SheltieTales

New Kids Tracy, Bridger, Lucy, Lexi, Camera-Shy Molly (Unseen) and More!

BluvsJ — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 20:58:24 +0000

We are so overloaded! We have several youngsters who are just under or just over a year of age. We have three kids who need their potty training shaped up. But they are each such wonderful kids… – Barbara

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Do NOT Leave Your Dogs Outside Unatttended!

SheltieJim — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 21:22:37 +0000

Today is Christmas Day, and I guess I should be writing a happy post with some inspirational message or something. But I’ve got something far more important to talk about than that.

A couple of days ago, Sheltie Rescue of Utah received an application for adoption from a woman in Nevada. In many ways, she sounds like a reasonable candidate for the right dog, except for one problem — she leaves her dogs outside during the day while she’s at work. You probably know people who do that, too. Now, this woman’s dogs aren’t chained to a stake in the yard. They have plenty of shade, dog houses, water, and so forth, and she genuinely thinks they’re well taken care of.

We beg to disagree, and we will probably not adopt a Sheltie to this woman if she continues to believe that this is the appropriate way to keep her dogs. The following story (from the Examiner, copied without permission) is a horrifying example of why we disapprove so strongly:

Bremen, IN – A frightening trend appears to be taking place across the nation — dogs stolen from their yards, abused and then returned.

It has happened again to one little dog in Bremen.

According to WSBT News, 14 yr-old Laddie, a mini Sheltie, was stolen from his fenced yard on Wednesday.

Several hours later, the little dog, so broken from a beating that he could not walk, was placed back into his yard.

His family said that he was covered in mud and eggs — the veterinarian decided that Laddie was too grievously injured to be saved.

What type of person is capable of such heartless brutality?

Clues from a possible witness indicate that children could be to blame.

One neighbor claims to have seen children taunting the dog through the fence.

She claims to have seen a boy in a black sweatshirt who was poking sticks at the dog — that boy had a baseball with him at the time.

Whether a bat was the weapon of choice, or another implement — the end result was the same…Laddie, an innocent victim, was brutally beaten — to the point that he had to be humanely euthanized.

The police have opened an animal cruelty investigation in conjunction with Laddie’s death.

Anyone with information should call Bremen Police at 574.546.3456 or Bremen CrimeStoppers at 574.546.5555.

Please keep a close eye on your dogs — do not allow them to remain unattended in the yard.

Rest in Peace Laddie.

Another story surfaced a day or two later “about an American Bulldog service dog for an autistic child in SC. Similar situation. The dog was taken & while the family was looking for it, it appeared in the drain ditch in front of their house. Warm, but dead. Jaw broken…”

The obvious message here is that there are people out there who are incredibly cruel, uncaring, thoughtless, monstrous. They don’t care about the pain and suffering of other human beings, much less defenseless animals. If they can’t get to your dogs to beat them, they might shoot them through your fencing, or throw poisoned meat into your yard.

Sadly, we here in Sheltie Rescue of Utah have had experience with this phenomenon. Several years ago, a rescued Sheltie, Joshua, who was being fostered for us by a breeder friend in Orem, UT, was stolen from her fenced yard while outside going potty. A week later, Joshua’s abused body was found lying in a ditch at an empty house just a few door away. We think we know who murdered Joshua, but couldn’t prove it.

Please, do not leave your dogs out in your yard — no matter how fully fenced it might be — without supervision. The risk might be low in your neighborhood, but the consequences are just too horrible.

Two Sheltie Puppies Rescued from a Puppy Mill Auction in Missouri

BluvsJ — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 04:58:55 +0000

Could these two be more adorable?

Every couple of weeks, it seems, there’s another announcement of a dog auction generally in the midwest. Hundreds of dogs are being auctioned. They are being auctioned off for as little as $1.00 and as much as many thousands of dollars depending on the breed, age, and situation. Below is the most recent announcement that was posted on our yahoo group for Sheltie Rescue groups. The link will still take you to the auction listing which lists every single dog that was auctioned that day. Below is part of the discussion online among the Sheltie Rescue groups who hoped to see the two Sheltie puppies listed for auction – bought and brought into rescue.

“Another auction announcement with Shelties – Lots 33 and 34. Can someone
try to get them out of the auction?”
“Looking at the catalog, there are an amazing number of Yorkies on the list.
We should be glad that Shelties aren’t that popular. ”
“There’s a dog auction in Cabool MO on Sat. Dec. 10, 2011. There
are 2 sheltie puppies listed in the catalog.”
Here’s the link to the catalog: http://www.auctionflex.com/showlots.ap?co=4902&weid=20786&weiid=0&archive=n&

The policy of the National Sheltie Rescue Network is never to pay to get a Sheltie and bring it into rescue because that will just encourage breeders to breed, put money in their pockets, and perpetuate the over-breeding and poor breeding of Shelties for sale in pet stores. Many of the dogs that aren’t purchased at these auctions will be euthanized if they’re old and/or need medical attention. Some are in good condition. Some are in horrible condition. Some have had some socialization. Some are terrified to be anywhere outside of a small box or crate because that’s all they’ve known.

As you can see from this post, we don’t all agree. With financial contributions from several supportive Sheltie Rescue groups around the U.S., someone famliar with these auctions and how to go and win these Shelties, was sent off to bid on them and win them. And they were won! Which is how they ended up in the arms of a rescue person riding home in a car — off to a new life as someone’s Sheltie-kid, in a home where they’ll learn love and companionship. The effort is completely a behind the scenes effort because the folks involved are not interested in having a debate about whether they should or shouldn’t be doing this. They’ve already decided. It’s just a matter of logistics and getting the job done successfully without re-igniting the controversy.

Here is the email that came back to those of us supporting this effort explaining what happened and for how much:

I am emailing the people who said they would like to donate for the auction puppies. Our contact was able to get both of them! We don’t do much rescue from auction, but when we do, we usually won’t go much over $100. We have gotten some wonderful adults for as little as $25. At first, I was going to tell the bidder to go up to $150, but I changed it to $180. She wound up buying them for $200 each, but she said she would pay the extra. She wanted those puppies to get into rescue as bad as we did! I told her we would split the difference, so we are paying $190 each for them. It’s more than I would like to spend, but how can you not do it when you have a chance. They are both cute puppies. We have a foster mom that likes fostering puppies, so we will be keeping one here. The other is going to Dallas/Ft. Worth Sheltie Rescue because they responded first and we can move one to them fairly easy.

Thanks,

P.S. They are so cute. We drove and met someone yesterday to pick them up. One of my board members rode with me, and she held them the entire way back. They sure entertained us!

My feelings are that the dogs, the Shelties or other breeds, are already here. They need someone’s help to get out of their situation. I can’t turn my back and pretend that they don’t exist and don’t need help. I’ve been told about a particular breed rescue group that paid some huge amount – $5,000.00 or more, to rescue one dog of their breed. I was told that the people competing in this auction had come prepared to battle it out —- both the breed rescue people and the competing breeders who wanted to buy the dog at the auction. I believe the rescue group prevailed but the monetary price was high. Not knowing all the details surrounding this competition and how it came about, I’m not sure what to think about this.

The issues around buying Shelties or other breeds at puppy mill auctions are not as black and white as they may seem to be at first. But it sure is a great feeling to see those two puppies riding home in someone’s arms – free of the situation that they were born into. – Barbara

I’m lost. Can you help me find my way back home?

BluvsJ — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 05:19:14 +0000

I'm lost. Can you help me find my way back home?

This Sheltie girl is estimated to be fairly young. She was picked up in Riverton, Utah on December 19, 2011 during the evening by a good samaritan and then turned into animal control the next morning. She seems to be well-behaved and well groomed. She does not seem to be microchipped and she wasn’t wearing a collar. Any help you can provide will be very much appreciated – especially by this sweet girl. We’ll try to get more and better photos. – Barbara

Hey! My family’s been found and I’m going be home again soon! Thanks everyone for all your help.

Eva Sak’s Rescued Sheltie Flash – Flashing a Huge Smile and Having Fun!

BluvsJ — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 05:23:06 +0000

I so want to be THIS happy!

Eva Saks in California is getting the paper work together to start a 501c3 Sheltie Rescue group in the Van Nuys area. Eva, the soft-hearted, loving soul that she is, will specialize in rescuing Shelties that others might put down. What! A rescue putting down seniors who’ve been dumped in shelters? Couldn’t really be much of a rescue, could it?

So Eva is making sure that these senior Shelties have a place of love, warmth, and medical support that they can go to rather than being (you won’t believe this) taken out of the shelter, only to be held in a cage for a week or two, then to be euthanized, without being held by someone who loves them.

You can see what Eva’s love, oodles of care, and medical attention has done for Flash here… – Barbara

Breakfast Rituals, Cereal, and SIT

BluvsJ — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 05:55:48 +0000

Hi Aunt Barbara...I'd like to give you a good morning kiss but Uncle Jim is handing out cereal! Gotta go!

Jim is a cereal lover. Every morning he has cereal for breakfast. For years he’s had a ritual whereby when he pours his cereal into his bowl he then hands out one kernel of whatever cereal he’s eating, to each dog in the house. Before they can get their cereal bit, Jim asks them to sit. This has been a great way to do some training with new rescues who perhaps once knew what SIT means and are now getting a refresher on it. For those rescues who haven’t a clue what it means, they can see what the other dogs around them are doing, and of course, we help them move themselves into a SIT position. When they get their cereal reward it’s preceded by a whole lot of happy praise (praise then treat). The dogs love this ritual, as you can see. Even blind and deaf Tommy participates.

If we can just figure out this position we can get a bit of cereal!

Buddy, is the Sheltie looking at me. He lives with Kalvin. We were lucky enough to have these two sweet boys visit with us for a weekend while their folks were out of town. Kalvin is now 17 years old! We can hardly believe it. He came to Sheltie Rescue when he was 10 years old and was biting people at the shelter he was at. We were lucky to get him. We are in awe of him because he still easily goes up and down stairs, jumps up onto the couch and shows an ability to move very nimbly that many dogs here who are years younger than he is, don’t have. We have 11 year olds here who are much more fragile. Here are some photos of Kalvin.

Kalvin and I visited Cottonwood Animal Hospital for a dental, senior wellness panel, and a senior Sheltie tune-up in November 2011. I am so proud of what a beautiful senior he is.

Kalvin in 2010 on a previous visit with Camp Sheltie.

Picking Up Tikki at Salt Lake Spay & Neuter After Her Spay and Dental

BluvsJ — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 07:07:00 +0000

Wow! It's Cherise! Wait 'til you here what a day I've had! Let's Get Out of Here - FAST!

Myself and SRU volunteer Cherise Cook went to Salt Lake Spay and Neuter to pick up Tikki. She had gone in for a spay, dental, heartworm test, and worming (this had already been done but we decided to do a follow-up). She came out with the fur on her head looking kind of strange but I was surprised to see how awake she was. I had expected her to be sleepier. She was very happy to see us and insisted that I pet her, while Cherise held her bundled in a fleece blanket, in the car. She was nauseous. Apparently they had given her plenty of fluids during the procedure because on the way home she pee’d on Cherise’s jeans. I should have known better and given her a chance to urinate before we got into the car. We put her straight into her crate at home and gave her a light dinner of rice with some chopped up white meat turkey mixed into it. She enjoyed it very much! No upset tummies after that! During the evening she wanted to sleep on Jim’s lap. When we went up to bed she was looking almost like her normal self. We checked on her incision and it was visible but just barely. Very clean! Today, the day after her surgery, she’s a little subdued and not as playful as she normally is with Marley, but other than that — she’s looking and behaving as though she’s feeling pretty good. She had a great breakfast and dinner today, going potty normally, and wanting my attention and Jim’s attention as usual, and letting big boy Rusty know that she’s not in the mood for any rough games today, by growling at him. By Friday, I’m not sure if she’ll remember that she had surgery this week! We love seeing how well she’s doing. I’m sure that Marley is happy she’s back home too. Tikki and Marley have an adoption day coming up very soon. We’re thrilled with their adopting family — they couldn’t be more loving and interested in their new kids. I hope you enjoy the video of Tikki at the vet’s office with Cherise – who is an awesome volunteer! – Barbara

Picking Up Tikki after Her Spay, Dental, & Heartworm Test – Dec 2011

Guy Gets Bladder Emptied of Stones – Warning – One Photo May Be Too Graphic for Some

BluvsJ — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 05:41:17 +0000

WARNING!

This post contains one photo that may be too graphic for some people.

Our eight year old handsome Sheltie-boy, Guy (technically Sir Guy) stopped being able to urinate during a weekend stay with us while his foster Mom, Lorrie Roemer, was out of town for a couple of days. It was a Sunday but we had to get him cleared so he could urinate…so the ER vet at Cottonwood Animal Hospital took the x-rays that showed a stone blocking his urethra and more stones back up in his bladder. That day we opted for the procedure that would push the blocking stone back into his bladder rather than going for the surgery to remove them all from his bladder. We hoped to find out more about the type of stone we were dealing with and possibly resolve the stones without surgery.

Guy went home to his foster Mom, Lorrie, with a wonderful urine flow. But we were on alert that it was likely that another stone would fall back down into his urethra and we could be in the same situation again.

Lorrie is an outstanding Mom to her kitties and to Rosie, her Collie-girl, and to Guy. She began to notice that Guy was urinating more frequently and that there was a dribble where once there’d been a flow. Even after Guy thought he was done urinating and would be casually walking around after urinating, he was continuing to dribble. Lorrie let me know what was going on and we collaborated on getting him into Cottonwood Animal Hospital for a surgery, not normally done on Saturday.

Half of the stones removed from Guy were sent in for testing and evaluation. These stones were sent home with him. The red tinge is really their true color.

Dr. Debbie Cartisano, recognizing the urgency, agreed to do the surgery on Saturday. She had an incredibly long and busy day, that day. She stayed late to make sure that Guy got the surgery he needed. By Saturday morning Cottonwood’s vet techs reported to Lorrie that Guy had stopped urinating altogether. We had gotten him into the hospital in the nick of time.

Here is a view of the incision to remove the bladder stones. The surgery was done on Saturday. Guy went home Sunday evening. Cottonwood told Guy's Mom, Lorrie, that if his penis didn't retract by Monday morning she would need to bring him back into Cottonwood Animal Hospital. Lorrie told me that with the help of KY Jelly (she didn't elaborate but she's a very knowledgeable health professional so I trust her completely) Guy retracted at the last moment, this morning (Monday). Thank goodness! I don't know what additional procedure might have been needed if he hadn't. I wasn't even aware that bladder surgery, or possibly any surgery, could cause the penis to extend and stay that way for awhile - even to the point of requiring medical intervention. Guy was neutered several months ago.

The more you know about common canine medical issues the better parent you can be to your dog.

Ah, finally! Guy is back home with his #1 human, Lorrie, and his #1 canine girlfriend, Rosie, who just is not herself when Guy isn't there. Lorrie tells us that Rosie stays in her bedroom and doesn't want to do much, not even eat much when Guy isn't there. With Guy, Rosie comes alive, wants to play, be where he is, and has a very good appetite. We love these great canine friendships.

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Five Hour Energy

BluvsJ — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 16:59:04 +0000

Another wonderful little story by John Perkins…

This be Link an I has sumfin ta woof at ya. In the afnernoon bout 2 I feels kinda tired an I lays down an Dad said he may puts sumfin called 5 Hour Energy in my water ta perk me up sews I can werk more and keep these Mini Zebu’s in line. Now I hasta ask ya wear is his head, no ya don’t need ta answer cause we awl nose wear his head is. Ennyways there’s a lot of old dogs out there likes a whole lot of old humans out there and the dogs an humans is gettin older. Now what is good round 2PM when yer old an sumtimes when yer young is a nap stead of werkin an sumtimes ya lays down an ya just can’t goes ta sleep. Sews maybe slumbunny should invent sumthin to help ya to nap an calls it Two Hour Nap. Betcha it would out sell 5 Hour Energy. Now it’s time fur me ta try to take a nap if these Zebu’s will leaf me lone.

Sienna, Zen-Cat, and Rio Visit Cottonwood Animal Hospital Monday Afternoon

BluvsJ — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 02:08:13 +0000

Sienna is being prepared to spend the night at the hospital.

It’s true that sometimes nobody has a medical condition to address but more often than not in rescue, somebody needs medical attention for something. Sometimes there are multiple dogs needing attention. It can range from anything as routine as verifying that a Sheltie is on the correct dose of thyroid medication — something that needs to be updated regularly to the more serious, as in today’s video where our very old mill girl, Sienna, wasn’t keeping any food or even tummy settling medication (sucralfate administered via syringe) down and also having diarrhea. For a senior, this is serious. For Sienna, who hadn’t had a recent senior wellness blood panel done…even more so because if something is brewing, we don’t have a clue about it.

Then there are the more obscure medical issues as with Rio. We know he’s straining when he urinates…but he can get a full flow of urine to come out eventually. So he’s not blocked. Sometimes he strains hard enough that he poops simultaneously.

If it’s not Rio’s prostate gland that’s enlarged, the alternative possibilities are related to poor bladder muscle or poor nerve feedback. So even when his bladder is full, he doesn’t know it until he accidentally finds himself urinating or perhaps when it gets painfully full…he then becomes aware of it. It’s not clear. The sophisticated tests needed to discern what’s going on are available if we want to travel to Colorado. As much as Rio might enjoy the road trip (as would Jim) I’m not sure we’ve got the time or funds for that. Rio does not show signs of pain. He does get a little frantic if HE thinks he has to go potty and we can readily see he needs to be let out.

Anyone know of any herbal supplements or other remedies for helping a senior bladder perform better? I have ordered some cranberry and d-mannose supplements. Licorice bark extract is also in the mix.

Since he too is a very senior boy and he’s only recently been neutered, we’re going to have his prostate gland examined.

Dr. Cortisano on the right caught at just the wrong moment while talking to us and Sienna about Sienna's treatment.

Zen-cat, who is our personal cat, must have had a bad time with some of the dogs here. We came home to find computer equipment knocked off of tables and Zenny hiding…which is not normal for her. She’s also eating less (although losing a little weight wouldn’t hurt her). The exam turned up nothing for Zenny so we’re thinking about going with a kitty calming pheromone kit and of course, spoiling her a bit.

It was decided that Sienna would stay overnight at the vet’s which is a 24 hour facility with people there round the clock. There they could provide her with IV medications such as antibiotics and fluids. I can do subQ fluids but not IV meds, at home. Sienna is back home now and back to her bouncy, little girl ways…which we love. She’s on metronidazole, amoxicillin, anti-acid, and I am giving her sucralfate 3 times a day just in case there’s a stomach ulcer going on that was part of what triggered her GI difficulties.

The video below shows all three kids at the vet’s office.

Sienna, Zen-Cat, and Rio Visit Dr. Cartisano at Cottonwood Animal Hospital