The Never Ending Problem - Escapees and Abandoned Dogs

I have been battling two dogs for months.  They would jump/climb/dig their way out at least once a week.  Most of the time I would catch them right away, but a few times they would be gone for hours and I would be a wreck until they returned.  Fortunately I live in a rural area so if we get an escapee we have time to find it before it gets into any trouble, but I still don't like to have any of the dogs out in the woods.  They always return to the house full of swamp mud and ticks! -  yuck.......  I hate to use hot wire, but to protect them from themselves, I have wired their favorite escape points.  For the one area that could not be hot wired, I  used plastic fencing to extend the height of the original fence.  I just tie wrapped a piece of PVC pipe to a fence post and I had an instant 6' fence.

You can tell when one of them tries to climb the wired section.  There will be this loud yelp and then they run back to the middle of the yard with their tail between their legs.  It normally only takes one or two times and they get the idea.  You can use it for climbing and digging.  I buy the fence chargers specifically for dogs.  It is a pulse type and not as powerful as those used for cattle or horses.  You want the dog to get the idea - not hurt!  It has been almost two weeks now and neither of them have managed to esacpe ---- ahhh SUCCESS (maybe).  I don't trust them, so they are either kenneled or crated when I leave the property.

Then there is the issue of BAD OWNERS.  We accepted a little dachshund that was found in the parking lot of the Subway in Springfield.  This little lady was full of fleas, has major skin issues, and is very old - probably 10 to 11.  She is mildly heartworm positive, meaning that at one time someone took reasonable care of her.  Her teeth are in terrible shape.  She is very sweet, gets along well with the other dogs and is housebroken. She doesn't act like an old dog!  All she wants is to have someone to love her.  We named her "LUCY".  Once her skin is cleared up she will be put up for adoption.  You can see in the photo how she has patches of hair missing.  She is currently on an antibiotic and gets a medicated bath twice a week. 

SADIE is doing well.  Some of you may remember my post about the little Pom who had parvo. Her neglectful owners were trying to sell her!  Once they realized that I would not pay for a sick dog, they agreed to a little grocery money.  I just needed to get her out of that situation.  The picture above is when she was home for the weekend.  Most vets do not have someone at their facilities at night and weekends.  The vet tech just comes in twice a day to administer medications and check on everyone.  I knew that Sadie could  be in trouble if no one noticed for hours that she was crashing.  So, my vet agreed to let me take her home for the weekend with her IV line still in her little leg.  I could get her to the emergency clinic if needed and the IV line allowed them to immediately start any medication needed. 

  But look at her now!  She is just a barrell of energy. 

Here is an example of a RESPONSIBLE OWNER.  Someone I know had a litter of puppies she intended to sell to make extra money.  (Not a good idea!)   She quickly realized that two small children and 4 puppies are just too much!  She did the responsible thing and found homes for all the dogs (mom and dad included) except  for one little runt!  She surrendered "OREO" to us.  At 5 months of age, Oreo weighs in at a whopping 3 pounds!  She is loving and playful and will be put up for adoption as soon as she gains a little weight and is spayed.

Remember to spread the word ----- We need loving homes for our dogs!  Tell your friends, put us on your facebook page, help us market our dogs.  Some people say you can't buy love.  Well,,, they have never bought/adopted a dog.  For the small sum of $60.00 you can bring a lot of love into your life!

This has been Vet Week!

In the past week we have taken 5 dogs to the vet for various issues.  Jade, our newest addition, needed a recheck on her skin issues and another round of shots, Sadie also needed shots, Boudreaux aka Butterball has some sort of sprain that is causing a limp, and Lady had a very swollen ear flap!  In addition, we had a little terrier mix that needed vaccines so she can have a cherry eye corrected.  As it turned out, Lady must have been stung.  When I found her at 5:30 am this morning, her ear flap was about 2" thick!  I immediately gave her benadryl and put her inside in the air conditioning.  By the time we got to the vet, the swelling was down quite a bit, but still noticeable.  Fortunately, there was no sign of a snake or spider bite.  The doc gave her a shot and said to continue the antihistimine until the swelling is gone.

Boudreaux is such a handsome dog.  I remember how dreadful he looked when we first found the litter of puppies very sick with parvo.  Now that he is a year old, he has developed into a good looking hound dog!  He just plays so hard that he sprained his leg!

The pictures of the puppies and then the grown up dogs always keep me smiling.  It is a lot like having baby pictures of your adult children sitting on the mantel.  You remember how special they were when they were so little! You recall how much work went into raising them and then you smile with an inner satisfaction knowing you have great kids.  Well, our dogs are a lot like that.  We are always happy to see how they have matured and turned into awesome canine companions.

Swampy Paws joins forces with the Humane Society of Louisiana

I've known about this organization for awhile and recently got to know the local chapter director.  After much thought  I decided it was time to join with them in the fight to protect the animals of Livingston Parish.  There are 8 municipalities in the 642 square miles of Livingston Parish and only two have animal shelters. Unfortunately, one of them is a kill shelter. The other shelter can only take strays found inside the city limits.  So, basically there is no animal control or shelter for the homeless, abandoned, or abused animals.  The Humane Society of Louisiana hopes to correct the situation through various programs.  We are looking forward to working with them.  In addition to our rescue efforts, we will focus on education, enforcement, and legislation. 

We have volunteers who will present educational programs at schools, public libraries, and other civic or church organizations.  If you would like to have someone address your group, please let me know!

From Disappointment to Hopeful!!!

Well, I just got off the phone with the couple who have Daisey.  They are struggling.  They have fallen in love with her and want to try a few things before they take the final step and return her.  The though of not having her around made them very sad so they have decided to try a few things to see if she will adjust to her new surroundings.  I suggested giving her a huge sand pit for a play area.  I told them to hide her toys and make a game of finding them.  Perhaps we can teach her to use the sand and not the fence line.  Ofcourse she is trying to dig out, but maybe it is because of boredom. 

This dog should not be bored.  They take her swimming every day, she gets a truck ride daily and lots of attention... So what is HER problem?

DISAPPOINTMENT DAY - DAISEY IS COMING BACK!!!

I am really bummed out today.  Daisey is being returned. This is the second home that has returned Daisey. The first time wasn't her fault.  The prospective owner's other dogs just would not accept Daisey.  Now she just can't seem to settle down with a fabulous young couple.  She has started digging and whining all the time.  They even took her to the vet to see if she was ill.   I guess she misses the pack.  She just doesn't realize that she had a great home and that the humans were going to be her new pack.  Anyway, they gave it a heroic effort.  So Miss Daisey is once again going to be at Swampy Paws.  If there is a next time, I will make sure one of her submissive playmates goes with her.  I really think that is all she needs.  Unfortunately, the couple can't add another dog so their only choice is to return Daisey. 

Let me thank them for returning her to us and not letting her go to just anyone or a shelter. 

I know that this is part of running a rescue.  But, when you find a great home and the dog doesn't cooperate then it gets frustrating.  We are so very full that I have no openings at all - no little dogs and no big dogs can come it until I get a few placements.

Part of the disappointment with today is that after meeting with the manager of Petco, I learned they require a 501 3 C status before we can go there on our own.  The Petco chain has been so cooperative and helpful to all the local municipal shelters and small rescues.  But,  I absolutely hate having to jump through hoops with the IRS so I think I wll just have to find a different location to show the dogs under the Swampy Paws name.  We can take one or two of our dogs when we work the Saturday adoption events with the Denham Springs Animal Shelter, but I hate to bring a dog and compete with the shelter's animals.  They too are very crowded and need to find homes desparately.

There really is no need to be a 501 3 C.  All it will cause is more paperwork than I want, and we are too small to get grants.  Ofcourse, if someone wanted to donate cash, they could  write it off on their taxes, but so far we haven't gotten much in the way of donations.  I just think it isn't worth the hassle.

So today was a bummer...... another dog that needs kennel space and one less place to show our dogs....

On the bright side, I love Daisey and she is worth the effort.

Boudreaux, Honey, Precious and Bleau !!!!

Boudreaux has found a way to cool off!  Our Walker Hound thinks he is a lab!  He discovered the water tub a few months ago and has continued to use it as his own personal cool down tub!  He is such a goofy dog.  Boudreaux was one of parvo puppies from last year.  He was adopted, but his hound nature made it difficult to live in the city in a normal backyard.  He is quite a squirrel dog! 

When the litter of puppies were found they were all thin and very sick.  We were able to save 6 of the 8 puppies.  It was quite a challenge.  So this litter of puppies have a special place in our hearts.  We want him to find a forever home and one where he will be allowed to use his hound traits!  He is all grown up and a beautiful dog.

Another beautiful dog is HONEY -  Remember her - she also likes water.  Honey is doing well in her new home.  She has three other pack mates and a wonderful human companion.  I just love it when I get pictures of our dogs in their new homes.  Honey was a lucky dog to find such an engaged owner.  She is doing great because of such a kind and loving home.

Precious keeps us smiling.  Her lack of vision certainly doesn't slow her down.  She now weighs 6 pounds and her eye pressures are remaing constant.  That is good news!  Over time and with medication it may go down some.  She has discovered a new best friend - Bleau.  Since Bleau jumps the fence to get inside, he has become a mostly inside dog.  He is crate trained and practically housebroken.  He NEVER marks my house!!!!  I am sooo impressed.  I had to teach him to be gentle, and not paw at the little one.  He readily learned that she is just a baby!  Now he just lets her crawl all over him. 

We have many great dogs that need a loving home.  Our "ready for adoption" number is 8 and our permanent resident number is 10!  Four are my personal dogs and the other 6 are either old, have behavioral issues, or otherwise unadoptable.  That is a lot so we need everyone's help in finding homes.