HTHNBR Foster Dogs Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Foster Dogs) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 23:56:00 +0000

Lucy's puppies are being bottle-fed to give Lucy the chance to gain some much-needed weight. Here they are getting their dinner.

It's amazing how fast they're growing!

The Pups' Eyes Have Opened!

noreply@blogger.com (Foster Dogs) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 03:37:00 +0000

The pups are growing and their eyes have opened! Lucy is a wonderful mother, and is just so proud of her babies. You can just see it in these photos! She has also been great about letting people handle her babies.

Lucy is still underweight, and due to the worms she has, she has had trouble gaining any weight. She is nursing and has also had diarrhea in the past few days. The pups are now old enough that she can be wormed with Panacure, but she will also need to be treated for Lyme disease and spayed once she is healthy.

Lucy's 7 pups will all need the usual puppy care and check ups, and will all need to be spayed or neutered and vaccinated before they are adopted. Would you like to sponsor a pup and make a donation toward a puppy's care?

We've Got Puppies!

noreply@blogger.com (Foster Dogs) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 01:10:00 +0000

HTH took in two adult Siberians last weekend, a male and female that were rescued from a puppymill. To our surprise, the female was pregnant, and quite far along! She had the pups last night and today, 7 total. They were all checked by the vet and are doing fine. Lucy is being a great mom, and Desi is a proud daddy. Click on the photo to view photos of mom and pups.

Beki's Boo Boo

noreply@blogger.com (Foster Dogs) — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 02:24:00 +0000

Beki was turned into the Baltimore City shelter by her previous owners. They had financial problems and were no longer able to care for her. Becki had been hit by a car last March. She had one surgery and was supposed to have another, but the family could not afford it. She had a noticeable limp in her left rear leg.

Becki's foster parents took her to the vet to get her hip x-rayed. The x-ray showed that during Becki's first surgery, the vet had put a pin in her hip to hold it in place while her hip healed. The pin should have been removed during her second surgery. The pin was actually protruding and digging into her muscle, skin and tissue as she moved, which is why she limped. Her foster parents made the appointment to have the pin removed a few days later, and Becki is feeling much better!

The vet gave them the pin as a souvenir. You can see why it was hurting her - that's a BIG pin!

The incision to remove the pin is very small and is healing quickly. Now Becki can move and run like a healthy young pup!

Baby, it's Hot Ouside!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Foster Dogs) — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 02:45:00 +0000

BABY, IT’S HOT OUTSIDE!!!!

By Bilinda Marshall © 2009

SEVEN DOGS DIE IN HOT VAN. Headlines similar to this are seen each summer - dogs die while in cars where the temperatures can reach 120 degrees in less than 5 minutes...read full article here. You can also visit My Dog Is Cool to get more information on spreading the word about the dangers of leaving dogs in cars in hot weather. They have flyers, postcards, and posters you can order or download and print.

4th of July Safety Reminder

noreply@blogger.com (Foster Dogs) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 23:39:00 +0000

The 4th of July is this coming Saturday. With many planned community fireworks events, and the possibility that people will also be setting off their own fireworkds, it's especially important to make sure that all of your pets have collars, tags, and that their microchips have your up to date contact information. Also make sure that when you leave home your pets are safely contained or secured. Since it's summer, it's best not to leave pets outside anyway, as they can become overheated.

If your dogs are afraid of fireworks, there are some all natural things you can try to help them get through the holiday with less stress. Rescue Remedy for Pets is an all natural remedy for stress and anxiety made from flower essences. You can also try a dog appeasing pheromone diffuser, or a CD of calming sounds for anxious dogs. There are a few others on the market. Some people also find that putting a t shirt on the dog and tying so it's snug helps to keep them calm.

We wish everyone a safe and happy 4th of July!

Eastport ROCKED!

noreply@blogger.com (Foster Dogs) — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 01:00:00 +0000

It's me, Indy again. We were very busy today so mom actually didn't get any pictures, but here is one of Kayna having a great time. One of the nice vendors filled our kiddie pool up with ice! We met lots of new people and dogs and got some donations, and met people who are interested in volunteering, so it was a great day!

Eastport ROCKS!

noreply@blogger.com (Foster Dogs) — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 01:00:00 +0000

Hi, I'm Indy. I volunteer with my people for Harnessed to Hope. Tomorrow is the annual Eastport a 'Rockin street festival in Annapolis, Maryland. Harnessed to Hope always has a booth there, thanks to the nice people that run it. I always go and wear the donation vest. I'm such a good ambassardor, I do a really good job of drawing people over to the table and scmoozing them for donations. Here are some pictures from last year's festival. There are bands, great food, crafts, lots of vendors, a tent where you can play Guitar Hero, a moonbounce, and lots of cold beer. There is even a dog beach where you can take your dogs to cool off. Hope to see you there!

Slideshow of Some of Our Adopted Dogs

noreply@blogger.com (Foster Dogs) — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 04:15:00 +0000

Here is a fun slideshow of some of the dogs HTHNBR has adopted out over the past few years.

It's so great to see all of these dogs so happy in their new homes! Adopters, if we don't have a photo of your dog included, please send one to us!

Husky Caravan

noreply@blogger.com (Foster Dogs) — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 17:46:00 +0000

Yesterday several Harnessed to Hope volunteers coordinated to get two dogs in Maryland to foster homes in Pennsylvania. Here is how their day went.

Volunteers in Maryland get up at 7:00 am (on a Saturday!!), drink lots of coffee, and go to the Frederick County Animal Control Shelter to get Adak, a 2 year old red and white male Siberian Husky. Adak had been at the shelter for about 3 or 4 weeks, so he had a LOT of pent up energy and was pretty hyper. He also had no leash training, so the volunteers decided to try and tire him out in the field behind the shelter before putting him in the car. As you can see, he was VERY excited!

Adak has a LOT of energy, so they play with him to try to tire him out before the long car ride.

Here you can see just what a goofball he is!

Here you can see HOW MUCH he was shedding!

Then the volunteers spent about 15 minutes putting a harness on Adak and fitting it correctly. This harness hooks into a car seatbelt and gives the dog enough room to sit up, lay down, and move around a little, but keeps them secured in the back seat of the car. They got Adak into the back seat and were trying to hook the harness up to the seat belt, and Adak got anxious. He wiggled backwards, right out of the harness, and made a run for the street. The other volunteer quickly grabbed his collar and they got him back into the car and secured. Close call!

Then they drove about 30 minutes to pick up Brody, a 4 year old male Siberian Husky that was staying at a temporary foster home. Brody was now going to his long term foster home, where he will stay until he is adopted. Adak had gotten restless in the car, and Brody was very excited to see the volunteers and Adak, so they decided to walk the dogs around a little and run them to tire them out before the next leg of the trip. They both enjoyed drinking from the pump by the barn.

Then Adak and Brody each got a turn on a long leash running around a field.

Once both boys had run around, had some nice cold water and had a chance to cool off, each volunteer secured a dog in the back seat of their cars and they began the next leg of the transport. If you're wondering why they took two cars, it's becaues neither person had a car big enough to fit dog crates in, and they couldn't have the two dogs loose in the same car. It wouldn't be safe to have them wrestling in the car!

They finally made it to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania where the dogs would change cars again. This van would take them to Brody's foster home in Lancaster, PA. Adak's foster family would pick him up and take him to their house in Bethlehem, PA. Both dogs were ready for a little more exercise, as they were both very excited.

Adak prefers to play tug of war with his leash.

After the boys were tired out, they were put into crates in a van for the next leg of transport.

Brody managed to jump up on top of a 6.5 foot wall at his foster home in Lancaster. His foster family went out that night and got a section of iron fencing to block off the part of the wall that is near the fence.

Both dogs are doing very well in their foster homes. Thanks to the 8 volunteers that worked together to get these two dogs to foster homes and a new "leash" on life!

If you are in Maryland, New Jersey, Delaware or eastern PA, and think that you might be able to do something like this to help dogs in need, please visit www.nbrescue.com and click on Volunteering. The dogs will thank you for it!

Update on Molly

noreply@blogger.com (Foster Dogs) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 23:31:00 +0000

Molly is doing really well. She is so well loved and cared for in her new home. You can see her here with her sister, and her Grandpa.

Congratulations to Molly and the Padilla family!

Brody the Super Smart Husky

noreply@blogger.com (Foster Dogs) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 03:08:00 +0000

Brody is such a smart boy! Here he is showing off the commands he knows.

He really is super smart!

Dolce at the University of Delaware Agricultural Day

noreply@blogger.com (Foster Dogs) — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 01:25:00 +0000

Dolce and his new friend Ivana charmed the people at the University of Delaware Agricultural Day this past weekend.

Look at that smile! What a happy boy.

He looks great, you'd never know he's had surgery!

Harnessed to Hope is very thankfull for all of the generous people that made donations for Dolce's care, which made it possible for us to give him a new chance at life.

Bandit's Not Afraid of his Foster Dad Anymore!

noreply@blogger.com (Foster Dogs) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 23:55:00 +0000

Bandit is wary of men, and was terrified of his foster dad when he first came into foster care. After about 1 week of patience and loving care, Bandit now loves playing with his foster dad!

That tall dog in the background is Matty!

Reading Pet Expo!

noreply@blogger.com (Foster Dogs) — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 19:35:00 +0000

Harnessed to Hope will have a booth at the Reading Pet Expo next weekend! You can meet Dolce on Friday night, and Patch on Saturday night! Click here to print coupons or buy tickets online to save. Hope we see a lot of you there!

Storm was Adopted

noreply@blogger.com (Foster Dogs) — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 23:33:00 +0000

Storm was adopted today to a lady in Toms River, NJ. The owner's boyfriend has a pug/shepherd mix that Storm is playing with here. What a great yard!

Congratulations Storm!

Dolce Has Recovered!

noreply@blogger.com (Foster Dogs) — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 02:34:00 +0000

Dolce, the sweet young Siberian Husky/Akita mix that was hit by a car in August of 2008, has finally completed his long road to recovery!

Vote and Help HTH Win $10,000 - and You Can Win Gift Cards!

noreply@blogger.com (Foster Dogs) — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 02:44:00 +0000

Harnessed to Hope is in a Care2.com contest - we need as many votes as possible by January 31st, 2009 to win the grand prize of $10,000! Second prize is $1,000, and during each week of the contest, one random shelter or rescue will win $500.00! Also, the top 20 people that recruit the most people to vote in this contest will win $50.00 gift cards!

Please vote and tell your friends as well. This money would help Harnessed to Hope continue to find homes for wonderful northern breed dogs, as well as help special needs dogs like Dolce, Matty and Xia.

Dolce's Physical Therapy

noreply@blogger.com (Foster Dogs) — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 04:49:00 +0000

Here are some videos of Dolce's physical therapy. He's not crazy about the water, but he is very cooperative and does everything he is asked to do.

We are very glad that he is doing so well!

What Dolce is Thankful For

noreply@blogger.com (Foster Dogs) — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 18:44:00 +0000

A message from Dolce: "Today is my first Thanksgiving holiday. I have a lot to be thankful for. I've had to deal with some difficult things in my short life, but I'm very thankful that so many nice people worked so hard to help save my life: the wonderful people at Greenbriar Veterinary Referral and Emergency Hospital in Urbana, MD, who called several rescue groups to see if any of them could take me. I am also very thankful that a foster home with Harnessed to Hope decided that they could take me into their home and give me the care I needed during my recovery. If you look at my new main photo, you'll see me hard at work with an exercise ball during one my physical therapy sessions. I am so thankful that I got a second chance at life! Thanks again to all of the wonderful people who have made donations toward my care!"

Dolce is still having problems with one hip. His orthopedic surgeon would like to see if physical therapy helps to strengthen the muscles that hold the hip in place. Hopefully that will work so that Dolce won't need to have more surgery. Here is an update from Dolce's foster mom about his first physical therapy session.

"Boy, was I surprised at how different (and yet how much the same) canine physical therapy is to human PT. First, how different. Every time I've had to go through PT I was "on the clock". 45 minutes or an hour after I started I got "OK, thanks for coming, let's make another appointment (and please have your insurance card/payment ready)." Our appointment today for Dolce was at 10:00 AM, and we got there a few minutes early to fill out paperwork. As we were drying him off and talking about next week I glanced at the clock. Almost 1:00 PM! We never felt rushed, and the therapist apologized for keeping us!

We spent a while sitting around on the padded floor talking about Dolce's history, having his therapist watch him walk around and discussing the goals of the therapy, how to decide if it's working or if surgery is Dolce's best option, and how we would proceed. Finally we discussed pain meds, our feelings about them, and how to decide whether or not Dolce would need them during the therapy. Then we spent a while with Dolce's therapist showing us how to do the stretches and strength exercises. This part had stark resemblance to human PT. Finally, we got Dolce set up with his doggie life vest and he spent time in the tank walking and swimming.

We decided to begin with once a week sessions and see how he recovers or if the effects wear off too quickly and he needs to go to twice weekly. I think a lot of this will depend on us doing what we are supposed to do with him at home every day to maintain the work that is being done at therapy. We will assess, his therapist will assess, and Dolce will be seen by his orthopedist at the six-week point to see whether the leg is progressing well enough to continue with the therapy. If we decide not to finish the twelve sessions, rescue will be refunded the sessions not used.

I was so proud of Dolce today. Even when the physical therapist manipulated his hip and stretched it this way and that, the only reaction from Dolce was for him to turn around and lick his hands. Dolce was clearly scared in the tank (Akita's - and I suppose Akita/Husky mixes - are NOT known to be fond of water), but he walked and swam like such a trooper. The front of the tank has a glass door, and our job was to sit in front and make sure he focused on us and if he tried to go to the side to keep calling him toward the front. My head was saying "Oh, can't you see he's tired and sore. Please stop!", but out of my mouth came, "C'mon Dolce, you're doing great. Good boy!" This dog is a constant source of inspiration. "

Thanks again to all of you who have contributed toward Dolce's care. This is a really special boy, and we are so thankful that we are able to help him, and so many people have made that possible.

Sky and Bandit are Hiking for Harnessed to Hope!

noreply@blogger.com (Foster Dogs) — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 01:03:00 +0000

From Sky (the one on the right not wearing anything silly): I was the very first dog my family adopted. I was only 3 and had a number of physical problems, including lyme disease, kidney problems, and digestive issues. On top of that, I had severe separation anxiety from being separated from my litter mate I had been raised with. My humans got lots of great help with my physical issues. They took me to school to learn to train a husky (ha ha ~ silly humans) and help me cope with my separation issues. My family was so dedicated to me that they joined Harnessed to Hope Northern Breed Rescue to learn as much as they could about me and try to help other dogs in need.

As a result of volunteering with the rescue, we saw so many dogs in need of foster care and new homes. Because we also have cats, there aren't many dogs that we can even consider to foster. A dedicated shelter worker in NJ fell in love with Bandit and worked so hard to have him pulled by a rescue organization. He passed his cat test with flying colors and came to our house in January. From the first day he came home, he just acted like he belonged here. He immediately adapted to routines, understood that I was the resident princess, and the cats trusted him right away. Our humans worked with him on trusting men and some mouthing issues, but for the most part he just became instant family. The last issue we worked through was helping him to sleep through the night (everyone knows a princess needs her beauty sleep!) - he would wake me and our humans up several times every night, for no reason that I could figure out. He just seemed sad at night. After a couple weeks our Mom got him to jump up on the bed with her while she was watching TV, and he's slept like a baby every night since (on the human bed of course)! I guess it goes without saying, he's no longer a foster dog, has become a giant mama's boy, and will be part of our family for the rest of his life. That's fine with me cause he's a pretty cool brother!

From the Humans owned by Sky and Bandit: Sky and Bandit bring us joy every day, and photos like this one just make us smile all the time. Through them, we've had the opportunity to meet all kinds of great people who want to help northern breed dogs. We've also been able to meet lots of other wonderful dogs, like Sky and Bandit, who will make great pets with the help of great rescue organizations like MaPaw Siberian Husky Rescue, Delaware Valley Siberian Husky Rescue, and Harnessed to Hope Northern Breed Rescue.

Please help us raise money for other Huskies in need, make a pledge today!

Holly the Malamute is hiking to Help northern breeds!

noreply@blogger.com (Foster Dogs) — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 16:31:00 +0000

My name is Holly, and although I'm not from your part of the country, I am a rescue. Well, a different sort of rescue. My mom and dad found me, starving, wet, and very dirty, in a corn field in Northeastern Nebraska on Christmas Eve. They were driving home from visiting my dads family, when they spotted me off the side of the highway, eating junk out of the cornfield. Mom jumped out of the car and called to me. I came running and did an immediate "tummy up" so she could rub my tummy. I was nothing but skin and bones! I only weighed 79 pounds! Yes, you may think that is a lot, but I now weight a very healthy 115 pounds!!! I am very spoiled, and get lots and lots of attention from mom and dad! I also live with 3 Siberians and 2 Samoyeds. We are quite a happy family. Mom loves to help with the fundraisers for MaPaw AND Harnessed to Hope. We are virtual hikers this year, and just love helping the other northern breeds out there who need saving, and help finding their furever homes, just like I did.

To pledge via check, make checks out to The Alliance of Northern Breed Rescues. On the memo line, please note 'Holly - HTHNBR and MaPaw', and send to Alliance of Northern Breed Rescues, PO Box 773 Horsham, PA 19044.

Loki is Hiking to Help Dogs in Need!

noreply@blogger.com (Foster Dogs) — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 11:40:00 +0000

I'm an alum of Harnessed to Hope and I'm really excited about this hike. I'm a regular at Core Creek Park where my humans take me at least once a week for walks and a little swimming. October 18th will be a little different since I'll be walking with my friends to help raise money for other pups in need.

You might not know it, but I'm a little bit of a hero. You see my human was taking me for a walk, which I love by the way. As we got to our house, I heard a noise that I hadn't heard before. I tried to get my human to check it out, but she thought that we should go inside since it was chilly. Then my human heard the noise too. It turned out that the noise was a baby that someone abandoned on a doorstep a few houses down from ours. I don't want to brag or anything, but I'm told that if I didn't alert my human to the noise, the baby could have frozen to death. Boy am I glad we went for our walk when we did!

Please help me raise money for other Huskies in need, make a pledge today!

To pledge via check, make checks out to The Alliance of Northern Breed Rescues. On the memo line, please note 'Loki - HTHNBR', and send to Alliance of Northern Breed Rescues, PO Box 773 Horsham, PA 19044.

Sasha and Misha are hiking for Hike N Howl 2008!

noreply@blogger.com (Foster Dogs) — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 00:04:00 +0000

Sasha and Misha are hiking for Harnessed to Hope and in memory of Dima, their little brother who's gone to the Rainbow Bridge. Sasha is a Harnessed to Hope alumni who was adopted by Misha's humans shortly after Dima's passing (also an HTH alum). These partners in crime are ready to hike for the cause and help raise funds for other huskies in need. Please help support them by making a pledge today!

To pledge via check, make checks out to The Alliance of Northern Breed Rescues. On the memo line, please note 'Sasha and Misha - HTHNBR', and send to Alliance of Northern Breed Rescues, PO Box 773 Horsham, PA 19044.

Dolce is Recovering

noreply@blogger.com (Foster Dogs) — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 02:01:00 +0000

Here is an update on Dolce from his foster mom:

"His demeanor improves by the day as he gets good food and his meds into his belly. He is getting to be quite a charmer and so happy to see us every time we enter the room. As you can see, he is still seriously underweight, but at four cups a day he'll get the weight on in OK time. He has begun to show an interest in investigating the rest of the downstairs of the house instead of just coming inside and going straight into his ex-pen, which is a challenge to navigate but good in terms of his recovery.
He's still afraid of the other dogs, and we think he was just never socialized with dogs. We treat and praise him when he doesn't growl at the other dogs when they pass. He shows an impressive full mouth of teeth, and Bandit and Molly are scared to pass his condo unescorted. If we put up a blanket so he can't see the other dogs, sit with him, or stand between him and the other dogs he is fine which leads us to believe that it is fear rather than true dog aggression. If he was truly dog aggressive, he would not care if we were there or not.
Dolce goes on Thursday to get his staples out, get some of his vaccines, and to have his eye checked. In two weeks he goes to see the orthopedist for a surgical follow-up."

Thanks so much to everyone who has donated for Dolce's care and Meeshka's Week of 100 fundraiser. As you can see, it's very much appreciated and has been put to excellent use!