Too expensive!

On occasion, we hear the adoption donations for our puppies are too expensive at the rescue shop.  Facts are, everyone wants puppies and not as many people are interested in adopting an older dog.  It is terrible the way human nature is... when it is new and shiny like a bright copper penny, it has greater desire, but the older and more 'tarnished' that penny becomes, the less value it has for the adopting public.

When other rescue organizations leave these old timers behind because of decreased adoptability, I don't fault them... each rescue needs to run based upon a dream or passion.  I clearly understand the philosophy of faster adoptions, quicker turn around in limited amounts of funds, etc.  "We can save MORE dogs if we don't pull the older dogs, the sick ones or the dogs that need long term rehabilitation or socialization, Linda!"  And that's OK with me... Ya gotta do what you feel you need to do, ya know?

At TLC, we don't save our dogs on the basis of age, health or behavior.  I used to say it was because I am 'older than dirt' and I feel for the old timers... that's why we had older dogs that took longer to get adopted.  All of the volunteers I work with at the rescue shop are at least 30 or 35 years YOUNGER than me, so I have found I can no longer substantiate this position.  The next generation of rescuers are just as committed (if not more so) than I am to saving ALL dogs that are going to die, regardless of their age.

And I understand the public's comment of "I don't want to adopt someone else's headache, so I ONLY want a puppy".  There are times my daughter was damned inconvenient to be around as she grew up (especially in that "I know it all" stage).  She'd come home from school with some pretty odd ideas taught to her by a teacher, and I'd scratch my head, wondering what in the world that teacher had in mind when she planted that thought process into Desiree's head!  Didn't change how much (or how less) I loved her, nor did her "I know it all and you don't know nuthin" stage force me to ship her off to some other relative!  (smile)

There is something these old timers have that takes years to produce in a puppy... that calm, "I just want to look at you and love you" persona not found in most puppies.  Such is the case with Mr. Bill who is currently at the rescue shop and available for adoption.

He has had years of an untreated medical condition that destroyed his coat, grew fat and puddgey, then dumped at a high kill shelter by his owner.  One of our soft-hearted volunteers opted to bail him out before he was killed and he arrived on our TLC doorstep.  

Now, Mr. Bill is on a specific diet with a host of supplements to reverse the damage to his coat.  Little by little, he has started losing weight... but that little stinker does not care for the supplements we have to add.   So the TLC volunteers go through all kinds of hijinks to outwit him... We all share in our efforts to find the perfect and fail safe way of getting the needed stuff down him once a day!

Originally we were told he was blind, but I think we need to get those folks glasses of their own!  On Saturday, I had Mr. Bill bebooping around the back room as we waited for him to eat his breakfast.  Every time I turned around, there he was behind me, watching what I was doing and I think when I carried the third basket of laundry from the washer to the dryer, he thought I was working just too hard - either that or he was tired of following me around!

He figured out if he stayed in the apex of the activity going on, he'd see me coming and going.  And that if he looked up at me so darn endearing,  I'd cave in and give him another goodie!  Mr. Bill now has no teeth because they were in such bad shape upon his arrival, they needed to all be pulled.  I don't think he is sad they are gone either... he's just a happy, happy camper now and toodles around like nobody's business!  

He has come such a LONG way from the state we found him in...  Is it cheap to do this?  No... that's where those 'too expensive adoption donations' go... Certainly not in my pocket because I don't get a pay check and I work six days at the rescue shop (usually at least 10-12 hours most days).  

But for those that say, "He's just an old dog and who wants that?", I ask you to come in and sit with Mr. Bill in the meet & greet for half an hour.  Then you tell me he didn't deserve to live, get healthy and now be on the look out for his furever home!  He's healthier now, his mouth has been taken care of, and he appreciates the finer things in life that a puppy does not - calm times spent loving us, being potty trained, having an 'attitude for gratitude' having seen hard times, etc.

If you GOTTA have puppy poop to pick up throughout the day, widdle to clean off your carpets, that's OK by us - we always have puppies for some odd reason.  But we also offer you great dogs like Mr. Bill, who have hearts brimming with love, are guaranteed to make you giggle several times a day and unconditional, consistent furever love!

As Always,
Linda

Spotlight on TLC's Alfie!

Welcome to TLC's Spotlight!  We would like to share some of our longer term fosters and harder cases in the hope that these babies will FINALLY be seen for the amazing pups they are and find loving homes at long last.

This is our longest term resident - Alfie.  Alfie has been with TLC for almost 2 years now.  He has had some adoption interest, but unfortunately, a flare up of his skin condition prevented anyone from welcoming him unconditionally to their family.  As you can see, Alfie has suffered from a non-contagious skin condition called demodex mange.  It is caused by normal mites on the skin that get out of control, usually during extreme stress, which results in the dog losing their hair.  When Alfie was pulled from the shelter, he was pretty much naked and then made great progress under some good TLC in foster care.  We thought he would get adopted right away...

But Alfie had a minor setback and his condition flared up again.  So, we continued to treat him with medicated baths and pills and he got better, but he will probably always have a thinner coat.  It is not difficult to treat demodex, but it does take time and low stress is best for these sensitive babies.  As you can see from these photos, Alfie is a sweetheart who just wants a family of his very own.

Alfie gets along famously with other dogs and has been nicknamed by the TLC Director as, "Uncle Alfie", because he takes on that role with the other little furbuds and budettes.  He is very mellow and sweet and attitude wise, he is a low maintenance kind of guy (who looks cute in pink and yellow, don't you think)!

The most outstanding physical feature of Alfie's is his deer-like eyes.  They speak volumes.  This look just tugs at the heartstrings and although he's not a sad boy, we are amazed that he hasn't been snatched up sooner, especially when he gives the 'Alfie-look'.  He's a total lovebug!

Alfie spends some time in foster care and some time at the rescue shop.  At the shop, he enjoys the companionship of other buddies and gets his baths more easily.  All the handling he has received during his time at TLC has made him very laid back and easy going, although we can't take much credit for his great personality - he has been a doll baby since the day he was pulled off the kill list at a local shelter.

Alfie only weighs about 5 or 6 pounds, so he's a little man and he loves all kinds of people, including respectful children.  We think he's only about 3 years old, so still very young with his whole life ahead of him. 

Alfie has spent two holidays in foster care with TLC and we hope that 2013 is his year to be 'home' for the holidays with a loving family.  He has waited long enough.  Isn't he cute as a little elf?

Alfie's video can be seen here: Alfie

The family that adopts Alfie is truly giving and receiving a gift - showing Alfie that he can be loved no matter if he has a full, thick coat, or if it's sparse.  He is absolutely perfect in every way that counts.  Unconditional love is what he will give to his family and that is what he deserves, as well.

Is Alfie the special sweetheart that you've been waiting for?  Please share Alfie's story and help us find him a loving furever home!  To view his full profile, click here.

~ Jen



Bathing Brigade time & Momma...

Kathryn is one of the members of TLC's Bathing Brigade... Volunteers who give up one day of their week each week, come into the rescue shop, and bathe dogs... This insures that all of our dogs get a bath at least once a week... 

We have a grooming station set up at the rescue shop... It has a large grooming sink that normally has a step-up inside and then a shelf on top of that which covers the entire width and depth of the sink... Makes it much easier on your back to bathe dogs (or wash dishes)....

I digress here for a few lines... Everyone at the rescue shop has fallen deeply in love with Momma, and she's loving life with us...  Everyone who comes into volunteer at the rescue shop has to give the password with the 'gatekeeper' (Momma)... Password?... "Give me some love, attention and affection - THEN I will let you pass forward"... (smile)... 

Momma is such a happy, happy girl so it is just natural that all of us want to do things for her, spoil her, play with her throughout the day, hug up on her, walk her through her tricks or just plain walk her!... 


So (back on topic), when we need to bathe big dogs, we pull out the step-up and usually one of the guys will lift the dog into the sink... Such is the case with Momma, who Kathryn has been wanting to bathe for a few weeks...And yesterday with the day!

Thankfully Ruben was at the shop and able to lift Momma's 65 pounds into the bathing sink for Kathryn to do her magic and spa treatment!

I don't think Momma was as happy about the bath as Kathryn was!

But the nicest thing about getting a bath at TLC's rescue shop?  The sweet kisses and cuddles that come along with the baths!  I mean, how can you resist these sweet puddles of love???

Update on Jezebelle and her new fosters....

I managed to snap these photos last night during the final checking and bedding down... All six puppies were lined up like little piglets!

And Jezebelle was fast asleep as she was nursing them!

This morning, they were the first ones I checked on and all of the orphans made it through the night.  Jezebelle's loaded up on milk now and it seems like so far, so good!

And speaking of miracles....

Sadly, we were contacted yesterday concerning 4 orphan Chihuahua pups who were born on Sunday (March 3rd)... The owner came home and found the mother had passed away during or after delivery (not sure and I hated to pry too deeply)... I got an email asking if anyone could bottle feed 4 orphaned Chihuahua pups and you guys know me --- I'm such a softie for the hard cases or the 'next to impossible' situations... So I said we'd give it a try... And early this morning, the owner brought them to the rescue shop...

Now, I can't take credit for this thought, but it directly belongs to my daughter, Desiree - the next generation of rescue in TLC... On Friday, Jezebelle delivered two puppies at the rescue shop and she has a LOT of milk... And I mean A LOT... She's a little pudster when it comes to lactating!

Once I got to the rescue shop this morning, Desiree and I were talking about when the orphaned pups had last been fed... And Desiree suggested I try to see if Jezebelle would foster the 4 orphans... The actual difference in age is only 2 days, but the trick is to see if you can convince mom that the new pups are really hers, ya know?

I did my magic and then stood back, waiting to see what would happen... (smile)... And don't know what Jezebelle was actually thinking, but it must have been like, "Oh my!  Where did those four come from?  How could I have possibly missed my other four babies??!!  Gracious, I need to get busy here!"... 

Throughout the day, we continued to check on the 4 orphans and Jezebelle is nursing all 6 puppies, cleaning them, nurturing them, cuddling them... And I must say... I just checked in and spotted three of the four orphans and one of her own babies all nursing at the same time while the other two were snoozing with full bellies... 

Now, is this a done deal?  No, and we'll have to see how things progress the next few days, but if the 4 orphans make it until the 13th of this month, we've gotten through the danger zone and they will have had the most important part of nursing... All the 'good stuff' only moms can produce... 

So let's keep good thoughts going for Miss Jezebelle and the puppies!

 

Update on Miracle....

Remember Miracle?  If not, here's his arrival at TLC.

Miracle received all of the loving care needed with Diane, his foster mom.  He progressed well and slowly the massive abrasion on his 'good' leg began to close.  We all kept our paws crossed he wouldn't need a second surgery to stitch up the skin over the wound.

Shawn Marie, her husband and children not only adopted their current dog from us, they also went through dog training with my son-in-law (Tek).  When they found out we had taken over the rescue shop, they started coming in and walking the dogs in the evening.  

But almost from the moment Miracle arrived at TLC, Shawn Marie has kept her eye on Miracle and his progress.  Long before he was medically OK to be adopted, Shawn Marie put her 'dibs' on this very special little dog.  Once he was cleared to interact with other dogs by the vet, a meet & greet was set up between their dog and Miracle... and it was love at first sight all the way around!

This past Saturday, Shawn Marie and her family made it official - Miracle has found his furever home! 

It took a community effort to save this dog's life... From another rescue who alerted us to his plight... To a temporary foster mom who transported him to us... And Diane to foster him through his recovery process... And now a family that is very committed to No-Kill and saving dogs' lives has opened up their hearts and home to Miracle!

What a nice, warm fuzzy, huh?

The little rescue that could....

One of our limitations at the rescue shop is the ability to take large groups of dogs in emergency situations, stage large transports and have a large 'transitioning' place when needed.

Ten days ago, this issue was driven home yet again when we were asked to take on a second group of the Yucca Valley Chihuahuas.  An older man who believes in the Biblical passage of 'go forth and populate' had refused to have any of his Chihuahuas spayed or neutered.  Five years ago, he had 10 dogs and now he has over 200.  And it fell upon the rescue community to step in and help out.

Unfortunately we had already taken 12 and they were in the process of moving through our system.  We have only 6 small isolation kennels, so we are limited by what we can do.  Unable to afford to purchase a large isolation unit, we put out a plea to the FaceBook community in an effort to have it funded, but in the meantime, the dogs needed help and NOW.

Luckily, one of the TLC volunteers is a CraigsList devoted fan and she happened to see that a local pet shop was going out of business.  She contacted and negotiated a price for their 8 stainless steel kennels.  While we had not raised enough money to cover this new intake area expansion, I knew we had to do this NOW if we were to help.


In the meantime, the situation at Yucca Valley went from bad to worse.  When the rescuers arrived on Wednesday (as agreed upon) to pick up the last of the these 35+ dogs, the owner became distraught, brandished a handgun and threatened to kill himself and all of his dogs.  The rescuers did what they felt was the best of a bad situation - simply take the 16 dogs he had released before the drama began.

On Thursday, 16 more of the Yucca Valley Chihuahuas arrived at TLC.  We did not have an intake area officially set up, but had temporary kennels and condos ready to receive these dogs in an ad hoc basis.  The transporter and I, along with another TLC volunteer, performed the delicate balancing act of getting each dog out of the transporter's van (without getting bit) and into the temporary kennels.

Allowing them to decompress on Friday, other TLC volunteers made the drive to Lancaster to pick up these stainless steel kennels.  That began an all-day affair to transport, clean them up upon arrival and once the rescue shop had closed down for the day, reassemble the units onto a rack and prepare them to receive new occupants.

As other volunteers named, weighed and bathed the new 16 arrivals one by one, the normal routine of closing the shop and bedding down the dogs continued on by the volunteers on shift for the day (and Saturday is our busiest day!).

A little before 11PM, the intake area began taking in clean, new occupants.  It is not what we wanted and not new, but it is functional.

We still have more to do that will cost more money - have a contractor come in and build another doorway between the back room and the new intake area, etc.  Equipment needs to be moved from the back room to the intake area so we can bring in dogs, weigh them, do the vaccines and have them go directly into the intake kennels without possibly contaminating our other rescues. 

::HUGE APPLAUSE:: to the volunteers who worked all day and into the night to make this all happen, the volunteer who found these used units on CraigsList and the volunteer bathers who continue to bring comfort to these dogs until all 28 (in total) are done... And for other rescue groups have stepped up to help finance the spay & neuter of these dogs... It takes a community to save a dog - that's for sure!

But step by step, this 'little rescue that could' continues to trudge up that mountain in an effort to arrive at a time when we no longer kill healthy, adoptable small dogs... and I can RETIRE!