The St. Louis Senior Dog Project

The Year Ends

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 dogs at www.olderbetter.petfinder.org. 

Once again this year we found a home for our Christmas Beagle.  This year it's Flower, who is doing well in her new home. That's three years in a row we've placed a Christmas Beagle. Flower's the little beagle who came to us with a condition known as Cherry Eye.  We did surgery on her eye, and she turned into a dog as pretty as her name.

And now she's found a home.

Of course she's only one of about 400 dogs we've placed in new homes this year.

A few days ago I learned that Max, the chocolate lab, had found a home -- with the parents of one of his foster parents.  Max had recently recovered from treatment for an advanced case of heartworm disease. He visited the parents for Christmas, and the parents fell in love.

That alone is good news.  But when Max goes to his new home, his foster parents will take in Bella and Bubba as their new foster dogs.  The pair of 7-year-old back labs were turned in to a shelter because their owner could no longer afford them.

This week I also took in Evie, a 7-year-od Brittany Spaniel mix, and, of course, Lucky, the lab mix selected by my granddaughters.  We also now have Pearl, a poodle in need of knee surgery.

And Romeo, who was adopted out as a puppy, is now back with us as a two-year-old. It seems he and the other dog in the famiiy were not getting along.  He's doing fine here and is on a diet to lose about 20 lbs...really.

Lucky is now with his new foster mom, Tracy. I met her with him today.  Penny the rat terrier is now back with her foster mom, Judy, and I'm wondering if this almost perfect senior lady might find her new home soon. Penny spent her holiday with me while Judy had a houseful of company.

Today Michel, one of our volunteers, picked up two poodle and a beagle from the St. Louis City Pound, and we'll be going back for another dog there next week.

I hear good reports about the three dogs w rescued from lives at the end of chains.  Pork Chop the dachshund is doing well in his new home.  He's the boy who couldn't walk at all when first we took him in from a local shelter.  Now he's slim happy and walking along quite well.  And almost every day, I receive reports about other dogs we've placed in good homes.

Of course, we've had sad cases.  When you deal with senior dogs and abandoned dogs, some of them don't make it.  Clarabelle, a senior rat terrier, died a few days ago, probably as a result of a brain tumor.  At least she spent a few good months with her foster mom, Patty.  And there were others who never made it out of foster care.  But we wipe our tears and move on. 

We'll be conducting two adoption events this weekend -- 11 to 3 both Saturday and Sunday at the Kirkwood Petco, I-44 and Lindbergh.  I know there are people coming to look at several of our dogs.

Thanks to all of you who have send us donations. We appreciate your trust and plan to continue doingn to best job we can in helping homeless and neglected dogs find new homes.  We've been around since 2002.

And now we begin another year.

Ellen Ellick

President/Founder

St. Louis Senior Dog Project

EllenE9466@aol.com

Echo & Sadie Rescue a 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 of all ages and even a few cats.  See our adoptable pets at www.olderbetter.petfinder.org.  We'll be at the Kirkwood Petco, I-44 and Lindbergh, 11 to 3 Saturday and Sunday with dogs for adoption.

They named him Lucky, and already that name suits him.  He made it out of Jefferson County Animal Control and into our rescue organization with a little help from Sadie, left, and Echo, my granddaughters.

When I met them and their parents at the shelter, they'd already narrowed down their choices.  They knew about rescue organizations and dogs needing rescue.  They knew about stray dogs and unwanted dogs.  They even knew that black dogs were sometimes the last to be picked.

Pretty good for a first grader and a fourth grader, but then they are my granddaughters.

Echo and Sadie and their parents live in Syracuse, NY, but were in St. Louis for Christmas.  I told them that I had room for one male dog, who would be fostered by Tracy.  Would they like to help me pick one out?

Would they!  They took to the project seriously.  Sadie (the first grader) waved a list at me when I walked into the shelter.  Echo was a little bothered by the barking and the sight of so many sad dogs in cages, but she rallied to the cause.

Finally, we took a few dogs out into the yard one by one.  The three we looked at all seemed pretty nice, but Echo and Sadie felt a special bond with one frightened black lab mix who'd been brought in as a stray.  This dog tried to make himself as small as possible to the point of trying to crawl into a drainage ditch.  But after a few minutes, he enjoyed some petting and started to relax. By the time he was back to my place, he had a name and his tail now had a wag.

 Our next challenge was teaching him that it was ok to come into the house.  He'd pause at the door and then run away.  Finally, we got him inside. Gradually, he's become less afraid of coming inside.

Last night he slept inside in a crate in my bedroom.  He's met all the other dogs here and is getting along with all of them.  So far he hasn't had a single accident in the house, and his tail seems to be wagging most of the time.  He's shedding his fears and his shyness. 

They picked a good dog.

As I write, Lucky is relaxing on a chair nearby.  In a couple days, he'll move on to his new foster home with Tracy.

Echo and Sadie will be heading back to Syracuse tomorrow, but they'll be watching Lucky's story from a distance.

They want him to find a wonderful home.

Ellen Ellick

President/Founder

St. Louis Senior Dog Project

EllenE9466@aol.com

Final Christmas Pictures

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.  It's not too late to make a tax-deductable donation to the St. Louis Senior Dog Project.

I promise.  These are the final Christmas-costumed pictures of adopted dogs for 2009.  But, hey, they sure are cute.

Above is Molly, formerly  Honey, who was adopted from us almost three years ago.  Cindy tells us that Molly is "a real sweetie.  Everyone who sees her stops to give her pats and hugs.  Luckily, she tolerates me dressing her us for holidays."

And these cuties are Poudre Puff, Holly, and Jindi.  They are my sister Norma's dogs -- rescue dogs all.  She loves dressing her dogs and insisted, yes insisted, that they get some blog time.  The three seem okay with their costumes but I think Holly, the biggest one, seems a little embarassed.

Christmas is aways a mixed season for those of us involved in dog rescue.  We celebrated a lot of December adoptions and were pleased to think of all these dogs in homes at Christmas.  Especially heart-warming was the knowledge that we'd helped Mo, Abby and Sara into homes. These were the three senior dogs who'd spent  most of their lives living at the end of chains.

But there's always sadness too. Many shelters must kill off a lot of dogs before a long holiday weekend because most of their staff will be off on vacation.  One person learning of this for the first time said she'd never think of Christmas the same way again. 

And then there are dogs turned into shelters just before Christmas.  Out at Franklin County Humane Society, I saw two 7-year-old black labs who had spent their entire lives together.  Both were turned in because their former owner couldn't afford them anymore.  Bella and Bubba look like great dogs -- housebroken, good with other dogs, cats, and children.  I'm hoping to find space for them soon -- or maybe wishing that someone will read this and adopt them from the facility in Union, MO.

I've lined up a few fosters for some other dogs I checked on a couple days ago.  And later today, I'm meeting some people who might be interested in adoption Flower and Chrissie.

So Christmas passes, but the New Year will soon be here with all its own promises, hopes, celebrations, and sorrows.

Ellen Ellick

President/Founder

St. Louis Senior Dog Project

EllenE9466

Pictures of your dogs at Christmas

The St. Louis Senior Dog Project is a not-for-profit dog rescue organization speciaizing in oder 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 thanks to all of you who voted to help us win a grant.  We received the most votes of any Missouri group and as a resut will receive a $1,000 grant.

Lately I've been receiving a lot of emails about dogs adopted from us in the past.  Many come with a Christmas theme.  It's nice to know that some of these formerly neglected dogs are now being pampered with holiday fashions and even trips to see Santa.

Pam sent a picture of Sunny with one of her best pals. (We called this little dog Sunshine.)  "She is doing beyond Great!  She has just blossomed even more into the very best dog we could EVER have imagined. She is SO joyful and full of love.   She gives us kisses and that little tail just wags uncontrollably when she sees us." 

Gretchen and Stand send us a couple updates and pictures of Tabitha, a shy Pekingese who was part of a humane society rescue from a substandard puppymill.

 

In the first message, Gretchen said, "She is settling in beautifully.  She found her voice yesterday and joined the others in welcoming me home from work.  She has claimed a bed for her own:)  She is still timid with men, so Stan & I are making sure she gets mandatory lap time with him every night to help her with that."  

 

A fweek or so later, Stan wrote that Tabitha was doing better all the time. "One week ago Tabitha would run into the other room if I looked at her, let alone made a move toward her, and starting yesterday she doesn't run away when I walk in her direction to walk past her, like she did all week, today she just sits and watches me go past.  She has started taking toys to the bed she chose and yesterday she started napping while on my lap.  Today she came over and got inline with the others to get her turn of petting & to get her chin rubbed from me!  


"We never doubted that she would be OK here with us, but it is still such a joy to see her settle in and find per place.  This is a picture taken right as she woke from her nap yesterday evening."

More tomorrow.

Ellen Ellick

President/Founder

St. Louis Senior Dog Project

EllenE9466@aol.com

 

Pork Chop, 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. 

In  my last blog I wrote about Rita/Carla, the chihuahua mix with an underbite.  Robin had emailed a picture and story about how well this little girl was doing.  Then she promised to bring her by one of our adoptions events.  She did just that Saturday, and she went home with an extra dog: Jester.

Jester is a rescue from Jefferson County where he was turned in because he was "too old and too lazy."  Well he is somewhat lazy, but hey, we all are from time to time.  Jester is just a competitive napper.  I think Rita will keep him awake, though. That's Jester, Rita and Robin in the picture.

If Jester's adoption wasn't good news enough for us, we also sent Pork Chop, the long-haired dachshund, into a new home.  Earlier in the week, Rachel emailed to say she wanted to adopt a special needs dog for Christmas.  As a dachshund lover, Rachel wanted Pork Chop.

Pork Chop, as you may remember, came to us from the St. Louis City Pound as a very obese dog.  He also had some mysterious ailment that affected his joints and made it almost impossible for him to walk.  Shortly after we brought him home from the Pound, that "almost" turned into "completely."  We had to carry him inside and out.  He spent the rest of his time on a dog bed.

After a visit to a specialist and some minor surgery, Pork Chop first began one course of medication for a possible fungal infection.  No change.  Then we went on to the second possibility, an immune system disorger.  Bingo.  After only a few days on prednisone, he was on his feet.  Gradually he began walking.  Now he gets along quite well although he'll never be a racer.  And dieting brought him down to a good weight, so he doesn't have as many pounds to carry around, either.

Lucky dogs all.

Another of my favorites, Oliver, is also adopted.  And Luna the Akita is now officially adopted.  And a whole pack of puppies found new homes this weekend too.  We expected they would be easy to place. These were mainly puppymill rescues -- dogs that will be pets instead of breeders in a commercial breeding faciity.

So good news all around.  And this morning I also had an email from someone who's still thinking about a dog she saw at our Kirkwood adoption event.

Ellen Ellick

President/Founder

St. Louis Senior Dog Project

EllenE9466@aol.com

I remember Rita

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 come meet and adopt 11 to 3 Saturday at either the Petco in Kirkwood or the Petsmart in Arnold. And here's the link to help us win a grant.

http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/shelterchallenge.faces;jsessionid=93558EB82DDF5AC8B1EEFCB103C7F885.ctgProd04?siteId=3

Do you remember..... I receive a lot of emails that begin this way.  This time it was about Rita, a chihuahua mix with a pronounced underbite adopted in 2006.

Of course, I remember Rita, although her name was Carla when I took her home from the St. Louis City Pound on Gasconade.  She was one of those little dogs that "didn't show well" in a shelter environment. In fact, she had a sign on her cage that said, "Might Bite."  I'm sure that didn't help her prospects.

But as soon as I walked out the door with her, I saw an immediate personality change.  Her tail went up and began wagging, never again to stop.  Soon she was amusing me with her funny ways and the trilling noise she made when she was on my lap.  Granted, her underbite gave her the sort of face people joked about -- "a face only a mother could love" and more of the same.

Carla, now Rita, did find a home.  She's very much loved, underbite and all.

Robin sent us this picture and wrote that she originally adopted Rita as a playmate for her male Bichon/Poodle named Little Mac.  "Altough they occasionally fought, most of the time they got along well.  Little Mac allowed Rita to get away with everything, including biting his legs as he was walking.  In return, she allowed him to clean her tear stains (with a little growling)."

Little Max died in August; he had cancer that had metastasized to his lungs. Since then, Rita has learned to do all the guarding herself. Rita has always been healthy but last summer she needed surgery for a

herniated disc.  She recovered completely after the surgery.

 

"Tthank you for saving my little girl and giving me the opportunity to share in her life," Robin wrote.

 

Robin promised to bring Rita by to one of our adoption events.  Can't wait to see her.

 

Ellen Ellick

President/Founder

St. Louis Senior Dog Project

EllenE9466@aol.com

Louis meets Rerun

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.

I met Louis a few weeks back when he looked like an angry tangle of old rags.  He did not look like a Bichon Frise, a beautiful dog when properly groomed.  Louis was barking hysterically in a cage at a local animal control.  He'd been brought it as a stray, and he looked like he hadn't seen the inside of a house in a long time.

I had one of those "I must be crazy" moments when I told one of the kennel workers that I'd be taking that dog.  I pointed at Louis, and the worker reached for his "bite gloves" -- big, thick and up to the elbows.  He wasn't taking any chances with Louis as he pulled him out of the cage.  I started to say, "Well, maybe not," but before I could finish, the worker said,  "Oh, he's probably just uncomfortable with all those mats."

So I got Louis in the car and off to the vet clinic, which has a groomer on staff.  The groomer took one look at Louis and said he'd need to be sedated before she could groom him.

Well, he survived the grooming, but the next day he almost didn't survive his neuter surgery.  His heart actually stopped, and he needed resuscitation.  But he did survive and was even kissing some of the staff members before he went home the next day.  But between the kisses, he wasn't one to suffer the pokes and pinches of a vet exam lightly. Bite gloves, anyone? 

I worried about him and wondered if he'd every be adoptable, but with every passing day, Louis relaxed and became a little more loving and a lot less fearful.

Then  Pam decided she'd like to foster Louis.  She'd already tamed one wild child --Rerun, the dog she'd adopted from us a couple years ago. Maybe Louis would fit with her and Rerun.

Turns out everything worked out great.  Louis and Rerun bonded and became fast pals (as this picture shows), and Pam fell in love with her new little bad boy dog.  She was going to wait until after Christmas to see if someone else adopted him.  If nobody else wanted him, she'd take it as a sign that she should adopt him.

"Then I thought, what if somebody does adopt him?"  Not wanting to chance losing Louis, Pam decided yesterday that she would adopt him.

And that's one happy ending to the Louis story.  He may never be what I'd call an "easy going" dog, but he will always be a loved one. 

Ellen Ellick

President/Founder

St. Louis Senior Dog Project

EllenE9466@aol.com 

Three Old Dogs

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.

http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/shelterchallenge.faces;jsessionid=93558EB82DDF5AC8B1EEFCB103C7F885.ctgProd04?siteId=3

Miss Pearl, Mocha and Clyde: All three of these senior dogs found themselves alone and abandoned in area shelters not too long ago.  Their prospects didn't look good. Each was about 10 years old.

Then an animal control officer in Jefferson County called me about Miss Pearl,  Could I please take her?

Shelter employees at another facility emailed about Clyde, a senior border collie.  And others called about Mocha, a chihuahua who was terrified at the shelter and not likely to find a home.

They didn't find their new homes instantly with us, but each became healthier and happier while in their foster homes.   And alll three were among those adopted this past weekend.

This is Miss Pearl.

This is Clyde.

And this is Mocha.

We celebrate all our adoptions, but maybe we cheer a little louder when one of our seniors finds a home.

This past weekend we also placed Belinda the yorkie pup, Charlie the cockapoo, Natalie the bichon,and Baby Lisa the papillon.

This past Saturday, we picked up some dogs at a puppymill auction.  These dogs will now be adopted out as pets and will not end up as breeders.  I'm already receiving applications for some of them.

Ellen Ellick

President/Founder

St. Louis Senior Dog Project

EllenE9466@aol.com

Two Black Dogs

The St. Louis Senior Dog Project is a not-for-profit dog rescue organization specializing in older dogs but taking in and findiing homes for dogs of all ages and even a few cats.  See our adoptable pets at www.olderbetter.petfinder.org.  And keep voting to help us win a grant. Here's the link:

http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/shelterchallenge.faces;jsessionid=93558EB82DDF5AC8B1EEFCB103C7F885.ctgProd04?siteId=3

Mo, also known as Mooter, and Meecho have two things in common.

They are both black dogs.  And they see a bright future ahead and a past they're lucky to have left behind.

Mooter, above in the hat, is a spaniel mix who spent most of his life at the end of a chain.  He was one of three such dogs we took from a situation where more than 100 dogs were living on 3 acres in rural North Carolina.  Mooter's only shelter was a blue barrel.

Now Mooter is adopted.  He has a new home and his own family.  The future looks good, as it does to Abby and Sara, the two dogs that come with him.

So, way to go Mooter.

And now there's Meecho, above.  A few days ago several rescue groups received an email from a St. Louis City manager asking if we'd please consider some of their dogs that had been in the Pound way too long.  After checking out their pictures and visiting the Pound, we decided to take Meecho, a beagle/lab mix who'd been there  since mid August.

Meecho is now ready for her new home, and we hope she'll be as lucky as Mo.

We're really impressed with this lady.  She's about 5 years old, housebroken and friendly with everyone.  Her tail now is constantly wagging.

And we already knows she enjoys car rides.  She sad on Kati's lap on the way home from the Pound and poked her nose against the window, watching the outside world fly by.  But before long, she just settled down for a nap.

Good luck awaits you, Miss Meecho.

Ellen Ellick

President/Founder

St. Louis Senior Dog Project

EllenE9466@aol.com

Faces we remember

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 vote to help us win a grant.  Here's the link:

http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/shelterchallenge.faces;jsessionid=93558EB82DDF5AC8B1EEFCB103C7F885.ctgProd04?siteId=3

We'll have dogs at the Arnold Petsmart 11 to 3 Saturday and at the Kirkwood Petco 11 to 3 Sunday.  Come on by.  You might meet your new best friend.

It seems the phone never stops ringing and the emails go on forever, and too  many of them are requests to take dogs.  We received an email from the St. Louis City Pound about several dogs that had been there for 3 and 4 months without a single application.  Staff and volunteers at other shelters emailed and called about other dogs, and individuals jumped in with their pleas about dogs they could no longer keep, dogs whose owners had died, dogs that needed new homes. Sometimes I want to hide in a corner somewhere with ear plugs and a blindfold.

So it's nice to receive some cute pictures. These are two recently adopted dogs.

This is Frankie in his Christmas get up.

And this is the former Nano, now Heidi.

Monday I did take two dogs from the Franklin County Humane Society.  Today we took a dog out of  the St. Louis City Pound -- Meecho, a plain black lab/beagle who'd been there since August.

And this weekend we'll rescue a few dogs from the puppymill life.

We do keep busy.

And I sure hope we have more adoptions to announce.

Ellen Ellick

President/Founder

St. Louis Senior Dog Project

EllenE9466@aol.com