Carolina Poodle Rescue at Dreamweaver Farms

2007-02-04T23:03:00.000-05:00

February 4, 2007

One of the reasons that I think CPR has been so blessed is because of the strength and commitment of our volunteers. From our head #1 volunteer, a/k/a DH Wayne Ezzell, to those of you who have just joined, I want to say thank you. Without your involvement, CPR would not exist and would not be growing by leaps and bounds. We have so many wonderful people that I can’t even begin to thank everyone individually. So.....here’s a huge THANK YOU to you from me. For what you have done, for what you are doing and for what you plan to do.

I would like to tell you a bit about one volunteer. Her name is Sue Wortman. Sue first came into my life in January of 2003 when she applied to adopt Dante, a black standard poodle in foster care with Ronna and Peggy in Atlanta. It was a good adoption, one of those that falls into place especially when Sue needed to make a fast trip to Georgia to assist with the birth of another grandchild and so was able to meet/greet Dante in his foster home.

I didn’t hear much from Sue after that for a while. It was about a year later that she called and said she wanted to visit and to bring Dante to let me see him. I was delighted and she came over and we visited. It was great to see her and to fill her in on what we were doing. Sue was already volunteering a tremendous amount of time and energy with a horse rescue group near her home so I didn’t think much of her inquiries about CPR life.

A year later, in September of 2005, Sue asked to join our volunteer activities. I hope she is still pleased with that decision.

Since that time, Sue has functioned as foster home, reference checker, home visitor, transporter and adoption counselor. She has become one of our most active volunteers, spending hours of her time and tons of talent in matching applicants with homes. She’s volunteers hands on here at Dreamweaver Farms, holding and cuddling babies, brushing and calming scared adults and helping with all our chores. Sue always does this with a smile on her face and a song in her heart. I’ve never seen her not smiling.

It’s amazing when you consider it – because Sue has faced a whole host of physical challenges that would put most of us out of commission for years, if not our entire lives. Sue is a 12 year breast cancer survivor, suffers from scoliosis since her early teens and has been under the knife to correct problems in her knees. She’s also had her gall bladder removed. Instead of giving in, Sue gets going. She told me recently that when faced with problems, you can either give up, or get up. She chose to always get up. Suddenly my petty complaints about the cold weather and how grumpy I was about having to be out in it were just that – petty.

Last year, Sue’s husband nominated Sue for the Susan J. Gloeckler Memorial Award, presented by the Roane County Humane Society, to members of the community who have made a difference in the lives of companion animals by giving of themselves. A whole committee of animal lovers recognized Sue’s devotion and dedication. She won.

Sue has been married to Gary Wortman for 39 years. When I asked Gary what he wanted the world to know about Sue, his answer was simple and immediate. “I love her.” It takes very special people to sustain a love affair through 40 years.

Horsewoman, dog lover, cherished volunteer, grandmother, mother, wife and friend. Sue wears many hats, wears them well and with pride. I am glad she chose CPR as one of them.

2007-01-18T23:27:00.000-05:00

January 18 2007.......Tribute to Julia

I’d like to tell you about my beautiful friend, Julia. Julia was an approximately 10 year old black standard poodle. This gracious and gentle lady came into our life on June 12, 2006. Her introduction to Dreamweaver Farms was with an email from Lia Berez about a puppy mill bust in Georgia. Could CPR take this girl?

When Julia was picked up by animal control, her situation was described this way – “When this SP came into the shelter, she was wrapped so tightly in hair mats that she literally could not walk. She appears to have a growth on her left shoulder and a swelling or growth on her bottom. Her eyes are just about glued shut from conjunctivitis. And, oh yes, she may be pregnant…. But, despite all this, this dog is very calm and cooperative. She will walk along nicely with you and goes into a crate willingly. She is very laid back.”

That was all I needed to hear. CPR said “yes” to this standard poodle.

Julia was from a place called a puppy mill. For those who are unaware, a puppy mill is just like it sounds. It’s a place where puppies are produced in mass amount. Unfortunately, it’s not usually a well run factory. The “machines” producing the puppies receive little or no “maintenance” other than the bare minimum required to sustain the “machine’s” ability to produce. Julia was a baby machine, bred at every heat and valued for nothing more than her ability to produce puppy after puppy with no concern for her own health. After all, once this “machine” wears out, we’ll get another one.

In the case of Julia, the situation was so grave and so inhumane, that the owners were brought up on charges of felony animal abuse, not just simple animal abuse.

For one day shy of seven months, Julia finally knew peace from the baby making business. Once she entered the doors of Dreamweaver Farms, her life as a machine was over.

If Julia ever had a name, we didn’t know it. Janie Dillon transported Julia and chose her name for her – Julia, or pretty woman. It fit her perfectly. Despite the damage of the hard years and despite the cancer already taking her health and vitality, Julia was a beautiful woman.

Julia regally ruled our kennel with noble poise. She gracefully tolerated the antics of the youngsters and littles. She never had to be crated; she never had to be confined. She did not know how to issue a harsh snap or growl. Her eyes, calm and serene, indicated she had seen many things and had decided long ago to accept what life gave her with dignity and simply make the best of things. Since meeting Julia, I have tried to emulate her attitude. It makes life so much more satisfying.

There was no real fanfare during Julia’s 7 months presence in our lives. She did have a tendency to countersurf. How she could manage to get the opened can of dog food, the bag of frozen Bil Jac or the container of hotdogs off the tallest shelf (always when I was not looking) despite her condition amazed me yet she did it. She never apologized either, preferring to give me the look that said that since they were made to be eaten, she had decided that now was the time for the eating. I could not deny her and she always got what she wanted.

Other than that, she was simply always there. I greeted her first thing every morning and she greeted me in return. Her tail would wiggle and waggle this way and that, letting me know I was welcome and needed in her kennel. Last thing at night was a pat and a kiss for Julia before turning out the lights. Unlike others, she never howled or fussed when I left. She knew that her place at night was in the kennel and my place at night was somewhere else. She never begrudged me that.

A couple of months into our time together, I asked Julia if she’d like to come to the house to live. She explained to me that she did not care to. She liked where she was. She knew the routine. She knew the softest bed spots and that those beds were hers. She knew where the water bowls were and they were only a few steps from her bed. She had her cow hooves, arranged all in a row to her liking. There were no stairs to negotiate. There was always something happening, with new dogs coming in and adopters coming to meet them and everyone greeted Julia. When they arrived, the new fosters needed soothing and showing the ropes. When the new fosters first arrived, they were so scared and Julia could calm them. No, she did not want to be a house foster. She had always been in a kennel, and this was a fine one to be in. She was content.

I started getting worried that our time was nearly up the first week of 2007. Her walk, always slow, was now more of a lumber. On Monday 1/8, when Ashley and Carol came to groom, I expressed my concern and both of them agreed that she was much bigger and more cumbersome. The tumors apparently were spreading. She had a very good week the first week of the year but Monday, when we bathed her, it was obvious that she was very weak. When I took her over to get her water, I had to hold her mid-section up and be a makeshift sling for her. Her heart was about to pound out of her chest, it was working so hard after having taken just a few steps. I wrote to all of you, my friends in our volunteers circle, to tell you that the end was near.

Julia entered our lives on Monday, June 12, 2006. She left behind her worn out shell of a body on Thursday January 11, 2007 at 10:11 am. I had my hand on her chest and was gently stroking her cheek. Terry Abell – she was wrapped in that oh so soft gray blanket you had sent and her head was cradled on the pink gingham pillow. She had wagged her tail at me that morning but did not get up. She watched me clean with her normal interest, but made no move to investigate or seek out the hot dogs. At a few minute after 10, she gave a little noise in her throat. It is the only time in our sojourn together that I saw her exhibit stress or pain. I sat down next to her and stroked her. Moments later she let out a soft sigh and she left.

Did angels sing? I’m not sure. I was too busy trying to feel a heartbeat. Part of me knew she was gone and part of me couldn’t believe it. Did everyone in the kennel get very, very quiet? Yes…you could have heard a pin drop. How did they know? But they did, her kennel mates, and they paid homage in their own way, with a moment of silence. I am honored and blessed to have been there at that moment.

Did it hurt to lose her, especially after only just getting to know her? You bet it did. Was it worth the pain to be able to spend a few precious months making her life better and, an unexpected benefit, having my life made better in return? Absolutely.

To some reading this, you’ll say she was just a dog. She was a dog. She was also a gracious, living creature who exemplified peace and tranquility in the way she lived and the way she died. She was just a dog yet she taught me lessons in tolerance and in acceptance. She was just a dog but if others lived the way this dog lived, the world would have less fighting and more playing and less hatred and more tolerance. She was just a dog. I’m blessed to have known her.

Good night sweet Julia – and Godspeed. Wait for me please and I’ll see you at the Bridge.

Donna
photos:
(1) The fairy castle is a photo that my friend and business partner, Jennifer Mead, sent to me upon hearing of Julia's death. It represents very well my idea of the Rainbow Bridge. That's Julia's castle in the background.
(2) On the bed with Simba - January 2007
(3) With Donna - October 2006
(4) Freshly groomed and relaxing - August 2006
(5) With orange color and leash - our first shot of Julia, still at the shelter - June 2006

2007-01-10T23:34:00.000-05:00

Jan 10 2007.

It’s has been almost two months since I have been able to update this blog. I hope to get better in the new year with updates. Even this post was actually started on Jan 1 and never finished. It’s been a whirlwind holiday season with adoption after adoption. We’ve never done adoptions during the holidays before. I am concerned – but hopeful as these adopters all seem to be “our kind” of people and dedicated to the well being of those entrusted to our care. April will tell the tale if we start to see these adoptions fail.

I am also concerned that working during the holiday season has taken a toll on our volunteers. It certainly has on me. Whether we continue to do adoptions during the holidays is something we will have to discuss again next year.

But at any rate – on to a welcome to 2007. If the previous two years are any indication, 2007 is going to have to be something spectacular to top them but it certainly has the potential. 2005 saw the formal organization of CPR as a non profit corporation and, at the tail end, the purchase of Dreamweaver Farms. 2006 was the formation year for our farm and kennel, the year of learning and of training, of finding the right balance and the right number of dogs, of how to move from an agency focused on individual adoptions of individual animals to one where open houses were the norm, not the exception and adopters came and selected. Our adoption counselor program increased significantly and we have moved from an average of 40 volunteers on our volunteers group to well over 100. Donations kept us financially on our feet when adoptions did slow down and a strong finish in adoptions meant we have paid all of our vet bills and only have a bit of debt on a credit card at the moment. What a great position to be in.

In 2007, I’d like to see CPR implement a much stronger follow up program to adoptions. Just as essential is the hiring of our first employees. Kennel help is no longer a luxury we can afford to just think about it; it is a necessity.

I plan on spending as much of my time as possible in development and implementation of two business programs whose profits will be used to benefit CPR. The first is Covenant Pet Care, our exciting new concept in protection for the pet in the case of the death or disability of the owner . The second is an on site wellness clinic, offering services to the general public as well as to CPR dogs. A local retired vet (and poodle owner) has offered to help CPR in setting this up. We’ll start out with vaccination clinics, then work from there. Both programs have the potential to significantly increase CPR’s reach, improve our rescue efforts and improve our bottom line.

All in all, I think we’re off to a wonderful start. Thanks to each of you – CPR continues to grow and flourish. What a ride !

Okay enough boring corporate lingo. Now on to go the good stuff – talking about the dogs.

Currently making their home at Dreamweaver Farms are two of the seven brothers. These 7 month old black male standard poodles made quite a splash when they entered our world several weeks ago. Now that we’re down to 2 brothers and 1 cousin (Hunter Hudson, from a different group of dogs entirely but enough like them in temperament to be kin) it is really a lot of fun. Now boys, being boys, have insatiable appetites. Apparently for Adam, the smallest of the team, I am just not doing the right thing in the amount of food I am giving to him. I’m cleaning up outside today and hear a ruckus. In I come and what do I see but our 55 gallon food bin (a plastic trash can on wheels) tipped over on its side. No real big deal, it’s happened before so I reached down to pick it up. I knew it was down to the last bit of food so I wasn’t worried about the weight. Imagine my surprise when that thing was heavy and I couldn’t budge it. Then even more surprise, as I peered in I was greeted by the sight of a hairy butt sticking out of the in box. Ahh ha! I know those curls resemble a standard poodle! There he was - Adam was completely in the trash can and contentedly munching down on his stolen buffet. I reached in to pull him out and he planted all four feet down on the ground and proceeded to keep right on a munchin’. Finally, I ended up sitting down, bracing both feet against the fence and puuullliiinnnggg Adam out of the trash can. I felt like that trash can was giving birth. How he managed to plant himself so firmly in the can, I’ll never know but it took all my might to get that boy out of the can. He was determined that he would keep his stolen meal and by this time, Daniel and Hunter Hudson were doing their best to get in the trash can with him. I had black standards flying while I worked to remove Adam and friends from the can. It was a struggle, but I finally got the thing upright with only most of the food spilled on the floor. I told the boys to handle clean up of all that spilled food in their own way and I went back to my mopping. All in a days’ work.

I have so many stories like this to share. Every day, the dogs delight me in one way or the other. It’s such a pleasure to be able to work with them, to see them come in scared and scarred and to relax and learn to trust and to live again. I can not solve every social ill in this world, but I sure can, with your help, make sure these humble creatures are well cared for.

I am going to try to get better about writing to you every day, to share with you the joy and wonder that is my life at Dreamweaver Farms for without you, our volunteers and supporters, it would not be possible. I am truly blessed.

Goodnight

From Dreamweaver Farms

Donna

Donna’s horoscope – Jan 1 2007

Another year. Where do they all go? Why, it seems like only yesterday that we were ushering in the millennium. Is the world any different now? Well, your world is. Think back. Remember? Now, think forwards. Imagine! As different as things were then, they will be different again - but this time it won't take seven years! The pace of change is accelerating. Time is speeding up. Here comes a year you won't forget in a hurry, nor will you want to. There will be experiences soon that you will treasure forever.

2006-11-14T23:21:00.000-05:00

Short and sweet tonight. Yeah! We have heat! These may not be the prettiest pictures I will ever post to you guys but to me and the poo’s up here, that steel box and pink tiling is the sweetest things we’ve ever seen. They mean "warm."

Yesterday, the guys from Amerigas came out to install our new forced air propane heater. The space heaters are still some good as this unit only heats the main kennel side. Gina wants to live in the grooming room so she has a space heater of her own and the puppy side is still a bit cool so they have two. Once we get the rest of the ceiling tiles up, even that won’t be necessary.

This am, I went into the kennel and it was cozy and 63 degrees despite a cold night out. Tonight, I had to strip out of my jacket in order to clean. Speaking of cleaning – now the floors dry! Before, it was so cold that the floors would stay wet for hours. Cleaning has been a real challenge. I am so grateful to have this system. Thanks to all of you who made it possible.

On another note…we got our microchip scanner today, too! Now we can scan for our own microchips when strays come in. When we microchip ourselves, we can check to make sure the chip is inserted correctly. Special thanks to our Schering Plough rep, Mark Lee, who made this generous donation!

That’s all the news tonight folks. It was a quiet day in poodle land.

Good night, from Dreamweaver Farms.

Donna

2006-11-13T23:52:00.000-05:00

November 13 2006 - Phoebe's adventure.

We had such a great weekend and so many adoptions – but what everyone wants to hear about is Phoebe’s great rescue. So … here ‘tis.

Saturday night, I had just slipped into a warm bath tub, a glass of red wine in my hand and one of the books Barb sent me just waiting to be read. After 8 adoptions in 3 days, I needed the break. I had turned to the first page and taken one good sip when I heard the phone ring. Then I heard my husband heading for the bathroom and talking fast and I sat up, book and wine forgotten. “Tragedy, honey,” Wayne said. I grabbed a towel with one hand and the phone with another. It was Trish, explaining that Phoebe had slipped her collar just inches from the front door and they could not find her.

I was up out of the tub and half dressed before I got off the phone. Trish was staying with her aunt, BJ Harrison, a westie rescuer. Both were out looking but we all knew that in reality, I was the one that Phoebe knew and I was the one that Phoebe would come to.

I shouted down the stairs to Wayne to please find his keys for me as I needed to take his car. I turned around to see my darling husband dressed and waiting with keys in hand. I had assumed this would be a solo trip. Wayne thought differently and I was so thankful. We grabbed Sam, my big black SP, and out the door we went.

I confess, I slept most of the hour ride to Greenville. Wayne let me doze, bless him, even though he was just as tired. The power nap refreshed me a good bit. Halfway there, my cell phone rang. Ashley had seen the posts. She and Regan (Ashley’s black SP) and Chris (her policeman husband who was fortunately on duty) were on the way. Thank goodness – backup.

It’s a good thing Ashley and Chris were willing. Wenwood has some very, very nice areas but it also has some business areas that are dark and a bit frightening at midnight on a Saturday night. Not only did Chris come, he called his buddies, all uniformed policemen in marked police cars all over the city to tell them what we were doing. There was rarely a moment that evening when I didn’t spot a cop car hovering around, keeping an eye on the crazy women (and one crazy man) out with a bunch of big poodles looking for another big poodle. It was so comforting to see them there. Thanks Ashley and Chris!

We met Trish and Trish’s aunt, BJ Harrison at the UPS station as that was the last place Phoebe was seen. The two women had been out at this point for over two hours, running and searching and spotting Phoebe and then losing her. They had seen the car coming too fast that hit and flipped Phoebe over, seen her get up and run. They were tired but determined. We kept looking.

On the way over, I called both Rebecca and Bunny and asked them to get in touch with our animal communicator friend up north. Generally, she likes to remain anonymous so I’ll not name names. This retired educator works only for rescue groups and does not charge CPR for her services. She told us that Phoebe was on asphalt, was hurt but not down, and was within sight of the townhouse complex where she ran away from. We searched all the business areas within sight of the complex, all having asphalt parking lots and all within sight of the complex. We then went into the woods where Phoebe was last seen anyway, just in case.

At 1:30 am, we decided to call a hiatus to the search and take it back up in the am. It was getting very cold and we all needed some rest. Ashley had class the next day and Trish and BJ were on their last legs. Even Regan and Sam were starting to drag a bit. I hate leaving a dog alone and lose in the dark, but it was the only sensible thing to do.

I had to chatter all the way home to keep Wayne awake. He doesn’t have a clue what I was talking about but we managed to get back to Pacolet in one piece.

Where Phoebe was Saturday night will always remain a mystery.

I got up Sunday and Wayne and I tended the kennel, then he headed to church and I headed for Greenville, Sam in tow along with his buddies Salvador (white SP) and Millie (bichie poo) and Gloria (cockapoo), all friends of Phoebe's. Doug called while I was enroute and wanted to know if I wanted help. Doug is an experienced trapper and I was very glad for his presence. I was close so went by his house and picked him up. Beth Jancse then called and said she was also on her way. Doug called Stephanie Hill, who works with animal control in Mauldin and she planned to come out in a few hours. Our crew was forming.

Phoebe was last seen Saturday night about 9:20 pm. She had been hit by a car at that point and was diving into the woods at the UPS station directly across the main road from the townhouse complex where BJ lives and where Trish was staying. We searched there Sunday am first but came up dry.

About 9:45, Rebecca called on the cell phone saying they had heard from the AC. The message was very exact:

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Phoebe says that she is sitting on concrete - not black top -- she can see the sky, she can reach out to touch a structure that is smelly (dumpster?), there is a fence around where she is now but she is NOT locked in, she can still see the place where she left her new mom and dad, she can see parked cars.

Remember that the most recent few we found were not very far from their points of exit.

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Unfortunately, there are a lot of retaining ponds and also a mechanic shop there which has a lot of enclosures and fences. I kept thinking "something stinky" could as easily be the diesel fuel that was all around the UPS garage as anything. No luck at UPS. Wewnwood is also not far from the Mauldin sewage plant! You can't see the complex from the sewage plant so I left checking the sewage plant for last.

I went by the condo to check in, and that is when Elizabeth saw me. Elizabeth is the 3 year old daughter of the adopters. Still dressed in her silk poodle pajamas, Elizabeth looked up at me with eyes filled with real tears. “Please, find my doggie,” she begged me. I had been very discouraged up until that point. I could not figure out why Phoebe ran, she was such a Velcro dog most of the time. That young child, placing her faith in me, renewed my determination. I wasn’t coming back to that condo without Elizabeth’s doggie! Whatever the reason that Phoebe chose to leave, she was coming back. The AC said she was okay and it was a matter of time and time I had.

One of my favorite sayings is that the definition of stupidity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. We had already looked and looked at UPS and through the complex. It was time for something different. I walked straight down the complex towards the other main road. Wenwood Court meets with Wenwood Drive which is more of a main road. I walked across Wenwood Drive into the back parking lot of Christ Church, an area none of us had touched yet. As I was walking into the parking lot, there was an apartment complex to my left. There was a chain link fence between the apartments and the church. I turned around and realized you can see the Wenwood complex from this complex. I could see dumpsters. There was lots of asphalt. I felt like I was playing the game "you're getting warmer" and this spot definitely felt hot!

I walked and sang her name over and over. And then......there she was. She was on the apartment side of the chain link, so she was separated from me by the fence. She heard me calling and came running. I actually spied something moving behind me out of the corner of my eye and as I turned, I realized it was exactly what I was searching for.

The problem was how to get her on the same side of the fence as me because I wasn't about to let her out of my sight! Phoebe isn't a climber but she sure can dig. She has squeezed underneath all the fences I have. I found a weak spot in the fence at the bottom and lifted that up enough for her to squeeze through. At first, she was reluctant but I had my trusty frozen Bil Jac treats with me so I started passing those through to her. She perked up and followed my hand through the fence I was holding up for her. I sat down on the ground once she was through the fence and started feeding her tidbits of Bil Jac while enticing her closer and closer. She finally snuggled up against me and I was able to keep feeding her while putting the slip lead over her head. Then and only then did I call in to tell everyone I had her. I was NOT taking any chances LOL.

The communications is what tipped me off to where to look and I am sure what kept her steady and waiting for someone. It is a tool we have used often to find our lost ones and I am so glad it is there for CPR. Believe or not as you will, I’ve seen it work too often to not believe.

The rest is rather anticlimactic. I called Doug first as his was the first number in my “recently called list.” Doug had Trish with him and Doug shouted the news and said they'd be there pronto. I then called Beth and about that time here came Trish. That smile could have lit up the sun! She was on the phone with her husband, telling him not to tell Elizabeth because we wanted to walk in with Phoebe to surprise her. Poor BJ got the news last. I don’t think she minded as she was just glad to get the news at all.

Doug went and got the truck and we loaded Phoebe up between Samson and Salvador in the quad cab while Trish and I played redneck and sat in the truck bed. We arrived back safe and sound and watched one happy reunion with Elizabeth and Phoebe. Phoebe was none the worse for wear it appeared although later on that day, BJ and Trish did decide to take her to the emergency clinic when they noticed a bit of blood from one nostril. It appears to have only been a slight bruising on that side of the face but Trish is keeping a close eye on things.

Our group photo shows, right to left, Doug, Beth, Elizabeth, Trish and Phoebe and BJ in the back and one of BJ’s rescued westies helping himself to the water while we posed.

Lessons learned? We need to send these new dogs out with slip or martingale or gentle leader collars, whatever the adopter is comfortable with. We need to emphasis more in the initial interviews and then the subsequent interviews the need for caution the first couple of weeks. I emphasis during the adoption process to always call us if a dog is lost or stolen and I think that has paid off.

We’ll learn more lessons along the way. Tonight, the important thing is Phoebe is in a loving family. That’s what it’s all about.

Good night from Dreamweaver Farms
Donna

2006-11-10T07:49:00.000-05:00

November 9 2006.

And then there were 10……2 babies have gone home. Our picture today is Cindy St Clair with her new girl, Opal. As you can see, Opal took right to her new mom and rode off in style in a new wire crate with plenty of toys, chewies and food to keep her company on her first road trip.

We have the Williamson family coming tomorrow for little Jacqueline and the Muedder family coming tonight. I’ll keep you posted on who Allison and her husband pick out.

The pups are getting so very big. I hope to move everyone to the regular side of the kennel this weekend. My stored furniture can’t take much more puppy breath and puppy chewies J It is amazing to watch them grow.

Two updates that have been on the volunteers list. Belle the silver standard is not pregnant. When our vet did an emergency spay yesterday, he removed 6 lbs of fatty tissue from around her uterus. He’s never seen anything like it and neither have I. Belle has a new trim waistline now and we’ll find her a perfect home.

Gloria had her left eye removed yesterday in another emergency surgery. She’ll be fine. Glaucoma finally took it’s toll. She has not been able to see out of the eye for quite some time so for her, it’s no big deal.

More soon..it’s going to be a beautiful day at Dreamweaver Farms. We’ll be grooming and getting many of our furkids ready to go to their new homes tomorrow.

Talk to you soon

Donna

2006-11-07T08:27:00.000-05:00

Tuesday November 7 2006

Whew…my classes are over and I can breathe again. For the last week, I’ve been teaching classes at Spartanburg Community College. It’s a continuing education program in Warehousing, Transportation & Logistics. I taught Freight Claims, Hazardous Materials and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations. I spent HOURS getting ready for these classes and was as nervous as a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs! It all seemed to come out okay in the end and my students assured me they enjoyed the classes very much. I found I really liked teaching adults so perhaps more of this is in my future. For those of you who teach kids, my hats off to you! Adults are there because they want to be and it makes a difference.

So back on a normal routine, as least as normal can be around here. I’m also working again for S-2international LLC, a freight broker located in Atlanta. The owner is the former Director of Sales at the company I used to work for. I enjoy the work (sales) and Jennifer believes in a flex schedule. It’s part time and mostly home based so it works out really well for me with the kennel duties.

Adoptions – it looks like we had a total of four this weekend. Hamlet (standard poodle in Pennsylvania), Roscoe, Tristan (puppy) and Missy was adopted on Sunday by Jean Bullock. That’s Jean on the right and Chrisanne, the daughter of the owner of Missy, on the left. Missy was adopted by Chrisanne’s parents when they lived in Florida. Shortly after adopting Missy, Chrisanne’s mother developed Alzheimer’s and her father was diagnosed with MS. The family came to Hickory NC to live with their daughter. Missy was not getting enough attention to Chrisanne came to us to see if we could find her a home. As you can see, everyone is delighted.

class="MsoNormal">This Thursday, Cindy St. Clair comes in from Virginia to adopt Opal, one of our puppies. We are already scheduled for 3 adoptions this weekend (Sidney from Deb Poston, Jacqueline the puppy and another puppy on Sunday) and I hope to have more. We need 3 to 5 adoptions per week in order to keep the dogs flowing in and out and meet our financial obligations. Our adoption counselors are working very hard to make that happen. If you are interested in assisting, this vital function can be performed by anyone living anywhere. Let Terry Abell know.

Off to check the kennel and then to work. It will be a quiet day for the poo’s at Dreamweaver Farms as it’s raining like crazy here. Tomorrow is projected sunny. Yeah! Everyone have a great day.

2006-11-05T00:05:00.000-05:00

Saturday Nov 4 2006 - the first puppy goes home.

Our first puppy went home today. Tristan is now Hudson Tristan Clegg. This is Mark and Carla’s first baby and they promise to take very good care of him. The Clegg’s have only been married a few months. They live in Black Mountain NC. Mark is a counselor and Carla is a nursing student. They were drawn right to little Tristan from the start.

Carla and Mark will be joining our volunteer group for a few months and learning how to be excellent dog parents from all of us. Let’s give her a great support.

It continues to be very cold here. We’re counting the days down until our heating system is installed, sometime around Nov 13^th. With the space heaters that everyone donated, it’s bearable but just. It was only about 51 degrees in the building this morning when I woke the dogs up. We’d prefer it around 60. Pray for milder weather for a few more days! It’s supposed to do so.

Tomorrow, little Missy is going to be adopted. Missy’s older owner could no longer care for her and family members have been caring for Missy while we sought a home. Jean Bullock will be coming up from Columbia to meet Missy and hopefully take her home.

We have several more puppy seekers who will be up next week and next weekend. More on these as the matches are made.

And glory be - Wayne and I got most of the flooring in the living room of our house laid out tonight! We are pushing hard to have the interior of the house completely done by Christmas. Won't that be grand!

Good night - from Dreamweaver Farms
Donna

2006-11-03T14:01:00.000-05:00

As the nights get colder, we are continuing to struggle with the lack of heat. November 13^th can’t get here soon enough. I worry so much about the senior dogs especially.

Everyone has double blankets in their crates and I have the oddest assortment of different colors and prints of comforters and these we use to wrap around their crates to keep heat in. We look kinda like a dormitory for the homeless but that's okay. We are a dormitory for the homeless :)

And Jill is gone…..into hands better equipped to understand and help her find a home than mine. It was tough and yet easy, the decision to let Suzanne Fox with Wild Heir Lab Rescue take over Jill’s placement. Jill did not “fit” here although she tried. Her idea of play just doesn’t fit a poodle’s idea of play.

This is the note I got back after the transport:

“Jill is a sweetheart! She slept upstairs in my bedroom last night and is getting along with the others very well. She snuggled down right next to Sunny (two year old black female) with their butts touching. She seems to be very easy and clingy. I'm thinking she's Lab/Vizla mix -very bird doggy.

I don't anticipate having any problem getting either of these guys into wonderful homes by Christmas, Jill especially.

Thanks,

Suzanne “

We’ve been looking for a home for Jill for 18 months! Suzanne thinks she’ll place her in less than 8 weeks! Confirms for me that being breed specific, understanding one breed and working well with that breed and being known for that breed, is the way to go.

Here’s wishing Jill a better bright and shining future than I could give her, thanks to a wonderful gal named Suzanne.

More soon

Donna

2006-10-28T00:48:00.000-04:00

I can’t believe it’s been almost a week since I posted here. Time flies at Dreamweaver Farms.

The puppies are growing and growing so big. Our first adopter, Heather from Spartanburg, will be picking up little Janie (to be named Alta). Heather is a first time pet owner, a single professional with a beautiful home with lots of hardwood and tile floors – just right for a growing puppy.

Tomorrow the Williamson family from Matthews NC will be coming in for a meet/greet. They still have to pass their home visit but I am confident that will happen. If they are happy with what they see, they will be taking a puppy home two weeks from tomorrow.

Other than those two, I don’t know of any others that are anywhere near close to be finished and ready to adopt. (The Kerl family has decided to wait for a dog that they know is guaranteed to be a doodle because of allergies.) This worries me. We have 12 beautiful bundles of fluff just waiting for their new homes. Ashley and I will be getting new photos this weekend and putting up individual pictures to pique more interest. They are wonderful puppies and all deserve wonderful homes.

I’m up late tonight waiting for our own Deb Poston to arrive with more space heaters, donated by adopter and volunteer Katie Austin and her mother. Deb was due to meet the Austin’s in Greensboro at about 6, bringing them their new boy Scooter, but traffic delays kept them tied up in Charlotte and they didn’t arrive in Greensboro until after 9! That they’re still coming here is amazing but Deb wouldn’t take “go home” for an answer from me. That’s dedication.

We’ve really had challenges this week with the heat but between the space heaters donated, and the insulation Wayne put up (more on that in a minute), I think we’ll be okay until the heating system is in.

Have I told you guys recently how wonderful my husband is? Wayne spent most every night this week up on a ladder patching the insulation that had fallen down inside the kennel. It is like putting a cozy blanket over the pups. The difference was immediate. Special thanks to hubby for all his uncomplaining hard work and assistance in what we do.

Deb and Chris have just come and gone and we have four more space heaters and a ton of newspapers and plastic bags. We also updated the available dog list and Chris played with two of the labradoodle puppies who are overnighting here at the house. Special thanks to Debbie and Chris for going out of their way!

And on that note, it’s way past my bedtime. Goodnight from Dreamweaver Farms

Donna

2006-10-23T07:38:00.000-04:00

Saturday 10/21/2006.

Today's photo - the Hahn Family from Charlotte NC.

There is one thing I would like all to understand. If you volunteer in ANY capacity with Carolina Poodle Rescue, please check your motivation. If you are motivated by a desire o assist needy dogs, then you’re doing this for all the right reasons. If you have any other motivation, then you’re doing this for the wrong reasons. You’ll burn out and you’ll be frustrated and you’ll then drop out and wonder what went wrong.

It’s okay to feel compassion for needy animals yet not have that be your primary volunteer activity in your life. I have compassion for those with breast cancer but I don’t volunteer much for breast cancer awareness. I have compassion for those with MS but I don’t participate in their walks. You get the idea. All of us have only so much time to give and I choose to give my time to poodle rescue. You can be compassionate about something and not necessarily be actively supporting a cause.

If you are working with CPR because you want to do Donna a favor, to help me out because you see how much I do, then YOU NEED TO QUIT IMMEDIATELY. That is not the right reason to do this at all. Do it for the animals or don’t do it at all.

Okay…sorry, but that’s a real concern of mine and it came up again this weekend. I wanted to get it off my chest. People who volunteer because they want to see needy animals lives bettered are happy volunteers, fulfilled and enjoying their activities. That’s how I feel. That’s what I’d like to see all of you feel.

But on to the fun stuff – adopters. The Kerl family from Townville SC came today to pick out their new puppy. They are our first approved adopters. They stayed several hours and finally narrowed the selection down to three little boys: Salvador (cream), Tristan (cream) or Phoenix (black). They’ve gone to discuss and will let me know. Ed at one point looked at me and said he wished they were LAST on the list to adopt, not first. This was too hard!

Amazingly, Doodle, the Kerl’s first generation labradoodle, looks exactly like our Arizona. I couldn’t believe it when she got out of the car. Guess our girl really is a purebred labradoodle.

Back to last weekend. Friday afternoon was entertaining. The Segel’s arrived from Wilmington NC around 3 pm. They knew they wanted a standard but were not sure which one. The Purser’s arrived around 4 pm, also seeking a standard as a companion to their cockapoo, Cami.

Frank and Barbara Segel are an absolutely lovely couple who adore each other. I thought Hahn (8 year old black SP) would be a perfect fit for them but Barbara was concerned about his age. The Segel’s had lost their last SP at age 9. Frank – well, Frank liked them all! I do believe that had he the means and the space I would have an empty kennel right now.

I really felt that Barbara had pretty much ruled out Hahn for she and Frank so when the Purser’s came in, I put Hahn in the office with them and went back to grooming Raven with assistance from Frank and Barbara. Barbara was quite taken with Raven and Frank liked her, too. Then they met Schotzie (a/k/a Taylor) and the decision making process really ground to a halt.

I was bouncing back and forth between the exercise area (with Schotzie and Raven and the Segel’s) and the office (with the Purser’s and Hahn) and starting to feel like a hockey puck. When the Purser’s told me they definitely wanted to take Hahn home, I bounced back to the Segel’s and let them know. Frank was so disappointed, his face really fell. I told them that they were here first, but that I felt like Hahn really liked the Purser’s and, if they didn’t mind, that he was not happy living in a kennel and if he had a chance to go home tonight, he should do so. They agreed, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

So, we finalized the adoption contract for Hahn and the Purser’s and I sent Barbara and Frank back to Union and their hotel so they could discuss the attributes of Schotzie and Raven. I closed shop, headed down the hill to dinner…….and the rest of my evening spent chasing Johnny.

Just another day in a rescuer’s life.

Tomorrow, I’ll have to tell how Carol Voyles found homes for both her wonderful fosters on the same day, and about her very cool new grooming job working at the home of a local celebrity!

2006-10-20T23:55:00.000-04:00

10/20/2006

Hooray for sunshine! Today was so much better than the rest of this week has been. Karen Martin came over this afternoon and brought her friend, Heather. We stripped and cleaned half the kennel. It smells sooo much better. Tomorrow, Beth is coming up and we’ll clean the second half and the puppy room. That's Karen, buried by her dogs, and Heather on the left.

For those who didn’t know, Hamlet (baby SP pulled from Clarksville) was set to return to Dreamweaver Farms this weekend. It was just not a good match with his new home. However, it looks like Hamlet won’t be coming back to me after all. We have had a late breaking development in PA that may be very good for little Hamlet.

About an hour ago, Candace called me. She had stopped off at her favorite dog deli to order a birthday cake for her two toy poodle girls. She was chatting with the owner and mentioned she had to get home to groom her SP foster puppy. The owner of the shop paused in her tracks and said "what foster SP puppy." Candace explained Hamlet and how he had come to stay with her. Next thing Candace knows, the owner (Maddie) is on the phone with her husband, Lee, explaining about Hamlet. It turns out that Maddie and Lee are the proud owners of a female golden doodle who is 7 months old and they had recently realized they needed a playmate for their girl. Lee grew up with standard poodles. Maddie and Lee asked Candace to please let them come over to meet Hamlet before he began his journey. Maddie closed the shop and followed Candace home and Lee drove in from across town.

Candace says it was pretty incredible about Hamlet's reaction - to Lee. Hamlet was immediately all over Lee, with tons of affection and attention getting actions. This from the puppy who at 4 months, could barely look a human in the eye.

The Lee's have gone home to fill out a CPR application to adopt. We are waiting on that now. If references check out okay tomorrow, and the home check passes, then Hamlet and his possible sister will met. If that goes well, he may very well be home. Hooray for Hamlet!

Now – when you live out in the sticks, many things that you take for granted in the city become a challenge. Receiving packages is one of those things. UPS and Fed Ex have a real problem with having to trek over a locked gate and down a ¼ mile long driveway to find me so they don’t. They leave cute little notes on the gate asking me to come pick my stuff up or leave the gate open (which you never, ever, ever, ever leave the gate open when you run a poodle farm). I had vaccines coming in from Schering Plough and those are refrigerated/perishable. I called Fed Ex and left messages and instructions for where to put the packages. At first, the dispatch told me it wasn’t possible and I would have to come all the way into Spartanburg and pickup. Those items were about to be corrupted if I didn’t get them into refrigeration so I was pretty panicky. Fortunately, the driver I had today went the extra mile. When he got the message about where to go deliver, he came back between other stops and made sure we got our stuff. But, you are all saying to yourself, but when is she going to quit rambling on and finish the story of Johnny! Well, okay. Here tis.

When Carol and I were traipsing around back yards in the middle of the night, we had talked a bit about what to do when we saw Johnny. I coached Carol in the protocols of catching a running dog – don’t run. Sit. She agreed and we continued searching. When we spotted Johnny, I thought Carol was going to jump out of her skin! She was so excited and every instinct she had said that she should RUUUNN towards her baby and scoop him up and hold him close.

But that mean old rescuer wouldn’t let her. “Carol,” I whispered. “Sit down.” Meanwhile, I’ve already plopped myself right down in the middle of that street, sitting Indian style with my legs crossed like I wanted to be there forever. I reached for the bag of treats and started telling Phoebe and Sam how wonderful they were and how they deserved these treats. I was talking in that loud, sing song voice we reserve for our dogs when we are very, very pleased with them. Phoebe and Sam weren’t really sure what they had done, but they were sure glad to be invited to this party!

Carol was about halfway down, poised to jump at the split second I gave the word. “Carol, - sit down,” I hissed, trying to sound a little forceful while simultaneously praising and singing to two happy SP’s. Carol settled down a little further but still wasn’t where I wanted her – sprawled and happy. Okay, it was in the middle of a poodle party in the middle of a street in the middle of the night in the middle of a little town in South Carolina called Easley and her brand new dog was in danger of darting out into a 4 lane highway at any minute and she’d been stressing about him for upwards of 7 hours now. No wonder she was a little on edge. However, I needed her RELAXED. She wasn’t.

So, in my best dog obedience tone I said, “Carol…SIT.”

Carol sat. So did Phoebe and Sam for that matter. And Johnny, seeing that all was well and everyone was happy, came running.

Carol didn’t know whether to laugh or cry when I told her I had Johnny by the bandanna and to please hand me the slip lead. I forgot to mention that yesterday. In her quest for supplies, Carol had enough forethought to also purchase two chain slip collars. Thank goodness because my hold on that bandanna was tenuous at best. It was loose and wanted to slip. I kept talking happy talk to the poodles and holding on to Johnny and feeding him treats while Carol got the slip lead situated and I could put it over his head. Whew! We had him. I really am not sure who was happier, Carol or Johnny. Phoebe and Sam seemed disappointed when they realized the party was over.

We three poo’s and Carol and I made our way back to the hotel without incident. It was a happy greeting with Frankie and Johnny and Phoebe and Sam thrown into the mix as well as Gregg. Carol told Gregg everything. Then, looking at me, she added "and I think I'm the one that needs obedience classes!"

The Bala’s insisted on getting me a hotel room for the night to thank me for coming out and so I wouldn’t have to make the drive back that night. I accepted their hospitality.

The next morning, we met for breakfast. Both of them were just beaming after their first night with their boys. Gregg told me an interesting story he had not relayed before. Apparently, sometime around the first of September, Gregg woke up on a Saturday morning very upset with Carol. The Bala’s had lost their dog some time before and had decided not to get another one. In Gregg’s dream, Carol brought home two dogs! Gregg was upset because he did not want new dogs. However, it generated a spark of interest in him and he started researching standard poodle breeders in the area and then turned to rescue. There, he found “the boys,” as he affectionately calls them.

We think the date of Gregg’s dream was September 7. That was the same day that Frankie and Johnny arrived at Dreamweaver Farms.

Tomorrow – dodging bullets. When two adopters want the same dog and both of them are in your building!

Good night from Dreamweaver Farms...
Donna

2006-10-19T23:48:00.000-04:00

I am determined to get caught up and let ya’ll know about the weekend but it looks like it will be in bits and pieces.

Today was - dreary. Yesterday was -

dreary. I used to love rainy days. Some of my most productive days were when

it was raining. However, I have discovered one of my least favorite things in life is running an animal shelter when it is raining. The dogs are wet, the blankets are wet, the floors are wet and will not dry. When floors won’t dry, I can’t seem to get them clean. No one wants to go outside and get their dainty poodle feet wet so in the house and in the kennel I am finding little stealth droplets and bombs. Those that do go outside come back and plant muddy paw prints all over me. I can’t hang clothes on the line. I can’t feed out doors. We can’t walk the fields. It’s almost impossible to do yard clean up. Sheesh. Pray for sunshine!

Today was vet day. Gracie (silver toy est 6 years old with juvenile cataracts, stray from Spartanburg shelter) got her dental and is good to go. If anyone is looking for a great lap dog, Gracie is the gal.

Frenchie (Rocky Mount NC shelter, stray, black toy poodle mix) went in for yet another recheck of her skin. Doc says she now has a bacterial infection in her skin so we’ve started on a strong antibiotic and stronger run of prednisone. Poor baby just REEKS. She wants so badly to be played with – but it’s hard to get near her much less pick her up and cuddle with her. I hope this will help.

Belle (silver SP from Georgia shelter, may be pregnant) had an x-ray today. We see a mass in the abdomen but if it’s puppies they’re not far enough along yet to count or to tell for sure. It’s a waiting game – we return in two weeks.

Tony (black TP stray from Cleveland OH) got his heartworm test and all was well. His sister, Cleo, was spayed yesterday so now we start looking for homes.

And the puppies – puppies do two things well. One of those things is eat. You guess what the other is. Every time I go in the puppy area, I hear this little ditty going through my head. Remember “weebles wobble but they don’t fall down.” Well, my version says “puppies poopie and it don’t slow down.” Unfortunately, not only do we have the normal amount of outflow right now, it’s all very soft outflow. I rushed stool samples in to the vet yesterday based on this soft phenomenon and – nothing. No parasites, no coccidia, nothing. I talked to Ed at Doo South Labradoodles and he says he’s battled the same thing. He has had the same diagnosis as our Doc’s assessment, it’s a bacterial infection of some kind going on. We started today on a basic run of amoxicillin. Everybody cross their topknots and toes that we have FIRM poop by tomorrow else I’ll have to cancel any meet and greets until the babies are well. They act fine, but their little bellies are distended and, of course, sanitation is a real issue with the profusion of discharge they are creating at the moment.

Now, back to the weekend. I’ll try to do a few stories at a time from last weekend until I get this caught up.

The weekend is still a blur. What a wild ride this one was!

It started Friday 10/13/06 (of course – Friday the 13^th). The Bala family from Florida came in to adopt Frankie and Johnny. Let me back up.

The day actually started the night before, when volunteer Carol Voyles called to say she had a big grooming job come up and she could not help me with grooming. Shoot….okay, so I’ve got two adopters coming in and four standard poodles to get ready. I can do this, take a deep breath! I got to the kennel early and got Frankie groomed and was working on Johnny when the Carol and Gregg Bala came in to adopt Frankie and Johnny.

Everything about the introductions and finalizing the contracts went really, really well. The Bala’s are wonderful people. They are empty nesters and are so very excited to be adopting the boys. They went out the door and I went back to grooming to get ready for the Segel’s (from Wilmington) and the Pursers (from Charlotte). More about those adoptions later.

About 8:30 I had finally got to the house to have dinner and, after dinner, and went upstairs to check messages before heading to the kennel again to put everyone to bed. Boy was I surprised to find a message from a distressed Carol telling me that Johnny was missing! I briefly thought of my long, hot bath I had planned for that evening. Oh well, I knew Johnny and I knew that young man would never come to the Bala’s. It was up to me – and his buds Phoebe and Frankie. I ran up to the kennel to put everyone to bed, grabbed Phoebe (black SP that lived with Johnny) and stuck some clothes in a bag just in case the worst happened and we could not find him tonight. Samson (my black SP) was outside when I hit the truck door and, figuring that two SP’s on track were better than one, he invited himself to go. I agreed with him.

So, I had two standard poodles, a fistful of Bil Jac frozen and about 1 1/2 hours to drive to Easley SC. The dogs settled down for a nap, I turned the radio on and I called Carol to let her know I was on the way. She had been walking Frankie around and around trying to find Johnny and they had spotted him several times. Frankie was getting pooped out – this had happened about 5 pm and it was now 9 pm. He was more than ready for the Calvary to show up and replacements to take over.

Fortunately, it’s smooth driving all the way to Easley and I found the hotel with no problem. Carol was prepared and was a woman on a mission – get her dog back! She had fresh flashlights with brand new batteries, she had purchased a wire crate like Johnny was used to and canned food and had that set up where she had seen him last. We took off with Sam paired with Carol and me paired with Phoebe. The hotel is right on the main drag in Easley and Johnny had fortunately went away from the road and made his way to a residential area next door. The area Carol took me to had houses and lots of trees and cars and such to hide under and around. It was so dark, it was 10:30 by this time.

On the way to Easley, I called several of our folks who either do animal communication themselves or know those who do and asked for help. The word I got back was that Johnny was under a trailer or vehicle of some sort, that he was within sight of the hotel and the lights. He had seen and heard his name being called and he could see Frankie when Frankie was walking around. He wanted badly to get back to Frankie (the two are brothers and are very close). He was hungry and thirsty and cold and tired but he was afraid to come because he was afraid he was in trouble. He really liked those new people and he really, really wanted to get back to Frankie soon. He didn’t know why he ran away, it was just the thing to do. This was consistent with the behavior I had seen out of Johnny in the kennel. He’s a good boy and he’s a mischievous boy who loves to play keep away. During our interview process with the boys earlier that day, I had told Carol and Gregg that Frankie was the son that would make them proud and become a doctor and that Johnny was most likely to end up going to jail. I was joking, or at least I thought I was. It was behavior I should have corrected but I am not much of a trainer. In the kennel, behind closed and locked gates and doors, it was one thing. This time, it was serious and it could cost him.

The info we had from the AC did not jive with the area where Johnny had been seen last but we felt that searching there had to be done. We did that and were walking back to the hotel, about to call it a night with plans to start in the morning. We were about a block from the hotel when I saw a ghost shadow of a dog dart across a darkened yard. I froze…..and Carol looked up when she realized I had stopped and saw it too.

(to be continued…….tomorrow night, coaxing Johnny home).

2006-10-12T23:01:00.000-04:00

10/12/2006
Katie is on board our volunteers group now. Katie, welcome aboard.

The babies continue to grow, to delight and to enchant. Bunny, you should have seen Frenchie (black toy poodle mix) today. The babies were going over to try to play with her. To give you a perspective, she’s at least 5 years old and these guys, at 4.5 weeks old, are about 2/3rds of her size already. Big puppies!

Today, we started free feeding dry food and I’ll cut out the 3 times per day feeding of most food and go to 2 times per day and then 1. They are drinking water freely and are getting really good about going to their papers to do their business.

I admit to being slack about cleaning up behind them so today, I got out the Wintergreen disinfectant that Carol Voyles brought me to use and got to work. I let the pups run around while I cordoned off their two exercise pens and scrubbed and scrubbed ‘til everything was spotless. I can’t have adopters coming with the place looking like that! It’s much better now, and it smells absolutely wonderful. After I finished cleaning, I played puppy police and got everyone back into the ex pen and laid out dinner. Then I counted heads. Whoops…I only counted 11 so I counted colors. One brown – check; four white – check; seven black…whoops, six black. One little black boy was missing. I panicked. As much stuff as is stored in the building on that side, he could have gotten stuck anywhere. I searched and searched and couldn’t figure out why Arizona wasn’t concerned. Finally, I found a little black boy curled up on a midnight blue comforter in plain sight. No wonder Arizona had no concerns. He was right there all the time! Whew….

Today was vet day for Chadwick and Gracie. Chadwick is a white mini poodle. He had his last heartworm treatment and is now ready to go. He is an absolutely drop dead gorgeous mini poodle. I hope we find his home soon. Gracie is an older silver toy poodle, in for blood work in preparation for a dental. She has been urinating frequently so I suspected diabetes but everything came back normal. Thank goodness!

I try to do as many errands while I am out as I can so I can minimize my drive time. It’s 45 minutes to Westside Vet alone. So, I went by Sam’s and picked some food donations, then scooted over to Target to use a gift card generously donated to pick up some puppy food.

Then it was off to meet with the husband of Julie Bentley, one of our foster homes, and pick up Taylor, a white SP. Taylor is only 2 years old. His owners didn’t realize the high energy requirements of a standard poodle and after 2 years of antics, couldn’t take it anymore. He’s a wonderful dog, he just needs an energy outlet. That put us home after 1 pm so I called Wayne and he agreed to pick Chadwick and Gracie up, saving me a second trip into town. Thanks sweetie.

Now…a note to adoption counselors. Today I got one of those emails you hate to get: “call me, please. I have to get rid of this dog and I have to take her to the pound if I can’t find something quick.” I called and found myself talking to a very nice but very distraught mother of 3 boys ages 10, 10 and 12. One of the 10 year old’s has cerebral palsy and has a kidney disorder that makes any sort of cut or scrape a serious damage to his system. This little miniature poodle had recently bit this child after a struggle over a chicken bone the dog had found on the floor. The poo kid had become increasingly aggressive (snapping and growley) recently towards all the boys although she remains loving to the mother. Because the mother now does not trust her poodle, she puts the poodle out on a chain when visitors arrive. It’s a recipe for disaster.

I told this lady that, had she approached us 2 years ago when she bought her dog about adopting from CPR, that we most likely would have turned her down. Children that are victims of CB do not have the same motor skills as others. The body language he is sending out is far different than mine or yours. In addition, they are boys and they are getting louder and more boisterous every day. I explained to her that it sounds like it was a good home and a good dog but that both together were not working. We would most likely have sent her to lab rescue to get a dog that was large enough to be able to enjoy her growing boys. She was so relieved. She had spent the day on the phone talking to other rescue groups and being pretty discouraged. When I told HER she had three boys (I knew she had three children but not the sexes) before she told me, based solely on the actions of the poodle, she decided I was a mind reader. I explained that I was not – but I knew poodles and I knew one of the behavior paths a poodle took when they had had enough of young and rowdy/loud boys.

So…yes, we treat every applicant like they’re going to be able to adopt. But, when you turn down an applicant, not because they are bad people but because a dog in their home is a bad fit, remember that you may be saving them a lot of grief down the line.

We have so many adopters coming this weekend. It’s truly a blessing. I’ll spend tomorrow spiffying pups up to meet their new moms and dads.

Oh…I’ve been invited to speak to a class at a local college. The class topic is non profit organizations, especially “grass roots” organizations like our own. Special thanks to Karen Martin for recommending me to her friend who is the professor for this class.

The sky is clear and it is chilly here tonight. Winter is coming. We make a final decision on our heating system tomorrow. Good night and sleep tight – from Dreamweaver Farms
Wayne and Donna

2006-10-11T23:56:00.000-04:00

These late nights are

starting to tell on me. I am going to

try to write you guys earlier in the day from now on.

Arizona and her babes are

continuing to thrive. Some

of them are sleeping in the crates,

and some of them prefer the floor thank you,

piled on top of each other. We got their profile up on petfinder today

and the applications are already

coming in! It will be a bittersweet

day

when they start going home. That should be around mid November.

Daphne Oliver went above and beyond the call of duty today. Daphne is on vacation at Walt Disney World. Well one of her applicants has been in contact and I really needed to get some info from Daphne. She put her vacation on a short hold to get in touch with me to discuss the situation. Here’s Daphne at our retreat a few weeks ago. Thanks Daphne for going the extra mile, as usual!

Speaking of the retreat, everyone has had a chance to look at their photos and I finally got to mine. Here’s my favorite – who knows who this mystery couple is? Do they not look perfect for each other?

Our adoption counselors in general are really stepping things into high gear right now! I’ve got applicants for four standard poodles and one toy/mini coming in on Friday and Saturday. Thanks so much to these hard working ladies who give so much of themselves and their time to help.

Short and sweet tonight.

Good night – from Dreamweaver Farms

Wayne and Donna

2006-10-10T23:42:00.000-04:00

Hoorah! A relatively uneventful day. Some days you need those.

I started out the day planning to head for vet appointments for Phoebe, Chadwick and Gracie but, about 8:30 just as I was starting to load up, Donna (receptionist) called from Westside Vet. Two emergencies had come in, could I hold off until Thursday? I had no emergencies of my own so this was fine with me and a blessing. It is a 4 to 5 hour job to take dogs to the vet, drop them off, then return to pick them up (50 minutes drive each way x 4 plus waiting time). It felt like a snow day does – a day “free” that you didn’t expect. It’s such an almost guilty pleasure.

I finished up in the kennel and headed to the house to spend a day getting caught up on paperwork. It seems like the paperwork is never ending. Beth called and arranged to bring her boys up for a field trip about lunch (they love to play in the RV) and to pick up the t shirts so she can send out as people order them. Thank goodness for that organized and efficient business manager we have!

Beth and I brainstormed a bit about ways to continue to streamline our operations. It’s evident that inviting people here, and having a healthy pool of animals available that may not be on the internet, is not working well. The answer may very well lie in slimming down the number of dogs we have and freeing me up to be more of a “regular” foster home, including taking a lot of time talking with applicants on the phone. It shifts what I am doing from animal care to administrative work. I doubt the hours would be different, but the work would be. So we’ll see. Since I’m restricted right now with all this puppy breath around here, it’s a good time to experiment with lower numbers.

Speaking of puppies – my oh my how we’ve grown! No one will stay in the swimming pool any longer. It’s too easy to crawl out and head for uncharted territories. So, tomorrow the “nursery” becomes the dormitory and we start school. The pool comes out and we install crates and start the crate training. We’ll have two or three open small crates, padded with soft and comfy bedding, to encourage sleeping in there and pooping elsewhere!

Everybody is eating well on their own. Opal (white female) and Jacqueline (brown female) still do not have teeth and are the smallest so they get a bottle as a supplement also. Everyone is on puppy food, moistened. They are still incredibly messy eaters but are starting to get the hang of it, i.e., if you keep most of your body OUT of the food then more goes in your mouth.

Belle is starting to nest and she is getting HUGE and she is getting cranky. I give her until about the 15^th or 16^th. I hope she’ll wait until Monday since we have a pretty large group of adopters coming up. The pool will go in her room to get her comfortable it since it will serve as her whelping box.

Other than that, it was a routine day at Dreamweaver Farms. Wayne got my cup hooks installed for my everyday coffee mugs and we finished an admin project we have been working on together. Small things you say, but every day we try to do something to move forward with the house even if it’s such a small thing. Baby steps reach to great accomplishments.

I sent Katie Austin the invite for our group. She was delighted and plans on accepting. I think you will all like her.

Here is wishing you and yours a productive and happy Over the Hump Day on Wednesday. Talk to you tomorrow.

Good night from Dreamweaver Farms

Donna

2006-10-10T01:16:00.000-04:00

Carolina Poodle Rescue at Dreamweaver Farms

keep typing September in my date column. I think I can’t believe it’s October and I’ve been out here for over six months now. It seems like six days. My how time flies.

Today was grooming day. Carol Voyles, her friend Daphne and Ashley Reider have committed to come to Dreamweaver Farms every other Monday to groom our rescue dogs. I can’t do this by myself. I am spending an average of 7 to8 hours per day in the kennel now with routine cleaning, feeding and some bit of socializing. One day, I’m going to get a picture of the ladies working. Right now, I am too busy being glad they are there. All together, we groomed 3 standards (Simba, Belle and Phoebe)and 10 toys and mini’s (Zeus, Mighty, Tyger, Chadwick, Zelda, Tony, Cleo, Gidget, Gracie and Frenchie), quite a day for our crew. We keep two grooming tables going all the time and one tub always has a dog in it and sometimes two dogs in it. Belle our pregnant standard girl got a beautiful do, just in time too as I am thinking that we have about 5 or 7 more days before we’ll have more pups in our kennel. Simba got all spruced up, too, and looked wonderful. Shaved ears really become him and bring out his beautiful eyes. Pics shortly.

Carol and I are discussing and finalizing our schedule now for the rest of the year. Any who would like to come on one of these Mondays, you are welcome. It’s a comfortable, warm time of camaraderie as we bathe and trim and clip and scissor these guys into looking beautiful.

On a sadder note, we lost one of our own today. Pride was a retired racing greyhound that came to live at Dreamweaver Farms last spring. She was content here, but that was all. Then, in August, Annette and Christina came to visit and Pride became a different dog. She chattered and she pranced, she smiled and she ran. She did all but take the car keys away and take off with the car to let Annette and Christina know that she was THEIR girl and they should not even think about leaving her here. Pride lost her fight with chronic and untreated (before CPR) urinary tract infections and teeth that were so infected that even to pull them would have been dangerous. Light a candle tonight for this beautiful girl. Pride (race name Dynamic Pride) would have been 12 years old this November. Annette and Christine are having her cremated and will return her to Dreamweaver Farms to sprinkle her ashes in the pastures, so she can run our fields to her heart’s content.

Whenever there is both life and death, I can’t help but think of the song “The Circle of Life” by Elton John. Have you ever listened to the lyrics? I’ll leave you with them now. Think of Pride, whose circle has ended. And of our precious puppies, whose circle has just begun. And remember,. To never take more than you give.

Peace…

Donna

From the day we arrive on the planet
And blinking, step into the sun
There's more to be seen than can ever be seen
More to do than can ever be done

Some say eat or be eaten
Some say live and let live
But all are agreed as they join the stampede
You should never take more than you give

In the circle of life
It's the wheel of fortune
It's the leap of faith
It's the band of hope
Till we find our place
On the path unwinding
In the circle, the circle of life

Some of us fall by the wayside
And some of us soar to the stars
And some of us sail through our troubles
And some have to live with the scars

There's far too much to take in here
More to find than can ever be found
But the sun rolling high through the sapphire sky
Keeps great and small on the endless round

2006-10-07T22:37:00.000-04:00

So today was a very busy day. I got up to the kennel a little after 8 am and fixed the puppy’s breakfast. Amazing how fast they are growing. They now look like little puppies instead of little blobs of fur – actually they look like little tiny bears. They are so adorable. It has only take one day and they’re already starting to pay attention when I come in for now I bring that fun stuff called FOOD.

Hey, whoever makes sewing needles should take a note from baby puppies! Arizona and I both had deep scratches all over where puppies had been crawling. Those nails are sharp! I trimmed most everyone’s nails today and learned something new. Not wanting your nails trimmed has nothing to do with having had it done too roughly. Some of the babies were just fine with the nail trimming. Others started pulling their feet away almost immediately. So from now on, I don’t assume a poor groomer but assume this is one that just doesn’t like to have his or her feet tickled.

It’s going to be cold tonight so I rigged up a “tent” around the puppy pen using an old quilt. I have a space heater just outside the “tent” and well away from any danger of setting anything off. I turned the heating pads up to medium. When I left they were all snoozing cozily and mama was resting nearby. They are all so precious.

Speaking of mama’s, I spoke to Belle’s previous owner today. He had broken his hip and had to give up some of the dogs which is why he placed her in the shelter. He had found homes for several others but could not find a home for Belle. He was absolutely overjoyed when he heard she was doing well and about to drop. He had resigned himself to the worst happening to Belle.

Belle has had 3 litters before this, starting at 2.5 years old and then being bred every other year since then. That’s not too bad. She has six puppies each time. Dad to this litter is “Rhett Butler” and is a silver standard. So you DNA and pedigree folks out there (that’s you Susan and Kathryn), what does two silver parents produce? FYI I know there is at least one white in Belle’s background. If the pedigree is correct, it’s GORDON! For those who don’t know, Gordon is one of the winnings standard poodles of all times. Do a google search and you’ll find him. He’s Belle’s grandfather. I’ll try to find out the rest of the family tree. The breeder says we’ll get all silver puppies. Suits me! I was just relieved to hear she only has six!

Other than that, it was a normal day of cleaning, feeding, and cleaning some more. We’re settled in here and everyone has gotten to know each other. Hahn and Gracie are our newest and they’re doing well.

The moon is full and is almost like a spotlight over the pasture. Wayne and Mandy have been spending some quiet time outside. I have a sore throat so I’m staying inside. I can’t afford to get sick that’s for sure. Another reason to invite as many of you up as we can on a regular basis. If someone besides me knows the routine, should something terrible happen you’d be able to step right in.

The Ladd’s from Charleston are coming up Sunday to pick out a new foster, and Sue and Gary are coming tomorrow. My mom is going to try to come up Sunday to stay for several days. All of the talk about setting up schedules has me so excited also. I’ll be working on a schedule and a list. Can’t wait to see you all again.

Goodnight from Dreamweaver Farms

Donna and Wayne