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.
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