy attention that she received, slobbery kisses included!

Since Dixie hates the pool so much, she was very concerned while Livi was in the water.

Kiss from Rheagan!

Giddy up Jaxy!

On Friday morning, we all piled in the car (4 adults, a baby, and 3 dogs!) and headed up to Petit Jean Mountain State Park for a hike.  It was a beautiful day.  This was both Olivia and Rheagan's first hike and they handled it like troopers!  At one of our longer breaks, Rheagan literally fell asleep standing up! We were in no hurry, taking our time to stop several times for water, snacks, and geocaching (nerdy, yes, but surprisingly entertaining!).    A good time was definitely had by all!

Pre-hike.  Anxiously awaiting.

 

Hanging out in the Grotto (big cave type thing)

Pat enjoying the view.

Our house guests have gone home to Minnesota.  The house is feeling empty and the dogs are a little down.  They sure love having visitors.  We all do.  Thanks again for coming guys!

Off to Virginia!

Great news!!!   Rheagan has found her forever home! 

We will miss her so much.  She has come out of her shell so quickly and is a really fun dog.   Her issues were easy to work out.  She is totally comfortable with the crate training, and hasn't had an "accident" in over a week now.  She certainly isn't fearful of people anymore, quite the opposite actually.  Leaving the house is no longer a battle.  She now runs toward the leash instead of running away from it, and hops eagerly into the car.  If only they were all as easy to rehabilitate as Rheagan was.

She will be moving out to Virginia.  Her future "mom" and I have been emailing regularly since Rheagan first peaked her interest.   Over the past week, she has purchased a crate, a bed, blankets, food, and a collection of treats and toys.  She has apologized to me for "asking so many questions" and for being "too excited."  I explained to her that nothing means more to me, as a foster mom, than to know that my dogs are going to be well taken care of.  She has followed all of my suggestions and I know she truly wants the best for Rheagan.  She has a bright future waiting for her across the country!

There is a transport going out east this Saturday.  Hopefully they will have an open spot for us.  If not, she will get on the one next weekend. 

Here in this house...

This poem was recently posted on the site of an area rescue.  It wonderfully expresses what I hope that each and every dog experiences when they come into my house.  

  
Here in this house......

I will never know the loneliness I hear in the barks of the other dogs 'out there'.
I can sleep soundly, assured that when I wake my world will not have changed.
I will never know hunger, or the fear of not knowing if I'll eat.
I will not shiver in the cold, or grow weary from the heat.
I will feel the sun's heat, and the rain's coolness,
and be allowed to smell all that can reach my nose.
My fur will shine, and never be dirty or matted.

Here in this house... 

There will be an effort to communicate with me on my level.
I will be talked to and, even if I don't understand,
I can enjoy the warmth of the words.
I will be given a name so that I may know who I am among many.
My name will be used in joy, and I will love the
sound of it!

Here in this house... 

I will never be a substitute for anything I am not.
I will never be used to improve peoples' images of themselves.
I will be loved because I am who I am, not someone’s idea of who I should be.
I will never suffer for someone’s anger, impatience, or stupidity.
I will be taught all the things I need to know to be loved by all.
If I do not learn my lessons well, they will look to my teacher for
blame.

Here in this house... 

I can trust arms that hold, hands that touch...
knowing that, no matter what they do, they do it for the good of me.
If I am ill, I will be doctored.
If scared, I will be calmed.
If sad, I will be cheered.
No matter what I look like, I will be considered beautiful and known to be of value.
I will never be cast out because I am too old, too ill, too unruly, or not cute enough.

Here in this house...

My life is a responsibility, and not an afterthought.
I will learn that humans can almost, sometimes, be as kind and as fair as dogs.

Here in this house... 

I will belong.
I will be home.

~Author Unknown

Wordless Wednesday!

Wordless Wednesday!

Introducing Rheagan!

Since Ezra has become a part-time foster, and we have a long list of "urgent" status dogs waiting in shelters, we have taken another foster dog. 

My only request was that he or she be physically healthy.  My reason for this, believe it or not, is not that I am totally exhausted from the extreme cases we've had recently, but because hiking season is right around the corner!  We are planning several over-nights this fall and we can't afford to be boarding a dog every weekend.  Ideally we'll have an adoption by then, but as we all know, it doesn't always pan out that way.  

Last weekend, Bonni and Chris visited us (Thanks again for coming Bons!) so Bonni was actually with me when I picked Rheagan up from the vet where she was being held.  Paralyzed in fear, she had to be pried off the parking lot and placed into the car. 

Her background is that she had belonged to a back yard "breeder" and was never inside.   She is only a year and a half old and has had three litters already, her last being in May.  Clearly, this means that she was only a pup herself when her first litter was born.  She definitely grew up too fast. 

Bonni and I did the "pack walk" when we first brought her home.  It's nice to finally be able to do that again.  It's been so long since we could actually walk on the pavement without scorching their paws!  Things were fine and she was thrown in full force to the experience of what a dog's life can be.  I say that, because we had great weather, so we all spent the majority of Friday, Sat, and Sunday outside having fun.  We played yard games, grilled, swam, and relaxed.  All the while, she learned to interact with us and the other dogs.  She was overwhelmed at times, but in a good way.  She didn't know what to make of all the fun going on around her. 

She did have a minor set back with Jonathon her very first night here.  She was standing behind him and when he turned around, she accidentally backed up into the pool.  He was right there so he quickly pulled her out.  She couldn't have been in the water for more than a second, but she totally blamed him.  She ran away from him so fast only to turn around and give him the evil eye.  She honestly wouldn't go near him all weekend!  In fact, she still hesitates to approach him.  The only exception is when he is petting one of the other dogs, in which case her jealousy outweighs her fear.  I Guess that's one of the down sides of having an in-ground pool.  They all fall in at some point, but she is the first one to hold such a grudge!


This little dog is young, healthy and cute.  She is also AKC registered.  She should be a fairly quick adoption (knocking on wood right now) if I can work out her minor issues.  These issues are 1) Potty and crate training.   Having never been in a house, she has no experience with either.  2) Walking on a leash.  She must have had only bad experiences going places because unlike my other dogs, who go crazy with excitement at the mere sight of a leash, she runs away from it.  I have to literally drag her out of the house.  3) Learning to trust people.  She is pretty shy, almost fearful.  I would bet anything that she has been hit in the past because she cowers pretty badly when you reach out to pet her.   Enter Dixie and Jax! Teaching other dogs that life isn't scary is their specialty:-)

Doesn't she look like Bindi? Apparently I think so, cause I spent the first several days calling her that!

I'm a stage mom!

Ezra is doing as good as can be expected at the boarding facility.  She really seems to like her caretakers.   Some days I pick her up and bring her to work with me.  She loves all of the extra attention she gets from the guys.  She welcomes every stranger that she meets with enthusiasm.  A guard dog, she is not:-)  We continue to hope for an ideal home for her. 

This Saturday, Jax and I participated in a charity dog show.  It was put on by the local Rotary Club and over 200 people showed up.  It raised over $16,000 for orphaned children.  We didn't come home with the trophy, but had there been a "fan favorite," Jax would have had it in the bag!  I didn't realize what a ham he was.  Many of the dogs got understandably nervous walking up the stairs and across the stage.  Not Jax!  He marched right up and stopped in front of the judge's table.  He turned and scanned the crowd giving them his best boxer grin.  It was as if he knew exactly what he was there for.  After our initial introduction on stage, I had people approaching us throughout the event.  Everyone wanted to meet the deaf dog.  They all had so many questions about him and communicating with him.  Even the MC, a local news anchor, didn't hide the fact that he had a favorite dog, asking for a kiss from Jaxy as we exited the stage after one of our passes.  Everyone laughed and cheered as Jax gave him a nice sloppy one right at the microphone.   A couple times, children surrounded him and he couldn't have been more thrilled to be covered in little hands.  Perhaps there is therapy work in our future afterall.  Unfortunately, we went by ourselves, so I have no pictures of our fun day to share. 

Ezra, Week One.

First, an update on the remaining two of the confiscated dogs.  Sadly, they have been euthanized.  They were touch and go while under anesthesia for their spay/neuter.  The heart worms had done enough damage to their hearts that they barely made it through alive.  With that much difficulty during short, routine surgeries, the odds are good that they would never have survived the heart worm treatment. Rest in peace, sweet dogs.  The suffering that you endured for years at the hands of a human is finally over.  I'm so sorry you never got a chance to feel the love of a real family.

Ezra is a mess.  A sweet, loving, eager to please, mess.  She is having a hard time adjusting to life in a home.  Although she is thoroughly enjoying every minute that she spends with us, her real issues begin when she is left alone.  She suffers from extreme separation anxiety- the worst I've seen.  We are talking pacing, howling, panting, drooling, and (unfortunately for me) loss of bowel control and stress diarrhea.  Crating her has been absolutely out of the question.  The first couple of nights were the worst.  She was up until dawn, and as a result, so was I.  She is now on a "supplement" that seems to be helping some.

She also has some real trust issues with the dogs.  It's evident by the hundreds of bite scars all over her that she has been in many fights in her life.  There were 13 dogs in a small space and although I'm sure they were bonded with one another, and had friends within the pack, they had no choice but to fight for any food that was made available to them.  It's a survival instinct.   It has become part of her to be on the defense all the time.  She isn't dog aggressive and the behavior certainly isn't malicious.  She is conditioned to be afraid, which makes her unpredictable.  90% of the time, she is fine with them, just a little nervous.  But if she ever feels overwhelmed, nervous, or threatened, she snaps.  Only it isn't just a snap!  The problem is, there are no boundaries with our dogs.  They literally walk all over and lay on top of one another.  There is no such thing as "too close" in their world.  She needs time to trust that neither of them want to harm or fight her.  She also needs to understand that the humans are the leaders now and we do have control so there is nothing to worry about.  Unfortunately, she is going to have to learn that pretty quickly.  She has bitten both Dixie and Jax now.  I have always said, they are my absolute first priority in all of this.  I know they deal with a lot being part of the rescue program, but I refuse to put them in harm's way.  The look on Jaxy's face when I pulled her off of him was so confused.  It was like  "Mom, how could you let that happen to me?"  He trusts me completely and I felt I had let him down.  Multiple dog homes have disagreements within the packs.  It's inevitable, I know that.  Still, I don't totally trust her now, so how can I expect her to totally trust me?

Her face is totally covered in bite wound scars.

For these reasons, she is never left unsupervised in our home or around the other dogs.  I take her to daycare everyday.  The place that I leave Dixie and Jax when we travel is just down the road from my office, so it's very convenient.   After explaining Ezra's situation, (they had fallen in love with her after the first day) I asked the manager if there was anything they could do to help us out, money wise.  I was hoping for a deep discount.  She contacted the owner of the facility and called me at home later.  They decided that I could bring her for daycare anytime...no charge.  I am so thankful.  It's such good experience for her.  That just goes to show, it never hurts to ask!


***UPDATE:  (Sunday morning)***

As of yesterday, Ezra is no longer in our home.  It just wasn't working.  Although we have made progress with most of her issues,  after the "encounters" that she had with our dogs, I was constantly paranoid and stressed.  I'm sure all three of the dogs picked up on that.  She also went after Dixie again yesterday.  I was right there, so no contact was made, but it scared her.  After that, she spent two hours in the shed because she didn't want to be around Ezra.  She absolutely would not come out.  Not even for our walk.  Trying to cover all of my bases, I tried again to crate Ez (I had been doing short, supervised stints in the crate all week).  Within minutes of me leaving the room, she managed to get her bottom jaw stuck between the wires.  There was blood all over.  I got her out and she was fine, but had we not been here, she could easily have broken that jaw.  Without the ability to keep the dogs separate when we are gone, we determined that it just wasn't safe for her to be here.  Besides just the risk of someone getting physically injured, it isn't good for any of them mentally.   I worry that we could ruin the trust that we have with our dogs, and that could mean the end of fostering.  Right now, they understand that whatever dogs we bring into the house, they are to accept into the pack.  And they always do, with open arms.  If something bad happened, however, it may cause them to lose confidence in our ability to control things.  Dixie was definitely going in that direction.  She acts tough, but she is very sensitive.

This was not an easy decision to make.  I feel incredibly guilty about sending her away,  but I'm not giving up on her.  I have become very fond of her and I know she is a great dog.  She has suffered through a lot in her life and deserves to be loved.  In a home with no other dogs, she will thrive. She is friendly and outgoing to everyone she meets.  She is currently over at the boarding facility that she goes to for daycare.  I talked to the manager about long-term boarding.  She is going to find out what the owner can work out as far as a discount for our rescue.  I am confident that they will help me.  The alternative is for her to board at a vet clinic that works with our rescue.  The situation there would be less than ideal (read: awful) so I want to avoid it at all costs.  She will go down hill quickly in those conditions.  Here, she has an air conditioned, indoor room with walls, not chain link.  It also has a doggy door and her own private outdoor area.  They take her out to run around several times a day.  With the kennel being only blocks from my office, I will be able visit and work with her each day.  She will still be my foster dog and I am committed to her until she finds her forever home. 

Unlucky 13

About two weeks ago, 13 dogs were found in a yard in an adjacent city.  They were hot, dirty, hungry, and covered in fleas.  The owner of the property surrendered nine of the dogs on the spot.  Animal control took custody of them, leaving behind the four dogs that were in the best (and by best I mean least-awful) condition.  Four is the legal limit of dogs that one household can have in that city without a permit.  To take the other four dogs would have required getting a warrant, as the woman would not voluntarily give them up.  They chose not obtain the warrant.  I believe that this was a very poor judgement by animal control.

The nine dogs were taken to the local shelter.   All of them were in need of immediate medical attention, suffering from heat sickness and anemia.  The anemia was caused by the fleas.  Three of them were so anemic that they could only have been saved by multiple blood transfusions. (Imagine how many fleas must have been covering these animals to drain the blood from a sixty pound dog!) Clearly, a small local animal shelter has neither the ability nor the funds to go to such lengths.  Those three were euthanized, ending their suffering.  Of the six remaining dogs, four are heart worm positive, one has mange and one has cancer.  I went out to see them the second day.  All are covered in scars, likely from having to fight one another for what little food was available.

 Now do you see why I feel so strongly that animal control made a bad decision allowing the woman to keep four dogs.  Sure, it's not 13, but four dogs are still a lot to handle.  I have huge sympathy for people like her who are clearly sick (ever seen the show "Animal Hoarders"?)  She lives in filth.   Her house is full of black mold, to which she is apparently allergic, so she spends much of her time sleeping in her yard or car. What a sad situation.  Nevertheless, those dogs were being severely neglected.  They were starving.  They were suffering.  Whether intentional cruelty, or not, isn't the point.  I'm not saying she should be criminally charged.  I know she meant well at one point.  I'm saying that we simply can't leave animals in danger because we feel sorry for someone.  In my opinion, DHS should be involved.  She is clearly on a very destructive path and needs serious help of her own. 

Our rescue has been desperately trying to find fosters to get the six dogs out of the shelter "in time."  There is one dog more troubled behaviorally than the others.  On top of the other issues, she is deaf.  Guess who got talked in to taking her?  She is currently boarding at the vet getting vaccinated, spayed, dewormed, etc.  I'll pick her up on Saturday.  I have heard that she is completely out of control.  These dogs have never been on leash, ridden in a car, been to the vet, or been house trained.  Most of them are about three or four years old!  Luckily, you actually can teach old dogs new tricks.  She will be quite the handful, I'm sure.  Three other dogs are also safe in foster homes, but two are still sitting at the shelter waiting.  Hopefully foster homes will be found before the shelter "needs the space."

I have named our new foster dog Ezra.  (We always change the names when animals come from cases like this.  It' lessens the chances of the previous owners finding them on Petfinder, etc.)  More to come on her when she joins our household.

Bye Bye Bindi!

Bindi Sue is in her forever home!  After all of that, she actually went out there a week earlier than we originally planned on. 

There we a few more scares along the way.  One morning I woke up to a quivering Bindi with bloody discharge coming from her nose.  She also refused food for the first time ever.  I immediately took her in to the vet, fearing the worst.  He discovered that she had a sinus infection (steroids make her more susceptible to secondary infections).  Her heart actually sounded good and her lungs were clear.  All of the discharge and noisy breathing were now coming from her throat and head.  Although she looked like crap, Doc assured me that she was on the road to recovery and that we were officially "over the hump" with the heart worm treatment.  What a relief!  Stupid sinus infection pretending to be heart worm complications scared me to death!

Last Friday I took her in for her final injection and exam.  Everything checked out and she was given the "all clear."  Ironically, as I was starting to plan her trip to her forever home for the following week, I got a phone call from a board member of the rescue about another dog.  As we talked, I mentioned to her that Bindi was ready for her forever home.  It turned out that she was actually heading out toward Memphis the very next day to pick up another dog from our Memphis board member.  She offered to take Bindi along.  I emailed Trish (her new mom) to put the idea out there.  I assured her that if she wasn't ready yet, or had other plans, it was fine with me if Bindi stayed another week.  I had barely hit the "send" button when my phone rang.  "Yes! Yes!  Of course we want her now!"  So, Saturday morning we sent her off on transport to her forever home. 

Later that evening, I received a very sweet email from Trish telling me how much they already love her and how much she appreciated everything we did for their new baby.  She told me that little Bindi was filling a void in their family that had existed since they lost their boxer back in January.  She said that their older dog "came back to life" today after grieving for his lost companion for so long.  In that moment, all of the sleepless nights were worth it.  Bindi was safely in her forever home and a wonderful family was complete again. 

A Glimpse of Hope...

Last night was the first night since she came home from the hospital that Bindi didn't seem to struggle.  She slept pretty peacefully throughout.  Of course, I woke several times and totally panicked upon not hearing her wheezing, as I have grown so accustomed to the sound.  My mind instantly went to "Oh, god, she died in her sleep!"  I would stare at her until I saw her chest rise and then the relief swept through me.  This happened repeatedly.  Because of the steroids, we still had to get up and go out to potty a few times, but I can actually see normal nights in my future again.  Bindi is not out of the danger zone yet, especially given her circumstances, but every good day is a small relief. 

I have spoken, via email,  to her adoptive "mom" and she is aware of the difficulties we have encountered during the treatment.  She is worried, naturally, but couldn't be more excited and hopeful that Bindi will pull through.  She is such a sweet person and thanked me over and over for getting Bindi through this ordeal.  They were hoping to take her home (to Memphis, TN) at the end of the first week in August.  Unless we see a lot of progress between now and then, we may push that date back a bit, just to be safe. 

Sleepless nights.

Bindi's heart worm infection is proving to be more severe than anticipated.  She is having a hard time with the treatment.  There is a lot of coughing and breathing issues, especially at night.  I have basically stopped sleeping!  She coughed up some blood at one point, which was likely a tiny embolism, meaning she could have a larger one at any time.  We are on day 8 of treatment.  They say that days 5-12 are when most problems, including fatalities, occur.   We are doing everything we can but are pretty concerned at this point. 

3 Days down...27 to go.

We had a long weekend here.  I picked Bindi up from the vet Friday afternoon.  She was very happy to see me, but clearly in extreme pain.  The first 24 hours were awful for her, and awful to watch.  She hurt so badly that she was quivering all over.  She barely even moved.  She was absolutely pathetic.  By Sunday, thankfully, she was feeling so much better.  The hard part now is keeping her calm (as I mentioned before, she is NOT a calm puppy!) and cool (it was 109 degrees out yesterday!).   To make things more difficult, she needs to be on steroids.  They not only make her the total opposite of calm, but also make her have to pee constantly, which means going out into the extreme heat more often.  Ironic. Thanks Doc. 

She is exhausting me (I should say this process is exhausting me, not her).  She is literally leashed to one of us every minute of the day.  She wants so badly to play that if she gets away from us, she will sprint into action.  Overnight, I have to get up with her at least twice to take her outside to pee and then I'm up by 5:30 a.m. for yet another pee, breakfast (the steroids also increase her appetite big time), and morning meds. 

Last night, on top of it, she coughed a lot.  That completely freaked me out, making it nearly impossible  to sleep.  I kept worrying that she was going to have a heart attack and die on me! Because of the coughing, and my paranoia, I'm taking her in to the doctor this afternoon so he can check her out.  I want to cover all of my bases.

The worst part is that we can do every single thing right, take absolutely no chances, and she can still die at any second.  Somebody needs to come up with a more modern way to treat heart worm.  This is brutal. 

The moral of the story is... Pay the $7.00 per month to get your dog heart worm prevention!  You do not want to go through this shit.  Not to mention, the treatment varies in price from $1,000 to $2,000 dollars! 

Settling in.

Bindi settled in nicely over the week.  She does much better through the nights, now that she is sleeping on the dog bed in our room instead of in a crate.  She just has some major insecurity issues, which leads to separation anxiety.  She is a very smart girl, and is eager to please.  I taught her "sit" and "down" in one afternoon.  She is also very sweet and although shy, she seems to like everyone she meets- even the cats.   

Most of her progress, however, is because of what she has absorbed from Dixie and Jax.  I can train her.  I can assure her that not every person has a heavy hand or a loud voice.  However, only those two can show her how to relax, have fun, and just be a dog.  They are, without a doubt, an integral part of the program.  I know that fostering takes it's toll on them, especially when the dogs that they grow to love and become attached to leave our home.  I ask a lot of them in this respect and they never disappoint me.  Dixie is especially sensitive to every new dog's specific problems or needs.  She seems to know within the first minute how to approach each one.  Bindi was extremely afraid of them at first, causing her to act out, not in aggression, but in fear.  Dixie was so gentle.  Over the first couple of days, she approached Bindi frequently, putting a paw on her back or head, trying to encourage interaction.  Bindi responded by growling or snapping at her.  Dixie was undeterred.  She simply backed off and tried again later, never giving up.  As you will see by the pictures below, her technique worked like a charm. 

At the office.

New friends.

Can you believe how tiny she is?  She is a mini-boxer!

Dixie being a good mom:-)

Tomorrow morning, I will drop her off at the vet's office, where she will be administered her treatment over 24 hours.  The next 14 days are the most critical of her life.  I would be a liar if I said I wasn't a little freaked out. 

B.S.

Okay, so my new foster dog is crazy.  Cute as a button, but absolutely nuts.  After less than 30 hours with her, I have experienced a frustration level higher than I have with any other foster dog yet.  She is certainly not to blame, so I try to hide the frustration from her as best I can.  She is just a victim, having only lived the life of a "breeding dog."  She has absolutely no idea how to act in a home setting.

Her name is Bindi Sue (B.S).  I assume that she is named after Bindi Sue Erwin, daughter of the late, great "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Erwin. 

Here is what I know about her background.  She is 15 months old.  She is from southeastern Louisiana.  She was owned by a breeder who, although she is extremely tiny for her breed (only 35lbs and not even very underweight), decided to breed her.  Thinking that it "didn't take" because of her size, the breeder decided that she was no longer a commodity and dumped her at the shelter.  In actuality, she was pregnant.  She miscarried in the shelter.  When a dog miscarries, an x-ray should be done, to make sure that all of the pups were delivered.  Needless to say, that did not happen and she had dead puppies inside of her for weeks.  She is very lucky that she didn't die from becoming septic.  They finally spayed her and removed what was left of the bodies from inside of her.  All of that time, our rescue was trying to arrange transport to spring her from that shelter.  Once we got her, she was taken to the vet immediately.  She tested positive for about every intestinal parasite in the book, as well as heart worm.  She was temporarily placed in boarding.

Ironically, she was not the dog that I was suppose to pick up at the picnic last weekend.  They contacted me and said that they had a more "challenging" dog and they wanted to switch foster and dog match ups.  Of course I said it was fine.  I assumed she would be a medical challenge, or a severely fearful case, like Callie was.  I can handle those dogs.  Nope.  She is a behavioral challenge. 

Last night, she kept me up all night whining and crying.  That is pretty normal and I expected it.  She was in a new place and was clearly nervous.  I got up with her several times during the night to let her out.  Her anti parasitic medications are causing her to have diarrhea.  Again, I can deal.  What I can't deal with is how she leaps all over me, scratching me with her cat-like sharp nails.  She runs in circles around me and jumps into the air and I can not catch her.  It may sound funny.  Let me tell you...at 3am, it's not.   

This morning, after adequate outside time with the others, I put her in the crate in our master bathroom. I left for work.   I had a meeting with a potential client about an hour away.  On my way back to work, I stopped home to let her out to potty.  I worried that she may have had an accident in her crate.  Instead, I found that she had destroyed the wire crate (the crate that is meant to hold dogs up to three times her size!) and got out.  She was then loose in my bedroom.  She made an absolute mess, including pulling everything off my vanity, jewelry and all.  It was a disaster area.  I was shocked at the situation.  I am  very lucky she didn't kill herself trying to escape from that crate. 

This dog needs some serious training.  However, the dilemma is this... Next week, she starts heart worm treatment.  During the very dangerous heart worm treatment, she needs to stay completely calm (huh?) for 30 days.  Her heart rate can not be elevated.  That means, no heat, no play, no anxiety, no training.  Leash on at every minute.  Now, I have crate trained dogs pretty quickly in the past, but I have never had one so determined to get out that she would physically harm herself trying.   The crate clearly causes great stress and I can't take that chance.  Crate training will not be an option in the time we have.  So, it seems that once she starts treatment, she will have to be with me 24 hours a day.  I imagine this will put a crimp in my (luckily almost non-existent) social life;-)

There is one more unique aspect of this particular foster.  She already has an approved adopter and a forever home awaits her.  She is with us only to get through the very risky heart worm treatment and get healthy.  Basically,  another person's very sick dog's life is in my hands.  No pressure there.

Pictures to follow. 

2011 Fundraiser Picnic

The fundraiser picnic was a really good time (minus the sweat).  It was fun meeting so many of the dogs that I only "know" via the website.  Our neighbor, Leslie, and her dog Bliss (you saw her in the previous post) went with us.  It's always great getting a bunch of dog people together.  It's great giving and getting advice to and from other rescuers and encouraging potential adopters.  Jax has matured into a very well behaved young man and comments were made by all.  He wore his "I'M DEAF" collar cover, which he always wears when we go out in public.  Besides it being a safety measure for him, people are always curious and it encourages them to ask questions.  That gives me the opportunity to advocate for special needs dogs, like him, that are so often discarded.  He is a wonderful example of why that common practice is ridiculous. 

Actually, I learned about a chapter in Jax's life that I had never known before.  You may remember that when we first got him, the rescue had taken him from a guy who had just found out that he was deaf and was planning to shoot him.  I now know that he was acquired by that man from another family in exchange for a tank of gas!  Can you believe that?  They had run out of gas and traded their dog for a fill up.  I suppose they thought that they were getting a good deal.  After all, what value does a deaf dog have?  It's no wonder why he was such a mess.  He was treated like an disposable object. 

We didn't get our new foster dog as planned.  She came down with kennel cough a couple of days before.  She should be just fine, but it's quite contagious to other dogs.  Of course she couldn't come to the fundraiser and pass the illness around to everyone.  Probably not a good way to promote the rescue.  

Silly me.   Although I made a point to pack my camera, I left it in the car the entire time.  I have no pictures to share from our day.


Just a small disclaimer...

(A few people have asked about this) You will notice that I never actually use the names of the rescue/rescuers that I am involved with.  This is because although I do represent them in public, I do not speak for them in this blog.  These are merely my personal thoughts and experiences.  As an admittedly opinionated person, I rarely filter myself when it comes to something that I am this passionate about.  I know that my words may offend some people.  For that reason, I never want this blog to be connected to the rescue.   If, however, you are looking for a dog, or are just curious, I would be more than happy to give you the name and website of our rescue in a private message!  Just leave me a comment!