Nikko Gets a Second Chance in the 'Nik' of Time! and What a Chance it is...

Nikko in his shelter photo

Nikko came to as an URGENT PLEA!  This dog needs foster now!  Our group, FOHA found this darling, Jack Russell terrier dog that was just a day away from being euthanized!  He was in a high kill shelter in Tennessee.  I have to say from what I've learned, the shelters are doing their best to try and help these guys in whatever way they can...  They are people just like us, and they hate to see these precious animals being put to sleep.  But until the crisis is over, they will continue to have way too many animals to save them all...

Nikko was found wandering the streets in Tennessee.  I believe Nikko may have ran away from his home.  He showed signs of abuse.  As he sat in the shelter on the cold concrete, he was shaking and terrified.  His photos showed the fear in his eyes.  He did trust people.  He had been abused by people he trusted. Now he was locked into a jail full of frightened, angry dogs who were being put to sleep daily.

When I saw the photo of Nikko, I could not help but feel the tug at my heart for this little guy.  Without a foster to step up that day..my little friend was going to be put to sleep.  Luckily for me, I had an open space for Nikko.  When Nikko came to me, he was terrified of everything.  He got off the transport and cowered. He was so hungry and thirsty as they all are due to the traveling, but he would not accept food or water for quite awhile.  I'm sure what was going through his head was, what is going to happen now?

Nikko stayed with me for about 3wks.  He learned a lot in that short amount of time.  He was not housetrained, he at first acted like he had never been in a house.  He did not know how to get in your lap.  He did not know a lot about being in a loving environment.  He mistrusted my husband and never stopped barking at him every time he came into a room.  My husband is a big guy and I believe Nikko mistook him for his abuser.  Even though my husband would feed him and bring him treats, pet him and do whatever he could to earn Nikko's trust, Nikko never trusted him.

A wonderful angel, inquired about Nikko.  She was looking for a rescue dog and wanted to fnd the one with the saddest eyes to become her new dog.  She had adopted one before from the dog shelter.  The one she adopted was the dog that cringed in the corner, not the ones that came and licked her and was friendly.

I call Nikko's adopter an angel because Nikko had so many rescue dog issues.  We were working on his problems one at a time and taking it easy to build his faith up with humans again.  I never changed the pic's on the web site to new pic's of Nikko in my home.  The pic's on the site were the ones from the shelter.  The sad eyes, the cringing dog.  I left it this way because I did not feel Nikko was ready for adoption.

When I received the inquiry on Nikko, I wanted to make sure she understood I did not think he was ready for adoption and I made sure to tell her my impressions of Nikko.  Her answer was, I have worked through issues before with my other rescue.  I do not mind working with a new dog.  I will take a dog with whatever he comes to us with...good or bad.  

Nikko met his Angel this past Saturday.  Not only did he meet her, he met her mother, her fiancee and his new grandma's cats!  We all had such a wonderful meeting, Nikko was completely at home with the family.  Even the cat hissed at him one time and that was it..no problem. 

I believe the flow of love, acceptance and caring was felt by Nikko.  He knew he was at home with a very loving and caring family.  I am so very proud to say, Nikko has found his 'furever' home and I really think he makes a beautiful picture with his new Mom, Dad to be and grandma!  Even the cats seem to accept him in..disdainfully to be sure, but accepting, nonetheless!

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My Dearest Little Lucy..I Love Lucy!

Lucy and her 'fur' sister Allie, human sister Brie

I've had another foster to come to us and never even got the chance to post her on my blog!  She arrived by transport Saturday night...and Sunday morning we had an application for the dear sweetie pie!

Lucy's story is probably one of the worst I've heard since fostering.  I've heard all the stories of dogs being stray and picked up with mange, etc.  That in itself is evil enough.  People have to learn that domesticated dogs cannot live without humans feeding them.  You cannot just dump a dog on the streets and it will survive on its own.  Cats have much more of a chance than dogs do at survival. Dogs usually end up eating dead animals on the road, etc. and then getting all sorts of diseases that will kill the dog....but that's another post..back to our Lucy.

It seems Lucy was a backyard breeders dog.  He began breeding her when she was much too young. I do not think she was quite a year old.  She had seven pups to deliver.  She delivered 3 and then the 4th puppy became stuck in her birth canal.  The owner took her to an emergency vet after she was in labor much too long and had started vomiting and having a temp. The vet advised a cesarian to try and retrieve the pups still yet to be born.  They knew she had 4 more to deliver. 

The owner refused and took the Lucy home with the pup still stuck in the birth canal.  Lucy suffered through another 12 long hours of labor before the owner brought her back still in pain and vomiting.  Remember this momma dog was still a puppy herself.  She only weighed 9lbs at the time.

They performed the surgery and found Lucy's female organs had been torn with the ordeal of labor.  The vet stitched her up the best she could and advised the owner, do not attempt to breed this dog again, it will kill her.  It was approximately a year later the man brought Lucy back to the vet, where it was apparent he had tried to breed her again.  This time the owner could not afford the vet bills and Lucy was surrendered.

Our rescue took Lucy and posted her on our web site before she arrived in NH.  She had three people interested in adopting her.  She was so fatiqued, hungrey and worn out from the trip, I advised everyone she needed a week to gather herself together and strengthen herself. 

The following Saturday, Lucy went to meet her potential 'furever' family.  She was a big hit with her furbaby sister, Allie and her human sister too!  They all had a blast as the two dogs tore around the house playing like the road runner and Wiley Coyote!

Lucy had such a short stay with me...I did not even get a chance to get photos of her beautiful face! She had one blue eye and one brown eye.  She was a delicate Boston Terrier, weighing in at only 15lbs.

The family who adopted her wrote me an email the next week to share some pic's of Lucy.  The pic's mean a ot to me and I just adore seeing Lucy with her new family!

Because Lucy went to her new family so quickly..I was able to help a Jack Russell Terrier mix.  He was from a shelter in Tennessee.  More on his story in the next post...

Please enjoy these photos of Miss Lucy as I came to know her!  What a terrific little girl!

                                          Lucy with her Dad!

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Meet Justice a Golden Retriever Spaniel Mix, Who Has Not Seen Too Much Justice in His Short Lifetime!

Meet Justice..he is my new foster from TN.  He appears to be a Golden Retriever Spaniel Mix.  I want to say he may even have Afghan in his background due to his wide, feathery black ears.  Justice came to me as a twice jailed reject.  Poor Guy!

Justice was originally adopted in Tennessee by a family. They took him home and due to him wanting to come inside the house, (think about the cold weather during March!!), the new owners took him back to the high kill shelter and said they did not want him any longer, he kept wanting in the house!

He is a young dog, believed to be about 2yrs young, he stills chews on your hands and has sharp teeth. He is very easy to train but you have to be consistant with him, he is like a rebellious younster.  He loves to play, play and more play! His favorite pasttime is running in circles at top speed around my .5 acre front yard.  He loves long walks after breakfast, and tennis balls.

He does not like school buses (he barks), I think he was with a family and maybe the child went to school on athe school bus.  He does not get along with cats. He chases cats. I am working on a 'leave it' command with him now to stop the behaviour.  He does not get along well with smaller dogs. He tends to use his size to his advantage.

It is very apparent Justice has had abuse in his past. People who did not know how to cope with a dog probably locked him in garages, outside, etc.  He is very mistrustful of people. It is taking awhile but I feel as soon as he learns that not all humans are going to try and hurt him, he will become a very loving, loyal and great dog!

Any high energy family with lots of room for Justice to run would find him a loving family member.  He really is a sweet dog.  I would not suggest him around little children but having older children would be a plus! He needs someone to throw frisbees and tennis balls as fast as they can and all day..his energy is endless!

To see Justice's profile on Petfinder.com, go to:  Friends of Homeless Animals

UPDATE: May 15, 2010 - Justice met with a potential adopter in Rhode Island.  This family had 2 boys, ages 9 and 7, just right to play with this huge puppy!  They also have a former rescue dog, a Great Pyrenees who has lived with them for awhile.  The Great Pyrenees breed is a laid back, mountain type dog who does well in solitude...not necessarily needing the pampered, family way of life.  The family found they really wanted a pet to come in the house and cuddle and play with the family.

Well from Justice's write up, we all know the only thing Justice was looking for was a family to invite him inside and cuddle and play! What better match could be found?!

We took Justice to his potential new 'furever' home and he and their dog had a great time. It was almost no time before the two dogs began playing and having fun.  This is not easy for such a large dog as the Pyrenees!  Everything was all set for Justice and his new home.

Justice finally has found the justice he needed. He is now a part of a loving family and has a new brother he can play with and he will never have to worry about his cuddling again!

I am getting a new foster in this weekend, he is being fostered due to Justice's new parents. They are the heroes in my life.  The adopters who adopt our dogs, don't even know how many dogs they help when they find their special dog!  I always like to tell them the name of the new dog I will be sponsering due to their love and understanding of these wonderful dogs!

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