2010 FOSTER PHOTOS
(Carry over from 2009) CORKEY’S mom surrendered this 3.5 year old because she was going through a divorce and was unable to handle his marking issues. She did not crate train him and was not able to find a way to prevent this behavior during her long days at work. He was on an electric fence and we think this may have contributed to his problems. Corkey has come back to us because of marking but has been on an intensive anti-marking program in his current foster home and is now asking to go outside. He seems to fully understand his housebreaking. In a new home, he would need to be watched closely and his training would need to be reinforced (in a positive manner). Corkey is a delight in and a very sensitive sole who cowers when addressed with even just a loud voice.
Corkey did very well in foster care. He continued improving on his housebreaking and is able to maintain with encouragement. He became a much loved foster dog. And he has now found his “forever” home and has a new name – Timmy.
(Carry over from 2009) KATIE is back in rescue for the third time. She was surrendered very young and placed but her family divorced and she came back to us. Then she was placed again but her dad recently died and she is again in foster care. Katie is a very nice girl. Whiel in foster care she began to have behavior issues and we were very worried about her. It turned out she had anal gland problems which were giving her a lot of pain. After anal gland surgery, she has recovered nicely and regained her original sweet personality. She has now found her forever home and is very happy.
(Carry over from 2009) MAX came in to foster care from a home where he was severely neglected. His mom loved him but she developed Alzheimer’s and was unable to properly care for him or even recognize that her care wasn’t sufficient. Max came in as a sick and starving little guy but he is now doing much better. To see a photo album and read about him, please go to MAX’S STORY. Max has now been adopted.
(Carry over from 2009) MADDIE age 8, came into Rescue with her brother, Max (below). Their family went through a divorce and mom could not afford to take care of two dogs. So Maddie and Max need to find a new home. Maddie is a typical high-energy Westie. She had an ear infection which seems to be cleared up now. Maddie has found her forever home with her foster mom.
(Carry over from 2009) MAX age 8, and his sister MADDIE came into Rescue because their family was going through a divorce. Mom could simply not afford to keep them any longer. She was struggling to take care of her children’s needs and there was nothing left over to care for two dogs. The family was very sad to lose them but there wasn’t any choice. Max is a very laid back little boy. (Max is dressed up for Halloween.) Max has also found his forever home with his foster mom.
(Carry over from 2009) TONY age 6 months, came into Rescue after he was dumped in a lady’s backyard. She had two dogs already and could not keep him. We believe Tony is a Westie/Maltese mix. He is a very sweet little boy who is very laid back for this age of a puppy. He is doing very well in his current foster home and, although he is not a pure Westie, you can certainly see the Westie in his face. Tony has been adopted.
(Carry over from 2009) CHUMLEY age 9, was in Rescue about 4 years ago. He was adopted and led a very happy life with his “dad”. However dad recently passed and his family was unable to keep Chumley. So Chumley came back in care. He is a very gentle and loving Westie.
Chumley was adopted by a couple who had recently lost their 15 year old Westie. They lived in a senior residence and had permission to get another Westie. Chumley has always had elderly owners and is very comfortable in this situation. Because of a change in their status, he is now officially owned by their nephew who takes him to visit both them and other members of the facility on a regular basis.
(Carry over from 2009) PETEY age 12, came into Rescue because the two-year-old he was living with was mistreating him. Mom couldn’t control the boy and she didn’t want Petey to have to live in this environment. Petey also had an extreme issue with a gassy tummy which made him very unpopular among the family’s children.
He arrived in Rescue on Friday and saw the vet on Saturday. He has been moving to a new food and perhaps the more relaxed environment has helped, but he has not had gas problems. He did have tape worms which may also have been a contributing factor. His ears were infected and he had a cracked tooth which was pulled when he had his dental. We have learned that Petey is in the beginning stages of “Westie Lung Disease” also known as Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis. (Topic #3). We understand that at his age this is a less aggressive although progressive disease.
Petey’s new name is “Sweetie Petey” because he is absolutely sweet and happy. He gets along well with children, dogs, cats and everything else he has run into. Even the little boy who was kicking him did not succeed in getting him to bite. We hope we will find someone who will love to have this sweet little boy as part of their life. It will need to be someone with a very big heart who is willing to take a little boy who has not had the best life and give him a wonderful “late” life. He deserves the best!
NOTE: Petey’s illness is progressing. We expect him to stay in foster care as long as he has some quality of life.
MAGGIE was one of three dogs surrendered to us in a group. They had all come from a breeder who we would term a “puppy mill” breeder. The breeder had died and the relatives had surrendered the dogs to another rescue who turned them over to us. They were all in horrible condition. This little girl was aged 5-9 years. She had a medical condition called CMO as a puppy and it was either not treated at all or the treatment was not effective. Maggie’s jaw had frozen shut. She could only eat because of a missing tooth which provided a gap that she could force food and water through. To drink water she had to put her head in the bowl sideways and push through the water to force it in. Active CMO is a very painful disease which causes an overgrowth of bone in the jaws. It is normally treated with steroids and sometimes can recede and resolve. Normally the puppy would recover or be put to sleep. Maggie was kept and we understand she had litters even though she had this infirmity.
We had a vet examine her. The vet could not put the ear scope into her ears without causing extreme pain. There would have been no way to really clean her teeth. The plaque had formed a solid, bonelike structure on the teeth. The only thing that could be done would have been to pull all of her teeth but this would not have fixed the frozen jaw. Maggie was unable to bark, only squeak. She wasn’t even able to lick the hands of the people who were caring for her. We made a decision that it would be cruel to make her go on as she was and we took her to the bridge.
Maggie is another example of why you need to be very careful about your choice of breeders. She may have sold her puppies for a lower price but she was willing to risk passing this disease along by repeated breeding with Maggie.
ROBBIE was another of the dogs who came to us from this breeder. We believe he was 12 years old. Robbie had issues with his front legs. We are not sure if it was congenital or due to untreated injury. Robbie was not neutered and was not socialized. He went to a foster home for a few days. They tried very hard with him. Robbie did want to be petted but he would turn and snap, mid-pet. Time did not show improvement; rather he seemed to get worse. We finally had to make the decision to let him go to the bridge also because we did not feel we could turn him into a safe dog. We understand that this dog and his mate were bred and their puppies sold for years. We suspect they were the source of Maggie and Mac. We have no way to know if any of their other pups had CMO. Normally a breeder would not continue to breed with the same pair if CMO was passed along. Please be careful when you choose your breeder!
The third dog was MAC. Mac is also 5-9 years of age and probably a littermate of Maggie. Mac was also unsocialized but we feel he has a better chance of learning to trust and become a nice pet. Mac came in with his leg wrapped in vet wrap. We eventually learned that he had been to the vet in July. He had broken a toenail and was in great pain. The vet treated him and wrapped his foot and leg. The vet scolded the breeder for the condition the dog was in. She was to return with Mac for a checkup but never did. When he came to Rescue in January, he still had the vet wrap on his foot! Mac is very sensitive about that foot, probably because it was sore for so long. He also has bladder stones and we will be doing surgery to correct this.
Mac is living in a foster home with a female Westie and a foster mom. He is doing quite well considering his life experiences. He is learning to trust, to live with another dog and to be house trained as well as recover from his neuter and bladder stone surgery. (He had 21 bladder stones!) That is a lot for one little dog to handle so we won’t push him too far too fast. We are praying that he will make it but at this point, nothing is certain. Please be careful when you choose a breeder!!
2/11/10 – Things are going well for Mac. He is working on his socialization skills now and doing well now that all of his medical issues have been cared for. He has received a visit from his potential new family and if all goes well, he will be adopted after the Easter holidays. 4/2010 – Mac is in his adopted home and doing extremely well. We all thought it would take much longer for him to adjust and be a good pet but he has just adapted so quickly it has been amazing. This little boy is finally going to have the life all dogs should have.
ZOE age 4, came in to rescue because she has housebreaking issues and allergies. Her medical records show that she was diagnosed with White Shaker’s (see Topic 10) in 1998. This is not fatal and is treated with a light dose of steroids. Zoe’s is in such control her owners forgot to tell us about it when they surrendered her. That leaves us questioning whether she ever actually had it since it isn’t something that “goes away”. Zoe is currently in foster care. Her allergies seem relatively mild and she seems to be a happy girl. She has now been adopted.
MARIO age 10 months, came in to rescue because he has Craniomandibular Osteopathy (CMO) (see Topic 5) in 1998. This can occur in Westie puppies and can be mild or severe. In Mario’s case it is mild and he is expected to outgrow it. In the meantime, it is painful. The jaw develops abnormally. It can cause pain in the jaw and ears as a result. It is treated with steroids and pain meds and often regresses as the puppy matures. This is what is expected for Mario. Because of his painful condition, Mario snapped at the baby. So he was surrendered to Rescue. He is currently in foster care with Dr. McKee DVM. (Southpointe Vet Hospital of Allen Park). Dr. McKee reports that he is happy and playful; a joy. His only fault so far is that he wants to run out the door when it is opened. Mario has been adopted.
SPOOKIE (now called Spencer), age approximately 5 years, (We were originally told 3 years and later 5-6 years) came to us from the Westland Humane Society. He was surrendered because he had snapped at the baby. Spooky was terrified in the shelter and they called us to try to get him out of that situation. Spencer seems to be timid but very friendly and is doing well so far in foster care. He stayed initially at the Westland Veterinary Hospital and then transferred to a regular foster home when space opened up. Spencer has found his new home and is happily playing with his new Westie brother.
ENTEI (now called Sandy), age approximately 3 years, came to us due to owner illness. Entei is a nice boy, currently a bit timid but friendly. He has no known health issues. He is housetrained and has been good with children, other dogs and cats. He will soon be groomed and visit the vet. We expect to do a dental and microchip and possibly update some vaccinations. We expect him to be a very nice dog for some lucky family. His has now been adopted.
PIPER age 7, was dropped off at a shelter by the daughter of her owner on the same day the owner went into a nursing home. She was temporarily adopter by a lady with a four-year-old daughter. As we always stress, Westies are not the right dog for small children and it was easy to anticipate that this would not work out. We were able to get Piper before she returned to the shelter. She has been to the vet and except for a case of whip worms, and a light “skin” issue, she appears to be healthy. Foster mom is giving her frequent medicated baths, and is feeding her a good brand of food. We expect she will soon be a well little girl. Foster mom reports her to be friendly and loving. May 2010 Piper has been adopted.
CHANCE age 2, lived a strange life. All his life members of an extended family have passed him around. He has lived in multiple households. Reportedly, he did well with children. But eventually no one wanted him and he was taken to a shelter. The shelter had him for a month but he didn’t “show” well. Many dogs get so stressed in the shelter environment that they act out in a way that is not usual for them. This appears to be what happened with Chance. He would bark and carry on so badly, that adopters bypassed his cage. After a month the shelter was forced to consider putting him down. In hopes that this could be avoided, they contacted us. We understood he was a Westie/Cairn mix. Although it was not easy to tell what we would have once the dog was groomed, one of our foster homes decided to take him and hope for the best. They renamed him Chance because this was his chance to have a happy ever after.
Once in foster care and groomed, it was easy to see that there was a strong Shih Tzu factor in the mix. In fact, the paperwork we received called him a Shih Tzu mix. Chance is doing very well in foster care. He is getting along nicely with other dogs and the humans in his home. He will soon be neutered and when that is done we will begin our search for a home for Chance. This may be more difficult than normal since most of our applicants would like a Westie or at least a mix that looks more like a Westie. Chance has now been adopted.
RAMBO age-almost 2, came into Rescue in a rush. His owner was disabled in the service of our country. His sister was in state to make arrangements for him. On her last day, she finally called us and said it was us or the pound for Rambo. We need time to find foster space for dogs but fortunately Westland Veterinary Hospital works with us and they were willing to take him on just a couple of hours notice. They kept him overnight and we were able to put him into a foster home the next day. Rambo was purchased from a “breeder” in Westland who was not willing to take him back. (Please see the “breeders” button and look at the information provided. A responsible breeder will ALWAYS take their dogs back at any time in their life, rather than risk them going to a shelter or worse. And this dog was not neutered so this breeder didn’t care if he ended up in a puppy mill. PLEASE don’t buy from breeders who don’t care about their puppies!!) Rambo is on the large side for a Westie…not yet 2 years of age and he weighs a solid 22#. He seems to be a happy youngster and is playing with another Westie in the foster home. We will get him neutered and, because they did not give us vet records or even the name of his vet, we will have to start over on his shots including boosters, just as though he had never had any shots in his life.
Rambo has now gone to his new home and is doing well.
TYSON age 3 came back to us from his adopter because he could not adjust to living with cats. Tyson is now in foster care and has been a little angel in a home with other dogs. He loves to romp and play with the other dogs and has been very well behaved. Tyson has now been adopted.
TOBY age 3 years, came to us when his family divorced and no one had time for him. It seems he spent a lot of time in the basement away from the family. He is now learning to not be fearful of normal home living. He was not fully housebroken so we are working on that also. He is in his “puppyhood” now because he was never really allowed to have a normal one in the past. He does love to play with the foster home’s Westie and is learning when “enough is enough”! He has moved from a dog who was afraid to pee in the grass to one who is acting more and more like a normal, active Westie.
At this time, Toby is living in foster care with 5 dogs and 4 cats and is doing very well. He tends to be a barker but this has calmed down considerably and he is feeling much more secure now in a home where he is wanted by all members. He is now a 3 year old “puppy” which means that he needs a family who can understand his behaviors as those of a puppy. Because he continues to have multiple issues, he will remain in foster care for a long time to come. If/when he becomes available for adoption we will repost him; but we don’t expect it to be this year.
SIMO age 8, arrived into foster care when his owners had a baby. He was the “baby” for 8 years and now he suddenly lost his family. His world has been turned upside down. He is now living with another dog but we think he might be best as an only dog. He was not well socialized and it is hard for him to adjust to other dogs when either toys or food comes into the picture. Because of his history of not having been socialized with children and having had a less than perfect reaction to the new baby, we feel Simon should be well supervised around children and should live in a home which does not normally have children visiting. He is very smart and knows several tricks. He is a sweet and loving dog and we think he would be a great dog for an older person or family where the environment would be reasonably calm and stable.
When Simon had his dental, we discovered some broken teeth and a sore in his mouth that had to be very painful. Now that they have been taken care of, he is doing much better with the other dog in the home.
Simon was moved to an only dog foster home. He simply could not be in the same room with another dog if there was also a toy, a food bowl, a water bowl, or food present. In that case, he would attack the other dog. After being in the third foster home for a few weeks he had his third incident with a human. Simon loved women and was a very happy loving dog to them but he was overly protective of the women in his life and would attempt to bite men and children. After the third incident of a near bite, we had to sadly conclude that Simon would not be a safe dog.
MAX age 6, came into Rescue after his family divorced. Dad kept him but did not have enough time and felt it was unfair to Max. Max is a bigger guy, weighing about 25#. Max is learning to live with another dog and cats. He seems to be a pretty laid back fellow and is making progress in this endeavor. Max has now been adopted.
MILO age 16, came into Rescue due to his owner’s serious illness. Milo seems to be a very happy little fellow. He likes to play ball and is very active despite his age. Because of his age, one of our foster homes will be keeping him for the remainder of his days.
Milo passed after suffering a grand mal seizure.
ABBY age 10, came into Rescue due to a family divorce. She hasn’t been here long but everyone who has met her has commented on what a great little girl she is. We will take care of her medical and live with her for a bit before placing her up for adoption. She might be perfect for an older person or couple.
Abby has now been adopted by a couple with another older Westie who recently lost his “sister” Westie. He and Abby are making great playmates and friends.
BONNIE age 7, was dropped at a shelter. The folks were told they should contact Rescue because she would be put down it she wasn’t adopted and they didn’t care. They said she peed all over the place and they just wanted to get rid of her. The shelter arranged to get her to us on a Sunday!
Bonnie is a small but chunky little girl. She was stained and ungroomed when she arrived. It appears she has been left crated and to pee on herself. Bonnie has had only a couple of accidents while in foster care and they were easily eliminated. She has been a wonderful houseguest.
Bonnie has now been adopted.
FARGO age approximately 7, was a stray. The shelter told us he was a Westie but he is definately a mix. He is about 30 pounds. Fargo has skin issues which we are working on. And he has a back leg which often drags. We have scheduled xrays to see if the problem is his leg or his back 10/4/10 report from foster mom: “Fargo saw the vet Saturday. They did x-rays and re-checked him. They are pretty sure that he was born this way…He has very little muscle in his left rear leg. The head of his femur is flattened and the cup of his hip is not deep enough. They didn’t spot any obvious defects in the spaces between his vertebrae…They think he’s got nerve damage, probably born with it….but they are making an exercise / physical therapy regimine to see if we can strengthen his leg. We also got glucosamine condroitin treats to help with his joints. His skin is still black in spots so they put him on more antibiotics and we are to give him more medicated baths.and what we can do about it. Fargo is a friendly, happy guy who is getting along well with the Westies in the foster home.
The girls at the vet have all fallen in love with him (of course!) He’s super sweet and they get him for the whole day on Wednesday when he goes in for his dental and microchipping. We’ll get him groomed after the dental. His teeth are a nasty brown with tartar and his breath is awful.
On a behavior note, he is practically perfect! He is always looking for one of us and is always thrilled to see us. He sleeps on a bed on the floor by my side of the bed. He is never very far from us…but he isn’t obsessive about it. He’s going to be tough to let go.”
Note: Fargo has been adopted.
RIPLEY age 5, came to us because his family had to get rid of him. Their life was too busy and he was left home in his crate for 12 hours at a time. He also would “follow the cat to the basement and mark.” They said he was a Westie mix.
Obviously, if there is any Westie in him, it is totally disguised! But we had a space for him and didn’t want him to go to a shelter. Ripley has turned out to be a very nice boy who is doing well with several other dogs. Riply is now adopted to a previous Adopter who recently lost their Westie to illness.
TINKER age 9, came back into Rescue when her adoptive mom developed serious health issues and could no longe properly care for Tinker. Tinker is a very nice little girl who quickly found her place in her foster home and has been adopted.
CASEY age 4, was surrendered to a shelter because the family could not afford his medical costs. When they released him to us we took him straight to the vet because his ears were severely infected. He had to be put under to clean them because otherwise it would have been too painful. He also had a severe urine infection. He is recovering from his neuter and dental.
Casey has done very well with all of the dogs he has met and even seemed only mildly interested in a cat but that may be due to his not feeling well as yet. Casey is crate trained and sleeps all night. He knows his name and responds. At this point he is not extremely active but as he began to feel better, he was interested in playing. Casey needs to lose some weight. Casey has now been adopted.
CAESAR age 10, returned to Rescue when his mom had to go into a senior facility due to health issues. A person who had recently lost his Westie was her choice for his new home. Because we had adopted to him previously, we were able to facilitate this transfer easily without Caesar ever physically coming into foster care. His new Dad is delighted to have Caesar who he has babysat many times in the past.
STEVIE age 6, came into Rescue from a Vet in Fort Gratiot. The owner could no longer afford his care and the vet did not want to put him down. She kept him while she treated a skin issue and then we were contacted. Stevie is now in care and doing very well. He gets along nicely with the two female Westies in the foster home. His skin is being treated with Atopica and progressing well.
CHARLIE age 1.5 years, came in to Rescue from a family that was losing their home and could not keep him. Charlie is a very nice little boy who is doing well in care, also getting along nicely with the two female Westies in his foster home.
Rescues who were still in foster care at year end are shown with their names in red. Please go to Year 2010 to continue their stories. If you are interested in adopting, please do submit an application. CLICK HERE TO GO TO OUR RESCUE WEBSITE WHERE YOU CAN READ ABOUT HOW OUR RESCUE WORKS AND PRINT THE APPLICATION.