Thursday, January 31, 2008

Heeeere's HUNTER!

One day last week word went out that a high kill shelter was closing for remodeling and any dogs left at the end of the day would be put to sleep. There were 20 dogs in need of immediate rescue including Hunter. The rescue call was heeded and the rescues all worked together to pull the dogs and get them transported. Col. Potter was a part of the network and Hunter was brought to safety with the help of a volunteer in Houston. Hunter has been in quarantine this last week. Unfortunately, Hunter tested positive for heartworm. He's a sweet dog, thought to be 3 to 4 years old, no one is sure how he ended up at the shelter - he may have been a stray. Only Hunter knows. He will be heading to his foster home where he will enjoy some quiet time and get the special care he needs.

Hunter is named in honor of two volunteers who bravely went to an auction recently to save a little girl cairn. They went hunting for the cairns just as Hunter was hunting for Col. Potter. Sometimes rescue can be a very intense situation as Hunter experienced last week. He went from certain death to the greatest chance of life he will ever have. This is truly what rescue is about.

Thanks to all of you for your hard work, donations and willingness to help. Because of all of you, Hunter is alive today.


Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Welcome the Country Cuties!

CPCRN was contacted by a local Westie Rescue group that was in the process of getting several Westies from a puppy mill in the West Tennessee area. They wondered if Col. Potter wanted the Cairns that the breeder also wanted to get rid of. Well, of course the CP Intakes Team said sure! This morning we picked up the Country Cuties, three little cairn girls who are now beginning their new life of freedom. So please welcome Trisha, Emmylou and Wynonna!

Trisha, named for Country Music artist Trisha Yearwood, is a Wheaten female, approximately 2-4 years old, the smallest at 12 lbs. Trisha has half her right ear missing. Both her ears and her tail have hair loss and blackened skin, and her ears have an obvious yeast infection. She's really stinky and very pitiful and scared right now. She cowered at the back of her crate, but didn't fight when she was pulled out and didn't mind too much being held. She will receive a nice Malaseb medicated bath today and start treatment for her yeasty ears, and she will be spayed and get a dental on Thursday or Friday.

Emmylou, named for Country Music songbird Emmylou Harris, is a Wheaten female with a little gray mixed in, approximately 2-4 years old, 14 lbs. Emmylou has a large mass protruding from her abdomen that the vet suspects is an inguinal hernia. Emmylou was the most friendly and outgoing. She readily gave kisses and did not appear fearful. She will be getting a bath today too, as all these dogs were pretty odiferous, and then she will have her spay, dental, and hernia repair later in the week.

Wynonna, named for the wonderful Wynonna Judd, is a Black Brindle female with lovely red highlights, approximately 4 years old, 17 lbs. Wynonna also has a large mass protruding from her abdomen, probably an inguinal hernia. Wynonna was fearful, but easily handled. Wynnona will also be having a bath today and a spay, dental, and hernia repair later in the week.

It hurts our hearts to see the two girls with the hernias, knowing they were probably bred in that condition. And poor little Trisha is just a pitiful mess right now. Please welcome these kids into the Col. Potter family, and say a prayer for all three of these girls as they undergo their surgeries later this week.


Monday, January 28, 2008

Introducing January's History Kids!

Saturday, four little Cairns made it to the loving arms of Col. Potter thanks to a rescue angel who attended an auction in Ohio. The four spent the night with the rescue angel and then headed to Oz Project bright and early Sunday morning.

There are many historical events that took place in the month of January. These four precious babies are named after some of those events:

#1943 Galileo: Male, DOB 1/14/05 - On January 7, 1610, Galileo Galilei sighted four of Jupiter's moons - Let's hope our Galileo has a life that is simply over the moon!

#1944 Edison: Male, DOB 8/25/07 - On January 27, 1880, Thomas Edison received a patent for his electric incandescent lamp - May our little Edison's life be as bright!

#1945 Ross: Male, DOB 9/16/07 - On January 1, 1752, Flag maker Betsy Ross was born in Philadelphia - Our little Ross is a true symbol of freedom!

#1946 Pearl: Female, DOB 9/16/07 - On January 20, 1887, Pearl Harbor was leased by the United States from Hawaii for a naval station - Little Pearl will only have smooth sailing from now on!

The PM kids keep flooding in to Col. Potter this month. We have several more groups of PM kids still scheduled to come in before the end of January. This is their chance at freedom, at living happily ever after ... and we don't want to turn any away! But we really could use more foster homes, please APPLY TODAY!

Saturday, January 26, 2008

Friday, January 25, 2008

Valor's Going Home!

The surgeon is in awe at how well Valor is doing! He has been standing, looking for attention and just wants to be held. They have removed the morphine IV as they believe that was making him ill and causing the vomiting. He still has a catheter, but that is to help keep him clean and dry while crated. Valor's incisions all look good, they are all clean, with no sign of any infection and he is leaving them alone. Valor will be ready to leave the clinic on Saturday and start his new life!


Now for the really neat part, a vet tech at the emergency clinic he was at initially, fell in love with Valor and has applied to foster him. This is a wonderful opportunity for professional care and help with his physical therapy during his recuperation.


Would you like to help make a difference in the life of a Cairn?
Apply to be a foster home!



Thursday, January 24, 2008

Valor is OUT of Surgery!


Valor's surgery took much longer than anticipated as the damage was greater than what could be seen on the X-Rays. The surgeon feels that everything went back together very well and even though there was more damage which required more work and additional plating, she was very confident Valor would make a full recovery.

Valor will be kept mildly sedated tonight with a morphine drip for the pain and will probably spend an additional night at the clinic to help alleviate his pain and monitor him before being released to go to his foster home, hopefully sometime on Saturday. The worst is now over, the surgery is completed, it was successful and now we just have to continue praying and sending positive thoughts and energy that there are no complications for Valor. Each day he will get stronger and be able to start using his legs and rebuilding muscle and stamina. Each day will get him closer to the day he can finally run and play again.

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

With Valor comes Victory!


A car's tires screech in the dark Texas night as it backs up and drives away. All that can be heard now are the dog's constant pain-filled whimpers.


Just a week ago the Col. Potter Cairn Rescue Network's Intakes Team answered a phone call that made us all take notice, a call from an emergency vet clinic in the Dallas, TX area. They had an approximately one-year-old Cairn that had been hit by a car brought in to the local animal shelter and then transferred to the emergency clinic for treatment. The local laws called for them to hold a stray for five days to see if an owner would come forward to claim him. During this hold time, all they could do was administer pain medication and try to keep the dog alive. If he wasn't reclaimed by his owner, they said he would be put to sleep due to the severity of his injuries. Broken were both rear legs and his hip, which needed a pin to be inserted if he were to have the hope of ever walking again. All this damage and five days to wait without being able to receive treatment!


The poor little guy could barely even stand up. He was in excruciating pain and discomfort for six days, confined to a crate. Because of that, the vet staff couldn't even take him outside for potty breaks. Even with the terrible pain, stress, and confusion he had been experiencing, his loving nature stayed true. He was so very sweet, giving kisses, and trying to raise himself on his front legs when someone passed his crate in an effort get some extra attention.


Finally his stray hold expired and no owner had come forward, so happily he became a Col. Potter Kid! And when it came to finding names, this one was not that hard to do! We decided, based on his situation thus far, that Valor would be perfect! Valor means brave and courageous in Spanish, and that's certainly what this little boy is!


We have made arrangements for Valor to have the orthopedic surgery he needs to try and repair the damage done to his little body. From the X-rays, the orthopedic surgeon believes he has an 80 percent chance of being able to keep his left leg and regain use of it. Hopefully the surgery will provide the start of a new beginning for him. He will have a long and expensive road to recovery, but he has youth, overall good health, and an amazing spirit on his side. With Valor comes victory!


If this story touched any part of your heart, please visit our website and become one of Valor's Guardian Angels so that you may help us care for this brave and loving boy. He thanks you, and we thank you!


Sunday, January 20, 2008

Happy ONE WEEK Birthday!

Mignonne's French Five are a WEEK OLD. Aww ... Five French Fannies and Five French Foreheads!



Sunday, January 13, 2008

WE HAVE PUPPIES!

Please welcome Mignonne's French Five! Four boys and one girl born into FREEDOM!


Wednesday, January 9, 2008

Please Welcome Mignonne!

Mignonne is a 10 month old, owner surrender who will be having puppies in 1-2 weeks. Yes, you read that right! PUPPIES!!!



Mignonne means small and dainty in French and that's what this little girl would be if she wasn't pregnant. She currently weighs 15 pounds, but she's carrying several pounds of puppies at this point. Once she has this litter of puppies, she can regain her puppy figure and live up to her name as well as enjoy being a puppy again herself. Please join us in welcoming Mignonne to the Col. Potter Family and keep her in your thoughts for an easy delivery of healthy puppies in the very near future!

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

We Have A Published Author In Our Midst!

Karen recently had a letter published in the 2008 Winter edition of Subaru's "Drive" magazine. Karen is Col. Potter's Officer for the Post Adoption Team!

Heart ... it's what makes a rescue worker a RESCUE WORKER.
Attitude ... it's what makes a Cairn a CAIRN!

Gone to the Dogs
I am owned by two cairn terriers (or terrorists as their behavior dictates) who love to ride in my Subaru Forester! They come along, always seat belted in, as often as allowed. But more importantly, my Subaru transports rescued cairn terriers out of horrible living conditions, and into a safe foster home. They will get all needed veterinary care, top-quality nutrition, a clean place to sleep, and fresh outdoor spaces for play. And they will get a foster family to love them until their forever family comes along.

Of course, I am not the only transporter. A total of 433 drivers have transported dogs so far this year. In road miles, the transport team has logged almost 155,000 miles as of August 30. We usually drive between four and eight hours round trip. Because my Subaru is so dependable, I never hesitate to commit to drive. So yes, my Subaru is definitely “for the dogs” in the most positive literal sense!
- Karen G.

Sunday, January 6, 2008

Our First 2008 CP Kid!

With all the good news and celebration, there is one more reason to cheer. We have our first 2008 CP kid, Rian which mean "Little King" in old Gaelic/Irish. Rian is about 8 mo. old, 13 lbs., possible dark red or wheaten brindle (a bath will bring out his true color) who just had the 'operation' Thursday. Rian was turned in to the local humane society as a stray and went unclaimed. WELCOME RIAN TO THE CP FAMILY!!!


Saturday, January 5, 2008

Hello 2008!

What a GREAT start to a new year! CPCRN was notified that we were the winner in the Yahoo! "Be A Better Inspiration" Charity Contest! A HUGE THANK YOU to all supporters. This is going to be a GREAT year for some Cairns out there thanks to YOU!