Update on Gus

Gus was rescued from a Lancaster, PA puppymill at the end of June,2008. He was just recently adopted by my wonderful neighbors and their children right here in York, PA. Below is a recent email that Maureen (Gus' new forever mom) sent to me on his progress. These mill dogs are certainly special creatures! It is hard to believe that they bring so much joy to one's life after all that they have been put through.

-- Tiffany,


I just wanted to write you a quick email to thank you for everything with Gus. He’s such a wonderful dog. When we saw you and Ron with him, Odie and Lelo, we were convinced that what we wanted was a puppy, but after meeting Gus, we fell in love with him and we knew he was the right dog for our family, and after seeing how much work a puppy is, we now know that isn’t what we wanted.

He hasn’t gone to the bathroom once in our house – in fact, he has this little dance that he does to let us know that he needs to go outside. I’ve returned a few times and his poochie pad has been wet, but every time it’s happened it’s because he wouldn’t go before I left, so I now know that he needs at least 15 minutes before I leave to go pee outside.

As I’ve figured, his favorite spot in the house is right next to the sliding glass door to the patio, right next to me while I work. He’s extremely obedient and a very fast learner. He’s learned to walk on heel and sits and stays for his food. He’s also learned “the point” (to go in the direction that I point to), “the dance” (getting up on his hind legs when I hold out my hands), “walk” (walking backwards on his hind legs), and “sleeping in his house” (going to his cage for bedtime). We are working on “down.”


-- Maureen

Update on MomMom

Mom Mom was dumped at the Burlington County Animal Shelter in January 2008.  She is 12 years old!  Mom Mom was in terrible shape and scared to death.  She was missing about 75% of her hair and was covered in sores and crusty spots.  The poor soul had virtually no vet care and was sick with ear infections, rotting teeth which were infected, ulcers on her eyes, kennel cough, a heart murmur and a horrendous skin condition. 

We picked her up at the shelter and began the long and ongoing task of getting Mom Mom well again.  We had her teeth fixed, cleared up the eye and ear problems and got her on a special diet to help her allergies and skin condition. Mom Mom was diagnosed with 28 active allergies! 

Mom Mom gets regular allergy shots to help with her itching as well as a home cooked diet, we are happy to report that her poor hair has finally grown in! 

Mom Mom loves Aloe rubs, rawhide bones, blankets to sleep under and dog beds. Her favorite snack is banana and scrambled eggs. 

She greets us at the door every day after work and enjoys watching the other girls wrestle. 
Mom Mom quickly made her home with us and her 3 Boston sisters.  She is the queen of the house and everything in it is hers!

Mom Mom is an inspiration to us, and a true beauty queen!

--Amy Angelo

Update on Gracey

Gracey is a 5 year old, female boston who was rescued in April 2008 from a Lancaster, PA puppymill. She was found living in a rabbit hutch in a dark barn, and she came into rescue with scratches on her face and lacking hair on her ears and back. She was taken to the vet and much to her foster mom's surprise, she was in good health! All she was in need of was a good diet, and a lot of love and patience from her caregivers. She was very scared and submissive at first, but has made much progress since she came to NEBTR. She loves walks and long naps on the furniture. Now she is living in her new forever home with an amazing retired couple from Allentown, PA Below is a copy of an email from her new forever mom, Helene.

"Hi Tiffany,
Wish you were a fly on the wall here. This baby follows me everywhere. She is sitting here at the computer now. She tries to get in the shower with me and sits at my feet while I do my make up in the morning. She is eating and pooping on schedule. We went visiting last night. All my friends just love her. Leno has had her at the park and she loved it. I am so happy with everything about her. When we watch tv she lets me kiss her head and she makes herself comfortable on Leno's arm. There have been no accidents in the house and she walks beautifully on a leash. She has a red rhinestone collar and red name tag. She is beautiful! I am so lucky to have this little one!
I sent out 40 baby announcements. They are so cute. My friends will get a kick out of that. Thanks so much again. This is a match made in heaven.
Helene"

Update on Bear

It was a happy day for Bear's new family--I took Bear (my foster) to meet his people today in Mt. Holly (they came down from NY, and I drove up from Newark, DE to meet them). I think he'll be very happy with his people--thank you Robin for suggesting them! Of the family's three children (ages 10, 11, and 13), I think their son (the 10-year-old) was the most intrigued. Bear will now have five people to dote on him. He will have lots of room to run, and a vacation cottage on a lake--very nice!!!

I encouraged the family to call me if they have any questions. But I couldn't wait to hear how things had gone, so shortly after I got home, I called them to get a report. They said Bear rode all the way home very quietly in his crate (which was right in the middle of their three children where they had removed a seat in their van). He sniffed all around their home. They have baby gates to keep him confined to a couple of rooms unless someone is supervising him in the other rooms. (Probably a wise idea, since at about 17 months he's still a puppy and likes to chew things quite a bit.) I asked them to take a picture of the family with Bear in the photo and to email it to me. (The battery for my digital camera wasn't working when I went to take the photo--rats!.)

Bear is such a loving soul--all three of us (Chelsea, Panda, and I) will miss his silly antics and happy energy. I tried to make the transition easier for him by sending along food and snacks that he had become accustomed to. In addition to a 6 pound bag of California Natural dry dog food, I gave his new family a box of Meaty Bone Milkbones (the ones with the Boston on the front), a Hartz chew toy (a hard plastic bone-shaped thing that has nubby parts in the middle--both my dogs love them), a bone (sanitized one that had some filler in it), and a blanket for his crate, in addition to the crate that his surrendering family had supplied (plus the toys they had sent).

It was the beginning of a new and happy forever home for little Bear.

Shawna and Bostons Chelsea and Panda plus Orange Tabbies Elvis and Oliver

Update on Sherlock

When Julie pulled him from the shelter he was a terrified and sick boy.  With her tender care she restored him to happiness and health.  Jerome and Bonnie made him their Furever Boston on May 17. 
Jerome writes:
"Hello,Everyone. (Good Morning!!! - What a ride - I was on the road for 7 hours, but it was worth every mile!)  Terrified??!! Julie, You've have done a miraculous job!!  "Sherlock" is not afraid of/or intimidated by anyone or anything. . He instinctively knew how to play "Who's your daddy?" and has "Baxter" on the defense (for now).

We absolutely love him. He has the most wonderful disposition. He's going to instantly become the neighborhood favorite tonight at the evening school field "doggie dance nightly gathering". I can tell that this will be a match made in heaven; he and Baxter are starting to chase each other and play - They will wear each other out each day, which was exactly what I was hoping for. They look great together too. - a perfect contrast.

(Hey, Julie - Was "Sherlock" the loudest snorer of your household??!!  He can really "saw some wood" . It's comical). 
We feel so blessed to have him - He is so wondereful - It must have been very difficult for you to part with him.  Thanks. Jerome"


Julie writes:
"Hello Jerome! 
Your email made our family's day! I am so happy to hear what I suspected was true, that Sherlock is indeed home.  I told my husband that when Sherlock saw you in our lobby last night he jumped on you and kissed you like he'd been waiting for you his whole life --and I believe he has been.
And the fact that he and Baxter are playing together already is marvelous.
As for the snoring (ahem) my mother was staying at our apartment last week and she was sleeping in the guest room with the door closed and Sherlock was in our room with the door closed and she thought he'd gotten into her room and must have been under the bed. I think he could out-snore any person or dog anywhere. And I'm glad to hear his eye isn't getting in the way of his settling in.
I'm just thrilled you are all together! Thanks so much for writing!
All the best and give that little mush some extra kisses,
Julie"

Update on Charlie

Charlie before

Charlie after

Charlie came to our rescue group straight from a pet store in New Jersey. They said he was blind, bumping into everything in his small cage. When he finally arrived at his foster home in Saugerties NY, he was so weak he could barely stand let alone have the strength to bump into things. He was extremely skinny and had to wear a sweater to stop him from shivering. He was not eating well and had diarrhea. After a trip to the vet it was found he had the worst case of coccidia and giardia he had ever seen and those were his exact words. This is what was causing his weakness. He was not  blind at all. Within a few days he started having multiple seizures. They were so bad that his foster mom had to sleep in the living room with him to keep an eye on him. He was put on phenobarb which helped but he still had seizures at least once a month. He started to improve after several treatments for his internal parasites and his little personality started to come through. It was clear he would always be a special needs boy but deserved to live a full and happy life. After several months Charlie found a forever home. They continue to work with his special needs and have tried some holistic approaches which seem to be helping. They love him dearly and he is as happy as can be.