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. 

From Junk Yard Dog to Couch Potato

Bella is as sweet as she can be and such a happy girl.  She doesn't just walk, she prances.  She is always smiling.  I know it sounds weird, but I swear to it.  She is an itty bitty thing, weighing in at a mere 26lbs.  Granted, she is way too skinny, but even when she reaches a healthy weight she will be abnormally small.  Her peanut size has earned her the nickname "Midgy."  Perhaps she was the runt or maybe she didn't get enough nourishment in the time of her life that she was suppose to be growing and developing.  I am also quite sure that she has already had a litter, so that didn't help her either.  The pregnancy and nursing likely drained her body even further.  Puppies shouldn't have puppies!  She must not have been more than 8 months old when she gave birth.  I know they lived at least for a while, but I doubt anyone even saw the pups.  I can only hope that someone stumbled upon them and brought them to safety.  From what I have been told about the area she came from, odds are they weren't so lucky.   

See how skinny!

Every bone in her body sticks out.

Coming from a junk yard, Bella has never known the luxury of inside.  Like so many before her, she shied from entering the house.  Unlike some of the others however, it took her only hours to become totally comfortable being a house dog.  The couch is her preferred place to be.  We will even find her there all by herself, when the rest of us are outside.  I imagine she figures that she has spent enough of her life in the elements and is now quite content to leave them behind. 

Of course she got a nice, long, warm bath and I bought her a shiny new pink collar with jewels. She looked so proud when I put it on her. She was sick of being dirty! She likes to fancy!

So far, she has been such an easy dog.  I was expecting worse, given her history.  She understands to potty outside, does fine in a crate, rides calmly in the car, and sleeps quietly through the night.  All of these things were a pleasant surprise.  She already has all of the skills to be a great family member.  She just needs a little fine tuning.  Of course she has never had any training and the leash is totally foreign to her, but that kind of training is the easy part.  She is very eager to please and seems smart so I think she will learn quickly. 

Her physical issues are my main concern at this point.  Although she was de-wormed at the shelter, she still has tapeworms, which are causing her some GI upset (not fun for either one of us).  The meds I ordered should be here today.  I'm going to bring her in to my vet and get another heart worm test done, just to be sure that the shelter didn't make a mistake saying she was positive.  Fingers crossed that they did!  We need to get her healthy soon as she is proving to be miss popularity.  Once we got some new pictures of Bella on Petfinder, THREE applications came in on her the very first day!  I am shocked, but very glad that people can look past her imperfections.  I kind of thought she was a dog a person would have to meet to truly appreciate.  I guess I was wrong about little Midgy!

Pint sized!

There's that smile!

Happy Mother's Day!

Dear Foster Mom

There I sat, alone and afraid,
You got a call and came right to my aid.
You bundled me up with blankets and love.
And, when I needed it most, you gave me a hug.
I learned that the world was not all that scary and cold.
That sometimes there is someone to have and to hold.
You taught me what love is, you helped me to mend.
You loved me and healed me and became my first friend.
And just when I thought you'd done all you do,
There came along not one new lesson, but two.
First you said, "Sweetheart, you're ready to go.
I've done all I can, and you've learned all I know."
Then you bundled me up with a blanket and kiss.
Along came a new family, they even have kids!
They took me to their home, forever to stay.
At first I thought you sent me away.
Then that second lesson became perfectly clear.
No matter how far, you will always be near.
And so, Foster Mom, you know I've moved on.
I have a new home, with toys and a lawn.
But I'll never forget what I learned that first day.
You never really give your fosters away.
You gave me these thoughts to remember you by.
We may never meet again, and now I know why.
You'll remember I lived with you for a time.
I may not be yours, but you'll always be mine.

-author unknown

Welcome Bella!

Bella is coming to us from the Forrest City, AR animal shelter.  She, along with two companions, was picked up by animal control for running loose.  They were told that the dogs "lived" at an auto repair/salvage shop.  Animal control questioned the staff as to why the dogs were so underweight and they were told that they only feed them hot dogs and whatever else they can find.  They told animal control to take the dogs to the "pound."  

She is a boxer mix, about 8 months old.  The pictures don't give me the best idea of what she may be mixed with.  I'm looking forward to the guessing game when I see her in person.  I am told she is very sweet, but also very shy.  She unfortunately tested (light) heart worm positive, which is unusual at her young age.  She must have been infected when she was a tiny baby, as it takes 6 months for heart worm to show up on a standard test.   I will be getting her from one of the shelter volunteers who will meet me at a truck stop tomorrow morning. 

We are so happy that we decided to pull Bella from the shelter.  Nobody had shown any sort of interest in the poor girl and her time there was running out.  Mere hours after posting her on our website of adoptable dogs, she already received an inquiry.  We'll have to get to know her a bit before deciding what type of home she will fit best into.  Having basically lived the life of a stray, there is no telling what issues she will come with.   I'm glad that she is already attracting people with her good looks.  Hooray!

Pictures and details to come!