Wiener Dog Rescue Blog

Saving my energy for the show

Hi, it’s me, Robin. I thought this blog was going to be for me and I haven’t been allowed to say hi for a long time and it made me lonely but Frankie said that the blog was for the rescue and other dogs had to talk. Did you forget about me? I heard about Doogle and Deke but I don’t like to think about them being on the street and sick with no one to pet them because it makes me sad. The rescue saves a lot of dogs but most of them are like me and we’ve always lived in homes and had food and love and petting but sometimes there are dogs that no one loved. Now I’m sad again so let’s talk about something good.

I’m excited about the Pet Fun Fest and Adopt-a-thon coming up on the 13th and 14th because it’s Valentines day and I’ll let everyone rub me and I love everybody. The show is different because people can take dogs there and there is even a Dachshund meetup on Sunday so there will be lots of friends there but I’ll be the prettiest. The whole show supports rescues and the money made goes to help rescues but it’s also a good place to take dogs who are in the middle of the winter bored like me. I love a good nap in a sunbeam, but I’d really like to get out and socialize and get some exercise. If you want to go, visit www.wienerdogrescue.com to learn how to get tickets.

I hope it warms up soon because today I went outside and my feet froze and I couldn’t walk and someone had to come out and get me. And then I went outside again and my feet froze and I couldn’t move and someone had to come out and get me. And the next time I had to go out, mom said “don’t go too far, silly” but I think she’s silly because there are no poopsicles if I stay close to the house. She should know that because she’s greedy and picks up all the close ones before they even get cold!

Hey there - wink wink

Sometimes it’s good to fail a test. I failed the ringworm test! The sore on my nose is just a sore that was taking too long to heal because my body is busy fighting off other stuff. I feel a little less icky now and my foster mom says that since I’m no longer contagious, I can play with the other dogs here! It’s so much fun to play.

I want to thank everyone for your help and to thank Jovienne for such a flattering picture. You’re all so kind and I’m doing my best to get healthy and not let you down. Right now I’m just taking my medication and waiting for it to work. When I go back to the doctor, he’ll know if it is working as he expected or if I need even more tests done. I feel a lot better, but since the rescue people don’t know where I lived when I was a tiny puppy, they don’t know if it’s neglect that allowed me to get so sick, or if my immune system is weak because of a disease or allergy or something else. They wonder why someone would abandon a purebred pup like me instead of selling me.

I’ve got a busy weekend planned. I’m going to run and run and play and play and play! I’m also going to do a lot of napping because I know I need to sleep a lot to get better. I hope that you have plans to have some fun, too.

Hard at work

Sorry to disappoint, it’s just Frankie today. I’m going to interrupt your regular dose of Doogle cuteness with a dose of extreme Doogle and Deke cuteness.

I’ve always been a little suspicious of people I don’t know – especially little people.  They wear bright colours, they move quickly, and they smell like candy – but I’m not allowed to taste them. It’s not that I don’t like them, but I realized early on that they have to ask for snacks just like I do so there was really no point in turning on the doxie charm. What can a kid possibly do for me, you know?

Working in the rescue, I see the best and the worst of people. All of you people who are donating to help Doogle – you’re all officially on my ‘do not bite’ list, but I want to tell you about CDR’s biggest fan, Jovienne. She’s really special. Not only did she adopt a homeless dachshund (with help from her parents, of course), she has donated her allowance to help Doogle! It’s not the first time she’s donated to CDR, either. I was worried about Doogle’s bills cutting into my kibble fund so clearly she’s much more generous than I am and I have a new respect for kids.

But wait… Look What She Sent Me!!! The coats, the detail, THE BONES!!!  Not only did Jovienne send money, she sent love. This is the kind of thing that recharges all the volunteers in CDR. Here’s a shout out to Willow and Gumbah for training such a great owner!

How great are these??

Beds... and TOYS!!!

Hey everyone. Have you ever run and run and run and run and run around the house at full speed and then jumped into a big soft bed? It’s awesome!!! Sometimes I grab a stuffed friend and I run around with it and my foster mom and dad pretend to catch me but I’m faster. It’s so much fun to run.

Can you tell that I’m looking a bit more shiny already? My foster mom says it’s from the baths and oils and good food I’m eating. Still no new fur and it’s so cold outside. Some nice dogs said they’d send me some of their long hairs to wear but I have a coat that I put on and my foster brother said that there is something called ‘summer’ and it’s hot outside and then I’ll be happy to have short hair. He said in summer you can spend all day outside running and playing and meeting other dogs. I think he’s just teasing me.

Oh – remember when I said I didn’t remember anything before I had to live in that cage? I guess Deke’s memory is as short as his legs because we were both something they call ‘strays’. It means that no one dropped us off at the shelter and we were found alone on the street in the winter. We weren’t lost because no one came to look for us and we waited a long time and we didn’t have collars or microchips or anything.  I’m not going to tell Deke because he remembers good stuff about a family he had once and it’s better for him to think maybe they loved him but couldn’t keep him because of “allergies” or “moving”.

Thank you CDR!

Deke here. I know you’re all following my little dude, Doogle, but I’ve got stuff to say. I’m confused. I used to have a family and I loved them more than anything in the world. I was really good. I’m housetrained, I’m happy, I’m polite, I love all people and other dogs, I am never aggressive or mean. I think I’m rather handsome, especially in my fancy new coat. I don’t know what I did wrong but it must have been pretty bad for them to have left me… there.

At the shelter I was so scared and I’m ok with admitting it. There were no beds. There were no toys. There were no walks. There was no love. It was noisy and scary and I got sick there. The people were doing everything they could but there were just too many of us. It makes me angry and sad that there are so many dogs without families. What did all these dogs do wrong?

I want to thank the volunteers at CDR for getting me and Doogle out of there and I want to thank all of you for supporting CDR so they can rescue more dogs.  I also want to thank the wonderful woman who looked after us in Ottawa even though she volunteers with a different rescue. I didn’t even know there was such a thing as rescue and I bet my family didn’t either. At least I hope my family didn’t know about rescue.

I’m doing my best not to hold onto the past. I love love love my foster family and I know they will make sure that I’m neutered and vaccinated and adopted into a great home. I’m looking forward to my future and the best part is that I WILL NEVER HAVE TO LIVE IN A SHELTER OR POUND EVER AGAIN.

So thanks again everyone. I owe you my life. The next time you hear from me, it’ll be to say that I’m in my forever home.

Every day I feel a bit better

Hi everyone, it’s Doogle. I can’t believe that dogs live like this. It’s better than my best dream when I was living in a cage. Soft beds, warm blankets, cuddles and rubs, meals twice a day, going outside, playtime, and naptime… and TOYS! Sometimes I’m having so much fun that I forget that that I’m so itchy. It’s funny – I’ve never not been itchy. I thought that being sore and uncomfortable was normal.

In my picture you can see the ouchy on my nose that might be ringworm as well as my missing fur, thick gray skin, and goopy eye. Even with that all ugly stuff  my foster mom and dad still love me and tell me I’m cute. Every day I ask my foster brother to tell me if I have new hair growing. He said I have to be more patient.

I wish every dog living in a shelter could be rescued and get a chance to live like Deke and me.  Deke told me that he’s ok with being neutered if it means that fewer dogs have to suffer. He said that there were so many little puppies crying in the shelter that it would be really really selfish of him to make more. He’s really smart and knows a lot of stuff that I don’t understand. He’s doing really well. I’ll ask him to put up a picture soon so you can see.

It’s Doogle with a quick update. I went to the doctor on Friday and boy was he surprised to see the shape I’m in. I guess they don’t see too many neglected puppies there. He did a skin scraping but he said it looks like I have mites, which you’ve probably heard of as mange. There’s a mange that only puppies get and everyone is hoping it’s that one because it’s easier to treat and it doesn’t spread. He also said that it looks like I have ringworm, which is a fungus not a worm and I have cream to take care of that. They had to do another test for that and I’ll find out later this week what the results are. I’m eating some really good food in case food allergies are causing even more trouble but when all the nasty mites are dead they said they’ll know better what else is making me itchy.

For my kennel cough, I’m taking a cough suppressant and I’m going to work hard to fight it. I guess it’s a bit like a human cold where it’s pretty miserable and contagious, but in most cases it’ll pass. If it doesn’t go away the doctor will have to give me even more medication.

I hope you can still love me even though I have things that sound so icky. My foster mom is giving me all my medication and she gives me baths that make me feel better.

Here’s a picture of me and my itchy itchy skin. I think this will make a great ‘before’ picture. You can click it to see it a bit bigger.

It itches

Deke was not happy at the shelter

Hi. My name is Teckel 72580. I know this because it was written on my cage in Quebec where I used to live.  Frankie told you about me yesterday but I’m a big boy and can speak for myself. I didn’t always live in a cage but I was only 16 weeks old when I moved to the scary place and I lived there for a month. I don’t remember where I was before that but I remember my mom and brothers and sisters. I miss them.

I didn’t like it in the cage. I was really scared and sick and itchy and sore and tired and bored and lonely. I had nice people who came to feed me and clean me and I saw the doctor sometimes but no one touched me without rubber gloves on and I really wanted a cuddle but they said there wasn’t time. I wanted to play but there was no one to play with. I was really sad and I didn’t care if I got better or not. One day, I heard a lady say she was there to pick up two Dachshunds for Canadian Dachshund Rescue and I didn’t know that she was talking about me and my friend they called “Teckel 72324″ because I didn’t know what a “Dachshund” was. Now I’m bilingual!

We were both pretty scared when they put us in a crate and then in the car, but the lady was really nice and she told us it would be ok. We went to her house and she gave us soft beds and blankets and food and water. She started to call me “Doogle” and she called my friend “Deke”. I like the name Doogle better than 72580. She was worried because I didn’t look very healthy but I mostly just didn’t know where I was.  Deke was REALLY happy because he used to live in a house and he wagged and wagged and wagged.

I slept really well that first night because it was quiet and it smelled nice and I was comfortable. The next day I got lots and lots of holding and cuddles and love but I started coughing and sneezing a lot and I took lots of naps. I got lots of food and I even went outside in the snow! It was cold and I was a bit scared but I think I might learn to like going outside when I have a coat on. Deke said that outside is the bathroom! I have a lot to learn.

On Monday I got a nice oatmeal bath and it made my itchy skin feel better. I got a big all-over rub with some oils and it felt so good. Someone was taking care of me and now I always want someone to take care of me. She gave me some honey for my cough and I wanted to stay there forever, but on Wednesday she said Deke and I had to go to the Dachshund rescue where they would take good care of us and find us forever homes. It was a looooong drive to Toronto where I live now.

I’m in my new foster home now and it’s nice. There are soft beds and blankets here too! I really like blankets. I’m starting to feel a bit more optimistic about things and I want to play and learn about everything. I am going to see the doctor tomorrow and when I get back I’ll tell you all about it. I’m kinda worn out and need a nap. I hope the doctor can make me feel better.

This picture isn’t me, it’s Deke. The first one is him at the shelter and the one below is him at his new foster home. He has kennel cough, too but he’s doing ok and once he is better and gets his shots and something called a ‘neuter’ he’ll be going to a real forever home. Frankie told me to say that he’ll probably go to someone on the waiting list and when I’m better maybe I will, too. Are you on the list?

But he sure looks happy getting a belly rub!

Doogle at the shelter

This is Frankie speaking. I know you are used to seeing a picture of me, but I wanted you to meet one of the new dogs in our rescue, Doogle. I hope that his story will help you understand the work that we do and what it takes to save a life.

Two weeks ago, we got an email from a shelter in Quebec that had two dachshunds needing rescue. We are an Ontario-only rescue because the logistics of moving dogs around is just too difficult, but I told the humans that these dogs really need help and we just need to get it done. This shelter is so full that dogs are stressed and dying and there’s a good chance that Doogle would not have lived if we hadn’t helped.

We didn’t have a foster home near the shelter that was able to take these two dogs so mom emailed all the other breed’s rescues and found a wonderful volunteer who works with Boxers who was willing to get the dogs from the shelter AND is able to transport them to Toronto where we have foster homes waiting. In the rescue world we all work together but it takes a lot of time, coordination, and a bit of luck to save each dog. Deke and Doogle were sprung from the shelter on Saturday, January 16th.

The shelter said Doogle is only 4 months old. He was there for a month before they found us and he is not very well. He most likely has kennel cough. There is green gunk coming out of his eyes and he sneezes a lot. His coat is dull, his skin is rough and itchy, and he is missing a lot of hair. This is a PUPPY, folks. He should be a round chubby glossy healthy ball of energy, but he’s just a sad and skinny but snuggly thing. I’m not fond of puppies but this even makes *me* upset.

Doogle is going to need a lot of vet care and there’s a chance that he’s not well enough to even survive. Like most dogs we help, his care is going to cost far more than his $350 adoption fee. He’ll need antibiotics for his kennel cough, a skin scraping and blood test to diagnose his itch and coat, some kind of treatment for the condition, a special diet, a fecal test and treatment for parasites, vaccinations, and eventually, when he is well enough, he’ll need to be neutered.  These are the things we know he needs. There might be more.

Don’t make mom dig into my kibble fund to save this guy. If you’d like to help us help Doogle you can make a donation online through Canada Helps. Make sure you specify that the donation is for Canadian Dachshund Rescue or we won’t get it. You will receive a tax receipt for your online donation because it goes through an umbrella charity. You can also donate directly to us by sending a cheque – but we can’t offer receipts.

When Doogle feels up to it, he’ll tell you his story and you’ll watch him get better with us (paws crossed) and see your donations at work. He’s got a big day tomorrow – moving from his temporary foster home in Ottawa to his foster home in Toronto.

One more picture for you so you can see how small this guy is. This is Doogle at his temporary foster home next to the other dog we saved from the shelter, Deke. Deke is 3.5 years old and is comparatively a healthy, alert, and shiny boy.

Doogle and Deke

Even a bad picture is a good picture - if I'm in it!

Hi, it’s me, Robin. I wanted to tell you about something I thought was a good idea  because maybe you’ll think it’s a good idea, too. I can’t think of anything better to do with fingers than to pet me, but the humans seem to like pressing buttons with their fingers instead. I think they spend more time pressing buttons than they do petting me. I know! I don’t understand it, either!! Keyboards, joysticks, phones, remotes – all these things get their fingers moving but sometimes even if I try and try and try and try and try and try, I can’t get the rubs I want.

So, I thought that maybe if I could somehow strap the laptop to my back, the wiimote to one leg, the PS3 controller to another, and the cell and regular phones to the back legs, then tie the TV remote around my belly, I would always have fingers on me! Isn’t that a good idea?! I’m having a bit of a problem figuring out how to do it, though. Sometimes I think and think and then my head hurts so I don’t think anymore. I need some help from my dachshund friends on this one. I dream of fingers on me all the time and I think I’m so close to making it happen.

I’ve been bored, bored, bored this winter and can’t wait for my walks to start again. I’m not sure how much more beauty sleep I need because I’ve always been pretty even after a long day.  I’m glad it’s only a month until I get to go to a show because it will be exciting and fun and I like going places. I like sunbeams too and today there is finally some sun and a sunbeam so I’m going to go sit in it because they make me feel happy.