My sweet Moonpie!

• Why do some dogs find their place in your heart before they even know you?  That was Moonpie for me.  It has taken me a while to post.  Moonpie has been in her home for a couple of months yet I have not even updated anything since she came.  Maybe, it was because I wanted to enjoy every single minute I was given with her. Moonpie was a true southern rescue.  We speculate about her past. It surely was not kind to her.  But she always moved forward. I simply love that precious face

Moonpie earned her Canine Good Citizen certificate at the Fond du Lac County Kennel Club AKC all bread show.  What a feat for both of us. She was with me only 6 days when we did this. I was very proud.

Moonpie was reunited with one of her puppies the day she arrived off of transport. He is twice her size but has the same love and enthusiasm for life as his mom.

Moonpie' and her babies southern rescue day.

Lexie, a kind soul

Lexie’s story was heartbreaking to me.  Her owners adopted a dog from Sandi Paws about a year ago.  Since that adoption, the husband fell very ill.  The family made the hard to to bring back Zelina to SPR but also asked if we could take Lexie, whom they had for the last 5 years since she was a tiny puppy.  Lexie initially went to a different foster where she was for a week but ended up having issues getting along with the personal dog there.  So she came here on a Friday.  Luckily, our great SPR family works so well together, another foster put out to her network of people, how desparate it was for Lexie to find her home sooner than later as her world had turned upside down and was stressing. 

Lexie was swept up by the perfect adopter where Lexie will have her person all to herself.  She is a retired lady who adopted herself a birthday present.  Loved every minute with Lexie.  Her broken heart is now on the path to a quick heal.

Double take

Graham came to us as a two day foster.  We were lucky enough to have him longer.  Jordy even enjoyed having a brother from a different mother.  Jordy actually played with him.  That does not happen frequently with Jordy.  He is usually a jerk these days.  Graham was a cool, laid back year old Chocolate Lab and his adopters are very happy to have him.

Lylle... a beautiful flower

Lylle is a sweet, young shepherd mix that came to Wisconsin only a couple days after Abash was adopted.  She was with us for a couple of weeks and was as sweet as they come.  Lylle was adopted locally so hopefully we get to run  into her occasionally.

The boys were at the adoption event that Lylle was adopted at.  We were all a bit surprised that day to have her leave our home, but definitely knew that this sweet heart would not last long.

Abash. Best puppy ever!

After losing Rosalee, it was either jump back into fostering with two feet, or I probably would have been a recluse for a long time.  The heartbreaks was strong enough to defeat me. So back into the world of rescue we go. We brought Abash home two days after losing Rosalee.  He was the sweetest 4 month old lab month puppy. We had him for less than a week before he was scooped up by a family he could grow up with.  

Loving Rosalee

I thought I would take the opportunity to share some of my favorite memories my boys and I had with our baby Hippo.  She was a once in a life time dog.  I am not one that gravitates to the bully breeds.  I like my crazy sporting dogs.  But Rosalee spoke to me even before she was adopted out.  In fact, when I did a home visit with her adopters, they were so surprised she let me just walk in the house without a fuss.  She was not friendly to stranger. She was meant to land here.  I will never question my choice to bring her home.  I just wish that I could have given her longer.  But her physical pain only made her behavior worse, of course.  I do not want to dwell on the past.  I just want to remember this sweet soul that loved life even though the world was not kind to her.  

6 months later... and Rescue sucks

I cannot believe that I have not updated anything since I have had Rosalee.  It has been such a roller coaster ride.   And this train is derailing.  Our adventures with Rosalee may be detailed later, but tonight the boys and I are having a pajama party.  We have always had pajama parties the night before we have one of our own dogs put to sleep.  Rosalee has had lots of behavioral and physical issues over the last 6 months.  Right now, I do not want to discuss.  But earlier this week, I knew that Rosalee and I were on the same page... fighting a losing battle.  She is in pain, lame in the hind end... She has been snapping at the people she loves most.  Her behavior has been so concerning to me.  I want to fix it.  But she has had such a shitty life.  She has every right to be defensive and pissy, especially when in pain.  But I cannot put my kids’ safety at risk.  Or mine, or my dogs.  I notified the owners of the rescue on Monday that I no longer felt safe with Rosalee due to her behavior and pain.  I asked that the rescue release ownership to me.  I wanted nothing more than Rosalee to be mine, in her forever home.  Not a foster, not a statistic of being a homeless pitbull that humans have failed, but a dog that found her forever place in a world that has not been kind to her.

Tonight, I had the pain of telling Jacob and Wiley that tomorrow will be Rosalee’s last.  Every parent wants to protect their kids from suffering yet here I am making their hearts break.  They knew.  When I told them I wanted to have a serious conversation with them after supper, Wiley said, “why? Is Rosie gonna be put down?”  I could only be honest. There were lots of emotions, of course.  Finally, I sat the boys down and asked them to finalize Rosie’s adoption.  They helped me complete her adoption contract. They signed her contract as her adopters.  And went and put their pajamas on.  Jacob brought both his and Wiley’s mattresses out to the living room so we can all sleep with Rosalee tonight.   As I type, my Hippo is snoring away on my lap.

I love this dog.  I have since she arrived in Wisconsin.  Her body screamed the plight of her shitty life before SPR took her in.  All I can say right now is that Jacob, Wiley and I love her so much that we will love her to the end.

Rosalee AKA Baby Hippo

This girl grabbed my attention when she first came into the rescue last October.  She was a rolely, polely girl full of sass and a huge heart for kids.  It took her a while to find her home as we are flooded with pitties that need homes everywhere.  She was adopted out in February locally.  I did a home visit with her adopters in April.  Decent people but kinda of clueless as to the fact that a girl like her needs rules and boundaries.  Fast forward to the August 2018 intake, where her previous foster, Nicki, told me that her adopters were going to have her euthanized because she hurt another dog.  The story kept changing as at first she killed the dog, but then in the end, it was a bit more clear that the “attack” was unwitnessed.  The other dog was very old and small.  Rosalee hurts his back end.  I could go on and on regarding everything this family did wrong when it came to Rosalee.  But ultimately, I could not accept that she was going to be euthanized so I contacted her adopters and brought her home.  She has been doing well with Jordy and Rayna.  We are still every cautious with Tinkerbell, our other foster, as she is so small.  Rosalee was a street dog for a long time.  She will always be on guard when meeting new dogs.  Slow introductions are a must.  I might create a post regarding how I introduced them in order to ensure that Rosalee was successful.  But she too has a the perfect home out there.  It might take some time to find it, but she will make their lives full.

Tinkerbell Strawberry. Piss and vinegar with a little bit of sugar.

 

This little girl needs to catch a break.  She has had two failed adoptions, one lasting only 12 hours!!!! People talk a good talk about understanding adjustment periods but Tinkerbell is a dog that requires you to respect her adjustment period.  She is a small dog that does not like to be picked up.  She will tolerate it if she trusts you.  And trust takes time, not just minutes!  Ugh.  Tink has been with us since early May.  I cannot believe that in four months no one has given her the time to become the family member she deserves to be.

Jessi, sweet as pie!!

This sweet girl couldn’t have been more perfect.  Jessi arrived in the April 2018 transport and we were blessed to have her for a little over a month.  She loved the boys so much that she was the first dog to sleep with them overnight.  She was a hard one to let go as she is what everyone wants in a dog.  But her day came and was adopted by the most loving lady. From a high kill shelter to the princess she was meant to be.  She is why I love this job.