DREAM Dachshund Rescue

Blog has moved!

2008-09-26T22:07:00.002-04:00

HI everyone, we're moving our blog on the rescue life to:

http://dreamdachshundrescue.wordpress.com

Blogger has been good to us, but wordpress has some nicer features like categorizing, so that you can more easily find the posts on the topics you are most interested in.

Weiner love!

Join us!

Rescue week - Luke's Joys and Nash's Pain

2008-05-16T11:14:00.006-04:00

We have had an eventful week!

Our joys this week include Luke's adoption. Many of you have followed Luke's story, from his surrender by his owners when he was injured, through his surgery, physical therapy, and swim therapy, and when he started to walk again. I am so proud of him! Last weekend, Luke went on a "sleepover" with a potential mom and dachsie brother. They are all in love -- Luke has found his forever home. Thank you Kim and Marvin!
We had a very scary time with our foster Nash, one of the dogs we got from the breeder a couple of weeks ago. He came down suddenly with HGE (Hemorrhagic Gastroenteritis) -- an often unexplained condition that strikes fast and can be deadly. (My own dog had this last year, and it was terrifying). Nash's human foster brother, Nicky, found him near death, and acted quickly. They got Nash to the vet for stabilization, IV fluids, and antibiotics. His bloodwork was terrible, his body temperature dropped and we were afraid we were going to lose him. Then the vet had to close and his foster mom Theresa took Nash to an emergency clinic for overnight care. In the morning he was much better. He spent the second day back at the normal vet, and went home that evening. It looks like he is going to be fine, but DREAM had a scary time of it there, especially Theresa, Nicky, and Sarah. They had to do all the shuffling from vet to vet to make sure Nash had professional medical care round the clock for a couple of days. He is much happier to be back in his foster home! We don't have the final damage yet, but just the emergency vet part was more than $900. If anyone can help with Nash's expenses, please send whatever you can. Even $10 makes a difference. Our website www.dreamdachsierescue.org will tell you how, and all donations are completely tax-deductible.

The Next Generation

2008-05-14T09:21:00.007-04:00

Two things have happened this week to give me special hope. When we started DREAM, one thing we didn't even think about was the children in the foster homes, and how fostering would affect them. But these kids are AMAZING... they see first hand the suffering caused by overpopulation and breeding ... and they are going to DO something about it!

First, Grace. Grace had her 8th birthday party last weekend. Instead of presents, she told her mom that she wanted her friends to make donations to DREAM. And they raised more than $100, which DREAM will use for much-needed veterinary care for the three puppymill dogs we just took in.

Second, Sydney. Sydney had a video project for her school, and she chose the topic "Puppy Mills." It's a terrific video, and you can see it here: www.Myspace.com/arsenalmom13 (click on "Videos"). As if the video isn't fabulous enough, her film won at the "Darlington Oscars" awards! Many of the kids at her school told her they had never even heard of puppy mills. Can you imagine the impact this has on that group of kids -- they will never contribute to the breeding industry. They have an early awareness. Her mom Sherri sure must be proud of her!

And I am so proud of Theresa's teenagers, Nicky and Sarah. Theresa is one of our long-term foster homes. When one of her foster dogs had a medical emergency, both kids jumped in and figured out how to get the dog to emergency care. He would have died without their resourcefulness.

I don't think my generation will be able to fix our problems, but their generation just might. I'm proud to know em!

Update on the 24

2008-05-14T09:06:00.004-04:00

Thanks to everyone for your outpouring of ideas and support on the 24 dogs we received. I am still hoping to get more dogs from the situation, with the help of animal control, by the end of the month.

The saddest part is, the AKC had recently inspected the breeder, and she "passed with flying colors." What does that tell you about inspections?

Here is where we currently stand, thanks to excellent collaboration from several rescues. Other groups also stepped up to help, and I plan to call on them when / if we get additional dogs. (Thanks Kentucky!)

DREAM pulled 24 dogs, including 7 young puppies, from the situation. 9 more dogs were in the outdoor kennels, and we don't know how many more were inside.

Southern States Dachshund Rescue (http://www.ssdr.org/), bless them, took 3 adult dogs and all 7 puppies, including 2 longhairs and one wirehair. Special thanks to them for actually driving to meet us, saving those puppies the stress of additional transport.

Dachshund Rescue North America (http://www.drna.org/) took 3. One longhair piebald, one smooth piebald, and one smooth red.

Two rescues in New York arranged transport within 2 days for 8 more adults.

DREAM has 3 of the dogs, and they are all precious. Please check our petfinder listing for Spanky, Sweet Pea (pictured), and Nash.

The dogs were all in reasonable health. I was shocked that all were heartworm negative. They all needed vaccinations, and, of course, spay/neuter. All needed dentals, one significant -- the removal of both upper canines. All were very dirty and smelly, but good natured, if hand-shy.

I had a terrific experience working with Murray County animal control, thanks to the amazing efforts of the 2 women there who move heaven and earth to help so many dogs with so few resources. THANK YOU Pauline and Lisa for all that you do. Generally the rescue community feels that they must "battle" animal control, but at Murray County it is a true collaboration. Those two manage to save more dogs than most of the larger counties, much better funded. DeKalb could learn a lot of lessons from you.

For the dogs, always for the dogs.

Dachshund Exhaustion

2008-04-30T22:57:00.002-04:00

We saved 24 dogs today. Too tired to blog. More tomorrow. Thanks for all your words of encouragement. They help.

At least 12 dogs are still there. It is cold tonight again.

The latest. It ain't the greatest.

2008-04-27T14:15:00.002-04:00

The current challenge: 18 dogs at a breeder who is retiring. Where can they go, so that we can ensure that other disreputable breeders don't get them and continue that sad life?

DREAM is coordinating with DRNA, SSDR, and other groups yet to be found, to save these 18 dogs' lives. Unless we can do it, they will go to animal control next week, where they will surely be put down. (I refuse to use the word "euthanized" anymore. It translates to "good death." Let's call things what they are.)

Their county has only a tiny AC facility with 5 cages, already full. And owner surrender dogs are always euthanized first, since the holding period does not apply (AC already KNOWS the owner isn't coming to find them).

It's no easy task to find foster spaces for 18 dogs. Then we also have to find 18 vetting appointments, coordinate all of the logistics of getting them vetted, and getting them back, and getting them back to foster homes, and paying the bills, and figuring out how to get them transported the longer distances to rescues outside of the Atlanta area. All assuming they do not have health issues, which they probably do.

Wish us luck, and send us ideas.

Jackson County Georgia Puppy Mill

2008-03-17T12:30:00.002-04:00

Many of you have seen on the news about the puppy mill bust that occured in Jackson County, Georgia recently. Tonight, March 17, the county commissioners will meet to decide the fate of 300 plus dogs, including dachshunds, who were being held in terrible conditions. They may be returned to the owner. If you can attend tonight (Monday) at 6 pm, please show your opposition to large-scale breeding practices.

If you cannot attend, please email the people at the bottom of this message. Even a short email or phone call may be enough to help, telling the commissioners that there are many people out there who do not condone this type of treatment.

Many county officials do not understand what animal cruelty is, how animals in this type of breeding mill suffer from the effects, and how important it is to make sure the owners of the LD Farm are held accountable for their treatment and that they should not get the dogs back.

It is a real possibility that they MIGHT get them all back if the powers that be (below) don't understand the implications of this type of treatment of the animals.

One of our DREAM foster homes has seen the dogs in question personally; she reports that "it would be very unfortunate for these animals if they were to return to the owners."

A 19 year old girl was brave enough to turn these scumbags in after witnessing the abuse first hand. Let's help finish the fight she began for these babies. Here is her original testimony, retyped from the county documents (uncorrected):

***************************************************
Jackson County Code Compliance February 18 – 19, 2008

I Tiffany Butler was looking in the newspaper last weekend for a job when I ran across a ad that said Kennel Help Needed. I called the number 706 247 2180, spoke with Jennifer and set up an interview the next day (Sunday) at 10:00 am.
After the interview she told me that the position was filled but that if things didn’t work out I would get the full-time job, be paid $6.00 an hour under the table NO TAXES. Monday morning, 2-18-08 Jennifer called me a little after 8:00 am wanting me to come and word ASAP, I arrived around 8:30, and clocked in at 9:00. Shortly after clocking in another employee proceeds to “train” me. The first place I went into was the “puppy” room, This is a room built onto Marie’s house that they put puppies into before a customer comes, Its’ the only “clean” room….while in this room, I saw cock roaches, infesting the walls, After leaving the “puppy room” I went up the hill into the puppy barn.
This is a place full of mom dogs with there new born pups. This room was also infested with roaches, the “barn” smelled horriable, to the point where it was hard for me to breathe. The other employee showed me how to clean the pans under the cages. She told me to do that whole room of cages, there was at least 10 – 15 dogs in the room (not pups) in the same “barn” where the mom & pups are together there are 20-30 moms & pups, this room too was filled with roaches, they were falling off of the ceiling into my head.
After leaving that room I went into a trailer that too was filled with dogs (10 – 15) I proceeded to do my job, that afternoon in the room where the mom & pups are, I notices a shi-tzu pup try to stand up, but she had no energy to do so, she fell over and laid there. I proceeded to call Jennifer, to tell her about the pup, she said she already knew about the pup, that it had been that way for a few days. I asked her if they were going to take the pup to the vet. She said “no” I asked why, she said it “cost too much” …
So I asked if I could take the pup home and try to force feed her to keep her alive. She said, “you don’t have too, it’s up to you, it’s going to die either way.” So I took the puppy home and force fed it throughout the night and next morning. The next morning I went back to work, however the night before I had a LONG discussion with my boyfriend (Adam Casper) who also worked at the kennels, after discussing all the problemes we found we decided to try to do something about it. I had not seen the worst part.
Tuesday morning I went into work, the first thing I saw when I walked into the room beside the house was a tiny black and whit Chiva-pup, almost dead. I took the pup out of the cate it was in, put gloves on and briskly rubbed the pup to try to stimulate him. The pup had already lost control of it’s bodily functions. I rubbed the pup for over 45 minutes, Brandy and Jennifer walked into the room and asked if he was “down” I told them yes and that I had been trying to revive it for about 45 minutes. Brandy took the pup from me and rolled it up in a towel.
She put a heating pad into the cage and laid him on it. I then asked if they were going to take the puppy to a vet. Jennifer said “No, they wont do anything for him and it cost too much anyway.” Then I asked her “if they could go get a whot to put him to sleep.” She said “we don’t want to do that either because if he does make it I don’t wont to be the one that killed him, and if he makes it we will sell him” Then Brandy and Jennifer left the room. At that time the other employee told me “I’ve seen worse, it only gets worse. But the won’t do anything b/c this is there money” After leaving that room, we walked up to the room with all the moms and pups. I told the other employee I was going to get Adam, my boyfriend and Another employee to show me the boxers on the hill, she said OK. Adam then drove me up the hill, That’s when I decided to quit. On the hill there is 2 rows of pit-pulls, no food, no water. In the kennels there was mud, water, urine, and feces, that these dogs are living in. The dogs have open sores covering their bodies. There are horses that you can count every rib in there body. IN one cage in the barn there are 10-20 dogs in what looks to be 6x6 cage. All of these dogs too are sick and have wounds covering most of there bodies. All in all this place is a puppy mill, they breed dogs until they die…the other employees stated to me that when something is mentioned to the authorities they have to clean up extra good …
When I left the property today Jennifery and Brandy were gone, they both have been calling wanting the shi-tzu pup back…I have ignored there calls.
*************************************************************

Here's a link to the story: http://www.onlineathens.com/stories/022408/news_20080224085.shtml

Please help if you can.
'I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something.'
~ Helen Keller

Board of Commissioners Meeting
Date: 3/17/2008 6:00 PM
Location: Jackson County Courthouse - Jury Assembly Room
5000 Jackson Parkway
Jefferson, Georgia 30549
(706) 367-1199

Pat Bell, Chairperson pbell@jacksoncountygov.com
Tom Crow, Commissioner tcrow@jacksoncountygov.com
Jody Thompson, Commissioner jthompson@jacksoncountygov.com
Bruce Yates, Commissioner byates@jacksoncountygov.com
Dwain Smith, Commissioner dsmith@jacksoncountygov.com

Think occasionally of the suffering of which you spare yourself the sight. ~Albert Schweitzer

YOU can help! Three bills to help dachshunds (and all dogs) in Georgia

2008-02-14T11:55:00.012-05:00

Folks, there are 3 animal-welfare related bills in the Georgia Legislature this session. I hope all of you will contact your state Senators and Representatives to ask them to support or co-sign the bills. I have information at the bottom of this post that will tell you HOW to find and contact your representatives. It is amazingly easy and quick.

Now, these bills aren't perfect. I don't like the way they worded every point. But if passed, they will make a huge difference from where we are now. And that's how this stuff works -- step by step. The Humane Society of the United States helped with the writing. Let's not let the perfect be the enemy of the good.

The first bill is HB 1060. This would ban the use of the gas chamber. Animals would have to be euthanized via injection. It also requires public shelters and AC to furnish reports/stats of their euthanizations, which would make all of our grant writing efforts easier. This is a way to get PRIVATE money, since Georgia is reluctant to spend PUBLIC money.
****When talking to your senator / rep, emphasize 3 points: 1) gas chamber is an unnecessarily cruel way to dispose of our unwanted animals from overpopulation, 2) the gas itself is obviously toxic and a hazard to the shelter workers and the environment, and 3) enforcing the reporting enables our state to get access to private funding sources since we have more accurate statistics about the extent of our problem.***

The second bill is HB 1194, the "Consumer Protection Act for Pet Owners." It is essentially a "pet lemon law" that would apply to pet stores and breeders (not shelters or rescues). I am especially excited about this one because it attacks the puppymill problem from financial perspective and a consumer protection perspective, which even non-animal lovers can get behind. It provides for the right for a person to go back to the petstore and get reimbursed for veterinary expenses for certain health issues that existed at point of sale. It also mandates certain vaccinations. Think about what would happen to the puppymills if petstores stopped buying from them because the pups with health issues came back and started costing them money. And think about what would happen if a puppymill had to vaccinate before even SENDING the puppy to the petstore.

Now, I don't love all the language of the bill, but we can work on tweaking that next year once we have some experience with it on the ground.
****For this one, ask your representative to make sure this bill gets out of committee and gets its chance at a vote on the senate and house floors. Emphasize the points about protecting consumers from greedy breeders and petstores.****

If you think you know about the scale of puppymills in this country, read this: http://network.bestfriends.org/truth/news/22676.html. Many of the pups in petstores in Georgia come from Missouri.

And of course, there is the dogfighting bill, HB301, which is in its final stages of passing overwhelmingly. All you need to say on this one is how much you appreciate the support it has gotten across the house and senate and that you expect them to work out the final details to pass it. (They are quibbling now about what happens to the dogs that are seized.) But I think your messages should focus on the other 2 bills, since this one will pass.

Here is what I'm asking you to do.

Go to this site to figure out who your state senator and representative are. You need your zip +4 code. http://www.votesmart.org/ When your search results come up, scroll down to "State Legislative." There should be 2 names - a senator and a house representative. (If you don't know the +4 part of your zip, use this site first -- http://zip4.usps.com/zip4/welcome.jsp)

OK, now that you know who your guys / gals are, here's what you do. Go to this site and look them up to get phone numbers, office locations, email addresses, or whatever you want. http://www.legis.state.ga.us/ (See "Fact Sheet" on each.)

The most effective way to contact your representative / senator is in person. This is amazingly easy to do, and makes a huge impression. These guys WANT to see you and meet you. They LOVE IT when constituents come see them. You can call and ask for an appointment, but it's easy to just go down to the Capitol -- it's simple on MARTA -- or find the office in the district itself. If the senate or house is actually in session, you can go to the desk and ask them to go into the chamber to get your guy / gal. They send a page in (kids!) and the rep comes out to see you in the hall. Yes, they come out of the session just to talk to little old YOU. Introduce yourself as someone in their district and say your piece about the bills. If possible, tell a story about your personal experience and why this is important. (For example, I told my senator yesterday about puppies I have gotten from people after they found out they had birth defects that couldn't be seen at the young age they got them. And he was shocked to find out that I have dogfighting in my neighborhood. That really woke him up). Make sure you mention the bill number and key words from the bill's name. If possible, leave a card with a little note on it, with the bill numbers. If you get there and your senator / rep is away, ask to talk to his / her staff person.

The second best way is by phone. Call and leave a message with the bill numbers and names, and your request to support them.

It is also effective to send a snail mail letter or card, this way you can tell your story. This is also great to do as a follow-up to visiting your representative, like a thank you note.

Email is okay too, although makes less of an impression. Same deal, make sure the bill numbers are in the subject line.

Contact the governor's office, ideally by phone, and ask Sonny Perdue to rally his people around these excellent pieces of legislation, and to sign them when they get to his desk. 404-656-1776, or you can go to the website and fill out a little form. http://gov.georgia.gov/00/gov/contact_us/0,2657,78006749_94820188,00.html . Or you can write a note and fax it to 404 657 7332.

It takes only 3 contacts from constituents to wake up a senator / representative about an issue and get it on his / her radar screen. Imagine what an effect we would have if everyone who read this made a phone call or went down to the Capitol.

Two of the bills are still in the Agriculture Committee. The emails of the committee are below; please send a personal message to each member urging them to move the bills forward so they can have their vote on the House Floor.

We have a chance to make a difference! Let's not blow it! These guys need to know how important this is, and the only way they will know that is if people who are passionate tell them about it.

jon.burns@house.ga.gov, carl.epps@house.ga.gov, englandhomeport2@alltel.net, lynmore.james@house.ga.gov, tommccall@bellsouth.net, billy.maddox@house.ga.gov, gene.maddox@house.ga.gov, reptonysellier136@msn.com, kevinlevitas@bellsouth.net, jay.roberts@house.ga.gov, blackellis@bellsouth.net, penny.houston@house.ga.gov, winfred.dukes@house.ga.gov, dubose.porter@house.ga.gov, dawg4116@aol.com, chuck.sims@house.ga.gov, tommy.smith@house.ga.gov

If you want to see the full language of the actual bills, go to this site http://www.legis.state.ga.us/ and use the "Legislative Search" feature at the top right.

THEN, forward this post to every Georgia animal lover you know. Ideally, copy and paste it into your own email message and add your own spin.

If after all of that, you have even more energy, email Representative Pat Gardner pat@patgardner.org and Stan Watson stan_watson@matria.com to thank them for their leadership in bringing these bills to the General Assembly.

Viva democracy!

Hal's foster mom remembers his last months

2008-01-17T08:14:00.000-05:00

The volunteers of DREAM Dachshund Rescue mourn the loss of each dog that we cannot save.
There are always dachshunds who get euthanized in shelters when we are not notified in time or all our of foster homes are full. We cry because the rescue system doesn’t always work in time.
There are some dachshunds who are too sick to save even though we try our hardest through the best vet care the Atlanta area has to offer. We cry because we weren’t able to show them what true love was.
And then there are the dachshunds who we bring into our homes as fosters and grow to love, only to become sick and the only option is to euthanize. We cry because we lost a family member who didn’t get a chance to find a forever home.

Elori, Dupree.

And last week we lost a family member named Hal.
For those of you who follow the blog, you already know Hal’s story. His terrible condition when he came to DREAM. But you haven’t heard how he lived and his wonderful, steady personality that made him such a great dog.
Hal loved to chase squirrels. They are small and furry, just like cats, and both species need to be banished from his world. Hal’s hip injury did not slow him down one bit as he raced around the backyard and stared up at the trees. His true hound bark made sure everyone around knew he was outside protecting his yard.
Hal loved to tear up stuffed animals. He seemed to take such delight being surrounded by the “fake snow” and sleeping on top of his “kill”. His foster granddad gave him a stuffed duck at Christmas that he loved to throw for himself and give chase. I would sit and watch him for several long minutes and call him the “self-entertaining” dog. See the video of Hal playing with his duck at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g19rjUtT8lM .
Hal loved to cuddle under a blanket by a crackling fire. He would wrap up so tight that he would look like a plaid dachshund, complete with plaid nose and wagging plaid tail. He would protest being put in his crate at night by doing a half grunt-half sigh that sounded like a grumpy old man. He wouldn’t go to sleep until he knew his humans were in the bed with the lights out.
He loved food as if he hadn’t had enough in his lifetime.
He always wanted to be in the same room as his humans.
He would nose your hand if it wasn’t petting his head.
He loved to have his face mushed so he looked like a wrinkled old man.
He loved to wrestle with the other dogs in the house.
He would spin in circles when he was excited.
I have the knowledge that Hal lived a better life while he was in DREAM’s care. And that he was loved until he passed to the other side. That we knew we were there to mourn him. That he was not alone.
There will always be another dachshund who needs rescue, but Hal will always hold a special place in my heart.

---Ashley

PETA's videos about breeders and rescue

2008-01-16T16:57:00.000-05:00

You know, I'm not always the biggest fan of PETA, although I think they play an important role in animal welfare generally. It's not my style to be so confrontational (at least most of the time, when I can help it).

People learn through stories, though -- and these 2 videos tell good stories, with a fresh approach. I hope people will watch them. They have a twisted sort of humor about them.

http://www.peta.org/feat/abc/index.asp

I don't believe breeding dogs is inherently immoral. I do believe it is immoral to breed dogs at the same time we are killing so many that are homeless. As soon as we've taken care of the homeless dog problem, I'd like to breed little dachshund babies myself.

And you gotta love the suburban mom's quip at the end: "Little girl's gonna get some!" Priceless.

Hal is at the Rainbow Bridge

2008-01-11T22:09:00.000-05:00

Hal went to the Rainbow Bridge tonight.

Ashley and David were there to hold him, kiss him, and tell him it was okay -- there would be plenty of squirrels and cats to chase, and ribeye steaks to eat that wouldn't hurt his tummy. He knew that they were there, and wagged his tail.

From George E. Odell:
We need one another when we mourn and would be comforted.
We need one another when we are in trouble and afraid.
We need one another when we are in despair, in temptation, and need to be recalled to our best selves again.
We need one another when we would accomplish some great purpose, and cannot do it alone.
We need one another when we come to die, and would have gentle hands prepare us for the journey.
All our lives we are in need, and others are in need of us.

Ashley and David were Hal's "gentle hands" tonight.
He has had other gentle hands along the way: Debbie, who got him out of the shelter, Theresa, who fostered him and first identified the chronic bowel problems, Heather and Derek, who brought Hal down to Atlanta, and all the people at Village Veterinary Hospital in Decatur.

Sweet gentleman Hal - now a waiting game

2008-01-10T21:29:00.000-05:00

Our sweet foster dog Hal, who has captured every heart in DREAM, came to us from an animal control facility in LaGrange, Georgia. He had been struck by a car and found by the road. Although he had a friendly, gentle personality, he limped from a dislocated hip, and the shelter didn't think anyone would adopt him. They also had him tested for heartworms, and he was positive. Not a good result for a limping, frightened dog in a shelter with limited space and resources. He was a prime candidate for being killed to make room for other lost or abandoned dogs, with better “adoptability.”
A kind woman who works in LaGrange, but lives in Atlanta, knew about DREAM and asked if she could bring Hal to us. We took one look at those soulful eyes and said yes!
When Hal arrived, he was in sad shape with several health issues. He was extremely thin, and every vertebra in his spine poked out. He had a lopsided gait from the hip injury. And, of course, the heartworm infection.
But his face -- his dear, handsome, richly red face. His eyes: clear and trusting. His tail wagged in greeting, even though he felt terrible -- sick, weak, and frightened at so many new places and people in only a few days. We can only imagine that he thought feeling terrible was normal!

We took care of Hal's standard vetting first (vaccinations, fecal test) and discovered that he also had an infestation of almost every intestinal parasite you can think of. He was dewormed three times and pooped out mounds and mounds of various worms. Whew! What a mess (and what a parasitology lesson!).

It was time to address Hal's more difficult problems. We decided to take care of the heartworm first. Hal stayed at the vet for three days, enduring the painful injections. Luckily, his side effects were minimal, and off he went to his foster home to recover. While he recovered from heartworm treatment, we had to keep his heart rate down so that the worms would not break off as they die and cause further injury or death. So: strict crate rest for 60 days. We wanted to use this time for him to gain some weight and fully heal from all the invasions to his heart and tummy. We planned to take care of his hip injury after he was generally healthier. It did not seem to be causing him pain.
Our well-laid plans did not come to pass. Hal had trouble with diarrhea. We originally ascribed this to all the worms, but even after the worms were gone, he still had issues and sometimes did not seem to know that he was "going." The vet diagnosed a neurological issue, probably related to the injury that hurt his hip. Somehow the nerve signals were not always making it through their pathways, and although Hal was housetrained, he sometimes could not control himself and small amounts would leak out. The vet said this was probably permanent. We decided to try to control this with diet, so that his stools would at least be firm. His foster mom tried several different foods, and some worked better than others. Hal seemed on the road to recovery again. Through it all, he was loving, gentle, cuddly, and (when he felt well) very playful! What a spirit.
On Christmas Eve, Hal had a severe bout with diarrhea and became dehydrated. His foster mom rushed him to the emergency vet, where Santa gave him fluids and kept him warm until he could regain some strength. The vet now wondered if Hal also had food allergies that were complicating everything, so Hal began a bland diet. He went home Christmas Day and did well for a couple of weeks. We all breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe we had finally found the solution for Hal's tummy troubles, and we could get him healthy enough to address everything else.

Not yet.
On January 7, Hal's foster mom returned home from work to find him unable to walk. He had vomited several times and had lost all of his food to vomiting and diarrhea. His gums were pale, indicating dehydration. Most frightening, his body temperature was cooling. Foster mom and dad rushed Hal back to our wonderful emergency vet, with Hal cradled in Ashley's lap and David battling the rush hour traffic at breakneck speeds. They arrived, covered in Hal's "liquid souvenirs" and breathless with worry for our handsome gentleman. Hal's temperature was too low to register on the electronic thermometer, and he had lost 3 pounds. He lay on the table awake, though, accepting our kisses and reassurances that we'd do everything we could to make him feel better. The vet advised a night of fluids, a heating pad, and antibiotics to stabilize him, and a reassessment in the morning. As they carried him into the back room, he watched us over the vet tech's shoulder.

Sometimes I just hope that our foster dogs can sense that we have their best interests at heart, even when what we humans do doesn't make any sense to them. Surely what happened that night couldn't have made sense to Hal.

In the morning, the vet reported that an X-ray revealed what might be a foreign body in Hal's stomach. Possibly a partial fish skeleton. We were horrified and gave the go-ahead for surgery to remove it. Maybe this was the answer -- he had somehow been carrying these bones around all these weeks, and they had caused all these problems, perhaps even perforations, a vicious cycle keeping him from ever getting well.

Hours passed. We waited for word.
The vet called with surprising (and weird) news. The "foreign body" wasn't foreign. Part of Hal's intestinal tract was necrotic -- dead -- and had begun to calcify, so it showed like bones on the X-ray. There could also be a rare, but deadly, fungal infection going on, but only a biopsy would confirm that. And of course, cancer is a possibility. We had a decision to make while Hal was still under anesthesia.
Poor boy is only 4-5 years old, and has never had a break. Yet he is one of the most gentle souls I have ever known. If he weren't so thin, I'd think he was the Buddha. We said, "Do what you need to do. He deserves his chance."

Dr. Miller and Dr. Stacey removed the dead pieces and sewed the remaining ends back together. They cleaned out all the leakage in his abdomen. Hal made it through surgery, and he made it through the night. We became cautiously optimistic.

Samples of the offending parts were sent to UGA for analysis. Hal woke up and wagged his tail.

When you volunteer with rescue, it is inevitable that you will lose a few dogs in your care. Sometimes they come to us with such advanced disease, we cannot help them. Luckily we have had only a few of those in the past 7 years. Each one broke my heart. I don't want to add Hal to that list. But if we do, I know that we gave Hal a few months of feeling safe. A few months of feeling loved. A few months of not worrying about where dinner would come from.

Without DREAM, Hal would have suffered alone. And I am proud, I am honored, I am GLAD to be a part of Hal's not being alone, even if it is painful.
Albert Schweitzer said, “Think occasionally of the suffering of which you spare yourself the sight.”

Today, Hal's foster mama visited him. He wagged his tail and he rolled over for a tummy rub.
Now we wait. We wait to see how Hal will respond, and we wait for the results from the lab. Apparently, days 3 - 5 are critical days.

And we keep our eyes wide open, along with our hearts.

From 2007 to 2008 ... and beyond!

2007-12-30T18:35:00.000-05:00

Just before the holidays, DREAM's board of directors went on our annual retreat. We're lucky to have a member with a cabin in the mountains, so we head up there and do a lot of eating and a lot of talking, a lot of laughing and a lot of crying. We reviewed the year and dreamed about the future.

DREAM adopted out more than 40 dogs this year. Not bad for a tiny group in only its second year of existence! We've built a strong network of dedicated foster homes, and our financial standing is solid (although of course money is always a challenge, we are very careful with our money and can make a little go a long way). More than 90% of our expenses are related to vetting or other therapy. (And not for therapy for us! :-) ) I am very proud of what we've built.

We are all-volunteer run, so I believe there is a limit to how large we can grow, but I hope with some new process improvements this year we can double our adoptions by doing them faster in 2008, while maintaining the same number of foster homes (which is really all we can manage as volunteers).

Of course, there will always be the ones we can't get to in time, or don't have the right foster space to help, or don't have enough foster space to help. One that haunts me from this year was Paprika, a little "down" dachshund. Her owners asked us to take her in. They had been caring for her special needs (paraplegia, bladder expression) for a couple of years, but the dad of the family had to move into assisted living. None of the foster homes who are able to take care of a special needs dog were available. I asked them to wait, and they said they would. But eventually they put her down, without coming to me for a "last chance." I am still sick about that one. I have 3 disabled dogs in the house, and I know that taking care of them is very do-able.

Our longest term foster dog, Fella, is still with us. We've had him 3 years. After his terrible abuse / neglect, he is unlikely to find an adoptive home. (Not many folks out there looking for an older dog with behavioral issues.) But he is safe with us until that happens, and if it never happens, he will live out his life in foster care. The picture is of him, "celebrating" (although I doubt he enjoyed the outfit as much as I did). He did like the basket of toys though, and he is happy, even with his limitations.

I am reading a wonderful book that is really getting me hopeful about the overpopulation issue in general. It's called Redemption: The Myth of Pet Overpopulation and the No Kill Revolution in America. I bought 20 copies, and I plan to give one to each of our board members AND to each of DeKalb County's commissioners. (I guess I just ruined the surprise for the board members.) It challenges some deep-seated assumptions we have (like euthanization is inevitable, or that there are not enough homes). If what the author says is true, there really is hope for our companion animals, who give us the purest form of love I've ever known. Hope is not something we hear about often in animal welfare, but between DREAM's small successes this year, being able to help dogs like Fella, and this book, I have hope.

Happy New Year to you all.

Tough week! And it's only Wednesday!

2007-11-28T16:55:00.000-05:00

Wow, it's been a tough week in the dachshund world. There are just so many in need, we cannot keep up. We've gotten several out of terrible conditions in animal control in the past few weeks, but we keep hearing about more. When will people stop the breeding? Stop the pet stores?

I have 9 dachshunds on our waiting list...it breaks my heart not to be able to help them all. We have more foster space than ever, but it is all full. Gwinnett, Clayton, and Walker County all have dachshunds in danger of euthanization.

One of our foster homes is going through a difficult time personally, and we're scrambling to find alternative space for 2 of her foster doggies.

We had someone request an owner surrender, who then seemed to think she was doing US a favor by giving us her dog, and wanted door to door delivery service at a time of her choosing. It is times like these that I invoke the mantra "it's for the doggies, it's for the doggies, it's for the doggies." Dogs I can help, but people...doesn't seem like there is hope for many of them.

Two of our newest, Rambo and Sambo, are a sweet pair of 8 year old black and tan males who were turned in by their owners, who had to go into assisted living. They had never been anywhere but their own home, and never met any other dogs or people besides family. R&S had a difficult transition through 2 failed adoptive homes that the family tried, but neither worked, so they came to DREAM. They are learning to trust other people and dogs at Jabula right now, and will transition to long-term foster homes in early December. (Exactly where, I don't know yet! That's one of this week's challenges).

We just got Shine, a red male mix, is a young, energetic boy about a year old. Very handsome! He loves wrestling with other doggies, sitting on laps, snuggling and hugging. He is a bit of a submissive personality and will give up his food if any other dog even looks in his direction. He came from Thomas County Animal Control. We thought Shine was heartworm positive when we took him, but our GREAT NEWS this week was that he does NOT need hw treatment!

Betsy, our other brand new foster, is NOT a dachshund. I was fooled by a picture! Her face looks just like a wirehaired dachsie, and when I emailed the Murray County Animal Control "Is 021 a dachshund?" (in response to their panicked plea for help) I received the response "She could be!". Well, she isn't....she actually looks like a small, long-legged deer with a dachsie face. She is only 9 months old, so sweet and scared, and she would have been put to sleep on Wednesday, so it's hard to regret it (or her stress diarrhea I have cleaned up about 20 times). I am trying to find another rescue to take her, perhaps in exchange for a dachshund.

Bella Bella had 2 wonderful applications and is going to her forever home on Thursday. Her foster mom has really brought her around after she was found stray, obviously an ex-breeder dog.

Jerry Beasley and Snuggles continue their retirement in the capable hands of their foster mama in. Two old grumps, she will take care of them as long as they need it.

VERY HANDSOME Hal is recovering from heartworm treatment, but has several other issues we are dealing with. I hope it is not too serious. He came to us in pretty bad shape, including an old injury from being hit by a car, and a belly full of every worm known to veterinary medicine, but we were hoping the heartworm treatment was the worst of it. He goes in for more blood work this week.

I have a houseful. Fella Fella is doing very well with his aggression (he was severely abused), as long as his buttons are not pushed. Luke continues to improve daily from his IVDD surgery, and is amazing to see running around the yard almost like a normal doggie. Murchu, our last puppy, was adopted on Sunday evening. Princeton, our little resident attitude, will be getting a UGA Veterinary Behaviorist assessment in the next couple of weeks (as soon as I get a minute to make an appointment).

Our Savannah contingent has a new foster, Betty Jo, who by all accounts is an absolute DEAR.

Tosca, a very special sweetheart, is learning every day to trust people again. She has an application, but we have not heard from them in a couple of weeks. I need to follow up with them again. And Pooh, who had a GIANT hernia removed (so big the vet originally thought it was a herna AND a tumor), is recuperating nicely.

Matilda came into DREAM after a good samaritan found her after being hit by a car. She is lighting up the lives of her foster parents, and her foster brother Gus.

Spencer, another little heartworm boy, is finishing his convalescense with the wonderful women at Jabula. www.jabuladogs.com THANKS GILL AND KATE! We hope he'll be adopted when that is over.

We took in Fritz from his owner this weekend. She asked if we minded driving 2 and 1/2 hours to her home to pick him up at her convenience. (Where do people get this idea?) We ended up meeting her halfway. Fritz is terrified, away from home for the first time, but his foster home says he wagged his tail yesterday when she got home from work. Good sign Fritz!

It's good work we do. We have an amazing group of loving foster homes, and a talented and committed board. All volunteers. We just try to keep our finger in the hole in the dike, and not let too much water rush through. This week there is a lot of water, and the dachshunds are rushing through the hole, and we can't save them all. But we can save some. We can save some. And we will save as many as we can.

Tabby racing at Howl-O-Weenie

2007-10-25T10:55:00.000-04:00

Check out my little girl racing across the field at Howl-O-Weenie. The best part is the facial expressions on the crowd. She can fly! I will race her again at DRNA's picnic on 11/3. She is such an ambassador for "down" doggies. Her injury doesn't slow her down one bit. If you have not checked out her video on YouTube, please do. Just search for Adventures of Tabby and you'll see it.

Howl-O-Weenie!

2007-10-21T10:35:00.000-04:00

My feet hurt. My legs hurt. My back hurts. My triceps hurt. But my heart is full of gratitude and my head is abuzz with ideas for next year.

We howled yesterday!

Our 5th annual festival and picnic was a huge success! I am so tired I can't put together a coherent narrative, so I will just list for you some of the memories that stick out.

Spotting the peacock as it strutted around the grounds. What an engineering feat that costume was!

Meeting Gloria, who told me this was the best day she'd had in years, and now she wants to adopt a dachshund.

Seeing the alumni dogs, the fosters who we loved and cared for until their forever homes found them, looking so happy and well-loved by their new families. I know I will leave someone out, but here's a try: Midnight (Murphy), Giacomo (Murphy), Patti (Erica), Bart, Lacey, Teddy, Ande, Bobo, Lorelei, Beans, Tracy (Amber), Sydney, and Doc-a-doodle.

The shards of mirror from the beautiful mosaic dog beds and highchair, reflecting the sunlight.

Carol's amazing dachshund trophies.

The hotdog line, moving fast, full of people who looked happy to be spending an afternoon of glorious weather outside watching the crazy weiner dog people.

So many people wearing the 2005 and 2006 T-shirts! Cool!

The MAD-MUG Dachshund meetup group giving the IQ tests.

Kerry from Lifeline Animal Project saying next year she was going to get someone else to run her booth so her dachshund can race.

The race! Man do those dachsies fly!

My little Tabby crossing the field to her mama while everyone cheered.

All the people who came by to meet the 3 "down" dachsies and learn about them and their high quality of life. Tabby, Luke, and Jack enjoyed all the attention.

The doggie whose nail clipping hit the quick and his mama holding him while they applied pressure.

The lady who scolded me about not having recycling bins, right after I made a note to myself to make sure to have recycling bins next year. Oy!

Walking around the ballfield holding RLand's weirdly beautiful dachshund art over my head for the auction.

Trish and Paul arriving out of breath, just in time to enter Darcy and Panzer in the last heat of the dash, because they made Paul's parents leave the game at halftime.

Realizing during cleanup that I hadn't gone to the bathroom since 7 AM.

Seeing my work colleague Bill crossing the picnic with his family and 5 longhairs.

Talking to Heather and Derek about how far Lorelei has come in her shyness.

I'm sure I'll come back and add more over the course of the day.

(By the way, this pic is of a little guy who arrived too late for the costume contests. As you can see, "The Fuzz" was out in force!)

Oh, how we howled!

Sad day in a joyous week

2007-10-16T21:24:00.000-04:00

In the crazy hustle bustle hurly burly of getting ready for one of the happiest days of our year, HowlOWeenie, we've had a sad day at DREAM. Our sweet foster Dupre, who came to us 4 months ago with a severe heartworm infestation, died last night.
Dupre was about 9 years old. He had lived a life of neglect, kept outside in a pen in the Georgia heat and cold, all of his life. He had never received vaccinations or heartworm preventative. When he came to DREAM, he didn't know what a pillow was for. (Although it must be said that he figured that out quickly.)
Dupre weathered his 3 months of painful heartworm treatment, and the necessary crate rest, bravely and with aplomb. (This is where he figured out the pillow part - he had lots of time in the crate!) He had one scary episode in the last month of treatment, in which he vomited blood and was hemorrhaging. With quick action by his vigilant foster parents, he survived. A month later, he was given a clean bill of health and pronounced ready for his much-needed dental cleaning and neuter. In the days before his surgery, he felt great and spent his time playing in the yard with his foster brothers and sisters for the first time.
He lost 10 teeth in his dental procedure, severely rotted because he had been on poor quality food and, of course, had never had his teeth brushed.
Two days later he began having seizures. Although we do not know what exactly happened, the best guess is that he had a history of seizures, and one had just not come up before now. (Many dogs with seizure disorders, including one of my own, have only 1-2 seizures a year.) Perhaps the stress of the surgery, or the anesthesia, or the dental, brought it on. The seizures would not stop, no matter what the vet tried. In desperation we decided that injected phenobarbital might allow Dupre to sleep and get enough rest to heal. We tried it, and indeed he did better and was able to sleep peacefully. In the middle of this needed rest, though, his heart stopped in the night and he died in his sleep.

I truly believe that Dupre died knowing he was loved for the first time in his life. That evening, before he had the injection, his foster mom held him and talked to him and made sure that he knew he was not alone, and that we were doing everything we could for him. I saw his eyes clear, and he did not look afraid.
We are very grateful for our foster homes, the heart of this organization.
This is why we do what we do -- because sometimes no one else will take care of these dogs, and their hearts are pure.

We look forward to seeing all of you on Saturday at HowlOWeenie. Our hearts will be a little heavier than usual.

Another little black and tan guy begins his heartworm treatment tomorrow. It never ends.

Always busy in dachshund rescue

2007-09-26T16:28:00.000-04:00

Good heavens. How can it be 2 months since my last post?

What is going on with DREAM? I'm glad you asked!

1. Howl-O-Weenie planning! The board is busy busy busy getting ready for our annual dachsie festival on October 20, 2007, in Decatur at Glenlake Park. Getting T-shirts made, recruiting (begging!) volunteers, finding sponsors, organizing contests, finding tables, figuring out a fence, making trophies, making certificates, all for the best day of our year! (And the most exhausting!)

2. Getting Delia's puppies adopted! Our 6 precious babies, born just one week after their mama, a dachshund mix, was rescued from animal control when she was due for euthanization in 2 hours, are going to their forever homes. This picture is Nessa, one of the little ones. So DEAR!!!

3. Trying to get 2 chocolate dachsies out of a puppy mill in Alabama. This breeder has changed her mind 4 times about turning over her dogs, even though she cannot care for them. Countless phone calls and emails between her and Dixie Dachshund Rescue in Alabama, with whom we are collaborating to help these babies.

4. Communicating with people who have found stray dachshunds. Strangely, there has been a small "rash" of lost dachsies the last 2 weeks. I've been coaching several people on what to do when they find a lost dog. All have found their homes again except one, who we think was abandoned. She is coming to DREAM tonight and going for her vetting tomorrow morning.

5. Working with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund (Atlanta) to see if we can find a family with diabetes who would like to adopt our sweet Meagan, a longhair dachsie with the same disease. This has been a heartwarming experience!

6. Writing a grant mini-proposal to Maddie's Fund for a video camera so we can post videos of our adoptable dogs, hopefully speeding up adoptions.

7. Taking Jack and Luke to swim therapy.

8. Feeding, cleaning up, and the usual administrivia.

9. Getting lots of weiner dog love. And that's why we do #1 - 8.

Did you know:

There are 45 cats and dogs for every 1 person born.

Only 1 out of 10 dogs born ever find a permanent home.

Every hour, 800 dogs and cats are destroyed the U.S. because there are not enough homes for them.

Please do not breed or buy your next dog -- adopt a dog who needs you.

Luke the down dachshund speaks for himself

2007-07-25T16:03:00.000-04:00

This is Luke. My foster mom is really busy, so I told her I'd write the blog for this week. I thought I'd tell you about a typical day for me. In the mornings, I can hear my foster mom's alarm clock going off in the bedroom. Luckily, she's a snoozer so I don't have to crawl out from under the covers just yet. I can stay burrowed under them in my crate until I hear her really get out of bed. When I hear that bedroom door open, I pop my head out from under the blankets! She sings out, "Good morning, Luke," and I kind of hop up and down in return. She gets me out of my crate and takes me into the bathroom, where she squeezes my bladder so I can pee, and holds me over the toilet while I poop. I usually yawn and give her a little kiss when I have the chance. All of that takes about 20 seconds, and sometimes I think she is still asleep when she's doing it. Then she puts me down, and I go into the bedroom where I can climb up the ramp and get into bed (that's my special morning treat, to nap in the bed while she gets dressed for work). Now that I'm walking, I can climb the ramp all by myself, and I am very proud.

Pretty soon after that, I listen very carefully from the bedroom when I hear my foster mom go into the kitchen. Sometimes she feeds me before she goes to work, and other days my foster dad feeds me a little later. If I hear the metal can with the food open, I fly down the ramp and through the house to the kitchen, because it is really important that I am there to cheer them on when they are scooping out the food. They give me my bowl (they put some water on my food to make sure I drink enough) and I eat as fast as I can so I can check out the other dogs' bowls when they finish. My foster mom gives me another squeeze before she goes to work. I know that I can't go with her to work (even though I type very well), so I don't follow her to the door in the morning. Most mornings I decide that is time for a NAP! I climb back up the ramp and snooze in the big bed for most of the day. If there is a new stuffed animal around, I might rip it up to get the squeak out. Those squeaks are a menace to society and it is my job to make sure they are disposed of with great dispatch and enthusiasm. Otherwise I get under the covers.

My foster dad is waiting for his new job to start, so he's working around the house right now. Still, I sleep most of the day. I have to be ready for whatever happens in the afternoons and evenings.

When my foster mom gets home in the afternoon, I am at the door to greet her - I know what her car sounds like. I spin around in circles on the floor until she picks me up. She lets the other dogs outside and gives my bladder a squeeze in the bathroom. Then we usually hang out for a while. She sits at the computer in the dining room and makes all kinds of comments that I don't understand, about dachshunds in shelters, organizing transports, euthanization, spay and neuter, and puppy mills. Sometimes she cries. When that happens, I go sit on her feet. Sometimes she calls people for references who want to adopt one of DREAM's dachshunds, and she always sounds really happy when that goes well.

If she decides to go out in the afternoon, I know there is a chance I get to go too, so I make sure I keep an eye on the door. If I see her start to put her shoes on, pick up her purse, or get her keys, I do my spin around in circles thing. Often that trick works - she will take me with her. Some days I go swimming with my therapist. Other days I get to go to the pool and watch my foster brother do his swim therapy, but I don't actually swim myself. Those are my favorite days because I get to show off to the people sitting around the pool with their dogs. They all cheer for me when they see me run around the pool, because they knew me before I learned how to walk again. My foster brother Jack ruptured a disc too, just like me, and we are all hoping that one day he will walk again, like I have learned to do. I really like to go to the pool and see the other dogs swim, because the people there say I am an inspiration and they let me get away with all kinds of show-offy behavior that I can't do at home. I like to bark at Jack from the sidelines and tell him what he isn't doing right.

Other evenings, people come over to our house to eat dinner in the back yard. My foster dad likes to cook on the grill. I love those days, because everybody sits outside together, and I can run to the fence to bark if anyone walks by with their dogs in the neighborhood. Even though I can't fully use my back legs like other dogs do, I CAN run and I have learned all kinds of little tricks to help me get around really fast! I can even jump up the 2 steps from the back yard into the house.

At night is my favorite time. Most evenings, my foster mom and dad watch a movie and I get to cuddle with them and the other dogs. I am a champion snuggler. I get to stay in the bed until lights out. I follow my foster mom back out to the bathroom when it's time for bed, so she can give my bladder a last squeeze. Then I follow her to the dining room, where my crate and my blankie are. She gives me a little treat and a chewie, and I hop right into the crate to enjoy them. If they leave the bedroom door open, I can see that mom & dad are still awake, and I will bark because I do not like to miss anything. But if they remember to close the door, I go right to sleep like a good boy. I know that the next morning I will get to do all my favorite things again.
I am really happy in my foster home, but one day I know that I will be adopted by someone who isn't afraid of expressing my bladder. Then I might get to cuddle and sleep in the big bed every night. My foster mom says that I am ready, and what she says, goes. I love her very much, and I know that she gave me another chance at life when my first family couldn't take care of me when I was hurt. But I am ready for my real life to start, and I know it will contain lots of love, snuggles, stuffed toys, blankies, chewies, and everything else a dachshund needs. People don't have any reason to be afraid of my disabilities, because I can teach anyone how to adjust for them. It isn't hard at all, and I promise to reward you with more love than you have ever known.

Georgia Shelters still using Gas to euthanize, with Dept of Ag support

2007-07-12T09:19:00.000-04:00

It's hard to believe, but some Georgia shelters still use gas to euthanize groups of dogs. Although new shelters cannot do so, an old shelter with a gas chamber got a "grandfather" exception. In March, this was supposed to be stopped. Gas euthanization is an extremely cruel practice, with dogs panicking and sometimes attacking each other in their last moments. The below is the case file (I removed some of the legal case reference numbers and such for easier reading). See Georgia Legal Professionals for Animals for more details.
www.georgialpa.org. And I hope you'll let our Department of Ag Commissioner, Tommy Irvin, know what you think. It is bad enough that we euthanize so many animals. Do they also have to endure terror, pain, and attacks while it is happening? And while our state legislature has been abundantly clear on their feelings, the Department of Ag circumvents them?
I am in shock that Cobb County is doing this. I thought it was only poor, rural counties.
------------------------------------------------

Report on the status of Chesley V. Morton and Jennifer Robinson v. State of Georgia Department of Agriculture and Tommy Irvin, in his Official Capacity as Commissioner, In the Superior Court of Fulton County, State of Georgia, Family Division

Background
On March 26, 2007, the Honorable Cynthia D. Wright executed an interlocutory order. The Order noted that in 1990, the Georgia General Assembly enacted a law that specified that sodium pentobarbital was the exclusive method of euthanasia of dogs and cats in animal shelters, with certain exceptions. The exceptions included shelters in counties of less than 25,000, dangerous animals, and gas chambers in use as of July 1, 1990 provided that the shelter filed their notice of exemption with the Department of Agriculture by August 1, 1990.

The Department of Agriculture is the exclusive agency to inspect and license animal shelters, including insuring compliance with the euthanasia provisions of the law. While the Commissioner contended that the 1990 law was unclear, Judge Wright held that “[t]he legislature could not have been more clear in prohibiting euthanasia using gas chambers for dogs, cats, puppies, and kittens except in very limited circumstances." The Court also noted that at the hearing “[i]t was abundantly clear…that the Commissioner and the Department employees have virtually ignored the clear statutory mandate.”
On March 26, 2007, after the submission of extensive evidence, the Court ultimately issued an interlocutory injunction “enjoining and restraining the Commissioner of the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Agriculture and employees of the Department of Agriculture from advocating and sanctioning violation of O.C.G.A. §4-11-5.1 by state-licensed animal shelters.”
Current Status of the Case
Both parties engaged in extensive briefing regarding and leading up to the injunction. More importantly, on June 6, 2007, the Plaintiffs filed a Motion for Contempt, claiming that “Defendants have intentionally violated the Court’s Order and attempted by their conduct to circumvent the effect of the Order.”
The Brief in Support of the Motion for Contempt contends that the Cobb County Animal Shelter has been operating a gas chamber in direct violation of the Humane Euthanasia Act for the last twelve years. The Department of Agriculture received complaints about Cobb County Animal Shelter’s allegedly unlawful conduct after the Order was issued.
An April 25, 2007, letter from Leana Stormont of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (“PETA”), asking the Department of Agriculture to “undertake appropriate investigative and enforcement action to ensure swift compliance with the law” is attached to the Brief in Support of the Motion to Compel. John Hennelly, Senior Assistant Attorney General, responded on April 30, 2007, requesting that correspondence be directed to his attention and noting that the Order was “aimed at maintaining the status quo,” and that “the effect of the order is to prohibit, rather than compel, action.” This letter is also attached to the Brief in Support of the Motion for Contempt. Ms. Stormont replied in a May 10, 2007, letter, requesting certain public records related to the Cobb County Animal Control facility and noting that PETA interprets the Order as an “expectation that the Department will take some action in response to violations of which it is made aware” and that it “prohibits the Department from standing idly by and acquiescing when violations are brought to its attention…” The letter is also attached as an exhibit to the Brief in Support of the Motion for Contempt.
On May 25, 2007, the Department of Agriculture sent an inspector to the Cobb County Animal Shelter. The inspector gave the Cobb County Animal Shelter a passing grade for its euthanasia program, and the inspection report did not address the facility’s use of a gas chamber. The Department of Agriculture responded to PETA’s Open Records Act request that afternoon, enclosing the inspection report.
Plaintiffs argue that the Defendants are in violation of the Order and thus, should be found in contempt. They request that the court “fashion a remedy that compels Defendants to follow the Order…and prevents the harm that has been caused by Defendants’ attempts to both violate the Court’s decision and provide a shield for the illegal gassing of dogs and cats occurring in Cobb County on a daily basis.” Brief in Support of Motion for Contempt, p. 6. Plaintiffs seek that the Court “compel Defendants to undertake enforcement activities with respect to the illegal gassing that is ongoing at the Cobb County shelter, and to award Plaintiffs the costs of filing and preparing [the Motion for Contempt].”
Defendants have not yet responded to the Motion for Contempt, nor has the Court issued any ruling.

Evidence at the hearing even showed that Commissioner Irvin personally encouraged shelters to build new gas chambers, which the Court noted was “a clear violation of the law.”

Cobb County’s gas chamber was first purchased in 1995, arguably making its use a violation of the statute, which only allows continued use of a specific gas chamber if it was in use prior to July 1, 1990. Cobb County contends that they were merely continuing use of a gas chamber after moving to a new location, an act it contends is consistent with the law. See Exhibit B to Brief in Support of Motion for Contempt.

Bad, bad, bad couple of weeks

2007-06-25T23:08:00.000-04:00

I am not even sure how to start. We have had such a bad couple of weeks.

Not DREAM as a group -- the organization is healthy and doing well. All foster dogs are well-cared for, thanks to our wonderful foster homes all over Atlanta.

Our own dog, Jack, went down in the back with a disc rupture on June 11 when I came home from work. It happened in seconds. After our experiences with fosters Luke and Tabby, we luckily knew exactly what had happened, and only a few hours later, Jack had his surgery. He has had a rough recovery. He was in the hospital at UGA for a week. When we brought him home, he was listless. We found out later he was dehydrated. He probably also was reacting to the pain medications. He wouldn't eat. Those issues took 2 days to resolve. It was like he gave up on life. We cried so much. We thought we would have to euthanize him, which we could barely even consider. He still cannot walk, but we know we can deal with that. As long as he is not in pain, and happy, that is enough. If he is meant to walk, I will get him there with swim therapy and whatever he needs. We express his bladder 6 times a day, along side of Luke and Tabby. His cart comes in about a week.

In the midst of all that, Delia had her puppies. At risk of sounding trite: what joys they are, and what a good mama she is! She had 6 babies, with absolutely no fuss. They are now 10 days old. We can't wait for their eyes to open. It is strange as a rescuer to whelp and raise puppies -- so much of what we do is intended to AVOID this very situation. But Delia was almost ready to give birth when we got her out of animal control. So, here we are: 6 tiny puppies in the house. But they have doubled in size in the past week.

Jack is now back to something like his old self. He is more cheerful, and such a loving boy. He gives kisses again. He went for a little walk today in Luke's cart. Delia and her babies were a welcome distraction. So far, she does all the work -- but I know that will change soon!

We seem to be out of the woods now. Thank you to all the dachsie lovers who helped us. Here is Delia in a shot I call "Milk Machine." Those babies look like they are bellying up to the bar, don't they?

Our latest rescue addition: a little foster baby with a birth defect: his urethra is external. We're evaluating surgical options now. More on Andy (Andi?) later.

Luke's progress

2007-06-10T11:31:00.000-04:00

It has been a while since I posted about Luke. We have now had Luke in foster care for almost a year. His disc (IVDD) surgery was July 24. He didn't recover much after surgery, so in December we started swim therapy. We go to www.dogpaddle.net every weekend, and it has been like a miracle for him. Where his legs were completely contracted out straight, now they are fairly bendy -- the left more so than the right. He began to take steps. Now he is "UP" about 50% of the time. When he gets out of the pool at therapy, he actually RUNS the length of the pool to meet me! (His favorite part is getting wrapped up in the towel like a babushka.)

Here is a picture of my brave boy standing in the yard. Marna (his therapist) says that he must learn a new way to walk. He will use different muscles in different ways. It is fascinating to watch him learn, figure out new strategies. He plays like any other dog -- loves to tear up a stuffed toy on the bed.

He still needs help with his bladder, but it is really no trouble. I know that one day we will find his new forever home, who will see what an incredible spirit he has, and want to have that spirit as part of their lives.

I am so proud of him!

Delia

2007-06-10T10:51:00.000-04:00

I drove down to Meriwether County Animal Control on Friday to pick up a little girl who was due for euthanization that afternoon. The people at the AC are very active in trying to find rescue. They said that they actually don't have to euthanize very often, but they were very full, and she had been there the longest.

She's a little dachshund shepherd mix, and so sweet. Just wants to please and be loved. But the surprise was -- very pregnant. Craig and I have never whelped puppies before, so we are doing a lot of research on what to do. We will take her to the vet this week to get a better idea of when the big day is. Her belly looks so big, it can't be very long.

We have named her Delia but call her Mama Dog most of the time. Whenever we come into the room, she wags so hard her tail hits both her sides. Then she rolls over on her back for a belly rub. I don't think she has ever eaten dog food before. We have to bribe her by mixing cottage cheese into her kibble. We keep telling her that she is safe, and that she doesn't have to worry any more.

I can see her in the next room as I type, and whenever she sees me look at her, she wags.

The people who turned her into Animal Control are well-known for not caring for (or, obviously, not spaying or neutering) their dogs. So much suffering in this world, for no reason. We can only do our part to alleviate a little of it.

Trust

2007-06-02T15:44:00.001-04:00

I was musing this morning, as I drove Luke to his swim therapy, what a huge role trust plays in the rescue life.

When a dog comes into a new foster home, she has to learn to trust the people (and the dogs) there. Some trust right away. This doesn't necessarily have that much to do with where they came from, or their backgrounds.
I have had dogs leap into my arms right at animal control, while others were shy or even growly. Some crawl out of their cage slowly, and climb into my lap. Or they cheerfully trot outside and hop into my car without a backward glance. (I guess those figure that anywhere is better than that place!)

I have had dogs that came right from their families, who don't trust anyone. We have no way of knowing how they were really treated, or why they might act the way they do. Some are protective of their toys and food, some hide under the bed. Some slot right into our cast of characters without a murmur, as though they were filling in a spot they'd rehearsed for their entire lives. (You can practically see them walk in, look around, and sigh with relief: "Finally! The right script!")

The common principles seem to be stability, consistency, and gentleness. If we provide a stable environment, with a good schedule of food and potty times, behave consistently toward them so they know what to expect from us, and give them lots of affection, almost all come around to trust us. (Some good training techniques help too, as well as positive reinforcement of the behaviors you want.)

Then, we must place our trust in the people who apply to adopt from us. We talk to them. We check their references. We look at the application to see what dog might work (or NOT work) for them. We visit their homes. Sometimes it takes an immense amount of trust on my part to hand a dog over to her new home, when I've seen her learn to trust me again.

It is my greatest hope that these dogs somehow understand that their trust in me was not misplaced -- that I too did not abandon them. I do believe that after they live in one of our foster homes, a dog is able to look at new people and say, "These people must be OK. My foster mom seems to like them, so I can trust them too."

Dachshund Heaven

2007-05-27T15:29:00.000-04:00

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!!!
----------------------------------

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."

----------------------
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.

Tabby's video - paralyzed dachshund

2007-05-22T23:19:00.000-04:00

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.

Melinda Merck's NPR interview

2007-05-22T10:51:00.000-04:00

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

14 steps

2007-05-05T20:37:00.000-04:00

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.

Good things with your hands

2007-04-15T21:04:00.000-04:00

This morning at church, our minister said that faith should give you "something good to do with your hands." I believe that the world needs more love. I believe that dogs are one of the purest forms of love we have. So, it is part of my spiritual practice to help these dogs bring more love to the world.

Some of the good things I get to do with my hands, because of DREAM and dachshund rescue.

Change the bandages on Luke's foot each day. He gets so excited about being able to get around, he sometimes bangs up his feet, and his wounds take a long time to heal. Whenever I change his bandage, he lays his long nose next to my face. (Sometimes he kicks me because the sensation is returning, too.)

Lift a dog out of the cage from animal control, sign the papers to set them free, place them in my car, and buy them a cheeseburger (no onions) to celebrate.

Hold a suffering dog whose painful heartworm disease is too advanced to reverse, because her owners didn't use preventative, and didn't bother to get her heartworm treatment in time. I believe her euthanization is the last act of love I can give her, and that she can at least die with someone holding her, crying for her, and loving her for a few minutes.

Wrap Princeton's four prescription pills (2 antibiotics for his respiratory and gastrointestinal infections, an anti-inflammatory for his back, and a strong antihistamine) in a lump of liverwurst. Prepare his meals, glad that he will finally eat, after 4 days of refusing food.

Write a contract for Tosca to be adopted by a delightful family with 2 kids and another DREAM doggie sister.

Take Arthur to agility training (donated by Jabula), and feed him lots of treats as he learns the "dog walk," the "A-Frame," and the tunnel.

Stroke Fella's head when he jumps into my lap and asks for affection, and remember the time when he couldn't be petted at all.

Squeeze Tabby's bladder, because she can't go by herself.

I know this isn't what my minister meant, but I am grateful to have good things to do with my hands, and I am grateful for these dogs, and I am grateful for the love they bring to the world, and I am grateful to be a small part of reducing their suffering and abandonment.

One day, rescue will no longer be needed. Every puppy born will already have a home, and people will not abandon their dogs. When that day comes, I will be grateful to search for something else for these hands to do instead.

Dachshund Yappy Hour

2007-04-05T07:59:00.000-04:00

It has been such a busy couple of weeks, I have not have time to blog...but we had a terrific Yappy Hour at Jabula on Saturday night. About 40 dachsie lovers and their dachsies came out to celebrate the beautiful spring and of course, DACHSHUNDS!!!

Pat at PhotoPhetish shared her pics. If you'd like to order any, work directly with Pat. To get the pics on line in a reasonable size, she posts them at low resolution.

http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLandingSignin.jsp?Uc=14vjq0f7.aykyqxkb&Uy=-cmhduu&Upost_signin=Slideshow.jsp%3Fmode%3Dfromshare&Ux=0&UV=146707740602_834967037403

There are some really terrific shots in here! Big thanks to Pat at www.photophetish.com, and to Jabula, www.jabuladogs.com, for all of their help!

Dachshund Goings-On

2007-03-25T18:18:00.000-04:00

We've had a terrific couple of weeks. We added 2 new foster homes, and we have 2 other foster applications in process. This is huge news, as it adds so much ability to help dogs. Yahoo! I just have to get to their homes for the homechecks.

I have 3 new dogs coming in this week. The first, Culpepper, was picked up Saturday morning and is spending the weekend at the vet. He was found by a kind stranger after being hit by a car, and taken to a vet in Ellenwood. They eventually found DREAM, and turned him over to us. We believe he has a broken jaw, but is otherwise ok. He will have x-rays and vaccinations this week, and hopefully he will be able to be neutered. He's a darling black and tan shiny boy, only about a year old. How does a dog like that end up by the side of the road, under someone's tires?

The second is a sweet girl in Winder. Her owners are turning her over due to drastically changed circumstances. She is diabetic and must begin taking daily insulin injections. I have not met her yet, but the vet in Winder who is keeping her until our foster space opens up, says that she is sweet and affectionate. She is only 6 years old. Let this be a warning to all of us who give that occasional sugar or white flour treat -- don't!

The third is in animal control in Douglas County. Young boy in quarantine for biting - he bit someone's visiting relative. The AC folks there say he has not shown them any aggression, once he is outside the cage. Makes me wonder, whose fault was the bite? We get so many whose owners say their dog bit a guest "unprovoked" -- and then they are sweet and wonderful pets who just needed someone with a bit more dog savvy (and especially dachshund-savvy!). Besides, who hasn't wanted to bite their visiting relatives? We will find him a good home who knows how to work with him and keep him confident and secure.

All is well in dachshund rescue. As always, we need money and space, but that goes with the territory. These three are safe now, and that's why we do what we do.

Dachsies, dachshies, dachsies

2007-03-10T11:03:00.000-05:00

Eventful week this week -- but little to show for it!
I spent the early part of the week trying to track down dachshunds reportedly in animal control in Douglas, Henry, Carroll, and Spalding Counties. Animal control is not famous for answering its phone, so multiple phone calls were required.
One wouldn't talk to me unless I faxed them an adoption form, required to prevent the dachshund there from being euthanized the next morning. So, find form online, print, complete, fax it back. Two hours later, I got a call -- they made a mistake, and the dog had already been adopted. Good news for the dog, at least!
Another one was rescued by the time I got through. Great job, rescue network!
Another one, it turned out, had been featured in the local newspaper and had also been adopted. (As of today, it is still listed as "in danger" on the website.) Those folks need some volunteers! But at least the dog is safe.
And the last one was also rescued in the nick of time by another group. The rescue network sometimes works VERY well.
So, while I did a lot of legwork, telephone calling, and email/faxing, none of those dogs are with DREAM. But I am glad they are all safe.

We are getting a sweet little senior chi/dach mix this afternoon...Blanche. I'm looking forward to meeting her.

Good news and bad news

2007-02-21T18:19:00.000-05:00

It's been a few days of good news and bad news.

The good news is: Tosca (pictured), Topher, and NuShu are all heartworm negative. I took all three to Best Friends yesterday for their spay/neuter operations and vaccinations. (Three cheers for Best Friends, aka No More Homeless Pets Atlanta, aka Lifeline Animal Project, who save us a LOT of money on standard vet care.) All did well, and none needed heartworm treatment. I was especially worried that NuShu and Tosca might be positive. Both came from neglectful situations and are adults, plenty of time to be exposed to mosquitoes.

(The funny news is: I wrote to Lisa See, who is the author of Snowflower and the Secret Fan -- where I got the idea for NuShu's name, and she wrote back to me, happy to hear we'd named a dog after a concept in her book.)

The bad news is: a little "down" boy needs to come into rescue, and we do not have room. His owner has gone through the death of a spouse, and can no longer care for the little one, even though they've already taken him through the surgery. DREAM does not have a foster home open right now who can care for these special needs. I pray his dad finds a place for him. For now, he is on our waiting list.

The good news is: Bobo was adopted and his new dad reports that they are "in love"!

The bad news is: Bradley, a little boy we took in from Savannah, who is heartworm positive, also had the "worst dental" the vet had ever seen. He had many teeth removed, and the infection was rampant throughout. He cannot even begin heartworm treatment for 2 weeks, until we feel sure the infection is cleared up in his mouth. (Note to everyone: watch that tartar! Get the dentals, they aren't a vet scam!) For now, it is antibiotics and a quiet place with soft food.

The good news is: Tosca is learning better every day to trust people again. She was so afraid when she first came to us, that I considered getting her some doggie Valium. However, time, stability, and gentleness seem to be working their magic.

The bad news is: I think Luke has reached the limit of his progress. I have 2 more swim therapy sessions with him next weekend, but I believe we have gone as far as he can go. I must now begin to focus on getting him adopted and training his new owner on how to care for him. Caring for a down dachsie isn't as bad as people think, but it's a difficult case to make. As someone who has expressed a bladder (at best estimation) 3500 times, with no formal training! and a full-time job, I'm a case in point!

The good news is: we have 3 new potential foster homes in progress, and I am absolutely thrilled to be talking to people who want to help further the DREAM mission.

Chattooga County - Puppy Mill Bust

2007-01-30T08:25:00.000-05:00

Many of you saw on WSB the footage of the puppy mill bust from Chattooga County. DREAM was coordinating with DRNA (who had volunteered to coordinate all rescues in the area for the dachshunds at the mill) to take in as many as we could.

Unfortunately, we found out this morning that all but 11 dogs will be returned to this breeder. The puppy mill went to the department of agriculture and had their license increased to handle up to 100 dogs. This is extremely discouraging to those of us who deal with the "downstream" of these decisions.

I am still hoping to get some of those dachshunds, and save them and their offspring from future suffering.

If you know someone who is NOT a breeder, and who is willing to go to Chattooga County, adopt a dachsie, and spay/neuter it, and take responsible care of it, I hope you'll send them a link to this message. We in rescue will be working to get as many of them out of the puppy mill system as we can.

Meanwhile, the rest of those dogs are back with the people who cause much of the need for rescue in the first place, making more and more and more puppies.

Moving 'em in, moving 'em out.

2007-01-11T12:36:00.000-05:00

We're having a big week, both in adoptions and in intakes.

It looks as though Smokey Joe and Jake have good homes coming their way...just need to finalize a few things.

This week we agreed to take in 5 doggies, but 3 of them have turned out not to need us. We are taking Doc and Pepper in today. Their family is having a really difficult time, having suffered the death of a grandchild, a miscarriage, and now health issues with the new baby. I am picking them up at 3:30, taking them to the vet, and then crowding them in at my house until I can get them to their new foster homes on Saturday.

We also agreed to take Dudley from another rescue group who is really struggling, but they have decided to keep him after all.

A little nameless boy in Animal Control near Helen, GA, was going to come to DREAM, but he was adopted! Happy story!

A little boy at UGA veterinary hospital had back surgery, but it was not successful. His family was going to either turn him in to DREAM or euthanize him, but at the last minute they decided to give it a try and take him home with a cart. We wish them well, and hope they will allow us to mentor them in the care of their little one until they are in the swing of things.

There is a little senior girl in Cherokee county in need. I hope that DARE or DRNA will be able to get her, but none of our foster homes is appropriate for her. It is so difficult to have both 1) space and 2) appropriate space at the same time.

For the doggies....

Luke is ALMOST standing up!

2007-01-09T16:12:00.000-05:00

The swim therapy is really helping Luke. We have been 6 times. His back legs are much more "bendy" now -- the contractures are a lot better. He is really trying to stand up. Many times I will turn around and he is standing on one of the back legs. He holds it for a few seconds, then sort of lists off to one side, and he's sitting again.

He's in terrific spirits, although he doesn't like the swimming very much. He cooperates, but you can tell he doesn't enjoy it. When she first puts him in the pool, he tries to swim across it to where I'm sitting and watching. His eyes are huge. But he can really kick those back legs. The kicks aren't very coordinated yet, but he is moving the legs and pushing off from her hand to propel himself forward. He can really go! -- he makes a little "wake" behind him!

Once the swim therapy has really worked out his contractures, we will go back to Loving Touch to try to underwater treadmill to actually get him taking steps again.

Luke's bendy legs

2006-12-30T17:04:00.000-05:00

Luke completed his 5th session with the swim therapist today. It is really beginning to make a difference. Before therapy, his back legs were always stuck stiffly forward, in what I called "water ski position." The muscles contract when there are not regular neural signals making it through. I learned some range of motion exercises for him to to try to loosen them up, but it didn't make much difference.

This morning when I woke up he was lying next to me, snoozing away, with his little back legs all tucked up, bent beside him like a normal doggie's!

When he swims, the therapist lets him go and follows him with her hands behind his legs, so he can kick against them. He is FAST and she has to hustle to keep up. It's thrilling that he kicks! But he's also getting better and better about learning to kick in the right place to push off her hand. At first his legs would kick, but sort of wildly and in all directions. Now he's really learning to control them.

He's getting better, and I hope that one day he will be able to walk a bit, if not normally.

You know what I'd REALLY like to do? Breed dachshund puppies.

2006-12-21T09:59:00.000-05:00

Yes, that's right. What I would love to do is to breed dachshund puppies.

Imagine it. You have 2 beautiful dachshunds that you love....sweet sweet snugglers that love you and each other. And then you get to help your little girl through her pregnancy, and see all the little ones get born, and then you have their BABIES! Teeny tiny sweet handfuls of puppydom, nursing on your own sweet dachsie! And then they grow up a little bit and get the puppy breath and start to stumble around as they learn to walk! And then they grow up a little more and start to ramble and wrestle all over the house... like a mini gang of cuteness!

There would be black and tan ones, and red ones, and long hair ones, and short hair ones. And they would all sleep in a pile together, sometimes on the bed with me while I watch a movie, and they would be so cute that I just could not STAND IT -- I would want to kiss them all the time!!! And they would get a little older and find good homes, ones where I could keep in touch with them for the rest of their lives and make sure that they were always ok, always loved.

I would LOVE that! Man, would I love that!

But I don't do it. And I guess I never will.

Why? It's a great dream, and it would make me really happy, and I could make lots of other people happy by giving them loving, beautiful, playful, healthy pets.

Here's why.

For every puppy born and sold, a homeless dog doesn't find a home. And right now, there are too many homeless dogs. Not just mixes, either. Dachshunds. Pure-bred ones. And plenty of them.

Emmitt. Grace. Abby. Cricket. Tabby. Mimi. Kevin. Smitty. Dexter. Hans and Heidi. Frank. Lorelei. Amelia. Angelina. Annie. Barley. Iris. Isobel. Little Man. Big Boy. Coco. Buddy. Bubbles. Chouli. Coco. Cocopelli. Cool Eddy. Walter. Comet. Dougie. Elizabeth. Eva. Flame. Flo. Max. Maggie. Jordan. Giacomo. Porter. Ginger, Gingin, and Gingersnap. Tucker. Henry. Gus. Hoover. Nicholas. Maggie 2. India. Lance. Winnie. Ursula. Stumpy. Roxie. Scarlett. Nora. Montana. Midnight. Owen. Ripley. Peanut. Poindexter (Pointy Man). Mr. B. Tina. Matilda. Tia. Tracy. Wilson. Darcy. Summer. Swoosie. Susie. George.

And how many more? These are just the ones I can list off the top of my head. Dogs that all went to forever homes with DARE or DREAM, who would not have gone if that forever home had bought a puppy.

And then there are the ones still waiting: Arthur. Smokey Joe. Fella. Bobo. Willow. Luke. Elliott. Frasier. Jake. Jerry Beasley. If THEIR real homes don't find them and go to a breeder, where will all of them live?

Maybe one day, when I'm 80 or so, all the dachshunds born will have a home to go to and stay forever. Then I'll be able to breed. Until then, I'll rescue.

Luke's paddling

2006-12-16T16:34:00.000-05:00

No, not the punishment kind of paddling -- DOG paddling!

Luke has begun therapy with Dog Paddle -- an aquatherapy kind of thing. We just returned from his second session and he is sacked out in his crate sleeping hard. It is hard work. He swims with Marna for about 15 minutes, then takes a rest. Repeat three times. Marna said she could tell a difference today -- that under the water he was kicking against her hand. His legs, especially around the hocks, are still very contracted, but much better than they used to be.

I hope one day he will walk again, but even if he never does, he will still be a happy dog. One day he will find his forever home, someone to love him and take care of him, and whether or not he walks will not be the most important thing. The most important thing will be that he found that home.

Dachshund Event March 3!

2006-12-13T21:56:00.000-05:00

We have a 2007 event on the books! Last weekend at our board retreat, we planned our first 2007 event....a "Weenie Roast"!

No, it won't be hotdogs. (That's for HowlOWeenie!)

It will be a dinner event. People attending will send a picture of their dachsie, and Carol is going to make a presentation slide show out of it. During dinner, people will stand up as their dachsie's picture comes up, and tell a story about their doggie. (That's the roast part. Get it?)

We'll also have information about DREAM in general, but the main point is to have fun, talk about our dachsies and how much they mean to us, recognize some folks who really helped us this year, and raise a little $$ for the dogs. Carol will probably make a wonderful dachsie art mosaic item, and we'll have a little 50/50 raffle.

Mark your calendars for 3/3, and watch the website for details. Tickets will go on sale after the new year.

I'm the decorations committee... better get to thinking about how to decorate on a dachshund's shoestring. Hope to do a better job than this lady at the sink!

What's it like to express a dog's bladder?

2006-12-06T16:51:00.000-05:00

A lot of people wonder what is involved in expressing a dog's bladder, in case their dog has a spinal injury and can no longer control his or her "business." Unfortunately most vets are not too encouraging of people to try it, and I think this causes many people to decide to euthanize because the vet implies it is really difficult to do.

I too was mystified. It seemed like an odd and involved process. Then I took a chance and agreed to foster a little girl who had gone down in the back.

So, here's the real scoop, from my experience with TWO down dachsies, Tabby and Luke.

Question: How often do you do it?

Answer: I express Tabby and Luke's bladders whenever I let the other dogs out to potty. About 6 times a day. So yes, they go all day when I'm at work without being expressed.

Question: How long does it take?

Answer: About 10 - 20 seconds. Yep, that's it!

Question: Do you need equipment or hoses or protective clothing or syringes or bags or tubes or rubber gloves or anything like that?

Answer: No special stuff is needed. Just your hands. I can do it anywhere, including over my toilet. (Talk about potty trained!)

Question: So, HOW do you do it?

Answer 1 (Female): I squat next to my toilet in the bathroom (or outside), and hold Tabby with her behind hanging over the toilet, resting her front half on my left thigh. (She is so used to it, sometimes she keeps a toy in her mouth during the whole thing.) With my right hand, I reach under her body and cup my thumb and fingers around her abdomen. I feel in her tummy for something that feels like a water balloon -- that's the bladder. I squeeze gently, mostly with my thumb and middle finger, with a sort of milking motion toward her tail, and the stream of urine comes out in a little arc. Success! After, I put her on the floor, she shakes her head, and "thumps" away. I actually have a little video of myself doing this, but haven't figured out yet how to post it on the website.

Answer 2 (Male): I hold Luke vertically with my left arm while I stand outside, resting his bottom on my left thigh, with my left leg slightly bent. He looks at me with his enormous brown eyes and kisses my face. With my right hand (again thumb and middle finger), I squeeze around the base of his penis until I feel the "water balloon" of his bladder. (Luke has a bit more bladder muscular function, so he has little spurts instead of just a stream.) I get him started with a gentle squeeze and he does the rest. Then I make sure the bladder is empty by feeling that the bladder is flat. After, I put him down inside and he barks for a treat.

Question: Does it hurt?

Answer: No, it doesn't hurt them at all. (Or me.) Luke has some muscular control, so sometimes he resists my squeeze with his abdominal muscles, but then he relaxes so he can pee.

Question: Can husbands learn to do it?

Answer: Yes, my husband can do it too. A common statement in my home is "Honey, have you squeezed Tabby since dinner?"

Question: What about the poop?

Answer: The poop is really different from the pee. (Boy, I never thought I'd write that sentence!) First of all, the poop will come out on its own, without you helping, and there's no risk of it staying inside and causing infection.

With the bladder, you have to empty it often or the dog will become poisoned in its own waste. The pee will not come out by itself; it will only overflow what it CANNOT contain as more urine flows into the bladder from the kidneys. The rest stays put. That's one reason why these dogs are so prone to urinary tract infections.

Back to the poop: With Tabby, I can feel whether there is anything in her bowel by feeling around her spinal column, near her tail. Tabby's injury was so profound that she has NO muscle tone in her back half. Then I can squeeze the poop out like toothpaste. Luke has muscle tone in his back half, so I can't feel his rectum like that. He just poops when he's ready, and I clean up the floor. I give both of them fiber supplements so they have nice, tidy poops.

Question: How often do you wash your hands a day?

Answer: Countless times!

Question: Can you express a bladder while wearing formal, fancy, clothing?

Answer: Yes, I have done so many times: gotten dressed for a fancy event and then gone out in the back yard to "squeeze" the dogs right before we leave, in high heels and all.

Send any other questions my way! But the biggest thing to remember is, if this kind of injury happens to your dog, don't let the intimidation of the bladder expression keep you from keeping him at home.

Luke - woke up last night to go potty

2006-12-04T17:23:00.000-05:00

A very strange and wonderful thing happened last night.

I woke up in the middle of the night, hearing one of the dogs scratching to get out of the bedroom. I turned on the light and it was LUKE! He had crawled out of the bed, down the ramp, and gotten to the door -- and he'd had diarrhea all over the floor on his way.

Now, when you wake up in the night to a floor full of liquid poop, you may not think of it as wonderful. But here's the kicker: This means that Luke knew he had to go to the bathroom. And that's a first, as far as I can tell, since his surgery in late July.

There's more. When I opened the bedroom door, he made a beeline for the back door so he could go in the yard. (He can travel amazingly fast considering he only really uses his front legs, and he's really trying to get those back legs under him. The muscles are still too contracted for him to bend them on his own, but the contraction gets softer every week.)

I have never been so inspired by poop.

We will redouble our physical therapy efforts. I am also looking into a water therapist for him.

Yahoo Luke!

Now, if I can just fix this case of the trots he has. Here he is enjoying a little time in the sunshine.

Arthur, Frasier, and Smokey Joe

2006-12-01T21:56:00.000-05:00

DREAM has three fosters who seem to have a lot in common: one of which is making their DREAM family their forever family. This is problematic to say the least!

Arthur, Frasier, and Smokey Joe have each fostered with me at some point in their DREAM care. I currently am still fostering Arthur.

Sometimes I think that they are purposely trying to make their DREAM foster homes their forever homes!

Each is a TERRIFIC dog: good natured, friendly, playful, and loving. And each is extremely intelligent. I swear they have figured out how to game the system.

Case in point: Arthur. Arthur is fostering with me now. When he came to DREAM, he had been stray for a few weeks, out in the storms, and was very afraid. He warmed to me immediately though, and I thought he would be no trouble to adopt out. But Arthur knew a good thing when he saw it. Whenever a new family would come to see him, in the hopes of connecting with him for an adoption, he would bark and bark. One poor woman (if you're reading this, you know who you are!!) got a nice little nip on her tush when she came to meet him! Yet Arthur gets along great with all my friends, my little 6-year old niece, and other visitors who give him time to warm up to them. Arthur's greatest joy in life (besides his morning snuggle) is to stand on various items. Outside, he loves to stand on rocks. Inside, he loves any book or small piece of furniture that will support his little front feet. He would be a great little pet for any home that didn't have a lot of visitors.

Smokey Joe. One of the most handsome dachsies ever to live! Shiny, smart, and oh so cuddly. Loves hiking and active people. His little problem is with cats. Ditto Frasier.

Since DREAM does not recommend dachshunds for anyone with small children (or plans to have them!), these three spectacular specimens of dachshund go unclaimed.

Are YOU the one who holds the key to their hearts? If you talked to any of their foster moms, you'd get an earful about how much love these boys add to their houses.

Difficult week -- too many dogs.

2006-11-28T23:00:00.000-05:00

I had a difficult day today. DREAM has a small number of foster homes, and each volunteers to care for a small number of foster dogs at a time. We as a board really value these foster homes, and we are volunteers ourselves.

Most of our foster homes care for 1 - 2 foster dogs at a time. When a foster home volunteers, we ask them what kinds of foster situations they are able / willing to deal with, and we are very careful not to ask them to deal with situations that they are not ready for (or willing to do). For example: dogs with health issues (injuries, back issues, or age), dogs with behavioral issues (can't get along with other dogs, chase cats, or afraid of strangers).

In the last few days, we have gotten requests to take in a dog with severe injuries all over the front half of his body (thankfully, by the time I responded to the email later that afternoon, other rescue had been found); an owner surrender because of divorce; and 4 animal control notices that we could not handle.

There are too many. There are too many. We don't have enough room. All the dachshund rescues don't have enough room.

Please, tell everyone you know, there are too many. If you know someone who wants to add a dog to their home, beg them to rescue a dog -- not to buy from a petstore, buy from the newspaper, or go to a breeder. Every puppy bought is a living dog not saved. One day I hope we are in the situation where every dog born has a home waiting for it eagerly, with arms outstretched. When that day comes, I will breed the dachshunds myself. We are not there now.

This is my sweet Max, and old foster who loved to play soccer with a big ball. He came from a breeder who decided to stop breeding.

I cry for every single one I can't help.

DREAM Dachshund Rescue - 1 year anniversary

2006-11-26T10:28:00.000-05:00

It has been almost one year since DREAM came into being. A year ago a small group of us went up to a cabin in the mountains, and tried to decide if the best thing for the doggies was to separate from DARE and become our own group. It was a difficult decision. DARE was a wonderful group, and we learned so much from them, and we loved them. But working across 2 states was just too difficult. Almost all the DARE members were in Florida, and here we were, just a few of us in North Georgia, with the huge empty area of south Georgia between us, with no members there. And the laws governing rescue are different in both states.

Separating from DARE meant we had to incorporate our own company, make it a non-profit, raise our own money, run our own website, manage our own finances, and coordinate our own adoption and intake procedures. It was not a small undertaking for a group of 7 people with their own full-time jobs and lives.

But love of the dachsies prevailed, and we accomplished a lot this year. We also had some hard times, which helped us to be stronger and understand more about how to take care of these dogs and find them forever homes that will last throughout their lifetimes.

Our most hard-won accomplishment was our 501c3 status from the IRS. Anyone who has not been through this process will not believe how administratively difficult it is to achieve. (I hear that it is EASIER for organizations that focus on children or animals to get it! I pity those other groups.) There is a lot to prove and a TON of paperwork. (And the IRS is not exactly skilled at clear, concise communication.) But we finally did it, and our tax-exempt status is retroactive to our legal corporation formation on December 19, 2005! So if you have made a donation to DREAM, yes, it is tax-deductible.

We also applied for and won a grant -- our first. This gave us some financial stability, as well as the means to make a "thank you" donation back to DARE. We plan to start a fund for dogs who come out of domestic abuse situations, and donate annually to Ahimsa House, an organization who takes in dogs in that terrible situation.

Part of our mission is to make a deep impact in a small geographic area. This makes sense as a volunteer organization. There are too many dogs in need HERE that we can't help, without adding the burden of trying to arrange transport, home checks, etc. hours away. But we struggle daily with requests to help dogs outside our geographic area, in other parts of Georgia or Alabama. To alleviate this, we want to "seed" other dachshund rescue groups who can use our methods and processes. We are almost finished creating a "package" of materials for new dachshund rescue groups to use to get started, and we hope to provide help with the funds for setting up those new groups legally. Our first group will be in Savannah, next year. One of our board members is relocating there, so it is the perfect opportunity for us to widen our reach.

And of course, the dogs. DREAM is a small group, with only 9 foster homes. (We hope to add more foster homes each year, to a maximum of 21.) This year we took in 26 dogs, many with health or behavioral issues, who would have otherwise been euthanized. Many have been adopted, while others are still with us, completing their rehabilitation.
Some highlights:

Asher was taken in from a shelter, where he was diagnosed with severe mange. When he came to DREAM, he had NO hair except for a few tufts on his feet. His skin was sticky and smelly, and he had a terrible infestation of tapeworm. After a few months with his foster mom, Teresa, and her special baths and a lot of love and attention, Asher became once again a longhaired dachshund! He was adopted and is happy in his new home.

Luke came to DREAM from his family, who had been advised by their vet to euthanize him after a spinal injury, IVDD, very common in dachshunds. (In reality, almost no dachshunds need to be euthanized for IVDD, but many vets still advise it, unaware of the many options available for treatment.) Luke was a candidate for surgery, and DREAM got it for him. He is now with his foster mom, learning to walk again, and speeding around in his cart in the meantime.

Bart came to DREAM with a hole in his hard palate, where a stick had become stuck and then rotted through to his sinus cavity. (We have actually seen this 3 times in the past 6 years!) DREAM got his surgeries done, and he now lives with a wonderful family (with 2 other DREAM dachshunds, Murphy and Erica!).

Eva was surrendered to DREAM by a woman who had crated her sometimes for more than 24 hours at a time. That's her picture above, in what her foster dad called her "Chinese Dragon" pose. She had never been socialized, and was terrified of the crate. Her mom had considered euthanizing her because she had become unmanageable. After a few weeks with a stable schedule, lots of love, and basic obedience training, Eva was adopted by a couple south of Atlanta. She is now the queen of their house.

Trevor was picked up by the side of the road by a kind person who witnessed him being thrown out of a moving car. His pelvis was broken, but he was a sweet boy who just wanted a home. He could walk, but was in a lot of pain. His injury was the type that just needed time and rest to heal, and he is now with a forever home that loves him and takes care of him. He even enjoys rides in the car!

The stories go on and on, but these are our real accomplishments. Thank you to all of you who helped make forever homes for these dachshunds more than just a DREAM.

Luke and Arthur - happy dachshunds!

2006-11-16T10:13:00.000-05:00

This morning is a very happy day. Luke, our little foster who is still recovering from his spinal surgery (he will never walk normally, I don't think), and Arthur, our scrappy little foster who used to be so afraid of everyone, are wrestling in the kitchen! They are so cute. Luke bounces up and down on his front legs, and Arthur prances in a circle around him. You can tell they're having a great time. Both of them are wagging like crazy. I remember the first time I saw Luke's tail wag after his surgery.

Moments like this make it all worthwhile.

One day I will see both Luke and Arthur find their new forever homes, and I will cry, but I will be so happy for them at the same time.

Howl-O-Weenie a howling success!

2006-10-29T09:59:00.000-05:00

{More photos coming soon! Carol is working on a little webpage that we will link from the dream website. Send your photos to cashock (at) comcast.net (take out the (at) and replace with @ - fools spam}

All of us at DREAM are exhausted but jubilant after another successful Howl-O-Weenie. After a nail-biting Friday of rain and wind (during which we carried more tables back and forth than my back could comfortably handle and agonized over whether anyone would show up), we had a beautiful Saturday afternoon at Glen Lake Park -- complete with sunshine for the weiner dogs to bask in.

We believe the picnic raised between $10 - 11,000 -- this money goes to veterinary care for the abandoned dachshunds all year. We still have a few invoices left to come in, and a few donations are still coming in, so we don't have a final number yet.

My highlights: seeing my foster dogs having a BIG time with their new families.

The first ones to arrive were Midnight, Bart, and Patty. Murphy is Midnight's new name and he looked happy and healthy and shiny with his new buddy, the black Great Dane. Bart was irrepressible as ever. He has never met a stranger. When Bart came to DREAM, he had a large hole in his upper palate through to his sinus cavities, requiring several surgeries to close as much as possible. Patty, now Erica, was terrified of people when DREAM found her abandoned on a farm. Her new family has loved her and provided her with such feelings of safety, that she is now able to enjoy a dachshund picnic!!

Then we saw Dexter, who had just competed in the Dachshund Dash. Handsome as ever and his mom Lynn said he was doing great!

Giacomo (now Murphy too!) was there with his mom, dad, brother, and sister, fresh from a morning soccer game. He now lives in Newnan and roams with the neighborhood kids and gets lots of love and snuggles from all of them.

Asher was there -- an amazing story. When I picked up Asher at the shelter, he had NO hair, and his skin was smelly and sticky from mange. His foster mom brought all that hair back, and at the picnic no one recognized him -- he had LONG beautiful silky hair and was so happy.

Angelina was there with her new brothers, all of them dressed in Falcon's garb. Angelina was the cheerleader! Whenever she sees me, she runs up and puts her little front feet on my legs. When we got Angelina, she had a heart murmur that required surgery. Without it, she wouldn't have lived past 2, but now she is 4.

Saylor! He looked so shiny and happy and healthy! And his mom and dad were so proud of him, and told me how happy he is every day to greet them when they get home, and how good Saylor is with Jeremy's little boy.

Have I missed anyone? My head is still a blur....

Our contests were in the upper field this year...not ideal. Next year we'll make sure we get the lower field again (if we don't move to a larger park). One poor man fell down that hill and hurt his head....we don't want that again!

I NEVER want to judge the costume contests again -- it is far too hard to choose and so many people make such COOL costumes with clever details. I loved the mermaid, the chicken, the Incredibles (complete with a big belly doggie), the bus and firetruck, the hula girl with her tiny painted nails, and of course the two winners -- WEEN Valdez and the Longhorn.

The kissing contest winner had more than 60 licks in a minute!

I got this report on the Howling Contest...can you tell Terri (Owen's new mom) is a writer??
"It was such an exciting event. Some wieners were too nervous to perform, their little shocked faces trembling from all the commotion, but their parents showered them with love anyway so none felt dejected. The ones who did howl were quite impressive, and the winner was difficult to choose. We looked not only for enthusiasm and form, but also for heart and soulfulness. And for those last two qualities, Andy stole the show. His was a lovely howl with pure, rich tones, wrought from the depths of his innermost self—his memories and dreams, his scars and celebrations, his loves and losses—and unleashed to the sky without shame or apology. In that moment, there on the field of HowlOWeenie, Andy was every dog, and he was every one of us. We looked deep inside him and found only good, and we loved him for that."

I heard the DASH worked well in heats -- next year we will have certificates for the heat winners and award gold, silver, and bronze medals like the Olympics. The pictures I saw were hilarious...like the Kentucky Derby, but with much shorter legs.

Such beautiful pictures for our calendar contest! I can't wait to see the finished product. Please email us if you want to pre-order, last year we sold out completely even BEFORE we put them on the website....the 12 winners bought all the calendars!

The 50/50 raffle didn't get as many participants as we thought it would...anyone have thoughts on why?

Hotdog sales brisk (this is a huge moneymaker for us, since Publix donates almost all the food, it is almost pure profit.) Who doesn't love a chili dog with homemade chili? And the homemade desserts!!!

The T-shirt sales were good. We have more of each shirt, let me know if you would like to order one. We can mail it to you for $21 total. Terry Pond donates the art for the shirts each year, and they are always charming.

I loved our auction art so much this year. The beautiful glass mosaic, the painted window (which I won! It is in my breakfast nook right now! I spend a lot of $$ at this picnic myself!), and the Matt Rinard original proof. We would also love your thoughts on what you'd like to see in the auction.

Some of our vendors did great, others not so much. I would love to hear from anyone on what vendors they would like to see next year. The vendors make a big donation to DREAM, so I want them to have a good day.

Another Howl-O-Weenie first -- we had a proposal, in between the contests! Hottie (the chicken) and Molly's mom, Aly, is now engaged to her beloved, Elroi! I'll post a picture soon! (I asked them if they wanted to do the ceremony at next year's picnic, but she has been diplomatically silent so far...probably has a very different vision of her big day.)

Send your favorite HowlOWeenie pictures -- we'll post them here!

Our board is having a retreat in December -- planning for HOWL 2007 will be underway -- our 5th anniversary! What was just a gleam in Carol's eye 4 years ago is now a dachshund tradition in Atlanta!

I would love to hear anyone's ideas on how to make HowlOWeenie 2007 even better! What would you do differently? What do you wish we did? What do you wish we didn't do? Any idea, large or small....let us hear from you! Just post a comment to this blog.

HowlOWeenie is almost here!

2006-10-26T09:40:00.000-04:00

It has been a really busy couple of weeks as we get ready for HowlOWeenie, and we are really excited about this year's picnic. Everyone cross their dachsie fingers and toes and tails for sunny warm weather!

A lot of preparation goes into the event, which is our biggest fundraiser of the year, and pays for the veterinary costs of helping abandoned dachshunds.

Our board of directors splits responsibility for planning the event and pulling it off. This year Michele and Ivy are the chairs. I am running the vendor/artist market (new!), and coordinating T-shirts (getting the art from Terry Pond www.weiner-dog.com and ordering the shirts). Carol is of course doing her amazing art for the auction, as well as the marketing with Ivy (working with Cindy at Star 94, the AJC, WABE, etc). Brenda covers all the registration and volunteer coordination, and the 50/50 raffle (another new thing this year). Michele is also in charge of the contests. Ivy has the calendar contest. Sherry is the money lady.

The vendor / artist market this year is a new thing for us. We used to do a silent auction, but the effort to pull that off was immense, and it was expensive because we had to rent tables (which also were very heavy and caused angst among our trusty volunteers). This year the vendors pay a fee, and bring their own tables and supplies. Voila! We have some really exciting vendors this year, and I hope they all make lots of money and will come back next year.

The calendar contest is in its second year. The big challenge there is finding reasonable printing costs....last year we were worried that the printing would be more than the contest raised in entry fees and votes! Since we didn't know how many we could sell, we ordered only a small number and sold out. This year we are offering pre-orders at the picnic, so we will know how many to order.

Of course, the hotdog lunches...$5 for a dog, chips, drink, and homemade dessert. We're all scrambling to find friends who will bake cookies! We expect to sell 600 lunches this year!

The contests this year are costume (always a big hit!), face kissing, howling, and the dachshund dash. These dachsie owners get competitive!

In the last few days, all of us at DREAM have been juggling literally hundreds of emails to/from each other and from all you dachsie lovers out there. It's gonna be a terrific day! Come on out to Glen Lake Park, 1121 Church Street, on Saturday, October 28, 2006, with or without your dachsie.

We are very lucky to have such an enthusiastic dachsie community!

M is for Mentoring

2006-10-08T14:09:00.000-04:00

The M in DREAM stands for Mentoring, and it's important to us to help people who need a little assistance with their dachshunds to help them keep their dogs instead of turning them over to rescue. It's also really important to us to stay in touch with our adopted dogs, so that if issues arise we can help the family to help their new doggie adjust.

This came up last week for a recent adoptee. (names have been changed to protect the innocent).

Oliver (not his real name) came to DREAM after he was found stray. He was a very submissive and shy boy who would always back down from a tussle with the other dogs at home. He got used to being in a "pack" and, to the security that a pack offers.

Oliver was adopted by Anastasia (not her real name, but she's the type of gal that could pull off a name like Anastasia). He moved into her new condo, just the two of them, and life was great.

However, Anastasia was a first time dog owner and, let's say, not a real dominant type person. She's a very nurturing person. What Oliver started to do was to protect Anastasia when they went on walks, trying to beat up every dog that came their way. That led to Anastasia acting nervous whenever they went on walks (and especially when they saw other dogs), which just reinforced Oliver's opinion that walks were scary for her and he needed to protect her.

So, here's what we advised Anastasia, who loves Oliver very much and wants to help him be a good dog.

The biggest thing to remember is that Oliver needs to see Anastasia as a confident leader, so that HE doesn't feel he has the responsibility of leading, or protecting her.

When they go on walks, she should walk quickly and with confidence. If they see another dog, she should switch direction and walk briskly in the other way, showing no indication of nervousness. She should never try to comfort or hold him when he is doing something she dosn't like -- it reinforces the behavior (also good advice for storms, btw).

At home, she needs to follow the prescriptions of Jan Fennell, The Dog Listener (fantastic book for ALL dog owners). She eats first - he gets nothing until after she has eaten. He doesn't get on the bed or furniture without her permission. When they leave the house, she goes through the door first. (I also advise that Oliver not sleep with her in the bed for a period of 4 weeks, but she's reluctant to do that because their snuggling is an important part of their relationship).

Stay tuned for more on Oliver and his new home, and many thanks to "Anastasia" for being such a great mother and learning what to do to help her new little boy.

Busy Day Planning HowlOWeenie Dachshund Picnic

2006-10-01T00:01:00.000-04:00

We had a board meeting today to plan the 2006 HowlOWeenie Dachshund Picnic. This is our fourth annual picnic -- it gets bigger every year!

We are especially excited about the art for our T-shirts, by Terry Pond. We will have TWO t-shirts this year, one with a black and tan dachshund and one with a red dachshund. Check out Terry's website and see if you can guess which ones we used!

Also on tap: hot dog sales (of course), dachshund root beer from Three Dachshunds Brewery, costume contest, face kissing contest, the dachshund dash (don't worry, it's back-friendly), and the ever-popular howling contest (in which what the owners do to get their dachsies to howl is even funnier than the howling part). And a revival of our calendar contest, in which the 12 photos that get the most votes are featured in our 2007 calendar.

October 28 is right around the corner!! Join us at Glen Lake Park in Decatur. 1211 Church Street.

Kevin -- my first foster dachshund

2006-09-26T20:18:00.000-04:00

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

2006-09-26T17:54:00.000-04:00

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

2006-09-05T09:41:00.000-04:00

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!

2006-09-04T17:22:00.000-04:00

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.

Luke's new loves -- Elizabeth and Marcella

2006-08-29T17:17:00.000-04:00

Luke is going regularly to Caring Canine Rehabilitation Center for his physical therapy. They do all kinds of therapy for him -- electrical stimulation (which made a difference on the first day), massage, stretching his legs so that the muscles don't stay so contracted, standing him over a bolster, and aquatherapy on the underwater treadmill. He especially loves to go there and run through the door in his cart barking his head off like he owns the place. His therapist, Elizabeth, is very patient with him. (He is not too cooperative with the anal probe that is supposed to give his pelvic floor electrical stimulation so he can regain some bladder/bowel control.) During his exercises, he fusses until someone feeds him turkey jerky...he has us all well-trained! Once someone starts giving him little slivers of the turkey jerky, he doesn't care what else is going on.

This week he is staying overnight to get PT two days in a row, so he gets to snuggle with Marcella (who is partial to dachshunds). Marcella takes care of the doggies at night.

Luke has a huge crush on both Marcella and Elizabeth!

His wagging his tail regularly now, and attempting to stand. His greatest joy in life, though, remains taking a walk around the block in his cart. He FLIES down the street, with me trailing behind at the end of the taut leash. People driving by often stop their cars to admire him, and some roll down their windows and ask about him. He is becoming very famous in the neighborhood.

Luke's expenses continue to mount, but it is so rewarding to see his mobility and function return little by little. I hope we can raise some additional funds for him at Howl-O-Weenie, our annual dachshund picnic, on October 28 in Decatur, GA.

Wagging Tails and a Full Run in the Cart!

2006-08-20T10:59:00.000-04:00

On Saturday Craig and I took two of the dogs for a long walk. Understandably, the ones left behind were quite bitter...especially Luke. So, just before dinner I put him in his cart and took him out on the "open road" -- our block. He was so excited and happy to be out! His ears blew back, and his tail shot straight up into the air, and after a couple of minutes, he broke his cheerful trot into a full-out gallop. I had to run to keep up with him! The neighbors all came out of their houses and off their porches to see, but he was too impatient to stop and chat...he wanted to GO! His little cart just flies, and his front legs really gallop! He looks so happy!

Earlier that day, he was wandering around the house in the cart, and I was messing around in the kitchen. He came to the kitchen door, and when I turned and saw him, I said, "Hi there, Luke!" and his tail went up and wagged back and forth several times. This time there is no doubt...a real wag and not a reflex.

That evening we did a lot of his therapy and stretching exercises on his back legs, and long massages on his front ones, since they had gotten such a workout during his outing. He was exhausted but content. When I do the PT and massage, he lies right down and enjoys it. Makes me feel like I should light a candle and put on some ocean wave CDs to complete the "doggie spa."

Luke goes back to Caring Canines Rehabilitation (part of Loving Touch) on Tuesday.

To date we have spent about $2500 on his care. If anyone reading this would like to make a donation, you can do so at www.dreamdachshundrescue.com via PayPal. Luke says "Thank you!"

Luke gets his turkey jerky -- that is, aquatherapy

2006-08-13T21:18:00.000-04:00

Back to the water therapy today. He did great! He loves the turkey jerky and will put up with almost anything to get it. He stood in the water for a full 10 minutes on his own. The vet said that just the water pressure alone is therapeutic for his legs. He is also doing better standing on his own, outside the water. If I position his legs correctly, he can stand for a few seconds. Eventually he sinks down back into "waterski" position, but I bend his legs back under him, widen his stance, and he stands again patiently.

Luke the down dachshund got his chair!

2006-08-12T15:32:00.000-04:00

Luke has had a big couple of days! On Thursday we went back to Loving Touch to have his staples removed and decide on what course to take for his ongoing rehabilitation. He would not wag his tail for Dr. Tracey, but he did support himself on all four legs for short periods. He very much enjoyed the turkey jerky treats that Ray the vet tech used to keep him entertained. Dr. Tracey showed me some new PT exercises to do with him, and some tissue manipulation techniques to keep adhesions from building up around his suture. When we go on vacation next month, Luke will stay at Loving Touch's rehabilitation center to get some more intense PT. Until then, I will take him for a PT session once a week.

More exciting news! Luke's chair arrived from www.dogstogo.net. He was dubious at first, but once he figured out what those wheels were for, he zoomed around, and can even back up without a problem. Check him out! Tabby looks a little envious -- maybe I will get her a cart too.

We are going to an outdoor party today...I think I will take Luke and see how he does "on the street."

Luke wagged his tail! (Well, a little bit.)

2006-08-10T12:11:00.000-04:00

Last night we were sitting on the bed watching more episodes of "The Closer" on DVD. Luke was with me, and I was doing his passive range of motion exercises. He seems to really relax when I do them, unless he's trying to play and wrestle. I had just switched to pulling him onto all 4 feet to help him balance and stand, which he is doing really well. He can stand for about 10 seconds before he kind of sinks to a sitting position.

One of the other foster dogs, Arthur, strolled in with a squeaky ball, and jumped on the bed and squeaked it.

Luke's tail wagged! It wasn't a "full" wag, it was a little short, quivery, "middle of the pendulum swing" sort of wag, but it was DEFINITELY a wag, and NOT a reflex. It went on for about 15 seconds, and then Arthur took his ball in the other room, and it was all over.

It really seems like his function may come back, drip by drip by drip.

Today we go to Loving Touch to have his Frankenstein staples taken out and to talk about what kind of ongoing rehab/therapy he needs.

Way to Go, Luke!!!

Luke moved his foot and leg!

2006-08-08T11:15:00.000-04:00

Last night as I was giving Luke his foot massage (I never thought I would start a sentence that way), his toes curled around my finger, and his little leg pushed back at me. He kept doing that for about 30 seconds, enough time for me to say, "Craig! Look at this!" and Craig could see it too. During all of this, he was looking up at me, with this really smug expression on his face.

He is getting much better about staying in the crate and not fussing. As long as I keep up with expressing his bladder, he does not have an accident (although I sometimes get peed on when I pick him up to take him outside.) I would still like to explore the drug for bladder control, but that can wait until we figure out what is going on with his legs. I am so proud of him!

His wheelchair is on the way -- I got an email from www.dogstogo.net last night. They are even giving Luke a discount for being a rescue guy.

Big news for Luke. As I write this, I have his crate on the dining room table next to me, so he can look out the window and bark at the neighbors. It keeps him a lot happier than being on the floor where he has little to entertain him.

Adventures in bathing with dachshunds

2006-08-07T06:58:00.000-04:00

When dogs first come into rescue, they are often very afraid of being separated from me, the first person to show them kindness in a while. One humorous way this shows up is when I need to take a shower.

Eva, pictured here, would hurl herself into the shower with me. The first time this happened, I just leaned down and rubbed some Head and Shoulders on her to give her a bath, which she had been afraid of earlier that day. She just huddled in the back of the tub for the rest of my shower. She didn't jump out.

I've had other dogs jump into the bath with me, but never the shower! It's a bigger surprise because you don't see it coming, but it's less of a mess.

Luke, who you've already met, usually sits outside the shower on the bath mat and cries. I have to stick my head out of the curtain periodically to reassure him that I'm still there. This morning was a big breakthrough because he just sat out there calmly without crying.

Tabby, who was a foster before we adopted her, waits outside the shower for me so she can lick the water off my legs. Since I need to encourage her to drink water anyway (paralyzed dogs are prone to urinary tract infections), I don't mind!

Owen the dachshund's new love

2006-08-06T13:40:00.000-04:00

I got such a cute voicemail from Owen's new mom!

She said, "Owen and I are in love."

I saved her phone number in my cellphone under "Owen."

He has been a lucky boy -- first a dachshund lover (one of our past adopters, Snuggles' new mom) found him on the street and turned him over to DREAM. Then, while we was with us for about a month, he got plenty of food and clean water and love, and got to stay in the air conditioning instead of fending for himself on the streets. DREAM took care of his shots, neutering, and his "tummy troubles" from having lots of parasites and scavenging whatever he could find to eat. Luckily he wasn't on the street long enough to lose his sweet personality, although he was scared for a few days. But he wanted to be loved more than he was scared.

Then he found a wonderful new mom, Terri, who is giving him all the love he needs. He gets to go watch the tennis game every Sunday with his mom's team and all their dogs.

Luke the dachshund's water therapy and physical therapy

2006-08-06T13:06:00.000-04:00

Luke has progressed since I brought him home on Tuesday. He is certainly in better spirits and doesn't seem to have pain very often. When he does have pain, I give him 1/2 of a Rimadyl and it works right away.

The passive range of motion exercises are pretty dramatically different from the first night. When I first began the exercises, his back legs were really stiff. Now they go all the way around the circle with just a little "pause" for the bending part. I think last night he might have kicked back at me, but it could have been a reflex. The biggest challenge with doing the exercises is that he tries to "wrestle" with my hand while I'm doing them! I try to do both, so he will think the therapy is fun.

We started water therapy on Friday. I filled the sink (I have a great big deep kitchen sink that we chose specifically for dog baths when we remodeled the kitchen 2 years ago) with "luke"warm (ha!) water. I have some non-skid pads to put in the bottom so he doesn't slip. I just have him stand there with the water up to about the level of where his testicles used to be. The water supports him enough that he can stand on his own. I bribe him with pieces of turkey to get him to walk around a little. Craig says we should get a kid's pool and put it in the back yard so he has more room to move around. Maybe that will be our next step.

He is getting better at moving around the house. I wish the wheelchair would arrive.

I am considering asking my vet for a new drug that is out that helps with bladder muscular control. I think it would help him.

Look at this sweet face!

Luke the down dachshund's first day out of the hospital

2006-08-02T17:34:00.000-04:00

I brought Luke home from UGA Veterinary Teaching Hospital last night. After the 1 and 1/2 hour drive, he was hungry and ate a good dinner. I had a pretty easy time expressing his bladder, too, which was a relief. I stand him on all four legs in the back yard, position his back legs as naturally as possible, and then press on either side of his abdomen. The urine comes out in promising spurts -- which may mean he has muscle tone and could recover some of his bladder control. We will know more about his prospects in a couple of weeks.

He has 13 staples down his back...we should have named him Frankenstein.

After dinner he sat with us on the bed as we watched a DVD of "The Closer". I don't think Luke was impressed with the show (especially the episode where the cat has kittens -- why wasn't that cat spayed?), but he happily relaxed when I started the massage techniques his vet student, Carrie, showed me for his feet and legs. This is interesting: she said that when dogs' sensation begins to come back after surgery, it can feel like "pins and needles" and be painful -- some dogs self-mutilate trying to get relief. So we had a nice long rub on his back feet and legs.

He also did well with the passive range of motion exercises. His joints resist bending a bit at that point of the circle, but it was a lot more relaxed at the end of the session at the beginning.
He snuggled next to me all night. I got his bladder really good before bed, and no accidents all night -- YEAH! He woke me up at 2 am to go, and I took him out and expressed him again, and back to sleep. I was really encouraged that he appeared to "know" that he had to potty. As for the poop -- a little Q-tip inserted in his rectum spurs that right away! No problem there!

So now I sleep with one "down dachshund" snuggled on either side of me.

I came home from work early today and found him perfectly happy in his crate. We did his bladder and bowel and took a little nap while listening to the news on the radio. He has also started to play and loves to eviscerate a stuffed animal. He takes particular joy in ripping the white fluff out with relish and a wild look in his eye.

We tried towel walking today after our nap and some more massage/range of motion exercise. If I don't hold his rear legs at JUST the right height, his back legs get all tangled up together. Not as promising as I had hoped, but we'll keep at it. I will try the water therapy this weekend - want to give his wound a little more time.

I ordered his cart today....he will be much happier when he has more control over his movements.

It is amazing that he seems to be in no pain at all, considering his backbone was sliced open less than a week ago. He is so cheerful and calm. He makes hardly any noise, unless he is left behind in a room...then he squeals as though he is in a vise. He wants to be held ALL the time.

Whoever is reading this, send healing vibes to Luke's back legs.

Fella - sweet dachshund boy with fear aggression

2006-08-01T14:17:00.000-04:00

One of our most challenging fosters has been Fella. He has been with us for more than 2 years now. Fella was purchased as a puppy as a gift for an older couple. He was the man's companion, but never really received much training. When the man died, his wife was unable to deal with either having Fella around, or finding another home for him.

She put him in the garage, where he remained for four years, alone, and in the dark.

Finally the issue was forced when the wife's adult children had to find a new place for their mom to live. Something had to be done about Fella. They found me and after a lot of email decided to surrender him. I met them at Perimeter Mall. The daughter was in the car and the mom. The mom didn't get out of the car, or look at me, or say anything. Fella was in a very old, dirty carrier in the back seat that was being held together somehow with two screwdrivers. It sounded like the Tasmanian devil was in there...he was snarling and growling and barking and the entire carrier was shaking. With much hesitation, I put the carrier in my car. The lady did not make a donation, even though she knew it would cost us a lot of money to catch him up on Fella's vetting. (When that happens, I just remind myself, "It's about the dog, not the people.")

At one point when we'd had Fella about a year, he attacked me and bit my hand 19 times. One of the bites went through my thumbnail.

Fella has been through a lot with us...behavioral training, drugs, and mostly a lot of time and stability. He is a loving boy now but will always have some issues. He cannot be picked up; he will bite. But if we let him have his quiet life, he is happy and just wants to sit on a lap once in a while.

A struggle for me is that Fella takes up a foster space that could have been used to save many other dogs. But when I look into his face and see love there, I don't know what other choices I could have made. We love him and he will probably live out his life with us.

That is a huge challenge in rescue....the constant lack of space (not to mention money). There are just so many dogs out there.

When Fella sees me pick up his favorite brush, he runs to me, rolls over on his back, and cries.

Luke the down dachshund is coming home today.

2006-08-01T11:11:00.000-04:00

Luke has had an eventful week with the UGA vet school.

His vet student in the neurology department, Carrie, has been giving him a lot of attention. He couldn't have his myelogram until Friday, so Carrie found a loaner cart for him to use and he tooled around the halls and played ball with her in the cart! That gave me hope that even if his surgery doesn't work, he will still be a happy doggie. DREAM will order him a cart as well.

We made the decision to have the surgery, and he came through well. Time will tell if it will help him at all. Perhaps it will at least give him some bladder and bowel control, even if he can never walk.

I drive back up to Athens today to pick him up, and start his recuperation. We'll be doing water therapy, passive motion exercises, anti-inflammatories, and lots of crate rest.

Since my other "down" dog, Tabby, has had a little soreness in her back this week, she'll be in the crate next to his. Maybe they will entertain each other! I need to buy lots of tempting toys and chewies to keep them occupied.

Luke the down dachshund and the lady at UGA

2006-07-26T18:15:00.000-04:00

The sweet little boy with the back injury came to me on Monday night. His owners had a diaper taped to his body and he smelled terrible. After they left, I took it off and carefully carried him to my big sink. I ran a nice warm bath and settled him in. He was covered with fleas, but thankfully did not seem to have any urine scalds. I got him cleaned up and talked and talked to him. He seemed so relieved to have gentle hands.

He can stand a little bit on his hind legs, if I stabilize him. His back legs are very stiff, but if I hold him up he can support his weight. If I let go he falls right down and flounders around in a panic. But he so wants to be mobile. He does not seem to be in pain. When I express his bladder he has some abdominal muscle tone, which is encouraging. He also does not have atrophy along his back, like my Tabby does. So I am hoping that his injury is not as bad as hers was.

On Tuesday we went to Loving Touch Animal Center in Stone Mountain. Dr. Tracy saw him, and the physical therapist, Lisa. They did a lot of tests on him to evaluate the likelihood that he could get some function back. They test his reactions with his legs to different positions (minimal) and his reaction to pain stimuli (a little better on the right side than the left). His skin reacts by twitching to a pin prick. This is a good sign.

At 6 PM we got in the car to go to the University of Georgia Vet School. Dr. Tracy recommended a myelogram to learn more, so we had to go there to get it. She thinks he has a chance to walk again. I didn't know whether we would get the myelogram that night, and go right into surgery, or what. They decided to wait on the myelogram and pretty much repeated a lot of the things Dr. Tracy and Lisa did, and then took him into the back to do some other tests. I waited. (Thank goodness for good magazines; bless whoever put the New Yorkers out in the waiting room.) The vet came back out and said the plan was to do the myelogram today (Wednesday). He had to stay overnight. I asked to see him, because I wanted to tell him that I loved him and that they would take good care of him and that I WOULD be back to get him, but he needed to sleep there. So I went out to the waiting room again. A really nice woman was there (by this point, it was all after hours so the entire place was deserted). Her beagle had also gone down in the back. As soon as she started to be nice to me, I lost it and just started to cry. I hate that he thinks he's being left again. I hate to think he is feeling scared and helpless and alone. No matter how many times I do this, it breaks my heart to think of them feeling scared because of me, even if it is necessary.

I don't know who that woman was, but I hope she knows how much I appreciate her giving me those hugs.

It was a long drive home to Atlanta in the empty car, in the dark.

Flo the dachshund

2006-07-24T23:13:00.000-04:00

This is Flo, a beautiful girl who came into rescue because her family was moving to an apartment that did not allow dogs. Flo was adopted by a wonderful family, but she died about a year later -- she was one of the dogs in the Pro-Heart case. I wanted to post her picture so I could use it on the blog cover page.

Angelina the dachshund with Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA)

2006-07-24T18:50:00.000-04:00

This is Angelina, one of my favorite fosters.
One morning a vet north of Atlanta called me to let me know someone had left Angelina (and her brother, a Jack Russell Terrier) tied to their office porch.
It turned out that Angelina had an extremely severe heart murmur. She was about 2 years old, and the vet was surprised that she had survived that long. She had a hole in her heart, which all puppies have, and which is supposed to close at or near birth. Hers didn't.
Angelina had a little surgery to close the hole, and very soon she became very active and playful. We held a yard sale to pay for her surgery and raised all the money to pay for it. THANKS to the many people who contributed items and bought items!
Angelina now lives with her moms, Belinda and Michelle, and her two dachshund brothers, Shorty and Wesley.

New dachshund coming in with IVDD

2006-07-24T18:26:00.000-04:00

I am a little nervous tonight. A family is bringing in their dachshund, who has had a spinal injury -- so he most likely has IVDD, very common in dachshunds. He cannot walk -- his back legs are paralyzed. He may also have some fractures, but they could not tell me of what.

I have a "down" dachshund of my own (Tabby, and I'm sure I'll write more about her later), so I'm not worried about the mechanics of having him around. I know how to express a bladder and "towel walk" and all of that.

But I am worried about being able to help a dog in pain. It's very difficult for me to see a dog hurting and not be able to help.

And of course, it will be expensive. At a minimum, he will need a myelogram (a special sort of X-ray that shows disc damage), steroids and pain medications, and maybe water therapy and physical therapy. He may need surgery, which can be in the thousands of dollars. I have an appointment for him tomorrow afternoon at the vet.

Most dogs with an injury like this can be helped at least in part with 2 months strict crate rest. It is VERY tough love -- they want so much to be out with their people, getting and giving love. And once they start to feel better it is very difficult to convince them that they need to stay in that crate.

Feeling nervous but hopeful. The most difficult cases are often the most rewarding ones. My Tabby never walked after her injury...maybe with this one, I will be able to see him walk again. I have never seen Tabby wag her tail.

Dachshund Rescue - an introduction

2006-07-24T18:16:00.000-04:00

My first blog post on my experiences as a dachshund rescuer. I have such high hopes!

My main hope is that people who read this get a better understanding of what rescue is (or should be) all about, why rescue is needed, and why I wish it WEREN'T needed. I want this blog to put a "face" (with whiskers and a cold nose) to the thousands of nameless dogs in the rescue world ... tell their stories, and mine, as we go down this difficult road together.

The road is hard. It is sad, it is frustrating. I meet so many dogs with such sad stories. And then I see them turn themselves around, with love and stability, and find their new homes, and I think this is the happiest road there is, as well as the saddest.

For the doggies, always the doggies.