We haven't posted in quite a while. A whole lot has happened and changed.
We've had sooooo many adoptions. We only have five dogs left in our adoption program and four kittens!! We've found homes for many of our courtesy listings as well. We've helped transport many owner surrender and shelter pulled dogs to new rescues that have room for them. We've assisted the community with vetting their pets and feeding them. We've had a lot of success.
That said, on October 1st, we lost $1000 a month that was coming in to keep the rescue going. The loss of a career that funded the rescue has been the end of it. While we certainly don't plan on closing the rescue altogether, we are no longer able to pull dogs from shelters or to foster them on the scale we have been doing for so many years.
We will still be helping with courtesy listings for owners that are able to foster their pets until homes or rescues can take them in. Some of our policies may need to be changed to support the new style the rescue will be operating in. We have put aside a part of our website that has low cost vet options for people in the middle Tennessee area.
We hope to continue the blog and use it to update everyone with the things we still are able to do to help out in our community. It will also be an area we can keep track of statistics and studies related to domestic pets. Please keep watching for the new information we will be posting!
Friday, December 17, 2010
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Life-saving information - please read!!!
Tonight I almost lost my best friend.
I did a transport from Tennessee to Chicago last fall. At the fist stop, a shelter that we've been working with for some time, I saw the most adorable long haired chihuahua in a cage. Unlike others that were afraid to approach people, she came right to the front, her tail wagging and a smile on her face. My first thought was anyone would be thrilled to bring her home. I knew I could find her a home easily.
I asked the Director about her and she said she came in as a stray. Someone had taken an application home but it hadn't come back yet. If I was interested I could take her home. As much as I wanted to, I said no, if there was a chance of her getting a home I wanted that for her. But all the way to and from Chicago, she was all I could think of.
On my way back I called the Director and asked about her. She said the application for her had been denied and asked if I wanted her. Ha! Uh, heck yeh!! I was so happy to stop that night on the way and pick her up. My first thought was she'd be adopted before I got home, but in the back of my mind I knew she was mine and never leaving.
I named her Munchkin, and call her Munchi. I've had so many dogs in my life that I just adored. Every time I've lost one I've cried. But Munchi is special. Munchi is my baby.
A couple months ago a litter of kittens came home with us that had to be bottle fed after their mother died. Munchi took over within days, cleaning them and warming them and protecting them and allowing them to nurse. Eventually she began producing milk. Her story got out and the news came and did a story on her.
Since then her babies have been vaccinated and placed for adoption. Munchi went back to just being my baby. Then a few nights ago I brought home another litter in need. Munchi again took right over.
This morning I had to run an errand. Little did I know that while I was gone, my baby's life nearly came to an end.
One of the foster parents that also helps us with grooming, walking and cleaning came by. She brought Bonaroo, one of the puppies we have for adoption. Munchi and Roo are best buddies and wrestle all the time. While Debbie was in the other room, she heard a huge commotion coming from the living room. She walked in to find Roo thrashing around, flipping Munchi all over the room. She found Munchi's collar wrapped around Roo's bottom jaw, and as he flipped and turned it tightened more and more around Munchi's throat.
As hard as she tried she couldn't get it undone and Munchi had lost consciousness. She ran outside to get John. John said the collar was so tight he couldn't even get a knife between her and the collar to cut it off. By this time Munchi's tongue was hanging out, and her eyes had glazed over. There was blood all over from Munchi's eye and mouth and Roo's chest from the struggle as they each battled to free themselves.
John realized by spinning Roo he could loosen Munchi's collar enough to get it off. When he did he realized she wasn't breathing and had no heartbeat. Thank God his career as a paramedic all came back. He was able to do canine CPR on her. He said for a while he thought it was too late, as her eyes had no life at all in them. And then after one breath for her, he went to do a chest compression and saw a flicker of life in her eyes.
He continued the CPR until she was breathing on her own. He called the vet who thankfully called him back. We'd not used this vet in over a year after severing ties with them. With no hesitation at all John was told to rush her over ASAP. He did a thourough exam and said she had a concussion, a broken tooth, a laceration over one eye, that eye also was very swollen, as was her throat. He gave her an injection of steroids to help with the swelling in her throat.
Tomorrow will be rough for her. She'll be sore for a day or two. But other than that, she's fine. John's knowledge of CPR and the quick reaction of him and Debbie saved her life.
Needless to say, every single collar on every single dog in this house has been removed. We will be spending a pretty penny this week on harnesses for everyone. Never, ever, ever again in my life will I ever place a collar on any animal again.
Please, think about what happened to us. I wasn't here. But when I walked through the door and John handed me Munchi and said to sit down and prefaced it all with 'Munchi is fine, but I need to tell you what happened', I can't even begin to tell you how much of a wreck I was. I felt like someone punched me in the stomach. I can't imagine if I'd been here.
Collars can be so dangerous. Please switch any pet you have in a collar to a harness and don't risk what we went through. We are so blessed that we've been given another chance. I can't imagine my life without my little Munchi and I'd never want anyone to go through what I did.
I did a transport from Tennessee to Chicago last fall. At the fist stop, a shelter that we've been working with for some time, I saw the most adorable long haired chihuahua in a cage. Unlike others that were afraid to approach people, she came right to the front, her tail wagging and a smile on her face. My first thought was anyone would be thrilled to bring her home. I knew I could find her a home easily.
I asked the Director about her and she said she came in as a stray. Someone had taken an application home but it hadn't come back yet. If I was interested I could take her home. As much as I wanted to, I said no, if there was a chance of her getting a home I wanted that for her. But all the way to and from Chicago, she was all I could think of.
On my way back I called the Director and asked about her. She said the application for her had been denied and asked if I wanted her. Ha! Uh, heck yeh!! I was so happy to stop that night on the way and pick her up. My first thought was she'd be adopted before I got home, but in the back of my mind I knew she was mine and never leaving.
I named her Munchkin, and call her Munchi. I've had so many dogs in my life that I just adored. Every time I've lost one I've cried. But Munchi is special. Munchi is my baby.
A couple months ago a litter of kittens came home with us that had to be bottle fed after their mother died. Munchi took over within days, cleaning them and warming them and protecting them and allowing them to nurse. Eventually she began producing milk. Her story got out and the news came and did a story on her.
Since then her babies have been vaccinated and placed for adoption. Munchi went back to just being my baby. Then a few nights ago I brought home another litter in need. Munchi again took right over.
This morning I had to run an errand. Little did I know that while I was gone, my baby's life nearly came to an end.
One of the foster parents that also helps us with grooming, walking and cleaning came by. She brought Bonaroo, one of the puppies we have for adoption. Munchi and Roo are best buddies and wrestle all the time. While Debbie was in the other room, she heard a huge commotion coming from the living room. She walked in to find Roo thrashing around, flipping Munchi all over the room. She found Munchi's collar wrapped around Roo's bottom jaw, and as he flipped and turned it tightened more and more around Munchi's throat.
As hard as she tried she couldn't get it undone and Munchi had lost consciousness. She ran outside to get John. John said the collar was so tight he couldn't even get a knife between her and the collar to cut it off. By this time Munchi's tongue was hanging out, and her eyes had glazed over. There was blood all over from Munchi's eye and mouth and Roo's chest from the struggle as they each battled to free themselves.
John realized by spinning Roo he could loosen Munchi's collar enough to get it off. When he did he realized she wasn't breathing and had no heartbeat. Thank God his career as a paramedic all came back. He was able to do canine CPR on her. He said for a while he thought it was too late, as her eyes had no life at all in them. And then after one breath for her, he went to do a chest compression and saw a flicker of life in her eyes.
He continued the CPR until she was breathing on her own. He called the vet who thankfully called him back. We'd not used this vet in over a year after severing ties with them. With no hesitation at all John was told to rush her over ASAP. He did a thourough exam and said she had a concussion, a broken tooth, a laceration over one eye, that eye also was very swollen, as was her throat. He gave her an injection of steroids to help with the swelling in her throat.
Tomorrow will be rough for her. She'll be sore for a day or two. But other than that, she's fine. John's knowledge of CPR and the quick reaction of him and Debbie saved her life.
Needless to say, every single collar on every single dog in this house has been removed. We will be spending a pretty penny this week on harnesses for everyone. Never, ever, ever again in my life will I ever place a collar on any animal again.
Please, think about what happened to us. I wasn't here. But when I walked through the door and John handed me Munchi and said to sit down and prefaced it all with 'Munchi is fine, but I need to tell you what happened', I can't even begin to tell you how much of a wreck I was. I felt like someone punched me in the stomach. I can't imagine if I'd been here.
Collars can be so dangerous. Please switch any pet you have in a collar to a harness and don't risk what we went through. We are so blessed that we've been given another chance. I can't imagine my life without my little Munchi and I'd never want anyone to go through what I did.
Another week goes by
Time flies................well, when it's spring and summer. Puppies and kittens are coming at us in record time and it gets hard that no matter how hard you try and how much you do, there is always another litter in need.
Payton, re-named Snow White, has lost all of her puppies. We don't know what happened. They would seem fine and within an hour their stools would turn black and their gums would turn white and we'd lose them. We were losing nearly one every day. We'd get worried but then they'd seem fine and we'd move on. Then we'd lose another. Yesterday, the last little one passed after seeming like he'd beat the odds.
Their loss means we can take the litter of puppies from the cave. We've got the room now, though it came to us in a sad way with the loss of Payton's babies. Payton will be coming back to us for some eval time. As soon as we're able - hopefully tomorrow morning - we will go get the other puppies and move them to their foster home.
We got a call one night last Thursday that another litter of kittens was in need. 2 days old and their mother had been hit by a car. When we picked them up, they were in a cold wet blanket and barely moving. I was very scared they were going into hypothermic shock. I put them on the floor board in their bucket and turned the heat on low, not wanting to shock them more by warming them too quickly and then raced home as fast as I could.
I called ahead and told my daughter to get the food warmed immediately and have it waiting when I walked through the door. I got in and we started taking them out, worse first and feeding them. With some warm food in their belly they immediately became vocal.
Once we got them settled my daughter said as soon as she brought out the kitten bed, Munchie, my long haired chihuahua, started dancing. It was the same bed she'd used for the litter of kittens she nursed a couple months ago. When I walked through the door carrying them in the box and she could smell them, she started dancing and crying. She knew she had more babies in need.
Once fed, we placed them in the small bed with a clean warm blanket and Munchie waiting. She began cleaning them and snuggling with them and they settled right in.
I had little hope they'd make it through the night. I got up the next morning totally expecting to find at least one passed. I was very shocked and thrilled to find them all doing very well, quite vocal in their demands for breakfast. My daughter had been up to feed them twice in the middle of the night and I took my turn first thing in the morning.
They were born last Tuesday and today, at 6 days old they're eating about 3 cc at each feeding, up from just a few drops. They are all healthy and active and quite happy with their chihuahua mommy.
We adopted out a kitten at our adoption event this weekend. Shrek came back to spend a night with us while his foster family was out of town. He was thrilled to see them and quite happy to hop in the car with them and head back to his temporary home.
With the adoption a week ago of Pierre, Bridgette was able to take home another fur kid and chose O'Connor, who was returned this week. Bonaroo has finally had his first two sets of vaccine and was able to go home with Debbie, as it looks like Shaggy will be going to his home on Thursday. Thelma will be going home with Susan tomorrow until she finds her forever home since Louise went to her new home today.
As always, we're still looking for foster homes. The more we have, the more dogs we can help. We need fosters for:
Sugar and Spice, two year old beagle / terrier mix sisters. Pulled from the shelter in very poor health, it's taken them over a year to be healthy enough for their full vetting and ready for a home. Spice is more outgoing and starting to realize that humans are actually pretty cool. Sugar is much more reserved and still not sure how she feels. She spends her time at adoption events laying down shaking, so she needs someone that's patient and will take her to lots of places to give her a good dose of socialization.
Amy and Dooley, a pair of year to two year old puggles, beagle / pug mixes. Dooley is the two year old male and Amy is the one year old female. Both are just about 100% housebroken, extremely friendly and outgoing and very playful. Would be fine in an apartment setting or out in the middle of a huge farm.
Brady, a 6 month old male Tibetan Spaniel mix. We've just started housebreaking him. He's young and full of life and just starting to learn all those important lessons. He had some dominance issues when he got here, but in a house with 28 other dogs, most of whom are females with great maternal instincts, he was taught proper dog behavior very quickly. He now is playing really well with the other dogs and has become even more outgoing than he already was.
Duval, a 7 year old male rat terrier. He's absolutely petrified of children, as he was abused very, very badly by them as a puppy. He must be in an adult only home with no livestock. He's fabulous with other dogs and cats and warms up to adults really fast. He prefers women to men but will warm to men over time as well. Housebroken and crate trained, he needs someone with time and experience.
Randy, year old male American Pitbull Terrier. He had been adopted to a family with young children. He adored their daughter and when she was at our adoption events, it was common for him to take naps with her, curled under the blanket right beside her. However, their family had a friend with a little boy that was allowed to torment him for a month, leaving him scared half to death. After a month he finally growled at the boy and then snapped as a warning to leave him alone. They decided he couldn't stay and returned him. He's been around other people and children since then and been fine, so we don't think there's any aggression issues, as much as their was ill behaved child issues.
Rex is a 3 year old male beagle / hound. He's a major love bug and will spend all day by your side and all night sleeping at the foot of your bed. He's 'low man on the totem pole' in our house and the other dogs don't spend much time playing with him. Sugar and Spice gang up on him, trying to play but ultimately just scaring him. He's got a hound bark and bay for sure and needs to be on a big farm some place where his bark isn't going to upset neighbors.
Batman and Robin were dumped in the local dump together. As if being dumped in a landfill wasn't bad enough the people that worked there would throw things at them and kick at them. Their young lives weren't very pleasant. A young couple picked them up and brought them home and held on to them until we could take them. They are both young mixes, Batman a border collie type mix of maybe 12 pounds and Robin looks like a shepherd / lab mix but is only about 20 pounds and full grown. Batman has really come out of his shell and will approach people when called. Robin is much more hesitant and like other dogs with a bad start in life will need someone with lots of love and patience. They are fine in a crate and Batman is crate trained but Robin will potty in his if he's left alone too long.
All of the dogs that need foster homes can be split up, even if listed as a pair above. The ones listed above are a bit 'bonded' but can be seperated and will re-bond with another dog or human rather quickly.
If you are interested in helping, please see our website for more information at:
http://hilltopanimalrescueteam.com/foster_parent.htm
Payton, re-named Snow White, has lost all of her puppies. We don't know what happened. They would seem fine and within an hour their stools would turn black and their gums would turn white and we'd lose them. We were losing nearly one every day. We'd get worried but then they'd seem fine and we'd move on. Then we'd lose another. Yesterday, the last little one passed after seeming like he'd beat the odds.
Their loss means we can take the litter of puppies from the cave. We've got the room now, though it came to us in a sad way with the loss of Payton's babies. Payton will be coming back to us for some eval time. As soon as we're able - hopefully tomorrow morning - we will go get the other puppies and move them to their foster home.
We got a call one night last Thursday that another litter of kittens was in need. 2 days old and their mother had been hit by a car. When we picked them up, they were in a cold wet blanket and barely moving. I was very scared they were going into hypothermic shock. I put them on the floor board in their bucket and turned the heat on low, not wanting to shock them more by warming them too quickly and then raced home as fast as I could.
I called ahead and told my daughter to get the food warmed immediately and have it waiting when I walked through the door. I got in and we started taking them out, worse first and feeding them. With some warm food in their belly they immediately became vocal.
Once we got them settled my daughter said as soon as she brought out the kitten bed, Munchie, my long haired chihuahua, started dancing. It was the same bed she'd used for the litter of kittens she nursed a couple months ago. When I walked through the door carrying them in the box and she could smell them, she started dancing and crying. She knew she had more babies in need.
Once fed, we placed them in the small bed with a clean warm blanket and Munchie waiting. She began cleaning them and snuggling with them and they settled right in.
I had little hope they'd make it through the night. I got up the next morning totally expecting to find at least one passed. I was very shocked and thrilled to find them all doing very well, quite vocal in their demands for breakfast. My daughter had been up to feed them twice in the middle of the night and I took my turn first thing in the morning.
They were born last Tuesday and today, at 6 days old they're eating about 3 cc at each feeding, up from just a few drops. They are all healthy and active and quite happy with their chihuahua mommy.
We adopted out a kitten at our adoption event this weekend. Shrek came back to spend a night with us while his foster family was out of town. He was thrilled to see them and quite happy to hop in the car with them and head back to his temporary home.
With the adoption a week ago of Pierre, Bridgette was able to take home another fur kid and chose O'Connor, who was returned this week. Bonaroo has finally had his first two sets of vaccine and was able to go home with Debbie, as it looks like Shaggy will be going to his home on Thursday. Thelma will be going home with Susan tomorrow until she finds her forever home since Louise went to her new home today.
As always, we're still looking for foster homes. The more we have, the more dogs we can help. We need fosters for:
Sugar and Spice, two year old beagle / terrier mix sisters. Pulled from the shelter in very poor health, it's taken them over a year to be healthy enough for their full vetting and ready for a home. Spice is more outgoing and starting to realize that humans are actually pretty cool. Sugar is much more reserved and still not sure how she feels. She spends her time at adoption events laying down shaking, so she needs someone that's patient and will take her to lots of places to give her a good dose of socialization.
Amy and Dooley, a pair of year to two year old puggles, beagle / pug mixes. Dooley is the two year old male and Amy is the one year old female. Both are just about 100% housebroken, extremely friendly and outgoing and very playful. Would be fine in an apartment setting or out in the middle of a huge farm.
Brady, a 6 month old male Tibetan Spaniel mix. We've just started housebreaking him. He's young and full of life and just starting to learn all those important lessons. He had some dominance issues when he got here, but in a house with 28 other dogs, most of whom are females with great maternal instincts, he was taught proper dog behavior very quickly. He now is playing really well with the other dogs and has become even more outgoing than he already was.
Duval, a 7 year old male rat terrier. He's absolutely petrified of children, as he was abused very, very badly by them as a puppy. He must be in an adult only home with no livestock. He's fabulous with other dogs and cats and warms up to adults really fast. He prefers women to men but will warm to men over time as well. Housebroken and crate trained, he needs someone with time and experience.
Randy, year old male American Pitbull Terrier. He had been adopted to a family with young children. He adored their daughter and when she was at our adoption events, it was common for him to take naps with her, curled under the blanket right beside her. However, their family had a friend with a little boy that was allowed to torment him for a month, leaving him scared half to death. After a month he finally growled at the boy and then snapped as a warning to leave him alone. They decided he couldn't stay and returned him. He's been around other people and children since then and been fine, so we don't think there's any aggression issues, as much as their was ill behaved child issues.
Rex is a 3 year old male beagle / hound. He's a major love bug and will spend all day by your side and all night sleeping at the foot of your bed. He's 'low man on the totem pole' in our house and the other dogs don't spend much time playing with him. Sugar and Spice gang up on him, trying to play but ultimately just scaring him. He's got a hound bark and bay for sure and needs to be on a big farm some place where his bark isn't going to upset neighbors.
Batman and Robin were dumped in the local dump together. As if being dumped in a landfill wasn't bad enough the people that worked there would throw things at them and kick at them. Their young lives weren't very pleasant. A young couple picked them up and brought them home and held on to them until we could take them. They are both young mixes, Batman a border collie type mix of maybe 12 pounds and Robin looks like a shepherd / lab mix but is only about 20 pounds and full grown. Batman has really come out of his shell and will approach people when called. Robin is much more hesitant and like other dogs with a bad start in life will need someone with lots of love and patience. They are fine in a crate and Batman is crate trained but Robin will potty in his if he's left alone too long.
All of the dogs that need foster homes can be split up, even if listed as a pair above. The ones listed above are a bit 'bonded' but can be seperated and will re-bond with another dog or human rather quickly.
If you are interested in helping, please see our website for more information at:
http://hilltopanimalrescueteam.com/foster_parent.htm
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
And the puppies keep coming.....
Now that we've got Payton (now named Snow White and her puppies are the seven dwarfs) settled in, we have started getting calls of other dogs and puppies in need. It seems this is the week to whelp!
Buttercup is a possible border collie / golden retreiver mix. She showed up at my husband's barber's property to give birth to at least 4 little puppies in a cave. They've not been able to get in to them and we're very worried about their safety, so we're trying very hard to find a foster home for them ASAP. The puppies are a week to 10 days old and should have their eyes open now. We'd like them to imprint on humans as soon as they can to make sure they'll be friendly, outgoing little guys.
We also got a call about a possible Irish Setter mix girl that has 7 puppies. They think the fathers are a rottie mix and a lab mix. They were born on Tuesday, July 6th. 4 of them have rottie markings, 1 is brown with a darker ridge running down their back and the other 2 are blond with the same darker ridge. They have foster homes so we'll be taking care of them and updating with photos.
If you can help temp foster the litter with possibly 4 puppies and are in middle TN please let us know. We can provide a kennel, food, vetting, etc for them. We just want to get them to safety!
Buttercup is a possible border collie / golden retreiver mix. She showed up at my husband's barber's property to give birth to at least 4 little puppies in a cave. They've not been able to get in to them and we're very worried about their safety, so we're trying very hard to find a foster home for them ASAP. The puppies are a week to 10 days old and should have their eyes open now. We'd like them to imprint on humans as soon as they can to make sure they'll be friendly, outgoing little guys.
We also got a call about a possible Irish Setter mix girl that has 7 puppies. They think the fathers are a rottie mix and a lab mix. They were born on Tuesday, July 6th. 4 of them have rottie markings, 1 is brown with a darker ridge running down their back and the other 2 are blond with the same darker ridge. They have foster homes so we'll be taking care of them and updating with photos.
If you can help temp foster the litter with possibly 4 puppies and are in middle TN please let us know. We can provide a kennel, food, vetting, etc for them. We just want to get them to safety!
Friday, July 2, 2010
Busy busy busy busy busy.....
It's really funny. People that truly are dedicated to animals and somehow manage to find time and energy that never existed before seem to find each other. It's a wonderful thing!
We've added an amazing groomer who also is keeping the dogs walked and the kennels clean and the ICU spotless for us! I have no clue how in the world she does what she does. She can bathe a dozen dogs in the time it takes me to get ready to bathe one. Every one of our dogs fell in love with her instantly. Duval who's afraid of everyone and Diva who's very shy were instantly head over heels for her. And she's got an amazing hubby that even comes along to help out when we're busy too. On top of everything else they're doing for us, they're also fostering kittens and have fallen in love with, and are planning on adopting, the momma terrier we pulled from the shelter.
We were contacted by another amazing lady who offered to foster a mother lab and her newborn 8 puppies. They were supposed to go to a rescue up north and we had a temporary foster all lined up for them. Saturday rolled around and the transport never showed and the foster couldn't keep them any longer. We asked if this foster could take them until we got another transport together and she agreed. When the transport failed to pick them up again she offered to keep them as long as needed so they could join our program and we would know they're safe. After taking them in she offered to take the puppies we have as well. On top of the fostering she's doing for us, she's raising 6 children and going to college to get her PhD!! The girl is a super hero, I'm telling ya!!
It seems like we've finally kicked the kennel cough virus. What a nightmare. Coccidia seems to finally be dead. We're slowly but surely emptying the ICU room. We've got a couple that still have an occasional dry cough, but the hacking and heaving is over. Phew!
Randy has come back to us. His adoptive mom said he never relaxed in her house. Her daughter said a family friend's little boy was over a lot and liked to tease him and scare him. She kept telling him to stop but he didn't. Sounds like Randy may have been tormented a bit. Yesterday the kid had him backed into a corner and wouldn't stop. Randy growled and the kid kept it up. Left with no other way out he snapped and scared the little boy. The daughter said he never got close to making contact with the boy, just got close enough to scare him into backing off. But the mom was freaked out, so back he is. He was thrilled when we pulled in the driveway and he saw John. His tail didn't stop wagging all night. He and Diva were still playing this morning.
We'll be bringing him to adoption events to re-socialize him and let him see that not all kids are that way. Such a shame, as he's one of our dogs that was happier with children and other dogs than he was with adults. We're just hoping that the torment hasn't left him terrified of all children.
We've added a guest book to our website. It's still in the early stages of design, but it's up and running and ready for your input!
Tomorrow is our 4th of July party at Petco. We'll be having contests and raffles and all kinds of fun games with prizes. Bring the kids along. We've got a coloring contest just for them!! Only a few dogs will be in attendance. We're trying to focus this more on the people that are dedicated to responsible ownership and thank you for being so wonderful! The few that will attend however will be:
Gomer and Andy, of course
Sarge (we have someone coming to look at him so he may get adopted!)
Pierre, the scottie - this will be his first event!
Connor - he's just waiting for someone to come along that wants a boy to play ball with!
Not sure on the others yet, but stop in and find out for yourself!
We've added an amazing groomer who also is keeping the dogs walked and the kennels clean and the ICU spotless for us! I have no clue how in the world she does what she does. She can bathe a dozen dogs in the time it takes me to get ready to bathe one. Every one of our dogs fell in love with her instantly. Duval who's afraid of everyone and Diva who's very shy were instantly head over heels for her. And she's got an amazing hubby that even comes along to help out when we're busy too. On top of everything else they're doing for us, they're also fostering kittens and have fallen in love with, and are planning on adopting, the momma terrier we pulled from the shelter.
We were contacted by another amazing lady who offered to foster a mother lab and her newborn 8 puppies. They were supposed to go to a rescue up north and we had a temporary foster all lined up for them. Saturday rolled around and the transport never showed and the foster couldn't keep them any longer. We asked if this foster could take them until we got another transport together and she agreed. When the transport failed to pick them up again she offered to keep them as long as needed so they could join our program and we would know they're safe. After taking them in she offered to take the puppies we have as well. On top of the fostering she's doing for us, she's raising 6 children and going to college to get her PhD!! The girl is a super hero, I'm telling ya!!
It seems like we've finally kicked the kennel cough virus. What a nightmare. Coccidia seems to finally be dead. We're slowly but surely emptying the ICU room. We've got a couple that still have an occasional dry cough, but the hacking and heaving is over. Phew!
Randy has come back to us. His adoptive mom said he never relaxed in her house. Her daughter said a family friend's little boy was over a lot and liked to tease him and scare him. She kept telling him to stop but he didn't. Sounds like Randy may have been tormented a bit. Yesterday the kid had him backed into a corner and wouldn't stop. Randy growled and the kid kept it up. Left with no other way out he snapped and scared the little boy. The daughter said he never got close to making contact with the boy, just got close enough to scare him into backing off. But the mom was freaked out, so back he is. He was thrilled when we pulled in the driveway and he saw John. His tail didn't stop wagging all night. He and Diva were still playing this morning.
We'll be bringing him to adoption events to re-socialize him and let him see that not all kids are that way. Such a shame, as he's one of our dogs that was happier with children and other dogs than he was with adults. We're just hoping that the torment hasn't left him terrified of all children.
We've added a guest book to our website. It's still in the early stages of design, but it's up and running and ready for your input!
Tomorrow is our 4th of July party at Petco. We'll be having contests and raffles and all kinds of fun games with prizes. Bring the kids along. We've got a coloring contest just for them!! Only a few dogs will be in attendance. We're trying to focus this more on the people that are dedicated to responsible ownership and thank you for being so wonderful! The few that will attend however will be:
Gomer and Andy, of course
Sarge (we have someone coming to look at him so he may get adopted!)
Pierre, the scottie - this will be his first event!
Connor - he's just waiting for someone to come along that wants a boy to play ball with!
Not sure on the others yet, but stop in and find out for yourself!
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Great adoption events continue!
We started the week with our trip to the shelter to pull dogs. Those that follow us may have seen the post on Facebook, everyone taking bets on how many I'd come home with. Well, the winning guess was 16! Among them:
Bonaroo, a sheltie mix puppy boy about 8 weeks old
Jasmine, an 8 week old yellow lab puppy girl that was adopted the day after we got back!
Merlin, an 8 week old GSD / rottie mix puppy boy
Dooley, a beagle / pug mix boy about a year old
Gin'E (for search engine) and her 3 nursing puppies Google, Yahoo and Bing. They are rat terrier mixes.
Junebug, a female 8 week old Great Pyrenees mix puppy
O'Connor, a gorgeous young adult male American Eskimo
Scooby, a young adult male Yorkie
Scrappy, a young adult male Cairn Terrier
Shaggy, a young adult male Schnauzer
Pierre, a young adult male Scottie
Precious, a 6 year old female toy poodle
Prince, a 5 year old male toy poodle
They are on a quarantine hold for two weeks during which time we'll be evaluating their temperament.
This week's adoption event was wonderful again!
With Mr.HART in Atlanta for a concert, transport space was limited. My vehicle is so tiny I'd have to really work to transport a mouse! Luckily our shelter coordinator had the day off and Mr.TransportCoordinator didn't mind staying home to play fur kid daddy for mommy!
Tammy got to our house on time but I was running late............as usual! Tammy's got several dogs that just came available that are just wonderful so we decided to give the other dogs a week off. We loaded up Sugar and Spice, two adorable little bassett sisters and Mork and Mindy two very tiny little Norfolk terrier mix puppies that someone had found in a dumpster. I brought along Bolt since he'd only been to one event so far.
We loaded and thanks to Tammy's driving and few cars on the road we made it on time. We had tons of volunteers show up, always a wonderful thing! We'd had a lady call before we left to say she was driving all the way from Crossville with her fur baby to visit Spice. We walked in and the manager tracked us down to let us know she'd called to let him know too! She obviously fell in love with her over the internet!
In the meantime we had two ladies come in and fall instantly in love with Mork and Mindy. No surprise to any of us. They are beyond precious! They decided to adopt them both! We were so happy. After some cruel human threw them in a dumpster like trash they not only got a home, but got to stay together!
The lady about Spice showed up - Yay! Her dog is so laid back and easy going that she had no issue at all with Spice. Spice is just a laid back girl, so it seemed like it was meant to be. She called home to make sure everyone was absolutely positive they wanted the adoption and a resounding yes followed! We were thrilled that on her first day out, Spice found a family!
A couple came in and looked at Sugar. You could tell they just adored her. She was so sad when her sister left, walked around the pen and cried. When they took her out she climbed right in their lap. Just a complete snuggle bug! So daddy went home to get their dog to make sure they'd get along. Sugar is just so laid back it didn't seem to affect her one way or another. Because they wanted a dog to play with theirs, they took Bolt out. It wound up a perfect match and he was adopted!
By the end of the day 4 of the 5 we came in with had homes / families! We couldn't be happier!
Bonaroo, a sheltie mix puppy boy about 8 weeks old
Jasmine, an 8 week old yellow lab puppy girl that was adopted the day after we got back!
Merlin, an 8 week old GSD / rottie mix puppy boy
Dooley, a beagle / pug mix boy about a year old
Gin'E (for search engine) and her 3 nursing puppies Google, Yahoo and Bing. They are rat terrier mixes.
Junebug, a female 8 week old Great Pyrenees mix puppy
O'Connor, a gorgeous young adult male American Eskimo
Scooby, a young adult male Yorkie
Scrappy, a young adult male Cairn Terrier
Shaggy, a young adult male Schnauzer
Pierre, a young adult male Scottie
Precious, a 6 year old female toy poodle
Prince, a 5 year old male toy poodle
They are on a quarantine hold for two weeks during which time we'll be evaluating their temperament.
This week's adoption event was wonderful again!
With Mr.HART in Atlanta for a concert, transport space was limited. My vehicle is so tiny I'd have to really work to transport a mouse! Luckily our shelter coordinator had the day off and Mr.TransportCoordinator didn't mind staying home to play fur kid daddy for mommy!
Tammy got to our house on time but I was running late............as usual! Tammy's got several dogs that just came available that are just wonderful so we decided to give the other dogs a week off. We loaded up Sugar and Spice, two adorable little bassett sisters and Mork and Mindy two very tiny little Norfolk terrier mix puppies that someone had found in a dumpster. I brought along Bolt since he'd only been to one event so far.
We loaded and thanks to Tammy's driving and few cars on the road we made it on time. We had tons of volunteers show up, always a wonderful thing! We'd had a lady call before we left to say she was driving all the way from Crossville with her fur baby to visit Spice. We walked in and the manager tracked us down to let us know she'd called to let him know too! She obviously fell in love with her over the internet!
In the meantime we had two ladies come in and fall instantly in love with Mork and Mindy. No surprise to any of us. They are beyond precious! They decided to adopt them both! We were so happy. After some cruel human threw them in a dumpster like trash they not only got a home, but got to stay together!
The lady about Spice showed up - Yay! Her dog is so laid back and easy going that she had no issue at all with Spice. Spice is just a laid back girl, so it seemed like it was meant to be. She called home to make sure everyone was absolutely positive they wanted the adoption and a resounding yes followed! We were thrilled that on her first day out, Spice found a family!
A couple came in and looked at Sugar. You could tell they just adored her. She was so sad when her sister left, walked around the pen and cried. When they took her out she climbed right in their lap. Just a complete snuggle bug! So daddy went home to get their dog to make sure they'd get along. Sugar is just so laid back it didn't seem to affect her one way or another. Because they wanted a dog to play with theirs, they took Bolt out. It wound up a perfect match and he was adopted!
By the end of the day 4 of the 5 we came in with had homes / families! We couldn't be happier!
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Incoming!!!
After our wonderful adoption weekend last week, we've committed to pull quite a few dogs and had some others come in as owner surrenders / strays that the people in the community can't keep.
We'll be headed to the shelter tomorrow after we pick up Dixie and Bolt from the clinic after their spay and neuter today. Once settled, it's off to Kentucky we go!
From the shelter, our list will include:
A female white and tan cocker spaniel
A male yorkie
A male Scottish terrier
A male Cairn terrier
A male American Eskimo
A mother rat terrier and her 3 female babies about 4 weeks old
A male rottie mix puppy, about 8 weeks old
A female Great Pyrenees mix puppy, about 8 weeks old
A female yellow lab, about 8 weeks old.
All adults are in the 3 - 5 year range for age as far as we know. Once we get them seen by the vet we'll have more info.
We also accepted 2 Norwich terrier mix dogs this morning that had been thrown in a garbage dumpster, a male and a female. They apprear to be younger, maybe 8 months or so.
We may have some of them at the adoption event this Saturday. For certain in attendance we will have:
Murphy, 3 year old male golden retreiver
Trixie, 3 year old female boxer mix
Bolt, 8 month old male corgi / terrier mix
Andy, 8 year old male chihuahua
Rex, 3 year old male hound / beagle mix
Shrek, 3 year old male beagle
In attendance pending their foster homes ability to make it:
Buffy, 12 year old female poodle
Alvin, 2 year old male beagle / cattle dog
Batman, 18 month old male border collie mix
Robin, 18 month old small male terrier / shepherd mix
Not attending but still looking for a family and home of their own are dozen more kids, with more coming in tomorrow. Please look at our website or Petfinder and see if you can find your next family member!!
We'll be headed to the shelter tomorrow after we pick up Dixie and Bolt from the clinic after their spay and neuter today. Once settled, it's off to Kentucky we go!
From the shelter, our list will include:
A female white and tan cocker spaniel
A male yorkie
A male Scottish terrier
A male Cairn terrier
A male American Eskimo
A mother rat terrier and her 3 female babies about 4 weeks old
A male rottie mix puppy, about 8 weeks old
A female Great Pyrenees mix puppy, about 8 weeks old
A female yellow lab, about 8 weeks old.
All adults are in the 3 - 5 year range for age as far as we know. Once we get them seen by the vet we'll have more info.
We also accepted 2 Norwich terrier mix dogs this morning that had been thrown in a garbage dumpster, a male and a female. They apprear to be younger, maybe 8 months or so.
We may have some of them at the adoption event this Saturday. For certain in attendance we will have:
Murphy, 3 year old male golden retreiver
Trixie, 3 year old female boxer mix
Bolt, 8 month old male corgi / terrier mix
Andy, 8 year old male chihuahua
Rex, 3 year old male hound / beagle mix
Shrek, 3 year old male beagle
In attendance pending their foster homes ability to make it:
Buffy, 12 year old female poodle
Alvin, 2 year old male beagle / cattle dog
Batman, 18 month old male border collie mix
Robin, 18 month old small male terrier / shepherd mix
Not attending but still looking for a family and home of their own are dozen more kids, with more coming in tomorrow. Please look at our website or Petfinder and see if you can find your next family member!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)