Wiggles, Waddles, and a Wookie

Two trips to animal control in a week, but what a wonderful group of adoptable dogs we found!

There's the "N" pups - stands for nuthin' cuter! They are a cocker spaniel mix, friendly, learning about life, and ready for a new home. There's Zeke, a toy fox terrier mix that is not at all aggressive, likes people and will play as well as cuddle. There's Skippy, a dachshund/Jack Russell mix - they don't come any cuter. Bandit is a border collie, rough coat, puppy that wants a family and a job for the rest of his life.

Need something a bit older and more settled? We got him. His name is Scooby, a short legged, somewhat unusual looking mix of corgi and pug. He is an older dog, but he's well behaved, friendly, and looking for a home.

Then there's Wookie - a shih tzu puppy. He's a ball of energy, fluff, and fun

All of the above wiggle when they see people, some waddle while they grow and learn, and then there's Wookie!

Veterinary Request

We met the veterinarian that we use at our new locale some years ago when he was a teenager and his dad did an article on my husband's training methods for horses. He came out to the farm to geld our horses and commented that his veterinary clinic is the unofficial pound for this area. Any stray or unwanted dogs are brought there. They comply with the city's rules, and if the dog is adoptable, they often try to rehome or contact a rescue rather than euthanize.

Today we had our mini gelded, and Dr. V. asked if I could help find a home for a female black and tan coonhound around 2 years old. She was dumped about 3 weeks ago in the city and the police took her to their clinic. They have complied with the 10 day stray hold, contacted coonhound owners they know that might take her, passed the word around, but no luck finding her a home. Dr. V. said she is too nice a dog to euthanize.

I told him I would do what I could, including getting her vaccinated and having her spayed.

And so it begins, and if feels good to be trying to rehome a female coonhound. There is a rescue south of here that sometimes takes dogs for them. She may end up going there. It's in Jewell, Iowa. If not, I will do everything that I can to help her find a home.

There's a divine plan, you can count on it!

Orlando Update

Orlando is a beagle mix puppy born on January 3, 2011, and adopted out to a family. The family contacted our rescue coordinator late one night and said the pup was sick and they needed to return him. Orlando was very sick, taken to an emergency veterinary clinic, and after being treated with four different antibiotics, nebulized, put in an incubator with oxygen, he came home. That was in March.

Now, two months later, he still has some infiltrate in his left lung, and the radiologist and vets feel that he probably aspirated something that caused his severe bilateral pneumonia.

The good news is that he went to the vet today and his right lung is clear. His heart is sounding great. He has gained weight to 16 pounds, and he is able to play with the other dogs at his foster home. He is nebulized five times a day and given yogurt twice a day to help keep a good bacterial balance in his tummy. He eats very well and is doing very well at house training. He was having some problems with his feet due to the side effects of the antibiotics at his young age, but he has been weaned off most of the antibiotic, given extra vitamins, and this is correcting itself.

There is a possibility that he might require a bronchoscopy, which would cost $1500. PAWS Hancock has already spent around $10,000 for his care and medications and would certainly appreciate any donations.

The other good news is that the veterinarian thinks that if he continues to improve and gain weight up to around 20 pounds without any further set backs, he may just outgrow the residual. What a blessing that would be!!!

If you would like to donate to his ongoing care, see a picture of Orlando, or just say a prayer, it would be appreciated. The website is http://www.pawshancock.org/.

Cassie's Story

Cassie was a very timid black lab mix female when we spotted her at a local animal control. Timid, but not at all aggressive, and black - a color that very seldom gets adopted. She had huge soft soulful eyes, and the staff thought she was pregnant because she had gained weight. More than likely it was because the staff had been handing her more than her fair share of treats to try to bring her out of her shell. She was heartworm positive, extremely so.

We treated her for heartworms and worked on making her braver and more confident in humans. She had been dumped and was picked up as a stray. I decided to keep her for part of my "Dream Team" - a group of dogs that I have help me rehab. She got along with everyone and learned quickly. We went to work on basic obedience commands and off leash work. She was wonderful.

One day an older man and his wife came to meet puppies with the intention of adopting. Their last dog had been adopted, was a lively dog with some bad habits which they lived with and loved, but they wanted something that didn't have that energy level and the bad habits already built in. They looked at pups, and we could see doubt about whether this was the right decision.

I had Cassie come to meet them. She sat on command and waited quietly for further instructions. I had them take her for a walk - she was great on a leash, no pulling, no sniffing, just a quiet walking companion. They warmed up to her immediately, and she to them, so I told them to take her home for a week and test drive.

The gentleman called me the next day to say she must be sick because she was so well behaved and so quiet - just what he wanted, but he couldn't believe what he had. I assured him she was healthy, but told him to take her to the vet if it made him feel better. He did just that and she was given a clean bill of health. The family adopted her shortly after that.

As a mother and a foster mom, my gut instinct told me it was time to push this "baby" out of my nest and send her on her way to a wonderful forever home.

Happy Mother's Day to all!!!