I would like to take this opportunity to thank my many friends, old and
new, who have provided such generous and loving support to me and Oregon
Dachshund Rescue. I started my thank-you’s in our March/April
newsletter, and found that I could have filled the entire paper. So, as
I promised in the newsletter, here is the rest of my list:
To
my wonderful son Christopher Green…thank you for being my rock and for
all you do….most recently purchasing computer upgrade equipment for me.
Kelly Cantwell provided beautiful blankets, clothes, soap and treats. These will be much enjoyed by our Dachshunds.
Thank you, Don Large, for the treats, treats, treats and generous donations.
Ms. Pamela Perry arranged for payroll deductions from the Oregonian. Payments will be made through “United Way”. Thank you!
I appreciate my pet attorney, Geordie Duckler. He provides discounts on my rescue bill.
To
my friends Dale and Leslie Caveness who keep those piddle pads coming
in, I want to send my thanks. Leslie also sent me data and research on
micro chipping that I really appreciate.
Gina Maloney offered real estate services for me, and then provided a load of pea gravel along with labor for the Doxie yard.
Hugs to Barbara Young for consistent donations and networking.
To
Ken Chase and Carol Korgan, thank you so much for your supportive
longtime friendship, donations and mostly for adopting the “WONDER DOG
MILO’’.
Thank you, Ken Hick, for your donations and carpet cleaning service.
A very special person adopted one of our disabled Dachies. Thank you, Mer Manson, for your big heart and donations.
Doxie
rescue angel Terra Merget gave a very generous donation to our vet bill
for a dachshund that was attacked by a large dog and needed urgent
care.
Dear friend, Jack Robbins, thank you for your donations and great emails of support in times when I am feeling sad.
Doxie
kisses to Jessica Bushman! Jessica adopted one eyed Milo – a big
beautiful red standard boy who is very much loved. Milo and her other
doxie Ruby will were in the “Boutiques Unleashed” fashion show at Dove
Lewis. Jessica also made a $1,000 donation to pay vet bills, buy new
cages and blankets and bones.
Thanks Kisha Turner for your generous donations and great emails. You are a blessing.
To our consistent donor, Lisa Keppinger, thanks for being there for us.
Tami and Julie gave a generous donation for the Doxies and moral support to me.
Lisa
Hudanich and “Rudy” have been a source of many kind words,
encouragement, and consistent donations. I appreciate you both so much.
My generous friends Lisa and Ron Haworth have provided consistent generous donations. Thank you, thank you.
Thank you , Michael Emert, for accounting services.
I could never forget Lori Jenkins for consistent and generous donations, and always good wishes and encouragement.
To
wonderful Kathy McFerrin, who takes care of the caretaker (me). Your
friendship, thoughtfulness, donations, and taking me to lunch, dinner,
concerts and plays when I get overwhelmed have meant the world to me.
Marie
and Bryan Jones have personally paid several vet bills, along with
donating new blankets, toys, treats, clothes, soap, paper towels and
much more.
Thank you, Carole Rohrer, for the lovely handmade Doxie coats and blankets.
Debra Wood has written some great articles about ODR for the Oregonian. Thank you!
I am grateful to Michael Yonker for his heartwarming emails and support.
Thank you, Mary Randall, for donations, and treats for me (Jenell!). You are so sweet!
Beverly Bristol has been great. She donated money for the rescue, plus treats and blankets.
Kisha
Turner – thank you for your generous donations and great emails of
support. I am thankful that you adopted one of my special rescues that
you were willing to work with.
My gratitude goes to Patty Cates for emails of encouragement, along with donations of money and treats for the dogs.
Hugs to you, Suzanne Heim, owner of Lexi Dog, for your support and encouragement.
Generous donations for the rescues came from Trina Denson. Thank you!
Very important to me…..thank you to my dog walkers: Jeff Kimaletto, Coral Thomas, Chanelle Freese, Beth Becker and Sean Kelly
Thank you to my beautiful granddaughter, Taylor Fletcher, for creating my mailing list.
Gracious Irene Lewis paid various vet bills for our Doxies that needed immediate care when we were short on funds. Thank you.
Many thanks to Elizabeth Farr for your donations and supplying me with postage stamps when needed.
Contributions from Kira Sykes and Patti Galle helped provide care for homeless dachsies. Dachsie kisses to you.
Konrad
Brandt has made several donations to us, and one very special and
generous gesture to save a Doxie life, when he made a donation directly
to the vet for immediate care when it had been attacked. Thank you so
much!
Thank you to the Micciche family for their thoughtful and much needed donations.
Please read our March/April newsletter for other special people that I recognized.
I
know there have been others. My cup of mercies runs over, Please let
me know if you have been missed so that I can acknowledge and appreciate
you here.
With love and gratitude,
Bilba
Thursday, February 6, 2014
Always busy in dachshund rescue
Good heavens. How can it be 2 months since my last post?
What is going on with DREAM? I’m glad you asked!
1. Howl-O-Weenie planning! The board is busy busy busy getting
ready for our annual dachsie festival on October 20, 2007, in Decatur at
Glenlake Park. Getting T-shirts made, recruiting (begging!) volunteers,
finding sponsors, organizing contests, finding tables, figuring out a
fence, making trophies, making certificates, all for the best day of our
year! (And the most exhausting!)
2. Getting Delia’s puppies adopted! Our 6 precious babies, born
just one week after their mama, a dachshund mix, was rescued from animal
control when she was due for euthanization in 2 hours, are going to
their forever homes. This picture is Nessa, one of the little ones. So
DEAR!!!
3. Trying to get 2 chocolate dachsies out of a puppy mill in
Alabama. This breeder has changed her mind 4 times about turning over
her dogs, even though she cannot care for them. Countless phone calls
and emails between her and Dixie Dachshund Rescue in Alabama, with whom
we are collaborating to help these babies.
4. Communicating with people who have found stray dachshunds.
Strangely, there has been a small “rash” of lost dachsies the last 2
weeks. I’ve been coaching several people on what to do when they find a
lost dog. All have found their homes again except one, who we think was
abandoned. She is coming to DREAM tonight and going for her vetting
tomorrow morning.
5. Working with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund (Atlanta) to
see if we can find a family with diabetes who would like to adopt our
sweet Meagan, a longhair dachsie with the same disease. This has been a
heartwarming experience!
6. Writing a grant mini-proposal to Maddie’s Fund for a video
camera so we can post videos of our adoptable dogs, hopefully speeding
up adoptions.
7. Taking Jack and Luke to swim therapy.
8. Feeding, cleaning up, and the usual administrivia.
9. Getting lots of weiner dog love. And that’s why we do #1 – 8.
Did you know:
There are 45 cats and dogs for every 1 person born. Only 1 out of 10 dogs born ever find a permanent home. Every hour, 800 dogs and cats are destroyed the U.S. because there are not enough homes for them.
Please do not breed or buy your next dog — adopt a dog who needs you.
YOU can help! Three bills to help dachshunds (and all dogs) in Georgia
Folks, there are 3 animal-welfare related bills in the Georgia
Legislature this session. I hope all of you will contact your state
Senators and Representatives to ask them to support or co-sign the
bills. I have information at the bottom of this post that will tell you
HOW to find and contact your representatives. It is amazingly easy and
quick.
Now, these bills aren’t perfect. I don’t like the way they worded
every point. But if passed, they will make a huge difference from where
we are now. And that’s how this stuff works — step by step. The Humane
Society of the United States helped with the writing. Let’s not let the
perfect be the enemy of the good.
The first bill is HB 1060. This would ban the use of the gas chamber. Animals would have to be euthanized via injection. It also requires public shelters and AC to furnish reports/stats of their euthanizations, which would make all of our grant writing efforts easier. This is a way to get PRIVATE money, since Georgia is reluctant to spend PUBLIC money.
****When talking to your senator / rep, emphasize 3 points: 1) gas chamber is an unnecessarily cruel way to dispose of our unwanted animals from overpopulation, 2) the gas itself is obviously toxic and a hazard to the shelter workers and the environment, and 3) enforcing the reporting enables our state to get access to private funding sources since we have more accurate statistics about the extent of our problem.***
The second bill is HB 1194, the “Consumer Protection Act for Pet Owners.” It is essentially a “pet lemon law” that would apply to pet stores and breeders (not shelters or rescues). I am especially excited about this one because it attacks the puppymill problem from financial perspective and a consumer protection perspective, which even non-animal lovers can get behind. It provides for the right for a person to go back to the petstore and get reimbursed for veterinary expenses for certain health issues that existed at point of sale. It also mandates certain vaccinations. Think about what would happen to the puppymills if petstores stopped buying from them because the pups with health issues came back and started costing them money. And think about what would happen if a puppymill had to vaccinate before even SENDING the puppy to the petstore.
Now, I don’t love all the language of the bill, but we can work on tweaking that next year once we have some experience with it on the ground.
****For this one, ask your representative to make sure this bill gets out of committee and gets its chance at a vote on the senate and house floors. Emphasize the points about protecting consumers from greedy breeders and petstores.****
If you think you know about the scale of puppymills in this country, read this: http://network.bestfriends.org/truth/news/22676.html. Many of the pups in petstores in Georgia come from Missouri.
And of course, there is the dogfighting bill, HB301, which is in its final stages of passing overwhelmingly. All you need to say on this one is how much you appreciate the support it has gotten across the house and senate and that you expect them to work out the final details to pass it. (They are quibbling now about what happens to the dogs that are seized.) But I think your messages should focus on the other 2 bills, since this one will pass.
Here is what I’m asking you to do.
Go to this site to figure out who your state senator and representative are. You need your zip +4 code. http://www.votesmart.org/ When your search results come up, scroll down to “State Legislative.” There should be 2 names – a senator and a house representative. (If you don’t know the +4 part of your zip, use this site first — http://zip4.usps.com/zip4/welcome.jsp)
OK, now that you know who your guys / gals are, here’s what you do. Go to this site and look them up to get phone numbers, office locations, email addresses, or whatever you want. http://www.legis.state.ga.us/ (See “Fact Sheet” on each.)
The most effective way to contact your representative / senator is in person. This is amazingly easy to do, and makes a huge impression. These guys WANT to see you and meet you. They LOVE IT when constituents come see them. You can call and ask for an appointment, but it’s easy to just go down to the Capitol — it’s simple on MARTA — or find the office in the district itself. If the senate or house is actually in session, you can go to the desk and ask them to go into the chamber to get your guy / gal. They send a page in (kids!) and the rep comes out to see you in the hall. Yes, they come out of the session just to talk to little old YOU. Introduce yourself as someone in their district and say your piece about the bills. If possible, tell a story about your personal experience and why this is important. (For example, I told my senator yesterday about puppies I have gotten from people after they found out they had birth defects that couldn’t be seen at the young age they got them. And he was shocked to find out that I have dogfighting in my neighborhood.
That really woke him up). Make sure you mention the bill number and key words from the bill’s name. If possible, leave a card with a little note on it, with the bill numbers. If you get there and your senator / rep is away, ask to talk to his / her staff person.
The second best way is by phone. Call and leave a message with the bill numbers and names, and your request to support them.
It is also effective to send a snail mail letter or card, this way you can tell your story. This is also great to do as a follow-up to visiting your representative, like a thank you note.
Email is okay too, although makes less of an impression. Same deal, make sure the bill numbers are in the subject line.
Contact the governor’s office, ideally by phone, and ask Sonny Perdue to rally his people around these excellent pieces of legislation, and to sign them when they get to his desk. 404-656-1776, or you can go to the website and fill out a little form. http://gov.georgia.gov/00/gov/contact_us/0,2657,78006749_94820188,00.html . Or you can write a note and fax it to 404 657 7332.
It takes only 3 contacts from constituents to wake up a senator / representative about an issue and get it on his / her radar screen. Imagine what an effect we would have if everyone who read this made a phone call or went down to the Capitol.
Two of the bills are still in the Agriculture Committee. The emails of the committee are below; please send a personal message to each member urging them to move the bills forward so they can have their vote on the House Floor.
We have a chance to make a difference! Let’s not blow it! These guys need to know how important this is, and the only way they will know that is if people who are passionate tell them about it.
jon.burns@house.ga.gov, carl.epps@house.ga.gov, englandhomeport2@alltel.net, lynmore.james@house.ga.gov, tommccall@bellsouth.net, billy.maddox@house.ga.gov, gene.maddox@house.ga.gov, reptonysellier136@msn.com, kevinlevitas@bellsouth.net, jay.roberts@house.ga.gov, blackellis@bellsouth.net, penny.houston@house.ga.gov, winfred.dukes@house.ga.gov, dubose.porter@house.ga.gov, dawg4116@aol.com, chuck.sims@house.ga.gov, tommy.smith@house.ga.gov
If you want to see the full language of the actual bills, go to this site http://www.legis.state.ga.us/ and use the “Legislative Search” feature at the top right.
THEN, forward this post to every Georgia animal lover you know. Ideally, copy and paste it into your own email message and add your own spin.
If after all of that, you have even more energy, email Representative Pat Gardner pat@patgardner.org and Stan Watson stan_watson@matria.com to thank them for their leadership in bringing these bills to the General Assembly.
Viva democracy!
The first bill is HB 1060. This would ban the use of the gas chamber. Animals would have to be euthanized via injection. It also requires public shelters and AC to furnish reports/stats of their euthanizations, which would make all of our grant writing efforts easier. This is a way to get PRIVATE money, since Georgia is reluctant to spend PUBLIC money.
****When talking to your senator / rep, emphasize 3 points: 1) gas chamber is an unnecessarily cruel way to dispose of our unwanted animals from overpopulation, 2) the gas itself is obviously toxic and a hazard to the shelter workers and the environment, and 3) enforcing the reporting enables our state to get access to private funding sources since we have more accurate statistics about the extent of our problem.***
The second bill is HB 1194, the “Consumer Protection Act for Pet Owners.” It is essentially a “pet lemon law” that would apply to pet stores and breeders (not shelters or rescues). I am especially excited about this one because it attacks the puppymill problem from financial perspective and a consumer protection perspective, which even non-animal lovers can get behind. It provides for the right for a person to go back to the petstore and get reimbursed for veterinary expenses for certain health issues that existed at point of sale. It also mandates certain vaccinations. Think about what would happen to the puppymills if petstores stopped buying from them because the pups with health issues came back and started costing them money. And think about what would happen if a puppymill had to vaccinate before even SENDING the puppy to the petstore.
Now, I don’t love all the language of the bill, but we can work on tweaking that next year once we have some experience with it on the ground.
****For this one, ask your representative to make sure this bill gets out of committee and gets its chance at a vote on the senate and house floors. Emphasize the points about protecting consumers from greedy breeders and petstores.****
If you think you know about the scale of puppymills in this country, read this: http://network.bestfriends.org/truth/news/22676.html. Many of the pups in petstores in Georgia come from Missouri.
And of course, there is the dogfighting bill, HB301, which is in its final stages of passing overwhelmingly. All you need to say on this one is how much you appreciate the support it has gotten across the house and senate and that you expect them to work out the final details to pass it. (They are quibbling now about what happens to the dogs that are seized.) But I think your messages should focus on the other 2 bills, since this one will pass.
Here is what I’m asking you to do.
Go to this site to figure out who your state senator and representative are. You need your zip +4 code. http://www.votesmart.org/ When your search results come up, scroll down to “State Legislative.” There should be 2 names – a senator and a house representative. (If you don’t know the +4 part of your zip, use this site first — http://zip4.usps.com/zip4/welcome.jsp)
OK, now that you know who your guys / gals are, here’s what you do. Go to this site and look them up to get phone numbers, office locations, email addresses, or whatever you want. http://www.legis.state.ga.us/ (See “Fact Sheet” on each.)
The most effective way to contact your representative / senator is in person. This is amazingly easy to do, and makes a huge impression. These guys WANT to see you and meet you. They LOVE IT when constituents come see them. You can call and ask for an appointment, but it’s easy to just go down to the Capitol — it’s simple on MARTA — or find the office in the district itself. If the senate or house is actually in session, you can go to the desk and ask them to go into the chamber to get your guy / gal. They send a page in (kids!) and the rep comes out to see you in the hall. Yes, they come out of the session just to talk to little old YOU. Introduce yourself as someone in their district and say your piece about the bills. If possible, tell a story about your personal experience and why this is important. (For example, I told my senator yesterday about puppies I have gotten from people after they found out they had birth defects that couldn’t be seen at the young age they got them. And he was shocked to find out that I have dogfighting in my neighborhood.
That really woke him up). Make sure you mention the bill number and key words from the bill’s name. If possible, leave a card with a little note on it, with the bill numbers. If you get there and your senator / rep is away, ask to talk to his / her staff person.
The second best way is by phone. Call and leave a message with the bill numbers and names, and your request to support them.
It is also effective to send a snail mail letter or card, this way you can tell your story. This is also great to do as a follow-up to visiting your representative, like a thank you note.
Email is okay too, although makes less of an impression. Same deal, make sure the bill numbers are in the subject line.
Contact the governor’s office, ideally by phone, and ask Sonny Perdue to rally his people around these excellent pieces of legislation, and to sign them when they get to his desk. 404-656-1776, or you can go to the website and fill out a little form. http://gov.georgia.gov/00/gov/contact_us/0,2657,78006749_94820188,00.html . Or you can write a note and fax it to 404 657 7332.
It takes only 3 contacts from constituents to wake up a senator / representative about an issue and get it on his / her radar screen. Imagine what an effect we would have if everyone who read this made a phone call or went down to the Capitol.
Two of the bills are still in the Agriculture Committee. The emails of the committee are below; please send a personal message to each member urging them to move the bills forward so they can have their vote on the House Floor.
We have a chance to make a difference! Let’s not blow it! These guys need to know how important this is, and the only way they will know that is if people who are passionate tell them about it.
jon.burns@house.ga.gov, carl.epps@house.ga.gov, englandhomeport2@alltel.net, lynmore.james@house.ga.gov, tommccall@bellsouth.net, billy.maddox@house.ga.gov, gene.maddox@house.ga.gov, reptonysellier136@msn.com, kevinlevitas@bellsouth.net, jay.roberts@house.ga.gov, blackellis@bellsouth.net, penny.houston@house.ga.gov, winfred.dukes@house.ga.gov, dubose.porter@house.ga.gov, dawg4116@aol.com, chuck.sims@house.ga.gov, tommy.smith@house.ga.gov
If you want to see the full language of the actual bills, go to this site http://www.legis.state.ga.us/ and use the “Legislative Search” feature at the top right.
THEN, forward this post to every Georgia animal lover you know. Ideally, copy and paste it into your own email message and add your own spin.
If after all of that, you have even more energy, email Representative Pat Gardner pat@patgardner.org and Stan Watson stan_watson@matria.com to thank them for their leadership in bringing these bills to the General Assembly.
Viva democracy!
Rescue week – Luke’s Joys and Nash’s Pain
We have had an eventful week!
Our joys this week include Luke’s adoption. Many of you have followed Luke’s story, from his surrender by his owners when he was injured, through his surgery, physical therapy, and swim therapy, and when he started to walk again. I am so proud of him! Last weekend, Luke went on a “sleepover” with a potential mom and dachsie brother. They are all in love — Luke has found his forever home. Thank you Kim and Marvin!
We had a very scary time with our foster Nash, one of the dogs we got from the breeder a couple of weeks ago. He came down suddenly with HGE (Hemorrhagic Gastroenteritis) — an often unexplained condition that strikes fast and can be deadly. (My own dog had this last year, and it was terrifying). Nash’s human foster brother, Nicky, found him near death, and acted quickly. They got Nash to the vet for stabilization, IV fluids, and antibiotics. His bloodwork was terrible, his body temperature dropped and we were afraid we were going to lose him.
Then the vet had to close and his foster mom Theresa took Nash to an emergency clinic for overnight care. In the morning he was much better. He spent the second day back at the normal vet, and went home that evening. It looks like he is going to be fine, but DREAM had a scary time of it there, especially Theresa, Nicky, and Sarah. They had to do all the shuffling from vet to vet to make sure Nash had professional medical care round the clock for a couple of days. He is much happier to be back in his foster home! We don’t have the final damage yet, but just the emergency vet part was more than $900. If anyone can help with Nash’s expenses, please send whatever you can. Even $10 makes a difference.
Our joys this week include Luke’s adoption. Many of you have followed Luke’s story, from his surrender by his owners when he was injured, through his surgery, physical therapy, and swim therapy, and when he started to walk again. I am so proud of him! Last weekend, Luke went on a “sleepover” with a potential mom and dachsie brother. They are all in love — Luke has found his forever home. Thank you Kim and Marvin!
We had a very scary time with our foster Nash, one of the dogs we got from the breeder a couple of weeks ago. He came down suddenly with HGE (Hemorrhagic Gastroenteritis) — an often unexplained condition that strikes fast and can be deadly. (My own dog had this last year, and it was terrifying). Nash’s human foster brother, Nicky, found him near death, and acted quickly. They got Nash to the vet for stabilization, IV fluids, and antibiotics. His bloodwork was terrible, his body temperature dropped and we were afraid we were going to lose him.
Then the vet had to close and his foster mom Theresa took Nash to an emergency clinic for overnight care. In the morning he was much better. He spent the second day back at the normal vet, and went home that evening. It looks like he is going to be fine, but DREAM had a scary time of it there, especially Theresa, Nicky, and Sarah. They had to do all the shuffling from vet to vet to make sure Nash had professional medical care round the clock for a couple of days. He is much happier to be back in his foster home! We don’t have the final damage yet, but just the emergency vet part was more than $900. If anyone can help with Nash’s expenses, please send whatever you can. Even $10 makes a difference.
Deaf + halfblind + cushings + heart murmur = Double Dapple
We took in a couple of double dapples from Oconee County a couple of
weeks ago. They had been turned in by their owner, and came with their
breeding papers.What an adventure we are having. (At least, I’m trying
to look at it as an adventure, rather than a tragedy.)
One of the dogs, Blossom, had no apparent issues.
The other, Bree, has the full gamut of health issues associated with double dapples, which are the offspring of 2 dapple dogs. (You can read more about what this means at this link. ) The fact is, many puppies born “double dapple” are blind, deaf, both, or worse. Breeders who create these puppies consider the destruction of those puppies as a cost of doing business.
The bottom line is that this pattern should NOT be recognized by the
AKC, and should NOT be bred by anyone. It is far too dangerous to the
puppies.
I hope you’ll consider doing the following:
1. contact the AKC and ask them to stop accepting double dapple registrations.
2. not patronize any breeder who offers double dapples, even if you are not buying a double dapple yourself. (You know, as a rescuer who deals with the downstream effects of the high population problems we have, I’d prefer you not patronize breeders at all, but if you must, at least do not finance this practice).
I don’t know if we will be able to help Bree. Having him in the house is like having Helen Keller, so he needs a special foster home, and right now I don’t know who that is. He can’t communicate with us, and we can’t communicate with him. The other dogs running around scare him. He picked one of the other dogs and constantly humps him in what I imagine is his only feeling of control. He is frustrated and reactive, and cannot settle himself down. He snatches at food, because he also can’t smell very well and he’s afraid he’s going to lose out when he finally does smell something yummy. It’s like he’s having a 24/7 anxiety attack. Then add the other health issues — cushing’s disease, heart murmur, undescended testicle (and we can’t neuter him yet because of all the other risks — ARGH!)
We have found a trainer who will work with Bree so he can learn sign language with the little sight that he has. I hope that will alleviate some of his anxiety. He will go there in the next day or so. His cushing’s medication is beginning to work. He is having X-rays today to understand what is going on with his heart, and how dangerous it would be to neuter him.
We are trying to do right by this dog. He loves people, he loves to be held in a lap. His life is worth something.
Somewhere out there, a home awaits. A quiet home without too much activity to startle him. A patient person who will learn his sign language. A soft bed for him to lie in next to his person. Is that really too much to ask for a little deaf dog?
The world says yes, but we, at least for now, say no. We will keep trying with him as long as we can.
One of the dogs, Blossom, had no apparent issues.
The other, Bree, has the full gamut of health issues associated with double dapples, which are the offspring of 2 dapple dogs. (You can read more about what this means at this link. ) The fact is, many puppies born “double dapple” are blind, deaf, both, or worse. Breeders who create these puppies consider the destruction of those puppies as a cost of doing business.
I hope you’ll consider doing the following:
1. contact the AKC and ask them to stop accepting double dapple registrations.
2. not patronize any breeder who offers double dapples, even if you are not buying a double dapple yourself. (You know, as a rescuer who deals with the downstream effects of the high population problems we have, I’d prefer you not patronize breeders at all, but if you must, at least do not finance this practice).
I don’t know if we will be able to help Bree. Having him in the house is like having Helen Keller, so he needs a special foster home, and right now I don’t know who that is. He can’t communicate with us, and we can’t communicate with him. The other dogs running around scare him. He picked one of the other dogs and constantly humps him in what I imagine is his only feeling of control. He is frustrated and reactive, and cannot settle himself down. He snatches at food, because he also can’t smell very well and he’s afraid he’s going to lose out when he finally does smell something yummy. It’s like he’s having a 24/7 anxiety attack. Then add the other health issues — cushing’s disease, heart murmur, undescended testicle (and we can’t neuter him yet because of all the other risks — ARGH!)
We have found a trainer who will work with Bree so he can learn sign language with the little sight that he has. I hope that will alleviate some of his anxiety. He will go there in the next day or so. His cushing’s medication is beginning to work. He is having X-rays today to understand what is going on with his heart, and how dangerous it would be to neuter him.
We are trying to do right by this dog. He loves people, he loves to be held in a lap. His life is worth something.
Somewhere out there, a home awaits. A quiet home without too much activity to startle him. A patient person who will learn his sign language. A soft bed for him to lie in next to his person. Is that really too much to ask for a little deaf dog?
The world says yes, but we, at least for now, say no. We will keep trying with him as long as we can.
Cygnet
Some days it’s really hard. I go to a shelter a couple of times most
weeks, squeezing the visits in between my “paying” work and when I can
coordinate with a vet and a foster home. It’s always hard, walking
through those rows of runs, where the dogs look up at you, some still
hopeful (wagging their tails), others shut down (not even looking).
This week was one of the hardest, and I didn’t even have to go to the shelter.
I collaborated with a couple of other groups to save a group of 9 dachshunds who had been dumped in the “night box” at a rural shelter. (How cowardly can you be, to leave your animal in the night box? I guess it’s marginally better than abandoning them in the median of I- 75.)
DREAM agreed to take 3, and another group arranged transportation. I met them at the Windy Hill Chick-Fil-A. (For some reason, Windy Hill Chick-Fil-A and Popeye’s are popular rescue meeting points. If you go there, please tell them we appreciate them letting us use their parking lot.)
I realize I’ve indulged in 2 tangents so far in writing this. I’m dreading writing about Cygnet. So, how about we start with her picture, sitting on my lap as I drive from Windy Hill to The Village Vets of Decatur.
She looks like a baby bird fallen out of the nest, doesn’t she?
Her skin felt rough, thickened, and scabby under my palm. Pieces came off on my shirt and pants. Almost no hair…what looks sort of like hair in the picture is mostly pieces of skin. She was hot; I tried to cool her off with my hands. Her eyes were full of gunk. I could feel her hipbones, and all her vertebrae. Tiny birdlike ribs. She was ravenous, and I gave her a few slivers of chicken. Her tail wagged the whole time, and she licked my hand — probably for any food residue. Then she balanced herself on one of my legs and sort of passed out, head lolling. I tried not to panic as I mentally planned the best route to Decatur during rush hour.
I called Village and asked them to make sure a vet was there when I arrived, just before closing. The other 2 dogs fussed in the back of the car. Another one was bald too, but seemed otherwise alert. The third seemed healthy, probably just the usual parade of intestinal worms.
We arrived at Village with a few minutes to spare. Donnie rushed her to the back (I couldn’t believe how tiny she looked in his hands). Dr. Finke came out after a few minutes and said she was going to start antibiotics right away. We might be dealing with distemper, she said. Certainly she sounded like she had pneumonia, and the skin….well, the skin meant there were all kinds of underlying health issues and weaknesses to deal with. The prognosis was “poor to guarded.” She’d need an oxygen tank, antibiotics, fluids, just to get through the night, if she made it at all.
She’s 8 weeks old, barely weaned.
We decided to transfer her to the Emergency Center (they share a building, thank goodness), so she’d have someone there with her all the time through the night. We checked the other 2 into the regular vet, and I went home, poured a glass of wine, and bawled. Waited for update phone calls. Didn’t clean the house like I had planned (wow, what a social life). Cried and watched LOST on DVD, when I could pay attention.
The next morning she was alive. When I went to see her, she put her little feet up on the sides of the oxygen tent and wagged. Her food bowl was empty — she had a healthy appetite.
She’s not out of the woods. Distemper could still rear its awful
head and kill her. But Dr. Finke says that if she makes it through the
weekend, she’ll probably make it. She needs to stay a few more days, at
least.
So, happy happy joy joy! At least, for now.
Then I got the first bill. OUCH. It’s looking like the total bill, between emergency and regular hospitalization, will flirt with $2000. Maybe more. As you can imagine, that’s not good news for rescue groups. In bad economic times, more dogs get abandoned, and fewer people donate, and those who do, donate less.
If you can help — a little or a lot — please do. I want Cygnet to get every chance to grown into a big, strong, beautiful swan of a sassy little dachshund. I think her hair is sable. She might even be a beautiful longhair in there. She needs us. We can show her that not everyone is like those people who let her get into this condition, and then stuck her in a box in the middle of the night, in a scary place where most dogs don’t make it out alive. Most of us aren’t like that — I have to believe it. Can you help? Please go to our website, www.dreamrescue.org, and donate. It matters.
“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way it treats its animals.” — Gandhi
UPDATE on CYGNET 7/28: The little pistol was discharged from the vet last night. She still isn’t out of the woods, but now will do best in a home environment where she can run and play. She is on 3 medications, and needs a followup visit in 2 weeks to make sure she is progressing. We hope to be able to vaccinate her then too (right now it would be too much shock to her immune system). So for now she is doing her best to pester her (fully vaccinated) foster brother Frank. Please everyone, send healthy, hair-growin’, immune-system strengthenin’, puppy-playin’ vibes to the little sweetie. Right before she left the vet, she was spending most of her time on her hind legs, pushing against the sides of the oxygen tent, begging for attention. Whenever anyone would reach in there, she would roll over on her back to try to wrestle with their hand. What an amazing little spirit! If anyone can fight off her obstacles, it is Miss Cygnet Camellia! I’ll update at least once a week on her progress….hopefully all happy news from here on out.
From Cygnet: “My foster mom gave me a pretty pink blanket to keep me warm until I get my fur back. She said I was very sweet but I just want to play and then it makes me sleepy. I have no problem eating or drinking except for stopping when my belly gets full. My foster mom Robin says to tell DREAM thank you for saving me from the scary place and bring me to the doctor to get better. I love to run around my new home and play with the toys, those stuffed ones don’t have a chance when I shake them silly. I’ll send an update once a week so you can see how I’m getting better and fall in love with me even more. Until next week…”
UPDATE 7/30 From Cygnet: “I was nekkid so my foster mama put a sock on me. The DREAM lady said she’s resourceful, but I don’t know what that means!”
Update 8/9 — Hey!!! It’s me Cygnet again. Guess what I found? My growl Listen GRRRRR…..rrrr!!
I am so tough now!!! I hope you can see, I think some of my fur is coming back And…no more bones I love all of the food in the whole world that goes in my bowl. I had my first bath and my foster mom says I smelled divine!! I love exploring my neighborhood but the other dogs who bark make me nervous…but my foster mom is always right there to say it’s OK they just want to know who I am. Well, gotta run the toys are trying to get away I think — Cygie
Cygnet's foster mom made her a sock dress to keep her warm
I am so happy. I have found my “forever home” which is a miracle for a
little girl like me. These people really love me, and they are taking
care to make sure I keep getting healthier and healthier. They give me
toys to play with, and I have 2 other doggies to pester and wrestle
with. They make sure that every day I get food, and water, and
somewhere nice to sleep. Thank you to everyone who donated to make sure
my vet bills were paid.
I keep eatin so you won't see my bones no more
(I don’t really know what that means, but my new mom says it’s
important. Alls I know is that I feel better every day, no more yucky
infections or itchy skin.) I am so happy that my life is settled and I
know where my safe place is with my new mama and dad. Also my mom said
now DREAM has another foster space open to save a little one like me.
So that’s good.
I got big responsibilities.
This week was one of the hardest, and I didn’t even have to go to the shelter.
I collaborated with a couple of other groups to save a group of 9 dachshunds who had been dumped in the “night box” at a rural shelter. (How cowardly can you be, to leave your animal in the night box? I guess it’s marginally better than abandoning them in the median of I- 75.)
DREAM agreed to take 3, and another group arranged transportation. I met them at the Windy Hill Chick-Fil-A. (For some reason, Windy Hill Chick-Fil-A and Popeye’s are popular rescue meeting points. If you go there, please tell them we appreciate them letting us use their parking lot.)
I realize I’ve indulged in 2 tangents so far in writing this. I’m dreading writing about Cygnet. So, how about we start with her picture, sitting on my lap as I drive from Windy Hill to The Village Vets of Decatur.
Her skin felt rough, thickened, and scabby under my palm. Pieces came off on my shirt and pants. Almost no hair…what looks sort of like hair in the picture is mostly pieces of skin. She was hot; I tried to cool her off with my hands. Her eyes were full of gunk. I could feel her hipbones, and all her vertebrae. Tiny birdlike ribs. She was ravenous, and I gave her a few slivers of chicken. Her tail wagged the whole time, and she licked my hand — probably for any food residue. Then she balanced herself on one of my legs and sort of passed out, head lolling. I tried not to panic as I mentally planned the best route to Decatur during rush hour.
I called Village and asked them to make sure a vet was there when I arrived, just before closing. The other 2 dogs fussed in the back of the car. Another one was bald too, but seemed otherwise alert. The third seemed healthy, probably just the usual parade of intestinal worms.
We arrived at Village with a few minutes to spare. Donnie rushed her to the back (I couldn’t believe how tiny she looked in his hands). Dr. Finke came out after a few minutes and said she was going to start antibiotics right away. We might be dealing with distemper, she said. Certainly she sounded like she had pneumonia, and the skin….well, the skin meant there were all kinds of underlying health issues and weaknesses to deal with. The prognosis was “poor to guarded.” She’d need an oxygen tank, antibiotics, fluids, just to get through the night, if she made it at all.
She’s 8 weeks old, barely weaned.
We decided to transfer her to the Emergency Center (they share a building, thank goodness), so she’d have someone there with her all the time through the night. We checked the other 2 into the regular vet, and I went home, poured a glass of wine, and bawled. Waited for update phone calls. Didn’t clean the house like I had planned (wow, what a social life). Cried and watched LOST on DVD, when I could pay attention.
The next morning she was alive. When I went to see her, she put her little feet up on the sides of the oxygen tent and wagged. Her food bowl was empty — she had a healthy appetite.
So, happy happy joy joy! At least, for now.
Then I got the first bill. OUCH. It’s looking like the total bill, between emergency and regular hospitalization, will flirt with $2000. Maybe more. As you can imagine, that’s not good news for rescue groups. In bad economic times, more dogs get abandoned, and fewer people donate, and those who do, donate less.
If you can help — a little or a lot — please do. I want Cygnet to get every chance to grown into a big, strong, beautiful swan of a sassy little dachshund. I think her hair is sable. She might even be a beautiful longhair in there. She needs us. We can show her that not everyone is like those people who let her get into this condition, and then stuck her in a box in the middle of the night, in a scary place where most dogs don’t make it out alive. Most of us aren’t like that — I have to believe it. Can you help? Please go to our website, www.dreamrescue.org, and donate. It matters.
“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way it treats its animals.” — Gandhi
UPDATE on CYGNET 7/28: The little pistol was discharged from the vet last night. She still isn’t out of the woods, but now will do best in a home environment where she can run and play. She is on 3 medications, and needs a followup visit in 2 weeks to make sure she is progressing. We hope to be able to vaccinate her then too (right now it would be too much shock to her immune system). So for now she is doing her best to pester her (fully vaccinated) foster brother Frank. Please everyone, send healthy, hair-growin’, immune-system strengthenin’, puppy-playin’ vibes to the little sweetie. Right before she left the vet, she was spending most of her time on her hind legs, pushing against the sides of the oxygen tent, begging for attention. Whenever anyone would reach in there, she would roll over on her back to try to wrestle with their hand. What an amazing little spirit! If anyone can fight off her obstacles, it is Miss Cygnet Camellia! I’ll update at least once a week on her progress….hopefully all happy news from here on out.
From Cygnet: “My foster mom gave me a pretty pink blanket to keep me warm until I get my fur back. She said I was very sweet but I just want to play and then it makes me sleepy. I have no problem eating or drinking except for stopping when my belly gets full. My foster mom Robin says to tell DREAM thank you for saving me from the scary place and bring me to the doctor to get better. I love to run around my new home and play with the toys, those stuffed ones don’t have a chance when I shake them silly. I’ll send an update once a week so you can see how I’m getting better and fall in love with me even more. Until next week…”
UPDATE 7/30 From Cygnet: “I was nekkid so my foster mama put a sock on me. The DREAM lady said she’s resourceful, but I don’t know what that means!”
Update 8/9 — Hey!!! It’s me Cygnet again. Guess what I found? My growl Listen GRRRRR…..rrrr!!
I am so tough now!!! I hope you can see, I think some of my fur is coming back And…no more bones I love all of the food in the whole world that goes in my bowl. I had my first bath and my foster mom says I smelled divine!! I love exploring my neighborhood but the other dogs who bark make me nervous…but my foster mom is always right there to say it’s OK they just want to know who I am. Well, gotta run the toys are trying to get away I think — Cygie
Cygnet's foster mom made her a sock dress to keep her warm
I am so happy. I have found my “forever home” which is a miracle for a
little girl like me. These people really love me, and they are taking
care to make sure I keep getting healthier and healthier. They give me
toys to play with, and I have 2 other doggies to pester and wrestle
with. They make sure that every day I get food, and water, and
somewhere nice to sleep. Thank you to everyone who donated to make sure
my vet bills were paid.I keep eatin so you won't see my bones no more
I got big responsibilities.
What is a Double Dapple?
A
week or two ago, we posted a short blog about life with a new puppy. We
received several comments with questions about the photo as her
coloring is unusual for a dachshund.
This
is Cielo, a Double Dapple Dachshund (say that three times fast!). The
Dapple color is really a pattern of spots. They can come in different
color schemes, like silver and black, or brown with darker brown spots,
etc. It is fairly unique in the Dachshund world.
The
Dapple gene is dominant. What does that mean? It means that if you
breed a dapple to a more standard color scheme, you will have a great chance of getting dapple puppies. However, one thing you do NOT want to do is breed two Dapples
together. Because the gene is dominant, if two are bred together the
dominant genes sort of cancel each other out. That is why, on Cielo,
she has a lot of white.
The
problem, though, with two dominant genes is that a lot of recessive
stuff tends to come out in Dachshunds, including some pretty heavy birth
defects. Double dapple puppies have been known to be born blind and/or
deaf. Sometimes they are missing eyes, or are mentally
under-developed. So if you have a dapple or know anyone who has a
dapple, make sure not to breed with another dapple! You'll still get
dapple puppies if you breed with a more standard color.
The
owner of Cielo's parents did not know this about Dapples, and bred two
together. That's what makes Cielo a Double Dapple. Several of her
siblings had birth defects, but still found very loving homes.
The
owner of Cielo's parents did not know this about Dapples, and bred two
together. That's what makes Cielo a Double Dapple. Several of her
siblings had birth defects, but still found very loving homes.
The
good news about Cielo, the flying Double Dapple Dachshund, is that she
is healthy as can be! It's impossible to tell if she has any vision
issues, as she is crazy as heck. She is fearless, loves to play, she's
incredibly smart (or should I say cunning), and is so adorable it's hard
to leave for work in the morning.
Oh
-- and, she will be spayed, so sorry -- there will be no puppies from
this one. It's also important that when we breed dogs to make sure we
are doing so in a way that produces HEALTHY puppies genetically. If
there is any question, ever, then the dog should be spayed/neutered.
Thanks for the comments!
I’m in the Club!
Thought y’all would enjoy some pics of little Hero’s introduction to his new mama, who accepted him right away.He’s up to a strapping 6.2 ounces — got a lot of catching up to do! We still have not found out the officer’s name who found him and took him to WellPet.
If you can help with donations for his care (and the care of his new crew), we have a chip-in here:
He’s the second skull from the back, in between a black puppy and a cream puppy
Pet Tag Warning
One of ODR's adoptive families has sent us an email that we felt was important to share: We had a near fatal accident happen this morning with Lucy that I want to pass on to others to warn them about (if you haven't already). We have never had a home with heater vents on the floor and all of the dogs love to hang around the vents, especially in the morning. Buddy does not lay on them like Lucy does, he sits off to the side.
We thought this photo was cute of Lucy but notice her little pink name tag on her collar. It slipped down the vent t
his morning and twisted sideways, hanging Lucy in the vent. Thank God we were in the same room with her an I heard and saw her struggle.
She was literally pinned down with no room to get your fingers between her collar to get it out of the vent. I rushed to her and tried to calm her down while my husband was trying to unsnap her collar. Of course she was crying out of fright and peed all over herself.
We were going to cut the collar off but managed to lift the vent up with her. I could not have handled this alone. Lucy was terrified and I held her for a long time. Thankfully, she
was not hurt but she could have died. We removed her collar and later she went right back to sit on the vent.
It was something we would never have thought of - all our dogs have collars with names and phone numbers on - and we buy the smallest ones. They need to have I.D. on them but I am thinking I should look for collars with the flat I.D.s riveted to the collars.
No More Pride
Why?
Because I'm a grown woman who will stand in my back yard in the middle
of the night repeating one or two phrases. It's either "go poo poo,
puppy!" or it's "Good poo poo, puppy!!!" with varying degrees of
expectation and urgency. I expect that my closest neighbors seriously
question my sanity and my obsession with bowel movements.
Sometimes
I have enough time to get fully dressed with a jacket and flashlight.
Other times, I might have had to leap out of bed or drop my toothbrush
during my "evening toilet" because I notice my 3 month-old uppy
searching earnestly for a prime spot on the carpet. This means that I'm
either barefoot (trying to avoid slugs or other dog-made piles) or in
my underwear (have I mentioned it's winter in Oregon?). I do have a
fence around my yard, but I in fact realized yesterday evening that one
neighbor's house is so close to the fence that their window overlooks
it, right into my yard. Fantastico.
The
puppy loves it when I take her outside for her "poo poo". She frolicks
around my feet, attacks the cat and spends time digging for dead worms
in the grass. Every now and then she'll get my hopes up by pretending
to search for a "prime spot" again. If I have my flashlight with me,
she likes to play with her shadow, darting and nipping at the darkened
grass with a halo of light around her. She's also completely fascinated
with a large fern that is probably her "fort" when she plays.
All the while, I wait, and wait. "Go poo poo, puppy!"
And
when she does, we're both so excited we can hardly stand it! Me
because it's one more step toward potty training. She because she
thinks it's the greatest moment ever and she's the princess of the
world.
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