Save Dogs

Sun and Sand

I'm leaving for Puerto Vallarta tomorrow for a small vacation.  I'm praying I don't find any stray dogs there!  Knowing me, they will be destined for Los Angeles if I come across them.  I've had Bullet on my mind the last week.  I just hope he has some peace in his bruised head.  It is incredible how many people opened their hearts to Bullet.  For instance, one of my neighbors left a check for me inside of a greeting card; she read my blog and wanted to help pay for Bullet's vet bills.  That kind of stuff just makes me teary eyed.

He still has a few hundred dollars worth of bills...but I feel it isn't just my responsibility to fundraise.  It's got to be a group effort and it's going to take time.

I'm full of emotions.  Joy...sadness...hope...confusion.  I think I'm mostly anxious about leaving my dog in a kennel while I'm gone.  I'm sure a few Piña Coladas will do me well.  ~Jon~

Who is Bullet?

It's a kind of mystery.  Who's dog is this?  Where does he belong?  And how do we get him there?
The medical bills are still pretty high; one guy pledged $200 but never called it in.   Bullet is sweet. He is a bit aloof and confused, but he looks pretty damn good for being run over a week ago.  I offered him some treats, but he wasn't interested.  His body seems crooked and he is walking a bit bowlegged.  His chin has a metal wire in it and his lower jaw has a wire apparatus attached to his teeth.  I'm worried that he's going to be forgotten.  I'm leaving next week for Mexico and I hope that the others involved in Bullet's rescue make time for him.  I went from making a deposit on an unknown dog's surgery to raising funds and keeping a diary of his recovery.  I have the sneaking suspicion that the more I help, the more I'm stuck being the helper.  Keep Bullet in your thoughts...I certainly will.

Relief

Just a quick update: Thank you to those who have donated to Bullet's vet bills.  I'm in the process of transferring the money I've received online and via checks to the veterinary clinic in Torrance.  I'm visiting Bullet tomorrow at the animal hospital to bring him blankets and treats and I will post the remaining balance tomorrow as an update.  It appears that the outstanding balance will be cut by at least 30-50% with the money that's come in so far!  Thanks again for your financial and emotional support.  It's nice to see dog-lovers come together to help this poor guy out.  Best, Jon

In need: Bullet

My former co-worker, Judy Crozier, was on her way home when she saw cop cars on Pacific Coast Highway.  As she looked closer, she saw a dog in the middle of the road, howling and bleeding, and the cops just stood there and stared.  (A witness of the accident recognized the dog as "Bullet" and said that he belonged to a 'drifter' that stays in the Lomita area)

With the help of Sherri Stankewitz from Spaky & the Gang, the dog was loaded into the back of a van and brought immediately to Affordable Animal Emergency, which was the closest animal hospital.  Unfortunately, this emergency has been anything but affordable for the three of us, who have exhausted our financial resources on rescue dogs over the past few months.

I put down the initial money for Bullet's treatment (on my credit card)...I couldn't stomach the thought of a dog not receiving immediate life-saving care because of finances.  And I knew if my dog had been hit by a car, I would hope a good Samaritan would do everything in their power to help out my precious baby.

Please Please Please consider donating to Bullet's care and rehabilitation.  He is a sweetheart--I didn't get a chance to meet him until after I put down the money for the accident, but I am so very thankful I did!  He is a beautiful dog with a sweet soul, but he is also in a lot of pain.

If you would like to donate, please use either the Amazon.com box or Paypal donation box on the right hand side of the page.

To verify that this story is genuine, you can call Affordable Animal Emergency in Torrance--they did the initial surgery.

Or, you can call Dr. Jansen's Veterinary Clinic in Torrance to find out his current status.  He is being boarded there at the sum of $30 per day because he is on medication.

Below are pictures of Bullet post-surgery and the medical bills.
You can also call me on my cell-phone to discuss the matter.  E-mail me at savedogs@gmail.com and I will be happy to give you my phone number.

Sincerely,
Jon

Here are the bills and a snapshot of my online credit card statement...click to get full-size photos (These are large files):

Bette's New Home

Hi Jon,

Just read your update.  Thank you for including us.  I just wanted to let you know that Bette Davis is doing wonderfully.  She seems very happy.

We’ve kept her name, because every time we say it she wags her tail and gets up to look for us.  Since she obviously associates good things with her name, we’re not going to change it.  Quite often when we get dogs, they either don’t respond to their old names, or they respond in a negative manner.  Bette’s response tells us that she only associates happy things with her name, which is a big thumbs up for you.

She is a little doll, and her personality is coming out more that she’s settling in.  Her favorite sleeping place is on a comforter by the love seat in the living room.  It’s near a heater vent, and under the picture window, so she can lie in the sun and be nice and warm.  If we talk to her while she’s sleepy she rolls over onto her back to have her belly rubbed.  She has another blanket that she absolutely loves – she rolls around and growls at it and digs herself a little den.  She gets on very well with other dogs.  At night she sleeps in the big dog bed at the foot of our bed with Groucho and Gladys. They are a pair of 14 year old Brussels Griffons that have been mates for 11 years – they are grandparents together.  Gladys is deaf and blind, and she and Bette spend the better part of the day curled up and sleeping together.  If Bette gets up to go out or is in the living room with us, it won’t be 10 minutes before Gladys is wandering around looking for her.

She is a great eater – in addition to her own food, she will steal the other dogs food.  They eat hard food, so Bette grabs a couple pieces and takes them to the living room where she’ll lie down and gum them.  She’s getting around very well and seems to be a bit of a night owl.  She becomes most active around 11pm when she’ll start wandering around, checking out the room and the other dogs.  She’s only had one accident in the house, and always goes when we take her out.

Overall, she seems to be happy and healthy.  She always perks up when we talk to her and she’s perfectly happy to just lie on the couch and let someone pet her.  She’s so soft – it’s like petting a rabbit.  After looking at those gigantic ears and doing a bit of research, we’re thinking she might possibly be a Papillon mix.  I haven’t found any other breeds with ears like hers.  In any case, whatever her origins, she is a sweet, beautiful little girl and I hope we’ll have her company for a good while yet to come.

Thanks again for rescuing her and for letting us bring her home.

Best Regards,

Andrea

Leaving On A Jet Plane

It was last Thursday morning and I woke up early to prepare for Bette Davis's big day.  It's strange to adapt to a routine and then, one day, it disappears.  I imagine for Betty it was even stranger than for me.  This little five pound creature has been alive for 15+ years and now she was finally heading "home".

I remember walking into the Downey shelter the day that I bailed out Bette.  Rows and rows of dogs were barking, throwing themselves against their kennels to get second chance at life.  I tried my best to keep my composure that day as I looked into the eyes of dozens upon dozens of dogs that probably wouldn't be alive for more than a couple of weeks.  It wasn't until I walked to the very last building that I couldn't hold back my tears.  There in the isolation ward were the oldest of the old...dogs that had lived a decade or more and then were abandoned by their owners. 

I saw Bette Davis in the darkness of her cage; her ears would perk up at the sound of my voice and I asked if I could take her out and hold her.  Her fur was matted and flakes of dry skin were caught in the tangles.  By this time, my eyes were a leaky faucet.  I stared at this pathetically old, sickly creature, wondering how she wound up in such an undignified and scary place.

I payed the impound fee for Bette and she came home with me on the spot.
The rest of her story has been detailed in my blog except for her big day last week.

Bette Davis and I drove to the airport with her sitting on my lap.  I was talking on my cellphone with William (Bette's new dad) while I walked around the airport terminal looking for him.  We found each other and sat down on a bench by the window and Bette popped her head out of her travel bag.  It was love at first site for William; he was ecstatic to hold Bette and meet the dog that he'd flown so far to adopt.  He signed the adoption papers that I require and I kissed Bette on her nose while putting her in William's pet carrier.  She had no clue what was happening or where she was going, but she was very relaxed during the process.  We said our goodbyes and then it was time for her to start the newest chapter of a very long doggy life.

Bette lives in Boise, Idaho with her human parents William and Andrea and she has four other small senior dogs as her best buddies.  She now sleeps curled up with another old dog in a fuzzy pet bed and spends her days lounging around the house and waiting to eat.
((I love you Bette and I know you'll probably be around for 15 more years...it's just your special way))

Are we there yet?

Boise

I feel guilty for not writing more in my blog lately.  It's not always that I'm too busy...I think laziness also gets the best of me.  I've been more defined by my schedule lately than my thoughts or feelings.  Sometimes a moment to myself means no computer, phone, or television.  I attended the HH Backer pet expo in Chicago for work; my boss had food poisoning on the flight from Los Angeles and then I had the luck of getting it two days later.  What a miserable feeling to be so far from home and feeling so horrible and helpless!

However, I must point out that I met some incredible folks in the pet industry who made my time very enjoyable despite my stomach.  I met the owner of Earthbath, which is a line of pet shampoos that I use on my own dog.  It was great to tell him how much his products have done for my dog's coat and see his reaction--I even got a free shampoo =)  I also made friends with a couple of our company's customers and it was great to hear how much they enjoyed the collars that we sell. 

The title of this post is Boise because I received a call from Boise, Idaho from a woman interested in Bette Davis.  She has two senior Pomeranians and a Brussels Griffon and she fell in love with Bette Davis from her pictures.   Andrea and her husband adopt senior dogs and let them live out their last peaceful years (or months) in their quiet home.  I immediately felt a connection to Andrea over the phone; she seems very sincere and was well educated in the issues and challenges that older dogs face.  Another bonus is that her husband works for an airline and is willing to fly down and pick up Bette Davis; I am also invited to come to Boise to check out their home.  I haven't decided which option to pick yet, but I'm going to speak with their veterinarian and have them send pictures of their home and other dogs.  I'm just so thankful that there are such kind people out who take would take the effort to help out a little old dog like Bette from thousands of miles away.

Much love to everyone.......  Jon

 

Vertigo

Bette Davis stayed at my friend's condo while I was in Las Vegas.  She was left alone for just a minute or two when she walked onto the balcony and fell from the fourth story to the ground below.  She was still breathing and didn't look injured.  They rushed her to my veterinarian where she had x-rays done and her heart checked.  By some miracle, they couldn't find a single thing wrong with her.  She came home that night and when I arrived from my trip, I couldn't tell that anything bad had happened.

I guess this is a lesson to everyone to always watch where your pet is (especially a friend's pet).  In a split second, they could be gone.  Hopefully, Bette will be okay...but she's not out of the clear yet.  Doctors and their tests aren't infallible.

Does anyone else have a cautionary tale they'd like to share?  E-mail me at savedogs@gmail.com  and I can post your story on the blog.

Clean

I look at her tiny face and those enormous ears and I can't imagine how anyone left her after 15 years.  Bette is impressing me so much.  She's relying on her sense of smell and her memory to get around the house.  She mostly stays in her very large crate with tons of fuzzy blankets.  I let her explore the house for a little while every day; she also enjoys sitting on the grass and smelling the breeze under the sun.

I feel comfortable with her in my care.  The anxiety of having a rescued dog is virtually non-existent when it is a smaller, older dog.  I'm happy when she's happy.  Next week I'll be in Las Vegas for a pet convention, so I'm trying to find the best possible caretaker for her.  She is by far the easiest dog I've ever cared for.  She only wants her yummy canned food and some "ear scratches" and she's good to go.

I have to commend the makers of Eagle Pack dog food for contributing to the well-being of my rescue dogs (and my personal dog).  Their holistic food changes the dog from the inside out.  Bette has started to walk much better and her coat is healthy and shiny.

Anyway, I'll write again soon.
Take care,
Jon

Tiny Dancer

Sugar Bean is adopted!  The little munchkin is now happily with the Stone family, who lives just across the street from me.  I've visited her twice and she is doing fabulously.  She sleeps in bed with her human parents and her step-sister pug Sally.  They love her and so it has all worked out.

I went to Downey Shelter on Monday and bailed out another dog.  She is a chihuahua/pomeranian mix.  I've named her Bette Davis because of her big, expressive eyes.  She was abandoned by her former owners after 15 years!  She is mostly blind and can barely walk--but I'm working on getting her good nutrition to help her bones and antibiotics for her doggy cold.  Here are her first pictures with me.  She's a little sad right now, but that will soon change.  I'll post more updates soon.
Take care, Jon.