This has been a busy year! We now have a web site, www.cominischnauzerrescue.com. You can go to the web site and click on the tab marked “adoption process” to see pictures and stories about all the wonderful dogs we have in rescue. You can send your friends to the web site if they are interested in adopting. Under the same tab, they will find information about the adoption process, and a copy of the adoption application that they can download to complete and submit. We come up if someone “Googles” Miniature Schnauzer, rescue and CO (for Colorado), and it is helping us find more great homes.
We need lots more adopters because we are getting more owner surrendered Minis due to the recession. Some of the owner surrendered dogs come directly to us, and others come to us from local shelters or vets. We also need more adopters because we are taking a limited number of puppy mill dogs into rescue. Perhaps the only good thing that has come out of the recession is that many of the puppy mill owners are going out of business. I want to be there to rescue some of the Minis who have spent their lives producing puppies. If any of you are looking to add another Mini to your life, please consider one of our adult dogs, like Gustav, Romeo or Lacy or some of our young puppy mill survivors like Linda, Sharon or Pearl,.
The biggest surprise of the year was Daphne! She came from a puppy mill, so skinny that you could count her ribs. I never thought that she might be pregnant! But she was and she had 8 little puppies on April 30th. Raising puppies was a wonderful, but very time consuming experience. I tried to expose them to as many different experiences as I could so that they wouldn’t be afraid. It was fun watching them learn about the world around them, meeting new people and other dogs, learning “doggie door” and how to go up and down stairs. They turned out to be very loving and social little puppies, and I thank everyone who helped me raise them, and all of you who adopted these wonderful little puppies. I hope that you will continue to let me know how they are doing.
Next came Pepper’s puppies. Five puppies were born about the same time as Daphne’s puppies, but in a hoarding situation. There were 20 Miniature Schnauzers in a mobile home. They missed out on a lot of love and attention in their early weeks because they were lost among all the other dogs in the home, and then because they spent some of their first few months in a shelter. Belle, Princess, Larry, Curly and Moe transformed into happy little puppies, and went to wonderful homes, too.
Lastly, there were Simone, Sienna and Suzy, little 7 month old female minis from a local “backyard” breeder. When they came into rescue, they didn’t even have names, didn’t recognize their reflection in a window, had never worn a collar or leash, didn’t know what a “treat” was, and still couldn’t go up and down stairs. They played hard and learned everything young puppies need to know, and they, too, went to wonderful homes.
We also took in a lot of other minis. Several young and old minis from the puppy mills that closed down came into rescue. These dogs take a long time to learn to trust people, since they haven’t had many positive experiences or even much human contact prior to coming into rescue. Some have strange habits born in the mills, such as turning over their food dishes (since they never had dishes before), or circling, a nervous habit formed in the small cramped cages of the mills. Foster homes can help these dogs learn the skills that they need to be adopted. Foster homes can teach house training, simple obedience and socialize these dogs to both people and other dogs. We all know our dogs learn from each other, and puppy mill dogs can learn lots of great things from your existing dog, like going outside to potty, how to play with a ball or toy, and how to get lots of love and attention.
A much larger number of dogs came into rescue from owner surrenders this year. In prior years, most of the dogs came into rescue from owners because of divorce or their owners moving into assisted living. This year most came into rescue because of foreclosure, or just because their owners no longer had the disposable income to care for them. In prior years, dogs coming from owners were usually in good shape, up to date on vaccines, with clean teeth and few health issues. This year, however, dogs coming from owners were behind on their shots, and many need to have their teeth cared for as owners facing foreclosure couldn’t afford to care for their pets.
I still need help. This year there are two main ways that you can help me. First, I need foster homes. It is a simple matter of numbers. There are always from 5 to 10 dogs waiting to find a place in rescue. The state of Colorado (they regulate rescues), and common sense say I can only have 8 rescue dogs at one time, so that means I need lots of foster homes. Several people have come forward to help this year, and I am so grateful to them, but I need more.
Foster dogs have already been vetted. That means that they have their shots, and they have been checked out by the vet. I quarantine all the new dogs for two weeks to make sure that they are not bringing any parasites or disease into rescue with them. I wouldn’t want to place a sick dog into a foster home and risk having the foster’s own dog get sick. If the foster dog needs medical care, rescue continues to pay that bill. The foster family’s main responsibility is to love the foster dog. Some of the dogs, particularly the older ones, or pairs, take longer to find homes. These dogs are ideal candidates for a foster family. I try to find foster homes on the west side of the metro area to limit the amount of driving I have to do to pick up the dog for a grooming or vet appointment, or to show the dog to a prospective adopter.
As always, I need money for veterinary bills. With adoptions already down from prior years, I don’t think that I can raise adoption fees, but these fees are most of what pays the vet bill. Chatfield Veterinary Hospital is more than helpful in finding ways to keep the costs down, and I so much appreciate their help. But it often costs more than the adoption fee to get the dog healthy and ready to be adopted. I have applied for a couple of new grants. So far, we have been pretty successful in getting grants and in increasing the amount of those grants. If any of you have any ideas about potential grants, please let me know. In the meantime, I need to make up the difference with donations. So once again, I am coming to you asking for your donations. Vintage Dog Rescue is a 501(c)3 charity, recognized by the Internal Revenue Service. This year end, when you are thinking about your charitable donations, I hope that you will include Vintage Dog Rescue on your list. You can send us a check at Vintage Dog Rescue, 19 North Ranch Road, Littleton CO 80127, or you can contact Chatfield Vet Clinic directly at 303-978-9750 and charge your donation.
Lastly, there is one fun way you can help. A local author writes books about rescued dogs. The stories are published in books based on breed. The best news is that if we contribute stories to the book, rescue gets part of the proceeds. We are looking for stories about your rescued Mini in 600 to 1200 words. If you are willing to provide the story, we will help with editing.
Thank you so much for your support. I have told many of you that this is a fun ”job” most of the time. There have been times this year with too many dogs and not enough adoptions, that it has been almost overwhelming. Just about the time I start feeling that way, one of you sends me an email telling me how much your little Zandie, or Morgan or Snuggles is adding to your life and it reminds me why I do this.
Thank you!
Susan Lummanick