Bertok

Dec 20, 2010

Bertok was a stray that was picked up by Animal Control in Cedar.
When they picked him up he was near death, starving and cold. They took him to the shelter, and after the mandatory quarantine to give his 'owners' time to claim him (HA!) was up, we went and got him.

He didn't have a name, and my friend Lisa helped us come up with a perfect name for him. Bertok means "New Beginnings", which is just what this boy needs.

Bertok was like a skeleton with skin. I've never before seen in real life a dog that skinny. It was painful to look at him. He was weak and seemed sad, but very very sweet.
We brought him home, and had him vet checked. Other than being grossly underweight, he was perfectly healthy, and we were given some good advice on how to build up his weight.

So begins Bertok's journey to his new life.
He is an incredibly happy boy, with an amazing heart. It never ceases to amaze me how much an animal can go through in life, and come out the other side with a smiling face and a wagging tail.

Bertok is ALWAYS happy, tail is always wagging. He is So polite, and asks permission for everything. He has SO smart, and has already learned 'sit', 'down', 'shake', 'wait', 'come', 'get in bed', 'go outside', and he is AMAZING at fetch! When you grab a tennis ball, his whole face lights up.

He has gained about 10 lbs already, and is well on his way to being a healthy weight. His fur is SO shiny and healthy. This dog is going to make someone a wonderful companion, and I can't wait for him to find his forever home. Though I know already I will miss him terribly when he goes.

Photos that the shelter sent me when asking if we wanted him:



Photos of Bertok the day we brought him home:



Photos of Bertok not quite 2 weeks later:








1-07-11
Bertok is adopted! What a perfect home for this perfect boy! I'm so happy for him. I f I could have hand-picked the perfect home for him, it would have been this one.
He's going to be traveling a lot (he loves car rides!), and has kids to play ball with. He's already bonded with his little boy, and is loving life. He's SO happy!

Photos of Bertok the day he got adopted. Isn't he gorgeous??
I cried when he left... but they were happy tears.

6 puppies (Fairytale Puppies) and Little Miss Muffet

Nov 2010

We picked up these 6 pups at the shelter the same time we got Tonka and that bunch. They were a mixed litter: some of them were born at the shelter, and some were from a mama dog who had been killed by a car. The shelter mama dog took those pups in, and cared for them alongside her own pups.

Hansel and Gretel went to a foster home together, and did great there.


Rumplestiltskin went to a foster home as well, and had so much fun with his playmate, Prince Charming.




Goldilocks and Rapunzel stayed at the kennels, and loved playing with the bigger dogs. Tonka loved his puppies, and took such good care of them!



Little Miss Muffet came to our house. She was a sickly little girl, and had pneumonia. When we took her to the vet, they found that her leg had been broken, either during birth, or shortly after.
She needed some special attention, so she came home with me, and had much care/love lavished on her.
She's the only pup who didn't go to HWAC, because of her health. The other 5 went and were accepted.



Little Miss stayed here for awhile, and after being cleared by the vet to be healthy, was made available for adoption.
It didn't take long for her forever home to find her! She is now loving life with her new family. :)

Charlie, Tonka, Shanell, Hero, and Niko

Nov 2010

Shortly after Thanksgiving, we did a shelter run, intending to pull a couple dogs from each shelter in the area.
The first shelter that we went to had several dogs that were going to be killed, and we couldn't leave without them, so we took them all.
And we still visited the other shelters and took dogs from them as well.

Because we took so many at once, there were some that we had to put in our foster kennel. It's a temporary holding place, MUCH better than the shelter, but just an in between spot where we can house them till they are placed in foster homes.
While they are being kenneled, Wade and I care for them. It's an extension of our home. :)

Charlie, Tonka, Shanell, Niko, Hero, and a litter of 6 puppies all went there.

Charlie was listed as a puppy, but he turned out to be 2 years old... he was just a little guy. Probably a Kelpie/Terrier mix. He was SO hungry, and so eager to be loved. He was only at the kennel for a few days before going to his foster home. There he got the love and attention that he so desperately needed.
He was adopted at the first adoption event that he went to, and has a great life now!



Tonka was an awesome pup, about 5 months old, with the best, most mellow personality. Everyone who met Tonka fell in love with him! We had him at the kennel for quite a while, and then after Charlie was adopted, Tonka took his place in that foster home.
Tonka went to HWAC and was accepted there. They loved him! He was adopted almost immediately.



Shanell was a happy fun little gal, just FULL of energy and smiles! She was the wiggliest, happiest, jumpiest little thing, LOL.
She was accepted at HWAC as well.



Hero was only at the kennel for a little while before going to Apple Valley. I didn't get to know him very well, but he was such a sweet boy.
He's in a great foster home now, loving life and his new name , Sherlock. :)



Niko has a great story. He was taken to the shelter by his soldier who had been deployed and had no place else for him to go.
The family who adopted Niko was not looking for another dog, but when they saw him, they were inexplicably drawn to him.
And he fits their family perfectly in every way. They absolutely adore him, and he is SO happy.
His new name is Soldier, in honor of his owner who had to give him up.

Ellie

Nov 2010

Ellie was lucky. :)

We had gone to the shelter to pick up another dog, and when I walked past Ellie's kennel my heart melted. At first glance, she looked like an old old gal, but that didn't matter to me.
We took her out into the shelter yard to see how she would do with the other dogs there, and while we were out there I called Wade to tell him I was bringing home an old Weim who we might have for awhile, LOL.

We made a vet appt for her right away to have her eye looked at, and for a good examination to see if she was healthy.

Turns out, this 'old' gal is only about 4 years old. The cloudiness on her eye is scar tissue from an old wound, not cataracts like we thought.
She's in great health, though a little overweight.

She did great here with my pack, and was such a happy happy girl!

We didn't have her for long at all. A wonderful family saw her on petfinder, and called to meet her. It was a great fit, and Ellie is HOME. :)

Turkee

Nov 2010

Turkee came from the shelter. She was picked up by animal control on Thanksgiving day, on Turkey Farm rd, and thus her name. LOL. I argued, (and lost) but Wade was adamant that was her name, and it stuck. And it grew on me. LOL.

Turkee was an instant hit at our house. My girls just loved her! She was a super sweet gal, and her personality was just phenomenal.

She was adopted at the very first adoption event we took her to. Her new mom saw her and fell in love instantly.
Their old dog had recently passed away, and Turkee was the perfect help for their sadness.

They report that she has settled in perfectly, and is just what they needed. Her new name is Teton (Love it!) and she is loving life!

Vera

October 2010

Vera was picked up out in the wilderness by one of our volunteers.
She was emaciated and scared, and oh so sweet.
When she wasn't claimed by her owners, she became a H.A.R.T. dog.

Everyone loved Vera. She melted the heart of everyone who met her. She was a little overwhelmed by the activity in our house, but seemed to settle in quickly.
She was vet checked and found to be in good health, though she had some dental issues. Doc said it looked like she may have been a kennel chewer, and her teeth were pretty worn, even though she was only about 7-8 years old.

We had Vera for awhile when I contacted the folks who had adopted Piper (Star), knowing that at one time they had been looking for a second dog. I thought that Vera would fit in well with their family, so I invited them over to meet her.
One thing led to another, and Vera now has a wonderful home with her new sister Piper, and wonderful wonderful parents who take such good care of her. Her new name is Penny. :)

We get to see Piper and Penny often, as we dog sit for them whenever their parents are out of town. :) It's so good to see them and spend time with them.

I love this little gal, and a piece of my heart will always be hers.

Border Collie Puppies

October 2010

Picked these 6 adorable little ones up as a joint rescue with BAM, and they came to our house just while they were waiting to go to HWAC.
They were SO cute, SO sweet, SO fun, and SO LOUD. LOL

I'm glad we only had them here for a couple days, lol!

I don't have photos of all of them, these are the pictures that were sent to us before we went to get them.

One of the pups, an adorable little girl, was rejected from HWAC for possible health issues. She got to spend time with us traveling back, and after being cleared by our vet was made available for adoption. She has been adopted into a wonderful family, and is cute as can be!

Oakley

October 2010

Oh Oakley. Our little health issue. LOL.

We got Mr Oakley from the shelter when he was only a few months old. We picked him up at the local shelter early in the day, then he had to ride with us in the van while we visited shelters further away. And he barked the WHOLE time. Of course, he knew what he was doing, and ended up with the seat of honor (Lorraine's Lap!) for the entire way home.

Oakley was rejected from HWAC for Demodex.
After we treated him for that, he got a pretty severe case of kennel cough. He was on antibiotics for quite some time.

I can't believe we had him for as long as we did. After he was all healthy again, and the vet cleared him, he went up for adoption. But when we still had him after a month, we tried him at HWAC again, and he was accepted.
I'll miss the little goof! He was a fun boy, with such a great personality!

Buddy, Kobe, and Linus

October 2010

We called these our 3 Poodle Boys. LOL. We got them all at the same time from the shelter, but they had all come from different backgrounds and circumstances.
We only had them for a short while before they were all adopted on the same day!

Buddy was a 3 year old Bichon/Poodle mix with a phenomenal personality. He went to a great family who is spoiling him as he should be spoiled!



Kobe was a little Maltese/Poodle, under a year old. He went to be a companion dog for an elderly woman, and is loving life!



Linus was an itty bitty Shih Tzu/Poodle mix, and was the HAPPIEST little guy ever! He went to a great family, and is also a companion dog for an elderly gentleman.



It was fun having these 3 here for a little while. It's not often we get the little fuzzy ones!

Lady

October 2010

Lady came from one of the local shelters, and after being in a few different foster homes, she came here.

She and Luna are like two peas in a pod! We call them "L squared". :) She is a Border Collie/Pit mix just like Luna, and the two of them play so well together.
Lady has gone to a couple different places, and stayed at Apple Valley for awhile as well, but she's back, and I think she's here for good until her forever family finds her.

She's such a great dog, and I'll be so happy for her when she finally gets to go HOME.

Update:

Lady was with us for a long long time. She was 'tried' at several homes, but none of them were the right fit for her. She eventually went to HWAC where she was accepted, and adopted in only 2 days!! I hope that her new family loves her as much as we did... she SO deserves to be happy!

Bella

October 2010

H.A.R.T. has had Bella for awhile, and she's been my foster a couple times. This time I think she's here for good until she gets adopted.

Bella was found in a coyote trap out in the wilderness, and when she wasn't claimed by her owners she became a H.A.R.T. dog.
She's been bounced around a bit, and has been to several different foster homes. She's highly active, and definitely needs other dogs to play with to keep her happy.
She is gorgeous, and OH SO sweet.

She's only about a year old, and I have no doubt that the perfect family is out there just waiting to find her.

Her petfinder ad:

Bella is a sweet girl, about a year old. She has a great, happy personality, and gets along well with other dogs. She would do best in a home without cats, as she will chase them if they run. (However, she will snuggle with them when they are sleeping!)
She loves to play, and is absolutely fantastic with kids of all ages. Bella will need a home where she gets a lot of interaction and exercise, and would do best in a home with another dog or a young boy to be her buddy and keep her busy! She likes to be wherever her people are, and won't do well if left along for long hours at a time. She can be a little wary in new situations, and needs someone who understands how to make her feel comfortable.
She is housebroken (uses the dog door) and crate trained.

I love Bella. I wish she wouldn't chase the cats, but she is SO sweet, and SO cuddly. I am hoping that we will be able to find her a home that is willing to help her through any issues that she has. She deserves a GREAT home.

Update:

Bella found the PERFECT home for her. They 'trial' adopted her for 3 weeks just to make sure, and fell in love with her after the first week. We've visited with them a few times, and she is doing so great there! I'm happy for my Bella girl!