Ellie

On Easter Sunday we picked up a furry bundle in Denver named Ellie, who is most likely an Australian Shepherd mix.  She had been tied up outside a garage in Kansas without access to the indoors, or even a dog house for her entire 6 years.  A nice vet nearby took her in, shaved her to remove all the matted fur, and got Ellie totally vetted and healthy.  After being with the vet in Kansas, she made her way to eastern Colorado on her way up to Denver   She got scared of something on the ranch where she was staying for a few days in eastern Colorado, and was lost on the plains for a FULL day and night.  Luckily, she was found soon enough, was not harmed in any way and made her way up to Denver where we picked her up.  

We have had her for almost 3 weeks now, and she has blossomed into a huge sweetheart and a funny girl to have around.  She is most likely getting adopted this weekend by a wonderful older man in Denver, who will spoil her to death and treat her like a princess...which is exactly what she deserves after such a journey.  

Ellie, enjoying the Colorado Rocky Mountains!

Please check out my Available Dogs page to see what dogs need homes from Summit Dog Rescue!

Re: Sleepless Nights

Well, some good news this morning.  Although not all the dogs that I posted yesterday are saved yet, MOST of them have been. Three of them are going to be Summit Rescue Dogs, and will be on their way to a loving forever home soon!  More info to come when I get it.






While rescuing dogs can keep me up at night on occasion, most of the time it also is what ALLOWS me to go to sleep peacefully at the end of each day.  I always have to keep in mind that we have all done what we can, and that dogs who were so close to death are one step closer their amazing forever homes.  While there is always more to do, sometimes we have to make sure we recognize what we have accomplished so far and keep working from there.

Sleepless Nights

Last night I went to bed early, and woke up at midnight wide awake.  I have a horrible habit of checking email or facebooking when I can't sleep and when I did an email popped up from the director of Summit Dog Rescue with several dogs who needed help.  They are all in Southeast Colorado, at full shelters and in danger of being put to sleep at any time.  Welp, there goes my night of sleep!  Eventually I did nod off for a while, but not without weird dreams and those poor dogs swirling around in my head.  

Emails like this one aren't rare.  I only get a small number of all the email's that fly around every day with people trying to save dogs from euthanasia in shelters all across the country.  They usually have a subject like "CODE RED" and "URGENT" and come with descriptions and pictures of the dogs that need saving.  This particular email contained about 14 dogs that were in extreme danger.  Below are a few pictures, and some of the text from the email.  There are so many wonderful people trying to help, but without enough fosters or adoptive homes there is only so much that can be done.  Sometimes I feel like we are playing god...which is a horrible feeling...deciding which dog we might be able to foster and save, and hoping that someone else will do the same for the others before they meet their untimely end.

If there anyone would like to help us save these dogs, please contact me.

Corridor of Cruelty

The Corridor of Cruelty is an area of Houston where dogs are dumped, both alive and dead.  Horrible people use the stray and homeless dogs as target practice, or pick-up the poor animals to be used as bait in illegal dog-fighting rings.  This video gives a glimpse into the horrible reality of this place, and how amazing the people and rescues are for saving these dogs.

Summit Dog Rescue, where I volunteer (formerly Mountain Dog Rescue), was contacted about a beautiful dog in the Corridor of Cruelty and asked if we could take him.  They were worried that he was so friendly that he would easily get picked up by people with bad intentions for him.  Sundance (as he has been named) is now officially off the streets and safe....AND available for adoption!

Meet Blue!

Meet Blue!  He will be our new foster dog starting on Monday.  He came to Colorado from Texas, and BARC Houston where he was in danger of being on "the list" for space.

Check him out on petfinder and at mountaindogrescue.org.  I will be sure to post some better pictures once we get him.  Stay tuned!

Furry Comfort

In the wake of the horrific Newton, Conn. school shooting, this video brings a little sunshine. 

 http://cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/crime/2012/12/18/ct-shooting-ac-tuchman-comfort-dogs.cnn.html

I am a huge proponent of the comfort that our four-legged friends can bring to us in times of trouble.  This past Friday, my parents had to put down our 9-year-old Bernese Mountain Dog, Amber, after a short but swift illness.  She provided all of us with warm, furry hugs in many times of need over the years, and she leaves a big hole in all of our hearts and lives.  

While on the phone with my parents, my two dogs, Hannah and Titan, clung to me like glue through the whole ordeal.  They knew something was up, and Titan sat in my lap while Hannah licked my face.  Life brings trials and tribulations of all shapes and sizes but dogs are loving, non-judgmental, and accept anyone who has love to give.  So take a minute and hug your dog (or cat, or horse, or rabbit or whatever) today.  I promise it will help to dissolve any troubles in your way.

Me, Ely and Amber on the Potomac River a few years ago.

Simba Finds a Home

Last Saturday, a wonderful family from Boulder adopted Simba.  They have a 5 year old girl and a 10 year old boy.  We had many great applicants for Simba, but this family stood out and are good friends with another one of the Mountain Dog Rescue volunteers. 

Simba enjoying the good life.  

Simba was a hard one to let go, and at one point Fritz actually wanted to keep him.  Three dogs would be tough, and it would definitely prohibit us from fostering much.  Maybe someday when we have some land and a giant fenced in yard we can have a pack running around!

We have had several lovely emails already about how much they love Simba, and he seems to be warming up and trusting them after being a little depressed right off the bat. We were even lucky enough to get a picture of Simba with his new boy on the car ride home.  A picture is worth a thousand words, and made us feel so happy that Simba found his home for Christmas!

Simba and Titan.  Both came from death row at BARC in Houston, Texas.
Both are now safely in their forever homes! Titan is our dog.