Sanctuary Rescue

Last Thursday was the 7th anniversary of Goosie’s passing. So dumb. But in true Goosie form, she set some things into motion so that we wouldn’t/couldn’t forget her.
Not an hour after we posted her rainbow bridge anniversary tribute did we start getting notifications, messages, DMs about a little gray cleftie the shelter had named Goose.
*Fun Fact - I hate to see other dogs named Goose. That jersey has been retired. I recognize that this is my own personal issue to work through, but I’m just being honest about my weird brain. So at first I was not endeared to a dog named Goose. In fact, I was annoyed, especially on the anniversary of her death. The tags and messages kept coming; however, and I kept revisiting the post. The resemblance couldn’t be denied. It was like a computer generated model of what Goosie might have looked like if she wasn’t a dwarf and was, you know, alive. Not only was it a gray pittie with a white chest, not only did they have an adorable little cleft lip, but the ears were giant satellites standing at attention on the top of their head. After a few visits to the post, I talked myself off the ledge of annoyance and realized this was more a tribute to Goosie and less an attempt to steal her glory. At that point there was only one thing to do - get generic Goose out of the shelter and into rescue and immediately change his name to FOMO.
But wait, there’s more! You know what else this shelter had? A little frenchie with hydrocephalus. This shelter had proposed this dog to us a couple of times, and we were very hesitant to take on a dog with serious neurological issues that will likely only lead to our heartbreak. But since we were making the trip anyway, there was only one thing to do - get neuro puppy out of the shelter and into rescue and immediately change his name to Aquaman.
Both of these fellas arrive at Liz’s Place, and Aquaman is a mess. He instantly starts fighting with the leash, fighting with his harness, fighting with imaginary things that aren’t there. Just shadow boxing the whole empty room for no other reason than his brain is big scrambled. And guess what? I’m completely speechless, in awe - - I hate to say it, but I am down right giddy in that moment. I’m experiencing some serious déjà vu. This dog’s sounds and mannerisms are just.like.Goosie. If these two dogs somehow merged, they would be Goosie reincarnated - one looked just like her, and one acted and sounded just like her. It was wild.
And that, my friends, is how even after seven years without her, she refuses to be forgotten. And, oh, yeah, say hello to FOMO and Aquaman!

(This isn’t our first rodeo and we are keeping a close eye on Aquaman’s quality of life. Right now he’s plodding along okay and we’re exploring some noninvasive treatment options, but I want everyone to know, that despite our humor, we do not take his condition or quality of life lightly.)

We got a gaggle of new dogs today and as we were doing an inspection on each of them, which includes but is not limited to smooches, belly rubs and paw shakes, we tried to figure out if any of the females were spayed.
*Fun fact, a lot of the bullies and bulldogs, both French and English, require c-section births, and a lot of them that end up in shelters have been used (and used) ((and used)) for breeding, and show up with c-section scars. You can usually tell a c-section scar from a regular spay scar, but what you can’t tell is if the dog was spayed during the c-section. But I digress.
As we’re doing the belly rub portion of our new dog inspection we found one tiny little fiber of an old suture sticking straight out of her lower left abdomen, not in a place you would expect it. Very strange. Then we turned our attention to her belly scar. It was pretty big so more likely a c-section than spay. As a matter of fact, this scar was pretty large even for a c-section. We also noticed it wasn’t properly along the midline but kind of went diagonally down her stomach. Now, look, my vet degree is mail order from the University of Kazakstan, so I’m not *exactly* the foremost authority, but I certainly fancy myself an expert in the field of potato fertility, and I’d bet the farm this poor dog endured at least one home c-section.
Unfortunately this is not a totally rare occurrence, and we’ve rescued a number of dogs from shelters that had been seized because their previous “owner” was performing home c-sections and/or home ear cropping. I feel like our poor potatoes have to endure so much more than the average dog due to greed and poor breeding. I can’t even fathom an anesthesia-less home surgery - barbaric and unconscionable.
Amazingly this tiny medical test subject is still the kindest, happiest, friendliest, most joyful and appreciative angel.
We don’t deserve dogs.

Our big, fluffy pork chop came in for his weekly weigh-in yesterday and wanted everyone to know he’s down 4 pounds this month. Now we just need him to do that three more times to reach his goal weight. In order to manifest a svelte new potato, foster mom has taken to calling him Slim.

Today is the dumbest, stupidest, stinkiest, smelliest, ugliest, most awful, wretched, gloomiest, saddest, baddest, most fartheadiest day of the year.

THIS Saturday we will be slinging beer at Jampacked Festival, music and beer festival. Check out the line up, grab your tickets and come see us. Are you a Dead Head that would love to win this limited edition CD set? Even better! See you Saturday!

As the last day of Perfect Dogs for Adoption at Sanctuary Rescue Week is upon us, I find myself in a quandary, a quagmire, a pickle. We still have several perfect dogs for adoption that haven’t been posted yet. Do we just do a posting blitz and cram them all in before midnight? What a dilemma! Finally, it was decided that since time is just an abstract concept anyway, we can make Perfect Dogs for Adoption at Sanctuary Rescue Week last as long as we want. Maybe it lasts until the end of the month; maybe it lasts until the end of the year; THERE ARE NO RULES ANYMORE!
Finally with the pressure off of trying to somehow fit dozens of perfect adoptable dogs into one tiny little week, we can take a break and celebrate this week’s successes. Perfect Dogs for Adoption at Sanctuary Rescue Week 1 is in the books, and we’re excited to tell you that our very first two featured dogs, Roy G. Biv and Clutch, both found their families, and our little kitty and one of Clutch’s sisters both received approved applications and are awaiting meet-and-greets. Hip hip hooray!
While this is spectacular news, there are still this week’s featured perfections, Harriet the Spy, Shadow, Valentine, Coco, and MayBell, waiting to be seen and appreciated just like these angel sweetie pies. So feel free to browse through the week’s posts and see who might tickle your fancy, and keep sharing our posts to help our perfect dogs find homes!

I got a terse email from Coco asking why she hadn’t been featured as part of our Perfect Dogs for Adoption at Sanctuary Rescue Week series. I explained to her that the week wasn’t over and her time was coming. She responded by reminding me that “small dogs are people too.” Far be it from me to argue with a small dog advocating for small-dog rights, so here she is, Folks, Coco, all 15 pounds of her.
Coco was a recent mama dog who raised up her teeny, tiny puppies perfectly. They have found their happily-ever-afters, and now it’s mama’s turn. We believe Coco is some sort of Chihuahua mix, 15 pounds, and around 3 years old. She’s not yappy like a typical chihuahua; noooooo, she’s perfect, remember? Foster mom describes her as very cuddly and affectionate as well as “goofy and wonderful.” Coco is potty trained and lives harmoniously with three other dogs and cats, and she can also formulate a very persuasive email.
Small dogs are people, too.

As we continue celebrating Perfect Dogs for Adoption at Sanctuary Rescue Week we’d like to sing the praises of this fine fella. Shadow is a mature and distinguished good boy that currently resides with five dogs, three cats, and a parrot in pure harmony. He’s an easygoing guy that counts nap time and dinner time among his favorite things. We think he’s in the 7 to 8 year old range and is a respectable 50-60 pounds and a salt-and-pepper black lab/lab mix. He’s housebroken and low maintenance. Shadow would be a great low key companion for a low-energy household. Check the comments for his adoption listing.

Today we are bringing you a Thursday Two-fer! We’re not just showcasing one perfect little princess today; we’re giving you twice the perfection in one post. Please say hello to Valentine AND Maybelle. These two slender foxhound ladies look so much alike we decided to highlight their beauty, grace, and greatness in one place. They have never actually met each other and are available for adoption separately.
Valentine has the black ears. She just turned two years old and weighs in around 40 pounds. She’s happy, loves a good chew toy, and enjoys the company of other dogs. Valentine is a polite string bean of a cuddlicious canine who aims to please.
MayBelle has the brown ears, is about 4.5 years old and is an even more petite lady at about 30 pounds. She also enjoys a good stuffy toy and fraternizing with other dogs. She was a nervous Nelly when we first pulled her from the shelter. You may remember the video of her shaking uncontrollably in her kennel the day we rescued her. Since then she has blossomed into a sweetheart that’s happy to take a ride or hang out on the couch with you.
Both of these ladies are fully vetted, healthy, dog-and-people friendly, housebroken, and wishing for a family to call their own.
You know the drill, check the comments for their deets.

Sharing Harriet the Spy again because she’s so darn awesome …