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.

05/07/12 to 05/13/12

Dasia

Adoptions

10 of our pups found forever homes this week including two with volunteers and employees. Caregiver Cassie Oakes loved our Anatolian girl Dasia from the minute she saw her. Volunteer Diane Wood had been waiting on just the right fit for several weeks. Holly, a sweet standard girl, jumped into her arms and said 'I'm here to stay.' Diane had contemplated switching to a miniature but when the honey colored large variety of poodle picked her out, she couldn't say no. You can downsize in a few years Diane. Holly obviously had other plans for you.

Marsha, a silver miniature poodle and Timone our mislisted peke mix who it turns out is actually a Tibetan terrier found laps as well as Bradley the oversize toy from Columbia. Also adopted were Marie, a spaniel mix, Audrey, Godiva and Forest a senior toy poodle. We always rejoice when a senior goes home.

But it was Elton John, the Portuguese Water Dog, who stole the show this week. Want to know how? Keep reading. Elton's story is in our health segment.

New Dogs

9 newcomers made their way to our sanctuary.

Caitlyn

Kent - senior apricot miniature poodle found as a stray in the Greenville SC area. Kent is a lost boy and is also a member of the Grumpy Old Men Club for he doesn't like to be messed with much. It's okay, he's a poodle and he loves to eat. He has a place with us for as long as he chooses to hang out. 

Caitlyn - senior white toy poodle, found as stray but she had a collar and tag and after a few calls to locate the owner, the shelter found that Caitlyn's owner had passed away. She was once a loved companion Sophie - standard poodle, owner cannot care for 

Chloe - 1 year old maltipoo, Chloe was turned into the Columbia shelter by her owner after they didn't want her anymore. Patches of Raleigh - a sweet little poodle mix girl whose owner's health declined and could no longer take care of her. 

Astrix

Astrix - a Chihuahua mix found as a stray in Columbia SC, Joni pulled Astrix in honor of Tonya who was adopted in New York. Gotta have a Chihuahua around! 

Cherry - lab mix and best friends with Samantha, owner losing her home to bankruptcy 

Samantha - poodle mix and best friends with Cherry, owner losing her home to bankruptcy 

Cody

Cody - tiny 3 lb senior toy poodle found as a stray in Columbia SC

Health Front

Taking care of the health of our seniors in an ongoing task. We realize that most of these will live out their lives with us. It makes this team more determined than ever to take the best possible care that we can of our dogs for whom we are their forever home.

One of those is Max, a senior cocker spaniel. Max has been in the health news now for several months. His ear infection is not improving. I scheduled appointment for Max was a specialist. I will keep you posted.

Nigel, a sweet little cockapoo who was found as a stray, came down with pneumonia. With their systems stressed from no home, new food, new water and often times in horrible condition anyway, the surprising fact is that more of our new arrivals don't come down with pneumonia.

Nigel

Nigel, skin and bones once the mats were taken off, faced all of this and more including neuter surgery and then an extended stay in the shelter since we were in New York and could not make picked up on time. Fortunately he's on the mend and being ill got him a brand-new foster home. He needed a quiet place to recover and Carol Ervin offered just that.

Remington

Sadly we lost one. His name was Remington and he was a red toy poodle, a senior, in foster care. Even the vets are baffled as to why his blood sugar plummeted with no warning. His foster mom had him in to the doctors as fast as her car would take her but it wasn't soon enough. We'll never know why this little one came and went so fast but he will always be remembered. 

Elton John, a Portuguese Water dog, was the case this week that caused me to smile. Elton was originally listed as a labradoodle. Found as a stray just outside of Memphis, Tennessee, Elton had a bit of a bad boy reputation in the shelter because he would fence fight with the other dogs. If you don't know what fence fighting is it is dogs snarling away at each other as if they are ready to take each other's throats out but with a chain link fence safely between the two. It's a bar room brawl before the fists start flying. We see a lot and most of the time if you put the two combatants face-to-face suddenly they are best friends. Not everyone knows this and sometimes the two do fight so rather than put Elton into foster care and risk another's dogs we chose to board him.

Fortunately, it turned out Elton was all bark and not much else. Shelters are frightening places with many people and animals coming and going. The vet clinic was much calmer. Elton, when ready for transport to the sanctuary, was now two weeks out of the shelter and the bad boy was turning into a mush puppy who just loved everything.

During Elton's journey he stayed with one of our patrons in Knoxville who happens to have a Portuguese water dog (PWD or portie) who was also originally described as a labradoodle. Please understand that you see very few PWDs in rescue so it is no wonder we can't see one when we're looking at one. The Fischer's identified Elton for the first time as very possibly a portie.

Because they are so rare, word gets around quickly when a PWD is found. After Elton arrived, a member of the Portuguese Water Dog club ask if she could come and meet and evaluate Elton. She told me later she came down fully expecting to explain to me why this was not her favorite breed of dog. She left shaking her head and wishing she had room to foster him herself. Elton did indeed have every characteristic of the PWD's.

While he was being boarded, a front leg that jutted out and forward as if broken was X-rayed to see if anything could be done to correct it. Elton can put weight on it but he cannot actually use it to walk or run. It functions as a pivot when he turns and as a resting point when he is still.

No matter what the breed the boy still needed his leg fixed so we set out to try to do just that. Our regular vet is a real expert with bones. Dr. Bryant took a look at the x-rays and then examined Elton. It turns out it wasn't a broken leg it was a dislocated shoulder. Unfortunately it had been out so long that the tendons had contracted, forcing the bone away from the socket where it belonged. Best guess is a car accident. Under sedation Dr. Bryant attempted to return the shoulder bones where they belonged. Unfortunately, it didn't work. We were now headed to a specialty clinic.

While waiting for his appointment with the bone specialist, Elton's profile was listed on our website. The Portuguese water dog club also profiled the bouncing boy, and we received several applications thanks to their referrals. It was tough, but a family from Greenville, a pair of newlyweds came to visit with Elton before the appointment. They fell in love with him, gimp leg and all.

Elton John

The long-awaited day came this week and I drove Elton to Greenville. We met with Dr. Allen at Upstate Veterinary Specialists. Dr. Allen is known for his work in orthopedics. I once had a local vet tell me, "those guys think bones are silly putty."

Dr. Allen checked out the x rays and then checked out Elton. He was down on the floor with Elton checking that leg from every angle and playing with him, one of the things I especially love about Dr. Allen. He likes dogs and has a rescue of his own. Elton enjoyed the attention and responded with a lot of play bows. It was fun to watch.

Yet the more Dr. Allen touched and checked the leg the more I saw the smile leave his face. He finally looked at me and said sadly that the damage was too great and had gone on too long. There was nothing short of taking the leg off that he could do.

We are frequent visitors to Upstate Vet Specialists. They are expensive but they give us discounts and the level of care from all of the specialists make their price worth it. Just walking in the door for a consult is over $100, a price I was prepared to pay. But this time, Dr. Allen gave another gift to our bouncing portie boy. "There is no charge today for you guys," he said and smiled. My mouth dropped open. I had never had fees waived at UVS. Our boy was touching people in many ways.

Our selected adoptive couple was on pins and needles and they were calling and texting me before I even got out of the office. I gave them the bad news and was greeted with joy. While it would have been fabulous to have been able to restore Elton, remember they loved him just the way he was. Now there would not be a long wait. Now there would not be months of rehab. Elton's new life could start now. Wearing the handmade collar that his original transporter, Vickie, had made for him, the excited family picked him up the very next day.

Happy beginnings Elton.

Rehab homes come in for training

We call our fosters rehab homes instead of foster homes because in our system, these generous families bring our neediest dogs from unadoptable to happily taken home. Our first training for these homes was this weekend. Led by our rehab home coordinator, Debi Raby, our families travelled from all over the Carolina's and Georgia to spend a weekend at our sanctuary learning and sharing what they know.

Debi is a careful and thorough teacher. She covered everything from getting your new foster dog settled, basic first aid, to how to teach your new dog to walk on a leash, to handing the leash to their new forever home. Rehab homes are the bridge, working to resolve either behavior or medical issues so that those that are less than adoptable can still become the kind of pet that owners are proud to own. Thank you to Debi and to her team of rehab homes for their time and their work to bring out the best in our pets.

If you are interested in learning more about our rehab program, please contact Debi at debi@carolinapoodlerescue.org.

Round up

That was the week….we're bringing them in, fixing them up and finding homes. Thanks so much for your support - it is the foundation on which we are built. Without you, none of this would happen. Thank you.

Donna Ezzell 

Director 

Dreamweaver Farms, home of Carolina Poodle Rescue 

www.carolinapoodlerescue.org 

864 580 0639 

Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not. ~Dr. Seuss

4/30/2012 to 5/06/2012

Adoptions

Aiden

All together 10 dogs found homes this week. Little Aiden, our little guy from New York who preferred to come back south, found a wonderful couple from Georgia to take him home. He has given then some challenges but they are working through it.

It is always with joy that I place a dog with a longtime supporter and volunteer. Linda Murawski has run many a transport for CPR and adopted a senior toy boy several years ago - a failed transport for her. This time it was a sweet little girl will just arrived from a local shelter. Linda new at the moment she saw her. Thank you Linda for your support and for once again opening your home and your heart to a little rescue who needs you.

Also adopted - Pandora and little Donna, Apollo and Sinjin standard poodles and Arianna the doodle, Duncan the doodle and Boomer, a shih tzu mix. We also finalized the adoption of Porter Wagoner, one of the 12 Dogs of Christmas. Porter has been waiting several months for his new Canadian family to fetch him and it was a wonderful match. Thanks

New Dogs

Seiko

Keiko

We took in 9 dogs this week including 3 standards (Swayze, Gracie and Mac) and two sweet little cockers that were on the kill list at the York SC shelter. Ruby will most likely stay with us her life. She is older and has vision problems. The dog we think is her son, named Sonny, is heartworm positive but otherwise much younger and fairly healthy. Once the heartworms are taken care of I think he will make someone a good companion. If we can place the two together, we will for they are very close. Timone a Tibetan spaniel came in and two shih tzu/poodle mixes Keiko and Seiko also arrived. Bradley, a toy poodle puppy found as a stray in Columbia (amazing) is here but not for long. He's already got potential adopters.

It is spring and the needs I hear about are many. We are holding our own with adoptions and for that I am grateful.

Health Front

There is one condition that standard poodles can get that you can guard against with only limited success. It's called bloat and it is life threatening and immediate. There is a lot of controversy on bloat. No one is immune from it. No standard poodle is not at risk for it throughout their lives. There are trends of course. It strikes more middle aged standard poodles than young ones but it can also take out the youngsters. It tends to be somewhat inherited although a bloat case can happen at any time in a line that has never seen bloat before. There is some success with prophalytic tacking of the stomach before it can bloat hand but not all vets agree with the procedure. It does not stop a bloat; it simply keeps a stomach from twisting during the bloating process which buys more time.

No matter what reason you may come up with for a standard poodle to bloat one thing is for sure. Once you recognize the signs, you have about two hours. If you do not get your dog into the hands of a surgeon skilled enough to handle the necessary and delicate operation, your dog is going to die. There is no other end for bloat. There is nothing you can do to get him through it. The only thing an ordinary person can do is drive like a maniac for the nearest hospital. This is a case where minutes matter.

Black Jack

Last Saturday, our caregivers got to hone their bloat skills when they came in to open the kennel at 7 am to find Black Jack, a 100 lb. standard poodle, in severe distress. He did not want to get up, he was drooling badly and his eyes flashed pain. I had no help with the house dogs and could not leave but thankfully it was Saturday. Wayne was home and at 7:35 am he was already dressed. I sent him to the kennel with instructions to head towards Spartanburg and keep his phone on for I was not yet sure if we would do Spartanburg emergency, Greenville emergency or a local vet.

Why the uncertainty? Remember - it was Saturday morning and in our town, the local emergency vet closes at 8 am because most of the regular vets are open for a few hours. But it was a glorious spring Saturday morning. The experienced vets were all on the golf course. The new guys, the ones who had never done a surgery this complicated, were on duty.

I called Spartanburg emergency first because our primary surgery vet, Westside, is a part owner in the emergency clinic. The receptionist let me know that the doctor was just leaving and I would need to find another option. I asked who was on for these vets all know us and when I found out it was Dr. Mornay, I asked to speak to him even though he was heading out the door. Dr. Mornay not only works emergency, he also fills in at one of our vet clinics and knows CPR well. When he found out who was on the line, he picked up the phone. When he heard of Black jack's deteriorating condition, he also started calling around to see if he could find Dr. Bryant. Meanwhile I was emailing Dr. B knowing he would get the info on his blackberry.

I called the next nearest vet to get yet another young vet who did not know how to do the surgery. However, she reminded me of a life saving measure that I had used with Jacob the standard the year before and then forgotten about. If I could divert Wayne over to this clinic, she could decompress and stabilize Black Jack and then we could proceed to Greenville Emergency having bought at least two more hours.

Finally, we had a plan. It could save his life. My treasurer was going to get more grey hairs because I was looking at about $3,000 but what the heck. It's only money.

Now this is when things got downright strange. Do you believe in coincidences? I don't. Not this many.

Wayne's cell phone was dead. He had forgotten to charge it. I could not reach him. Frantically trying to divert him to a different vet, I was trying email, text and voice and getting nothing. He had realized it and not knowing what else to do, headed for our primary vet, Westside. Coincidence #1 - a cell phone dies just when it is needed the most. Normally that is a tragedy. Read on.

Not able to reach me, Wayne headed to our primary vet. He arrived at just before 9 am. The clinic does not open until 9:30 am on Saturday's. He went around to the back and found an open door and there was Dr. Ames, the young vet we have been seeing regularly. Coincidence #2 - that door is supposed to be locked. It wasn't. Coincidence #3, Dr. Ames was early that day. Hmm…

Dr. Ames got me on the phone and I gave him a brief rundown of Black Jack's history and then asked if he could do a bloat surgery. No, not yet but he could do a decompression and stabilization. Then we could go on to Greenville Emergency. While I was talking to Dr. Ames, I was emailing Dr. Bryant to keep him advised of the situation. I was shocked to get an email back from Dr. Bryant. He had gotten the messages and was on the way in to the office, ready to do the surgery. Coincidence #4 - one of the best surgical vets in the county with much experience in this procedure just happened to not be on the golf course yet. Hmm…

Black Jack was in surgery before 10 am. Remember that time is of the essence in bloat cases and from when we found him to decompression was 2 hours and to surgery was just over 3 hours. Gratefully, we spent nowhere near as much as we would have going the emergency room route since our primary vet supports us with discounted services. I don't mind spending the money, but emergency funds are once again getting low and saving on one means we can help to save another.

That all this happened on a Saturday is truly amazing to me. I think that Black Jack is here for a reason and still has something to do. Hang in there big guy - a forever home is waiting for you soon.

Fundraising

T-shirt orders went out and this year we're offering tank tops! Today is the last day to order. We order twice per year. http://carolinapoodlerescue.org/volunteershirts.shtml

We can't feed those dogs on good thoughts alone. We need your help to keep up these lifesaving efforts. Adoption fees alone will not support any sanctuary that offers not just routine care but extraordinary care when it's needed such as Black Jack's.

Are you enjoying the weekly updates? Am I showing you that we're putting your money to good use? If so, please consider joining our Never Say No campaign and pledging $15 per month to keep our small sanctuary going. Our ultimate goal is 1500 Never Say No supporters to sustain our efforts. We are currently at a little over 300 supporters. Can you help us get to that 1500 supporter level? Every donation is appreciated and used for the needs of the dogs.

Patrons are our lifeline. Patrons are recognized in many ways including having their dogs not adopted from CPR covered with our Covenant Pet Care program. Patrons receive recognition in our sanctuary and receive reduced adoption fees. Patrons are essential to our success.

Does one of our special needs dogs especially touch your heart? Help us keep it up. Every single dollar helps to keep us providing all the care these dogs need - the routine and the extraordinary.

Round up

That was the week….we're bringing them in, fixing them up and finding homes. Thanks so much for your support - it is the foundation on which we are built. Without you, none of this would happen. Thank you.

Donna Ezzell 

Director 

Dreamweaver Farms, home of Carolina Poodle Rescue 

www.carolinapoodlerescue.org 

864 580 0639 

Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not. ~Dr. Seuss

Weekly rundown for 4/23/2012 to 4/29/2012

Adoptions

It was New York week and for the 3rd year in a row, Laura Karas and I made our way to just outside the Big Apple in a suburb called White Plains NY. It is an event we hope changes lives, both 2 and 4 leggeds. The magic was everywhere and we had a highly successful event with 17 dogs finding homes.

Laura and I rolled out of the parking lot at the farm Thursday about 9:30 am. We had a check in at a local vet to get the last 4 health certificates finished and then it was headed for Moosic PA, a long 10 hours away. Thanks to a lot of road delays, and two multiple dog potty breaks, we did not get to our host's house until 1 am. You know you have a dedicated volunteer when you arrive in the middle of the night with 17 little dogs and 1 big one and then have to walk and potty everybody. This is the second year that Carol and John McCullough have opened their big hearts to CPR (our first year we went through DC and Kitty Kovarik kindly hosted us. These are all brave people!). We finally settled into bed about 3 am knowing we could sleep late the next day as it's an easy two hour drive to New York from the McCullouch's.

You can't sleep late when you have 17 little dogs (and one big one) depending on you. We got up at 9 and let the kids all play in the McCullouch's big back yard for a bit to get the energy out from being cooped up the day before. Carol had referred her gardening friend Donna to CPR and Donna had spied Henry the bichon on our webpage. She came over to do her meet and greet and she loved everything she saw so our first adopter became official and little Henry had a home. After the adoption, we brought everyone in from their fun time and then it was time to put everybody back up and head out to White Plains.

Best Friends Animal Society hosts the adoptathon and they do it right. The rules are strenuous. Each animal has to be checked by a veterinarian before departing their respective states. Upon arrival, each animal is checked in and several veterinarians are on site and available to examine a dog that may be stressed from the journey or answer questions and they review our paperwork to make sure we've crossed our t's and dotted our i's. It's very thorough and I appreciate that. It means better safety for all the pets. We checked in and everything checked out. Volunteers Lynn Benden and Maribeth McCauley met us and we got everything out of the van and set up. Our larger dogs (over 10 lbs) were settled in their pens and as late as it was at that point, Maribeth offered to do last walk duty so Laura and I could get to our hotel. Thank you Maribeth!

We headed to our hotel and to meet George and Tina McNee, volunteers and adopters who were here to meet Jake the Milkshake, a very special brown standard poodle that the McNee's were considering making their own.

It was dark by now with temperatures down in the 40's and the wind blowing like crazy. Laura and I had all the tiny dogs with us - all 10 of them so we had our two exercise pens set up outside the hotel and had all these little southern sweethearts out there shivering in this crazy wind that kept threatening to pick up a few of our tiny ones and whisk them away! Tina has 7 little special needs little dogs of her own and she was having the same trouble plus trying to walk all of them on leash and so we got our guys up and got hers into the exercise pens and finally, everybody had finished business and was back into warm areas. Tina and George each came in separately with their standard Max and slowly Max and Jake warmed up to each other. Adoption number two of the weekend became a reality.

The next morning bright and early, Laura and I loaded up the tiny dogs and off we went to the Westchester County Center. Refreshed with a good night sleep, an extra-large cup of coffee and one of those hotel breakfast's we were on a mission. Our goal was to place every dog we had brought.

We had a fabulous team this year. For the first year I had an experienced adoption counselor on site and I was overjoyed. Lynn Benden is from New York and has been on board with CPR for almost a year screening applications. Barbara Ann Rankin from Philadelphia was assisting in her third year at the super adoption event. Maribeth McCauley, an adopter from last year had planned to volunteer just on Friday. When she saw that only Laura and I had come up from the sanctuary she cleared her schedule and stayed the entire day on Saturday. This may have been Maribeth's first year as a volunteer but she took to it like a natural and I hope we see her in the years to come.

Laura Karas is also in her third year at this event and has been volunteering with CPR for many many years. Rounding out our team was new volunteer George McNee. George was everywhere on Saturday, assisting in every way you could imagine from carrying dogs to walking dogs to carrying crates to on the spot temp testing of both people and dogs, making sure the best people possible made it to Lynn and then to me. We also had the assistance of many of the Best Friends volunteers that we have come to know and love including Joann Mangiaracina, and the Sena's, both who adopted from CPR our first year. It's always wonderful to see our New York friends and hear how well their CPR dogs are doing. Sending out a big thank you to our team.

Joe

We were almost ready. We had a few last minute things to do but didn't finish most of them before the doors opened, the music started and the people came pouring in. It really didn't matter that our posters were not perfect. These folks had come to look at dogs and we had dogs.

Our very first adoption was our sweet cocker spaniel Joe. Found as a stray in Gaffney, this calm, unassuming gentleman had gone unnoticed in our sanctuary. A retired couple had come by our booth hoping to adopt a cock-a-poo. They took one look at Joe and that was it. He was perfect for their gentle and easy existence. One down.

I always consider it good luck when the first adoption goes so well. I found out over the next several hours that luck would hold over and over again. Once Joe went home it just got crazy. At one point I think we had six people in line and I was doing group checkouts, with groups of 3 signing their paperwork. Everyone was so patient and so kind. They held their dogs and played with them, swapped animal stories with the others waiting, and made memories I hope they can keep forever.

Fantasia

Fantasia, the little white cock-a-poo that had been seized in the winter after being found tied to a doghouse with half of her puppies dead inside snuggled happily in her new daddy's arms half asleep and obviously content. She'll never be tied outside in January again. Nutmeg the terrier abandoned at a shelter on Christmas Eve bounced along on his new leash with his new dad headed for agility classes. Checkers, who we had incorrectly listed as a Lhasa, was happy perched in the lap of a New York city entertainment attorney who knew a Tibetan terrier when she saw one and was determined that this one would be hers. One of our adopters had relocated to New York from Charleston SC. It seemed fitting to her to take home a toy poodle named Magnolia from her own home state. One by one wonderful people filled out our application, went through questioning first by those with the dogs, then more questioning by Lynn, and finally they got to me where they got even more questions and a lecture on what I would do if they ever didn't take care of their new pups. (See the video of Fantasia's adoption.)

Sapphire

Barbara Ann, one of our volunteers, could not put down little Sapphire the toy poodle. We had brought a Chihuahua for Barbara Ann to foster, a shy and timid little girl named Tanya but a couple that had come promising themselves they were just going to look saw Tanya and suddenly looking was over. They held Tanya for a long time to make sure. Tanya was always sure. She would not let go. (See Tanya's adoption video.)

I could go on because all of the adoptions had a special theme or a touching moment. However, there are two stories that stand out because of the actions of the people in them. One was Terrance the terrier mix and the other was for Zechariah the Pekingese.

Terrance: Earlier in the week I had been running through the sanctuary, a million details on my mind when I stopped in the middle run. There was Terrance looking at me. Terrance had been found as a stray a little over a year ago with his buddy Carson and had gone to New York with us last year. Carson had found a home but Terrance had come back and here he sat. I cannot tell you why on that Monday before we left on Thursday that I added Terrance to the list but I did. Joni saw that Terrance was going and called Carson's family to let them know that we would be back in town. Perhaps they knew someone looking for a friendly little dog? Instead, the family decided that a reunion was in order. "We have enough love for two," they declared. Sometimes you have to listen to that little voice that says do something. There is a reason. (See the video.)

Zechariah

Zechariah: Through the day I kept watching as Zechariah, a purebred white Pekingese I had pulled from the Union SC shelter, was overlooked time and time again. I had made a special trip to our clinic to make sure that Zechariah was ready to go. I felt strongly that his home was waiting on him.
Could I have been wrong? It was well after three o'clock and the crowds were thinning out when Laura told me that a potential adopter had gone home to get their dog to see if the two boys would get along. I hoped they would return. Sometimes people do and sometimes they don't. Then about four o'clock a lady came in. She had just gotten there and saw Zechariah. She asked for an application started filling out. 

I was still working with others so didn't think much of this development until Laura told me that the folks from earlier in the day had returned with their golden retriever and that Zechariah and Max the golden were doing a meet and greet. The two boys were having a great time chasing balls. Large dogs and small dogs don't always get along but in this case the two were doing perfectly together. Suddenly my little boy had not one home but two. Problem was I only had one Pekingese and all of the other dogs were now placed.

Lynn interviewed both families and came to me with the bad news. They were both fabulous. One of the Best Friends adoption counselors looked over the info on both homes as she had experience with Pekingese. I asked each adoption counselor which homes they would pick not knowing the dog very well. They each picked a different home and each of them had very valid arguments for why their pick would be the best for Zechariah. They weren't going to make this easy on me.

I interviewed both potential adopters. On the one hand I had a comfortable couple who lived in White Plains. Mom was a homemaker who enjoyed taking Max to training classes and for rides just for fun. Their golden was well cared for, well socialized, and a joy to be around. Brenda was on the floor tossing balls for both dogs, accepting kisses from both dogs and very much enjoying watching Max finally have a friend. It was a perfect scenario.

My other adopter was a single professional, a registered nurse. For the last several years she has not only maintained her own job but also provided care for her aging parents. Her father had passed and her mother was now living in an assisted living facility. Sally was back living in her family's home, but she was alone. Her childhood pet had been a white Pekingese. I found Sally to be caring, compassionate, and already very bonded to Zechariah in just a few minutes spending time with him.

I didn't know what to do. No decision would be right. Someone was going to be disappointed. I finally went with my family with the golden retriever for no other reason than they got their first.

I told Sally my decision. I offered to find a white Pekingese for her. With our network of shelters and rescue groups I knew I could.

Sally could not stop the tears as much as she tried. Was I sure, she asked? Was I absolutely sure? He was everything she had been seeking and had waited so long to have it slip away. She confessed how lonely she was and when she saw Zechariah she felt that finally she had something to depend on and care for. At this point we were both crying. I asked her if she would wait a minute.

I went back to Brenda and told her where we were. She watched Max and Zechariah play for a bit and then she sighed. She gave Zechariah a big hug. And then she let him go. She said that she had a dog and she had a family. It was Sally's turn.

I walked back over to Sally with Zechariah bouncing along on his leash, oblivious to the drama he was creating. Her face lit up and the tears started again. We sat on the steps and she buried her face in Zechariah's fur and promised that he would always have a wonderful home. She hopes eventually to have Zechariah certified as a therapy dog.

Aiden

Sally said thank you to this family who had made such a big sacrifice for her. As I had promised Sally I now promised to them I will find a white Pekingese. I am trying to keep that promise.

P.S. - I was not quite correct in saying that everything we took with us was adopted. One poodle decided he didn't want to be adopted. Little Aiden, a 4 lb black toy poodle from Alabama, was decidedly not happy in New York. He expressed his displeasure by growling and ducking into his crate and not coming out. He had been great at the hotel and on the road so I was really surprised at his actions at the event. We took Aiden back home with us and will find him a home. (Aiden has been adopted!)

New Dogs

It's spring. That means the dogs are flowing in. Six new dogs made their way to Dreamweaver Farms, seeking a safe place to stay. Look for Parker, Wheeler, Moguai, Pandora, Cosmo and Norman on a web site near you soon.

Health Front

I am quite proud of my team this week. With me out of town, they had to make the most difficult decision that we ever make. We had to let one go. They did it in the right time and in the right way with much compassion.

Chia

The dog is Chia, our saucy, sassy, senior Chow Chow. Chia was one of those dogs who just grew on you. He was found two years ago at Christmas by one of our adopters. They took a wrong turn out of our parking lot and almost hit the horribly matted dog who was dragging a chain down Highway 18. He had obviously escaped his tether but the chain was still with him. It was well after dark and a black dog on a black road on a black night is usually a recipe for a dead dog. Instead our adopters were going slow and saw the mess and we came down and picked him up.

The funny thing about chains and poodle rescue is they don't go together. It took three of us 15 minutes to figure out how to get that thing off his neck. It did finally take bolt cutters. From there it was off to the tub for a shave down with him trying to bite us the whole time. Once shaved down and wearing a pink sweater it was very difficult to consider him a threat or menace. With his funny walk, he had some sort of injury to one of his front legs and he kept it stilted, and his attempts - and his misses - to bite with worn down teeth and aging eyes that could not see what he was trying to bite, we all learned very quickly that Chia was a big baby. He became our pet. He had one potential adopter but sadly she had cats and Chia did not like cats.

He stayed with us. We took care of him. And when his kidneys failed, we held him and we let him go gently. His head was in Amanda's lap as he passed peacefully. He may not have had a real home in the way we want all of our dogs to have a real home but we gave him the best that we could. He seemed quite happy with it. Good night Chia.

Fundraising

Stay tuned in the next few weeks for some fun things to be happening to help CPR stay afloat and help put you more in touch with the animals.

Round up

New York week is exhilarating and exhausting. It's become a tradition we enjoy and a challenge to find the right mix of dogs to take. All together, over 300 animals found permanent homes through the adoptathon. It is exciting to be part of this event. I am looking forward to next year finding great homes for great dogs.

Donna Ezzell 

Director 

Dreamweaver Farms, home of Carolina Poodle Rescue www.carolinapoodlerescue.org 864 580 0639 

Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not. ~Dr. Seuss