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!!!

Easter is for Dogs Too!

The dogs that we care for at the rescue share Easter fun with us every year. The evening before, I chop up hot dogs, boil or bake some chicken and debone it, break up the Waggin Train chicken fillets into pieces, and make peanut butter milkbone cookies to hide in the play yards so that when the "kids" are turned out for exercise while I clean their kennels, feed, and water, they have the fun of hunting for their treats. Some will seek and eat as quick as they can. Some will carry them around until they find just the right spot to lay down and savor the flavor, and some will actually bring them back to their kennels. If the weather is nasty, as it sometimes is, I "hide" the treats in their kennel - maybe between the food dish and their water bowl, sometimes just in a corner or under a Kuranda bed, but it gives them a chance to hunt for their goodies.

It's what dogs do - hunt, and they love it!!!

Hug A Hound!

Hunting dogs, coonhounds, beagles, etc., have traditionally been kept outside either in kennels or chained to dog houses out behind the barn and were tested to see if they would hunt. If they were "hunters" they were kept till the fall hunting season at which time they were put to work. If they were outstanding hunters, they were kept in the kennels or chained to the dog house till the next fall hunting season, and in between they were bred to create more of the same. If they weren't good hunters, they were turned loose, dumped on a lonely road, or turned into a local animal control with a "they won't hunt so I don't want them" attitude. Times have changed!!! One of the first dogs that I did rehab work with was a coonhound/lab mix with a horrible record. He had been an escape artist and chewed up a cop car. His name was Rounder, and he is a wonderful, well behaved, family member now. PAWS Hancock currently has six wrinkly, sweet natured, lovable coonhound/lab mix puppies up for adoption. They were very well socialized and just as huggable as your favorite teddy bear. Coonhounds are perfectly capable of being house trained and are willing to become couch potatoes if that's what you are looking for. They are very loyal and easy going. Please check them out at www.pawshancock@aol.com!!

Old Friends & Old Dogs

I had the pleasure of visiting with old friends yesterday. Some 15 or so years ago I rescued a yellow lab female that I fully intended to keep as she was a great dog. Our friends came by with a horse that needed some tweaking, fell in love with the dog and asked if they could please have her. They are great "parents" and I knew she would have a good home, get to go on trail rides with them, and enjoy her life to the fullest while having excellent care. They named her Maggie, and she passed away due to cancer around a year ago. Their house was dogless for a few months, and then the search began for a new companion. It had to be a dog that would get along with anyone, not wander away, be well housebroken, get along with horses and other dogs. These folks go trail riding and camp out on weekends and the dog would be with them at all times. I didn't have anything at the time that would fit the bill, so they searched locally and opted for an older lab/whippet mix - a gentle older deaf female. They soon realized that she hadn't been outside much, as she didn't know what to do when let outdoors for any length of time. Probably she was kept inside as the original owners weren't sure she would stay home or come back, as she couldn't hear her name called. So, they started working on hand signals, and when I met this wonderful 14 year old lady yesterday, she was happy, stayed close, and was thoroughly enjoying her new life. Please give older dogs a chance - they have so much to give!