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.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Sunday, August 14, 2011
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?
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.
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.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
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.
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.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
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.
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.
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