Archive for November 2011
Today I am Grateful for…
Today, I am thankful for people like Pam Heine, who don’t believe there are “unadoptable” animals. Pam is the centralizing force behind Finding Fido Rescue and in May 2010 she received a call about a ten-year-old Shih Tzu who needed to be rescued from Maricopa County Animal Care and Control. Everybody knows Pam has a thing for Shih Tzu’s and will take them in almost any condition. She was told that Beatrice, the Shih Tzu, needed a dental and had a head tilt. It seemed like an easy enough case but as soon as Pam saw what she’d committed to, she realized the situation was a lot worse. Much, much worse.
Beatrice not only had a head tilt but she had trouble walking in a straight line. She would fall over. She had facial paralysis on her right side. Her tongue hung out. She had trouble eating and in the beginning, Pam had to feed Beatrice with a syringe because Beatrice would get frustrated with her inability to eat and simply give up. Beatrice also couldn’t turn left – only left. Beatrice found out that if she simply turned right far enough in a circle, she could eventually go left. She was a disaster! But through it all, Beatrice’s tail kept wagging and she really was the sweetest little girl.
A bout with tick fever delayed her spay surgery and dental. Then Beatrice’s preliminary blood work showed that her blood was as thick as fudge…which would explain why she’d had a stroke. The veterinarian tried to thin her blood at the animal hospital and when that didn’t work, he sent her home with blood thinners. Weeks passed as Beatrice continued to take the blood thinners but it made no difference. The veterinarian was baffled. Finally, Pam and the vet agreed that they were just going to have to move forward with the surgery. It was a big risk. It was likely that Beatrice would have a life threatening seizure on the table while in surgery so both Pam and the vet took a deep breath. The vet promised to do the surgery as quickly as he could. On that day, Beatrice was spayed. She had eighteen rotten teeth removed as well as some mammary tumors. While in surgery, the vet also discovered that Beatrice had a ruptured eardrum, an injury that had gone untreated. It was a difficult surgery to do quickly but somehow, Beatrice managed to come out alive.
You would think that a dog with that many maladies would be considered “unadoptable”. Most people would just put Beatrice into sanctuary, letting her wait until the end of her days. But Pam Heine is not one of those people. Pam received an email from a former adopter. The couple had once adopted a seventeen-year-old Shih Tzu from her. That dog had passed over the rainbow bridge and they were looking for another special needs dog to adopt. They asked about Beatrice. Pam was honest with them. She told them Beatrice had an entire laundry list of maladies and with her blood so thick, there was nothing preventing her from having another stroke. The couple decided they wanted Beatrice anyway. That was all the way back in January 2011.
In July, Beatrice started going downhill. She was constantly getting infections. Her blood work was all over the charts. The vet gave Beatrice maybe two weeks to live and everyone braced for the worst but they were comforted in knowing she was going to pass away in the arms of someone who loved her – not alone in shelter. Well it is now November and little Beatrice is still around and kicking. Who knew? It’s amazing how well a dog reacts when they are loved. And thank goodness for people like Pam Heine and Beatrice’s mom and dad. They just prove that no dog is truly unadoptable.
And the Winner Is…
And the winner of Howland Studio’s Funniest Pet Contest is…
Winchester is an eleven-month-old, Wirehaired Pointing Griffon. He’s a hunting dog so he has a lot of energy. He likes chasing bugs and butterflies. He likes jumping into the shower with his owners and he’s always on the go! Apparently, he also likes hanging upside down and thanks to that, he is Howland’s Studio’s Funniest Pet.
Thank you to everyone who voted, judged or sent in photos. There was some fierce competition this year! But keep taking those photos. We’re already looking forward to next year’s photo contest.
Vote for Howland Studio’s Funniest Pet Photo Finalists
Our five finalists are listed below. Thank you so much to our celebrity judges who picked the finalists! Please help us select the winner by voting at the bottom of this screen. The winner will be announced Thursday, November 17th and will receive a free portrait of their pet courtesy of April Howland.
Baily & Company
Crash
Mogli is Missing
A week and a half ago, on Saturday, October 22nd, Mogli, the Miniature Australian Shepherd went to a Petsmart adoption event. He was even adopted but as he was being taken to the car by his new owners, he got scared, slipped out of his collar and disappeared.
Sadly, this isn’t the first time Mogli has run off. The first time he was adopted, his new owners took him for a walk on the very first evening they had him. Another dog came out of nowhere and Mogli bolted. Luckily, since he was lost in a neighborhood, people were kind enough to keep an eye out for him and a week later he was lured back by his foster mom, Sharen. This time the rescue hasn’t been so lucky.
Mogli was part of twenty-one dogs that were rescued from a cruelty investigation down in Tucson, dogs that were unsocialized, fearful and untrusting of strangers. These dogs have also been deemed “runners” because Mogli isn’t the only one who has turned up missing. Madison, one of my own former foster dogs, also escaped from the backyard of her new home within twenty-four hours of being placed there. Luckily, Madison found her way back and is now happy living in that new home, but the twenty-four hour search looking for her was excruciating. I truly believe it was one of the most terrible days of my life so I can’t imagine the pain Mogli’s foster mom, Sharen is going through right now.
Mogli is timid and likely won’t be coaxed over to someone other than Sharen. But he’s probably hungry. Hopefully, he’s found a water source. Let’s all pray that he’s crouched under a bush somewhere hiding from predators and traffic. He was last seen near Queen Creek and Greenfield Road. If you see him, please contact Sharen at 602-339-7663 or Jane at 602-930-9384 immediately. He is microchipped and listed on all the appropriate websites. I just feel like my heart has fallen into the pit of my stomach over this little guy and I really want to do everything I can to make sure he is found.
