Category Archives: Rescue Happenings

Hello, Old Friend

Country Life, Dogs & Other Animals, Rescue Happenings, ,

It’s always good to catch up with old friends. This is a picture of an old friend. Sky (formerly known as Skylar) spent the past week with us while his humans were away. He was our foster dog for a number of months about three years ago. Fortunately, his humans are also friends of ours so he gets to stay with us every once in a while.

Sky got to spend some time with us on the patio on the one nice day we had. This was a treat because it wasn’t totally fenced in back when he lived with us.

At first he just watched everyone else play. See him peeking from behind the plant?

But then he remembered how things work around here and started to join in.

By the end of the afternoon, Sky was tired and ready for a rest.

He is back home with his own family now but it sure was nice to spend some time with him.

The Good Life

Dogs & Other Animals, Rescue Happenings,

It’s always nice to hear about a former foster dog. This is Sweetie. We fostered her three years ago. She was a favorite. Definitely in the top five of any fosters who have come through here.

Sweetie is our kind of dog. A big sheltie with lots of energy and attitude and smarts. Luckily she went to an amazing couple who keeps in touch.

Sweetie is living the good life. Her new (at least three years ago she was new) mom works from home. Sweetie gets to go camping and hiking. The perfect life for her. And she gets all the attention. She doesn’t have to share with a pack.

As you can see from the video, life is definitely good! This is what makes it all worthwhile.

Check Out These Faces!

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

Australian Cattle Dogs, 2 years old and 6 months old. Females.

Pit Bull, young.

Pit Bull mix.

Pit Bull mix.

These are the dog photos that I have saved to my phone for the past two weeks. They are from various situations, mostly shelters, and are in need of homes. These are just the dogs that have struck a chord in my heart. Dogs that I would consider pursuing and adopting, did we not already have five dogs. There were many more beautiful and highly adoptable dogs.

I watched a video from a local shelter that was pleading for adopters for their dogs. You see, their facility is full and they don’t want to euthanize. The video went on for few minutes, showcasing each dog for mere seconds. They were wonderful dogs. About 80% of them were dogs that I would be happy to adopt. If I had room and resources.

So my plea to you, if you are looking for a new family member of the canine persuasion, is to check out the dogs (or cats, rabbits, etc. ) at local shelters, pounds, and rescues.

To be fair, some homes would be better suited with a dog from a reputable breeder. Some of you will have specific needs like wanting to show your dog or have special, restrictive family situations that require you to know exactly what you are getting. And some folks are not in a position to properly care for a pet. Be it due to work schedules or small children, a pet is not a viable option for you at this point in time. I get that.

But if you are considering adding a dog, please do check out all adoption options first. There are purebreds, young dogs, calm dogs, and yes, high energy and needy dogs too, all wanting to be your companion. Do your homework before you adopt to ensure the best fit.

Don’t forget your local shelters. Just look at these faces!

Best Friends

Country Life, Dogs & Other Animals, Rescue Happenings,

It is good to have friends. Best friends. I firmly believe that you can have more than one best friend when you are an adult. There are friends for different occasions. These two are my reliable best friends.

Yesterday we volunteered at the County Fair together. I have no doubt that I can trust these girls to be well behaved with hundreds of people around. I don’t have to worry about incidents with adults, children, other animals, or unexpected circumstances when they are with me. They can handle it.

Shelby, of the red scarf, is the most obedient, well behaved dog I have ever had. We are a finely honed working team. She watches me to determine whatever it is that I want from her. She responds to my requests, verbal and often hand signals too. I also listen to her. If she indicates that she is unsure or stressed, I either reassure her or provide her with a short break, depending on the situation.

Nikki, in the green scarf, does her best to comply with my wishes although she doesn’t have quite the ability to figure things out that Shelby does. Still, I know that she will be well behaved and not cause trouble because that is her nature.

Yesterday at the Fair we participated in three things. First was the Therapy Dog Demonstration. Both girls are veterans with close to 100 visits under their belts (leashes?). Most have been to nursing homes. After that we manned one of the entrance gates for a couple of hours since it is easier if everyone takes a turn. Above are the girls at our station by the gate wondering why there is so much traffic. For our last event of the day we participated in something called Meet the Breeds where each of the handlers told a few facts about their Breed. The audience was then free to meet all the dogs.

What fine little ambassadors these girls are, for their breed and dogs in general. Also, I adopted them both from Northeast Ohio Shetland Sheepdog Rescue so they represented how fine Rescue dogs can be. They make me proud.

And after such good and hard teamwork, good girls get ice cream. (I got ice cream too, but I will spare you that photo!)

The Face of Innocence

Country Life, Dogs & Other Animals, Rescue Happenings,

He is innocent. Just ask him. Here is a further tale of living with a smart dog who suffers from separation anxiety. Zekie thinks he should be with us, especially me, at all times. Usually he will stay in the pasture with the other dogs until I come home.

However, today he heard my husband on the patio. Zeke knows that he likes to hang out on the patio.

Here is a picture from the weekend of Zeke having a good time on the patio while I read. So when he heard my husband there he broke out of the pasture and ran to join him. Not wanting to encourage escapist behavior my husband told Zeke “that’s a bad dog, you’re going to have to go in your crate “. As they walked towards the house and the crate, Zeke ran back to the pasture and broke back in, pushing through the gate and putting himself back with the other dogs.

Having a smart dog is not necessarily an easy thing.

A New Life

Dogs & Other Animals, Rescue Happenings,

As you may or may not remember, I am a member of a local Shetland Sheepdog Rescue group. I received a phone call at work on Friday from our local pound which is just next door. They said they had a sheltie who was just surrendered and not adjusting well. Would we take it?

I made a call to alert our Intake Coordinator and plans were set into motion. I was already scheduled to leave work early so I said, sure, I’ll be up shortly to get the dog.

Well, I got there and this is the dog they had. It’s a little hard to tell from the picture but this is not a Shetland Sheepdog aka sheltie. He was the right size, about 22 lbs. My first clue that he was not a sheltie was the fact that he had no tail. And upon closer inspection, he does not have a sheltie head or muzzle and the build was not right.

I finally realized that this dog, whose name is Stormy by the way, is actually a Miniature Australian Shepherd. So I made another call to our Intake Coordinator and between us, we decided that we would take him anyway. We don’t have enough shelties for everyone on our waiting list and I think a lot of people waiting on a sheltie would be quite happy with Stormy. Plus, it sprung Stormy from the pound so I see it as a win for everyone.

Stormy was markedly happier once he was in the car and getting farther away from the pound. Now to be fair, our pound is a good one. They are no kill, get the dogs vetted, and are just nice people. But still it is very loud with lots of barking and kennel runs which did not suit Stormy. He turned out to be a friendly little guy that I enjoyed my time with as I transported him to his foster home.

Stormy has since been to our vet and I’m sure will have a wonderful home soon. I am happy to have been a part of the journey on his way to a new life.

Cairns, and Ledges, and Streams, Oh My!

Country Life, Dogs & Other Animals, Rescue Happenings, ,

Spring weather is finally here and that means time for hiking! Actually we have been hiking for the past two months even when it was cold but it is much more fun now. Who knew all these rock walls were at the far end of a trail at West Branch State Park? Actually, probably lots of people knew but I wasn’t one of them.

The trail that we took on Sunday even had streams to ford in two places. Cassius, Baxter, and Shelby all crossed with daddy. Zekie was back with me.

Someone left a rock cairn in the tiny center island of one of the streams. It looks like a miniature temple against the rock cliffs rising up in the background.

We walked through some brush so we could get a better look at a couple of ponds and an old stone foundation. Here is Zekie trying to keep up with the pack but he’s stuck on leash with me.

The ponds drew lots of bird life which was fun to watch. We put in over 6.5 miles which I logged on Wooftrax, an app that will give a few cents to the registered rescue of your choice for every walk that you log. Of course mine go to Northeast Ohio Shetland Sheepdog Rescue. Shelby and Zekie insist!

We had some tired dogs when we got home. After a day that includes frisbeeing and hiking, Cassius is too tired to hold his head up!

New Dog!

Dogs & Other Animals, Rescue Happenings,

We added a new dog to the family today! Meet Paisley. She won’t actually be living at our house. Paisley is my mother-in-law’s new dog. So we will be seeing lots of her.

Our dogs attend most family gatherings so this is nearly as good as getting another dog myself! At the majority of our family shindigs there are as many dogs as humans. That’s why they are so much fun.

Paisley is 2 years old. Her ancestry is open for debate. We are currently going with corgi mix. Maybe some beagle? I would guess black lab but she only weighs 18 lbs. She is good with dogs, cats, and kids. She is friendly and affectionate without being overbearing. All in all, she is a wonderful little dog.

Oh, and I should also mention that she is from a local rescue group. So one less displaced dog is looking for a home tonight. 😊

Welcome, little one.

A Good Boy

Country Life, Dogs & Other Animals, Rescue Happenings,

A head study of a good boy. Cassius the greyhound is tired.

Everybody knows that a tired dog is a good dog. We hiked the mountain bike trail at a nearby State Park this afternoon. All the dogs are passed out now. Even Nikki who didn’t go with us. She gets a pass though, she is 11 and tiny. She did go outside to romp with the others for an hour this morning.

Zekie is resting as well. He was a good boy on our walk. Mostly. He did some quiet growling at the first walker that went by. Even though I made him sit. He didn’t react too much to the second walker. This was a relief. He had been doing better but yesterday he growled, barked, and lunged at every person that went by. I have no idea what was different.

We will make a dog of him yet.

The Journey is Begun

Dogs & Other Animals, Rescue Happenings,

Zekie has become relaxed enough since permanently becoming one of our dogs that he can have a bed in his upstairs crate for bedtime! He could never have any blankets or bedding before because he shredded all such luxuries in short order.

I consider this to be a step towards his relaxing and becoming a normal dog. The road may be long but the journey is begun. I am certainly learning a lot with this dog. I just keep reminding myself that with the most work come the deepest relationships.

I will keep you updated on our journey.