A FULL CIRCLE REUNION

Handsome Doogle

We all hear so very often about the evils of puppy mills and the evidence of the neglect and cruelty that people can visit upon dogs they treat only as sources of income.  We, at Last Day Dog Rescue (LDDR), fervently advise folks to avoid these operations in hopes of making them less profitable; even drive them out of business one day. 

We all hear about high-kill shelters which can be an assembly line of death for so many unwanted or stray dogs.  We, at LDDR, encourage all potential pet owners to adopt one of these dogs. 

We, at LDDR, will even go so far as to advise anyone who opts for purchase over adoption to do their homework and choose a good and respectable breeder for their future canine companion. 

All of these issues are near and dear to our hearts and those of all people who simply know and appreciate the “person,” love and dignity of a dog.

Here’s an almost unbelievable tale of heartbreak and reunion.  It’s the story of a dog named “Dugle.”

Dugle (aka “Doogle”), born one of nine pups in June, 2003, is a German Short-Haired Pointer of excellent breeding; smart, beautiful, friendly, obedient, eager to learn – all the best traits of any dog.  And it was shortly thereafter that Dugle’s breeder, Susie Gross, with confidence and in trust, gave him over to a woman in New Haven, MI.  As with any good breeder, she did so with a verbal promise to take him back, whatever the circumstances, should the new owner ever need to give him up. 

In February of this year, LDDR was notified by a shelter in Macomb County, MI, that a healthy and wonderful German Short-Haired Pointer was to be put to sleep within the hour.  He was rescued, cleaned up and placed in foster care, with sure hope that he would be recognized for the great dog he is and quickly adopted out.

Doogle as a pup

As fate would have it, just this month, Cathy Reece, who owns one of Dugle’s brothers, Buddy, came across a posted portrait (and plea for adoption) by professional photographer and LDDR volunteer Dee Maggio.  Though the spelling was different, Cathy was nearly positive that LDDR’s “Doogle” was Susie Gross’s “Dugle” and called her to say so. 

Susie checked the page and concurred; she was sure this was her Dugle.  She even took the initiative to contact the woman to whom she had sold Dugle and ask after his condition.  The woman told her, stammeringly, that the dog had been given over to her brother, and she could not say if he was still in possession of him.  Tearfully, Susan phoned LDDR to ask for Dugle and was encouraged to make her application for adoption. 

Four days later, with her application approved, in receipt of a glowing recommendation from her veterinary practice, and having passed a perfect “virtual” home visit, and Susie and Dugle were reunited…this time for good.  Heartbroken over his careless turning over by the buyer to her brother, and his subsequent, callous disposal of the dog, Susie has vowed she’ll never let him leave her care again. 

Doogle's siblings - they get to play together all the time now!

Thankfully, for Dugle, for Susie, and for all of us at LDDR, this story has a happy ending.  But let this stand as a lesson for all:  even the most ethical, well-intentioned and confident breeder can find his/her dog in the hands of an irresponsible, uncaring person.  What little effort it might have taken for “Ms. New Haven” to have called Susie and arranged for his safe return into her hands; for the brother to have notified his sister that he could not keep the dog. 

That Dugle was saved from the shelter is lucky, that he fared so well in fostering is comforting, that he ended in the hands of his very breeder is nothing short of miraculous!

Doogle - SAFE with his original family

Susie, Dugle, we congratulate you and we celebrate with you.  What has come full-circle is one of the proudest reasons that we do what we do. 

Written By:  Mark C. Bernazzoli 

To donate, you can go to our web site www.lastdaydogrescue.org

or mail a donation to: Last Day Dog Rescue P.O. Box 51935 Livonia, MI 48151-5935 Fax: 734-786-0729 Email us at: ourlastdaydogs@gmail.com

In Memory of Roberta Chapman, Animal Advocate

We received the following message from Roberta Chapman's husband.  Needless to say, Last Day Dog Rescue is devastated by the passing of such an amazing spirit, animal rescuer, advocate.  She will be deeply missed by all of us.  The ChipIn below has been created to honor the memory of this wonderful woman who did so much for so many.  All proceeds will go to helping the animals that Roberta loved so much.

Roberta Lynn Chapman
We thank you for all you did on this Earth - we will continue your good work!
1973-2012

Dear friends,

It is with a sad and heavy heart that I reach out to you today - and sincerely apologize if I was unable to contact you in person - to let you know that my wife, Roberta, passed away on Wednesday, July 18th.

There will be a memorial visitation in her honor this Sunday, July 22, 2012, at Manns-Ferguson Funeral Home, 17000 Middlebelt Road, Livonia, MI (just South of 6 of Mile Rd. on the East side), from 12 p.m. - 4 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to organizations close to her heart, with which Roberta was actively involved: Last Day Dog Rescue, Inc. or the Huron Valley Humane Society.

PROGRESS TOWARD SUCCESS

noun, \ˈprä-grəs\ : a forward or onward movement (as to an objective or goal);

noun, \sək-ˈses\ : degree of favorable or desired outcome

From Imprisonment to Freedom.

Paco

Imagine, if you can, a tiny, helpless creature -- one with skin that feels, eyes that see, ears that hear, lungs that starve for a breath of fresh air, a beating heart capable of love, and a mind which can organize thoughts at least as complex as:  “I am hungry, I am thirsty, I wish to run, I love you, please help me.”  

Paco was such a creature; a Chihuahua found living his fourteenth year in a birdcage. 

Lulu's baby boy, Elton

Thanks to the people at and the mission of Last Day Dog Rescue (LDDR), he is now living his remaining years, happy and free, in the loving care of his new foster family, where he runs outside, plays and even sleeps in a real bed.  Progress.


From Near-Death To Healthful Life.
You may have read, here, the terrible tale of Lulu and her litter of little “singers.”  Her pups  Dusty (Springfield), Elton (John), Elvis (Presley), Olivia (Newton-John), Petula (Clark), Ringo (Starr), and Tina (Turner) all contracted the most often deadly canine Parvovirus.  Each was treated…all, thankfully,  survived. 

Mother Lulu and a few of her pups have already been adopted.  Progress.

Tot

In a similar story, little Tot, one of a pair of sisters found chained and neglected in a back yard, had also contracted and suffered from Parvo.  She has survived and is resting comfortably, regaining her strength, and almost ready for adoption.  Progress.

From Neglect to Impatience to Acceptance:
Adonis was a crudity case (considered wild) taken to a shelter at the tender and confused age of six months where he remained until just after his first birthday when he was adopted and given his first-ever toy.  What a gift.  What a mixed blessing.  He so adored his toy that he took to “burying” it in safe places…such as the family’s sofa…deep down in the stuffing of it.  He was taken back to the shelter and surrendered for an immediate kill for lack of room.  LDDR was contacted by the shelter volunteers who were unwilling to kill him.

Adonis

Taking his behavioral issues into account, LDDR arranged for boarding for him for an additional six months, where he was “tamed” and trained.  In the end, Adonis was discovered by a minister and his wife, who adopted him and gave him the love and attention he both craved and needed.  They are happy to inform us that he is happy, healthy, has a chest full of toys which require no hiding, and has become the unofficial mascot of their congregation, attending many church functions with dignity and aplomb.  Progress.

From “Home?” to “Home!”

Poppy

Poppy was rescued with two other siblings from a litter of six.  All three were adopted and found homes.  Unfortunately, Poppy’s enthusiasm and boundless energy proved too much for adoptive family after adoptive family.  We’re happy to report that she was finally placed in her final adoptive home with a family determined to love her to, and train her to be, the wonderful pet she now is.  Progress.


From Puppy Mill to Puppy Mom.

Proud Mama, Tink

Tink, another LDDR adoption success story, was rescued during the bust and subsequent shut-down of a highly abusive puppy mill.  Momma Tink, is about the have her first attended litter outside of a stacked crate, in a warm and comfortable home, with the assistance of a loving and compassionate family.  Progress.


From Abandonment to Adoption.
Rachel, an oft-rejected Pit Bull mix, was carried into a PetSmart store at closing time and dumped there without so much as a plea for help on the part of her “family.”  LDDR found an adoptive home for her in just five days -- a record time for both Pit Bull mixes and LDDR!  Progress.

Rachel

We’re making Progress every day.  Progress in giving dogs a chance at normalcy…often, a chance at life, itself.  We’re an organization of volunteers who believe in our cause and devote ourselves, wholly, to it. 

Progress at anything can often seem terribly slow, most especially when needs are great, when needs are urgent, when needs are crucially important.  We celebrate each of our victories with equal enthusiasm, in the face of continued, unnecessary need. 

You can be part of our Progress.  Please visit our website at www.lastdaydogrescue.org.  Take a peek through our pages of animals available for foster or adoption. Consider whether your home could be made even brighter with the addition of a canine companion.  Browse through our donations page and see how you can help us meet our goals through the tax-deductible donation of goods or funds.  Start a fund-raising drive or event in your neighborhood or at your office.  Check with you employer and see if they have a Matching Donation Program in place, or encourage them to establish one.  Come to any one of various community events at which we feature our adoptables.  Or simply spread the word of the mission and work of LDDR.

We’re making Progress.  Will you please help us and pave the way to future Success? 

On behalf of our dogs, our volunteers and all the families who proudly call an adopted pet “Ours,” we thank you.       

Written by Mark Bernazzoli

If you are able to help us today by providing more success stories just like these, you may donate to our ChipIn or send a donation to us at:  .

SET APART: LuLu, Her Litter, and Parvovirus

Tina

Written by: Mark Bernazzoli

We at Last Day Dog Rescue have some more sad news about a whole litter of dogs that need our help…ours and yours.

Let us introduce some adorable Labrador/Shepherd mix pups, all babies of LuLu, and named after singers:  Elton (John), Elvis (Presley), Dusty (Springfield), Olivia (Newton-John), Ringo (Starr), Petula (Clark), and Tina (Turner).

This whole family was about to be euthanized when it was rescued, in total, by a Foster.  Mother and pups arrived in a crate, as sweet as could be, and completely unaware of what danger they were in for.

It was discovered and quickly announced to the Foster that one dog in the group transferred tested positive for the dreaded and indiscriminate Canine Parvovirus -- a disease that turns the gastro-intestinal tract into a liquid quagmire of pain and suffering.

The babies were quickly quarantined and vaccinated with hopes that it would be enough, soon enough.  In fact, everything looked so good for them, and they were so irresistible, that they all had applications in place and were set for adoption!  But, their last visit to the vet for worming and a final check-up was the day that they began to sicken.  At first, everyone chalked it up to a reaction to the wormer, but a few hours later they received the diagnosis – Parvo.

One by one they began to falter.  A desperate scramble to get them on Tamiflu (which is known to help with complications from the virus) and an emergency trip to the veterinary clinic ended with Elton, Olivia and Tina being the sickest, with white cell counts as low as 400.  Dusty and Petula have pulled through, but Elvis and Ringo are fading fast.  They are all being monitored very carefully.  Thankfully, LuLu is healthy, but very concerned over the whereabouts of her babies.  There will be transfusions and medications and slow recoveries in store for all these poor babies.  And prayers.  Many, many prayers for each of them and for their team of veterinary professionals.

Unfortunately, in all our efforts to save dogs from shelters, we always run the risk of finding one infected with Parvovirus.  In fact, the high contagion rate of Parvo is one of the prime reasons that shelters will not keep dogs for very long – puppies are frequently killed upon arrival.  Frighteningly, just one week’s exposure can result in a full-blown case, which will spread from animal to animal with lightning speed.

Too many shelters lack the funding necessary for the highly expensive course of treatment for Parvo, and the cost of saving just one litter of pups can close a rescue organization down.

That’s what sets Last Day Dog Rescue apart.  Because of our relationship with our veterinary team, we are able to take in animals no one else will, get them treated, and still have the unbelievably compassionate luxury of paying later.  But the bills still come, thousands of dollars worth, and if those expenses mount too high we fear that even the best of intentions and relations may cost the lives of so many other dogs in need.

What will set you apart?  Are you as concerned as we are?  What can you do to help?  What can you spare to save a life?  Every donation, no matter how small, helps to chip away at our obligations.

Consider joining forces with a group of friends, relatives and co-workers to sponsor even one pup’s treatment.  Ask your employers if they have a matching gift program in place.  Start a fund-raising effort in your office or neighborhood, not just for these dogs but for ones past and future who still and will need whatever you can offer.

Most importantly, please do something.  If all you can do is to pass the word along to someone who can help, then that will set you both apart.  And as your efforts expand, person by person, we’ll be able to say that we made a difference, together; that our love and compassion help saved these puppies, and however more may follow.

Thank you today, yesterday and always, and remember that you are in our hearts and minds and prayers.  Please, in kind, remember us and Elton and Elvis and Dusty and Olivia and Ringo and Petula and Tina and………



DONNY’S PLIGHT - Love met with abuse, repaid in love

Written By: Mark Bernazzoli

Unfortunately, we have yet another story to tell…one that both incenses the mind and enflames the heart.  This is the story of Donny, a pure-bred, 3 month-old Labrador Retriever pup who was turned in to a shelter with a leg so badly broken that it would require extensive emergency surgery.  There is no way of telling how so young and otherwise healthy a pup as Donny came to this infirmity, and Mr. Owner (the suspected abuser) wasn’t offering any explanations.

Donny was accepted without delay and transported immediately to a veterinary practice.  X-rays confirmed a particularly nasty break at the knee of his front leg, and he underwent surgery to repair the damage, complete with pins. 

On what promised to be the upside to Donny’s sad story was his placement in a wonderfully loving foster home where he began his convalescence.  But, three days later, he began vomiting and his stools were very loose.  Another veterinary exam and testing revealed some of the worst news any dog lover wants to hear – The “P” Word…Donny had canine parvovirus.

As of this writing, Donny is in Intensive Care, refusing food and weakening quickly.  Two blood transfusions should be improving his condition, but he is still losing weight at an alarming rate.  But, don’t you know it?  This little fighter is still mustering up the energy to greet his caretakers with a smile and a wag of his tail.

Donny’s chances are not the best -- not what anyone would hope for so sweet and loving a dog -- but we will not give up on him.  WE can’t.  It’s simply not what we do.  We’ll see this baby to health, or we’ll see him to as comfortable an end as possible.

As dedicated as we are to our mission and to Donny’s recovery, we still need help – more so in these cases than in many others.  We ask your support, through prayer, and through tax-deductible charitable donations to cover his mounting vet bills (now at $1,200, and counting). 

It’s a tough time out there for all of us.  We have our families and our pets to think about; our mortgages and car payments and grocery bills.  But, we have our health, and we have compassion, and we have the ability to make a difference -- even small donations add up to large amounts. 

Please, give what you can.  Ask your friends, your family members, your neighbors if they can offer something, too.  Check with your employer – many companies have Matching Gift programs. 

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again:  “Anything helps…except doing nothing.” Please help Donny, and countless others with special needs

Spreading Hope, Saving Lives

Written by: Mark Bernazzoli

The volunteers at LDDR tirelessly comb through rescue newspapers and pages, phone messages, e-mails, letters, and the web to find and transport dogs to safety, to veterinary visits, to (and exchange among) temporary and longer-term foster homes, to community events for greater exposure, and finally to adoptive families.

When you see the dogs we feature it's frequently because they are in multi-dog, transitory foster homes until a longer-term foster or adoptive home is found. I can't think of anyone who wouldn't save a dog or a cat to give them a happy life knowing how so many of them have been treated, what they've been through; but many compassionate people aren't sure they can handle a pet, themselves.

We understand that -- we all have/had our own pets and know how they can change a household. Bringing a pet into your life requires careful consideration:

• Do I want a willing, but thumbless "child" who will never go off to school or move out?
•  Can my studio apartment accommodate my 100+ pound Newfoundland?
•  Do I have a fenced yard so my Jack Russell can run his little heart (and huge energy store) out, daily?
•  Exactly how much weight do I want to lose while being walked by my Great Dane?
•  Will dried dog drool match the sumptuous leather interior in my Mercedes?
•  Will I wake in the middle of the night and be able to summon up my inner Sherlock Holmes, Mr. Spock, Florence Nightingale, AND Dale Earnhardt as I try to determine which houseplant she ate, where's she's hurting now, how ALL of THIS came out of THAT tiny body, and get her to the emergency vet before she explodes again?
•  Do I want to spend my vacation as a sexy, AVAILABLE (!) Carribean Queen on a beach in Jamaica, or as a party of two at a mountain cabin with a wet-muddy-tickridden-happy-as-a-clam Spaniel and a case of good wine?
• And imagine just how pleased Mom will be when my Retriever and I show up for Christmas in matching outfits, our twin suitcases in hand?

I joke because we must. You cannot raise anything (a houseplant, a garden, a pet, a child, a husband) without a heart and a good sense of humor...otherwise you'd see aforehand the lunacy of your desire and never commit in the first place. But remember, though every creature in your life is it's own challenge, it's own work-in-progress, it always pays off in the end...all except for the husband...(and you still decided to get him.)

Back to business...what you MUST know is that there are a number of ways to help --

• become a volunteer in the organization,
• train to be a foster yourself
• adopt and be ever glad you did
• make a tax-deductible donatation to keep the operation sailing
• spread the word by talking up an animal which seems perfect for a friend or family member
• just plain ask blessings for these dedicated volunteers and pray for these animals' continued salvation and happiness.



Roscoe Before



Anything will help...except, of course, doing nothing. Please visit http://www.lastdaydogrescue.org/ to donate, foster, or adopt. Someone is depending upon you. Thanks from all of us to all of you!



Roscoe After



To mail us a donation, make payable to Last Day Dog Rescue and send to us at:

Last Day Dog Rescue P.O. Box 51935 Livonia, MI 48151-5935 Fax: 734-786-0729

To sponsor a specific animal, write his or her name on the memo line.



To donate to one of our special needs dogs' online ChipIn 







From Helpless to Heroine - One Dog Fighting the Odds

FROM HELPLESS TO HEROINE –

One Dog Fighting The Odds

Written By: Mark Bernazzoli

Tater and Tot…two joyful, loving sisters who should have been enjoying the love of their owners and each other in the prime of their lives.   Should have…

But, they weren’t.  They were found and rescued from a short-term, high-kill shelter in Ohio after living a rather shabby life as outdoor dogs, bearing litter after litter of puppies, bereft of the kind of love canines crave and, frankly, need to thrive. 

This particular shelter, though it searches tirelessly for foster homes, lacks the funding needed to give little more than food, water and a cage to those dogs unlucky enough to find themselves there.  The folks, here, at Last Day Dog Rescue (LDDR) were not only fortunate, but privileged, to collect Tater and Tot and number of other dogs during a rescue mission to shelters all over Ohio.  These abandoned “babies” were all fortunate, too; all except for Tot.

LDDR took these little refugees to a veterinary clinic where each was examined, vaccinated and given a clean bill of health, then deposited in loving transitory homes to begin their wait for foster and adoptive families.  It is LDDR’s policy to keep siblings dogs together, whenever possible, and over the next two days as Tater flourished, Tot began to decline.

She was seen by a second vet, given fluids and medication for a high load hookworm count and a staph infection on her abdomen.  Late that night she started passing bloody diarrhea.  That’s when her "new family" recognized her biggest health issue – canine parvovirus.   They took Tot to a vet in Milford, who confirmed their fears -- her reading was low.  Factoring this in with the hookworms, the staph infection, and being underweight, her prognosis was sketchy, at best.  Yet, she struggled on.

Within twelve hours, her white cell count went from 3,000 to 600, and her weight from 12 lbs. to 7lbs. in just a few days.  Anti-nausea meds weren’t working and her liver was malfunctioning.  She was listless, in great pain and losing blood as the parvo ran its course inside of her.  

Fourteen days, two blood transfusions, numberous courses of anti-nausea drugs, and ‘round-the-clock care brought Tot back from the depths.  She now greets folks as they visit in her isolation room, her tail wagging, her head resting up under an arm when held.

Tot’s not out of the woods…not just yet, but she’s fighting, and she wants her caregivers to know it.  But at least her diagnosis, once bleak, is now bright, pending several weeks of rest, re-nutrition and continued recovery.  

Tot is due home from the vet in just a couple of days and along with her healing body and ever-brightening spirit come thousands of dollars in medical bills – bills we need to pay…somehow.

“So where’s the happy ending?” you ask.  Well, that chapter hasn’t been written yet.  You, however, can help us to write it.  Please, consider carefully what you can do to help – through prayer or by spreading the word of our continuing mission, through a charitable donation or by fostering/adopting this brave little girl when she’s fully well again.

Neglect and disease do their very best to break these innocents, every day, but there is nothing so strong as the heroic Spirit of a Dog, any day.  

To ChipIn and help little Tot, please click HERE.