Joan Stark and Belle

Belle was rescued by Joan Stark, who drove three and a half hours each way to a vacant apartment building in Pennsylvania.

A mother had written to NEBTR, saying that a woman in her daughter's apartment building moved out in the middle of the night, leaving the dog and a kitten behind in the apartment. She left a note on my daughter's door stating that she would not be coming back for the animals. The daughter, a true hero, is a full time college student and does volunteer work with the Hillside SPCA in Pottsville, PA. She cared for the animals until NEBTR came for the dog and found a cat rescue group for the kitten.

Joan writes, "Belle saw the vet today and weighs in at a whopping 12.7 pounds. Her left eye had a mature cataract and an obvious old healed ulcer on the cornea. The other eye is blue and has a beginning cataract that we can watch for now. She does have a significant heart murmur and the vet said we have to watch her carefully as she could experience heart failure quickly if the symptoms are not caught early. (This is very similar to what happens in humans, so I do know what to watch for). Her skin is very dry (some fish oil should take care of that. They did a titer and we went ahead with the rabies and Bortadella and I got her heartworm meds. She also had a senior blood panel which I have done for my seniors and it was good. The only real concern is her rectum that is close to prolapse. Vet feels this may be due to not enough fiber in her diet and suggested that I add some to her food. It is not a surgical candidate right now but could be if diet is not attended properly. Overall in pretty good shape. She is missing a number of teeth but the ones remaining are in pretty good shape. And it certainly does not affect her eating. Vet feels she may be a little older than thirteen. Wish we could get the vet records but, Oh, well, we will deal with whatever needs to be done. She is eating well and socializing with the other dogs more each day. I bought her a lovely purple harness today because all she had was a collar that was too big and her little head kept slipping right through it. She walks well on the leash and appears housebroken. Being a senior she just can't wait as long as a younger dog. She comes and tries to get your attention when she has to go out. If she can't wait she finds the potty pad and goes on it. She is settling in very well and appears comfortable with us. I left her home with hubby today while I went to get my stitches out and he said she never left the front room by the door til I came home. When I did she ran right up with the others to greet me with a real tail wagging and kisses. She is not a snuggler and I haven't found a toy she wants to play with yet, but she is happy to climb up on the couch and snooze on a pillow off and on through the day.

She is settling in nicely and is a real little love. But sure can snore!! I think she is louder than my boys are. She is eating well and goes out to potty and is even snuggling up with my 12 1/2 year old Gidget.

I think I will just call my house the BT nursing home! My Gidget is 12 1/2, Missy will be 10 in April, Boston (Mr,. B) will be 9 tomorrow. Now Belle is 13. Poor Duke is the youngster at not quite 4! Since my hubby and I qualify for the senior citizens discount, we all fit rather well together."

Pictured above are Joan and Belle on Valentine's Day. Joan has decided to keep Belle because of all she has been through in the last few months. Her original owner gave her away to the woman who abandoned her. Belle certainly deserves all the care and love in the world, and Joan will certainly give it to her! Thank you Joan, for taking Belle into your heart and home.

Joan Stark

Snowed In

We're a little snowed in, just a little lol

-- Lisa Vaughan

Bandanas for Fosters

For anyone currently fostering:

Isabella, Amy and myself are working on making bandanas that read "Adopt Me" for the dogs we have in foster. Tonight I finished screen printing the bandanas Isabella sewed and sent to me. (The bandanas were so beautifully sewn that I kind of felt bad having to alter them.) I have attached pictures of the bandanas as they are right now. Some need to be touched up. The one with the little red flowers still needs to be printed with white paint so I will do that tomorrow when the screen dries.

Can anyone who would like one of the bandanas please email me privately (casey1838@aol.com) and let me know the following:

Whether you have a male or female foster
Whether your foster is small, medium, or large in size (the bandanas vary in size slightly)
If you have a preference for which bandana you would like
Your home address

I will send the bandanas out later this week when they are finished. Amy is completing another 6 pink and 6 blue bandanas as well. We will make more bandanas if necessary.

Thanks,

Jessica
Emmaus, PA

And here is a picture of Pittsburg wearing her bandana. How could anyone not want to adopt her?

Four Is Enough

From The New York Times, by NEBTR member and Foster Parent Julie Klam:


It’s a recent March morning in our small New York apartment, and my husband is looking at me with a half-smile on his face. Not the kind of half-smile that says, “I will love this woman till the end of my days.” It’s the kind that says, “I told you it was going to cost over $300 to get that rug cleaned, even though you said it wouldn’t because you had a coupon from the Internet.” So while the man from the rug-cleaning place goes on and on, calculator in hand, about how very, very bad our rug stains are — and the smell! — I give my husband my own half-smile, which says, “Oops.”

We’ve been living with these four dogs. It’s all an accident: we had one dog, a Boston terrier (a female), and then in August we fostered an elderly dog, another terrier, to save her from being put to sleep, and then somehow in October she had puppies, just two, small-size, no bigger than teeny baby mice when they were born — the three of them fit in a little box from FreshDirect. And it was so sweet how this dog from the streets, who’d been through hell, was able to have her puppies in a nice home and not in a shelter. … Well, if she’d stayed in the shelter she wouldn’t have had them because they were going to put her down. But now here she was, getting to be their mother, and to take care of them. And we were so amazed and so moved that we, or I, decided that she and her puppies would always have a home with us and we would all live happily ever after.

Until a few days later when we realized that her ancient body wasn’t providing her babies with enough milk, and we had to spend $500 at the vet. (We’d been to a vet with her before, a vet who thought she had Cushing’s disease! Silly! She was pregnant!) And so we got the formula and the little bottles and the eyedroppers the vet said to get, and we fed the puppies every two hours, and after a while the mom’s milk finally came in — hurray! — so we were able to sleep through the night again. But then the mother got in a fight with our original dog and got her cornea scratched. And though I never go anywhere, I was about to go to Miami for two days for work, and the vet said the mother couldn’t nurse while she was on antibiotics: “Sorry.” My husband would have to feed the puppies every two hours while taking care of our young daughter; I told the vet that just wasn’t an option, because I was already on thin ice, so the vet sent me to a fancy emergency place that was able to fix her eye for the weekend. It was $500 for the regular vet, another $1,000 for the emergency vet. But it was worth anything to keep my husband from having to nurse those puppies for 48 hours by himself.

After that we decided we couldn’t keep all the dogs, just the original dog and the male puppy, and maybe the mother because she’d been through so much and she was so old and the idea of putting her in another home brought tears to our (my) eyes. The problem was that I’d become very attached to the female puppy, so I didn’t want to give her up either.

At first, when the puppies started leaving the little box to do their business, it was sort of cute — teeny puddles and tiny poopies — and I tried to teach them to go on the Wee Wee pads ($39 a pack). Then after they got their shots ($875) it was O.K. to take them out to housebreak them. But they screamed on the leash. Like, “Yow!” And walking four dogs in the cold wasn’t that fun for me, either; four dogs like to go in four different directions. (A couple of times, I was this close to letting them all go — after all, if you love something, you’re supposed to set it free.) So I decided to put off housebreaking till spring, and in the meantime let them go on the Wee Wee pads, or near the Wee Wee pads. But usually they went “nowhere near” the Wee Wee pads. They were born in our daughter’s room, so that’s where they liked to go, in particular the needlepoint rug with the pale blue and pink roses.
The result is that we’ve been living in a litter box. And my husband hasn’t been happy about it. (He calls the mother the “Trojan Dog.”) Somehow I thought that if we just got my daughter’s rug cleaned, things might go back to normal. I called the rug cleaners, and over the phone they said it was something a square foot, under 10 bucks, so I said, “Sold!”
But now the guy is here with his calculator. And my husband, who is putting his coat on and getting ready to leave for work, says, “So far they’ve cost us more than a month’s rent, Julie.” (It’s never good when he uses my name; he does it so I can’t pretend he’s talking to someone else.) As he gets in the elevator, I lean out into the hallway, and I yell, “I’ll figure something out.” And I will. I swear I will.
Julie Klam is the author of a memoir, “Please Excuse My Daughter.”

Snow Boston Jack

My snow Boston Jack.  He loves the snow!!!!

-- Jill  Dunn

How Joy Wakes Up

At about 4 am, I was woke up by weird noises in my living room (dog-type). I dragged out of bed, went down stairs and found Jaime (BT foster-who was fast asleep under the covers on my bed when I first went to sleep) and Carrie (greyhound) playing tug with a HUGE dog bed!!!! I have to say, it was one of the funniest things I've ever seen!! Of course, that got Paige (greyhound) all fired up, so Paige and Carrie ran the Riley Stakes in the backyard at about 4:30. What a way to *reluctantly* start the day!
Gotta love 'em.

-- Joy Riley

Photos from Amy

Had to share a couple photos… my handsome Lucky man in his famous penguin hat (that he despises!)… and Normie boy. As you can see from the photo, he is very happy!


-- Amy Jansky

Short Essay on Fostering

Hi Friends, Just thought I'd share this short essay with you.
THANK YOU
[Author Unknown]

Thank You for bringing this foster dog into my life.

Had I not made the decision to participate in rescue, I would never have had the chance to meet him. If I had sat here comfortably in my home and said "I already have four dogs and I know that I couldn't take in another - even on a temporary basis," I would never have met this dog.

Yes, it takes time to rescue and foster... but who gave me Time in the first place? And why or what was the reason I was given Time? To fill my own needs? Or was there another reason ever so small and seemingly insignificant, like rescuing this one dog, that could make a difference in another's life? Perhaps to add joy, hope, help and companionship to another who is in need?

With great sadness, I sat down on a footstool in my kitchen this morning and watched as this foster dog bounced back into the house and skidded across the floor to sit ever so perfectly in front of me. He was the picture of health, finally. He was all smiles for me.... and I smiled back at his happy face. Deep in his eyes, the storm clouds of illness and generalized poor health had blown away, and the clear light of his perfection radiated out from his beautiful soul. He holds no ill will toward man. He forgives us all.

I thought to myself as I impressed this one last long look of him into my heart, what a very fine creature you have created. Tears slowly pooled and spilled over my cheekbones as the deeper realization of how wonderful this dog is sank into my internal file cabinet of Needful Things to Remember. Lord, he's a dog - but he's a better human being than I am.

He forgives quickly. Would I do the same?
He passionately enjoys the simple things in life. And I have often overlooked them.
He accepts change and gets on with his life. I fuss and worry about change.
He lives today and loves today. And I often dwell in the past or worry about the future.
He loves no matter what. I am not that free.

This very lovely dog has gone to his new home today and already I miss him. Thank You for bringing this dog into my life. And thank You for the beautiful and tender lesson on how to be a better human.

-- Contributed by Isabella Marcotrigiano

Dogs Movie

Something to cheer up your day. Had to share, watch carefully for the BT’s.


Linda V.

Elmwood Park, NJ

Meet Otto

Meet OTTO!! He is a handsome little man. He is a big boy. I would estimate he is roughly around 25 lbs. He was an owner surrender to the Philly SPCA. He came in with a Boxer buddy. So far he is doing great in our home. He is a little skittish but warming up quick. He is potty trained. Doesn't really have any interest in toys or playing. Just likes to nap and sit around. He likes Cleveland, our other male BT. We haven't introduced him to the rest of the crew yet. He is up to date on most of his shots; he will need to be fixed though. Seems like a sweet little guy. We will keep you updated!

Lisa
PA

Mom Mom is 14 Today!

Happy birthday Mom Mom! You're looking great! Must be that extra special care that Amy is giving you!

Update on Bizzy Bee

I got an update tonight from Adam on Bizzy! She is doing great! She is improving greatly on her potty training. Everyone who meets her says how pretty she is and loves her to death! She has been playing tons of fetch and is fascinated by the guinea pigs in her down time. She loves laying on the back of the couch on her blanket in the sunshine too.

Her knees are like new. She hops all over the place!

Adam couldn't say enough how much they absolutely love and adore her. She is a lucky little lady.

We miss her but we couldnt be happier for her!!!

Lisa
Allentown PA

Belle Rescued from Vacant Apartment

Belle and a companion kitten were left in her apartment building. Their owner moved out in the middle of the night, leaving the dog and a kitten behind in the apartment, with a note on the door saying she wasn't coming back. Fortunately, one of the apartment's other residents found it and cared for the animals until they could find foster arrangements.

Joan Starkey, her foster mom, made the trip (3 1/2 hours each way). Joan writes, The trip was completed with good weather until the very end when I ran into snow for the last 20 miles. Since it was so late, we did not try to make friends with my gang last night. Belle was put in the front room with the baby gate between her and my bunch. There was lots of nose sniffing through the gate and some barking from my boys. Belle growled at them if they came too close. You see, I think Belle is blind or nearly so. I am sure that one eye has a cataract on it and the other doesn't appear clear. She is also a tiny little thing at about 13 pounds on my bathroom scale. My twenty + pound monsters seem huge next to her. Her nails are horribly long and I can't do them right now due to my finger being in a splint. She appears to be house broken as when I holler "potty time" to my gang she comes right along. This morning I kept them separated until after breakfast, then let her come in and explore. My gang pretty much ignored her as they are used to visiting dogs. She spent the day sniffing and exploring the kitchen and living room where she is allowed for now and the front room (the dog's room). She follows my voice and right now is sitting at my feet while I am on the computer. No more growling at my gang unless they get too rough. I am not sure how much she is eating, she appears a little thin."

Joan also indicated that Belle was pretty spunky for her age, and attaches these adorable photos of Belle.  Joan noted that Belle has made herself right at home and even pushed one of the boys off the chair she decided was hers!

The kitten is being placed into foster care as well.

How could someone do this to animals?

Boston Terrier Skirts

Hey girls! I just wanted to share this, i found this awesome lady in Mississippi who makes patchwork skirts. Being a bit of a hippie chick i have been buying them like mad! Anyway, she does custom skirts as well. I asked her if she could make me a BT rescue dog skirt, and she did! There are a few little bostons in the print! Love it! I just wanted to share it with yall in case any one would like to order one! They are only 15.00 + shipping! She can be contacted at cheryl@apparelbycheryl.com.  You can also view more of her items for sale at her website, Apparel by Cheryl

p.s. she makes each skirt to your exact size!

-- Amy Angelo

Meet Lilly

This is Lilly, a/k/a/ Princess, who we pulled from the Wayne shelter last night. Lilly is very sweet, but stressed out from the shelter. She did not do well there at all, and clearly misses her family and 'brother'. She was a little nervous around my dogs last night, but was so polite with my cats, and has been following my husband and I around constantly. She needs to gain at least 5 pounds and has to learn to walk on a leash nicely, but I can tell she's going to be a total cuddle bug and make some family very happy!

-- Heather, Wharton NJ

Update on Boo ("Booda")

Another year has gone by. Boo is another year older and with us another year. He is sitting on my lap as I am typing this e-mail..

My how time has gone by. He is doing fine and is certainly part of our family. He has his special chair to sleep on but prefers to snuggle against one of us while we are watching TV. He could have easily been named Snuggles. Boo also learned how to sun himself on the staircase as the sun shines through our front window.

My mother is in a nursing home and they had a dog parade for the residents that Boo was part of. He and all the dogs that participated were a big hit. Coincidentally, all of the dogs were rescued including a 3 legged Scot Terrier & a deaf American.Bulldog (that responded to hand signals). Since Boo has a great temperament and all of his shots, he is allowed to be a regular visitor. He is an unofficial therapy dog. The residents get so excited when they see him and want to pet him and he loves it. He even knows to stop at the Social Director's office because she has treats for dogs. She enjoys his visits . I also leave treats with my mother & all I have to say to Boo, is do you want to go see grandma and he gets excited.. He also loves to go to the park for our daily walk.

Take care and have a good and healthy 2010.

Bruce & Stella Anglin & Boo

No Words Needed

When words are not needed to tell a story...

Joy's Day

I telecommute. It's the best thing ever. However, I very much follow a regular office schedule. I get up, let the dogs out, feed the kitty and go to my home office. I usually reappear downstairs around 3:30 or 4 to do turnout. I have 2 dog beds in my home office and I never have less than a greyhound and 2 Bostons there. My other greyhound and Boston are always on my bed.
Long story short, today, I knew something was up. Beadoe (BT) showed up in my office about 10:30 and barfed. Jaime (BT) showed up shortly thereafter, and barfed. Paige, my senior greyhound, who is ALWAYS upstairs in the office, kept giving me the stink eye. I finally figured out by about 12:30 that maybe something was up in the "toy aisle" downstairs. Sure enough, a certain 2 y/o greyhound puppy (I'm guessing) had managed to move a babygate and grab a liter bottle of cannola oil off of the microwave cart. Not only had said greyhound grabbed it, she chewed the top off. My kitchen floor was like a skating rink. Obviously, the barfing was due to the snarfing of the oil.
Aughhh. Anyway, the kids are pretty well oiled and have been fed a ton of bread today to hopefully soak some of it out of their GI tracts.
I've mopped the kitchen floor 3 times--first with Spic'nSpan, second with Spic'nSpan and Clorox Clean Up and third with Comet and me scrubbing on my hands and knees. My kitchen floor is better, but it's still a "skating rink." Any ideas on how to cut through this mess?
I can't WAIT to see the rest of the GI effects...
Thanks!
Joy and the OIL dogs

Charles Locks Turbo in the Basement

It's a tough life when you have a brother like Charles. Especially when Charles loves to lock you in the basement. And when he's asked what he's done, Charles just looks up as if to say, "Yeah, I did it. So what?" Poor Turbo!

Update on Rex

I heard from SuzAnne, who adopted Rex, just before New Years. She said he is doing wonderfully and she loves him! She has a puppymill yorkie who was afraid of people, and was hoping Rex would be able to teach him people were great. And of course, Rex is doing just that! She says that he and the yorkie get along great, and that Rex is very respectful of him, and also taught the yorkie how to walk properly on the leash. She says that Rex follows her everywhere and that her father, who used to raise Bostons, loves Rex so much and enjoys cuddling with him. I'm so happy that Rex is fitting in so well - he's such a sweet dog and deserved the perfect home like this!

Heather
Wharton, NJ

Rex was rescued from a shelter in Philadephia, and now is living the perfect doggie life. Another tragedy averted!