Replenish after Gypsy's eye surgery

This beautiful girl, Gypsy (formerly Liberty) came to us in early July. She was severely malnourished and trying to nurse EIGHT puppies.  She also had an awful Cherry Eye that was infected.  We tried oral antibiotics and antibiotic eye drops, but the infection came back.  During her spay, the doctor found she also had severe mastitis, and tried to repair the cherry eye.  While extremely strong antibiotics are helping the mastitis, the surgery for the cherry eye was unsuccessful. We took her to an Animal Eye Specialist in Kansas City, where she received a 2nd eye surgery.  In total we have spent over $2100 in vet care for Gypsy, which has completely drained our vetting account. We would like to replenish it a bit so we can continue to help other dogs. Thank you so much to those that already donated. Please share so we can continue our mission of saving dogs. 

Happy 2nd Birthday Roxy's Babies!

Two years ago today, Erica and I went on a wild ride! We received a call a couple days previous that a woman had a chocolate lab that was about to give birth within the next couple weeks. We made arrangements to meet her halfway, as she was 2 hours away, on Monday afternoon.  Sunday evening I get a phone call that the dog is peeing everywhere. Then I get another call that the dog is in labor and just delivered a puppy (note - the dog wasn't peeing everywhere. Her water broke.)

Well, the woman did not exactly have a very strong stomach, so she LEFT!  While momma dogs usually do take care of everything on their own, it is best to help her and make sure the amniotic sack is broken immediately and umbilical cord is cut. Also, it helps to know that all the placentas for each pup come out so momma doesn't get an infection later on. (Sorry if your stomach is not so strong either.)

So about 10 p.m. at night, Erica and I grabbed a Sonic Diet Coke (it is a staple in rescue) and headed out to go be with this poor momma!  By the time we got there (two hours away), Momma Roxy had delivered NINE babies!  Erica was SO anxious to see a baby deliver, so our hope was she would have at least one more.

We loaded Momma and the babies in the warm van with towels and blankets and headed back to Lawrence.  As we are about two blocks from Erica's house, Momma Roxy starts panting again and we are freaking out that she might be delivering another puppy. Erica climbed into the back cramped into my son's car seat to be ready when she delivers...

Nope. False alarm.  Roxy never delivered another puppy.  Nine gorgeous babies and the awesome Momma Roxy got settled at Erica's house about 2:30 a.m. (I had a different litter at my house.)

This is the beautiful Jetta girl from that litter of puppies.  She has been through the ringer, but is still much loved in her furrever home with our awesome foster family - Millers.  All 9 puppies got amazing homes, and Momma Roxy lives not too far from Erica. She is always so excited to see Erica - the lady that saved her.

HAPPY 2nd BIRTHDAY TO ROXY'S GORGEOUS BABIES!!

P.S. With all the litters of puppies we have had since then, Erica has still never seen an actual delivery of even one puppy.

Adopt-A-Less-Adoptable Pet Week!

 

Who does THIS look like?

For the love of Titus - we so love this boy.  He has such joy and excitement in not just his eyes, but his WHOLE body when you are ready to play and spend time with him.

He is such a great boy that LOVES his tennis balls, (on the verge of hoarding), long runs or jogging beside your bike, and snuggling up with you on the couch or bed.  If you are looking for a new BEST FRIEND, Titus is your guy.  Now who can deny a dog that loves to do THIS? (YouTube video).

Gypsy's ChipIn for Cherry Eye Surgery

This beautiful girl, Gypsy (formerly Liberty) came to us in early July. She was severely malnourished and trying to nurse EIGHT puppies.  She also had an awful Cherry Eye that was infected.  We tried oral antibiotics and antibiotic eye drops, but the infection came back.  During her spay, the doctor found she also had severe mastitis, and tried to repair the cherry eye.  While extremely strong antibiotics are helping the mastitis, the surgery for the cherry eye was unsuccessful.  Crossroads has already spent over $400 on her medical care, so we are now asking for help so that she can see an Animal Eye Specialist in Overland Park.  Would you consider a donation for her care?  You can donate through the ChipIn fund below (goes through PayPal) or mail donations to: Crossroads Dog Rescue 819 N. 7th Street Lawrence, KS 66044

THANK YOU!

Snowball of Otto-matic Joy

December 23rd, 2009 - the day we rescued this scared, sick puppy and his sister. We called him Snowball and his sister, Angel. Unfortunately, they both had Parvo. Angel did not make it.  Snowball was a fighter and after two days on IVs at the vet  hospital, the vet called me and said "Will you come get your yappy puppy??"  WAHOO! Absolutely!

Just over a week later, he was adopted by a wonderful young couple. They were SO excited to adopt their new baby, they did not care that we had no clue what breed he was, how big he would get (note - we had him listed as Chihuahua mix), or that we didn't even know really how old he was.  It was a late evening that I approved their application, and they were on their way.

Within a couple days he was settling into the lap of luxury, being spoiled as any only furr-child should be.

Unfortunately, just 20 short months later Otto passed away much sooner than anyone could have guessed.  He developed Canine Lymphoma that metastasized very quickly. A cherry eye was actually something much worse, and didn't allow Otto to live more than a week after his true diagnosis.

Otto will always have a special place in our heart.  RIP sweet boy.

Lesson 1: Loading the clicker

Thanks to Robin Menard of Gentle Giants Rescue and Training!

This wonderful woman and I have a very similar belief that there are SO many animals in shelters and rescues because of lack of training, socialization, and simply lack of a dog being made a member of the family.  We hope by sharing some simple education and training methods, we can prevent MANY more dogs from ending up in shelters.

Day 1-3: Loading the clicker
This simply involves click and treat. Click and treat. Do this about 20 times twice a day. Do it before a meal when your dog will be more food motivated and not lose interest.  The smaller the treat, the better so they can get it down quick - helpful later on. Cat pounce treats, tiny pieces of hot dog, or tiny pieces of turkey or cheese work best.

By the 3rd day, pause very briefly after the click to see if they look for the treat.  If they seem to be expecting a treat, you have successfully loaded the clicker!

KEY NOTE: DO NOT click without a treat!! This will cause confusion!

Both Titus and Patches seemed to be expecting a treat by the end of day 2, so we are very excited to move forward.

Stay tuned!

It's "Just a dog"

A favorite photo from Feb. 2011

"From time to time, people tell me, "lighten up, it's just a dog," or, "that's a lot of money for just a dog".They don't understand the distance traveled, the time spent, or the costs involved for "just a dog."


Some of my proudest moments have come about with "just a dog." Many hours have passed and my only company was "just a dog", but I did not once feel slighted.


Some of my saddest moments have been brought about by "just a dog", and in those days of darkness, the gentle touch of "just a dog" gave me comfort and reason to overcome the day.


If you, too, think it's "just a dog", then you will probably understand phases like "just a friend," "just a sunrise," or "just a promise."


"Just a dog" brings into my life the very essence of friendship, trust, and pure unbridled joy. "Just a dog" brings out the compassion and patience that make me a better person. Because of "just a dog" I will rise early, take long walks and look longingly to the future. So for me and folks like me, it's not "just a dog", but an embodiment of all the hopes and dreams of the future, the fond memories of the past, and the pure joy of the moment. "Just a dog" brings out what's good in me and diverts my thoughts away from myself and the worries of the day.
I hope that someday they can understand that it's not "just a dog" but the thing that gives me humanity and keeps me from being "just a human."


So the next time you hear the phrase "just a dog", just smile, because they "just don't understand."


~Borrowed from another great rescuer and trainer, Robin Menard

Extreme Makeover Crossroads Edition UPDATE

No. All the hoopla about Extreme Home Makeover being in Lawrence/Kansas City, KS is, sadly, NOT for us. :-(

We have the application 99% finished - just need my husband to get the measurements of our lot.  Then, early next week, when my teenage son, David, is not doing BOTH marching band and 7 hours a day of rehearsing for a Summer Youth Theater production of "West Side Story", he will be able to be a part of the video we have to make. He is extremely talented and animated, so we thought he would be just the right person to give the "tour of the house" that is required.

However, this production shindig is affecting Crossroads' in a way.  Erica and her family have been living at the Hampton Inn since her mastiff, Marla, set her house on fire.  Well, the production team of Extreme Home Makeover bought out the Hampton, and Erica has to move her family to a different hotel until they are done cleaning and repairing her house.  Justice (great dane in rescue) has been adopted, but remains in boarding until her adoptive family gets back from vacation next weekend. She is doing great at day care and healed nicely from her spay surgery.

Lawrence Landscape, from just down the street from our house, will be doing the landscaping for the project. Here is the link in the Lawrence Journal-World. 

If you are interested in volunteering for the Extreme Home Makeover project, here is the link to their volunteer page: Join Extreme

So let's make this a good experience for those involved in the production so they will want to come back to Lawrence SOON for US!!

Really? Breeder over rescue?

My soap box has come out quite a bit lately, but when it comes to animal welfare I will not apologize.

Today we received an email from a woman very interested in adopting Justice and wanted to know her age and price.  Erica responded with our adoption process, that she is just over a year old and her adoption fee is $250. (Note: The wonderful Rocky Moutain Great Dane Rescue charges $350 for a pure great dane under 2 years of age, just for comparison since we are an all breed rescue.)  Justice has been vet checked, heartworm tested (negative) and started on preventative, Capstar for fleas and flea/tick treatment, nails trimmed, updated on all vaccinations, micro-chipped and spayed.

This woman responded that there were breeders selling AKC registered Great Danes for the same price, so she would just go there.

REALLY??  Obviously she has no clue.  I am not sure what breeder she is speaking of, but I would be shocked if they are that cheap. Is the dog from the breeder current on vaccinations, vet checked, heartworm tested/on prevention or spayed? Oh well, spayed probably isn't an issue.  

Does she have any clue that if she buys a dog from a breeder for (give her the benefit of the doubt) $250 that should she choose to properly vet her dog what the cost would be?  As a rescue we get significant discounts, so the following numbers are from our vet: Heartworm test $35, Nail Trim $9, Micro-chip $40, Distemper/Parvo $20, Bordatella $20, Rabies $25, Capstar $5, spay for a great dane - anywhere from $250-$500 depending on weight.  So on top of her purchase price, she would still have to spend $400-550 plus monthly heartworm prevention and flea/tick prevention to appropriately vet the dog.  AND there is no guarantee the dog is healthy. Treating a great dane for heartworms could cost $700+ alone.  

So $250 for a healthy, sweet, loving great dane from a rescue or $250 for a great dane from a breeder with no further information?

And seriously, who can deny this face?

The Paw Wash is AWESOME!

First of all, Crossroads Dog Rescue does not benefit from the sale of The Paw Wash.  However, I was SO impressed by the results, that I just had to share.  I bought this back in April at the Pet Expo in KC.  I heard about it through various Facebook posts, but had not heard personally how well it worked.  I was leery, but my dear goldendoodle, Hannah... Her sister's mom (a dear rescue friend) and I joke about our girls and their black go-go boots (mud up to their knees). So I bought it to give it try (developed by a KU student - it had to be good, right??)

Well, to tell you how leery I was, I did not try it until today. I put a little doggie shampoo in the bottom and filled to the line with warm water, per the instructions.  I had the microfiber hand towel, but also had 2 more towels just in case.  I put Hannah's paw in and out just a couple times, and WOW!  I am glad I had the couple other towels there because of her thick hair, I needed to dry her paw quite a bit.  I did both front paws, then went and rinsed out the container. I put more warm water in to rinse the soap off.  A couple times on each paw and here are the final results:

AWESOME!! 

Cleaner than me putting her in the bath tub, I think!

To give you an idea of how dirty she was, look at her back paw times 2 or 3.  I tried to wash her right back paw, but she wouldn't stand up for me. So back paws are a challenge on her - I just towel scrubbed them down.
Basically, I am really impressed. So head on over to The Paw Wash and get yourself one!

HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY Rynn's babies!!

Many of you may not remember this picture.  For others, as for me, it is a picture we will NEVER forget.
It is a picture I received via email with this picture:

I forwarded the email to Erica and called her. You see Erica is the rational one in this partnership. "Is she good with other dogs?" "How bad off is she?" "Are you going to get her and all those puppies????"

I could hear her thinking, "She is nutz! She is going to get that mom and babies!", but Erica knew the answer to the last question.  The first two questions I ignored and was already making transport arrangements with the wonderful Laura Oesterhaus that works with the Manhattan, KS shelter.  Was there any question about me rescuing this poor girl and her 9, yes NINE, babies???  She had been brought into the shelter by a gentleman that said he found her on his property with the puppies.  Someone dumped a momma dog with 9 puppies out in the middle of nowhere with no shelter, water, or nutrition??  I will not take responsibility for my actions should I ever meet that person face to face. How in the WORLD are they still alive??

The thing about this girl and her story is it spread like wild fire to Colorado, Oklahoma, Missouri, and of course, Kansas.  When word got out that Crossroads was rescuing her, suddenly we had emails of offers for sponsorship, adoption, and $150 in donations!

I took my teenage son and we met Laura in Topeka on July 28th, 2010 to pick her up with her babies.  She was so skinny we were almost scared to touch her, but at the same time wanted to hug her and tell her everything was going to be okay now.  She rode all the way home snuggled next to my son.

We got her home and gave her a much needed bath. This is what we pulled off of her - in all, seven engorged ticks, mostly from under her chin and on her neck. *blech*

After her bath, she continued her bonding with my son, David. We were trying to think of an appropriate name when David asked if he could name her.  He came up with Ryne. No particular meaning, it just sounded good to him.  She seemed to like it and she stayed close to David all night.

We also got her puppies settled.

Warning!! CUTE Alert!

As emaciated as Momma Ryne was, look at how healthy these approximately four week old puppies were! Nine precious, adorable, beautiful babies - 2 girls and 7 boys!  Love at first sight for sure.  You can see these and over 150++ more pictures on our Facebook page. Look for "Momma Ryne and babies" and "Ryne's babies 8 weeks and up".  The pictures say so much more than I can put into words here.

Ryne was an INCREDIBLE mother to these babies. She willingly nursed and cared for them. She socialized them and disciplined in such a gentle, loving way.  The following is one of my favorite mother/kids pictures:

"I'm gonna miss these boogers when they leave."

And so the puppies began to find furrever homes.

This is Ryne kissing Riley good-bye. Still brings tears to my eyes.

In the end, all 9 puppies ended up in AMAZING homes. I am so blessed to be able to keep in touch with many of them through email and Facebook.  This is full grown Riley with his friend/sister (and the next Crossroads' momma) FLASH! Yes, we are blessed to already have repeat adopters!

And then there is our dear Biffle, originally Green collar.

He was accidentally hit by a truck in December and was our first Crossroads' baby to go to Rainbow Bridge. The day I received that email will forever be etched in my brain. I bawled for the longest time and it still brings tears to my eyes. He will forever be in our hearts, and I'm sure he is watching over all 8 of his siblings and momma!

(Note: We may finally have some progress on his memorial sign,

 as we renamed the puppy run out back BIFFLE'S RUN!)

But what about Ryne? Well, a lady from Wyoming inquired about Ryne middle of August. We began emailing back and forth. It had been laid on her heart that Ryne could possibly be a good companion for their other sweet girl, Auri.  Email after email, back and forth, an increasing comfort came over me that this is where Ryne should go when the time was right. Sometimes a family comes around and there is just a solid feeling, a God Wink I would call it, that says - give her to that home.  Ryne meant the world to our family. She was so loving and gentle - practically the perfect dog in every way. There was no way I could let her be adopted by just anyone.  

After we approved their application and continued to communicate, we decided that we wanted to meet in person, meaning I would personally transport her halfway (7 hours one way).  So on a Sunday, end of September, I got up early with Ryne and headed towards central Nebraska.  Ryne was an angel girl the whole way. When I finally met up with this incredible couple that I had been communicating with, it seemed as  if we had been friends for a very long time.  We found a beautiful park to walk Ryne and her new sister, Auri, and spent a long time chatting, sharing, and watching Ryne and Auri get to know each other. (Okay, now I'm crying just remembering that beautiful day.)

I said my good-byes to Ryne as we put her in this soft bed next to Auri in the back of their SUV - just within reach of her new mom and dad.  Ryne was not 100% sure what was going on, but I knew she would be fine. I got back in my car and drove to a gas station. I sat there for quite some time having a good cry - a bittersweet, happy/sad cry.  With that said, to this day, I have never been so confident in my decision to drive 14 hours round trip and take a dog to a furrever family.

Here is Ryne's (now Rynn) first Christmas in her new home:

And here is her running free and happy.

Enough said.

Happy 1st Birthday to Rynn's beautiful babies!!

You did an amazing job, Rynn.

To Rynn and her children - we love you!

HOT, HOT, HOT!!!

The next week or so is going to be treacherously hot. You may be hearing it on the news and other animal pages you follow, but it does not hurt to repeat this warning. Our dogs need to stay cool just like we do!

For Lawrence, KS, we are under an Extreme Heat Watch and the temperature will not be below 90 (mostly upper 90s) for the next 8 days at least.

Please do not leave your dog outside for very long. Do not exercise your dog for very long periods of time - even early morning or late at night when it can still be high 80's, low 90's.  A dogs' normal body temp is higher than ours - 100.5-102.5 degrees F, so they are already higher than a human. Plus they carry a coat and if it is dark, it will be that much warmer.  Their bodies are not as efficient at cooling itself either - only through their paws and panting.

Speaking of their paws - do not walk them on hot surfaces. If you would not walk on hot cement or asphalt, neither should they.

So besides being inside in the air conditioning, how else can we help dogs stay cool?

1. Obviously, ample cold water to drink. 
2. Plenty of shade
3. Limited physical activity
4. Kiddie pool - Titus loves having the pool outside.
5. A cold toy - I put a few rubber toys in a clean ice cream bucket then fill it with water and put it in the freezer. Once it is frozen, I run the outside of the bucket under cool water which allows the big ice chunk to easily fall out on the patio. The dogs love licking it and working their way to the toys.
6. Frozen treats - Spoon all natural pumpkin (No spices) into an ice tray and freeze.  These are healthy, cold treats that are great for their digestive system.
7. Misting fan
8. Obviously the best option is to keep your dog indoors and only allow outside briefly for potty breaks.

So what to do indoors with a dog that needs to burn off energy?

1. Play "Hide & Seek". This is a great way to work on recall. When they find you (or the kids) they can reward with a small treat.
2. Fill a Kong toy (on sale cheap at Amazon) with a treat, all natural pumpkin, yogurt or cottage cheese. This will keep the dog busy for a while while he/she works it out.
3. Kong and Nylabone are the favorite toy brands around here - many are mentally stimulating and almost indestructible.
4. Puzzles - Kong has the beehive shaped one. There is a puzzle cube that you can fill with part of their meal for them to work out. Frank LOVES these.  If your dog doesn't destroy stuffed toys, there are some great ones available as well.

Last but, certainly not least - Do NOT ever leave your dog in the car in the heat.  If you see a dog in a car, have the owners paged and/or call the authorities. Do SOMETHING. It will not take very long for the dog to overheat.

Thank you for loving and taking good care of your and other furrkids!

Extreme Home Makeover - Crossroads edition?

Those that know me well, know that I am very bad about asking for help, or anything else for that matter.  I am also very bad at accepting offered help or gifts too. I am a take charge kind of person that wants to take care of everyone else, and of course have a passion for the plight of homeless dogs.

In the past 3 years, I feel like I have finally found my calling and that is in dog rescue.  These precious, helpless animals need a voice.  They need someone to step up and show the world how much love they have to offer if only given the chance. They also need help being spay/neutered.  This is what I believe I was called to do.

Rescue, as in life, is not without challenges.  Shelters are overflowing with animals needing rescue and adoption, and it is heartbreaking to have to "ignore" many, many emails and Facebook postings with pictures of dogs that look so sad, or are sick or injured.  The number of animals in need is way more than there are volunteers and rescuers can help.  Sometimes it seems even a momma and one litter of puppies is a lot for just me to handle. But our goal is to do it RIGHT and to do it WELL.

And then there is life... During the past 3 years, we fought diligently to figure out what was wrong with my youngest son, Jeffrey. He screamed since birth and very little gave him any relief.  Finally, at the age of 20 months, other life threatening symptoms appeared that finally got one of the many doctors we had seen to order an MRI of his head.
Diagnosis: Severe Chiari Malformation of the brain blocking all cerebral spinal fluid from flowing freely down his spinal cord.  Due to the lack of medical understanding of this condition, it took further pushing and fighting, until finally a doctor at Cleveland Clinic listened. Jeffrey had decompression surgery (craniectomy at the base of his skull and laminectomy of the C1) in Cleveland on May 11, 2010.  This may have saved his life, as well as prevented him from being paralyzed from the neck down.

Due to the amount of time it took to get the decompression, there is some brain damage - IGF-1 deficiency, hypoglycemia, Intracranial Hypertension, and Severe Apraxia of Speech.  With this information under our belts, we are now using it to see if it is the cause of our 2 daughters' health issues, including gastric vulvulus, headaches, body pain, ketotic hypoglycemia, exercise intolerance, and frequent dislocation of their joints - at the young ages of 5 and almost 7 years old.

I do not share this information lightly or for people to feel sorry for us.  It is what God gave us, and we believe He does not give us more than we can handle. But as Mother Teresa says - we wish He did not trust us so much. :-)

The animals in our home are therapy for our family. I only hope and pray that we can give these animals half the love and loyalty that they give us.  With every extra ounce of energy I have, I want to save more animals from being euthanized. I want to educate the community of resources available to help with the cost of spay/neuter, and the benefits and life long reward of adopting shelter/rescue animals.

It is a two fold request that we now ask for your support by nominating us for Extreme Home Makeover - to raise awareness about Chiari Malformation, to raise awareness about the plight of homeless animals and spay/neuter, and obviously, have the home that will allow us to not only care for our medically challenged children, but continue to rescue dogs in need.

The information is posted on the Crossroads Dog Rescue Facebook wall as well as here:
Taken from Pilots N Paws Facebook page:  NEWS FLASH! After seeing a news article on one our rescue flights, Pilots N Paws was contacted by Extreme Makeover-Home Edition. Pilots N Paws would love to nominate a family who is making a difference in the animal rescue movement to bring about change and awareness to the cause. If you know a family that are heroes to animals and that and need a home, please send an email to producer Kelly Mooney ExtremePets@EMHE.TV as soon as possible. Let's get moving people! 


Thank you will never be enough if we are chosen. For now, thank you for considering us and supporting our rescue cause!!
~Stephanie Richardson & Family
Crossroads Dog Rescue
crossroadsdogs@gmail.com

Callie's Babies

Meet Bubba - one of 8 adorable puppies from Callie's litter. There are 5 boys and 3 girls. We believe momma Callie is an Australian Cattle Dog mix (not sure what). The puppies appear to be mixed with Keeshond or something similar. All of the puppies will have been vet checked twice, given first shots and wormer prior to adoption. They are available June 10th, 2011. If you are interested in adoption, go to our website and read through the adoptions page: http://www.crossroadsdogrescue.org

ChipIn Set up for Vet Bills

To our wonderful friends and supporters:


We have reached a point in rescue that is uncomfortable for us and we need your help.  In order to move forward and save more lives, we have to pay our vet bills for Sammie (Jack Russell that passed away from diabetes and pancreatitis) and Hershey that are just not being covered by adoption fees.  We continue to have to buy adult dog food, a collar (cheap, but quality) for the adult dogs, and tags (we buy off eBay very inexpensively).


We greatly appreciate any amount that you can offer. Just $10 from 100 people and we have it raised. With over 600 friends and if you can share our link to spread the word about our mission, I just know we can do this quickly! THANK YOU!


If you would like to mail donations directly to us or to our vet, here are the addresses:
Stephanie Richardson 
Crossroads Dog Rescue 
819 N. 7th Street 
Lawrence, KS 66044 

Eudora Animal Hospital
1905 Elm
Eudora, KS 66025
(Please note that it is for Crossroads Dog Rescue)

For the LOVE of Titus!

Probably a rescuers worst nightmare would be losing one of the rescue dogs. Having the dog get out and not being able to find a dog one has just pulled from a shelter only to be picked up by animal control and put back in another shelter...

You see our dear Titus has figured out how to jump the 6 foot gate by using the cross bar! We do not usually let him out back without supervision, and the few times he has gone over, we are right there to get him back in. (Have I mentioned he has GREAT recall?!)

Dear sweet Titus

So this morning, Titus wanted out with the rest of the dogs one more time before I ran the girls to school.  I let him go and prayed he would not jump.  Instantly the kids came to me saying he jumped. *sigh*  I run out front and there is no sign of him.

I ran back in, changed a diaper quick and threw the kids in the car to go find him. I drove everywhere in our neighborhood, searched the farms to the North of us, drove a couple streets over... all the while PRAYING people would not see him and call Animal Control. I also called Erica for emotional support. She offered to come drive around.  We drove around for over 20 minutes before I had to get the girls to school. *ugh* I hated leaving our neighborhood not knowing where he went!

But I had to get the girls to school, and I did - just barely on time.  Then I rushed back home as fast as I safely could and continued to drive around looking for Titus. My little Jeffrey (that has very few words he can say) kept saying "Tidey come home!"

However, Rodman's adopter was supposed to be here to pick him up!  So after 45 minutes of driving around, we went home, and I was SICK to my stomach with worry about where Titus was.  I called Erica devastated.

I go in the house and look to the back door window - THERE STANDS TITUS!  He never left us!
I could swear I checked out back thoroughly before leaving.  I guess not.

Yes I am blonde and feel free to get a good chuckle out of this.

Crossroads Dog Rescue is GROWING!

Great news abounds at Crossroads Dog Rescue!
We have people stepping up and offering to foster. We've had offers of volunteers. Donations of bowls, towels, paper towels, newspapers and food have been amazing!!
We cannot thank you enough!  These are much needed so that we can continue to help these precious lives.

We are also growing our network base with many other rescues, shelters, organizations that make products for dogs, and getting our name out by being listed on other websites!  This is all incredibly exciting!

With growth comes a need for more money. We would love to begin microchipping all the dogs that come into our rescue. The initial investment with HomeAgain is $500 for 100 microchips and a scanner. Having the vet do a microchip is $40 each - not cost effective for us, so purchasing our own in bulk will save us $35 a chip!!

As soon as our 501(c)3 is finalized, we will begin applying for grants.  We are soon going to be selling adorable homemade dog toys, house training doggie door bells and homemade doggie treats. Eventually my wonderful husband, Chad, says he would like to make Kuranda-like beds to sell. (There is an organization back East that has all the plans to make them in bulk for around $12 each! )  We would also like to have a "Mom and Pups Reunion" this summer which will include a fundraiser!

While all these plans are great, there is one piece to rescue that will never stop being a need - vet bills.  As we have shared in my post "Why does it cost so much?", much of the time our adoption fees do not cover the cost of vetting a dog so that our amazing adopters get the healthiest dog possible.  Many of you also know that we recently have been on an emotional roller coaster.
So let me lay it out:

Hershey's vet bill was $220 to have her put down due to needing a rabies test since she had bitten.
Sammie's vet care was $721 for 5 nights in the hospital, glucose checks, IV fluids, antibiotics, and ultimately having to be put to sleep.
Callie's vet bill will be well over $700 for heartworm treatment, all her shots, and spay.

This does not include Titus' shots, Marley's shots, puppies' shots and wormer, any other dog we might be asked to take in, adult dog food (puppy food is once again being donated by No More Homeless Pets KC) and supplies to care for the animals.

So while we are THRILLED that we are growing and able to help more animals, we can only do it with your monetary donations.  If you would be willing to donate any amount of money, we are setting up 3 different funds: Sammie Memorial, Callie and puppies, and HomeAgain MicroChip funds.  You are welcome to donate to the general fund, or to these specific needs - just leave a note with your donation which fund you would like it to go to. If there is no note, we will put the funds towards our greatest need.

If you would like to mail donations directly to us or to our vet, here are the addresses:
Stephanie Richardson
Crossroads Dog Rescue
819 N. 7th Street
Lawrence, KS 66044

Eudora Animal Hospital
1905 Elm
Eudora, KS 66025
(Please note that it is for Crossroads Dog Rescue)

We thank you in advance. Until every nose has a home...

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Emotional Rollercoaster of Rescue

Unfortunately rescue is not all about playing with puppies.  There are the highs of finalizing an adoption, seeing a sad dog become happy, and getting a clean bill of health from the vet.  Then there are the lows...

Crossroads has experienced a few lows lately in the midst of all the wonderful puppy adoptions.  In the age of social media, it is difficult to not be almost completely transparent, so we have some news to share with our fans, friends, and amazing supporters.

First: Beautiful Hershey

In a horrible sequence of events, Hershey is no longer with us.  Since she came to us, she bit two children. My hope was by moving her here, I could help rehabilitate her. I kept her away from my children from some time and slowly started socializing her with our family. She did beautifully.
However in the back of my mind, I kept thinking "where is her personality?"  It did come out some and I was getting excited that our investments were working.  Until her relationship with my yellow lab went downhill... Something snapped and we had to keep them separate.
Then she met our new cat, Jessie. For four days she sniffed around the cat and would then go lay down and ignore her. One morning, I took my daughter to school, and when I came home Hershey was in Jessie's bedroom (that I know I shut tight) and poor Jessie was in severe distress.  Jessie died before I could get her to our vet.  Prey drive... I explained it away because of a dog's prey drive.
The next evening when someone came to the door, the sweet, quiet Hershey that never barked went barreling for the front door barking. As my husband reached to stop her, she tried to bite him.
That was the last straw. After extensive talks with everyone on the Crossroads' board and our vets, it was decided that Hershey needed to be put to sleep.  Our liability would just be too great so we could not adopt her out.  Plus, our energies could be used focusing on adoptable dogs.
Hershey brought us 12 beautiful babies that will be loved and spoiled in their furrever homes.  While to a rescuer it feels like we let Hershey down, for the community we know we did the right thing.
RIP Hershey - 4/23/2011

Oh dear Sammie...  This adorable little girl came to us very sick.  Our board member, Abby, has a special place in her heart for Jack Russells, so we truly wanted to fight for this girl.  We knew she had just been diagnosed with diabetes at the tender age of six years old.  This could be manageable.
We got her to the vet the morning after she came in, and the doctor took one look at her blood work from the previous vet and said, "She is REALLY sick."  Diabetes AND pancreatitis.  He believed we could try to save her, but also laid out how difficult it might be due to the pancreatitis.  Abby and I wanted to fight. My daughter had bonded with her too, and she quickly became a special little girl to us.
As updates came in through the weekend, we gained hope that maybe she would make it.  Monday morning the vet re-ran blood work - not good.  Her white blood cell count was still through the roof after two and a half days on IV fluids and antibiotics.  She was vomiting again, but again... Dr. Shain was willing to fight.
Today I took our newest momma dog in to be checked out.  One of the other doctors laid it on the line for me regarding Sammie - plain and simple: There is no way we could ever take her home.  She would die a painful death within a couple days.  Her blood sugar this morning was 480 (normal is between 80-120). White blood cell count was 28,000 and amylase was 18,000 (high end of normal is 950!).
We needed to let her go.
Again, after talking with my incredible rescue team, we let Sammie go where she would be pain free and able to run and play again.  Dear Sammie-girl, you will not be forgotten.
RIP Sammie - 5/3/2011

Finally there is a sweet Callie - our newest momma.  No she is not dying.  However at her vet check-up today we found that she has an old break in her back, left leg that didn't heal right.  She does not seem in too much pain, but does not put much weight on it.  We will do an x-ray during her spay to see if there is anything we can do.  Then there was the heartworm test... Positive.  Ugh. Crossroads has never had a heartworm positive dog yet... our luck ran out.  This is treatable, but it is a long, expensive road.
For now there is nothing we can do while Callie is nursing. She will start on antibiotics once the puppies are weaned.  A month later she will be hospitalized for 3 days for injections. Then she will have to be kept very calm and quiet -  no running, jumping, or excitement for more than SIX weeks. She won't be very happy with us, but it will be necessary as the worms leave her heart/lungs and are absorbed by the body.
Lesson to be learned? PLEASE keep your dogs on heartworm prevention!!!

In the midst of all these challenges, we have seen 17 puppies go to their furrever homes!!! Congratulations to our babies and their wonderful adoptive families!  One more little girl will probably go home Thursday, leaving three of Hershey's babies left - 2 boys and a girl.

Thank you to every single one of our adopters, supporters, friends and fans. We cannot do this difficult, yet extremely rewarding business without you.

Why does it cost so much?

We often get asked why it costs so much to adopt a dog from us. Part of it is that we are not a government shelter and our costs are not subsidized by taxpayers. Part of it is that we do a lot for the dogs.  Everyone gets spayed or neutered, microchipped, has had their distemper/parvo, rabies, and bordetella. They are screened for heartworms, lyme, ehrlychia, and other tickborne diseases.  If there are any other health needs, such as hernia, skin condition, or anything else, we do whatever the dog needs before it leaves us. It's just expensive.


Below you will see a layout of what we did for a fairly healthy adult dog, that only had an extra hernia repair.  This is the most reasonable vet in Douglas County, and even gives us a rescue discount on vaccinations and spay/neuter. When you adopt a dog, it really pays to think about how much it costs to maintain a dog. 


Kai's vet bills:


Kai came into rescue and was taken to the vet at their first available opening.
As we do with all adult dogs we bring into rescue this is the protocol:


Rabies                                     $10  (Vaccinations have a rescue discount.)
Bordetella                                $10
DHPPCV/L4                            $10
Heartworm/Tick disease test  $35  (Negative, thank goodness!)
                                    TOTAL: $65


Since we found her NOT to be pregnant, but had a horrible hernia, we scheduled her spay and hernia repair for the next week.


Spay surgery                 $60 (BIG rescue discount - THANK YOU to Eudora!!)
Hernia repair                  $50
Rimadyl Inj (pain meds)  $21
Ampicillin (antibiotics)     $18
Rimadyl tablets (pain meds) $12
Amoxicillin caps             $18.20
                             TOTAL $179.20


Because she was not adopted quickly, we did her booster shots a month later:
Bordetella                         $10
DHPPCV/L4                    $10
                                 TOTAL: $20

TOTAL VET COSTS: $264.20

Adoption fee: $150.00

Loss on vet costs: $94.20

We also make sure she received Heartworm prevention every month ($7.35/month) and K9 Advantix ($13.83/month), so $21.18 per month.


Then, of course, we feed her. She is a 56 lb. dog eating Iams. On occasion there are donations from No More Homeless Pets KC that we can use to feed our puppies, but for the most part, we pay for all food.  At times we can go through a $35 (40 lbs. of Iams) bag of dog food in 3 days. Yes, that is over $300/month, even for a small rescue.

Total Loss on one dog: ~$94 (vet)+$42(heartguard/flea meds)+$60 (food)

=$196

This is why we are an all VOLUNTEER not-for-profit (pending non-profit 501c3) rescue that depends greatly on donations. 


Dogs are a bad investment if you are planning to retire rich. They are expensive to appropriately care for.  Late in life they will likely need expensive care, and there is a reason people use the phrase 'eating me out of house and home'. It's kind of like kids - no one ever considered kids a money making venture. If you are considering adopting from any rescue, they should at a minimum be sending you a fully vaccinated dog that is spayed or neutered (or have a deposit that it is required by a certain date). Anything else and they are pretty much selling a dog, which is not what rescue is about.

On a brighter note, you are reading a blog from Crossroads Dog Rescue. We are a foster based rescue run by stay-at-home moms that are passionate about the health and well-being of dogs.  This is not just their physical health, but their mental and emotional health too.  We bring these dogs into our homes with our families. We get to know them, show them love, fun and socialization with other dogs and children.  Can you really put a price on that?

2 Ring Circus

I truly believe Erica and I could have won America's Funniest Home Videos today.  Today was the day of taking Violet and Hershey's puppies to the vet for their check-ups, shots, and wormer.  Remember how many puppies each momma had?  Violet had 9, and Hershey had 12.  So yes, we took 21 puppies to the vet all at once.


Not only that, but we both had our youngest boys with us - Erica's son will be 2 in a couple weeks. My son is just over 3.  Great help of course!


I hauled in 2 kennels with puppies - one tiny kennel with 2 puppies, and a very large kennel with the other 10.  This wasn't such a big deal because Hershey's puppies weighed in from tiny Pepper at 3.14 lbs to the 2 big puppies (Socks and Pippin) weighing 6.8 lbs.


When it was time for Erica's puppies (remember they are part Great Pyrenees), I wish we had someone video taping us.  You see Erica was holding her son, while my son followed me to the car to bring in puppies.  We would meet at the door and trade out puppies.  The waiting room was full of other people and their furrkids observing these 2 crazy ladies, with 2 toddlers, and 21 puppies.  Violet's puppies weighed in between 10-12 lbs each and are wiggly, so you can imagine how easy they are to hold on to when you have a toddler either in the other arm, or one tugging at your pants.  I could clearly hear circus music playing around us. 


Can you picture this video in fast forward? All Erica and I needed were clown costumes!

There are no words...

Over the last couple months we have had an amazing response to our request for donations of towels, cleaning gloves, newspapers, trash bags, monetary donations, and positive thoughts and prayers.


First, I want to send a HUGE thank you to the Kanwaka 4H Club!  They chose Crossroads Dog Rescue as the recipient of their time, energy and donations, which included newspapers, trash bags, towels, blankets, and plastic gloves.  We are putting it all to good use with all the dogs and puppies we have in rescue right now!  We SO appreciate you choosing us and all that you gave.  The puppies all thank you for helping them have clean, soft and warm places to sleep.

Kanwaka 4H Club

Secondly, we want to thank Bikram Yoga of Lawrence and Kimbo Jackson.  Kimbo donated a wonderfully thick mattress pad and towels. Then she realized that we could probably use all the towels and old mats that get left at her yoga studio! Absolutely! 

Next thing we know, Bikram Yoga of Lawrence decided to give their students a 10% discount for trading in old towels and yoga mats and buying new ones from them!  We were informed today that there has been a great response!  So we both win as they are generating sales, and we are the beneficiaries of many soft towels and mats! 

AND upon pick up today, she handed me a $50 donation from one of the students!! They were not even asking for monetary donations, but WOW! Thank you SO much!

As a little teaser... We are working with Kimbo Jackson on an incredible surprise. I am so excited, so STAY TUNED for updates!

In addition to these amazing organizations, we have had many generous individual donations of towels, puppy food, and monetary donations. This is the only way that we can keep our adoption fees low, yet continue to save these precious lives.

Crossroads Dog Rescue is growing slowly, but surely. We thank each and every one of you for your support.

UNTIL EVERY NOSE HAS A HOME...

HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY!!

Momma Libby delivered 11 precious babies in a shelter one year ago today. Unfortunately, Libby was extremely scared and was unable to nurse them all. 8 of her babies crossed to Rainbow Bridge long before their time (4 at the shelter and 4 within days of coming to rescue).


Six days after the birth, we picked up Libby (named for being Liberated from the Independence Shelter) and her  remaining babies.  While we fought SO hard to save every baby we could, 4 more babies passed away, leaving just 3 - 2 little girls and a tiny boy.


Here are a few pictures to remember their precious journey to amazing homes:

 2 weeks

 Star & Gemma - 4 weeks

 Nike - 4 weeks

 Nike, Star, Gemma - 6 weeks

 Nike - 9 months

Gemma - 10 months

Unfortunately, we do not have a current picture of Star, but have heard she is doing GREAT in her new home. Most recent update from Gemma is she is the love of her family's life and looks quite cozy on the couch.  Nike update just last week was that he was on vacation with his family and is "the best dog". 

What about Momma Libby??  She is SPOILED at her home north of Lawrence by a family that has become an integral part of our rescue - Abby Coffin is on our board of directors. THANK YOU, COFFIN FAMILY for adopting and spoiling our dear Libby-lou!

HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY STAR, NIKE, & GEMMA!!