Category Archives: Rescue Happenings

What the Dog Ate, Part III

Dogs & Other Animals, Rescue Happenings,

Phoebe

 I am intending this to be the last installment of What the Dog Ate, but I know better so I am just calling it Part III. I’m sure that some of my current or future dogs will eat some amazing things as well.

Pictured above is Phoebe. She looks so innocent, doesn’t she? Don’t be fooled. One day, when she had not been with us very long,  we were looking for the cable remote to turn on the tv. We thought we must have really misplaced it because we couldn’t find it anywhere.  Eventually we did find bits of it but couldn’t be sure where the rest of it was. We had seen Phoebe pick it up before so we knew it was her. Some time over the next few days my husband was picking up after the dogs and came across a very incriminating pile. It was covered with numbers and buttons that said things like “menu”. If only we had a digital camera at the time! That would have been a photo for posterity. Or at least a good laugh. Phoebe is older now and doesn’t get into much trouble anymore. The only thing she did recently was take fur bundles from dog brushings out of the trash can and distribute them around the living room for decoration every time we left her in the house. Just bought a trash can with a lid on it.

We also had a strange dog eating conundrum in our rescue a few years ago. We got a call from some adopters who took their recently adopted dog the vet because it was passing a pair of lacey thong panties. The foster home and the adopters vehemently denied owning any such garments at any point in recent memory. We can only assume that the item was ingested at the dog’s original home. All ended well with the exception of one vet bill with a never to be known cause.

Sassy

Then there was the foster dog above that some of you may remember. This is Miss Sassy Pants. She came home from the vet’s with one of those stretchy, self adhesive bandages on her leg. I put her in her crate for the night, as I have done with many a dog, and in the morning the bandage was gone. I never did find hide nor hair of that bandage so I have to believe that it passed unnoticed and all is well.

Lacey and Sky

Skylar was another foster pup who had a remarkable digestion. This boy loves his toys. Especially those he can chew. I had to take a tied and knotted polar fleece bone from him one day because he was destroying it. Apparently, I was too slow. Skylar liked to go to the mail box with us. One day on the way back to the house he stopped to make a deposit in the drive way. It went on and on. This turned out to be because he was passing a piece of that pink polar fleece bone that was about six inches long. It snowed that same day and many days thereafter. I saw that pink remnant during the spring thaw and got another good chuckle.

I’m sure we’ve had other “passings” over the years but none stick in my memory banks as well as these. I hope cleaning up after your dogs is a mundane and unimpressive task.

Maizie Remembered

Dogs & Other Animals, Rescue Happenings,

Maizie

Maizie was one of our forever foster dogs for Northeast Ohio Shetland Sheepdog Rescue. She passed away last year but I thought this tribute to her was worth running again. The thought of her smile still brings me joy.

Dear Person Who Abandoned this Senior Dog,

Maizie was found by the pound and when they sent you a letter to come and get her, you did not come. She spent 30 days in the pound kennel waiting for you before the efforts of two rescue groups brought her to our house as a foster dog. Today we discovered that she has kidney failure and will live out the rest of her life with us however long that may be. What lesson am I supposed to learn from this? Perhaps to have compassion for you and not be judgemental? I will work on that.

I know that I have been blessed to know this dog who is sweet, loving, and grateful for every bit of attention. She smiles at us constantly and is one of the happiest dogs I have seen. Occassionally she will try to play and has a small, joyful hop to her step. Our lives have been enriched by knowing this kind dog.

My dreams will be sweeter knowing that I have helped and loved this girl. May you be able to sleep at all.

Maizie sleeping with our cat Lacey
Maizie sleeping with our cat Lacey

 

Dog # 356

Dogs & Other Animals, Rescue Happenings, ,

Sweetie

Time for a new foster dog at our house! This is one of the longest stretches that we have gone without one. It had been around three months since, Blitz, our last one, got adopted. This is Sweetie. She is a  35 lb sheltie that the vet said is no more than three years old. She has been at our house for a week and a half now and she is very sweet, if a bit needy.

Sweetie came from a local dog pound and was adopted directly by one of our previous adopters . She got spayed, brought up to date on her shots, and was treated for an ear infection. She had a couch to sit on, humans to pet her and walk her. She was living the good life. Unfortunately she had one trait that was not very  sweet. She liked to threaten the other resident dog in the home and attack him when he came too close to “her” human on the couch. To their credit the family gave it a go and consulted two private trainers and also asked our rescue for advice which they tried. It was a Herculean effort. But things didn’t improve very much and in the end they feared harm would come to the other dog they had for several years before Sweetie came on the scene.  So Sweetie came into our rescue and the family will wait for a more mellow dog to come through our rescue. This is the way it goes. Not every dog can fit with every family.

And since our house seems to specialize in challenging, dominant dogs, she came here. I have come to realize that not only do my husband and I have experience with rehabilitating problem dogs, but our own dogs have experience too and are a part of the process. The pack we currently have is very well adjusted and help to show new dogs the ropes and what is to be expected.

Baxter Shelby

Baxter and Shelby in particular are very good at acclimating the new dogs. So I  knew if Sweetie got threatening beside me on the couch, I would just remove her to the floor. Sitting with us on the furniture is a privilege and if you don’t behave, you don’t get the privilege. And if she threatened our dogs at other times I knew they would handle it. Baxter especially is very benevolent. He never starts anything but if other dogs threaten him in his home, first he will hold his ground, then if the other dog keeps at he doesn’t use his mouth but pins the other dog to the ground with his legs. It is actually impressive to see. Shelby won’t take any guff either. First she curls her lip at the instigator to warn him off. If this is not effective she will usually do it a second time as if to say “didn’t you hear me”? After that she will rush the offending dog possibly nipping them or running them over. Neither Baxter nor Shelby will do this without cause. They usually look to see if I am accepting of their behavior as well.

They have had to do this with Sweetie a couple times so far. She seems to avoid them now although earlier this evening I saw her try to play with Shelby. The two look very similar. It is hard to tell them apart from certain angles.

As I have gotten to know Sweetie I have discovered that she really isn’t an aggressive dog.  She is insecure and needy. She is looking to see where she fits in and wondering what she can get away with. I have noticed that she frantically seeks petting. I just ignore her until she lays down so she learns to calm herself. As she finds  her way, some of these behaviors will fade and she will become better adjusted.

Sweetie’s name does fit her. She is sweet and affectionate and cuddly. Though I  think the best bet for her would be to be an only dog or to go to a very experienced multi-dog home.

Sweetie

Northeast Ohio Shetland Sheepdog Rescue dog number  356.

Gifts of Patience

Cooking, Dogs & Other Animals, Rescue Happenings, Thoughts On Life, , ,

Cherries

I seem to find opportunities to build the strength of patience all around me lately. I think this might mean that I am cranky and impatient. Never the less this gives me the chance to work on this virtue.

Our family was very fortunate this year to have the largest crop of cherries that has grown in the almost 12 years that we have lived here. You can see them in the basket. We think that they are Queen Anne cherries or a similar variety. They are heirloom and organic. Not to mention delicious. It took three of us 20-30 minutes to pick this many cherries. Now I must have the patience to seed all of these cherries and make them into a pie. At least this has its own rewards!

Service Berry Pie

It also took a certain amount of patience to pick all the berries for this service berry pie. As I stood in the puddles of rain water from our continual storms as of late, I was swarmed by mosquitos. I knew if I wanted the pie that this was my only chance. The berries are only on the trees for a short time before the birds eat them all. This took patience, and swatting, to finish the job. The prize was worth it. It was the first time we had enough service berries to bake a pie. It tasted like a cross between cherries and plums and another unidentifiable but heavenly flavor.

Friends

I had a chance to exhibit patience last evening as well. On a therapy dog visit to the care facility as we sat and conversed with our friends there was one lady who was telling tidbits from her life. She shared with us the fact that she had a dog named Trixie who was like a member of her family. She shared this great revelation with us about 10 times. To be honest it didn’t take much patience for me to listen to her repeat the tale. It made her so happy. And we never ran out of things to talk about or had that awkward silence. She could always tell me about Trixie again. I would want someone to show me the same kindness.

Gracie and Zoey

(Picture of two past foster dogs, Gracie and Selah, now in a loving home.)

And when I got home last evening I called a lady that I was told needed some rescue help with her dogs. It turned out that she did not think she needed help from rescue. She had found help in the form of two young people to assist her with day to day dog care. I pray she is right. But I listened to her tell me about their bloodlines starting 30 years back. And various animals she had rescued over the years. Not to mention information about her fantastic memory and other information about her family. This was all well and good. That lady sounded lonely and was in need of an ear to bend and  to share her troubles. It gave me time to practice my skills of patience. And keep a good rapport and the lines of communication open on the chance that there is ever a day when those dogs do need us.

So the easier times of having patience to do unimportant things like pick fruit to make a pie, are training for things of consequence like improving lives. Lives of dogs and lives of people. Rescue work is multi-faceted.

Why I Like My Life, Part l

Dogs & Other Animals, Rescue Happenings, ,

NikkiNikki

This was a good day. I volunteered at a Pet Expo today to promote the dogs of Northeast Ohio Shetland Sheepdog Rescue. Above you see Nikki at the beginning of the day and on the ride home. It was a busy and tiring but good day. We worked the whole day and talked to probably a couple hundred people.

ShelbyShelby

This is Shelby at the beginning of the event and again near the end. Please note that while I was equally tired, I did not sleep on the drive home. That’s why I’m the mom. Shelby and Nikki were excellent ambassadors for their breed. People sometimes ask why I  take my own dogs to these events and not our available adoptees. With so many people around I don’t like to take dog/s that I may not know that well. It is a stressful situation for a dog  and I want a dog that I can rely on and predict their behavior. Shelby and Nikki are very  reliable. I  know what to expect from them. They also know that they are safe because I will protect them.

I am free to have a good time because I know how my dogs will behave. And I do have a good time! I have been a part of the doggy world for some time now. I  see old friends from various breed rescues and shelters so i take a few minutes to catch up with them. I  see newer acquaintances from the training club. And just friends in general because nearly all of my friends have dogs. I even see people and dogs that I tested and certified to be therapy dogs.

Stroller full of shelties

And I see folks that I recognize from previous years. Would anyone like a  stroller or two of shelties? I don’t really know these people but I can tell you I like them. They are my kind of people! 20150606_20525820150606_205358

Another good thing about these events is the vendors. They sell things that suit my taste as a discriminating dog fanatic. See my new earrings above.

So it was a successful day. Life is good. We talked with people, promoted our dogs, sold a few things, and made contact with some potential sheltie adopters. And with so many rescue groups present there is no doubt that some lives were saved and new family units formed. So once again, namaste.

Apathy Warrior

Dogs & Other Animals, Rescue Happenings, Thoughts On Life, ,

20150523_095019

I decided to title this piece Apathy Warrior but it could just as easily be titled Having a Melt Down. It’s a fine line. I suppose one leads to the other. This is my journey.

Above you see Sassy and me. Sassy, affectionately referred to as Miss Sassy Pants, sometimes as Miss Bossy Pants. I love this little girl. She is filled with spunk and character, the likes of which you won’t often see. She is one of our sheltie rescue dogs that got returned last week. I thought her new home was a great fit. But apparently not good enough. Due to a behavioral incident she was returned. I find it suspicious that her “family” is now going to be doing long term travelling. That is neither here nor there. The policy of our rescue, as is the policy of most rescues, is that no matter the circumstance, we take our dogs back. So back she came.

As it worked out, she needed to go to another home for fostering, rather than ours. In the photo I am waiting to turn Sassy over to her new foster parents. She figured out she was going somewhere else and cried during the drive to the transfer spot. Hence I cried during the drive to the transfer spot. Once I turned the car off to wait for the other person, Sassy became nearly hysterical. She cranked up the crying and bit the seat a couple times to displace her hysteria. I pulled her onto my lap to wait and you can see she is anxiously looking out the car window.  Now be aware that the foster home she is going to is a wonderful place. The couple is loving and two of the finest people I know. I am proud to call them friends. But still. This is one of my babies. Every dog that comes through our rescue is one of my own. I deal with their adoptions by pretending that they are still my dogs and are just going to stay somewhere else. That someone else is just keeping them for me. And that really is the case. You never stop loving them. How fortunate I am to have such a large family!

Sassy

When it was time to move Sassy to the other car, she shut down. She knew she was getting ditched again. I bent over the seat to say good bye to her and she was non-reactive. She looked straight ahead, wouldn’t make eye contact with me, and didn’t move. This was her way of dealing. So I just left. I thought it was easier  for her in the long run rather than me making a fuss. Thank goodness she was going to stay in loving, caring place. But she is still my little girl.

And as I drove away, that’s when the tears turned into meltdown. How could I live in such a world where there are dogs without homes and people don’t want them? And the ones that come into rescues and shelters are the lucky ones. There are so many more that are nameless and unrecognized and suffering out in the world. I am really not cut out to live in this place my mind said. A world where people kill even each other, that is filled with hate and violence and unrest. We should have compassion for each other and not do each other harm and intentionally cause pain. If we can’t do this for our fellow humans, what chance do God’s poor creatures have? And then I saw the road kill. First, a dead rabbit on the road. A few miles later a dead opossum. I have noticed road kill abounds in the spring when the animals start moving about. No one can have a meltdown like a rescue worker in the throes of emotion. Our very way of life, driving automobiles, causes death I thought.

As I got nearer to home I told myself you really need to get a grip. This is not good. You are not functioning well. You can wallow in this or you can do something about it. So I pondered, what can I do about this situation? How can I make it better? How can I be an instrument of change? Well, I knew that I was making a difference for these dogs. One of Sassy’s new foster parents said that at least she got returned to us and didn’t end up in a shelter out West where we would have had no idea what happened to her. See, I told you these were good folks! I can save the next one, and the next one, and…

By deciding to do something, anything, I became an Apathy Warrior. I will not tolerate the way things are. I will take action to try to make the world a better place. For these dogs, and for those people I encounter as I go on my life’s journey. When my daughter was in high school and working at a fast food drive-thru I told her, you never know if you might change someone’s entire day by smiling at them. A kind word or gesture could change the course of their day. I am fortunate to have a daughter that actually listens to me and repeated that phrase back a few years later. And so I issue this challenge to you. Will you also become an Apathy Warrior? We can have an Apathy Army and we just might change the world.

Sassy in a Sunbeam

It’s Not Always Black and White

Dogs & Other Animals, Rescue Happenings, Thoughts On Life, , , ,
Shetland Sheepdogs Gracie and Zoey
Shelties, Gracie and Zoey

This is a blog post that I first published in 2015, and am sharing again in the hopes that you will enjoy the dogs’ stories as much as I do! Some of them have since gone to the Rainbow Bridge, but all went to loving homes.

One of the things I sometimes hear about animal rescue work is “Why don’t you spend your time helping people?” This irritates me for a number of reasons.

Reason number one is because animals are God’s creatures. The God I know wants us to be kind to every living thing. Animals are God’s creation just as we are. Do you really think that God will think it is ok if we let animals suffer when we could have helped? I think not. I realize that not everyone is capable of dealing with the things I encounter in dog rescue. But I am capable and it is my passion so I should do the work.

Reason number two for me is, helping animals is not mutually exclusive to helping people. Doing one does not take away from the other. Helping humans, and animals, can coexist. Just because there are people who need help does not mean it is ok for harm to come to animals until all humans are safe.

And lastly, (for this post anyway!), if you think that I don’t help people while doing dog rescue work then you really don’t understand what I do. I have a few stories to illustrate this point.

Pictured above are Gracie and Zoey. Their owner had terminal cancer. He knew he was not long for this world but he stayed at home as long as he could for his girls, Gracie and Zoey. He didn’t want anything bad to happen to them. But eventually he became too ill. He had to drop his girls off at a local shelter on his way to hospice. He was an older gentleman and didn’t know about breed rescues. He was so sick by this time that he had to sit down and rest on his way into the shelter. I’m sure it broke his heart to leave them there. A couple of nice ladies that volunteer at the shelter saw that the girls were not doing very well in the shelter environment as most shelties don’t. They tend to shut down in this setting. The ladies took Gracie and Zoey home with them for a few day and then set about finding a rescue because, of course, there would be more who needed them. This is how these two shelties came into Northeast Ohio Shetland Sheepdog Rescue and specifically came to be fostered at my house. Their owner wanted them to be adopted together and that is what I agreed to do. I knew this poor man must being worrying about his dogs all the time and did not want this to weigh on his mind during his final days. I called the shelter and got the man’s phone number so that I could try to call and let him know that his girls were ok. That I would make sure that they got a good home. The man was not at home but I left a message on an answering machine with the hope that a relative or friend would stop by and hear the message to let him know his dogs were ok. I don’t know if that ever happened but I desperately hope so. By the way, after spending a few months at our house, Gracie and Zoey (now Selah) did get adopted together to a wonderful new home where they are dearly loved.

Shetland Sheepdog Princess
Shetland Sheepdog, Princess

And here is Princess. She is a wonderful girl that I would have loved to keep. She played so beautifully with our own dogs. Her owners have a story too. They also loved Princess dearly. Her owners had to separate and live in different house holds even though they didn’t want to for reasons I won’t disclose. Neither was able to get housing that would enable them to keep her. Luckily they did learn about breed rescue and were able to drop her off at my house. They cried and I cried with them. I listened to their tale and sympathized and hopefully made them feel just a little bit better. They had fallen on hard times and saw this as their last option. I was blessed to have Princess in my life for the time we fostered her and to find owners that loved her.

Sheltie, Blitze
Sheltie, Blitz

And then there was Blitz. He also came from a loving home. The husband of the couple passed away and the wife had to move to be closer to her children. She did try to keep Blitz. She brought him to her new condo but the ice of winter was too severe. She was an older lady and while taking Blitz out for potty breaks, fell on the ice three times.  Blitz is a good dog. The weather conditions were just too harsh for the owner to safely care for him. The lady loved him very much. He arrived at our house with a large bag of dog food, an entire garbage bag of toys, his bed, vet records and a card with his baby teeth taped to it. This boy had a good life. I went to pick him up and the lady cried. Her family was present to support her. I stayed for an hour and talked with them to ease yet another loss. I told them how we care for the dogs and take them in as a part of our family until their forever family comes along. I told the owner she could call me to check on his progress and she did. I told her how he plays with our dogs and has fun. I called to let her know when he got his permanent home and it eased her mind and the guilt she felt. Blitz on the Job, Even at his Foster Home

So, tell me again how I should be helping people and not animals. I hope at the end of the day that I have helped all living things that have crossed my path and left the world to be a slightly better place.

The Progress of a Foster Dog

Dogs & Other Animals, Rescue Happenings, ,

20150328_182651

 

Blitz, the foster sheltie, is becoming a happy dog. Once the foster dogs  are here for a while their true personalities begin to emerge.  At first they’re reserved and lying low to see how things work around here. Then they realize they are safe and this is a fun place to be. That’s when we start seeing the true dog. And it’s often when the trouble begins.

Blitz is generally a good and gentle boy so I don’t forsee too many issues. But there are little things. Like when one of the other dogs walks too close to him and he gives a little growl. Or when you tell him to do something and he ignores you. None of these are very serious as long as he learns this is unacceptable behavior. If a dog gets away with it then he will keep doing it and pushing to see what more he can get away with. They are kind of like children in that regard. Give them an inch and they will take a mile. Since Blitz is a fairly easy dog we just have to tell him no or ask in a stern voice,  what are you doing? Our dogs don’t take Blitz too seriously either. They can tell he is a  marshmallow.

20150328_182750

In fact, as you can see, he and Shelby get along just fine. He gets along with everyone else fine too. I think this makes six weeks he has been at our house. He is quite the gentleman and we are enjoying his stay.

 

Blitz on the Job, Even at his Foster Home

Dogs & Other Animals, Rescue Happenings,
Sheltie, Blitz
Shetland Sheepdog, Blitz

Blitz would like to alert you to crimes in our neighborhood. He barked and chased them off but not before two men wearing coveralls in a large, marked vehicle stopped, stole our trash and drove away! They have the nerve to do this throughout the area and come back on a regular basis to repeat said crime. Blitz says thank you for allowing this public service announcement.

(Ummm…Blitz, we pay them to do this. We call them the trash men.)

Lessons from Dog Rescue

Dogs & Other Animals, Rescue Happenings, ,

20150226_181302

This is our current  foster sheltie named Blitz. He came into our rescue as an owner turn-in. He is only 5 years old and had been with his owners since puppy hood. Usually it doesn’t sit well with me when someone turns over their dog. Sometimes there is a case where I understand and this was one such case. Blitz was intensely loved. I  felt very bad for the poor lady that had to turn him in. It was very hard for her.  The story is one that I have, sadly, heard too many times recently. It was an older woman and her husband had passed away so she had to sell her home to move closer to her children. Blitz was use to having many country acres to patrol and watch over. To be fair,  the nice lady did take Blitz with her to her new condo and tried  to make it work. But this winter has been so cold and icy. Blitz had already pulled her down three times and there is much more winter weather to go. The chance that the lady could have been badly hurt was just too great. But boy was he loved.

20150226_175153 These are all of Blitz ‘ s belongings that came with him. There is  a large fleece dog bed, a buckle collar, a choker collar, a retractable lead, and a whole host of toys. Also a box of biscuits and a large bag of dog food.  Notice that the bears do not have ears. They don’t have tails either. Apparently Blitz likes his toys!20150226_175416He also came with this picture of his mother, and his litter mate and himself at one day old. Blitz is the tiny brown one near the mother’s foot. And if that doesn’t convince you that he was loved, he was also sent to me with his baby teeth. They were lovingly kept and labeled.

20150226_175402

My point is that we (I) should remember not to judge too quickly or harshly. Sometimes people must do things that they don’t want to do. There but for the grace of God go I, and all that type of thing. I will try to honor this owner’s love by loving Blitz, taking care of him to the best of my abilities, and finding him his next loving home.