Before
Emily Bawmann
Name: Cloud Mae
And After
Cloud Mae
Below is the original foster family's story about Cloud Mae.
She came from an Arkansas breeding operation that experienced a fire, inwhich several dogs & a human loss their lives. She started her journey into Rescue through Sheltie Shack & Company. Cloud Mae ie, Cloud, resides with me, & is learning all the things life has to offer her, She makes my day with her antics, as well as sneeking onto my bed to sleep, & my heart.
Here is her story.
I received a call from sheltie rescue that 2 dogs needed temporary emergency placement immediately. Not much was known about them other than they were rescued from a puppy mill. Several other dogs were taken from the mill and all were in pretty bad shape. I met up with the rescue person on the side of the highway to pick up 2 dogs. Peaches and Cloud.
The stench from the dogs was almost too much to bear. They were very emaciated, filthy, and covered in fleas. I picked them up on a Sunday afternoon, and had vet appointments on them on Monday morning. They looked lost, scared and sad... I took them home but had to keep them in the cages in the garage. I knew that they had some issues with skin, and fleas and didnt want to spread it to my shelties. I filled the swimming pool up with water and bathed them. By the time i was done, the pool water was black and filled with fleas and dirt.
I dried them off and gave them some food and water in their crates. I sat with them for awhile crying that someone could treat these dogs so poorly. Both dogs appeared to have hadlitters as their nipples were big, and bellies kind of saggy.
The vet visit brought new news the next day. Cloud was very emaciated, full of worms, infested with fleas, heartworm positive and also had mange. The vet began tackling issues one at a time. She was given a lyme dip immediately, given a capstar for fleas and given plenty of food and water. She had to stay at the vets for 2 weeks so that they could get the mange taken care of before she could come home to us. She was given aggressive wormng treatments to take care of her worms and a lampshade so that she couldnt continue to bite herself. Her skin was a mess. She had no hair on the back half of her body, and tail. Sores the size of half dollars on her back and legs - yet she was happy as long as someone loved her....
The vet was surprised that she was not blind or deaf as she was a double merle, which genetically is never a good thing. She got to be friends with the staff at Faithful Friends Animal Hospital, and they were all amazed at how sweet she was coming from the situation that she came from. Over the next several weeks she came home but continued with her lyme dips. We were given creams and salves to help her poor skin begin to heal, and we nurtured her soul and taught her how to be a dog.
She learned what grass was - she had been in a cage and her paws had never touched grass. It frightened her. She learned what cars were, she learned that people could be nice and loving. Everything scared her at first. Grass, cars, horns, kids playing, airplanes, birds, bugs, steps, garage doors, leashes, etc.. She was a baby learning how to deal with everything. She became my baby and I was her human. Everywhere I went she did too.
Eventually though our time came to an end. She was finally healthy enough to be transported to her new foster home where they would begin treatment for her heartworms. Nut then she went into heat! Atleast she wasnt pregnant! So after several weeks we were able to transport her safey to her new home when her health and socialization could contine to improve.
HAPPY ENDING
#456
Before
Barbara Davis Mid Fl Sheltie Rescue
Name of Dog: - Punkin
And After
In June of 08 Mid Fl Sheltie Rescue was contacted about a very over weight sheltie that was thought to have Cushing in the Orange County Animal Shelter, her time was up if we did not take her she was to be put to sleep. She was picked up the very day, taken to the vet. We named her Punkin. After test it was show that Punkin had the classic signs of Low Thyroid. Months of TLC, medication, a good diet, Punkin was on her way to recovery. A curly coat an and an opinion in what she wanted, Punkin continued to blossom. On New Years day 2009 Punkin was adopted by a wonderful family in FL. They named her Patti.
Today Patti continues to stay healthy, loved and cherished by her forever family.
HAPPY ENDING
#510
Before
CINDY LEACHMAN
Emma Sue
And After
Emma Sue
It all started with a phone call at 9pm from Karen at Heart of Kentucky Sheltie Rescue. She had just been emailed by someone in my city about a sheltie puppy they found abandoned on the street. They thought she'd been hit by a car and they couldn't afford to care for her. Her legs may be broken, they are sticking out funny. I told Karen I would get the dog, have it evaluated at the clinic I work at and we'd go from there. "Oh Lord," I prayed, "please don't let me fall for this one, you know we have too many as it is." I called the people and arranged for them to take it to the clinic the next day as a surrender . I got to work the next day and started looking for my "project". Dr. Wolfe smiled when I asked if my puppy came in. "Oh yes, but she's not puppy, she's old as Methuselah". "What about her legs? Are they broken?" I asked. A bigger smile, "No, her legs aren't broken, she's BOW-LEGGED". She was really something to see though. Bald on her chest and sides from fleas, extremely thin, terrible infection in both ears, and a large growth on one eye lid. Watching her walk was heartbreaking. Not only did both elbows point East/West but her spine was arthritic and her hips were displastic. She walks on her tip toes with her front legs, and her back legs sidle forward like a crab. She looked so lost and so sad, and I knew right then that we really weren't THAT full, surely there was room for one more little old lady at our house.
When I told Karen what I'd found, she graciously agreed that she could stay with us. And so Emma Sue came into our lives and stole our hearts. For all her disability I've never seen such a sunny spirit and cheerful determination. Even though walking is so difficult, she marches through life with her head high and tail wagging, nothing seems to slow her down. She has now regrown her coat, put on a few pounds and in our eyes is the most beautiful girl in our world. She celebrated her first Christmas with us this past year and enjoyed it all. She's the apple of my husband's eye and a delight to everyone who meets her.
How she ended up abandoned at a business office complex in the center area of our city is unimaginable. But it happens, especially to the older ones. Our society has developed an unfortunate "disposable" mindset and the innocents suffer for it. But given the chance, they'll brighten anyone's day and change their life for the better. So here's to our precious shelties - and those who love them.
HAPPY ENDING
#433
Before
And After
JESS
March 25, 2004 was a lucky day for me. I was sick. Dozing on the sofa, I awoke to dogs on the Viki Gabereau show. Rescued dogs from the Humane Society, including a lady with a blue sheltie were on the programme. The blue merle sheltie looked like one of ours and I could see how timid she was. I immediately got up, emailed the show, inquiring about this sheltie.
Much to my surprise, I received a reply within a half hour, and shortly after, one from the B.C. Shetland Sheepdog Club Rescue. This particular sheltie required a quiet home, but wouldn’t you know, the sheltie rescue had recently taken in another that would be “perfect” for us!
The picture included with the email was a bedraggled little sheltie looking very lost. Zara Heartwood was fostering her and told me her story. She was calling her Jess.
Jess was nine and a half years old and had spent her whole life having puppies for the backyard breeders that ‘owned’ her. She served no purpose for them any longer and they actually stated that they never really liked her anyway. I’ll never forget that comment. They also had goldens, and Jess was just there to make money for them. Somehow, Jess went through the ice in their pond, and that was “the final straw” for the “useless” dog. They turned her in, never even bothering to clean or dry her off. What a sad life she must have had, without a name, or love, and just being ‘used’.
By the appearance of her coat, Zara felt she had previously been shaved, no doubt to save the owners further bother with Jess, especially when having puppies.
Well, I was hooked! Somehow, I already felt an “attachment” to Jess. I felt we would do whatever it took to bring her “home” to us, and become part of our family. I also felt it was time to tell my husband! No problem, he says, let’s do it.
Jess was spayed by the rescue, and vaccinated, and then the big hurdles were undertaken. We had to be approved by the Rescue, have a home check, work out the flight arrangements, driving plans, and have all the paperwork involved completed before Jess would take her long journey to us. Zara kept me up-to-date on Jess while she fostered her, sent me pictures after she was bathed and brushed. We were very excited about her flight and hoped it wouldn’t be too stressful for her.
Apparently she stepped out of the crate at the Toronto airport showing no concerns about her surroundings.
Jess is a tough little nut, as I guess she had to be, to survive over nine years in her former location. After two transfers driving up, by two lovely ladies who offered to do this, we finally met Jess in person. What a beautiful girl she was. When we brought her home, she just walked in the house like she belonged there. And she did. Our other dogs met her and I think they all thought thank goodness this is over, she’s here, we can get back to normal!
Jess was quiet, a little thin, but was lovely. I kept her with me on a long leash a lot and she was very attentive and would come and sit, and just loved being told she was such a good girl. Gradually a sparkle came into her eyes, she has cute little ‘darting back and forth eyes” when she’s happy.
She loved our walks through the woods and running with the “big” dogs more than the other two shelties.
Jess loves water and running through puddles. We were so surprised to see her reaction to her first snow encounter here. She dove in head first. She adores the snow. She buries herself in it and makes snow angels. She will climb up a mound of snow, plop down on her side and roll down. Jess is a real comedienne.
She settled in with us easily, as if she was destined to be here, and I began to involve her in Pet Therapy with one of our shelties. Jess has been doing this weekly for over four years now. This is her “job” and she takes it seriously. She just lies calmly beside clients, all-knowing, and trusting. I think she is “giving back”; and you have to wonder if she ever remembers her horrid former life.
Jess now also plays with our agility equipment and demonstrates good manners to puppies in our puppy classes. She was so good doing some basic obedience work, this past year I decided to apply for her Performance Event Number with CKC. She loves to train, loves the attention and praise (and treats!) and we entered a Rally 0 trial this summer. Jess earned her RN that weekend and was a big hit at the show. Because of her age, 13 ½, and her background, she got a lot of attention and loved it. It was such fun!
Part of my reason for getting the PEN with Jess and entering a trial was to show people that you can adopt an older rescued dog, and be able to do all these things with them, if they are healthy and enjoy it.
I really hope it will encourage others to offer a good home to a rescued, older dog. They have so much to give.
Jess is also tracking now! She’s still healthy at fourteen, and wants to work! She becoming a very good tracking dog, loves it, and we hope perhaps this fall we might have a new Tracking Dog Title for her. She would be pushing fifteen at the time of the fall trial.
From an early life of neglect and used only for greed, she’s become a happy and fun little dog, a little clown; eager to tackle anything. She gives much joy to everyone she meets, especially in the nursing home. She brings a smile to everyones’ face that meets her. We are so lucky to have Jess in our lives.
We think “Keepers’ Jess” is a great ambassador for the Shetland Sheepdog breed, and a great ambassador for an older, rescued dog.
So many people were involved in helping Jess to come to us, we could never thank them enough. We don’t know most of them, who were so generous in helping with some of he costs as well. I hope they all will know that Jess is loved and hopefully will continue to make us smile for a very long time.
HAPPY ENDING
#159
Before
And After
Jessie joined my family December 2004 when she was just shy of 10 years old. She doesn't have a story of abuse or neglect, rather she was one of the many senior Shelties finding themselves in need of a new home at the time of their life when they no longer have that puppy cuteness or young dog athletic promise. That's why I decided to enter her here, because rescues of this age out number the younger ones, and maybe her story could help sway the decision of someone else considering a senior. Jess is actually the third in a line of seniors that came to live with me, the last having passed the previous year.
Jessie's former owner requested that her vet euthanize her, stating he could no longer care for her due to his own health concerns. Fortunately, the vet refused; instead, he offered to help rehome her and contacted New England Sheltie Rescue. I saw the photo of a chubby, worried looking girl on Thanksgiving morning. I already had 3 Shelties, really didn't need another, LOL, maybe it was the season, but by the end of the day --emails exchanged, references checked -- I was committed to picking her up the next week.
She was and is a very shy dog, nervous with strangers and strange places. While it appears that she had a good home, I don't think she was ever socialized. She bonded to me very quickly, but even now, 4 years later I'm the only human she cares about. Now a trim 33 lbs (19"), she sleeps in my lap, plays ball, kills squeaky toys and loves to play tug. She will be 14 on Jan. 25th and has excellent eyesight, though she is losing her hearing. She can still give squirrels a run for their money, patrols the fence line and loves snow. Last year I lost both of my middle aged boys to sudden illnesses within two months of each other, and Jessie and my other rescue girl Ellie, have helped with the grief and healing.
Please, the next time you are thinking about adding a dog to your household, gives the seniors a second look.
HAPPY ENDING
#178
Before
And After
Cammie
February 15, 2007 an email went out from the Sheltie Rescue of Central Indiana, asking for a Foster home for one of the most pitiful dogs I have ever seen. I looked a Carl and said, “That’s my dog.” We replied to the Foster email saying that we would like to be considered to be Cammie’s Foster Parents. To my amazement the next day we were called and told that Cammie would come to us. When I first saw her, my heart broke. She was sitting on my couch with her head hanging down. I was afraid to pet her for fear of breaking her. She proved how sturdy she truly was. With in a few weeks she had begun to fill out. You could no longer see all of her bones. I remember being amazed to see the bones in here paws. Though still bald she had become a bundle of energy. You could see the sparkle in her eyes now. She was so much fun to watch playing in the back yard with our two 9mo old pups. They were so gentle with her knowing that she could not be pulled on even though she would yank them all over the place.
One of the neatest things with the rescue is how everyone comes together to help these dogs. Cammie received more mail the first month than I did. She was sent coats, sweaters, t-shirts and of course treats. Cammie was recognized wherever we went. A lady at Pet Smart once approached me. She liked our web site and recognized Cammie from it. It was neat to see how many people followed her story.
The decision to keep Cammie came during a Foster event. While sitting there someone commented that they would be interested in adopting her. I realized that there was no way that I could let her go. She had firmly wrapped me around her paw. That day Sue, Foster Coordinator for SRCI, looked at me and asked if she was available and of course the answer was “No”.
Cammie continues to make me laugh. She is a food thief and will scale furniture to get to the table if I am dumb enough to leave anything on it. Cammie always looks for the softest place to sit. Her favorite is a pile of pillows with a fleece blanket. I think this comes from having no padding on her hips. Sitting was very hard for her then. These are the only traits that she exhibits from her ordeal.
Each season Cammie’s coat has changed. As it has grown back in it changes colors. We are looking forward to see what it looks like when it finally is all grown back. Cammie is a joyful loving addition to our pack.
HAPPY ENDING
#494
Before
And After
In the Spring of 2002 I started looking for a female Sheltie from various rescue groups. I found Ellie Mae at Patchwork SR in PA. She was turned in to the rescue by her owners at 7 months of age due to having Dermatomyositis (DM), the inflammatory disease of skin and sometimes muscle, most commonly seen in Collies and Shelties. Her owners had taken her to the vet when the skin symptoms (loss of fur on the muzzle, around the eyes, ear tips, tail tip and feet/lower legs) began and had a diagnostic biopsy done, but never started treatment. They just put her away in a crate for several months, with minimal contact allowed with household members. Even though they knew it was a hereditary condition, they apparently believed they could catch "something" from her.
When she arrived at the rescue she had scabby, ulcerated areas of skin. The last 6" of her tail was so bad the vet thought it might have to be amputated. She was also woefully unsocialized. Ellie was put in foster care where she received the love and medical treatment she so badly needed, as well as a crash course in socialization with people and other pets. She was also spayed.
When I inquired about her, she was about 9 months old and doing much better. Her tail had healed, though she never got more than a couple of white hairs back. She was on several prescription drugs, plus vitamins. Because of the lack of prompt treatment, she has areas that never regrew hair, but the skin healed and was no longer painful.
I brought her home and she quickly adapted to life with two Sheltie brothers. She was very playful and liked to collect toys, placing all she could find in her crate or on her bed. We went to obedience classes and at just over a year of age, she easily passed her CGC and TDI (Therapy Dog) evaluations. While she does not care for noisy groups of children, she is a wonderful therapy dog at a local nursing home. She fits on laps or snuggles next to her friends in bed, making the rounds from room to room. Not a single client has ever commented on her missing hair -- they all call her beautiful.
Now 7 1/2 yrs old, she is on minimal medication and occasionally has a new skin lesion occur. Thankfully, she has not had any muscle involvement. Four years ago senior Jessie joined our home, and with the loss of my two boys last year, the girls now rule the roost. I look forward to many more happy years together.
HAPPY ENDING
#495
For more information on how you can become a "Guardian Angel" and support Sheltie Rescue refer to the show site Show Site
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