We had such a fun time

I wish I knew how to post a bunch of pictures here but I don't'. Our first pub night was held at Boston Pizza in Cloverdale. If your looking for a place to hold a small pub night, they were great. We could only seat about 75 people and even then it was full. We took over the patio, and had the whole length of the bar for silent auction items. We raised quite a bit of money and I need to thank everyone that came. You were all so generous and you made the night very special for me.
While I may be the person that the shelters talk to, the person that does most of the vetting and alot of the day to day stuff, I am only one person in WCRR. There are 7 board members. All of them are invaluable in their own way. We all worked so very hard in gathering stuff for the pub night. . Sharon did an amazing job and allowed us to store stuff in her garage. hell we literally took it over for almost 2 months. But one person really shined thru this. And that was Deb our treasurer. Every single basket was her handiwork. She nagged me to no end about making lists and checking them twice. She went out and bought ribbon and baskets, paper and boxes, labels and god only knows what. I kept telling her to keep track of the money but she always just shrugged her shoulders and said she loved doing this stuff. Everything was pretty and well presented. I/We could not have done it without you girl. Thank you.
So, to all those that said it was well run and organized. It had nothing to do with me. I only do the fur stuff.
Clyde has been motoring along quite well this week. He is getting very bold about counter surfing and I finally found out how he does it. He can't stand on those back legs, but he tries. As he gets his front paws up on the counter he has a few seconds to grab whatever he is after before he sinks down into almost a "sit pretty" position. and from there I think he just falls over. I'm not sure cause when I saw him stealing off the counter I yelled . So does he fall over because he can't hold the postion or because I scared him. Either way it made me laugh. For an old dying crippled dog he does pretty darn good some days.

I'm tired

It has been a busy 8 weeks.
First and foremost, poor Clyde. He is truly going down hill. For almost 2 weeks we suffered right along side of him as he struggled with pain and loose bowels. Having the runs when you have bowel cancer can never be a good sigh. We took him to see Kevin and decided to try stronger drugs. And it has been a short term solution. But again, Clyde is showing pain, limping quite alot, refusing to sit and only seeming comfortable when he is completely down on the ground. The last couple of days he is withdrawn again, only moving to follow me from room to room. Palliative care is so freaking hard. I don't want him to suffer and I don't want to let go.
I stopped at the gas station today to just grab some milk, and while there the girls asked me how he was. Seems the dogs from WCRR are more well known then I had thought. Clyde had only been in the station once for cookies but they remembered him and his story months later. The girl behind the counter kept saying what a nice boy he was. I couldn't agree more.

We are in the mist of preparing for the pub night fundraiser. Its our first and we have sold out quickly. There have been so many donations from so many places that we had to finally say, thanks but no thanks. It is going to prove to be a fun night. Not only is there the silent auction, toonie toss and Numbers pull, but we are going to do a live auction for the wine fridge and also for what is turning out to be a headline event. In a moment of weakness I agreed to allow SOMEONE to throw a pie in my face. So, whomever can come forward with the most money, gets the privilege. Seems some of the guys (and gals) in my life are quite excited about this one.
The dogs should really know how much I love them. Cause they are the reason I am doing this.

I think the reason I am tired is because I realized that I can not always trust those close to me.
We all make mistakes. We all say and do things that we regret. But the measure of what kind of person you are is how you own what you do and say.
I have in my lifetime done some terrible things. I have hurt people, ruined relationships and destroyed trust. But I always have tried to own my own shit. When I hurt someone, I try to apologize. When I have broken trust , I try to mend it.
There are many things I can forgive. But in order for that you happen, you have to admit to it.

Deceit is rampant in rescue these days. for a long time I have managed to avoid it. And that is because I have kept WCRR small. For the longest time it was just Jim and I fostering dogs one at a time. And we did pretty darn good. But then we reached out and opened up to others. And when you do that, you sometimes run the risk of being damaged. Not only has it happened with WCRR it has happened to another rescue as well. I have decided to pull back and rethink this.

One of the problems with running a rescue is what to do when you are too tired to go any further. That is going to happen one day. I worry that there is no one on board that can take over. Our doors will always be open for our dogs. But I worry about the ones needing help in the future.

Things just keep trudging along

I am home and happy to be with my little family again. I live a pretty blessed life most times. I love my husband and I am spoiled. For the most part I love where we live although I'm getting tired of co-op living. and while I don't love my job anymore, it pays the bills.
Poor poor Clyde. As I said earlier in a post, I tried walking him with the halti. it worked but every once in awhile he would fight it. Somehow he scratched his muzzle. I didn't think too much about it. We rubbed some lotion on it to help it heal and I thought we were good to go. But his immune system is weak I think because the sore has not healed. And he scratches it sometimes. Now, there is a large patch of raw skin on one side of his poor sweet muzzle. I am putting calamine lotion on it now in the hopes that it clears up. But I think this is just a sign of how weak his system is. And last night Jim lied there listening to him cough. We know there is cancer in his lungs. You can see it clearly in the x-rays. But the old boy isn't ready to leave yet.
I had to delete some people from my facebook page. I hate doing this. It seems silly and childish but I can't stand by and watch all the postings about dogs in danger in places like LA. We have lots of dogs in danger right here in BC. Up north there are literally hundreds waiting for some place to go. And even here, there are young healthy dogs piling up at our local animal controls and if the numbers keep going up there are going to be dogs euthanized right under our noses.
If I had foster homes, I could easily pull 2 or 3 really nice dogs from the shelters.

House Sitting

I have been away from home for almost 2 weeks while I house sit for my dear friend who has adopted Belle. I miss Clyde and Sashka and most of all my partner in life, Jim. One more sleep and then I am back where I belong.
It has been wonderful to spend time with Belle. And Sharon's is the perfect home for her. Things are calm, relaxed and it shows in Belle's manner. She is such a loving dog and is still playful and active enough to enjoy a good game of tug
Just when I thought the season of pet fairs was done I find I still have 2 more to go to. Thats ok, one of them is inside so I don't have to worry about the weather or a tent or any of the great stuff. It was a busy summer and I am more then a little burnt out.

Rescue for me is serious stuff. I take offence quickly when I think that people involved are passing the buck, doing it to make money, not caring for the animals properly, etc. And as anyone will tell you, I am quick to speak my mind. Once you have crossed the line with me, there is rarely ever a chance to go back again.
Last week I was involved in a conversation about a small middle aged dog that needed some care. I don't usually concern myself with these ones, there are lots of dog rescues that take the small ones and can provide great care for them. But................................ the rescue that was working for him posted that if no funds could be found or no one else would take him, he would be put to sleep. WTF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just because a dog is going to cost money isn't the reason we kill them. (I hate the term "put to sleep") We work harder, longer and with more dedication but we don't kill them cause they are going to cost a couple of hundred or even a couple o f grand. "WE" are the ones that save them from that. "WE" are the ones that help them recover and find them homes. "WE" never use that card. Thats just freaking wrong. Those are the things that shelters do. Those are just the things that we fight so hard against.
I guess I don't have to tell you that I had a meltdown. LOL Or that I let me opinion be known loud and clear.
Ive said it before and I guess it should be said again. Rescue is not for the faint of heart. It is hard work, it is expensive, its heartbreaking. Its not about saving the easy, the young the well adjusted. Its about saving the ones that no one wants.
As for the post on the forum, somehow it got deleted. Thats pretty convenient for the person. I don't know how much of it I saved but I do know that I have the most important parts. I will keep it cause somewhere down the road, people are going to need to know about the ethics around rescues.

Rhonda

Our hearts go out to Alison and Damon. Rhonda passed away in their arms last Sat. Thank you both for loving her.

Rhonda was only the 2nd dog that WCRR brought in. She came from a northern shelter that said she wasn't doing well and was becoming incontinent. Rhonda was overweight The shelter ran on reduced hours and I think that maybe Rhonda just had trouble getting up off her bed and would have small accidents. Regardless, we took her cause she needed someone.

Rhonda had been a farm dog. And when each new tenant moved onto the farm they got Rhonda. As you can imagine, some folks cared for her but many did not. From what I could find out, Rhonda spent lots of time either tied up or left to wander the area looking for food. When the last tenant passed away his kids took Rhonda to the local spca. Thank god they did.

Rhonda stayed a couple of months with us and we loved her. she was calm and kind and affectionate. She was good with the resident little dog. She didn't hate the neighbours cat. She was just a good girl.

As so often happens in the rescue world someone mentioned to someone else that there was this very nice older female rottie needing a home. We took Rhonda out to meet Alison and Damon and their pack. Rhonda growled at all the dogs. I think she was just asking for some space. And she wandered over to Damon and he fell for her right away. I was worried about the other animals as there were cats and horses on the property, but Rhonda seemed to do well everywhere she went. And this home was the kind of home you want for all your animals. These folks were kind and totally devoted to the companion animals in their care. Everyone was vetted whenever anything was needed and I never worried about Rhonda at all.

Several months ago, I found out that Rhonda had cancer and they were amputating a leg. I went out to see her shortly after that and thats when this picture was taken.

Rhonda, Alison and Damon fought tooth and nail trying to beat the cancer but as is so often the case, the disease won out in the end.

Rest easy my girl. We will meet again at the bridge

What the hell is it about old dogs

Almost every big old dog we have had come into our home refuses to walk in the rain. All of them do it. Stop at the door and refuse to walk outside. Today was by far the worst. Clyde is learning to walk with a halti. I am insisting that he do it cause he has almost pulled me into the street a couple of times. Clyde hates the halti. He is sure it is a devil device that is killing him. So this morning not only do I have to drag 110 lbs of dog out the door, he is also on the end of the leash doing the crocodile roll. To the idiot that thought he should honk his horn and shake his finger at me this morning, BUGGER OFF. I was not killing him, I am not abusing the poor old thing, we are simply out for our morning walk.

It amazes me how quickly our dogs become spoiled. Less then 2 months ago, Clyde was a homeless dog tied to a post. Now, I not only can't get the old fart to walk in the rain, but he is getting really spoiled with food.

I made the mistake of feeling sorry for him. I don't know when I will learn that this is never a good idea. I get sucked in all the time. Clyde wasn't feeling well when he came into care and in an effort to get him to eat enough for us to give him pain meds, I started supplementing his food with really yummy stuff. Stuff like canned pheasant, rabbit and salmon. Not only was I giving him this, I was warming it up for him. Like I said, I get sucked in.

One morning I am running late for work (and I need to work to pay for the freaking dog food) and I didn't add the warm water to the pheasant before I poured it on his kibble. How simple awful of me. Cause this old homeless stray dog ran to his food dish, took a big bite out of it, whipped his head around, looked directly at me, and spit his food out. The horrified look on his face spoke volumes How dare I feed him cold pheasant for breakfast. I knew in that moment that I had lost all chance of maintaining any illusion on my part that I am the leader in my house.

I'm sure Cesar Milan and Brad Patterson would be so disappointed in me. LOL

I'm Back

Well I never really left but I needed a break from the responsibility of updating the blog. Sometimes it is quite difficult to keep my personal opinions to myself. I originally started this blog as a way of venting and letting others see how simply childish rescue can get sometimes. It evolved to keep people updated on the dogs of West Coast Rottweiler Rescue and I find it hard to keep things upbeat and positive when I just want to scream some of the time. So, I may scream and yell and even curse. LOL this is not a family site. If you are going to be offended by the odd bad language don't read this blog But if you do read it feel free to comment cause otherwise I think I am simply talking to myself again.

Now for the updates

Carson has passed away. Waverly gave him a wonderful last few weeks. Homemade food, lots of love, short walk, and medications to keep him comfortable. That is all we can do for dogs like Carson. He was dying when he came to us. We have no magical thing that we can do other then keep them pain free until it is time to let them go. Then we hold them softly in our arms so that their last moments are gentle and loving. Palliative care is not for the faint of heart. It can be messy, it is always expensive, and most of all it is hard on your heart. Old dogs are easy only in that they don't want much. What they need can be costly.

All the pups have been adopted. This wasn't final until they had all be spayed and done obedience classes. Finding homes for pups is easy. Finding good homes for pups is harder. Finding great homes for pups is really hard but that's what I seem to have done this time. All the girls have been placed in homes where I have no doubt that they are loved and cared for and trained so that they will be great examples of what well behaved Rottweilers should be.

Sadie and Belle are also adopted. Both of them were adopted by their foster homes. Belle wasn't officially adopted until we knew exactly what was going on with her health wise. We found (after a series of tests) that she had tumors on her spleen and on her adrenal gland. While it is fairly routine to remove a spleen, the adrenal gland was a whole different story. I know I have said it before but it needs to be said again. Without our very kind and generous vet we would not be able to do what we do. With the help and guidance from Kevin, the surgery was done successfully and at a great discount to us. Testing showed cancerous cells but the margins were clear and no further vet care was recommended. Belle is now living with a Golden Retriever brother Jackson whom she loves to boss around.

Sadie is now Mera. She lives with Cricket and her pack. Mera will never be a show dog and she will most likely always have some sort of issue going on, but Cricket works very hard at keeping her comfortable, and she know that WCRR will always be there to help if needed.

And now on to new stuff

In May we got a call from the Vancouver Animal Shelter. They had a young male there that would benefit from some one on one training. We pulled him and quickly took him to Canine Harmony http://www.canineharmony.com/index.php Our friend and long time supporter (and past adopter) Chanone taught Mack what he needed to be a part of a family. Simple things like not grabbing people with your mouth and not jumping on people or humping them Things that a good owner would teach a puppy. Mack was around 2 and at an age that if something wasn't done pretty quickly he would have become a problem dog. But we managed to avoid that and found Mack a home quite quickly. Lots of folks wanted Mack. He is a very good looking boy, but Mack needed someone that was strong enough to handle him and yet had enough sense not to think he had to use force on him. There is a fine line sometimes when dealing with large dogs with big personalities and not everyone gets what is needed.

In June Gus came to stay with us. God I loved that boy. And no he was not a rottweiler. Gus was Lab. but, he was a big black old dog that needed a home. Gus was goofy and loving. He was sweet and gentle. When Gus came to us he showed no real signs of any illness. He was a little lame from arthritis and could get a little cranky sometimes but he was wonderful. After about a month of living with us Gus had a seizure. And a couple of days later he had another one. Even with medication there were signs of small ones happening. I came home one day to find he had passed away. It is heartbreaking to lose a dog. It is even more heartbreaking to find a dog has died alone. I have always been there for all the passings and I felt (and still feel) awful that I failed Gus. I am so very very sorry my man.

there is no rest in rescue. No time that you think ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh, I can stop for a moment. Jake was next in line. Jake came via Gladwin Kennels. They are just outside of Lytton, B.C. He was picked up by the bylaw officer. In Lytton, all strays are taken there. They are held for 72 hrs and if no one claims them the owner of the kennel can dispose of them as she sees fit. Lots of times she finds homes for them herself. But Genny didn't want Jake to go to just any home. So she called us and we went out to pick him up. As is usual, Sashka hated him. But Jake was very dog social and very submissive. We got him neutered and up to date on his shots and found him a wonderful home in West Vancouver. From being a stray that no one wanted to living in the lap of luxury. LOL Not bad for a stray from the humble little town of Lytton.

And then came Clyde. This is why the human race so often disgusts me. Clyde is a very old 9 years. What I mean is that he is in rough shape for a dog of 9 yrs old. We think that he has had a hard life. And it shouldn't have been. But Clyde is one of those dogs people let down. Clyde was found in July, in the middle of a heat wave, tied to a post here is Surrey. Clyde had no collar, no micro chip and an old tattoo that could not be traced. He was dirty and smelly and his coat was a mess. His nails were long and his teeth yellow. An angel found Clyde tied to that post with nothing more than a short piece of yellow rope. When I say an angel found Clyde that's exactly what I mean. Most people would have just "called someone" rather then put their hands on this old dirty dog. But this angel took him to her home. She took him into her house with her own dogs and made sure he had food and water. The angel tried to take him to the local shelter but she was told that if no one claimed him his outlook wasn't good. You dear reader can take that anyway you want. I know how I took it. Clyde's angel wouldn't leave him there knowing that he might not make it out of the shelter. She took him back to her home and started searching for someone to help Clyde. She contacted us and I went and picked him up. I will always be grateful to that angel. Because Clyde is a sweetheart. Clyde is most likely a shepherd/rottie cross. It doesn't really matter at this stage of the game. Clyde is in our home and will stay there. As we always with any dogs coming into our care, we took Clyde to the vet for a checkup. My old boy has many many lumps. After some discussion we decided to x-ray to make sure what we were thinking was a fact. Clyde has hip displacia. He has a torn criciate and of course he has arthritis. But worst of all the x-rays showed tumors on his bowels. Another x-ray was taken of his chest and there are tumors on his chest. Clyde has advanced cancer.
Was this the reason Clyde was left tied to that post all alone. Did someone know and just didn't want or couldn't afford to care for him any longer. Whatever the reason, shame on them. To leave a family member to strangers to care for is horrible. We know Clyde belonged to someone. He has wonderful house manners. We know he was neutered and was part of another rescue. We know someone should have cared enough for Clyde to stand by him for his entire life, not just the easy parts. WCRR will care for Clyde the same way we care for all our palliative dogs. We will manage his pain. Right now Clyde has wonderful days and them some very quiet days. Some days he runs and jumps and rolls around. Other days he walks very slowly. I doubt it will be long. And Jim and I will be heartbroken once again. Because none of us can bring a dog home and not love it.

Now I want to talk about rescue. Rescue is becoming quite fashionable these days. There are rescues popping up all over the place. Please check them out carefully. Not all of them run the rescues ethically. So please be aware when adopting. Check them out. Are the dogs actually living in foster homes right now, or are they in shelters in other countries just waiting for an order. One of the problems with rescues is being able to stand for the dog you adopt. Do they stay in touch with the adopters. Not all of them do apparently. Clyde was from a long established rescue in the fraser valley. They have left the area and there is no one from that rescue willing to take Clyde or even help with the cost of medicine. So for the newer rescues, make sure you have a plan in place for when a dog needs you again. Because sooner or later a dog you adopt out will need to come back to you. Don't leave it for strangers to figure out.