We are Lennox.

Earlier this week, at the stroke of midnight when his stay expired, an innocent family dog was put to death.  His name was Lennox.  His crime was his appearance (he was a lab/bulldog mix), it was said that he looked like a pit bull type dog.  This happened in Belfast,  (Northern Ireland), but his story has captured the hearts of bully breed lovers and dog lovers in general all over the world, including me. 

 Lennox's story has been going on for two years now when he was torn from his family and sentenced to death.  Despite the protest of thousands of people around the world, and several world renowned  animal behaviorists like Victoria Stillwell and Cesar Millan and rescue groups like Villalobos, asking to take possession of Lennox, the pleas were ignored.  After spending two years deplorable conditions, health deteriorating, he was ultimately euthanized.  His family wasn't even permitted to say goodbye.   This dog had never bitten anyone.  Quite the opposite, he was the best friend and therapy dog to a special needs little girl for five years.  That was, until BSL (breed specific legislation) went into affect and he was seized from her arms, being placed in the category of "dangerous dogs." 

This is important to me because there are Lennoxs' everywhere.  It's happening all over our country too.  In my state, there are many towns with BSL in place.  Having dogs in my family that, if judged solely on appearance, could easily fall into the "dangerous dog" category, it really makes me sad and afraid.  

I am not saying that I think animals that are an actual threat to the safety of society should be allowed to roam the streets.  I just think that the dogs are being punished instead of the real criminals, the thugs that own these "tough" looking dogs and train them to be aggressive.  Any dog can bite.  Any dog can be aggressive.  It's all in how they are raised and treated.  One reason that the pitties and other bully breeds are the ones that are always in the news is because dog fighters and gangsters and drug dealers don't typically raise labradoodles.  Truth be told, for every aggressive pit bull out there, there are a hundred more that wouldn't hurt a fly.  JUDGE THE DEED. NOT THE BREED!

Rest in peace, sweet Lennox.  Your death was not in vain.  You have an army fighting in your name so your brothers and sisters around the world don't meet the same fate. 

Dixe- Mixed breed. We have often thought she may have a touch of pitbull in her.

Bella- Almost certainly has pitbull in her.

Jax- white boxer. often mistaken for an American Bulldog.

Treatment Day.

 I can't believe it has been over 30 days already.  This morning I dropped Bella off at the vet for her Immiticide injections.  She will have one this morning, spend the night there, and have another tomorrow morning.  If all goes well, she will be able to come home tomorrow night.  Then the month of bed rest begins.  Of course I am a nervous wreck today.  I hate to think of the pain she is in right now. 

The next few weeks are critical for her. 

Breedist?

I am not!

Many times, I have been asked "Why do you only rescue Boxers?"  (Which, if you have been a long term follower of my blog, you know that I have indeed rescued and/or fostered several other types of dog, but boxers have become my specialty.)  I don't take offense at the question, even when it's asked in a judgemental way, which it usually isn't.  The judgers have never been in my place, or they would already know the answer. 

I love me some boxers, but I didn't seek them out to begin with.  It has really only been since spending so much time with so many wonderful ones over the past few years that I have become such a fan.  I am hooked and I am certain that I will always have (at least) one in my life.  But, it was coincidence that I stumbled upon the local boxer rescue, not a plan. 

As I got more and more involved, it became clear to me that choosing a focus is pretty much a must in private animal rescue.  There are rescues for almost every breed type, and senior dogs, hunting dogs, toy dogs, giant breed dogs, black dogs, and the list goes on and on.  We are all on the same page.  We all love all dogs, but everyone needs to concentrate on something or they will get swallowed alive.  Your specialty works as a filter, like blinders.  It is one way of narrowing down the completely impossible to at least a little less overwhelming. 

Picture, if you will, walking into a crowded shelter and you can only rescue 2 dogs out of the 100 that are there, staring at you with their big sad eyes.  How on earth do you choose who you will save today if you have no focus?  You can't do that to yourself.  But if you have trained yourself (which actually happens naturally over time) to search for only those that you have set out specifically to help, the burden is slightly easier to carry.  Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of other dogs that melt my heart online and I have my moments of weakness, but I do try to keep my eye on the ball. 

It boils down to this.  Do I think that the scruffy little mixed breed or the friendly yellow lab in the adjacent kennels are any less deserving of a second chance than the boxer I will take home?  No I don't.  Absolutely not.  But I can't save them all. 

A Picnic, A Penny, and A Pit Bull

This past weekend was a very rescue-filled one.  It started with the annual fundraiser picnic Saturday morning.  It was even hotter this year and the turnout was pretty poor because of it.  We all talk about not letting your boxers out in the heat, yet we have the picnic in the middle of the summer....   Next year, they are shooting for October.  Jax and I took third place in the "musical dogs" contest, pretty good for a dog that can't even hear the music, eh? 


That afternoon, we met "Penny."  A friend of ours was working hard on pulling a senior boxer from an AR shelter.  The poor thing got admitted and was put on the euthanasia list for the very next day.  Why? Because she was old.  As we all know, I am a sucker for the old dogs.  Our friend, Liana, had orchestrated her rescue and there was only one thing missing.  She needed a place to stay for the weekend.  Of course, we offered our home.  When Penny arrived, I was nothing short of shocked.  This dog, who had been sentenced to death for being "old" was merely a pup!  She looked like crap because she was dirty, underweight, dehydrated, and covered in fleas.  She had cement sores on her hips and elbows and hairloss and open wounds from scratching at her fly and flea bites.  Despite that, she was a beautiful dog with the most soulful eyes.  Had someone taken just one minute to open up her mouth, they'd have seen the pearly whites that could only belong to a very young dog.  It saddens and angers me that she was dismissed so carelessly.  After plenty of fresh water, a good flea bath, a meal and an abundance of love and attention, she was feeling very good about her self.  She slept with the pack that night and didn't make a peep.  When I got up the following morning, she greeted me with the lima bean and was leaping in circles with all four feet off the ground at the same time!  She was celebrating!  After only a weekend, she was hard to let go on Monday.  We could clearly see her potential and she'd have been a fun one to watch blossom into a wonderful companion.  We decided that she reminded us of a cross between Laila (formerly Emily) and Enzo.  I'm so glad I got to be a part of the team that saved this amazing dog!  Good luck Penny!

The lovely Penny!

Sunday afternoon I had a leg of a transport with "Rescue Rides."   A sad situation brought nine strangers together to move Sil, a 85lb pitbull from West Texas to East Tennessee.  Sil's dad was a soldier who fought for our country and lost his life.  Sil's mom has MS and with her husband gone, she could no longer live on her own.  She was overcome with the guilt of not being able to care for her late husband's best friend.  Her plea to save her beloved dog was heard and Rescue Rides gathered the volunteers and together we set up the transport.   I gave just 4 hours of my life to help save a dog who belonged to a man who gave his life for us.  Worth it 100 times over.  Sil's former mom sent us all a lovely thank you email and his new mom sent us pictures of Sil in her bed after the long trip.   If you have a vehicle and a few hours to spare even a couple times a year, consider signing up for a program like Rescue Rides. 

Big Sil road like a gentleman the entire time.

Oh, and Bella made a new best friend on Saturday night! 

Bella's Smiling!

Bella is smiling even bigger today because I told her how many supporters she has out there.  I told her that because of them, she will get to stay here with us and get the best care possible while she is sick. 

I am truly humbled by the response I got from so many people.  I, along with Jonathon and the rest of our little rescue, can't thank you enough for your generous donations.  Our director was brought to tears when I told her the treatment would be covered in full.  I see way too much cruelty in this line of work and my faith in humanity has often dwindled.  When people step up the way you all did, my faith is restored.  Evil lurks, but there are plenty of wonderful people out there.  I am fortunate enough to have so many of them in my life. 

Thanks for helping me!

The Student Becomes the Teacher.

We had a "plus one" over the weekend.  We were dog sitting our neighbor's dog, Bliss.  Bliss is a handful to say the least.  At one year old, she is 65lbs of pure strength and energy.  She doesn't just have a high, playful energy like our pack.  She is high strung and intense.  Being so hard for her momma to handle, her worldly experience has been little.  She is exceptionally smart and smart dogs need a high level of stimulation, both physical and mental, which she does not get so her energy is often of the pent up and frustrated kind.  She has grown up with our dogs, so she respects them and knows her roll in our pack, but she hasn't socialized with other dogs and is therefore clueless on how to interact with them.  She had a companion for a while, but they were a mismatch from the start and there were violent fights on more than one occasion. (The other dog has since been re homed for the safety of everyone.)

When we were asked to babysit Bliss, she hadn't yet been introduced to Bella.  Bliss can be dominate with other dogs, not to mention she is nearly three times Bella's size so play dates didn't seem like a good idea.  Introductions went smoothly though, as the two strangers simply mimicked Dixie and Jax's energy.  Over the weekend it was Bella focusing on Bliss, who is hesitant and insecure about dog/dog play.  She pushed and encouraged Bliss just as Dixie had pushed and encouraged her, only a month ago, when she was the one afraid to engage.  It was really something to see.  The brave little girl didn't even react when Bliss got out of hand.  She stood her ground, calm and assertive, until Bliss backed off.  It was this interaction that made us aware of just how far Bella has come.  She learned to be a balanced and confident girl so quickly that we didn't even realize it had happened.  She is a special dog.  A dog who's potential is sky high.  She will be so hard to give up.

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Medical update:

Multiple people have pledged to help pay for Bella's treatment.  I can't thank you enough.  I am gaining confidence that we will be able to raise enough money for Bella to be treated locally and remain with us as she goes through treatment and convalesces. 

She has started her 30 day pre-treatment medication, a strong antibiotic used to weaken the adult heartworms and help control the microfilariae.

Update on Bella

All three adoption applications on Bella fell through.  Two were no good and the third was a wonderful family who'd have given her a great home.  The father of that family is a realtor.  He went to show one of his listings, which was a foreclosure, and found that the previous residents had left their dog tied up in the back yard to die.  She was in awful shape, starving.   He took her home to nurse her back to health.  Another dog saved.   I can hardly be disappointed in that!   So our Bella is still searching for the perfect home. 




Bella sure enjoyed being spoiled by her foster grandma!

She has become the life of the party around our house!  She continues to amuse us with her antics and has become very bonded with all of us.  She has made her self very much a part of the family.  She and Dixie are especially tight.  We are already fearing that when the time does come, her leaving us will have a bigger than usual impact on Dixie, who always takes the foster departures harder than Jax does. 

Bella LOVES Dixie.

This young lady is also proving to be very smart.  She always comes when we call and does her very best never to disappoint us.  She is sensitive and feels terrible when she gets told "no".  I believe she would excel in agility.  I'd love to work with her.  Her compact size and speed combined with her eager to please disposition is a perfect combination for canine sports. 

We got very bad news at the vet yesterday.  She is heartworm positive.  In fact, her blood is loaded with Microfilariae (the microscopic baby worms).  Our poor girl needs treatment as soon as possible!  We are trying to get quotes in our area for heartworm treatment that the rescue can afford.  We have not yet been successful.  The rescue is new and money is tight.  Since the rescue's vet is 3 hours away, the idea was for us to take only the negative dogs, but it didn't work out that way.   Transporting a sick dog in the 100 degree Arkansas heat isn't ideal (remember that they aren't allowed to get hot or pant), so we'd like to avoid that if possible.  We may end up having to "trade" dogs with someone down in Texarkana, if anyone is even willing, while Bella goes through treatment if no better options are found.  I'd hate that, as we are already attached and I'd like to be there for her through the process, but I just want her to get started  so she can get healthy as soon as possible.  Whatever it takes.