My new role.

I have some exciting news!  Starting in March, I will play a bigger role at the rescue that I foster for.  I have been asked to be an adoption coordinator!! (the main coordinator of  like15 years parted ways, suddenly, with the group, leaving a huge void to fill)  Now instead of helping only my current foster dog, I'll will be able to constantly be helping find forever homes for the dogs in all of the foster homes!  It comes with major commitment, and plenty of stress, I'm sure, as a lot goes into finding homes for these guys.  When these dogs come to us (as my past fosters have clearly shown), they have usually had hard lives.  It is our goal to make sure that they never have to suffer again.

It will entail screening adoption applications, calling veterinary and personal references, setting up home inspection visits, and arranging meet and greets between foster families and potential adopters.  Most importantly though, it will be matching the right people with the right dogs.  There is a dog for everyone, but not every dog is for just anyone...make sense?  Some of our dogs are dog-aggressive, or can jump fences or are too rough for little kids, or absolutely adore kids!  Does the family need an active young dog or a more laid back, mature dog?  It's all about finding the right "fit."

I think this is the right "fit" for me:-) 

One By One

 

This is a poem that is displayed on our rescues website.  It is about giving senior dogs a second chance.  It amazes me how people can abandon dogs that they have had for years simply because they are "too old."  I have a soft spot for old dogs.  They have a certain "something" that I can't quite describe.  A kind of dignity or wisdom that dogs don't possess until they reach a certain age.  It makes me cry every time one of these grandma or grandpa dogs shows up in a shelter.  They are so confused and sad.  You can see it in their eyes.  They are usually listed as "urgent"  because unfortunately, most elderly dogs don't do well in shelters.  It's too stressful and it wears on them quickly.  It takes a special person to adopt a dog that may only have a short time left.  I think this poem says it all when it comes to why it's so worth it.  (warning...it's a tear-jerker!)

 

 

 

One By One

One by one, they pass by my cage,
Too old, too worn, too broken, no way.
Way past his time, he can't run and play.
Then they shake their heads slowly and go on their way.
A little old man, arthritic and sore,
It seems I am not wanted anymore.
I once had a home, I once had a bed,
A place that was warm, and where I was fed.
Now my muzzle is grey, and my eyes slowly fail.
Who wants a dog so old and so frail?
My family decided I didn't belong,

 I got in their way, my attitude was wrong.
Whatever excuse they made in their head,1
Can't justify how they left me for dead.
Now I sit in this cage, where day after day,
The younger dogs get adopted away.
When I had almost come to the end of my rope,
You saw my face, and I finally had hope.
You saw thru the grey, and the legs bent with age,
And felt I still had life beyond this cage.
You took me home, gave me food and a bed,
And shared your own pillow with my poor tired head.
We snuggle and play, and you talk to me low,
You love me so dearly, you want me to know.
I may have lived most of my life with another,

But you outshine them with a love so much stronger.
And I promise to return all the love I can give,
To you, my dear person, as long as I live.

I may be with you for a week, or for years,
We will share many smiles, you will no doubt shed tears.
And when the time comes that God deems I must leave,
I know you will cry and your heart, it will grieve.
And when I arrive at the Bridge, all brand new,
My thoughts and my heart will still be with you.
 And I will brag to all who will hear,
Of the person who made my last days so dear.

 - Author Unknown

Moving on.

Great news!!!  After five long months with us, Calista has found her forever home!  I am both overjoyed and broken hearted at the same time.   She will definitely take a piece of my heart with her when she goes.  She has fought so hard to become the dog that she is today and I couldn't be happier to have been a part of her battle to survive. 

She will be moving to her new home on Sunday.   Her new family has an acreage about an hour from Little Rock, where she will have plenty of room to run and play with her new doggy siblings.  Denise, her future "mom," told me that she did great with her two little dogs.  I wasn't surprised, as Callie doesn't seem to have a mean bone in her body.  I'm sure she will adjust quickly and be very happy there for the rest of her life. 

Until then, I will treasure her last days with us.  I know that it will be very hard to say goodbye, but she is ready to move on.  I will never forget her.

Two good things...

Calista was spayed last week and is recovering well.  It was a very good thing that she had the surgery when she did.  As if the poor dog didn't have enough issues, she also had a very icky uterus.  According to the doctor, it was close to becoming a pyometra (which is basically an infected uterus).  This condition is rarely diagnosed until it is showing symptoms at which point it is extremely serious.  It can certainly be fatal if not treated immediately with an emergency hysterectomy.  Finally, a lucky break for Callie! 

More good news!  I found out today that there has been another application put in for her adoption!  I have not spoken to the lady myself yet, but she is aware of Callie's hip problem and the heart murmur and is fine with both issues.  I am hoping to set up a meet and greet and then hopefully a home trial as soon as her incision is completely healed. 

I am so praying that this is Calista's forever home!   Lately there are so many dogs listed as "urgent" meaning that they are on death row.   If Callie moves on, although I will miss her like crazy, it will open up our home to a dog that might otherwise live it's last hours in a crowded shelter. 

My life has gone to the dogs!

This past weekend was my four year anniversary in Arkansas.  Time has certainly flown by and I really find it hard to believe.  I feel like it was only weeks ago that I struggled to pack up my things and say my goodbyes.  After four years, I can say quite confidently that this place I currently call "home" will never really be that.  I am definitely a nature lover and Arkansas is a scenic state to be sure, but one I'd be happy only visiting, taking in the beauty of the Mountains and waterfalls, and moving on.  Although I now get teased by family and friends for thinking that 40 degrees is cold and some claim to detect a slight "twang" in my voice, I am a northerner at heart and always will be.  If given the opportunity, I would be out of this place in the blink of an eye.

I am, however, truly thankful for my experience living here.  It has opened my eyes about animal welfare.  Although this is something that I have always been extremely passionate about (up until here, my work had revolved around animals for years), I never knew how awful things were in this part of the country (the mid-south).  I have seen acts of cruelty that I will never be able to forget.  I see heart-breaking neglect almost every day.  Literally thousands of dogs and cats roam the streets.  With shelters full and little, if any, animal control, they have nowhere to go and no one to help them.  They will live short lives and most will die painfully. They will get hit by cars, get sick with disease, or simply starve to death.  And they will die alone, never having known what it's like to have a home of their own, or have someone love them.  

Although I don't call Arkansas home, I will forever be tied to it, and to the surrounding area. I can't move away and put these forgotten animals and overwhelmed rescuers out of my mind.  I plan to continue to give back to the animals from the area long after we are gone, as they have given so much to me.

In the grand scheme of things, my role here has been small.  Looking at the statistics, I have made very little difference.  But, as anyone in the rescue world will tell you, you can't look at the big picture.  It will only conjure up feelings of hopelessness and doubt.  You have to look at each animal as an individual.  Here are some of the individuals that have come into my life in the last four years.  (in order, as best as I can remember)

Phoebe!

Dixie

Having known then what we know now, there probably wouldn't be a Phoebe or a Dixie in our lives.  We were new to Arkansas, having only been here six months, when we came across these two strays while we were mini golfing. We were told that they had been hanging around the course, eating garbage and drinking out of the waterfalls for days.  It was extremely hot and they were very thin, not to mention we were on the side of a busy 6 lane interstate!  I couldn't leave them.  I figured we would simply take them to the humane society and either the owners would come for them, or they would be able to find new homes.  Looking back, it's no wonder that the attendant seemed to think we were crazy for taking the dogs.  He knew what we didn't, and had probably seen dozens of strays come and go from there.  It only took a couple of days before we realized that these young dogs had become our responsibility.  They needed homes, and were getting no help.  As you know, Dixie stayed with us.  Asia really took to her and they bonded very quickly.  There was no plan in our future for another dog, but Dixie was chosen by Asia to stay.  Phoebe went to live in MN!  Emily and Patrick, my sister and brother in law, adopted her. They didn't even meet her in person before agreeing to rescue her.  She now lives happily with them and her "brother" Jersey, their first rescue dog.

Cattle dog mixes, Jonny, Willie, and Patsy

These three pups came to me from a local humane society.  They were in the midst of a distemper outbreak at the location and needed short-term homes for healthy puppies.  Their litter had originally been found after someone tossed them into a dumpster.  All three were adopted locally.

This litter of five came to me when they were only two days old.  They had been left outside of a vet's office all night in a box with instructions to "get rid of them."  In other words, they wanted them euthanized, but didn't want to pay for it.  The pups were nearly frozen to death.  Middle of the night feedings for five pups was a daunting task, but they were so adorable!  These pups ended up going to participate in a dog/inmate training program at the state prison.  That was the last I heard, but I am a big fan of those programs and their adoption rates are high.

  

Little Willie Nelson

Little Johnny Cash

These pups have unique and heart-breaking story.  Their homeless mother (a Jack Russell) had befriended a homeless man, and they were spending their days together.  He didn't know that she was pregnant.  When she went into labor, he knew something wasn't right.  He eventually found a way to get her to the shelter, as he had no money for any vet care.  They did emergency surgery, but the labor had gone on too long.  They couldn't save the mother, and only two of the pups were alive inside of her.  I picked them up only hours after their "birth."  Given the circumstances of the way they entered the world, I knew these pups had little chance of surviving.  They lead to many sleepless nights (One night, I remember driving around for an hour at 3 a.m. looking for corn syrup) and there were times I was sure I was losing the smaller one. They stayed with me until they were 9 weeks old and then went on to the northeast part of the country, via the rescue wagon.  I was so excited when I found out that they were chosen for the program.  It has a 100% adoption rate!

This funny little girl was only with us for a few days.  We picked her up after watching her walk in front of a few too many cars.  She was in a nice neighborhood, but after asking around, she had been wandering there for a few days. We put up signs, but when the weekend had passed, we began to have doubts that anyone was looking for her.  Her owners eventually did call.  They had been on vacation and were unaware that she was even gone. (She was filthy and covered in fleas when we found her...obviously a backyard dog and not a family member. She deserved better.)

Jax

Then came Jax.  What Joy he brings into my life.  He inspires me to work with what I have been given and make the best of things.  His disability doesn't phase him in the least.  Multiple people have told me that he is amazing.  I agree.  Now that I love him so much, it saddens me even more to remember how his life was before he came to live with us.

Laila!

I was drawn to "Emily" who is now Laila Beerling, immediately when I saw her picture on the website.  I had agreed to hold off on another foster for a couple of weeks, but couldn't get her out of my head.  I believe it was meant to be, as she quickly became part of the family too.  She is now living it up in Bloomington, MN!

Calista!

 Little miss Calista has probably been the most difficult dog so far.  She was a roller coaster ride.  It was so hard investing so much effort, and so much hope, and not ever knowing if she was actually going to make it.  She is a true survivor and I know that there is a perfect home waiting for her out there somewhere.

J.D. aka...Mr. Orange

Oh, I almost forgot!  Among all of the dogs that have come and gone, there was this little guy.  A supplier of our business called me at the office begging me to come and pick up a kitten that had wondered into their warehouse during hurricane Gustav.  They sounded so excited and truly worried about the little guy.  They had even named him -J.D. (for John Deere, the name of their company) so I reluctantly agreed.  When I first saw the pathetic animal, my heart sunk.  I was pretty sure that he was beyond my help.  He was clearly suffering from some head-trauma, along with malnutrition and dehydration.  He couldn't stand on his own anymore and his head was so tilted that if I didn't prop him up with a towel, he just rolled over onto his side.  I told them that I would do what I could, but not to get their hopes up.  I took him home.  I decided that if he made it through the night, and didn't get any worse, I would take him to the vet for medications.  If he went downhill, I would have him put to sleep in the morning.  Throughout the night, I got up to check on him, each time expecting him to have passed.  Each time, I was able to force feed him a little warm water or formula and by morning I had even gotten a little canned cat food in him.  By noon, he was offering to lick the food from a spoon on his own and I knew he would pull through.   Once he was healthy enough, I brought him into our office (Dixie would have made a snack of him given any opportunity) and he never left.  Just over 2 years old, he has grown into quite a handsome cat.  He still has a remnant head tilt from time to time, but he wouldn't fit into our animal family if he were completely "normal," now would he?



I would be lying if I said that rescuing was easy for me.  It's emotionally, and sometimes even physically draining.  There are extreme highs and lows.  There is poo and pee and slobber and vomit and blood.  There are numerous trips to the vet and a pharmacy full of medications on my shelves at all times.  There have been plenty of days I have felt overwhelmed and frustrated.  That being said, not once have I thought about giving it up, even if I were to get back into an animal-related career.  These dogs help me be a better person.  They give me a reason to be here in Arkansas that is more important than any job.  They keep me going.  I believe that this is what I am suppose to be doing and I will continue to do it as long as there is a need for it, which I fear, in my lifetime, there always will be.

And...she's back.

Well, Callie is back.  The trial period was nothing short of a disaster.  

I got a text only hours after they picked her up on Sunday telling me that Calista had had two episodes of "explosive diarrhea."  What?! She had been acting totally normal all day and we have never had any diarrhea issues with her before.  I assumed, therefore, that it was caused by stress.  She is a very sensitive dog.  I had even warned them that she lost three pounds the last time she was away from us and not to be surprised if she didn't eat well.  I told them to let me know how she was doing later in the evening and I could call her vet if need be.  Jonathon and I instantly had lower expectations of this being a success.  A dog that is crapping all over your house is certainly less a desirable companion.  It seemed as if Calista was sabotaging her chance of adoption.  Sigh.

I heard nothing from them that evening and nothing for the next two days.  We were  somewhat relieved, assuming that no news was good news.  We were actually talking as if it were a done deal.  Still, I had a gut feeling that I couldn't shake.  I told Jonathon that I felt like something was wrong and that Calista would be coming back to us.  When it comes to my dogs, my gut is almost always right.    

Sure enough I got a text that same night  "Calista is still very sick and I have had a personal emergency.  When are you coming home tomorrow?"   Being the cynic that I am, I wondered if there really was an emergency, or if three days of an ill dog, spewing god knows what all over their apartment had gotten to be too much for them.   I called immediately, as the words "very sick" worried me.  I wondered why they hadn't called me or the vet if she was so ill.  No answer.  She called me back within the hour.  I instantly felt guilty for doubting them, as there actually was an emergency.   In fact, she had spent the entire day at the emergency room, while her partner stayed home because they couldn't leave Calista alone.   The medical issue that she is dealing with (not really my place to post that specifically) has the potential to be life-changing and our thoughts are with them.  What a nightmare to have that scare and to have the added stress of a sick dog that isn't even theirs was just overwhelming for them.  I could tell they felt bad having to call and tell me that.  Of course I told them that they certainly shouldn't feel bad and I completely understand.  I told them to just leave Callie and all of her stuff at my vet the next morning and I would pick her up there when we got home.  She assured me that they both loved Calista and it was their situation, not Calista's being ill, that changes things.  

I didn't really know what to expect with Callie.  Everyone's idea of "very sick" is different.  I didn't know if she was going to be fine, or hooked up to an IV when I got there!  I was very relieved when she ran out into the lobby to greet me and started dancing around as usual.  Turns out, thankfully, that she checks out fine.  Strangely, she wasn't even dehydrated. I was given some pills to quiet her GI system but that's it.  They could find no reason for that symptom, and it was the only one she had.  How frustrating for this to happen now of all times, with no explanation whatsoever. 

One last surprise came with the last text I received from the potential adopters  "We are going to a few Doctor's appointments next week and are letting this soak in, but we are still talking about her coming to live with us.  We will let you know soon."

What an impression little Calista must have made on them.  I don't know how this will turn out, but I do know that if these good people are still interested in taking her after all they dealt with in their time with her, I would feel 100 percent confident in that adoption. 

Here's hoping...

 We are one dog short this afternoon.  Calista just left for a trial period with her potential adopters!  She will be staying with them while we are up at the cabin for the next four days.  I'm kind of shocked at how quickly this is happening.  I was honestly assuming it would be months before anyone showed interest in her.  Here is how it all went down over the last few days. 

(Tuesday night) 
To my surprise, (surprise being an understatement) before we had even changed Calista's status from "available for sponsorship" to available for adoption", I got an email from the adoption coordinator at the rescue.  Someone was interested in Calista?!  They hadn't heard her whole story so they didn't know about her issues.  Surely if they had, they would have selected one of the 20-30 other "normal" boxers from the rescue.  I emailed them, telling of how sweet and well behaved she is, but not hiding her history or leaving out any of her special needs.  I didn't let my hopes get too high.

 (Wednesday)
The day went by, me checking my email every hour, and I heard nothing in response. Just as I expected.  They must have read my email and went with another dog.  I was disappointed, but not surprised.

(Thursday)
I got a phone call from the coordinator in the morning letting me know that the people actually wanted to meet Calista!  I called them and arranged for them to stop by later in the day.  They had not ever received my email, so they were still a little under-informed when they arrived at our house that afternoon.  I had warned them on the phone that she is very shy around new people and I was actually a little afraid that she wouldn't make a very good first impression.  She typically just hides when strangers come around.  (Since we had to focus on healing her physically for so long, she is far from being well socialized. I have just started to take her to the office since the clean bill of health.)  She wasn't nearly as bad as I expected her to be.  Although she stayed very close to me, she approached them both and warmed up pretty quickly.  They kept saying how gorgeous she is, but were a little apprehensive about how fragile she looks.  We assured them that she is much more strong and agile than she appears.  They stayed for nearly an hour, getting Calista's whole story and petting her.  Of course they were getting mauled by Dixie and Jax the entire time.  Their reaction to the over-the-top affection proved that they are indeed "dog people."  We agreed that to really get to know her, and see if she would be a good fit for their family, (that includes the two of them and an eight pound chihuahua mix) they should take her home for a few days.

That brings us to today.  They picked her and her stuff up about an hour ago with the arrangement that they would keep her until we return from the cabin on Wed night.  If, at that time, they have decided that she is not a good fit for their family, she will come back to us.  There will be no hard feelings.  If, however, they have fallen in love with her, she will not come back here.  Since she is extremely attached to us, the dogs, and the house, bringing her back for only a few days would be selfish.  We don't want to make the transition any harder on her than it has to be.  Instead, I will go to their house to collect my stuff and the adoption donation. At that time, I will say a proper goodbye to my little friend.

I am trying hard not to get my hopes up.  They have made no commitment and anything could happen.  In all honesty, though, I am praying that it works out.  They are the right amount of nervous and asked all the right questions both times they were here.  I think they would be great parents for her!

I will hopefully have an update on Thursday!  In the mean time, keep your fingers crossed for Callie to have a forever home for the New Year!