Busy Busy Busy

Okay, I know I promised to do a better job of updating the blog.  I failed.... what can I say..... We are absolutely overwhelmed with dogs!!!  All of my time is devoted to taking care of my canine friends and answering cruelty calls.

The Decermber 3rd Christmas Open House at Sport N Center in Denham Springs was a huge success!!!!  Many many thanks to them.  Two of our dogs found homes, the donations of towels, sheets, food, are greatly appreciated, and they raised $175.  We can neuter three dogs with this money!!!  The store had a huge sale, the children had a free  picture taken with Santa (a donation to the Humane Society was required!), and the kids had a chance to throw snowballs!!  The weather was glorious and everyone had a great time.  The dogs enjoyed all the attention.  Rocky and Bambi found forever homes!

 A week ago we seized 5 dogs and 2 cats from an abandoned home in a very blighted area of Denham Springs. We had been called to this residence before because of a dog on a chain.  Each time the dog was thin, but had housing, food, and water.  We did not know about the dogs inside.  The owner was either living at the residence or at least coming by and giving the outside dog some food.  The laws do not allow us the seize a dog that is just a bit thin.  Unfortunately, the dog has to look neglected (i.e. lots of bones showing) before we can ask for a seizure order.  A neighbor report the abandonment and knew where the owner was now living.  Fortunately we were able to contact her and get some information about the animals.  She met us at the scene and signed over the animals.  She will have to go to court!!!

 Tangihumane took the two large boxers and we took the cats, 1 medium sized dog and 2 small dogs.  The cats have won my heart.  They are declawed and so very sweet.  One of the little dogs had a burn on its back that is healing and the medium little Pit mix has flea allergies and is a mess!!  She has scratched so much she has sores and the vet said the worn down teeth are due to biting the fleas.  She has only canine teeth in the front.  Her top and bottom teeth are worn down to the gums.  Poor Jasmine has had a difficult life.  She is a bit shy, but just loves her new home.  She is on antibiotics and a special allergy diet.

This is one of the little dogs found in the home.  Her name is Blaze - not because of the injury, but because of her markings!!!  She will be spayed in the next few weeks, but is up for adoption now. 

We desparately need foster home or forever homes for the dogs.  Winter is here and my living room looks like "crate" haven.  All but four of the dogs must be inside at night when the temperatures drop below 40 degrees.  The larger double coated dogs can stay outside in their hay filled dog houses, but all of the thin coated dogs must be kept warm.  Some of the dogs can be on the screened porch that has been wrapped in plastic sheeting, but 12 of them must be inside!!!  So talk to your friends and family and encourage them to adopt!!! 

Okay, I'm not a cat person! But I tried!!!

Today I received a call from a social worker who is involved in elderly protective services.  An elderly gentleman was admitted to a nursing home and there were cats left behind in his home.  The social worker had put out food and water when she had gone to the home to help the man get to the hospital.  Now nearly a week later and no family member has shown up to help with the man or cats!  So I was asked to come get the cats and take them to a local shelter.  Have you ever tried catching a mad, hissing, howling cat?  The sheriff's office had dispatched an officer to help, but even with his nice long reach we could not catch the critters.  We chased, herded, and prodded the poor cats, but nothing helped.  We could not get them into the carriers.  They climbed the wall, the blinds, the shelves, and anything else that would get them out of our reach. 

Rather than continue to stress to poor scared cats, we decided to remove all the food and return in a day or two with a live trap.  Perhaps if they are hungry enough they will enter the trap and we can get them out of the house with far less stress.  Unfortunately we only saw two of the four that were suppose to be in the house.  A third cat was found dead in the living room. The fourth one is missing in action.  I hope we don't find another dead cat when we return.  There is so much stuff in the house that a cat could hide and we would never find it.

There are three or four more cats that live outside in the shed.  We will also trap those once the inside cats are safe. 

I guess I need to get trained on how to use a catch pole. I have always thought it is so stressful for the animal.  However, chasing these cats around the house was far more stressful than a quick catch and placement in a safe crate.

The main reason for this post is to make everyone aware of the need for elderly people to make arrangements for their pets.  If you have elderly parents, talk to them about the pets in the home.  Make decisions now about what needs to happen to the dog or cat.  Do not leave it up the strangers to come and take your pets away.

Honey the Hero

Earlier this week I had an opportunity to visit with a gentleman who adopted one of our dogs several months ago.   Honey has a wonderful home with Brian and his son. From time to time I would bump into Brian and he was always eager to tell me about Honey's latest adventure.  However, this time, there was a different story.   Honey is now his hero!!  He told his vet about the incident and the vet suggested Brian write a short story about the event and he would forward it on to a few magazines for publication.  Below is the story Brian submitted.

How that phrase of mans best friend is so so true. Let me start of how Honey and I met. Last November while my girlfriend Cindy was visiting from  Florida  we had to make a stop at Petco. usually every weekend is adoption day as was this particular Saturday. There out side was Honey . Now, let me begin that i already have 4 dogs and 4 cats and the last thing i needed was another furry friend. My Vet  Dr. Tony Lobue helps me out quite abit with the abundance of pets and must of that i lost my mind when i was telling him i was thinking of adopting another one , but back to Honey . Honey looks like honey  and with these amazing eyes, ( yes eye's are my weakness Cindy... lol ). I went home and thought about Honey all weekend and decided i wanted to see her again. Now locating her was some problem, she wasn't there with the local animal shelter , Petco  didn't know who she was with and after about 4 days i found the agency that brought her there,  Swampy Paws by Ms Vicki. I went and saw honey again and i already felt the magic again, this was my girl, I decided that i would take her home for the weekend and see how she does with the other 4. She stayed forever . Honey has had and ear infection , a pad infection on her paw, and a skin issue , (a high maintenance girl haha) but never stops wagging that whip which we call a tail. This sweet girl is so happy and she is a blessing to my life .
  Now lets get to the hero part. On Sunday Oct 2nd , my son was home for the weekend and went to bed  with Rusty and Max, so the the other 3 came in and  were going to stay in my room. I was behind in my chores and i decided to do a load of towels. Now i have never ran an appliance when i was going to bed or if i was leaving the house but  i was behind on my household responsibilities and decided to a load of towels. I went to bed and was watching some TV with Ginger , Tucker and of course Honey in the room. the bedroom door was closed. All of a sudden , Honey gets up and starts pacing my room back and forth with her nose straight up in the air . I knew something was wrong as this was not normal behavior at bed time  and she looked like a pointer but with her nose in a vertical position. I opened the door and walked 5 feet and i smelled something burning . I walked to the laundry room  the other side of the house and knew it was the washer , unplugged it and called the fire dept. they came and reported that the washer wasn't throwing off any more heat. What had happened was the transmission locked up  and was burning up. Without Honey's warning, it certainly could have caused an electrical fire and i don't what to think about what could have occurred .
     So, there is  always a reason  why we meet who we meet and  if i  never adopted her  and  listened to my brain saying you have 4 dogs and 4 cats  i may not be typing this , instead  I listened to my heart ! My sweet sweet Honey.........    yours truly , Brian Vecellio    p. s.  yes Honey got a porterhouse steak

Wow!  This makes me so proud of Honey!  She did her job as defender/protector/companion .  Well done Honey!!!

 

Update on dog seized - now known as "Buster" and Adoption Events

I've been checking in "Buster" a couple of times a week. He is gaining weight and doing great. I am trying not to get too emotionally involved because we have 8 more days to go before the owner can come forward and ask the court for the dog.  I don't think that will happen and given the officer's statements, I think he will also try to make sure this man never gets the dog back.  This is just the sweetest dog so I am hopeful we will have a chance to continue his rehab here.  Once he has reached a healthy weight he will go up for adoption.  So heads up everybody. 
Buster is going to need a home in a month or two.

Our event at Cabela's was very successful.  Three dogs found homes!  I was especially happy for Lucky.  He had been here for several months and needed a family of his own.  We also had just received a Bloodhound named Aubry.  He found a home as well.  Then there is Mr. Beagle.  Just a few weeks earlier, Mr. Beagle found a family, but the owner's other dog just would not accept him.  So he was returned to us.  Fortunately, Mr. Beagle now has a home where he will be the only dog.  I have talked to the family this week and they are absolutely in love with him.  He is king of the couch and enjoys the nice big king sized bed!

We did not go to Petco this evening.  We had a 90th birthday party to attend this afternoon.  It really takes a couple of hours to get the dogs ready and load up all the stuff we need.   We just couldn't manage both.  We will be back next week. 

Sunday afternoon I will pick up a dog that has been in a foster home.  Her name is Play.  She is a healer mix, housebroken, and very sweet.  Play got her name because she loves to play.  We hope to find her a home with an active family.  She is crate trained and does well on a leash.

The additional fencing was completed today.  Now with the security flood light and the extra fencing I don't think we will have any problems with my neighbor.  It will also make my life easier.  

I will take more pictures this week and get them posted.  The dogs are really enjoying the cool weather.  They are so frisky in the mornings.  I need to video them running and playing king of the mountain on their dirt pile.  We finished closing in the screen porch with plastic sheeting.  Now that night time temperatures are below 40, the dogs are brought into the porch at night and the heater keeps them warm.  We put lots of fleece bedding in the wire crates and use old blankets to cover the crates as well.  The large dogs with double coats are kept outside where their dog houses have a nice layer of fresh hay for bedding.

Keep passing the word about our dogs. I really need to reduce our numbers before winter.  If temperatures drop below freezing, ALL the dogs have to come onto the porch.  I am running out of space and crates!!!

A day in the life of a Cruelty Investigator

Today I had to wear a different hat.  Today I wasn't the head pooper scooper, mange manager, or keeper of the kibble. Today, I was the cruelty investigator for the Humane Society of LA - Livingston Chapter.  While my training and experience with dogs has made me stronger, one NEVER gets over seeing a dog nearly starved to death ON PURPOSE.  From time to time we find hunting hounds that have been either abandoned or lost in dreadful shape, but I rarely see an animal in such a condition in the backyard of a home in a nice neighborhood.  This home had boats, swing sets, and other "toys" around to indicate the family had means.  The yard was nice and tidy, the grass cut, and everything looked normal until you drove around to the side where a utility road abutted the property.  There was a dog in a pen.  A skeleton in a pen would be a better description.

I called the sheriff's office to have an officer meet me.  Once he saw the dog he agreed that the dog had to be taken today.  So he issued a Seizure Order and I took the dog to the vet.  At the vet, his body condition score was 1.  This is the lowest score possible.  His body temperature was 97.6. He is anemic,  mildly heartworm positive, full of hook worms and fleas, has a yeast infection in his ears, and a wound on his left front leg. The vet said there is no medical reason for the dog to be this thin.  The only reason for the condition of the dog is starvation. Yet, through all of this, this sweet dog just wanted to sit in my lap.  He weighs 39 pounds and he should weigh 65!!!

The poor dog will remain at the vet for 15 days.  The owner has that amount of time to contact the sheriff's office to claim the dog.  He will be given a summons for simple animal cruelty.  The most likely outcome is that the owner will surrender the dog to avoid going to jail or receiving a guilty verdict. The police officer is going to try to make it impossible for the owner to get the dog back. I will go to court to ask the judge to release the dog to the Humane Society.  If this does happen, we will need to raise money to pay the bill.

If any of you would like to help, please contact Dodge City Animal Hospital, 225-664-6441.  The dog's name is Buster.  Please tell them you want to contribute toward Buster's care.

Okay, I'm over being mad - A level head now prevails!!!

After much prayer, I have decided not to try to up the charges against my neighbor.  While the man acted in a totally unacceptable manner and is cold hearted, I do not want him to have a felony on his record. His actions were despicable, but his wife and family are good people.  I don't want them harmed by his inability to work.  So, I will ask the district attorney to negotiate a deal where the offender gets a psychological evaluation and does community service in lieu of upping the charges.  Hopefully this will put this matter behind us.  I have so many awesome dogs that depend on our care that I cannot let this overwhelm me.

And speaking of awesome dogs..... we have Lilly, a sweet, practically housebroken, little pit mix.  She is just the best puppy I've had in a long time.  She was found by a wonderful lady in Baton Rouge at her work place.  Lilly was cold, underweight, and had a skin rash.  The sweet lady took her to the vet, got her shots, some meds for the skin problem, and bought her tons of stuff!! For the month that she was nurtured back to health, Lilly received the best of care and lots of love.  Lilly's bed, toys, chew bones, food, leash, collar, etc. came with her to Swampy Paws. She is enjoying being with the other puppies and loves to play tug of war with Shadow.  Lilly doesn't bark, doesn't chew on your finger or toes, doesn't whine about being in the crate, and doesn't mind sharing her toys with her canine friends.  She is truly an AWESOME little lady!!

Do you remember our little Corgi/Chi mixes?  Well, we had one of them returned to us when I insisted on having her spayed.  The family who originally adopted her agreed to have her spayed when she was old enough.  When I called to give them the date, they said they wanted to let her have a litter of puppies.  I reminded them that our Adoption Agreement did not allow this.  So, rather than letting her have the surgery, they decided to return her.  Sophie is 4 1/2 month old and is potty pad trained.  We are working on her socialization skills.  Sometimes she doesn't want to share!!!  She loves to cuddle on your shoulder.  She has recently been spayed, so in a week or two she will be ready for adoption.  Sophie will require an experienced dog family who can continue to work on her "selfish attitude"!

Introducing ROCKY.  Originally Rocky and two of his friends came to Swampy Paws when their owner needed to reduce the number of dogs in her household.  The very first day Rocky escaped!  We searched but to no avail.  We found the other two, but Rocky evaded us.  We would put out food and call, but he would not come to us.  We would chase him through the field with no luck.  Finally, we set a live trap and caught him five days later!  He was frightened, so I just let him take his time coming out of the trap.  It took almost an hour for him to exit.  Once he was out, he was friendly and just wanted to eat a good meal. 

After a few hours of rest, he was ready to go outside.  I could not trust him on the deck again, so we started walking.  He walked on a leash so well!  He was a bit nervous, so I let him sleep with me the first night.  Well, he soon because my velcro dog!  He wants to be where I am at all times.  He follows me throughout the house and is not happy when I leave.  He has settled down a bit and has adjusted to the crate at night.

Rocky was doggie door trained, but he will need to be watched carefully in a new environment.  He has tried to mark a crate or two, but when corrected, he stops immediately and looks up as if to say, "Oh, I forgot".  He is so sweet.  He will make a wonderful addition to any family. 

Don't forget, Friday night at the Denham Springs Petco - Adoption Event from 5 to 7 pm.

JOJO Is a Victim of Animal Cruelty

I am so upset  can barely type.  Our sweet energetic JOJO was shot my by neighbor, Mr. Gary Quave, at 2 pm yesterday.  Below is the explanation of what happened that I sent to the Dead Pelican.  I also intend to send this to other newspaper outlets.  Feel free to pass this along to let the public know what we will not tolerate this behavior.

JoJo was a lab mix, female, about 10 months old and weighed approximately 25 pounds.  She was sweet, energetic, and a fence jumper so she was always inside so I could train her to be a great house dog for a future owner.  While I was cleaning kennels, I let her out into the yard.. She wandered off to a neighbors house. She was not off my property for more than 10 minutes when I heard a gun shot extrememly close to my house.  I ran to where it came from and saw my neighbor crouching down and carrying something black into the woods. I asked him if everything was okay.  He said yes.  I looked around and no JOJO,  I called her.  She did not come.  She was the most reliable dog I had for recall.  I ran to the woods where I saw him throw something.  I found her body. He was getting into his running truck when I confronted him.  He said he didn't know it was my dog and that she had growled and snarled at him.  He said he thought she was a stray. I did not hear her bark or growl or him hollering at a dog to chase it off and I was 75 to 100' away.  He is lying. He just shot her in the head with a shotgun at close range.  I've never had a complaint from this man about any of our dogs. I do not let any of them roam free nor do they bark excessively. Even the police officer said she never hears the dogs barking when she makes her daily ride through our area. From his demeanor when he was taking her into the woods, I know he thought I might see him.  Now I am afraid he might do something to my other dogs. He knew we operated a rescue and his grown son even had one of our labs on a trial basis.  Why didn't he just yell and ask me if she was one of our rescues?   He clearly knew I was in the yard with the dogs. The only answer to that question is that he intended to kill her.

He was given a summons for simple cruelty to animals.  He was not charged with aggravated cruelty eventhough I believe it was malicious intent. He was only given a warning for discharging a weapon inside the city limits.  I was given a summons for a dog at large - no warning ticket.  I have never been cited for this offense so as a first time offense one would think I should have received a warning. This is a rural area.  I have 12 acres and at no time do I allow a dog to roam. 

I am afraid the local police department and judge will not take this seriously.  If this man thinks it is okay to just shoot a dog at point blank range then I fear he will do it again.  He should have been given a summons for a weapons charge.  He is a quiet man with a family who has a job and pastors a church.  He may seem like a mild manner fellow, but I have serious doubts about his mental status.  I think the law requires a psychological evaluation when someone is convicted of cruelty to animals. I need the press to push for this because I am afraid to live next door to the lunatic.  The court date is 11/28/11 at 6 pm at the Killian town hall.

I don't know if you can help, but I would like the public to know what happened.  I want the local police department to know that the public is watching and will not tolerate this kind of behavior.  I want the judge to know we expect more than a slap on the wrist.  But most of all, I want my JOJO back.  That will never happen because this lunatic took her life.

Homes found for Mr. Beagle, Pumpkin, Happy, and Sheeba!!!

Yahoooooo.....  This past weekend was a huge success.  We were able to find homes for 4 of our smaller dogs.  I have to admit I miss Mr. Beagle.  He was my couch potato snuggle buddy.  Pumpkin and Happy have families of their own and Sheeba is with a couple that have a few grand children as her playmates.   I just knew Lucky would find a home, but unfortunately he will have to wait.

On Thursday I take the General to Mississippi to meet the transport to the East Coast.  It has been a challenge to get all the paperwork and additional tests done to meet the requirements for transport.  He had to have a lyme and erhlichia test in addition to the normal stuff.  At least we will soon be able to put the kennels back together so Jupiter and Willow will have their space back. 

Don't forget - Friday night adoptions at the Petco in Denham Springs then Saturday at Tractor Supply in Hammond.  I was buying dog food today at Tractor Supply and the manager there brought out a big box of stuff for us.  Wow, what a treat.  It has all the type of stuff we use - ear cleaner, stainless buckets, vitamins, poop bags, brushes, etc.  These were all discontinued items so they collect them for us.  Every item donated helps us continue to feed and provide medical care for the dogs.  THANK YOU TRACTOR SUPPLY!!  We will be taking Jupiter, Lucky, Amber, and Dixie to meet all the folks at Petco and Tractor Supply.

Our little Ebony is doing a bit better, although she still doesn't use her back legs properly.  I spoke with Dr. Smith at Dodge City Animal Hospital about her and he wants to examine her and the xrays to see if perhaps we can do an early intervention with a minor surgical procedure.  I have stopped swimming her because she gets so sore.  The morning after her swim she always seems to be in pain.  Hopefully Dr. Smith may have an answer.  He has performed surgery on two of our other dogs and both were great successes. 

Our regular vets are not orthopedic surgeons so they cannot treat Ebony.  Dr. McCormick at Hickory Small Animal Hospital has been Ebony's advocate.  She sent the xrays to two different orthopedic surgeons (one of which is from LSU Vet School) and both of them say that at this age the hips look normal and let's take a wait and see approach since she is a rescue and we don't have a lot of money.  However, after a little research I think perhaps Dr. Smith's approach may be beneficial.  If she continues to use the leg improperly there will be permanent damage to the joint and she will develop arthritis.  If we can get it so the ball of the hip isn't popping out of the socket, then there is less opportunity for damage to the joint.  So later this week we will see him and try to find an answer for Ebony.

OCTOBER WILL BE BUSY! ALL HANDS ON DECK!! VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!

I had an opportunity to visit with the events coordinator at Cabella's.  They are having a couple of special weekend events that would be a wonder venue for showing off our dogs.  So, please save the dates and help when you can. The staff at Cabella's is very excited to have adoptions at the store and we greatly appreciate the opportunity.

We were also asked if we wanted to participate in the Home and Garden Show in Gonzales at the Lamar Dixon Expo Center.  Several groups are planning to attend.  Yelp, APAWS, and others will have dogs available.  This is a weekend event, but we will only participate on Saturday, Oct. 15th

Oct. 1 - Saturday - Cabella's - This is the Water Fowl Weekend.  There will be booths with duck callers, dog trainers, and everything you need for hunting.  They will also have special events for the kids.  We will be there most of the day on Saturday.   10 am to 3 pm   Volunteers are treated like vendors!  We will be given a free lunch, and you can buy at discounted prices!  Thank you Cabella's!!!

Oct. 7  - Friday  5 to 7 pm - Petco - Denham Springs

Oct. 8 -  Saturday  9 to 3 -Tractor Supply in Hammond.

Oct. 13 - Thursday 6:30 -  General Meeting - Springfield Library - Hwy 43 

Oct. 14 - Friday 5 to 7 pm - Petco - Denham Springs

Oct 15 - Saturday - Home and Garden Show  (times to be announced)

Oct. 21 - Friday - 5 to 7 pm - Petco -  Denham Springs

Oct. 28 - Friday - 5 to 7 pm - Petco - Denham Springs

Oct. 29  - Saturday - 10 - 3 Cabella's Fall Festival!  This should be a lot of fun.

Wow, with all these dates we should be able to find great homes for our dogs.  We really need to reduce the number of dogs before winter.  When it is really cold, I bring some of them inside and then we also put visqueen around the porch and heat it.  However, it will only hold 12 large crates.  So we have to reduce our numbers enough to make sure everyone is warm and cozy when the temperatures drop below 45 degrees.  Ofcourse the big labs and double coated dogs can stay in their dog houses unless the temps get below freezing.  Most of our current "guests" will need to be protected from the weather and a few of them will need to be inside.  Roman, our lab and Great Dane mix, has a steel plate in  his front leg.  If the temp fall below 50, I bring him inside.  He just doesn't have any fat to protect that leg.  My human friends that have plates or screws say cold weather can be painful.  So poor old Roman ,with a 4 inch plate and nearly a dozen screws, must be kept warm.

This past week has been very active. Six dogs were either spayed or neutered and I responded to a couple of cruelty cases.  Our senior Walker Hound, Lady, was scheduled for spaying but due to an elevated enzyme in her blood work the vet decided it was not in her best interest to put her under the knife!!  I wasn't even going to spay her because she has been here a year and hadn't had a heat cycle.  Then, suprise!!!  Coco, our only intact male dog, noticed that Lady was "available".  I don't think she is pregnant, but it was a wake up call.  Old dogs can still have a cycle.

  So Lady must have a special diet and her bloodwork repeated in 2 weeks.  This could be serious.  At her age, kidney failure is a possibility and we will have to monitor her closely. 

Our little German Shepherd mix puppy, Ebony, has a hip problem.  The ligaments holding her right hip in place are too lax and the hip keeps popping out of socket.  It is a bit painful for her and she doesn't use her back legs much.  To keep her muscle tone in her hind quarters, the vet has recommended swimming.  Poor little Ebony doesn't like it, but she has to exercise somehow.  We hope to get a video of her exercising in my tub!  When she is older she may need surgery to correct the problem. We just have to wait and see what happens as she grows.  If it continues to be a painful joint, some hard decisions will have to be made.  She cannot stay on anti inflammatory meds for her entire life.  We had two orthopedic surgeons give us an opinion and both say her hind leg may have to be removed if we cannot get the hip joint to work properly.  There is an alternative survery, called an FHO - they reduce the size of the femoral head to fit into the socket better, but it may not be successful.  So we will play a wait and see game with this ligament!!!  Keep little Ebony in your prayers.

I am technically challenged!

The family that is interested in the General asked me to send them a few more pictures or videos.  I take the videos and then Yahoo won't let me attach them.  Bummer...  No problem, I think I will upload on the blog and just send a link by email to the nice folks.  I have to say, I have never had this much trouble before.  Everything is taking sooo long.  Just to upload this 1 minute video it is taking over 10 minutes.  What am I doing wrong??? 

Thank You for Your Support!!!

Last night we had an adoption event at the Petco.  While we didn't move any dogs into permanent homes last night, we did have a few very serious prospects.  I really like it when people take the time to think about adopting.  Adding another dog to the household is like adding another child!  Our hope is that people seriously consider the commitment and then make a decision. 

But the big new of the night came from a wonderful lady who gave us a generous donation!  We certainly appreciate her help.  (I forgot to ask her if it was okay to use her name, so I won't publish it!) The 12 puppies we have had over the past few months have really added to our spay / neuter costs dramatically.  The money will be used to offset this expense. 

Another bit of good new is that we may have found a home for General.  The folks at American Lab Rescue have a potential home for him.  We have worked with them before and they do a fantastic job finding the right home for the dogs.  It seems as if there aren't many big dogs up East.  As soon as he is neutered, we will put him on a transport to Connecticut if the adoption is approved by them.  Thank you American Labs!

And a big thank you to Dezzi Falgout and Lilly Manuel for helping with the adoption event.  I couldn't do it without you!!!

Well, it is now daylight and I can start my day!  Kennels have to be cleaned, dogs feds, eggs gathered, goats, donkeys, chickens, turkeys, ducks, and rabbits tend to, fall veggies planted,  and the list goes on and on.........

Is this a dog or a pony?

Look at the size of this Great Dane!  His name is General, The General, that is....  He weighs 135 lbs. and is such a sweetie.  Yesterday afternoon I received a call from the Denham Springs Animal Shelter about a man at the gate with this huge dog.  Unfortunately since the man didn't live in Denham, they could not take the dog, so they called me.  Although we can't take any permanent residents now, we will be the temporary home for The General until he can be placed with another rescue group.  Not every facility or foster home has the space for such a large dog.  I put him in our 10' x 10' run, which seems very spacious for our large 85 pound lab/dane mix and this dog absolutely fills the space!  He can't get inside the dog house, so at night he will have to come inside.  Fortunately, he is housebroken and very well behaved.

What a Week!

I must admit I normally handle stress very well, but this week is trying my patience.  First the death of Daphne and the potential for other young dogs to get sick and now a tropical storm that has threatened to flood the kennels.  If the water comes up another 2 feet I will have to move the dogs to wire crates on my porch or other parts of the yard. I really prefer to keep them in the large kennel runs so lets pray for the wind to come out of the north and blow the water out of Lake Maurpas.  Then things will begin to drain properly.  Right now the water is draining away from the kennels, but it is close!  We made a few trenches to relieve the situation.  The back side of the big dog kennel is near a large drainage ditch. It is overflowing and beginning to creep up into the yard! 

If we get too much rain tonight, I will be moving dogs in the dark and in the rain.  I can put two or three medium size dogs in the 10 x 10's and just move two large dogs into wire crates on my porch.  Still, I'd prefer to leave them where they are.  Everyone is dry, and nobody is barking and carrying on about being locked up in a crate! 

To add to this misery, my condo on the Tickfaw River is probably going to get a few inches of water in it.   We have been through this before with Hurricane Ike.  Fortunately, I planned ahead and the cleanup will not be so bad this time.  When I remodeled, I knew we would get water again at some time.  We have vinyl wainscoating with no fiberglass insulation in the first 12" from the floor.  The floor is vinyl and can just be washed off!  The furniture is up on blocks so hopefully we will not have too much of a mess.

Stress, stress, stress,  thank goodness I can take a few minutes and pray.  God always seems to relieve my worries.  He reminds me it is just stuff!  He reminds me that family and furry friends are far more important!

Stay dry everyone!

IN LOVING MEMORY OF DAPHNE

My heart is heavy tonight.  A sweet little 13 week old puppy, Daphne, contracted Parvo a week ago and died tonight.  She was the best new friend to a wonderful family and now she is gone.  I feel so helpless and so responsible.  I could have waited to have her spayed. We did everything right. The moment she was listless the foster family called me and we rushed her to the emergency clinic. Their quick response to her decline in activity gave us a real sense of cautious optimism.  The recent spay surgery was not progressing as we had hoped.  She had developed a huge seroma and we were afraid of infection.  She was given antibiotics for the infection.  She ate well that night,  but the next morning she was throwing up.  We  took her back to the vet and  she was tested for parvo.  Unfortunately it came back positive. She had the best medical care and attendants 24 hours a day to monitor her.  This afternoon she was holding her own - no improvement, but no decline.  Then just hours later the doctor calls me to let me know she had crashed and they could not save her. Normally if they make it past the 3 day period, you begin to feel that they are going to make it.  But she fought hard for 4 days before she lost the battle.

She probably contracted the virus here.  This is the nightmare of every kennel, shelter or rescue group. This just shows how deadly this virus can be on young dogs.  She had two series of vaccines before she came down sick.  It just wasn't  enought to counter the infection from surgery and parvo.  So, to the family, I am so very sorry.  In her short time with you, she received much love and affection.  You are absolutely the best.  You gave a rescued dog a chance.

I can truly say I understand the feeling of losing a pet.  I've lost several over the years.  It is never easy.  We never get over it.  But time does heal and God is faithful to restore us.  Our memories of our lost friends are more precious as the years go by.  While Daphne's time on earth was short, she brought laughter and love into the lives of many. 

.  We had one other young adult dog that came down with parvo at the same time, but he was strong enough to fight it.  He spent one night in the hospital. It is possible he was shedding the virus before he exhibited any symptoms. He was an owner surrender and we were told he was fully vaccinated.  He never came in contact with Daphne.  So we presume we humans brought it into the house to her unknowingly.  My biggest fear now is that I have 5 other young dogs that have not finished all three vaccines that were in the house with Daphne.  None of them appear to be ill at this time.  We have one more week to go before we can say they are probably going to be okay.  The dogs in the kennels next to the young adult had all been fully vaccinated and those who had contact with him in the exercise yard had all been vaccinated so they will be fine.

Our rescue will be closed for adoptions for 2  months.  We will only take foster dogs who have not been on the property to Petco for the next month.  The following month we will only take adult dogs.  All the young dogs will remain here until they have had all three vaccines and have had time for them to work properly in their systems.

Thank you all for your understanding.  Please keep us in your prayers.

New Guests at Swampy Paws!

Don't you like the phrase "new guests"?  That implies that they are only here temporarily!  That is what needs to happen.  Take a look at these cuties.  Show their picture to your friends.  Make sure everyone knows there is a place where they can get an AWESOME CANINE COMPANION! 

Meet Shadow - He is a 100% purebred American Mystery Mix.  He is long, low, and solidly built.  He was found in the woods, full of tick and fleas.  Whenever you would approach him he would yelp as if he was hurt.  Someone in his past was not good to him.  However, after a week or two of kindness he is warming up to people.   

Pepper looks as if there is a little Boston Terrier in her lineage.  She is small, 15 lbs, and just loves to be held.  Her new best friend, Shadow, plays and chases her all day! 

The German Shepherd mixes are growing.  They are now 8 weeks old.  We have two females that need homes.  Ginger is taller than her sister and quite laid back.  Ebony has the darkest coat of all the litter.  She is coal black with the tan eyebrows and markings. Both of the little girls are being crate trained and Ginger is really coming along.  Next week they go to the vet  for another round of vaccines.

Many many thanks to Dezzi Falgout.  She made this wonderful spread sheet with all the dogs and the dates of their vaccines, weight, dob, spay dates, etc.   You can't believe how helpful this is when you have lots of dogs!  I have used this spread sheet a dozen times in the last two weeks!  I am glad I know someone who is knows how to do things on Excel!

Construction is finished and WE ARE FULL!!!

Look at the new addition!!   We are so happy to have the ability to keep everyone in a larger run when we must leave the property.  I only wish I have room and energy to help more adandoned / abused dogs.  But I must be firm.  WE ARE FULL AND CANNOT TAKE ANOTHER DOG UNTIL WE GET A FEW ADOPTED!!!

This past week I have turned down calls from people desparate to find a home for a stray.  The count for the first part of this week alone is 7 - Yep thats right - SEVEN dogs in less than one week.  And this is just from the people who know about us.  Please Plesase Please make animal control an issue in Livingston Parish.  Call the council members and the policy jury (because they control the purse strings) and let them know we need some help.  To bring a dog into my system takes money - $150.00 to make sure the animal gets properly immunized, free of parasites, and neutered.  This does not include any medical issues that need treatment.   A dog with mange, an injury, a skin infection, or intestinal issues can run up the bill dramatically. 

I know we may face a situation where the animals enter into a parish shelter and then be euthanized when their time is up.  I HATE THAT THOUGHT.  But what I hate even more is a dog straving to death in a slow and painful way because it has been dumped.  I hate seeing a dog mangled on the side of the road because some one dumped it.  I hate seeing puppies so thin and sick from parvo because some owner didn't protect them from the deadly disease and then get dumped beside of the road like trash. If a dog gets to the a shelter then we have a chance to save them.  Dogs dumped have no chance!  They will die. Much of this can be totally avoided by an aggressive spay/neuter program.  We need to make this a priority.  Education and an affordable price is the key to making sure we get as many dogs/cat spay or neutered as possible.  COME ON PEOPLE - LET'S WORK ON THIS TOGETHER!!!! 

Okay, I've vented long enough - I have to clean up after EIGHT puppies. 

PLEASE COME TO THE MEETING TONIGHT AT THE SPRINGFIELD / ALBANY LIBRARY.  6:30 pm - Call me if you have any questions.  225-772-8836

SAVE THE DATE

THURSDAY - AUGUST 18 - 6:30 PM
The Humane Society of Louisiana - Livingston Chapter

SPRINGFIELD LIBRARY
26941 La Hwy. 43

Please join us and learn how you can help the abandoned and abused dogs of rural Livingston parish.  We are NOT going to ask you to foster a dog!  We ARE going to ask you to help with fund raisers, adoption events, monitoring council meetings, and getting information on the dogs waiting for a homes distributed through social media.

We can make a difference one dog at a time!

Email me if you need directions or additional information.
swampypaws4@yahoo.com

A Real Hero in our Midst!

Yesterday I received a call from  Susie Wascom who lives in Killian.  She pulled a mother German Shepherd out of the river and needed assistance in finding a home for her and the four puppies Susie found.  It seems as if the mom was dumped at the boat launch not far from Susie's home.  We think one of the puppies must have tumbled into the water and the mother dog went in river to save her.  Once the puppy was on the bank, the mother dog went back into the water, perhaps to check for more pups.  She was so weak, that she could not climb out and was thrashing about.  Susie had to pull the 56 pound dog up the side of her dock!  Mrs. Wascom is a petite lady so this was quite an accomplishment.  The mama dog would have drowned if it wasn't for her quick action. 

If you can foster one of the puppies, let me know.  We have 4 little girls that need to be weaned.  The vet wants the mother dog to use all of her energy putting on weight.  You can see from the pictures just how thin she is. 

The puppies are about 6 weeks old and have had their first set of shots.  They are eating canned puppy food .  They are in good shape given their rough start in life.

Look At Her Now!

Several months ago we resued a little blind Pomeranian puppy.  She was thin and recovering from parvo.  Well, look at the before and after photos.  She now has her full coat of fur and has adapted to her disability quite well. 

We are almost done!

The work on the additional kennels is almost complete.  My guys will pick up the kennels from Tractor Supply on Monday and by the end of the day we will be back to normal.  That is if you can call anything around here normal!

With this new addition, all the dogs will have a nice big run when it is necessary to kennel them.  The covering will certainly help keep it cooler and drier.  One of our hounds, Lady, is already enjoying the raised deck area.

Many thanks to Tractor Supply for asking us to participate in their Pet Adoption Day.  They made room for us inside! We did not have any adoptions, but we did make some great contacts.  One of the foster homes for the Greyhound rescue offered to help the Humane Society with a fund raiser.  He is a member of a bluegrass band and he said the band would play at our event for free!!  I will definitely contact him when we get our ideas solidified and a date selected.

Our normal schedule for Tractor Supply does not begin again until late September when we will be there the 1st and 3rd Saturday of the month, weather permitting.  We hope to have great success with this location. 

Jade is doing much better.  She continues to suffer with allergies and dry eyes, but we had her groomed and she looks like a new girl!  Some of you may remember her story.  Her 92 year old mama was placed in a nursing home and there was no one willing to take Jade.  I must admit, she looked awful when we received her.  Her skin was raw in places and her hair was just about gone.  She had a serious eye infection and just looked so sad.  These days she is a happy camper!  Her favorite activity is snoozing under my desk.  Because of her age and ongoing medical conditions, it may be difficult to place her.  She will need a special home with no children and a very stable environment.  A single lady would be a perfect match for her!

ADOPTION EVENTS!!!!

Tonight - Petco in Denham Springs

5 pm to 7 pm

It's Ladies Night - Come see our lovely ladies who need a home.

Saturday - Tractor Supply - Hammond

This is their nationwide event to help rescue groups. We will have six 7 week old Corgi/terrer puppies up for adoption. 

9 am to 3 pm

An Exciting Day - Two adoptions - 6 Intakes!

Okay, I know I am suppose to base my in take on the number of adoptions.  Because only 1 of the dogs that found a home today was housed here, I am suppose to take only ONE new dog.  However, I received a call from a friend who told me a story of an elderly couple who had a litter of puppies that they just could not continue to house.  This sweet couple's terrier/corgi mix had a litter of 6 puppies.  They are just too cute!  They live on a limited fixed income and they realized they could not afford the vaccines, flea medication, etc that comes with 6 puppies.  While the puppies are basically healthy, they were full of fleas and worms.  We have an appointment with the vet for tomorrow morning to give them their first shots.  I gave them a good flea bath and spent some time picking fleas off their tiny little faces.  These pups will only be around 10 pounds when grown.  I know they will find forever homes really fast.   I will get individual photos of the puppies and put them on Petfinder.

Tish and Buddy found forever homes in Lafayette.  I drove the two to Lafayette today to meet their new families.  I am so excited for both of them.  The families are just perfect for the dogs.  I can't wait to get pictures and updates on their progress.  When I place a dog with a great family, it makes all the work worth the effort. 

Kennel Update -  They poured the concrete today and the roofs for the decks are on in the 10 x 10's. The dogs are enjoying the shade and cooler place to lounge.  My contractor, Mr. Billy Hutchinson, has some great ideas.  We always have a drainage problem.  Billy added drains in front of the new kennels to drain the water as it comes down the slope of the land.  Tomorrow he will add a covering over the new 5 x 10 runs.    By mid week, we have a completed project.  I must admit I cannot wait.  I love every dog here, but having all 13 of them inside while the construction is going on is a bit too much. They are really good in crates, but they are dogs and do bark when the phone rings or someone comes to the door.  The sound is deafening!  It is the perfect opportunity to work on the "ENOUGH" command.  When they start barking, I get out the water spritzer and use a harsh "ENOUGH" to get them to quiet down.  It works like a charm on some dogs, but one or two of them just don't care and will continue to whine or bark!  But, I'll keep working on it!

A Wonderful Surprise -  I received an email from a family that sent a lovely donation toward our vet bills.  I had tried to place a dog for them.  The elderly lady's family wanted only the best for Jazz so they elected to let her stay in her surroundings until the last minute.  They made sure she had the best vet care and were willing to send Jazz to any group that would guarantee she could live out her life in a loving environment.  Some of you may remember Jazz and her story.  Her mama had to be placed in a nursing facility and Jazz had no one at home to care for her.  Fortunately, an absolutely fantastic neighbor stepped up to the plate and fed and walked Jazz daily for several months.  She was certainly Jazz's guardian angel.  We tried to help Jazz, but her guardian angel, Bobbi, found her a home at the last minute.  We were preparing to go get her when a family was found.  At any rate, the family of the elderly lady, wanted to thank us.  It warmed my heart to know that there are people out there that really care about the dogs left behind when an elderly person can no longer care for their pets.

So take this opportunity to speak to your elderly family members and see what plans they have for their pets.  We make plans to give the furniture and jewelry to our relatives when we pass, so why not make sure the canine companion is guaranteed a home.

Yahooooo! The rain has stopped and work has begun!

The hot weather made some of our kennels unusable during the day.  When I selected the original location, I thought we would have enough shade for the dogs.  The location of the trees made it impossible to put a permanent structure over the kennels.  If I needed to contain the dogs, I had to bring them inside and put them in wire crates.  They didn't complain about being in the A/C, but I just could not leave them for more than 3 hours so a solution to our problem had to be found.  The large trees over the 3 large dog kennels kept it shady until around 11 am.  Then the concrete was just too hot for the dog. So, we are constructing a raised deck and covered area for them.   Tomorrow the roofs will go on and they will have shade and cool deck for lounging.

We are also adding 4 additional 5 x 10 x 6 runs.  I am so excited.  At this very moment I have 11 (yep, that is right) crates in my living room.  With the heat index well over 105 degrees, some of the dogs just have to be inside.  However, there are others that will do well in a new run with a cover.  The location of these runs will allow us to put a nice metal roof over the entire 20 feet.  Hopefully it will dry up enought to have dirt delivered and concrete poured later in the week.  I can't wait to have it all finished.

Update on Bella and Katie -  Both of these little ones have found homes.  Bella was adopted Friday night and Katie is in a wonderful foster home that may turn into an adoption.  While I miss them, I know it is so much better for these babies to be the center of attention in a home.

We are still looking for a home for the Beagle we found on a busy highway.  We rarely have such a sweet well behaved dog!  This guy is housebroken, gets along with the other dogs and cats, and loves to snuggle on the sofa.  I think I am going to name him "Velcro"  because he just sticks to your side all the time.  If I go to the kitchen, he sits at the door.  If I work on the computer, he is under my desk.  If I forget to close my bedroom door, he lays beside my bed.  He is absolutely the sweetest dog ever!  If I didn't have so many personal dogs I would keep him.  I am going to be very particular about his forever home. 

Two New Additions!

One of our local residents who always visit us at adoption days rescued a little Australian Shepherd mix puppy from a guy giving them away in a parking lot!  After talking to the guy for a little while she determined that the man was not the best doggie parent so she took the puppy.  The next day she called us to see if we could take "Bella" .  I am a big sucker for Australian Shepherds so I naturally said yes.  The breed is very smart and loyal.  Bella is 8 to 10 weeks old and a real sweetheart.  She loves to snuggle.  She is up for adoption and will be spayed when she is 12 weeks old.

Crystal is a dog we had in foster for two weeks.  She was found at a construction site with cuts, abrasions, and an injured hind leg.  This poor mama dog had just  weaned a litter of puppies and was dumped.  The gentleman that found her took her home and contacted us.  Her cuts and scrapes are healing, but her leg is a different story.  We think she was thrown out of a vehicle and her knee took the brunt of the fall.   After a few weeks of great care, her scrapes have healed and she looks great. As I write this, she is in surgery.  The vet is trying to repair the knee cap in order to save her leg.  She is such a sweet dog she deserves a second chance at finding a forever home.  She is housebroken, crate trained, and good with children and cats! She would be the perfect dog for an apartment.  She is only 25 lbs and quiet!

It is tooooo HOT do to anything but READ!

Even the most energetic dogs have been finding a shady spot and snoozing during the heat of the day.  With the heat index at 114 today, some of the double coated dogs needed to be inside.  If we have a breeze then I don't worry about them, but today was so very still, that I was a bit concerned. So my living room became the crate room.  I have 10 crates in a very small area that is a combo living room / dining room.  I can't use the table because I have three crates under it.  I can't have guests because I moved the extra chairs to the bedroom and I can only seat two people on my love seat. Well, actually it seats one person and a large husky mix.  No wonder my kids call me the crazy dog lady!  Oh well.... the dogs are always happy to see me, (unlike some humans), they never talk back, never ask for anything other than love, and when I get tired of them I can CRATE them (unlike humans).  The heat is really taking a toll on everyone and every thing. 

I've been doing a bit of catching up on my reading list while it is too hot to do anything but hybernate in the A/C.  I highly recommend any book by Temple Grandin.  There is also a movie about her life.  For those of you who may not be familiar with Dr. Grandin, she was diagnosed with autism at a early age.  Through her mother's hard work, Temple found her niche in life. She completed college and became a very well respected animal behavorist.  Because she views the world in pictures, her perspective on animal behavior is quite interesting and very educational.  She challenges us to see the world from the animal's visual perspective so we can better understand their behavior.   

I have always been impressed with the work done at Dog Town in Utah.  The story of its beginning is told in a book called Best Friends.  It is a quick read.  I always need encouragement, inspiration, and ideas!  This book does all three.

Another great book is "How to Speak Dog" -  Do you know what your dog is trying to tell you through his different types of barks?  Well, this book discusses barks, behavior, and body movements.  It is well worth the price.  There is a chart in the back that shows what play, aggressive, and fear body positions are and how to read the dog.

Take care of all your pets in this extremely dangerous weather.  Give them lots of shade and water, and when possible bring them inside!

It's Back to School Time for Me!!!

No, I'm not going back to college.  I am taking my private investigator's course so I can be licensed in Louisiana to conduct an investigation if necessary.  All of this is for my new job ( volunteer) with the Humane Society of Louisiana - Livingston Chapter.  The Humane Society has no investigators in Livingston Parish.  Once I complete this training, then I get on the job training from the New Orleans group. 

It is important to know how to collect evidence and interview people properly so if we have to go to court we have the proper documentation.  I will finish up next weekend!  I actually am enjoying the class, I just hate the long drive to New Orleans.

I also hate being away from the farm for 12 hours.  My poor little inside dogs just can't seem to hold it very long and even with my son coming in the let them out, my house is full of accidents at the end of the day.  There is nothing like coming home at 11 pm and having to mop the floor!  Ever since Precious got stuck in the wire crate, I don't leave her in any crate.  When I am home I take her out every two hours.  Unfortunately her housebreaking is taking far too long!