DONATIONS: WHWTCSEM 1371 West South Blvd. Troy, MI 48098 (Make checks out to WHWTCSEM) |
SPOTLIGHTED RESCUES |
MIKE AND OSCAR |
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MIKE | OSCAR |
| I know people must sometimes wonder how we spend the donations we get. This year we have averaged costs of about $300 per dog coming in. But right now we have two boys who are special cases and will be costing much more than that. I thought I would introduce them to you so that you could see where it all goes!!! First there is Mike. He is 7 years old. He is a nice, big boy of almost 23 pounds. Mike's family had him and then had 3 kids. They also brought in another dog named Oscar who was adopted from a shelter. Mike and Oscar didn't do well together and the toddlers in the home were another problem. So both came to rescue. Mike is an "itchy" boy and will probably always need some medication. Since he is 7 years old, we may just use the Prednizone which is very effective. And it is possible that the itchies are seasonal. But more importantly, we found that he has very poor vision. He has cataracts in both eyes. He went to a specialist on Friday and is scheduled to have the cataracts removed on the 16th. For a short time when his eyes were dilated, he could see better and he was immediately much more perky and happy. I imagine some of the doggie spats came from the fact that he was unable to see and was being startled. He is in foster care and is getting along with the two dogs in that home; and is sometimes babysat in another home with one Westie. June 17, 2003: Mike had his surgery on Monday. He stayed overnight at the vet's and this morning they found that the pressure in one eye is a little high so they are keeping him another day. But the doctor assures us that this isn't unusual and he isn't worried about the outcome. Mike is on his road to recovery. Oscar is the other dog. Four-year old Oscar arrived with very little hair on his sides and he was constantly scratching and biting himself. He probably got the worst of the fights because he is the smaller of the two dogs. And he has a skin condition that we have not yet been able to identify. Oscar is a nice little guy despite it all and is doing well in his foster home where he is with a lady and no other dogs. Oscar is not very confident about men but does seem to adjust when the time and effort is taken. We thought he might not do well with other dogs but that may not be the case either. His foster mom had to go away for a week so he is temporarily in a home with two Westies and he seems to want very much to play with them. Unfortunately, because we can't identify his skin condition yet, we have to treat it as though it is mange and keep him separated. But we do finally have the scratching stopped and hope to soon have a care strategy that will allow him to be comfortable and regrow his coat. June 17, 2003 Oscar came out of isolation mid-week when his biopsy came back without any sign of mange. He joined the "pack" and they all had fun playing together. Oscar definately can live in a home with other dogs. We did see that his itching stopped while he was in isolation but resumed when he was allowed outside to play and roll in the grass etc. We don't know if this is a "seasonal" allergy or exactly what he is allergic to at this time. He will see the vet again soon and we will decide what our options are. To read about Oscar's earthdog experience, CLICK HERE July 2003 Both Oscar and Mike are in their new homes!! Mike has had his cataracts removed and can see well again for the first time in a long time; Oscar has regrown some of his coat and his new family will be working to resolve his allergy issues. |
OTHER RECENT PLACEMENTS |
 JACKEEA lady called us looking for a Westie for her young children. We explained that we don't place Westies with kids under age 10 because they often do not do well with children. She didn't give up though. She found a "breeder" who was retiring a Westie at age 6. This lady bought "Jackee" and took her home. There she discovered that Jackee was covered with "bumps". The vet said that it could be quite expensive to discover the cause of these bumps and treat them; and also indicated that the dog had a severe urinary tract infection. While Jackee wasn't 'bad' with the kids, she also didn't want to play with them. So the new owner contacted us.We had her take the dog to a local vet in her city where we arranged to board her until they could do some medical testing and get the UTI under control. We were told that Jackee had developed cysts after her first litter but the breeder continued to use her for breeding. After about 6 litters, she was retired. The cysts have been very difficult to treat and have shown up in at least two of her puppies. Jackee had lived her life mainly in a crate and was totally docile. If she was put in a chair, there she stayed until someone moved her. She didn't even bark for weeks after she was in a foster home. She was a very sweet little girl, though and deserved a good life. One of her puppies was purchased by a lady in the west side of the state. Mac developed these cysts too. His mom contacted the Club looking for clues as to what was wrong with him. At the time we had never heard of such a problem but when we got Jackee, we contacted Mac's mom. By then, Mac was dying of cancer. But his mom was glad to hear from us and learn a bit more about what was happening with Mac. When Mac died, his family decided to adopt Jackee and take care and love her in his honor. They have had much testing done and have found a medical regimen that seems to be keeping new cysts from developing although the old ones are still there. Jackee has learned to run and even play a little with her Westie sister Annie. She has made a place for herself with this remarkable family and has given them much joy. Taking care of her has helped them through the loss of Mac. |
 SARAHSarah was a stray. She was dumped in the parking lot at a local Meijer store. Someone found her and took her to the Humane Society (which was only about 5 miles down the street!). There she stayed for the required waiting period but no one claimed her. Because she was old and sick, she was scheduled to be put down but a volunteer contacted us and we picked her up. She went directly to the vet and had a dental the same day. The vet also "cleaned" her up a bit because she was pretty matted and dirty. She had infections in her eyes and also a Urinary Tract infection. She had arthritis in her knees and probably nerve damage in her back leg but once she was cleaned up and feeling better, she seemed to become a pretty contented little girl. She runs despite her leg problems and does stairs. She learned to play with other dogs and even a bit with toys. Her favorite thing, though, seems to be treats!!! (Well, she is a Westie!!)About a year after they adopted Jackee, the same family fell in love with and adopted Sarah!!! |
 MacDANIELMacDaniel was born in a puppy mill. Unfortunately, he was born with a defective heart. In puppy mills, dogs who are not marketable, are killed. But there is a rescue who has a relationship with the puppy mill owner which allows them to get dogs who would be killed and give them a chance at life. MacDaniel came to Michigan and we were asked if we would take him. After assuring ourselves that absolutely no money was given to the puppy miller we agreed to take him in and see if we could help him. Almost before we could get him, we had a family that wanted to adopt him!!It turned out that MacDaniel has a serious defect which will probably allow him a lifespan of about 4-6 years even after surgery. But his new family was willing to take him and love him despite this. They already had a little girl that they got from a local "broker" who had a heart defect and several other medical problems so they knew what to expect. Despite his heart condition, Daniel has given them a run for their money at times, with his Westitude and general mischievousness. But they love him very much and so does his sister Westie, Gypsy Rose. |
 WINNIEWinnie was purchased by a young couple. Then the marriage broke up. The husband left and the wife went to live with her brother, taking Winnie along with her. But the family was just too busy to deal with a young puppy. So they turned her over to Rescue. She came into foster care, was spayed and taken care of until we were able to find just the right home for her. Winnie is a very active and lively puppy and needed a home which could accommodate that. She now lives with her mom and her grandparents. She is the apple of everyone's eye. |
 MAXMax was turned in to the Humane Society while he was still just about a year old. The family said he was into too much trouble. He had eaten a hole in their drywall when they were away. The Humane Society was hesitant to adopt him out because he was quite mouthy. Max came into foster care. He was clearly a very active little boy who should never have been left alone outside of a crate. He spent a lot of time in foster care learning to behave and to stop being so "mouthy". When he was ready, he was adopted into a home with a Westie girl and has done just great. |
 JAMES (now Eddie)James was advertised in the newspaper. A lady who wanted a Westie companion for her current Westie girl, went to see him. She quickly paid the lady what she wanted and took him away. James was a "unique" Westie with ears that had never come up and a short little tail. He could easily jump over a baby gate so she had to stack two to keep him confined. James hated being left without people so she ended up sitting up with him all night on his first night. But she couldn't keep this up because she works full time. So, after a lot of consideration, she decided to turn him over to Rescue.We took him into foster care and found a little boy who was terrified of people. He wanted so much to love and be loved but if someone approached him, he rolled right over on his back and quivered. One night he had the "runs"; he was so afraid to come indoors that his foster mom had to open the door and then hide so he would come in. She then closed the door and found him curled in the corner of the couch. When he saw her he turned on his back and shook. Clearly someone had been overly severe in their attempts to housebreak this little boy. It took a while but eventually he realized he wasn't going to be scolded or hit when he had an accident. When he knew this, he suddenly stopped having accidents! He loved to play with his foster siblings and he got into all of the normal puppy trouble. When he started to bark and get into mischief, we knew it was time for him to go. We placed James in a home with a stay-at-home mom who indicated on her application that he would be left alone very little. Even so, she did have to do some work with him but he now allows her to leave him without too much fuss. |
 ANNIEAnnie's original name was "Ankles"!! She was owned by a couple that bred her at least once. She later came down with Pyometra. This is a deadly hormonal abnormality and often includes a secondary infection. Pyometra is one of the serious risks when you don't spay your pets. Emergency surgery was needed but the family could not afford it. We agreed to take Annie and pay for the surgery. Later the family said they had the money but then they backed out again so Annie went into foster care. Annie stayed on medication for six weeks and made several trips to the vets. Annie had a growling problem as well and had to learn trust. With a lot of tender loving care and the gift of time she is a happy little girl now. She had to be socialized with other dogs and now enjoys being around her "brothers", Mozart and Watson, most of the time. She is very "alpha" and is the boss. Once her brothers understood this life with Annie was fine. Of course Annie never came out of foster care….she was adopted by her foster mom and dad and slightly reluctant little brothers!! She now enjoys longs walks, romping with her brothers, car rides and playing with all of her Westie friends from the Westie Club.We thank the Wescott Vet hospital and Dr. Betty Jean Harper for contacting us and for deep discounting Annie's bills! |
 KATIEKatie was all of 5 months old when her family gave her up. They had 3 young children and the usual neighborhood friends. Katie was nipping the 2 year old and bit a ten-year-old neighbor. Of course, this is "puppy stuff" but mom didn't realize the amount of training that would be required to have a Westie. She also was having a lot of housebreaking accidents.Katie came in to rescue, was spayed, treated for a urinary tract infection and some training was accomplished before she went to live in her new home which consists of parents and two well-mannered teenagers. Katie also has a couple of elderly labs as "siblings". She is doing really well in her new home. USE THE "BACK" BUTTON AT THE TOP OF YOUR SCREEN TO RETURN TO THE EARLIER PAGE |