Achilles Update

We adopted Achilles 4 weeks ago, on November 16th. He is just the
sweetest, most lovable dog ever! Achilles and Sadie, our other BT,
have become inseparable. We want to thank you so much for all the
work that you do helping these dogs, and the humans that are lucky
enough to adopt one. Here are some recent pictures of the "kids"!

Love, Jeanine & Michael





Hello Jeanine & Michael,

Your note and pictures of your 2 beautiful Bostons is the happy ending we hope for every one of the lost souls that come into our rescue.

Thank you for giving Achilles the home he deserves from all of us at NEBTR, and particularly his foster Mom, Kami.

Home for Christmas! Thank you.

Sheryl Trent
NEBTR


That's MY boy, Achilles!!!! I miss him lots, but am so happy for him and his new family. They really are awesome.
Kami

How to Tame Puppy Mill Dogs

When you meet them, move slowly.
Extend a soft hand and heart.
Do not move jerkily or grab them by
the legs or neck.They're ready for that.
Then bathe all the years of filth and
sex,rub her teats saggingly stretched.
Take away the organs for profit.
Wash all the memories of puppies
wrenched away to be put in glass
chambers oohed and ahhed over at the mall.
Clean them gently, a massage of
soap erasing the grit of the mill.

When you walk them, be patient.
They only know cages and brusque males.
Let them learn the lead and the training.
Their accidents aren't vengeful.

Call them by name, by name, by name.
Don't worry if their ears don't
prick up or if they don't run to you.
Take no offense.

Answer their barking,
even at 4 a.m.
They need a voice,
one answer after all.

Don't punish quick teeth or
tentative tongue.
Cover the furniture foam,
clean up the accidents
and wood and blankets gnashed or tugged.
They now have a pillowy soft sofa in their safe crate,
not a cage with a mesh floor.

Watch them discover their feet,
The grass tenderly velvet to their pads.
Watch them run,jump,down dog,roll.

Don't wear a hat or a beard
They'll take their revenge.

Open the sky and earth
to senses yet awakened.
The smells to investigate!
The butterflies to chase.
The house , the stairs,
the carpet, the kitchen
where food is given not shoved.

Stroke them, stroke.
Whisper their names.
They will answer in time.

Give them that.
Curl on the floor
to let them explore
your head and neck.
Give them love.
Give them love.
Give them love.

written by Claire E. Brown

-- Contributed by Amanda

Tiger

Hope warmed my heart. Since my Tiger is a mill dog, my heart goes out to these little fur kids. My Tiger, too, has splayed feet and terrible bowed front legs. One back leg required surgery since his knee joint twisted to the outside preventing him from running and jumping. The mill dogs' problems are a result of being forced to live in cages with wire floors. Actually, my Tiger's eyes still tear when the sun is brilliant which comes from living in a darkened barn for the first year of his life. Thankfully, he was rescued after his first birthday -- that is, if the mill people told the truth about his age. He was put up for auction in MIssouri and a dear rescue person from Kansas purchased him. I adopted him by driving to Kansas from NJ to pick him up.

Hope will be fine under your careful care. I am thankful that she will be able to keep her eye.

These mill dogs make wonderful pets. They are loving and grateful for whatever you do for them. My Tiger is so very sweet and very, very dear.
Thank you for taking Hope.

-- Isabella

Hope's Progress

Hope on arrival

Hey everyone I wanted to let you all know how great Hope is doing. Despite coming from a Mill she is absolutely the sweetest dog ever; she can't get enough cuddles or scratches.

She absolutely loves the food. I'm sure everyone knows that I feed Dick Van Patton's Limited Ingredient Diet in Venison and Sweet Potato (In the wet and dry formula), I really thought Hope would prefer to be on a Boiled Chicken and Rice diet, but she went crazy when I opened the can of food, she has had solid bowel movements every time so I put her right on the L.I.D. she loves it!! She literally dances all over the kitchen floor while I am preparing dinner. She has shown no food aggression but eats very quickly. To help her get more of the nutrition out of the food, I have started hand feeding her the kibble bit by bit. I'm sure you all know that when I dog eats too quickly it doesn't get as much of the nutrients from the food as slow eating. Consequently many fast eaters try to eat poop. The thought is they are trying to get the rest of the nutrients.

As for her health......Surprisingly she will be able to keep both eyes. They will need a lubrication put in them everyday for the rest of her life but at least she gets to keep both eyes!!! My vet actually believes the worse of her two eyes was punctured, it has scarred so deeply that the globe is actually bigger than the other eye. This makes closing her eye hard. She also has severe joint damage in her wrist joints,and her feet are splayed out wide. She is really sweet and can go 7 hours with out having an accident. I am happy to report there was only one accident in the house, on the first night here, and one accident in her crate which was the next morning. Since both of those she has not had any accidents! She goes back to the vet in two weeks, and then my vet has offered to spay her. I will keep everyone posted as she comes along.

However, I haven't heard Hope make any sounds, with the exception of a slight whine when it's time to go Hope and her fellow puppy mill sister HaNa both suffer through those horrific eye injuries. It just proves to me what his inner character is made of! I'm sure he'll get his; I just wish I was there to see it!

--Lara





Hope in Foster Care

Dahlia Had Puppies! A Happy Holiday Story

Can you believe it? This is so not what I expected when I said I'd foster a senior!!! She is doing really well, she's a wonderful mother (and has clearly done this before). I'm just happy we can make her comfortable and take good care of them all.

And, the moral of the story is, if you get up really early some morning and hear squeeky noises from a dog bed, don't assume the noise makers are mice !!!
I've been involved in dog rescue/fostering for over 12 years, but this is a FIRST!

I think it goes without saying that Dahlia is no longer up for adoption. We are keeping her. And the rest of my family (including my sane husband) think we're keeping the puppies, too. By the way the girl is named Wysteria and the boy is Fiorello.

We got attached to Dahlia. When the applications came in that were interested in her, my daughter said, "You can't give away my sister." So it started looking bad then :). But after the surprise birth I thought about how much Dahlia had gone
through in her life and how many adjustments she had to make and changes and I just said I don't want her to have to adjust to anything ever again. I don't want her to ever have to feel sad or scared or confused about where she's going. So she's home and her pups are with her.

--Julie



Fiorello



Wisteria

"Dahlia's Petfinder description:
Dahlia, a beautiful BT mix, is by far the sweetest dog any of us has ever met. When she should have been gently sailing into her sunset years, she was cruelly dumped into a miserable city animal shelter for no reason at all. Dahlia is in terrific shape at the age of 9 with many good years ahead of her. On a walk, she is curious and attentive. She's great on a leash, perhaps the most housebroken dog that ever was (not one accident, EVER). In a home, she is respectful and peaceful. She is wonderful with all dogs, big and small, as well as children young and old. She loves to cuddle and kiss and is heartbreakingly good, she is just looking for someone to love her. Somewhere we know there is a kind forever family waiting for Dahlia."

Fortunately, she found her loving forever home with Julie!

Forever Home for Benny

My house is very quiet right now. Bingo is very much missing his best buddy, Benny who went home with Bill Woods and Stacy Nusbaum tonight.

We met at my work so Benny and their 1 yr old BT, Sunny, could have some 'privacy' from my other dogs. After about 1/2 hour - Ben and Sunny were rompimg and playing and destroyed a stuffed goose together. Bill and Stacy are super nice people - and Ben is going to do well with them. We spent a couple of hours together while the dogs got aquainted, and Bill and Stacy took their time to be sure that Ben was right to be a playmate for Sunny. Benny knew something was up - but I am sure he will settle in just fine.

I sure am going to miss my 'nap' buddy.......

I have attached a picture of Benny with his new family!!

--Barb C.


Benny's new parents just sent me a pic of he and his sister, Sunny. So Cute!

Barb

More About Our Foster Bea (With Photo)

I also wanted to update you that for the first time today Bea made it down some steps and she made it onto the couch.

She is the most active one in the house lol, but up until today she was
having trouble with going down steps. So seeing her make progress is
great!

--Lisa

Addie, Chambersburg Mill Mama

Hi! Addie is one of the Chambersburg mamas. She is doing
great and has come a LONG way in just a little over two weeks. I guess she is feeling better because she has been shot out of a cannon today and is running around like a crazy woman even after a walk. I think it is too cute but Wilbur begs to differ on her cuteness factor right now.

She is hot mama! She cleaned up well...after a few baths! ;) She is such a good girl- no accidents or pooping in her crate since Friday and we took our first long walk today. She did better on her leash than Wilbs. You were right, every time you get frustrated they do something right and you feel like you won the lottery.

--Jodi

Lewisburg Puppy Mill Survivor Ha-Na

Thanks, Amy, for fostering this doll! Now she can live the life she should have had from puppyhood.

Piper

On Mon, Nov 3, 2008 at 2:38 PM, Elly wrote:

Hi Ryan, how is Piper settling In. I havent heard anything so I hope that is a good thing. The group loves to hear success stories, so let us know how its going.Give her a kiss from me
Elly

Hi Elly,

Piper is doing very well! She adjusted faster and easier than I expected, making the place her own very quickly. No accidents in the car ride or when she first got here. Within a day or two she was totally unfazed by the sounds of traffic outside my apartment. All the smells of a big city neighborhood make for fairly slow walks, but she got used to all the concrete sidewalks pretty quickly. There's a park 3-4 blocks away, which we go to at least once a day.

Sara and I are working on training, especially socializing her with new dogs and people... having people she meets give her a treat, so that she's not scared with new people. We've also noticed that when she barks or nips (which she's only done a couple times), it seems to be because she's nervous or scared-- like when she hears someone coming into my apartment building downstairs, or hears a strange dog barking outside. So hopefully she feels more and more comfortable hear with us, she already seems to be doing better. The only other issue we had was that she ate a small piece of something while out walking (there are sometimes scraps from people putting their garbage out to the curb) and later vomited. I think she learned her lesson. I definitely did too, I keep a closer watch on what she's sniffing now.

Overall, she's been so well behaved. She loves the bed I got for her, but also curling up on the couch next to me, watching TV or getting some work done. She does well when I go out-- I bought a baby gate that I use to contain her in the front hallway with her food, water, toys, and with the radio on. I got her a no-pull harness, which she got used to within about a day, and she loves playing fetch and tug-of-war with the little rubber toy I got her. This past Sunday I took her to see a bit of the NYC marathon passing by. And just last night, Sara was offering her a treat (holding it above Piper's head) and discovered that Piper can stand up no her hind legs and turn around in a complete circle! I'll definitely give her a kiss for you, she gives us plenty back!

Take care,
Ryan


Hi Elly,

Yes, Piper is doing great and she sends her kisses. She eats well and has been very well behaved. She went upstate with me for Thanksgiving, and did great with the car ride. Sara crocheted Piper a sweater recently, and bought her a coat, so she's warm and stylish on her walks.

The only thing I'm really working on now is that Piper gets nervous when she encounters dogs, and can definitely be dominating, just like you warned me. She often barks, growls, and snaps when we meet other dogs while out walking. So I'm trying to socialize her more at dog parks, in a very controlled way. Aside from that, she's been great-- only getting better with meeting new people.

Here are a few recent pictures!

Take care,
Ryan

Here is an update on Piper. She came in as a very aggressive dog. She seems to be doing great.!
Elly

Forgotten Dog's Christmas

FORGOTTEN DOG'S CHRISTMAS
Author unknown

Twas the nite before Christmas
When all thru the house

Not a creature was stirring
Not even a mouse.

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care
In hopes that St. Nick soon would be there.

The children all nestled all snug in their beds
With no thought of the dog filling their head.

And mamma in her kerchief and I in my cap
Knew the dog was cold, but didn't care about that.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.

Away to the window I flew like a flash
Figuring the dog was free of his chain and into the trash.

The moon on the breast of the new fallen snow
Gave the luster of mid-day to objects below.

When what to my wondering eyes should appear
But Santa Clause with eyes full of tears.

He unchained the dog once so lively and quick
Last year's Christmas present now painfully sick.

More rapid than eagles he called the dog's name
And the dog ran to him despite all his pain.

Now Dasher, now Dancer, now Prancer and Vixen
On Comet on Cupid on Donner and Blitzen.

To the top of the porch to the top of the wall
Let's find this dog a home where he will be loved by all.

I knew in an instant there would be no gifts this year
For Santa had made one thing quite clear.

The gift of a dog is not just for the season
We had gotten the dog for all the wrong reasons.

In our haste to think of the kids a gift
There was one important thing we missed

A dog should be family, and cared for the same
You don't give a gift, then put it on a chain.

And I heard him explain as he rode out of site,
"You weren't given a gift, you were given a life."

PLEASE...PLEASE....care for
And LOVE your pets!!

Mill Momma Hope

I just wanted to give everyone an update on the six year old girl from the Mill. I have decided to name her "Hope." She is in a sad state of affairs and I will have her at the vet for her check up first thing Monday morning. It looks to me, (and Amy agreed) that the worse of her injured eyes, (both eyes have ulcerations but her left eye is in a bad state), we both think that the vet is going to have to remove it. I of course will call or email Victoria as soon as I know what the vet is suggesting. I still don't understand how even the coldest of people can treat a living breathing creature like this. I am happy to say that Delmer and Lola have both welcomed her in with open paws. She is currently laying on the couch right next to me. While she's only been here for an hour or two she seems to be affectionate. She even put her paw on my leg and pushed her self up to my face to give me a kiss. I was amazed. I guess she knows she's in a good place. I am happy to report she had no issues with eating, and had a nice solid bowel movement. Sorry to go on and on but I thought everyone would like to hear how she was doing. It is still early but I am filed with Hope..
Lara

__._,_.___

Update on Our Foster Bea

So much to tell you!
Bea went to the vet last night. She did awesome! She is 19.7 pounds.
She has tartar and some gingivitis so she will need a teeth cleaning
to get rid of the quite stinky breath that she has. Even though her
legs are a little bowed it shouldnt be a problem, she just needs to
gain some muscle in them. She received an ear cleaning and
a "manicure/pedicure". We are still waiting on the results of her
fecal and heart worm test. As soon as we know I will let you know.

She is also making great strides at home. She has made friends with
everyone, our cat is especially fond of her. She doesnt quite
understand their rough playing so we play with her on the side. She
finally started playing with a rope toy last night. As for potty
training, she has not had an accident ANYWHERE since Sunday(which was
her 1st day home) and even then she only had 2 1/2 accidents. She is
doing great pottying outside and our crew is helping to teach her.
She has also started to learn "Sit". Last night she did it quite a
few times without any help. Beacause her legs are weak she gets tired
easily she has a hard time with steps, but this morning she made it
all the wait up the stairs ALL BY HERSELF! We were so proud of her!

She is doing so well and will have no troubles finding a forever home!

--Lisa

MomMom

Mom Mom was dumped at the Burlington County Animal Shelter in Jan. 08. The only information that was left with her was her original name (Kristi) and her age (12). We picked her up at the shelter right before closing that night. I will never forget her little face. She was so afraid and shaking. She was wearing an old red tattered sweater. When we got her home, we took off the sweater and were horrified at the sight of her. She was completely bald from her neck back and was covered in red and green pus oozing sores. She was raw from the underside of her neck all the way back to her behind. She was scratching like maWe got her to the vet and this is what they told us

She had: heart murmur, yeast infections in both ears, possible mange, fleas, ulcers in both eyes, deep infection in her gums with an infected growth in her mouth, rotten teeth (6), yeast on the skin on her back, kennel cough, possible cancerous tumor on her side and most likely a food allergy. Whew!
We later found out that Mom Mom was allergic to 28 known allergens!

We cleaned her up, put her on some medication (got a dental done) and after a few months, she was looking and feeling like a million bucks! Her hair began to grow back and her coloring returned.
Mom Mom made a beautiful come back and now enjoys an itch free, laid back, spoiled lifestyle. Mom Mom is the queen of the house. She loves lounging in her three (yes, three) dog beds, munching on lamb snacks and peanut butter and taking car rides around town.
Mom Mom will have been here with our family for a year this January and she is our permanent foster. Her new name, Mom Mom, came naturally to her because she mothers our younger dogs. She makes us smile everyday. We feel priviliged to have her here with us, and we are so thankful that we had the opportunity through NEBTR to rescue her and give her the love and respect this sweet old lady deserves!

Thank you for any donations you can give to continue caring for MomMom. Her vet bills were enormous to get her back to good health. We want to be able to continue doing that for her and all our other rescued Bostons.

--Amy


MomMom today, thanks to Amy! If you would like to help with MomMom's expenses, you can sponsor her here:

From Melissa, Danny, and Peanut

Hey Boston Rescue folks!

I just wanted to say thank you, thank you, thank you for allowing me to adopt one of your beautiful little dogs. We have had Peanut for about 3 months now and she is a complete joy! She has adapted well to life in Manhattan and makes friends with nearly every person who glances her way. She runs to the door when we return home and smothers us with kisses and is in fabulous shape for an old lady!

Now that she's a part of our lives, it's hard to imagine life before!

Thanks again, and our Christmas wish is that every one of the waiting Bostons find a home for Christmas--and forever.

-Much love and Thanks-Melissa Wabnitz, Danny Peters and Peanut.

I rescued a human today.

I rescued a human today.


Her eyes met mine as she walked down the corridor peering apprehensively into the kennels.

I felt her need instantly and knew I had to help her.

I wagged my tail, not too exuberantly, so she wouldn't be afraid.

As she stopped at my kennel I blocked her view from a little accident I had in the back of my cage.

I didn't want her to know that I hadn't been walked today.

Sometimes the shelter keepers get too busy and I didn't want her to think poorly of them.

As she read my kennel card I hoped that she wouldn't feel sad about my past.

I only have the future to look forward to and want to make a difference in someone's life.

She got down on her knees and made little kissy sounds at me.

I shoved my shoulder and side of my head up against the bars to comfort her.

Gentle fingertips caressed my neck; she was desperate for companionship.

A tear fell down her cheek and I raised my paw to assure her that all would be well.

Soon my kennel door opened and her smile was so bright that instantly jumped into her arms.

I would promise to keep her safe.

I would promise to always be by her side.

I would promise to do everything I could to see that radiant smile and sparkle in her eyes.

I was so fortunate that she came down my corridor.

So many more are out there who haven't walked the corridors.

So many more to be saved.

At least I could save one.

I rescued a human today.

Achilles' Forever Home

I took my sweet foster, Achilles, to meet his new family yesterday. We met at a park and it only took them about ten minutes for them to decide they wanted to take him home. I got a call from them about four hours later saying that their nine month old BT puppy and he were getting along really well and that she had been to petsmart to buy them a whole bag of toys. She also said that he and his new daddy were bonding very quickly. Later last night she sent me pictures and said that they were just thrilled with their new boy.
I really thought it was going to be harder for me to let him go. I really got attached in the month that I had him, but they were so perfect for him that I just can't even feel anything but happy! They even loved the name that my husband chose for him and are going to keep it.
Here are a couple of the pics they sent of Achilles with his new sister and with his daddy. Aren't they precious?
~Kami

Prayers for Tyler

Hi All,
My old little boy Tyler that I fostered in March and then adopted in April is having a tough time. For those of you who don't know his history, his previous owner passed away the day after he was surrendered to me, so I felt like we were meant to be together. He is the sweetest, most appreciative little guy that I have ever had. I have 4 other dogs ( 2 bostons, 1 adopted boxer and a mini aussie).
He was fine this morning jumping up and down wanting his breakfast and then onto his couch for his morning nap. We then went out for about 4 hours and he was crated. When we came home he was not himself, a little trembly and would not eat his dinner. I watched him for a couple of hours and thought his breathing seemed a little labored and fast, so I called the animal hospital, thankfully they are a 24 hour emergency clinic and they think he has heart failure. There appears to be fluid in his lungs. I am waiting to hear from the cardiologist to see what can be done. He is 11 years old and he does have heart disease that was confirmed by echocardiogram two months ago. Sorry this is so long, just need some good thoughts and prayers for this special old man. Feeling kind of empty tonight. Even with 4 other dogs in the house. I miss him.
Mary Beth

The Life of a Puppy

(Contributed by Gilda Hunt)

This morning, I woke up & kissed my dad's head.
I peed on the carpet, then went back to bed.
"The life of a puppy, oh my, this is great."
Then I thought about breakfast," I hope it's not late."

Mom took me outside, we walked for a while.
This never fails to make Mama smile.
I sniffed of everything, that we did pass,
I ate something weird - it gave me gas.

I'm sure God loves me, I know that is true.
He gave me so many great things to chew.
Rugs, plants or rocks, I really don't care.
What I truly like best, is Dad's underwear.

That obedience book, was sort of yummy.
Though it didn't sit well on my poor puppy tummy.
I threw up a bit, but that was all right,
When Mom found it later, I was well out of sight.

I made streamers of T. P., while running at full speed.
Mom is pretty quick -- but I was still in the lead.
I flew under the bed, and Mom flew past,
She stopped-shook her head, and breathed,
"You're too fast."

Mama later phoned Daddy, and said, "It was frightening! "
That afternoon, she was sure I'd pooped lightning.
She'd sat at the computer, while I chewed the cord,
She thought I was mad, but I was just bored.

When Mama had enough, couldn't take anymore,
That's when my tushy got shoved out the door.
I love it inside, but outside is best.
Lay in the cool grass, and had a good rest.

That didn't last long, there was too much to do--
Can't quite remember where I hid Daddy's shoe.
I found an old bone, and scratched at a flea,
I watched the dumb squirrels as they jumped in a tree.

I barked at the kids, when they got off the bus.
I can't figure out why this makes Mama fuss.
I barked at the neighbor, I barked at the wind.
I barked and barked, till Mom yelled, "COME IN."

The sun dipped in the west-soon Daddy would come!
I sure love my daddy: we always have fun.
I barked at my daddy, then turned on my charms,
I woo-wooed, "Hello," then jumped in his arms.

Sitting under the table -- it's sooo hard to wait.
Daddy slipped me a goodie right off his plate.
I raced through the house, and scattered my toys,
Ricocheted off the furniture, and made lots of noise.

Mom found her purse - the one I abused.
Daddy let loose a chuckle. Mom asked "Amused??"
I cowered down low, I must be in trouble.
Dad said, "Wasn't MY boy, it must be his double!"

Mom turned off the TV, and said,"Time for bed."
Dad said "Let's go boy," and patted my head.
I got in my spot, between Mom and Dad,
I thought 'bout my day and what fun I had.

Mama kicked out my bone from the covers below,
Then let loose a sigh -- a sigh deep and low.
She gave me a kiss, and snuggled me tight,
And whispered so softly, 'My darling goodnight'.

Happy Gotcha Day, Beadoe

One year ago today, I met Lee and Dan Wilson to dog sit their foster, Beadoe. Well, I never gave him back . It's been quite an adventure: my first experience with a deaf dog, my first experience with a biter, my first experience with a 15# dog who can climb a fence, the list goes on and on. Several of you have been very patient with my installments of "The Adventures of Beadoe."
Happy First Gotcha Day, you little stinker!! Don't ever stop being "Beadoe"--you make me laugh so much!
Joy