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.

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.

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!

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!!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

'Tis the days before Christmas,
And all through the house,
The puppies are squeaking an old rubber mouse.
The wreath which had merrily hung on the door,
Is scattered in pieces all over the floor.

The stockings that hung in a neat little row,
Now boast a hole in each of their toes.
The tree was subjected to bright-eye whims,
And now, although splendid, it's missing some limbs.

I catch them and hold them, “Be good I insist!"
They lick me, then run off to see what they've missed.
And now as I watch them, the thought comes to me,
That theirs is the spirit that Christmas should be.

Should children and puppies yet show us the way,
And teach us the joy that should come with this day?
Could they bring the message that's written above,
And tell us that most of all, Christmas is love!