Thor

You may have heard this story already, but please bear with me as I have more to share.  Several months ago I received a phone call from a neighbor – he had found a stray dog and wanted me to scan it for a chip.  We were both surprised to find the dog did have a microchip.  The dog’s name is Thor, and through his microchip we were able to find that he was nine years old, and his owner had recently passed away.  We learned through family members that Thor had been very much loved, and had been well cared for.  He had problems with ear infections his entire life, and had already undergone double-ear surgery to try to correct the problem.  That surgery, known as a bi-lateral ear resection, did not resolve the problem.  The family asked us to find Thor a new home, so Thor became an All Paws Rescue dog, and he came to my house as a foster.  Since then, Thor has received several different ear treatments including being sedated and having his ears packed with a high-powered anti-bacterial drug – twice.  When even this did not help, and the ear cytology still showed bacteria in the ears, the vet recommended a procedure known as a Tecabo – a Total Ear Canal Ablation and Bulla Osteotomy.  This surgery has to be done by a specialist, and it is very expensive and can result in a significant loss of hearing.  I immediately wondered - is it worth it for a nine-year-old dog to put him through this painful surgery?  And where would All Paws get the money? 

So I spoke with another vet and asked her opinion.  She knows the issues that rescues face with trying to pay for medical care and the challenges of adopting out a senior dog.  I was hoping she’d say that we could just put him on some sort of pain medication instead of doing the surgery.  I know he’s in pain from the way he shakes his head and rubs his ears, and I don’t want him to continue to be in pain, but I was really hoping for another option.  Unfortunately, the vet told me that this surgery was really his only option if we didn’t want to euthanize him.  So although I was sorry to hear there was no easy fix, it made the decision easy.  Even though Thor is a senior dog, he’s still an active, loving dog who has a lot of life left to live.  We had to do the surgery.  So now it’s just a matter of raising the funds.  The neighbor who found Thor is going to help by placing some donation boxes in the community, and I’ve created some on-line fundraising tools to help raise the money.  I may attempt to organize some other event such as a bake sale (don’t worry, I will NOT be the one baking!) or something similar to raise funds.  I may also give in and put some ads on this blog (in a very unobtrusive way hopefully!) in an effort to raise money for Thor’s surgery.  It won’t help much, but every dollar counts!  So if anyone has any interest in helping to raise funds for Thor’s surgery, please let me know.   You can help by sharing this link  on your Facebook page or blog, or by putting a donation jar at a local business, or by helping me organize a larger fundraising event.  Hopefully soon Thor will be ready for surgery and be pain free!

Introducing Lucky

Lucky started out as a stray in southern Indiana. He was taken in by a great rescue there, and eventually even made his way through a prison dog-training program, where he earned his Canine Good Citizen certification. Lucky is believed to be a Great Dane/Catahoula Leopard Dog mix. He is around two years old, and he is deaf. 

Lucky


Lucky reminds me a lot of Remi my Great Dane, and I can definitely see the Great Dane in his behavior as well as his looks. If you’re not familiar with Great Danes, think Scooby Do and Marmaduke. They are large, goofy, and maybe not quite as intelligent as some other dog breeds (that sounds nicer than “dumb as a box of rocks”, which is what has been said about Remi a time or two). They’re also easy-going, and although they can be protective, they aren’t really the bravest dogs around. For example, Lucky stepped on a cat toy made out of a pipe cleaner and immediately sprang back in fear and cautiously sniffed it to make sure it wasn’t dangerous. While not a fearful dog by any means, let’s just say he’s easily surprised.

Unlike most of the deaf dogs I’ve fostered, Lucky doesn’t often “check in” with me. This is probably more due to his past than anything else. If his first owners didn’t know (or care) that he was deaf, they would not have tried to communicate with him using signs, so he would not see any need to pay attention to them. I think he’s probably started to finally learn that he can communicate with people while at his prison training program. He lived in a cell with an inmate for several months, and learned many basic commands. Now he’s living in a house instead of a cell, but he’s once again learning that by paying attention to people, good things can happen.


He's also learned that looking away means he can ignore signs!

 Lucky gets along well with the other dogs. He has a lot of energy, and loves to run and play. He seems a bit over-interested in cats, so he’ll be looking for a home without any feline friends. While we’re waiting for his forever home to come along, Lucky will continue to go to training classes and tonight he starts his first agility class.  Lucky is going to be very lucky once he has a forever home!

Shiloh is Back

Four months ago I rescued an emaciated Bluetick Coonhound who showed up as a stray at a neighbor’s house. I named her Shiloh, and when her owners couldn’t be located she went to stay at another foster home temporarily. Now she’s back!

Shiloh is an amazing dog – everyone who meets her seems to agree she is wonderful. She is extremely affectionate and loves to give very gentle hugs. However she also is extremely energetic and has no concept of living in a house. She hates being crated, and can break out of most crates, but leaving her loose means she’ll redecorate your house in a way you won’t particularly like. So far she’s eaten a bag of Doritos, knocked my camera off of a very high table onto the floor, chewed up a few things, and relocated several small objects such as TV remotes to various areas of the house. So we’re working on crate training, as well as house manners. She loves other dogs, and is fine with the cats. Did I mention that she has a very loud baying Coonhound bark? It can be heard for miles around. This is a desirable characteristic for a hunting dog, but not so much for a pet dog in a home with nearby neighbors. That is the reason she came back to my house from her other foster home.


Shiloh has come a long way in the past four months. This is Shiloh when she was first found:


Shiloh only weighed 36 pounds at intake

 And this is her today:

Even her ears filled out!

When she has her mouth closed, I think she looks quite regal. But she usually has her mouth open, like this:


Happy Girl!

 Not quite so regal, but still cute, right? 

In Memory of Jupiter

As my foster dog Jupiter has become more comfortable here, he’s started to show aggression with other dogs. While I don’t know exactly what he’s gone through in the first five years of his life, I know that lack of socialization played a big part in the dog he has become. And while Jupiter is just wonderful with humans, for the sake of other dogs, and due to a huge shortage of foster homes available to take in a dog like Jupiter, I made the very difficult decision to euthanize him. As I struggled with this decision, and thought about conversations I’d had with other rescuers about Jupiter, I looked in Jupiter’s eyes and we had a heart conversation something like this:




Me and Jupiter in happier times



Me: Oh Jupie, I am so sorry I can’t save you.

Jupiter: You already did save me. You’re the first person to ever really love me.

Me: You’ve come so far. When you first came here you would shy away if I raised my hand, but now you know that if I raise my hand it is always to pet you, and never to harm you. You were mistreated by your previous owner, but you still are the most loving, affectionate dog.

Jupiter: You’ve given me everything that I’ve never had before. Good food, medical care, a comfortable bed, and most of all, your time and affection.

Me: And you’ve given me love and comfort in return. Your life has been awful before you came here, and now in such a short time it has to end? It isn’t fair!

Jupiter: I know. But I live in the moment, with no time for regrets of the past. And this moment, being with you, is perfect.

Me: My friend said this is bound to happen when you rescue the toughest cases.  But Jupie, you're the best dog.  I’m so sorry that I have failed you.

Jupiter: You didn’t fail me, my previous owner did.

Me: I hate him.

Jupiter: I love you.

Me: Wait for me at the Rainbow Bridge?

Jupiter: Of course.



Kenny - Dog Walker Extraordinare



This morning I held Jupie in my arms as he died, and I whispered to him to find Kenny. All Paws Rescue recently lost one of our best volunteers - our dear friend - and we’re sure he’s now at the Rainbow Bridge greeting all the dogs he’s helped to save. I believe Kenny will take care of Jupiter until I get there.

Ziggy And The Home Visit

Ziggy is not shy. In fact, he’s the opposite of shy. Recently I took him to the home of a potential adopter. This was somewhere he’d never been, in a home filled with people he’d never met. We approached the door, he stopped and sniffed the hands of the homeowners (checking if they had food, I believe), and then headed straight to the front door. When they opened the door, he pushed his way inside before everyone, and walked confidently from room to room, checking out the environment (and looking for food, I’m sure). He sniffed a couple of items to see if they were edible or worthwhile chew toys, and then moved on to the next room. We moved outside to the back yard, where he insisted on checking out the garage, and then once he determined there was no food present, he was ready to go back inside.


This was Ziggy’s second home visit. He had another home visit many months ago, during which he also made himself at home, and at one point put his front feet up on the countertop and stuck his head inside a coffee cup to taste some coffee. So during this home visit, I made sure I had a tight hold on Ziggy’s leash while we were in the kitchen. But when we returned to the house from the back yard and settled in the living room, Ziggy struck again. He tried a few times to chew on a water bottle, but when we foiled that plan, he put his front feet on a table and stuck his head inside a plastic cup to taste some iced tea. It turns out that Ziggy really likes iced tea. The owner of the iced tea thought since Ziggy had a taste, he may as well drink the whole thing, so he let Ziggy have his fill of iced tea. Then he proceeded to give him several ice cubes as a bonus. Ziggy thought this was the best house ever. He’s not allowed to drink anything except water at my house.

In spite of how much Ziggy enjoyed his home visit, the potential adopters decided on a different dog. I guess the new dog probably won’t be forcing them to buy more iced tea all the time. So although I was disappointed that Ziggy’s home visit didn’t result in an adoption, it gives me more insight into Ziggy. For although I knew he liked beer, soda and even coffee, I had no idea that he was also such a fan of iced tea.

Flashback Friday: Charlie

It's been awhile since I've done a Flashback Friday, but today I'm excited to share with you an update on one of my previous foster cats.


Life was never boring with Charlie around


Anyone remember Charlie?  This is the kitten I took in as an FIV+ cat, and then later learned was actually positive for FeLV - a much more serious disease.  I had Charlie for several months, and he entertained me with his sweet personality, his love of the dogs, and the enjoyment he found in life.  Then an amazing thing happened, and a wonderful family decided to adopt this special needs cat.  So it's been six months since Charlie has left, and I still think about him often.  Today I contacted his new mom to see how he is doing, and here was her reply:

Charlie is doing really well. He's healthy and doing great with our new Dog Cooper. My daughter loves him and when ever we've had people over to the house they talk about how beautiful he is and what a sweetheart he can be. I've attached a picture of him with Coop curled up next to each other.

We love him and continue to enjoy his bursts of energy and love on him every chace we get. He's giving kisses now and loves when I carry him to see the birdies thru the patio doors. He's wonderful and we are all glad he's a part of our family! 

Charlie in his new home


Thanks Tracey, for adopting Charlie and giving him such a happy life!

Vinny was Adopted!

A great family was interested in Fawn the Italian Greyhound, but when they saw how shy she is, they realized they wouldn’t be a good fit for her. So I was excited when they decided to adopt Vinny instead. Vinny is younger, and although he’s also shy, he’s much more social than Fawn. Vinny is doing well in his new home so far, and he is going to be very loved and spoiled! 

In addition to Vinny, two other All Paws dogs were adopted this weekend. A couple people have wondered why Thor was returned.  It was not his fault, but he was adopted into a home with another dog, and that dog was young and playful.  He'd often torment Thor by bumping into him, trying to get him to play.  Thor has some arthritis in his rear legs, and he wasn't interested in playing, or in having a rambunctious dog bounce off him all the time.  So the people who adopted him opted to return him so he could go to a calmer home.  Eventually.  For now he's stuck being surrounded by rambunctious dogs, but at least they tend to play with each other and leave him alone for the most part!

I recently took this picture of my backyard.  I thought Bogey did a pretty good job of hiding in plain sight!

I also recently took this blurry picture of Jupiter trying to outrun Mayzie.  This was taken before he started treatment for heartworms, when he was still allowed to run and play!

And last but not least, this picture is also of Jupiter looking Most Handsome at an adoption event.  Have I mentioned that I LOVE this dog??

Foster Dog Update

I never say it enough, but thank you all for the comments and just for reading.  I appreciate it!

Last week Thor the German Shepherd was returned, Chief the Beagle was adopted, Mayzie the energetic pit bull went to another foster home, and Vinny the Italian Greyhound came to stay with me. So I still have eight foster dogs, but fortunately they all get along well, even though they range from only 12 pounds to 100 pounds! Here is one interesting fact about each of my current fosters that you may not already know:



Thor

This 100 pound German Shepherd used to be owned by a priest. This may explain why he is the best behaved of all the dogs. 

Charlie

Charlie does not like fireworks while he is inside the house. He barked at them constantly. Then we finally had to go outside for a final potty break before bedtime, and suddenly he just ignored the fireworks. So the sound of fireworks inside = danger, but the sound of fireworks outside = safe.

Bogey

Bogey is a hoarder dog. No, he didn’t come from a hoarder – he actually is the hoarder. He goes around and collects toys and blankets and anything else he can find and hides them in his crate.

Ziggy

Ziggy has been extremely well behaved (for him) lately. And he’s stopped chewing on everything – even on his chew bones! I think something must be wrong with him. He still loves to eat his kibble though.



Jupiter

Jupie has had to undergo a bunch of extra tests because he is anemic and may even have a weird doggie disease known as babesia. Test results are pending.  Bonus fact - he likes to sit in laps. 



Aridan

This eleven year old German Shepherd has won several Schutzhund awards, and even competed in the 2009 GSDCA-WDA Schutzhund National Championship and World Qualifier. I feel very safe with her around.

Fawn

Fawn's birthday is today – she is four years old.


Vinny

This Italian Greyhound thinks he is invisible as long as no one looks at him. He’ll approach strangers from behind and sniff them, then dart away. He’s stealthy.



Jasper

Tonight I’m bringing home Jasper. He’s staying for a week while his foster mom goes out of town. I don’t know any interesting facts about Jasper yet.