# Looking for a rescue



## FannyMay (Nov 18, 2004)

John and I have decided to rescue another dog. Now that we have our house we can have another dog and I really want Fantasia to have a friend. We are looking at rescues and shelters in our area and we were even looking at breeders. We would rather adopt so we can save a life but we would buy from a reputable breeder if we can't find a rescue we want. 
We are looking at Malts of course, Cottons, Havanese (sp?), beagles, dachshunds, and any other dogs or mutts that are about that size. We aren't really too picky as long as it gets along with kids and Fantasia. Since she's so shy around other dogs we really need a docile dog to work well with her. 
Anyway I was just letting you all know that we will be having a new addition soon and if anyone sees anything let us know because I know this search is going to be hard so we can use all the help we can get lol.
Oh and we don't want a special needs dog. Fantasia has enough health issues that we don't think we can take on another dog with health issues.


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## Ladysmom (Oct 19, 2004)

Jodi, how about adopting a retired show dog? That's what I will do next time.

I know your Fanny has lot's of health issues like my Lady and understand your concern. Unfortunately, I think most of the Maltese in rescue are probably from BYB's or pet shops like Fanny and Lady are so you might get more health problems. 

Both Rhapsody and Divine have retirees available now.

http://www.rhapsodymaltese.com/

http://www.divinemaltese.com/


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## Ladysmom (Oct 19, 2004)

Here's a great list that rates dog breeds and their reliability with children. Interestingly, Havanese are rated excellent with children. 

As we all know, Maltese and children are not normally a good match and most rescues won't adopt to a family with small children.

http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/children.htm


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## chocolatecoffee (Sep 1, 2005)

That's great that you're looking for a rescue.

I'm not sure where in NJ you are, but have you seen SOS Dogs? They seem to have some pretty cute Bichon Frises...
http://www.sosdogs.org/breed-descriptions.html

CLAWS also seems to have some pretty cute small dogs, including a courtesy listing for a Pug, a Cocker Spaniel X, a Chihuahua/Terrier X, a Shih tzu/Poodle X, and a Beagle.
http://www.clawsadopt.org/

Monmouth County SPCA seems to have a couple small dogs, unfortunately all the ones right now either have to go together or have to go to an adult-only home, but it might be worth keeping an eye on the website.
http://www.monmouthcountyspca.org/

Mt. Pleasant Animal Shelter has a Poodle X and two Beagles!
http://www.petfinder.org/shelters/mtpleasant.html

AFEW has a Pug, a Beagle, and a JRT X.
http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/afew.html

Adopt-a-Pet has a JRT, a Lhasa Apso, and two Pekingese/Pomeranian X's.
http://www.petfinder.org/shelters/NJ05.html

S.T.A.R.T. has a Beagle and a Cocker Spaniel.
http://members.petfinder.org/~NJ120/index.html

Jersey Animal Coalition has a couple small dogs, but only one is good with children. Prince II is a little Chihuahua X that is apparently overjoyed when a child comes to see him!
http://www.jaconline.org/s1/index.html

St. Hubert's Animal Welfare Center has a JRT X up for adoption.
http://sthuberts.org/

Animal Allies has a JRT and a Chihuahua/Italian Greyhound X.
http://www.petfinder.org/shelters/aa.html

And finally, Puppy Love Pet Rescue has a Poodle and a Pekingese.
http://www.puppylovenj.com/

Here's a list of all (or most of) the rescues in NJ if you want to keep an eye on them. I didn't include the ones that don't have any small dogs right now.
http://muttcats.com/shelters/new_jersey.htm

Good luck!!!


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## FannyMay (Nov 18, 2004)

Wow thanks so much for all those links! I knew about a couple of them but not all of them. I will check them all out.

*Oh and I am in Southern NJ close to Philla.


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## CookieCat (Jan 5, 2005)

> Wow thanks so much for all those links! I knew about a couple of them but not all of them. I will check them all out.
> 
> *Oh and I am in Southern NJ close to Philla.[/B]


I just PM'd you with a link to Havanese rescue. 

They do wonderful with children! I must dispute that we only get all puppymill or BYB breeder dogs. I also volunteer for pug rescue and my organization does cover Jersey! LOL 

We get ALL sorts of dogs for ALL sorts of reasons. Probably the most common is kids have allergies, or moving can't take dog, and also quite common is no time for dog anymore since kids were born. 

I have a Havanese, and Havanese Mix and they are part of the Bichon Family along with Maltese.







Lots of grooming requirements but they are a sturdy happy little dog. Sheila (Lamby's Mom) Met my little chocolate Havanese (His pic is in my avatar) and she fell in love.









Robyn


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## sheila2182 (Nov 28, 2004)

Yes I did,Chewy is adorable! I can tell you this if I didnt have Malts ,I would have a Havanese!They are terrific little guys,much like our Malts I think!


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## Ladysmom (Oct 19, 2004)

There you go, Jodi! Your Havanese connection!

Robyn, just to clarify my statement, I didn't mean that rescue dogs came directly from about BYB's and puppy mills. I meant that their original owners probably got them from BYB's and puppy mills/pet shops since reptuable breeders usually sell with a contract requiring that a dog be returned to the breeder if for any reason they can no longer keep them.

I agree with Sheila, I'd consider a Havanese next time after all the health issues I've had with my Lady (she's a rescue, too.) They are less well known and hopefully not being as carelessly bred as Maltese are now.


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## CookieCat (Jan 5, 2005)

> There you go, Jodi! Your Havanese connection!
> 
> Robyn, just to clarify my statement, I didn't mean that rescue dogs came directly from about BYB's and puppy mills. I meant that their original owners probably got them from BYB's and puppy mills/pet shops since reptuable breeders usually sell with a contract requiring that a dog be returned to the breeder if for any reason they can no longer keep them.
> 
> I agree with Sheila, I'd consider a Havanese next time after all the health issues I've had with my Lady (she's a rescue, too.) They are less well known and hopefully not being as carelessly bred as Maltese are now.[/B]



Ahhhhhhhh thanks for clarifying. 

Havs do have health issues, same as many other toy breeds but in rescue we screen the dogs carefully and know if they do. Unfortunately they have become quite popular and have quickly succumb to the horrors of puppymillers. And in many cases (not just havanese) breeders ship and returning the dog is not always a conceivable option as they tolerate those flights with more trauma







My current foster baby has CD- but only slightly. She is a trip and I have fell head over heels for her. LOL - that happens with most of my fosters. I still pine away for that little lambykins! HAHA! 

I knew that you rescued Lady, do you have a link to her story? She is diabetic right?


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## Ladysmom (Oct 19, 2004)

Lady's story was that she was tied to a tree for three days in 100 degree heat with no food or water when her original owner moved away. Fortunately, my then-neighbor knew this woman and had known Lady all her life so when she got an email from this woman, she asked about Lady. When she found out what Julie had done, she raced over there in the middle of the night and saved her.

Lady had her first seizure 3 days later so we figure she started having seizures and this woman didn't want to deal with it.

My neighbor knew Lady was purchased locally, so she either came from a pet shop or BYB. 10 years ago you didn't see many ads for Maltese so I am guessing a pet shop, but who knows? She could have come from the lady down the street. 

She is a sweet doll, the love of my life, but came with all the genetic problems a poorly bred dog can.

She was diagnosed with epilepsy 1 month after I adopted her, her cherry eye popped out 2 months later, she was diagnosed with diabetes a year and 1/2 after that, then a year after that she was dx with both allergies and immune-mediated arthritis! She's been hospitalized 3 times in the 5&1/2 years I've had her and I spend a small fortune on medications, diabetic supplies and vet bills!

She has a chronic uti and vaginal infection and gets antibiotics daily for both. She's on a low dose of steriods daily. She gets 2 different kinds of seizure meds, both as the maximum dose possible since she has been cluster seizing for the past few years. Since November she has had uveitis, then 3 weeks later cluster seizures for 3 days (and another 4 days to recover from them). We had a couple of good weeks, then she had a flare up of her arthritis which lasted for 2 weeks and I had to walk her in a sling. She bounced back from that, had another couple of good weeks, then she had a little tummy bug that turned into a major deal since if she can't eat, she can't get her insulin and her blood sugar goes up to 400 plus.

That was 10 days ago and last night I got home and she has uveitis again......









That's Lady's story and she's stickin' to it!


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## Pippinsmom (Nov 29, 2004)

> Havs do have health issues, same as many other toy breeds but in rescue we screen the dogs carefully and know if they do. Unfortunately they have become quite popular and have quickly succumb to the horrors of puppymillers. And in many cases (not just havanese) breeders ship and returning the dog is not always a conceivable option as they tolerate those flights with more trauma
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Interesting...what are you screening for? I know that the parent club is working with OFA right now to develop a way to screen for CD...unfortunately some breeders still see it as a structural fault that can be corrected instead of a disease. 

Chewy is a cutie...was he a rescue also? I have 3 at home, attaching a picture of my boy when he was 4 months old. His name is Brutus.







[attachment=2323:attachment]


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## FannyMay (Nov 18, 2004)

Lady is so beautiful and is lucky to have such a loving owner. Every time I see her pictures and hear her story I always cry. How can such a beautiful dog have so many problems? How can people be so mean as to not care about the health of their dogs when the irresponsibly breed? It just makes me so sad.


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## Ladysmom (Oct 19, 2004)

> Lady is so beautiful and is lucky to have such a loving owner. Every time I see her pictures and hear her story I always cry. How can such a beautiful dog have so many problems? How can people be so mean as to not care about the health of their dogs when the irresponsibly breed? It just makes me so sad.[/B]


You ask such good questions, Jodi. I'm sure most backyard breeders are kind and wonderful people who honestly believe that they are doing a good thing by supplying Maltese to people at a more affordable price or having a litter so their family can have a free puppy. As that article a posted in the Breeders section a few weeks ago said, their dogs are often treated like royalty. They would never ever condone doing anything to their dogs to cause them pain or make them suffer, yet by bringing puppies with genetic time bombs into this world, they are causing pain and suffering.

I think too often these people haven't seen the effects of their irresponsible breeding yet. Remember all Lady's problems started when she was close to 5. I suspect the majority of BYB's aren't really in it for the long haul so they've only been breeding for a short time. They don't want to take the time to find a mentor, learn about the breed, finish champions, etc., they just want to get right to having the puppies.


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## CookieCat (Jan 5, 2005)

> > Interesting...what are you screening for? I know that the parent club is working with OFA right now to develop a way to screen for CD...unfortunately some breeders still see it as a structural fault that can be corrected instead of a disease.
> >
> > Chewy is a cutie...was he a rescue also? I have 3 at home, attaching a picture of my boy when he was 4 months old. His name is Brutus.
> >
> ...


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## Ladysmom (Oct 19, 2004)

For those of us, like me, who have never heard of CD, here is some information:

http://www.havanese.org/heart/chondrodysplasia.htm

I found interesting that it was compared to diabetes which also causes cataracts.

"It is a metabolic disorder, much like Type I diabetes - a faulty gene causes a disruption in a metabolic pathway necessary for normal health."


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## CookieCat (Jan 5, 2005)

> That was 10 days ago and last night I got home and she has uveitis again......
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Marj 
(((((((((((((((((HUGS))))))))))))))))))))

I am so glad Lady has someone so special to care for her. 

Just out of curiousity can she have cranberry supplements in her food to prevent UTI's? Cranberry prevents bacteria from sticking to the wall of the bladder. A supplement is best since it has no sugar and its just all the good stuff.


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## Ladysmom (Oct 19, 2004)

Yes, Lady gets Cranberry Relief.

UTI's are a real problem with diabetics. We were lucky the first few years to only have one, but now that we've started our fifth





















year with diabetes, Lady is really having a problem with infections like most diabetics do. Their immune system just can't fight off the normal bacteria found in the environment or even their own body.

We did all the tests with the last one and she doesn't have stones, crystals, or any physical cause. She cultured for amoxicillin so she stays on a low dose. If I stop it, she starts peeing blood in a couple of days.

Her vaginal infection won't respond to oral antibiotics so she gets a syringe full of Bactrim every night!

Bless her dear little heart! Between that, her dry eyes drops, and all her medications, it's takes 10 minutes to put all her parts to bed for the night!

But I am not complaining! She is ten now and both my vets are amazed that she's still going strong. She just had $225 worth of bloodwork a month ago and everything is good. Even after almost 6 years on Phenobarbital, her ALT was 84.


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## CookieCat (Jan 5, 2005)

> Bless her dear little heart! Between that, her dry eyes drops, and all her medications, it's takes 10 minutes to put all her parts to bed for the night![/B]


Sounds like me on "med nights" 

We have 3 seniors (14, 12 & 10) and then Chewy who has allergies. We have 5 different meds not counting supplements to dole out. Always a challenge when they are impatient! LOL

Oh yeah, and the fact I keep getting the vet and my kids pediatrician messed up! HAHAHA! I have them on speed dial. So its an easy mistake. because of my dogs, and the rescues I have managed to get my own drawer at the vets office. Not sure if its a good thing... lol - and I don't have to use my last name anymore. I just call up and say its Robyn and they know exactly who I am (as thoughts of dollar signs pop in their heads!)


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## kab (Apr 11, 2005)

> > index.php?act=findpost&pid=141928
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I wonder how much being in the 100 degree heat for 3 days played a factor in her seizures now? Any thoughts on that?


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## Ladysmom (Oct 19, 2004)

Lady has idiopathic epilepsy which means it's organic, that her brain misfires for some reason. I don't think her 3 day ordeal had anything to do with her seizures, although I can't imagine how frightened she was. She will seek me out when she is about to have a seizure as she gets so scared. The only way I can get her to relax is by holding her and rocking her (for days, now).

I have learned that epilepsy gets worse over time because the brain actually rewires itself to make having a seizure easier each time. It's the same principle that allows stroke victims to relearn speech, etc. That's why Lady is having cluster seizures now. She's "mastered" seizures so to speak.


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## kab (Apr 11, 2005)

> Lady has idiopathic epilepsy which means it's organic, that her brain misfires for some reason. I don't think her 3 day ordeal had anything to do with her seizures, although I can't imagine how frightened she was. She will seek me out when she is about to have a seizure as she gets so scared. The only way I can get her to relax is by holding her and rocking her (for days, now).
> 
> I have learned that epilepsy gets worse over time because the brain actually rewires itself to make having a seizure easier each time. It's the same principle that allows stroke victims to relearn speech, etc. That's why Lady is having cluster seizures now. She's "mastered" seizures so to speak.[/B]


Poor Lady. So the seizures are coming more frequently now?


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## Ladysmom (Oct 19, 2004)

This thread sure has morphed, hasn't it?!

It's the cluster seizures that are scary and so dangerous and that's what Lady gets now, several seizures in a 24 hour period. These spells are lasting several days now. It's especially terrifying for me because I lost my only other epileptic dog to cluster seizures years ago. We couldn't get her to stop seizing and her brain "fried" as my vet said.

We just did complete bloodwork on Lady and checked the levels of her seizure drugs and although they were both in the normal range, my vet increased the dose of one as much as she dared. Lady's pretty much maxed out on what her little body can get, so here's hoping.

She's such a sweetie. She seems oblivious to all her problems in between problems. She is the best little patient both for me and her vets. She actually comes running when I tell her it's time to check her blood sugar!


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## kab (Apr 11, 2005)

I had a sheltie that had cluster seizures. We found out later that they were brought on by a brain tumor that eventually ended up taking her life. She is the one that I have spoken of in other posts. I had her with me thru grad school and I will never have another quite like her. I loved her so, so much. 

Sorry. I know this has gotten off topic. If it was on MO, we would be deleted







.


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## k/c mom (Oct 9, 2004)

Marj, I am so sorry to hear that Lady is having more seizures, etc. It is heartbreaking for sure. How frustrating that there is nothing more they can do to stop them...


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## FannyMay (Nov 18, 2004)

I hate to change the topic back because I love Lady so much and like reading updates on how she's doing, but I have more news about our search for a dog. We looked at a shelter (online) near us that got shut down but they only have big dogs left and most a terrier mixes. So we drove to a shelter down the road from us and checked out their dogs. They only had two small dogs and they were both older, Chihuahuas, and pending adoption with at least one back up. So we filled out a form and were told to call back every couple days and when they have one to bring back the papers we filled out when we go look at the dog. 
The good news is that we have agreed on a small breed instead of a big breed dog, and we are leaning toward a dachshund. I really want a mini long haired dachshund but can't get too picky when it comes to rescue dogs lol. So I found some dachshunds online on petfinder and I am going to ask about them. I will keep everyone updated on our progress.
Marj, give lady kisses and belly rubs from me. I feel like I have known her all my life. I love her as much as Fantasia.


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## Ladysmom (Oct 19, 2004)

Thanks for updating us on your exciting search! I'm sure the perfect addition to your family is out there somewhere!

Thanks for all the kind words about Lady. Not to worry! She is one heck of a tough little girl! I've always called her my energizer bunny. She takes all this in stride. I'm the one who worries!

Just this morning she really had an atttitude. She gets green beans in her Twist and Treat and she likes them partially frozen, not limp. It was so nice this morning we took a longer walk and the beans totally thawed. She refused to eat them and kept barking at her Twist and Treat, then me, because she wasn't happy with her "order" and wanted to send it back to the kitchen!

So, of course, I put the beans back in the freezer for a few minutes to satisfy the little princess! And she didn't even leave me a tip!


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## kab (Apr 11, 2005)

> Thanks for updating us on your exciting search! I'm sure the perfect addition to your family is out there somewhere!
> 
> Thanks for all the kind words about Lady. Not to worry! She is one heck of a tough little girl! I've always called her my energizer bunny. She takes all this in stride. I'm the one who worries!
> 
> ...


It is just hilarious how much attitudes these little dogs can have. When we are driving, Sugar is always perched in her snoozer car seat taking it all in. If I speed up too quickly, brake too quickly, or make a sharp turn, she gives me the most annoyed look







I tell her I am sorry, I couldn't help it! She is worse than my husband with her silent criticism.


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