Phoenix Animal Rescue

Charlie comes for a visit

2010-01-09T17:37:00.001-08:00

Charlie Brown is a big, handsome pit bull who was adopted to a fabulous family a few years ago. We hadn't seen Charlie and his family for quite a while and we were so thrilled to see them today at Petsmart.
Charlie was saved from the Alachua County Animal Shelter when he was scheduled for euthanasia because he was heartworm positive. We treated his heartworms and Charlie joined a foster family who had cats, dogs, and a ferret. Charlie was such a great dog that he allowed the ferret to steal his food and he quickly won over the cats and dogs. Charlie was lucky to be chosen for adoption by Renald and his family, which also included cats. Charlie is a very loved boy who has the life he has always deserved.

Thank you Renald! It was great to see Charlie again today!

Aspen and Wonder make their debut

2010-01-08T20:42:00.000-08:00

Aspen and Wonder are true survivors. Aspen has overcome extreme neglect and severe heartworm disease. She was confiscated in a county that doesn't typically do much for their dogs, only to be sent to a rescue that didn't care for her properly. Finally, we took her in and have been working hard to get her healthy for nearly a year. She's finally making her Petsmart debut tomorrow, Saturday, January 9, 2010! What a milestone for Aspen! Please come visit Aspen and take her for a congratulatory walk. She'll show you her pretty Sit, now that her pit bull thigh muscles have finally developed well enough to enable her to sit comfortably.

And she'll introduce you to her friend, Wonder.

Wonder survived the most unlikely of gunshot wounds. He was shot in his thighs by a .22 caliber rifle from a long range. The bullet passed right through both thighs. This is one time it really pays to have big, beefy, pit bull thighs! No artery, bone, ligament, or anything was hit. Just muscle. It's absolutely amazing - it's a WONDER! This handsome fellow has learned Sit and Heel. He doesn't pull on his leash one bit and loves going for walks. He'd love to follow you around Petsmart, picking out bones to chew on and squeaky toys to disembowel. Come see Wonder, his friend Aspen, and all their dog buddies at Petsmart in Butler Plaza on Archer Road from 11AM til 5PM every Saturday. Come see Wonder and Aspen this Saturday for their adoption debuts!

Photo credit (and big thank you!) goes to Marcella Suter.

Sweet Serendipity

2010-01-03T16:46:00.000-08:00

Sweet Serendipity Photography graciously donated a photo session for the silent auction at The Third Annual National Pit Bull Awareness Day in October 2009. Phoenix Animal Rescue adopters and fosters Claire and Joe won the silent auction and shared their dog family photos with us.

Claire and Joe have a sweet girl named Shea. They decided Shea needed a friend.

So Claire and Joe adopted Sam from Phoenix Animal Rescue. Sam was confiscated as a young dog by the Alachua County Sheriff's Department and was very sick when he first came to Phoenix Animal Rescue. He recovered from his neglect to become a stunningly handsome pit bull who absolutely adores his big mama Shea.

As Shea got older, Claire and Joe thought it would be a good idea for rambunctious Sam to have a younger playmate. They introduced Sam to Fendi and offered to foster Fendi so Sam would have a playmate. They have since decided to make Fendi a permanent member of their family, and her new name is Kobi.

Thank you Joe and Claire, for not only adopting Sam and Fendi, but also loving Sam, Shea, and Fendi so much. We sincerely appreciate you donating to Phoenix Animal Rescue by bidding on the Sweet Serendipity Photography package at Pit Bull Day.

Thank you, Sweet Serendipity Photography, for capturing such beautiful images of Sam and his Family. Thank you for donating the photo session for the silent auction. To contact Sweet Serendipity Photography call 352 494-3674 or visit their website www.sweetserendipityphotography.com.

Daisy earned her CGC!

2009-11-18T19:52:00.000-08:00

Daisy and her mom, Jennifer, came to our Totally Pit Bull Training Class so Daisy could learn to be more confident. 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

2009-11-02T08:47:00.000-08:00

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. 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

2009-10-29T08:08:00.000-07:00

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 PAR 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, 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 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!

KP is missing near Tampa, FL

2009-10-09T08:48:00.000-07:00

KP is one of our adopted dogs and is missing from her home near Tampa, FL. Please circulate her photos so we can find her. We are offering a reward for her return.

KP came to us as a tiny puppy and soon broke with distemper. We nursed her through this terrible disease and helped her through the resulting demodectic mange.

KP has the classic distemper teeth - the enamel is pocked and chipped, making them look very old. KP is only 18 months old and weighs about 40 pounds.

Please email her photo or a link to this blog to your contact lists. KP is a very special girl and she has been missing since the end of September. It is very important that she is found. KP is microchipped but was not wearing a collar when she went missing.
Email: phoenixanimalrescue@yahoo.com
Phone number for information on KP's whereabouts: 352 226-0228
REWARD

Brooke

2009-09-04T09:48:00.000-07:00

Brooke was found in a rainstorm on a hot Summer afternoon. She 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 family 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.

We were thrilled when we 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

2009-08-23T09:19:00.001-07:00

In the Spring of 2007, Phoenix Animal Rescue went to the Bradford County Animal Shelter to meet a litter of 6 doberman mix puppies. While we were there, we also met a litter of 7 brown puppies and decided to take all 13 puppies home. Because it was our first project with this very rural shelter, we 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

2009-08-22T08:56:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-21T09:39:00.000-07:00

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

Sasha got adopted!

2009-08-19T14:43:00.000-07:00

Sasha has been with Phoenix Animal Rescue for three years. She first came to us with her puppies, her pregnant mom Sugar, and their boyfriend Joe. The puppies found fantastic homes, Sasha's mom was adopted by a wonderful family, and their boyfriend happily lives with a great adopter in Gainesville. Sasha was shy and had difficulty coming out of her shell. Over the years, Sasha had a few people interested in adopting her, but none came through with a commitment. Finally, someone has chosen Sasha to be part of their family and we couldn't be happier! Sasha is so comfortable with her new family, she was learning Sit and Down in Finnish at her adoption. She played with their cat and even lay down for a belly rub. As shy as Sasha could be, these are really good signs that Sasha has finally found her FOREVER HOME! Congratulations, Sasha!

Calypso

2009-08-16T07:44:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-28T09:20:00.000-07:00

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.

King got adopted!

2009-07-13T08:37:00.001-07:00

King is a handsome American bulldog mix who came to us when his family couldn't care for him anymore. In January, he was a scared dog, balking at meeting new people. He even growled at a few people, afraid of what might happen when they approached him. We could tell King was acting out of fear, and we hoped that training and socialization would help him gain more confidence. Over the last five months, King met many different people, went to training class, and met lots of new dogs. He excelled in training class, impressing his fellow students with his willingness to learn. King made two great friends at his foster home and gained a lot of confidence. His new owners are excited to continue teaching him confidence as he learns to live with cats and meet more people. Congratulations King!

Moving In

2009-07-08T06:41:00.000-07:00

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 (including the humans!). The horses had already been moved over three weeks ago, and the dogs and goats joined them during the July 4th weekend. It was quite the mission, getting everyone moved over.

Donna, adopter of Tony/Cody the three-legged pit bull, volunteered the use of her cargo van to move the dogs on July 3rd. We started out at 8:30AM and loaded three crates with Becky the white lab mix, Bruce the blonde shepherd, and Lois the pointer mix into the crates. Maggie and Dianne, the girls who survived distemper, rode loose in the van. It is a 45 minute trip from the old place to the new farm and I followed Donna with Donovan and Amigo, the goats, in my SUV. Halfway to the new farm, Donna's van died. It was 88 degrees and getting hotter, and Donna was stuck on the side of the road with five dogs in her van. I drove to the new farm, unloaded the goats, snapped a couple of quick pictures of the goats in the SUV, and headed back to Donna. She called and said to stop for transmission fluid, because that might solve the problem. I stopped at a gas station that had every single possible engine fluid any vehicle might ever need, except transmission fluid. Then I went to Tuffy Automotive and asked them if they sold transmission fluid. They only have it in big tanks, and the nice mechanic guy informed me that since van was broken down on the side of the road, we'll need a lot of transmission fluid. Thanks, mechanic guy.

45 minutes had passed from the time Donna's van broke down and the time I got back to her. By then, the temperature had risen to 93 degrees and the van could not run at all, leaving Donna and all the dogs inside the van in that heat. I recruited a willing volunteer (Mom) to help unload the dogs into her SUV and my SUV. First out was Maggie and Dianne, the girls who survived distemper. Dianne walks well on leash, but Maggie has been sick for over half of her life, so she has not had any leash training. She is trained to sit on your hip like a baby, and hold on with her front legs. It was helpful when she was sick and had to be carried so she wouldn't touch anything, but it's a little difficult now that she weighs 38 pounds. She jumped up onto my hip and wrapped her little front legs around my neck like she'd never let go. The ordeal really upset Maggie and it was difficult unwrapping herself from my neck to put her in my SUV. Once she and Dianne were safely in the air conditioning inside my SUV, we unloaded Becky, Lois, and Bruce. They were all so very happy to be inside a cool vehicle, as was Donna!

We got all five dogs to the new place, gave them water, and put them in the air conditioned dog barn to rest. Then we had to regroup and figure out what we were going to do about the rest of the dogs and the van. The van eventually got towed to a mechanic, I went back two more times with willing volunteer Mom to retrieve more dogs from the old place, and we all finally ended the day, exhausted, but happy the dogs were moved.

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