WHAT IS HAPPENING AT FOR HOPE INC

A GOOD DAY

2010-09-08T17:57:00.001-05:00

I have not done a very good job of keeping this blog updated but I hope to do better now that I have to keep our Editor of the FOR HOPE HEROLD up to date. I can post to the blog and update her in one step. Gotta love that.

Little Daisy was adopted. She came thru all her spay trauma with flying colors. She will always have the deformed ears but she does not care. That girl has “Little Dog Syndrome” big time. There is not a dog here or any where she will not take on and tell off. No one gets in her way or bugs her. She is going to go trucking and see the country. She will be a great rode dog.

Lovey had the last 2 shots of her Heartworm treatment this month. She had them Thursday and Friday. I felt so sorry for her. She was in such pain and could not keep anything in her stomach. The vet gave us some pain meds for her but even with these she screamed in pain when you touched her. I tried an ice pack only to cause her so much pain she cried. I was up most of Thru, Fri, Sat and Sun night constantly checking on her. I really was worried she was going to wrong way and giving up again. Then tonight when I feed everyone she ate. No coaching, no begging, she just ate. She is very careful around the other dogs but she is going to be okay I think. It will be 4 months before we know if these treatments took care of all the worms. The next 4 weeks she will be resting and no big activities like running, playing, having fun-you know being a dog. But when she is done watch out because she will be ready to take on the world. She is such a love.

Lady was not so lucky. She had her Mammary Gland Tumor removed. It was huge. The vet said it took twice as long as she thought to remove. The results of the biopsy are that it is cancer. If the cancer has not spread we could try chemo for her. It would cost $5000 to $6000 for 5 treatments. She would be sick and not enjoy it at all. These treatments might, maybe and possibly could give her an additional 6 months. Considering that we are going to let her live out her live as a foster and keep her happy, healthy, and comfortable and mostly pain free. She is so silly it is unreal. She loves to talk and tell you all about her day. I have never had to get up and have a dog move or turn because of the snoring but this girl rattles the windows.

Blossom is the new girl to the group. She is one sweetie. I have fallen in love with this Pittie. She also has a big snoring problem and she and Lady really get a roaring. Blossom is only about 5 month old and has a lot to learn. But she will there is no doubt. She is already house trained and is doing great at sit. Now we can try and move on slowly with other commands like off and no biting. Blossom is a real stinker with the other dogs. If one runs from her because they are tired she sits down and looks around for who she can annoy next. She loves to cause trouble and is very proud of herself when she gets it done. For Hope is having a Rummage Sale this week-end. Someone very kindly donated a big stuffed bear for us to sell. It is in a room with a large tall gate across the door to keep the dogs out. Blossom has spotted that bear and sits for the longest time with the look that says “I am going to get that bear, don’t know how but I am going to get it.” She is so much fun.

Stop It

2010-08-27T08:22:00.000-05:00

I was asked about a very nasty rumor that SOME JERK is spreading. Apparently SOME PERSON decided to try and destroy what For Hope is doing. They spread that the Humane Society came to one of our foster homes and there were 4 dead dogs at the foster home. WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!!!!! WHY DO YOU FEEL THE NEED TO DESTROY ANYTHING GOOD. I can't tell you what this person deserves but what goes around comes around. I hope that I am there to see that. You don't want to be a part of For Hope fine just stop lying and spreading those lies. There are NO DEAD DOGS AT FOR HOPE FOSTER HOMES. All those dogs get is love attention and medical care. WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING FOR THEM???? TAKING THAT AWAY??? If you have so much time on your hands why don't you try and do something positive instead of being cruel. You walked away because you were not important enough so leave us alone

Last Puppies Gone

2010-07-05T11:03:00.000-05:00

The Rottie puppies are all out in thier forever families. Good Luck hope to see you soon

MOVING ON

2010-06-27T07:14:00.000-05:00

I have been avoiding writing anything in a blog lately. I want to make it clear that this blog is my observations, my perspective and my blog. I am not airing dirty laundry in public I am simply telling others the life and times in a rescue. Unfortunately the Rescue becomes about some volunteers personal agenda and not the dogs. I wish this were not part of it but it is. Right now we have a good group of people to build on and a group that cares about the dogs and not about who said what and who did what.

Since For Hope began we have saved and adopted out over 40 dogs. That is not bad for the size we are. There were only 18 of those I would consider small puppies. We have helped dogs that were heartworm positive, had Lyme’s, Addison’s, taken a dog who is blind and has diabetes, cancer, a dog who had fluid on the brain, broken bones that need to be repaired and the worst of all abuse and neglect. We have watched as a dog who does not know what love is come out of the shadows to be petted. We have seen dogs who forgot how to play suddenly begin to feel comfortable enough to be silly again. We saw one special dog, Lovey, come to us ready to die and now is eating and enjoying a live of love and compassion. Lovey has a long battle ahead, she is high Heartworm positive. With Kelly and Ernie’s help she will make it. They have taken her in as a foster and she is thriving.

We now get calls from all over to please help a dog. As I was told, For Hope is known to take the dogs no one else will take. I am so proud of that. There has been only one we could not safe. Chester was his name, he was too old and had ear infection so bad his ears were swollen shut, he was blind from cataracts and no guarantee even with surgery he would see again. He also had a very large tumor on his back leg that needed to be removed and possible cancer. I made the decision not to put him thru all the surgeries and all the pain, he had had enough. We said good-bye to Chester this month. We also said good-bye to Cassidy this month who had heart issues due to badly neglected and infected teeth.

We have taken on a dog from KY who has mange so bad he has very little hair. His name is Chance because he needs the chance. He is such a happy little boy even with all the pain, itching and isolation he has to go through. We will also be getting in a Husky from AL whose kidneys are failing. He needs tests and possibly surgery to help him on his path. We also took in a beautiful Golden Retriever who came from a family who drank a lot. He is so nervous and frightened he will do something wrong. Last night was the first night in a week he actually slept for more than 45 minutes at a time.

I guess the bottom line to all this rescue work For Hope does is I would not change a single thing I have done or been accused of doing. I am passionate about helping these dogs and will remain that way. They have so much to offer and are not here for us to get praise and glory for but to help move on to that wonderful forever home. We (I) must be doing something right, we are helping so many. I am working on a new web-site design and the quote I found for the first page is perfect “A dog is not "almost human" and I know of no greater insult to the canine race than to describe it as such.” ~John Holmes

A NEW DAY A NEW BEGINNING

2010-05-31T18:06:00.000-05:00

It has been a very difficult last few months. So many things have happen that have drawn attention away from the dogs and saving lives that I have seriously considered not doing this anymore. When I decided that Mr. Hope was here to get me to start For Hope, Inc. all I wanted to do was to help the dogs that were the “throw aways” The ones that needed just a little more care and time to heal. To me it was worth the time and effort to raise the money, ask for the money or beg for the money to help these great dogs. Since that small beginning, Mel and I have taken in and saved over 30 lives. We did not do it alone by any means, we had some wonderful people who stood beside us and helped in any way possible.

Slowly at first we got a few new foster homes. Jen was the first and she took on some very difficult dogs. She loved and cared for them with no questions asked. She also supported and helped Mel and I develop our ideas and goals. Jen has been a rock; she has gone through the rough times with us and stuck it out even when she felt things were not the way they should be.

The next people to come along were Serenity and Emily. I don’t know what we would do without Serenity; she is a huge fighter for dogs and has done face book and promoting For Hope in every way possible. She was the one who got Emily involved. Emily took Bo on as a foster. She and her husband have cared for this sweet boy for a few months now. Bo had heartworm. We found out after he was with us that he also has a bad leg. Somewhere along the line it was broke and never fixed. Serenity and Emily have stood behind me and my ability to help dogs and make good solid decisions even when I neglected Bo over another dog. Bo had to wait to have his leg taken care of while I was off taking care of politics and trying my best to keep people (not dogs) happy and involved. These two always knew where my heart was and waited very silently until I came to my senses. Without them Mel and I would have crumbled. For Hope would have crumbled.

Then Bridget came in as a foster home. She took in a truly difficult girl named Stella. Stella had cancer and has a few issues with aggression. Bridget was the first to see the bad side of a few volunteers. She saw how they laughed and made rude comments about a sweet dog named Tucker. It was not Tucker’s fault how he looked or moved. He was blind, had diabetes that was untreated and was sick. Not something to laugh or ridicule. Bridget made sure Tuckers first encounter with For Hope was a comforting one, not one of “stay away”.

There were a few people that came into For Hope that nearly destroyed me and For Hope. Or at least it looked that way. In an attempt to motivate and please people I allowed these 3 people to become very involved in the operations of For Hope. Mel, she just sat back and wondered what I was doing and if she was important. She has no idea how important she is to For Hope and to me.

Over a few short months politics began to take its toll on For Hope. It was as I said the beginning of the end. I was and still am under a great deal of fire. As Mel says “I was thrown under a bus”. Decisions were being made by others with no communication to Mel or I, dogs that were not suppose to be taken care of medically were suddenly racking up huge bills taking away from the ones (such as Bo) who truly needed it. It stopped being about the dogs and became about personal wants. It did not matter how something happen just that certain people came out looking wonderful.

I have been accused of lying, not caring about the dogs, endangering the dogs and not considering others ideas or input. This from people I truly trusted. I have spent way too many hours trying to make 3 people happy and neglecting all the other things I wanted to do. Love and care for the dogs. I hope I get the chance to change this and make it up to the dogs and the people who truly do believe in For Hope.

These 3 people have since left For Hope. They were only here for a few short months but the damage to me and my trust is overwhelming. They seem to forget that each one of them was attaching the other at some point in time. All were telling us the evils the other had. I guess that should not surprise me that now they have joined to attack me.

Now it is time to get back to what For Hope stands for. It stands for helping and saving. It stands for giving each dog the time, respect and love it takes to go to that forever home. I am hoping that the small group we have right now will stay with me and For Hope and keep it from getting out of hand again.

Please Mel, Serenity, Emily, Jen, Melissa, Kelly and all the dogs, give me a chance to redeem myself and show you my heart is in the right place. Help me chose the right people to be part of this group and have the right interests at heart. Please always tell me what you think and how you feel. I am so sorry for not treating you better, for neglecting to say Thank you and for letting you know how important you are.

SORRY FOR NOT WRITING! I WILL DO BETTER!

2010-05-09T19:00:00.000-05:00

These last few weeks have been a whirl wind. There have been some disagreements in For Hope that created a lot of hurt feelings. I think we are past that now and moving forward. There are too many positive things going on that there is no slowing down.

We have had just a rash of adoptions, which is wonderful. So many dogs are finding their forever home. That allows us to take in more and help more. We took in 3 new ones that we are very lucky to have. The first is Otis. Otis is a BEAUTIFUL Collie/Sheppard mix. And if you didn’t know that is my favorite breed. (Don’t tell my fosters I tell them all they are my favorite breed) Otis is a very young dog that has a problem in his groin area. We will get him neutered and make sure all is okay. He came from a shelter that does not get much help from her board for medical treatment. I am glad we could help with Otis and I hope we can help with many more.

Otis and Damon have become great friends. They run and play for hours. And I do mean hours. The energy level on these two is unreal. Shadow plays with them but soon just goes and sits to watch. It is fun to watch how some dogs you could swear have known each other before. It is if they say”Hey, how are ya, come on let’s go”. Well Damon and Otis are just like that. Damon did get someone who sent in an application for him. They are coming tomorrow to meet him. I pray this is a good match. As much as I will miss Damon he really wants to be the only dog with a family of his own. You could never find a better dog than Damon; he is growing into a very smart dog.

Another dog we brought in is Max. Just Max! Max is a Rottweiler mix. He is a good dog. He knows a number of commands already and is very well behaved. Of course we are still on the honeymoon period but I think Max will be a good dog. He does have a heavy load of Heartworm. The good news is he is not showing any symptoms yet. We will get him in to the vet ASAP and get him treated. He is too good a dog to lose to those nasty worms.

The last girl is Lovey. Lovey scared me. When she first got in the car to come to my home I thought she was depressed. She just laid and hung her head. Once I got her home and got a good look at her I was sure she would not make it until we could get her to a vet. Lovey has a very heavy load of Heartworm. They are in her lungs and causing her a great deal of trouble breathing. Her heart is enlarged from them and she is about 10 lbs underweight. Her nails were so long she was walking on them instead of her feet. She had fleas that you could see when you got close to her. And someone was so kind they shot her with Beebe’s that are now lodged in her.

The first night I hand feed Lovey just to get her to eat something. She ate about 2 mouth full’s. You could see in her eyes she had given up. I kept talking to her, lying with her, petting her and holding her for 2 days. I told her I was not about to lose another dog and she could not give up. Well, slowly after a few days of hand feeding she started to eat. We still need to coax her to eat but she will. She has gained some strength and moves around a little. We got her to the vet and they started her on some medicine to hopefully help her until we can treat her. If we tried to treat the Heartworm now we would kill her. Today I have hope for her and I think she has hope also. She is a sweet girl and needs to know how sweet she is.

2010-04-18T18:59:00.000-05:00

This week-end is was really very nice outside. That meant my husband got to go outside and work around the yard. Of course he had a lot of help. One of our biggest helpers is Shadow. He always is right there to pitch in and see that you are doing what needs to be done and that you are doing it right. Most the time you are tripping over him because he is so close. Today he thought he would help by going into the garage and bringing out a roll of wire. Not sure what we needed it for but he thought we did. He was so proud of himself we couldn’t get mad. Not sure what we would do without Shadow. He got his name because he is a shadow.

Ben met his new forever mom. He was very good and did not do any acting up. He was showing off. It will be a good place for him. His mom will work in a doggie day care, is very active and can be the strong leader he needs. It seems the new dogs coming in find a home fast but the great dogs like Shadow and Damon don’t. People just don’t know what they are missing with these guys.

Tucker is a new boy we took in. He really did not have much going for him last week. He had bad ears, his eyes were very dry and he can’t see, he has diabetes and his nose where the skin rolls was badly infected. After a week of cleaning him up, medications and good food Tucker is full of life and spirit. He has gone from a boy that I thought would be a forever foster to a dog that can be adopted. He will always have a sight problem. He may be able at some point to see shadows but for the most part he is blind. He gets insulin twice a day but he is the happiest little pug you will ever meet. He follows your voice to find his way and otherwise just walks around from memory of where things are. It is amazing what dogs can adapt to.

We got good news on Stella. No cancer remaining. The removal of the tumor seems to have gotten all of it. Now we just need to monitor her for 3 to 6 months for any other lumps and she will be good to go. Tonight I got a call from her foster mom. They were going to have chicken breasts on the grill. The key words being were! Stella had a good supper, two nice raw chicken breasts. Good thing she is cute!

The new puppies are all doing great. I have no idea how Tammy can tell them apart. They all look so close in looks. They are just like little bulldozers when they play, just shoving right through not around anything.

It has been a GOOD WEEK. And tomorrow is another
GREAT DAY TO SAVE A LIFE!

BUBBA'S NEW GAME

2010-04-15T17:23:00.000-05:00

Someone asked in our guestbook how Bubba was doing. I am not sure how to get her an answer other than here. It seems For Hope, Inc has its share of juvenile delinquents. First Skyy (formally Cloudy) had a police record for killing chickens and now Bubba has a record at the Humane Society for being an escape artist. Bubba is doing fine, very happy to be home and not wanting to wander so much. He is however having an argument with me and is doing his best to be in control. We started a new rule, he has to sit in his kennel and wait for the door to open and I say okay before he can get out. He likes to bark and carry on until he gets out. I will come in and leave all the dogs out tha are sitting and calm, of course Bubba isn’t. Everyone goes outside; of course Bubba doesn’t because he is still making a ruckus. I will go over to the kennel, tell him sit and give the hand signal. That is when the stubborn really comes out. Bubba has 2 unforgettable looks, one that says “I really really love you” the other that says “Make Me!” He gets that look and just stares at me. He has lasted up to 10 minutes before he leaves out the most discussed sigh and sits. After that he will not look at me, if he wants something he sits with his back to me. He will sit outside looking away from the door not inside. I don’t think he knows it really does not hurt my feelings. Yesterday he really was upset. I went to work and came home; he had SHREADED everything in his kennel. The pillow, the blanket and even left marks on the tray inside. When I walked in and saw it he had a new look on his face. “How do you like that?” I think he was very surprised when once again I made him sit before getting out.

Damon has really been amazing me lately. He is turning into such a great dog. Ben is a real pain in the butt and he is always after Damon. Barking in his face, pushing him around, challenging him and just picking all the time. Damon just walks away. He goes to his kennel and will let Ben know “Back Off” but he never starts anything. I don’t think I would blame him if he did. When Hilda passed away Damon and Shadow were by my side always. I had a hard time getting them to go outside for a few days. They wanted to make sure I was okay. Sadie Mae would often come over and just rest her head on my leg to let me know it was going to be okay. JoJo would come at night at least 10 times to check on me. A cold, wet nose can really wake you up fast. But at least she knew I was okay.

Hilda passing took a lot out of me. For awhile I wasn’t sure I wanted to do this anymore. I felt I had let her down and what good was I really doing. There are so many and they just keep coming no matter what I do. Last night for the first time I came into the office to try once again to do some paperwork and I felt Hilda. I could smell her and it was so comforting. She used to run around on the floor while I worked or sit on my lap and help press the computer keys. At times she just snuggled in my lap. I know Hilda will always be with me, she was so special. I have really been blessed to have had so many special dogs come into my home. I would like to think that they will remember this was a new chapter for them. As I was opening the mail I got another surprise that made it even more special. I got a card from one of the dogs I had fostered and is now living in a great home. She thanked me for helping her. I will be okay now, thank you Sienna.

IN MEMORY OF HILDA

2010-04-07T17:47:00.000-05:00

This week has been a hard week so far. Bubba escaping really is causing some trouble. The Humane Society in our area is not at all easy to deal with and would much rather see a dog put down than saved. They don’t gear themselves towards rescue and I don’t think it will be anytime in the future when they do. The rules that apply to one rescue group do not apply to another. An exception for people trying to do the right thing is not part of what they know or understand. There is a fight ahead and soon I will be ready, just not today.

I just returned from the vet. Sometime during the afternoon Hilda had a seizure. When I got home I found her lying on the floor not responding to anything. I rushed her to the vet but there was brain damage and nothing could have been done. Hilda lost her battle today. I got to spend time with this beautiful creature one last time before she went up to that big dog yard. I am sure she is running (with no circles), barking and thinking she is the top dog. Just as she did here. Of course having Damon and Shadow to protect her helped. No one got near her without their permission. In fact she caused a few ruffled coats when the Shadow and Damon disagreed on who or what Hilda should be doing.

Hilda will be missed and always be loved. She was only on this earth for a short time but what she taught all of us was huge. She taught us to accept every dog for whom they are and that every dog can overcome huge obstacles. No problem was ever too big for this tiny little girl, she figured out a way around it. Even when she could only go in circles, she would start at one end of the house and go until she got where she wanted to be. It may have been a roundabout way but she got there.

HILDA WE LOVE YOU AND YOU WILL BE MISSED. PLEASE GIVE SIMBA 3 PAWS UP FROM US.

TIMES ARE BITTERSWEET

2010-04-04T18:26:00.000-05:00

Everything seems to moving along very fast. I totally lost track of time and forgot the blog last week. So much has happen. It has been good and not so good.

Good news is that Cloudy got adopted by a wonderful man. He has a yard that is perfect. The adopter has had a number of Huskies in his life and still loves them. We took Cloudy down to his forever home last week. Cloudy walked up, gave his new Dad kiss and never looked back. All the time we were there he was exploring and close to his new owner. When it came time to go Cloudy gave me a kiss and turned to go by his forever Dad. Just the way it is supposed to happen. It was if he said “Thanks for all the food, see ya around”. I think these two will be very happy.

Cloey also got a forever home. She went up to Wausau on Friday. She is going to be a spoiled Diva. (Like she isn’t already). Her new mom has had many other Great Danes and has even fostered a few. She is going to take very good care of Cloey. Cloey being a Dane would have gotten in the car if I asked but she was very comfortable and happy with her new Mom. After I left they were going out shopping for accessories. As I was told “A girl has to have accessories.”

Sadie, our new foster girl is not so lucky. She went to the vet this week and the tumor looks to be cancer. The vet is going to do a biopsy and see if it can be removed, reduced or what the future treatment is going to be. Sadie is 13 years old and needs to have lots of love since she missed that all these years. For Hope is not going to put her through a lot we just want her to be comfortable. Her foster mom Heidi is so in love with her I know Sadie will be spoiled rotten. They bonded immediately. Sadie crawled on her lap within 5 minutes of meeting her. Heidi gets very nervous because Sadie has arthritis and sometimes is stiff. I know that feeling all too well and someday Heidi will know it also. Us older girls gotta sometimes wind up to get started in the morning. We will get Sadie on some supplements to help with the arthritis and see what the vet says about the rest. We will hopefully have her around for a very long time and she will have a lot of happiness. Even if she went tomorrow, Heidi has already given her so much love she will know that there is good in this world.

Hilda went to a specialist in Holistic medicine in Milwaukee. He was not very optimistic on her condition. He talked about all the things we could do, supplements, steroids, and the shunt in her brain. The steroids are hard on the system just as they are on humans. The shut would run from her brain to her stomach to empty out the excess fluid the brain is producing. The problem here is Hilda would not be able to run and plays like a normal puppy because of the danger of hitting the head, pulling it out and causing more damage. The route we took for now is supplements and a low dose steroid. This hopefully will reduce the fluid level and help Hilda maintain. So far it seems to be working. She started going straight instead of in a circle all the time. She still goes to the left in a circle as she is running but today it was straighter than circles. We need to take it day by day; Hilda is not going to get better. Her disease is eventually going to take her live. We have to monitor her and make sure her quality of life is good and not just alive. It breaks my heart and I know the end will break it even more but Hilda will not suffer and will always be loved.

My worst nightmare has happen. Bubba got out of the fence and a very friendly neighbor called Animal Control. They knew where Bubba lived and came to the house while my husband was out looking for Bubba. I think the neighbor was holding Bubba because he always comes when called. The Animal Control took Bubba to the pound and locked him up. We can’t get him until Monday and this happen Sat night. I am so scared for Bubba; I hope nothing happens to him. I was also given a citation for having too many animals. I got a feeling this is going to get bad. La Crosse Humane Society is not easy to work with and could care less about saving or helping animals. My friendly neighbor seems to feel that our dogs are out all the time, truth is the last time before Cloudy’s running in Mar was in Oct of 2009. I really don’t think it is bad at all. Of course any dog running loose is from my house and they just might ruin the neighbor’s landscape. These people keep their dog in a small kennel outside and seem to feel that is what I should do. I am hoping this does not end the hard work so many have done to save so many dogs. I hope this is not the end of For Hope, Inc. The La Crosse Humane Society is a hard place to deal with. As for my neighbor’s I would love to go down and thank them for all their help. I would love to ask them which dog they think should be impounded or worse yet killed. Maybe Milo with Heartworm, or Bubba who survived Heartworm treatments, or Hilda the little puppy with fluid on the brain or maybe better yet Diego the little guy who was found outside in the freezing weather only to be put on Death Row. Someday it will get paid back, someday.

TIME TO CLEAR THE THROAT

2010-03-22T18:31:00.000-05:00

This has been the week from hell. Ben got Kennel cough and it traveled. My whole house was one dog coughing after the other. 5 of them got it, 3 were vaccinated against it. So much for the vaccinations working. A few sleepless nights, a lot of honey and child’s cough syrup saved my sanity. Everyone but Doc made it through. Doc just can’t seem to shake it. He gets so tense and then it gets worse. I finally gave in and called the vet for medicine. I hate giving this stuff to them but Doc needs to sleep and break that cough up. I have tried everything I could find including spending hours in the bathroom with the shower going full blast on hot keeping him calm. I am hoping the medicine helps.

Hilda is doing better I think. I am hoping it is not my wanting her to be better and that it actually is happening. She seems to be able to stop herself from going in a circle which is an improvement. The vet put her on a low dose of steroids to see if it would help and it does seem to be a little. She also has times where she can run a ways straight before going in a circle. I tried to e-mail a Holistic Vet in Milwaukee to get her in to see if they could do anything. I have not heard from them. I would like to explore that avenue but the Holistic vets are few and far between in our area. I think we will have to go to Madison to have her examined. Even though she is making little steps we need to consider what her life is going to be if this is the best she gets. I will cross that bridge when we get there. I know I have a lot of support in our foster committee and they will not let me go through this alone.

Cheville has really taken over being a Momma to Hilda. The picture is out of focus but you can see she just loves her and watches over her. If Hilda is on the floor, Cheville and Red are with her and are the sounding bells when anyone gets to close. They defend her and watch her like a Hawk. It is so cute to watch. Both started playing this week. It is nice to see that after all they went through they can relax and be dogs.

Milo is a very sick little boy. He has Heartworm and a very heavy load. His heart is enlarged and he may have had an embolism that affected his ears. We are working on getting him into the vet for treatment. For now we are keeping him calm. I think he is going to be fine. He just needs love and attention to go along with the treatment and we will pull him through it. I don’t allow any dog to die on my watch.

I have the best news this week. Cloudy found his forever home. A man in the Milwaukee area is going to adopt him. Better yet the man has had 5 Huskies in his life so he knows them and still loves them. If you missed my previous post please read it and you will understand. Cloudy is a good dog he just is a rascal at times.

We will have a new member to the For Hope group on Sunday. Her name is Sadie and she is coming in from Kentucky. She was part of a seizure for abuse and neglect. She is 13 years old and been outside all her life. She has a tumor on her back leg that we will check out but mostly we want her to know that people can give love and not hurt. We have a family that has stepped up and agreed to be her forever foster family. They will make sure she gets lots of love and kindness. We all will make sure she is never lonely or hurt again.

Long Week

2010-03-14T16:56:00.000-05:00

It has been on along week. Fred came for a visit this week. His Mom and Dad had to go out of town so he came to stay for a week. JoJo and he picked up their love affair right away. Fred always was in love with JoJo, he would follow her everywhere. He still does. Fred looks amazing! Jamie and Tim have done such a wonderful job with him. He has lost weight, his coat is just beautiful and he is not that shy timid boy anymore. He is coming out of his shell. I think he enjoyed his time here with us but I think he enjoyed going home more. He saw Jamie and could not get to her fast enough. He came over, gave me a kiss good-bye and pulled her to the door. He was ready to be the only dog again and he wanted to go home. That is such a good feeling to know that this is not home for him anymore. He deserves the best and found it.

We are afraid that Hilda may have had a seizure or had some head trauma last Saturday or Sunday. She woke up Sunday and did not seem to want to do anything. She slept most of the day. When she did wake up to play she could not stop going in a circle. We would pick her up and her tiny legs would continue to go until we rocked her back to sleep. We have been doing this all week, there does not seem to be any change in the circle pattern. She just can’t seem to stop herself. The vet and I do not want to put her on any medications because she is so small. The vet feels her problem is there is swelling that is throwing her off. I am trying to do as much research as I can about any herbs, Bach flower essences or essential oils to help her. If anyone has any ideas PLEASE let me know. The worst part is that I think I may have been the cause of this. Last Sat I was in a hurry to get on the road to pick up Milo and Ben. I set Hilda in the office with the gate up, stepped over and Hilda was right there. I knocked her with mu foot by accident. I checked and thought I just caught her body but I think it may have been her head. I just am sick over it and wish I could make it right. I keep telling her she is going to be alright but I know I can’t let her keep spinning like she does, what kind of life is that. Say some prayers if you read this, Hilda needs them.

Cloudy, Sweet Cloudy. He was a real stinker this week. He seemed to be doing so well that he was trusted to go out in the backyard on Wed without a chain on. Well that was a really bad idea. 3 hours of walking, calling and chasing him and we found him. Down by the lake having a great time. He just about got picked up by the animal control because people thought he was a stray. He was Black, so he got bath #1. On Thursday he pushed open the back door and once again went for a hike. This time he went up to the farmer’s fields that were all mud. Yep he was Black, bath #2. On Friday in the morning he went out on his tie out and proceeded to dig a hole under the deck and get himself stuck. Good thing we had taken the boards off the deck from the last time he did this because we had to remove them again to get him out. His tie out was stuck wrapped around the beam under the deck so a new one has to be bought. And yes he was BLACK! We had to go to work so we just put him in his kennel until we got home. When we got home we had to pack up for a rummage sale and were in a hurry to get going to get everything set up. My husband left Cloudy out and thought “I’ll just watch him so he does not get out” since the tie out was under the deck. He watched him alright, he watched him jump right over the fence, after a chase of an hour through the mud and trees he went over to another farms cow pasture. He was not only BLACK but smelled terrible. He of course did not think so but bath #3. It does not end, we got a new tie out so to show us how upset he was he went out this morning and dug another hole under the deck. He did not get stuck but he was Black. Bath #4. I am exhausted and hopeful that it is out of his system.

2010-03-06T20:46:00.000-06:00

Sometimes I know why puppies are so darn cute. It is so you don’t kill them when they do some things. This morning I was working on the computer and Hilda was running around and around and around. She was driving Cloey and Shadow nuts because they could not keep up with her; she is so small she runs right under them. The big dogs were slipping and sliding around avoiding Hilda and knocking things over. I figured I better pick Hilda up so no one got hurt, namely my furniture. I sat her on m lap and at first she just watched the screen of the computer while it changed. She must have decided I was not moving fast enough or she saw a picture she didn’t like. Her paw is the exact same size as the delete button. All the pictures I had were gone. I did have some on a flash drive so I got some back but most are gone. I think she just wanted to be the only one with pictures.

So my morning was spent doing something different than planned. Around here that is very normal. As someone once told me “Life happens as you plan”. I do know that now more than ever. I went to pick up two very sweet frightened boys. Ben is a cute Border collie mix. He is one of the cutest little guys I have seen. (Okay they all are!) He was a stray so not much is known about him. He seems to be fine with other dogs and cats. Very frightened but after he warms up to you very loving. Ben is probably less than a year but not by much. He is thin and needs to get up to weight. After a vet visit we will know more.

Milo is a Cocker Spaniel. He is not as lucky as Ben. Milo is older and in bad health right now. He is heartworm+, has a very bad inner ear infection going on and overweight. I was here before with Fred so none of this scares me. Milo’s biggest thing is he can’t keep his balance because of his ear problems. I feel so sorry for him; he can barely walk anywhere without falling over. Again we get him to the vet ASAP and begin the healing. One thing For Hope, Inc has is lots of love and TLC. Sometimes the money is tight but somehow we always find a way. We just have too, these dogs are too important not to help.

Hilda is doing great, no seizures and she is growing. She is so much fun to have around. I will miss her when she is gone but I know she will make someone a great friend. Someone out there needs her, even if they don’t know it yet.

Cloey had a shot on Friday. She scared me just slightly; she would not eat last night or this morning. Then about 10 AM she came wandering in and asked for breakfast. I forgot about the Princess in Cloey. Last night it may have been the shot or excitement of the vet visit (She loves the social scene). This morning she just wasn’t ready when everyone else was.

We are back!

2010-03-03T19:59:00.000-06:00

I have been avoiding the blog for a few days. I want to state very clearly that this is my view of events and happenings at For Hope, Inc and all the foster dogs. If you were standing next to me you may see it different but this is how I see it, feel it and live it. I will be honest with my feelings and gut reactions. I do not mean to offend or hurt anyone; it is just what I experience.

As you are aware Cloey came back to For Hope, Inc for a number of reasons. It was and still is one of the hardest decisions we have had to face. I have talked to a great number of rescue people, shelter people, legal and friends. All have told me they would have done exactly the same thing and the board of directors made the right decision. It still is a very hard thing and I will do everything I can to never let any dog go if there is even a shadow of doubt. I apologize to Cloey every day and will do better for her and all the dogs in our care. For Hope, Inc will move forward, learn from a very big mistake and keep helping the dogs. After all that is what it is all about, not us, our pride, our desire to own a dog but the dogs desire to be with the one special person in that one special home. Cloey is doing wonderful. She is playing, running and having a great time with Shadow. When those two start to play it sounds like the floor is going to give. Shadow is 90+ lbs and Cloey 116+ lbs. When they start to run and play you would think a small freight train is coming, but watching them just makes me smile. They are such good friends.

The puppies are doing okay finally. Tink is the last to start to feel better. Not only did they have the round of Parrvo but then they got the Kennel cough and respitiory problems. Tink got it the worse. Tammy was at the vet every day, sometimes 3 times a day getting these sweet things antibiotics, de-worming and fluids. The outlook is great, next week we should be able to finally give the shots they should have had long ago. The passing of Simba was a big loss to all of us and he will be remembered. He taught everyone a very valuable lesson and gave us so much for the short time he was here.

Hilda is a sassy little girl. She will take on any one and anything. She is gaining weight and having a blast being a puppy. We need to get her weight up and monitor her swelling. The fluid is even all around her brain, no damage to sight, hearing, mobility or organs. We need to watch for seizures, changes to the swelling and when she is playing she does not bump her head. I am keeping everything crossed she will make it a long long time. The reason we named her Hilda is we felt she needed a strong German name for the strong fight she had coming up. I think she is just sassy enough to make it a long time; nothing is going to beat her. She will stay with For Hope, Inc until we can spay her. This is a very big gamble and we will cross that bridge when we get there.

Both Rex and Lily went out to their forever homes. Both are doing very well. Lily is still wants to be the boss and Rex is having a great time being the only dog. Damon is the one I worry about right now. He is so depressed since Lily left. She would give such a hard time when she was here. Always telling him what to do and just picking on him all the time. I thought for sure Damon would be relieved when she found her home, but he really misses her. Sadie, JoJo and Cody my 3 dogs)are all older and not as much in to playing as they are into monitoring and keeping everyone in line, Cloudy and Bubba are best friends and play all the time, Shadow and Cloey are buddies and always together so now Damon is the 3rd wheel no matter who is hangs with. I am sure things will change soon and it will be a whole new ball game, until then I try to spend as much time with Damon as I can. He is a great dog.

We also got some new fosters and foster families. One that is really a honey is Bo. He is Heartworm positive and has started the treatments. He got his 2 shots and now hates the crate. Bo is about 2 yrs old and one of the best dogs I have met. Somewhere he learned some great manners. One bad thing we found out is he does like to jump fences. The foster parents turned tier back for a second and he was over the fence. We now know that taking him out on a leash, walking beside him and letting the leash drop will not work. The leash will be held on to all the time.

Sometimes This is so Hard!

2010-02-25T17:28:00.000-06:00

Every time I have a foster that gets an application for adoption I am so hopeful and happy for that dog. All the references are checked, the potential adoptive parents are talked to and a home visit is done. Sometimes the first instinct is wrong and the home is not right for the dog. I have stopped adoptions because something along the way, usually a gut feeling, has told me this is not the dogs forever home. Once the decision is made that all is okay and the gut feeling says go for it I begin to question myself. Did I make the right decision, what about this and that, should I do more checking, was I reading all the signs correctly or was something missed. I worry so much for each and every one of these dogs that they never hurt, be abused or neglected again in their life. I want them to have HOPE as we all have HOPE for better lives and homes for them.

Cloey had a very bad experience these last few days because I did not follow that last gut instinct. A young couple that seemed very good, kind and loving applied for Cloey. All efforts pointed that this was the home for her. When I took Cloey to meet them my gut instinct kicked in, Cloey was telling me this was not her forever home. For some reason I did not listen. I left Cloey there, on the drive home I wanted to turn around a million times but kept telling myself it would be fine that Cloey needed time to adjust.

Shortly after For Hope, Inc began to receive information that caused not only me but 4 of our director’s great concern. Cloey has Addison’s, the information we received indicated that the young couple was not prepared for the cost this would take. I am sure that these parents would have done everything possible for Cloey but her illness is not something that her medication can be missed and given later. Proper care is a matter of life and death for her. As long as she is well cared for, receives her meds, has her blood tested and sees a vet regularly you would not know she has anything. She is full of fun, mischief and love.

Last night I went to correct my mistake. I went to pick Cloey up and tell these young people that they would not be able to keep Cloey. I broke their hearts. I will never forgive myself for what I have done to them or to Cloey. The main reason Cloey is back is above all else the dog’s safety and well being is important. It is not about what a potential owner or even I want it is about what is best for the dog. Cloey is so special (as are all the dogs) that pride, possession, demands or human feelings were set aside to do what was best for Cloey.

There is a happy ending to all this. When we walked in with Cloey I thought Shadow was going to cry. He was so happy to see his girl. They ran to each other and I swear they hugged. All of the dogs here were happy to see Cloey and Cloey was so happy to be home. Even in the car as we were driving all of a sudden there was a sigh from her that was so deep it came from her toes. I think she liked where she was but it was not home.

WHAT A WEEK-END

2010-02-21T09:23:00.000-06:00

This has been a very busy week-end. There has been a lot going on. All very good. The first good news is that Skittles went home from the vet clinic. She is not out of the woods yet but is on the way back. The vet gave her some medicine to help keep food down so she was able to eat a little. Both her and Buddha will get more antibiotics and hopefully be okay. We have to wait and pray that the Parrvo did not destroy the lining of their insides so bad that they will not be able to process food and water. But she is home with all the others and I am sure getting spoiled rotten. No other puppy is showing any signs so we are hopeful the worse has pasted. I really would love to go and just kick the guy who did this. This wasn’t a normal sick puppy, this happen because a person could not take care of his momma dog the way he should. And they call us the superior ones. I never met a dog who did not take care of what they should and cause injury, pain or illness just because they were stupid.

We also had a few dogs find their forever homes. Lily went to a great home. She is in IA on a farm. She has acres to run and play on, a house full of people to pay attention too and a boy to go out running with. She walked into her new home as if she owned it. She fell in love with the father and the boy. Reports are good right now, she had a busy day running and playing and scaring the cats away from the house this is a good thing). She is not eating but there are just so many new things I think she is just getting used to. I am sure she will eat when she is hungry.

Sallie went to her forever home on Friday as well. It is perfect! A gentleman who lives alone and wants a BFF to hang out with. Sallie will be in heaven. She is so depressed right now; her world has been turned upside down. In talking with the man who adopted her I know he will take the time to get her back to her happy self. Sallie had been with one family for 7 years before they gave her up, then she came by me and then to this home. That is a lot for a dog.

And last Cloey found a home. This one I am nervous about. She did not warm up to them like I would have liked to see. I almost stopped the adoption. I left her there and will be in very close contact. For the first time Cloey came up and put her paws on my shoulders. She has never done that to anyone. I am just not sure about this. I hope she adjusts but we will go get her in a heartbeat if I feel anything is wrong. In fact I will wait the week, if a vet appointment has not been made for her we will go get her.

Simba

2010-02-18T19:36:00.001-06:00

Today we had a glimmer of hope; both Skittles and Buddha are doing slightly better. Skittles is in the vet hospital yet. Tomorrow they will try some water and see if she can keep it down. Hopefully not too much damage was done to her insides to prevent her from living a full happy life. She is so week and small. Buddha is home with Tammy and slept most of the day. They are keeping a very close eye on him. I want to make this short tonight so that we can remember Simba. He did not die in vain; he brought joy and love to a house full of puppies. He will be remembered and always with us. We will miss you Simba, Good Night sweet prince.

Feb 17, 2010

2010-02-17T19:25:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was all good and happy news. Today broke my heart. One of the 8 Heeler puppies that came in died of Parvo. Tammy is beside herself with grief. All because some jerk could not vaccinate his dog. If the mother had been vaccinated the puppy would have stood a fighting chance. This poor little guy, Simba, was so sweet. Very calm and smart. He was just beginning his life and now it is over. There was nothing that could have been done. He went within a matter of hours from looking as if he had an upset stomach to gone. Parvo is a deadly disease that puppies usually get. It can kill them in a matter of hours. It is also very contagious. Now all the puppies are at risk. Skittles, a little girl, is in the hospital on an IV of antibiotics and fluids. Buddha is at home with a heavy dose of antibiotics and fluids under the skin. Skittles has a 50/50 chance. Buddha slightly better. It broke my heart to make a choice on who got the hospital care. Money played a role in a way I never wanted to experience again. I just pray that Skittle, Buddha and the rest survive this. I know Tammy is doing everything she can to keep it from getting to the others. We need that angel now.

This man who dropped the puppies off said that his dog had a litter of 8 right before this litter. This litter was 9. He sold all the 8 and 1 of this litter. With what we found out today all those puppies are at risk also. There are 9 families who may feel this heartbreak just because one stupid person did not care enough to vaccinate.

I also got news from Jen that Sophie, the cocker, was not just given up because her owner lost her home. She was a puppy factory. She has had many litters and is now paying the price. I bet the owner gave her up because she could not produce anymore. She has a tumor on her mammary glands that needs to be checked out to make sure it is not cancerous. She also needs to be spayed so no one can do this to her again.

This is why For Hope means so much to me. To stop this from happening. If we can vaccinate one dog and save its life and the life of the others than we are doing well. If we can spay or neuter one more dog we can stop the population slightly. If you read this please don’t let Simba’s life be in vain. Vaccinate your dogs. And for goodness sake SPAY AND NUETER YOUR DOG. If you don’t have a dog, don’t buy from a breeder, go to a shelter or a rescue.

Feb 16, 2010

2010-02-16T20:20:00.001-06:00

Hilda went to the vet today. It was very positive news. She weighs a whole 4.38 lbs. This has to be increased a lot. We will be working hard at a good balance over the next few months to get her up to speed on that end. So far the little girl has a great appetite. Her head will always b enlarged due to the fluid; right now the vet does not fell draining it is an option because of her size. Medication would help but right now the levels of the fluid are even from one side to the other and it has not affected her sight, hearing, bones or any organs. Right now the vet feels as long as she does not start having seizures or problems seeing we should work on the weight and see what happens. Everything could work out great for her and she could live a long happy life. She will be included in my prayers each night. If it were not for the physical sight of her swollen head you would not know anything was wrong. She runs, plays, whines, barks and is just a great puppy. She has grown very attached to my husband and to Cloey (the Great Dane).

When I brought Hilda home I gave Shadow the direction that he had to take care of the baby. He is such a smart dog. Since Hilda came in he has done just that, protect her. If she is in my lap he will not allow any dog near me. This morning I had to go to work, I started to crate everyone and put Hilda in the office with the gates up to keep her safe. Shadow planted himself in front of that door and would not move, not even for a treat. Shadow is a real smart dog. We have a container we keep the food in. it has a latch so it can’t be open. So we thought. Shadow will go over, unlatch the cover, lift it up, help himself to food, close the lid and then latch it. He has a bad habit of getting into the garbage. One night while I was working on the computer I heard something in the kitchen. All the other dogs were sleeping. Cloudy (the husky) was sleeping in his crate. Shadow had gotten into the garbage. He had a pile on the floor. I stood and watched around the corner as he took one piece at a time over to Cloudy’s crate and set it down. He was going to put the blame on Cloudy.

Feb 15, 2010

2010-02-15T18:10:00.000-06:00

Today has been a very good day. First we got an excellent application on Cloey. She is such a great girl; it will be good for her to have a forever home. The place she might be going to has 2 acres fenced in, 2 Weiner dogs to play with, a Mom and Dad that love to go for walks and hikes. The Addison’s did not scare them at all. They did the research first and then asked about her.

Then I got word that Lily will be going to her forever home on Friday night. She will have 2 other dogs to play with, live on a farm and have lots of room to run and play. I think it is a very good match for her. Lily is so full of life. She gets up in the morning at a run and ends the day that way. She can get very bossy but we love her anyway. The other dogs just ignore her. I totally love the look Lily has, always happy. She has a real competitive streak in her; she hates to lose at tug of war, running or a wrestling match. Her speed and fast turning really amazes me.

Sadie has some trouble with Lily since she got hurt; I think Sadie is just tired right now. She has been a Momma to many dogs. This last fight that sent her to the doctor really did a number to her. I worry I will never see my Sadie Mae again. I count on her to help break in the new fosters, watch over the group and just be my Sadie. I hope once the pack gets down to where it should be she will come back.

The last exciting news is we may have found a home for Sallie. It would be perfect. A single man lives alone and has had English bulldogs in the past. Sallie would be in heaven to have someone all to herself. She is so lonely right now. We have to keep the dogs separate so no one gets hurt. Sallie would love to be by all of us at once but that is not possible.

Tomorrow will bring new things and new adventures. There seems to be an angel around watching these guys. We are always right where we are supposed to be. We all have hope in us.

Feb 14, 2010

2010-02-14T19:44:00.000-06:00

Wow, what a week-end. First on Sat we had a rummage sale to help the dogs. That went well. It is a lot of work. Got to talk to a number of people who gave me ideas on how to raise money. Rummage sales are okay but they are a lot of work.

On Sat we got in the smallest sweetest little girl. Her name is Hilda. He is a 13 week old Dash hound. Hilda has swelling on the brain. Jackson County asked us to take her and see if there is anything we can do for her. We are sure going to try. She was the runt of the litter; the guy who brought her in was pretty upset at first. Now we find out the guy is a breeder and plans on continuing. He is in Warrens, WI. I don’t understand why breed when there are so many great dogs out there already starving, dying and in need of help. If you read this, please don’t go to a breeder, go to a shelter or rescue.

Back to Hilda, she is staying in a laundry basket right now. She is full of fun, wants to play and run around. She does very well on going outside for potty. I am sending out a prayer for her. There seems to be an angel that watch’s over our dogs, we always seem to be right where we are suppose to be and take the dogs we need to take. When we need to help there always seems to be an answer. I sent out an urgent message asking for donations for Hilda. Let’s hope.

Daisy came to stay for a week with us. Her parents are going on vacation and she came here instead of a kennel. Her and Shadow are old friends and they love to play and run. It is good to see her; she is really becoming a great dog.

On Sunday we had to go pick up Sallie. Sallie is a 7 yrs old Olde English Bull Dogge. She is a honey. Sallie was having trouble getting into fights with the other dog she was living with. From her medical records it looks like she may have mild Hip Dysplasia also. That might be why she is crabby, she is in pain.

I am really worried right now. We have so many dogs and so many requests for help. Money is tight all over. We will find a way to help, more fundraisers I guess. And we will find homes for these mutts.

Feb 11, 2010

2010-02-11T18:57:00.000-06:00

This has been one wild week. The puppies are doing great. Tammy is amazing, her house is full and she sounds like she is having the time of her life. She may already have 3 adopted. They will stay with us for 30 days so we can get them vetted and all the shots.

We had a snow storm this week and the only dog who truly enjoyed himself was Cloudy. Cloudy is a Husky and loves to be outside. The snow was coming down and he was out running and playing in it. The other dogs would go out, do their business, and come right back in. Not Cloudy, he would dig in the snow, roll in it and just lay and let it fall around him. Cloudy is a good dog, he just likes to escape if he gets the chance. We have a high fence and the underground fence. He will take the fence in one leap and go right through the underground fence. He is so full of life. He gets up happy and ready for a new day and when the day is over he is happy. We have to put him on a chain because he can jump the fence. He and Shadow will play for hours outside. Shadow leads him around so he gets tangled. (I swear it is on purpose.) Then Cloudy begins his Husky Whine. He talks in a higher pitched voice as if to say “Okay come help me Shadow did to me again”. At night he will sit and talk to me about his day, you ask him questions and he will talk back. Not bark but talk.

This week-end is the big Rummage Sale to raise money. I wish I had a few thousand lying around to donate to these guys. There are so many that need help and money is so tight right now. Somehow there always seems to be an answer. I think sometimes there is an angel watching and making sure what is needed is taken care of. On Sat we are getting a little guy in. A 13 week old puppy that has a swelling in his brain. Somehow we will find the money to get him treatment and take care of him. I will keep everyone posted as always.

We are also helping out Sallie, an Olde English Bulldog. She is having some problems at home and her owners asked us to take her and find her a home with no other dogs. She just wants all the attention to herself and other dogs get in the way. I will go to Rochester on Sunday to bring her home. I think Melissa has found a bulldog rescue that can help her. If not she will stay with us until her forever people find her.

FEB 7, 2009

2010-02-07T07:10:00.001-06:00

Yesterday Melissa and I took a road trip to Johnson Creek, WI to pick up 3 more dogs that were scheduled to be euthanized. 2 puppies about 3 to 4 months old and a 5 yrs old cocker. They are all just adorable. The puppies are very thin and in need of a bath. No names on them yet, rumor is the female will be Daisy but not sure. They went right to Tammy, For Hope’s Puppy Lady, and were immediately greeted with lots of love and kisses. They were so happy. Jen, one of For Hope’s foster mom’s, took the cocker. Her name is Sophie. She also needed a bath and will need a good grooming soon. Her ears are matted from being in a cage at the shelter. Her owner lost her home and had to surrender the girl. She is very loving and you can tell used to being spoiled. On the ride home she tried to sit in between the front seats and navigate. I like the dogs in the back for safety; she was upset at first but eventually laid down and slept.

From Johnson Creek we helped transport a beautiful boxer named Raj. He was such a baby. Melissa was driving so he sat with his head on my arm and his butt in the air all the way to Madison. He was enjoying his ears rubbed and all the Kisses. He was going to be put down because he growled at someone. WOW, he growled, he’s a dog, dog’s growl. Neither Melissa nor I could imagine him ever being put down and are so glad the rescue in Madison saved him. He almost did not make it to Madison, we both wanted to take him home.

From Madison we helped this group that rescued Raj transport a boxer puppy to Bangor, WI. Such a cute little thing. When we stopped for a pee break she hopped around. Her name was Cassidy which I thought was good. HOP ALONG CASSIDY.

Both Melissa and I feel good that we helped save 5 lives this week-end. Then to make it even better when we got home Melissa had an e-mail from someone interested in a bulldog named Sallie that we are trying to find a home for. Her owners can’t keep her because she needs to be in a home by herself. They contacted For Hope, Inc to help find her a home. We will I am sure.

Feb 4, 2010

2010-02-04T19:10:00.000-06:00

It has been a good week so far. No problems. Sadie is healing and it all is good. Cloey still wants to let the other lead dogs know she thinks she is the boss. Right now we are keeping them separate and calm. Bubba just went for his training with Laura, one of the volunteers, for a walk and some more basics. He is doing so well with her. Bubba came to us with heartworm. He was very thin and I had hoped we would be able to let him gain some weight before the treatment. That was not going to happen. On Nov 11th he received his first shot for the heartworm. It is an arsenic based shot so it is very dangerous and painful. Little Bubba had to go right into a crate. Any activity can kill them once the treatment starts to work so they need to stay calm for 6 to 8 weeks. Hard enough for an older dog but one that is 14 months old it is pure torture. Bubba was very sick with the shot. We spent a few night up while he cried in pain and throwing up. Just when he was feeling better he got 2 more shots. His “load” of heartworm was very bad. It was affecting his lungs and he was coughing a lot. He was put on antibiotics so between the 2 shots and the antibiotic he began to lose weight because he did not want to eat. I sat hand spoon fed him canned food for 2 nights until he got his strength back.

Bubba is doing great now, I was really worried for awhile but he is going to have a wonderful life. With Laura’s help he is learning to be a good family member. He is such a lover, he loves to crawl up in your lap and snuggle. He will lie along the side of you; put his leg over you and just hug. I am hoping he gets a home soon. His best friend is Cloudy, a pure husky, and what one does not think of the other one does. They can get in more trouble than all the other together.

Jan 31, 2010

2010-01-31T10:26:00.001-06:00

Today is a good day so far. Cloey is doing much better. Yesterday she had some stomach trouble and we gave her 5 of her Fludrocortisore. It seemed to get her back on track. Cloey is our 3 yrs old Great Dane foster. Cloey has Addison's she has been with us since Jan 1st. She is a 116.6 lb lap dog. At least she thinks so. Her best friends here are Lily, a min pinscher, and Shadow, a catahoula leopard dog. (As time goes on you will learn about each one of these special dogs and see how they enrich my life.) We have been working with Dr Beth to get her on a schedule for shots she needs to survive. We think we got it down to a shot every 6 weeks and a Predrisone every day. Cloey is full of energy and really is very silly. She is a trouble maker though, she starts the dogs screwing around and then looks so innocent when they get in trouble.

Sadie Mae (my Pointer/Hound mix) is recovering from surgery. There was a fight between her and Cloey and Sadie lost. As hard as you try sometimes it is the same as children, there are arguments. It gets more intense with the full moon so we watch more carefully. This time I didn't see the signs in time. Sadie got pretty beat up and required surgery to clean out a wound. Today she is resting and seems to be happier. Shadow is watching her so intently to make sure she is okay and no one is bothering her. Sadie Mae is my Momma dog. She takes each foster in and looks after them. Teaching them first who is boss and then making sure they are okay. I watch as she monitors her family, she will go inbetween 2 dogs if she feels they are getting too fiesty with each other, guides and pushes them out of areas in the yard they should'nt be, plays gently with the small ones and runs with the high energy ones. The best time is to watch her go up and give comfort or love to each of them.

All of the guys are taking a nap now, so it is time for me to get some work done. I will keep you posted.

JAN 30, 2010 BEGINNING

2010-01-30T08:16:00.000-06:00

THIS BLOG IS A SNAP SHOT OF WHAT GOES ON IN A DAY OF RESCUE. I WILL GIVE STORIES FOR YOU TO FOLLOW ON OUR FOSTERS, FAMILIES NEEDING AND GETTING HELP. SOME DAYS ARE FULL OF FUN, OTHERS FULL OF MISCHIEF AND TROUBLE. ALL DAYS ARE FULL OF LOVE AND MOSTLY HOPE. PLEASE JOIN AND WATCH THE FOR HOPE INC FAMILY GROW AND CHANGE. WE WOULD LOVE YOUR INPUT AS WELL.