Jill, with just one functioning eye (which probably sees very blurry images), joins her brother, Jack, who arrived at our shelter a day earlier.
Straydog, our Happy Home for Strays
(The hexagon is the "Big Play Yard," which we usually refer to as "the park")
Straydog is a "lifeboat" and sanctuary for rescued dogs. A vacant spot in a kennel is an empty seat in our "lifeboat," so please, if you're interested in adopting a dog, see our "Dogs for Adoption" links below, or call to inquire about dogs you may have seen recent photos of but who may not yet be included in our "Dogs for Adoption" links. And please continue to support us. We will continue to row this "lifeboat" to shore, dropping off rescued dogs into the arms of good adopters, and we will continue to fill the space left vacant by each adopted dog with another desperate homeless dog for as long as we can hold on (financially). We believe that our example (and the example of all other no-kill shelters) must be publicized in order to wake people up and make them aware of the necessity to SPAY and NEUTER their pets so that homeless dog-rescue "lifeboats" will no longer be necessary. (Ditto for cats!)
Pat's Daily Dog Log
SUNDAY APRIL 13 2003
Border Collie Billy is adopted and will be going to his new home next Sunday!
This week I've been in touch with a young man, a rancher whose first name is Wheeler, who saw Border Collie Billy on our "Dogs for Adoption" links and was interested in adopting Billy to become his sidekick, and helper as they would be working three ranches together. The young man scheduled an appointment to come out this morning around 10:00 to meet Billy, and this sounded like such a perfect home for Billy. We were hoping the introduction would go well.
When Wheeler arrived, I took Billy to the big play yard to meet his prospective new dad. Billy accepted a few pats from Wheeler, but as always when Billy comes to the play yard, he was interested in doing "his work" right away, and immediately off he trotted to find his ball and bring it to me. He laid the ball in front of me, waiting for his work commands: "Sit," "Down," "Stay," "Wait," and finally I threw the ball with the command to "Get it!" and off Billy went to fetch the ball and bring it back, ready to run through the routine all over again.
Billy's new dad thinks Billy is a beautiful, very smart fellow, and would be the perfect pet for him. The adoption papers were filled out, and Billy has been officially adopted! His new dad will come back for him next Sunday. Only one week to wait and Billy will become a very special companion to Wheeler and will also have the kind of "working" life he has been dreaming about.
Ricky's new mom calls
Ricky is one of Rosie's seven-week-old puppies, who was adopted yesterday, and today Ricky's new mom called because she was concerned that Ricky wouldn't eat. I assured her that this is normal for puppies (and adopted adult dogs too) when they go to their new homes, because it's a whole new experience for them--new surroundings, new people they have never met before, and they are new at being a house pet with all the new sights, sounds and smells of their new home. Also Ricky is missing his siblings and his mother. The little fellow is going through a transition period that could take a few days or a week (sometimes longer) while he adjusts to his new life.
I thought (and reported yesterday that) Ricky had a companion dog at his new home, but his mom said the "other" dog belongs their friend, and Ricky will be visiting the dog on occasion so that the two dogs will become buddies. The new mom and dad know Ricky would be much happier if they had also adopted one of his siblings, but one pet is the limit for them right now. And, with either the mom or the dad being with him most of the time during the day and night it won't take long before he settles in.
She'll call again in a few days to tell us how the little tyke is doing.
New arrivals, Puppies Jack and Jill, are lively little fellas!
These little puppies are as playful as any other rolly-poly pups we've ever cared for! They are bouncy, happy, playful puppies, and they enjoy their special little world to the fullest (being mostly blind and totally deaf). And I guess I already mentioned what huge holes Jack can did! (See photos of Jack and Jill in the Saturday UPDATE below.)
Yesterday
... Including
new photos!
Straydog UPDATE posted SATURDAY 4/12/03 at ~9:47 p.m. CT
Pat's Daily Dog Log
SATURDAY APRIL 12 2003
New arrival Jill comes home from the clinic!
Dr. Morton called me at 9:00 this morning to tell me that little Aussie Puppy Jill (who had stayed at the clinic all day yesterday on IV fluids) was ready to come home from the clinic. The doctor said that Jill was bouncy, happy, and barking up a storm when he came in to check on her early this morning, so now she is ready to come home! She had also eaten the meal the doctor had prepared for her, so the doctor feels that she is back to good health.
Since Guy had taken the dog van to our Adoption Day in Dallas with six puppies, another employee, Joel, drove me to the clinic to pick up Jill. Dr. Morton was waiting for us, and as we walked inside the clinic building, he said that all the barking noise I heard was from our new little pooch!
We followed the barking sounds into the clinic hospital surgery room, and there was sweet little Jill, jumping up and down barking (as loudly as a puppy can) in her cage! Dr. Morton said he just didn't know what had made her so sick yesterday, but whatever it was it was gone now! [Guy also took the camera to Adoption Day to try to get some good photos there, so we have no photos of this scene.]
When I opened the cage to pick up this lively little puppy, she practically jumped into my arms. How sweet she is. Home we came with her wiggling and squiggling in my lap the whole way. What a difference from her brother who had calmly snuggled against my chest during his ride home from the clinic yesterday.
How Happy Jack and Jill were to be together again!
It was so cute to see the puppies happily greet each other when we returned home with Jill. Jack was sleeping in the shady area in his outside kennel, and when I put Jill in the kennel beside Jack, she began licking his face. Jack woke up and realized his sister was with him again, and then the tussling began!
[These little Aussie puppies, Jack and Jill, are the white Aussies who were going to be euthanized this past Thursday because of their birth defects. Jack is totally deaf and our doctor thinks he may be totally blind. We'll know more about the degree of blindness after Jack is with us for a while. He seems to me to be totally blind, but we thought the same thing about Helen, the Great Dane. Bill thinks Jack can see something, perhaps much less than Helen, but something. Jill seems to see at least as well as and probably a lot better than Helen.]
Jill is totally deaf (as is her brother), but she for sure has some sight in her right eye. Both puppies get around beautifully! Jack bumps into things much more than Jill, but this little fellow can find his way around both the house kennel and their much bigger outside kennel with no problem!
Jack faces the sun with his eyelids closed, which might indicate that at least one optic nerve is functioning, while his sister, Jill, looks at her brother with her one functioning eye.
We'll probably be taking the puppies
to the Animal Eye Clinic in Arlington (Texas) to have Dr. Paulsen
examine their eyes to see if there is anything that can be done
to help restore some (or more) sight. We have to wait to schedule
this visit, tho, until there are enough funds in our Straydog
account to enable us to have this done.
During Adoption Day two of Rosie's little puppies are adopted!
It's a good thing we decided to take four of Rosie's little puppies to our Adoption Day because two of the fellows, Rex and Ricky (the brindle colored pups), were adopted by two different families.
It was late in the afternoon when Guy made the home visit with little Puppy Rex, and when Guy called to tell us the wonderful news, he reported that Rex has become a much loved little house puppy now, and he has a new little dog friend named Horace to play with. Guy said that the two pups became instant friends as soon as they were introduced!
Sue, one of our wonderful puppy-sitting volunteers, made the home visit with Ricky, and if all went well (we haven't heard from Sue yet about the "official adoption"), Ricky will have a wonderful new mom and dad too, and a new, little Pomeranian doggie friend to play with. We are anticipating that little puppy Ricky got along just fine with his new little friend, because puppy Ricky is a friendly little fellow.
Sue will be calling to tell us how everything went.
*Pat Arnold's Daily Dog Log
LAST WEEK:
* "Spring Cleaning" of kennels begins;
* Blind Chubs and Sister Cassie get own pool [PHOTOS];
* Bill, the cameraman, gets "mauled" & muddy [PHOTO];
* Nikki (still very fearful) goes to park on leash with Pat and two other caregivers [PHOTOS].
* Nine puppies go for vaccinations;
* Blind Chubs isn't afraid of anything at the vet clinic;
* Blind Chubs and his sister, Cassie, in the big play yard; [PHOTO & VIDEO]
* Mother Dog Rosie meets Leo for playtime [PHOTOS];
* Helicopters fly over our kennels [PHOTO];
* Nikki won't be adopted as planned;
* Now Jill is sick and stays at the clinic, but Jack comes home [PHOTOS OF JACK];
WEEK BEFORE LAST (Photos [and videos] are from now on embedded with the daily updates):
* Snowflake is having difficulty getting around [PHOTO: Bill carries Snowflake];
* Jesse-Bear's sister, Lucy, is ALMOST rescued;
* Mama Dog Laura and her son, Jesse, become more and more accustomed to their new home;
* Blind Freckles came home after surgery and son, Leo, has to move out [PHOTOS];
* Blind Puppy Chubs and his sister play in the park pool [PHOTOS];
* Leo doesn't like being separated from his mother, so back in with Freckles goes Leo;
*Rosie's 1st outing in the park [PHOTOS];
*Two more rescue attempts of remaining golf course stray fail;
*Adoption Day Saturday, April 19 - Canine Commissary (possibly both Dallas and Plano stores)
*Our Dogs for Adoption - Volunteer Shannon's page
*Our Mission & How We Got Started
*"Goodbye, Danny Boy." - An example of the only acceptable use of euthanasia
If you would like to help with our ever-growing vet bill, donations can be sent directly to:
A Note from Bill ...
We want to thank those who have already donated to Straydog after receiving (via regular U.S. mail) our April 2003 Newsletter. For those of you who are not on our mailing list (which we would be glad to add you to if you would like to receive hard copy in the future) we provide the following links:
*Click here to go to the HTML version of our April 2003 Newsletter
*Click here for continuation of our homepage with no changes to the continuation in several weeks