DREAM Dachshund Rescue

I am amazed every day by the capacity of dogs to love and forgive the human race. I hope to give people a better understanding of what rescue is and why rescue is needed. The road is heartbreaking and frustrating. I meet so many dogs with such sad histories. And then I see them turn themselves around, with love and stability, and I think this is the happiest road there is, as well as the saddest. For the doggies, always the doggies. www.dreamdachsierescue.org

Sunday, May 27, 2007

Dachshund Heaven

One of our foster homes just emailed this to me. I love it....I made a few changes to adapt it for dachshunds (and to make it a woman!). Thanks to Sherri!!!
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A woman and her dachshund were walking along a road. The woman was enjoying the scenery, and the dachshund was barking happily at all the squirrels and chipmunks, when it suddenly occurred to her that she must be dead. She remembered dying, and that the dachshund walking beside her had died of old age many years before. The dachshund was young and spry again, and she noticed that she felt younger, too.

She wondered where the road was leading them. After a while, they came to a high, white stone wall along one side of the road. At the top of a long hill, the wall was broken by a tall arch that glowed in the sunlight. When she was standing before it, she saw a magnificent gate in the arch that looked like pearl, and the street that led to the gate looked like pure gold.

The pair walked toward the gate, and as they got closer, they saw a man at a desk to one side. The woman called out, "Excuse me, where are we?"

"This is Heaven, ma'am," the man answered.

"Wow!" said the woman. "Would you happen to have some water?" she asked.

"Of course. Come right in, and I'll have some ice water brought right up." The gate began to open.

The woman motioned down to her dachshund. "Can my friend come in, too?" she asked.

"I'm sorry, but we don't accept pets."

The woman was surprised. She looked at her dachsie, who was looking on down the road, his ears pricked up and his tail wagging. He looked up at her with a question in his eyes. She thought a moment, and then said, "Come on, Moonpie," and turned back to continue the way they had been going.

After another long walk, and at the top of another long hill, they came to a dirt road leading through a rusty farm gate that looked as if it had never been closed. There was no fence. As the woman approached the gate, she saw a man leaning against a tree and reading a book.

"Excuse me!" she called to the man. "Do you have any water?"

"Sure, there's a pump over there, come on in."

"How about my friend here?" the traveler gestured to her dog.

"There should be a bowl by the pump." They went together through the gate, and sure enough, there was an old-fashioned hand pump with a bowl beside it. The woman filled the water bowl and gave it to the dog, and drank several handfuls from the pump. When they were no longer thirsty, she and Moonpie walked back to the man sitting by the tree.

"What do you call this place?" the woman asked.

"Why, this is Heaven," he answered.

"That's confusing," the woman said. "The man down the road said that was Heaven back there."

"Oh, you mean the place with the gold street and pearly gates? Nope. That's Hell."

"Doesn't it make you mad for them to use your name like that?"

"No, we're just happy that they screen out the folks who would leave their best friends behind."

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I wonder all the time how people can leave their best friends behind, but I am glad that DREAM is able to care for those friends and find them better homes than those that abandoned them.

Moonpie is one of our senior fosters. I hope she will find her new home in this life soon. If not, DREAM will care for her until she moves on to the next one.

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Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Tabby's video - paralyzed dachshund

I am so excited! Tabby's video, showing the quality of life possible for a paraplegic dog, is finally on YouTube!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Saf_kZvwClE

Big thanks to Rob at Bleeding Edge Studios for his help. If you ever are in need of a corporate video or tv commercial or music video, he's terrific to work with.
www.bleedingedge.tv

Yahoo for Tabby! She amazes me every day with her spirit, love, and boundless energy. My hope for this video is that people will learn how much joy and happiness these dogs can have, really with minimal care. The message many people get from their vets at the crucial moment is, tragically, often very different, and they give up when they might not have to.

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Melinda Merck's NPR interview

A few months ago I attended the trial of the Moulder brothers, who were convicted of animal cruelty and burglary in Fulton County. Dr. Melinda Merck was the forensic veterinarian on that case, and she was recently interviewed on Fresh Air. Although this is difficult to listen to, I hope you will force yourself to do so. The link between animal cruelty and domestic abuse and other crimes is also discussed.

These things happen, and we must not turn our faces away from the animals.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=10170093

Georgia Legal Professionals for Animals is an excellent organization, making great strides in getting these cases to prosecution. www.georgialpa.org

Saturday, May 05, 2007

14 steps


Luke is making incredible progress. He has been in swim therapy for 5 months now, almost every weekend, and he has begun to take steps.
His contractures are almost gone. He is on his feet just as much as he is off of them. Most of the time he is in a standing position, but he is so impatient to get where he wants to go, that most of the time he still drags his legs beneath him (although in standing form).
When he slows down enough, he takes steps. Whenever he stands and starts to step, we start to count. A few days ago he was up to 14. They are not normal steps, but they are steps.

Tonight: another breakthrough. Luke tried to squat in the yard to poop! And he pooped on his own, in position!

Here he is at swim therapy, the little trooper. Check him out -- standing up!!!
Thanks to Sherri, our new foster home, for the great pictures.

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