Are there too many

We have so many dogs. Maybe not by others standards, but more than we have ever had before.

The longest staying on is Sasha. What an amazing girl she has turned out to be. She really just needed someone to stand up and take a leadership role. She is loving her new foster home and they apparently really like her. She needs very little really. Some gentle walks some play time and some love. All of it easy to provide.
The most expensive of course is Sadie. I really have to get Sadie’s stuff update on the website. She has all of us kinda worried. Nothing seems to be showing up with the tests we have done on her skin. She is still itchy, is still scratching herself raw if she is allowed to. Her vet care just keeps rising and we won’t even talk about how much it costs to feed a dog raw buffalo meat. But she is so worth it. Her foster family really enjoys her personality, the fact that there are really no negative behavioral problems. I pray that the raffle brings in some much needed money. We would never allow a dog to go without because of cost, but it is still very very worrying.
Our newest one is Belle. Again an older girl. But again, so very very deserving. She was adopted from the Vancouver Animal Shelter in the spring of this year. But for reasons that I certainly don’t understand her new owners just didn’t want her any longer. Yes, without a consistent schedule, she does leak a little when she stands up. But having a couple of short extra walks a day certainly helps that. And if she needs it, there is medication that is pretty darn cheap. Her knees are shot. The ligaments are torn and really there isn’t much to do at this point other than make sure her weight stays good, her exercise is gentle and she gets regular supplements to help.
And in the wings is Herbie. Still after all these months, no decision is made on his case. He stays in limbo, not belonging to the rescue, not belonging to us, not being able to be placed in a proper forever home. Herbie has bonded so deeply with us that I fear that his heart will be broken when the time comes for him to move. He will need that very special home. One that can understand his fears and help him to adjust. He has come such a long way. He loves when we have visitors now. He loves when others stop to pet him. And he is now comfortable enough to allow people to do just that.
And then there is good and bad news. The good news is that I got to see Rhonda again. She has lost her leg to cancer but has made an amazing recovery. And what was more amazing was that she actually remembered me. When I walked into the house, she gave that whoo, whoo that said, “I remember you Treat Lady”. Ok, maybe she was just hoping for some liver brownies but whatever. I was thrilled to see her. And the bad news. WCRR is broke. When we only did one dog at a time, the money we raised was enough. But, we are now getting know, and more dogs are coming into care. But the economy is bad. People don’t have the money to donate that they used to have. We don’t owe any money, but there is very little in the bank these days. Without help from others, I’m not sure how long we can go on this way

We have been so busy

that there literally has been no time to post here or anywhere for that matter.
Sadie is doing well. she is still very very thin but we think its because her diet is now made up of raw buffalo. Its horribly expensive, and a very lean meat. Hence the weight problem. she is still having outbreaks but is looking amazing. Her coat is coming back and it is glossy and beautiful. A huge thank you to her foster mom for taking such good care of this dog. Baths every couple of days, the special diet, the vet visits. None of it is easy. And I am forever grateful for her and her wonderful husband stepping up to the plate for the girl.
And then there is Sasha. Her foster mom has been managing to keep Sasha and her own dogs apart. Sasha is not an easy girl to foster. the fact that she won't tolerate other pets makes it a full time job to foster her. She has been living with her foster mom for months now and I had almost given up hope of every finding just that right home. But there is a home for every dog and Sasha is meeting 2 very nice people that are looking to foster her and maybe she will win their hearts over.
Zeke has been adopted. When he went into foster care, I promised that the folks taking care of him that they could not adopt. LOL Well, I lied. Chanone and Scott fell in love with the little bugger and he is now part of their pack. And what a change he has gone thru. He is a loving happy boy that gets along with everyone. He no longer tries to bite or throw temper tantrums when he doesn't get his own way. Every puppy, especially rottweiler puppies need that structure and guideline to live by.
Herbie the love bug still lives in limbo. The court cases just keep going on and on. Its hard for all of us. He has bonded so deeply and is now so comfortable in our home that it will be hard on him to move to another place. But move he must. And I'm torn. Do I place him in another foster home or do I keep him here. The court cases may go on for another year. And who knows how it will all turn out.
There are dogs waiting in the wings to come in. It seems there are always dogs waiting. And I have to make decisions on who I can take and who I can't. Its like deciding who lives and who dies. I hate being the one to make that decision. And it doesn't help when there are other rescues emailing me saying I "should" take this dog and not that one. But they aren't the ones living in my skin. They aren't the ones that have to listen to the voice of my heart.

Its been over a month since I posted. the time has flown so quickly, the summer is over, the nights get colder and rescue continues on.
there has been alot going on in WCRR. First up is Sadie.
This girl lived with someone. They say they found her as a stray. maybe they did. Maybe they didn't. We won't ever know for sure. But Sadies CURRENT owners, the ones she lived with for over 7 months, the ones she thought she belonged to, couldn't/wouldn't take care of her. I heard about Sadie in an email way back in March of this year. Her owner called me to ask some advice. I told her what I thought might be going on, explained that we had no room in rescue for another dog but this woman swore that she already loved her and would care for her the best she could.
Then she emailed me again a few weeks later. Sadie was still very thin, wasn't eating properly and was very itchy. I explained that we still couldn't take her in but because she was a stray I would try to help with some vet bills. So I set up a time to go to Chilliwack to meet Sadie. I got there at the agreed time but no one was there. I waited outside the address she had given me for over an hour. But still no luck so home I went. The woman called again, apologized said something came up and could we try again. Yup, if the dog needs help, we are going to at least give it a try. So another appointment was made, another trip to Chilliwack and again, no one home. I admit, I was a little pee'd off. I wouldn't answer emails or phone calls. I figured the whole thing was a scam. Then in early Aug I got another email saying Sadie was now very sick and could I please help her. I had someone that lived in Chilliwack go meet her and it was heartbreaking. Sadie had lost so much of her fur, she was painfully thin, but still maintained that wonderful temperament we see in rotties. Arrangements were made for her owner to take Sadie into our vet right away. Kevin as per usual stepped up to the plate. A full exam, showed Sadie had long term skin lesions, most likely from either food or flea allergies. she was treated for fleas, given antibiotics, shampoo's and more flea meds. Another appointment was made for Sept to see if there was much improvement. But before that appointment happened, Sadies owner phoned to say she was much worse and had stopped eating. She said that she thought Sadie needed to be put down. That it wasn't fair for her to suffer like that. After much discussion with Kevin, we asked if Sadie could spend 1 night at the clinic to see if we could get her turned around again. the owner agreed and left poor Sadie with Kevin. As soon as she left Kevin got Sadie to eat some canned food and then she gobbled down a bunch of kibble. There was nothing wrong with this girls appetite.
The next day I called the woman to tell her Sadie could come home. But she said she was busy and couldn't make it that day. I thought there was something funny going on and tried to call her later. I couldn't reach her so I sent her an email. When there was no answer to the email on the second day, I tried phoning again and then tracked down her boyfriends phone number. The bottom line is this woman had gone to Las Vegas and didn't want Sadie back. How absolutely heartbreaking for this dog.
it has been a couple of weeks that Sadie has been with us. Her foster home is taking such good care of this sweet girl. She is eating, being bathed on a regular basis. She lives in a home free of fleas and is no longer full of scabs or has greasy, smelly fur. Sadie will take time to recover but she will be fine. And I know we will locate the home for her she so much deserves.
And then there is Herbie
His name used to be Surby, then the shelter called him Curby but we named him Herbie cause he's a love bug. We have been fostering for the spca while there was a cruelty case going on. I got the call today that the case has been settled and the spca now has custody of all the animals. And then I was asked if I wanted to adopt Herbie. I had always assumed that they would release him to rescue once the case was over. I would LOVE to adopt this boy. But I can't. My life isn't my own. Our lives are dedicated to West Coast Rottweiler Rescue and we can't adopt another dog without putting the whole rescue in jeopardy. There is a limit on how many dogs can live in this home. But I want Herbie to be a part of WCRR. I want us to always be there for him. I want to know where he lives, that he is happy and safe and warm and loved. I'll admit, "I" need that.
So much of our hearts are put into the dogs we house. We not only give them food and shelter we give them a piece of our souls. To do less than that would be unfair. And yes our hearts break when they leave. But while they may move on to a different location, they are always apart of our rescue. Please SPCA, let Herbie/Curby/Surby, whatever you want to call him, stay with us. please

Death row dogs and puppies

Sometimes they have lots in common. In the last couple of weeks we have taken in both.
I got the call about Sasha months ago. She was in a shelter but we thought she was safe. Like so many poor dogs, Sasha was going crazy in the shelter. It doesn’t matter how good the shelter is, no dog should be there for that long. Sasha started to act out and I got the call ever rescue dreads. Sasha was in desperate need of getting out of there. She had growled and snapped at people and it was decided that she could not be adopted if she was displaying those traits. I tried and tried but I couldn’t find a foster home for her. While I was in Kelowna they told me she was going to be euthanized. I sat on the steps of the Noah’s Wish shelter crying in frustration. Days later when I returned things were no better. But as sometimes happens an angel appeared. Not one with wings or a glowing face, but a tiny lady that had opened her heart to tough dogs before and was more than willing to give this girl a chance. And it was only because of other angels in the background that we found her.
Sasha has been in her foster home for awhile now and while she is still settling in, she is showing that she can be a lovable dog. She goes to people quickly for pets and is one of those rottie (crosses) that is a leaner. She would do better in a hope with no other pets but rather someone that can show leadership and fairness. Someone that loves the older ones and has some knowledge about living with this breed.
And then there was the pup. If you know me at all you know I don’t really care for pups. And this one had had the worst start of any of them. No, he wasn’t beaten, starved, or abused. But worse for him, he was allowed to act out in any way that he wanted to. No one would or could stand up to him and he had started to bite. Not your cute little puppy manner, but as a bully intent on showing the world how tough he was. Zeke was 5 months old and hell bent on gaining his desires anyway that he could. And again, another angel appeared. This time in the shape of an friend that had the training, patience and ability to show Zeke that life as a pack member instead of the head dog was a better way to live. Zeke is a work in progress. But progressing he is. And like Sasha, he needs a firm leader who will stand their ground and not allow him to fall back into his old ways.
Both these dogs have the same problem. Whoever owned them failed them. Both these dogs could have lost their lives had angels not stepped into help. Sasha only had a short while. Zeke, well he may be a puppy right now, but he is quickly growing and a dog that has no boundaries is a dangerous animal.
I will be forever in the debt of the angels that have helped us help them.

We have a 5 yr old male staying with us. I can’t tell you about his circumstances, his name, or show you pictures cause right now, he doesn’t belong to us. But I will share what life is like with a frightened 90 lb Rottweiler.
It’s sad most days. Things that we usually take for granted scare this boy. He isn’t aggressive at all, but rather trys to run and hide. Sounds like a dishwasher or washing machine used to make him either hit the floor, or become so stressed that he would pant and pace for the longest time. Flags waving, things blowing in the wind, all of these startle and stress this boy. And he doesn’t recover quickly.
After being with us for over a month, I still can’t bath him. His fear takes over and he needs to run away. He came to us with very little training and I’m finding it hard to get him to co-operate some days. Its like the fear is a transit thing. One day he will be somewhat ok, the next he is scared out of his mind. Even simple things like opening the plastic containers for our cookies makes him run out of the room
Jim and I were doing some little reno’s in the back yard on the weekend and this poor boy couldn’t stand and watch. It’s like he has never experienced life. Hammering makes him run, cleaning house makes him want to hide, pulling weeds is enough to make him run upstairs and not want to come down again. We will most likely never know this sweet boys history. And it doesn’t really matter I guess. What matters is that he is here and safe for now. And we are going to do everything in our power to make him more confident.
He is a magnificent animal. He is loving to the point of being a pest, always wanting to have your hands on him. We have taught him that his crate is a safe place and he goes there willingly when we have to work but when we are home, he is right by our sides.
I’m hoping that soon he will become part of West Coast Rottweiler Rescue. I pray that the right family will step up for him. He needs so very much to be loved and to be made to feel safe.

No we haven’t gone away

We are still around and still active.

But I will say losing Bear took the wind out of my sails. And there was another loss right around the same time. Too be very honest, my heart just wasn’t into posting on the blog.
Anyways, back to the dogs. A young boy came into care the same day we lost Bear. I put out a call for a foster home and one showed up right away for him. Usually I would have preferred to have him in our home, but with everything going on, it wasn’t the right time or place.
Laurie took little Harley into her home and kept him till we found just the right placement for him. There were lots of people wanting to adopt him but he needed that special family that would give him everything he deserved. And they did show up. What a wonderful thing to place a young dog in a young family and know they will do everything they can to make him the best dog ever.
We were asked by a local shelter to take in a special case. We have done just that but until all the facts around this dog are settled, I won’t post about him. Suffice to say that the mystery man will be seen around pretty soon I hope.
Earlier this month we celebrated a very special day. Our little min am esk/pap cross turned 10 yrs old. Jim thought we should post about her because without her, there would be no Rottweiler Rescue.

Sashka came to us when she was about 1 ½. I knew nothing about rescue, I only knew that I wanted a dog and Jim said it had to be small. LOL. Sashka was advertised in the buy and sell. The ad said she was a lovely young dog with great manners, well socialized, good with kids, yada, yada, yada. The only reason they were looking for a home for her was allergies. Nothing could have been farther from the truth. The woman said she would bring the dog down on her next trip to the coast and we meet in a MacDonald’s parking lot. My first sight of Sash was her being dragged out of a crate that she had spent 10 hrs in with a very large Bassett hound. She was so very dirty and scared out of her mind. She cowered and shook and would not look at anyone. If I had been smart I would have turned around and walked away. But………………… I loaded her in the car and took her home.
Sashka was frightened by everything and everyone. She was of course, not housetrained at all. Traffic scared her, a leash was clearly not something she had ever experienced, and people made her run in the opposite direction. Strange dogs were even worse. Either she charged at them barking or she tried to run. The only way to comfort her seemed to be to sit and pet her. And only I could do that. She would not go to him willingly for almost 6 months.

Sashka could also not stand to be by herself for any length of time. I have the most wonderful neighbors but even they became tired of listening to her bark all day long. We tried more exercise but that didn’t seem to help. I took her to a daycare but she kept getting loose. She was just too fearful to be anywhere that I wasn’t. After talking to a dear friend, we decided to try fostering. We went to our local spca and told them we would like to help an older calm dog. I was very upfront with them about what I could and couldn’t manage. LOL
They first introduced us to a Dalmatian. That introduction didn’t go very well. LOL Both dogs charged at each other trying to kill one another. Next came a sweet older German shepherd cross. Nope, that didn’t go well either. Seems Sashka kept charging and barking and certainly not showing her best side. The shelter staff asked if they could try one more and I said sure. What did I have to loose.
Out came one of the largest and oldest Rottweiler’s I had ever seen. This was not a breed I knew anything about nor was it a breed I really wanted to learn about. I had bought into all the hype about how viscous they were and how they would turn on us one day. I was shaking my head no even before they got up to the playground. But Sash had a different idea. The barking and charging weren’t as intense. And this old boy just ignored her. She settled quickly and the shelter attendant convinced me we should put them in the same run.
While I watched closely, Sashka approached this old smelly boy, sniffed him quickly and walked away. He followed her, gave her one sniff and then went and lied down. Sashka went to him again and after a moment she licked his grey muzzle and lied down next to him.
And so began our journey. Old Man Luke was a wonderful example of a well tempered Rottweiler. He was patient, loving with those he knew, stoic, and a clown. We knew his age was 12 because he had been in so many shelters and we could trace his tattoo. While his journey with us only lasted about 18 months, he showed me what it was to be loved by a rottie.
Sashka is still my little princess. I love her to bits. And I will be forever grateful that she introduced me to this wonderful breed.
In honor of her 10th birthday we have decided that when people ask what breed she is we are going to tell people she is a “rare northern miniature longhaired bi-colored Rottweiler. Her heart is certainly big enough

Mr. Bear:

You were the saddest looking dog that I had ever seen. The shelter was no place for you and they couldn’t let you stay there. I had promised Jim at least a couple of weeks off before the next foster was to come in, but you couldn’t wait. And I couldn’t let you. So home you came with me.

Right from the start we knew our hearts were in big trouble. You didn’t care about much except food and being warm. You were hesitant to come for attention, almost as if you didn’t trust that it was all real. But once you knew it was real, you were an absolute love bug, always looking for attention, playing the clown and looking at us with such sweet old eyes.
We tried to find out exactly what was wrong with you but both Kevin and the neurologist both said that whatever it was, it most likely couldn’t be fixed. We didn’t want to keep putting you thru test after test and you weren’t in pain so we left you alone. Instead we tried to make your life as much fun as possible. It took trying a couple of things but swimming was your fav. Every week as we drove out to the pool, you would get more and more excited the closer we got.
I miss you already. I miss you welcoming me at the door with that silly dirty yellow duck, I miss stumbling over you in the kitchen at dinner time, I miss that sweet look on your face. I miss the little nibbles on my ear. I even miss having to wipe the food off your nose after you had eaten.
5 months was not long enough. Rest sweetly old man.