Two Dogs and a Man Fighting Canine Cancer

http://www.2dogs2000miles.org/

Today I had the great pleasure to meet Luke Robinson and his two dogs Murphy and Hudson. They are on a walking journey from Austin to Boston to raise awareness and money for research on cancer in our canine friends. Luke became interested in this idea when he lost his best friend Malcolm to bone cancer. His dog was diagnosed in 2004 when he was only 6 and fought bravely for 2 years.

Just this past Christmas, my sister lost her 11 year old shih tzu Camille to cancer in her chest. It has been a very hard winter for our family. We miss her very much. My other sister's sweet 12 year old pit bull Jasmine is suffering from osteosarcoma.

I lost my "heartdog" Sam to cancer in 2002 when he was 11. When I adopted Sam at age 7 he had melanoma on his face. We got him radiation treatments at the University of Cincinnati by Dr. David Denman, a radiation oncologist at UC. He gave me five more years with Sam, almost. That's 35 years in dog years. But it was still too soon when he developed a brain tumor in 2002 and I had to let him rest.

If every dog owner who has been touched by this dreaded disease would go to Luke's website and donate to this cause, maybe we can save more dogs in the future.

And if they walk near your city, please take the opportunity to go meet with them and thank Luke for what he is doing for our "best friends". You can see a map of where they will be walking on their website that I have linked above. If you "twitter" you can also follow them there. I just learned to twitter myself!

Thanks Luke!

TURK has crossed the Bridge

I know I should not post while I am so sad and depressed. I got the news a few hours ago that Turk's tortured life has come to a peaceful end in the loving arms of the rescuer who drove 1000 miles to help him. Being chained outside in all weather conditions for 11 years took its toll on his body, and he suffered a seizure from which he did not recover. He passed away in the arms of the woman who saved him.

I am filled with so many emotions that I don't know what to do with them. I feel absolute RAGE at people who will take a BEAUTIFUL creature like this Dalmatian and CHAIN him out out in a yard for YEARS with no care whatsoever; with no thought at all of how he is SUFFERING from loneliness, fear, cold, heat, insects, predators, etc. WHAT IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE ????! Either you want a dog and you take CARE of it and treat it like a member of your family, or just go out to Walmart and get one of those cement dogs for your yard!

But then I also feel absolute faith in the goodness of people like Jenny Brock, Tammi Kinman, and so many others who did so much to help Turk. I cannot imagine the pain and grief that Jenny is going through this evening. They saw or heard of his suffering and they chose to act to help him. MANY, MANY people see it every day and choose to do nothing, to look the other way. Maybe after you read his story you will NEVER look at a dog chained in a yard again and DO NOTHING to help. It is absolutely inhumane to do that to a dog - no excuses.

Work for laws to be changed to ensure that people who do this to animals are treated like the criminals they are. California has a law against it, also Connecticut. We are trying to get a state law passed in Ohio this year. Even in Kentucky, where Turk suffered for years, is starting to get laws passed - Louisville has one.

YOU can do something to make Turk's painful life MEAN something. Go to dogsdeservebetter.org and get started now. They are sending Valentines this month to chained dogs. They spent THOUSANDS of dollars just for postage because they want to END this barbaric treatment of "man's best friend". Friends don't chain friends, as they say.


http://www.dogsdeservebetter.org/home.html


Do it for Turk.....God rest his soul.

Nice Review for my book!

I really would like to thank Amanda L. Snow for the wonderful review she gave my book "Every Rescued Dog Has a Tale" on her website "A Patchwork of Books".

http://apatchworkofbooks.blogspot.com/

I appreciate the time she took to read and review it. She is also a big fan of the pit bull and she singled out the story of Oreo as one of her favorites. This weekend I have a chance to drive another pit bull from a shelter in New Jersey to a rescue near Cincinnati. If we have the car in working order, we will be signing up.

And last week our community newspaper printed an interview I did with Forrest Sellers about dog transporting and my book.

http://communitypress.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/C2/20090127/VAV02/901270313/

So lately I have been very busy trying to get the word out about how easy it is to help save homeless dogs by just driving a little bit. It is so rewarding, and one of the best parts is meeting so many new friends who share your love of animals.

Also this week I learned to TWITTER!!! It is fun. I do think some people update just a little too often. I don't really need to know if you have just left for work, then ARRIVED at work, now taking your coffee break, etc. Just an update here and there is just fine...leave some mystery.

Now I am off to walk (stumble through the snow) with my dogs for their afternoon sniff and smell. The wiener dog's belly is getting really cold with the snow piling up. She HATES the red sweater but she is just going to HAVE to wear it.

It really IS too big for her - it belonged to my old English setter who passed away. But her belly is SO big that I have to put a large one on her just to cover it.

Don't make fun of her. She is sensitive.

UPDATES on Turk and Daisy

Here is an excerpt from an email from the rescuer from Dogs Deserve Better in Kentucky who got the ball rolling to get Turk the 13 year old Dalmatian and Daisy the 6 year old Rottweiler off their chains in the sub zero weather and into a HOME. These dogs have come a long way (literally!) in the past 10 days.












"I just wanted to give you the update on Daisy and how she did today at the dog park. She has never been to a dog park, and today is very sunny and about 30 degrees. She rode great in the car next to me, and once we got there she was very curious and just went exploring. Other dogs came up to her and she would stop, sniff, say hello and move on. She was very non-chalant, but didn't mind when other dogs came up to her. She was more interested in saying hello to the people at the park. She would go right up to them, and flop over on her back for some lovin. I give her an A-plus for her behavior. After the park, I took her on a leash walk with a harness, and while she pulled some, it wasn't bad at all. "

A foster home had been arranged for Daisy in Ohio but there is an offer of a FOREVER home in Virginia. We are waiting on the results of a home visit and then we will set up a transport to get her from Kentucky to Viriginia. She will make someone a GREAT family dog. What a waste for her to spend 6 years alone on the end of a chain.


NOW...TURK's update!
Jenny Brock from Second Chances Dalmation Rescue in Texas drove 1000 miles to get this wonderful old dog from Ohio where the rescue had him checked out by a vet and ready to transport. She has sent these updated photos of Turk.

This one is from the motel where they stopped for the night....








And here is one from when Turk got "home" . Now he gets to sleep on a warm, soft dog bed and has finally bid goodbye to his long days and nights on a chain.










THIS is the image I want to keep in my mind when I think of Turk.








To everyone involved in the happy ending of these two wonderful neglected dogs, thanks is just not enough.

UPDATE ON TURK THE CHAINED DALMATIAN

I received an email this morning from the Dalmatian Rescue that saved Turk from dying on the end of a chain in Kentucky. He may not have a lot of time left on this earth but it will be spent surrounded by love and warmth. These are the words of Jenny Brock from the rescue...














" Thank you to everyone who has sent e-mails offering their thoughts, prayers and donations for Turk. As you know, Tammi with Dogs Deserve Better sent out a plea to help Turk (a senior Dalmatian) and Daisy (a 6 year old Rottie) who were both living a life chained up and out in the frigid cold. I am happy to say that Second Chances Dalmatian Rescue was able to take in Turk and with the help of our volunteers, we picked up Turk on Friday, January 16th.

Because Turk has touched so many people, I wanted to send this update so people know what his future will be. Please feel free to post this to others who may be interested in his condition.

Here is the latest update on Turk as of 1/20/09:
Turk received a complete exam, bloodwork and a nice hot bath once he got to our vet in Columbus, OH on Friday. Immediately we noticed that his urine was dilute and had an offensive odor, the vet suspected that Turk was in Renal Failure. The bloodwork came back and it does appear that he is in the beginning stages of kidney failure. Additionally, his red blood cell count is also low, that combined with other blood work results indicate the potential of cancer somewhere in his body.
There is also an indication that he has chronic inflammation (not associated with the arthritis) however, we do not know what is causing it. Without doing a full body ultrasound there is no way to confirm the cancer. Unfortunately, we don't have the funds to do this so we are going to watch his behavior, appetite and monitor any changes. He does not have full control of his legs due to the arthritis, he does not lay down easily due to the pain and needs help getting back up. He is now being started on KD diet (for the kidneys) and pain medicine, which he will have to be on for the rest of his life. He was loaded with worms, thankfully was heartworm negative and is now on antibiotics due to the infection from the sores on his back. He has a grade 3 heart murmur. According to the vet paperwork that came with him, he is actually 13 years old, not 11!! The most amazing part is that Turk still has that spark left! He nuzzles with you, he craves attention and enjoyed some cheeseburgers on his ride to freedom!

So, he is still at the vet because we are trying to see if we can get his urine regulated once he is on a set schedule and we are also monitoring him with the pain medication to make sure we get the right dosage for him to start to feel better. Without the pain meds, his quality of life is poor. With them, we hope we can at least get him comfortable and improve the quality of life even though it will increase the chance of hastening the loss of kidney function.

Due to his legs not working well, and always being an outside dog, he pees whenever and where ever without the ability to hike his leg so his back legs are stained from the urine and he will walk as he pees creating a nice zig zag pattern to clean up! Also because he is in the early stages of renal failure and the kidney cells are sloughing into the bladder, the smell is pretty off-putting. As long as we are able to provide him comfort and quality of life, he will remain in our rescue program. Right now, he is not adoptable and he also isn't going to be able to go to any of our foster homes.

So, the plan is that I will take him here in Dallas, Tx. I work from home, I have a set up that might work for him (and I have my own 14 year old Dal going through some of the same issues, just not as severe) and the weather here in Dallas is much nicer so he would be able to be outside if he wanted to and it wouldn't be so cold. Right now, we think this is his only option. We are going to transport him Friday, our intake coordinator, Penny and myself will meet halfway between Ohio and Texas. But, only if we can get him comfortable on the pain meds. This is a 16 hour trip and we fear that the stress of the trip will be hard on him if he isn't comfortable.

Turk is a reminder of why we do rescue. He may not be young, well adjusted and adoptable but, HE is why we rescue. To give him a chance that he wouldn't have otherwise had. Yes, he will be with us until he crosses to the bridge and we will incur significant ongoing medical costs but, HE is what rescue is all about. Even if he only knows the warmth of a bed and the gentle touch of a loving hand for a few weeks (or whatever time he has left), we will know that we changed his life for the better.

Thank you to everyone who has offered to help and who has kept Turk in your thoughts. Please check out our website for updates on Turk and if you wish to make a donation (we are a tax exempt, 501 c 3 organization) http://www.gotspots.org/
I am attaching a few pictures of Turk taken the day he came into rescue and started his new and improved life! Thank you to all who helped make this possible! "


Jenny Brock, Director/FounderSecond Chances Dalmatian Rescuehttp://www.gotspots.org/
TX, OH, MI, IN, KY

I realize that hardly ANYONE has extra money to send to help a dog rescue, but if you are one of the lucky ones, I hope you will consider sending a donation to this wonderful group of people who went above and beyond to get this dog to safety. No matter how long he has, he will know love all the rest of his days.

NOW let's make sure that Daisy the rottie gets to a rescue.....I will keep you updated on her progress.

Sorry I Have Not Posted

I was unexpectedly hospitalized Saturday evening the 17th and I just got home this afternoon. As soon as the room stops spinning, I will post a new story...I have vertigo. WHOA!!! Scary ride.

I am still trying to find out if the Rottweiler Daisy got a rescue. Turk is quite bad off with arthritis and a lot of other problems like kidney failure. He will be in a permanent foster home, and safe and warm all the rest of his days. He is actually 13, not 11 and has suffered horribly.

What is wrong with people who would do that to a dog?

TURK IS SAFE...

I have not yet heard if the Rottie, Daisy, has a rescue...I will keep trying. Turk is right now at the vet's office in Columbus and I am awaiting test results to see how bad the damages are from all those years he was neglected and chained.

If you have never given much thought to the plight of a continuously chained dog, I urge you to visit DOGS DESERVE BETTER.org, and it will certainly change the way you see a dog on a chain.

I have been an avid supporter of this cause since its inception in 2002 and the founder is my hero. She saw something everyday that bothered her and instead of looking the other way and trying to block it out, she DID something to CHANGE it. Now there are laws in cities and states (California and Connecticut are a couple) that absolutely PROHIBIT this inhumane treatment of a dog.

Please check out her website and support her cause.



http://www.dogsdeservebetter.org/home.html


And please pray for Turk and Daisy that their life will be more meaningful than it has been. And don't forget all the other dogs lonely and chained tonight in this cold weather, and DO SOMETHING TO CHANGE IT.

SPENCER's FOOD AND WATER BOWLS

A few years ago I lived 3 blocks from a little beagle named Spencer who was ALWAYS chained , hot or cold weather. He was only a puppy when she first chained him up and I tried for 2 years to get his owner to take him in the house....she said he wasn't housebroken (I wonder why) and he "chewed" (boredom) but yet she did not seek training for him. She just put him out in the yard. After MANY neighbors complained to the SPCA, she was FORCED to get him an igloo doghouse for shelter. But still many times as we passed him (he was on a corner lot) when we walked our dogs, I would see his bowls empty. Sometimes he was wrapped around something in the yard and could not move to reach the bowls if there was something in them. So he became my personal project. I would check his bowls everyday on my walk and fill up the food bowl with a baggie of dog food I carried in my fanny pack. I carried gallon water jugs in my car and on my way to and from work I filled his water bowls. In the winter I poured in hot water to thaw it out. I brought blankets and quilts to put in his igloo when it was 5 degrees outside and his owner was nice and warm in her house. Countless calls to the SPCA did little to help him. They said as long as he had food, water and shelter they could not charge her. I told them the only reason he had food and water was from the neighbors and myself! They told me if I stopped then they could charge her - HOW COULD I STOP? I had no idea when they might stop by, if EVER!


FINALLY after almost 3 years of this and MANY confrontations with the neighbors, she found another home for Spencer. I missed him so much at first but realized no matter WHERE he was now, he was certainly better off. His little igloo dog house is still in the yard and not a day goes by that I don't see it and remember the sweet little dog who spent almost 3 years chained to it. I just pray she NEVER gets another dog.