Top of the week was nothing but rain rain rain. None of us are happy when it rains, not the 2 leggeds and not the 4 leggeds. Only the cats snug in their warm cottage seem to say take it or leave it. A few of our dogs love it and getting them back in is a challenge but for the most part, it's hustle out, do things quickly and then beg to get back in. It's harder to clean but we manage and wait for the sun to come out. Thankfully by the end of the week we had nothing but sunny days.
The good news was both Tokyo and Chia came home! Tokyo, a very quiet and reserved little man, is doing well and is looking for a home now. Chia is also doing well. He's gotten a haircut and is sporting a new sweater when the weather is chilly. He's back to greeting and meeting visitors as they come into the sanctuary proper. He still drags one back leg, but otherwise you'd be amazed at how well he's doing. Dogs do not react to strokes as we do. For his age, every day is a gift so we're going to enjoy what we have with him.
A very interesting vet visit showed me the benefits of acupuncture on dogs. I'm writing an entire article on our successful experience with a not so traditional form of pain management in a geriatric dog. Stay tuned for the next newsletter.
Katie Kat, one of our sanctuary dogs, got her teeth cleaned and Pilgrim (shih tzu) and Troy (miniature poodle) got their hernias fixed. We're hoping it'll put Troy in a better mood. He's a bit of a challenge.
Joy is a Scottish terrier from a SC shelter that we agreed to pull. She was on the table to be spayed when shelter vets noted fluid on her abdomen. They recommended she be destroyed because the cost of treating her would be high. We asked that the pup be transferred to CPR anyway. We observed her for 30 days and noted no signs of illness. What I found was a happy little dog running around and eating and drinking normally. Spaying went easy and well last week and all the fluid was gone. Stress? We'll never know. Joy is now looking for a home.
Presley, a senior mini also got his teeth cleaned and his neuter done and Jaci, an older white toy who is just adorable got her teeth cleaned. Both will now be seeking homes.
For the first time, we have had a dog that had to have a testerone checks to see if he had been neutered. Hugh acted like an intact dog but had no evidence that he was. It turned out he had one retained testicle. A neutering job where the vet never got the retained one? He's neutered now and the little silver boy is looking for a home.
New dogs:
New in is MJ, a 15 year old oversized toy cream poodle, whose owner passed away. We'll get MJ up on the net shortly. She's a sweet girl, a bit overwhelmed right now but trying to settle in. She has been well cared for in the past. Other than not wanting to eat since I refuse to give her table scraps, she's great. She has a place to go if we can't find a home before April. Thanks Barbara Ann in Philadelphia for your love of little old girls.
Also new in - a yellow lab/husky mix from the Kangaroo station in Jonesville of all places. One of the station employees rushed down in a panic when a local dog known to get kicked out of his house showed up at the station and the manager this time called animal control. Could we help? Yes, we can.
Wednesday 1/25/2012, I got a call that would shape the rest of the week. Shelby NC animal control had come in to find 17, yes 17, little spirits in their outside drop box. A drop box is a 10 x 10 pen outside of the pound so that people who need to drop their pets off can do it at their convenience, not having to bother with things like talking to a live person to tell the story and not having to wait for 9 to 5 hours to do so. It's designed to keep people from dumping pets on the side of the road but I confess that I hate them. My own China was left in a drop box in Tennessee and contracted parvo from it. I cannot imagine how the dog feels when their owner drives off, leaving them in the dark and the cold.
This group is most likely from a breeder who has died or for some other reason can no longer care for the dogs. There are some as young as 3 months and some as old as we think 3 to 4 years. It's miniature poodles, Pomeranians and mixes of those two. The dogs are on 14 day parvo quarantine. If they stay healthy for 14 days, we'll begin the process of finding homes.
The good stuff that happened:
I asked the staff to start letting me know of things that happen and Amy spoke up with news that Chance, one of our most challenging dogs, had let her pick him up and hold him. It's baby steps with this one but we're getting there.
Thanks to the generosity of one of our supporters, we now have water outside every area! New water spigots are in! Next week, if the ground dries enough, we'll have our septic tank installed and the adoption center will be operational. We've had the money for the septic for a while but not the water. Thanks so much again to those of you who see something good happening here and are willing to share to help us grow.
We had 7 total adoptions this week. Easton, a golden/lab puppy found his home as did Bruiser, a Chihuahua puppy. Both Gracie and Nigel, the doodle and the standard from Charlotte last week were also placed. Anne Marie, a poodle something mix from Union and Kline also went to their new homes.
And our Lucky dog - brought in last summer with maggots eating away at the open sores on his head, matted to the skin and terrified of the world. Little Lucky who has taken so long to learn that people are cool, he rolled over and asked to have his tummy scratched and that was all it took.
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
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