What a week it has been. Dogs moving to new foster homes, emergencies, and puppies.

All of it a total drain on my poor little brain.

First up will be the puppies: They are amazing, but oh my god, what a lot of work. They have finally received their first set of vaccination. They have all gained weight and I was told that soon I won’t be able to carry them around and they need to learn about collars and leashes. But in my mind they are still sweet little babies and need so much. LOL But next weekend we will start the collars and leashes. Cause they might as well get used to it now
We have of course had a ton of applications for them. But as I have tried to explain to everyone, the pups will be place according to what THEY need. Not according to who comes first or who thinks they need a dog quickly. As hard as it is to make these decisions, it is about the dogs and not about the people. The more I get to know the pups the better I am able to wade thru the applications and find homes that will be appropriate. Many may disagree but the reality is, these dogs are the responsibility of West Coast Rottweiler Rescue. And some of the applications are really not what these dogs need. It doesn’t mean that the families aren’t good, or they wouldn’t make great rottie owners, it simply means that these particular pups need a certain environment to thrive. And it’s our job to make sure they get just that. Pups take a lot of work. Some pups are not suitable for homes with babies, or older couples just looking for someone to hang out with. I have found in the past that people want what they want when they want it and they are not willing to look at the bigger picture. But it is our job to stand firm. And we will
Next up is our girls. Belle has moved over to a home with one of our directors. Poor Belle must be getting confused about what is going on. But she adjusts pretty darn easily and is resilient enough to handle this. Sadie is also ready to move on to bigger things. Sadie bonds very quickly and very deeply and to move her from Wendy’s home is going to be hard on both of them. But Sadie needs to learn not to be anxious and we are hoping that a move to my home where there are more rules and structure will benefit her recovery. Wendy and her husband have done an amazing job. They have stood by this girl when she was going thru some of the worst of her recovery and she has blossomed there. I will personally be forever grateful to both of them for opening their home and their hearts to her. And I promise, I will try to keep her as well as they have.
And now a story about the hard part of rescue. We were informed about an old dog in a local municipal shelter. I was told he needed out of there and quickly. But I hear this often. And I can’t save all of them. But I wanted the shelter to know that we would help in any way we could. It’s no secret that the senior dogs are where my heart lies. So I took the drive out to the valley to visit and take pictures and ask the shelter to give us some time so that I could again plea to those that can help.
When they brought the old boy out to me, my heart broke and I couldn’t believe a dog could live in that condition. He was dirty and smelly and was very weak. His back legs could not support him. And his eyes showed pain and sorrow. I usually try to take pictures right away, but I literally fell to my knees in front of him, to hold his head in my hands and let him know I was there and would try to help. As I looked at him, he leaned forward and graced me with a sweet gentle kiss. That’s when the tears started.
Carson as we have decided to call him was found living under a school trailer. The children are the ones that most likely saved his life. It’s clear he loves them as he loves everyone that shows him kindness. The staff at the school took him into the office, gave him a warm place to rest, with food and treats while they waited for animal control to come and pick him up. He was held until his stray period was up but no one claimed him.
Carson must have lived with someone once upon a time. He has great house manners. Is gentle and sweet. And only wants to be near you. We traced his tattoo and we learned that Carson was neutered in Oct of 1998. That makes this boy 12 yrs old. That is an old age for this breed. Especially considering the life he has led lately. Cause while he must have been loved once, it has been a long time since he was shown that love. As I said, he coat was matted and filthy. You could actually feel the grit on his skin. And because he has such trouble moving around, the odor of urine was strong on him. He can’t stand well enough to eliminate properly.
Many would say the kindness act would have been to put him down right away. And maybe it would have been. But Carson shows such love for others. I could not bear the thought of him passing away in a cold wet shelter. Better that we bring him into our care, feed him good food, shower him with love and make his last days better.
I don’t know how long Carson will be with us. We won’t put him thru a lot of tests. We won’t do any surgery on him. We won’t make him uncomfortable. Because there are those that I have been blessed to meet on this road of rescue, we were able to get Carson out of the shelter later that same day. He came to my house to rest for a bit, went to another home to spend the night. Came back to my place the next day so we could transport him to a home on an island. There he will spend whatever time he has. He will be spoiled and loved and respected.
I can’t say thank you enough to those that have opened their homes, hearts and wallets so that this special dog could be saved. You all know who you are. And know that YOU are my heroes.

Yes we have puppies

I'm almost sorry I agreed to take them on. Its never easy having puppies in care. Everyone wants one. And we get tons of applications from all over the place. But there are only 3 and we need to remember that we place the dogs according to what THEY need, not what the humans want.
The pups are loud, and nippy, and active, and need so very much. They need someone that is home more often then not so they can be properly potty trained. They can't do that if you are at work 14 hrs a day. They need socialization. They need training. They need structure. They need leadership. And its our job to make sure they get all that.
The pups are only about 7 weeks old. They are not ready to leave what is left of the litter. West Coast Rottweiler Rescue wants to make sure that they are placed with families that KNOW what they are getting into. Because the last thing we want is for any dog to have to be returned.
Puppies are cute, there is no denying that. But they are a ton of work and whomever gets them had better be prepared for that.
We will make sure they are all spayed before the adoption is final. We do that so that we never have to worry about our pups having pups. It doesn't matter if you agree with our policy. It is what it is.
Training is mandatory. Yes this means even you. And when I say training, I mean that you must take your dog/puppy to obedience classes. And no, it can't be Petsmart. It must be with a trainer whose methods we approve of. Rottweilers don't just need one set of classes. They are an intelligent breed and they need ongoing training or being involved in some sort of dog sport.
They need a job.
Our dogs must live inside your home. They can not be left outside to guard your property. I don't care is someone steals your lawn. Everything that I value is safe inside my home. And that's where the dog is.
If your still interested after all of this, then please, yes, ask for an application. I would be glad to send one. But that doesn't mean that you will be able to adopt one of these puppies. Sorry. There are only 3. We have not even begun to advertise them on petfinder or with our local breed contacts. As I said before, we will place these pups the same way we place all our dogs. In the very best home we can find for that dogs special needs.

Musical Beds

We have lots of beds in our home. Most of them big dog beds from costco like this one.
Please notice that it is empty

Sashka got a new bed recently. It was in a basket that someone won in the latest raffle but Sandy wanted us to keep it. We have put $30.00 into the rescue fund for it.


here is Sashka's old bed that was too small even for her. But Belle thought it was just right



Nothing like a 73 lb rottie fitting into a bed made for a multi-poo


But this almost made me spit out my tea.



Someone needs to adopt this girl and provide her with something suitable

Taking a stand

There has been a lot going on lately and not all of it really good news. But let’s do the good news first.
Belle did so well at the vets on Friday. We are waiting for the results of her blood test and urine test but so far she is in great shape. LOL Well, not great shape but pretty good considering where she is coming from.
Belle has 2 torn curitates that must have been damaged at least a couple of years ago. There really isn’t any surgery that would help her but there are things we can do to lessen the affects of the arthritis and strengthen her muscles. Once we have all the test results back we will start her on cartophen injections and I’m hoping that we can raise some funds to get her swimming. Her condition has been left so long that all the muscles in her hind end and atrophied. She really needs this kind of gentle exercise to build up that muscle tone. And we will be keeping a very close eye on her weight.
Poor Belle almost looks deformed. Her chest and front legs are strong but her hind end is very narrow and if I hadn’t heard from our vet that this was because of having no muscle tone, I would have thought she was starving to death. But she is a good weight and we can change the state of her muscles. She will never win a trophy for best in show, but she is a winner in our eyes.
Mr. Herbie is such a goof ball and is having a great time with his new foster family. I miss having his energy here. He has a very large presence. Herbie wants to try everything now that he isn’t afraid of everything. He is still a cautious boy, will never be thought of as lion hearted, but he certainly has a zest for life.
And Sadie is Sadie. Up and down. Good days and bad days. It is hard on everyone to watch this girl. It takes patience and time for her problems to heal. And it’s only when we look at what kind of condition she was in that we realized how good she is getting.
There is always going to be conflict in the rescue community. We are a passionate bunch with strong opinions. And we don’t always agree. But I am again amazed that because I have chosen to take a stand on importing dogs from other countries that people I considered if not friends at least supporters have turned their backs on me. And since there is really no other place for me to explain myself, I am going to do it here again. :)
I personally don’t agree with importing dogs from other countries. There are hundreds if not thousands of dog’s right here that need our help. Our culture is different from the cultures in Asia. We value our companion animals in a different way. Is our way the only way? I don’t think so. North American’s don’t value cows in the same way that India does. Is our way right or wrong? Horses are used a food in some countries. Are they wrong or are we right? I don’t know that answer to these questions. I don't live in those other places. I only know that I want to make a difference here at home before I tackle the rest of the world.
But I need to be clear about something. Just because I don’t agree with importing dogs from other countries doesn’t mean that I would not support a single dog coming into another rescue once in awhile. There are always going to be exceptions to the rules. And one sweet pitty has made his way into the hearts and minds of many in the rescue community here. And I am glad for him. A little surprised that no one in the whole United States could have helped this boy, but thrilled that he is safe and will be cared for.
This is so different from bringing dogs up from Mexico or Asia on a regular basis. Or at least it is in my little brain. If importing dogs from another country is about all your going to do, then YES I will continue to speak out about it. This is a free country and we are allowed to disagree. I can’t stop it. But I don’t need to support it. That is my choice. And if it makes me a bad, uncaring, heartless person then so be it. West Coast Rottweiler Rescue was formed to help the dogs in the shelter system in British Columbia. Does that mean if there was a huge seizure in Washington State that we wouldn’t try to help one or two dogs. Not at all. If we were able to do so then of course we would. Washington helped a couple of years ago with a large seizure here in British Columbia. One or two dogs needing help isn’t what this is about. This is about the ethics of those that turn their backs on the dogs in our own country to bring dogs from other places. There are many that want you to believe we don’t kill dogs here. But we do. And it happens because there aren’t enough homes for these dogs. So why is it there are homes for dogs from Asia?

The dogs update

Sometimes for the good of the dogs we do things that break our hearts. Moving Herbie was one of them. He and I are too close. And my home is really a quiet place with not much going on other than my running in and out all the time. So Herbie has moved to different home that still understands his needsbut can expose him to more situations and experiences.
So, Belle has come to stay with us for awhile. And now that I know her better I should be able to place her better. And she is a doll. Other than the intial stress period when a dog changes homes, she has been great. She is coming out of her shell with us and is showing her fun side.
This girl loves to play tug. She is quick to offer you the toys when she wants to play and knows to give it up when you say so. She really trys to be gentle but you still have to be careful with fingers. Belle not a purebred dog but in true rottie fashion she loves her food and lives for meal times. We have her weight down to a nice place and are keeping treats to a minimum. But Belle knows to go to her “place” before we put her food down and if reminded, she is gentle taking treats.
Belle would be perfect in almost any home. She is great with everyone and though we have not really tested her with cats, she doesn’t try to chase anything while on walks. She is a mature girl and needs to be let outside more often for pee breaks and would really rather curl up next to you rather than go for a long hike. Because Belle is so anxious to get to food we think that a home without small children would be best, but she would be fine with older dog savey children.
And now for Ms Sadie. She continues to improve under Wendy’s care. She is a nice weight now and is eating turkey as well as buffalo. We now have her off all medication but are adding a holistic remedy to her food in the hopes that she will turn the corner on her recovery soon. The good news is she can now go for a couple of weeks without needing a bath. When she first came in she had to be bathed every 2 days. Her care has been a huge commitment on her foster families part and we are so every grateful to them. She has just come out of heat so we will give her more time to recover before putting her under the stress of a spay operation. Sadie has good and bad days. She has times when she is comfortable and then times when she is itchy. It seems when one area starts to clear up and other area breaks out. All of it has all the vets confused and no one has really been able to give a definite diagnostic answer to the puzzle. But she is improving just a little every day. Two steps forward, one step back. We are all under the impression that it will be another 6 months before she is ready to leave her foster home.
And finally, thank you to everyone that helped with the raffle. We have been able to raise a little over $1300.00. This will go a long way to helping cover Sadies ongoing care. West Coast Rottweiler Rescue will continue to do fundraising to cover whatever medical needs any of the dogs in our care have

It’s been a long time since I voiced my not so humble experience on the blog. I may say some things that get people going but I usually tone it down because this now belongs to the rescue. Today I am going to change that for one day. Today I am going to say what I want. For those of you looking for updates on the dogs, that will be tomorrow. Today is mine.
When I started in rescue, I really wanted to make a difference in the dogs I could see and touch. Over the years I have bitten my tongue more than I like but I have done it to maintain certain relationships. Some of us in the rescue community feel strongly about certain issues. Most of us are on the same page when it comes to basics such as spay/neuter, decent homes, treating animals as valued members of our family.
Over the last couple of years, we hear less and less about the atrocities that dogs in our own country suffer. Canada, and BC in particular are not NO KILL areas. The shelters kill all the time for various reasons. The organization BCSPCA will tell you they euthanize for aggression, behavior and illness. What they don’t tell you is what kind of aggression they kill for. Cause there are lots of reasons a dog acts out. Most of the time, it can be fixed with proper training and treatment. Ton’s of dogs go stir crazy in shelters. They don’t have enough to do, they are in small kennels with people walking by staring at them, they become fearful and try to scare people away. When they get to that point, they are killed. Some SPCA shelters kill for things as simple as parasites or kennel cough. Other shelters work their hardest to help the dogs and train and love and rehab the dogs in their care. Not all SPCA shelters are the same. But to say that dogs here in BC don’t get euthanized for space is a lie. It happens all the time. The stats won’t show it because the shelters don’t want to lose the support of the public.
And now there are those rescues that are importing dogs from other countries. Yes those dogs need help. I will not deny any of that. But so do the animals here. The ones I see as I walk thru shelters. The ones I touch. The ones that touch me. The ones that haunt me at night. Those are the ones I fear for.
I can’t stop people from doing what their heart tells them to. I don’t even want to try. But I do have the right to have an opinion on it. And I have the right to voice that opinion. And voice it I will. Until BC and Canada no longer kill dogs for little or no reason, then MY feeling is we should help at home.
I don’t expect everyone to agree with me. Hell, I don’t expect much anymore from the human race. But if what you want to do is bring dogs from other countries here and this is something you feel strongly about then don’t take offense when someone doesn’t agree with you. Don’t’ expect for everyone to stand and applaud. Don’t expect all of us to support you.
I choose to work with Rottweiler’s. I choose them because I love the breed. I choose them because I couldn’t find anyone else that was actively doing it. I choose them because they choose me. If it comes down to helping a dog in my neighborhood or helping a dog overseas, I have to choose the one here. The one that stands in front of me. The one that looks me in the eye asking for help. The one whose face I see at night. Many people advised against it. Rottweiler’s they said, were a dangerous breed. One that had no place in our society. But I stood firm in what I believed. I didn’t whine and cry and beat my chest. I just did what I thought needing doing.
So folks. Quit your whining, crying and back stabbing. Stop calling names, stop gossiping, stop slamming people if they don’t agree. We have the right to our own beliefs. I never said you couldn’t do it. I simply said I had a different view of things.