FOSTER DOGS CARRIED OVER FROM 2012
Digger was a 9 year old neutered male who was adopted out of a shelter. The new owner had no idea why he was surrendered or if he was a stray. His owner had just had surgery and could not hold the leash anymore. He was up to date on his vaccinations and is not a biter or aggressive. When he had his dental he lost several teeth but is doing just fine now.
We currently feel he would fit best as an only dog with someone who knows terriers. He is great with people and is continuing his career as an unofficial therapy dog by visiting a nursing home with his foster mom. Digger loves to play with toys and loves people. We feel he is exceptionally smart. Digger has a medical issue related to congestion in his throat. When he talks too much it irritates his throat and he finds this uncomfortable and scary. After extensive medical review, the treatment is to try to keep him from becoming overly excited. He takes some meds to help him stay calm and he goes for lots of walks to give him a lot of exercise.
Digger has now been adopted!
Katie, age 7, came into foster care because her mom and dad had to go and live with their son. The son has a big dog and two small children, one of whom doesn’t like dogs and had begun to kick Katie. They knew they needed to get her out of this situation.
Katie is a very nice, happy little girl. She “aaroo’s” with the best of them! She gets along with other dogs and is very friendly. She rides well in the car; not a sound out of her crate on the transport to her foster home. She is now living with two other Westie girls and is playing with them.
Katie is not ready yet to be placed. She will visit the vet and spend some time in a foster home before going to her “forever” home. Katie has been adopted.
Ava, age 6 3/4, came into rescue with her brother, Wesley. Their dad is losing his home and has to move in with mom. He can’t take them along. He works long hours and they have been home alone for 13 hour days. So he feels it is best to surrender them and hope they find a home where they can get more attention.
They have been doing well with his 5 year old son. They are both very nice, friendly dogs. Ava has just discovered the toy box and thinks she has gone to Disneyland!
They had fleas and Ava has a flea allergy. She is now being treated and we think that once this is done, her brown face will clean up. She needs a dental and we need to finish updating her shots. Then we will live with her for a bit to be able to better assess the type of home she needs. Ava and Wesley have been adopted together.
Wesley, age 8, came in with his sister Ava, above. Like Ava, he needs a new home because his dad cannot take him along to live with Grandma. Wesley is a bit upset at all the changes in his life but despite that, he has a good disposition and is likely going to settle in soon. He had fleas and the consequent itching and licking along with a not great quality food probably account for the brown beard. Hopefully, with medical care and good food it will grow out nicely.
Ava and Wesley have been adopted together.
Ellie came in at about 13 weeks old. Her owner surrendered her to Rescue because she could not afford to test for or repair a suspected ectopic ureter. This means that one of her ureters did not go into the bladder as it should but instead by-passed it. That meant that urine trickled out continually. This puppy was never going to be housebroken and was going to have continual infections from the constant dampness. It is a birth defect that just happens randomly in dogs and people too! We did some research and found that the odds of repair covered a wide range (30-70%) and no one could narrow this down for us without doing the surgery because there is always a possibility of hidden defects beyond just the ureter. We decided to take a chance. After quite a lengthy foster care stay to recover, her foster home adopted her. She may eventually need to have her surgery redone but at this time she is doing well with the assistance of meds.
SEE THIS LINK TO KEEP UPDATED ON ELLIE DURING HER FOSTER CARE.
Ellie has now been adopted.
FOSTER DOGS 2013
Sydney, age 12,was our first new foster of 2013. She was surrendered by a couple who were moving to a smaller place. They gave up Sydney because the two other dogs in the home bullied her. They said she is a bit hard of hearing but otherwise healthy. She was very nervous in the shelter so we took her as quickly as we could. The shelter saw no aggression. We found her to be a dog who loved attention. She adjusted well and found a new home.
Good news….Sydney has been adopted!
Izzy, age 3, came into foster care because her owners decided to divorce. They each took one dog and gave Izzy to their daughter who didn’t really want her. Izzy was living uncomfortably with 2 larger dogs and 2 children. The owners had never taken her to a vet. Izzy came into foster care with some behavior issues which resolved when she began to feel secure. She then found her very own family where she was really wanted and is loved.
Izzy has been adopted.
Emmie Lou (age 6) arrived in foster care with Addison’s disease. Her older, retired owners had their own health problems including hospitalization, and loved Emmie very much. It was a heart-breaking decision for them, but they did what they knew was best for Emmie and surrendered her, so she could find a new home who would be able to give her the medical care and attention that she needs and deserves.
Emmie Lou is a sweetie – all 15 pounds of her and she did great in foster care. She twirls and spins when she was happy or ready to eat, “aroo’s” when she was hungry or has to go potty. She behaves beautifully at the groomer’s and the vet’s, and enjoys meeting people, particularly children. Emmie is also very smart, and could pick out the correct toy when asked to go get her puppy, dragon, moose, ball, and Kong. She loves going for walks, playing ball, riding in the car, staking out a spot in a window for squirrel alert, and of course, chasing those pesky rodents! Emmie got along nicely with her foster sister – something many Westie “girls” can’t always manage successfully.
We have worked hard for several months to get her meds reliably established. She is a beautiful little girl with a lovely coat, pearly white teeth. After quite a long time in foster care, Emmie Lou was able to find her forever home.
Emmie Lou has been adopted!
Mason, age 8, arrived in Rescue after an incident with a toddler when he and the toddler were left unsupervised. The 13 month old had been bothering Mason, pulling hair, etc., as toddlers do. Mason had not responded in the past but apparently in this instance, he let the child know he had been pushed too far. Rather than take any further risk, his family decided to surrender him.
(We hope everyone will realize that dogs and children should not be left unsupervised together even for a minute. If you can’t watch them, please put the dog in a crate in a room which is off-limits to the child. This protects them both from unfortunate dog/child interactions until you can return your attention to them.)
Mason was a hard dog for the foster home to give up but they did when just the right family came along for him.
Mason is now in his forever home.
Bogart, age 8, came in to foster care when his owners encountered serious health issues. They are moving to an apartment which will allow one dog. They chose to surrender Bogart because their other dog is a special needs dog and they felt Bogart would have a better chance at finding a new home. They were very sad to see him leave but knew it was in his best interest.
Bogart did well in foster care and found a great new home where he is loved.
Bogart has been adopted.
Bebe is a one year old female Westie Mix who was in a shelter. Because she was so timid and shy the shelter contacted us for a transfer. Our rescue is an approved humane society transfer partner. She has no known health issues.
Bebe had a lot of fun in foster care and got accustomed to a lot of new experiences which helped her become less shy and timid. After some time, she was able to find a wonderful new home.
Bebe has been adopted.
Max, age 6, was diagnosed with Fanconi syndrome. The owner could not afford his care. Also, they had two small children and that wasn’t working out so well. Max needed further testing to verify that this was the issue and how to treat it. This is a disease that can occur when a dog is given tainted dog chews or can be genetic. Max was a very nice boy. He is on the larger side (although has lost weight recently, due to his illness). He was friendly and we were happy to find he had been crate trained.
After testing, it was found that Max was sick due to the consumption of a tainted treat and over time and he recovered fairly quickly. He picked his own foster home when he took to a visitor to the home and made it clear this was his new mom!
Max recovered and has been adopted!
Deacon, age 9, was surrendered into rescue because he wasn’t doing well with the young grandchildren. Since they visited 3 days a week, he remained crated. He was also confined all day on week days because the family works and crated at night. He didn’t get much time to be a dog. Deacon had some stress related problems, possibly as a result of being crated so much. He saw the vet whose comment on him was “New rescue Deacon looks to be a great dog with no allergic disease
Deacon has now found his forever home. Best wishes to Deacon!
Jack, age 7.5 years, was originally said to be a puppy mill breeding dog. When the breeder had no more use for Jack, he was given to a new owner. She took him because she felt he had been neglected and felt sorry for him. He had a nasty ear infection and was just not taken care of. He would gulp food and water until he puked and then he wanted more (not unusual for dogs arriving in rescue. This settles down as the dog becomes more secure.). After about 1.5 years, the owner needed to take in her 90 year old mother who does not do well with Jack. Jack was very nervous around the elderly mother and had accidents when she was there.
Jack has found his new home!!!
Max (2), age 7, came into rescue after his owner became ill and the relatives were not able to take care of him. He is very overweight and has some ear, eye and skin issues. He has not had proper medical treatment so it will take some time to get him well again. Max had no attention for some time and as a result was rather withdrawn. However, it is not unusual for dogs like this to regain their personalities once they are cared for medically and receive the time and attention any dog deserves. He is now losing weight and healing from his neglect.
Max is not yet ready for adoption and it may be a while before he is.
Jacky, age 4, arrived in Westie Rescue because his owners lost their home. They gave him away to some kids who took him home to Mom….Mom said, “No, I can’t hardly afford to feed you much less a dog.” After a week or so, she won and he was surrendered to us.
His skin is irritated from fleas. He had an infection which was treated. He goes nicely into his crate at night for sleeping and likes lots of attention and petting.
Jacky has been adopted.
DeeDee, age 3, came into foster care when her owner felt unable to care for her properly. The owner was disabled and had not successfully trained her as a puppy. So now when she is at full size, she has become more than the owner could handle. The owner felt frustrated and a bond had not formed between the pair.
DeeDee went into foster care and was a “perfect” little lady.
DeeDee has been adopted.
We took in three Westies whose owner passed away. The wife did not want the dogs. They were in real need so we took them very quickly. All desparately needed baths and grooming along with medical care.
Robbie (Age 5) came in with Kelly. He has Addison’s and a severe UTI. He saw a vet on an emergency basis the first night (Thank you Dr. Grappin!). He was very worried when he first came in but he has since settled down nicely and is a joy to his foster family. He has made friends with his foster sister and they are doing well together. Robbie is going to be a very nice pet for someone who is willing to handle his monthly shot.
Cassie, age 11, was the third Westie in the group. She is also a very sweet little Westie. She is doing very well in her foster home. It was discovered that she had stage 1 and some stage 2 breast cancer and has now had surgery for that. The Oncologist says that, with monitoring, Cassie should be good for life. Cassie deserves a family who will give her lots of love and attention for the rest of her life.
Kelly is a 14 year old boy. He came in with 2 other westies when the owner died. He had many medical issues which had to be looked at quickly.
Kelly foster mom finds him adorable. Even though he is older, he has lots of personality and keeps everyone entertained. We hope someone will want to adopt Kelly and give him a loving home.
Sam, age approx. 5 years, was found as a stray and taken to Genesee Humane Society. We got him after his hold period was up and no one had claimed him. Sam looks like a Westie/Cairn mix but more Westie than Cairn. He weighs about 15 pounds but is compact and looks much smaller. Sam is neutered and he has perhaps the happiest personality in the world! Sam appears to have flea allergies and has lost much of the hair on his back end but it is already coming back quickly. He has been doing well, getting along very well with a more dominant male in the foster home. He has had no behavior issues and is totally housebroken. We can’t imagine why anyone would dump this sweet little boy.
Sam’s flea allergies have cleared. Because he has some arthritis in his knees, we are starting him on Rimadyl and are now looking for a “forever” home for Sam. This little boy is doing great with his foster brother and with other dogs he has visited. He is very easy going and easy to live with. You can see same in some videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djKKg-P0DNo&feature=c4-overview&list=UUlm8gsXvIlhpzo0wKTuL-Ww Sits and Downs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fm1DSPlhdaY Playing with a ball
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqbfOUSZKQQ Trying to get a wrapper off a table
Sam has been adopted.
Sparkle, age 10, came to Rescue because her owner was going into a nursing home and could no longer care for her. She had always lived with an older woman and had little exposure to other pets or even other people. She is now living in a foster home with other dogs and learning how to co-exist. She has a flea allergy but is basically healthy. So far she is doing pretty well and we hope she will soon be looking for her forever home.
Reggie, age 6, came in to foster care when his family had a baby. Reggie was “nervous” around the baby and the family thought he would do better in a different environment. They just couldn’t give him the time he needed. Sadly, this is a very common reason for Westies coming into foster care. At this time we are not aware of any medical issues with Reggie.
Reggie has been adopted.
Sophie, age 4, came in to Rescue because the owner has too many dogs. The other dogs were picking on her. Sophie was a stray who was found in 2012. She is now in foster care and we hope she will be able to find a new home fairly quickly.
Sophie has been adopted
Sophie when she arrived. You can’t see the dirt but you can imagine the mats! She really did need to be rescued.
Brady, age 20 months, arrived in foster care because his owner felt he was very anxious and needed meds. They said he was peeing in the house. He was left alone frequently and no one bonded with him. His foster mom has not seen the anxiety that requires meds. He is a young dog and very active. He has already learned to use the doggie door and has not had any “accidents” yet. He is doing very well in his foster home.
Brady has been adopted.
Clyde (now called Martin), is about 8 and was born at an Amish puppy mill. The family that adopted him had no time for him. He seems to have been neglected for some time.
He will be in foster care while we work on his house training. He had some skin issues which are already greatly improved and he has dry eyes (not uncommon at that age and easily treatable).
Clyde is in foster care at this time. If you are interested and willing to work on housebreaking, please send in an application.
Sulley, age about 4 years, was found as a stray in northern lower Michigan. He has just arrived in foster care and has not yet been named. He seems to be a nice little boy who probably won’t stay in care for very long.
From foster mom: Well, I finally picked a name – Sulley, inspired by Sullivan from Disney’s Monsters Inc. He is the big blue monster who the little girl falls in love with because he is so big and fuzzy. Sulley is a big boy, weighing in at just over 22lbs! He is believed to be around 4 years old from the recent vet visit. His blood work came back clean and he is happy and healthy, just a very mild heart murmur which the vet was really not concerned about given his activity level. He loves to play with my Westie Chevy, they run around the backyard taking turns chasing each other. I have no doubt we will have no problems finding him a good home…he is a sweetie.
Sully should be ready for a home later in January.
Megan, age 15, also just arrived in foster care. She came from a northern Michigan shelter. The shelter did not give any information about why she was surrendered. Often, when they are this age, the owner has become ill, passed or gone into a nursing home and the family isn’t willing to care for the dog. She seems to be doing well in her foster home.
CLICK ON THE MENU BUTTON “APPLICATION” IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN ADOPTING. YOU WILL FIND THE PAPERWORK AND INFORMATION THERE.