FOSTER DOGS CARRIED OVER FROM 2013
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 Max had no attention for some time and as a result was rather withdrawn.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.
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 has been adopted.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHwXdap4ls0&feature=youtu.be
Cassie, age 12 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 has been adopted.
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. Kelly will stay in foster care for the remainder of his life.
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.
Sparkle 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.
From his foster mom:
Martin is doing very well in his foster home. He is 90% housebroken now and has made great strides towards being 100%. He tolerates his belly band very well. He is a very easy dog. He gets along with everyone in my household – dogs and cats – and he loves to play with Ruby, his Rottweiller Mix step sister. He loves to chase a ball or a toy and will readily bring it back to you and he loves to play tug of war either with me or with Ruby. He also likes to take walks. He is very good in his crate and sometimes sleeps there during the day on his
own. He is a very good traveler also. He is having no health issues – including skin – at this time! I cannot say enough good things about him. His ideal home will be with
someone who is home with him most of the time. I would prefer no more than 3 hours to be left alone on a regular basis. It would also nice if he had a playmate dog in the house also. Martin has been adopted.
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.
Sulley has been adopted!
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.
Megan has been adopted.
2014 Foster Dogs
Muffin (a poodle mix) and Snickers (the Westie) (Ages 5-7 years for both) came in to rescue when their owner died.
The Sterling Heights police entered the house, and called the cousin. The police told the cousin that the owner had died and if she did not come and get the dogs that night the dogs would be euthanized. The owner travelled from Grand Rapids to Sterling Heights on Christmas to get the dogs. The cousin could not keep the dogs so another rescue got involved and placed the dogs into a first time foster home. This home had three cats and two dogs already and could not handle the situation. After another move, Westie Rescue agreed to take the pair.
The dogs are reported as healthy, groomed and well cared for. But they are very attached to each other and after all they have been through, we are trying to keep them together. They are doing well in their foster home and get along with other dogs.
Snickers and Muffin have found their forever home.
Blanka, age 7 or 8, came into foster care when her owner went into assisted living. For 3 weeks she lived by herself with relatives coming in to feed her and let her out. She was used to being the adored pet of a woman who was with her 24/7. As a result she is lonely and confused. However she is adapting well to her new foster home. She and the resident Westie have been playing constantly. She loves the snow and has been eating well. All seems to be good with this little girl. Blanka has been adopted.
Josh, age 3.5 years, came from a home which recently had a new baby. There were several nieces and nephews and he wasn’t doing well with the kids. The family elected to give him up so he could live in a home more suitable to him.
He arrived in Rescue on a positive note, fitting right in with the foster family and wanting to play.
Josh has been adopted.
Bailey, age 6 to 7 years, came in to Rescue because he wasn’t doing well with children. He has ulcerative colitis but it is controlled with medication.
Bailey has had his medical done, his grooming and his dental. He is now in an adjustment period and doing quite well. He has no experience of living with other dogs so he is busy learning how to behave in a pack. We are working on his medical issues and they seem to be progressing well. He doesn’t show any signs of allergy since he began the new drug, Apoquel. He acts like a puppy, being exposed to new things. Following is a video of him with a racquet ball. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPZsPsypKOA&list=HL1392476346&feature=mh_lolz
As of mid-March, the Apoquel has eliminated all itching and allergies responses to date. (There is some itching seen when he is due for another pill but it goes away within an hour of the pill.) Once the bacteria overgrowth and cocci were treated, his pooh became totally normal. It appears his colitis was due to allergies and we are not seeing it at all now that he is on Apoquel. He no longer has food restrictions and is eating the same food as the other dog in the home. His minor behavior issues are improving and he has learned dog pack manners. Housebreaking is coming along well but still in progress. Bailey has made huge progress but we have finally identified the source of some pain that he has had. He is responding well to meds and acupuncture. With a physical therapy program, Bailey is indicating less and less pain and we hope we have found the solutions to his issues. Bailey has been adopted!
Brody, age 3, came in from a home where there were four dogs. He is healthy and loves to play with other dogs. Currently he is sad and missing his family and the other dogs he lived with. He was surrendered due to owner illness. He seems to be a well adjusted little boy.
Brody has been adopted.
Sadie, age 7, came to us along with Brody (above). Sadie was originally from a puppy mill and is rather shy and reserved. (Many puppy mill dogs are more reserved than dogs how had a normal upbringing.) She gets along well except with small children if they get in her face. She isn’t particularly bonded with Brody and due to a lack of space, she is in a different foster home.
Sadie passed unexpectedly. We are grateful to her foster home for giving her a haven and helping her to grow so much during those last few weeks of her life.
Cesar, age 7, came into Rescue after the family divorced and no one could keep him. He has some skin issues and will be seeing a vet to take care of them. Cesar has been adopted.
Fiona, age 4, came into foster care when her mom moved to an apartment which didn’t allow her. She is friendly, happy and healthy. Her medical care has been handled and now we will spend some time with her to be sure we know her well enough to make a good family match.
Fiona has been adopted
Oscar age 7, just arrived in foster care. He has some anxiety that includes separation anxiety. He is a loving and
gentle dog. He needs to be groomed and completely vetted.
Oscar has been adopted.
Abbie is 9 years of age. She was in Rescue two years ago and adopted but she wasn’t getting along with her “brother”. She came back to Rescue where she will be evaluated to see what her issues may be; and then worked with and placed appropriately. Abbie has been adopted.
Missy originally came into Rescue in 2011 when her original mom lost her home. The husband was suspected of having abused Maddie and for a while she was left with him until she got a restraining order and was able to get Missy out. They moved to Michigan but she had no job and could not keep Missy. Missy was adopted and her new owners loved her very much but recently the husband became ill and died. She has been forced to move to an apartment where she can not have a dog. So Missy has come back now, at age 7. Missy has been adopted.
Rex arrived into Rescue along with Spencer (below). They were in a mid-state shelter. We are not quite sure why Westie Rescue got the call but we took them both because they were in such bad shape and really needed help. Rex “about 1 year old) has cleaned up well and is in care. We will make sure his medical is up to date and then live with him for a bit to be sure we know how to place him most appropriately. We think he is a mix of perhaps of some Westie but definitely other breeds are in there. He is a small boy, about 10 pounds. Rex has been adopted!!
This is Spencer. He came in with Rex (above). Spencer is est. age 3. When we got him he was so covered in fleas, that he looked like he had a huge black area on his back. But once cleaned up, he looks much better. He has some neurological issues but they are much improved now that his ear infection is cleared. He is also about 10 pounds. Spencer has been adopted!
Lacey, age 7, was surrendered to a shelter as a stray. We were able to pull her and get her into a foster home. The shelter let us come in when they were closed just prior to the holiday to get her. Lacey has been adopted.
MacDuff, age 7, came to Rescue when his owner died. He had been a rescue in previous years but we didn’t learn of her passing immediately. One of the sons took him initially without contacting us. While in his care, MacDuff suffered a coyote attack! He was in his yard and they heard him screaming and rescued him. He was recovering from this when we were contacted and asked to take him back. We did, of course, take him as soon as we were able to get the paperwork completed. He is now in a foster home where he will be cared for until he is ready for placement.
From foster mom’s recent report:
MacDuff is a clown. Today after I got home, Mac went outside and did frantic laps around the yard carrying his ball. When he finished running, he rolled in something stinky and ran in the house through the dog door and ran laps around the house, sharing his stinkieness throughout the house. After I cleaned him up, I wanted to use the bathroom but he had other ideas. He clawed at the door until I let him in and then did his cute sit up and waving paws at me until I would pet him. He is not at all shy about asking for what he wants and knows how to use his cuteness to get it.
Mac has been adopted
Bentley, age 1, was surrendered to Rescue when his original home found they didn’t have adequate time for him. He was spending too much of his time crated. They felt it would be better for him to be in a home where he could get more attention. He is good with people and other dogs and appears to be well cared for. Bentley has been adopted
Gracie, age about 7, came from a shelter. She was surrendered because her owner got a new job and couldn’t take her with him. Unfortunately, she was so matted, she had to be shaved down but you can see what a beauty she is going to be. Her papers say she is a Westie/Scottie mix. We think that may well be correct. She has a very laid back personality. She isn’t bothered by much of anything. A very easy girl to fall in love with.
Gracie tested positive for Cushing’s; despite this, she was adopted.
CLICK ON THE MENU BUTTON “APPLICATION” IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN ADOPTING. YOU WILL FIND THE PAPERWORK AND INFORMATION THERE.