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Do you have Eyes for me?

Tuesday, May 4th, 2010

Earlier, we wrote about a pair of dogs that came in together, “Ruby and Buddy.” While it would have been nice to place them together, that was not a realistic expectation.  Ruby has been placed, no surprise, a rare female in Rescue, she was younger, the most active, and most engaging.  The two of them had been almost joined at the hip.  Both looked alike since they were clippered and looked like they came from the litter.  When Ruby was placed, it did seem like Buddy had gone around looking for her but that was probably just my imagination. Buddy originally was a pet store dog, probably a Midwest puppy mill dog.  He is small, energetic, in great shape and a very happy little guy.  He is willing to share a couch with you anytime and he will stick with you as you work outside.  He listens and pays attention to what you say.  His eyes are usually wide open and looking right at you. I guess because they don’t work fully, he really uses what he has. Buddy did come in with some meds and a note saying he might be blind at some point.  I didn’t have anything else to tell me what it might be bit I was concerned. I made an appointment with a canine eye specialist.  I had a fear of a particular problem that is reserved for Cairn Terriers.  ”Ocular Melanosis” is an insidious disease that Cairns get, a sort of Cairn glaucoma. I have seen pictures but I have never seen a dog with it.  I printed up a fact sheet from the Internet and waited for the appointment.  In the meantime, I tried to remember to give Buddy his twice daily eye drops.

I have eyes for you.

Yesterday afternoon we were off.  I had been to see this doctor once before, maybe 15 years before with another dog that we had for a very short time.  This was before I was a member of the Cairn club or before I became involved in Rescue.  It was long enough ago that I didn’t recall the location, the building, or the vet.  I asked just to be sure, since there is only one vet with this specialty in the East county, it had to be him. I had gotten ahold of the last vet to see Buddy and they Faxed his records. I brought those along with his meds.  The vet read it all, looked at the Ocular Melanosis fact sheet I had and then looked at Buddy.  The bottom line -”Dry Eye”. (So much for my Internet search diagnosis.)  His cornea’s are so callused at this point the vet thought he might actually be unable to see.  He said while OC is a disease of the inner eye, Buddy’s issues are external.  He asked again about how he behaved saying that he surely could only get bits of light to hit his pupil.  The scarring was heavy enough that he could not even see into Buddy’s inner eye. This was surprise to me, Buddy does everything that our dogs normally do except two that I noticed.  Both are surely related to his limited vision.  He doesn’t catch biscuits when I toss them and he doesn’t try to use the doggie door.  I now promise to stop hitting him in the head with biscuits as I toss them to him.  His biscuits will be put in front of him.  I have already tried that and he doesn’t miss a crumb.  He is all over the back yard, he is after anything that moves.  He does not seem limited in what he does, in any way.

He is vocal, more than just barking.  If you scratch or pet him in certain areas, he will turn his head and start talking.  I assume he is proclaiming to the world how great the attention feels.  One thing I love is his attention to the dog next door.  That dog…  A few years ago, my neighbor lost her dog to old age just as her kids were leaving the roost.  She told me she was looking for a replacement.  This lady is not the warmest person in the world but I still had a long chat with her about sources of dogs.  I told her of the warning signs, low costs, out of state, no parents available, etc..  One day she showed up a the front door with this cute little fuzz ball, “Cinnamon”, an Australian herding dog or something like that.  She told me how young she was, less than 8 weeks.  Aaargh.  So much for my sage advice but then she gets to live with the dog. But now, we live next to the dog, she barks when I enter my garage, she barks when I open the side door of the garage, she barks when I work/walk on the side yard, she barks when I drive up.  She is not a nice dog even though I tried to get her to know me early on by talking softly and calling her name.  Oh well, I can’t save everyone from making a mistake.  What does this have to do with Buddy?  Well, my little friend takes exception every time that Cinnamon barks and lets her know his opinion, it seems to have a good effect.  I thank him each time he “protects” me.

Back to his condition, he will need some meds every day for the rest of his life, they won’t be cheap, maybe $50-80/month and he should see an eye specialist twice a year.  He will be a “special needs” dog but he will return the favor in love. He will gladly cuddle next to you, come and find you outside and he will always “talk” to you.  His condition might improve slightly if his ointments are dutifully and regularly applied but he has a life long condition.  He will get his daily eye ointment twice a day.  For now, he gets 3 different ones, one is twice a day and the others are once a day.  He is a real trooper when I put them in, he just submits.  They may actually make his eyes feel good. When he gets placed, I will add a note to this post, in the meantime, a special little guy is looking for that special friend, one who has Eyes for him.

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“A question on two dogs”, then three, then four, then three…

Monday, April 26th, 2010

In the Rescue world, things settle down and then they quickly change.  This time it all started last weekend when I was off to a dog show in Sacramento.  I was there to cheer on my granddog and greatgrand puppy.  They did just fine.  I did bring along my netbook and the first note came in, “A question on two dogs”. It is a pair of dogs, male and female, 7 & 4 years old needed to be surrendered as a young family was expanding.  With a 14 month old and another due shortly, very shortly, it appeared that the dogs were not quite accepting the changes that were happening in the family structure.  With the emergence of a toddler, the landscape was changing and the challenges were too unsettling. Then, 3 days after that, a note from another rescue group who had looked at a “brown terrier” in a shelter in Stockton.  It wasn’t a Westie and looked like a Cairn. The next day, the email “Orphaned dog” showed up.  Following the death of the dog’s owner and the inability of the out of state family to deal with the dog, a neighbor was searching for some help with placing a 6  year old female. So, there are 4 dogs to sort out and attempt to find homes for them.  Each is different but the first issue is always the same, I normally have space for a single dog at a time.

Ruby and Buddy, with the toy.

This is a nice looking pair, both are on the small side.  Buddy, 7, is the real lover.  He has an issue with his esophagus that takes some vigilance but shouldn’t be a big problem. There is an eye issue to sort out, it could be a major concern.  Ruby, 4,  is the boss, as much as someone allows, she will rule the roost if someone is lax about control.  For the short term, that is not an issue, the old man of our pack here is 15 and he will not brook any nonsense.  In time, if Ruby is here long, I suspect she will be silently in control.  I always feed and pet my dogs first, they very quickly learn my rules but in the dog world, there is an unspoken language of eyes and body language that runs the dog world.   In the past, I have had females who were very subservient where 2 legs are concerned but they  seem to let the male dogs know who the real boss is.  My old man’s response as always the same, walk in the room and ignore them, if he didn’t look at them, if he didn’t “see” them, then he was the boss.  My guess is that Ruby would one day be that dog, the silent queen of the pack.  ”I’m talking to you, old man.” Feeding them will be a small challenge, I understand that Ruby is food aggressive.  With this many dogs, that is not allowed.  As the youngest, her dish will hit the floor last, she will learn.  It usually takes these dogs about 2 days and they quickly understand the rules.  They adjust, especially when they are in a new place. At the moment, there is a little barking going on, nothing between the dogs, just at the wind, or telling me to let them inside.  One thing I learned a few dogs back.  Once they get here, they want to be recognized.  For the first day or so, that is about all I do. I will give them a random pet but nothing serious.  In time, I will do that but they seem to accept me as leader if I take my time and then finally give them extra attention.  It seems to help them focus on the job at hand,” You are the new kid, You are last, You will get your turn, but You will wait for it.” Next, we may have a project dog,” Trinket“.   Her owner died, the family is out of state and declined to take Trinket with them.   Somehow, a neighbor or friend found me through the National club and asked for help.  Here is the first message, Subject: Orphaned Dog

Hi I am looking for a rescue org. near Sacramento. A good friend passed away and her Cairn terrier is in desperate need of a new home. She is 6. spayed, house trained, pure bred, and has papers Thank You

Cairn in serious need of grooming

I answered, at this point, I expected Ruby and Buddy would be coming in, if so, I didn’t have space at the moment.  Besides, I had not seen this dog, it might only be someone’s best guess if it was a Cairn.  I asked for a picture, if possible, the name of a breeder, where did the dog come from?  No promises that we could take her at this point, I wanted more information first.  I got several pictures, plus a response that the breeder was in the midwest and not able to contact.  Big surprise there.  Next, I got note that said :

FYI. today i found a good home for the dog

Thanks!

That is good news, there is no reason for us to be involved.  I did send her a note saying she would look smaller once she was groomed, I attached a couple of pictures of another dog we had to dehair.  You can see the Skippy story here. Click the link and scroll down half way, look for Skippy.

"Trinket"

I wanted them to know what is possible. I should have known the earlier e-mail was too good to be true. 24 hours later, I got this message:

Well back in need of your help with finding a home for Trinket.  the people returned her after taking her home last night, they have 2 other dogs and they didnt get along.  So hoping to go the rescue organization route so that we can find a home that will work

I answered we would try, I sent notes to two people that lived in that general area hoping for a positive response but I still didn’t have room for Trinket.     Several hours later, I got this note:

UPDATE Just got word that Trinkett was picked up today by a rescue org. so you can rest easy and take me off of your list
Thanks for all of the correspondence!

Another rescue group?  I wonder who that is?  Not a major issue, anyone who helps place a dog is fine with me.   That note came in around 4PM. Everything looked good at that point.  Then, at 8PM, my phone rang.  A club member called and says she has picked up a rescue dog.  Dark color? Yes. Tons of hair?  Yes  Does she answer to Trinket? Yes.  That means we finally have her in our hands.  I’m unclear how the connection was made, but now we have Trinket.  The extra special part is that Glenda has agreed to keep her at her kennel to get her in shape.  Unlike Skippy in the other story, Trinket is large under all of that hair.  She came in about 22#, removing the hair won’t have a big impact on her weight.  So. Glenda will foster her, put her on a diet, and do something about that hair,  In a month or two, we will have a slimmer and trimmer Trinket to place.

Next up, the dog with out a name, I will call her “Stockton” because that is where she is now.  A volunteer from Westie rescue sent a note to a club member who has a Westie.  That note, about the “brown terrier” was forwarded to me.  A youngish female was in the Stockton Animal Control that might be a Cairn. The issue was the same, always the same, not enough room at the inn.  There was a nice follow up note that came.  The Westie contact in Stockton agreed to foster the dog for a short while if we wanted it picked up.  Fantastic, I don’t see that kind of offer every day.  A call to the shelter confirmed she was still there, ready for regular adoption.  I had worked with this shelter before and they seemed to do a good job of placing dogs.  So, I made a decision to ask the Westie person to wait until Monday, “Stockton” might be placed through the Animal Control.  If  was still there on Monday, the Westie volunteer would pick up the dog and CTCNC Rescue would pick up all charges.  I would get the dog from the Westie volunteer as soon as I placed 2 or more of the three other dogs on my list.

Ruby

As the weekend approached, only the status of 1 dog was firm but things were shaping up as we entered  the weekend.  Saturday morning, a very distraught owner came by to drop off Ruby and Buddy.  They were here to stay.  With tears flowing, his backup driver took over the wheel and he was off to deal with more pressing matters. (Two days later, his wife was in the delivery room.  I know that because he sent an e-mail at the time asking how the new charges were doing.)

Buddy - looking for love

Buddy and Ruby are doing fine, the old man of the pack told them what the rules were regarding food and no evidence of food aggression was ever apparent.   No dog issues either, this is an experienced pack and they sort things out quickly.  The owners had included very detailed write ups about each dog.  While I will still hold them for at least 7 days, I did forward the write ups to a couple of potential adopters, hoping for a quick response and a pending adoption. Later that day, I checked with the shelter web site to see what the status of “Stockton” was.  She is no longer on the site.  I found out since that she was claimed by her owner.   Good news for “Stockton“,  for me and for Westie Rescue. Trinket is in good hands and she will eventually be ready for adoption once those extra pounds are off and her crop of hair is reduced. We have Buddy and Ruby here and we are working with them. As we moved through the past week, we followed one dog through to return to her owner and we have 3 other dogs going through evaluation before adoption.  We have another club member who has stepped up and is fostering a dog.  We have made contact with another club who has offered to help foster a dog.  All of this is very good.  It has been a productive week.

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Have you lost a dog?

Wednesday, March 10th, 2010


The poster was sort of like this, the same words and a nice looking Cairn.

On a poster,  the poster that helped start a week long  influx of Rescue opportunities and questions, early in March, following a year with very few Rescues.

The poster showed up in a small Post Office out near the Delta. I wonder if it was near the Wanted posters.  This poster read ”Have you lost a dog?” , the picture of very nice looking Cairn Terrier  and a contact phone number.  A club member just happened in the PO, saw the poster, took down the number and called me. I called the number and that adventure started.

Well, we will get back to that poster and that dog later.

But first, lets look at all of the Rescue questions and placements that came in during the last few days.

Cairn sized but what a nose!

1) Pippin, picked up by another breed group who decided he looked more Cairn than Scottie.
They were eager to pass him on.
We took him in.

Muffin

2) This e-mail showed up – “Muffin is a very happy, loving, and energetic dog. She is terrific with both people and other dogs, as I mentioned, she has proven impossible for me to completely house train. Perhaps the issue is me, perhaps it is the dog, but either way things are no longer working. I think she would do best with a family that can give her more attention and patience than I can provide…”

Sam - Ears are down but she could be a Cairn

3)I got an e-mail from another Cairn owner who had seen a picture of this dog and thought it looked like a Cairn. It included this note from the owner of the dog, Sam ” I was referred to you by xxx.  I have a border terrier mix that I would like to consider re-homing.  I was wondering if you had ideas on how/where to do this – I’m at a loss and want to make sure she gets into the right home.”

4) Another e-mail showed up later in the same week.  ”I am looking for a home for a stray I found (in the rain around Eastridge Mall in San Jose), that seems to be a Cairn or Norwich Terrier.  I’ve attached a picture.  I’ve tried to find his owner and no luck.  He’s about 15-20lbs, not fixed (yet) and seems to be in very good health and has no major (or even minor) behavioral problems, aside for some basic training and maybe some potty-refresher training.  From the condition of his teeth, he’s less than 2 years old, I’m sure.  His teeth are perfect and white with no decay.  I need to place him in a no-kill shelter, as I do not want this dog put down.  He’s truly a kindred spirit and deserves a chance.  I’m desparate and running out of time.  I already have a terrier mix and 2 cats in a 700 sq ft condo and can’t take any more.  Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.”

5) On Friday, I got a call from a shelter out in the Valley, they have a neutered male that is available for Rescue but not for adoption, just yet. No pictures yet.

6) Another e-mail from my Rescue InBox about the same time – “… regarding the puppy my mother would like to find a good home for.  He is a pure bred male, wheaten in color, has had all of his shots and is in good health.  He was born 10-23-09 and was purchased from a woman in El Dorado Hills.  I have been unable to contact her by searching both phone listings and web searches.  Duffy (the puppy) is very aggressive and bites and chews everything but he can also be very playful and affectionate.  My mother has tried various training techniques but has been unsuccessful in correcting the biting and chewing behavior – he is too much for her to handle.  He is partially housebroken, the rainy weather has prevented full training.  She has worked on paper training him as well.  We would appreciate your help in finding him a new home.  I can be reached at …..  My mother has hearing problems so it is best if you call me.  Thanks for your help.”

More on Duffy later…

7) Finally, on Monday, one of our breeders called.  She lives out in the county.  Some neighbor  may have had an issue with the number of dogs she has.  A county person showed up to look around and he said the dogs need to be licensed with the county.  He was quickly informed that all the dogs have always been licensed in the county and should not be an issue.  Well, they are just over due by a couple of weeks.  Normally, this should not be an issue, pay the fee for the new year and renew the license.  But either the pressure from anti-dog groups or the pressure to add  fee income to the General Fund had resulted in a major change in fees for  licensing of dogs in this county.  If the dogs are still in the show ring, the fee is $40/dog, not small change but maybe workable, if you still showing them in the ring.  However, if there is no immediate evidence the dogs are being shown and they are not altered, the fee is $150/dog.  These license  fees are simply too high for this breeder to manage.  Vet fees to alter the dogs would run $150+ for the males and $400+ for the females.  So, she is considering placing three  of her dogs.   Rescue could be a resource for a list of potential adopters.

So thats the background of our work by the second week of March in my small Rescue world.  Seven dogs to deal with or sort out.  Here is the progress as we move through the list, thanks in large part to the club members who stepped up, my Rescue Reserves.

1) Pippin has been placed.

3)A trip to see the #3 dog, Sam,  revealed a dog that may have some Cairn in her but she isn’t a Cairn.  In person she looks less like a Cairn than the picture suggests. I left the owner some options for placing her but she is now having 2nd thoughts.  This time I won’t take her problem for her, she gets to make the decision.

4) The dog in San Jose took a bit of  time. I had one of my Rescue Reserves try to make contact, she tried all weekend, no luck.  With Pippin gone, by Monday we had room  and could take this dog in if necessary.  But first, I wanted someone close to look at him to be sure he is a Cairn. Several calls were made with no response.  Finally this Monday morning, the lady answered my phone call, she was gone for the weekend and left the dog with a friend.  When she came back, she decided to keep the dog.  I reminded her that she could always contact me if there was an issue.  Things change all the time, I guess he is now able to fit in with that terrier mix and 2 cats in a small condo.  I won’t be surprised if I get another phone call in a couple of weeks.

5) The dog at the Valley Shelter, I contacted everyone who was on my list that might be close enough to look at this dog.  Trying to utilize my Rescue Reserves.  As always, the  people who might know better look at miscellaneous little fur balls and still ID suspect dogs as Cairns. (See the note about Buddy below.)  I have learned to be suspicious of dogs I can’t see.  The one person who was close enough to the shelte rjust couldn’t get there in time so we had to wait over the weekend.  Today, a phone call to the shelter confirmed that they  had “placed our little Cairn”.  I have no idea if this was a Cairn or not.  Trying to get some one to look them over before we commit can take several phone calls and a few days. This time it didn’t work but at least we know he has a home even if we don’t know he is a Cairn.

2)Muffin, this is the dog that has been a trying test for her owner.   He couldn’t completely housebreak her.  I asked him to contact the breeders since he said she was AKC registered.  I eventually found out I knew the names the breeders and over the past 5 years, both have died.  The ball is in my court now.  I told him I was working on it but on Friday I got a message of complete frustration. “I took her out for 20 minutes, walked and waited, then as soon as the elevator door closed, she squatted right there and peed on the floor”.  I sent a calming note but resumed my search for an adopter this dog with a little more zeal.  She moved to the top of my list of concerns.  Frustration can give bad results.  After many phone calls, I had two different people who were interested.  Since this would be an owner to owner, I just shared contact information.  Over the weekend I had several calls from one of the people who was interested but couldn’t make  contact.   Muffin now has a new home with  a  lady who experienced  enough to understand that getting a puppy is not realistic for people as they get old, both from the standpoint required training and from the constant hands on attention puppies need.  Not everyone understands that.

Remember the note above from the person who wants to place a puppy her mother has, Duffy?  Well, the e-mail address looked familiar.  I looked back at old rescue requests and sure enough, months before, there it was. I had gotten a request for a rescue dog for this lady’s mother.  I remember not wanting to place the rescue dog I had in house at the time.  The lady was over 80 and I was sure an active dog would have been too much for her.  I didn’t have any older sedentary dogs.  It is too bad that she insisted on getting a puppy.

From the note –…(Duffy)is very aggressive and bites and chews everything but he can also be very playful and affectionate…unsuccessful in correcting the biting and chewing behavior… too much for her to handle….partially housebroken.   I want to scream “He’s a 5 month old puppy”.  He isn’t aggressive, “He’s a 5 month old puppy”.  Puppies chew everything, including fingers.  Of course he isn’t completely house broken, “He’s a 5 month old puppy”.

On to chapter 2 of this Duffy adventure, I had a lady and her daughter come in to look at Pippin while I still had him.  It was clear to her that Pippin would be too much dog for her little Yorkie mix.  So, she took a pass, however I always keep names of potential adopters.  As I moved through my list, making calls for all of the dogs that suddenly invaded my Rescue space, her name came back up.  I called and gave her the contact number of the lady with the puppy.  She was very excited about the possibility.  Then, she was disappointed to learn that the puppy had been placed with a friend.  But wait!  A return phone call  a day later revealed that the new people already had a houseful but were just willing to help out their friend.  Given the information about someone else being really interested in the puppy, they quickly decided to surrender their new puppy to the lady on my list.  She was thrilled, she had to leave town for the weekend but by noon on Monday, I got a call, “I have the puppy!”   Duffy, now McDuff, is in a new home. Great and one more off of my list.

That gets me back to the dog at the top of the posting. Buddy, the subject of the poster. Not the dog in the picture on the poster, that is my dog.  Still,  it is because of the picture of a perfect Cairn that we, CTCNC Cairn Rescue became involved.  Why was a picture of a Cairn in the  poster?  Well, remember the remark I made about people who should know better?  The lady found this little guy under a dumpster in the pouring rain, took him in, got him cleaned up and fed.  After trying unsuccessfully to find an owner, she took him to her vet to get his shots and to neuter him.  She has no plans of keeping him but she knows what he needs.  While there, the vet told her it looked like a Cairn.  If the vet said he looked like a Cairn, he has to be a Cairn.  Not having a photo of this little guy, now named “Buddy“, she got a picture off the Internet and made her poster with it.  It is this picture of a nice looking Cairn that attracted the attention of a club member.

"Buddy"

Again, the Rescue Reserves went into action, a couple with a home near the dog went for a visit and took a camera. They met a very cute, energetic little guy, with a harsh coat but those ears , that face, and that tail don’t belong to a Cairn. Conversations with Border Terrier people suggests that he is a mix or a Border Terrier from a breeder who isn’t really interested in the look of the breed.  He does show excellent Earthdog instincts, typical of all Borders.

Today, “Buddy” is still with the lady who rescued him and brought him in from the rain but she is looking for someone who wants to adopt this fine little man. If you are interested, just send me a note. If they have children that want a dog to play with, “Buddy” is more than willing to take on that task.    As soon as I hear about any change in his status, I will update this blog.

Finally, that takes us to the last dogs on my list, the three dogs which the breeder wants to place.  I have sent one e-mail out and I have given her a list of possible adopters.  While I am not in the process directly, I will stay in touch to see what happens with these three purebred Cairns.  For now, it looks like two of them have homes lined up. They are not part of Rescue but they are on the list of dogs I follow to placement.

It’s been a short year but we have already surpassed the work done last year.  Of the the Even with all of this, Cairn Rescue had only been directly involved with a couple of dogs, one non-Cairn is looking for a home, and one purebred is on a short list to be placed.  All of the others have homes.  With an open slot today, I just wait for the next e-mail or phone call about a dog, or a poster in a Post Office about a Cairn that need to be placed in a loving home.

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’twas a Lean Year

Sunday, January 10th, 2010

When I started this little blog in 2009, our rescue work averaged about 10-12 rescue placements each year, over 10 years.

Then, when  2009 came to a close, we had only made two regular rescue placements, plus three dogs that came from the family of breeder who passed on.  It was a lean year, a very lean year for our small rescue.  That might be a good thing, especially given the past year’s economic picture.  I had gotten specific requests to help place dogs due to a foreclosure or lost job.  However, in both cases, the dog owners decided to deal with the issue all on their own and I didn’t hear anything further after a couple of phone calls.

In 2008, we helped place 23 dogs, with  784 days of dogs in residence with a club member.   (It was an exceptional year with 10 dogs from one source.)  In 2007, we helped place 12 dogs, with 99 days in residence with a club member.  In 2006, we helped with 12 dogs, with 174 days in residence.  For 2009, we had just 5 dogs, but with 147 days in residence.  While the dog count is low,  the days in residence is very high due to issues with placing some dogs.

So, where are the dogs we used to get?  I have  ideas about it but I certainly don’t know  for sure, I just know that we have seen a lot fewer dogs.  I think that with the easy access of the information on the web, a lot of small Rescue groups are setting up and operating and picking up dogs I might normally hear about.  In some cases, I think that there are some rescue groups which use these small dogs as a source of income. Small dogs are easier to place and they generally demand less space and money.  So, if they can get these dogs, dogs in limited supply and of a desirabilia size,  they can sell them at a good price and make a tidy profit.   Without disparaging their motives, if they get the little guys placed, that is fine with me.  The truth is, we are a very small rescue group which just happens to work through a breed club.  With strong support of our club members, we don’t have to be overly concerned about the money, the club supports us. We do work to be good stewards of our mission and the funds donated for that purpose but our goal is to get a dog in the right home so he doesn’t come back, it is not to make a profit.  In fact, over the last couple of years we have been able to donate sizable amounts to other Cairn Rescue operations which were suddenly overwhelmed by a  influx of dogs needing care and placement.

I really can’t complain, I do have limited space, plus, there is the introductions to our pack, a pack of 3 resident neutered males, that all incoming Rescues have to deal with.  When we get the dogs, there is always that sorting out that takes time.  Some times it is sorting out the issues that might have bedeviled a dog that got turned back, some times it is simply sorting through the people who have recently expressed an interest in adopting a Rescue dog.  Those run the gamut.  Here is one entire request I got,  I trashed it immediately:  “Do you have any youngins available for adoption?”   No location, no phone number, just an e-mail address and no response from me.  Others speak eloquently of the dog they lost or the dog they remember or simply ask for the opportunity to take on one of these little guys. I keep records of them all and I review them when I have to place a dog.

Even in a lean year, as we get the dogs, we  sort them out, sort out the adopters and eventually we do get the hard to place dogs in a new home.  Here is the 2nd dog we placed in 2009, “Corky”.   Duncan McCorkscrew, 30 months old,  was an indirect casualty of the economy.   He was purchased from  a pet store on the coast, probably taken from his mother at too young an age.  Anyway, although he had his quirks, probably related to his early separation from his mother,  he was getting along with the family who loved him.

Duncan McCorkscrew, aka Corky

Duncan McCorkscrew, aka Corky

Then, things changed, the daughter of the owner who to come back home to live with with her parents, with two small children,(3.5 yrs. and 14 mos),.  It was not going to be a good mix. An untenable situation would develop and a decision would have to be made.

The issue of separation from the mother dog too soon was probably the seat of the problems.  Experienced breeders  told me that somewhere around the 9-10 week, the mother dog teaches her pups some socialization skills, plus young dogs in their play with each other, learn to set boundaries, they learn what hurts and what not to do to each other.  When a pup is removed early, there is a risk that these skills are shortchanged.  Another thing, that all well schooled dogs seem to innately understand,   is that a small child is different from the other two legs, so the dogs should manage the issue appropriately when a very small child is around.

Corky didn’t seem to know the difference or remember the difference, so after the youngest child apparently woke him up or disturbed him, Corky was found over the crying child, with his paw on the child’s chest growling.  This is a typical corrective action by an alpha bitch on a younger dog but Corky should have realized he was not dealing with a dog.  It appears that he didn’t hurt the child but he didn’t have the information or experience to behave correctly.  That alone meant someone had to be removed from this living situation.  Even though Corky had been there 2 years, it was an obvious but heartbreaking/tearful choice, Corky needed a new home, and very soon.

Then, there were other issues which the owners had lived with, Corky exhibited passive aggressive behavior at times.  He would challenge the owners and then roll over to say “I’m sorry” on correction but then would repeat the behavior because he won that particular battle.  He also decided that he could growl and snap to get his way.  Then there was that one plain old pyscho behavior, for whatever reason, it seemed be be triggered by someone or some thing  touching near his right flank.  He would spin around, growl and attack his tail until it surrendered.  When he was in that mode, that place, after the Evil Tail,  he would sound terrible but all of this noise and energy was directed at his tail, not at anyone in the room.

So, we brought Corky onboard.  His issues had to be sorted out.  The child issue was simple enough, we would not adopt him to anyone who had the potential of having very young visitors.  Should any show up to visit, constant surveillance would short cut any issues.  The passive aggressive issue was demonstrated when I approached him and he would want to let me know he was there by nipping at my pants leg.  Any correction, and he would be on his back in a full “I’m sorry” position but then he would immediately would return.  The Little Hardhead knew what he was doing.  The retraining started by ignoring him completely, then refusing any contact if he tried initiate it, contact was only allowed when I was ready, never when he asked for it.  If he rolled over, he was ignored.  In time, he became a little more tentative in his approach and he soon realized the pants nipping was not allowed. If it happened, a backward glance and a growl would stop it cold.  He always knew exactly what he was doing,  as soon as he realized that he was no longer getting his way, no longer in charge, that behavior diminished.

The matter of growling and snapping when he was not happy was the most serious issue.  However, it is not uncommon, I dealt with by immediate correction if he started to growl. He was told immediately and firmly that it was not acceptable, a stern look and rigid body language helped deliver the message that I did not like or want that behavior.  With all of the other corrections going on at the same time, he was in full retreat from his wayward ways,  he soon dropped most of that behavior.   He was starting to realize that someone else, not him, made the rules.  The change happened because was made clear that he was not in charge.  Added to that was the pressure from the other three dogs who had little time for his nonsense, he soon realized he was #4 in a pack of 4.

Now, the Evil Tail issue, when in the full “Kill the Tail” mode, Corky would literally be in a tight circle, attached to the base of his tail.  You could pick him, he might growl and sound terrible but his concern was the Evil Tail, the growl was for the tail.  He could be that way for a period of time.  I called a vet school and talked to them, not knowing for sure what was going on.  With a potential of a $400+ bill just for any future consultation, I passed and went to my local vet.  He listened, tried to elicit the behavior but couldn’t.   Still, the vet said he had seen a similar behavior in a dog that had a serious flea infestation, any tickling or itching in the area triggered the response.  While Corky never had an infestation that we were aware of, we treated it that way.  From then on, we just avoided touching him in right hind quarter area.  If he was seen digging at his hip, his head was physically moved away and he was held until he gave up his attempts to kill the tail.  In time, it started to work, his attacks on the Evil Tail diminished, although they didn’t disappear completely

OK, the first phase of sorting out was under control, next came the second sort, the sorting of potential adopters. There were conditions set  for this future adopter,  #1 - no children, #2 – previous ownership of a Cairn, and  #3 – a willingness to take full control of this little guy.  He was very young but it was clear to me, that he would exert control if any owner didn’t take over. If the owner took over, Corky would respond and Corky would be happy.  He just wanted a real pack leader and consistent expectations.

Potential adopters with small children, those who wanted only females, Those whose response suggested a less than iron will, were all scratched from this potential list.  I sent out e-mails to recent inquirers who might fit the requirements,  no responses.  I started looking deeper into my list of past potential adopters. Nothing jumped out. At that point, it seemed like I was out of viable options, I moved onto Plan B.  Actually, I got there by mistake.  I had a previous rescuer whose mother had expressed a strong interest in getting a Cairn. I forgot the she had already gone out and picked up one.  So, I fired up a note to original adopter suggesting that Corky might fill his mother’s need. He responded that his mother didn’t need a Cairn but he might have a spot for new partner for his current Cairn.

So, Corky went off to live with another rescue Cairn with owners committed to taking charge of this little bundle of energy. Corky was only our 2nd placement for the year and we were into October. He was off to a 5 acre lot, full of trees, in the country, with another Cairn.  The day before Corky left, 3 more Cairns would show up but that is another story, a story with 3 tails.

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