Puppy-Wuppy presents
RESCUE DOGS AND STORIES
This picture represents the epiphany of why I went into rescue. When the owner, Marlene, sent me this picture of her and “Joey”, I was overwhelmed with emotion.
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Joey was in a kill shelter and I was contacted by one of the shelter’s staff begging to free him as his days were numbered. According to the shelter, Joey was aggressive, alouf, fearful of strangers, guarding of his kennel, and unpredictable. My girlfriend, Debi, and I worked with Joey and knew immediately that, once again, this shelter dog was incorrectly labeled and we saw the potential in him. Marlene is one of the most generous, loving, caring human beings I have encountered and Joey was meant to be with Marlene from their first encounter. To see this dog sitting with some of the most predominant medical professions in New York, and to know that he is considered family amongst them, is an unparalleled feeling. To know that just one more dog was saved, and he brings so much love to others and is loved brings me a little bit of peace and comfort in this world of throw away pets. |
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“Brutus” was a very large male Dobie with aggressive and dominant issues and needed to be placed in an experienced Dobie home. He found that home with a couple who had a female Red Dobe, Amanda, who kept Brutus in line. They are all living well in NJ.
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I perform private rescue, focusing on dogs, mainly working dogs such as shepherds, dobermans, rotties etc, located in kill shelters. Specifically I turn my attention to the gassing shelters, which are located in the Southern regions such as Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky, Georgia, and the infamous Mississippi. These are where the animals have the shortest amount of time, where the circumstances on how they are euthanized are almost intolerable in my opinion, and where these animals are not given a fair chance.
I will bring them up to my home, have them vetted, and begin training, socialization, and interaction. I perform home checks. Vet references are required. Applications must be completed along with a signed adoption agreement. Dogs are only placed in homes based on the correct fit after the application process.
Hence, this brings us to our current rescues:
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Neal:
A/k/a Otis. Otis was rescued from Georgia in October of 2002, approximately ½
hour before he was scheduled to be put down. He is a white German shepherd,
approximately 2 years old with lots of character. He is definitely a candidate
for Famous Pet Tricks on Letterman and he is a great dog. He is well adjusted
to NJ life and has become the apple of his owner’s eye. UPDATE: May 2005. Just an update, Otis’s “Dad” comes to visit every now and then, and brought me an current picture of Otis. He’s filled out so nicely and just enjoys life so much. He is very attached to his human family and is such a prankster that he has the family on their toes all the time! Hugs and Kisses to Otis and a great thank you to Tony for having such a special place in your heart for adopting this wonderful companion. |
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Sheba:
6 yr. Old Rottie, 11/19/02, found on a highway, dehydrated and malnourished by
my trainer. My trainer, Beth Bradley, took her in and had her vetted while
everyone in our club tried to find her a home. Sheba was placed with a company
where their workers keep company with Sheba and their other male Rottie 24 hours
a day, which was important as Sheba was starved for affection and attention and
now she gets it full-time! |
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Gunther: White German Shepherd - June 2003 – Owner Placement – Went to new home in New Jersey
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Pongo:
a/k/a Mac – German Shepherd – Rescued from Mason County Animal Shelter, West
Virginia Nov. 2003. The shelter fell in love with Pongo and they had nothing
but nice things to say abo |
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Update: November 2007, Mac enjoying the latest comforts
of a quiet Thanksgiving at an Inn in PA with his Family. I
guess he got first dibbs on the bed! His Mom says," If his
friends in West Virginia could see him now!" -------------------- Hi Connie and Lori
I
hope all is well with you and that you had a happy
Thanksgiving. All is well with us. Fred and I had a quiet Thanksgiving (sans kids) in an inn in Pennsylvania. They allowed dogs so Mac came with us. The food was great, and then we did some touristy things on Friday. Mac is definitely a city dog. He flipped out every time he saw a horse pulling an Amish cart. There was also a bit of chaos when he made the great escape from our room and fled directly to the kitchen in the restaurant area. Thank God it was early so no one saw except the workers! I have attached a photo of Mac living it up in the hotel room He had his own bed! If his friends in West Virginia could see him now!! Take care and hope to see you soon! Sheila McAllister-Spooner, Ph.D.
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Semper: 2yr old Red Dobie was rescued from the Memphis Animal Shelter (a gas shelter) on his due out day (the day of adoption and last day available). We had Semper flown up to NJ where he found a home with a family who has another Dobie that he can perform his goofy antics with. Unfortunately, Semper was ill after his arrival, but has recuperated nicely and is doing fine with his family. |
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Clark
a/k/a Jersey is a 1 yr old Black German Shepherd rescued in December of 2003
with a lazy ear that came from Mississippi. The shelter was instructed to start
gassing again, and since the shelter workers fell in love with Clark they hid
him at a kennel until the “powers that be” found out and forced the shelter
workers to either adopt him out or put him down. Well, needless to say, I had
to save Clark so I agreed to take him on. Everyone who met Clark, including the
Vet who go t him ready for his flight to NJ loved him. The airline guys loved
him too. Clark was placed with a family with small children but after a week,
the smallest child and Clark did not bond and he was returned. After further
evaluation, we decided to place Clark in a home in Tulsa, Ok. They have had
previous Shepherd experience, and have a small dog, Pepe, who Clark loves to toy
with daily. Clark has put on approximately 15 pounds, filled out to be a
beautiful German Shepherd and is still enjoying his puppy hood. |
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Gracie (aka Mississippi Girl)
was pulled (by a rescuer in
Mississippi
at my request)
from a gas shelter in her final hour before she was to be put
down.
I then collaborated with a rescue group in Mississippi where she
was fostered and treated for heartworm. The rescue group
provided the fostering of this girl and I
They have named her Gracie, because she showed such grace and good
natured behavior during every vet visit and during her transport to
her new family. Gracie put on about 15 pounds since she was adopted
and according to her new parents she seems to live life every day
and enjoy just being alive. She is very attached to the family and
shows such affection to everyone she meets.
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| Assistance Rescue: Sheba & Hans, pulled from a PA shelter and transferred to another rescue group. | |
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Yaeger
February 2005 Yaeger, a 3 yr old Sable German Shepherd was adopted in 2005. He was in the Bergen County Animal Shelter and was adopted by a wonderful Bergen County NJ Family. While working with Yaeger, Debi and I found him to be a well bred shepherd and we bonded right away with him. Yaeger is a high energy German Shepherd with wonderful drive. His new "Mom" walks with him 2-3 miles every day as part of his exercise and he loves all the attention he is receiving from his new family. They report that he his a wonderful dog and
everyone is very happy to have found him. Debi, Pam, and I all wish
Yaeger a wonderful life in his new and well deserved home. |
 Russell
(aka Muscle) March 10, 2005This 4.5 year
old Rottie was dropped off at Bergen County Animal Shelter - his owners
moved to Florida and their Rottweiler was not included in their plans. Russell found a new home with a couple who had recently lost their Rottweiler and loving the breed wanted another one. Our follow-up call found Russell to be adapting well to his new home and everyone is very happy. |
| Thank you, Russell's new parents for giving this big mush a chance to love someone again and in turn to be loved. |
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Dorian (Lootzie)
April 2005
--
was
rescued from
a kill shelter in
Bergen County where he had a Guardian
Angel there, Pam, who asked for our assistance in getting him out.
He was brought there as an SPCA abuse case and was held there for
over 6 months while his current “owners” court case came up for
abuse. After he was released from the court (the court found the
owners guilty and the owners could not have the dog back), the
shelter thought it was in his best interest to put him down, but Pam
and I thought differently.
Dorian was a puppy when he came into the shelter and showed all the signs of puppy antics. He needed to be shown proper manners and social skills. We worked with him for several weeks at the shelter. Unfortunately, the shelter wanted him out and we had no choice but to either let the shelter put him down or take him in. So, I took him and worked with him some more at home, where I called him my “monkey boy”. He was such a fun dog to have around. We attended obedience classed twice a week at Animal Action with Beth Bradley, who is a very good friend of mine and excellent trainer. Dorian made remarkable strides and was ready for adoption in 3 weeks.
Lootzie is now living with an awesome
family in Northern New Jersey. He
is spoiled rotten and is the truest apple of their eye that I have
seen in a very long time. The family recently lost their beloved
German Shepherd, Max, who was their lifelong companion and it
devastated the family. Lootzie seems to bring a new light to this
family. Marty and Lootzie go for walks at least every day to the
park as part of their daily routine. They play ball in the yard,
and tug of war, but Lootzie's favorite time is when Marty gets to
play tug of war and Lootzie holds on while Marty gives him a ride in
the yard. Then, it’s off to the house for their afternoon nap and
snooze on their “own” couch in the den.
For a dog that practically grew up in the shelter, he is such a happy and forgiving dog especially considering what was done to him in his “previous life”. He now has his own couch, has one-on-one attention all day long, and is probably the best definition of a “mans best friend” relationship that I have seen in a long time. I would like to thank Pam at the Bergen County Animal Shelter for her help in fighting for saving Dorian, Debi for coming to the shelter with me on the weekends, Beth for giving me her time in training class, Bill for putting up with my rescue endeavors, Mom and Frank for their emotional support as he was a tough one to let go, Anita from Lolli-Pop rescue for her help with the internet and Petfinder, and most of all to Lootzie’s new family for the love they are giving you, as it is so well deserved. Loozie is one lucky dog…..and we are all very lucky that he has touched our lives.
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Caesar (adopted 5/2005) is a 5 year old purebred German Shepherd. He was saved from a euthanizing shelter. His owners dumped him off there instead of trying to rehome him. Fortunately, through mass efforts of the shelter, Debi Hachler, and others, flyers went out to the community in a last stitch effort to save him.
Enough attention was brought to
the beautiful shepherd where RBARI found out about our efforts to
save King and told us they had room for him. They were generous
enough to take him into their care where he is safe at last. He is
now looking for his forever home.
He is an extremely handsome German Shepherd coming for show lines with a Breeder in NJ. Caesar was undersocialized as a young puppy, and can be scared of new people. However, once you sit down with him and show him some kindness, you will win over his heart. Caesar is the kind of dog that will be loyal to you forever and be nothing but your best friend for life. He lived with a family previously, is housetrained and has had some obedience training. Caesar walks great on a leash and has a wonderful demeanor. He loves to play with his toys and roll over for belly rubs. He also loves to be outdoors and prefers to be in open spaces. Caesar would do best in an adult only home, preferably with no other dogs, BUT can go with cats. |
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Thank you to the wonderful people at Ramapo-Bergen Animal Refuse in Oakland for rescuing this dog and for all your efforts to find him a proper home.
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| JOEY - adopted August 3, 2005
Joey is one of our best rescue boys!
He was brought into a known kill shelter at 6 months old. He sat there
for 3 months as he did not handle the “shelter” life well and the
shelter staff had a very difficult time understanding Joey and the
fearful stage he was going through. He was on very limited time and we
knew this environment was doing more harm than good for poor Joey so we
pulled him out of the shelter and fostered him while we did his
evaluation.
We would like to
thank Marlene for the adoption fee on Joey which will help go to another
rescue dog in the future. We would also like to thank Marge &
Keith for their contribution as well, as this too will go to another dog
in need. We would like to say a big thank you to everyone who sent out
an email on Joey. This email went as far as Massachusetts – it was
quite a networking job!!!! A special thank you to Debi for her help in
fostering Joey and our first experience is sharing a shower stall with a
very stinky puppy! Lastly, we would like to thank Beth Bradley for
donating her expertise and offering of free puppy classes to Joey and
Marlene. Beth has been an experienced trainer/competitor for many
years and her credentials speak for themselves.
Joey Update 2007 As you can see from the following pictures, Joey continues to do extremely well in his new home. He is alive, loved, and free.
Free at last – That’ll show ya Bergen County Animal Shelter |
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ADOPTED 9/2005: Snowy, Bishon Frise Snowy was dropped off at my groomer, who own's a kennel for kenneling. Unfortunately, the owners never came back to get her. Numerous attempts were made to contact the owners, and many months have passed but the owners cannot be contacted and have not replied. The owner of the kennel, Chris, has no choice but to find Snowy a new home. – We sent out an email and within hours we received several responses, but it was the heart of one gal and her family who captured Snowy’s affection. Snowy is extremely friendly and has an excellent temperament. She is very alert to her surroundings, affectionate, easy going, and is very much a lap dog. She is settling in well with her new family in Northern New Jersey and has become the “grandchild” of the family’s extended family as well. Snowy is finally the lap dog that she was meant to be, getting all of the attention she deserves. Thank you Chris from K.C. Kennels in Montville NJ for not giving up on Snowy and keeping her safe during her stay with you, and Connie Stickel for Networking on this little girl. Best wishes to Snowy and her new family. |
| OJ (NiKo) - adopted March 11, 2006
OJ, now known as
NIKO, which means Survivor, was adopted by an absolutely fabulous
family in Elaine, Carol, and the rest of the four legged family took Nico on his first trip to the beach and he loved that experience as well. So, from leaving the city streets and highways to living the country life with squeaky toys, lots of love, a huge property to romp, a pool to swim, and a beach to chase waves, Nico is very happy and Elaine and Carol have fallen in love with him. We wish all of you much happiness and health. We would also like to thank Beth Bradley from Best Buddy Dog Training for Holding and working with OJ during his stay. Lorry Albanese for her saving OJ from the fate of the highway and for caring for OJ during his recovery. To Marj & Keith Remland for their Donation and to Kim Feehan for her Donation.
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Sheba adopted Dec 11, 2006
Sheba was adopted from the Bergen County Animal Shelter
with just a week to spare. This was a collaboration effort with the
evaluation eing done by Melissa from Ramapo Bergen Animal Shelter. With
the wonderful use of email and internet, we were able to get Sheba's story
out there and she was adopted by a loving family with prior shepherd
experience. They report that she is safe and in a great home.She is an
With the holiday's approaching, we are so pleased that
Sheba has been rescued and will be able to spend this time with her new
family.
Sheba's story I have been contacted by the Bergen County Animal Shelter, as well as by a trainer/evaluator of another animal shelter in a plea to help spread the word to get this poor girl pulled and saved. She has two weeks to live before she will be put down. She was evaluated and this is the evaluation: Sheba, Female, White German Shepherd She is highly motivated by food, and doesn't have any jumping or mouthing issues that I saw. She takes corrections well and really responds when you ask her to focus and heel. The room we were testing in was small so I couldn't get a real feel for ball/toy drive. But I can say that her whole attitude changed when toys were introduced. She got happier and was more than willing to chase and fetch toys and balls. Again, I can test her further outdoors if you would like me to. The other thing that was just brought to my attention is that it seems that she doesn't like men. But I can't get a straight story out of anyone about what exactly she does and if it is just in the cage or out. I'm going to have to try to go there when they are open and see how she acts. She was a very sweet but scared girl who is in desperate need of a home. She does have a few issues but nothing that a calm home and experienced owner can't work with. She was found running as a stray and I really believe that she is missing her owner terribly. She knows basic commands and walks nicely on a leash once she is out of the shelter. During her evaluation she warmed up nicely and was playing fetch with us. The only downfall is that she did guard her food bowl. She was okay, but stressed if you approached to closely. Upon pushing the issue with the rubber hand, she growled when the rubber hand was introduced to the bowl, and when it was agitated toward her she snapped at it then released. I believe this to be part food aggression, mostly brought on from the stress of the shelter environment and lack of confidence and training. Sheba shows poorly in the cage due to mostly fear and stress. She circles and barks when people come by as she is showing signs of "kennel craziness". Once she is out she is a favorite of the volunteers because of her sweet nature. She is comfortable around other, in enclosed room and is happy to be with people.
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Maryland. Elaine and Nico have bonded from the day he went home and
he is experiencing new things every day, thanks to his new family.
He’s playing tug of war with his adopted brother Spirit and has
discovered the squeaky toy! However, I believe his most fascinating
discovery so far (and Elaine you probably will agree) is the “big
water bucket” that flushes…yes, you guessed it…the toilet bowl.
Nico is amazed by that wonderful invention that holds cold water and
makes it disappear in a flash.
absolutely
beautiful, happy, confident and highly intelligent Shepherd who likes to
stay very close to us.Sheba has a fenced in back yard but doesn't like to
stay out alone. Thank you for telling us about her.
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MEET AUGGIE 2/1/08 Auggie is a 2 ½ yr. old purebred German Shepherd. We first heard about Auggie from a worker in the shelter that housed him. She thought Auggie deserved a second chance at life since he was truly a beautiful boy, and she contacted Anita at Lolli Pop Rescue who, in turn, notified us. After seeing pictures of this boy and putting him on our web site, we received several inquiries about him. On the morning of the last day of his life, Anita went to the shelter to rescue him. We went to her house the next day and, although, we were told that he had an “aggression issue”, we decided to bring him home and judge for ourselves if he did, indeed, have an issue. He stayed with my Mom, who agreed to foster him for awhile. We were able to ascertain that his aggression had to do with fear. He was very much afraid of meeting strangers. We worked with him to instill confidence and trust and were quite successful. Mom found that not only was he beautiful, he was very intelligent, housebroken, loveable, playful (he loves his ball) and very, very affectionate. He wanted nothing more than to be petted while cuddling up next to your nice warm body. Mom has a treadmill and he was very inquisitive as to the purpose of walking and getting nowhere! He decided that the treadmill must be used for him to put his ball on while it bounced on the track and flew off the other end. He then thought this was his game and he would run to the end of the machine to catch his ball. (Keep in mind that he figured this game out all by himself in one day). Whenever Auggie got into “puppy mischief”, he quickly learned that a simple “no,no” was all it took to bring him back under control.
Although we miss Auggie very much, we are so glad that he got a wonderful loving home. Our best wishes to David, Christine, Blu and Auggie.
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We had many calls regarding Auggie. One couple, in particular, David
and Christine, were very interested in meeting him. In fact, they drove
3 ½ hours from Pennsylvania, in the pouring rain, to come to meet
Auggie. They took to Auggie immediately (as he also took to them) and
were soon playing catch with his favorite toy, his ball. David and
Christine adopted Auggie and drove him to Pennsylvania to meet their
Weimarner, Blu, and share their life with him. David reports that yes,
Auggie does love his ball and certainly is very affectionate. He also
enjoys long walks to the park with David. He says Auggie is settling
in very nicely, and David continues to instill trust and confidence in
his beautiful shepherd.