Smiling Dog Farms

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Dog on the Blog: Faith, the Winston Churchill of Dogs!

I must begin with a disclaimer that this dog is not a resident of Smilng Dog Farms, nor has he ever been. A good friend shared this article about Faith with me, and I wanted to share it with you.

This dog was born on Christmas Eve, 2002. He was born with 3 legs - 2 healthy hind legs and 1 abnormal front leg which had to be amputated. He could not walk like other pups when he was born. Even his mother did not want him.

His first family did not think he could survive. They considered 'putting him to sleep' -- killing him because he was imperfect. But by this time, Jude Stringfellow had met him and wanted to care for him. She was determined to teach him to walk by himself. She named him 'Faith'.

In the beginning, she put Faith on a surf board to let him feel movement. Later she used peanut butter on a spoon as a lure for him to stand up and jump around. Even the other dog at her home encouraged Faith to walk. Amazingly, after only six months of training, Faith learned to balance on his 2 hind legs and jump, to move forward. After further training in the snow, he learned to walk like a human being.

Faith loves to walk around now. Everywhere he goes, he attracts attention. He is becoming famous on the international scene. He has appeared in various newspapers and on TV shows. There is even one book published about him, entitled With A Little Faith.

Here, Faith shows some interest in a guinea pig, just like any other dog! Jude Stringfellow has given up her teaching post and plans to take him around the world to preach that even without a perfect body, one can have a perfect soul.

Life in this world is never perfect. But you don't have to be perfect to have a happy and rewarding life.

The joy that Faith exudes is reminiscent of a well known speech -- and possibly the shortest ever delivered -- given by the late Winston Churchill, former Prime Minister of Great Britain, and leader of his nation during its most difficult hour in World War II. The prime minister strode to the microphone and said, "Never give up. Never give up. Never give up." And then he seated himself again.

Prime Minister Churchill's words express the unfailing spirit of a little dog, born imperfect, but whose tenacity and pure joy overcame that imperfection. Faith is a testimony to the wonder of life and the admonition to Never Give Up!

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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Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Dog on the Blog: Alfried Wins Big In the Distemper Lottery!

Alfried came to us from the Brazoria County Animal Shelter, about two years ago. He was just a little black dog -- the non-descript variety of which there are so many, and for whom it is tough finding homes.

Alfried was a sad little guy when he came to the farm. We knew nothing about his background, so we had no way to know why he seemed unhappy. He was sweet, but sad.

Not long after his arrival, he developed some yellowish gunk in his eyes, then his nose. He became lethargic. He lost his appetite and began losing weight. So we took him to the vet we were using at that time (This was before we started going to Dr. Stern.)

The vet was pretty sure that Alfried had distemper. We asked the doctor how that could be, because we always give vaccinations to our dogs when they arrive. But the doctor explained that Alfried had probably already contracted the disease while he was at the shelter, and our innoculation would not help him if the disease was already percolating inside him.

Getting a diasnosis of distemper in a dog is like getting a diagnosis of cancer in a person. It is devastating, because it is usually a death sentence. The vet recommended that we just "put him down", which is the polite euphemism for killing him.

Now neither Ricky nor I ever went to A&M and neither one of us has a degree in veterinary medicine. But it has never made sense to us that if a dog is sick, let's just go ahead and kill him. Like a preemptory strike.

We know that many in rescue disagree with us on this. But we believe that as long as a dog is still breathing, there is hope. If a dog is fighting to live, we believe it is our moral duty to support that fight with everything we have.

We understand that sometimes -- maybe even oftentimes -- dogs, like people, will lose their battle with a disease. But we always tell our vet to do everything possible, use every tool, take every proactive measure to save this dog. We tell the vet that we will find the money somehow to pay for the care.

We are not giving up, and we don't want our doctor to give up, either.

( I digress from my story long enough to say that this is one of our favorite pictures of Alfried! He is laying on his back in the bed, and he is "smiling" and you can see his pretty white teeth!)

We told the doc to do everything he could think of to save Alfried. The vet told us that only about 10% of dogs with distemper survive it. The doc didn't think those were very good odds. But we argued that Alfried could be in that 10% !!

So Alfried went into the doggie ICU at the vet's office. He had an IV through which he received drugs and antibiotics that were essentially supportive care. That vet had an exceptional vet tech named Sandy whom we knew would be watching over Alfried and coming in after hours to check up on him!

We checked in on Alfried daily to see how he was doing. About four days into it, I stopped by to visit Alfried and the doctor sort of shook his head, and said that Alfried had now begun having seizures. The doc said it with a finality which meant to him that it was all over, once the seizures began.

I asked the innocent -- but obvious, I thought -- question: "Well, if he is having seizures, have you given him phenobarbatol to control them?"

The vet gave me an exasperated look and replied, "No, we haven't", in a tone which suggested that only a certified moron would ask such a thing.

I was undeterred. It is my job to advocate for the dogs because they cannot speak for themselves. "Well, let's give him some," I said hopefully. "Well, I guess we can, " replied the vet clearly unconvinced that this was rational.

Alfried actually began convulsing as we entered the room where he was staying. I watched as the doc administered phenobarbatol to Alfried, and the seizure stopped.

It was at least another week before we got the call that Alfried could go home, that they had done everything they could to help him. I think the vet still thought we were crazy for spending so much money and effort on a dog whom he still believed was destined to die.

When we brought Alfried home, we noticed that he was not the same guy. The old Alfried was sad but gentle. The new Alfried was angry and aggressive. We had to move fast, sometimes, to keep from being bit.

The vet smugly told us that was to be expected. That even if Alfried lives for a while longer, he has no doubt suffered irreversable brain damage from the disease. He will never be himself again.

But we persevered. We separated Alfried from the other dogs -- partly because we did not want to risk him spreading the disease, even though distemper is harder to spread than, say, parvo. But partly we separated him because he was such a grump that we did not want any fights with other dogs.

Every day, Ricky and I would visit with Alfried, and touch him, and speak gently to him. It seemed to me that Alfried was like a human patient who comes out of a coma. He had to relearn a lot of things, including trusting the humans around him.

Slowly, as the days turned to weeks and then the weeks turned to months, Alfired began to change and improve. It was gradual -- so gradual that it was easy to miss milestones, until one day it sort of stared us in the face: Alfried was "better"!

We moved him in with his group -- he is with Opal, Mary Lou, Beatrice and Missy (see blog July 1 and July 7) and he is the most popular dog in the pack!

He is now his normal, sweet self. He gives kisses and is animated and excited when it is his turn to sleep in the bed! There are no residual deficits in his motor skills or his personality. If you met Alfried today, you would have no clue that he had battled distemper -- and won!

We are glad that we believed Alfried could be in that 10% that beats distemper. In some ways, it was like betting on the lottery -- the odds were against him, but there was that chance that he could be among the small percentage of winners.

What we gave Alfried -- by treating him instead of "putting him down" -- was the opportunity to cash in his winning ticket in the great Distemper Lottery. May every dog have that chance.

Monday, September 1, 2008

Dog on the Blog: Faster Than A Speeding Bullet... Zoe Is Adopted and Home!

You can just tell by looking what a happy girl Zoe is! This photo was taken of her up in Illinois, before she began her long journey to Smiling Dog Farms in Texas!

Zoe was a really good girl who just ran out of time. The folks at the shelter in Illinois all really loved Zoe and wanted her to find a home. But she had been there a long time, and there is a limit to how long a dog can stay at a shelter, because there are always new dogs coming in who also need space to live at the shelter.

Zoe's days were numbered. Our friend, Debbie Wilson in Atlanta, spotted Zoe's emails making the rounds, and she contacted us to see if Zoe might come to the farm. Debbie offered to fund raise for Zoe, and we agreed that Zoe could come here and become part of our adoption program.

Cheryl Kaminski bravely took on the task of arranging overland transport for Zoe. It is a lonnngggg way from Illinois to Wharton, Texas! Cheryl was able to set up transport for Zoe from Illinois to Missouri that first weekend. There were still some holes in the runs from Missouri to Texas, but Cheryl figured she could fill those spots during the following week.

On long transports, like this one, it is impossible for Zoe to make it all the way in one day, anyway.

Holly agreed to temporarily foster Zoe at her home in Missouri for that week, while Cheryl worked on filling the remaining legs of Zoe's journey.

But a funny thing happened during that week. Holly fell in love with Zoe, and Zoe reciprocated her feelings! Holly asked if she could adopt Zoe.

I asked my adoption partners to do a homestudy in a hurry! Holly completed an application, and then participated in a phone interview. A vet check was also done. And at the end of it all, everyone agreed that Holly was the perfect mom for Zoe.

The transport for that next weekend was cancelled, because we no longer needed it. Zoe was already home! And that was one of the fastest adoptions we have ever done!

Sunday, August 31, 2008

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!

Friday, August 29, 2008

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.

Thursday, August 28, 2008

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.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

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.

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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 !