So I know I haven't written in a while. Things took a turn for the worst this last year with health and the constant wave of dogs going in and out of the rescue. We have had close to 150 dogs go through our doors this last year alone in 2015. As a way to slow this down and take a much needed hiatus, we decided to revamp the rescue. Instead of working with all breeds we have decided to start working solely with the Seniors (with and without special needs) and German Shepherd breeds. This will narrow down what we take in immensely. The seniors we do bring in will stay with us until they find homes of their own or pass. They will never have to worry about being neglected or abandoned again.
We started this process with 2 little seniors that I am excited for everyone to meet. Hope is a 10 year old Chihuahua who was neglected by her previous owner. Left to fend for herself on the streets, unknown if she just kept getting out or was purposely let out. She made her way to the shelter multiple times, getting picked up by animal control. Her human picked her up from the shelter multiple times and she would come right back after being saved once again from the streets. The whole problem with this situation was she is deaf and blind. This 10 year old escaped death by cars and other obstacles only by a miracle that is the shelter. This is where we saw her, on November 11th, 2015 I opened my Facebook and saw this little seniors face. I have to admit I fell in love instantly. She came in along with our other senior on Saturday November 14th. She is doing amazing and thriving.
Mr. Monster is the other senior we pulled on November 11th 2015. He was abandoned at his home along with a puppy after his family moved and left them there to fend for themselves. This 15 year old ended up in the shelter along side his friend and sat there until he went into a foster home. Of course his little friend got adopted because everyone wants the puppies. Yet, Monster was not so lucky. He came to us after we heard his story. He is blind, has a heart murmur, was under weight, and suffering from an infection. Poor guy was a mess. It will take a while before he is 100% if he ever will get to that point.
I will keep you all updated on any more seniors that come in. I will try to get some pictures on here of these guys (as soon as I figure out how to do so lol)
Tuesday, November 17, 2015
Monday, December 22, 2014
An Excerpt From A Book I Am Writing About Rescuing (Why Do I Rescue?)....
Why do I rescue? Or a
better one that coincides with that question what is in it for me? I will answer both these simply. Nothing is in it for me I rescue because it
is my passion and it is what I believe God intended me to do in my life. I don’t get the money from the adoption fees
nor do I get the donations that come in.
They go straight to the dogs’ needs and bills. Why do I rescue, because I love these animals
so much that I am willing to set my reputation on the line for something I
believe in. I am willing to spend my
paycheck to helping these animals even if it means that I am living on the bare
minimum for the next 2 weeks until my next paycheck comes in from my full time
position at the hospital, because I love the dogs. If I have to give you an example of why I
rescue and what is in it for me then I would have to use the dog we rescued named
Angel. She came to me via another person
who loves animals just as much as I do.
On May 19th 2014, I got a call from a good friend of mine
that she had intercepted a very pregnant dog, that she had named Sweetie Pie at
the time, from going into the shelter 2 weeks prior in Farmington NM Chihuahua
On Saturday May 24th we made the trip to the
vet. The vet took an x-ray and exposed
what we thought was a good thing…there were 8 pups. We talked to the vet who felt that because
there was so many that there was a possible chance she could do the birthing
process on her own. We were thrilled
however, my friend decided she couldn’t handle the birthing process and needed
me to take her on fully. I did and that
night she started having her pups. I
have to admit I have always loved helping mom and baby situations because they
are much easier to take care of. You
take care of mom and she takes care of the babies that is, until they get older
and mobile. However, Angel had other
plans for me…she started out normally but in the end our fears were fully
realized. The first pup started to come
but got stuck half way out. With the
emergency vet on the phone walking me through the process I started the task of
pulling the now dead pup out of her to begin the process to allow the other pups
to come. The little pup I named Faith
was beautiful in so many ways but Angel couldn’t understand why she didn’t cry
or move around. She just kept licking
her trying to get her to make a sound. I
cried for Faith and her mom, but in that moment (and a suggestion from another
friend) knowing that through the entire struggle that mom had and her allowing
me to do what I needed to save her, I knew I had to change moms name to
Angel. Well Angel ended up in a
c-section 2 hours later… I had called it again.
7 healthy pups that were now wiggling and trying to suckle on mom at 5
am at the vet office were now ready to make the drive back to my house. After hundreds of dollars and very few hours
slept that night I saved Angel and her 7 puppies but Faith had to be buried the
next morning.
In the case of Angel people may ask “why did I decide to
take her on when I knew that it would cost me so much”? I knew that she wouldn’t have survived if I had
not helped her. I trust my friend but I
trust myself more. I know what the
distress signals are in a dog and I have done my research. I know how to tell if she is having trouble
and I know who to call in that situation.
I felt I could give her the best chance even if it cost me a pretty
penny, an arm, and a leg (and well a few more valuable items). Angel would have died on the reservation where
she came from that is a fact. She may
have been seen as a dog that would cost too much to save at the shelter because
of a c-section and her and her pups would have been put down that unfortunately
is a fact. And last but not least my
friend, had she kept her that night, might not have made the vital decision to
involve the vet at 2 am in the morning fast enough I can’t say this is a fact
but I know how vital it is to catch the problem early. I don’t have the answer to what would have
happened had I not stepped in but I made the decision to help because of the
beautiful dog that was in front of me at that time that was begging for the
help. As well as the 7 wiggling babies
that are now in their forever homes that got the chance to live. Could I have said no? Unfortunately I would love to say yes, but in
this instance I would have to answer that question as no. I wouldn’t let an innocent dog die knowing
that I could have at least attempted to help when presented with the
chance. Dogs are like people in my mind,
they think like us, they love like us, but one thing they do teach us is
loyalty to those who care. Angel taught
me loyalty to my passion and even though I will be paying the bills I incurred
on her probably for months after, I know I made the right decision. We all come to the crossroad of decision and
when faced with these crossroads that night I could have said that I couldn’t
have afforded it but God had a different plan and led me down the path that
saved her and her unborn babies.
My next question is why am I always the one who has to stand up for the dog on the streets? Now before I answer this question I know it isn’t fair for me to talk only about myself in this situation so I am going to broaden this question to include every rescue person that is out there. So why do we as dog rescuers have to stand up for the dogs on the street or the dogs in the shelter that are on death row? Well answered simply it is because we care or it is our passion (as in my case). However, a more in depth answer would include the problems in the number of homeless animals that are out there that need our help. Back to the simple answer… as rescuers I believe that it is very hard for us to pass that dog on the side of the road especially if we have the time or means to help. I know that if I personally see an animal on the side of the road I am going to stop even if it makes me late. For example: a dog named
To sum up what rescue means to me I would like to say this… rescue can be the most rewarding and exhilarating job that you do. You will help a lot of animals throughout the time you do it and that is the fulfilling part. However, at the same time it can be a debilitating job and may make you question what is right in this world. You see animals in situations that you would have never thought you would have to see. You see the level of cruelty that people can reach and it will make you feel helpless all the time. You learn to lift the blinders set by society and see beyond what everyone else lives by and thinks is normal. You see what people are capable of and you take time to see that wondering dog on the street and think how you can help that lonely dog in the shelter. You have those people along your journey that don’t support you in what you’re doing. Who oppose all the good that you’re doing. So many would ask why do rescue? Why witness all the cruelty and take on such a task when you might fail? What I can tell you is that the ones you do save makes it worth while and the ones who get new forever homes for will make you keep fighting that much harder for the million others out there that need your help. Every time you want to quit you think there is another dog out there that needs my help. The images of these abused and neglected dogs are forever burned into memory but that is what gives you the strength to fight that much harder for the next one. Anyone who says rescue is easy doesn’t do it on a regular basis and doesn’t see just how hard and upsetting it can be. I personally have seen stuff that I could never imagine I would ever have to see. However, you learn very quickly to set those walls up in your heart to allow yourself to stay strong and yet that is why I do what I do. I know that I can be a formidable force against abuse and neglect. I know that if I speak up just loud enough I can change the world and the life for an animal in need. I am a nobody when it comes to the world of people but in the animal community I hope that I can become a somebody. I believe no animal should ever have to be hungry and or be tied to a rope the rest of its life. I believe no animal should be abused or asked to take part in a dog fight because it brings joy to the sick person that is asking it to fight or doing the abusing. I believe no animal should be asked to breed for the rest of its life because the owner wants money and is greedy. God has a special place in Hell for those who abuse and neglect animals and they will get what they deserve if they didn't get punished on Earth, but I hope that by me speaking up for what I believe in maybe just maybe I can help some of these animals live better lives.
Lilly (Boxer Mix)...
When I met Lilly her condition was pretty poor. Lilly, a 4 week old pup, came to us from one
of our spay and neuter clinics we attend.
She was brought in with her siblings and her mom because her mom was
there to get spayed. When we picked up
the pups to put them with their mom, we noticed that Lilly had a hole in her
back that was very infected. When asked
about the condition of the pup, the owner denied ever knowing that Lilly was in
the condition she was in. In all the
work that I have done with dogs I haven’t seen the condition this pup was in
and not taken a notice to the stench of rotting flesh or the big gaping wound
on her back. I still wonder to this day
how naive the lady was and how she could have walked past this pup every day
and seen the condition she was in but still not do anything about it. We talked
to the vet who diagnosed the wound as being caused by a botfly. The lady surrendered us the pup and the chore
of saving her life began.
She was put on an antibiotic and we had to flush the wound
multiple times a day. The rescue took
her on because we were willing to help her and do anything to save her
life. What people don’t understand is
that when a dog like this comes in (luckily she was young so this doesn’t
really apply) we not only work with the wound but rehabilitating the dog after
a trauma like that. Lilly went to one of
our foster’s and did amazing. She healed
within two weeks and then came back to my house to learn from my adult dogs how
to be a good dog. When she was eight
weeks of age she went to her new home and is doing great in her new
family.
Gilligan (Cody) (Pomeranian Mix)....
Gilligan is one dog that will forever be in my mind. He came to the rescue after being found by an
oil rig in the middle of nowhere. I got
a call about a dog that had been found by an oil field worker when he was on
duty. This skinny little matted dog (who
looked very similar to a fox with a matted coat) showed up around lunch break
and begged for food and some water. Well
the oil field worker couldn’t leave this guy there and decided to call his wife
to meet him in town to take the dog when he headed back to the shop. Later that evening they decided that he
needed to go to someone who could get him some help and TLC. They called me, after hearing about how I
have helped another family they knew, and I went to go get the dog after I got
off work that night. Gilligan, who I had
decided to name Cody at the time, was a mess.
I got home and immediately started shaving the poor guy until I came
across the first tick. He had about 30
on him some engorged with blood others just starting their feast, most
inhabiting the ears and between the toes of this poor guy. Feeling like I could not chance hurting him I
got the ticks off his body and out between his toes but called the vet to help
me with the ones in his ears.
Ticks were not the only thing that Gilligan had problems
with. He had burrs and stickers
throughout his hair and some in his skin.
It also took me almost 4 hrs to get his body to the point that there was
no matting left. Poor guy ended up at
the groomer after the vet to get shaved to the point that he looked like he was
groomed by a professional rather than leaving him with the patch job I
did. He shined up beautifully and we
started the task of finding him a home.
That year we decided to put on a garage sale to raise money and an
adoption event. Gilligan showed off his
affection and caught the eye of my neighbor who decided that she was going to
adopt the guy. She had battled cancer
and wanted a companion to love on after her battle. Cody (his name at the time) had finally found
a forever home that he could live the rest of his days in and because he was
found stranded out in the middle of nowhere she decided to name him
Gilligan. I wish the story ended there
but it didn’t problems once again arose for poor Gilligan.
A month and a half after Gilligan came to live with my neighbor
he started having seizures. At first we
thought it was just the heat and played it off as nothing since he had a long
coat once again. However, after a couple
of weeks they started getting worse. I
got a phone call one night while at work. Gilligan’s owner knew when I was at work so to
get a phone call from her I knew something was wrong. She told me that he was having convulsive
seizures then he would twitch. After
resting awhile he would again go into convulsions and then twitch. He had about 4 of these seizure sets, which
are known as cluster seizures, before she called me. She said that he couldn’t stand and she
thought he was dying. I rushed over to
find poor Gilligan on a blanket on the floor extremely sick. I told her that he needed medical attention
however, since she was on a fixed income she couldn’t afford the medical he
needed. She signed Gilligan back to me
and I rushed him into the emergency vet an hour later. The vet thought it might be distemper (a bad
disease that ultimately messes with the nervous system) but ruled it out with a
blood test. We decided that because of
his lack of ability to stand and the suffering he was going through that it was
best to put the poor guy down humanely instead of letting him suffer further.
See Gilligan never asked to be left out on the oil field roads. He never asked to be born into a cruel world. He was however loved for the last 2 months of his life. My neighbor and I still talk about the guy like he is still here. She misses him immensely and so do I (I think I cried just as much as she did when we had him euthanized). He taught me that people sometimes throw these guys out like trash. They are just items to some people but never have they been that way to me. I treat all the animals that come through my rescue like they are my children. I love each one of them and when I have to put one down, I will always be there to let them lay their heads on my lap while they go to sleep. I know each and everyone of these animals will see me in Heaven again and I hope I can help many more animals to come not only find their homes but be a bridge to them from this life into the next. It never gets any easier to put these animals down but I tell you what I will not let them spend their last minutes with someone they don’t know. They will always pass with someone who loves them by their side in their last minutes.
Jake (Double Merle Australian Shepherd)...
Jake was one of my very few failure stories. I still miss the guy but I hope he will
forever live on in this book and I will see him again. Jake’s story starts out at the Albuquerque
Animal Shelter in Albuquerque
New Mexico Albuquerque
Knowing he was going to be hard to place I went to pull him
and of course ended up pulling 5 other dogs from the shelter that weekend. Jake did fine at my house for a month and a
half he was learning to trust and was doing ok with my dogs. My dog trainer and I were on edge
though. We had come to the conclusion
that he was what is known as a lethal white in the Australian Shepherd
terms. Lethal white is a term given to a
dog that is born from parents that both carry the Merle gene. Most breeders will put the pup down then and
there, they will also sometimes put the whole litter down giving you the term
lethal white. You have your breeds like
Australian Shepherds and cattle dogs that have the Blue Merle and Red Merle
patterns. What some people don’t
understand is that breeding Merle parents together results in pups that are all
white with little bit of the patterns.
Yes they are beautiful but you have defects that can come with this type
of breeding. They can be deaf, blind, or
both. Some are great dogs, but then you
have those who are good until a point and then it is as if their mind all but
snaps. They become aggressive and hard
to handle.
After the month and a half of doing fine Jake became agitated. He started to show signs that his mind was snapping. It started by going after my parents aggressively. At first we thought his blindness was causing the confusion but later looking back I should have seen the change starting. He later became so aggressive even with me we had no choice but to euthanize him. Jake is a firm example at what people can cause. He didn’t ask to be born into this world and be set up for failure. The breeders who bred his litter are ultimately to blame. Please, please before you breed or before you get a dog do your research. Look at the pros and cons of getting a dog and consider if you have enough time to spend with a dog. Also consider the future… do you plan on moving in the next few months and if you do are you going to make the needed effort / have the ability to take the dog with you. Make sure you could handle the breed even before you consider one with special needs. Jakes’ failure is a key reminder to me to respect even the friendliest dog. You never know what you could be getting yourself into. RIP big boy I will see you again when I get to the
Marigold (Terrier Mix)...
God doesn’t allow the animals to suffer alone. When I rescued a dog named Marigold from the Albuquerque NM Animal Shelter I saw a dog who wanted love and a dog whose eyes begged for help. Only after did I notice the scarring on her body and was amazed at her attitude. After talking with the rescue coordinator I found out that she had been living on the streets with her buddy and some person came and poured acid on them and left them to die. I couldn’t believe that after she had been kicked to the curb by a human, had acid poured on her by a human, had to watch her friend die due to infection, and then be brought to the loud shelter to await either fate or rescue that she could be as forgiving. What drew me to her was her personality. Even though she went through “Hell”literally, she wagged her stubby tail at anyone who walked past. She jumped on her cage and asked me for help. Why was she so trusting after what had happened to her? Well God allows everyone to forgive. He wants us to forgive those who do harm to us. I know that He was helping Marigold to forgive the humans that had wronged her so she could find that one human that could help her feel like she was loved probably for the first time in her life. She is now happy in her forever home with no trace unless you shave her that she was ever hurt by humans.
Bruiser (Boxer) (My First Rescue and My Name Sake For the Rescue)...
Bruiser was your typical boxer. He was a beautiful brown boxer with the black
muzzle. He got his name due to the fact
that anytime he would wag his tail (the stub that it was) he would shake his
entire hind end. When he would
accidentally hit you with his hind end he was so muscular that he would leave
bruises. The story of how he became my
first rescue is one that is hard to explain.
My friends’ daughter first met Bruiser at her bus stop. He some how found his way to her door step
later that day and that is when she called me asking what we should do. I went and picked her and the dog up and we
went to the pound because we were sure he would have had someone looking for
him or at least have a micro-chip being that he was a full blooded boxer and he
was unaltered. However the scan came
back negative for a micro-chip so the search became that much harder to find
his family. As a side note to anyone
reading this as rescues we always check for micro-chips it is the easiest way
for us to reunite you with your lost 4- legged companion so please consider
getting your pet micro-chipped. We
posted on Craigslist and other social media trying to find an owner over a
month’s time to no avail. So now the
task at hand was to find him a good forever home. Bruiser was a jumper, he could get out of a
chain link fence and we were afraid that he would get hurt if given to a family
that had one.
We again posted on Craigslist but this time for a home. We got a phone call almost immediately that
day and we thought it sounded like the perfect home for this guy. We didn’t realize we were dead wrong. When I got to the house with Bruiser I saw a
house that looked very nice. I met
people who were very sweet and generally seemed to fall head over heals for the
rambunctious boxer in front of them.
Knowing that I wanted to make sure that they did not have a chain link
fence, I asked them to show me their back yard.
That is where the red flags started popping up. They kept telling me that it was a great back
yard and dodging my request to see it.
Being the relentless person I am I pursed my request telling them I
wouldn’t leave the dog without seeing their backyard. They finally agreed but the wife went through
the house saying “she would get the other dogs under control” before we got
back there. Her husband took me around
the front to a fence that seemed to be ok (it was a six foot wooden fence and
seemed very sturdy) so I was beginning to think maybe I was wrong to feel the
way I did when I first met them.
Again the man tried telling me that this was what their
entire fence was like and that I didn’t have anything to worry about but I
again told him I need to see the whole backyard. I was also curious to see how the dogs did
together. In all honesty I was trying to
make an excuse to see what they were trying to hide because at this point I
knew in my gut they were hiding something.
When he relented and opened the gate to let me see the backyard I was
appalled. I saw a German Shepherd who
was extremely under weight. 2 small
white dogs that had never been groomed and were matted to the point being
unrecognizable by breed. However, that
wasn’t the worst. I had to see the
skeletal remains of a dog in the corner of the yard and I had to come to the
realization I had come to late to save that poor little dog. Obviously seeing what I saw would have meant
that leaving Bruiser with these people would possibly be the death to him. I lied to get us both out of there and as I
drove off I called animal control. They
were cited for neglect and all the animals were taken away. Bruiser later found his forever home and is
living a great life with his new family but the images of that backyard are
forever burned into my memory. I never
thought that I would ever see something worse than that but again I was
wrong. I had to meet Marigold the dog I
mentioned above who had acid poured on her.
I am sure I will meet another dog or situation that is worse off then
these two situations but I hope to never have too.
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