SheltieTales

It’s Quiet…Except for the Panicking

SheltieJim — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 20:30:46 +0000

We’ll blog more about the details later, but I wanted to tell our readers that we set some kind of new record last week. In one week, we placed for adoption six (6) dogs! It happened so fast that I found myself quietly crying one evening because I couldn’t remember all the details and I was missing all of the dogs hanging around. Don’t get me wrong…it was the right thing to do for each and every one of them. The adopters are all super matches for each of the dogs, and the dogs are already sending reports about how happy they are in their new homes.

Lemme see if I can get the full list from memory (if not, I’m sure Barbara will straighten me out): Scotty, Sable, Maggie, Max, Molly, and Macey. Yup, that’s the right list.

Now, we’re panicking (well, I am…Barbara’s taking everything in stride, as she always does) because we’re supposed to drive away to the 2010 ASSA National in Tucson, AZ (about a 15 hour drive) in approximately 40 hours! And we haven’t even started selecting most of the product that we’re planning to sell there.

However, part of getting ready for joint travel is reducing the number of dogs in the house, especially for a new petsitter, which we have again this time. Consequently, we’ve sent Sparky (who was a little despondent about it) off to spend two weeks at Alan and Sharl’s house, and the two new, un-neutered, and not-quite-housetrained big boys just went off to Second Chance to be boarded while we’re gone.

The house is eerily quiet with only (pause for a quick count) ten (10) dogs in the house! Who’s still here (he asks himself aloud)? Star and Abby, of course. Tommy (who’s going with us to Tucson). Sienna and Jet. Peyton. Lady. Jill (the terrier). Porter. And the new 10-week old puppy, who was being called “Tigger”, but we’re not sure if we’re keeping the name. Heck, even with Sparky, Chad, and Jeremy, that’s only 13 and it’s unbelievably quiet.

Well, we may or may not get to blog any more before we leave for Tucson, and we’ll probably blog only a little bit while at the National (it’s incredibly busy running the Rescue Booth!). So please be patient with us!

Outstanding Embroidery at a For Rescue Price — Thank You Black Spool Embroidery!!

BluvsJ — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 00:02:38 +0000

These smiling folks are Vanessa and Bob Black who run the Black Spool Embroidery Shop. But they’re so much more than that and I only know the tiniest sliver about who they really are.

I can tell you that they’ve been supportive of Sheltie Rescue since before we were a Federal 501c3 and have helped us with pricing, donating their time to digitize our designs even though we’re pretty picky about the way the Shelties look. (We want to see certain expressions and stuff like that.)

Vanessa and Bob have always accomodated our poor scheduling skills even though this is also a busy time of the year for them. When we’re at the National people ask us who’s done the embroidery and always comment on the high quality of the embroidery products we offer. We’ve even had people ask us to find out how many needles their using in their machines and what brands of machines.

The real secret to what makes our embroideries so attractive and wonderful is Vanessa and Bob and their skills and patience in working with us.

Max Goes Home to Live With Adoptee Chloe

BluvsJ — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 22:29:46 +0000

Our little bi-black Sheltie boy has gotten himself a wonderful family and in addition, he’s going to be with Chloe, who he knows from his days in Sheltie Rescue! They will be able to play together and get lots of attention from stay-at-home Mom Maurreen and a loving group of children who have a very admirable work ethic. A great family in many ways. Maurreen is also quite savvy when it comes to dogs and helping them deal with whatever comes up. I was impressed with her and some of the things she’s done with their older girl dog, Caramel.

Look on the right side of this picture and you’ll see that Porter got himself included in the photo op! And he stayed put and got himself in all the photos that were taken after this one too! We’re thrilled that both Chloe and Max are in one very wonderful forever home together.

Porter Leaves Spay and Neuter of Salt Lake After a Long Day

BluvsJ — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 03:47:03 +0000

Tiny Sheltie-boy Porter had his neuter and dental (and vaccinations and heartworm testing) on Wednesday. Here he is leaving the veterinary clinic still looking a bit woozy.

He was shaking when I put him in the car so I wrapped him up in some fleece and put him on my lap while I drove home. He stopped shaking and when he found himself in Jim’s arms, inside the house, he was much happier and not shaking. Just in case, Jim turned up the heat in the house to keep himself and Porter nice and warm.

Anyone recognize these two new beautiful boys?

BluvsJ — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 19:42:44 +0000

Recently we’ve gotten in several Shelties picked up as strays that I’d normally think owners would want back.

These two handsome boys were running around a neighborhood in West Jordan together. One man took them in and kept them in his garage and looked for owners. This gentleman found himself in a bad financial situation and had to sell his home. I don’t know if he just let them go or what but…a woman a few blocks away saw them running around together and took them in. She called animal control, put up flyers, and put a listing on KSL.

The gentleman who’d had them for about a month in his garage called her to tell her of his experience with them. He told her that he too called animal control, put up flyers, and posted to KSL but it seemed that nobody was looking for them. The woman who took them in was discovering the same thing. She decided to look for a rescue to take them in which is how they ended up with Sheltie Rescue of Utah.

Interestingly, though, the hair on their feet and their toenails look to be in awfully good condition as though they were trimmed not that long ago. Their coats are in great shape except for the typical behind the ears mats that occur. They are oversized Sheltie boys but I think they’re underweight.

We are currently working on house training because they started off diligently marking EVERYWHERE! They are very sweet, gentle boys. The people who’d taken them in believe they are litter mates and I would agree. They are very, very bonded to each other. They avoid conflict with other dogs and seem very comfortable when they’re around other dogs.

If you think these boys look familiar in anyway we’d love to find out more about where they may have come from. – Barbara

Wonderful Agility Photos by Cheryl Albrecht

BluvsJ — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 16:52:45 +0000

A very public thank you to Cheryl Albrecht for allowing us to view and possibly use several agility photos that she took. Cheryl is an excellent photographer among many other talents and a warm and generous heart. – Barbara

Open the floodgates! Open the floodgates!

SheltieJim — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 03:04:36 +0000

I just watched the Just One Dog video to which Barbara recently pointed us. Needless to say, I’m sitting here with tears rolling down my cheeks. But I want to bring you all up to date on the latest news here at Sheltie Rescue of Utah, too, so I’m blogging through my tears.

A few days ago, we got in a pair of the sweetest Sheltie girls, named Molly and Macie. They came to us from Idaho, where their family reluctantly relinquished them to us because of “potential” problems with new kids in the family. They’re litter mates, but you’d never know it by looking at them. Molly’s a little bit oversized, while Macie’s smaller. Molly’s light in coloration, while Macie’s very mahogany. Molly’s pretty confident and outgoing, while Macie’s a bit less certain of herself and a little more shy. But they’re both darlings and love (I mean love) to give kisses. I’ll try to get some photos posted (perhaps by retrofitting them in this post) in the next day or two.

On Saturday, a slightly older couple came by to relinquish their adorable, small blue merle Sheltie girl to us. Lady, as she is named, was clearly the gentleman’s dog, because he was crying while he was here. Lady, they told us, had been with them for about a year. The man is a truck driver who bought her from somebody at a roadside stand somewhere back east; she was in horrible condition and the seller didn’t seem to care about her at all, so this nice man snatched her up and took her home with him. Unfortunately, they couldn’t seem to completely house-break Lady, and they live in a “tiny trailer in a trailer park where the neighbors were starting to complain” about Lady going potty outdoors! I’m happy to say that she’s settling in very nicely here. She’s a little shy but so desperately wants to be loved that she’ll curl up in my arms and almost purr. (Unfortunately, she’s not been spayed, so that’s at the top of our list for her. Happily, she seems to be in good health and her nails and teeth look good, so she’s been well cared for.) I’ll get photos up shortly.

And today, we got a phone call from a wonderful woman who told us that two Shelties had wandered up to her house needing attention on Saturday. She’d put up posters and ads on ksl.com (the web classifieds from a local radio station) and heard back from a man who said that the dogs had done the same to him about a month ago and he’d let them live in his garage until a couple of days ago. You might criticize the man for putting the dogs back onto the street, but he’s just lost his job and has to sell his house on very short notice simply to survive, so he did what he thought was right by not taking them to a shelter. Anyway, these two (un-neutered) boys are on the larger side — both in height and length and are more than a little nervous about what’s happening to them. But they’re very gentle and are, as the woman told us, welded together at the hips (meaning they stick together in everything they do). Again, we’ll get some pics of these boys up soon. Of course, because they were strays, we don’t know their real names. The man had been calling them Chad and Jack, but they don’t respond to those names particularly, so we might rename them. We really hope that we can place them together, ’cause they’ve been through so much and lost everything they know.

And, with that, we’re back to 19.

Baggage (A Poem)

SheltieJim — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 23:50:56 +0000

(This is the last one for today. You might be able to discern that I’m going through a bunch of old email containing things I’d intended to post but never got around to doing it. This one is also from the RecycledShelties Yahoo group. The author is unknown.)

Now that I’m home, bathed, settled and fed,
All nicely tucked in my warm new bed,

I’d like to open my baggage, lest I forget,
There is so much to carry – so much to regret.

Hmmm… Yes, there it is, right on the top, Let’s unpack Loneliness, Heartache and Loss,
And there by my perch hides Fear and Shame.

As I look on these things I tried so hard to leave,
I still have to unpack my baggage called Pain.

I loved them, the others, the ones who left me,
But I wasn’t good enough – for they didn’t want me.

Will you add to my baggage; Will you help me unpack?
Or will you just look at my things – And take me right back?

Do you have the time to help me unpack?
To put away my baggage, to never repack?

I pray that you do – I’m so tired you see,
But I do come with baggage – Will you still want me?

Two Lost Souls (A Christmas Story)

SheltieJim — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 23:46:37 +0000

(I have shamelessly copied this from the RecycledShelties Yahoo group. The story is by Shelly Guidotti, whom I hope will not object to my giving it a wider audience. I should have posted this, oh, about 3 months ago…)

Two Lost Souls
by Shelly Guidotti

“Did you hear that?” the old dog shouted.

They all ran to the front of their kennel doors to see if someone was coming to “pick them.” “Sorry,” he said to the other dogs as his ears fell down from their perked position. “I could have sworn I heard voices saying, ‘Isn’t he cute? It’s Christmas, can’t we take him home with us?’”
“You must have been dreaming again,! old man,” said the dog in the cage next to him. “Anyway, what’s the big deal about getting picked up as a Christmas gift. We’ve all been through that routine and look where it got us.”

The word “home” meant little to these shelter dogs.

“Just once, I’d like to feel the warmth of a hand stroking my head,” said the old dog. “I’d like to be the one who kisses the tears off a sad face. I’d like to curl up next to a fire instead of this cold concrete. It hurts my bones.” He curled up and sighed as the others said, “The only place you’re going to find that is in your dreams, old man.”

* * *

Hank’s wife had only been gone a year, but the pain was as fresh as if time had stood still.

He was an old man now, alone and longed for the comfort that he knew no other person would ever be able to give to him again. What would his life become without her by his side?

Hank’s cupboards were close to bare now and, although he didn’t want to go out, he knew he should at least pick up the basics. He drove slowly down the side streets for freeway driving had become too challenging. Suddenly, the car started chugging and sputtering until finally the engine quit altogether. One of the basic needs he had forgotten was fuel for the car! So he coasted over next to the curb, spotting a building within walking distance. Hopefully, they’d let him use their phone.

He walked into an office area and rang the bell for service but no one came. He spotted another door going outside, failing to notice the sign posted “Employees Only”. As Hank walked out, he was overwhelmed by yaps, barks, and insane jumping from dogs all sizes and shapes. He then realized he had unintentionally gone to the dog shelter.

Slowly he walked down the concrete aisle looking for an attendant. Three kennels down on the right, the old dog calmly sat there. Why should the old dog get excited? No one would want him.

But, he sensed a need and couldn’t resist offering a kind look and a gentle wag of the tail. As Hank neared the old dog’s cage, he laced his fingers through the chain link to steady his gait and the first feeling of comfort he’d remembered in over a year came from a wet nose and lick across his arthritic fingers.

Just then a voice of authority sounded, and Hank jumped. “I’m sorry sir, you aren’t supposed to be in this area!” she said. Luckily Hank didn’t know he had walked into the “Final Area” where unclaimed dogs were scheduled to be put down. There went the nudge and lick thing again. Hank looked down to the most pleading eyes he’d ever seen. Ignoring the attendant’s order to leave, Hank asked if could he see the dog closer? Her demeanor changed completely and her sternness melted away. She had forced herself to be this way so she could do the part of her job she despised.

She brought the old dog out and instantly the two souls — once so lost — found reason to hope.

Hank’s cupboards were now filled, a warm fire crackled and the old dog smiled inside as he remembered “only in your dreams.” Closing his eyes he felt Hank’s hand stroking his head whispering “sleep in heavenly peace”.

It was Christmas after all.

Rescue Dogs: Dazzlers or Duds?

SheltieJim — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 23:36:30 +0000

Considering a pet from rescue? Note to adopters

Lassie, Cleo, Rin Tin Tin, and Toto don’t show up in rescue. We don’t get the elegantly coiffed, classically beautiful, completely trained, perfectly behaved dog. We get the leftovers. Dogs that other people have incompetently bred, inadequately socialized, ineffectively “trained,” and badly treated. Most Rescue dogs have had it. They’ve been pushed from one lousy situation to another. They’ve never had proper veterinary care, kind and consistent training, or sufficient company. They’ve lived outside, in a crate, or in the basement. They’re scared, depressed and anxious. Some are angry. Some are sick. Some have given up.

But we are Rescue and we don’t give up. We never give up on a dog. We know that a dog is a living being, with a spirit and a heart and feelings. Our dogs are not commodities, things, or garbage. They are part of sacred creation and they deserve as much love and care and respect as the next Westminster champion. So please, please don’t come to rescue in the hopes of getting a “bargain,” or indeed of “getting” anything. Come to Rescue to give, to love, to save a life — and to mend your own spirit. For Rescue will reward you in ways you never thought possible. I can promise you this — a rescue dog will make you a better person.

(shamelessly copied from the RecycledShelties Yahoo group)