January ’07 Newsletter
Contents
- One Saturday Night: Missouri Rescue by Carol by Carol Sumbry
- Pharaoh's Kingdom by Karyn Sehmer
- Daisy's Successful Adoption by Nancy Barry
- Share your Snuggling IGs
One Saturday Night: Missouri Rescue by Carol
Joshua scared at the vet.
What do you usually do on a Saturday night? Take in dinner and a movie? Put on your bunny slippers and cuddle up with your pups and a good book? Or maybe party with friends into the wee hours? Well, one cold Saturday night in November I was up much later than usual with friends. We weren't partying exactly, dress was casual, but excitement definitely crackled in the air. We were setting up x-pens, readying shampoo and towels, pacing the floor and jumping each time the phone rang. This "party" had been in the planning for weeks and we had invited some very special little friends.
Our guests had set out at sunrise that morning to get to our event. They would travel all day, passed from one driver to the next, car to car, across three states. We expected them sometime after 11:00 PM and, almost exactly on schedule, there they were... five adorable IG puppies all under a year old!
Shane and Pinot at the start of their new life.
When you agree to foster a mill IG, you never know exactly what you are committing yourself to until the dog actually arrives. You usually know the sex, approximate age, and maybe the color ahead of time. The most important details, their physical condition and mental state, remain a big scary unknown until you are finally face to face. On top of that, we had been forced to make a decision the day before that involved a calculated risk. We had our fingers crossed that all would go well. All in all, it had been a long, anxious Saturday night.
This relay transport had originally been set up to bring just four IGs into IG Safehouse rescue, with only two of them to end up here. At St. Louis, additional drivers would take the two older adult dogs off the main run and head off in other directions; the heartworm positive male would be relayed on to a foster home in Indiana and the blind boy would head south to Tennessee. Everything was in place and on track until the day before the "party" was to take place. Suddenly, the phone call, "There are three more being culled at the same mill. Can you possibly take them, too? They can share one crate � they are all under twelve weeks." Oh, my. I had the phone lines smoking that day, as did the transport coordinator who had to make sure that each driver's vehicle could accommodate one more crate. Thanks to our wonderful volunteers, we were able to call back and say "Yes! Load up all seven!!!"
Because of the emergency nature of the situation, the three babies had to be neutered that evening, just before their trip. This was not the way we would have planned it but we decided it was better than leaving them behind. Fortunately, there were no complications and the vet cleared them to travel the next day, issued their health certificates, and sent them on their way. Still, you worry...
Tank's first moments in rescue.
Our five arrived quite refreshed from dozing in their crates as they rode all day. Our anxiety over what condition the little ones might be in disappeared immediately; you would never know they had just had surgery the night before. As we opened the crates we were greeted by five of the happiest, most excited and beautiful IG pups you've ever seen. Even the tiniest tail was going a hundred miles an hour! Maybe these lucky little "broker rejects" were too big or too small, the wrong sex or color, or maybe the pet store had simply cancelled their order. They were so pretty and looked a lot alike, probably because they are brothers and cousins. They acted as happy to see us as we were to see them.
By the time we got them all cleaned up, fed and watered, crates scrubbed and ready to go again it was nearly midnight. We broke down the x-pens and each foster mom gathered up her pup and loaded his crate into her car for the final leg of their trip. The youngest and smallest boy would be staying with me. Splitting the three babies up was a little sad but they would all be in foster homes with other dogs so we knew they would be fine. As they drove away toward their own houses, I was glad I was already in mine. I was ready for a few hours of serious sleep. Didn't happen! My pup was wide awake and wanted to party the whole rest of the night!
I had forgotten what it was like to have an energetic IG puppy in the house. It has been nearly two months and I am just now getting the time (and energy!) to tell this story!
Here is an update on each of these lucky pups:
Skittles, now 11 months old, was the first to be adopted. He left for his new home in Indiana two weeks ago. He is a happy boy and is living with another IG.
At 7 months old, Tristan is hoping he will be the next to find a family of his own. Shortly after he arrived at his foster home, Tristan developed a large, painful swelling on his lower jaw. Although an examination of his mouth showed nothing out of the ordinary, x-rays revealed a severe infection from a festering baby canine tooth that had never erupted. The adult canine had come in just fine but beneath it was a big abscess on the bone of his lower jaw. Surgery for this is quite complicated, not something the regular vet wanted to tackle, so off Tristan went to a specialist. Consequently, it was also a surprisingly big vet bill! We are just happy we got him when we did or who knows what might have happened to him; mill dogs certainly don't get any dental care! Tristan has fully recovered and his foster mom reports he is such a happy boy that his whole butt wags!
Pinot Grigio is now 3 months old and doing well in a foster home with medium size dogs. He loves to play with them. He is sweet, affectionate and spirited!
Shane, also 3 months old is in foster care with Bichons. He loves to snuggle up and sleep with them �those nice fuzzy coats keep him warm. He also goes to doggy day care two days a week so he is extremely well socialized with other dogs. He's a very social guy!
Tanquery a/k/a Tank, 3 months old, is in foster care with me. He has literally doubled in size. I took the "petite" one who now weighs over a pound more then Pinot. Tank goes to work with me so he sees his brother Pinot daily. They love to play and snuggle together. Tank will be starting puppy classes too. He LOVES other dogs and loves to go for long walks.
As for the adults from this rescue:
Jack was treated for heartworm, did great and is thriving.
Joshua, although blind, is a happy fellow who has adjusted wonderfully to his new world.
NOTE: All of the above dogs are looking for their forever homes. You can find more information about all the dogs on our Available IGs page.
Seven dogs at the same time was a big rescue endeavor for IGSA. If you would like to make a difference, please tell people not to buy from pet stores and backyard or internet breeders. You can also make a difference by donating to the vet bills incurred by this rescue. And, as you can probably tell from the story of our Saturday night, there were many steps, much planning, and lots of helping hands and generous hearts involved in saving these guys. We are all links in a rescue chain and the final link for each of them will be to find their loving, permanent homes.
Pharaoh's Kingdom
Pharaoh a true king.
Once upon a time there lived a ruler named Pharaoh, after the kings of ancient Egypt. Pharaoh's kingdom was taken away from him at the age of 6 after authorities in his homeland decided he was too much work. He left his kingdom in exile, with some papers, clothes and his 2 favorite beds. Pharaoh was given a new home in the land called "Rescue". There he learned many new things, like how to live with other rulers, how to pretend to be the court jester with his many amazing tricks, and how not to "bark orders" at everything he saw. He mastered the art of housetraining and crate training which delighted his royal subjects. He found many friends to snuggle up to and especially enjoys a good massage, it makes him chatter his teeth with delight! Like most rulers of his kind, he enjoys walks, playing for short periods of time, then sleeping.
There was one thing Pharaoh could not get used to in his new land, the evil feline creature. He watched carefully for it's surprise attacks and when it would suddenly appear, it would send Prince Pharaoh into a frenzy. Alas, the sly feline creature always slipped away in time before Pharaoh could conquer it.
Pharaoh is ready for a new kingdom.
Prince Pharaoh is now ready to invade a new kingdom. He would be the perfect partner/ruler for an adult, a couple or a family with older children. He has jet black hair with a whitish muzzle and feet and dark eyes. His most endearing feature are his ears, that stand erect most frequently. He tolerates grooming and teeth brushing well. Pharaoh has a lot of life left in him and knows there is a new land out there for him, where he can again reign as King and bestow all the love he has to give on his royal subjects.
Do you need a Pharaoh to lead your kingdom? More information about Pharaoh can be found on our Available IGs page.
Daisy's Successful Adoption
Daisy in her new home.
Miss Daisy's story began with a caring woman's post on IG Planet, a forum for IG lovers. A member saw an ad for her in a Texas paper and asked for help on the Planet on how she should handle such an ad where an ig was for sale. She purchased Miss Daisy from a puppy mill owner for the price of just $50.00. The miller said Daisy might be good for a couple of more litters, but she was too old to be a pet. Daisy was 9 1/2 years old and spent those years in a wire crate.
The IG Planet member brought Daisy into rescue, and they sent her to Tennessee for several weeks to be spayed, have a dental cleaning (in which some teeth were extracted), and have mammary tumors removed. After a recovery period, rescue moved her up to Wisconsin. Prior to this I had told Carol that I would like to try being a foster home and would prefer an older dog...the rest is history.
Miss Daisy came to us in September, 2006. She was nervous and hand shy, but would wiggle up to us for attention. Fletcher, my own IG, was less than thrilled with her presence in the home. But Cubbie, my Akita, accepted her immediately. Although she was pretty reliable on pee pads, she would also mark in the house. Daisy would stay with my husband two days a week while I worked in Green Bay. During those two days, she would inevitably poop in her crate while he was at work. We were beginning to despair of ever getting her on a schedule that would work. Using advice and support from rescue, we were able to get potty training under control by setting a daily routine.
Upon arriving in our home, Daisy began sleeping with me at night. So of course nights were not a problem! Her poor little bent legs, huge rib cage, and claw-like toenails as well as her scarred back spoke to the horrors of her previous life. (GREAT) In spite of her past, she immediately wanted to engage with us. Our attitude was that she wasn't here to make us happy; she was here so that we could make up for her past treatment by "humans".
It's funny that people say "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder," because she looked quite homely to us when she first arrived. Now we think that she is beautiful. More and more, she endeared herself to us. We talked about how she would need a very special adopter who was willing to tolerate potty mistakes and her desire to spend much of her time alone on a comfortable bed (usually my husband's). Prior to making the decision to foster Daisy, I made my husband a promise that we would not keep her. I felt that I could offer more as a foster parent and I really didn't need a third dog in our apartment. We are in our 60's and will be RV'ing full time in a year and a half, and three dogs would crowd us.
Well so much for good intentions and promises. On Christmas Eve I found a card under the tree addressed to me from my husband and the boy dogs. They had voted that Daisy should be a permanent part of our family. Daisy had abstained because she felt she could not be impartial. That left the decicing vote to me.
Well...Miss Daisy has a new home. I swear, since that evening she is livelier and seeks more attention from us. I know, I know, dogs don't understand these things. Tell that to Daisy.
Since coming to us Daisy has experienced camping, play dates, trips to the groomer, and boisterous family events which include two golden retrievers. None of these situations upset her. We want to make her life as colorful, comfortable, and pleasant as possible for her remaining years.
Share your Snuggling IGs
Do you want to share photos of your rescue IGs with other IG owners? We'd all love to see them. Send us a photo of your IGs snuggling together and we will add the photo to our next newsletter. For the next issue, the photo must contain two or more IGs cuddling together. (If you only have one IG, don't fret, we will make sure to give you an opportunity to submit a photo next time!) Please note, by sending us a photo you are granting us the rights to reproducing it in the newsletter or elsewhere on the website, www.wisconsinigrescue.com. You never know, you might just see your IG's photo on the Wisconsin IG Rescue homepage! Please send your photos--along with the IGs' names, ages, adoption years (if you can remember) and your full name--to newscontribute@wisconsinigrescue.com.
