Milton's Paradise FOUND

At the beginning of September, I learned of a severely emaciated, blind senior male GSP, at a high kill shelter in OH. That particular shelter does not have the budget to perform humane euthanasia (through injection), so they still use the antiquated (and horribly inhumane) system of the gas chamber, death by carbon monoxide poisoning. Needless to say, I knew that poor boy needed to get out of the shelter ASAP, preferably within the hour!

The main challenge was there were no volunteers in the area. I could find no one available (or even close) who could pull him from the shelter and get him to a vet. Thankfully, the dog warden agreed to transport him to a nearby veterinary clinic. He required treatment for a severe parasite infestation, and needed to gain weight before he could be transported. The vet staff fell instantly in love with his sweet senior boy. Despite his blindness and his weakened state, he always found the strength to wag his tail, and nuzzle his caregivers.

I decided to name him Milton, after the "Paradise Lost" author, John Milton. He lost his sight later in life, so it seemed appropriate. Plus, I figured Milton may have never known paradise, or, if he had, it was most certainly lost. I was determined that our Milton's story would read, "Paradise Found!"

Mid-Atlantic GSP Rescue graciously accepted responsibility for Milton. We found a foster home in VA, with a lovely foster mom who already had a few blind dogs of her own. She was well suited to meet Milton's special needs. So, the process began in searching for transport options for Milton. We explored ground transport, but would be traveling through an area where we had no volunteer coverage. We feared the transport would fall through. So, I enlisted the help of Liz Bondarek, our wonderful volunteer "flight attendant" and thankfully, she was wiling to try to recruit a pilot (or two) to fly Milton to VA.

Liz went to work immediately. We found an amazing pilot, Mahesh, and his co-pilot, John. They graciously offered to fly from Columbus, OH to pick-up Milton, then fly him to VA to his waiting foster mom, Mary. The veterinarian who had been caring for Milton offered to take him to the airfield to meet the plane. Aside from some early morning flight delays, Milton's flight was smooth sailing. Mary tearfully greeted her new special boy, and the pilots admitted they felt a special connection to their most gracious passenger.

Milton was at home in Mary's house right away. He got along great with his canine siblings, and even accepted his new sister of the feline persuasion. He learned the ropes at Mary's, and learned the layout of the house (and mastered the doggy door) quite quickly. It didn't take him long to find the softest dog bed in the house. It was as if he had always been there.

I'm pleased to report that Mary has decided to adopt Milton. He has found his forever home with her. He has gained weight, and will soon be ready for his neuter surgery. Mary is taking excellent care of him, and will continue to do so for the rest of his days. Now THIS is rescue at it's finest!!!

The Fabulous Freya - In Search Of A Home

Meet Freya! She has been through a lot over the last few months. She had enjoyed a lovely life with her adoptive mom, Kat, in NM. Kat adopted her from the AZ GSP Rescue. Kat has spent her career in the military, and had been told she would remain in the US until retirement. So, she fulfilled her adult-life dream, and adopted two dogs from the AZ rescue, Odin and Freya. She adored her “kids” and provided them with tons of love and attention. Kat was shocked to receive the news that she would be transferring to Germany, for a three-year period. She knew the stress of the trip, quarantine, and frequent boarding while she was “in the field” would be too much for her loving GSPs. So, she asked GSP Rescue for help.

There were no open adoptive homes in AZ/NM, as it can be challenging to place a pair of dogs together. We desperately wanted to place them together. After all, they were losing their mom, they shouldn’t have to lose one another as well. We found a lovely home for them in Maine. The family had two young boys and were willing to adopt Odin and Freya together. Through the help of a vast volunteer transport network, Odin and Freya were transported by car, cross-country, from NM to Maine.

Everything was going well until Odin started exhibiting signs of pain and soreness. It escalated to the point that he was very grouchy with the two young boys in the home. The family took him to the vet, and after some testing, it was determined he had Ehrlichiosis, a tick-borne illness. Given his obvious discomfort, and the fact there were two children in the home, we made the decision to move both Odin and Freya to a foster home in Maine. The foster Dad is a breeder, and the foster mom, a Vet. Odin’s pain became even more unbearable, and a blood test revealed he was also in kidney failure. We made the very tearful decision to end Odin’s suffering.

So, poor little Freya has lost her mom, her “old” home, her adoptive home, and now, her companion, Odin. She is doing well, despite all of the changes. However, she really needs a home with another doggy companion. Freya is remarkably bright and very much in tune with people and other dogs. She follows her foster dad around the house, and stays very close. He feels she worries a bit, given all of the changes, but knows she’ll be much more confident once she has a stable home life again.

Her foster dad says:
“Freya has been very easy to train. She was a terrible puller on the leash, but I was able to explain what "heel" means in just a few minutes. We are crate training Freya, and she appreciates having her own "spot." She will disappear into her crate. She has prey drive. She located the mouse nest in the wood pile with her nose and kind of stuttered to a stop. She's really put together well and has great muscle tone. Freya loves riding in the car. She curls up quietly on the back seat when we are moving, but gets up and looks around when we start turning and stopping. Freya is probably the quietest GSP I have ever known. She rarely barks, seldom whines. Freya is very respectful when taking treats from your hand. She occasionally throws a fit in her crate, but she's just trying to train us to let her out (it doesn't work here). Most of the time, crate time is quiet time and she has figured that out pretty fast. Freya is going to stick to her new owner like glue. She's very well behaved but she wants someone to set limits and boundaries for her. Giving her a job like obedience or rally would be really fun for you and her. Freya is good with kids and reportedly good around cats.”

If you are interested in more information about Freya, please contact Celeste, clong@gsprescuene.org

Benjamin Brown - Out OfTthe Ashes And Into A Home

Benjamin Brown was one of the "MO 75" GSPs, rescued from a kennel fire in MO. He was a sweet boy, a little shy and reserved, but with the love and care of his foster mom, he came around and has now settled into a new life with his new family. The story of the MO 75 can be found here: http://web.me.com/msalyers/GSP_Rescue/Home.htm

Here's a note from his new mom:

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Just wanted to give you an update on Benjamin. He is doing really well and I see him make new strides every day. I’ve also seen a rejuvenation in Beau since Ben came on the scene. Beau had not really wanted to play fetch since Jake passed away. But since Ben has been at the house, he is all over it. We’ve played fetch just about every evening and Ben would just sit in the corner pretty timid the first couple of nights, but on Tuesday he began playing with us. At first, he would just run down the deck and stand there. But we threw the ball to him and he actually caught the ball in his mouth. He wasn’t quite sure what to do with it so he ran into the yard and laid down and wouldn’t give it back. Beau was not too happy, but we were just pleased that he wanted to participate. I also bought the dogs stuffed animals to play with because Jake and Beau loved them. Ben wanted nothing to do with his so I just left it on the stairs for him to get at his leisure. On Wednesday he actually got it off the steps and took it to his bed. That caused Beau to try and get it and they began playing tug of war. Since that evening they wrestle/play each morning and evening.

His manners have substantially improved in the eating arena. He has a tall food bowl in a stand that doesn’t allow for him to knock it over. Up until yesterday he would wolf down his food and then head to Beau’s food bowl to eat push him away and eat his food. We would not allow him to do that. So, I would just stop him and start petting him. Yesterday he finished his food and came over and stood by me and didn’t even act like he was going to do that.

He is still skittish and it doesn’t always seem to be the same thing that sets him off. 98% of the time when he runs, I call him back over to me and he will come. Last night I was measuring with a metal tape measure and it snapped and he ran and hid. He would not come to me for about 30 minutes. He would go to Henry, but not me, even after I put the tape measure down. I don’t know if it was the sound or what. I feel bad for him when that happens. The good news is that he comes to us way more than he runs from us.
But we all feel that he is a great addition to our household and I wouldn’t trade him for the world. He is trying to get adjusted to our 105 degree heat, but they have pools and shade to get into. My dad is going over to let them in early today. I think that it is way too hot for them to be outside.

Ben has done a lot of cute things, but I never have my camera around when he is being the most animated. I’ve taken pictures of him doing different things. I will try to remember to bring it to work next week so that you can see his new home.

An Oldie But A Goodie

"Blessed is the person who has earned the love of an old dog."
~ Sidney Jeanne Seward ~

We rescue volunteers have heard every reason under the sun from owners who can no longer keep their dogs. From moving, divorce, having a new baby, new job schedule, etc., the reasons are many. For the most part, we volunteers become rather immune to the excuses, and move forward a bit like robots, working with countless individuals and families who feel their reason(s) are valid. Usually, we know we can find a home for their dog, it just may take some time. We do it again and again, over and over, time and time again.

However, families who contact us wishing to "get rid of" an older dog, often hits us like a slap in the face. I truly have a love for each and every dog I place, but the senior dogs hold a special place in my heart. For those who love their pets, and couldn't imagine ever parting with them, it would be incomprehensible to think of surrendering your dog at age 9, 10, 11, 12 or beyond. It's unfathomable. But, unfortunately, it happens frequently.

My phone rang one day. The conversation started like so many others. "I have a male German Shorthaired Pointer. I just retired and want to travel. I have a place in Florida where I'll be living half of the year. They don't allow dogs. I'd leave him with my daughter, but her husband doesn't like dogs." Then, I ask the normal questions about the dog:

What's his name? "Brady," she said.

Where did you get him? "My children purchased him for me when he was eight weeks old. They wanted me to have company after my divorce," she said.

How old is he? "Twelve," she said.

Then, that all too familiar pit forms in my stomach. Brady had been waiting patiently for her to get home from work, every day for twelve years. Now, she's retired, and doesn't want to see him through his senior years. My heart is broken, and the tears start to form in my eyes. I choke out the remaining question about his temperament (he's great with people, children, other dogs, cats, no major health issues, etc.). Essentially, he's a healthy dog with a solid temperament. If he were younger, he'd find a home quickly. But, there aren't as many families willing to open their heart and home to a dog that may only have a few more years to live.

Of course, Brady needed to go quickly, as she was leaving for a trip to Italy in two weeks. We never had enough foster homes, so I knew I'd have trouble finding a place for him to go while he waited for a forever home. Not to mention it is always best (especially for seniors) for the dog to remain in their familiar surroundings until an adopter comes along. It's very stressful and disruptive for them to be shuttled around from place to place. I knew I had to act fast.

I collected photos of Brady, and posted him on our Petfinder.com site (gsprescue-ma.petfinder.org). I also sent an e-mail with Brady's photos, to my list of potential adopters, outlining Brady's sad story. I held my breath and hoped for the best. Most of the folks who were waiting to adopt wanted younger dogs (under the age of 5), so finding a place for Brady was a long shot indeed.

The next morning, I logged in to check my e-mail. There it was. The message I was waiting for. A family in southern Massachusetts, who hoped to adopt a dog under the age of two, wanted to meet Brady. They had young children, and Brady was known to be good with kids. They had two cats, and Brady was ok with cats (rare in a GSP). They also had another dog, and we had been told Brady was good with dogs too. They had read his story, and thought that if they were going to go through rescue to find a dog, they may as well focus on the right match for their family, vs. the age of the dog. They wanted Brady to be happy and comfortable for the rest of his days.

The meeting went well, and they brought Brady home. He loved the kids, the other dog and everyone in the household. He was with them for two years before his death.

His former owner never contacted them to see how he was doing...