Daisy earned her CGC!

Daisy and her mom, Jennifer, came to our Totally Pit Bull Training Class so Daisy could learn to be more confident. Totally Pit Bull Training Class is designed by dog trainer, Michelle Dunlap, to address issues common to strong dogs who have learned to bulldoze their way through life, often ignoring their owners.   Although Daisy is not a pit bull, we often refer to her as an honorary pit bull because she loved to play with pit bulls at Phoenix Animal Rescue. The Totally Pit Bull Training Class focuses on the AKC Canine Good Citizen program as a way to promote our wonderful bully breeds. All dogs test for the CGC at graduation and we're SO very proud to announce that Daisy passed her CGC test! Daisy is now a certified American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen! Congratulations, Daisy and Jennifer! Way to go!

Sheba

In 2006, Phoenix Animal Rescue got a call from a local veterinarian asking if we would take a mama dog and her four puppies, who were living in someone's backyard under a shed. When a volunteer attempted to retrieve the four puppies, it turned out that there were, in fact, EIGHT puppies! What a surprise! We had committed to this mama dog and her puppies, no matter how many there were, so the family of nine came to live with the director of Phoenix Animal Rescue, Michelle Dunlap. We named the mama dog Sheba and once Sheba weaned her puppies, she went to live with Gillian, a wonderful foster mom with PAR. Sheba did so well in her foster home with Gillian, that Gillian quickly decided to keep her. We were thrilled for both Gillian and Sheba!


We recently received this update from Gillian, along with a new photo of Sheba, looking very content:

"I just wanted to touch base with you and give you a little update on Sheba! She's great.. hands down the best dog ever :) We're living in Columbia, South Carolina now. I moved down here for school- going to get my PhD. I think Sheba will happier here come winter time. She definitely didn't like the whole snow thing up in Maryland! She's a little neurotic at times still, but that's why I love her :) And shes EXTREMELY stubborn... for instance, if she doesn't want to walk on grass, or in a certain area...she won't. She'll literally just stop in her tracks. Frustrating? Yes. But I guess shes a woman who knows what she wants. haha. I can't believe that she's almost turning 5! (Well, thats a guess since we don't really know how old she is)...but time has definitely flown by since I got that email from you years ago telling me all about her! I've enclosed a recent picture of her so you can see :)

Anyway, I hope all is well in Gainesville... hope all these wonderful pups are finding great homes!"
Thank you, Gillian, for giving Sheba such a wonderful forever home, and for loving Sheba as she deserves!

Third Annual Pit Bull Awareness Day

Phoenix Animal Rescue and West End Animal Hospital hosted the Third Annual Pit Bull Awareness Day on Sunday, October 4, 2009. What a fun day it was for everyone!


Dogs and their owners enjoyed the weight pull demonstration by Blue Streak Kennels, whose champion weight pull dogs showed their strength and training by pulling over 4,000 pounds! Attending dogs got to try out the weight pull sled to help raise funds for our pit bulls. Thank you Blue Streak Kennels!

Susie Keel donated her time to test dogs for their AKC Canine Good Citizen certification. Eight dogs tested and six of them passed to earn their AKC CGC certification! One of the dogs who tested was our alumni, Valentina, who brought her new mom and dad to Pit Bull Awareness Day. Thank you Susie! Thank you to Valentina, her new mom, and her new dad!


The bake sale for people and dogs was a big hit. A big thank you goes out to all of our bakers who took the time to bake home made dog treats and people treats. People at Pit Bull Awareness Day enjoyed the scavenger hunt for interesting facts about pit bulls. Gladys Cofrin and Sandi Richmond gave out information on Operation PetSnip and Breed Specific Legislation. The Silent Auction was a great success and was possible only through the generous donations of Suzanne Agliata from Mary Kay Cosmetics, Joanna Martinez from Pampered Chef, Sweet Serendipty Pet Photography, Dogs D'Rule Mobile Dog Wash, and J&K Canine Academy. It was great to see some of our adopted dogs come for a visit. Here's Brooke and Phoenix Animal Rescue Director, Michelle Dunlap, who rescued Brooke in the Summer of 2008.


In a happy reunion, two dogs from one rescued litter got to see each other for the first time since they were adopted as little puppies. The smallest and largest puppies from one litter rescued around Christmas 2008 when Michelle Dunlap was out Christmas shopping with her mom, Cookie and Jolly, are now named Daisy and Hamilton. They were very happy to hang out together. That's Cookie (Daisy) on the left and Jolly (Hamilton) on the right.


It's always great to see our adopted alumni and we were so happy to see Mocha and her family at Pit Bull Awareness Day. Mocha was rescued by Michelle Dunlap the day she was sent to the shelter to be euthanized. She was shy when she first came to Phoenix Animal Rescue but is now quite the brave girl who happily mingled with everyone at Pit Bull Awareness Day. Yay Mocha!


One of our dedicated volunteers and adopters, Claire brought two of her dogs, both of whom are from Phoenix Animal Rescue. Fendi, on the left, came to Phoenix Animal Rescue with a broken front leg. Sam, on the right, was in horrible shape when he was confiscated by the Alachua County Sheriff's Office. Both Fendi and Sam made full recoveries from their injuries and are now gorgeous bully breed ambassadors. Thanks Claire, Sam, and Fendi for supporting the pit bulls at Phoenix Animal Rescue!


Fendi's mom, Claire, snapped this super cute photo of Fendi looking up at the camera.


A big thank you goes to our sponsors, Domino's Pizza, Hunter's Lawn Service, Wayne Losano, and TnT Graphics. Thank you! Pit Bull Awareness Day raised nearly $1000 for our pit bulls! WOW!!

Phoenix Animal Rescue wants to especially thank our professional event planner, Alison Hightower, owner of Eventures by Alison. Alison handled every aspect of Pit Bull Awareness Day including volunteer recruitment and organization, t-shirt design and ordering, site preparation and clean up, activity schedule and planning, purchasing of supplies, and preparation of all games, activities, and table information. Thank you Eventures by Alison!

Brooke

Brooke was found in a rainstorm by Executive Director, Michelle Dunlap, on a hot Summer afternoon. Brooke was standing by a lonely country road, miles away from any house. Every bone in her body protruded through her sparse fur and her toenails were so overgrown that she was unable to stand on a solid surface. Brooke tested positive for heartworms, and spent nearly a year with her foster mom, Michelle, gaining weight, developing muscle tone, and regrowing her coat.


Brooke tried out two new foster homes to meet different dogs and make sure she was adaptable to new situations. She did fantastic in each of her foster homes and we were confident that Brooke would do well in an adoptive home, when it came along.


Michelle was thrilled when she received an email asking about Brooke. A woman wanted a dog for her mom, a spunky woman in her 80s. They wanted a dog who would do well with dogs and cats, didn't have an enormous amount of energy, and would be content to spend lots of time at home. We thought it would be ideal for Brooke.

And we were right! Brooke took to her new home instantly. She's been with her new mom for several months now, and we recently received an update with some great photos.


"She's definitely put on a "little" weight.. Who wouldn't eating Oatmeal for breakfast, beans & rice for lunch and watermelon for dessert.. I think she may even eat her DOG FOOD once in awhile.. As you can see she has taken over the couch.. It now belongs to her and you are only allowed to lay there if their is a belly rub involved.. Her's a very happy girl!"

Congratulations, Brookey! You've landed a fantastic home and you certainly deserve it! Thank you, Judy, for sending this great update and bringing Brooke into your family!

Brooke was adopted through phoenixanimalrescue.petfinder.org.
www.phoenixanimalrescue.org

Savannah

In the Spring of 2007, Phoenix Animal Rescue Executive Director, Michelle Dunlap, went to the Bradford County Animal Shelter to meet a litter of 6 doberman mix puppies. While she was there, she also met a litter of 7 brown puppies and decided to take all 13 puppies home. Because it was the Rescue's first project with this very rural shelter, Michelle decided to name them for country music singers. One of our "country girls" was Tanya Tucker. She was renamed Savannah and we just got a great update on her from her adopters.


We adopted Savannah in April or May 2008. She is an excellent pet. She loves to run, play with toys, and play with our other dog, Winston. Savannah and Winston wrestle and play at 7 am and 9 pm every day. Although Winston is much bigger than Savannah, she is much faster and is able to hold her own.

Savannah shows her whippet roots every day when she goes for her run. We live on a deadend road with very little traffic and she is able to run off leash. She is so beautiful when she is running. She runs about 3-4 miles daily and takes a dip in the river to cool off and still has plenty of energy in the evening.

Winston is 10 years old and before Savannah came into his life, he was having trouble with arthritis and stiff joints. No more. He has the agility and energy that he had 4 years ago. Savannah has been a blessing to the whole family. Thank you for letting us adopt her.


Sincerely,
Beverly and Shelby Gunter

Thank you, Beverly and Shelby, for choosing Savannah to be part of your family! We're so glad Winston has enjoyed Savannah's company. What a great update!

Savannah was adopted from Phoenix Animal Rescue through phoenixanimalrescue.petfinder.org.

Cookie

Joy's sister, Cookie, was the only black puppy in the four puppies who came to us around Christmas 2008. She had difficulty after her spay surgery and was the last to be adopted. Cookie was a very snuggly, loving puppy and we were thrilled to get an update on Cookie last week.

Here's the report on Cookie, now named Daisy:


I just wanted to catch you up on how well Cookie (now Daisy) is growing up.


We just really love her and I wanted to thank you again for bringing her into our lives. She can be a kooky dog sometimes. She still loves her yoga and at night she likes to sleep in the bathroom for a short while before retiring to her pet bed. Sometimes we can't find her, and she is actually sleeping between the futon and the wall in one of the rooms, so we think she really likes to be a cave dog.



She and Murphy get along wonderfully. Murphy likes to have her around and will sometimes allow her to sleep (partially) on the pet bed with her. Smokey is super happy to have someone to romp around with.

I hope all is well with Phoenix.

We are so happy to hear how well Cookie, now Daisy, is doing! Congratulations on finding a fantastic home!!


Cookie was adopted through phoenixanimalrescue.petfinder.org

Joy

Around Christmas 2008, a volunteer with Phoenix Animal Rescue came across puppies being given away in the parking lot of a shopping center. She took the four remaining puppies and asked Phoenix Animal Rescue to take them in. We named them Merry, Joy, Jolly, and Cookie.

We love to get updates on our dogs and we recently received this update on Joy, now named Zoey:"Here are some updated pictures of Zoey (Joy before we renamed her). She won our hearts immediately and has been a wonderful addition to our family. She and Moose are the best of friends and play from sunup to sundown even sharing a bed at times. Our older dog Dixie Chick is happy that Zoey and Moose have each other so she can have her nap times uninterrupted and stay out of the action.

"The photo of them on their blanket is not staged. We were on vacation at a beach house a few weeks ago when this occurred. Zoey likes to be close to Moose and actually likes to reach out and touch him when taking a nap or just relaxing. Otherwise, they are playing tug a war and rough and tumble whether they are inside or outside."She is not yet a year old and has been with us since the end of January and we couldn't be happier. I will send some more follow up pictures in a few months. She is about 50 lbs now, as laid back as possible, yet very inquisitive, and only protective when she really feels the need. I would love to see pictures of her littler-mates if any are available.

"Thank you for adding such a "joy" to our lives. Maybe we shouldn't have renamed her after all. :)" Jeannie

Thank you Jeannie, for choosing Joy to be part of your family and for the fantastic update!

www.phoenixanimalrescue.org
phoenixanimalrescue.petfinder.org

Calypso

Calypso came to Phoenix Animal Rescue when a volunteer found her wandering in the rain on a deserted stretch of country road. She has had more than her fair share of puppies and at some point, had a collar on her neck that was so tight that it left a permanent scar. We thought Calypso was pregnant, so we had her spayed even though she wasn't in optimal shape. We knew she wouldn't do well with yet another litter of puppies so we opted for a spay surgery to end her pregnancy. Well, she wasn't pregnant like we thought. Her sagging belly was the result of heartworm disease.

Yes, another dog whose family didn't give her a $12 monthly chewable to prevent heartworms. Calypso is on the same doxy/Heartgard protocol as Aspen. Unfortunately, she has another issue that is keeping her from being as healthy as she could be. Her feet are infected and it is painful for Calypso to walk.


We clean Calypso's feet each day and the doxycylcine that is part of her heartworm treatment protocol helps in treating this foot infection. The third part of Calypso's foot treatment is kind of amusing. She has to wear shoes. Calypso actually doesn't mind her cute booties. They look a little like go-go boots to us. The booties keep her from touching dirt and worsening the infection in her feet. While she picks up her feet a little high when she walks, she's learning that footwear is now a regular part of her day.

Our vet has suggested that Calypso might be a good candidate for a little nip-and-tuck on her belly. When she goes in for her dental, she might come out with the flat belly we all wish we had!

www.phoenixanimalrescue.org
phoenixanimalrescue.petfinder.org

Aspen

Aspen came to Phoenix Animal Rescue on April 29, 2009. She had been returned to the Putnam County Animal Shelter by the rescue group that originally pulled her from the shelter in February. It was heartbreaking seeing her back at the shelter so we quickly made arrangements with a transporter and kennel and got Aspen out of the shelter.

After coming to Phoenix Animal Rescue a week after leaving the shelter, Aspen went to the vet. She was thin, her skin was red, and she had an untreated eye injury. After treating her skin and eye, and getting some groceries in Aspen, we scheduled her spay appointment. That's when we knew that her skin and eye were the least of Aspen's worries.

Our vet, Dr. Debbie Cottrell at West End Animal Hospital, found a heartworm in Aspen's abdomen during her spay surgery. Aspen wasn't just heartworm positive, she was REALLY heartworm positive. She was kept on cage rest after her surgery and we made plans to get her heartworm treatment once we moved to our new location. Aspen was happy, playful, and just as silly as she ever was. She enjoyed short play sessions with her friends and napped the day away in the sunshine. There was no sign of her heavy heartworm burden and we were preparing for her extended cage rest during her heartworm treatment. Then, she stopped eating and coughed up blood.

Dr. Alison Hiers at West End Animal Hospital examined Aspen and found that Aspen has pulmonary inflammation due to heartworm disease with secondary pneumonia. She has a clotting disorder due to the chronic inflammation. There isn't evidence of liver failure yet but we have to watch for fluid build up in her belly. She is on two antibiotics, Lasix, a steroid, and two supplements. When I asked Dr. Hiers what stage of heartworm disease Aspen was in, she replied, "The second to the worst possible." Not good.

With generous donations, we are able to help Aspen get better. She'll have a check up with Dr. Hiers next week and we hope that we'll get good news. We hope we caught the disease progression in time to be able to halt the effects of the disease and treat her heartworms. Right now, she's not even healthy enough to take a Heartgard chewable pill - the very thing that would've prevented this in the first place.

When Aspen makes a full recovery, she'll be able to play with her buddy, Lily again. Here are photos of Aspen, the totally white dog, having a blast with Lily, the girl with the two blue splotches. Both girls can be seen at phoenixanimalrescue.petfinder.org and www.phoenixanimalrescue.org.

Moving In

Phoenix Animal Rescue is finally in its new location! We are now located on a 10-acre farm where everyone has all the room and accommodations to play, run, nap, and be happy. The horses had already been moved, and the dogs and goats joined them during the July 4th weekend.

Here are photos of the goats in the back of my Saturn VUE. Donovan is the darker one showing his less flattering side, and Amigo is the strawberry blonde being uncharacteristically brave.



www.phoenixanimalrescue.org
phoenixanimalrescue.petfinder.org