Monday, November 23, 2009

Sled Dogs and Hairless Dogs

It's amazing what a span of just four days will bring in the world of animal rescue.


First, a last minute addition to an expected transport- five dogs seized from a breeder in Southwestern Virginia and facing certain euthanasia at the local shelter. Squeaker, Wilson, Walter, Ya Ya and Cookie arrived filthy, stinky, and matted but with tails wagging and noses on the hunt for treats. These five little guys were seriously in need of bathing and shaving, but otherwise in great shape. The necessary grooming took place the next day followed by the all-important vet visit for health checks, vaccines and spay/neuter.

Fast forward just a three days for a dramatically different rescue. This time it was four sled dogs rescued by the Humane Society of the United States and transported to Lost Dog and Cat Rescue Foundation for adoption placement. These gorgeous frosty-eyed beauties have lived life on a chain, but are surprisingly loving and eager to make new human friends. One arrived with a belly full of puppies and is luxuriating at Woofs! of Arlington while she awaits delivery, but the others are all ready for adoption and will be at events Thanksgiving weekend.




With Dasher, Donner, Comet and Vixen (sled dogs!) all sorted out we were ready to breathe a little and regroup. 


Wait! No time! 


Late Saturday we got a call that a nearby breeder was facing foreclosure and had quite a few small dogs in her care with no place to go. Could we help? The Lost Dog van was gassed and dispatched on Sunday morning and returned with eleven dogs- five Chinese Cresteds (four of them hairless!), three schnauzers and three poodles. Again, all were in need of a bathe and a shave, except the hairless ones who were able to get by with just the bath and some warm sweaters. The little guys are getting their vetting now and will be ready search for loving forever homes this Thanksgiving weekend. 

That's 20 dogs who have a whole to be thankful for this weekend- 20 in addition to the more than 13,000 dogs and cats LDCRF has rescued and placed since 2001. 

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Evicted


His shelter paperwork included an eviction notice from the Sheriff's office. He was home alone when they came to remove the family's belongings and change the locks, and he too had to be removed. The notice gave his family five days to reclaim him. Five days from the moment their possessions were piled outside and their home became off-limits. Five days during which the family would have to find a place to sleep and figure out which, if any, of their possessions they would be able to keep. Five days to reconstruct a life and reclaim a family member. Five days passed and they didn't come.

His name was "Rock." He waited in a crowded shelter, one more family pet with a sad story to tell and a bleak feature. As a rotweiler, his future was more bleak than most. Many apartment buildings and condos ban his breed and many families are afraid to adopt them. He wagged his tail and pushed a ball around and greeted everyone politely, but the clock kept ticking and he kept waiting.

"Rock" got lucky when some LDCRF volunteers came to visit the old Prince Georges County Shelter on its last day of operation. We wanted to save some dogs who might not make the move and Rock went on our list.

We thought, given all that he had been through, that he deserved a higher title, so he is "Rockstar" now. And he is getting the star treatment. He is at the vet's office tonight preparing for neuter surgery tomorrow and a minor procedure to remove a growth on his eye. He has been bathed, his nails clipped and appropriate vaccines administered.

"Rockstar" is safe and will get a great home. His story has a happy ending, but he serves as a reminder that it is more important than ever to give shelter dogs a chance. Economic downturns are always hardest on those on the bottom rungs of the ladder, and animals are about as low as it goes. The shelters are overflowing with four-legged victims of the recession and they need us to adopt rather than purchase our pets and to make sure they are spayed or neutered. After all, they can't all be Rockstars...

Saturday, May 30, 2009

Pure Joy


Whenever I question my sanity for living with a zillion dogs and giving every free minute of my spare time to animal rescue, I point myself to moments like this- moments of pure, unadulterated dog joy.

Brisa and Dibu are a pair of mother-son fluff balls who came to Lost Dog Rescue when a woman came into the PetSmart on an adoption day asking us to take her paralyzed Pekingese. Brisa had no use of her back legs and her rear end was matted and covered in poop. We agreed to take her (thanks Marcia and Peggy) but weren't sure we would be able to do much of anything for her. One that agreement was in place, the woman mentioned that Brisa had a son. Could we take him too? "Why not?" we said. "In for a penny" and all that.

When she returned with Dibu we were shocked. He is at least twice his mother's size and doesn't look much like a Pekingese. When we asked who his father was, we were told, "The neighbor's dog." Ah, well, he was gorgeous and thankfully not paralyzed.

Brisa went straight to the vet on a Saturday night. Xrays revealed a problematic disk in her back-maybe ruptured, maybe just enlarged. She started on steroids and we crossed our fingers.

Once home, Brisa scooted around like a pro. Using only her front legs, she followed me everywhere. For the millionth time, I was grateful for our one-floor living. Within 48 hours Brisa was up on all four legs for brief periods. Within a week, she was walking. Her gait remains odd, but as you can see, our girl can run!

Brisa isn't out of the woods yet. She has had a couple of seizures. The first one we were sure was a Frontline reaction. The second, unexplained. It looks like some neurological testing is in her future and we are hoping and praying to find nothing so she can get spayed and get on with finding a forever home.

What lies ahead for Brisa is unknown except for two certainties: 1- she will get the very best care possible and every chance at an amazing life and, 2- she will chart the territory ahead with her boy Dibu at her side. Momma Brisa and her boy are inseparable and will, no matter what, face life together.

My guess? They'll get through it just fine.
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Friday, May 8, 2009

Diving for Puppies

"DOG!!!"
We screamed it simultaneously as a red streak dashed across the highway in front of us and darted through the grass on the side of the road. I hit the brakes, pulled onto the shoulder, puched the hazard lights button and grabbed a leash. Pam was already running.

It turned out to be a puppy, and a very scared one at that. He was determined to get away from us and led us on a run neither of us is in shape for down the side of Highway 29 rural Virginia. He zigged and zagged through tall grass and then-dangerously- headed back towards the highway. Pam followed at a crawl, not wanting to spook him into an oncoming car. She got close. He made a run for it, but she got him by the tail and hung on. He screamed like he was being dismembered and made a very sincere puppy attempt at a menacing bite or two, but she didn't let go. In a few seconds she had him cradled in her arms and, out-of-breath, we headed back to our car.

There was no sign of human life (other than speeding cars) for quite a distance around us- no homes, no businesses, nothing. After looking around a bit and remarking on the amazing amount of ticks on him- in his eyes, between his toes, on his nether regions, completely covering the inside of his ears-we tossed our new friend into a crate in the back of the minivan and resumed our journey north.

"Matty" was a good little passenger apart from vomiting green peas (?) and roundworms, and he has already warmed up to humans quite a bit. He spent the night at our vet's office where he was de-ticked (better them than me!), de-wormed, checked out and vaccinated. Neuter surgery is next.

We're glad we caught him and glad he will not be road kill, but sad at the reality of this kind of life for so many puppies. Barely three months old, Matty was out to fend for himself and wouldn't have lasted much longer. He is a living reminder of the consequences of our society's failure to responsibly spay/neuter our companion animals.

Matty will be on the website soon, so look for the little runaway next week. We'll still be catching our breath...

Sunday, May 3, 2009

Sibling Non-Rivalry

In the last six months or so I have had two foster dogs become my shadow, or "mi sombre" as my friend Manuel says. First was Bailey the white shepherd who glued himself to me to night he arrived- scared, skinny and filthy- on a transport from Georgia. I swear it happened the second I brought him into my kitchen and snapped a collar around his neck. For the next couple of months he kept himself in physical contact with me whenever possible and always, always, always in visual contact. Finally, Bailey got adopted and though it was hard to let him go I was happy to see him move on to a new life. 

Enter Raven. After a life of continuous breeding, Raven was turned into a shelter when her owner became ill. When taken out for a walk one day by a representative of another rescue group, Raven slipped her collar and took off. She was missing for months and when she was finally recaptured she was very, very pregnant. We brought her home right away and on the very first night here, she somehow managed to haul her giant pregnant belly over our fence and disappear. We looked for her all night and frequently sighted or heard her but were unable to capture her until the next day when she was just too tired to run anymore.  

Raven gave birth in my bathroom three days later and I sat with her through it all, including the one who didn't make it after being too long in the birth canal. Nine days after the puppies were born, Raven became critically ill and had to have an emergency hysterectomy. It turned out that her uterus was crumbling inside of her as a side effect of over-breeding and causing a terrible infection. Again, Raven fought back from adversity and when she came back home. we became best buddies. She is by my side always, one eye on me no matter what else is happening. The former runaway dog is 100% trustworthy off leash with me and never fails to come when called. I trip over her on a regular basis. 

When I learned last week that Bailey was going to have to come back to my house, I worried. I worried that my two shadows would hate each other and be in constant competition for my attention. I worried Raven would slink away if Bailey was too dominant in demanding my affection. I worried there would be bloodshed. 

My worries were put to rest tonight. I looked down from my stool to find the two of them laying face to face by my side playing an incredibly gentle game of tug of war. The game did not require either to move out of my way or to cede any territory. It was a quiet occupation for dogs who are waiting, ready to spring into action at the slightest indication of human movement. 

Always, I am amazed at the ability of dogs to work it out. Somehow, someway, they make it work, usually when we leave them alone and let them do it in their own way. 

Friday, May 1, 2009

Howling Success!


I'm stunned.


This week I sent out an email to supporters of the Lost Dog and Cat Rescue Foundation asking for help. I told the story of the six hounds we took on after they were injured in a fire and asked people to consider donating to help us defray the costs. I hoped it would net us a couple of thousand dollars, maybe a little more.


We started out that day with a little over $3,000. By the end of the day, we had met and surpassed our goal of $10,000. I couldn't believe it. I cried more than once when I got the phone calls giving me the updated numbers. I was in the car all day that day delivering puppies to the vet for spay /neuter and then driving to Clarke County to pick up some gorgeous puppies and drive them all the way back to the Woofs! daycare/boarding facility to be fostered. It wasn't until later that evening that I got to see for myself that the red line had crept to the top of the meter indicating that we had met our goal.


The funds are hugely important to us and we are so grateful to all who have donated and thus enabled us to continue saving animals. Almost more satisfying, however, were there positive comments people shared and the way in which people were touched by this story. It is good to be reminded sometimes of the largeness of the human heart.

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Happy Hound!


Things are looking up for our "Hunt Club Hounds." Duchess and Ramey still remain hospitalized, but we hope to have them out soon. Sapphire went to a wonderful foster home where she has her own room complete with blankets and bones. Reckon is also safe in a foster home and both Ranger and Rascal are with me, enjoying some serious backyard time.


The photo is of Ranger and something about it made me grin. Maybe it's because he looks like any normal hound, checking out the world. Maybe it's because it looks like he just peeked into the frame to see what was going on. Or maybe it's just because he is alive and happy on a beautiful spring day.


More hound info and donation information at: http://www.firstgiving.com/helpingthehounds

Saturday, March 14, 2009

Helping the Hounds

What I'm really hoping is that one day we'll look at this "before" picture and be amazed at how far this momma hound has come. That's what I'm hanging onto.


Ramey, pictured at left with me and the vet in charge of the regional blood bank, lost all of her 2-week old puppies in the Fairfax Hunt fire and has third degree burns all over her head and other parts of her body. She has a huge amount of fluid build up and had to have plasma transfusions to replace proteins lost through the wounds. Nonetheless, she is patient, tolerant, quiet and stoic. In short, totally opposite of the screaming, writhing mess I would become in her condition!

Lost Dog Rescue has committed to helping all 6 of the hounds made available to us and we have already placed four into foster homes. Ramey and Duchess are the more seriously injured and have a bit of a long road to recovery.

I am most excited about Duchess' progress because the day of the fire she struggled for every breath and cried in pain. I thought she had no chance at all. Yesterday when I visited her, however, she was sitting up, eating cheez whiz and giving kisses. What a wonderful surprise!


Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Pallet Kitties and Burned Hounds

Today was quite a day in animal rescue. Apart from the usual assortment of animal tasks at hand today, two surprises lay in wait.

First, a volunteer called to say that while moving pallets at the Lowe's store where she works, a worker discovered a litter of tiny kittens and a mother who fled the scene. It was sheer luck that the kittens were discovered before the pallets were lifted high in the air and dropped in another location, but there was a problem at hand. The babies were far too tiny to be away from mom, but she was too scared to reappear. The staff at Lowes rallied to the cause and installed kitties in a cardboard box near a heater and sent someone out for kitten milk and a bottle. The Lost Dog & Cat Rescue "machinery" went into motion and by noon a trap was set at the store to capture Momma Cat and a foster was lined up to take the kittens and even bottle-feed around the clock if necessary.

The good news is that the trap worked its magic (kitten-scented towels drew momma cat in) and the little family is reunited and safe in an LDCRF foster home. In another 8 weeks or so, they'll be on our website looking for homes. Maybe we will name them Hammer, Nail, Wrench and Screwdriver!

On a much more subdued note, the second surprise today involved a tragic fire at a Leesburg area hunt club. Our vet alerted us to the fact that there were a number of injured dogs en route to their office and that some of them would need rescue placement. I agreed to make a trip out there to see if we could help and it will surely be a long time before I forget that scene.

Some of the dogs have 3rd degree burns on nearly half of their bodies. Some were having trouble breathing due to smoke inhalation. A few were in much better shape than the others.

On behalf of Lost Dog & Cat Rescue Foundation, I committed to taking at least 3 of the dogs and possibly two more depending on their prognosis as of tomorrow. Some of the dogs were wagging their tails in spite of the burns and all were so patient with the staff smearing salves on their bodies, injecting them with pain meds and examing their injuries.

I am eager to get the hounds out of the hospital and into homes where they can be lovingly rehabilitated and start looking for loving, forever homes.