A RESCUE I REMEMBER

Tonight the Incentive 8A & 8B winners were:

Marcia Smith of Brooklyn, NY won the Airedale notecards, keychain and magnets.

Pamela Meeks of Oklahoma City, OK won the Robert Genn & Airedale print.

Thank you both for your donations and for supporting Airedale Rescue. All the Rescue Airedales thank you!

And so do all the Airedale Rescue volunteers because your donation makes it possible for them to continue to do what they do best – rescue Airedales in need.

The winner of Surprise #7 last night was Tara Hirjak of North Bend, WA.  Thank you, Tara, for your donation.  You won these 5 clay ornaments that were handmade by me.  Hope you like them!

Over the years there have been so many Airedale rescues that came through my home, but some stick in my mind more than others either because of the circumstances or just the time they spent with me.  I'll be writing about some other memorable rescues of mine here and there in this blog.

I remember TROOPER, a not quite year old male from the Briarcliff Manor, NY shelter.  He had been confiscated by the state police because of abuse.  He had spent most of his short life tied to a tree with about 2 or 3 feet of slack.  Two troopers spotted his 90 yr. old owner beating him over the head with a frying pan (hard enough to draw blood) and intervened.  They told the man to either relinquish the dog to the SPCA or be arrested.  He gave up the dog and then Rescue was called.

Elmer, as he was then called, was a wooly, matted, WILD dog when he came out of the shelter.  We went directly to PETCO for a bath and haircut.  They told me it took 3 people to give him a bath and his haircut was quite choppy – they weren’t able to do his head, even w/my help.  We left it alone.  Home we went after a busy afternoon and took our first extended walk.  He was quite strong (only 55# and about 24” at the shoulder) and almost pulled me off my feet because he spooked at everything, such as the wind waving a small bush or a rolled newspaper in a yellow plastic bag on someone’s driveway.  Since Elmer really didn't fit him, I renamed “Trooper” in honor of the 2 state troopers who rescued him and he responded to it immediately.  In time, Trooper proved to be a “trouper”.   He spent 2 nights at the vet’s when he went to be neutered and the vet graciously asked if I’d like him to clipper his head while he was under the anesthesia!  I showed him how to do it and they did a decent job.  Later I blended the sides of his head with a stripping knife, which he tolerated.

On our walks, he would bark furiously and pull with all his might when he saw another dog so the following weekend I took him to Barbara Curtiss’s where we introduced him to her “boys” one by one.  The same behavior each time, but as we stood around talking and the dogs got closer, Trooper stopped barking and was wagging his tail to beat the band.  He just wanted to be friends but didn’t know what he was supposed to do – he hadn’t been socialized before - all he knew was his old abusive owner and that tree and chain.  After each introduction, we would go for a 10 min. walk and Trooper just wanted to get next to the other dog and jump all over him - just a typical obnoxious puppy.  Later we let him loose in their yard to run a bit since I didn’t have a yard and he had the best time.  Running all about and sniffing and lifting his leg – he’d return to us when we called, running up and just about bowling us over!  He was much calmer that evening after having a chance to let off some steam!  As the vet said, he’d make someone a nice companion once he had a couple of hours to run around a yard.

The first week was hard because there was also a bitch in season in the neighborhood and the man walked in my cul-de-sac so Trooper’s initial nervousness from the shelter experience was exacerbated – the poor dog just paced and panted and whined the first week.  I was exhausted just watching him!  The second week he settled in and the more comfortable he got, the more mischievous he became.  One evening when I was at the computer, he “brought me flowers” – he had unpotted one of my African violets (that had just bloomed).  What a charmer!  He was a very sweet, affectionate dog with a lot of energy and constantly came over for reassurance, hugs, pats, ear rubs and chest scratches and massages.  None of my waiting applicants were suitable for him – either cats, small children, long work hours, etc. so I contacted a couple in Ontario, Canada who had e-mailed me weeks earlier.  They were Airedale- experienced, had property with invisible fencing, wife worked out of the house 3 days a week and on those days, Trooper would go to Grandma and Grandpa’s for doggie day care.  I normally wouldn’t place a dog so far away, but we e-mailed all that second week and they sent a photo of their home and I had a good gut feeling before I met them, which was just confirmed and reinforced when I actually met them.  Trooper had a good life now – he had someone around a good portion of the time and got lots of love and attention.  When they sat down for tea, Trooper laid under the table with his head on Dad’s feet.  I think he stayed w/me for 3 or 4 weeks and his placement was my early Christmas present that year.  It was always such a wonderful feeling when God sent the right home for a hard to place dog.

**Remember Incentive #8 ends tonight at 8 PM EDT.**

Your donation makes you eligible to win not only one of the two incentives, but also the main quilt or one of the 4 bonus quilts or wall hangings.

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