Dog on the Blog: Hillary Keeps Her Own Counsel

Hillary is a beautiful girl. She has long, luxuriant fur that runs from shades of tan and brown through charcoals and blacks... with white markings on her chest. Hard to say what her breed is... I am guessing a little Sheltie somewhere in the mix, or maybe some Australian Cattle Dog.

One breed she is NOT is "terrier mix" (remember, that is a code word!!) because we have a LOT of that breed around here and she does not resemble those guys at all.

Hillary came from the home of a woman who rescued dogs, and died unexpectedly. Rescuers came from out of state to help find homes for all of her babies.

The only one they could not place was Hillary. I was told that Hillary lived in the kitchen in the woman's home, and did not receive a lot of social interaction.

That would explain Hillary's fear of people. We brought her to the farm, and she lived with us in our bedroom for a couple months. Our thinking was that eventually she would grow accustomed to us, and we could help her to get past her fear of people.

Unfortunately, she spent all her time under the bed or under the dresser, when we were in the room. She would allow me to pet her on the head, under the bed, and would not try to bite me. But that is as far as we ever got.

Finally, we accepted that Hillary would be happiest with her own yard and her own doggie friend, and she did not want the company of humans. She just wanted to keep to herself, although she likes other dogs.

In her own yard, with her own cottage, Hillary has come out of her shell. She walks around her yard, barks at the roosters strutting by, kibitzes with other dogs nearby. She seems far happier, and much less stressed than she was living in the house with us.

We are looking for just the right friend for Hillary, so that she can share her cottage and her world with another dog. And that will make Hillary happiest of all!

Jay Hellerich, executive director
smiling dog farms
a 501(c)3 corporation
wharton, texas
979-257-3377
www.smilingdogfarms.org
http://smilingdogfarms.blogspot.com


Please become a Smiling Dog Partner to Support Our Work
Your Monthly Tax-Deductible Gift Gives Hope to the Forgotten,Neglected & Rejected
Just click on http://smilingdogfarms.org/Donations_Page.html

Dog on the Blog : Angelina -- How to Survive As a "Bait Dog"

Angelina survived being a bait dog. It is hard to imagine how. If you look closely at her photos, you can see the multiple scars all over her face and head.

Angelina came with four other "Bait Dogs" from Georgia. (See Dog on the Blog: Jack VI)

Each survived unspeakable torture, being mauled by fighting dogs.

Angelina is diminutive in stature. She doesn't even weigh 30 lb. It is amazing she was not killed as larger, stronger dogs attacked her mercilessly. You can see that her nose is slightly disfigured in this photo. Somehow she survived. But not without scars -- and I don't simply mean the physical scars on her face and head.

Angelina came out of that situation distrusting other dogs. Because of what was done to her, she is ready for a fight with every dog she sees. Her tail is always erect, announcing to the world that she is ready to take on whatever is thrown at her.

This cute little girl who looks so non-threatening is actually more aggressive than just about any of our dogs who live here. It is impossible for Angelina to have a friend to live with, because she is always in full attack mode with other dogs. When she comes out of her yard on a lead, she tries to stop at every yard she passes and pick a fight with the dog(s) inside!

Yet, you can see from these photos that she is great around people. No aggression toward humans, even though she suffered at the hands of humans. That is probably more amazing than her aggressiveness toward other dogs!

Angelina is not a good candidate for adoption. While she could be a great house pet, her hyper-aggressive tendencies toward other dogs could lead to possible confrontations -- and if she harmed a neighbor's dog, with her background, she would be euthanized in a heart beat and authorities would not even think twice.

So our little Angelina will probably live out her life here on the farm, chasing bugs and barking at the squirrels and napping in the sunshine. It's not like living in the den and napping on the sofa. But it beats the life she was leading as a bait dog.

Jay Hellerich, executive director
smiling dog farms
a 501(c)3 corporation
wharton, texas
979-257-3377
www.smilingdogfarms.org
http://smilingdogfarms.blogspot.com


Please become a Smiling Dog Partner to Support Our Work
Your Monthly Tax-Deductible Gift Gives Hope to the Forgotten,Neglected & Rejected
Just click on http://smilingdogfarms.org/Donations_Page.html

Dog on the Blog: Hershey Kisses Are Better Than Chocolate!

Isn't Hershey a beautiful girl? She is a Labrador mix, who came to Smiling Dog Farms from a well intentioned woman who wanted to help dogs, but ended up getting overwhelmed with more dogs than she could afford to care for, or provide adequate living space for. Her babies came here to live on our farm, and Hershey was among them.

She is not fond of other dogs. Or cats. (This is sort of a familiar story by now, isn't it?) But she loves people. Nothing is sweeter than Hershey kisses! And if you will hold her on your lap, she will be your friend forever!

Hershey is another dog who is part of our adoption program. She would be a wonderful "only" dog. Her only other quirk is that she is an agile climber and her yard needs to be fenced with "jumper" panels at the top, to keep her from climbing up and over the top of the fence. A standard 6' wooden fence would probably suffice to keep her home where she belongs! But she knows how to put one paw after another on chain link and climb right to the top!

Hershey is a really sweet girl, who is pretty small for a lab mix. She would make a great house dog and companion dog. She rides in the car really well, and enjoys her outings very much! I think she would be fine with older children, but she is a little exuberant for small children whom she could bowl over with her enthusiasm!

Her happy nature is infectious -- it is impossible not to love Hershey.

Jay Hellerich, executive director
smiling dog farms
a 501(c)3 corporation
wharton, texas
979-257-3377
www.smilingdogfarms.org
http://smilingdogfarms.blogspot.com


Please become a Smiling Dog Partner to Support Our Work
Your Monthly Tax-Deductible Gift Gives Hope to the Forgotten,Neglected & Rejected
Just click on http://smilingdogfarms.org/Donations_Page.html

Dog on the Blog: Bosco Just Can't Pass for a German Shepherd!

Bosco came to us from Mississippi. Our friend Pepper has a German Shepherd rescue there.

She went to rescue a German Shepherd tied to a tree, and when she got there, Bosco was also tied to a tree. In the same yard as the shepherd.

Pepper just could not leave sweet Bosco behind, so she took him to her German Shepherd rescue. Bosco must have felt like Jesse Jackson at a KKK Rally, standing out like the proverbial sore thumb among all the German Shepherds!

Pepper tried for a long time to find Bosco an adoptive home. She did everything a good rescuer would do. But the bottom line is that folks don't go to a German Shepherd rescue for a dog like Bosco -- another one of our "terrier mixes"!

So Pepper sent Bosco to Smilng Dog Farms to live.

Now that we have an adoption program, Bosco is one of the charter members! We are hoping to find him a home as an "only" dog. He is as sweet as can be with other dogs -- until feeding time, and then he slips into his pushy, aggressive persona. We have had him with other dogs -- most recently he was with Lillian. But we had to remove Lillian and find her a new partner, because she was beginning to lose weight, because Bosco was guarding the food!

Except for that one small flaw, Bosco is the perfect dog. He is loving and enjoys being around people. We are anxious to find Bosco a permanent home with a family to love him and appreciate him.

* * * * *

Technical Difficulties: The long space between blog postings has been at the hands of the good folks at Blogspot, not me. This past Saturday when I logged in to write the daily blog, I had a message from Blogspot stating that they believed my blog was spam!! Which is kind of insulting!

They now have some stylized letters at the bottom of the blog which I am supposed to recognize (they are indecipherable!) and if I cannot figure them out, I cannot post my blog.

If this blog gets through, it means either Ricky or I were able to recognize the weird looking letters and type them in... otherwise, the blog will not be posted...

"Testing 1,2,3" was posted by Robert Cabral, our friend and technical advisor out in Malibu, CA... but Robert was able to post that because he has the ability to recognize these goofy letters!

Please keep reading the blog, and I will do my best to get by their censors !

Jay Hellerich, executive director
smiling dog farms
a 501(c)3 corporation
wharton, texas
979-257-3377
www.smilingdogfarms.org
http://smilingdogfarms.blogspot.com


Please become a Smiling Dog Partner to Support Our Work
Your Monthly Tax-Deductible Gift Gives Hope to the Forgotten,Neglected & Rejected
Just click on http://smilingdogfarms.org/Donations_Page.html

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Dog On The Blog: Stan Tries Hard to Please!

This is Stan mugging for the camera. It was a once-in-a-lifetime shot, because Stan does not sit still that long. This particular day, it was Stan's turn to ride in the car, and he was on his leash and on his best behavior because Stan really enjoys when it's his turn to ride in the car!

A more typical picture of Stan would be a beige blur. Stan gets excited over just about anything. Cats. Other dogs. Roosters. But he is not aggressive. Just excited.

Stan is one of our babies we think has the potential to be adopted. He will definitely need some time in "finishing school" to polish his "rough edges". But Stan is not angry-aggressive -- he is just exuberant on a scale normally reserved for Elton John on stage! He wants so much to please you, but he just can't help releasing all that happy energy!

Stan loves it when you will bend down to visit with him and just hold him next to you, rubbing his tummy, as he stands on his back legs giving non-stop kisses! Stan is a really sweet guy.

Odds & Ends...

We are still collecting donations for Caroline's hospitalization (See blog dated August 3, 2008). Dr. Stern has been extremely patient with us, since we did not have the money with which to pay him! If anyone can help with this $1260 bill -- or knows someone who might be able to help -- please contact Dr. Stern directly at (979) 793-6262 with VISA, Master Card, Discover Card and tell his receptionist your payment is for Smiling Dog Farms - Caroline's treatment. Make sure you email me so I can provide you with a receipt for your tax deductible donation.

Or you can send funds through Paypal at http://smilingdogfarms.org/Donations_Page.html If you use Paypal, please identify Caroline on the subject line.

Or you can mail a check to Smiling Dog Farms, P.O. Box 743, Wharton, TX 77488, and please write Caroline on the memo line.

We are always grateful to the people whose donations make it possible for us to keep doing what we are doing, for the dogs who have no where else to go!

* * *

Speaking of Caroline, she is back to her normal self, now that she is receiving her medications daily for her hypothyroid condition. As long as we control her thyroid, we control her seizures. She still lives upstairs, here in the house. When it is her turn to go outside, she goes barrelling down the stairs through the living room, past the kitchen and out to her play yard, at a pace that would make Stan proud! Coming in, she reverses the process, and going up the steps, she takes three steps at a time!

It is so heartening to see her feeling good again.

* * *

You know you are in trouble with your spouse when he says to you, so very gently and tactfully, "Do you know how many nights this week we have had TV dinners?"

I try to cook something that my mother would be proud of every night. But some nights, working in the office at the computer, one hour just telescopes into the next, and then the next, and soon it is past midnight and I have not started a thing on the stove! That's when I call Marie -- Marie Callender, who is always willing to bail me out!

I will cut this blog short tonight so that I can be more creative in the kitchen!

Jay Hellerich, executive director
smiling dog farms
a 501(c)3 corporation
wharton, texas
979-257-3377
www.smilingdogfarms.org
http://smilingdogfarms.blogspot.com


Please become a Smiling Dog Partner to Support Our Work
Your Monthly Tax-Deductible Gift Gives Hope to the Forgotten,Neglected & Rejected
Just click on http://smilingdogfarms.org/Donations_Page.html

Dog on the Blog: Bouncer Enjoys His Life on Our Farm, and Is Glad to Be Alive!

This is Bouncer. He came all the way from Alabama to live at Smiling Dog Farms. Our friend, Sonya Smith, from Two by Two Rescue, saved him and made a valiant effort to prepare him for adoption. But it was not to be.

When you look into his sweet, innocent face, you can easily read what a loving baby he is -- to people.

But Bouncer has the same problem Rudy has. (See blog, August 4, 2008) He cannot tolerate other dogs -- or cats or chickens or any other animals. When he sees them, he goes into an appoplectic tirade. Bouncer cannot be placed for adoption because he would be dangerous to dogs and cats in surrounding homes. And it would be dangerous for Bouncer if he harmed someone's pet, because authorities are quick to kill dogs for things like that.


Bouncer shares one other thing in common with Rudy. He is also a "terrier mix". You can see what a beautiful boy he is in this photo, gazing off into the horse pasture.

We used to build play yards with a common fence between yards. There would be other dogs immediately on the other side of the fence from Bouncer. He used to pace up and down along the fence line, partolling, just watching for another dog to come too close!

The photo of Bouncer in his play yard shows the new construction model we use for our temporary housing. The play yards are all separated by at least 4 feet from other yards.

There is something about that extra space between him and other dogs that has brought a peace to Bouncer's little heart. He no longer partols the yard, but now calmly observes the other dogs and all the goings on at the farm. He enjoys his days barking at the roosters and squirrels and napping in the sunshine.

Bouncer is a happy boy. He is a favorite of the workers here, who furtively slip him more than his share of treats! When it is his turn to sleep in the bed with us, he just soaks it all up, nudging us to please rub his tummy one more time! He gives exuberant kisses.

Living in his play yard is not as idyullic as living inside the house, laying on the sofa, watching Oprah every day. But that was just not in the cards for Bouncer, or for most of our babies. His life beats what the alternative would have been! The one thing all our dogs have in common is that if they had not come to Smiling Dog Farms, they would be dead!

There are those who believe that dogs should not live outdoors. They will tell you "some things are worse than death", implying that living in a play yard here at the farm is somehow worse than being killed.

I dont think Bouncer would agree with that. I think if Bouncer could talk he would probably tell you that he enjoys the freedom of moving around his play yard at will. That he enjoys his cottage however primitive and spartan it may be, because Ricky built it just for him. Dogs (unlike humankind) understand and appreciate things like that.

Bouncer would probably tell you that he looks forward to his treats -- dont tell -- of donuts and pastry and cookies.

If you look at Bouncer's expression, I dont think you see a dog who wishes he was dead.

Jay Hellerich, executive director
smiling dog farms
a 501(c)3 corporation
wharton, texas
979-257-3377
www.smilingdogfarms.org
http://smilingdogfarms.blogspot.com


Please become a Smiling Dog Partner to Support Our Work
Your Monthly Tax-Deductible Gift Gives Hope to the Forgotten,Neglected & Rejected
Just click on http://smilingdogfarms.org/Donations_Page.html

Dog on the Blog: Kiwi - Staying Alive!

Kiwi came to live with us a little over two years ago. She and her buddy, Max, an obese rat terrier, had been turned in to the Texas City Animal Shelter and did not stand a chance of being adopted, because both were so very old.

Laurine Murtaugh, patron saint of elderly dogs at that shelter, asked if they could come live here.

There seems to be an epidemic of older dogs being turned in by owners, who just walk away from them. It is sad any time a dog is dumped at a shelter. But it seems especially heinous for a dog who has spent his whole life with a family, whose loyalty to that family has never wavered, to be just thrown away like an old light bulb.

Max and Kiwi at least had each other. We were pleased for them to come live out their lives here where they would be safe, and allowed to have the number of days allotted them by God.

Sadly, Max was not in good health when he arrived. And he was morbidly obese. I regret not having any photos of Max. Max only lived another 6 months after arriving here, and then it was his time to go.

And that left Kiwi alone. After all those years together with Max.

Fortunately, a small dog just about Kiwi's size arrived not long afterward. We introduced Lois to Kiwi, and they became friends. Lois is younger, but is content to take life easy and mainly observe the other dogs and the goings on around the farm, just like Kiwi.

Kiwi's age has been estimated at 16 years, possibly older! And yet she is still going. She has a good appetite, her health is good, and she enjoys her life here at the farm. Lois and Kiwi live in the house, and go outside to their play yard during the daytime for several hours. Then they return inside. Kiwi naps a lot. But once in a great while, she will still decide to play with Lois a little bit. She will growl a little, chase Lois a little, and then lay down to rest from all the exertion!

Kiwi is beginning to lose her sight because cataracts are forming on her eyes. But she still seems to be watching and seeing things around the farm. Her favorite treat is ice cream, which she still enjoys, even though she no longer has all her teeth.

Kiwi still gives exuberant kisses, and she loves to be held.

Little Kiwi has had two years of life she would not have had, if she had not come to the farm. And it has been a happy life, with Max and then Lois. We don't know how much more time she has left, but however many more days God may have granted her, Kiwi will enjoy each one to the fullest and she will not leave this world until it is her natural, God-ordained time!

Jay Hellerich, executive director
smiling dog farms
a 501(c)3 corporation
wharton, texas
979-257-3377
www.smilingdogfarms.org
http://smilingdogfarms.blogspot.com


Please become a Smiling Dog Partner to Support Our Work
Your Monthly Tax-Deductible Gift Gives Hope to the Forgotten,Neglected & Rejected
Just click on http://smilingdogfarms.org/Donations_Page.html

Dog on the Blog: Our Theme for the Week-- Some People Just Need to Be Bit!

This is Roxy Anne.

I had not intended to create a "theme for the week", but writing about Roxy Anne and Kramer back to back does seem like there is a common thread in their stories... and, of course, there is!

Just like Kramer, Roxy Anne had to leave her home because she bit someone.

The difference is that Roxy Anne left a home where she was loved, but her "mom" understood that the only way she could protect Roxy Anne was to move her to a safe place.

Roxy Anne lived with her single mom and another dog in a typical suburban neighborhood in the Dallas area. Roxy Anne had a big back yard to play in with her friend.

One day when Roxy Anne was alone in her back yard, the neighbor claimed that she ran to the fence, jumped into the air and bit him on the shoulder as he was mowing his lawn. Unprovoked. Let's give that mental picture just a moment to form in your mind.

Now I am not saying it is not possible. But after coming to know Roxy, I have a tough time imagining her engaging in that level of gymnastics. Some dogs are agile and energitic and sail through the air. We have a number of dogs living here whom I could see doing something like that. But it is just not Roxy's style, and certainly not her level of agility!

But the guy has a bite mark on his shoulder, and he claims Roxy did it. So Roxy's mom made arrangements to send Roxy Anne to Smiling Dog Farms where she would be protected. If Roxy Anne stayed in her suburban home, and another accusation was brought against her, it is very likely authorities would want to kill Roxy Anne.

I suggested to Roxy's mom that she consider moving out into the countryside, where she could have some space around her and then Roxy could come home! She thought about it on her drive back to Dallas without her beloved Roxy Anne, and when she arrived home, she called me to say that she was listing her house in the suburbs for sale!

So this story is going to have an especially happy ending. Once Roxy Anne's mom sells her house and has another place where she won't have to worry about neighbors, Roxy Anne will get to go home!

Meantime, Roxy Anne has made friends with Caroline, our epileptic girl. Roxy Anne arrived here just as Caroline was recovering from her seizures, and they hit it off and became fast friends! When Caroline goes out to her play yard, Roxy Anne goes with her. Sort of Mutt and Jeff, but a friendship that works nonetheless. The very top photo shows Roxy Anne at the beach in Galveston with her best friend, Caroline!

Jay Hellerich, executive director
smiling dog farms
a 501(c)3 corporation
wharton, texas
979-257-3377
www.smilingdogfarms.org
http://smilingdogfarms.blogspot.com


Please become a Smiling Dog Partner to Support Our Work
Your Monthly Tax-Deductible Gift Gives Hope to the Forgotten,Neglected & Rejected
Just click on http://smilingdogfarms.org/Donations_Page.html

Dog on the Blog: Kramer Escapes Death Row!

As you look into the sweet face of this big guy, it may be hard for you to imagine what could have possibly landed Kramer on death row!


Kramer is one of the very few dogs at Smiling Dog Farms who is an actual, recognized AKC breed! Most of our babies somewhat resemble certain breeds, so we refer to them as "(the breed they somewhat resemble) mix"... which means that somewhere back through their lineage, one of those breeds may have had a "walk on part" in the history and DNA of that dog! Many of our babies' backgrounds are even more vague and inscrutable!


But Kramer is a genuine, card-carrying Bernese Mountain Dog! He lived with a breeder in the Sacramento, CA area. (I know what you are wondering right now --- and yes, he was neutered before he came to Smiling Dog Farms! His days as a "stud" are over!)

As the story was told to me, Kramer was living in a pen in the yard -- one of those with chain link that is 6' high. But from Kramer's pen, he could see the porch... where there just happened to be two attractive, shapely Bernese Mountain Dog young ladies -- who also just happened to be in heat!

Well the temptation was just too strong for Kramer and he scaled his 6' fence and came bounding up onto the porch, intent on knowing the girls in the fullest Biblical sense of that word.

Apparently the attraction was mutual, because Kramer was soon doing the "wild thing" with one of the girls. I might add, she was not complaining!

At this point, the breeder appears from inside the house, wearing a woolly bathrobe, somewhat resembling a bear. She is brandishing a broom and intent on putting a stop to their liason. Apparently Kramer was not the intended beau for these girls. At this point, the two young lovers' plight takes on the pathos of West Side Story .

What happened next is murky. But when the ensuing struggle ceased and the dust cleared, the breeder had been bitten pretty seriously on the leg. She had to be hospitalized.

Of course, Kramer was blamed. Shipped off to the local Animal Shelter, the breeder instructed personnel there to execute Kramer. I will leave it to the readers' discretion to determine if it could be clearly ascertained in that kind of wild fracas exactly who landed the bite that sent the breeder to the hospital.

Fortunately for Kramer, his two guardian angels stepped in to plead his case. Ruth and Cheryl are volunteers with the animal shelter, and they used their considerable political skills to convince the breeder and the authorities to allow Kramer to come live out his life at Smiling Dog Farms, rather than be executed for a crime he may or may not have even committed!

Once they got the OK, Cheryl provided funding and Ruth provided the get-away car, driving Kramer in her own vehicle all the way from Sacramento, CA to Wharton, TX!

Kramer is a BIG guy. He looks very much to me like a black and white St. Bernard. When he sprawls on the sofa, he takes up nearly the whole thing!

I will admit to some trepidation about a dog of Kramer's size, bringing with him an "aggressive" label. That is not a dog one would want to cross!

But as time has passed and Ricky and I have come to know and love Kramer, I am left to wonder, "What would someone have to do to get this guy to bite them?" He has an amazingly mellow, easy going nature. Nothing bothers Kramer. He takes everything in stride. I don't think I could get him to bite me if I tried. In fact, he has not even growled since coming to live here!

Kramer likes Jenna and Yvonne, but we were at first reluctant to put him into their group to play outside, because Sam is also in that group, and we were afraid there would be friction between the two male dogs. But we gave it a try, since both Kramer and Sam are very good natured dogs. And there has never been so much as a growling match between them.

Kramer is a wonderfully loving dog. If I am working in the kitchen, he insists on lcurling up right next to me on the floor. When we open the door and enter the room, he bounds over to us with his bull-in-a-china-shop style because he wants to welcome us! He smiles all the time -- that goofy, happy smile you can see in his photo above. I can't imagine a more special dog than Kramer.

We are grateful to Ruth and Cheryl for obtaining Kramer's freedom. Kramer did not deserve to die. He is an important and valued member of our family!

Jay Hellerich, executive director
smiling dog farms
a 501(c)3 corporation
wharton, texas
979-257-3377
www.smilingdogfarms.org
http://smilingdogfarms.blogspot.com


Please become a Smiling Dog Partner to Support Our Work
Your Monthly Tax-Deductible Gift Gives Hope to the Forgotten,Neglected & Rejected
Just click on http://smilingdogfarms.org/Donations_Page.html

Dog on the Blog: Sam Catahoula Is Ready to Go Home!

This is Sam Catahoula. As catahoulas go, he is pretty small. But he is a bundle of kinetic energy and can spend hours chasing a ball or a frisbee!

Sam is ready to go home. To an adoptive home, that is.

Sam came to us as many dogs have. He was out of time at the shelter. He had been there as long as they could give him, but there were other dogs coming in every day, and sooner or later, Sam had to give his space to some other dog.

Mary from Catahoula Rescue had no room for Sam in her program, but we were able to take him here at the farm, so that Sam would not have to die. Mary has been looking for a potential home for him, pretty much ever since he got here.

And now that we have three adoption partners, we are trying to find Sam a home through one of them.

He is a great companion dog. Very loving and loyal, and likes to do whatever you may be doing. He is not really great with other dogs, and he is clearly not fond of cats! But Sam could live in a suburban setting with dogs in neighboring yards and not get upset about it. We have tried to find him a friend, but so far, every potential friend we have brought to meet Sam is greeted with hair up on his back, tail in the full upright "alpha" position, and lips curled -- and not curled into a smile!

So I am thinking that Sam would just be a great "only" dog for a couple or a single person who wants a good companion. I cannot comment on how he is with children, because we don't happen to have any around here! (I prefer dogs!)

* * * * *

Epilepsy Update On Caroline: Caroline is doing great. If you saw her running upstairs, taking three stairs at a time, you would never believe she had been stricken with seizures just two months ago! (See August 3, 2008 blog)

Unfortunately, we can't say the same for our effort to get her vet bill paid! Dr. Stern has been very patient about his bill. I told him I was sure we would get some folks with a heart for epileptic dogs who would help us get Caroline's bill paid. We owe the vet $1260 for Caroline's care. It was worth every penny, because it meant the difference between Caroline living or dying.

We would appreciate anything you can do to help us get this bill paid. You can donate money by mailing checks to Smiling Dog Farms, P.O. Box 743, Wharton, TX 77488.

Or by going to our website to donate through Paypal, using your VISA or Master Card. Just click on http://smilingdogfarms.org/Donations_Page.html.

Or call Dr. Stern's office to donate directly with VISA, Master Card or debit card. Their phone is 979-793-6262. If you donate directly to Dr. Stern, just email me so I can get you a receipt for your tax deductible contribution.

Thank you for thinking about and caring about sweet Caroline!

Jay Hellerich, executive director
smiling dog farms
a 501(c)3 corporation
wharton, texas
979-257-3377
www.smilingdogfarms.org
http://smilingdogfarms.blogspot.com


Please become a Smiling Dog Partner to Support Our Work
Your Monthly Tax-Deductible Gift Gives Hope to the Forgotten,Neglected & Rejected
Just click on http://smilingdogfarms.org/Donations_Page.html

Dog on the Blog: Hot Fun In the Summertime!

Ahhh... Those summer days...

Well, it has been pretty warm hereabouts the past couple weeks,

and everyone is looking for ways to keep cool...

Maury, Ellen and the Lab Puppies (see Blog for July 8) found a way to keep cool that was a lot of fun... they played in the sprinkler!

Actually, we had not planned to put a sprinkler next to their play yard. It just sort of happened. Some of our hoses have small holes that spray water when our caretakers are going from yard to yard, filling water buckets.

This particular hose had a hole that had grown larger than most. And as the hose lay on the ground, the hole just happened to be aimed right at the Maury "blended family" yard.

As soon as the puppies spotted the stream of water, everyone made a bee-line to get right in the middle of it !

Here we have puppies and tongues and every part of their little lab bodies pushing to get into the water spray. You can see from the top photos that even Maury got into the spirit and positioned himself squarely in the path of the water spray.

Well, it was too cute to ignore, so we dashed into the house and grabbed the camera before we lost our "Kodak moment"... It's sort of a predictable formula -- lab pups and water. But I thought it was worth sharing. You can just tell how much fun they were having in that water spray!


Jay Hellerich, executive director
smiling dog farms
a 501(c)3 corporation
wharton, texas
979-257-3377
www.smilingdogfarms.org
http://smilingdogfarms.blogspot.com


Please become a Smiling Dog Partner to Support Our Work
Your Monthly Tax-Deductible Gift Gives Hope to the Forgotten,Neglected & Rejected
Just click on http://smilingdogfarms.org/Donations_Page.html

Dog on the Blog: Baby Ruth & Arndt -- She's a Little Bit Country - He's a Little Bit Rock 'n Roll

They say opposites attract, and that is certainly true for Baby Ruth and Arndt.

Shown above in one of their least flattering photos ( I promise to get a better picture of them to share on this blog!), they appear to be similar little black dogs.

But their coloring is where the similarities end.

Baby Ruth, on the left, is pretty close to feral. Brought to Smiling Dog Farms by her benefactor, Rae Ann Bennett, Baby Ruth had virtually no chance for adoption. She avoided people. She hid under furniture. She ran the other way when someone approached her.

Rae Ann had spent many hours with Baby Ruth, trying to help her past her fears. But it was to no avail. Baby Ruth would not be persuaded that people could be trusted.

Ricky and I took our turn at trying to calm Baby Ruth's anxiety, but we had no more success than Rae Ann. Baby Ruth will let you hold her and she will not bite. But she doesn't like it, and the look in her eyes pleads with you to just let her go hide under the bed!

(By the way -- you probably knew this, but Baby Ruth is not named for a candy bar! She is named in honor of President Grover Cleveland's daughter, Ruth, who was born in the white house and quickly dubbed by the press as Baby Ruth. The candy bar was named for her!)

So Baby Ruth came here to live out her life at the farm, where she would not have to suck up to people. Here, Baby Ruth can be herself and just enjoy her time doing "dog" things, without regard for what humans might want from her.

Shortly after Baby Ruth arrived, so did Arndt. He came from the Brazoria County shelter and was in pretty bad shape when he got here. He was so skinny you could count his ribs. And he had a severe limp, which our vet said was from a very old injury that moved his leg bone partially out of its socket. The doc recommended that we just leave it alone, because surgery after all that time would not guarantee a better result, and it might make things worse, because muscles had repositioned and grown around the misplaced bone.

As time has passed, Arndt has put on weight and has lost his limp in that rear leg. To watch him run across their play yard today, you would never guess he had trouble walking when he came here!

Unlike Baby Ruth, Arndt loves to be petted and hugged and kissed by people. He runs to the fence to coax anyone walking by to come pet him. Baby Ruth runs to the fence, too -- so that she can bark-bark-bark at the same people Arndt is trying to coax over to pet him! They work at cross purposes to one another.

But when they are alone, Arndt and Baby Ruth nap together, their bodies touching. They will chase each other through their yard. It is obvious that Baby Ruth and Arndt are very much in love. Despite their obvious differences.

Or maybe because of them! Who is to say?

Jay Hellerich, executive director
smiling dog farms
a 501(c)3 corporation
wharton, texas
979-257-3377
www.smilingdogfarms.org
http://smilingdogfarms.blogspot.com

Please become a Smiling Dog Partner to Support Our Work
Your Monthly Tax-Deductible Gift Gives Hope to the Forgotten,Neglected & Rejected
Just click on http://smilingdogfarms.org/Donations_Page.html

Dog on the Blog: Good Bye, Pirate... We Will Miss You

Today we lost sweet Pirate. I know it was his time, but it is sad nonetheless.

Pirate came to us in the Spring of 2005. He was part of a rescue in Kingman, AZ. Some well intentioned ladies had collected a lot of dogs, and could not adequately care for them all. I think there were just over 100 dogs that needed rescue. We offered to take whomever was "left over" at the end -- the dogs who for one reason or another had been passed by.

There were 14 dogs left who came to our farm. (The 15th was Ginger, who came to us after her adoption did not work out. See Blog for July 5, 2008) It was through this rescue that we met our good Arizona friends Dr. Debbie Wilson, Betsy Senn and Ames McGarey.

And little Pirate was part of that group of 14, who had no where else to go.

He was inherently fearful of people, when we first met him. I don't know why. Maybe he had been treated badly by people. Or maybe he just never had enough exposure to people.

I will confess some small feelings of guilt that we never changed his name. I always thought his name was insensitive. Pirate had only one good eye. And it seemed to me that calling him Pirate just emphasized that negative, instead of all his positives.

He would not let us come near him. We put him in his yard, and we would chase him around and around and around to try to catch him for heartworm meds and the like. If we came into his space, his natural reaction was to run the other way. And if we tried to approach him, he would dart to the other end of the yard.

We tried putting Diane Dingo, one of the girls from the Kingman group, with Pirate. But it did not work out. Poor Pirate was as uncomfortable with other dogs as he was with people.

So we introduced Diane to Bing, and they hit it off and are still together after 3 years!

Little Pirate lived his solitary life in the way he chose to live it. It is not the life I would have picked for him. I would have chosen for him to lose his fears of us and take his turn in the bed with us. I would have chosen for him to have a friend, so he would have someone to play with and nap with. But that was not what Pirate wanted, and I had to learn to respect that.

Pirate was a curious guy who watched everything around him, with his single eye. He watched the birds up in the trees above him. He examined the roosters strutting past his yard. He studied our workers at the farm.

Pirate surprised all of us when he decided to allow one of our Texas workers, Robby Mathews, to actually sit next to him and pet him! We never understood what it was about Robby that Pirate trusted and was attracted to. We were just pleased for Pirate that he was connecting with someone, and we encouraged Robby to spend time with Pirate when he was working around him. Sadly, Robby left our farm a year ago and has joined the Marines. He will certainly be an asset to the Marine Corps, but we were sorry to see him go.

After Robby's departure, Pirate started letting my son, Doug, sit next to him and pet him.

Pirate was never able to transfer that trust to all people who came around him and loved him, but we were glad that Pirate was finally connecting, even if it was only with one specific person.

In the three years that we have been in Texas, Pirate has grown old. The fur around his muzzle had become almost completely grey. And his second eye, his "good" one, had begun to cloud over in the past several months. We knew that Pirate was coming to the end of his alloted days.

Nevertheless, even when you know it is time, it is still never easy to say good bye to one of our babies.

Jay Hellerich, executive director
smiling dog farms
a 501(c)3 corporation
wharton, texas
979-257-3377
www.smilingdogfarms.org
http://smilingdogfarms.blogspot.com



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Your Monthly Tax-Deductible Gift Gives Hope to the Forgotten,Neglected & Rejected
Just click on http://smilingdogfarms.org/Donations_Page.html

Dog on the Blog: Samson In Charge

Samson came to live with us during our Albuquerque period, in 1998. His arrival was one of the more unusual stories of how dogs came here.

Ricky and I own rental properties. That is how we make our living. In 1998, we owned a number of condos in an Albuquerque complex near the University of New Mexico. We rented a unit to a young woman who was a UNM student and was living away from home for the first time.

She was not doing well on her own. She was unable to make her second month's rent payment, so I had the gentle discussion with her suggesting that it would be best for all of us if she just moved out so that I could find someone else who would pay their rent.

Samson was her dog. One of the first things she did after moving into our condo was to adopt him from the Albuquerque Animal Shelter. Unfortunately, the day before she moved out, she left Samson alone in the condo with the bedroom window opened slightly. Samson nudged open the window the rest of the way, pushed out the screen and took off.

Our erstwhile tenant told us about it, but was not interested in getting Samson back. It was the condo community manager who told us that a big dog had been prowling the property for several days, and she thought he belonged to our tenant. According to the manager, the dog was hanging around outside our condo -- apparently waiting for the young woman to come back home, and not understanding that she would not be coming back!

We started leaving food and water on the front step of our condo. We could tell he was returning because people would see him eating the food and drinking the water. Finally, we caught up with Samson while he was on the property. We tried to coax him toward us, but he wanted no part of it. He took off running. We jumped in the car and followed. We followed Samson for about 8 city blocks before we finally accepted the futility of chasing after him. He was not running to any place in particular -- he was just running.

Finally, we contacted Animal Control and borrowed a dog trap. We baited it with hot dogs and placed it outside in one of the places where Samson had been hanging out. I started waking up at 5:00 am and wondering if Samson had taken the bait. Unable to go back to sleep, I would throw on a pair of pants and head over to see if our trap had a dog in it!

On the third day, I arrived a little after 5:00 am to find Mr. Samson himself standing in the trap and staring at me with a disgusted expression! I ran home to get Ricky and together we carried the trap with Samson in it to our house. We opened the trap in our living room, and Samson darted away from us, then turned and studied us with his piercing eyes!

We soon learned that Samson would only be "our" dog on his terms! There would be no crating. (He taught us this rule by chewing out of every kind of crate manufactured!) He would tolerate other dogs, but only if they accepted his superiority over them. He would only recognize Ricky and me as worthy of love and respect. Any other humans were fair game and destined to incur his considerable wrath!

Samson is the ultimate "watch dog". He will allow no one to enter our house without his permission. And he would happily tear out the jugular vein of anyone who tried to harm Ricky or me. Who needs Brinks Security when we have Samson Security?

The amazing thing about our Samson is that when it is just the three of us, he is a big baby boy who will lay on his back and nuzzle us to rub his tummy. He gives wonderful kisses.

Early on, we noticed a problem with his breathing. Samson seems to labor at breathing, and sometimes he sort of snorts -- which many folks misinterpret as growling. (Maybe it is in part because of his "big dog" menacing presense!) Ricky and I thought maybe his nose had been broken at some point, and we asked Dr. Skains if she could operate and help him to breathe more easily.

She took lots of X-rays and Samson actually spent several days with Dr. Skains and Cindy studying him and his breathing. But in the end, Dr. Skains recommended against operating. She said Samson was born that way with what effectively is a birth defect. But it would be nearly impossible and somewhat risky to try to reconstruct his nasal passages. So we just left it alone.

Samson is getting on in years, now. His step is a little slower. There are hints of grey around his muzzle. But he is still the Head Dog around here. Whether or not Samson could have been "trained" to behave differently is an open question, I guess. We were fine with Samson being Samson. We are trying to give him extra turns in the bed, because we know he will not likely be with us much longer.

My favorite photo of Samson is the one above, sitting in the bath tub, waiting for his bath, smiling from ear to ear. That picture captures the Samson I know and love.

Jay Hellerich, executive director
smiling dog farms
a 501(c)3 corporation
wharton, texas
979-257-3377
www.smilingdogfarms.org
http://smilingdogfarms.blogspot.com

Please become a Smiling Dog Partner to Support Our Work
Your Monthly Tax-Deductible Gift Gives Hope to the Forgotten,Neglected & Rejected
Just click on http://smilingdogfarms.org/Donations_Page.html

What It Takes to Run a Sanctuary

Today's blog is a departure from our babies' stories. I promise to return to that format tomorrow.

For today, I'd like to just "open our books" and share what it actually takes to run our sanctuary.

When I hear someone in dog rescue say, "You can't save them all", I have to disagree. I can save them all -- if i have enough money! And that is the tragic reality that we all have to grapple with in rescue: it takes money to do what we do.

The better an organization is at fundraising, the more work it can do, the more impact it can have on the dogs who have been thrown away by society.

That is the whole concept behind our Smiling Dog Partners. Our goal is to sign up 1000 people to send a regular, monthly donation that would provide us with the economic base we need to keep saying "yes" to dogs who need us. We currently have just over 100 Partners, so we obviously have a ways to go.

I think that some folks don't understand the level and scope of our costs. When you run your rescue from your home, and you have six dogs to care for, you are the manpower. You put them out in the back yard, you bring them back into the house. To feed the rescue dogs, you throw an extra bag of dog food in your shopping cart at Kroger's and call it a day. Except for vet bills, there are minimal costs for this kind of rescue. And that is what makes small rescues great! They are the most cost efficient models.

But when you graduate to "mega" status and provide housing for nearly 400 dogs, the routine and the costs change.

Housing: While many of our dogs live in our house, some permanently and some transiently for one reason or another, the majority of our dogs live in housing units that are scattered across our 37A farm. In the early days, when Ricky and I had lots of money in the bank, we built a building, with interior housing and attached play yards. Then we built huge yards, measuring as much as 48'x56', with cottages to die for - 8'x12' or larger with gabled roof and shingles, hardisiding and covered porches on both ends!

Today, we build an efficient, cost effective 20'x20' yard with a 4'x4' basic cottage. These housing units provide enough space for dogs to run and chase each other and play. Their cottages are up on 2x6's so that the dogs do not lay directly on the ground. Eight months ago, we were buying the materials for the fencing, fence posts, hardware, and lumber for the cottage for close to $300. Skyrocketing costs for anything metal have driven fence panels and posts into the stratosphere, and our cost for materials (last time we bought them; next time will probably be more!) is now up to $576!

This is a cost we have to spend for each new dog who comes here. He has to have a separate place to live, apart from the other dogs. Our entire organizational structure is based on separation of dogs into singles or small groups, usually 2 dogs. He can't just jump into our living room and "join the crowd".

Personnel and Payroll: Probably the biggest difference between our operations and small rescues is our need for personnel. If Ricky and I started at sun up and worked until sun down, we could still not get to every dog here! Workers are required to make this work.

We pay $8/hour and are constantly advertising for workers. It is a very hard job to fill. To be blunt and honest, most people just don't want to work as hard as you must to do this job well. For every ten people we hire, we are fortunate if one works out.

Some folks think it is a job anyone can do -- feeding dogs and raking up poop. But it actually requires a constellation of skills to be successful. It is not enough to love dogs, although that is the necessary starting point. Successful workers here can handle hard, physical labor and stay on schedule. They know the dogs and report dogs who might be sick, so that we can examine them further. They are trustworthy and can be counted on to follow all the steps, so no dog is short-changed.

Our farm is divided into "zones". Workers are assigned one or two zones in an 8-hour shift. They never have the same zones two days in a row, so that someone else is always going behind them double checking on what yesterday's worker did.

Servicing a housing unit requires dumping out yesterday's water and filling the water bowl with fresh clean water, filling food bowls or feeders, raking up dog poop, doing a wellness check and visiting with the dog(s) for a few minutes each day.

Let's assume this could be done in only 15 minutes for a yard with a single dog. Multiply15 min. x 30 days in a month. That is 7.5 hours a month.

7.5 hours x $8/hr. = $60. That is $60 per month, just to pay the people who provide daily care for that dog. Payroll and personnel costs are our single greatest budget item.

Food: We get donations of food from time to time. Two different girl scout troops in Rosenberg organized dog food drives for us. The Bay Area SPCA has donated dog food, as have the Texas City and League City shelters. Individuals, like Lark Tedesco, Laurine Murtaugh and Tom English, have helped us with dog food donations.

But we use nearly 600 lb of dog food per day. Let me pause and let that sink in.

That is a lot of dog food. More than anyone can donate on a regular basis. Donations help us by providing food that we would otherwise have to buy. But we still buy a lot of dog food.

Assume that the average dog eats 1.5 lb. of dog food per day. 1.5 lb x 30 days = 45 lb of dog food per month per dog. We buy our dog food from Bay City Feed, where Pam gives us every discount that exists and a couple more that don't! She has whittled the cost down to just $12.34 per bag of Purina Red Flannel dog food. Those are 40 lb bags.

So a dog eats 1.125 bags of dog food per month. 1.125 x $12.34 = $13.88. Hence our cost for dog food -- dry kibble only, no special foods included in this number -- is $13.88 per dog per month, on average.

Cost for Payroll and Dog Food Per Month: Add $60 for payroll costs and $13.88 for dog food consumption, and you can see that each dog who lives here costs us about $73 per month, month in and month out. These are real dollars we have to find, somehow. And that number is only payroll and dog food. It does not include funds for vet visits, vaccinations, special foods and medications.

Ricky and I just cannot afford to keep adding $70 + per month to our overhead costs, and that is why we ask for new dogs coming here to have someone be responsible for fund raising. Even so, you would be surprised at how many folks promise to raise money -- but once the dog arrives and is safe, they just melt away and we never hear from them again.


Insurance: Nor does that $73.88 include any money to help pay the monthly insurance bill. We have a great independent agent in Betty Meier, and she manages to come up with companies who are willing to insure us every year. That is an achievement in and of itself.

Naturally the cost for liability insurance, as well as insurance on the buildings on the farm, is very high. This year, Betty has managed to get our monthly insurance payment down to $1600 -- that is down $200 from $1800 this past year.

Unfortunately, our insurance requires a down payment every year, and this year that amount is $3200, which we are trying to raise right now.

Ricky and Jay: Finally, I want to make sure there is no doubt about this point, especially among the friends and supporters who make donations to Smiling Dog Farms: Ricky and I do not make, have not made one single dime from all the funds that have been donated to Smiling Dog Farms. We pay our workers, but Ricky and I work 16 hour days at the farm for free! Ricky and I are not on the payroll. 100% of money donated goes to pay for dog food, payroll, housing, insurance or vet bills.

Monthly "Nut": To pay for our workers, dog food and insurance, we need roughly $11,000 each month. That leaves nothing for vet bills and medications and special foods.

Financial Goal: The goal of the 1000 Partners program is to bring in over $20,000 each month, so that we will not only have our payroll and dog food and insurance covered, but also have budgets for vet care and special food and medications.

Our biggest financial goal is to have enough income to hire a full time Director, to take over some of the duties that Ricky and I perform as volunteers. This is the final and necessary step to make Smiling Dog Farms, Inc a viable 501c3 charitable corporation that can outlive Ricky and me, and continue operations into the future, long after we are dead and gone.

If you are already a Smiling Dog Partner, making monthly donations to help pay for our operations... THANK YOU!

If you are already a Sponsor, contributing one-time gifts to Smiling Dog Farms which help pay for operations and housing... THANK YOU!

Every dollar you donate makes it possible for us to continue to say "yes" to the dogs who have no other options, and would otherwise die if they could not come here!

You have a very personal hand in saving the lives of each baby I write about in this space! You are not just our partners in name, but also in deed!

Jay Hellerich, executive director
smiling dog farms
a 501(c)3 corporation
wharton, texas
979-257-3377
www.smilingdogfarms.org
http://smilingdogfarms.blogspot.com

Please become a Smiling Dog Partner to Support Our Work
Your Monthly Tax-Deductible Gift Gives Hope to the Forgotten,Neglected & Rejected
Just click on http://smilingdogfarms.org/Donations_Page.html