The St. Louis Senior Dog Project

Pictures of your dogs at Christmas

The St. Louis Senior Dog Project is a not-for-profit dog rescue organization speciaizing in oder dogs but taking in and finding homes for dogs of all ages and even a few cats.  See our adoptable pets at www.olderbetter.petfinder.org.  And thanks to all of you who voted to help us win a grant.  We received the most votes of any Missouri group and as a resut will receive a $1,000 grant.

Lately I've been receiving a lot of emails about dogs adopted from us in the past.  Many come with a Christmas theme.  It's nice to know that some of these formerly neglected dogs are now being pampered with holiday fashions and even trips to see Santa.

Pam sent a picture of Sunny with one of her best pals. (We called this little dog Sunshine.)  "She is doing beyond Great!  She has just blossomed even more into the very best dog we could EVER have imagined. She is SO joyful and full of love.   She gives us kisses and that little tail just wags uncontrollably when she sees us." 

Gretchen and Stand send us a couple updates and pictures of Tabitha, a shy Pekingese who was part of a humane society rescue from a substandard puppymill.

 

In the first message, Gretchen said, "She is settling in beautifully.  She found her voice yesterday and joined the others in welcoming me home from work.  She has claimed a bed for her own:)  She is still timid with men, so Stan & I are making sure she gets mandatory lap time with him every night to help her with that."  

 

A fweek or so later, Stan wrote that Tabitha was doing better all the time. "One week ago Tabitha would run into the other room if I looked at her, let alone made a move toward her, and starting yesterday she doesn't run away when I walk in her direction to walk past her, like she did all week, today she just sits and watches me go past.  She has started taking toys to the bed she chose and yesterday she started napping while on my lap.  Today she came over and got inline with the others to get her turn of petting & to get her chin rubbed from me!  


"We never doubted that she would be OK here with us, but it is still such a joy to see her settle in and find per place.  This is a picture taken right as she woke from her nap yesterday evening."

More tomorrow.

Ellen Ellick

President/Founder

St. Louis Senior Dog Project

EllenE9466@aol.com

 

Pork Chop, Jester and More

The St. Louis Senior Dog Project is a not-for-profit dog rescue organization specializing in older dogs but taking in and finding homes for dogs of all ages and even a few cats.  See our adoptable pets at www.olderbetter.petfinder.org. 

In  my last blog I wrote about Rita/Carla, the chihuahua mix with an underbite.  Robin had emailed a picture and story about how well this little girl was doing.  Then she promised to bring her by one of our adoptions events.  She did just that Saturday, and she went home with an extra dog: Jester.

Jester is a rescue from Jefferson County where he was turned in because he was "too old and too lazy."  Well he is somewhat lazy, but hey, we all are from time to time.  Jester is just a competitive napper.  I think Rita will keep him awake, though. That's Jester, Rita and Robin in the picture.

If Jester's adoption wasn't good news enough for us, we also sent Pork Chop, the long-haired dachshund, into a new home.  Earlier in the week, Rachel emailed to say she wanted to adopt a special needs dog for Christmas.  As a dachshund lover, Rachel wanted Pork Chop.

Pork Chop, as you may remember, came to us from the St. Louis City Pound as a very obese dog.  He also had some mysterious ailment that affected his joints and made it almost impossible for him to walk.  Shortly after we brought him home from the Pound, that "almost" turned into "completely."  We had to carry him inside and out.  He spent the rest of his time on a dog bed.

After a visit to a specialist and some minor surgery, Pork Chop first began one course of medication for a possible fungal infection.  No change.  Then we went on to the second possibility, an immune system disorger.  Bingo.  After only a few days on prednisone, he was on his feet.  Gradually he began walking.  Now he gets along quite well although he'll never be a racer.  And dieting brought him down to a good weight, so he doesn't have as many pounds to carry around, either.

Lucky dogs all.

Another of my favorites, Oliver, is also adopted.  And Luna the Akita is now officially adopted.  And a whole pack of puppies found new homes this weekend too.  We expected they would be easy to place. These were mainly puppymill rescues -- dogs that will be pets instead of breeders in a commercial breeding faciity.

So good news all around.  And this morning I also had an email from someone who's still thinking about a dog she saw at our Kirkwood adoption event.

Ellen Ellick

President/Founder

St. Louis Senior Dog Project

EllenE9466@aol.com

I remember Rita

The St. Louis Senior Dog Project is a not-for-profit dog rescue organization specializing in older dogs but taking in and finding homes for dogs of all ages and even a few cats.  See our adoptable pets at www.olderbetter.petfinder.org.  And come meet and adopt 11 to 3 Saturday at either the Petco in Kirkwood or the Petsmart in Arnold. And here's the link to help us win a grant.

http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/shelterchallenge.faces;jsessionid=93558EB82DDF5AC8B1EEFCB103C7F885.ctgProd04?siteId=3

Do you remember..... I receive a lot of emails that begin this way.  This time it was about Rita, a chihuahua mix with a pronounced underbite adopted in 2006.

Of course, I remember Rita, although her name was Carla when I took her home from the St. Louis City Pound on Gasconade.  She was one of those little dogs that "didn't show well" in a shelter environment. In fact, she had a sign on her cage that said, "Might Bite."  I'm sure that didn't help her prospects.

But as soon as I walked out the door with her, I saw an immediate personality change.  Her tail went up and began wagging, never again to stop.  Soon she was amusing me with her funny ways and the trilling noise she made when she was on my lap.  Granted, her underbite gave her the sort of face people joked about -- "a face only a mother could love" and more of the same.

Carla, now Rita, did find a home.  She's very much loved, underbite and all.

Robin sent us this picture and wrote that she originally adopted Rita as a playmate for her male Bichon/Poodle named Little Mac.  "Altough they occasionally fought, most of the time they got along well.  Little Mac allowed Rita to get away with everything, including biting his legs as he was walking.  In return, she allowed him to clean her tear stains (with a little growling)."

Little Max died in August; he had cancer that had metastasized to his lungs. Since then, Rita has learned to do all the guarding herself. Rita has always been healthy but last summer she needed surgery for a

herniated disc.  She recovered completely after the surgery.

 

"Tthank you for saving my little girl and giving me the opportunity to share in her life," Robin wrote.

 

Robin promised to bring Rita by to one of our adoption events.  Can't wait to see her.

 

Ellen Ellick

President/Founder

St. Louis Senior Dog Project

EllenE9466@aol.com

Louis meets Rerun

The St. Louis Senior Dog Project is a not-for-profit dog rescue organization specializing in older dogs but taking in and finding homes for dogs of all ages and even a few cats.  See our adoptable pets at www.olderbetter.petfinder.org.

I met Louis a few weeks back when he looked like an angry tangle of old rags.  He did not look like a Bichon Frise, a beautiful dog when properly groomed.  Louis was barking hysterically in a cage at a local animal control.  He'd been brought it as a stray, and he looked like he hadn't seen the inside of a house in a long time.

I had one of those "I must be crazy" moments when I told one of the kennel workers that I'd be taking that dog.  I pointed at Louis, and the worker reached for his "bite gloves" -- big, thick and up to the elbows.  He wasn't taking any chances with Louis as he pulled him out of the cage.  I started to say, "Well, maybe not," but before I could finish, the worker said,  "Oh, he's probably just uncomfortable with all those mats."

So I got Louis in the car and off to the vet clinic, which has a groomer on staff.  The groomer took one look at Louis and said he'd need to be sedated before she could groom him.

Well, he survived the grooming, but the next day he almost didn't survive his neuter surgery.  His heart actually stopped, and he needed resuscitation.  But he did survive and was even kissing some of the staff members before he went home the next day.  But between the kisses, he wasn't one to suffer the pokes and pinches of a vet exam lightly. Bite gloves, anyone? 

I worried about him and wondered if he'd every be adoptable, but with every passing day, Louis relaxed and became a little more loving and a lot less fearful.

Then  Pam decided she'd like to foster Louis.  She'd already tamed one wild child --Rerun, the dog she'd adopted from us a couple years ago. Maybe Louis would fit with her and Rerun.

Turns out everything worked out great.  Louis and Rerun bonded and became fast pals (as this picture shows), and Pam fell in love with her new little bad boy dog.  She was going to wait until after Christmas to see if someone else adopted him.  If nobody else wanted him, she'd take it as a sign that she should adopt him.

"Then I thought, what if somebody does adopt him?"  Not wanting to chance losing Louis, Pam decided yesterday that she would adopt him.

And that's one happy ending to the Louis story.  He may never be what I'd call an "easy going" dog, but he will always be a loved one. 

Ellen Ellick

President/Founder

St. Louis Senior Dog Project

EllenE9466@aol.com 

Three Old Dogs

The St. Louis Senior Dog Project is a not-for-profit dog rescue organization specializing in older dogs but taking in and finding homes for dogs of all ages and even a few cats. See our adoptable pets at www.olderbetter.petfinder.org.

http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/shelterchallenge.faces;jsessionid=93558EB82DDF5AC8B1EEFCB103C7F885.ctgProd04?siteId=3

Miss Pearl, Mocha and Clyde: All three of these senior dogs found themselves alone and abandoned in area shelters not too long ago.  Their prospects didn't look good. Each was about 10 years old.

Then an animal control officer in Jefferson County called me about Miss Pearl,  Could I please take her?

Shelter employees at another facility emailed about Clyde, a senior border collie.  And others called about Mocha, a chihuahua who was terrified at the shelter and not likely to find a home.

They didn't find their new homes instantly with us, but each became healthier and happier while in their foster homes.   And alll three were among those adopted this past weekend.

This is Miss Pearl.

This is Clyde.

And this is Mocha.

We celebrate all our adoptions, but maybe we cheer a little louder when one of our seniors finds a home.

This past weekend we also placed Belinda the yorkie pup, Charlie the cockapoo, Natalie the bichon,and Baby Lisa the papillon.

This past Saturday, we picked up some dogs at a puppymill auction.  These dogs will now be adopted out as pets and will not end up as breeders.  I'm already receiving applications for some of them.

Ellen Ellick

President/Founder

St. Louis Senior Dog Project

EllenE9466@aol.com

Two Black Dogs

The St. Louis Senior Dog Project is a not-for-profit dog rescue organization specializing in older dogs but taking in and findiing homes for dogs of all ages and even a few cats.  See our adoptable pets at www.olderbetter.petfinder.org.  And keep voting to help us win a grant. Here's the link:

http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/shelterchallenge.faces;jsessionid=93558EB82DDF5AC8B1EEFCB103C7F885.ctgProd04?siteId=3

Mo, also known as Mooter, and Meecho have two things in common.

They are both black dogs.  And they see a bright future ahead and a past they're lucky to have left behind.

Mooter, above in the hat, is a spaniel mix who spent most of his life at the end of a chain.  He was one of three such dogs we took from a situation where more than 100 dogs were living on 3 acres in rural North Carolina.  Mooter's only shelter was a blue barrel.

Now Mooter is adopted.  He has a new home and his own family.  The future looks good, as it does to Abby and Sara, the two dogs that come with him.

So, way to go Mooter.

And now there's Meecho, above.  A few days ago several rescue groups received an email from a St. Louis City manager asking if we'd please consider some of their dogs that had been in the Pound way too long.  After checking out their pictures and visiting the Pound, we decided to take Meecho, a beagle/lab mix who'd been there  since mid August.

Meecho is now ready for her new home, and we hope she'll be as lucky as Mo.

We're really impressed with this lady.  She's about 5 years old, housebroken and friendly with everyone.  Her tail now is constantly wagging.

And we already knows she enjoys car rides.  She sad on Kati's lap on the way home from the Pound and poked her nose against the window, watching the outside world fly by.  But before long, she just settled down for a nap.

Good luck awaits you, Miss Meecho.

Ellen Ellick

President/Founder

St. Louis Senior Dog Project

EllenE9466@aol.com

Faces we remember

The St. Louis Senior Dog Project is a not-for-profit dog rescue organization specializing in older dogs but taking in and finding homes for dogs of all ages and even a few cats.  See our adoptable pets at www.olderbetter.petfinder.org.  And vote to help us win a grant.  Here's the link:

http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/shelterchallenge.faces;jsessionid=93558EB82DDF5AC8B1EEFCB103C7F885.ctgProd04?siteId=3

We'll have dogs at the Arnold Petsmart 11 to 3 Saturday and at the Kirkwood Petco 11 to 3 Sunday.  Come on by.  You might meet your new best friend.

It seems the phone never stops ringing and the emails go on forever, and too  many of them are requests to take dogs.  We received an email from the St. Louis City Pound about several dogs that had been there for 3 and 4 months without a single application.  Staff and volunteers at other shelters emailed and called about other dogs, and individuals jumped in with their pleas about dogs they could no longer keep, dogs whose owners had died, dogs that needed new homes. Sometimes I want to hide in a corner somewhere with ear plugs and a blindfold.

So it's nice to receive some cute pictures. These are two recently adopted dogs.

This is Frankie in his Christmas get up.

And this is the former Nano, now Heidi.

Monday I did take two dogs from the Franklin County Humane Society.  Today we took a dog out of  the St. Louis City Pound -- Meecho, a plain black lab/beagle who'd been there since August.

And this weekend we'll rescue a few dogs from the puppymill life.

We do keep busy.

And I sure hope we have more adoptions to announce.

Ellen Ellick

President/Founder

St. Louis Senior Dog Project

EllenE9466@aol.com

Our Christmas Beagle and others

The St. Louis Senior Dog Project is a not-for-profit dog rescue organization specializing in older dogs but taking in and finding homes for dogs of all ages and even a few cats.  See our adoptable pets at www.olderbetter.petfinder.org.  And keep voting to help us win a grant.  Here's the link:

http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/shelterchallenge.faces;jsessionid=93558EB82DDF5AC8B1EEFCB103C7F885.ctgProd04?siteId=3

Virginia is busy with her latest Christmas Beagle.  Flower is being bathed and beautified, costumed and prepared for this Sunday's adoption event at the Kirkwood Petco 11 to 3. She's even having her nails done.

Flower is Virginia's third Christmas Beagle, and each of the previous two found homes before Christmas. Will Flower make it number three?  We sure hope so. 

Flower is a friendly, active dog we rescued from Jefferson County Animal Control. When we took her in, she had a condition known as Cherry Eye, which made it difficult for some people to see her inner beauty.  One surgery later, and Flower is now as beautiful as her name.

And she's the 2009 Christmas Beagle?  How lucky is that?

And while we're on the subject of Christmas, here's a picture  Cheri sent of Tober (on the right) with his housemate Lucy in their picture with Santa.  Tober was a very sick dog when we took him from the St. Louis City Pound.  He's now living it up in his new home...and he's plenty healthy.

We also received new of Chloe.  Karen and David adopted Chloe in November and wrote to tell us she just celebratd her 13th  birthday. They wrote, "We adore her."  Chloe was rescued from the St Louis County animal shelter. 

Ellen Ellick

President/Founder

St. Louis Senior Dog Project

EllenE9466@aol.com

Working for Miracles

The St. Louis Senior Dog Project is a not-for-profit dog rescue organization specializing in older dogs but taking in and finding homes for dogs of all ages and even a few cats.  See our adoptable pets at www.olderbetter.petfinder.org.  And keep voting to help us win a  grant. Here's the link:

http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/shelterchallenge.faces;jsessionid=93558EB82DDF5AC8B1EEFCB103C7F885.ctgProd04?siteId=3

Conventional wisdom says you can't find homes for senior dogs. I hear it all the time.  Only the age changes. You can't place dogs over the age of 5, 6, 7, 10.  Although I'll admit it gets harder as the numbers get higher, we do it all the time.

Conventional wisdom also says you can't place black dogs;plain brown dogs are pretty hard to place too.

Again, we do it all the time.  And this week it looks like we've found homes for three senior dogs -- two of them black, the other mud brown.  These are the three dogs -- Mo, Abby and Sara -- that had been living their entire lives at the end of chains.  And now they're expecting Christmas presents.

So I'm crossing my fingers that the miracles will continue.

What about a home for a three-legged cat?  This is Sergio, a young cat someone used for target practice, shattering the bones in one leg.

And what about a home for ancient Becky, a Chihuahua/Italian Greyhound mix?  She's on medication for arthritis and is definitely a slow mover.  But then, so are some of you.  Maybe for Christmas someone will give a home to an old dog who just needs a place to live out her days with love and comfort.

And what about a snoring, senior beagle with a flower on his head?  Maxwell is about 12 years old. See the pic. I'll bet a dog with a flower on his head is a lucky dog.

Okay, more miracles.  That's what we need.

Ellen Ellick

President/Founder

St. Louis Senior Dog Project

EllenE9466@aol.com

Abby finds a lap

The St. Louis Senior Dog Project is a not-for-profit dog rescue organization specializing in older dogs but taking in a finding homes for dogs of all ages and even a few cats.  See our adoptable pets at www.olderbetter.petfinder.org.  And keep voting to help up win a grant.  Here's the link.

http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/shelterchallenge.faces;jsessionid=93558EB82DDF5AC8B1EEFCB103C7F885.ctgProd04?siteId=3

For 20 minutes today, Abby sat in a lap and practically purred with pleasure. Chances are she's never passed a better 20 minutes.

While Abby was relaxing with Liz (in picture), Liz's mom was filling out paperwork to be Abby's new foster home.

I wrote about Abby in the previous blog, "Abby, Warts and All."  Today she came to her first adoption event.  We had trouble coaxing her into the store because the smooth floor frightened her.  But eventually she calmed down and enjoyed meeting people.

Then she met Liz and her mother. They heard her sad story and decided they would like to be her new foster home...and eventually maybe her permanent home.

Abby will have one dog friend in her new home and several dog-loving children.  Her days of living at the end of a chain are over.

As I wrote in the last bog, Abby will become more beautiful as she becomes more loved.  I think she's blossoming already.

Today we also adopted Wilson the dachshund into a new home.  Opal the little black chihuahua is now officially adopted too -- by her foster mom, Lesa.  Flower the beagle went home with a new foster mom, Virginia, who likes having a "Christmas Beagle" every year.  Along with a holiday bell on her collar, Flower will soon have painted toenails.  Oooh.  Won't she be pretty.

And Tabitha the Pekingese went on a road trip to meet her new family.  More about Tabitha later.

Yesterday I adopted Meghan the schnauzer into her new home.  I liked that her new people made a point of repeating that Meghan was going to have a good home with them. 

Tomorrow (Sunday) we'll be back at the Kirkwood Petco, I-44 and Lindbergh, trying to find a few more homes for our dogs.

Ellen Ellick

President/Founder

St. Louis Senior Dog Project

EllenE9466@aol.com