A dog in need of help

[Axel]

I normally don't post this kind of stuff, but I have met the dog in question at the shelter where she is at, and felt compelled do do something.

After moving to Canada and after some serious soul-searching, Judy and I decided that it was finally time for us to get a dog. We didn't want to get one from a puppy mill, and decided that going with a dog from a shelter would be a better option. So we started looking at petfinder.com, went to a few adoption clinics and visited a few local shelters. No luck though, there were a couple of ok dogs, and also a lot of train-wrecks. But we did not find "the one", that we really connected with.

So we continued looking. Then we came across the webpage of http://www.frontieranimalsociety.ca/ and saw Rupert. Rupert wasn't a flashy dog, he is a shepherd and retriever mix. And his description said that he had been in the shelter for four months, and nobody had shown any interest in him. There was something about his picture and description that made us think though, so I contacted the adoption coordinator at the shelter and asked about him. The adoption coordinator explained that he had been picked up as a stray in a northern community, but he loves to be with people, and are very loyal and affectionate once he gets to know you.

So, we decided to take the 2 hour drive to the shelter and check him out. Rupert turned out to be everything they said he was. We took him for a walk, played with him for a bit, and he really connected with us. We knew right there and then that he was the one. So he came home with us that same day. The shelter normally don't do same day adoptions, they prefer that potential adopters take a few days to think it over before making a final decision. But the volunteers at the shelter saw how Rupert connected with us, knew we were serious, and decided to make an exception.

Rupert has been with us for almost a week now, and is doing really well. He is not a barker, loves his walks, he loves to be brushed and petted, and don't have any bad habits except for having an issue with cats. He knows that he should do his business outside, too. He is a good dog, and will be a great dog once we get him some obedience training - which will happen soon.

Rupert's story is the one with a happy ending.

And this brings us to Shelby, who is a shepherd mix with some health issues. We met her at the shelter too. She is a sweet and friendly dog, but she is having some medical issues at the moment. She has had a couple of surgeries to deal with a mass on her back, which in turn has put a serious drain on the shelters resources.

Frontier Animal Society is a private shelter on a lovely piece of land in eastern Quebec, a couple of miles north of the Quebec/Vermont border. It is run by volunteers, and is funded completely by donations. It is not a fancy shelter, but it is nice and clean, and the volunteers there take very good care of their animal guests.

As I said though, the shelter is funded by donations and Shelby's surgeries has set them back to the tune of 1,500 Canadian dollars so far. They normally don't do fundraisers for specific causes, but had no choice when it comes to covering Shelby's medical care:

https://www.gofundme.com/shelby_shepherd

Please consider donating a few dollars to help Shelby. Remember that with today's weak Canadian Dollar, a few US dollars will go far.

We donated directly when we were at the shelter to pick up Rupert, so you won't see me listed on the gofundme page, but rest assured that we did our part. I challenge the rest of the DiscoWeb community to do the same, donate a few dollars to help this poor dog. We all love our Rovers - both the four wheeled and four legged kind, so please do what you can. I can personally vouch for the shelter, I have been there and know how they operate. Everything you donate will go to help Shelby - and the other animals there if we go over the donation goal. Let's make this happen, guys!

Donate here:
https://www.gofundme.com/shelby_shepherd

There is also a donation button on the shelter's webpage: http://www.frontieranimalsociety.ca/

Pictures of Shelby and Rupert attached below:

 

[rnewman]

I passed this info on to my wife....a vet and on the deans committee at Penn. There is a program there that might be able to help also.

 

[Tugela]

As an adopter of a rescue dog and long time supporter of Washington Boxer Rescue, I'm happy to contribute to a furry friend in need from far away. Glad you found a great companion, Axel, may he share a long, healthy, and happy life with you.

 

[garrett]

Well done Axel.

Having fostered dozens of rescue dogs (and horses) and had many over the years as pets (two currently), I can't personally imagine the need to buy a dog from a breeder or pet store. Far too many amazingly great rescue dogs out there in need of a good home.

We currently foster dogs from www.petconnectrescue.org and have had 100% success finding permanent homes over the years.

 

[Axel]

Thanks for the donations so far. Every penny helps the shelter. You can follow Shelby and the other animals there on their Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/FrontierAnimalSociety?ref=profile

 

[Axel]

Well done Axel.

Having fostered dozens of rescue dogs (and horses) and had many over the years as pets (two currently), I can't personally imagine the need to buy a dog from a breeder or pet store. Far too many amazingly great rescue dogs out there in need of a good home.

We currently foster dogs from www.petconnectrescue.org and have had 100% success finding permanent homes over the years.

I agree. Unless you are into show dogs competitions, I see no reason to get one from a breeder, either. And if you adopt one from a shelter, you save two dogs if you think about it. You save the dog you adopt, and the shelter now has room for another dog in need of help.

We are really happy with Rupert. I am proud of him, too - the other night when we went for our walk, he peed on two souped up rice rockets parked down the road... :smilelol:

 

[bri]

I understand, 1/2 of my dogs have been rescue.

I would buy from a breeder if I really knew the breeder, the dogs being bred and have experience with other pups. I would never compete a dog professionally. By far our best dog was purchased from a breeder. By far our worst dog was also bought from a breeder.

The two rescues have been really good dogs -- I've realy grown fond of english and german pointers.

 

[garrett]

I agree. Unless you are into show dogs competitions, I see no reason to get one from a breeder, either. And if you adopt one from a shelter, you save two dogs if you think about it. You save the dog you adopt, and the shelter now has room for another dog in need of help.

We are really happy with Rupert. I am proud of him, too - the other night when we went for our walk, he peed on two souped up rice rockets parked down the road... :smilelol:

This year alone we've fostered about 7 dogs and each one has really been a great dog and found good homes (one with a college friend and another with a local friend). It's a great way to socialize my two dogs and a good way to socialize the shelter dogs - our dogs, cats, horses and people that visit, etc.

I've also made a few runs to WV to pick up 8 dogs from a kill shelter and place them temporarily with friends/fosters here in town until we get them set up on the rescue site and eventually permanent homes. My friends here in town that work directly with Pet Connect Rescue now have 8 dogs of their own - clearly they have a hard time saying no.

The other issues with pure bred dogs is the inbreeding and common issues with specific breeds. But like you said - unless you're buying for shows and a few other random reasons it's pretty silly not to look at rescues - even if you want breed specific there are hundreds of shelters and rescues that deal specifically with breeds. That is where I ended up with my Great Pyrenees. Health wise they have been extremely good and great temperaments. The other one I currently have is border collie/pointer - very, very smart and very accommodating to any dog we bring home.

 

[discostew]

I think your doing great things. People get dogs and think nothing about the commitment that it really is. They get the puppy and love the puppy but the dog it grows into not so much. Keep up the good work.I think mixed breed dogs are healthier in a lot of areas but sometimes not so much.

I am not a dog snob at all. But after owning Newfoundlands for most of my life I have grown very fond of that breed.My breeder pulls out all the stops when working for health. Her dogs are checked for a gene that causes a heart defect, eyes and hearts and hips and all that crap. But the sad truth is that the move towards a healthy breed is slow. We as people have really fucked up the animal for fashion or function, we are a far cry from a wolf now.

I find that breeds will have a similar personality among that breed. People get used to that when they have kept dogs all there life. Some of us grow old with one breed. I like all dogs as long as they don't trespass in a violent way.

All breeds seem to be concerned about something different. My springers would flush every bird rabbit or whatever out of everyplace. He wasn't happy unless he was running and flushing. My newfoundlands are very concerned with preserving human life. Like it's the reason they are alive. That's a great quality in a dog. But that takes no value away from any other dog out there,I understand that.

 

[bri]

This year alone we've fostered about 7 dogs and each one has really been a great dog and found good homes (one with a college friend and another with a local friend). It's a great way to socialize my two dogs and a good way to socialize the shelter dogs - our dogs, cats, horses and people that visit, etc.

I've also made a few runs to WV to pick up 8 dogs from a kill shelter and place them temporarily with friends/fosters here in town until we get them set up on the rescue site and eventually permanent homes. My friends here in town that work directly with Pet Connect Rescue now have 8 dogs of their own - clearly they have a hard time saying no.

The other issues with pure bred dogs is the inbreeding and common issues with specific breeds. But like you said - unless you're buying for shows and a few other random reasons it's pretty silly not to look at rescues - even if you want breed specific there are hundreds of shelters and rescues that deal specifically with breeds. That is where I ended up with my Great Pyrenees. Health wise they have been extremely good and great temperaments. The other one I currently have is border collie/pointer - very, very smart and very accommodating to any dog we bring home.

Sounds like you guys are doing a lot for dogs, I just do not have the time or space. We do support the local shelters that we believe practice good policies. The rescues around the denver area suck (in general). For example the weimeriener and pointer rescues (and I believe even more) will not allow adoption if you do not have a fenced yard.

They lost out on an owner that is more responsble than any arbitraray owner with a fence.

It took us more than a year to get a GSHP that was in the local shelter vs a rescue. I support some of the local shelters, but I do not support any local rescue other than the grey hound rescue.

 

[discostew]

Bri just brought up a good topic. The rescue systems set up for breed specific thru clubs and what have you can be as selective as the most crazy dog breeeder ladies out there. Maybe they feel like they need to be very selective so a dog doesn't become a 2 time looser of a home. What ever it is you can forget getting a dog from one of those crazy dog ladies unless your a crazy dog lady.

I wanted to adopt a sickly looking basset hound mix dog that was going to keep my vet in the money for sure. I really think the dog was a train wreck. They called my vet who is kind of a friend but no longer my vet and his office girl told them I would not be a good owner cause I wasn't vacinating my 18 yr old cat.That cat would have been so stressed out by a trip over there that he would have died. Damn cat was just looking for a good place to die. So the shelters are too restrictive also.

That's not the only time I was denied a dog from a shelter. The second time I answered all the 2 page question and answer sheet and was very interested in bringing home this cool little beagle mix that I think would have fit in around here great. That time because the dog would have been in a crate for 6 hrs until my kids got home from school at 2:30. But the stupid bitch wanted to ask me questions about one dog that was a fear biter and told me I could have my pick of about 25 or 30 pit bulls. That little beagle would have had it made here. I feed a raw food diet that is basicly raw lean meat in a nasty ass tube and I throw them turkey necks in the morning and that's how I regulate weight. To skinny they get an extra, too fat they get less necks. It costs about $110 to feed one of my big male Newfoundlands for a month. But because that little beagle would have been in a crate for 6 hrs a day she couldn't come here. And further more I would have trained her so she would have a better less restrictive life.

 

[Axel]

People get dogs and think nothing about the commitment that it really is. They get the puppy and love the puppy but the dog it grows into not so much.

That is the reason why Judy and I didn't have a dog until now. When we were living in the States, we were both working, traveling more and had other commitments also. We felt it would not be fair to bring a dog into an environment where we would not have time to properly care for him or her. We have always been animal lovers, though.

Here in Canada on the other hand, Judy isn't working and probably never will - mainly because of the French language requirement in Quebec. Even though most people here in the Montreal area also speak english, you can't really be a hairdresser here without also speaking french. The language police would be all over that.

We also had the opportunity to do a 'test drive' before we made the decision to get our own dog. When we moved into the apartment here in Laval (Montreal suburb), the couple in the apartment next to us had a young pitbull, Ricky who they had gotten as a puppy. Their decision to get Ricky was obviously not thought through completely, because he was being left alone in the apartment often, for hours at a time where he was suffering from separation anxiety barking and crying. So we told them that since Judy is home during the day, they could leave Ricky with us when they were not home if they wish. We already knew him a little, and knew he was friendly and playful.

So we ended up having Ricky for a few hours every other day, sometimes overnight too. Being a young pitbull he could be a handful, but he was not aggressive at all. Ricky just loved everyone. So when he was with us, we walked him, played with him, fed him and tried to give him the structure he didn't get at home. Ricky really bonded with us, it got to the point where he would run and sit in front of our dour instead of his neighbors' when they came back from a walk with him.

When they moved out in July, we missed Ricky a lot, especially Judy who had spent a lot of time with him in during the day. So we thought it over for a while, we didn't want to just get a dog because we missed Ricky - we wanted to both agree that we were ready for a dog full time. And that's how we ended up with Rupert. He turned out to be a perfect fit, very loyal and friendly but not as demanding as Ricky was.

I have a feeling Ricky will eventually end up in a shelter one day, because his owners were clueless about taking care of dogs in general. Who in their right mind would walk a young pitbull who has never received any obedience training off-leash? That's insane. I love pitbulls, but if you are going to get one you better know what the fuck you are doing. I hope Ricky will be OK, but he wasn't our dog and there is nothing more we can do for him, unfortunately.

As for the breed vs mix debate, I'm not a dog snob either. I don't have a problem with someone getting a dog from a serious breeder for whatever reason, but I do have an issue with the puppy mills. For Judy and I, breed vs mix wasn't important. We were looking for a companion with a good disposition, and Rupert fit the bill. He took to us right away at the shelter, the people there were quite surprised about that. That's why they let us bring him home on the first visit, they usually don't do that. Frontier Animal Society are not snobs at all, they just want to make sure people are absolutely sure about their decision to adopt, and they want to make sure the dog is a good match. There was no interrogation of us, it was more of a discussion about what we were looking for, and the environment the dog would live in because they care very deeply about the animals they care for at the shelter and want to make sure the adoption is successful.

 

[discostew]

I'm the opposite of love the puppy not the adult dog. Puppies are a pain in the ass. It works out great at my house. Kids love the puppy, potty train the puppy. And in the end the dog is happy to be mine.

 

[Axel]

I'm the opposite of love the puppy not the adult dog. Puppies are a pain in the ass. It works out great at my house. Kids love the puppy, potty train the puppy. And in the end the dog is happy to be mine.

I agree with that. Puppies are cute and all, but we didn't really want to deal with the housetraining. So we looked at adult dogs.

I also found out last night that Rupert may not be a mix after all. He was listed as a shepherd/retriever mix on the shelter page, so that's what we figured he was. We are not dog experts. But some lady posted on Facebook last night that she thought he is a Blackmouth cur just like her dog. Never heard of that breed before, but Google is your friend. Sure enough, I found a Blackmouth cur page with a bunch of pictures of dogs that look just like Rupert. The description of the breeds typical disposition fits, too. So I guess he is a Blackmouth cur. Any experts out there who can tell what he is from the pics attached?

We don't really care what he is though, we love him just the way he is.

 

[discostew]

I have never heard of that breed either. He looks great for an apartment dog. Big enough to deter would be burglers, short hair so not as much fur as I always have to deal with. He's a lucky pooch, things are looking up for him this year.

 

[Axel]

Update:

Shelby made a full recovery, and was just adopted. She now lives with her new Forever family on Prince Edward Island, and is doing well according to the update posted on the shelter Website. She will have a nice holiday this year.

https://www.facebook.com/FrontierAnimalSociety/?ref=profile

Thanks to everyone who donated to help with her medical care. The shelter really appreciated it!

 

[emmodg]

Way cool!

 

[DiscoPhoto]

Awesome.... my sister fosters dogs as well. Has 3 of them at any given time. I have a lot of respect for anyone that does it.