The St. Louis Senior Dog Project

Adoptions and a goodby

The St. Louis Senior Dog Project is a not-for-profit dog rescue organization specializing in older dogs but taking in and finding homes for dogs of all ages and even a few cats.  See our adoptable pets at www.olderbetter.petfinder.org. and go to the following link to vote daily to help us win a grant.

http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/shelterchallenge.faces?siteId=3

Ellen's Notes:

We said goodby to Trinity tonight. Although this 14-year-old lady had spent most of her life in a research facility, she left this earth as a pet in the arms of people who loved her and cried at her passing.

Trinity was one of a number of senior dogs taking in last year from a research facility that was closing.  Some years earlier she'd lost one leg, so we knew her first as Tripod and later as the more dignified Trinity.

She was a beautiful blue merle sheltie mix.  We think she enjoyed her last year, and we were sad to see her go but comforted to know that she hadn't died without knowing what it was like to live in a home and feel loved.

A couple days ago Trinity suffered a stroke and began a down hill slide.  As her distress and confusion continued, it became obvious that it was time to say goodby. 

We'll miss you, Trinity.

Earlier in the day some of us took dogs to the Kirkwood Petco for our second adoption event of the weekend.  Amont those adopted was Paul, a friendly little pomeranian/chihuahua/yorkshire terrier sort of dog.  We rescued him from Jefferson County Animal Control and worried about him for a few days while he was hospitalized with a respiratory infection.

He recovered quickly and showed himself to be a playful, friendly little man.  He left in the arms of a little girl who had carefully picked out toys and treats for him.  His family left with a shopping cart piled high with new dog supplies.

Congratulations to Paul and his new family.

Ellen Ellick

President/Founder

St. Louis Senior Dog Project

EllenE9466@aol.com

Sophie and Nicole

The St. Louis Senior Dog Project is a not-for-profit dog rescue organization specializing in older dogs but taking in and finding homes for dogs of all ages and even a few cats.  See our adoptable pets at www.olderbetter.petfinder.org.  And here's that link again where you can vote to help St. Louis Senior Dog Project win a grant.

http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/shelterchallenge.faces?siteId=3

Ellen's Notes:

Maybe their cute pictures helped because the two dogs pictured in yesterday's blog have both found homes.  Congratulations to Sophie Trophy and to Nicole. 

That's not all.  Eva and Zsa Zsa, the shy poodle sisters, went home with what looks like their forever home.  They've had their troubles, to be sure.  Two earlier adoptions didn't work out for these two, but we're already hearing good news from the charmed third.

Hilda the dachshund went home earlier this week with our friend Barb from Rolla.  Lucky Hilda.

Kara the yorkie also went to her new home. And we've still got another adoption day to go.

But the day was not without its sadness. Jake, a puppy rescued earlier this week from the St. Louis City Pound, died of parvovirus today.  It's been awhile since we've lost a parvo dog.  Maybe we've just been lucky before.  Rest in peace, little Jake.

Ellen Ellick

President/Founder

St. Louis Senior Dog Project

EllenE9466@aol.com

The Eve of a Big Weekend

The St. Louis Senior Dog Project is a not-for-profit dog rescue organization specializing in older dogs but taking in and finding homes for dogs of all ages and even a few cats. See our adoptable pets at www.olderbetter.petfinder.org. 

And keep on voting to help us win a grant.   We're in the home stretch and the contest is very close.  Only two weeks to go. Vote daily for St. Louis Senior Dog Project.

http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/shelterchallenge.faces?siteId=3

Ellen's Notes:

On the eve of a big adoption weekend, I wonder who will find homes.

Will Sophie Trophy capture someone's heart?  That's here in the picture above? And what about some of our seniors?  Bridget the Boston Terrier mix, Lily the Poodle, Dixie the German Shorthaired Pointer, Ebony the chow mix.

And what about Jester, the old guy I wrote about yesterday?

I think of some that should be "easy" adoptions -- Nicole the Lhasa mix (pictured below), Paul the Pomeranian/Terrier, Pamela the maltese. Who could resist these cuties?

Sometimes we have days that surprise us.  The hard-to-adopt dogs find homes and the easy ones have no takers. Some weekends are all about old dogs. Others are little dog days...or big dog days.  We never know what it will be.

Saturday and Sunday we'll be at the Kirkwood Petco, I-44 and Lindberg, 11 to 3. Come on by.

A good weekend means we might have room for other dogs waiting in shelters and elsewhere.

Ellen Ellick

President/Founder

St. Louis Senior Dog Project

EllenE9466@aol.com

Jester and more

The St Louis Senior Dog Project is a not-for-profit dog rescue organization specializing in older dogs but taking in and finding homes for dogs of all ages and even a few cats.  See our adoptable pets at www.olderbetter.petfinder.org/

Today we're #1 again in Missouri in the Animal Rescue Site contest.  If we stay there for about two weeks more, we win a $1,000 grant. We could win more if we climb higher than our #35 position nationally.  And it's a real run for the finish line.  Please vote daily and find friends, family, twitterites, Facebook friends and others to do the same.  Here's the link.

http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/shelterchallenge.faces?siteId=3

Ellen's Notes:

I see a lot of this.  A sad, abandoned dog looking out at me from behind bars.  This fella was adopted out of Jefferson County and returned because he was "too lazy or too old to do steps."

I'm calling him Jester because he does remind me of a clown.  He's somewhere between 5 and 9 years old and quite the nice gent.  I just couldn't leave him behind even though I'd come to the shelter to pick up a different dog (which also went home with me).

Where does it end. I've had calls every hour from people wanting me to take their old pets -- some as old as 15! I've had emergency emails about conditions in local shelters which were overwhelmed with what we call "owner surrenders" -- people getting rid of their dogs. 

One bit of good news was the big bust of a dog-fighting ring.  Authorities confiscated close to 300 dogs -- most of them pitbulls.  It's stomach-turning to think that some people ask their dogs to entertain them by killing and being killed.  But the cruelty is only one part of the story.  Visit any shelter today and you'll quickly see that the homeless dog problem is primarily a big dog problem.  And more speciically, you'll see a disproportionate number of pit bulls, rottweiler and their mixes -- dogs acquired not because of their sweet nature (which they often do have) but because of their reputation as fighting or protection dogs.  Break up the dog fighting business, close down those who breed fighting dogs, and you also help the bigger pet overpopulation problem.

Of course every day brings cute pictures and news of dogs we've adopted out earlier.  We heard from Rosie, who was one of a litter of puppies found by the side of the road.  The mother had been hit by a car and killed.  Looks like Rosie is doing just fine.

Ellen Ellick

President/Founder

St Louis Senior Dog Project

EllenE9466@aol.com

News and Opportunity

The St. Louis Senior Dog Project is a not-for-profit dog rescue organization specializing in older dogs but taking in and finding homes for dogs of all ages and even a few cats. See our adoptable pets at www.olderbetter.petfinder.org.

Ellen's Notes:

We're #1 in Missouri again in the Animal Rescue Site contest.  The contest continues throughout the month, so we still need your daily votes.  It looks like a close contest to the end between 1 and 2.  So vote vote vote. Call on your work pals, your Facebrook friends, your family, and your Twiterworld. It doesn't cost you anything, and we sure appreciate your help.  Here's the link:

http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/shelterchallenge.faces?siteId=3

And here's another opportunity. This will cost you only some time and a lot of love.  Why not consider fostering?  Here's a chance to find out more about it.

Operation Spot is sponsoring a forum titled "Fostering - Saving One Pet at a Time" 6:30 p.m. Thursday, July 16, at the Creve Coeur Community Center.

Find out more about it.  Some of our wonderful St. Louis Senior Dog Project fosters will be among those there to tell you about the fostering.

And come by the Kirkwood Petco 11 to 3 Saturday/Sunday to meet some of our adoptable dogs.

Ellen Ellick

President/Founder

St. Louis Senior Dog Project

EllenE9466@aol.com

 

Lucas is found

The St. Louis Senior Dog Project is a not-for-profit dog rescue organization specializing in older dogs but taking in and finding home for dogs of all ages and even a few cats.  See our adoptable pets at www.olderbetter.petfinder.org.

Ellen's Notes:

About lunchtime my phone rang and I saw the call was from the Illinois side of the river.  Could it be about Lucas, the missing Aussie we'd known as Alphonso or Alphie?  Lucas had been a July 4 victim. Frightened by fireworks, he bolted and run from his owner's vacation cottage near Vandalia. I wrote about him yesterday.

"This dog just showed up at my house and AVID said he was adopted from you."

"Does he have a  tail?"

"No."

Bingo.  It was a very hungry Lucas.  As we talked, she said she was feeding him.  ""We have four dogs of our own."  By now Lucas is back with his very relieved human family.

I spent part of the day trying to find more people who will vote for the St. Louis Senior Dog Project to help us win a grant.  We've dropped to number 2 in Missouri and need a boost up if we're to win $1,000.  Here's the link.  Vote every day! Get your friends involved. Twitter.  Facebook.  Come on!   We can do it.

http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/shelterchallenge.faces?siteId=3

Other calls and emails today were often discouraging. They came from individuals, shelters and volunteers all frantically trying to find homes for dogs that might otherwise be put to sleep. I hate saying "no" but that was my most common reply.  With adoptions slow and donations slower, I  have to be careful not to take too many dogs that will be hard to place.

I did take in two new dogs, though.  Lindsey and Nicole, two young volunteers, were available and interested in fostering an older puppy each.  I met them at the St. Louis City shelter.  Nicole selected a chocolate lab puppy close to a year old.  Lindsey found a four-month-old Dalmatian/Boxer puppy. And I see dogs at Jefferson County I'd really like to help.

My Scottish Terrier mix is still hospitalized, but it sounds like she'll pull through.

And we're all preparing for a big weekend with adoptions 11 to 3 both Saturday and Sunday at t he Kirkwood Petco, I-44 and Lindbergh.  The picture with this blog is of Lily, one of the cutest, friendliest 10-year-old poodles you'll ever meet.

Another missing dog

The St. Louis Senior Dog Project is a not-for-profit dog rescue organization specializing in older dogs but taking in and finding homes for dogs or all ages and even a few cats.  See our adoptable pets at www.olderbetter.petfinder.org.

Ellen's Notes:

I wasn't going to write anything tonight.  Too tired.  Nothing to say.

But I just learned that Alphie, now Lucas, is lost near Vandalia, IL.  He's another Australian Shepherd afraid of loud noises, and somehow bolted out of a vacation home.  Recently adopted, Lucas is  distinctive because he was shaved down because of severe matting when we took him in. (His hair has grown some since this picture.) So except for being tailless, he doesn't look like your typical Aussie.

He's much like my dog Bubba Blue who also is afraid of loud noises and storms, except that Bubba is also nearly blind.  Lucas is still young, with good vision.  We don't yet know if that's an advantage or if it will make it easier for him to cover more distance.

Signs are up.  People are searching.  I hope for good news soon.  He's a friendly boy, so I hope he'll approach someone soon.  The last time one of our adopted dogs went missing over the July 4th holiday, she was found about two weeks later --- muddy and hungry but alive and well.

Other news.  One of my recent rescues -- Jamie the Scottish Terrier mix  -- is hospitalized with a bad case of kennel cough.  I'm hoping it isn't pneumonia and she'll be better soon.

One of my own dogs, Smokey the Black Lab, seems to have a mass in his abdomon and will have x-rays on Wednesday.

We've lost some ground in the contest to win a grant.  That kind of a day.

Go to this link to vote every day for the St. Louis Senior Dog Project....and if you're in or near Vandalia, watch for Lucas.

http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/shelterchallenge.faces?siteId=3

Ellen Ellick

President/Founder

St. Louis Senior Dog Project

EllenE9466@aol.com

Bubba Survives the 4th

The St. Louis Senior Dog Project is a not-for-profit dog rescue organization specializing in older dogs but taking in and finding homes for dogs of all ages and even a fw cats. See our adoptable pets at www.olderbetter.petfinder.org.  And please, please vote daily to help us win a grant. We're #2 in Missouri now and need a boost.  Here's the link.

http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/shelterchallenge.faces?siteId=3

Ellen's Notes:

After several hours of searching for my lost dog Bubba Blue on July 4, I stopped back at home and found him waiting for me in the living room.

He wore a sheepish I-know-I've-Been Bad expression, evidentally hoping he'd be forgiven.

But what was he doing back home?  Had he been hiding inside somewhere all along?  Or had he dug back into the backyard and slipped back in through the dog door? 

Meanwhile, I was a wreck. Bubba is 11-years-old, nearly blind and terrified of storms and loud noises.  And it was the afternoon of July 4 on a cloudy day with rain in the forecast.  Some of the neighborhood kids were shooting off fireworks already.  And I couldn't find Bubba, who for all his mature years still knows how to pull a dig or dart when the spirit moves him.

Bubba is a rescue I'd decided to keep.  He's a beautiful blue merle Australian Shepherd who once took Best in Show and then left all that glamorous life behind when he was diagnosed with juvenile cataracts.  He became a pet instead but lost two homes because of his talent as an escape artist. He was out of second chances when I took him in.

He does fine here and only occasionally escapes, and then never goes too far.  But this time he picked the worst possible day and slipped his collar in the process.

So how did he get back home?  Bubba ran into a neighbor, Dog Trainer Gary Abelov, who took him to Open Door Animal Sanctuary to be scanned for a microchip.  Since I'd called AVID earlier to report Bubba missing, the AVID rep even knew that I was at that moment out searching.  So Gary brought him back to my home and let him in the front door (which was unlocked).

After I arrived back home and found Bubba there, I left home one more time to take down all the "lost" signs I'd posted earlier.  But I didn't throw them out.

Bubba's sleeping now,yesterday's adventures probably forgotten.  All's well.

Ellen Ellick

President/Founder

St. Louis Senior Dog Project

EllenE9466@aol.com

Scotty's Long Road Home

The St. Louis Senior Dog Project is a not-for-profit dog rescue organization specializing in older dogs but taking in and finding homes for dogs of all ages.  See our adoptable pets at www.olderbetter.petfinder.org.  And keep voting to help us win a grant.  We're still #1 in Missouri, but #2 is close behind us. You can vote every day until the contest ends later this month.

http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/shelterchallenge.faces?siteId=3

Ellen's Notes:

Scotty is back home on his farm near Wichita. He's lucky to be alive, and he seems happy to be back with those he knows.

But he certainly took the long road home, and for awhile last week I wasn't sure where he would be happiest.  With the arrival of the pictures shown here, I think he's in the right place.

Scotty is a highly trained working dog, skilled at herding cattle. But he has a lousy sense of direction, something that got him in trouble when he wandered off a month or so ago. His owners felt sure someone would find him and notice the phone number on his collar.  Nobody did, though, and Scotty ended up in a local "high kill" shelter.  Evidentally no one noticed the phone number there, either.  Or if they did, the call got lost, erased or who knows what.

Three times Scotty was scheduled for euthanasia. Three times staff crossed him on the list.  They liked him.  Then someone contacted us about possibly taking this older dog.  They described him as a 10-year-old smooth collie mix.  He was actually an 8-year-old purebred border collie.

We agreed, and several volunteers got him transported from Wichita to St. Louis.  We named him Conner and quickly fell for his charms.  We were told that the shelter had called the owners, and no one had come for him.  That seemed hard to believe.....but it happens all the time.

Then Conner jumped a fence here and met someone new, someone who did notice the phone number and our tag and called both.  Suddenly we had ecstatic owners who wanted him back.  But I had concerns.  Before sending him back to Wichita, I needed to know that this was really best for him.  I still had trouble understanding how his owners hadn't visited the local shelters more looking for him.

But after many emails and phone calls and a few family pictures, they won me over.  One of the family's sons picked him up and Conner/Scotty went back home. He went home microchipped and with additional ID tags.

The pictures show Scotty with his owner revisiting the farm, Scotty with one of the sons and another of the border collies, and Scotty with one of the grandchildren. He looks happy.

But I wonder what he thinks of all this.

Ellen Ellick

President/Founder

St. Louis Senior Dog Project

EllenE9466@aol.com

Crazy Bowl Fundraiser

The St. Louis Senior Dog Project is a not-for-profit dog rescue organization specializing in older dogs but taking in and finding homes for dogs of all ages and even a few cats.  See our adoptable pets at www.olderbetter.petfinder.org.  And keep on voting to help us win a grant.  We're losing our lead in Missouri and really need your help.  Vote daily.  Here's the link.

http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/shelterchallenge.faces?siteId=3

Ellen's Notes:

The St. Louis Senior Dog Project and Pound Pal's Nooterville are joining together with a Crazy Bowl Fundraiser July 25th at the Show Me Lanes, 4575 Lemay Ferry Rd.

Doors open at 7.  Bowling starts at 8 p.m.  The cost is $150 for a team of six.  shoe rental and three pitchers of beer per team included.

The evening will include cash prizes, 50/50 rafle, silent auction and more!

And you don't even need to know how to bowl!  Or at least not well.  But if you can....all the better.

To reserve a lane, call Arlene at 314-623-0412 or email kulade5@yahoo.com

Show Me Lanes has a full Snack Bar, Grill and cocktail Lounge.  Or you can bring foor to share.

Proceeds help our two great organizations.  You know about St. Louis Senior Dog Project.  Nooterville is a service that allows qualified individuals to spay or neuter their pets for free.

Ellen Ellick

President/Founder

St. Louis Senior dog Project

EllenE9466@aol.com