So, You Want to Rescue Dogs?
Have you ever wanted to start a dog rescue? Or, have you thought, “How can I best help the organization I devote my time to?” In either case…
ROAD TO RESCUE IS AN INDISPENSABLE RESOURCE!
Inside, you’ll find invaluable and comprehensive advice from more than 20 successful private rescue organizations and animal welfare societies around the United States.
This unique collaboration project, a treasure trove for rescue founders, volunteers, and adopters alike, was spearheaded by Kyla Duffy of Up for Pups, and it explains the history of rescue, shares fundraising ideas, provides application tools, offers tips on socializing fearful dogs and explains how to file for 501(c)3 non-profit status.
The Road to Rescue purpose is threefold:
Universe Aligns for BAD RAP and Pit Bull Education
THE UNIVERSE INVITES US TO DINNER…
While working on two separate pet projects, Be the Change for Animals (BTC) and Bark Out Loud Weekly (BOLW), I got an email from The Honest Kitchen (THK), makers of dehydrated, human-grade whole foods for dogs and cats, saying they’ll donate a percentage of this month’s online proceeds to BAD RAP, the organization responsible for evaluating, rescuing and rehabilitating the dogs from the Michael Vick case. And, THK will double their donation if they reach 40K Facebook followers by the end of March. Like The Honest Kitchen’s Facebook Page to support BAD RAP. Seriously. It’s that easy!
Both Dogs: Lost … and Found
As the dogs bask quietly in the sun, it’s difficult to imagine how we survived the past two days. That we are together again is testament to a happy ending, but its fruition wasn’t always expected…
THE SNOW STAIR
The trouble started with several brutal storms while we vacationed in Mexico last week. Our house sitter called to say that, after 20 inches of snow, sleet and freezing rain, Shamus, our Newf, leveraged this new mantel to jump the fence. Thankfully, true to Newf form, Shamus appreciates companionship more than freedom. He came back immediately. We were lucky.
When our sitter shoveled snow from the point of exit, the problem appeared to be solved – until it wasn’t. Shamus found another weight-bearing point. The only solution, until we came home, was sentencing Shamus to doggy jail at the maximum security kennel – along with Emmett who would surely learn this new trick too.
Disabled Dogs Love without Impairment, Part 2
In Part 1 of Disabled Dogs Love without Impairment, we learn about the interesting challenges that Waldo, the blind dalmatian, and Joan Michaels, Waldo’s service human, face from day to day. Determined to live life to the fullest, Joan and Waldo have developed creative solutions to these daily challenges and nothing can stop them now. Read on for Joan’s account of how she and Waldo have made their way…
How has Waldo overcome?
Waldo is my hero. Against all odds, he passed the Therapy Dog test a few days ago after many months of training and first earning his Canine Good Citizenship certificate last February. I believe his “disability” has made him a better dog and especially able to sympathize with children and older people with special needs of their own. Now we can begin our new journey, bringing joy to people who really need relief, even if just for a short time.
I never coddled Waldo after I learned that he was blind. I knew that if I did, he would become more fearful and possibly depressed and afraid of the world around him. Instead, I take him with me often for walks through Home Depot, where he is fast becoming the store’s mascot; I enroll him in classes; and we hike through the woods in Schodack whenever we can.
Disabled Dogs Love without Impairment, Part 1
MEET WALDO
Waldo is a bright, curious Dalmatian with a propensity for adventure – even without the gift of sight. Thanks to his adopter, Joan Michaels, Waldo has never had a dull moment. And while his life is filled with excitement, Joan’s is filled with laughter, admiration and a deep, deep friendship thanks to this disabled dog who loves without impairment.
After watching Waldo perform task after task in socialization class, I was moved by his bravery and the trust he has in Joan. I often watched the two working with alternate forms of commands and interesting leash work but, until I asked Joan to share what life with Waldo is like, I never imagined the thought process that goes into training a blind dog.
Read on to understand the interesting challenges these two have encountered living their day to day lives.
Georgia, Forever on Our Minds: Part 2
Welcome to part 2 of This One Wild Life’s series on adopting senior dogs. In Part 1, Georgia, a senior mixed-breed rescue, travels through the shelter system from Georgia to New York. After surviving the long, grueling treatment for Heartworm, she is now ready to find a forever home. And so her story continues…
GEORGIA’S TRIAL HOME
After making her debut at several adoption clinics, Georgia wrapped herself around the hearts of a couple who came to meet her. While the wife worked full time during the day, her husband worked from home. He had limited mobility requiring the use of a wheelchair and he was excited to have a new friend to share his time with. In an unofficial capacity, Georgia was going to have the honor of being his therapy dog.
According to Stacy Wolf, then president of AnimaLovers.org, Georgia was very shy and frightened in her new home at first. She could not be left alone, even briefly. Because limited mobility doesn’t mean no mobility, when the couple did leave their home, Georgia could not cope. As Stacy recalls:
She broke out of a locked crate, broke through a window screen, and bolted outdoors whenever she could. I personally witnessed one metal crate after she was done with it. It was virtually shredded, which I hadn’t imagined possible.
Georgia, Forever on Our Minds: Part 1
Welcome to This One Wild Life’s series on adopting senior dogs. In the coming days, you will learn specifically about Georgia, a senior mixed-breed rescue, and the dedicated team of handlers committed to supporting Georgia time and time again. It is our collective aim to celebrate and appreciate senior dogs. These beautiful souls need the comfort of a loving home in their final years and they have their whole hearts to offer in return.
FROM GEORGIA TO NEW YORK
As with many adoptable dogs, Georgia’s early history is unclear. According to her vet records, a spay scar suggests she may have been in a home at some point. All we know for certain is that she was living in a Georgia shelter, she was displaced by Hurricane Katrina pet evacuees, and she made her way through the rescue system to the Mohawk and Hudson River Humane Society in Menands, NY. There she was listed as a 50 pound Airedale Terrier mix and put up for adoption.
THE JOURNEY CONTINUES
Georgia had been placed in a home at least once through the Menands shelter but was returned due to a severe case of separation anxiety. After all the jostling back and forth, this poor girl was deeply upset when people left her, even if for just a few minutes. All she wanted was to know was that she wouldn’t be alone. Continue reading
Newfoundland Dog Rescues New Owners, Tweet Edition
Looking back at the first week Shamus, our Newfoundland, adopted us one year ago, tell me you wouldn’t immediately have fallen in love too. He’s quite a character!
(In case you missed it, visit Newfoundland Dog Rescues New Owners, Part I.)
A SNAPSHOT OF SHAMUS’ HISTORY VIA TWITTER
We enjoyed revisiting our discovery process as we built a relationship with our new dog. I share some our comical ponderances via a collection of last year’s tweets. Consider this a journal of sorts, one that you are not only allowed, but encouraged to read.
Newfoundland Dog Rescues New Owners
March 7th, 2009: The Day Our Lives Changed for the Better
But prior to that…
TRAGEDY STRIKES
Just over a year ago, Tim and I were deeply grieving the loss of two beloved family members.
Bill, our adopted foster, had been with us for 5 years. On a Sunday morning like so many others, we had a game of tug-of-war in the living room and ate a glorious breakfast. That’s when an undetected abdominal mass ruptured and Bill went immediately into shock. We rushed him to the vet within 15 minutes but, during emergency surgery, a blood clot traveled to his main artery and he was gone.
On February 14th, we also said good-bye to Tim’s dog, Jack. Jack had sucessfully battled cancer, extending his life 13 good months until there was no more fight left in him. Jack had been with Tim (and Tim’s ex, Stacy, who managed his cancer care) for 14 years. It was an awful beginning to 2009.
Fostered, Adopted, Rescued
EMMETT: FINALLY ADOPTED
On January 23rd, Tim and I adopted Emmett, our foster dog of 7 months. If you’ve been following along, I’m sure you think “It’s about time!” I happen to agree.
Not only has Emmett blossomed into an affectionate, well behaved and happy pup with us, but he and Shamus, our Newfoundland, are the best of inseparable friends. Long before Tim and I fully committed to keeping Emmett, the dogs demonstrated loud and clear what they wanted – to be together always. See for yourself in the video I shot two weeks prior to signing the paperwork.
DOG RESCUE: FOR BETTER OR WORSE
Of course, dog rescue is a “for-better-or-for-worse” proposition. Unfortunately, when Emmett’s adoption plan went into action, for worse was the greater part of our reasoning.
Emmett’s behavior had unexplainably shifted over the course of several days. He watched out of the corner of his eye as we passed him in his bed. Nights became unsettling for him and he walked through the dark with his back hunched like a cat. His fur would stand on end, even while his tail wagged, and he’d bark at nothing in particular in an empty room. Something was very wrong. Emmett’s trust in the safety of his environment had waned. Tim and I felt like we failed, like Emmett was regressing. We needed answers.
WHERE TO GO FROM HERE?
Breaking the situation down into manageable parts, we first filled out the adoption contract to proceed as a solid family unit. We have been Emmett’s family, the only long-term support he has ever known, and he needed to feel that he belonged with us no matter what. Next, in an effort to explain Emmett’s odd behavioral shift, we combed back through the previous week’s events hoping to uncover the mystery.
THE FORENSIC TIMELINE
About a month ago, Emmett’s foot pads had become deeply rutted and slightly discolored. He was placed on over-the-counter fish oil supplements based on a picture I brought to the vet. Concerned that there was no discernible change several weeks later, I took Emmett for a follow up exam.
Abhorring this visit after a previous bout with staples, Emmett pulled me back toward the car once we reached the front door. When we did finally get inside, he would not allow the techs to see his feet without significant coercion. Leaving with meds in hand, a precautionary measure to treat any possible issue with the least amount of stress to Emmett, we came home. Relieved to be back, Emmett bounced around as usual with Shamus.
One day later, Emmett’s behavior began to change but I couldn’t put my finger on what was happening. I wondered if stress from the vet visit had caused some previous insecurities to resurface. Two days later, Emmett grew more frenetic. Questions arose and we watched vigilantly. Taking stock of his environment, we noted that Emmett’s food had changed. The brand was the same but the flavor was new. Could this be an allergy? Was he was sick? In pain? Was there a tumor pressing on the behavioral center of his brain? The following day, Emmett’s personality deteriorated into a ball of nerves that could no longer be attributed to the dog we knew and loved. We called the vet to hurry him in for a full blood work-up and x-rays.
MYSTERY SOLVED
While the majority of veterinary journals make no mention of this, and the vet who originally treated our boy was unaware, another vet at our clinic knew of some rare, yet undesirable side effects associated with the medication Emmett was on. When his anti-yeast and ear meds were mixed with an antibiotic, she said it was possible that the drug or the combination of several had likely made Emmett “crazy.” There was no way of knowing if he was hallucinating or simply feeling anxious, but we took him off that questionable drug and one other immediately. We also returned to the original flavor of food to cover all bases. The following day, we had our Emmett back.
FOR THE BEST
While this wasn’t the most joyous or ideal way for Emmett’s adoption to come to fruition, we have no regrets. When push came to shove, we knew we belonged to Emmett and that he belonged to us – long before bureaucracy, semantics and a medical mystery entered the picture. I suppose, after dragging our feet in our formal commitment, the Universe whacked us hard over the head to remind us of our undeniable truth. We all belong together.
Firmly rooted in the commitment of our bond now (as I always was, eh-hem), we are certainly a merrier bunch for it.
Welcome home, Emmett.
We’ve always got your back.
Love,
Kim, Tim, Shamus and the birds
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