New Life for Nani

The opening sentences of our mission statement are:
"Crossroads Dog Rescue specializes in the rescue and placement of abused, unwanted and abandoned companion dogs. We never discriminate on the basis of health, age or breed."  
Today's rescue pull, I believe, epitomizes our goal to not discriminate on the basis of health.  While I am fairly new in rescue (about three years), many others I spoke with said they had never seen a case this bad.
Meet Nani.

This was the first picture I saw of her when she was posted on Facebook.  Nani (meaning "beauty" in Hawaiian), was a stray brought into the shelter. She is only about 8 months old. My heart sunk, tears came to my eyes, and I immediately shared.  But that was not enough for me.  I had to do more. I shared her over to the rescue page and begged (I don't like to beg, but Nani was worth it!) for our supporters to help foster a couple other dogs in our rescue.  My heart NEEDED to help her.

As is always the case, our amazing supporters stepped up within minutes! So I emailed the shelter and said I would take her.  While I did have a moment of extreme anger - WHO DOES THIS? or rather does NOT do anything for a dog that is suffering? - I quickly moved past that to thinking, "how quickly can I get to her to start her on the path of healing, toys, hugs, and a new life?"

When I arrived at the shelter, the coordinator took me back. As I looked in her kennel, she wagged her tail! We carried her to the car and I put her in the kennel with quite a few towels. I looked down at my sweatshirt and I was covered in scale-like dandruff and had drops of blood on me. Again a moment of - WHO DOES THIS?  Moving on...  While driving home we had to have the windows partially open. The smell... there are no words to describe the smell.

When we got home, she stood up and wanted out!  I put a loose lead on her, but she was so excited to be free that I had to hold on tight.  We went for a short walk and she had to potty!  Then I took the following pictures:

Looking back at these pictures bring tears to my eyes. No living thing should have to live like this. She kept shaking and trying to itch her face, which is already torn and cracked.  Every move of her face and blood and puss oozes out.  Her left eye is almost swollen closed with green puss oozing out. 

I took her in to get her settled in my master bathroom. The smell... oh. my. goodness.  Nothing can prepare someone for the smell of mange.  Then I made her some boiled chicken and rice, mixed in her antibiotics and pain meds, and she snarfed it down! Well, at least she is eating well. I walked her again and then came in to get a treat - YOUCH!  She likes treats - watch your hand if you have one around her! :-D

Upon putting her in her kennel for the night, she was shivering. We put a t-shirt on her and gave her more towels to stay warm.  I will go buy some fleece tomorrow for her to sleep on, as that is easily washable too.  Here are some pictures I took before saying good night:

Nani, our beautiful girl, has an amazing future ahead of her. Today is her first day of a new life. Tomorrow we see our vet and get her on her way to being the healthy, happy puppy she should be.  It will be a long journey, but so worth it.

If you'd like to make a donation to Crossroads Dog Rescue for Nani's care:

You can also contact us at crossroadsdogs@gmail.com.

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?

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!

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

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)

Wordle - fun new site!

Is this not cool?!?

Fun site to play with words and even print them!

Best of all - it's FREE!

Gotta check out Wordle!