Dazy, a return to fostering

She was a runner. That is probably how she became a stray. She came to stay at my house in November of 2005 before Thanksgiving. She left my house December 30, 2005. She was my first foster animal in about 10 years. I had fostered dogs and cats in the past through the local Humane Society. But I decided to stop fostering when I had a child. Now that my daughter is almost 8 years old, I thought about fostering again.

One day I was cruising one of my websites I do business on and I saw an “Emergency, Two Poodles need help!”. I read the story about a woman that had died and left behind two Standard Poodles and the family didn’t want them and put them in a shelter. A poodle rescue was looking for an emergency foster home to help until they could get help for them. I called my husband and asked him and he said “yes”. I contacted the lady on the email and she said the standards had found fosters, but would I like to foster in the future? About two weeks later, she emails me saying there was a female mini mix with an injured paw at the Oakland Shelter they needed to find a foster home for.

And then she says “her name is Dazy”. I thought in my head “uh oh”. My first dog, who was a stray dog, was named Daisy. This Dazy was found in Oakland, CA on November 4, 2005. Two kids saw her get hit by a car, picked her up and took her home and bathed her and called the police. They took her to the emergency pet hospital. She was then taken to the Oakland Animal Shelter and stayed for about two weeks.

When I got her, she had a hurt leg, horrible upper respiratory infection, fleas, tapeworm and had to be spayed. She was also very thin, so thin you could feel her backbone, ribs and pelvis. I took her to my vet to get her spayed and to check her leg. They did not find a break in her leg and we weren’t sure what was going on. My vet pulled out a needle and poked her foot and nothing; she had nerve damage. There is nothing we can do but wait and we may have to amputate her leg. I was heartbroken. This beautiful little dog with such a sweet spirit may lose a leg. I called the rescue to talk about it. We decided after she healed from spaying, we would get a second opinion.

We saw a wonderful orthopedic vet who saw her and said she had torn her nerves that control her left front leg when she was hit by a car. He said with time, they would reattach but maybe not with the right connections. But he said “I never amputate. Do you know why?” and he held up his hand with an amputated finger. He said even if she doesn’t get her feeling back to leave the leg alone unless she damages it and it has to come off. I walked out of there very relieved and with hope.

I went home and told Isabela we needed a miracle. She wrote Santa to bring a Christmas miracle and let Dazy have her paw back. It made me very proud of her. We gave her medicine, loved her, and cleaned up her messes in the house. Then we started looking for a home for her. We went through many maybes. We went to Disneyland before Christmas and Isabela spoke to Santa while we were there asking him to help Dazy’s foot. When we got back from Disneyland, she was walking slowly on her leg! She was standing on all 4 legs! And she was using her paw! We were so happy. Isabela said “I knew that was the real Santa at Disney.”

We kept looking for a family for her. Then one day I prayed “Please God or whoever is listening, help her find a loving forever home with children and dog to play with and a big yard.” And that same day a few streets away, a woman chanted “Please help me find a small dog to rescue for my family.” That day we connected through whatever cosmic happenings. She instantly loved Dazy. We knew each other through our children’s school: she had 3 kids, a dog and a big yard. I knew that day Dazy found her forever home.

I will always remember her sweet spirit, watching her play chase with
my cavalier, Teddy, in the backyard, and wrestling with my cockapoo, Max, in the house. I remember her chewing up a little doll I had when I was a child. Isabela and I cried over that. . I remember the day before she was adopted my husband left the door open and she ran out. And ran. And ran. I remember running after her and praying she wouldn’t get hit by a car; and finally catching her and carrying her home crying all the way. It was the scariest day I can remember in a long time. I remember buying her Christmas presents. She was adorable and maddening, lovable and mischievous, playful and cuddly. And now she has a new home and a new name, Anne. I hope to see her often, since the family lives near me. I hope she remembers me. I know I will never forget her.

The Tale of Dudley

A Boy and His Dog

My husband Peter and I have had the pleasure of fostering 6 wonderful poodles for Bay Area Poodle Rescue. They have all enriched our lives and brought us many hours of joy.

Today's story is about the most recent pupster to share his life with us, Dudley. A super happy little guy, 10 pounds of love and energy. Randi called and asked us if we had the time and we gladly accepted. Knowing how lousy the economy is, we knew we might have Dudley for a while. As it was, Dudley was abandoned when his previous family walked away from their home in Oakland. Leaving him tied to the house, with only a bowl of water, they drove away ditching this great little guy.

Peter and I and our dog Rags got very attached to Dudley and knew we had to find a really great home for him. We did just that! My sister and nephew have always wanted a dog of their own and we knew Dudley would be a great addition to their family and we could visit him whenever we liked!

We thank BAPR for all the pleasure of having poodles in our life.

Stay tuned for photos!

The Danger of Foxtails: Bruno's story

A poodle-gram from Randi filled the email boxes of BAPR members: “A small white poodle needs foster care. Soon.” What’s new? Another little fuzzy white dog needs a place to stay until it finds a home. Then we learned the details and the poor little guy’s story became quite different.

Bruno was a mess, and that really doesn’t describe his condition when the shelter got him. He wasn’t even named Bruno yet. He was a stray roaming Oakland and needed a lot of attention after arriving at the shelter. Besides needing nourishment and grooming, the little guy was ravaged by foxtails. Little pointy seeds burrowing under his skin, some migrating towards vital organs. The shelter's vet had removed about a dozen of them along his neck, chest and abdomen. But more were lurking, undetected. The shelter had named him Foxy with good intentions, but Randi insisted we choose another for him. A name to avoid remembering his experience, and something manly.

That’s when he came into our lives. Randi handed him off to us at the Marin Humane Society Shelter. Six pounds of skin and bone, covered in sutures and drain tubes. He could barely walk he was so weak. We were asked to nurse the little guy back to health and give him a new name, like, maybe, Bruno. After a few days we agreed that “Bruno” was a good fit, but the medical care would take longer. We had no experience dealing with foxtails. What’s a foxtail anyway? We learned about foxtails and we learned how to care for Bruno. With wonderful support from BAPR and excellent vet care, he had a future.

Bruno settled in very well, meeting Reggie, taking his medicine, eating, and being loved by us. Walking him on a leash was not an option due to the sutures and drains around his neck and chest (no collars or harnesses). Until then, Bruno used the back garden, staying home when we walked Reggie. Eventually, Bruno did start walking with us. As his strength returned, he'd walk a little, and we'd carry him a bit. With Reggie lifting his leg on every shrub and post, Bruno was not to be outdone. But he didn't have good balance yet, so when Bruno lifted his leg the poor little guy fell over. In those first weeks, it was hard to be optimistic about Bruno's future. As his first follow-up visit to the vet approached, we noticed some swelling in new areas and some incisions were not healing.

We arranged to take Bruno to a local vet that BAPR fosters use in our area. After Bruno's first visit there, the vet explained in unpleasant detail what foxtails do to dogs, and what we could do about them. It wasn’t clear yet how much effort would be necessary as evidence of more foxtails emerged over the following weeks. There was no way to know how many had burrowed in and which ones might cause harm. Was BAPR willing to support his treatment? Randi was ready - repeatedly. Bruno eventually had 67 foxtails removed in 5 different surgeries (including the one at the shelter). Some removals were simple, others required more invasive exploration. But the effort and commitment paid off. After 3 months of visits to the vet for surgeries and follow-ups, daily doses of antibiotics and pain relievers, and soakings in Epsom salts, the infections stopped and Bruno was declared foxtail-free, except for one. The vet suspected there was one more behind his left eye, and it was, at that time, inaccessible.

Near the end of Bruno’s treatment, when we felt confident about his survival we put him up for adoption. His incisions were healing nicely, his coat coming back shiny and soft, he could pee on three legs, and he could finally jump into our laps (by invitation of course). Bruno was a new dog. Despite his medical ordeal, he remained the sweetest little dog, always ready to play with us and Reggie. He would be a great pet for someone special. Someone with a heart as big as his, willing to take a chance with him. After all, there was, possibly, still one more foxtail.

Bruno’s match appeared. A wonderful person was interested, so we met and got acquainted. Bruno was irresistible. It wasn’t an easy decision for anyone - for us to give him up and for Bruno’s new person to take him given his history and the uncertainty with that last foxtail. There were more visits and negotiations, and Bruno finally got his new home. He has a wonderful life with someone who will love him forever. Bruno became a part of our family while we had him, so we couldn't let him go without requesting occasional visits. We do see him now and then, and he is doing great. Bruno’s the happiest, friendliest little fuzzy white dog around.