You were loved more then you know.

In 2007 my rescue partner rescued a senior dog from the pound. The poor little thing was so skinny and full of worms and just looked like she lived a rough life or at least the last year or so was rough.

A very nice couple fostered her and then adopted her. They adopted her in Aug 2007 and came to my puppy party September 2007. The sweet little girl was so happy to be carried around everywhere.

Unfortunately today I received this email. I am now sitting at my desk crying like a baby!

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Hello, Gloria

About a year and a half ago (in August) I fostered (then adopted) a little cockapoo that you had rescued. You had named her Gretchen (named after the person who worked at the shelter). I had re-named her Billie

I wanted to inform you of the very sad news that I had to have Billie put to rest on Saturday. I'm heartbroken and have been crying all weekend. Billie was a sweetheart and I had gotten even more attached to her than I was to my other two dogs that I raised from puppies. She would follow me everywhere and cuddled next to me every night on the couch and in our bed.

When I first adopted her, I took her to my vet for general visit. She had two large heart mummers, one on each side of her heart. We also determined after a couple months, that it was very apparent that she was deaf. She didn't learn her name and didn't respond to loud noises. We had to be careful waking her up from sleep as to not startle her.

Poor little Billie's immune system was weak. Only a month and half ago, she became very ill with diarrhea and suddenly began bleeding blood clots. She was in the vet hospital for three days with IVs and antibiotics. Thankfully, is was just an infection as was treatable. When I returned to the hospital to pick her up, she was just as spunky as she always was.

But over the past couple weeks, she seemed to be sleeping more often than usual and was more hesitant using stairs. I thought that it was just her age and maybe she was developing arthritis. But during the past week she was becoming more irritable towards our other dogs. At that time, I didn't really think much of it as she never really did want much to do with our other dogs.

Early Saturday morning at 4:30 am, my fiance woke me to tell me that something was wrong with Billie. She was in bed with us and was lying up against my fiance. He felt her shaking, which woke him. I first thought she was having a stroke or heart attack. I held her close to me to keep her safe and realized that she appeared to be having a seizure. It lasted about a minute or so and then she seemed completely normal. I called our vet and planned to take her in as soon as the office opened to have her examined. Then a few hours later, she had another seizure. I rushed her to the vet. The doctor prescribed a medication to give her daily, but the medication wouldn't be fully affective until two weeks of administering. The other option was a 24 IV drip first, then the medication on a regular basis. The doctor tried to gently tell me that she didn't want to give me false hope and that with Billie's current age and health, and the fact that she was having multiple seizures in a 24 period, that it was likely that there was something more serious going on with her. There was really no way of knowing without additional tests and an MRI. There was no guarantee that the medication would work. With her hear mummer getting worse, she didn't expect that she would be with us for too much longer. She would most likely continue to have more serious health problems. The doctor also said that the medication itself, sometimes will make the dog lose it's zest for life and lose interest in most everything except sleeping. She didn't think that would be a humane life for her, either. The doctor suggested that I take her home and try the medication first. If she had more multiple seizures, then I should rush her back in and then I could then make to decision to either try the 24 hour IV or to put her to rest.

Within half an hour of being home from the vet, she had another seizure. Then another one a couple hours later. It was horrible to see her go through this. Each one weakened her more and she was having a hard time recovering from them. Seeing her condition after the fourth seizure, I felt in my heart that it was time to let her go. I also felt that our vet probably felt the same way, although she didn't want to come right out and say it. We took her back to the vet and I held her close to me through her final journey. Even my fiance sobbed with me.

It was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do in my life, but she doesn't have to suffer through any more illnesses. I have no regrets in adopting her and want to thank you for bringing her into our lives. She was the best little dog. She loved people and loved to be petted and cuddle ad was as cute as could be. Please thank Amy for me as well. I am going to miss little Billie and will be grieving for some time. Thankfully, I have two other dogs that seem to know something is wrong as they keep coming up to me giving me kisses. I certainly would consider adopting another senior dog some time in the future as I was happy give Billie a good life for her last year and a half. I just with that she could have been with us a little longer. Thank you so much for rescuing her and bringing her to me. This photo was taken of her during her first summer with us.

Sincerely,
Laurie S.

Hope update and others (2 of 2 posts)

Hope is doing GREAT GREAT GREAT! That puppy is a spit fire. OMG so freaking cute. She has both of her casts off. We took them off on Wednesday. They were rubbing her little legs and irritating her.

She is using her left leg and doing pretty good. Her right leg I don't think will ever be normal. That is the one that was the worse of the two. She walks a little side ways but that is ok gives her character.. not that she needs it.. LOL!!

She is so tiny, 7.5 pounds. But don't let her size fool you. She will put any dog in it's place. My Aussie puppy Expresso is very playful and if he tries to play with her and she doesn't want to she barks and snaps at him.. she will even chase him. So, funny.

Hope is in LOVE with Disco my 80# black lab. He lays on the floor and she crawls all over him and licks his face.

She is a little dare devil too. If you aren't careful and don't watch her like a hawk she will climb up the stairs, jump off the back porch, try to get on the couch... She is crazy. LOL!

Since it does take a bit of effort for her to stand and walk and run she has resorted to sitting and spinning in a circle when she wants to play. It is so funny.. oh geez if anything she is the only thing keeping me from not totally stressing out over what all has been going on this week.

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Marshall is doing well too. His skinn is healing and he will get more medicine tomorrow. He went to get a bath yesterday so hopefully he is smelling better. Boy did he stink. LOL!!

I am hoping that by end of the month I will be able to get him neutered and shots and all the important stuff.

He is nothing but a love bug that is for sure.

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Yesterday was transport today. I actually only got one dog off transport yesterday. Good huh? The other 3 I was supposed to get all got adopted. I don't know if I am going to jinx myself here but I feel like the JRT population might just be catching up with it's self. There doesn't seem too be as many... there is still a ton .... as many as there was last year.

If a breed looses popularity like the JRT's have over the last 8 years or so. Frasier went off the air and the movie the Mask is pretty old now. They say if the mass breeding stops breeding them and they aren't selling well it takes about 5 years for the population to catch up with it's self. So, maybe do you think??? Could I be that lucky??

I have heard that pet stores don't carry as many JRT puppies because they don't sell for high money any more. I have heard Puppy Mill owners (aka Millers) say that they aren't' breeding JRT's any more because they are too hard sell.

Just got to keep up the education and maybe maybe we (all rescue people... those who do rescue and those who have adopted from a rescue) are actually making a different. Do you think?

Anyways, the new guys name is Preston and he is SKINNY!!!! A bit confused but a sweet little boy. I really like him.

Where did all the crazy people come from? (1 of 2 posts)

I just need to vent for a moment

So, this week has been out of control. Work has been crazy due to one person trying to be difficult. That should probably be another blog.. LOL!! And on top of that it seems I am getting a lot of emails from people where my jaw just drops when I read them.

Well for starters Lola is not going to a foster to adopt home :-( The reason why is so strange. There is this lady who has a grumpy old small dog and wanted a female lap dog. So, when I got Lola in I told her about her and she thought that might just work. I called her vet reference and the vet said that her dog was pass due on shots, rabies, heart worm test and they hadn't bought front line or heartgurd since 2006. That is nearly 3 years with out a vet check or shots.

I was give people the benefit of the doubt.. maybe they have another vet or give shots themselves or ...... So, I emailed her and told her I spoke to the vet and they said your dog was pass due on shots since 2006. My exact words were "I don't want to assume anything so that is why I am checking with you."

She write back that she is insulted that I think she doesn't take care of her pets and that maybe she shouldn't adopt from me. HUH???!!! WOW!!

Needless to say I was in shock. I have never had that reaction before. I emailed her back and said just that.. I have never received a reaction like that from anyone. I told her good luck with her little boy and wished her all the best.

I am still scratching my head on that one. I thought she was a nice lady on the phone.

I have received emails this week from people wanting to give up their JRT puppy because it destroyed $500 worth of stuff. Like the puppy has any idea how much things cost and how about don't leave the dog alone so it can destroy things.

I have had people email me wanting to find a home for their 9 year old behavioral issue dog (they don't want to deal with it any longer), a dog with seizure (they are sick of paying for the medicine), a 7 year old not housebroken dog (they can't deal with the peeing the house.. he is not neutered!).

Oh and even got an email from a women looking for help for a guy who runs a puppy mill in MI. She of course doesn't think it is a puppy mill and doesn't see anything wrong with someone having 50 - 60 "breeding stock" dogs (that is what she called the JRT's). She sees nothing wrong with it and feels the owners constitutional rights are being compromised and everyone is against this poor honest business owner. OMG!

What is wrong with people?

THEN the one email that just put me right over the edge. I will be honest my response to her was a bit harsh but I just snapped.

I received an email from a lady who breed her JRT. The JRT had 4 puppies. She sold 2, is keeping one and can't seem to find anyone buy the 3rd one. Her exact words were "I have tried several different methods to sell him, but at this point I would just like to find him a good home."

PLEASE PLEASE TELL ME SOMEONE IS PLAYING A JOKE ON ME. PLEASE!!!

Those are the emails I have dealt with this week.

A rescued Jack Russell Terrier is famous again!

Not sure if a lot of people know this but Eddie from Fraiser was a rescue dog. He was saved from a shelter!

Well it has happened again. This time it is a Russell Rescue Inc. dogs.

Bucky was rescued by the Texas Chapter. Here is the story!

Bucky and actor Jesse Metcalfe on the set of Bucky's first movie
Bucky has an interesting story. I met him in October of 2007, when he was assigned to me as my rescue dog at a school for professional dog trainers. He had been saved by Phyllis, a member of the Jack Russell Rescue in Texas. Bucky was found on the streets, and was saved by Phyllis after being flagged for euthanasia for possessive aggression issues at the shelter. He was scared, and malnourished. She fostered him and then sent him to the dog trainer school's program to give him a second chance at life. I decided very quickly he was a blessing I would not be letting go, and I adopted him. He went through the academy for professional dog trainers with me, overcoming his possession issues and fears. His confidence slowly but surely came back to him, and he became an amazing trick dog, comfortable in his own skin. I ended up staying at the school and now work there. Soon after I was hired, we were contacted by an animal wrangler for film and Bucky got his big break in show business. He's in an upcoming movie called "Beyond a Reasonable Doubt" a remake of the 1950's version. It stars Michael Douglas, Jesse Metcalfe and Amber Tamblyn. His name is Woodward in the movie, and it was a decent role for his first time. This little guy is just amazing - in under a year he went from stray on the streets, to movie star. Originally assigned to me while in school because I'd never worked with small dogs, I will never live life without owning a Jack. Bucky is proof that these little guys have all the heart in the world, and that there are amazing dogs in shelters that if given a second chance can shine!

*** This story was taken from http://www.jack-russell-terrier-pictures.com/rags-to-wags.html

You can go to the link and leave a comment or just read the comments :-)

CRAZY!!! LOL!!

Work has been absolutely crazy and their seems to be a million emails from people wanting to get rid of a dog or dog they found or a dog in a shelter. AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH

BREATH!!! In threw the nose out threw the mouth.. LOL!!


Ok, so some good news. Two of the dogs that I was supposed to get out of the shelter were adopted. :-) So, now I am only getting one. YAY!!! I also have 5 potential forever homes.. I say potential because 1 I spoke with wants Crash and Christie is calling her to talk to her to make arrangements. 1 is interested in a new girl we got two days ago Breena, he needs to talk to his wife and call me back. I really like him. 1 is interested in Jingles but is going to call me back this weekend. I sure hope she does because I think it is a good match. And I have two foter to adopt situations going down with Lola and Shelby. :-)

So, that is the good news!!

I think I might be getting a female JRT owner surrender this weekend. She isn't fixed. That always scares me.

And I might be getting in this rough coat guy.. not sure if he is JRT or a mix. Whatever he is cute.

Oh, and there is a JRT at Mercer County pound that we are going to get on Monday. The dog warden said he would give the dog till Wed. So, maybe he will get a great home this weekend but if not we will get him out Monday.

I guess that is, it for now. I am just waiting for people to get back to me on adopting and about dogs in need.

Feeling overwhelmed....

Ok, so things have been going really good and this morning I woke feeling VERY overwhelmed. HOLY COW dogs everywhere!!!

I am getting 3 new dogs on Thursday.

I just got little Shelby who was a courtesy posting and Andrea pulled a female JRT owner surrender from Henry County today. And I have some sad sad news........

Crash is coming back into the rescue program ;-( His new mommy really loves him but as he has gotten healthier and stronger chasing the cats is WAY too much fun.

So, Crash is back looking for someone to love him forever and who doesn't have cats.

By the end of this week it puts me at 14 dogs looking for homes. aaahhhhhhhhh

Feeling very overwhelmed. At least 8 are in foster homes but still that is a lot of dogs to manage right now.

I hope some of my kids get adopted soon. Especially the Aussie Mix puppies and Miss the lab/shep. They are super nice dogs and do not deserve to not have a family.

Paw crossed for me please!

Being a Foster Parent

10 REASONS TO FOSTER

1. Companionship without a lifetime commitment.


2. Animals that have endured hardship can benefit greatly from a loving home.

3. Fostering provides a great lesson in compassion to children and it’s a wonderful, life-affirming experience.

4. If you have one or more dogs or cats, one more won’t make a difference to you, but it sure will make a difference to the foster animal who otherwise might not have a second chance at life.

5. Fostering increases the likelihood of adoption. When the dog/cat you’ve fostered is loved and accepted in its forever home it is because of the love you’ve given them!

6. Increased "human interaction" greatly helps foster animals who often come from neglectful or abusive situations, and lets not forget what "pet interaction" can do for you by lowering your blood pressure, reducing stress, and giving you a real sense of self-worth.

7. You undoubtedly will get attached but when you meet the new family that's ready to provide a permanent home for the dog/cat you’ve fostered you’ll feel more than satisfied to see him/her move on to a new life.

8. Its fun!

9. You’re able to share with your foster animal what a life filled with love should be.

10. More foster homes means more animals’ lives will be spared from pounds and kill shelters. Only a small fraction of animals impounded every year are rescued from the terrible fate of euthanasia. FOSTERING IS A REAL WAY TO SAVE A LIFE!