Kevin -- my first foster dachshund

I received an email today from a family that adopted the first dog I ever rescued myself from a shelter -- Kevin. His new family named him Whiskey. Matching dogs to families like this one is what keeps me going with rescue, even when it seems too overwhelming, too frustrating, or just too hard.

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Actually I have some sad news about Whiskey (Kevin). Last week he suffered a stroke and was subsequently diagnosed with leukemia. Unfortunately just today he lost the battle and went ahead of us to heaven. We took him to the vet’s office tonight to have him cremated. We should have him back home next Wednesday to sit next to Daisy (our other senior wiener who we lost just before we got Whiskey).

We would not change a moment of our time with our foot-cleaning, dishwasher-cleaning, closet-sleeper "whosa-boy". (That's what we kinda called him at home)

Thanks so much for the opportunity to get to know him and love him - he was a great pet. But it was his time to go ahead and scout out the other side for us. We all hope to see him again someday in a better place.

Both Susan & I know that you really loved that dog & so did we. There were lots of tears here today. We will truly miss him.

We’ve got to grieve for a bit, but who knows, we may hook up again & get another dog from you guys.

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Goodbye Kevin. You were a good, good dog. Lots of people here loved you, and we're looking forward to seeing you at the Rainbow Bridge. I hope your heaven is full of Krazy Kat toys and comfy laundry baskets, with no scary windshield wipers anywhere. We love you, Kevin. We love you, Whiskey.

House full of dachshunds

After two weeks of vacation (sans dachsies), I'm back in the proverbial saddle. Luke spent two weeks at rehab, and is spunky and cheerful. He wags his tail almost constantly and I swear he has gotten even faster in his cart. His little back legs are still very stiff and contracted, but when he is in the cart he holds them in a natural position, as though he is standing. I think he has a bit more bladder control as well. He resists me when I try to "squeeze" him -- holds his abdominal muscles tight! Then he dribbles as he tools around in the cart, so I have to put a "drip cloth" around him.

Arthur did very well with the house sitter, after he had bitten him once. This is Arthur's life philosophy -- "Bite everyone I meet once, and then if they stick around, they're my best friend." Makes adoption a little challenging, but there is a home out there for every dog, if we can just wait long enough.

Fella remains his old self -- sweet, loving, and terrified of being picked up. If the slightest thing scares him, he bites whatever is closest. Another challenging case, but it is wonderful to see him open up more and more every day.

The calls keep coming in, more and more dachshunds in need of help.

Discouragement for the dachshunds

Emails received in the last week (paraphrased):

My dachshund barks too much, I want to surrender him to rescue.
My dachshund has epilepsy, I want to surrender him to rescue.
A dachshund was turned into our shelter by his owner, he's very scared. Can rescue get him?
My dachshund won't stay in the yard, I want to surrender him to rescue.
My dachshund isn't housetrained, I want to surrender him to rescue.
We had a baby, and we don't want this dachshund any more.
We're moving, and we can't take the dog.

Our mantra is 'It's all about the dogs, and it's not the dog's fault." What a challenge it is sometimes to work with people who seem to show no interest in taking responsibility for their dogs' well being. They don't consider their own actions in contributing to the dogs' behavior, or that they should have planned for a 14-year commitment when they got that puppy. They don't think, "Maybe I could do something to help my dog behave the way he needs to." They just want the dog to magically BE that. Such unrealistic expectations for our little friends!

At DREAM we try to mentor and educate people so that they can keep their dogs, but we also want dogs to be in homes that WANT them. And we must balance all these emails with the many we get about dogs in animal control and shelters who are in real danger of death. There are so many. There are so many. My sincerest wish in the world is to see 1 thing in my lifetime: a time when every dog born already has a home waiting for it eagerly and with open, loving arms.

We are a long way from that time.

Big day in dachshund rescue!

Good day today! Some of the wonderful things that are happening at DREAM.

We have a new foster home! Ashley has begun fostering Smokey Joe. It's great to have a new place -- opens up more room for us to save more dogs. Foster space and funds for vet care are our biggest limitations. This is a picture of Smokey Joe after a long hike with Ashley ... worn out!

We had an adoption today! Pixie was adopted by her new mom, Lindsay. Pixie is going to live in a darling little carriage house where she has her own bedroom.

HowlOWeenie, our annual picnic, is coming together! We have 2 beautiful prints from Terry Pond to use on our t-shirts, and many artists and vendors are agreeing to be in our artists market. And of course all the planning for our costume contest, face kissing contest, howling contest, and the Dachshund Dash.

I feel very fortunate indeed to have our terrific board of directors, all committed and FUN women who love the dachshunds and give so much of their time and their hearts to saving them.

There may always be more dogs than there are homes, but I feel that we are doing our little bit to help some of the suffering. It's a good day to be in rescue.