18 Jul

Rescue Me!

Author: Darcia Helle  //  Category: General Nonsense

Share your story, win a tote bag!

My three dogs are rescues and tend to be spoiled brats with bad manners. At the moment, they are probably lounging on my couch, watching Jerry Springer and raiding the snack cabinet. Okay, in reality they are probably sprawled out in their respective beds, sleeping blissfully. Either way, I wish I could join them.

The above is a paragraph from my brand new release, The Cutting Edge. The book isn’t about dogs; it’s a dark comedy about a hairstylist with murder on her mind. However, rescue dogs are a big part of my character’s life, just as they are a big part of my own.

The first to tug at my heartstrings was a beautiful female Black Lab that my brother saddled with the name Sergeant. That’s what happens when you allow very young children to name your animals. She was a castoff, unwanted and uncared for by the man who’d purchased her on a whim. Sergeant was my first best friend.

Throughout the years, we’ve adopted many such castoffs and pound puppies. Our two current family members are Sidney and Kaylee. Sid is a Mini Pinscher/Chihuahua mix, abandoned due to the sin of not being a pure bred. He was tossed around and eventually dropped off at a pound where he’d been left to die. A small breed rescue saved him with hours to spare. From there, he was shuffled to various “foster homes”. We adopted him when he was somewhere between 6 and 9 months old. By then, he’d lived in at least 5 homes in 3 different states. He’ll be 10 this year, though he doesn’t know it. He’s got more energy than I’ve ever had. Sid still has trouble trusting, particularly men, but he’s a lovable little guy and makes me laugh, even on my bad days.

Kaylee is a Chihuahua. She spent the first few years of her life as a breeding dog in a puppy mill. She was kept in a tiny cage and fed mostly bread soaked in water. The SPCA raided the puppy mill and took more than 100 dogs away. Many were too sick to save. Kaylee barely made it. She was skin and bones, had severe ear infections, rotted teeth, and a scratched cornea that had never been treated. She didn’t know how to chew dry food and walked like a newborn deer. Running was out of the question. I could provide more details but it still makes me cry to think about the condition she was in. This is Kaylee when she first came to live with us:

We’ve had Kaylee just over 3 years. She has more than doubled in weight (and is now a little chunky!), chases her big brother across the lawn, and chews dry food and bones like a pro. She’s incredibly sweet and lovable. What truly amazes me is how trusting she’s become. To trust any human, after all she’s been through, is remarkable. Humans should be so resilient.

Today is Thanksgiving. Scott and I have been at my parents’ house since 11 this morning. We also brought our four dogs. They never stay home alone on a holiday. My parents are back to having six dogs now. Yesterday, they took in a new refugee from the rescue. This one’s name is Reggie and he’s a one-eyed collie. A sociopathic teenager poked out the missing eye. The parents opted to keep the kid and get rid of the dog. Personally, I would have gotten rid of the kid and kept the dog.

Skye Summers, my main character in The Cutting Edge, might have a murderous streak with her clients but she loves her dogs. And, honestly, dogs can often be a lot easier to love than people are.

I’d like to add that, while I might have rescued these dogs, they have also rescued me. Health complications keep me mostly housebound. My dogs are great company. They always listen, don’t care when I’m cranky, and love nothing better than to be trapped on the couch with me all day. What more could I ask for in a friend?

Has a rescue dog touched your life? Do you foster dogs? Know someone who has too many dogs? Avoid dogs like the plague? Share your story with me and you could win a new tote bag! Just leave your comment here by midnight on July 21st and I’ll pick a winner from the bunch. Be sure to use a current email address, as I will use that to contact the winner for a mailing address. The drawback is that you need to live somewhere in the U.S. or Canada. Unfortunately, shipping gets expensive. Sorry about that!

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  • Mary McLain

    I do not have any dogs and do not want to have any dogs. However, when my children were at young and living at home, they usually had a pet dog and a pet cat.

  • Debbie D

    I have four Chihuahua/mixed dogs, but I tell them they are all four pure breeds. I have never paid for any off them as they have all came to me in different ways. I was given Malcolm who was in a litter of seven and the family was taking them to a shelter so he was my first. Daisy was given to my daughter when she was in high school, she did not have permission from me, but my Daisy looks a lot like your Kaylee. She was 9 months old, she was so white her ears were pink, and I did not know it at the time she was pregnant. So you can imagine my surprise when about a month later she was showing, I took her to the vet and two weeks later she had 8 puppies. One did not survive and one weighed less the 2ozs. The doctor told me he would never live and if he did, he would have problems. His mouth was so small he could not nurse so for three weeks, every two hours I fed him from an eye dropper. I worked close and would come home several times a day. He made it and that was 7 years ago, and I could never let him go. He does have problems – For one thing is nose and mouth are crooked and his bottom front teeth are not attached to anything so they are kind of floppy but it does not hurt him and the vet says they will fall out. He always eats soft food. I can’t tell you that he is my heart and I would od anything for him, he has never complained – he is my Eugene. My forth was from a puppy mill and the only pure breed, my daughter did pay for him but he has so many problems she could not keep him, so mom also took, Peanut.

  • Rane

    I have a cat, George, who I adopted from a shelter when he was 12 weeks old. He is now 8 years old and gorgeous. I also have two “foreclosure strays” who were abandoned by the neighbor. They were both in terrible shape when we took them. One lost part of his foot in a trap or car belt (we don’t know for sure) and the other had an infected puncture wound on his front paw. It took weeks of vet visits and a lot of money, but we got them healthy. I hope to find forever homes for them some day, but they are welcome here until I do.

  • Patricia

    I have been wanting a small dog but that will have to wait until my husband is retired since I cant train a dog. I just cant keep up with that part of it all.

    I do have cats and I get plenty of stray cats since we are rural.

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  • EMMA L HORTON

    WE HAD A DOG WHEN OUR CHILREN WERE YOUNG…BUT THEY HAVE GROWN AND NOW THEIR CHILDREN HAVE A DOG…GUESS WE JUST HAD A DOG BECAUSE OUR CHILDREN WANTED ONE AND THEY DID TAKE CARE OF HER

  • Anne

    Your dogs are adorable! Poor Kaylee. Puppy mills are horrible places and I would never buy a dog from a pet store because too many of them get their dogs from places like the one you got Kaylee from. I have a Yorkie that I inherited from a neighbor. She was 8 years old and her owner had to go to a nursing home. The womans children didn’t want the dog and they were going to put her to sleep. What a horrible thing to do to the dog and their mother! Her name is Angel and she is a love.

  • http://www.pawposse.com Sonia

    That’s awesome that you rescued Sid and Kaylee! I advocate for rescue pretty heavily, so kudos for doing it and for calling attention to it in your book.

    My dog, Nala, came to me at the age of 3 months. I was her 3rd or 4th “home,” if you include the pound and a girl who adopted her then changed her mind a few weeks later. Lucky me! Nala is a very mixed breed (our best guess is Lab/Boxer/Shar-pei but who knows) and one of the sweetest, smartest dogs I’ve met.

    As she grew, it got harder to find stuff to spoil her, so it (and she) inspired me to start a company focused on cool stuff for big dogs. I’m now living my dream as an entrepreneur, working with Nala at my side every day. Thanks to her wonderful demeanor and love of kids, we are now in the process of getting trained as a therapy team through the Delta Society to work with abused and neglected children. I can’t wait to see what she does for those kids- I’m sure she’ll change their lives as much as she’s changed mine.

  • http://www.QuietFuryBooks.com Darcia Helle

    Mary, dogs can be a lot of work and not everyone wants them.

    Debbie, you’ve gone through quite a lot with your dogs. It’s awesome that you were able (and willing) to nurse Eugene back to health. What a great story!

    Rane, I love that you take in the “foreclosure strays”. It’s horrible when people just leave their pets behind. I can’t understand how someone could do that. We have 2 cats, as well. Both came from a shelter and were in rough shape. Now they are fat & lazy!

    Patricia, training can be difficult. There are older rescue dogs that are trained, though they still require time and adjustment. But the cats keep you company in the meantime!

    Emma, lots of families have pets just for the kids. As long as they’re loved when you have them, that’s all that matters!

    Anne, that’s a lucky little Yorkie! I can’t imagine putting my parents’ dog to sleep because I couldn’t be bothered with it.

    Sonia, sounds like Nala went through something similar to my Sid. The Delta Society sounds like a fantastic organization to get involved with. Therapy dogs are such great tools for helping with all sorts of physical and emotional problems. What’s the name of your company? You’ll have to share a bit about it. Right now, both of my dogs are small but I know lots of people with big dogs and I’m sure I’ll have another big one eventually!

  • Kelly Ann T

    My dog Kouga is a rescue that we adopted a couple of years ago. He is involved in all kinds of things now. He goes to most of the dog events including dog egg hunts, costume contests (he loves to dress up and hamm it up too), doggie ice cream socials, bark in the park, pet fest and the K-nine games.

    I’m involved in rescue. I volunteer with Samoyed Rescue and also Illinois Alaskan Malamute Rescue Association. Right now I’m pre-registering dogs and their owners for the K-nine games.

    I’m trying to make a difference in the lives as many dogs as I can.

  • http://janekennedysutton.blogspot.com/ Jane Kennedy Sutton

    Living in a small condo, we barely have room for two people. My daughter and her family, however, just adopted a rescued greyhound and I had to laugh at your first couple of sentences because that so sounds like Kamper.

    I’m just about ready to order some new books from Amazon and “Cutting Edge” is at the top of the list.

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  • http://winabook.westofmars.com Susan Helene Gottfried

    No need to enter me, babe (I’m a cat woman). I’m dropping in to say thanks for the e-mail. I’ve got this posted at Win a Book for you!

  • http://openmindinsertbook.blogspot.com Stephanie

    Aww, what cute puppies!

    I used to have a rescued Beagle/Springer mix named Milou. He was sweet and cuddly and a little psychotic, but I loved him like crazy. When I was pregnant with my son, Milou would join me upstairs every afternoon for a lovely nap. One day, I was laying in bed when Milou hopped up on the bed with me and curled up around my belly. We lay there, snuggled together for a few moments, and then BAM- the baby kicked, nailing the dog right in the back. Milou turned his head and gave me the filthiest look I’ve ever seen on a dog’s face. I just laughed and said, “Sorry, buddy, I’ve got nothing to do with that!”

    stephaniedekeyser AT gmail dot com

  • http://www.lanavoynich.com Lana

    It’s great to see someone so passionate about rescue. My husband and I were foster parents for a pit bull rescue for a while. Of the three dogs we fostered, we adopted two of them.

    All but two of our cats and dogs have been rescued or adopted from shelters. Our first pit bull had a severe skin infection, ear infection, and 7 broken teeth that had to be removed when we adopted him. He was diagnosed with lymphoma 6 months later. :(

    Our current pit bull is a rescue who has some issues and never should have been adopted out. She is only good with some dogs and is very reactive around strange people and dogs. She’s our perfect little neurotic girl. :)

  • http://leavesandflowers.webs.com Bailey

    My boyfriend’s parents have a beautiful German Shepherd named Nema -she is basically a big puppy. She needs constant attention and reassurance that she’s the favorite “child,” and even though my boyfriend and I have been dating for more than a year, she’s still not sure she likes me. Any time I visit his parents, she will butt between us and try to herd me away from him, and if we hug or hold hands, she whines and barks at me! Heaven forbid we try to kiss -that really bothers her! She’s a funny dog, but I can’t wait until she decides I’m an okay human to have around. :)

    baileythebookworm[at]gmail.com

  • http://www.absoluteyorkies.com Kathryn

    I believe that love can create miracles! A close friend of mine asked me to look after one of her Yorkshire Terrier puppies that had suffered an neck injury – someone accidentally caught the puppy’s neck in the frig door. Tinkerbell lost the ability to walk. She had the use of her two front legs but not her back legs. She would drag her tiny back legs when she tried to move forward.

    I agonized over whether I was doing the right thing by keeping her with me. I fed her, bathed her, massaged her little legs everyday and of course I grew very attached to her.
    Even though the Vet assured me she wasn’t in any pain, she said that Tinkerbell would never walk again.

    I just couldn’t accept that. Was I just thinking of myself and not acting in Tinkerbell’s best interest? I couldn’t imagine her not being here with me. I prayed for the courage to make the right decision should the time come.

    The next morning, I was standing at the end of her crate chatting with my husband. Tinkerbell was lying on her blanket at the opposite end. When I was ready to walk into the family room, I heard a sharp bark at my feet. There was Tinkerbell looking up at me! She’d shuffled all the way down the side of her crate on all four legs to get my attention. My eyes filled with tears!

    Tinkerbell is now three years old and prances and plays with her Yorkie friends, Gideon and Hope.

    Where there’s love, there’s hope.

    Kathryn
    absoluteyorkies.com

  • http://www.QuietFuryBooks.com Darcia Helle

    Kelly, Kouga has a better social life than I do! Samoyeds are gorgeous dogs.

    Jane, when my kids were small, we adopted a greyhound. He was such a great dog. They’re quite lovable!

    Susan, thanks for the promo on your blog. And cat women are cool people! We have 2 cats, as well as the 2 dogs.

    Stephanie, your story cracked me up. I can just see that expression on Milou’s face!

    Lana, I can tell how much you love your babies. It’s great that you’re able to take in the ones that need the most love, especially with Pit Bulls. They have gotten such a miserable reputation and, for the most part, it’s we humans who are responsible for their behavior.

    Bailey, Nema is letting you know that she’ the number one female! Sid, our older dog, gets jealous of my husband and we were already married when we adopted him. Sometimes the best you can hope for in that situation is tolerance! :)

    Kathryn, wow, what a touching story. You brought tears to my eyes. You said it perfectly, “Where there’s love, there’s hope.”

  • http://www.seenontvstore.com/pet-products/dogpedic-memory-foam-dog-bed/ Linda Grant

    I found your site while looking for items for my dog! Oh the things you find on the net but great site.

  • scottsgal

    I’ve done rescue for years – first with my former greyhound Louie and now with my springer spaniel Kristy. Our hound was a trained therapy dog and we did nursing home visits – we once visited a gentleman who started talking to Louie and I about dogs he used to have and I saw the nurses pointing and staring at us. Turns out he was a severe alzheimer patient who hadn’t spoken coherently in a couple months – amazing the affect animals have on people. Thank you for rescuing!

  • Theresa Daly

    I’m an LTer and I have a story that children love about my rescue dogs Raven and Huskie. Huskie is an Alaskan Husky white with blue eyes and is very proud of the fact that he can open doors. I always let them freely come into my bedroom where they sleep at night. One day I decided to see what they would do if I closed the door while I was getting dressed. I closed it but didn’t click it tight. Raven, a smart black lab,shepherd mix was sitting in the hall outside the door and Huskie was out in the backyard. When Raven couldn’t get in she got concerned and went downstairs, through the kitchen, out the doggie door and got Huskie. They came up the stairs and he nudged the door open with his nose and both came walking in triumphant. It was then I knew how much they communicate with each other. I love my doggies!

  • http://ols pat jasmin

    we always had a pound dog execpt the ones my father bought for coon hunting. but we always had about 12 dogs around at any given time.my father found a pup in the woods one night and brought him home to me we had him 15 years the nicest and furest dog i ever saw .we had one that broke his lag no one wanted him my father took him and even thou he hoped we kept him .

  • http://www.QuietFuryBooks.com Darcia Helle

    Linda, thanks for stopping by!

    Scottsgal, that’s amazing about the Alzheimer’s patient! Therapy dogs (and sometimes cats) are almost magical in their abilities. I call my 2 therapy dogs, because I’m pretty much housebound and they keep me sane!

    Theresa, your 2 are quite the characters! I have no doubt that they communicate with each other. They communicate with us as well, if we listen. :)

    Pat, I can’t imagine having 12 dogs! It’s wonderful that you and your family were able to give them all a home.

  • http://www.QuietFuryBooks.com Darcia Helle

    And the winner is…. Lana!

    I picked the winner at random by tossing all the names in a bowl. No favoritism. :)

    Thanks, everyone, for sharing your stories. I enjoyed hearing about your furry babies!

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