Homecoming Days for Teala and Crystal!

Nothing but good stuff in this post. Two more of the Las Vegas Bullmastiffs have found new Forever Homes!!!

Below you can see Crystal with her new family Devon and Stacy. It's readily apparent how happy everyone is. Crystal made great strides in her condition under foster care with Linda and Bob Hyke. Her entropian is healing nicely, and she is responding to the treatment for her seborrhea,  interdigital cysts and thyroid condition. She will still need a lot of ongoing medical attention but she's now with a family that can devote their full love and care toward her recovery. She's sure to get lots of affection, exercise and the attention she needs. Here's to a great long life in a new loving home!

The other homecoming announcement is for Teala. You'll recall that Teala was one of the luckier dogs in that she had no serious health maladies. She did, like a few others, suffer from malnutrition as a pup which resulted in her being dramatically undersized. Further, she was exceptionally timid due to having never experienced anything outside of the kennel where she'd spent the entirety of the first years of her life. Jewlz Lane took her under foster care in WA and has worked very hard at bringing her out of her shell. She located a family who had adopted a previous Bullmastiff rescue (Huck) who had the experience to handle a dog with Teala's history.

The Keough family has decided to change her name to Dugan and in looking at the photos below you can see that Teala ...er... Dugan has really made some great strides in terms of her socialization. She is engaged, happy and really enjoying, rather than fearing, human attention.

Please remember that there are still a large number of dogs requiring expensive ongoing medical treatment and who will need to be transported from Phoenix to foster homes in various parts of the country. The expenses still outstrip the available funding. If you can help in any way. Please do.

Good and Bad News - Update 01/12/12

We are glad to report that some of the dogs surrendered in Nevada have been already adopted. Titan went to his new home over the weekend and is doing great with his new human and dog family and Snort (now named Guinness) is doing well in his new home. The dogs that have been moved to out of state foster homes are also doing very well. It is amazing how quickly they have adapted to their new lifestyle and are so happy and appreciative of the great care they receive.

Redmon is still in Arizona, being boarded at a vet clinic, which is a bit more expensive, but is helping with his confidence issues. Redmon was never socialized and at the clinic, he is worked with daily and meeting lots of new people. Redmon will be going to his foster home with Sarah in New Orleans soon. 

The cost of this rescue has been enormous, far more than the chip in goal. If you are able to help in any way, it is very much appreciated.

Lexy the old girl with the torn ACL is also being boarded at a vets where it is less stressful for her.

Handsome EBear is being boarded in Phoenix. He is a good boy and needs a foster or adoptive home. For more information, please contact Dawn, citadelbmf@gmail.com.

Most of the dogs that are still in Arizona are being kept at a boarding kennel and are getting neutered/spayed and the other vet care they require. Nothing is easy it seems as the five that came to Arizona most recently were being boarded at a vet's so we could be sure that there would be no adverse reaction to the move, the vaccinations, etc. Unfortunately this weekend, the puppy that was being cared for at the vet hospital became sick, she was tested for parvo and was negative, but sadly died.

TT got sick over the weekend so she was taken to the vet hospital for care and is responding well. Roscoe had complications with the neuter that may require a second surgery to totally remove the scrotum. All this adds up to unanticipated vet bills that increase our need for donations. If you can help in any way we'd be most grateful.

Update 01/10/12 Titan has a home!!!

Huge thanks to anyone who has donated time, money or materials to this effort. Here's a look at what your contribution has done.

This weekend, another of the Nevada Bullmastiffs found a home!!!

Far from the horrible conditions in Las Vegas, far from the loud, rambunctious (but at least safe) kennel in Phoenix, Titan is now in a beautiful, loving home in Los Altos, CA. Barry, Judy and their two sons Graham & Nathan are now providing Titan with a safe and sound "Forever Home". A note from Barry begins below:

He is a really wonderful dog. The moment he met the boys he started wagging his whole body, and honestly has hardly stopped since he arrived.The boys love him and he loves the attention even follows Graham (in the picture) around the yard while they play. Graham did his first training session with Titan yesterday and had him doing sit and stay even when he went a good 40 feet away. This morphed into a game of hide and seek where titan had to sit and stay while Graham hid somewhere in the back yard then Titan went and found him. That was something to watch both Titan and Graham seemed to love that game.

He also has been getting along great with Lavender (their Bullmastiff/Pitbull mix) she is clearly letting him be in charge but he isn't domineering at all so they are having lots of fun together.

So far his appetite has been great. He'll eat as much and as often as anyone is willing to feed him. We took him downtown to grab coffee and walk around, which is something we do every weekend with Lavender. He loved it and wouldn't let a single person go by without making it clear that he wanted them to stop and pet him. He had a chance to meet a few other dogs there as well and did very well, his sheer size makes some of them a bit nervous but he was as calm as could be.

...and here's a photo of Titan with his new best buddy, Graham.

In other news, here is an update on Prancer from Katie who is providing his foster home in Oregon:

Prancer is doing great!! He has the cutest little pep in his step! Prances around just like a raindeer. The last few days he has had this wonderful smile on his face, it is soooo cute! He has been eating really good too! He licks his chops as I'm getting is food ready. He really enjoys his walks and is doing a great job on the leash! Having a hard time getting a good photo because he like to be right next to the camera, and I am home alone today. He is such a sweet boy!!

His eye is still touch & go and it might still need to be removed but he sure looks much happier than when I first met him in Phoenix!!!

Jewlz has started a blog just for Boy and Teala. Check out their progress here ----> http://boyteala.blogspot.com/

Update 01/03/12

First of all is a HUGE thanks to all who have donated money, time, food, materials, veterinary care, assisted with transportation or simply helped to spread the word about these dogs. They lived under indescribably atrocious conditions and despite that all of them are sweet and affectionate and on their way to recovery and forever homes. Below is an update on a few of the dogs.

More help is needed though. There are still many dogs who are under ongoing and expensive medical treatment and there remains the daunting task of getting the dogs distributed to foster homes throughout the country for further care and therapy before they are able to move to adoptive “forever homes.” If you can help in any way, please, PLEASE do.

Teala and Boy have moved to a foster home in WA state with Jewlz Lane and are doing well. Teala is a very undersized 18mos old girl. She’s very affectionate and likes to snuggle but she’s quite shy and timid. It probably won’t take much for her to turn around and be a great girl. Boy is about 18mos old and definitely needs to put on some weight. He’s sweet and responds well to affection. Both he and Teala will be spayed/neutered this week. 

Teala

Boy

Crystal

Crystal is in a foster home in Portland, OR with Bob & Linda Hyke. She is the girl with hypothyroid, interdigital cysts and bad skin. She is on the highest possible dosage for treatment of the thyroid condition and will be checked again on 12 Jan for possible adjustment and the antibiotics and soaks are getting her feet on track to healing. According to Linda; 

“Every day since Crystal has arrived she has shown improvement. She no longer requires pain meds. Her dry eye is getting better. She is more active, coming out of her crate without assistance. She has had visitors and recived gifts of toys, nylabones and food. She loves the visitors. With many offers of help coming in she is thriving on the visits and toys and loves the attention, and is looking better all the time. What a sweetheart of a girl she is!”

Prancer is in Corvallis, OR with Dan & Katie Peretti. It looks like the untreated entropian that he had might cause him to lose the sight in one of his eyes. He’s under aggressive medication schedule now but if it doesn’t work he may need to have the eye removed. He is eating now though and getting lots of walks and is enjoying positive attention for the first time in his life.

Prancer

 

The puppy, Sader, is in Sacramento, CA with Rebecca Kreisher. This foster might turn into a “forever home. He’s doing very well and has gotten comfortable enough that he’s attempted to join Rebecca in the shower.

Cece is in a foster home in Palmdale, CA with Toni Rocca. She’s doing well and it’s looking like she may get adopted out very soon.

My wife Kathy and I have adopted “Snort”. Despite his awful background, stunted growth and complete lack of training & socialization he is a terrifically sweet little guy. He is extremely timid and you can tell that he has spent little if any time out of a kennel in his 18mos of life. He is very scared of big spaces and he is struggling with coping with all the room now available to him in our back yard and home. The scale of things is so new to him and the act of going through a doorway is terrifying to him…because he’s never done it before. We’ve been told and agree with the premise that a rescued dog should get a new name along with their new life and since it’s better that a dogs name be two syllables to contrast with single syllable commands we have decided to change his name to “Guinness”.

The following dogs from the original rescue trip are still in Phoenix;

Titan

Titan is doing very well. He is big, mellow adult and has weathered this mess without apparent harm. He will be neutered today and will go to his new home in CA this weekend.

 Ava is a very gentle, sweet, but undersized girl. She was adopted out this week to a new “forever home” in Phoenix with a member of the Law Enforcement/Corrections community.

Izzy and TT are still in Phoenix as well. Their condition is improving and they are awaiting transport to foster homes in other parts of the country. 

Izzy

 

TT

The last batch of dogs that were rescued is Roscoe, Ebear, Lexy, Brindy & Clyde.

Roscoe is being treated for a nasty prostate infection.

Clyde is in quarantine until his treatment for Parvo is complete and he is out of the woods.

Ebear and Brindy are getting their veterinarian assessment this week. We’ll know more about their condition soon. Brindy was isolated outside and her skin and coat are in bad shape.

Lexy has a torn ACL tendon. Due to her age it will likely not be repaired. With a bit of care and rest it should heal enough to make her as comfortable as possible. 

I'll add photos of the other dogs as they become available but I wanted to get this update out as quickly as possible.