I knew Connie was 'the one' for Mister.  If anyone could make him 1/2 ass normal again, I knew it would be her.  Course a double dose of prozac didn't hurt either.  I'm telling ya Mister was not born on that mountain, he was brought to it somehow....and that is where the damage to him happened.  There's no turning back now, there is no one to blame for it anymore; all we can do is move forward at Mister's pace.  

We did SE WI Pheasants Forever Spring Banquet last night.  Whatta zoo!  They held it in different location this time, and had vendor tables along the walls in the dining room.  The spot they had for us was one small card table, crammed in with others...I got us moved immediately knowing I had four dogs coming and going, so we moved to a location near a door, which was also the door to kitchen, so had to move dogs outta food cart way all the time.  Brett hated Chewy, and wanted to tear his head off, till our trainer finally corrected him, then Brett pouted under one of our tables for a while.  We got outta there as they started eating, there was just no way we could deal with four dogs, in that cramped area, with food going around.  But did have lots of folks stop for education.  I cannot tell you how many had no clue breed rescue exists.

This week No. WI GSP Rescue's Faith went home, Brett's heading out this weekend too.  Have several home visits to handle, and pulling one in.  I still have Bella at my house and she's back to her dirty ole ways again, crapping and peeing in my house daily.  If I crate her she lays in it, making it a worse clean up.  URGH.  Other then that, you don't even know she's there.  My old Maggie is still hobbling around, still coughing, weezing, but otherwise doing ok.  Jim goes for his yearly stuff next week, ching, ching.... 

YUP, been there, done that.  When we used to bring quail in for training, I somehow was in charge of watering and feeding them.  Never failed one of them sneaky beeks would slip out, so I have experience with bird dogs jumping and flying thru the air to get to the escapee...it's a nightmare, so I figured it would be better THIS time to quietly remove the poor bird without any dog help.  Had I not gotten lucky that quick; I mighty have let them corral the thing.

So I gotta adoption application in the mail, emailed the gentleman back with a couple quick questions.  He never responded. So last night, was making calls to line up home visits, gave this guy a call.  His wife answered, so I told her who I was, and she said "you gotta speak to my husband"; I said WAIT!  Are you NOT interested in getting a dog?  "You gotta talk to my husband".  I said WAIT...do you not want a dog?  "You gotta talk to my husband" and she was gone...he was on, with attitude.  He told me he did not reply to my email because he thinks huntin' dogs SHOULD be outdoor dogs.  And WGSPR does not allow that.  I explained his application looked good, and we'd be interested in coming to see the situation, since he explained he works from the house, dog is rarely left alone, lives in heated office while he works.  Well, what's so bad about that deal?  I had to see it for myself, then make a judgement call for our dogs.  He was specifically interested in one, and I told him he's about eighth in line for that dog, that I have accepted applications in already on that dog, but to keep an open mind.  He shut me out right there, told me to tear his application up, he wasn't gonna be "standing eighth in line for NO DOG".  He told me "I'll just go get one for eighty bucks at a pound".  I said well, that's your option...and he hung up on me. 

Ya know the longer I work with people, the more I like dogs! 

Well, last night's adventures in rescueland were one singular phone call from a local shelter begging us to move a 9 mo old female, I did not even know they had!~  The pup is going nuts in shelter situation, and has kennel cough AGAIN.  I guess (shelter mgr told me) there is a nasty strain going around, even protected dogs are getting it!  Crap, crap, crap... we all HAVE dogs!  Ok, I'm el presidente, I guess if I wanna save this kid's life, I have to lay my own dogs lives/health/welfare on the line; and bring her to my house tonight.  I called all dogless, or one dog fosters, and did not get real favorable help.  I got one that can take the little sickie Friday....the guy interested in the dog, was sorry, but they will be outta town this weekend and next...well, WHY IS HE PUSHING ME FOR A DOG, IF HE CAN'T TAKE IT FOR WEEKS ANYHOW???  Urgh.  So no matter what, I'm going to get the dog tonight.  When they start circling around in their kennels, pacing, panicking, we gotta move em, cuz next will be shut down.  The shelter is decent to work with, never had any problems with them..we just gotta get little missy feeling better, then we can get her spayed.  So, I have two calls out to fosters, one has no dogs of their own, and one just has one....I'm hoping one of them will come thru for me before I have to expose my dogs to this....and it's not mine so much as Bella I worry for.  Mine ARE on prevention, and just survived possible contamination by Alabama Brett.  But Bella, I dunno. She is not leaving till 4/22,and I cannot send her home sick.  So if the dog does come to my house, it will be isolated till those antibiotics kick in.  Never ends....  Was looking to help one in Iowa, but I have to put that on hold now, for little sick Missy here in WI.      

Volunteer Geri came thru for us for Rainee, the 9 mo old kennel cough GSP at local shelter. It took me an hour and 1/2 to spring her last night, I was soooo late getting home for my own dogs, and Maggie's phenol pills...but I had to grab this pup (who was found as stray, dumb, dumb, dumb, very nice breeding!), she was going bonkers in a shelter situation. She is a RIGHT spinner. Very busy girl, like a sponge ready to soak up information. I think she will be a 50 lb dog when done growing, very beautiful ticking...nice disposition, other then untrained, jumping up, and mouthing you; Rainee will make a fine hunter, the way her nose was air scenting outside. Rides well in vehicle without crate. Is not exactly potty trained yet, but did not poop inside, only pee. Aunt Geri will walk the bejesus outta her for the next day or so, before she moves over to Marcia's house (longer term foster care). We have to wait a couple weeks before spaying her. She was not coughing much when I picked her up, seems to be on the road to recovery. One down, a thousand more to go!

Spent some more time with Rainee puppy on Sat.  Had to move her already cuz she was being aggressive with other dogs.  I thought, just puppy stuff, doesn't know how to play with other dogs?  So took my lemonhead, Jim.  Takes alot to kick up his dander...and he wanted nothing to do with that wild puppy.  Her hair came up, and she was flagging a really puffed out docked tail.  I observed her approach.  She goes straight in for the kill.  Or is it her way of trying to get another dog to play with her?  I'm noticing more and more how she holds her head to the left.  Her right eye blinks, her left one rarely does.  The left side of her head appears flatter then the right.  At least her RIGHT spinning is not as bad as the night I bailed her from shelter.  The left eye does not look cloudy to me.  It seems she has hearing in that ear.  I dunno, I suspect this puppy sustained head damage.  So she's at the vet today to find out.  She is very mouthy; can be corrected, but forgets and goes back to biting hands....is potty training well.  Will go after any other dog, but when introduced to Jim doggie style, she did a bit better, then forgot she ever saw him before, and kept trying to attack him.  So we'll see what we have here, and IF she is adoptable at all.  Pray for Rainee today.

Four dogs out the door this past week.  (two WGSPR dogs, and two we were helping other owner surrender and shelter with....YEAH!)

Anyone in Fort Dodge IA area, can give a 6 mo old male, altered pup a ride towards IL border? 

Here is Mister James Dean, aka Jim, aka Jimmyback, aka Jimbobaloo, aka lemonhead! 

Lisa,

You've had her tested for Lyme Disease?  A year ago, we took in a stray GSP from an OH pound and he had a head tilt and also lack of blinking in one eye and droopy lip flap.  He tested + for Lyme and he was on a regimen of antibiotics for two weeks.  The tilt went away marginally and his adopters took him to their vet in NE PA where Lyme is more prevalent.  The vet put him on an aggressive, high dosage of doxycycline for two months as he felt sure it wasn't trauma but the neurological effects of Lyme Disease.  Reggie's head tilt went away and his facial muscles are fine.

Deb Orpen

Not yet!  No vet will look at her now. She bit her foster mom two days ago.  Rainee got her foot caught in the clasp of her check cord, and was in pain, so foster mom went to free her up and the dog bit her numerous times.  Since the vet Monday would not give her rabies because foster mom admitted the dog had bitten her previously, now I have a dog bite report being done on this dog, and of course, the stnd quarantine period because we cannot prove rabies.  Her vet appt for spay and all shots is 5/5. But if she bites within the 10 day quarantine, it gets extended, and then there is the matter of who will sign off on paper work so she CAN get rabies shot and the rest of her vet work?  So now we wait.  But excellent idea Deb. We DO Lymes test all our dogs now.  That would be too sweet, if it were merely Lymes.

http://dogrescues.net/drn/pages/lyme.htm

Katie on this board also volunteers with Peppertree Rescue/Betsy Sommers.  I recall there being an association between LD and aggression and googling the keywords does bring up a lot of info.  Would a vet at least consider giving her a snap4 test before her quarantine period is up?

Deb Orpen