Weekly rundown March 4-10, 2013

Weekly rundown

When I sat down to write this week's rundown my first thought was - goodness, nothing happened! It seemed it was a very slow week at Dreamweaver Farms and then it dawned on me why. I took my first vacation in several years. 

It is the mark of a stable staff that not once during my time off did I receive a call. Everything here was handled with professionalism. What a wonderful way to start my year. Thank you team -- I loved every second of it but missed all of you and was glad to return. 

Adoptions this week 

When we advertise, we never know who is going to be touched by what venue. I thought I had all the bases covered with just Petfinder when we first started CPR 13 years ago and then I found out having your own web page was absolutely essential in this internet world. When we found a database management program, Rescuegroups.org and were able to upload to Adopt A Pet and Pets911, I thought we were really out there. Then Joni Peterson came to CPR and introduced us to Facebook and last year set CPR up with Rescueme.org. Jennifer Smith started her campaign with Petsmart adoption events and the Horns started representing CPR at Lowcountry S.C. pet events. Many others have now joined the teams that represent CPR. I am grateful for all of them. 

We now do many, many outreach venues trying to get the word out but one of the most fun are when we get to go on TV. Last year, volunteer Heather Boyd secured a spot on the Jack and Kimberly TV show, a Greenville SC based morning talk show that focuses on people and events in the Upstate. We really enjoy doing the show although I don't worry overly much about getting many adoptions. The goal is to simply let people know we exist but it is very satisfying when we get a call from the spot. 

When we were on two weeks ago, the Hutchins of Spartanburg, S.C. were also home and watching TV that morning. We had a trio of cuties with us and the Hutchins decided then to apply to adopt from CPR. They had just a few criteria -- "Stays close to us, gentle & friendly." That is not hard to fill around here. 

Oreo

We knew the Hutchins had lost their cocker spaniel a few months earlier from old age ailments. I might have hesitated in showing the family another cocker spaniel but adoption counselor Joni Peterson was handling this one and she had some ideas of her own. The first dog she brought to the Hutchins was a black and white cocker spaniel named appropriately enough, Oreo. Oreo had been released to CPR earlier this year by a volunteer whose life had changed and she could no longer care for her pup. The first dog Joni brought out was the only dog for the Hutchins fell immediately for the gregarious little boy. He leaned into them - and they leaned into him. We called our volunteer and she was able to come down and visit with Oreo and let the family know all she could about Oreo. It was a happy ending and a great new beginning with everyone working together to make sure Oreo got the best possible home. Thank you all for making that possible. 

Getting them better 

Cherry before surgery

Cherry after surgery

Cherry the Tibetan terrier mix with cherry eye (found as a stray by one of our caregivers) had her cherry eyes fixed and promptly went home with an adopter on Saturday. We are hoping her friend Peaches is next. 

Paris, a shih tzu mix, also had her cherry eye fixed and is now waiting on a new home. 

Papi

Papi, a maltipoo that we have had for several weeks, had to be hospitalized. He has had chronic diarrhea since arriving here a few weeks ago and everything we have checked doesn't pan out. The next possibilities are irritable bowel syndrome or some sort of allergy. He has responded well to steroids and a bland diet and we hope to bring him home next week and then on to find a forever home. 

Rambo, one of our puppies, also had to be hospitalized. He had been placed but something went wrong and the family could not afford vet care so brought him back to CPR. He's a fighter so please say a little prayer that we can get him under control and home soon. 

And teaching them new tricks 

Kami and Amy attended their last class together this week. The lesson today was having a stranger approach and not jumping on them. Kami passed her last test with flying colors. Kami can now sit, walk on a loose lead, and greet a stranger among other things. We are all hoping that these new skills will help Kami to find a new great home. 

Next week Amy starts a new round of classes with a new student, her own Donka Shane, and China and I start nose work. We look forward to sharing our lessons with all of you. 

Thanks to you, we're fixing them up, keeping them safe and finding them homes. 

Can you help us do more? 

CPR needs to grow to 1500 regular donors (Never Say No supporters and Patrons) this year. To do so will allow us to help even more dogs. To keep these stories continuing, please consider adding CPR to your monthly donations. To do so, please visit our webpage at 

http://carolinapoodlerescue.org/giving.shtml 

and choose Patrons, Covenant Pet Care or Never Say No. 

In the month of April, we'll be talking more about how important it is to CPR to have regular donors and introducing you to some of the dogs your donations help to support long term. Our commitment is for their life and once a dog makes their way here, it has a safe sanctuary. Your donations help us to keep that commitment. 

Thank you for your donations and your support. Without it none of this would be possible.

Donna Ezzell 

Director 

www.carolinapoodlerescue.org 

It takes teamwork to make the dream work.

Weekly rundown for February 24 to March 3, 2013

Adoptions this week 

Everybody thinks their dog is a star, but for Kimber "Corkey" Miller, that is a real possibility. Corkey runs Action Animals, (http://www.actionanimalsusa.com/) in Pigeon Forge, TN. Her animals regularly appear in film and at the Grand Ole Opry. For some time she has been looking for a fuzzy looking dog to train for film and to be her own best friend. 

Meanwhile, a fuzzy looking guy found himself in serious trouble in upstate SC. Hit by a car and left for dead, fortunately the dirty golden dog was found by caring people who took him to a vet and then to the local animal shelter for the required holding time. These kind folks stayed in touch and when he was not claimed, contacted CPR to see if we could help. 

They named him Benji and brought him to us. He started his life at Dreamweaver Farms by having to creep down a ramp from the van. He was still too sore to walk. It broke my heart. We grouped him with two other new dogs, laid back mid-sized pups and let him rest in an isolation cottage that was all one floor. 

It was not the most auspicious of beginnings. Benji liked to bark - a lot. He liked to bark at big dogs. That was a bit of a problem since he was a big dog and expected to eventually integrate with them. He loved Chanel the shih tzu and Winter the cockapoo but not the big dogs he saw playing outside. The better he felt and the more his injuries healed, the louder he got. 

Oh my..what to do? 

While we were trying to figure out the now feisty little pup, Corkey saw a picture on our website and despite the negatives she saw in our description, knew she had found what she was looking for. She filled out the adoption application. 

Debi Raby screens all applications before assigning them to an adoption counselor. She took one look at Corkey's, and sent it to me. Most of the time, I do not feel like our animals are a good fit for those who are looking for working dogs. This application was different. Everything in it said the author put the care and well-being of her animals ahead of any financial goals. Benji would first and foremost be her pet. 

That is, if he got along with her 4 cats. While adoption counselor Sherry Wilson was screening the application, caregiver Pat McWilliams and I started the cat test. We have discovered that some dogs act just fine with cats on first meet. It takes several times and getting the cats moving to determine just how tolerant they will be. 

It was the getting the cats moving that caused us to develop the Willomenia Cat Test protocols. 

Now those of us who have adopted and had their meet and greet in my office have met Willow the cat. Willow, a feline positive domestic long hair who looks like a very tiny Maine Coon cat, was left at the farm as a kitten. Once she tested positive for feline leukemia, we knew she could not go with the other cats and so became my office companion. Problem is, Willow has done this so long she yawns in the face of new dogs now instead of being active. I got a laser light to solve this and now Willow happily pounces and hunts the light as it dances over the walls, and allows us to really observe the dog's reaction to feline frantics. 

At this point, Benji has passed the cat test and Corkey has passed the interview and been invited. We set a date and Corkey, her friend and fellow trainer Dawn, Duncan the fox hound mix and Nickydoodle the terrier arrived at Dreamweaver Farms along with a donkey movie star in the horse trailer. The group was on the way to a film shoot for the donkey but did not want to give up an opportunity to adopt Benji as soon as possible. 

The meet and greet went well. Nickidoodle is a sweetie and accepted Benji immediately. Then we talked about the cats and I told them I would run Benji through the Willomenia cat test again just to be sure. 

I watched two animal trainers come to the edge of their seats, observing me intently. I called "Willomenia catch the light" and started Willow racing across the wall. 

And I heard a loud chuckle coming from the couch. It is the rare person who can laugh at themselves and these two could. After receiving my email a few days ago stating that Benji had passed the Willomenia cat test, the pair had scoured the internet seeking the parameters of this new method for testing cats and dogs together. Unable to find it, neither wanted to admit to me that they were clueless. We had a huge laugh over this one. 

Benji has gone to start his new life, and will be getting a new name and hopefully a new career. Often times when I see animal film stars, the credit simply says "this is a rescue dog." I asked Corkey to proclaim loud and clear to any who were interested where Benji came from as I have no doubt that one day, he will be a star. 

We'll say we knew him when. 

New dogs 

Twelve new in is a lot for us in one week but it just worked out that way. A family in Greenville lost their health and had to release 4 toy poodles to CPR. A shepadoodle in Tennessee washed out of a training program and had nowhere else to turn. Four from the Greenville shelter are here including a very needy little peke possibly poodle mix that we named Xue Xue. Xue is going to lose at least one eye, possibly another. He is holding his own against some pretty big odds. Wish him well. 

Betty

In addition, Betty the standard poodle was flown into Atlanta by the Poodle Club of America's Rescue Foundation. Betty has Addison's. The rescue groups in California had no safe place for this beautiful lady so PCA-RF asked CPR if we could take her in. The answer was yes. More on Betty as we get to know her. 

Getting them better 

Dustin

Very special thanks to caregiver Brooke Corriveau who stayed up all night with Rambo the puppy on Sunday. She made sure the pup stayed hydrated until we could get him to a vet on Monday. Rambo is on the mend from some sort of intestinal illness. 

Caregiver Bradley Ingle has taken over much of the medical work and he's found that means spending half his days driving dogs to the vet. This week, it was Dustin the bichon/poo - checking on his leg, Ranger the yorkie checking on his demodex mange and Peaches, still not fully recovered from her upper respiratory. Getting them well is part of our job - thanks Bradley for taking over this important area. 

And teaching them new tricks 

We had another great class!

In a nut shell we learned: Name recognition; wait; hand targets; leash walking techniques. 

Name recognition is something that's been a recurring topic since day one. It makes sense, in order to train the dog you have to have their attention. During the training process you reward the dog for not only giving you attention when called by their name, but also for something simple such as "checking in" with eye contact that shows they are paying attention to you. 

"Wait" was actually really interesting because the trainer was giving me tips on how to apply this in a kennel setting. Since our dogs are so food motivated (almost all of them are) the wait command can be taught at lunch time--by making them wait before getting their food bowls. Say each lead (or every a.m. person or whatever) picked 3 dogs and practiced this command every time we feed them, that would be at least one command that they know, right? Kami actually did VERY well with this tonight, despite her fierce food motivation, ha! 

Hand targets. Ok this so far is my absolute favorite and I cannot wait for Kami to master it. Not only does it look really fancy but it can be applied to several different scenarios. It's a simple concept, you hold your hand out (back of the palm facing dog) and the dog pokes/taps the back of your hand with their nose. Once they master it they will do it to the left, to the right, anywhere you signal for them. This can be essential in leash walking, for example if you want the dog to go a certain direction or switch from your left to your right side you hold your hand out a bit further and make them follow it, etc. They learn that if they tap your hand they get rewarded and this gives them motivation to follow your hand. Really cool stuff. 

Finally, leash walking. The wait command and hand targets are both used in leash walking. I already explained hand targets but the "wait" is applied when you put the leash/harness on the dog; and also to wait before walking out of your house, or getting out of your vehicle. We did an exercise with cones to help improve leash walking. Kami really, really struggles in this area but we will work on it! She seems to freeze and not want to move. Or she will just constantly "sit" and stare at me wanting a treat, LOL. To motivate her not to "freeze" I was told to walk two or three feet away from her, and put a treat on the ground. When she starts heading towards the treat, reward her more. 

We had a nice time tonight, she was very well mannered. It was also a nice surprise to see Joni's foster dog, Radar, in the class! He is doing great. 

We look forward to next week. 

Amy Pearson, lead caregiver 

Stay tuned for weekly updates from Amy as she and Kami learn the basics of obedience and the whys behind the training. 

On the road 

Rocky Top, pre-Atlanta

Five of our team made their way to Atlanta last weekend to Atlanta Pet Fair. Caregivers Amy Pearson, Bradley Ingle, Olivia Millwood, Amanda Lee and Brooke Corriveau chaperoned 11 dogs who were used as grooming dogs in the Rescue Rode on Sunday am. They had a great time and while we did not bring home a place finish, the team found a more important goal to the trip. 

Furman, pre-Atlanta

Plunging our dogs into a totally different environment, each dog showed a sign of their personality that our caregivers had not seen. Look for new descriptions as well as new pictures soon - changes we hope will bring forever homes to these fabulous dogs. Who went? Rocky Top - senior black male toy poodle, Aailayah - brown female miniature poodle vision impaired, Tanya - female golden doodle, Phoenix - white male bichon/poo, April - white senior miniature poodle, Corey - white female miniature poodle, Mercedes - female maltese, Furman - silver schnauzer mix, and more!

Thanks to you, we're fixing them up, keeping them safe and finding them homes. 

Can you help us do more? 

CPR needs to grow to 1500 regular donors (Never Say No supporters and Patrons) this year. To do so will allow us to help even more dogs. To keep these stories continuing, please consider adding CPR to your monthly donations. To do so, please visit our webpage at 

http://carolinapoodlerescue.org/giving.shtml 

and choose Patrons, Covenant Pet Care or Never Say No. 

Thank you for your donations and your support. Without it none of this would be possible.

Donna Ezzell 

Director 

www.carolinapoodlerescue.org 

It takes teamwork to make the dream work.

Weekly rundown--Feb 18 to Feb 24 2013

Adoptions this week 

When we take in a special needs dog, it is always with the thought that we will fix what is wrong although I know there is always the chance that we can't. 

Fortunately, with Buttons it was a textbook classic case of yes, we can do this! 

Buttons

Buttons is the toy poodle puppy that was taken in few weeks ago with a bad problem. He could not pee. His equipment was inside his body and the proper opening to come out did not exist. Buttons came to us and we rushed him to our vet who performed surgery immediately. 

Puppies heal fast and Buttons was "doing his business" the day after surgery. 10 days later, he was ready to find a new home. We had applications for puppies from another litter so foster mom Beth began reviewing to see if possibly, there was a perfect fit for Buttons. 

Foster moms in our system have the right of placement. After all, they know the dogs best. Beth reviewed and spoke with a couple of applicants but that "this is perfect" feeling never got to her until she came to a retired couple from Franklin NC. Beth told me that what she really liked about this couple was their concern for Buttons. For example, they knew that he had a follow up on Friday before the meet and greet on Saturday and within an hour of the scheduled appointment, was calling Beth for a report. Further, this couple has experience with both bladder and kidney problems in toy dogs. They know what to look out for in case little Buttons ever does develop any problems from his challenges. 

Happy endings after a rocky start for Buttons! And special thanks to foster mom Beth for taking such good care of one very feisty little poodle boy. 

New dogs 

Snowball

Eight very sweet dogs made their way to CPR thanks to our wonderful supporters and friends. Released to a NC shelter from a hoarder, the group contains Maltese, Chihuahua's and a poodle to round out the bunch. 

Toto

Say hello also to two standard poodles - Jacques and Rene. Their mom passed and dad has taken care of them as best as he could but with a busy job that requires constant travel, he has had to leave much of the care to others. Left too much to their own devices, the two got bored and got into some trouble, making dad realize that the boys needed homes of their own. These two will be up for adoption after this weekend. Special thanks to the Poodle Club of America Rescue Foundation for referring Jacques and Rene to CPR. 

Getting them better 

When it rains, it pours and it's been pouring this week. Molder a poodle mix came down with an intestinal bug, two of our beagle mix pups also came down with intestinal bugs, and Peaches the Jack Russell had some sort of allergic reaction to her spay and had to spend a few days at the vet. Fortunately, everyone is on the mend so far although we have a ways to go with some of them. Thanks to all of you, our dogs get what they need. 

And teaching them new tricks 

Two weeks ago caregiver Amy Pearson began classes at Taillights in Greenville SC. Taillights focuses on positive reinforcement to shape and adapt canine behavior. 

Week one: 

Kamryn and I had a great time tonight! 

Kami

The "Rover" class that we are enrolled in is more advanced, so the trainer basically just had Kami and I get comfortable and observe the session. They are emailing me handouts and I will be working with Kami this week on "sit" and "stay." Kami was very, very nervous and not herself tonight so I'm hoping she will open up in the next class!

This particular session was about trusting your dog on and off lead, as well as showing them what is appropriate when meeting strangers. They were doing several sit and stay exercises, and pushing the dogs limit's by circling them while they held the stay, or taking several steps away from them.

One of the exercises really caught my attention, and is a great socialization tool. They had the dogs tethered to a leash that attached to the wall. Each person would walk to every dog and would only acknowledge them if they sat calmly without being told; if the dog jumped or got overly excited, we would simply ignore it. After doing this for a few minutes, the class worked on approaching someone whose dog was sitting politely at their side. This is a really good skill to learn as it keeps the dog from jumping on strangers.

While observing the puppy classes, I learned a little more about the "sit" command. I learned that you should not use the verbal command "Sit" when training, but rather use the hand signal first. Along with this, you do not give the dog a treat with the same hand that you use to signal. The verbal commands can be used after the dog is proficient at the command.  ALSO, in the puppy class, I learned different ways to use a crate. It is actually an awesome training tool, and the commands "stay," "wait," "come," and "okay," can be taught using a crate. There is so much to learn, and Kami and I are excited for what's to come! 

Week two: 

This week was a 180 from last week. Kami went in very confident, relaxed and most importantly focused. 

Between last week and this week Kami learned "sit," and that simple command alone made this session much smoother. The class was very small (last week it was large with about 7 or so dogs), there was only one other couple with their 6 month old Aussie tonight. Both dogs were able to get a lot of 1 on 1 attention from the trainer and I was able to ask questions and soak up what they were saying to me. 

If you noticed from the class that you and I observed, every puppy was on a "mat/towel." This is a really, really important key to their training, and the mat is also supposed to be practiced at home. The dogs are supposed to learn that when they are on their mat they need to be sitting or lying calmly. So first we took a few minutes to let the dogs get calm and focused on their mat. 

Then we worked on the "down" command. Kami caught on quickly, and if practiced everyday she will have it down by next week. Again, you only repeat the command once and to teach this you put the treat right on their nose and lure them to the down position, and then praise with multiple pieces of treats. Once they've held the down position you give them an "OK" and that is their cue that they can get up and move.

We practiced "loose leash" walking and while doing that we also practiced letting them sniff around (did so by placing a treat somewhere in the room and letting them find it). As you remembered 30% of their brain is being used when sniffing and we want them to know it is ok to do so. 

Next, we worked on holding the sit or lay position while being approached by a stranger. Kami of course needs to work on this as she is so eager to meet new people and so excited when people come around. During this exercise I was instructed to give kami multiple treats while she was in a sit position and keep her attention on me while the stranger walked up and greeted me. 

I learned in this exercise to repeat the word "good" in a nonchalant voice over and over while Kami was sitting or lying to keep her attention, and when I was ready to let her get up I would change my tone of voice and say "ok." This surprisingly worked like magic! 

I had a lot of fun tonight and am really looking forward to next week! 

Amy Pearson, caregiver 

Stay tuned for weekly updates from Amy as she and Kami learn the basics of obedience and the whys behind the training.

On the road 

Amy and Jake heading to PA

All of our caregivers at one time or another find a stray dog and take him or her in. Our caregivers are compassionate. They would not work here if they were not. When caregiver Olivia Millwood found a stray boxer/am staff mix last winter she never dreamed that there was a surprise waiting inside. 

She found out in mid-November when the stray, now dubbed Pretty Girl, gave birth to a healthy litter of 11 bouncing bundles of joy. CPR was able to place several but 7 were still with Olivia and growing fast. 

Volunteer and adoption counselor Carol McCulloch had for some time been telling me about a no kill farm similar to our own in her state of Pennsylvania. Working through Carol, we reached out to Blue Chip and learned that these types of puppies are very popular in that state. Saturday morning, Amy and Olivia headed to Pennsylvania, puppies in tow and along for the ride was a big chocolate lab named Jake whose owner here in Spartanburg had become ill and could not care for him. 

Amy and Olivia in PA

It was a trip of love for sure. Facebook supporters donated .25 cents per mile to get the pair to PA and Carol and her husband John offered their home and hospitality. Amy and Olivia donated their time for the trip. 

Amy in the snow in PA

It was a long 12 hours up for Jake got car sick and at one point refused to get back in the van. The girls finally coaxed him in and shortly after 8 p.m., rolled into Blue Chip to settle their charges for the night. 

They arrived back at Blue Chip to find that previous adopters had been given puppy alerts and had arrived to check out the new arrivals. 4 of the 7 puppies were already settled into their new family's arms. It was very satisfying to have such a great start to the trip. I look forward to hearing updates as the rest of the dogs find homes. 

At the farm 

Our spruce up project continues with a new paint job for our grooming room. We've also received the stain and sealer for the floors and Maintenance Mike began that tedious process on Sunday. Stay tuned for pictures next week. 

Thanks to you, we're fixing them up, keeping them safe and finding them homes. Can you help us do more? 

CPR needs to grow to 1500 regular donors (Never Say No supporters and Patrons) this year. To do so will allow us to help even more dogs. To keep these stories continuing, please consider adding CPR to your monthly donations. To do so, please visit our webpage at 

http://carolinapoodlerescue.org/giving.shtml 

and choose Patrons, Covenant Pet Care or Never Say No. 

Thank you for your donations and your support. Without it none of this would be possible.

Donna Ezzell 

Director 

www.carolinapoodlerescue.org 

It takes teamwork to make the dream work.

Weekly rundown week of Feb 11 to Feb 17 2013

Adoptions this week 

Every adoption is special - but some make my heart sing and when someone comes in and specifically asks for a 12+ year old, blind toy poodle who they think has heartworms, and they still want to meet him? 

Bruce James

Bruce arrived here in March of 2010. We named him after his transporter's husband. He was nothing but bone, heartworm positive, eyes clouded with cataracts and matted to the skin. The little stray from Augusta, GA had a lot of strikes against him and most people would have shook their heads and said we would be totally in line to gently send him to the Rainbow Bridge. 

I just can't do that to a dog who dives head first into a bowl of food, then snuggles in my arms in gratitude afterwards and licks my nose. Old does not mean there is no joy to give or receive - so we kept putting food down and he kept eating it, bad teeth and all. We started the process to health. 

Heartworms first as nothing else could be fixed until that. We listed him on the website and about that time, the drug that kills heartworms became unavailable so we chose the slow kill, better anyway because of his age. Bruce took his monthly Triheart pill like a champ. It took almost 2 years, but in February 2012 Bruce tested negative for the first time. Hurdle one over! 

Hurdle two was the funds for a dental. It took some time but in January of 2013 (thank you Beth Horsley!) we finally took Bruce in for a dental. At this point, almost 3 years on our website without even a nibble, it did not occur to me that I was fixing him up for a family. I was fixing him up because he needed fixing. Bruce had moved out of the kennel and into the senior sanctuary I have at home and was firmly entrenched, 2nd crate from the left, in between Rocky and Little Bear. He had a song and a name and a soft bed and friends. Life was good and I fully assumed that he would stay with me forever. 

I was wrong. 

Last Saturday, I saw the meet and greet come through with Bruce's name on it. Okay, they wanted small and he was small and we had other small. I figured the family had read the age wrong. Yet when the retired couple arrived and I introduced other toy poodles, they asked again specifically for Bruce. He reminded them so much of the dog they lost .We chatted a bit and I explained how he lived with me and really had a home and he was old and blind and he could still mark and…surely they didn't want Bruce? 

So they met some more dogs and then asked to meet him again. Just to see……just to see. 

When Bruce came into the room, happy and bumping into things with his wiggle walk, he was scooped up high into the husband's arms and snuggled close. I left them alone for a bit and when I came back, she was cozying a little red apricot toy and he was still holding Bruce while their senior black toy poodle girl sat in between and agreed this would work. 

I am always touched when others see the love and affection and old dog can give. They may not have as many years to give, but they will make what they have as special as they can for you. Thank you Maryann and Dennis for loving a little, old dog. 

On a special note, our adopters Saturday deserve the "most dedicated" of the year award. Snow fell heavy and hard on our farm Saturday afternoon but that did not deter and 5 brave souls made the trek despite the weather looking for, and finding, forever friends. 

Snow at Dreamweaver Farms

New dogs 

Papi

Our newest is a very special little boy named Papi. Papi's owner is facing surgery and cannot care for him anymore. Sometime in the past, Papi suffered a fall and as a result, he has some neurological issues. He occasionally will spin and spin and then back into a wall and get stuck there. These things don't occur all the time but only occasionally. He otherwise is quiet and seems content. He is living with our senior dogs as he does not play, but prefers to be carried around. We're setting Papi up for an assessment with our vet to see what can be done. 

Getting them better 

Every week we head to a vet somewhere. Last week was no exception. Tuesday was spay/neuter day with 11 new dogs going up for necessary vetting. After a short recovery period, these will be going up for adoption. We have some cuties! 

Buttons

The big news was surgery on little Buttons, a tiny pocket poodle puppy who came to us because he could not pee - literally. The opening where his penis should come out was just a tiny spot on his little bitty belly. Surgeons went in last Monday and were able create the proper space and just a day after surgery, little Buttons was already going outside on his own. The doctors also removed several urine crystals that had already formed where the urine was going into his body. Without surgery, his body would have poisoned itself and he would have died very early. Thanks so much to all the supporters who made this surgery possible. Buttons will be up for adoption in about a week. 

Brandy now

Brandy at intake to CPR

Brandy, a very sweet shih tzu/maltese that came in severely matted and grossly overweight, got a checkup. I thought the rolling walk was just her, but it turns out that she has a badly luxated patella which must be fixed, eye infections and a mammary tumor that needs removed. As you can see form the before pictures, Brandy was not in good shape in her former home. I'm glad she was picked up as a stray for she has a sweet and affectionate personality and once these health issues are under control, she will make someone a wonderful pet.  

At the farm 

Our kennel spruce up continues! Maintenance Mike has completed the painting of the grooming room and laundry room and we moved back in to those areas. Our new washing machine also arrived and we're already trying to wear it. We do approximately 27 loads of laundry per day - our three machines stay busy. The stain and sealer for the kennel floor has been ordered! Our new look - violet and gray - is soothing and looks easier to keep clean. I can't wait to get the stain and sealer down on the big dog side and start on our little's side. Thank you to our benefactor who has made the dream of new floors come true. 

We're fixing them up, keeping them safe and finding them homes. Thank you for your donations and your support. Without it none of this would be possible.

China Ezzell and Tanya, a future adoptable dog, playing in the snow.

Dec 10 through Dec 16 2012

Weekly rundown 

Update on Josie 

Our featured pet a few weeks ago has had her vet visits and the results are not good. Josie has sebaceous adenitis. I found an easy to understand description on www.petmd.com: 

Sebaceous Adenitis in Dogs 

Sebaceous adenitis is a rare type of inflammatory skin disease that affects the skin glands of young and middle age dogs. This condition most commonly affects Poodles, Akitas, and Samoyeds, although other breeds -- and some cats (rarely) -- can also be infected. 

Symptoms and Types 

There are two primary types of sebaceous adenitis. One type occurs in long-coated animals, and the other type occurs in short-coated breeds. 

The signs and symptoms of sebaceous adenitis in long-coated breeds include the following symptoms: 

• Alopecia (hair loss) 

• Odor along the hairline 

• Small clumps of matted hair 

• Casts forming around the hair shaft 

• Hair that becomes dull and brittle or coarse 

• Intense itching along the hairline and scratching 

• Bacterial infections along the hair follicle 

• Silver-white scales on the skin 

• Clusters of skin lesions that form in certain areas of the head 

Fortunately for our girl, she has hair loss but no odor and no serious infection - yet. She has hair becoming dull and brittle but otherwise her skin isn't infected - yet. It will be if we don't do something quick. 

Following the advice of Dr. Robin Alexander of Piedmont Animal Hospital in Gaffney, were doing something. Josie was started on a 30 day round of antibiotics to help with skin infections that are lurking. She is also now on Vitamin A to support healthy skin and Dr. Alexander is also going to try a run of the drug cyclosporine and is researching the effects now. Last we are using a spray daily on her skin to help to hydrate and open up the hair shafts. It's all labor intensive but she's worth it. 

I've also gotten some great advice and referral sources from the Poodle Club of America's Rescue president, Cindy Crawley. PCA's rescue foundation is studying the DNA and pedigrees of dogs with SA to determine the genetic markers so we can avoid this disease in the future. SA can be controlled. It cannot be cured. Josie will have this all her life. 

Josie can be adopted to the right home who understands her condition and is willing to work with it. She is a classically regal standard poodle lady who wants to live the good life and be a partner and friend to the right owner. Is that you? 

Inky finds a home 

Last summer, I found myself reading an email about a "standard" poodle on Staten Island NY that needed a home. At 10, and with diabetes, no one in the family would care for the poodle and his owner was going into an assisted living facility that did not allow pets. (note to my readers - check out our Covenant Pet Care program. Don't get in this boat!). 

It was one of those things that fell into place quite quickly. I am allergic to diabetic dogs. Really, I am. Actually not to the dog himself but to the daunting task of sticking a needle into a body twice a day every day. And doing it on schedule. Schedule is not my middle name. Ask anybody who has had to wait for me (that would be most of you) for if a dog needs me, I go in that direction instead and hope the humans understand. 

But at 29 lbs according to the write up and vet records, and looking at the video, I felt he was a moyen and moyen's are often placed even with health issues. Further, I would not have to set up a transport because a previous adopter was sending her husband down to adopt another standard poodle. They live in Staten Island, Inky's location. 

In that video, Inky looked straight into the camera and he clearly spoke to me. This boy had a lot of life left in him. 

I set it up and imagine my surprise when George arrived with a bouncing - and grossly overweight miniature poodle. Hmm…..now I know why that video was shot from above. It made Inky look taller. 

So he was here and I got his supplies out and started teaching everyone around me how to give diabetic insulin injections. Fortunately Inky is highly food motivated so shake a bag of treats and he'd come running for his share. Staying on schedule was a bit intimidating but with a little help from friends - mostly caregiver Olivia Millwood and Wayne the Dogfather, we got it done. Inky is a highly regulated diabetic. An hour one way or another did not send him into a diabetic crisis or crash. 

Living on the farm was good for Inky. He went from 29 lbs to a svelte 15 lbs. He and the girls (Shardae, Princess and Sandy) would play for hours in the clearing beside the house. Running and romping were now daily parts of his life. He loved the barn. Horses are fascinating creatures that he can watch for hours. Inky can climb fences so we watched that carefully but after a time, he learned his boundaries and that the area around our farmhouse is his home unless mama was with and we would go for walks. He settled in and the only complaint I had was he actually lost too much weight. 

In late September, volunteers Dennis and Melinda Horn came up with adopter Brenda LeFevre. Brenda adopted my first diabetic foster, Sophie Wilson. I had high hopes she had room in her heart for another diabetic. Sadly, the two did not click. Brenda went home with a sweet little shih tzu and Inky stayed with me. Little did I know that Inky had been making his own hand-picked connection that day. I would not find out about it for a couple of months. 

I was setting up the 12 Dogs of Christmas list and had Inky on it, but I was not excited about it. Inky had proven himself to be stable, dependable and a lot of fun. He had a home here for life if he needed it. I took his name on and off the list a dozen times. 

I don't remember now which came first - the email, the text or the Facebook PM. I got all 3 and the message was the same. Board member, adopter and volunteer Melinda Horn had finally told Santa what she wanted for Christmas. 

The only thing on her list was Inky. 

The Horns had decided no more dogs a long time ago but Inky had been working his magic. The day the group was up, Inky had spent all his time hanging out with Melinda as she worked on our memory stones in the garden. Melinda had never forgotten the gregarious miniature poodle. As she told me, they had a number of healthy and happy furkids. It was time to help one that wasn't so lucky. 

When husband Dennis agreed that just one more was doable, Melinda then contacted me. Would I consider it? Of course. 

That was late on a Sunday night. Melinda was here bright and early on Monday am . That's saying something - it's a 3 hour drive. I am not sure she slept. Thank you Dennis and Melinda for giving this sweet kid a great forever home. 

New kids 

There is something so stunning about blue eyes on a poodle. I think it is because we don't expect them. For years, the only blue eyed poodle I had seen was a sweet little mini mixed named, appropriately, Frankie. Blue eyes. 

At least until this summer when a breeder somewhere in North Carolina started leaving blue eyed doodles in a shelter in startling numbers. We have received over 20 so far this year. Last week, four more came in. 

One of these is Blitzen. Blitzen is not a poodle or if he is, he's a case of DNA that went rogue. Blitzen looks much like a golden retriever with some collie thrown in. He is easy to startle right now but he also will come forward to investigate these strange new humans he now calls his. It will be fun to watch him come into his own. I asked our animal control contact to try to find a golden retriever group for Blitzen but she asked me to consider him anyway. High praise - she told me we were the easiest group they work with. We do what we say we are going to do. Thank you volunteers for helping that reputation! 

From the same group, we also welcomed Annika, Dagney and Ester. Two of these are very sweet and easy and one will need some work. Stay tuned as our caregivers work with this group to turn all of them into perfect pets. 

Greta's cottage 

Finally we got electricity! Work has been slowed by the lack of power but our local utility company, after a bit of prodding, finally got out and got us hooked up. Next week our maintenance team will lay the tile flooring, put the wallboards up, and finish resetting the door and change out the fixtures. Then all we will need is one new fence panel and Greta's cottage will welcome its first residents. Our goal is December 27 for that is the date of heartworm treatment for our first group and they will need a quiet place to recover. 

As always - we need you 

Ready to adopt? Our 12 Dogs of Christmas is in full swing. Please consider giving one of these very special pups a home. 

If you can't or are not ready to adopt right now, considering becoming a patron. CPR is a safe place for dogs to wait and our patrons and never say no supporters are the ones who make it possible for Dreamweaver Farms and CPR to exist. We are funded solely on donations and adoption fees and the generosity of others. To become a patron or see other ways to help, visit our webpage at http://carolinapoodlerescue.org/giving.shtml. 

Have a great week!

Donna Ezzell 

Director 

Carolina Poodle Rescue

December 3 to December 9 2012--Weekly rundown

Hit by Car! 

Imagine your horror to see the car hitting the brakes and smell rubber ripping into the road. Imagine the sick dread when you hear the thump, and then the whimper. Running towards the spot where the vehicle is leaving, you bend over the now still little bedraggled form and feel for a pulse while your eyes look out for telltale signs of blood from mouth or nose. Hand on the tiny chest, you feel the slightest movement. He's alive! 

Scooping the battered body up, you wince as he snaps and snarls and actually takes a nip out of you but you know it's only fear. The little fella, curly haired it looks like, can't stand up but he's still got fight and he sure didn't like being moved. However, move he must for this is a busy road and he is laying in the middle of it. 

Knocking on doors, you ask the kids playing in the neighborhood who the dog is and where does he belong for you know he needs medical attention and needs it now. They don't know. He's been hanging around for a few weeks and they've been throwing food at him. Then a parent comes out and remembers that the dog belonged to neighbors down the way. Neighbors who moved and left no forwarding address and didn't bother to pack the dog leash with the rest of their things. 

You wonder now what to do. You've got a hurt dog in your car that no one will admit to owning. You've got 7 pets of your own at home and you can't afford any more vet bills. What can you do? 

You call Marguerite Mebane at the Cleveland County Humane Society. Marguerite, a poodle lover as well as tireless humane society director, got the little poodle into the hands of a vet who confirmed nothing worse than a broken pelvis and tail. Cage rest for 8 to 12 weeks was the order of the day. That's when Marguerite called CPR. Humane societies must move quickly. Marguerite knew that at Dreamweaver Farms, the little poodle would find a safe place to wait while his injuries healed. 

Clover

But still he needed a name. The first time he was able to be taken out and towel walked, he went right to a 4 leaf clover and did his business! How's that for finding some luck. Clover it became and a new life was begun. 

During his time at the hospital, the vet went ahead and neutered the little poodle and gave him his vaccines and got all of that out of the way. Now it's a waiting game for Clover. He's on pain meds and cage rest and while a bit frustrated at the lack of activity for he feels much better now, he's doing well. He'll need X rays again in a few weeks to confirm that healing is done. Then it will be time for a new home, hopefully just in time for New Year's. 

Please come by our office if you get a chance and hold Clover for a while. And if there is a warm spot by your fire and in your heart, consider taking him home to keep him safe and no longer abandoned. He'll be forever grateful. 

The surprise adoption of the week 

As each dog comes in, someone is also finally going home. We only placed a handful this week but oh what wonderful ones they were. Let me tell you about one. 

His name is Cecil and he is in his 80's. I hope I'm that active when I am 80 for this gentleman didn't miss a beat. He had lost his longtime friend, a Pomeranian, and wanted another. We had 3 for him to choose from. He was here to find a fuzzy little lap dog and find one he did. 

But this adoption story isn't about him. It's about his daughter who insisted that she really must come with him just to help. 

Everyone grieves in a different way. Some do it by adopting before they lose a beloved pet. It is easier to say goodbye when there is someone at home to hold when the time comes. Some do it almost immediately after losing a pet, feeling that void too deeply to not fill it. And some wait days, then weeks and then months for many reasons. 

So here was this kind gentleman picking out a dog as his had passed and he missed his companion. And here was his adult daughter, who had also lost her dog, a husky, this summer but was not ready to go through that again. At least not for a long time. 

Wysteria

Enter Wysteria, a shy but sweet something (shepherd/poodle we think) mix picked up from a shelter with a group of golden doodles last August. She was the last one of that group. Wysteria, you see, did not look like a golden doodle or even a doodle/poodle anything or a golden anything or a shepherd anything. She looked like any garden variety medium sized mixed breed that you can find in any shelter. In short, she was the ugly duckling in a group or swans. 

Wysteria has grown and matured since coming to our sanctuary. A total wallflower in August, she now gently interacts with us, with other dogs and sometimes with strangers. She had been in the adoption center for a meet and greet with another family when Cecil and his daughter came in. 

Wysteria touched Sandy in a most fundamental way. This dog needed help. There was potential here if only someone would give her some gentle direction. Being able to help, this was a good reason to face the pain one day of losing a pet again. 

Sandy filled out the application at my computer and I did our interview on the spot. I am very careful about our process but I knew that in this case, like father like daughter. Cecil's love for his pets was obvious and he had instilled that same love for animals into his daughter. 

Cecil chuckled while we were doing paperwork and said "I knew she was going to take a dog home." Guess this was a case where father did know best.

Parade time! 

CPR was on the move this week with our participation in the Gaffney SC Christmas parade. One watcher told our walkers that CPR was the best part of the floats for her. Poodles and more strutted around our maintenance department's pickup, some riding high in the back and others running and passing candy into the crowd. It's a lot of fun and we're glad the poodles and their friends are such crowd pleasers. 

A vendor with a heart 

Very special thanks to Parkers Carpet One Floor and Home in Spartanburg for donating over 30 pieces of thick vinyl to use in our crates with no bottoms. Thanks also to Parkers for letting us get a large piece of vinyl for Greta's cottage at a significant discount. Salute! 

Recap 

8 dogs found homes this week. We are seeing a downturn in adoption applications and I can only speculate that it is from our country's own looming financial issues that are making adopters nervous about taking on a responsibility like a dog. 

If you can't or are not ready to adopt right now, considering becoming a patron. CPR is a safe place for dogs to wait and our patrons and never say no supporters are the ones who make it possible for Dreamweaver Farms and CPR to exist. We are funded solely on donations and adoption fees and the generosity of others. To become a patron or see other ways to help, visit our webpage at http://carolinapoodlerescue.org/giving.shtml 

Have a great week 

Donna Ezzell 

Director 

Carolina Poodle Rescue

November 26, 2012 to December 2, 2012

Weekly rundown 

It was a fulfilling week at Dreamweaver Farms. We found great homes for great dogs and we welcomed in a number of dogs who need us now. 

Welcome Josie 

Josie

Welcome Josie, our newest special needs standard poodle. Josie has been bounced around a bit in her 5 years and we hope to stop that now and get her settled into her forever home but first, we need to find out what is wrong. 

Josie has no hair. At least no poodle hair to speak of. Were you to see her in a shelter, you would say poodle mix for she has the classic body of a standard poodle but what hair she has is slick and her topknot is a Mohawk! 

Josie did not look this way a year ago when she went to live with a family in Asheville. They had taken her in when friends were moving and could not care for her. Those friends had taken her in from an older couple who found the young and bouncy puppy too much for them. The new owner noted the hair loss after a vacation to Montana last year. When they returned, Josie stopped growing hair and eventually it came to what you see now. Knowing that they were not the best home anyway (Josie chased their horses and the owner was having to keep her locked up all the time) the family turned to CPR and asked if we would take her in. 

Josie is a sweet and loving girl who is getting along well with others, 2 and 4 legged. She has had her first vet visit and she does not have thyroid issues, demodex mange or anything wrong with major organs. She had a deep skin punch biopsy done last week and we are waiting on results. I'll keep you posted. 

Hello and good bye Precious! 

Precious

Every adoption is special but some make me smile even more than usual. Precious, a 6 year old Maltese, was on the urgent urgent list at Greenville Animal Control the week of Thanksgiving. Given up by her owner because they had too many animals, the tiny little girl was being overlooked most likely because of her age. At 6 a Maltese is barely into adulthood but some don't see it that way. 

Precious was once well loved and even came in with her registration papers. She snuggled into her foster mom's heart very quickly. CPR's policy is to do a 2 week temperament and health hold to insure the animals we are placing are over whatever they may have brought with them from a shelter and to make sure we can see the real personality. Precious was being brought in for pictures on Saturday by her foster mom Laura. She had been so easy already, I decided to introduce her to Jenny, one of our adopter's (and a friend of my son's) and was placing her into Jenny's arms when Karen of Hampstead NC came out of the meet and greet room where she was being introduced to poodles. 

I saw Karen's eyes light up and then a look of panic when I handed Precious to Jenny. Karen waited what I am betting was an excruciatingly long two minutes before Jenny looked up at her and asked if she would like to hold Precious. 

30 minutes later, adoption papers were complete, and Precious feet had yet to hit the ground. I bet they still haven't. This will be one loved dog. Special thanks to Sharon Smith who sponsored Precious into CPR. 

Then there was Dolly 

Dolly

It is rare for a beautiful lady standard poodle to stay at Dreamweaver Farms very long. Dolly, 3 years old, white, house trained, wonderful on a leash, does well with other dogs, etc. etc. should have been here less than two weeks yet since her acceptance in mid October, she has steadfastly refused to interact with an adopter. She would get on the couch and ignore them. She would take treats and then ignore them. What was she waiting for?

Turns out she was waiting for kids. Two to be exact. Her little girl is 8 and her little boy is 6. I had warned the family that Dolly could often be a bit stand offish. Dolly walked into my office, saw those youngsters and was anything but. The family met a few other dogs, but Dolly never left the room and as you can see, is now firmly in their hearts. 

Greta's Cottage is here! 

Greta's Cottage

Thanks to everyone who donated and most especially to Jen Reel and her family who funded the entire amount asked for! In honor, we've asked Jen to name the cottage and she has selected the name Greta's Cottage in honor of her CPR toy poodle, Greta. Jen is also selecting the theme. Here is an excerpt from her note to me discussing how we are going to decorate Greta's cottage: 

With regard to themes, a few things come to mind if there is a way to incorporate them. The first is the color pink. It is Greta's signature color. Her color is pink, all of her shirts are pink, etc. The second thing is dandelions. I am currently writing a book on dandelions that is premised around finding the positives in life rather than seeing things as negatives (too many people see dandelions as a weed). I know that pink and dandelions are random, but they are really the 2 things that are most important to her and to us. 

Thanks also to all of our supporters who also made possible an improvement that will allow us to grow. Because donations went so well, we were able to revamp our current power system and put up a separate pole that will support up to 10 cottages in the future. All of our existing cottages now have their lines buried so that no lines can fall on any unsuspecting pups. 

The first residents will be moving in to Greta's cottage as early as this weekend if the paint dries and we get the fences up. Our first group will be our heartworm positive dogs who will be starting treatments. During treatment, heartworm positive dogs need a quiet place to rest. Greta's cottage will offer them just that. 

Recap 

All together, 15 dogs found forever homes this week thanks to your contributions and support. Thank you. Together, we can make a difference. 

One by one until there are none.