Rescue Stories for 2009 - West Highland White Terrier Club of … dogs_2009Stats.pdf · 2013. 1. 24. · Ozzy 5 yrs- Ozzy’s owners received him 2 yrs ago when they went to a drop

We have had an incredible year, and every year

seems to be more incredible than the last. We’d

like to share some of stories with you and show

you photos of the amazing dogs we have had the

pleasure of meeting. I could have never done

this myself, and it takes a Village . On second

thought, takes a major metropolitan area to

achieve what we have done this year. Everyone

worked as a team down to the Vet Tech in the back room at the clinic

who wrestled with a sick filthy dirty Scottie to get encrusted stink off of

her, to a transporter who rearranged her day to get a dog picked up and

to adopters who drove all the way to Oregon to pick up their new adoptive

treasure and to the Scottie folks who I convinced to foster Westies and to

the Westie folks I convinced to foster Scotties and to everyone I con-

vinced to foster Cotons and other miscellaneous dogs that came into our

life. Thank you.

Special points of interest:

We included all the breeds we

have rescued this year

Westie Stats included

Scotties and Karin’s Kritters

were included to show the

enormity of what we do

2009 Westie Rescue

Plus Scottie Rescue

Westies and more...

I probably should have broken this rescue information into only Westies then wrote

about the other breeds, however, due to time limitations and the enormity of it all, I re-

thought that idea. I hope you appreciate the other breeds and situations we came upon

this year. I also do Scottie Rescue and when I am to full I have moved my Scotties and

asked for help from three other Scottie Rescues. I even asked Oregon Rescue to foster

a Scottie for me, and I have asked WSSTC to take four Scotties from me because I just

had no room at the inn. We have also assisted Furbaby rescue in fostering, and fos-

tered for the Skagit Mill bust this past January. We also fostered for Old Dog Haven.

These situations were due to overcrowding and no foster home availability and it was

starting to look like the titanic.. So we stepped in and lent a hand. The enormity of

puppy mills and unwanted dogs is mind boggling. It will only stop when you educate

people and they stop going to pet shops and buying from internet ads without recom-

mendations. So spread the word.

December 2009 Washington and Oregon

2009 Westies Rescued 2

Westie Rescue Stories 4

Why We Charge $300 10

Adopter’s Thanks 11

Karin’s Kritters 14

Scottie Rescue 16

Puppy Mill Dogs 18

The Cotons 20

Scottie Mill Dogs 22

Stats for 2009 28

Inside this issue:

Rescue Stories for 2009

2009 Westie Rescue Plus Scottie Rescue

Chloe

Piper

Askel

Kendric

Dolly

Annabelle

Julie

Jasper

Teddy

Ozzy

Clancey Poppy

Molly

Murphy Before

Murphy After

Sugar

Wes

Milo

Jasper

Dolly


Rosie Riley

Mr Stubbs EMMA

Harry

GORDY

MIA

Sarah

Dugan

Bella

Abby Chuckie

Molly #2 Miles—Blind

Bailey Rosie

Byrnna

Sadie—baby eater

Lolita

Cory

Lilah

Washington and Oregon Page 4

Chloe 6 yrs old Owners going through a Divorce, and didn’t have time for Chloe. She had some issues with

her muzzle. Was treated at Bothell Animal Hospital and adopted out in January.

Piper 5 yr old unneutered male kept in the garage in Pasco area. He was purchased to be used as a stud

dog as a great idea by owners to make extra money in the dwindling economy. They thought his stud ser-

vices would reap big bucks until they found out he had no AKC papers, and no one was going to pay them

big bucks for stud service. He was found running the streets and another agency picked him up and con-

tacted us. Chris Larson was instrumental in getting Piper cleaned up, vetted and groomed and put on a plane

tp SEATAC as the passes were snowed in and we couldn’t transport. We are grateful for his assistance.

Askel 13 mos owned by an young couple in Tacoma. Askel suffered from CMO and he was also living in a

house with a Doxie. The young couple had no room for them in the apartment and the husband was out of

work. We picked him up along with the Doxie and turned the Doxie wound up being adopted by the Vet who

examined her in Olympia! We adopted Askel out in Feb 2009.

Kendric 3yrs old suffered from Legg Calves Perthes. Owner was getting a divorce and had to raise her

daughter alone and had her hours at work cut back, and lost her home and moved into an apartment. Dr.

Kovar performed surgery and Kenny was adopted in February to a nice couple in Portland.

Tacoma Dolly: Our big ticket item of the year. We had a grant from WHWTCA and From WestieMed and per-

formed a big operation to remove the calcified tumors in her ears, which required a specialist. The short ver-

sion is that she had an infection that wouldn’t clear up and had to be rushed back to the emergency clinic to

the tune of another $700 and have drain plugs put in, she was doing okay and we took her in for dental to

Bothell. She was adopted out and one of her ears flared again. She was over in Spokane and she was

driven over again to have her ear ablation redone on one ear, however, it turned out that it was just a minor

clean up and Dr. Kovar again stepped in to save the day. She is now living with a nice family and is the joy

of their life. They love Dolly. Our little Dolly cost us about $3500 to get well.

Annabelle 6 yrs/Oregon: Left at Troutdale, Oregon Humane Society, The owners had no money to care for

the dog. She was the cutest thing ever and was adopted out to Suzanne Vaughn. Suzanne was instrumental

in helping us with our Dolly Fund and we were happy to find this girl for her.

McGregor 3yrs/Oregon: Left at Troutdale, Oregon Humane Society for biting a child. He was picked up by

Taylor and driven all the way to Medford, Oregon (no quick trip) to be adopted.

Julie 12 yrs old on Craig’s list for $5. She was given away after her owner died. A good Samaritan realitor

who was selling the dead owners house, offered Julie up to a young mother with a baby. The woman did not

like Julie. She said she .. Barked, dug holes, growled a lot and wouldn’t listen so she needed her to go.

Gratefully Michele drove to Stanwood and picked her up and adopted her out to a loving home, where she

was much happier and can act like a terrier.

Jasper 6 mos old was purchased by an elderly woman who wanted a puppy. After two weeks she was going

crazy because the dog wouldn’t sit still and required too much exercise and she wasn’t going to walk him.

She said he was too wild. He was ironically in Bothell, and I asked to have him dropped at the clinic and

neutered and I would pick him up. He was successfully adopted out to a nice family with another young

Westie, and they are doing great.

Milo—6 mos: Received from Olympia Shelter , owners were in their late 70s and he was too much of a

puppy for them so they kept him outside, and in the garage, he was infested with fleas and had a severe skin

and ear infection. His bark could take paint off of a wall. He was fostered and adopted out to a wonderful

family in Vancouver, WA area, and he lives with another Westie, and they adore him. He is one happy loved

little boy


Teddy 3 yrs—Returned for biting and not liking owners adult sons, and not being nice when company came

over. He was returned two times for being an unpredictable biter, and both cases the owners had no pa-

tience, no tolerance, and no training and weren’t about to work on his training. My options were to train him

myself or euthanize him. He has been with me for 8 mos and he is stellar. He has chronic allergies, and I

hope to adopt him out in two more months. He is excelling in Agility. He needs a home with someone who

has another dog and someone who has time to interact with him and keep his agility up. He is AKC regis-

tered and he should be able to compete in agility in the Spring. No homes with small children, no cats.

Teddy is also in the process of receiving the Plechner Syndrome treatment, and he will remain and thyroid

and scant doses of Pred, the rest of his life.

Ozzy 5 yrs- Ozzy’s owners received him 2 yrs ago when they went to a drop off at Goodwill. They motioned

to the owner that they also had a Westie at home. The woman asked if they wanted him! They said sure,

and went home with Ozzy. For the next two yrs, he was well cared for , fed, and groomed but never taken to

the vet. He resource guarded his owner. They wanted to rehome him because he constantly sat on the hus-

band’s lap and growled at the wife. I asked if he was neutered and they answered ―I don’t know‖. I figured

he might have not known what the word ―neutered‖ meant, so I said, is he castrated? The husband said he

didn’t know. At this point I thanked god for telephones and I rolled my eyes and put my forehead in the palm

of my hand, and I muttered, well can you pull his tail up and see if anything is hanging between his legs?

The answer was… yes it is. I just shook my head. We picked him up , he was neutered, great temperament,

very talkative, and was adopted out to a lovely home in Walla Walla and lives with a 2nd Westie.

Clancey—5yrs: I was contacted by a woman in the military. She wanted to purchase a dog for her mother,

and she saw ―free Westies‖ in want ads and she dashed down and she picked up two Westies. She was

clueless that this was a puppymill that was downsizing. The woman said she found the dogs. She got the

dogs to her moms and dropped them off. They were cheerful and sweet and proceeded to pee and poo all

over the house with gay abandon. Her 80 yr old mother couldn’t cope and told her to come and get these

dogs. She was surprised they weren’t house broken (another moment of facial expressions behind a tele-

phone receiver). They actually hadn’t named the dogs, but they had papers of their ages. Neither were

spayed/neutered. She gladly turned over Poppy and Clancey. Clancey had such severe dental disease

he had to have all his teeth removed except for his canines. He has four teeth left. His teeth were so bad he

was having seizures. I don’t know if he is free from seizures now. He was adopted by Faith who turned out

to now be one of our Oregon Foster moms! She has two Scotties and two children and the Clance! They

love him dearly.

Poppy—6 yrs: Her overall shape was pretty good, but we did do her dental and have her spayed and she

was adopted by one of our Foster moms—Denita. She is happy and living in Arlington with more dogs and

cats, goats, horses and chickens.

Murphy 9 yrs/Molly 8yrs: Owner died and husband now has a new girlfriend who brought her dog into the

house (boston terrier, something mix), and the Westies are ousted. Molly was an easy placement and is now

living in the Portland area. Murphy was a wreck. She had such severe allergies that the meter reading on

her allergy test was 150 as being off the wall on severe allergies. Her tests came back and she was peaking

at 10,000 (yes that many zeros). She had a severe sinus infection from the allergies that made her muzzle

black, and she is now on allergy shots. She is still in foster care, and we are hoping someone will take her

and adopt her and give her the shots she needs. She is a very good dog and easy.


Sugar 8 yrs: Sugar was a surrender at the shelter. Her owner was destitute and was having to live in her car.

She had lost her home in the previous spring floods and never recovered. Sugar had not seen a vet for quite

a while. We took her to the vet to be evaluated and she was a series of health issues. She had a yeast infec-

tion, a uterine infection, a urinary tract infection, a heart murmur, a skipping heart beat, arthritis, bad disk in

her back, and she could have probably been her own series on animal planet. She was subsidized by Re-

becca’s rainbow for half of her vet bill which was over $1200 and her last series of infections hit us up for an

additional $800 (subsidized by grant from WestieMed). She was fostered for a long time by Barbara Mitchell

and eventually she was adopted out to Suzanne in Olympia who had also adopted several other dogs from

us. (Henry, Scottie, Annabelle, Fergus - Westie) . She is fitting in fine, and loves the house and the yard and

her new family. We are so grateful to Suzanne for taking in a special needs dog when no one else would.

Wesley 10 yrs/Oregon: Allergies and owner had to take another job far away from home and was gone over

12 hrs every day and Wes was having a difficult time. He was biting his feet a lot and pulling out his hair. He

was picked up and fostered and adopted out to a nice woman with another Westie. Alas he was returned be-

cause her Westie girl hated having another dog in the house and kept attacking Wes. He was readopted out

to a family with a small child and a black cairn, and they are all getting along famously with gentle Wesley.

He is no longer pulling his hair out nor is he lonely.

Riley/Rosie 8/9: We were contacted by a couple who didn’t want the dogs any longer because they were

snapping at the grandchildren. I happened to be on line with a family of adults who wanted two Westies, and

I made the connections and they picked up the girls, and they are all happy and living in Bellingham.

Mr. Stubbs—5 yrs : Mr. Stubbs was on his way thru the doorway to be dropped off at the animal shelter, and

a woman was coming out and stopped the owner and asked her to surrender the dog to her not the shelter.

She took the dog home and to the vet, and found it had severe flea infestation and ear infection, dry eye, and

more drama than you can imagine. She put him on Petfinder, and someone referred her to us. Poor Mr.

Stubbs had so many fleas the vet couldn’t even examine him without spraying him down and waiting an hour

for the fleas to die. It had to be done 2x. He had nests of fleas growing on him. He was fostered and given

him some Capstar to kill the rest of the fleas. We tried to rename him but he knew his name. He was

adopted out to a nice family in Des Moines and he is having a grand old time. They also refer to him as

―Mister Stubbs!‖ He is a gem.

Emma 12 yrs: Emma was a big drama and she wound up to be bred quite well from a nice breeder (the Han-

nas) in Idaho. She had to be rehomed and the first adpption didn’t work out. Then she wound up living be-

ing taken in with our Foster Coordinator, Taylor. She lives with her and with a friend part time and likes the

―travel‖. She likes hotels too. She has IBS and is a little deaf but she is a lot of fun and keeps the whole

household in stitches, and on schedule!

Harry 11 yrs: Harry was a retired stud dog from a back yard breeder in Roy or Yelm. He lived on a farm,

and was fighting with the other dogs in the household, and he spent most of his time outside. He came to us

and we thought he was a great guy but he had to be an only dog. I received a call from an 82 yr old woman

on Whidbey and she had just had to put down her Shih Tzu and she wanted another dog ASAP. She said

she lived alone and she can’t be alone in the big house, she needed a dog, and she would take Harry. I went

and picked him up and took him to his new home on Whidbey with a fabulous yard. He managed to survey

the yard and within 4 minutes of his arrival he escaped under a gap in the fence, and I set out chasing him

down the beach and over giant piles of driftwood. I also enlisted the help of a painter who came down off his

second story ladder, with paintbrush in hand, and we were off like a scene out of ―an old Beatles Movie! ― .

Note that Harry didn’t know me from Adam so I was white noise. We cornered Harry before he got to Can-

ada, and I promptly went out and bought bricks and shoved them under every gap in the yard. Harry has

since been on Whidbey for 4 mos and he is a regular at the dog park and he loves his owner with all his

heart. He is happy to be the top dog. His owner Nancy is so in love with Harry and she tells me he is noth-

ing like her Shih Tzu!


Gordy 2 yrs: Owners were moving and he was too high energy for the household. He was adopted

out to a young couple in Tacoma and he is very happy.

Mia 2 yrs: Mia was purchased out of state from a puppymill, she was used as a breeding bitch in

Oregon and was pregnant with her first litter before the age of one year. She had a puppy that died

inside of her, as it was too large and she was too small to give birth. She had a C-section and then

was spayed. She began having hip problems at 1 yr. Her hips were x-rayed and she was found to

have Legg Calves Perthes which is a deforming erosion of the hip that is hereditary. She was up for

rehoming and sold in the paper or on Craig’s list for $250. The new owners discovered that she

was not housebroken nor was she able to weather car rides. They were RV-ers and this was not

acceptable. They did take her to the vet, and they found that no matter how many drugs they used,

she just wasn’t able to be a traveler. They also did not want to invest in the hip operation, so they

called rescue and asked us to take her. She had her operation and was adopted by her foster fam-

ily Jared/Anya. Jared had previously rescued a little Westie girl from me who died of Cushings the

previous year. He was considering another Westie for his wife. He saw Mia and he also fostered

her, and then wound up adopting her. Jared and Anya are now part of the rescue team and Jared

has a great Facebook Group updating our rescues.

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=169053548788

Sarah 7yrs: We had a referral from Furbabies Rescue and we were told they had a Westie mix that

bit a shelter worker, and she had to go into a rescue or be euthanized. We asked for a photo and

the volunteer said that they were coming to Everett tomorrow and would bring her from the

Wenachee shelter. No photo sent. Thus arrived little Sarah and we weren’t sure what part of her

was Westie! She wound up being a good dog, and was adopted to a lovely family in Shoreline and

is now their younger son’s new best friend. They are inseparable and he is over the moon!

Dugan 3 yrs: Dugan was from show lines out of Florida. The owner was suffering from disabilities

and would fly every winter to Florida and with the new airline rules it was getting harder and harder

to move the dog. There were also too many thunder storms in Florida and Dugan was just too nerv-

ous, so they surrendered him to rescue and he was adopted right into his next home in Des Moines.

Bella 7 mos: Bella was picked up from a home with a 7 yr old Westie named Abby. Owner was a

missionary and decided on Wed to move to Africa on Monday and could we pick up Bella and Abby

by on Thursday afternoon? Bella was a 7 mo old Australian Terrier. She was adopted out to the

same people who Adopted Dugan.

Abby 7 yrs: Same owner above, Abby was never taught anything, not to sit, come , wait, her name.

She just got to do whatever it was she did all day. She went to Christine’s to be fostered and had an

upper learning education. She is sitting, coming, down, off, and knows her name. She was adopted

out to a family with another Westie, and she is just fabulous.

Chucky 3 yrs/Oregon: Surrender out of Portland with severe skin problems. He is very sweet, and a

lot of fun. He is evolving from his allergies. We wish all our rescues were this well adjusted.

Molly #2 10 yrs/Oregon: Molly’s owner lost his home and job and was living in a camper . On the

eve of surrendering her and coordinating out pick up, the owner’s sister said she would take the dog,

so Molly stayed in the family.


Miles 9 yrs old/Oregon: It was a month of owners departing from the USA. Miles’ owner was leaving

the country after losing her job and home and moving back to Columbia on Saturday. We picked up

Miles on Friday night. We were told he was blind in one eye due to the owners neglecting to put in

eye drops when he had dry eye. In fact we later found out, he was blind in both eyes with hyper-

active cataracts and he also had Cushing's and needed dental done and had allergies. Ironically he

was adopted ! The ex-sister-in-law got wind of Miles who would be dumped at the Portland shelter.

She emailed her coworkers at Nike. We picked up Miles and a coworker out of New Jersey had a

mom in Seattle who wanted to adopt Miles. So we made it happen at no cost to her. She is retired

and takes him everywhere with her. Since he has Cushing's and is also blind, we just footed the bill

for the vet and his tests and dental (over $400) and are happy he has found a loving home. He is

very loved.

Bailey 5 yrs/Oregon: Bailey is a 5 yr old alpha male from Portland area who ruled the household

and his owner passed on and he was left with the older Wife who had to go into assisted living. He

was adopted out to a person who never owned a terrier before. The gentleman had only had a

sheltie mix that was very docile and sweet. We prepared him for Bailey the terror, the day after he

was coming home with his beloved dogs ashes. We made the connection happen, and they have

been enjoying him. They proudly presented Bailey with their past dogs beloved tennis ball that he

owned for 16 yrs. Bailey promptly disintegrated the ball in 7 seconds. He is the polar opposite of

their past dog, but he has apparently whipped the family into shape and can be found on the bed on

his back snoring. (with a big grin on his face)

Shilo 6 yrs: Shilo’s owner called me two days before the police were going to come and foreclose

on her home. She met me at Everett Mall to hand over Shilo. He was all she had left. She didn’t

even have enough money to rent a u-haul to take her stuff out of her mobile home. She tearfully

handed him over and he was just a joy. He was very well mannered, and loved. He was adopted

out to a nice family in Marysville and we have recently seen him at our Holiday Party with his dog

brother George the Cairn Terrier (from Curt Whall)

Rosie 9 yrs: I received a call from the Island Vet at 9:30am on a Thursday. It seems that Rosie’s

owner had terminal cancer, and her other owner was going in to assisted living as she also had a

terminal illness. They had called the Vet at 9:20am to schedule Rosie to be euthanized because

they could no longer care for her. The Vet asked if I could come after 11am and pick her up as they

would have the owners surrender her to rescue. I picked Rosie up at 1pm and she had a cyst re-

moved from her side, and she had her shots brought up to date (by the Vet for free). I got her home

and combed her out and was contemplating giving her a bath and contacted someone who wanted

an older Westie. They came at 2:30pm and swooped in and picked her up and gave her to their

mom who had just lost her Westie the week before. She was so devastated she didn’t want to live

anymore. It was the fastest adoption I have EVER had. Owner Story in Story Section.

Abby Rose 5 mos: Abby was on Craig’s list and I convinced the owner not to sell her because she

was an intact bitch. She was bought as a graduation present for his daughter who left for college!

Dad didn’t realize he would have to take over the ―dog duty‖. I asked him to please sell her to one

of my applicants who had been checked Lake who paid the rehoming fee. The deal was sealed at

11pm and she now is happy in Bonney Lake with a family and children. They adore her.


Byrnna 10 yrs/Oregon: Byrnna’s owner was going in for an operation and was going to be laid up

for 3 mos and just couldn’t deal with the work of trying to care for her, so she surrendered her to

Rescue. She is another well bred dog, and has great energy and was wonderful to foster. She

loved watching animal planet! She was adopted by a fabulous British couple who live in Carnation.

They also adopted a 10 yr old Scottie with onset of Cushings. All dogs are happy and well.

Sadie 5 yrs /Oregon: Fabulous dog, but she wanted to eat the new baby. She despised it, she

hated it and she wanted it gone. The young owner purchased Sadie when she was 17 yrs old and

kept and she was loved. She taught her to play dead, wave goodbye and all obedience commands.

Sadie was a perfect dog and loving, but she wanted to kill all children under 10. It was with great

sadness and many tears that she had to give up Sadie, but she is in a fabulous with no small fries

and lives another Westie and Sadie is in BLISS.

Lolita 2 yrs: Lolita was brought into the Everett shelter along with a Wheaten Scottie male. They

were trying to breed them both for the last two years and have designer dogs ―Wescotties‖. Loita

didn’t get pregnant, and so they couldn’t afford to hold out on their designer dream and they left the

dogs at the shelter. Lolita was a little terrorist, and she took on all dogs in the foster home and she

was not beyond taking on a water buffalo. Lolita weighed 12 lbs! She liked people, so we had her

spayed and she was adopted into an only dog household and is doing great. She is living with two

children and happy as a clam not having to share her ―stuff‖ with anything that has four legs!

Cory 3 yrs/Oregon: We received a call from the Troutdale Humane Society to pick up a Westie who

was 3 yrs old and in severe allergy state. He is and his head was totally bald just like Friar Tuck! He

was found wandering in Portland with a filthy cone on his head. He is currently being fostered in

Port Orchard at Barbara Mitchell’s house and will have to be there for a long while. His allergies are

very severe, and we have recruited a lot of ―guardian angels‖ to help him on his road to recovery.

He is an utterly sweet dog.

Lilah 10 mos: She was on Craig’s list for free her 2nd home. She was very hyper and was kept in

an apartment. She had been rehomed for the 2nd time and she also was in heat. She had hair

loss and ear infection and yeast infection. We convinced the people on Craig’s list to give us Lilah

so she wouldn’t wind up in a puppymill. She should be adopted out by January.

39 Dogs in foster care and rehomed

4 Westies in Shelters—3 were adopted out one was reclaimed by owner

2 Euthanized due to inbreeding which caused severe anger issues

1 Died from blood clot

2 could not be surrendered because owner was mentally ill and wouldn’t sign paperwork

4 We worked with owners to retrain dogs and try to keep them

4 were taken in by relatives

2 changed their minds

Total Westies : 58 - Paid for 18 Spay/Neuters of Westies

The Cost of Doing Business

2009 Westie Rescue – Why do we charge $300 for a used dog?

I was writing up stats on what we have spent this year in rescue and it was some mind boggling numbers. I am grateful to everyone and still happy we are afloat. We had some very generous donations from Karin Bishop, Karen Tilbury, Chris Larson and Suzanne Vaughn and so many others that we are so grateful, especially with this economy.

These numbers also do NOT reflect the mileage and costs that people have donated and not been reimbursed for (Tilbury, Ann, Corbley, Michele, Taylor - made some outrageous trips - add another $1000 onto that bill) Also not in-clude in who did not ask for reimbursement mileage for inhome visits – Shawnie, Barbara Trejo, and Vicki Ray )

In 2007 - Rescued 27 dogs In 2008 Rescued 68 In 2009 Rescued 58

We currently have 3 Westies in foster care (one Scottie and 3 Cotons)

From July - September of 2007 we adopted out 12 dogs (2 were returned)

39 dogs adopted in 2009 and three dogs have been returned

Spayed/Neutered 18 Westies

Two Legg Calves Perthes Operation, and Double Ear Ablation, one Westie Lung Disease, Heart problems

Severe Allergies - 14 dogs

Vet Bills: We have spent $12,745 on vet bills

Grants from WestieMed & National Club $3,300 gave us in grants.

*Michele donated $2, 900 on top of the above number.

OTHER EXPENDED………………………….$7264

Mileage reimbursement: $3264

*Supplies reimbursement : $4000

My phone bill for 2009 for long distance calls $1,345

Dogs adopted out this year: That we rec'd $300 or less for - 39 dogs

Dogs on average are costing us $705 to care for, vet, etc.

*This does not include the $5400 that Michele paid for the spay/neutering and dental care of Cotons.

Supplies are: Dog shampoo, medicated sprays, brushes, towels, urine remover, crates, pads, toys, leashes, collars, ID tags, greenies, bullies, vitamins, food supplements, treats, flea meds, grooming supplies, sharpening grooming supplies, brushes, combs, mat cutters, ear meds, crates, ear cleaner, eye meds, eye drops, dry eye meds, itch lotion, laundry soap, x-pens, wee pads, car seat belts, no pull harnesses, muzzles, gates/baby & swinging, office supplies, postage, envelopes, ink cartridges, thank you notes, bereavement notes, flyers, bathing tubs, throw rugs, dental care items, first aid kits, training books and supplies, agility training, dog training help, and the list goes on and on and on .

Page 10 2009 Westie Rescue Plus Scottie Rescue

2009 Expenses Cost of Doing Business

$27,544

Stories From Adoptors

Emmett: The little dog no one wanted. Owner refused to pick him up from shelter. Shelter asked us to come and get him ASAP because he was wreaking havoc in ―intake‖. Hyper, unsocialized, returned back to rescue from first adopter, and was always in trouble.

Karen,

I'm sure you remember little Emmett, the Olympia problem child. I just wanted to give you an update on how he well he has done since it's now been a year since we adopted him. He is a treasured part of our family and almost never has to be apart from at least one of us. He has been a great companion and loyal friend

and will do anything to please. He's just the sweetest little buddy anyone could ever hope for.

He flies with us on day trips and has his own sitter who comes and stays with him when we have to be gone longer than we would like or when we fly to a hot destination where he would be uncomfortable. He seems to enjoy riding the motorcycle on those nice days when we get the chance and has his own special spot in

our car as well.

He is a quick learner and has never had an accident in the house. Of course his doggie doors open to a huge fenced in yard are a godsend. He loves to sun himself on the upper deck at our home as long as he

can always keep us within his sight.

We both feel so fortunate to have been united with this wonderful loving companion and look forward to man

happy years together

Here are some photos from our flying and motorcycle outings today. He is so cute in his motorcycle gear. As we ride along cars pass us then slow down and pull beside us then the window rolls down and a cell

phone or camera pops out the window. He's probably he most photographed dog in the area.

Eileen and Dale



Tale of Rosie (10 yrs old) - FYI (the fast adoption) (scheduled for euthanizia at 10:30am yesterday and the vet found me - owner had cancer and was dying. ) I picked her up at 1:30p yesterday and adopted out at 6pm same day!

----Original Message-----

From: Mary Ellen To: [email protected]

Sent: Tuesday, November 17, 2009 10:47 PM

Subject: Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

Karen, I wanted to give you a quick update on the rest of the evening for our Rosie girl. She is a perfect fit! We just

made the boat; she settled right down in the car, she rides beautifully. We met Donna and mother at Alderwood. When

they came out to meet us, my mother broke down in joyful sobs. You have given her back a reason to live.

Her goal (once she hit 90) was to make it to 100 and have a really big party. The last few weeks we had determined

that she simply did not have that will any more. Donna was prepared every day to find that she was gone.

My mom's a fighter but she really had lost that will. It took maybe 15 seconds and she had that great drive again; you

could just see it in her utter delight at meeting Rosie. They took off for home and Donna said Rosie calmly sat in the

back seat.

When they got almost to my mom's house and turned onto their little street from the main arterial, she stood up on the

console and watched out the window, like she knew they were almost home. Once in the yard she checked things out

and headed up the front steps to the door. When she got inside, she came nose to nose with one of the cats and had

almost no response. As she was checking out the house, Donna said she 'was followed by a parade of three or four

cats everywhere she went. She gave them absolutely no notice.

I guess that means we are going to have to rely on some other form of exercise to loose some of that weight because

it sounds like chasing cats isn't something she is going to indulge in much.

Donna is getting ready to take her for a walk around the block. I must share one last thing with you. My mom is a little

bitty thing, about 4'9" now and a whopping 94 pounds. But even at 91 she has amazing flexibility and can bend over to

tie her shoes. Lately she's been failing a little with less energy and stamina but after Frazier died she took an almost

immediate turn for the worse. This week we finally had to break down and get a wheel chair for her; she simply could

not walk even a half a block. The Dr said it was sciatic and set her up for some physical therapy but the sudden

change really worried us. Tonight, she was down on the floor on her hands and knees cooing to Rosie with no thought

to the aches and pains that had so drastically changed her life in the last week. I fully

expect that while tomorrow she will still have aches and pains that she will be up and

about with no thought to them. I don't know if she had the aches and pains before she

lost Frazier and simply ignored them but I do know that having Rosie will make it much

easier for her to put up with them now.

Thank you again. I think perhaps two girls were given a second lease on life today.

Mary

Sugar 8 yrs old: Unadoptable—Taken in by Suzanne Vaughn after she was in foster care for Five Months. She

had bad heart, skin and urinary tract infections, ear infections, bad disk in her back, irregular heart beat, severe

arthritis in her hind end. Suzanne has also adopted her other three dogs from us. Henry the Scottie, Fergus

the Westie, Annabelle the Westie and now the Sug.

From left: Ferguson, Sugar, Annie & Henry.

You should have seen her saturday night with my Mom. It was shameless. I think she was trying to go home with Sharon. She sat down next to her on the couch, scooted in as close as she could, stuck her little head on Moms lap and just soaked it all in!!! It was funny. Well, when Mom first arrived at my house, she totally poured on the attention to Sug.

Actually, she and I had quite the love fest last night. I held her on my chest and just petted and talked to her for about half an hour. She just laid her little head on those big old soft pillows, stared up at me, and took it all in. She was quite affectionate. She knows she landed in the honey pot. She's a lot like Henry. Just laid back & easy.

Sug is not an orphan, she has a complete family, with a sister & 2 brothers & a human Auntie & human cousins and human Grandma......

Love Suzanne


See the Power behind rescue in the following document ―Who We Are‖ . We are forever in

your gratitude for keeping us afloat and able to do the work we do with the funds you do-

nate.


Karins Kritters - Mscellaneous

Scooter 3 Oona 3 yrs old White

Mini Schnauzer

Duke Cosita

Buddy Cuddles

Dougal

Duffy

Scruffy

Zoey

King 3 yrs

Wesley

Nacho & Nina

Total Karins Kritters Dogs Rehomed: 12


Scooter 3 mos: Scooter was bought from an ad in the paper for Schnoodles. The woman was in

her 80s and the puppy was far to busy for her (what are these people thinking)? She lived on Whid-

bey Island and a friend of a friend of a friend of the Veterinarian called, and asked if I would rehome

the dog. She wanted her $700 back, and I tried to curb my laughter. I also found out that the dog

tested positive for Giardia and the owner didn’t want to treat the dog, because she felt the Veterinar-

ian was making up all these illnesses! It was quite a wild adventure. We adopted out the dog to a

couple who applied for a Westie. Ironically the woman and the dog had the same hair color as well

as temperament, and it all worked out to a lovely adoption.

Oona 2 yrs: Was formerly adopted out last year to a lovely lady in a condo. Oona was called

Kendall. She was rehomed two times for too much barking. The woman tried a citronella collar on

her and a shock collar, and all it created was a dog who peed in the house and now everytime she

sees oncoming people she barks because she recalls the shock when she sees people. She never

associated it with barking. She was rehomed to someone on the island who has a silver Mini

Schnauzer, and they are working hard to get her to not charge and snap at people coming towards

them on a walk. Right now she is gearing up to take agility, and we hope to see her on our agility

team this summer—competing. I frequently babysit her and her bro mini schanuzers.

Duke 1 yr: Duke was owned by a girl in college. She bought him and two other dogs, but her par-

ents moved to Texas and left her in a home that was being sold. She could keep one dog with her

in an apartment but couldn’t keep Duke. He was adopted out to one of our applicants who had a

Cairn and wanted a Westie. Jan is now one of our rescue transport people. Duke is living in Belle-

vue.

Cosita 2 yrs: Designer dog gone array. This is a Scottie Chihuahua mix. Not very attractive, but

she was also unspayed and on Craig’s list. She was adopted out and happy.

Buddy 9 mos: He was purchased from Wild Things Petshop in Puyallup and is a Westie/Yorkie Mix.

The owner had a bad marriage, and bought the dog for some companionship. Now she is going thru

a divorce and has to move into an apartment, so the dog has to be rehomed. He was adopted out to

a family with three children and all is well.

Cuddles older than dirt: Cuddles was rescued by Old Dog haven and is blind and deaf and old Silky

Terrier. She is in final refuge and was adopted by our foster mom Barbara Mitchell as she was

deemed unadoptable.

Dougal 3yrs: A badly bred Norfolk terrier, with an attitude. He was in a shelter and was going to be

euthanized for snapping. He was adopted out to Canada and is living the good life.

Duffy 3 yrs: Rescued from shelter and was in the shelter with Wes. Adopted out to Office worker at

Redwood Animal Clinic!

Wes 6 yrs: Scottie Mix, going to be put down for growling and was reported to have bit past owner.

He was rescued from Bellevue shelter with his cell mate Duffy and both were adopted out.

King 3 yrs: Met owner by accident on email and she asked me to help her place her Cav King Chas

I tried to contact the Cav King Char Rescue, but no one responded and we adopted him out to a

lovely couple in Port Orchard.

Nacho/Nina 9 yrs: Rescued from Skagit puppy mill bust of 300 dogs. Fostered for four mos. Given

to Chihuahua rescue of Canada.

SPDR Scotties—2009


Rocco

Jock

DOT

Carly Juliette

BiBi

Fallon

Scrappy Piper

Sandy

No. 5

Monty

Betsy

2009 Scotties Rescued: 24

* 8 were given to other Scottie Groups as

we had no foster home space

Rocco—5 yrs - Tip from Becky Clyde from Westie Club. She groomed Rocco and the other dogs in

the household. Owners adopted a baby from over seas, and Rocco wanted to chomp it. He didn’t

like the crying and he didn’t like the movement. The owners put him in another part of the house

and he acted worse and worse. He was surrendered. He was adopted out to a family in Yakima

and he will be enrolling in Agility with a 10 yr old boy. Rocco is having the time of his life.

Jock 10 yrs: Jock’s owner had dementia and she would forget to feed him and let him out to pee.

She kept him in pristine condition. Alas, he had to be rehomed. He was adopted by a british couple

who also adopted Brynna. The sad part is that we later found out Jock has onset of cushings and

probably only has a couple of years to live, and the couple still adopted him and adore the hell out of

him. He has found a grand leather wing chair that he considers his throne. The owners say all he

needs is a corduroy jacket, a pipe and a bowtie.

Dot 3 yrs: Has Scottie cramp. She was adopted out to a family in Bellingham early this year. Her

owner was a backyard breeder and wound up relinquishing all her dogs to us this year. Fallon,

Carly, and Dot.

Carly 6 yrs: The queen of the Nile with her new owner. They are inseparable, and so happy. We

couldn’t have made a better match.

Fallon 6 yrs—Adopted out to a wonderful family in Kitsap Peninsula. They have owned Scotties

since 1949!

Juliette 5 yrs: Military family, she was a gift, now they are relocating to Guam and the dog has to go.

She was turned over to WA State Scottish Terrier Club Rescue for placement, as it was raining

Westies on me. She was adopted out to a lovely family

Betsy 5 yrs old—Turned over to WA State Scottish Terrier Club Rescue—found her on Craig’s list

and convinced them to sell her to me for $100. She was intact and from a mill and going to be re-

sold to another mill (another story on how we found the rest of the dogs) Adopted out

Scrappy 3 yrs: Owners had to sell home and downsize and couldn’t take all the dogs with them.

They opted to surrender the two youngest dogs to rescue (one was a schnauzer) and keep the older

hunting dogs, as they didn’t want them euthanized. Scrappy’s claim to fame is that he wanders, and

he would always get out and wonder 3-4 miles down the road and wait at the bus stop for the school

bus. Scrappy was adopted out to a family with two small daughters, and they adore him. The eld-

est is 7 and she will be sleeping with Scrappy on the sofa on xmas eve waiting for Santa.

Sandy 3 yrs (formerly Duly): Part of a back yard breeders stable, and he was the last one. Wonder-

ful dog, but he had no experience in a house or with humans, so he was kindly fostered by Aber-

deen Rescue for me for two mos and found a wonderful home in Oregon. The owners were are re-

ferral by one of the Clubs Show Breeders, Carmen Thompson. The match was one made in

heaven, we are grateful and Sandy thinks he is in heaven!

Monty 3 yrs: Given to rescue for biting. Currently being fostered in Yakima and going to be

adopted out to Oregon.

Piper 2 yrs old: Devil boy is from the Everett shelter, he wanted to eat one of the kennel helpers.

He was the male they were using to mate with a Westie. None of that came to fruition. He had a

bad attitude and so did the Westie Bitch. He is currently in foster care, and has been neutered and

we need him placed in an only dog home.


PUPPYPMILL STORIES

Why did you buy that Scottie off Craig’s list? This is a big giant no no! Unfortunately I go with

my instinct and so far it has not failed me yet. I will try and give you the short version but this leads

into so much drama its hard to know how many details to put into this story.

Craig’s List: Craig’s list is a curse and a gift. The curse is that this is another way for mills and

breeders to sell their dogs in a guise that they are just rehoming. They sell to anyone with $250.

They sell dogs intact, and we cruise the listings and post information not to sell an intact dog on

Craig’s list. Fifty percent of the time we get a response to tell us to go to hell, and fifty percent of the

time we hit pay dirt and convince the people to give us the dog, or at least spay/neuter it and have

whoever wants to ―adopt it‖ pick it up and pay the vet bill.

In July of last summer there was such an ad on Craig’s list. Three year old intact Scottie bitch for

sale for $150 and a Cairn terrier for sale $150. I struck up a conversation with the woman selling

the dog, and it turned out that after some chatting she admitted that she picked up 7 dogs from her

friend (another commercial breeder), who had done an honorable thing. A puppymill was closing in

Idaho and there was no where for the dogs to go so they shipped her friend 80 dogs. Turns out it

was more like 120. It also turns out she paid for the load, and they shipped them out in the night be-

fore the police came the next day to prosecute. Good old U-Haul. She finally succumbed to tell

me that she just wanted $150 for both the Cairn and the Scottie and I swooped down and sent a fos-

ter mom to pick them up with Cash. Foster mom (Barbara Kam) chatted a bit more and found out

the name of the commercial breeder who had bought the load. She also found out she moved out

and sold 70 bitches and one stud per breed in about 48 hours. They were sold to other commercial

breeders in the area.

At this point I realized this whole commercial breeder thing is such an extensive network of locations

and that they are all interconnected, and all know each other. I was beginning to think if I threw a

quarter in Yelm, Roy, Graham, Spanaway or the other small areas there, I would probably hit a

puppy mill bounce off three more. I also later found out they all have licenses, and there isn’t much

you can do about it. But that is another chapter in another book. I really felt like a grain of sand on

the beach of life! It was overwhelming.

We later found out the friend who had the 120 dogs, had just sold 6 Scotties for breeding one day

before I arrived, and I just missed them. My heart sank, 6 more going to doggie hell and I missed

them by one day. She said , ―yup, a van pulled up with $300 and took all six dogs‖:

A day later we further investigated and found the name of the woman and her phone number and

asked her what she was going to do with the rest of her dogs. They were all small but we didn’t

know what she had. The short version is some of my fosters (Michele/Barbara) and their cohort

Kim.. Loaded up a big truck with a ton of crates and headed out to see what was there. We wound

up face to face with 23 frightened, filthy dogs and we knew if we asked too many questions she

would take them and sell them intact on Craig’s list for $50. Michele called me from the driveway

and said.. ―How many do you want me to take? How many do you want me to leave? ― They were


all small and under 20 lbs, lots of small white ones, but so tangled, you couldn’t tell what they were.

Some might be shih tzus, and one was a mini schnauzer and five were cairns, and the others were

either maltese or bichons or poodles, but who knew? Michele spoke calmly into the phone and

said—please don’t tell me to leave any behind, please! I said take them all. Off she went and I was

on the phone finding the rescue reps for Maltese, Bichon and we had Coton de Tulear. I had heard

of them but was clueless as to what they were. Mini Schnauzer rescue took the schnauzer that we

transported part way to Vancouver for them. Cairn Terrier club took all the Cairns. We were left

with rescuing a total of 25 from that one buy of the Scottie and Cairn. We called Furbaby Rescue

and they agreed to take 14 dogs. (11 cotons, 3 Shih Tzu’s) Old Dog Haven wound up taking

Gramps the older Shih Tzu that I thought was a pug because he was shaved.

That night we came together and assembled in Michele’s back yard and our fosters were taking four

to five dogs home to pen. Four went to the vet to get neutered and the dogs were all under 3 yrs

old. All were feral except two Shih Tzu. The Coton’s would keel over and screech and faint if you

touched them. All the dogs were males, bitches were already sold.

They were such matted messes you couldn’t tell what end was the front or what end was the back.

Two of the dogs were beyond terrified to the point that the Vet thought their hearts would just stop so

she sedated them to examine them. Michele paid for six Coton’s to be neutered. I briefly fostered

the most terrified one. Every time your finger wisped his fur he would screech with terror and acted

as if I had set him on fire with a blow torch. I had to throw a blanket over him to pick him up then he

just shook and went into shock. It was quite a site. Denita had five or six in her barn, Michele had

pens set up all over the yard, Maryann came in to grab three, oh it was amazing.

We also fostered several of the Cotons for fur-

baby and they all turned out to be fabulous dogs.

There is no Coton rescue in our state. The clos-

est one was Texas. We have some before

photos and after. We called everyone to trans-

port.


Total Rescued 23


The Cotons

The process of fostering these Cotons was a slow evolution. These dogs had been raised their entire lives in

a cage, and they would pee and sit in it, and poo and sit in it or lay in it. They didn’t know what a bowl was,

they didn’t know what a bed was, they didn’t know what grass was, or wind, or a TV set, or noise in the

house, so you can imagine the shell shock and you can imagine the slow process each of the foster moms

and dads went through. Baby Steps. Each foster home expressed how delighted it was to watch the pro-

gress of the Cotons from the sheer joy of watching them playing and not running away to being touched and

responding. From using a wee wee pad to figuring out how to use a doggie door. To come for a treat, to be

touched with a brush, to be washed and not pass out from sheer terror. To have joy again where fear per-

meated their lives.

BUT WE DO NOT DONATE TO THIS BREED OR SUPPORT IT AND YOU CAN’T SAVE THE WORLD.

Yes, we know it, and we also know if you were there and saw what we saw, you wouldn’t be able to turn your

back and walk away. You can see from the ―after photos‖ that they have evolved, and we are oh so proud.

Furbabies has taken over the rest of the cost of the dogs, and we have donated fostering and food to help

these dogs evolve. All the dogs were so young. Cotons are a rare breed and they are very easy going in

general and very quiet and happy dogs. Our Westies taught them well, and we are blessed to have homes in

which our own animals have to repeatedly deal with intruders and do it so generously.

Then when all was quiet on the Western Front– 4 mos later... There was an ad in Craig’s list to rehome

some Scotties. I pretty much ignored it and then I did email the lady and said I was rescue and I would be

happy to take the dogs and place them in good homes. She wrote me back and asked me to call her. The

conversation went from… I have two dogs and one is sick and I rescued them… to I have six Scotties and

one has to have her eye removed, and I am not going to breed them anymore, do you want them? I want

them all to have a good home but they are all in bad shape. I said yes, I could come and get them. She said

she would rather bring them to me. I then asked. Did you get these dogs from M. in Spanaway? She said

YES, she rescued them from a breeder that had to go out of business . My eyes widened because from con-

necting the dots… I came upon the six missing Scotties from the July pickup. The missing Scotties that were

loaded into a van. The Scotties I was one day late in rescuing. EUREKA.

My jaw clenched at that moment because I knew if I said anything derogatory she would hang up and I would

never get the dogs. She said I have Cotons also.. Do you want those? I have two that might be pregnant

and you won’t abort the puppies will you! She continued on that she was a Christian woman and she didn’t

believe in terminating life. (Yes I was making faces). I also said, God Bless you. (and that ended that con-

versation). I was going to get the dogs.

I told her I would take all the Scotties and the three Cotons. She was to meet me on November 11th in

Olympia (as she didn’t want me to come to see her facility ). By this time I had researched her and found

she had a commercial breeders license and did teacup dogs. Scotties weren’t a hot seller but I saw she had

two pups up for sale and I figured she was done with the dogs since she got a few litters.

I called three other Scottie Rescues to assist and they all met at Barbara’s house in Olympia. Jon came from

Scottie Rescue NW and took #1 (Hope), and Earlene came from Aberdeen Scottie Rescue and took #2, #3

and #4 and #6. Number 4 was going to eventually go to WA State Scottish Terrier Club—Rescue in Yakima

foster home, and I took #5. She was the worst of the lot.


All dogs came with such a stench that I don’t think you could recreate it unless you bathed in the bottom of an

outhouse that had been left to ripen about 3 mos. You had to be there. The dogs were standing in diarrhea

and vomit and later discovered they were all approximate 3-5 yrs old and had never been bathed before.

The following are emails from the various rescues after we picked up the dogs, so you can get a sense of

what we went through and how we all worked together to get the job done. It was just a magic moment.

Hi Group,

We met Karin Parish and Michelle (one of her diehard foster people) and Earlene Holmstrom in Olympia, at Barbara Kam's house. A short time later, two woman pulled into the driveway in a small pickup truck with a tarp over the back. They got out and peeled the tarp revealing 9 dogs crammed into three wire crates. They were all matted, filthy and a number of them had diarrhea so they were standing in feces up to their an-kles. One or more of them had all been car sick which further added to the toxic stew. There were three Coton's (the little, white, Bichon looking dogs), two pregnant females and one male. There were also the five female and one male Scotties. We had been slated to take the male but the first Scottie out of a crate had ear mites/infections so bad that we agreed to take her. She also has some visible crusting and scaling of the skin on her back. She needed Vet care and we already had an appointment. Earlene took the boy and three of the girls, one of whom may be pregnant. Kaleen McWilliams is going to pick up one of them from her this weekend. Michelle took the Coton's and Karin took the female Scottie with the bad eye and ear mites. This last little girls eye has been left untreated for so long that it has rotted and shrunk back into the socket and will have to be removed and the socket sewn shut. There is much more, including the fact that the woman dropping them off told Barbara that she has a breed-ers license and has more than fifty other dogs at home. You can imagine the degree of disgust and anger we all felt but we held it together, put on smiley faces and just got on with the business of rescuing these poor pups. Our little girl is now called Hope because she finally has some. Her physical condition aside, she is a nice, gentle girl. She was apprehensive, didn't know what was expected of her on a leash but never showed one iota of fear aggression. She let us and the Vet handle her, gave small kisses and seemed to appreciate our soft rubbing and petting. In the crate on the way to the Vet she just lay down quietly and was probably grate-ful to have that space all to herself for a change. We'll find out more about little Hope's condition in the morning and adapt our plan to her needs. We should all feel a degree of satisfaction for being willing and able to literally save the lives of these wee beasties. Gayle and I are also personally gratified to have been there working side by side with the great folks from the other rescues. It was teamwork at it's very best. Jon


Story of 6 Scotties surrendered by commercial breeder (email notes) November 12, 2009

Hi all, John gave a good accounting of what all went on today. My crew met me at the dog wash on Main Street Vancouver and we took all of them down to the skin and bathed them (it took three or four soapings to get the stench out) The little boy was the worse. Kaleen, I am wondering if the little girl I have has adrenal alopecia. I started examining her closely after I got her home. She has hair loss on each side of her torso. I am probably way off base but the last dog I saw like that ended up with adrenal alopecia. Just a heads up. I am just going to take her to the vet tomorrow with the other dogs to get her shots and a well check and I will send the information with her. She is a sweet natured little girl and all of ours are sleep-ing soundly—they seemed to like being clean, warm, and safe inside for the night. It was a wonderful thing we did today and it is what rescue is all about. I love working together as a team—being able to share information and knowing there are those out there that actually care about and understand what you are doing is a great feeling.

Karin, I am so worried about the little girl that you have. Is she the one that is pregnant as well as having a damaged eye? No wonder the woman said that she was aggressive—anyone with the kind of pain she must have been experi-encing would feel like taking a finger or two. None of the three I have seem to be pregnant—they are so skinny I would think that it would be obvious. However, I am rather dense when it comes to pregnant dogs. Earlene

UP FRONT: None of the dogs are pregnant in our group. (I had the so called pregers one)

I suggest that Earlene take all the dogs to the vet and not wait, and I know Kaleen will reimburse you for any vet

costs for the dog you give her - she hopes to get the brindle, but I know she will take anyone you give her.

My dog had severe ear mites, and her eye has atrophied and died in her eye socket... #5 (my dog) Had a bout of

the runs all the way to Bothell 1 1/2 hr drive, and she barked the entire way - and was PISSED OFF.

I don't believe I ever breathed thru my mouth that long of a period so I wouldn't puke.

I got to the vet office and I went into the office and said I need help. A group of vet techs ran out and grabbed

the kennel and took her right to the back. They said they hosed her off, and the water was black... They put her

in the back to get my crate cleaned and they noticed two of the dogs (hunting dogs) who were boarding at the

Vet's office.. started foaming from the mouths... They ran over to check them and then they realized, the dogs

were foaming because of the stink of #5! (feel my pain)... you had to be in the sense-around to understand it,

and I thought POOR Earlene she has four in her car, she probably needs an oxygen tank!

Number 5 was donned with a muzzle and bucking like a horse... she ironically wasn't nippy and she wouldn't let you

near her ears which were filled with mites. She was tranquilized and they did some general overhaul check and

said her eye needed to be removed. I forlorningly looked at them and asked can she please spend the night and

can you x-ray her for puppies, and can you clean her up and shave her????

They said sure, and the two vet tech's looked at me and shook their heads, and said - "I don't know how you can

do this job". The vet said , “Doesn't this person know how horrendously bad shape these dogs are? I said ...

"nope.. honestly she thinks she is a good Commercial breeder, and she has 50 other dogs". My vet just shook her

head sadly.


So #5 spent the night and the vet techs groomed her, washed her, cleaned out her ears (one application of mite

meds and a flush and they were "gone".. They were blow drying her and she rolled on her back in euphoria and

wanted a belly rub! Then they put her in a kennel run because she is not used to crates, and howls like a wolf on

crack... They put her in a kennel run with a blanket and some soft bed, and she rolled in it and rubbed her face,

and she was just "happy to be alive".

I cannot truly describe what I experienced unless you were there. The horrible the stink . If you took your dog

and dipped it in wet diarrhea every day for 6 yrs, and let it dry and then delivered it with wet diarrhea smooshed

into its feet and belly - the consistency of pumpkin pie filling - and handed it to you to put into a crate in the

car.. *** that is how it smelled**** Some other vets came out of the examination rooms to find out what the

smell was. That is also how my car smelled after 1 1/2 hrous. I have been at many earthdog trials and many camp

grounds and used outhouses, and these were a pristine smell compared to what these dogs smelled like.

The good news is she isn't pregnant, and she is happy and she is cute. We have to do two operations .. one on her

eye and dental then the second - spaying. The vet said she can't stay under that long for all those surgeries...

And she'd rather have one end hurt then the other, and not pain at both ends.

COTONS: Michele had to drop them off, and they aren't supposed to be carmel color, they were supposed to be

white, so that is how much the diarrhea had changed their coat colors. None are pregnant, and the boy is very

friendly - the foster homes are set up and the dogs are being washed to get the stink out...

The Gauntlet: I so thank you all for helping me... There would be no way I could have made it to the vet with six

dogs and 3 cotons. They would have had to give me an oxygen tank for the drive home and my own sedatives!

This is a great accomplishment we did and we worked well together, there was no "terrier attitude" between us,

just the tenaciousness of getting those dogs out of there. I had to leave in a flash because I didn't want to miss

my vet appt, so I did not stay around and take photos or help Earlene, but it all turned out.

Then later... in my disgust... I told this story to my Oregon Westie rescue woman and she told me a story and it

made it all right again.. I will share it in another email. I am just glad the breeder even showed up even if it was

2 hrs later. This is going to matter to these 6 Scotties and 3 cotons, they have a chance for a life.

Thank you all so much... Its so nice being such a dynamic team...

Karin Parish

On a side note, four of the six dogs were adopted out. #5 was a walk in the park, and she was a pleasure to foster, she made me laugh daily and her whole personality was like watching a small child with wonderment in her eyes. She potty trained in about 2 days. People actually turned me down on adopting her because she only had one eye. Her eyeball had rotted into her skull and had to be removed and sewn up. Her front teeth had to be extracted and had pus oozing out of the bad ones. I have to tell you she smelled a whole lot better after the operation. She was happy, and delight-ful. Everything she did, and everywhere she went and everything she discovered was sheer pleasure. She was adopted out to a fabulous family in Canada. Her new name is Lyra. I have to say that she was one of the most delightful dogs I have ever fostered. 3 Cotons: Frankie was so well adjusted and only 1 1/2 yrs old. He was loving and kissed everyone and loved everyone. Nikki was about the same age, and she was more outgoing and her foster Mom said she was a sheer joy and she was just love times 2. Lili was only 7 mos and more fearful and needed to have Nikki for confidence. They were trying to mate Lili @ 7 mos old with Frankie, and we had her immediately spayed so no more puppies for anyone. All are emo-tionally well adjusted dogs.


Subject: Re: how'd it go at the vets?

We picked up little Hope this evening and she looked so much better. They shaved and bathed her and she is

now so soft and smells great. Their groomer came in early this morning and took care of her at no charge. [Karin

Parish] I had the same scenario, bless them all. I wonder what kind of shampoo those vets use, cause its AWE-

SOME. [Earlene] My crew clipped and washed all of ours (see our website) and we got them all bedded down for

the night in their foster homes. Our shampoo wasn’t quite so awesome but did get them clean.

Those horrible ears of hers were all cleaned out and surprisingly they detected NO mites. She just had one of the

worst yeast infections they'd ever seen and it had gone untreated for month.[Karin Parish] Mine have mites and

yeast/bacteria - and the cotons have mites. [Earlene] None of ours had mites. Were not too sure but she may not have much hearing left. She has a bit of a skin infection from the filth on her but the bathing took off all the crust

and scaling and the hair loss isn't too extensive.[Karin Parish] I think with better nutrition etc, she will come

around. #5 isn't eating much but she is so enjoying the house, and all its stuff. She is fascinated b y TV, and the

pines boughs blowing in the wind. She has pooped and peed on the porch deck, and that makes me HAPPY... Her

eye is so rotten in her head, you get the whiff of rotten meat, every time she is in the room. I moved her appt

up to Monday for dental and eye removal, then we wait 10 days and have her spayed. [Earlene] None of mine have

under coats even though two had thick outer coats

She's IN HEAT but at the Vet's recommendation we have a spay appointment for her on Friday the 20th.[Karin

Parish] One of the cotons was about 7mos old and she was in heat, and that is the dog they were saying was preg

(thank god, she isn't and if she was, she isn't anymore) Mine isn't preg either. Perhaps this is the reason they

gave them up - non producers! [Earlene] We have one with an enlarged uterus but either too early to feel any

puppies or she has infected uterus—she is on antibiotics. She is also shedding hair by the handful and has a

bloody discharge. We are waiting a couple of months before spaying in order to get them healthy enough for sur-

gery. One of the females will have to have extensive dental work done

She's very quiet but also very approachable. [Karin Parish] Mine wants to be approachable, but she is afraid I am

going to snag her by the back of the neck, and we have a harness on with a handle on it, and she is doing well. She

can sure ARRRRRRROoooooooooooooooooooo Last nite in pitch blackness, she let a couple of belts out... I use

Rescue Remedy Spray - Sleep and it works like a champ. It takes about 15 minutes to work, and if you can't get it

into her mouth - you can just spray it into the crate. [Earlene] One of ours had problems the first night being in a crate but settled down quickly—the other three were in less restrictive quarters. Rescue Remedy is a wonderful

thing. Ours wants to be loved and handled but will shy away from you if you move too abruptly. They snuggle up

pretty quickly and contentedly once they are on your lap. Some of the Vet Tech's got down on the floor with her

after her bath and she seemed to really like the attention. She doesn't flinch or cower and seems pretty accepting

of whatever you want to do. She's really good in a crate and for the time being that's were she'll be sleeping at

night.

Karin Parish] Mine is not happy in a crate, she puts up a battle. She is not mouthy and she doesn't bite, and she

isn't alpha. I told Denise its amazing, we get dogs from good homes at 3 that are uncontrollable, mean and bit-

ers, and here we get the POWs and all have great temperaments! Amazing... The last two dogs we got from good

homes were mean little buggers and lots of biting and fighting with other dogs. #5 just trots around and wants

to be with us. The other dogs don't engage with her at all... (could be the scent) but they don't fight and ... she

just is "there". She wags her tail and does the "happy dance" but she still runs away. HEY, that just makes me

happy.



Earlene] We notice the happy dance when they are around our dogs and the tiny female growled and snarled

at the other two females when they got too close—probably protecting her right to be held by her foster

parent more than anything—not wanting to lose a good thing—I don’t blame her.

This was the perfect scenario because each of these dogs will get one on one attention and be with well bal-

anced household dogs, and learn... and It couldn't have gone better. Its the most ideal situation for these

guys. LORD, I got another call to pick up yet ANOTHER scottie tomorrow - Barbara Kam is on it.

Initial impression aside, she's in much better shape than we all could have hoped for.

Loved the videos of Chanel #5. What a sweet, funny girl. Their resiliency is so amazing. Jon[Karin Par-

ish] Yup its amazing, pretty damn amazing. [We are all amazed at how well this went. We were prepared

with muzzles and leather gloves and were pleasantly surprised to find them so non fear-

aggressive. WOW! Karin, the female I have is actually more relaxed when I hold her than Sandy. However,

once they really feel secure where they are, who knows what they will be like.

The November Pickup—6 Scotties and 3 Cotons Before and after shots

Nikki and Liliane

Cotons: Frankie


# 1

# 3

#2

# 4

# 5 # 6

STATS

Total Dogs Rescued by SPDR Westie Rescue Fosters and Staff

59 Westies

23* Scotties

(*incl 6 Scotties below—7 Scots were transferred to other Scottie Rescues due to lack of

foster space )

12 Karin’s Kritters—Miscellaneous mixed Scotties or Westies, or mixed terrier

23 July Commercial Breeder dump in Spanaway

7 Cairns

1 Mini Schnauzer

2 Shih Tzus

1 Scottie

14 Cotons

8 November 11th Commercial Breeder dump - Graham

6 Scotties

3 cotons

Total dogs we fostered and/or rescued and gave to other rescue groups:

See attached PDF file document on Who We Are


Our SPDR group and volunteers rescued

121 dogs in 2009

Closing Thoughts

There were so many other highlights of the year, that I would have to start a Novel to really encompass the enormity of it.

There was drama, tenderness, tenacity, compassion, assistance, hysteria, anger, sense of completion, and assisting

fellow adoption agencies when there was no space. Some of the highlights I recalled off the top of my head.

Strangers crying and handing me their dog because their home was in foreclosure and the police were coming the

next day to tape up the house and padlock the doors, and the sadness on their face.

The people who were irresponsible and bought the dogs for their graduating child, or bought the dog to keep a

―marriage‖ or relationship together, only to come to an end.

The people who screamed at me because I wouldn’t adopt a dog to them because they were living together in an

apartment (and wound up separating a year later), or had no money for adoption fee, no yard, and rented an apart-

ment and were gone 10 hrs a day at work)

The people who wanted a perfect dog and wound up returning a great dog back to me—only to have the dog wind

up into an even better home.

The amount of times I was on hyper mode and called the Vet’s office and needed an emergency appt or a drop off

that day. How everyone always accommodated me or figured out a plan of action.

The foster people and transporters who dropped whatever they were doing to pick up a rescue dog.

The people I had to deal with on Craig’s list who called us Nazi Bitches because we suggested they give the dog to

rescue.

The times I couldn’t say anything so I could get a dog. I couldn’t have an opinion about keeping a Westie in a lawn-

mower shed , or the homes that were collapsing and should have been on ―horders‖ who gave us their dogs with

allergies and couldn’t figure out why they had allergies and that Pizza a nutritional supplement for kibble.

The people who were in their late 70s and 80s and bought a puppy, only to realize it was too exhausting for them to

chase about. Because it was so annoying it wound up going to live outside, and it became even more obnoxious.

The broken dogs we took in that shouldn’t have had nasty dispositions and it stemmed from being unsocialized and

sold at 6 wks old

The people who probably would have paid more attention to lawn furniture than being a dog owner.

The research on trying to figure out what kind of little white dogs we had and how to train a dog that was paralyzed

with fear.

The disgust knowing that not much can be done with a puppy mill and there aren’t any laws that really can stop the

insanity. Knowing there are zero resources for animal control.

Being bewildered when an owner had a dog for 7 yrs and never even taught it their own name.

Being grateful the terriers I rescue aren’t a hot ticket item.

Being over whelmed and gratified at the same time for saving a dog in need.

Wondering if the Vet’s office would give me preferred parking because I was there so many times last week and

chuckling because I had been thru the same ferry line so many times in one day, that the Ticket booth man asked if

we were officially dating.

Gratification of training Teddy in agility and working four mos on feat with a fear driven dog.

Keeping a straight face when someone returned a rescue dog and proudly showed me the new 8 wk old Scottie

puppy they bought from the pet shop.

SPDR 2008 rescue stats are out. In 2008 SPDR was notified and contacted to rescue 2,748 dogs. The top 23 are on

their website. Westies rank 9th, Scotties rank 21st. From 1989-2007 - neither breed made the top 23.

http://www.spdrdogs.org (see stats)


Documents

Rescue Stories for 2009 - West Highland White Terrier Club of … dogs_2009Stats.pdf · 2013. 1. 24. · Ozzy 5 yrs- Ozzy’s owners received him 2 yrs ago when they went to a drop