Prairie Dog Canine Rescue

Foster Homes....are you out there?

2011-04-25T10:25:00.002-06:00

As most of you know, we only operate out of foster homes. Some have asked if we are ever going to have a facility, and we keep coming back to, No! All PDCR dogs get to be loved members of families until they get to 'go home'. They aren't stuck in a cage being checked on a few times a day during business hours.

When you adopt a dog from a foster run rescue group, you get a well adjusted member of the family that we know inside and out. When you look at a dog behind bars, how do you know if its going to hunt your cat....and end back behind bars, what a waste of time and emotion. PDCR tests all our dogs with kids, cats and other dogs to ensure the match is perfect.

We have been lucky for the past few months, intake has been very slow. We have been asked to help with 6 dogs in the next two weeks and need foster homes to help us care for them. They are all various sizes and breeds.

PDCR provides you with everything you'll need to make fostering fun. We give you the collar, leash, food, crate, and bedding, you just have to provide the love and basic training that some of the dogs might already have down pat. You'd be surprised at how well mannered most of the dogs we get are, its very easy to have one in your home for a few weeks.

If you are interested in helping out, or in finding out more about fostering, please email us at prairiedogcaninerescue@hotmail.com

Thanks and have a great week.

Maybe Spring is Here?!

2011-04-21T09:13:00.009-06:00

With the amount of cuteness going on in our foster homes, you'd think spring has sprung!

Here are some of the new additions to the PDCR family, all wickedly adorable and sure to pull on some heartstrings......

Trinket is a little reserve dog.

She is thought to be a JRT X (maybe Westie?). She is cuddly, calm, quiet, and super cute to just look at! She's about a year old, spayed and all her vetting is done. She is great in the house, loves to grab her toy, jump up on the couch, and chew while you watch TV. She ignores my cats like they were invisible, and was all wiggle bum when the kids came home from school.

Next up is Charlee.

Charlee is a Chihuahua X Daschund. He is a cute stocky little guy with lots of character. He just turned 3 years old, is perfectly house and crate trained and amazing with small kids. He gets along with other dogs and doesn't bother with the cats either.

We also have some felines!!

This poor momma cat took up residence in an old dog house in some one's backyard on the west side. She surprised the homeowner with three little babies. With the cat rescues always being so overloaded, PDCR agreed to help with this little family.

Here is Mom:

Mom cat is still a kitten herself, about 10 months old. She is beautiful in person, gorgeous silver and black tabby, very petite little cat, and loves to purr. She isn't 100% comfortable with getting held yet, but with time I'm sure she would get used to the attention that she's never had.

and Kittens:

Hats off to anyone that can photograph kittens!! I could barely get the ones that I did. There are three kittens, the grey and black tabby with white face and paws, then there is the dark brown and black tabby without any white, and the all black adorable baby. The kittens are starting to wean onto big kitten food, already using the litter box all on their own, and will be ready for new homes in about 2 weeks.

There you have it, your Thursday dose of cute.

Tis the Season....

2011-03-03T10:44:00.006-07:00

Monday morning update: Due to the AMAZING turn out at the Calgary Adoption Fair this past weekend, ALL the new dogs listed on this post are currently on trial adoptions with great families in the Calgary area!!! Please check back toward the end of the week for any new postings of dogs that may find their way to PDCR this week.

Since the weather has stayed SO cold for SO long, we have seen many (as in hundreds!) more pups then usual needing rescue because they are literally freezing to death.

I was talking with the intake girl from the Pincher Creek SPCA and she had a horrible story about going out to a call yesterday about a momma dog with her 5 puppies, they had taken refuge in a abandond house....no heat. Someone had seen a pup running around so Kristie went out thinking it was one puppy. Inside she found the mom dog and the rest of the puppies, all in and out of consciousness, too weak to move. She rushed them to the PC vet clinic, but all the pups died in the car on the way and the mom dog basically went into a coma at the clinic where they put her down humanely. Only the one pup, the one that was seen outside was able to pull thru the night, but they aren't sure of any permanent damage that might take her away too.

In talking with Kristie, mostly about that incident, she also expressed how over full they are and for the first time in four years, they had to turn dogs away from the shelter yesterday, they are very depressed. We here in Lethbridge, aren't that busy, so PDCR has offered to start helping them out. The dogs that we will be taking from the PC SPCA are below. They are all healthy, vaccinated, and some are spayed/neutered already, the others will be done next week. They are from the SPCA building but have had lots of people interaction and all of them are great with other dogs. Once we arrange for foster care for them, they will also be fine tuning their house manners.

We will be showcasing these cuties at the BowDog Adoptathon being held in Calgary this weekend!! Any that aren't snatched up will be coming back down to Lethbridge and officially joining PDCR, and we will be updating theblog at that time with more pictures of the dogs. For now, you'll have to be happy with these:

This little guy is Cheeko, he is a Chihuahua X. He is about 8 pounds, long legs and alot of love to give. He sleeps with the puppies, but hangs out in the yard and wrestles with the big dogs. He is a staff favorite and has free roam of the shelter.

This girl is Rosie. She is about 5 months old, and although she is a puppy, she has a calm nature that makes her appealing to people and other dogs. She is a sweet heart looking for a home.

These two puppies are sisters, the tan one is Jayaa and the black flecked one is Moxie. They are 8 weeks old, cute little bundles. They are very outgoing, cuddly, kissy, and love to play with other dogs of all sizes. Cheeko is their bunkmate!

This boy is Sammi, he isn't really this sorry
looking in real life!! He was born in the shelter
on Sept 11, 2010. He is about 35 pounds and
a really sweet boy that gets along with
everyone.

Chinook is a beautiful little Chow X. She is about 14 week old girl that loves to chew!! Once she gets thru this chewing stage she'll grow to be a welcome member of any family.

Please contact us if you are intersted in any of these awesome dogs. We are also needing foster care for the dogs, we would love to hear from you if you are willing to provide these pups with somewhere warm to wait for their new homes. PDCR provides the vet care, crate, collar, leash, food and bedding for any foster homes that are able to give their love for a short time.

Newbies

2011-02-16T09:44:00.005-07:00

We have a few new fur-bodies that have joined PDCR in the last few days, and there is one on his way from Saskatchewan this weekend.

Introducing:

Dexter

He is a cutie, not yappy, and very cuddly. He is a quiet little guy, likes to lay next to me on the couch. He is also a great friend to dogs of all sizes. He ignores the cats like a good boy. He is a 3 year old Bishon X Shih Tzu, so good for families that may be dealing with allergies.

OVE

This is OVE, pronouced O-Vee. He is a 6 month old Mini Daschund. He is coming this weekend from a family in Saskatchewan. They are surrendering a Pit bull X Mastiff pup named Ru, and also have to surrender this little guy too. Ru and Ove are great friends and are used to other dogs and cats as well. They haven't been around kids as yet, but will be joining my family to learn that kids are great fun and tend to drop tasty tidbits! Ove is coming into PDCR and Ru will be joining the bully listings at Prairie Pit Bull Rescue.

Mitzi

This sweetheart is Mitzi. She is a 3 year old Boxer X. She is all white with a few brown patches on her face. She has long legs and a docked tail. She is perfectly house and crate trained. She is good with other dogs, and kids of all ages. She is a gentle and sensitive soul. She takes any correction, a change in voice tone, very personally and tries so hard never to make her people mad. She is quiet and very well mannered. She loves walks, but like to cuddle even more.

Dexter and Mitzi are currently in Lethbridge, Ove will be joining us on Monday. If you'd like to meet these cuties, please email up soon, they won't last long!!

Happy Mid-February!!

2011-02-11T10:08:00.002-07:00

We are sure you all have been very busy getting over the holidays, and trying to stay warm throughout this horrible cold......and warm melting, we've been going thru.

Since our last post at the beginning of January, lots has happened.......but you wouldn't know that would you as nothing was posted!!

Some have emailed wondering where we are and what is going on, and we'd like to thank you for your support.

Now comes the honesty part :0) PDCR has gone thru many changes in the past two years. Lots of key members have moved on from the rescue, some have moved out of the city, others have had changes to their family.....lots of reasons. In the end though, were left with only five members, three of which were foster homes. Two people were now in charge of all the aspects of running the rescue, and there are many aspects, let me tell you!!

We did try to recruit some new people, attended the U of L volunteer fair, and had 34 students fill out applications to help us with little things such as dog walking, up to the bigger things such as website maintnance and marketing. I guess it was the hype of the fair, but despite our phone calls and emails, not a single student followed thru :( We were really bummed by that.

We have posted ads on kijiji looking for foster homes, drivers, people with marketing interest, but in order to find volunteers, we weren't able to keep up with the returning of about 12 phone calls a day from people looking for help, an average of 4 emails a day from past adopters looking for advise for their dog or to update us on how much they love their dog, emails also from people sending in applications.....then we have to meet with those potential people after usually a half hour phone interview. All this takes time. We also have to continue to support and maintain our foster homes, also takes time.

With only two people running PDCR, and only three foster homes, we aren't able to bring in as many dogs, but we continue trying to help them by finding other rescues in the area that have room to help.....and then arrange transport to get them to those rescues. We spend alot of time driving dogs that normally we would be able to help, to other rescues all over southern Alberta.

That doesn't sound like alot though does it? But all five of us have families and jobs, and the normal pressures that life brings, sickness, stress......the list goes on.

Enough wallowing!! You know what we have been able to do though?!! Last year, from January to December, the small group of us were able to intake, vet, foster, and adopt out 74 dogs!! That makes up for all the times when personally I felt like PDCR was a sinking ship, no helpers, no time, no one to update the blog or website....... We were also able to move an additional 59 dogs to other rescue groups! That means we were able to save 133 dogs!

When you average it out, it is quite surprising that between the five of us, we adopted out just over 6 dogs per month into new homes! As tired and frustrated as we get, that will put a smile on our faces, show us that we are making a difference, even though its small, and will make us continue.

So, we here at PDCR, are so thankful for everyone's support, and understanding after this little glimpse into the inner struggles that we face. With this being said, if you would like to help us out in any way, we are desperate for any help, and have many little things that we aren't able to keep up on....the blog!, and then there are bigger things like helping to put together a much needed adoption fair/fundraiser!! See, I didn't even get into the financial struggles we have!!

We trully love what we do and we'd probably do it all on our own if needed, but we are looking forward to many happy endings during 2011, and hopefully to some new people with exciting ideas to join us.

They are HERE!!

2011-01-05T08:44:00.003-07:00

After many weeks of confusion and frustration, the calendars are here.

You can pick up your copy either at Pet Parade, located at: 220 - 12A St N

Claws and Paws Pet Parlour also has some for sale and they are located at: 1702 - 2 Ave S

If you are on the west side, stop by Park Pet Hospital on Columbia Blvd. for your copy.

Calendars are $20 each, and the $15 for each additional one.

Thanks so much for your support!!

Speaking of names...

2010-12-29T14:00:00.004-07:00

I think we nailed this one the head!!!

This is Poomba, and he reminds my kids of the warthog on the Lion King movie!! What do you think?

Poomba came up to us from the Kalispell Animal Shelter about three weeks ago. We were having such a great time with him, I didn't want to post about him!

He is about 2-3 years old, thought to be a Pekenise X Shih Tzu. He is about 15 pounds and a total turd! He not only has a face only a mother can love, but his personality is something else too. He is quiet and easy going, never causing a stink in the house with the other dogs or the cats.

He gets weird though, when a person tries to play with him, he plays very aggressively and bites really hard! I think there are a few factors in play here though. First, I don't think anyone ever wanted to play with him because of the snaggle teeth hanging out, kinda of a deterant I would think. So, I dont think he ever learned to 'play nice'. Secondly, because his teeth are sticking out, they do tend to 'hook' things.

He loves to play though with toys and will play fetch with you for a bit, but he is really such a happy dog and I personally like to get down and started playing with the little dogs with my hands. Well, I was shocked the first time I did this as Poomba started playing back to me, but then started biting so hard that I was bleeding! I tried it again to see if maybe I was just pissing him off, that he didn't want to play and he was telling me off......No, the same scenario happened again....more blood.

So, Poomba is looking for a home where the people aren't going to be freaking out if this happens, he does come with that warning! He also doesn't have alot of patience for smaller kids, under 5, that run around loudly and might crawl under chairs and approach him rudely. Not many dogs do find that endearing, but again, because of his teeth, he is able to accidently snag clothing.

Hope I didn't paint this poor boy as a monster because he really is a sweetheart that just needs an understanding family. Other then the hard biting during play, he hasn't ever gone at anyone in a scary way. He is very friendly, he wiggles his bum when he's excited, and when I put on my 'dog walking' shoes, he comes over and starts rubbing his face on my shoes and laces as I'm trying to tie them! From there, he'll tip over and give his belly up for a rub before the walk. He is really adorable.

Three Little Girls....Have NAMES!!!

2010-12-27T16:00:00.008-07:00

Thanks Marlene for getting me started on the path to these great names, it was all due to your name, Fizz. Read below for the pup's names.

We received a phone call from the Pincher Creek SPCA, they were in desperate need for some help as they were receiving dogs into the building....by the litter!

We managed to find a few rescues to help out with dispursing the litters that had no room, and PDCR kept three little Terrier Xs. They are all girls, about 10 weeks old, and from the Brocket area reserve.

We don't know what they are crossed with or how big they will get. That information is a mystery, but their final size will be better guessed at in about 2 weeks, we watch their rate of growth and compare it to other breeds at that age. But again, their true age is also a mystery!! We honestly have to smile and shrug with these cuties!

We can say for certain that they are adorable, full of piss and vinegar and sure to steal three hearts. May we introduce.....the girls.

Told ya they were cute!

The golden girl is the most bold and brave of the three and was the boss and protector.

SODA

This gal is next in bravery and fiestiness. She is the biggest, but content to let the gold one be the boss.

POP

And, the baby, this little one is the smallest and the quietest, in the group that is. They all act totally different when seperated for cuddles and one-on-one play. You can see how we guessed at the Terrier part! This little one has the most fly-aways, the other black and white gal has the same hair but the golden one has 'normal' fuzz, no fly aways at all.

and, FIZZ

There you have them! Sure you all noticed that I never gave names....well, they don't have names!! Nearing the end of the year, after naming over one hundred dogs, my brain is fried!! This is how my brain was operating on the day I got the pups, the only names that came into my head, with the holidays a few days away, were: Turkey, Cranberry, and Gravy!!! Please help by sending us three names, a theme is great too.

They are currently in a foster home with other dogs, cats, and kids. Fresh air is key with these pups, it makes them sleep! I had some parvo pups in my house this past summer, so didn't feel safe just yet to have these babies out in the yard, so they were really loud and crazy in the house, pent up for four days before they were able to move onto the acreage. Foster mom has nothing bad to say about these babes, they are ready for homes!! They are in the house during the day and nights, with outside play time, they also do their business outside too! Smart little babies.

Where are the Calendars?!!

2010-12-23T14:56:00.005-07:00

Well, there has been some delays and miscommunication about the NEED for the calendars. I just came from the printers and have been promised that I can pick them up on Tuesday. So, my most sincere appologies for all that have been patiently waiting, or expecting them for xmas.

We are more then willing to ship out the calendars on our dime to thank for you your continued patience. Please watch the blog on Tuesday as I will be posting as soon as I get them in my hands.

I will be posting tonight about three little cuties that we just got in, puppies! So, keep watch and thanks again for your patience.

Grand Opening!!

2010-12-11T14:29:00.002-07:00

A great gal named Breanne recently opened up Claws & Paws Pet Parlor here in Lethbridge. Its a cute little shop with lots of dog clothes, leash and collars, and beds for sale. You can also get your dog or cat groomed there too.

She is having her grand opening this weekend, and you can get pictures of your pet taken with Santa!! All proceeds from the pictures are going to PDCR, so any support you are willing to give, would be so greatly appreciated.

The address is : 1702 - 2 Ave South, corner blue building, across from Freddies Paints.

There are also about 8 adorable kittens available for adoption at the building, from Taber Adoption Options.

Hot Blondes!!

2010-11-28T14:49:00.006-07:00

We've got two blonde cuties that have been charming their foster homes for the past few weeks.

SKAARLET is a nice and gentle reserve special. She came to PDCR thru the Taber shelter, who took her from the Misty Creek rescue, who had saved her off the reserve. Took two groups to care for her til we had room, and now we get the priviledge to see her off to her final home.

She is about 10 months old, fully vaccinated and spayed. Currently living in an apartment building with a couple of awesome students who have an adorable dog of their own. Skaarlet is playful with other dogs, and shares nicely with them. She is also amazing with small kids, her previous foster home had three kids, 9, 5, and 3. Skaarlet was in a dream when laying on the floor watching TV with the little ones laying on top of her. She is also great off leash, follows her people loyally.

Skaarlet is about 45 pounds, medium sized with medium length hair. Her pictures make her look bigger then she is. She is also almost housetrained, and totally crate trained.

MAGGIE made her debut a few weeks ago, also from the Taber shelter. She was picked up as a very outgoing and kissy stray that the shelter staff thought for sure there would be people out there looking for her.......no one came. This little girl is a belly rub fanatic!! If you make eye contact with her, get down and start sweet talking her, she will flip over within the first minute!

She is a little shaggy dog, about 15 pounds, no idea what breeds are in there. Maggie is currently in a foster home with an older couple and their four little dogs. Two of those dogs are grumps with younger dogs, but Maggie has gotten both of those oldies off their lazy-boys and involved in games of tug, chase, and wrestling. Maggie does shed, but her wirey hair could be left natural, or be shaved. Both these girls would love new homes soon, they have been great additions to their foster homes, but are now ready for something forever.

Wishlist

2010-10-28T16:51:00.005-06:00

We get many calls and emails from great people that would like donate items to the group that we need in the general operation of the group.

I've been taking note of items that we use every day, or on a monthly or yearly basis, and the items compiled into quite the list.

To answer the questions: "How can we help" and "What do you need".......here is the answer.

For the dogs:

All sizes of collars. We do have a bunch of giant ones that we've had for almost three years, but we are in need of small dog sizes and the medium sized ones. Martingale style of collars are the best for us as there is no way a dog can accidently slip out of them and they don't have clips that can break if the dog decided to zig while we zag!

Leashes. All types are used, but we prefer the nylon (no chain leashes please) ones that are 5 or 6 feet long. We also find use for a few 25 foot, or longer, training leads.

Bedding. We have a great lady that provides us with soaker pads from the hospital, but we also get much use out of comforters. Even bath mats are nice and fit perfectly in crates.

Dog Beds. My foster dogs prefer the Costco dog beds which is awesome because they wash up great, and they aren't expensive considering their size. We have also had some homemade foam beds with fun fleece or fabric covers. As long as they are washable, we can get a ton of use out of them.

Crates/Kennels. We use them til the point where they are wiggly and duct taped together! We use wire and hardsided, and find use for all sizes.

and, TOYS, TOYS, TOYS!!

For the Group:

Gas Cards. We do alot of transporting of dogs from shelters within Alberta and Montana. The staff at Triangle gas station on 2A Ave N are big supporters of PDCR and its my favorite place to gas up. They do have GCs and many other stations also have gas cards.

Printer Cartridges. Color and black come in very handy too for all the printing we have to do for each dog. We use the HP 74 and 75 cartridges.

Stamps. Another odd one that I didn't realise we used many stamps until I ran out! We use about two rolls of stamps a year.

And, please note that if we get lots of supplies, they don't get piled up in storage anywhere. We disperse the supplies to other rescue groups that need them.

2010-10-25T12:01:00.003-06:00

Here we go again!! Welcoming in the new year in style with a new PDCR calendar!

Emails were sent out to all adoptive parents just yesterday and we have already recieved about a dozen emails with pictures of 'our' dogs! It is so heartwarming to see the dogs so happy and content in their new families,

If you would like to purchase a calendar, please email us with your name and address if you are out of the Lethbridge area and we'll make sure to get them in the mail before Dec. 15th

Cut off for pictures is November 15th, so hurry!!

There will be a limited amount of calendars printed, so please pre-order.

**oh, and we went with a different printing company this year, so there will be the correct amount of days in each month (anyone notice that Feb had 31 days?!) and that the long weekend on the calendars actually matches when the long weekend is!!**

Ringo

2010-10-12T15:05:00.003-06:00

We got this little cutie into PDCR on Wednesday. He instantly got a temporary foster home that took him to Calgary for the long weekend, and now he's back in Lethbridge and ready for his debut.

This is RINGO

He is a tiny little guy, his pictures, no matter what angle I take them at, make him look way bigger then he is. I thought of saying that he is the size of a cat, but if you've ever seen my cats, you would again think that Ringo is big! So, I measured him for you. He is 14 inches high, 7 inches thick, 20 inches long, and 14 pounds. Compared to my neighbor's cat, he is just barely bigger then her normal sized kitty.

Speaking of kitties, Ringo loves them and would very much like to wrestle and play hide and seek with a kitty. He is aware of their claws, and stays out of reach, but play bows and tries to entice the kitties to play. Same with other dogs, he is aware of snaps when he is humping them, and will bounce away before they get him! He is getting neutered tomorrow, so the humping should cease soon. He also likes to carry leaves around and show them to visitors!

He is a very calm and very well natured pup. Surprisingly so actually! He was happy to just lay at my feet while we watched TV the other night. He is also very good in his crate, only a few paws at the bars and a few whines, then he relaxes. Ringo is about 8 months old and was dumped out of a car in Coaldale about a month ago.

Ringo is ready for a home with other dogs, cats and kids, he will be happy with some or all of that!

Where was my brain?!

2010-10-03T21:31:00.002-06:00

When I typed the date for the Dog Park, my brain told me that everything was fine and clear for Tuesday night.....not the case! Forgot a very important date.

So, we will be rescheduling the Dog Park for Wednesday, October 6th at 6:00pm. Location stays the same, Gyro Park, on the corner of 16th Street and 10A Ave South.

I've also just received some great new pictures of Tubby from her foster home, and a new write up on K-Lee. So, check back soon as I will be posting those updates very shortly.

FALL IS HERE!

2010-10-02T13:21:00.009-06:00

Can you believe all the leaves on the ground?!! I love the colors and the crispness to the air (is that a word?). Hope everyone had a good summer.

We have some great dogs that are available for new homes now. They are nice and mature ones that are going to be super easy to introduce to any home. They will be the dogs that you always thought you had in your house. No assembly required with these ones!

First up is feisty K-Lee. She is a Shepherd X, and she is 7 years old.

She has always been an outside dog and would do good in that setting. She is great with other dogs, amazing with people of all ages, and does bark at kitties, but thats all.

She loves to lay around the yard in the sun, bark when there is a reason, and will give you a good game of fetch if you are willing.

Tysen is K-Lee's brother

He is 6 years old and is a Black Lab X. He is wonderful. A gentle, quiet, loving soul. He is a bit taller then his sister but like her, he is a great medium size.

Tysen doesn't understand the changes that have happened and took a bit longer to come around to the foster home. With K-Lee around to help him, he has done just great. He too has been an outside dog for his whole life. With a little adjustment and patience, both dogs could become house dogs, they just aren't used to the heat and floors in a home right now, so tend to pant and whine and ask to go back outside.

Both dogs are from a very loving home that due to a very sick little boy had to surrender their dogs. They don't have to go to the same home but Tysen would love to live with another dog, and K-Lee would too, but if she would be the only one for all the attention, she would be just as happy. Both dogs are very easy to please, and still have energy for long or short walks, cuddling in the evenings, and the occasional off leash run with a game of fetch. They aren't 'OLD'!!

Tubby is our third, low maintenance addition. She is about 5 years old and a small medium sized gal. She is, as her name implies, a bit on the chunky side, but her little rolls match her spunky little personality to a T. Tubby is from the Kalispell Animal Shelter and was one of over 20 black dogs sitting in a cage. She didn't really stand out for me, but she did everything she could to make herself noticed! She has the cutest little face, its pointy and very smiley all the time. Her ears still don't know what they are doing and are in a different position every day. Then, there is her dance, its the most endearing thing she does. Our vet saw her do it and couldn't believe she hasn't broken a hip!!

She is very well mannered in the house, gets along with the kids and visitors, she is very welcoming to all. She is good with the other dogs and will snuggle on the dogs bed or the couch if there is room. She is good with the cats too, interested, but ignores them for the most part.

She recently spent two weeks with a past-adopter who watched her while I was away. Tubby had a great time and proved herself to be able to learn new things almost daily, and also was great off leash around the farm, took time to chase mice but was never far from the house.

(Tubby is the black one, next to Max who was adopted from PDCR just over a year ago)

So, you've been introduced with the write ups and pictures, wanna meet them? Well, you're in luck! We are going to have these awesome pups at Gyro Park on Tuesday, Oct 5th at 6pm.

Cute and Cuddly

2010-09-02T17:21:00.007-06:00

Yes, its a KITTEN!!

I am always drawn to the animal shelter in Claresholm and have vowed that when my two old boy cats pass away, I will adopt an old boy cat from this shelter. I stop in every time I travel to Calgary which led me bring Sylvie home!

Sylvie was found as a stray, she was only about 4 weeks old. Baby kittens have weak immune systems and they are prone to pick up any little virus that is buzzing around a shelter setting. I looked at this poor little baby, screaming at me thru the bars, and thought that she might not have a good chance at staying healthy. Home she came!

My family agreed to foster her for the shelter until she is a little bit older, and then she'll go back to Claresholm and be adopted out thru their adoption program, but I thought that it wouldn't hurt putting her on the blog here and maybe someone locally will fall in love with this sweet little girl and will want to adopt her. She came home when she was about 4 weeks old, that was two weeks ago. She is going for a checkup and shots tomorrow afternoon, and would be ready for a home in just a few days.

Sylvie is amazing with the kids, stalks them and pounces on their legs! She tussles for a good hour with our little foster puppy, then they go onto the dog bed for a nap. She is also respectful of my two old boys, when they growl, she walks away looking for the puppy or the kids. Her little purr machine is very cute, was sputtery in the beginning, but now that she is used to using it, it rumbles perfectly.

Wanna take her home? Email us at: prairiedogcaninerescue@hotmail.com

OKI DOKIE

2010-08-24T11:26:00.004-06:00

We have a new cutie in the group this week, just got here a few minutes ago. Her name is OKI, and she is about 3.5 months old.

As her appearance might suggest to those that are familiar with reserve pups, yes, you would be right. She is from the Cardston Reserve. A lovely lady found her scrounging for food at the dump and brought her home. She got a much needed bath,

a lazy day in the sun,

and now she is ready for a home!

She is a typical pup, which means work! She will need some help in the house training area as she hasn't even been in a house up til this point. Oki promises that she is very smart and that she will catch on to that very quickly. She is out in the yard now playing with my dog Ivy and another foster, Bruno, she is happy with the company and is playful and polite with them.

Oki is also in need of a foster home to hold onto her for a the next little while until a home comes to adopt her. If you would be willing, PDCR provides all our foster homes with food, bedding, crate, dishes, and leash and collar for your foster dog. Please call us at 403-795-2599 if you would be interested in giving Oki a temporary or permanent home.

The Weather

2010-08-13T12:53:00.000-06:00

What is it going to do next? Almost scary to think about that.

We are still planning to have the Dogs in the Park tomorrow at Gyro Park from 1 - 4. If there is a downpour that doesn't end by 12:30, it will be postponed. If its a light drizzle, we'll still be out there. Don't mind the damp dog smell!

Hope to see you all there.

Come find out......

2010-08-11T18:28:00.010-06:00

.......About our great new dogs in need of new homes.

We've adopted out ALL our dogs in the past week, can you believe that?!! Its a weird feeling, but nice as lots of our foster homes are still away on holidays. Its been extra nice because we haven't had alot of calls/emails from people/rescues asking for help with dogs either.

Then, got a few calls within a few days of each other of course, and now we have three new intakes and two in the wings, waiting for a foster home.

We took in Sophie after she served a three week sentance in the Coaldale shelter for being 'lost in public'. Her owners never came to take her home, so she joined PDCR yesterday and Bernice, her foster mom, says she gets along wonderfully with their little dogs, no messes in the house, no barking in the yard, the perfect older dog who just wants a pair of feet to lay by. Sophie is about 6 years old, and is a Heeler mix.

**Its not the greatest picture, foster mom says she is a smaller medium sized dog, about 35 pounds?**

Bruno was a PDCR puppy whose owners had some difficulties recently and have had to surrender Bruno back. We couldn't be happier to see him again, get to know him, and help him find a new home. Heres a picture of him before,

and now.

He grew up so nicely, can't wait to match him to a great home again.

Now, for another frustrating call!! A staff member from a vet clinic called me this afternoon saying that a lady was there wanting to put her old dog to sleep. The vet had checked the dog out, and had a bad feeling about ending his life just because of his age. He checked out quite healthy in fact, for being 13!! Mitch is now safe with PDCR and eager to have some kids in his life again, to make his golden years shine.

Mitch is said to be a Bearded Collie X......but I can't see that at all and not knowing that part, I would have labelled him more along the lines of a Sheltie X. Either way, he is cute, he's old, and just plain cute!

(Pictures of Mitch will be up tomorrow, not able to download tonight.)

**We have two older dogs waiting to come into PDCR, and then of course waiting for a new home. The family contacted us with alot of emotion as they in no way want to part with their dogs. A very sick son and living part time at the Children's Hospital have made 'normal' life, not so normal for them as a couple, as a family, nevermind as pet owners. It is a very sad thing as these people absolutely love their dogs and it shows.

The dogs are K-Leeand Tysen
They are medium sized mixed breeds. K-Lee is a Shep X Lab and Tysen is a Black Lab X. They are 8 and 7 respectively. Both are loved family members and deserve to have a new home to keep them together for the rest of their lives. Are you that home?

Please come on out on Saturday for the Dogs in the Park meet. To be held at Gyro Park, located on the corner of 16th Street and 10 A Ave South. We'll be out there from 1 - 4. Hope to see you there.

Lots of people ask to donate items that we need. Normally we don't need much, toys and treats, and chewies are always welcome. But, with the new senior dogs that we've taken in, we find ourselves in need of senior food (kibbles), soft beds/old comforters, and things like that. If you would like to donate a bag of food, Mitch in particular is in need of corn-free kibble as he is allergic to corn.

A Park Day!!

2010-07-28T14:32:00.001-06:00

SAVE THE DATE!

Its not right away as lots of our volunteers are still away, but we've set the date as:

Saturday, August 14th

at Gyro Park

from 1 - 4

Its going to be bigger then the normal park days that we have, but not as involved as an Adoption Fair.

More details will be posted as we get confirmation.

Hope to see you all there!

Jackass!!

2010-07-24T14:20:00.003-06:00

Two posts in one day!

This one just had to be posted, and sorry for the swear, but you'll agree once you read about what happened today.

Torri is one of the gals that works at Park Pet Hospital, and recent adopter of Sasha, a beautiful Pit Bull from Prairie Pit Bull Rescue. I just had to brag!!

Enough about that! She was out by Costco this afternoon and called me saying that they had found a dog in the parking lot.

Its one thing to find a dog in a parking lot, its another thing to see a rope attached to that dog, and quite another thing to have a note attached to that rope! A note? Yeah, that was my question too. Torri brought the dog to my house and sure enough, there is a note:

(says, 'Free to goo home, had puppy shots, I am good with kids')

This adorable little dog was attached to the rope and note:

She is about 9 months old, about 25 pounds, a Heeler X and she is so cute and petite. She smells like manure, and is very used to kids, my guess is she is a reserve/farm/colony dog that someone didn't have the balls to ask for help with. Instead, they let her loose in a parking lot, a couple hundred feet from the highway, in plus 30 degree heat. Needless to say, she stood right under my sprinkler's spray and tried to catch water drops out of the air, and was licking the grass for the water.

She isn't going to be a hard dog to adopt out, already she is content to just sit on my front step, watching the kids in the sprinkler. She hasn't been on a leash at all, so a little help there, and probably some house manners to learn and this girl is going to be a dream. If you are interested in meeting her, or fostering her, please contact us.

We're Back!

2010-07-23T13:00:00.011-06:00

When summer comes, it really hard to find half the volunteers to 'hold the fort' while the other half go away! Turned out, most of the PDCR gang was going away for the same three weeks of July, so we took a hiatus!

We are all back, we have some dogs that we've had for a bit now, still looking for a home, and we've also take in some fantastic dogs recently too.

Here they are:

SLY (a.k.a. Bones)

Still here since mid June. He is a wonderful dog for a family. He craves the attention of his people, and doesn't like to spend time alone. He is great to walk, fantastic player with other dogs and doesn't mind cats either. He is a Golden Retriever X Pointer. He is neutered, vaccinated, chipped and ready to go!!

Remember Heartley?

He certainly doesn't look like a puppy anymore!

Heartley's name was changed to Hershey when he was adopted by a wonderful family about a year and a half ago. They has some allergies to deal with when they took him home, but they were determined to keep him and things all worked out. Then, they were transferred thru the hubby's work and weren't able to find a place that would accept Hershey. His family was devestated and tears were shed when they brought him back to PDCR.
(here he is, mid-shake, thought it was cute)

Hershey is an amazing dog! His family did such a great job with him, he is housetrained, cratetrained, quiet as a mouse, playful, but relaxed, and he never demands a thing. He is patient and accomodating with young kids, playful with dogs, also loves to sun himself for hours on the deck. Absolutely the easiest dog you will ever own. He too is ready to go!

ORIE
Look at the hair!! Yes, he is an Old English Sheepdog. Orie is just 3.5 years old, neutered and also ready to go. His owner too was transferred because of work. Orie too has been wonderfully trained and loved so much by his dad. Orie is calm and mild, loves to lounge around the house. He plays with other playful dogs, but will hide behind you if a really bouncy dog approaches! He is such a sweetie. He watches the cats with interest, and watches over the kids when they are outside running around, or laying on the bed reading a book.

KUDOS

This cutie was adopted at the Adoption Fair in June, but due to extreme allergies by the owner, Kudos was returned. She is so easy going and friendly to all, it didn't faze her at all. Kudos is a Bassett Hound X Beagle X Pit Bull. She is lazy, has little bursts of energy, house trained and crate trained, perfectly mannered in the house and yard, and great with other dogs and cats. Her foster home has three kids under the age of 10 that Kudos loves. She is a little dog, under knee height, but weighs about 40 pounds. She loves the outdoors and is great off leash. Kudos is ready to go.

JENNI

Look at this little dear! She is a one year old Bishon X Shih Tzu. She was surrendered to us because, in the words of her owner: "she is dumb". Apparently, natural puppy behavior, in comparison to their older and more mature dog, made her dumb, and they didn't want her anymore. Jenni had been exposed to many little kids in that home, from newborn to 17 years old. That is about all she was exposed to apparently. She now knows about car rides and how to walk good on the leash. She really is such a sweet little girl, super smart, catching on to new things with ease. Adopt her today!

Winona

(its a crappy picture, the foster home is trying to locate her camera! and will send in new pictures soon)

This momma dog is learning so much in her foster home. Her foster sister, Kudos is teaching her house manners and what is appropriate to chew on! Winona was found on the reserve with her litter of ten pups. Some of the babies were swept away by the raising water level of the river that she lived by. The rest of the babies and Winona were saved and brought into rescue. She is a Lab X, about 18 months - 2 years old. Being a reserve dog, she had lots to learn about living indoors, she fought the rules for a bit :), but has been doing very well for the last few weeks. She is a medium sized dog that is good with cats, dogs and small kids.

We are planning another dog day in the park, hopefully for the near future, these dogs need to be seen! We'll post the day and time soon. Hope everyone is having a great summer.

Why?!

2010-06-24T22:03:00.004-06:00

Why has it been almost a week since a post, especially right after an adoption fair?!!

Well, a few reasons, including doing nothing after sleeping in on Sunday, many applications and adoptions to follow up on, and then I was struck with a cold straight out of hell!!

Everything is working itself out now and I seem to be back to my own personal version of normal! So, the question of the week....how much was raised and how many dogs were adopted? PDCR was able to raise $1965 dollars from the Fundraiser!! And, we had many adoptions including:

Daisy, our little MinPin with an attitude. She was the first to go to a wonderful couple with a hubby that is retired and loves taking Daisy, now Lily, along on his daily power walks.

Patches, gentleman of a dog. He found a home with a very sweet older couple who are spoiling him already.

Charlie, this dog was a surprise! Rod, the bylaw officer from Coaldale sent me a picture of a stray that he had picked up and the picture showed a Shepherd type dog, medium size, and a nice tan/brown color. The morning of the adoption fair, when Charlie arrived, he didn't quite live up to the picture in my head! He bounded out of the car on legs only a few inches long!! Another shorty dog. We all loved him right away, so did Jody, his new mom.

Johnny was next. Sweet, shy little man mustered up all his boldness at the fair and it paid off. His foster home Karlee, had to muster up boldness too, she almost failed with this boy!

Slick led the adoptions in the afternoon. A great couple who appeared to be a very active couple snatched up this sleek boy and I am sure they are glad they have him.

Radar was also a new boy. He was from the Pincher Creek SPCA and he's a 5.5 month old male Reserve Special. He was so adorable and was a total hog in the kiddie pools! He not only soaked up alot of water, he also soaked in the praise and cuddles from a wonderful young man and his mom who were just getting over their lost of their faithful old dog Lijah.

Last to leave was Kudos. Kudos made a long trip up from Oklahoma just a few days before the fair. She was in a Bassett Hound transport destined for the Calgary Bassett rescue, but she also has some Beagle and PitBull in her blood, so she ditched those floppy eared dogs and came to Lethbridge and settled in with the PDCR gang. She is in a great home with a very nice man and his daughter. She must love it, she came from an adoring family with girls close to that same age.

BlackJack is a dog that joined us on the Thursday before the fair. He was on leash for a bit in the afternoon when all the dogs started getting cranky from the long, hot day. Bobbi's mom held onto him and used him to clean her grandaughter's face! He proved to be a very nice dog, and soon another family came to the fair and wanted to meet him. They have taken him on a foster-to-adopt deal and hopefully he will get to stay there, we will find out soon.

Sprite is also a new gal in PDCR. She was born in a rescue in Montana, and she was the shy puppy that was left til last, and then she eventually turned two in her foster home! We thought that we could show her a bit more of the world, introduce her to new dogs and people, and hopefully find a new home for this sweetheart. She is a medium sized dog that is sensitive and a bit shy, but very gentle and loving.

Rollo, Sly, and Winona were also new pups that weekend. Rollo is a PitBull X and is a total doll, got along great with all the other dogs at the fair, and absolutely adores people. He moved onto Medicine Hat into the Prairie PitBull Rescue group.

Sly came up with BlackJack and Rollo too from the Kalispell shelter. He is about 18 months old, and best guess would be Retriever X Pointer? He is tall and gangly, but not huge. He happy go lucky and a very nice dog that just needs those finishing touches from a home of his own.

Winona is a sweetheart that took the hectic day very well. She was found out on the reserve with her 12 puppies. She was found when campers by the lake heard a dog barking frantically. After locating Winona, they realised that some of her pups had fallen into the lake below. They helped grab the 6 week old pups that were scrambling at the side of the coulee, but they couldn't save two of the little babies. Winona was clearly upset and distraught by the incident but accepted the help of the rescuers and was taken to Misty Creek Rescue.

Winona was moved into PDCR a few weeks after, to help her now get over losing her pups for the last and final time. The pups were all taken into Calgary foster homes and Winona came to us. She has proved to be a wonderful dog. She is in a foster home with three kids, two cats and a small dog. She is learning quickly about house life and is hoping a new home comes for her soon. She is about 2 years old, medium sized and is a Black Lab X.

(Pictures of Winona will be posted here soon)

So, there you have it folks!! We had a great day, thanks to all our supports that donated items to the raffle table, to the foster homes who put so much time and love into your foster dog, and to the volunteers that came out for the day and did such a great job.

Volunteers!!!

2010-06-13T12:20:00.003-06:00

I would like to thanks all the people who called and emailed into PDCR saying they would like to volunteer at the Adoption Fair coming up in 6 days!!! Its getting close and personally, I am freaking out!!!

Anyways, we would like to invite all the people who would like to volunteer, foster homes, and vendors who rented tables to come out to the site on Wednesday at 7pm for a walk thru, we'd like to put faces to names and assign jobs to the volunteers.

If there is anyone, or a few people, that would like to take on the job of decorating the site for us, that would be great. The decorating can take place the day before too if that works. This would work for those that maybe can't make it on Saturday, but would still like to help. There is also going to be lots going on at the site on Friday evening, so if you'd like to come out to help that evening, all are welcome.

Looking forward to meeting all of you and making this a great day for the dogs.

If you are interested in volunteering but haven't emailed in, don't let that stop you, come on out!!

Address to the site is: 3732 - 6 Ave North. Its really easy to find if you take 43rd, turn at 6th Ave, there is the Versa Cold building on the corner. Storage Town is on your left hand side across from Leth Meat and Seafood. The gate will be open at 7, so just drive right on in.

Slick = Awesome

2010-06-08T23:39:00.004-06:00

This is our new boy on campus. Slick is a Yellow Lab X, with something a bit bigger then a Lab!

You can see that he is cute and knows how to work those eyes and ears to make himself look cuter.

The trick Slick really pulls off well, is being such a good boy. He was found as a stray and ended up in the shelter. He waited politely for his family to come to take him home, but they didn't. The shelter treated him really well and soon, he forgot about his old family and started looking forward to a new one.

Slick is housetrained, crate trained, and is wonderful with other dogs and kids. He is surprisingly gentle and laid back for a 10 month old pup. He will jump up occasionaly, but other then that, he is happy to hang out, take a leisurely walk, or have a game of tug. Slick would be a great addition to any home.

Big Girl

2010-06-07T21:29:00.003-06:00

Adrianna came to us from the Kalispell Animal Shelter. She was originally found as a stray, with her litter of puppies. All the cute little pups got homes really quickly as is the story in rescue, and Adrianna sat there.....and sat there.....in a cage since late December.

I had met her back in February when we first toured the facility and thought she was beautiful. We were finally able to take her into the system, thanks to a willing foster home, and we are so glad to have her.

She is about 2 years old, a female Mastiff X. She is very well behaved, but due to months in the shelter, she is a bit rusty on her manners. She is crate trained and is polite, after the initial bouncing stops. She is good with other dogs and will play with anyone. She is a bit of a bully with other dogs, a pushy player, but soon wins them over with her antics. She also loves to play with people, she will play tug and fetch for hours.

More details on Adrianna to come in the next week as we get to know her better.

2010-05-31T19:53:00.008-06:00

We only have three little cuties in the group right now, and they are as follows:

SADIE

Cute as a button. You may recognise her as Sera from a few weeks ago. She was on a trial visit with a wonderful couple that loved her so much and were so good to her, helped her come out of her little shell. Circumstance beyond their control made them have to bring her back this evening. She is still adorable, just with a bit more confidence. They were full time workers, Sadie was so good, they let her have free roam of the house while they were away, she is a little cuddle bug, great with all people, cats and other dogs. She is about 3 years old and a Chihuahua X Daschund. (Oh, she responded much better to Sadie, hence the name change)

Little Man Johnny

He is still here! Don't know why, been on the blog, Petfinder, in the Herald, all the usual home-finding spots, and nothing. He too is a Daschund X Chihuahua, and is now about 8 months old. He loves other dogs and really comes out of his shell with another dog to take the lead. He spent the first 7 months of his life in a lonely, dark basement, so he has had quite the adjustments to make. He now knows that people aren't scary, they will feed him, take him for walks to visit other dogs, and they will let him curl up beside them on the couch at night. He too is great with kids and cats, and really would love another dog in his new home.

Patches

He knows how to work those eyes, let me tell you! Patches is 3 years old and is the newbie. He is a Bishon X Shih Tzu. He is very quiet, in fact his foster home has never heard a peep from this little guy. He is house trained, will curl up on the couch beside you as well, good little player with toys and kids. Doesn't bother with the cats either, good boy.

Daisy

She is still here too! Daisy is a diva, plain and simple. She is a 3 year old MinPin. Her foster home commented that she has made huge improvements in the house training area for the last few weeks. She is super outgoing, loves her people and is very loyal. Gets along with other dogs of all sizes and cats too. Kids are her favorite, but they need to know that she is delicate and can't be wrestled with. A good game of tug with a small toy will make her so happy. Sleeping on your bed is also a must with this princess.

Countdown!!

2010-05-19T13:33:00.007-06:00

For everyone anxiously awaiting another Dog Adoption Fair and Fundraiser Extravaganza, here you are:

Saturday, June 19th from 10 - 4

That is one month away!

Activities planned: Bake Sale, Plant Sale, Face Painting for the kids, Puppies to cuddle, BBQ for lunch, prize table, door prizes, and much more.

**Uplands Vet Clinic will be on hand that day too, to provide the public with a walk-in microchipping clinic, cost is $30, all proceeds to PDCR.

Oh yeah, of course, there will be dogs! We have volunteers and dogs coming from our own group PDCR, also from Windy City Canine Rescue, Prairie Pit Bull Rescue and Taber Adoption Options will also be bringing dog and a few cats that are looking for new homes too.

If you are thinking of doing some baking, or needing to thin out your flower beds, or would like to come and volunteer for the day, please call 403-795-2599 to let us know, we are looking for about 12 volunteers for that day. If you would like to rent a table to show off your crafts for the day, call or email us at prairiedogcaninerescue@hotmail.com to set that up.

It will be held at the same location as our freezing cold adoption fair back in December, Storage Town, located at 3732 - 6 Ave North.

Flyers advertising the day will be going up around Leth, Taber, Medicine Hat, Claresholm, and Fort MacLeod this weekend, if you live in a small town around this area and wouldn't mind putting up a few posters, please email us and we'll get you some copies of the poster.

Thanks, and looking forward to seeing many previously adopted dogs come out to say hi, and looking forward to having lots of dogs get adopted that day too.

Knucklehead

2010-05-17T09:08:00.006-06:00

We have a great dog in out system right now, his name is Joker. He was turned into a shelter in Montana by his owner that couldn't keep him any longer due to a move.

Joker is an awesome dog, very trainable, motivated by anything, loves belly rubs and is just all around a great dog to have with a family. He is a Black Lab X Pit Bull, about 2 years old, has never met a stranger, and LOVES his tennis balls!

Joker is great with all other dogs that he meets, would be great to go to the off leash parks to meet some new friends. He is good with kids, sometimes will not look where he is going and walk right into them, but then makes up for the collision by giving kisses. He isn't great on leash, but that is something that can be worked on and corrected without alot of work.

As I mentioned, Joker loves his tennis ball. He is all Lab when it comes to the tennis balls and his favorite game, fetch. Not only does he love to go get the ball, he is one of those dogs that you don't even have to ask him to 'drop it', he will very energetically drop the ball right into your lap for another throw. He is easily entertained with it. You can turn him 'off' from the ball simply by hiding it, and then he will mope around the house looking for it for a while, then decide its time for a nap and crash on the dog bed.

He is your typicall knuckhead type of dog, goofy and lovable. He has a wonderfully giant head! Please consider Joker for your family, he would so love to be a part of it.

Ankle Biters?!!

2010-05-14T18:36:00.009-06:00

NEVER!! We have some of the cutest small dogs in our system right now, can't see any of them sticking around for more then the weekend!!

Introducing: DAISY

She is wild and crazy Miniture Pincher. Daisy should be called Dizzy, as she hops and jumps around at speeds you've never seen before. She is from the Kalispell shelter and we think she was taken there because she isn't 100% house trained. Her foster home has been working very hard on this and is please to announce that in only 5 days, Daisy is about 30%!! Daisy needs some more patience and consistancy. She adores the kids and will sleep happily in her crate, or on the bed. (8 pounds, 3 years old)

KIKI

I personally am very attached to this little one. She adores people, she is gentle, kind, and loves to give kisses. She is thought to be a Sheltie X, she does shed, but her coat is very managable with just a combing every couple of days. She lounges around the house while we are away, never makes a mess, is very happy when we return and looks forward to a quick jaunt in the park and then cuddles while watching TV. (15 pounds, 2 years)

Now, come the Chi - Weenies!

JOHNNY

This little devil is about 7 months old. He is a bit shy of new people, but then he just can't bare to see a space on the couch that isn't taken. He will jump right up and lay beside you for belly rubs. He too isn't 100% house trained, for his first 7 months, he was kept in a dark basement with owners that didn't play with him, nevermind teach him anything. He is coming along very well and is cute too!! (10 pounds, 7 months)

SERA

Precious little soul. Sera came from the same small-town shelter as Johnny. When they met at my house, Johnny went nuts, whinning and crying to the point where I really do think they know each other, they may even be mother and son. They are very bonded, right away, and Johnny is much more outgoing with Sera around. She is about 2 1/2 years old. She too is somewhat shy at the beginning and stands as still as a statue, but eventually will move in for cuddles, and a belly rub. (12 pounds, 2.5 years)

They are all the best of friends too, so if you can't decide on one, take all four!!

Dog Park LineUp

2010-05-07T17:40:00.007-06:00

We are gearing up for another eventful Dog Park tomorrow afternoon. Thought we'd let you have a sneak peek at the new dogs we have in the group.

MAX came to us last weekend, his foster home says he is a fantastic dog, happy with all people, likes to lay around the house and go for walks. He is a 5 year old Bishon X Shih Tzu.

KIKI is a dear. She is mellow, gentle, quiet and very lovable. She is about 2 years old, and is a Sheltie X.

JOKER is a wonderfully happy young Black Lab X Pit Bull. He is about 18 months old, house and crate trained and gets along with all people and other dogs.

SOL is also a fantastic dog. He is a 4 year old Weimeraner. He is used to kids and other dogs. He is very well behaved and knows some tricks.

TOMMY is still here! His sister Stella found a great home at the last dog park a few weeks ago, but Tommy is still waiting for that special family to come adopt him. He is about 2 years old and thought to be a Bulldog X Cairn Terrier.

JASPER is also debuting at the park tomorrow. He came in a few weeks ago with his brother Joey. Jasper is still waiting for a home to call his own. He is a very well mannered young Beagle X, about 6 months old.

**ADOPTED!!**

and, little JOHNNY will also be showing himself off. He is a 7 month old Daschund X Chihuahua. He is a little on the shy side but will become your shadow within minutes.

We all hope to see you out there!

2 - 4pm at Gyro Park, on 10A Ave and 16 Str South

**(PS: If it is raining at 1:30, the park day will be postponed)**

MAX

2010-05-04T19:55:00.007-06:00

Here is a new cutie. Meet Max

Max is a 5 year old male Bishon X Shih Tzu that is looking for a home. He grew up in a home with three young boys that he loved very much. He is great with other dogs, in a foster home with a Schnauzer named Tonka. They are getting along very well.

His foster mom says he is a joy to have around. Was very stressed for the first day, waiting quietly by the front door for his family to come get him, but then decided to get on with his life and has really come out of his shell. He is a great little housedog, not destructive and has never made a mess in the house.

On another note, has anyone noticed that we only have smaller male dogs in our group right now?!! We also took in a cute little male Chihuahua X Dashund that is 7 months old. He just got to my place this afternoon. I will post more tomorrow about little Johnny.

Benni....The Hairy Beast

2010-04-30T20:28:00.003-06:00

Just look at him!!

Benni was found wandering a pretty remote area of southern Alberta. He tried warming up at a farm, but his playfullness with the cows almost got him shot! A neighbor down the road took him in and in a few days brought him into PDCR.

He is probably a cross between and Shih Tzu and a Pomeranian. He is about 15 pounds, has a cute underbite and deep brown eyes, his coat is very, very thick and fluffy underneath and coarse and straight on top. Benni does shed, but with regular grooming would be very easy to maintain.

Benni is very playful and always on the go with his foster sisters. He loves to rip around the house in a game of tag in the morning, lay out in the sun in the afternoon, and then settles down for cuddles on the couch in the evenings. Benni is really good with kids of all ages, and does really well with female dogs. His brain doesn't know he is neutered yet, so he still thinks the babes are all his and he needs to protect them!

He is adorable and very outgoing. He is very cute too. I had him for an afternoon and took a ton of pictures, but you can see only two pictures turned out, the rest were a total blur. The two that worked, you can see, are almost the same. But, they show off his best sides, the right, and the left!

Soleful Eyes

2010-04-16T22:40:00.006-06:00

I have to say that Beagle eyes are in the top ten of the cutest of animal eyes. Jersey cow eyes are right up there too, but this post is about the Beagle Boys.

We got a call about two puppies that were found wandering around a ditch outside of Nobleford. They were brought in and turned over to PDCR. They are Beagle X pups, both boys, and they are totally cute. Jasper is the biggest one, he is bold and leads the pack. Joey is the timid and cuddly one. Here they are:

This picture makes them look ALOT bigger then they actually are. Jasper, shown below is the bigger of the two boys, he is 16.9 pounds, and if it weren't for him visibly being the bigger boy, you would have a hard time telling the two apart. Here is Jasper.

And, little Joey is so cute, he is timid but tries so hard to be brave. He loves when you close your eyes and let him 'sneak' up on you. You feel his little sniffs on your eyelids and if you open your eyes slowly, you will see him melting onto the floor, belly up, just oozing cuteness. He has come around alot in the last day even, his big brother went to another foster home so Joey has had my kid's attention and two momma dogs in the house giving him much needed reassurance. Here is Joey.

In the last picture you can see that Joey has wedged himself in between Ivy and Rosie, both dogs that had puppies shortly before coming into rescue, they are so patient and kind to him. They are teaching him how to play with toys. Right now, his favorite toy is an empty water bottle, so easy to please!

Joey is 14.4 pounds and has a slightly different texture of hair then Jasper. We aren't at all sure what makes these little boys up, other then the cute Beagle heads. They are about full grown too, I was suprized to find out they are about 5 months old already. They are no bigger then my cat, they actually weigh less then both of my big cats! Anyways, lets try to get these cuties into homes really soon, they are adorable and so needing a family to love them and spoil them.

Here is a 'see you soon' wink from Jasper.

**Want to mention quickly about Rosie, she is a wonderful PitBull available thru the Prairie Pit Bull Rescue. She is wonderfully kind and well mannered with people, small kids, other dogs and cats. If you are interested, please visit: http://www.prairiepitbullrescue.com/ She's been my foster dog for a week now and we can't get over how good she is, and super lazy! Have a good weekend everyone!

Park Day!!

2010-04-08T22:08:00.013-06:00

We are inviting all to attend our Day in the Park, this Saturday from 2-4. We have met a handful of times at the park and have had a great turn out every time. We have so many new dogs in the group, just can't wait for you all to meet them. Thought I would give a quick write up on all of them and if you want to hear more, come by on Saturday.

Rodents of Unusual Size!!

Any Princess Bride fans out there? These two scruffy critters came to us yesterday from the animal shelter in Kalispell. They were both found wandering around, and no one came to claim them. They are stout little dogs, about 35 pounds, but not even knee high! They are about 18 months - 2 yrs old, house trained, good with other dogs and people of all ages. Here is the male:

ADOPTION PENDING!!!

and the shyer female:

they don't have names yet as nothing 'normal' seems to fit. If you come out to the park, please give us ideas!!

Sunny Disposition

That is Bronco. He too was found in Kalispell, and although they had high hopes that an owner would show up to take him home, that person didn't show. Bronco is a Boxer X, about 9 months old. He is very playful with other dogs, always looking for cuddles, but also really well mannered in the house and is happy to lay around. Someone did teach Bronco the basics and he is ready to join just about any type of home, he is very good with kids too.

AWWW....ADOPTED!!!!

That is Lady. She is thought to be a Cavalier Spaniel or maybe Tibetan Spaniel X. She was seen wandering around the west side of Lethbridge for almost a week before she chose a family. That family wasn't planning on the role as her chossen family, so they called us. She is a very welcome member of any household, very smart, loves a good game of tug and will let you know when someone knocks at the door. She is about 9 months old, about 15lbs and has a very low-maintnance coat.

Jewels.......ADOPTED!!!!

This little lady is a very well mannered and polite dog. She came to us from the Cardston shelter, probably a reserve dog that wandered into town. She is a very nice medium sized dog, about 50 pounds, and is a Black Lab X. She is maybe a year old, house trained, great player with other dogs, and gets along with all people.

Libby........ADOPTED!!!!!!

Oh, poor Libby. She has had some interest, even a couple of sleep overs, but hasn't clicked with that special home just yet. She is now about 6 months old, meaning we've had her with us for 3 months!! She has blossomed into a beautiful and smart little girl. She hasn't gotten near as big as we thought she would either.

Mandy.......ADOPTED!!!!!

This little girl is so cute. If she happens to catch your eye while lounging on the couch, she will flip over and give you a look that will make you get up and give her a tummy rub. She is a Yorkie X Shih Tzu, about 6 years old and really sweet. She doesn't get along with all dogs, she likes to be the boss, but is wonderful with people and thinks cats are pretty cool too.

Forgot about TANK!! He is still with us, hoping to meet a great family that need a couch warmer! Just look at his face, he is so cute.

ADOPTION PENDING!!!!!

And, last comes the Wookie! Benni is a hairy beast!

He is a wild and crazy dog, will leap straight up in the air when he is excited and gives cute grumbles when trying to get your attention. He is very much in love with all the pretty girls dogs at his foster home and enjoys fast games of chase with them around the yard. He really needs a shave, but we wanted to post these pictures before that happens, as he'll probably look totally different once he is shaved. He does shed and is thought to be a Pomeranian X Shih Tzu.

SEE! Told you there was a bunch of new ones! They are all really great dogs, all deserving of another chance to shine in a new home. Come out to see us on Saturday at Gyro Park. located on the corner of 16th street and 10A ave South. We'll be out from 2-4.

Oh, and forgot to mention that a couple new groups have formed recently in Lethbridge and surrounding area:

Windy City Dog Rescue was created by our very own Bobbi! She is playing a huge role in helping the more mature dogs in our area find new homes, trying to focus on dogs over 6 years of age. She will be at the park showcasing Roxy, a cute Cocker Spaniel in need of a new home.

ADOPTED!!!!!

Prairie Pit Bull Rescue has also became official in the last two months. Specializing in rehoming unwanted Pit Bulls from Southern Alberta and Montana. PDCR has been listing their dogs on Petfinder as getting set up does take time. But soon, they will be on their own, but with our support just like with Windy City. They will be coming into Lethbridge from the Hat on Saturday as well to showcase Tino, a gorgeous PB X Boxer, and Duke a slow old 12 yr old PB who needs a retirement home. They also just took in two PBs from Kalispell, Rosie and Ozzi. Those two are currently in my home and they are fantastic dogs, so loveable and kissy.

ADOPTION PENDING!!!!

See you at the Park

The TANK

2010-03-26T16:03:00.003-06:00

We all love Tank, but his foster mom loves him the best!! Tammy wrote out a great update on how Tank is doing in the foster home and although she isn't in a hurry to see him go, she still hopes that a great home for the big guy is out there.

Straight from the foster home:

Tank is:

Loving, affectionate, layed back with a touch of lazy, excited when you come home at the end of the day, the BEST dog ever.

Tank LOVES:

Kisses, Belly rubs, to be around people, to talk to people, Kids, to be hugged, basking in the sunhine, bones to chew, to play with the kids, play with the cats (when he can catch them), to clean your face, edibles dropped on the floor.

Tank does:

bark when someone is at the door, sometimes growls at new people (but we're working on it), not always listen when told to stay when someone new is at the door, like to lay next to you on the couch, SNORE!!

Tank never:

Messes in the house, gets into stuff, recks anything.

Tank ALWAYS:

Is in a good mood, sleeps with Kyle on his bed, sleeps through the night

That's my Tank!!

Thanks Tammy :)

Singletons

2010-03-18T13:30:00.006-06:00

For whatever reason, it seems that in rescue litters of puppies are picked through leaving no one unaccounted for. However, singleton puppies are often overlooked and grow up in rescue. It never made sense to me, but I have stopped trying to make sense of rescue a long time ago.

Libby is a singleton, currently growing up in rescue. She came from a shelter in Montana. Shelters in the states are a whole different world. It really is a mathematical problem, there are more people in a smaller area of space, which makes for more pet numbers in a small area of space, which inevitably makes more puppies, and crowded shelters. Add these numbers to the recent recession and it equals more dying dogs. We know that this is occurring in our own cities, and mostly we like to help in our own communities, however, in rescue if you scratch my back, I scratch yours, and you never know when you might get itchy. And really who could resist Libby's face??

Shelter life is hard, and Libby is just learning now how to be a dog. She is gaining leash manners, has just figured out what to do with toys, and how to handle stress. She is a typical 5 month old puppy - busy and playful. She loves other dogs and always wants to play, but might be a bit much for smaller or older dogs and young children. Her amazing foster home has also crate and house trained her, and she is very smart and eager to please.

Unfortunately I cannot post typical pictures of sweet piles of puppies sleeping or wrestling with one another. I cannot tell you how she bosses around her brothers and sisters, or is the first out of the bunch to sit, or shake a paw. But I can say Libby is a fantastic puppy who has had a rough start, and desperately wants you to see her, just for her and all she has to offer.

Twig-let, Twigster, whatever you want to call her.

2010-03-17T22:24:00.005-06:00

OK, so posting every day didn't work out too well as we have had some adoptions happen and the number of dogs has gone back down to managable!

We would still like to showcase Twiggy.

She came to us from the Kalispell shelter. She has been with PDCR for a full month now and is getting really anxious for a home of her own.

Twiggy is a wonderfully happy dog, she is fully house trained, loves spending time in her crate, and gets along with most everything!

(In this picture, Twiggy had just had her first full-til-bursting meal in a long time, she isn't pregnant, just bloated!)

She is a little dog, not small, but petite. She is about 40 pounds, but only 16 inches at the shoulder. She loves to nap on her dog bed, or cuddle on the couch. She finally realised what toys were, but instead of tearing them to bits, she cherishes them and carries them around the house.

Twiggy is fantastic with kids. She has been around and proven herself to be gentle with kids as young as 2 years old. She also is indifferent toward cats, as long as they don't run! Who can resist that?!! My own dogs chase my cats if they are outside and decide to run. Its just too much fun.

Keep Twiggy in mind if you are thinking of a laid back yet playful member of your family.

If you think she's a little weird looking, you are right! She has a head, from who knows what breed, maybe Bulldog? Its full of wrinkles :) Everyone who meets her admits that she is much cuter in person!

Thats MR. Couch Potato

2010-03-15T23:57:00.004-06:00

This is Tevez, isn't he handsome?

He came to us from a great family that loved him so much, but due to their son's health issues they had to rehome their dogs. Little Emmy found a home in the first couple of days of joining PDCR, and now Tevez has come in for another chance.

He is very happy and outgoing, once he gets to know you. This big guy is a little shy in new places! But, he has a brave heart and will love you forever.

He is 2 years old, house trained, and a great play buddy for his little Jack Russell foster-sister Lola. His first home had little kids and you can just see his eyes light up when he hears little voices, he is such a gentle dog. He promises to keep your couch warm during the day and will move over, just a bit, to let you join him in the evenings.

He is waiting for you.....

Did you all notice that all the pictures are of him on the couch?! He really doesn't go far :)

Slackers?!!!

2010-03-14T14:40:00.002-06:00

This week in rescue, we have been absolutely swamped!! We haven't been slacking on the blog, we have honestly been too busy to post anything.

What has been going on? Well, we had a few new dogs join the group just before the park afternoon, and since then, we've been dealing with more intakes, applications, and then the goal...adoptions!

We have some new projects in the works, new ideas to try out, so lots of news will be coming.

I am making it my personal goal to blog about each new dog, one every day for the next week. Stay tuned......

Park Weather!!.....Finally

2010-03-05T14:06:00.005-07:00

Well, there is hardly any snow and ice over at the park anymore. With that, came the thought of getting the dogs and foster homes together again for a meet and greet. As usual, the public is more then welcome to come out to meet the dogs as well.

We will be meeting at Gyro Park, corner of 16th Street and 10A Ave South, on Sunday, March 7th from 3:30-4:30.

Twiggy, Libby, Tank, Brindy and Brutis will be there. We have also had a few new, super cute, dogs join our group: 10-12 week old reserve special, she is adorable. Golden Ret face and body, on short stumpy legs! Thinking of naming her Bunny because when she runs, her back legs hop together! Mandy is a 6yr old female Shih Tzu X that has been an outdoor dog her whole life, we are hoping to give her something a whole lot better. And, a gentleman, Tevez, is coming in today. He is a young adult Rotti. He is wonderful dog from a family with a small dog and small kids.

Bunny

Mandy

Tevez

Hope to see you there.

Little Miss Twiggy

2010-03-02T09:01:00.004-07:00

She was found with a litter of pups and no home. The shelter in Kalispel took her in and started making sure that she got she right care to help her heal and get ready for a new home. This is the first picture they took of her,

You can see she wasn't doing great. Feeding pups, being a pup herself, and because of very poor nutrition, she also developed a skin issue.

She came into the PDCR system three weeks ago and all that have met her are wonderfully surprized with how much cuter she is in person! She is little too, only about 35 pounds and about 18 inches high at the shoulder. Just getting good quality food and lots of love, she has a body covered in new hair in just three weeks.

She is excitable like any other young dog, but she also craves a soft dog bed and a good long afternoon nap. She is great in the house, crate trained, and is just now learning how to play with toys and other dogs. She gets really excited when playing with other dogs and spazzes into rough play quickly, but is learning to stay relaxed and calm when playing. She is good with dogs of all sizes, and cats too. She adores kids and would be a great dog for a family, even with small kids.

Tank

2010-03-01T12:48:00.004-07:00

This large loveable fella is Tank......why Tank you ask, well he is a large loveable guy who is pretty much shock proof!

Tank is a 4 year old Shepard Cross who recently came to us from a Shelter in the USA. He has taken no time at all to warm up a special place in his foster mom's heart, and if not for her husband saying no more, he would not be leaving. As a foster home myself I know they must be very easy going and good dogs if you want to keep them!

Here is what the previous shelter had to say about our Tank.....

"Chunky, loveable Tank, the perfect companion for just about anybody that would like a buddy. He'll flop down and roll over giving you plenty of time to pet, hug and make a fuss, because he knows once you are by his side you won't be able to leave."

Tank if great with cats, dogs and kids, so if you are looking for an all around great guy Tank is your best bet!

Libby Update

2010-02-23T11:29:00.004-07:00

Libby wanted to set out a quick note to everyone to let them know she is doing well and is still patiently awaiting a new home of her own.

She even had her foster mom write a note to everyone to prove she is trying her very best to be a good girly...here is what her foster mom had to say....

"Libby continues to be a great girl in her crate, and happily waits to go in for meals and when I am off to work. She is a busy girl who loves her toys and is almost always carrying something around with her. Her leash work is coming along great and I am happy to say she will wait at the door to ask to go outside for potty breaks. Libby is also becoming a bit more snuggly and enjoys laying at my feet for a nap."

Libby's ideal home would be one with other children and willing to work with her as she is still very much a puppy.

How can you resist a face as cute and this????

Willy

2010-02-19T08:37:00.002-07:00

Meet the newest member of our little gang.....Willy!

Willy is a 2 year old American Eskimo/Pomeranian Cross and was surrendered to us when his owners could no longer care for him.
He is a very happy, outgoing, flirty and adorable little guy and is eager to find a home of his own.

His foster mom says he is quickly learning the rules of the house and is settling in great with the other dogs in the home.

Handsome and.....ADOPTED!!

2010-02-09T22:54:00.008-07:00

We posted about Hoss in the last post. I just had to update it because quite frankly, we are shocked!!

As mentioned, Hoss is only about 10 months old, has been in two homes and has spent a few months in a shelter setting. Dealing with shelter dogs alot in rescue, we tend to know how they are going to come out depending on their age and the length of time they were in the shelter. I honestly wasn't looking forward to getting Hoss. I expected him to be a complete mess, no manners, high energy and generally misbehaved.

As I am typing this, I can't help but look at him and just love him completely! He is currently curled up sleeping soundly in front of the fireplace. This isn't something that I had to command him to do. Quite the opposite happened with we picked him up and brought him home on Sunday. Hoss came into the house and got excited, OH NO! we thought, here he goes!! But, nothing happened, he came in, wagged up a storm, met the dogs, the cats and the kids, then spotted the best thing in his world...a dog bed, a big dog bed, in front of a fireplace!!

He is an absolutely wonderful dog. He is smart, willing to learn, happy, friendly, walks like a dream, doesn't hate his crate, playful with other dogs, calls off the cats very easily and like many big goofy dogs, thinks he is tiny and can 'sneak' up onto the couch! He isn't high energy, wild, or crazy. He is a goofy, gangly pup, but with so much going for him.

Hoss would have a spot in our household forever if I didn't post this and offer him up to a deserving family. I have put in a bunch of pictures that we've taken, but the last one is the best. He wanted to sleep on the bed that Ivy was on, so figured they could share. He is so big, that he ended up sitting right on top of poor Ivy who didn't see it coming! The look on her face is great, she is begging me to put the camera down and 'get this clown off my head!!'

**HOSS got adopted to a great family with another dog named Jayda to keep him company**

We've Got It All!

2010-02-06T19:07:00.020-07:00

We have SO many dogs in the PDCR system right now. We normally post about one or two dogs at a time so each dog gets its day on the blog. The past few weeks has been super busy with rescue, the intake part, that we took in about 12 dogs and have only posted about 4 or 5. They are all phenomenal dogs that are so deserving of new homes, we thought we just had to do a big post about all of them. We hope you will enjoy reading about all of them and will keep them in mind for people who are thinking of adopting, or for yourself too of course. We really do have someting for everyone right now!

THE GIRLS

TIPPY**ADOPTED**

She is a very sweet and unsure young female dog that was picked up as a stray in Cardston. The shelter held her til PDCR was able to take her in. She is doing very well in her foster home. They have kids over 8, a couple of cats and three other dogs that are keeping Tippy company. She is a Shepherd X, about 10 months old. She had her vaccinations, chip, and spay done last week, she is ready to join a new home.

LIBBY

One of our puppies in the PDCR pack right now. She is adorable. I have been fostering her this week and have to say that other then the normal puppy quirks, she is actaully a nicely balanced and well mannered puppy. She is about 16 weeks old now, house trained as much as she can be at this age, loves to go into her crate for bedtime and when we got to work, or when I want to mop my floors without her adding her footprints to the job! She also a Shepherd X, about 55-60 lbs full grown, that came to us from a shelter in Montana.

MAREN

Not that the other dogs are badly behaved, but Maren is honestly the best behaved one in the bunch. She was a stray from the Taber area and came to PDCR from that shelter. She is about 7 months old, spayed, chipped, and vaccinated. She shares her foster home with Moe, a wonderful male Mastiff. She licks his lips all day long and plays for hours with him. She is housetrained and crate trained and a very small medium sized dog, probably only 35 pounds full grown, and because she has the cutest freckles on her face and legs, we are going with Heeler X.

DAKOTA

What a dog. She is a Whippet X Border Collie. She is beautfully athletic and has speed. Flyball and agility would be right up her alley. She was an owner surrender. Her home's fence had boards missing from it and she was just way too bored out there to not take advantage of the escape route, that made her 'bad' and unwanted! She is doing very well in her foster home's securely fenced yard. She is house and crate trained, spayed, vaccinated and chipped.

OPHELIA

What a sweetheart, just look at her face! I was sent a link about her from another volunteer who knew I wouldn't be able to resist helping her! Thanks Bobbi!! So, here is Ophelia, she is about a year old and a PitBull X. A smaller medium sized dog. The picture above is of her just after she was found with a litter of puppies. The picture below is of how she looks now, just a few months later. The shelter was so excited that we would be willing to help with the poor little thing, they say she is very friendly, not very hyper, well mannered and laid back. She hasn't had much of any kind of training, but should soak it up given by a kind person who loves her. She will be officially joining the PDCR pack next weekend and is coming from Kalispell.

BRINDY

She is another new comer. She is a small meduim, approx 40 lbs, female PitBull. She is currently in a foster home with three other dogs and gets along wonderfully with all of them. She is cuddler and will give kisses as long as you want her too! She is crate and house trained and a great all around gal. She has her basic obedience down pat and does roll-over and shake a paw too. She is very eager to please and it would be easy to teach this dog many new tricks.

Think I got all the girls! Now for the boys:

RIDLEY**ADOPTED** and BUSTER

Two little cuties. They are about 9 weeks old now, they are both Black Lab X Husky pups and are doing great in their house and crate training. They love spending lazy days playing in the yard with their foster mom, Simba, a Yellow Lab who mothers them. They have been vaccinated and chipped and we expect them to be medium sized dogs when they are full grown, in around the 60lb mark. They are very curious and after the initial shyness, they will bounce around you begging for attention. Who can resist?

AWWW....... The one on the left is Buster, he is a bit bigger (today) and has more white on his chest. The one on the right is Ridley.

**Ridley is adopted**

HOSS

Look at this boy! He has had quite the life and would love if the ride would just stop so he could get off!! He is only 10 months old and already had more homes then he had hoped for. He was origonally bought out of the back of a pick up truck in a Target parking lot! He was only 6 weeks old. That family had him until is got a bit too big and more of a handfull, as puppies do, so they had made arrangements for one of their friends to take him. That couple had him for under 24 hours and had surrenedered him to the shelter. Their reason was that he had more energy then their Chihuahua, so wasn't going to work out! A shelter worker begged that Hoss be given more time, and then the challenge of finding a group to take him was on. We have taken him in even though we are so full right now, but literally, he had run out of time, and then ran out of the borrowed time.

So, here he is. He is a ball of energy of course, a young and athletic dog who has been stuck in a cage for over 4 months. He needs to blow out alot of energy before we will start on any kind of training. He does know some basic commands and in the one afternoon at his foster home, learned how to sit, come here, and go lay on your mat. He also learned how to use the treadmill which will help a bit in the energy area! He is good with other dogs.

JAZZ

Jazz is one of the nicest 'little' dogs that we've had so far this year. He is so laid back, doesn't care about anything. He loves to fetch a tennis ball and is also a pleasure to walk. He is great with kids of all ages and sizes and loves other dogs and cats too. What more could you ask for? He is 2 years old, a Lhasa Apso X Pekinese that is neutered, vaccinated and chipped. He is about 15 lbs.

BRUTIS

Another Pitti!! We've got a theme happening here. Just look at that color. What a cute little boy. He is in the same shelter as Ophelia and we figured that if we can take another dog for a transport coming up from the States, we should take one more! He was picked up as a stray and no one claimed him. He is young, about 7 months old, the shelter says he is very well mannered, a little love bug who gives what they call 'chocolate kisses', the ones that won't add pounds! They all adore him and can't wait for an update from us saying that he is in a great home where he is loved.

TUCKER

This boy has been with us since before November people!! He is a wonderful dog that so deserves a home. He is about a year old, a neutered, vaccinated, chipped, male, Lab X that knows alot of house manners and is a great adult dog. He loves being a house dog and has come a long way since being found wandering a rural subdivision. He fit into his foster home very well, is now crate and house trained, he sneaks onto the bed at night time for some cuddles, but is polite and goes onto his own bed when asked. He loves bellyrubs, going for walks, and bike rides. He goes to the dog park where he gets along with everyone. Tucker is also joining up to agility classes to see if he has what it takes for that sport! Have fun Tucker.

Last, but certainly not least, another little guy.

Meet WENDEL**ADOPTED**

He too is a very nice, well mannered, happy not yappy, little dog. He is a Yorkie X with something about 12 lbs! He is bigger then a Yorkie but looks like one and has that nice silky hair that Yorkies have. He is a quiet dog that loves to sit beside you on the couch, but also likes a good tussle in the yard with a big dog. He is about 2 years old, neutered, chipped, and vaccinated.

There you have it folks, this is what we've been up to last week! Accepting applications now!

Fostering?

2010-02-03T06:30:00.000-07:00

All of here at PDCR greatly value our foster homes. They show such a willingness to help, display patience in dealing with some of the issues that our dogs come with, and give so much love to their foster dogs.

We average about 12 foster homes, and if you think that each year, we deal with over 100 dogs, those foster homes have about 8 dogs in their care per year, at least.

PDCR has only ever operated with the help of foster homes, and although having a facility might help, we will only ever operate out of foster homes. Why? We have always believed stongly that dogs do so much better in family settings. We are able to get in depth reports from our foster homes on the dog's personality, likes, dislikes, funny quirks, and we also get cute candid pictures of the dogs just hanging out having fun. They are loved, comfortable and learing how to be good house dogs in their foster homes. What would they get if they were sitting in cages? Maybe a few hours of interaction, and a walk or two everyday. Because we personally know each dog in our system, we are able to place our dogs in forever homes knowing that the dog's personality and needs will be met in that home.

Foster homes are key in our work, and we are so thankful for the ones that we have. We are however in need of a few more foster homes. Our current homes go on holiday, have families, and sometimes would like to take a break in between foster dogs, OR, they adopt their foster! That is fine and we are happy, but a limited amount of foster homes, means we have to limit the amount of dogs that we help.

If you would be interested in finding out more about fostering, we are holding a Q & A type meeting for old and new foster homes. The meeting is going to be held this Friday evening at 7pm, if you are interested in stopping by to meet us and find out more, please call: 795-2599 for the address of the meeting.

Active Girl Seeks Loving Family

2010-02-02T08:12:00.004-07:00

This sweet girl is Dakota, an 8 month old Border Collie, Whippet Cross. I think she has the cutest ears yet!

She unfortunately has not had a very good start to life, she was taken in by a family who saw that she was not being treated very well, only to be left in an unsecured yard where she kept escaping. Dakota said she tried to be a good girl but with huge gaps in the fence and missing boards it was just too tempting to go for a run. Due to this the family felt that instead of fixing the fence and keeping her active it was best that she be put down. But we at PDCR felt that she deserved more than this and she came to stay with us for awhile.

Her foster mom says she is a great girl, she loves kids of all ages, playing with dogs of all sizes, and is a real sweetheart to have around. She is now playing in a full fenced yard and they have had no troubles with her trying to escape. She is still very much a puppy so they are working on her manners and sharpening her housetraining skills, but she is a smartie and catching on very quickly. She would do great in an active home where she could have lots of walks or even better yet runs. We also see some great potential in this girl for agility, so if you are looking for an agility dog we have the girl for you.

As with all of our rescue dogs Dakota is spayed, vaccinations up to date, microchipped and comes with 30 days of Pet Insurance.

Dakota is patiently awaiting your applications and is eager to be a member of a loving family.

Are you Worthy?

2010-01-28T00:54:00.009-07:00

Many centuries ago, the Pekinese dog was regarded as a very precious thing to own. They were the favored pet by the Imperial Court in China.

Just a hop away, in Tibet, another breed of dog was the Lhasa Apso. They too were very valued and bred to be interior sentinals of the Buhdist monestaries.

Impressed yet? No? Well, how about if you could get a dog, made up of both those highly regarded breeds, who still loves to wrestle and play fetch?!

Meet Jazz!

This is his 'I am a well behaved member of the family' look.

Here is his smile:

His worried look :(

I had to throw this one in! He was a bit worried about a new person taking him away from his home, so stood far away from me on the passenger side seat. Fifteen minutes later, he was perched up on the console of the truck, sniffing my hair and watching the road. Doesn't take him long to be happy with who he is with.

Jazz is 2 years old, neutered, vaccinated and chipped. He is housetrained and very good in the house. He came from an active family with small kids, they were moving away and couldn't take him with. He is a very quiet dog, not yappy at all, loves to cuddle when you want to, and would play fetch for hours if you were up for it. A great dog for any family.

2010-01-28T00:36:00.009-07:00

We've all met her before on past posts, but maybe you don't know that she is still available?

Here is a reminder about Kali:

She is:

* about a year old

* spayed, vaccinated, dewormed, and microchipped

* a long-haired, Flame Point Himalayan X with gorgeous blue eyes

Have a peek...

Here is a few words from Kali,

Hi I'm Kali, and I am the sweetest, littlest girl you have ever seen or so I'm told. I was rescued from a cat hoarder but you would never know it, I am very social and LOVE people, dogs and cats!! I really enjoy snuggling on the couch or anywhere you please. Kiss my face off I don't mind!! I will follow you every where you go and I come when you call me.
I act like a kitten, love to play and I will talk to you all day if you need the company.
I would love to find somebody who will love me as much as I will love YOU!!!!

Kali has been with PDCR now for months, she really deserves a home of her own, a family that can spoil her and that she can love back. She is ready.

Update on the Montana Dogs

2010-01-25T22:20:00.004-07:00

When you are dealing with hoarders, you are dealing with people who think they are doing the best they can for their pets. They consider them family and its heartbreaking for them to give up any. So, it is understandable that the owners will back out of the surrendering process. This is what happened on Friday.

The night before, the owner had a breakdown about 'loosing' her babies, and said she was only able to give up 12, instead of the 20-25. Then, by Friday morning, she was very upset and couldn't give up any of them.

This doesn't mean that she will keep all the dogs forever, she has made contact and asked for help. Her main contact person is still hopeful that the owner will start surrendering the dogs in the next few weeks, and we have to be patient.

I would like to thank all the people that offered to help in so many ways. All the supplies that were brought to the house were great. Please stand by as this hopfully isn't the end of this situation.

Liberated!

2010-01-23T09:26:00.006-07:00

I received an email from a lady that works in a shelter in Montana. She was looking to find rescue groups that could help out with some of the dogs that they had in the shelter there. I said I would see what I could do after looking at the dogs that she had. I looked at the site and saw this cute little pup, looking so sad in her cage.

How could I resist?!

So, one of our volunteers, Colleen, offered to go get her a few days later. Libby was brought up last weekend and has proved herself to be a fantastic puppy. We aren't sure what breeds are in this little girl, Shepherd maybe, a bit of Dane too??? Look at her pictures and see what you think.

Look at those ears!!

Here is a write up that her foster mom did for us.

Libby is a super dog. She is one of the sweetest, best-mannered puppies I've had. She is very loving, and prefers to snuggle up with you. She is definitely a people-dog, and wants to know where you are. She already sits at the door before going out, before getting her food, or toys. She plays well with my dog. She is very fast, and will probably enjoy outdoor activities (camping, running, and so on).
She is a little nervous of new noises or new situations. She does bark a bit when she is nervous, but we are working on that, and she is already improving as her confidence grows. It may also be the "watchdog" shepherd in her.
Keep in mind that she is a young pup, and definitely gets the zoomies about once a day - running like crazy and biting like a demon dog. Fortunately, once it passes she is right back to being the sweet little dog she is.
Overall, Libby is an great puppy who will become a great dog - and she already has great ears

I too had the opportunity of babysitting Libby here yesterday and have to agree with Constance, Libby is a great puppy. Playful with the dogs, respectful of the cats, and wasn't bitey or mouthy with my two small kids. We had a great day with her.

Libby is about 12 - 14 weeks old, she has had her shots up to date. She is 98% house trained and is fine to stay in her crate during her foster mom's work hours and at bedtime. If you would like to give Libby her forever home, please send in your application, she won't last long.

A Case of Hoarding

2010-01-19T16:24:00.001-07:00

We have been having a very slow start to 2010, but things are definately picking up.

Some new dogs have come in during the past few days, really cute puppies too!

But, I need to start this post with a plea for help.

PDCR has been asked to help with yet another case of dog hoarding. There are currently 80 dogs, between the ages of 8 months - 1.5 years that are being surrendered to a very small shelter in Montana. They are being surrendered in groups of 20-25 for the next couple of months. The dogs breeds are Daschunds, Chihuahuas and mixes of the two.

The first group of dogs are being surrendered on Friday. They will be taken to the vet in that town right away for health checks and vaccinations. The paperwork for them to cross the border will also be ready. Then, they stay the night at the vet clinic and then we get them!

PDCR is asking for help in the following ways:

Drivers to go across the border to pick up two or three dogs and bring them to Lethbridge. (Destination cannot be posted, but its about a 6-7 hour drive round trip)
Supplies will also be needed. We will need puppy pee pads, bedding, crates (small - medium), and x pens
Foster homes for these dogs will also be needed to care for the dogs until forever homes are found.
And, adopters of course will be needed to give these dogs loving homes.

We have been in contact with a few other rescue groups that we deal with and they too have offered to help in taking some of the dogs into their systems. So, not all of them will be staying with PDCR.

If you are able to donate any items, time, funds, or looking to adopt a small dog, please email us at www.prairiedogcaninerescue@hotmail.com or call 403-795-2599.

Send Us Your Updates!!!

2010-01-13T08:11:00.002-07:00

We love hearing how our past foster dogs are doing in their new homes.....so much so we even have a special blog just for that purpose.

So if you have adopted a dog from us, send in your update along with a few photos and we will post it on our Happy Tails Blog. These can be emailed to us at prairiedogcaninerescue@hotmail.com.

If you want to check out the Happy Tails blog please click on the below link.....

http://pdcrhappyendings.blogspot.com/

We look forward to your emails!

Happy Holidays!

2009-12-24T08:43:00.003-07:00

Everyone at PDCR (including Sophie) would like to wish everyone a Safe & Happy Holiday and All The Best in the New Year!

A Special Thank You.... From Shelby

2009-12-22T08:40:00.003-07:00

Yesterdays mail arrived and when it was opened there was a very nice surprise for us but more importantly for Shelby. This donation was substantial and combined with the donations we received from the adoption fair it will cover almost the full cost of her surgery.

As you may recall Shelby is currently being evaluated for her leg injury, the x-rays have been sent off to several orthopedic specialists and we are awaiting their recommendations on how to proceed with her care and treatment.

Shelby would like to say a very special thank you for the generosity of those people (you all know who you are) who have contributed to her surgery costs. We would also like to give a very HUGE thank you too, it is with the support of people like yourselves that we are able to continue the work that we do and these donations could not have come at a better time.

Here Kitty...Kitty....Kitty....

2009-12-19T13:12:00.007-07:00

With the seizure in Medicine Hat of over 115 cats last month, so many rescue organizations were asked to help place the cats so they wouldn't be put to sleep. We blogged about this last month when we announced that we offered to help with 7 of the cats. Being known as a dog rescue, we knew it might be hard to adopt out cats as most people come to our site for dogs.

We succeed though, in adopting out 4 of them in the first couple of weeks after they arrived. Holdin, Nikko, Sapphire and Tawny are all in new, loving homes.

Our poor little Mojo was adopted and very much loved by his foster mom, Sam, but we discovered he was very sick and the vets think he didn't even really have an immune system that could help him out. Little Mojo was peacfully put to sleep last week after his little body had just had enough. Deepest sympathies to Sam and her family.

That leaves two, two beautiful little adult cats that are still waiting for their new homes.

The first one we will talk about is Fiona. She is about 2 years old. She is a flame point Exotic Shorthaired cat. She has short white hair on her body, but cute orange ears. Her pushed in face is adorable and she always looks grumpy!

ADOPTED!!

She has been spayed, vaccinated, dewormed and microchipped. She is adjusting very well to her foster home. She shares the house with three dogs and two other cats and seems to get along with all of them.

The other beauty is Kali. She is also a flame point, but a Himalayan X. She is a petite little cat, about 5 kgs. She was about 11 months old when she came to us, so that would put her at just over a year old now. She is litter trained, spayed, vaccinated, dewormed, and chipped.

Please share this post and these pictures with people that you know who might be interested in giving one of these adorable cats a home for the new year.

Snail Mail

2009-12-16T16:11:00.003-07:00

We are starting to address envelopes for the calendars and cookbooks that need to be sent out. If you are looking to have one (or more) sent out to you, please email in your mailing address and let us know what you would like sent out.

We are looking at under 5 dollars for shipping for up to 3 calendars or 2 cookbooks. Giving you an idea of shipping charges.

We can accept payment by chq, or a credit card number.

If you are looking to pick up a calendars and cookbooks here in Lethbridge, we are just getting stock into Park Pet Hospital and hoping to get some into Pet Parade as well. They should be available at those locations by Friday morning.

Shippments will start being sent out on Friday morning as well, so let us know your address and we'll be sure to get it to you by next week.

Freezing Success!

2009-12-13T15:27:00.003-07:00

For all those that bundled up and attended our adoption fair.....THANK YOU!!! We raised more money for the rescue yesterday then at any other fundraiser we have ever had.

Our bake sale was great. A big assortment of tasty goodies. Thanks to all who donated their time and talent making such great treats.

OK, you are all waiting to hear who got adopted, here you are:

Lexi

Casey

Molly

Peppy

Shelby

The Taber rescue group got to say goodbye to:

Rayne

Sally

Stu (the cat)

We had lots of interest in the gorgeous Ace, so hopefully he will be going to a forever home soon.

Whose left?

Bella

Josie

Corky

Snap

Riley

Tucker

Posts of these awesome dogs will be updated here on the site in the next couple of days, keep watching.

Another Hop-Along Pup!

2009-12-10T12:40:00.000-07:00

This is Shelby

She was very persistant when the water delivery truck stopped at the gas station in Standoff. She decided that it was her day to get off the reserve, show off all her good traits, and hopefully weasel her way into a new home. She jumped up into the water truck and started working those deep brown eyes and got all those wrinkles on her forehead to turn cute! It worked, Brad couldn't make her get out of the truck, a quick question to the gas attendant confirmed she was homeless, so home she came.

It didn't take long for her to win over Brad, he is now her foster home til she is adopted. It also didn't take long for him to realise there was something wrong with the girl. One of her hind legs is shorter then the other and the 'knee' joint seems to be pointing in the wrong direction. A trip to the vet confirmed that her leg had been broken, just over a month ago, and it has started healing itself, with a slight twist. Shelby will have to have some kind of surgery on that leg. The vets are looking at her xrays, and consulting with specialists to see if there is any way of saving the leg.

Shelby is showing herself to be a great dog at Brad's place. She is quiet, cuddly, playful, and already house and crate trained.

We are hoping that all who attend the adoption fair could put a few dollars in the 'Shelby Fund' to help finance her surgery.

Out of the Storm...

2009-12-10T08:05:00.000-07:00

We had some really great dogs join the group this past week. Some of them are from other rescue groups in Alberta who haven't had any interest in these dogs for months and are hoping that with a new 'market', these dogs will find new homes quickly. We will introduce them now in hopes that they will encourage more of you dog-searchers to come out to meet them.

Peppy is a wonderful dog that is about a year and a half old. He acts older then his age according to the other rescue group's foster home. He is great with other dogs, cats and kids. He is very laid back amd well mannered. Peppy is a mixed breed and your guess is as good as ours! (DNA testing might answer a few questions) In the pictures, you can see he is a happy dog that likes to dig after gophers. Peppy came to my house for the first night, and I honesly had a hard time giving him up. He is amazing with kids, as young as 4, so gentle and lays down right away for tummy rubs. He is an ideal family dog.

Molly, what a cutie. She is a Bernese Mountain Dog X Saint Bernard. She is about 4 months old and is such a nice little big puppy. She is doing well on her house training, sleeps good thru the night, and loves to play with her four legged foster brothers and sisters. She is really pulling on her foster home's heartstrings! The pictures that the foster home sent aren't working for me! Come see her for yourself at the adoption fair! She will be the cute, fluffy, huge, black and white puppy.

Bella is a little sausage! She is a Chihuahua cross, we think with a Pug. Just look at that face! Bella just turned a year old at the beginning of November. She is almost 100% housetrained, its hard when you are a little dog, but she is 100% cuddly and wildly playful. She is in a foster home with a 6 month old JackRussell and the two of them are non stop play buddies.

Corky, now look at this face!! Corky is thought to have some Pit Bull in him, which is reasonable. The other parts, I think came from a Boston Terrier! Corky is a young dog, house and crate trained. He doesn't really like the idea of sharing is food, toys, or crate area with another dog, but knows he should and is learning to share without grumbling about it. He is a great house dog, always ready to play and gets along with everyone. He too gets along amazingly with the kids. He pinned my son down to give his ears a good cleaning!! Older kids might find Corky a bit more fun as he is hyper and might knock the little ones down by accident. The pictures really don't do him justice, he is a stocky medium sized, bouncy boy. He has a wonderful expression on his face at all times, complete with wrinkles.

Ace, is our final intake from this week. His owners have allergies that are getting worse with Ace in the home. He has been very loved in his home, they are currently holding onto him until we are able to place Ace in a new home. Ace is a very smart and well mannered German Shep. He is a younger dog, but has already learned about how to act in the house and is very much a house dog. He too will be at the adoption fair this Saturday, hopefully he too will find a forever home that will love him as much as his current owners do.

Please come out to the fair this Saturday to meet these great dogs that so deserve a forever home.

They Have Arrived....

2009-12-09T14:51:00.005-07:00

The calendars & cookbooks are in and I must say they are pretty nice.... (I apologize for the poor quality photos...crappy office camera)

The cookbooks contain about 40 receipes....even a special Dog Section! They will be $20.00.

The calendars will be $20.00 each also.

We will have them for sale this weekend so please come and join us and pick up your copy.

We will let you know in the next few days other locations they can be purchased at and if you are from out of town and are interested please email us at prairiedogcaninerescue@hotmail.com to place your order. There will be an additional amount added to those orders to cover the postage costs. We hope to have Santa's elves working on getting the out of town order in the mail early next week.

ITS ONLY 7 DAYS AWAY!!!

2009-12-04T14:52:00.008-07:00

We are all VERY busy getting things in order for the December 12, 2009 Adoption Fair and Fundraiser and wanted to give everyone an update on what you can expect when you come out to visit us.

Calendars - will be available that day for purchase. If you sent in a picture of your PDCR adopted dog and are wondering if it made the cut, guess what?!! They all did! We really couldn't decide on one or two, or even three pictures per month, so instead we made a collage of all the pictures, there were 78 of them, and it looks great! Come and get them while you can!

Dog & Cats for Adoption - several local rescues will be joining us for the day and you will get to meet alot of fantastic dogs & some cats eagerly awaiting homes of their own. We here at PDCR have five new dogs that have come in just this week, more might be joining us in the next week as well. A sneak preview of these dogs will be posted in the next day or two. There will be a full house at the fair.

Bake Sale - Santa's elves are busy at work preparing lots of baked goodies for purchase that day. If you are interested in adding to the goodies that will be available that day, we ask that you make sure to have labels on those items which include a list of the ingredients so we avoid any allergy flareups! Pricing for the items will be done at the fair.

Exhibitors - We currently have several tables booked for the day including crafts for sale, a local pet photographer, RedLine Dog Sports, a local homemade soap company and some cute ponies to name a few. If you are a crafty person and would like to showcase your items, more tables are available, email us so we can put your name on a table too.

Face Painting - We are really hoping to have someone volunteer to do some face painting on the kids that come to the fair. There is lots of baking talent in our group, but not anyone that feels brave enough to try painting faces. If you have such talent and would like to come out for the day, please let us know. There will be some tasty baked goods in it for you :)

Hot Beverages - some hot beverages courtesy of Express Coffee. The show will go on even if its a bit brisk outside. Come for a coffee and cookies.

Raffle Table - Oh my goodness people! We have some awesome prizes to be won. We have got the support of some great businesses here in Lethbridge, and some from Taber. We have some pet products being donated from local pet stores and vet clinics, some pizza gift certificates, a golf bag from Servus Credit Union, Movie coupons for Cineplex, gift certificate from Carefree Lighting, spa and salon gift certificates and many more.

Please come out to support our day, even if you aren't interested in adopting a dog, there will be lots to do that will in many ways help a dog find a new home.

To Whom It May Concern

2009-11-23T07:00:00.000-07:00

Dear Future Family,

Are you out there?

I have been looking for you for since the July but I can't find you. I am a good girl, trying my very hardest to learn new things from my foster mom and the added bonus is that I am housetrained. I play well with others but also love to have some alone time in my crate. I would love to meet you. I love my foster family but I need to move on to my own home so that they can help someone else like me. I promise to love you, come when called and do my very best to be the best dog that I can be. I will be waiting for you so please come and find me soon.

With Love and lots of Hope,

Snap

**Photos Courtesy of Paw On The Run**

Tucker

2009-11-20T08:26:00.003-07:00

This handsome fellow is Tucker, a one year old Lab Cross, who was found wandering on the outskirts of the city.

His foster mom says he is a great dog to have around and is learning what a good life is all about. He listens well and even after a few days respond to his name when called, even off leash. He is learning to play with other dogs, cats, toys and does well when meeting new dogs. He is a bit shy of men at this point but once he meets them and gets a few pets he warms right up.

Tucker will be neutered shortly, has all of his shots up to date, microchipped and is eagerly awaiting a home of his own.

Adoption Fair Fundraising Extravaganza

2009-11-15T11:34:00.002-07:00

The date has been set, the location has been arranged and now for all the details.

Date: December 12, 2009
10:00am until 4:00pm

Location: Storage Town - 3732 6 Avenue N, Lethbridge.

Of course there will be dogs there for everyone to meet but we have decided to expand things a bit this time and include more fun and exciting things for the whole family in hopes of helping us raising much needed funds for the coming year. We will have our calendars & cookbooks on sale that day for everyone to view and purchase, face painting, crafts for sale, delicious treats at our bake sale, hot chocolate, our famous raffle table and door prizes. So be sure to bring your loonies & toonies to get in on all the greats draws.

We will have tables available to rent if you have items your would like to display or sell for the day. The cost is $25 and the donation of an item for the raffle table. If you would like more information on renting a table please email us at prairiedogcaninerescue@hotmail.com.

If you would like to volunteer for the day we are looking for some talented face painters to lend their skills for the day.

Stayed tuned for more information as the date approaches!!!

The Felines

2009-11-13T08:56:00.015-07:00

Last week, I posted about the situation in Medicine Hat. To catch you all up, there was a cat hoarding situation that involved about 117 cats/kittens in a single home. Due to the amount of cats and the plea for help, PDCR agreed to help and we took in 7 beautiful cats last week.

Introducing:

Sapphire - Has been Adopted

She is a 3 year old Calico Himalayan. She is very sweet, puffy fur, but only 3 kgs. She is petite and so soft.

Tawny - Has Been Adopted

This cutie is an Exotic Short Hair. She has short hair and such a cute pushed in face. She is about the shyest of the bunch but coming around quicky in her foster home.

Nikko - NIKKO HAS BEEN ADOPTED

He is also an Exotic Short Hair, his face is pushed in. He is only 4 months old. His foster homes says he is wildy playful and super cuddly.

Kali

She is a beautiful Flame Point Himalayan X. She is about 11 months old. She too is somewhat shy, but already wandering around her foster home, meowing when she feels lonely. She likes to roll on the carpet to get attention.

Holdin - HOLDIN HAS BEEN ADOPTED!!!

I've been telling my kids to 'stop holdin' the kitten'.....the kitten is now Holdin. He is an adorable 5-6 month old Blue Point Himalayan X Siamese. He is super cuddly, brave, and loves to snuggle on the bed.

and Fiona

Fiona is a very sweet Flame Point Exotic Short Hair. She is about 2 years old and also very sweet with a shy exterior. Her foster home reports that she too is getting more and more comfortable each day.

These cats were all kept in sheds according to age and breed. Their socialization with people was non-existant. They are all a bit shy when it comes to cuddles as they haven't ever recieved alot of physical attention before. But, being cats, they come with alot of curiosity and sometimes that does get the better of them! They find themselves wandering around their nice, warm foster homes and soon enough, they are urged to rub themselves on a pair of legs and allow the person to pet and cuddle them. They are all finding this strangly wonderful! Lets see these beautiful cats into new homes where they will adjust and fit right in.

**The cats were kept in very dirty conditions, they had alot of dust in their eyes and nasal passages. That is all clearing out now, but in some of the pictures, you may notice a bit of eye/nose gunk, the dust is what is causing that and isn't a 'condition' that will last forever or cause future problems. They have all been checked by our vet and cleared.**

Boxer-Dogge

2009-11-09T17:35:00.007-07:00

This is Lexi, she is very smiley.

She was turned over to us when her owner was forced to move, or give up the dog. Lexi is a big wiggle butt! She is happy and very well behaved. She really reminds me of Vince, a dog we had last year.

Lexi is 9 months old and she is a Boxer X Old English Bulldogge. She has the body size and shape of a Boxer, with the extra jiggle of a Bulldog! She is a little unsure of herself, she has never really been taught anything, so she does come off as needy, but after a few days she calms down and starts to relax.

She is playful and gets along great with other dogs of anysize. She would be a great family dog too as she is very caution and gentle with small kids. She is also cat smart!

TONIGHT!!!

2009-11-03T12:05:00.001-07:00

Dog Walk is on, hope to see you all there!!

Just a reminder it runs from 6:30pm to 7:30pm at Gyro Park.

Well, they do have four legs...

2009-10-30T00:29:00.002-06:00

Cats, that is! I posted about Miss Muggins yesterday and we are very hopefull that we are able to place her into a new home soon.

But....that is a huge word in rescue...BUT. Being in 'the bizz', and even though we specialize in dogs, I do get alot of emails about Alberta pet seizures and emails when a puppy mill has been exposed, things like that. PDCR always offers to help in anyway that we can, and this time is no different.

Got a call from a great friend that runs a rescue out of Calgary, they take in dogs, cats, pigs, you name it. They were asked by a cat collector in the Med Hat area to help them rehome their cats as they were in way over their heads and didn't know where to turn. The email I got last night made my stomach turn. There are over 75 cats that need new homes!! All ages, breeds, colors...all homeless and deemed to die in two weeks if help isn't found.

So, I am putting this out to our readers. I have agreed to help with 2 four month old kittens and there are also 2 eight month old ones that could come to Lethbridge as well. Because we are primarily a dog rescue, our cat foster homes are...well...non-existant! If you, or if you know someone, that would be willing to foster one or two of these cats, please let us know asap. They will be vetted and you will be supplied with everything you would need to care for these kittens. The rescue group is going in for the first 30 cats on Saturday and they were hoping to drop off the 2 four month old kittens here at my house on Saturday afternoon provided that we've found a foster home(s). Please help.

We can't say NO!!!

2009-10-28T22:25:00.006-06:00

MUGGINS HAS BEEN ADOPTED!

All of us here at PDCR are animal lovers but lean more toward helping dogs as there are quite a few cat rescues in Lethbridge that are doing a great job helping the homless cats in the area.

BUT.....! :) Every once in a while one of us finds a kitty that we just have to help. Lots of them are rehomed thru word of mouth which is why you guys don't ever read about them.

MUGGINS is an adorable cat that I met today. Her owner had to move into a seniors home and signed her beloved cat over to Park Pet Hospital. They called me and said, "We have a cat that we want you to help!" "A cat, a cat!, we are a dog rescue" was my response, but then had to stop by the clinic to meet her on my lunch hour, couldn't resist!

I was greeted by a very friendly and beautiful cat. Here she is:

She is a medium - long haired cat. Her eyes are a beautiful lime green color, and her tail is so fluffy. Muggins is 2 1/2 years old, spayed, vaccinated and very healthy. I picked her up and got little kisses on the side of my face. She has a wonderful personality and is very soft. She lived with a small dog and is good with other cats. She is an indoor cat.

If you would like to adopt Muggins, please fill out our application as if you were adopting a dog. Some of the information won't be relevent such as how many walks you take daily! , but it will still give us a good idea of your lifestyle and what you are able to provide little Muggins here.

Calendars & Cookbooks!!!

2009-10-23T12:42:00.004-06:00

CALENDARS

Due to the huge response to the idea of doing a calendar featuring our rescue dogs we have decided to go ahead with it, and make it fun at the same time!!

We are asking all past rescue dogs to have your parents send us your photos for the chance to be featured in the calendar. The deadline for photo entries is November 10, 2009 and they can be emailed to prairiedogcaninerescue@hotmail.com, please include your dogs "rescue" name so we know who they are, as so many of them have changed since they were adopted!!

We are all excited and looking forward to the photos!

COOKBOOKS

Another great suggestion made was doing up a rescue cookbook.

We are asking all of our blog readers to submit one of your favorite recipes, for people or for dogs, to hopefully be featured in the cookbook.

The deadline for this is again November 10, 2009 and these can also be emailed to prairiedogcaninerescue@hotmail.com.

They will all then be reviewed but our expert cookbook makers and sent off to the press.

In the mean time we will sort out the details as to cost, were to buy and when they will be available and let everyone know. And yes they will be available to out of town people!

All proceeds from the sale of these items will be put right back into helping the dogs, plus this is the perfect way to do your Christmas shopping!

WANTED: Fundraising Ideas

2009-10-22T07:30:00.003-06:00

We are in need of fundraising ideas for the coming year and would like your imput in order for it to be a big success.

In the past we have done various things like our Microchip Fundraisers, Adoptions Fairs, T-Shirts, Books and most recently Glass Hearts.

We have had a few suggestions lately like Handmade Christmas Ornaments & Calendars to name a few, and would love for our supporters to made some additional suggestions or let us know if we had these items if you would be interested in them.

Please email us at prairiedogcaninerescue@hotmail.com with any ideas or items that you would be interested in if we had. We put alot of work into our fundraising and it is well worth it as it allows us to continue the work that we do.

Scrappy

2009-10-20T06:00:00.001-06:00

This handsome little guy is Scrappy....he is a four year old chihuahua.

Scrappy had an unfortunate start to life but was rescued by a kind neighbour when she witnessed how he was being treated. In turn she sent him our way to help him on his journey to a loving home that he well deserves.

Scrappy does take a few days to settle in to his new surroundings but once he does his foster mom says he is a fantastic little guy to have around. He loves to play with his foster brother, snuggle on the couch for some cuddle time and taking naps in the sun.

Scrappy would do best in a home with older or no children, does well with other dogs, is housetrained, kennel trained, neutered, microchipped and has all his vaccinations up to date.

Where is Fido? Microchip Time Again!!

2009-10-19T09:00:00.001-06:00

If you have ever lost your dog, even for a few hours, it is horrible. So many questions and scenarios fill your head until the dog is found. So, what do you do?

The first step most people take is to determine that the dog is actually gone, and then when and how the dog got out. Then you start walking around the neighborhood calling the dog's name. Friend's arrive to help look, driving around the blocks, stopping people to ask if they saw your baby. (HINT: Carry a pen and write your number on the people's hand so they can contact you if they see/find your dog). Calls to the shelters are made, maybe even to the radio stations.

What people don't realize is that the if your dog is picked up by the animal shelter, its not helpful to just call in with a description of your dog. That cute little white spot on the back toe will not stand out to someone whose job it is to catch your dog and impound it. They might record the gender of your dog, but don't count on it. You MUST go there and look for yourself.

"Oh, but I can't, I feel too bad for the other dogs in there." Sorry, but get over it! I had a roommate who owned two Basenjis. The breed isn't common and when the male was picked up due to a loose fence board, the shelter had him down as a Corgi cross because of the size of his ears! And yet a breed chart is posted on the wall in front of their desks. We called for two days, always getting the same answer. Then we thought to go and look, sure enough he was there.

For the safety of your dog it is so important to look for them, not just ask for them. Many shelters in the Lethbridge area only hold dogs for between 3 and 5 days before they are euthanized! Can you imagine if you found out your dog was sitting there waiting for you? We are in contact with many shelters and they call us before 'the day' and we try hard to find room. But even in our care, correct identification is hard to find and we try to guess based on size, color, and temperment. Cross breeds are hard to identify. We once labelled a dog a Pointer X Pitt Bull. A man called saying that it was his dog and it was a purebred Catahoula Lepard Dog! Who knew? But that dog got to go home.

Identifying your dog 101: Collars: Great idea, for walking your dog. Not great for ID as they come off. Tatoos: There are only two, last I heard, clinics in Lethbridge that tatoo. Your dog is done as a puppy or while under sedation during a spay/neuter procedure. They are somtimes worn off within a few years, or can't be clearly read. Microchips: A tiny metal grain of rice inserted under the skin between the shoulder blades. By-law states that dogs must be scanned, they paid enough for the scanners - better use them! You can be contacted within minutes of your dog being impounded. Vet clinics also have scanners and will do it for free if someone brings a dog in that they found. Microchipping is a great way to have your dog correctly identified as yours and have it home in time for supper.

This is why we are throwing a microchipping clinic. The clinic will be held on Sunday, November 8th. Uplands Pet Hospital is donating the clinic and their time to inject the chips for the public. Microchips cost around $80, we will be able to offer them to you for only $40. All proceeds from the day get to stay with us and go to the dogs, literally! Appointments MUST be made in advance, there will be no room or time for drop-ins. The clinic will not be making the appointments, only Bobbi will. We will also be registering the chips for you, no paperwork to fill out and send away. You will be contacted within a few weeks from the chip company to welcome you to the program and answer any question you might have.

This is a great opportunity to identify your dogs, put your name on them, in them! It will ensure that your dog finds its way home. In the meantime, if your pooch makes a run for the door while your 3 year old opens the door for grama, take the drive to the shelter and look for yourself.

Sookie's Journey

2009-10-12T12:22:00.000-06:00

Sookie was one of the dogs that we rounded up for the spay/neuter clinic on the reserve a couple weeks ago. We were mostly taking in owned dogs for the clinic, but we were't going to say no to a friendly stray that obviously needed help either.

She wandered up to a couple of the volunteers that were collecting dogs. They put her into a crate and she somehow ended up in the back of my truck for the drive back to Cardston. I took her out of the crate and was appalled at her physical condition. The most obvious things was the porqupine quills sticking out of her face and eye. She was drooling uncontrollably as the quills made it mostly impossible for her to swallow. Once she came out of the crate, we also noticed that she had four circle shaped wounds in one of her back legs and a very deep gash farther down the leg. They looked like bullet holes, two holes for each shot. I didn't want her to spend the night in a crate and wait for surgery the next day, so I made a quick call to Dr Kremeniuk at the Park Pet Hospital to see if she would mind working late. She was willing and I started the drive in.

The following pictures do contain blood as they are the pictures I took of her during the quill removal.

Here is what her leg looked like:

This is what Sookie looked like when we took her out of the crate. It was hard to get a picture of her face as she kept her head very low and wouldn't make eye contact with anyone, it was so pitiful!

And, this is Sookie one week after the quill removal, one week after getting love and attention, only one week after eating real food, the transformation was beautiful. Wouldn't you say?

Sookie is a very good girl, she is my foster dog and is very sweet, outgoing and lovable. She loves to wiggle up to the kids and give kisses, then scurries off back to the dog bed. She sniffs the cats, much to their disgust! Mostly, she just hangs out on the dog bed in our living room. When she is outside, she is most comfortable with another dog out there to keep her company, not to play with as she isn't interested in that, but just to know someone else is out there too. She sleeps well in her crate at night, but would probably love a dog bed on the floor beside her new owner's bed. She has never had an accident or done anything 'wrong' in our house in the four weeks that she has been here.

Sookie is healthy enough now to get her spay surgery done, that is tomorrow, then she will be ready for a new home where she can settle in and know that she'll never be in that much pain again.

What the H?!!

2009-10-08T21:38:00.005-06:00

That is what Sookie was thinking at the park last night!

I was thinking about setting up the screen tent that we have, but then the snow stopped, so we thought it wouldn't be needed. Then, about 15 minutes after people started arriving, the dumping started, heavy clumps of snow coming down and literally covering the people and the dogs. But, the people kept coming!

We invited the gals from the Taber rescue to come along too as they have a few great dogs out there that have been sitting in thier system for a long time now. They brought in Mig, Mickey, Milo and a newer Shep X that was very pretty and sweet. You can see thier dogs on Petfinder.com and the shelter is called Taber Adoption Options. Milo got to go to a new home last night. Below is a picture of Mig, the short little Beagle X Lab? and one of the new Shep X.

We also had a Lethbridge bylaw officer from the animal shelter come out too. Kevin was very nice to talk to, traded stories for a while, and he was informative about the licensing policies for Lethbridge.

The pictures that Deb took for us would have turned out alot better if the dogs weren't wet and unhappy looking, but I will share a few of the best ones.

Everything is fun when you are Casey!

Swift is very small and beautiful. She thinks boy dogs are annoying.

Scrappy thought this was the perfect place for him to be.

The pups weren't locked up the whole time, just looks like it!

By the end of the cold and wet night, we had applications for the puppies and Nate. There are a few people interested in Sookie and Pearl too, fingers crossed. Many thanks for the volunteers that came out to help and brought their foster dogs and for the people that came out to meet the dogs.

This was probably the last Park night that we'll be able to hold at the park for the rest of the winter. We are now looking for a place to have the once a month meetings to continue showing off the dogs as the small meets do produce quite a few adoptions and its a great time to get together as a group and meet the public as well. If you own a business or know of a business that would let us use a space for 2 hours once a month, please let us know. We promise to keep the party under controll and clean!!

Let it NOT snow!!

2009-10-06T16:40:00.012-06:00

Our October Dog Park evening is tomorrow and I am really hoping that we aren't faced with a blizzard at 6pm.

As usual, we invite everyong and anyone out to meet us, play with the dogs, fall in love with some deep brown eyes, you know, anything can happen!

We have alot of dogs that are available and will be there tomorrow night. The list includes:

SOOKIE: 2 year female Rez dog. We haven't posted about her yet as she is too special! I brought her in from the spay/neuter clinic, she was found with a face and eyes full of quills and what looked like two bullet holes in her hind end. I rushed her into the clinic for surgery and she has been recovering very well and is now available.

SNAP: Why is she still here?!! Snap, (a.k.a. Leggs) is our longest term dog right now, she came into our system in the middle of June. She has grown so much in this time and its neat to watch her grow, so many puppies get adopted right away, we don't get to watch them develop.

BOB: He is a mush! He is a 2 year Bishon X Shih Tzu that we think had a mistaken identity at his old home. They complained about his potty habits and gave him up. In the month that we've had him in foster care, we are so very proud to say that he has not had a single accident at all. He is awesome with any other dogs, kids are his favorite and he is all around a great dog.

PEARL: Sweetheart. One word, thats all you need to know!

NATE: Smartest dog I have fostered all year. He is still a big awkward goof of a dog, but has the basics down pretty good. He is great with other dogs and kids of all ages. Thinks chasing cats is the best hobby ever, but he could grow out of that with proper training.

ROSSI & REED: These two are so cute, you won't believe it. Rossi is a wonderfully attentive and playful little boy puppy whereas Reed is shy short, and very cuddly.

SCRAPPY DOO: Makes his debut tomorrow as well. He is a tiny little Chihuahua with a big attitude. He was really treated horribly in his first home, so his first instinct is to protect himself with a bite. He does come around quickly as we have heard from his foster home. He is mostly all cuddles and happy dances now, about 6 days in.

CASEY: The wild one! Casey is an attention hog, he is only 5 months old and was owned by an elderly couple who were home all the time with him, but then didn't have the energy to keep him past 4 months. He loves to play fetch and will do that for hours.

We invite all to come out despite what the weather throws at us tomorrow at 6:30 at Gyro Park, located on 16th street and 10A Ave South. We usually hang out at that corner of the park, but we migrate into the open area by the one building that is in the park, on the east side of the building.

Criminal Cuties

2009-10-01T07:47:00.004-06:00

Meet our two newest cuties, Reed (left) and Rossi (right), can you tell someone in the group is a Criminal Minds junkie.

Natalie recently helped out again with a Spay/Neuter Clinic in Cardston, and these two little guy were brought back when they were found wandering by themselves. We estimate them to be approximately 8 weeks old and as for breed we are calling them "Reserve Specials" as we really have no idea what they could be, probably a Shepard cross of some sorts.

Reed is the female pup and has an adorable little stocky body with short little legs.

Rossi has longer legs but a stocky little body also.

We estimate when they are full grown they will be medium size dogs and approximately 30 pounds. As with all of our dogs they are microchipped, vaccinations up to date, will be spayed and neutered when old enough and come with a free 30 day Pet Insurance policy.

Reed and Rossi will also be available for you to meet at our Dog Walk in the Park on Wednesday October 7/09 from 6:30pm - 7:30pm at Gyro Park, located at 10 Avenue A & 16 Street South.

Average Mutt?

2009-09-28T12:10:00.000-06:00

Nate is a dog that you might look at, but then you'd probably look away. He is your average mutt in looks. Kinda tall, very long legs, nice markings, but nothing special. Well, that is what I thought and didn't realise the 'dog within.'

This is Nate

Not only does he look good, but look what he started offering me to get a treat during our photo shoot. I had no idea he could do all this!

Here is the basic 'sit'.

Here is his 'shake a paw', still didn't shock me.

Then, OK, the 'lay down', kinda a natural progression after the sit and shake a paw. But I was intrigued by this time.

Now the shocker!!! He went from a lay down into a perfectly executed 'roll over'!!

Who knew?!! Nate was turned into a local shelter by a lady who claimed to have found him, but it was later discovered that she actually owned him, but wouldn't tell the bylaw officer what he had done or what changed in her circumstances to make Nate homeless. She obviously worked very hard with Nate to teach him all these tricks. He is also wonderful to walk with, doesn't really pull and will happily lope beside you for as long as you want to walk.

Nate isn't really great at meeting new dogs, he is only about 10 months old and kind of 'rushes' new dogs. Some think its fun and take it as a playful gesture, other dogs thing he is way too pushy and that he needs a good growl. Either way, he's happy. He is also great in his crate. He doesn't complain to go in, you just need to say 'Crate', and he'll walk right in and get comfortable for the night.

Because he is a still a puppy, he does love to play. He will carry his treasures around the house for hours to make sure that everyone has seen what he found and gives them a quick game of tug to let us attempt to steal it away from him. We always let him win the prize and he is always so happy, he trots right back to the dog bed and holds the toy until someone new arrives for him to show it to.

(In case you were wondering what the wooden square shaped thing in the background of the pictures is - thats my son's 'ant corral'! He puts fallen crab apples in there to feed the ants)

Swift

2009-09-28T07:45:00.000-06:00

And now for the other new girl in town..... please meet Swift.

Swift is a heeler cross and is approximatley 9 months old. She was taken in when her owners were no longer able to care for her.

Her foster mom says she is a great dog who gets along well with other dogs and does not seem to mind the cats. She is doing great in the housetraining and kennel training department.

She is an active girl who would love to go to a home where she could be someone's running partner or better yet a flyball or agility dog.

Challenges

2009-09-27T16:46:00.005-06:00

I never really decided to start a dog rescue here in Lethbridge. I was volunteering for the local cat rescue, PAW, when another gal from that group asked me if I'd want to start a dog group. Being allergic to cats and pregnant at that same time, made fostering cats a challenge for sure, so I jumped at the dog part of the rescue. I remember the day so clearly nearing the end of March in 2002 when I met Camille at the animal shelter and we took out our very first three dogs that were supposed to die that day. Running only on adreneline, certainly not on funds!, we continued and managed to adopt out a bunch of dogs that first year.

I remember checking myself into the hospital to deliver my daughter Rayna and after she was born, I checked my house messages. There were 18 calls about people wanting to surrender their dogs, or adopt one of ours, all those messages in the time it took me to deliver a baby!!

Time went on, dogs came into my house and went out shortly after. Camille left the group too after a while. Then, Amanda came on board with me, we only had one other foster home at that time, thanks Bernice for sticking with us for the past 7 years now! Amanda and I worked our butts off together for four years, building alot of what you currently see of PDCR, including the name, blog and website. (Amanda manned the phone while I delivered my son Jackson in 2005) We did alot of driving around, alot of picking dogs up, alot of supply drop offs to our many foster homes. We dealt with hundreds of dogs in those four years, each making a very big impact on our lives. With hundreds of dogs comes untold challenges. How to keep them healthy, clean, .... alive. Where to put them? How to pay for the bills? Then the biggest challenge for me personally, Amanda moved on from the group.

Last night, as happens every couple of months depending how busy we are, I was feeling totally overwhelmed at the challenges that the group and the dogs face every day.

I am 'in charge' of the dogs that come into the group, which means a large part of my job is taking phone calls from people who don't want their dog anymore, or from families that are devestated by new found dog allergies and have to part with their dog. I can't even express the amount of controll that goes into my day to not snap at everyone that calls with every stupid excuse in the book to dump their dog, then the emotions that go into the phone calls of the familes that are upset of giving their dog up, or the families who had a death in the family and due to circumstances, no one is willing to take the dog. The local county bylaw officers and other rescue groups also email me and phone me each day with news of a new stray that is in 'jail' or an email from another group that have a new dog, but don't have the room to take it in. Stress is an understatement! Having to say no to some dogs due to full foster homes, or begging a bylaw officer to hold off on a 'kill day' is a horrible thing to do......and I do this on a regular basis.

So, anyway, last night I went to the Happy Tails part of the blog as I don't look on there very often. As I scanned thru the stories, my eyes filled with tears as it seems like our dogs come at the right time is seems for so many people. The background on alot of the adoptions are never made public obviously, but knowing that a certain lady was dealing with the sudden death of her husband, and how her new dog proved to be a great comfort for her and her children, I can't even describe how happy I am for that family.

One family had recently lost their young son to cancer, there are the tears again!, and its the dog that I didn't have room for and brought in anyway, that has become a trully valued 'fuzzy brother' to their other son.

Then, the stories from the dogs perspectives: Louie was an unwanted. Now, he is in video doing his dance routines with his new mom in the sport of Freestyle.

Its too much people!! I cry, but laugh and feel immense pride in what we do. Then, today, I recieved the following email. I don't know these people but what a nice thing to say. I read it and felt better about the challenges that the group faces and the dogs face everyday, and I know that everything has always worked out, why won't it continue as long as we as a group are doing it for the dogs. Bring on the challenges, we are getting used to them!

Hello!

You are wonderful people!

I live in Regina where there is not one no kill shelter. I have tried volunteering at the Regina shelter. I found my heart shredded too many times and cannot bring myself to volunteer there.

You are a group who share the beliefs I hold. What can I do to help you? I will happily send you what small donation I can. Is there anything else that I can do?

Sincerely,

Ingrid

Hear that PDCR team? We are wonderful people!!

Thanks so much Ingrid for your message, it came at the right time.

A True Gem

2009-09-24T11:16:00.003-06:00

We would like everyone to meet one of the new girls in town.... this is Pearl.

Pearl's owner passed away and some kind neighbours took care of her until she came to stay with us.

Her foster mom has nothing but good things to say about her....

"Pearl has been such a wonderful girl since she got here. I think I have maybe heard her bark 3 times since she got here 2 weeks ago. She gets along wonderfully with our Great Dane, loves to play. She would probably drowned our children in kisses if she got the chance!! She is soooo eager to please and LOVES to be loved and petted.

When we go on our walks (or I should say my runs) She doesn't go very far off leash. And when I call her she comes back instantly and sits right in front of you. She sits and lays down on command. When we are coming back from the morning run I have the 2 dogs walk beside me off leash and she does VERY well. We are still needing to work on jumping up. But she's just so darn excited!!! She hasn't had any accidents indoors.

I can, without a doubt, honestly say she is the BEST foster dog I've had. She is so pleasurable to be around. If I didn't already have a dog she would honestly be the dog I'd want!! Somebody is going to be VERY lucky to have her and I'm gonna hate to see her go!!!"

If you are interested in Pearl please send us your application, a good girl like this will not be around for too long!

Happy

2009-09-17T21:36:00.002-06:00

Casey is a very happy puppy!

Casey isn't sitting in a shelter anymore wondering "Why?" Instead, he got to join PDCR and went into a great foster home where he is learning to be a good puppy. Casey just turned 5 months old on the 17th. He is as hyper as any puppy his age would be and nothing more should be expected!! He is excitable and playful, but also very lovable and really wants to please his people. This boy won't last long, look at his cute ears! He was really hyper when he came out of the shelter, so he got to go play at the doggy daycare, Paws on the Run, where he burned alot of energy and got this great picture taken. Thanks POTR for that.

Casey is up to date on his vaccines and is getting neutered next week.

Bob

2009-09-17T07:56:00.004-06:00

This handsome dude is Bob a 2 year old Bichon Shihtzu cross.....whom you may remember from earlier this year...

He was returned to us by his owners as they were having some troubles in the housetraining department. We are happy to say that with a few adjustments to his feeding schedule, some kennel training and lots of love and praise from his foster home he has not had any problems. Here is what his foster home had to say about him....

Bob is a wonderful dog! There is absolutely nothing wrong with him. He has never messes in the house and is very loving and sweet. He is ready for immediate adoption and the sooner the better because we love him! He does love attention and just loves my husband. He gets along with all the other dogs, all of them!

So Bob is ready and waiting for your emails......

A Picture Only!!

2009-09-14T21:56:00.002-06:00

I just had to share this picture with all of you. This sweet little puppy's name is Jersey.

JERSEY IS ADOPTED!!!

She was taken into a Lethbridge clinic by a couple who thought she had parvo. The test was negative, but then the owners couldn't be found! What?!! Yes, she was left at the clinic. So, the clinic called us to see about finding Jersey a new home. It didn't take long as you can all imagine. A very nice young couple with a 2 year old Rotti X named Sierra came and met Jersey and thought she would make a good sister for Sierra. The weekend went great, everyone got along, and the adoption was finalized this evening!

This post makes me think of a few great dogs that got adopted before even hitting the big screen! Some of the owners have commented that they wish they saw them on the site. So, I will be going thru my emails and pictures to find the unforgotten, forgotten pups that should have their 15 minutes of fame.

Request for Help

2009-09-14T15:51:00.000-06:00

We have once again been asked to help out at the Blood Tribe Spay/Neuter Clinic to be held next weekend. Lots of effort goes into making sure that all goes well during this kind of weekend where we are hoping to spay/neuter at least 70 dogs and 40 cats. Alot of supplies are also needed and the organizers of the clinic have sent out a request for the following supplies:

Large Crates - hard sided or wire

Bedding - anything from sheets, towel, pillowcases, and old comforters

We at PDCR would also like ask for help too.

We are in desperate need of foster homes. We try to encourage people to volunteer for this all the time, but rarely have any response. Fostering is so much fun, and relatively easy! We have about 5 full time foster homes and about 5 part timers. We would love to give some of the full timers a break :) as lots have been going full time for over a year, or more.

With this spay/neuter clinic coming up, there is a whole bunch of dogs that aren't ever claimed by their owners at the end of the weekend and then all the volunteers have to scramble to find groups to take the dogs. PDCR would love to help again with some of these dogs and help get them new homes. Last time, we ended up taking in the Flower Pups, Skip and Reese, all beautiful, highly adoptable puppies.

If we are able to round up a few good people that are willing to foster, we would be able to take in a few more dogs every couple of months and give those dogs a chance too.

If you are interested in fostering, or know someone that would be, please, get them to email us so that we can explain the process to them and get them set up. www.prairiedogcaninerescue@hotmail.com

Thanks.

Returns

2009-09-13T07:41:00.000-06:00

The team at PDCR does so much to screen potential applicants. We know it can be frustrating to fill out the seemingly endless paper application, return for visits several times, ensure all family members two and four legged are on board, check references, talk to your landlords. And while it can seem more painful then a tax audit, please know this is why we do it. While we encourage and ensure our dogs are returned if they can no longer be cared for, we strive to prevent it in the first place. It is heartbreaking for us, but more importantly for the dog. Being shuffled from one house to the next after they are just getting comfortable cannot be a good feeling.

It is our policy to provide help to you even after you have adopted a dog from us. All of us being dog people have our own little tricks of the trade so to speak that we can offer as suggestions to help with a variety of obstacles you may encounter with your new dog. And if we may not have a suggestion to help you, we most certainly will do our best to find out more information or steer you to the proper contacts to help you.

We encourage people who have adopted dogs from us and are experiencing some problems to send us an email or give us a phone call to talk about the problem you are having, to see if there are any suggestions we can offer to you. More often than not we find out about issues on the heels of the dog being returned. We want the adoption of your new dog to be a rewarding experience, sure they are a few speed bumps along the way but these will occur whether you got adopted the dog from us, the pet store, animal shelter or breeder. The difference is we are here to help, that is what we do, we not only help the dogs but also the new owners willing to share their lives with these dogs.

Kitty?

2009-09-10T08:02:00.004-06:00

KITTY HAS BEEN ADOPTED!!!

Yes that is a kitty and yes I know we are a dog rescue but.... we are also animal lovers too and every so often we come across a cat looking for a home.

This sweet girl was found as a stray and a nice lady has been taking care of her in hopes her owners came to claim her but no one has come. Not much is known about her as she is a stray, but she is approximately 2 years old and very affectionate. Just like the dogs in our system her adoption fee would include her spay and vaccinations up to date.

So Miss Kitty is eagerly awaiting your emails in hopes of a new home before the fall season hits us....

Have A Heart

2009-09-07T00:54:00.000-06:00

A very kind and creative lady in Calgary named Julie, has offered to give us a way of making a little money for the dogs. She makes art with stained glass and is left with lots of left over glass. She has managed to melt these bits together and make beautiful heart charms. She has sent us 30 hearts to sell and all the profits get to stay with the PDCR dogs.

I personally have mine on my keychain and have even let my adopted dog, Ivy, wear one on her collar. A few wear them as pendants, or have them hanging from their rear view mirrors.

(She doesn't actually wear it on a gold chain! It jst showed better for the picture)

There are so many colors to choose from, different beads and added designs. They will be available to see and buy at the Dog Park days, the first Tuesday of every month. We are also looking for local businesses that wouldn't mind having a little display of them in there shops to sell for us. If you are able to put them up in your place of business please call us at: 403-795-2599 and we will make those arrangements. The awesome staff at Pet Parade have already offered to have some on their front counter. Thanks alot guys!

Just Arrived!

2009-09-03T17:37:00.006-06:00

Snap wants to show off her legs, they just arrived!

'Legs' is actually her nickname at her foster home.

She is beautiful, graceful and quite the diva!

Snap is now about 4 months old and still looking for her forever home. Her foster mom is very proud of this beautiful girl. Snap is housetrained (98%), crate trained, plays rough with the other dogs in the house, attempts to play rough with the cats....and is all around a good puppy.

Snap isn't your typicall cuddly kissy puppy. She is a Greyhound and very typical of the breed. Lots of research would be needed by a potential home for Snap as Greyhounds are a specific breed, not the breed for everyone, and she has very specific needs. Long distance joggers need not apply as greyhounds aren't long distance anything! She needs quicks play times with lots of fetching, then a chaise to recline on for the remainder of the day.

Quick note.

2009-08-31T16:23:00.003-06:00

Just a quick reminder about the Dog Park tomorrow evening. We meet at Gyro Park, corner of 16th Street and 10A Ave South. At 6:30pm.

We have much to post about the recent intakes and upcoming events, but because of all the things happening during the past week, we haven't been able to have the time to post anything! Stay tuned this week for all the catching up.

We have many volunteer opportunities now as well, if you are interested, please email the group at prairiedogcaninerescue@hotmail.com, or come out to the dog park and ask us about what you could do.

Hope to see you there, we have a couple of dogs coming out for their debut!

The new boys

2009-08-24T15:00:00.001-06:00

DEWEY IS ADOPTED!!!

Dewey is such a cute little pup. He was picked up as a stray in Taber, taken back to the shelter, and waited, like so many do. He waited and waited, but no one came to say he was theirs. The wonderful bylaw officers in Taber called me let me know his time was up and could be available for adoption, but due to space issues in the shelter there, could we take him. Of course, I can't resist!!

So, Dewey came into our system just a few days later, on Friday. His foster mom, Roberta, was trying to get over the quick adoption of her first foster pup Finn, and snatched Dewey up right away! He is proving himself to be such a wonderful puppy. His biggest 'no-no' is that he likes to jump up when he meets new people, but other then that, he is a pleasure.

Dewey is obviously a Shar Pei X, maybe with a Shepherd to give him the markings? He has very short, I call it velcro, hair on his legs and toes and also on his face. The rest of his body is still short haired but longer then the other spots. He is about 4-5 months old and still on the small size, so thinking that he may only get to around 40-45 lbs full grown, that perfect medium size.

His foster home is also very amazed at how gentle he is around children. Dewey plays daily with a little girl, guessing she is 6?, that is his best friend until the evening comes and he wants to cuddle on Roberta's lap. So, Dewey would be a great pup to join a family even with younger children.

Our other newest addition is this handsome boy:

I know the picture isn't that great, but its obvious he has ears!! I think they are so cute.

Norris hasn't had the best life. He was picked up as a stray as well in a town called Estevan, think its in SK. They picked him up and there he sat.....since February!!! We think he is maybe just a year old, so he has literally spent his whole puppyhood in a cage. He is a wonderful, happy guy who is trying to make up for lost time! He is already impressing his foster family by listening very well, he plays great with other dogs, and is learning how to walk nicely on a leash.

Storage Issues

2009-08-22T16:44:00.001-06:00

Lots of people that call us to view dogs, or who want to volunteer assume that we operate out of a building. Lots are then surprized to find out that we house all our dogs in real homes around the city which is better for the dogs, but may be a bit difficult to view the dogs on a Saturday afternoon, or come to walk dogs. Maybe one day in the future we will have the funds that would allow us to move into an actual facility in order to help more dogs, but until then, we do the best we can with the support of foster homes.

This does present challenges though, too numerous to get into, but one issue that we are hoping to find assistance with is our need of storage. During the summer months, my own personal backyard and garage are filled with crates, boxes of collars, leashes and toys, bags of food, and other supplies. Many foster homes store supplies for us as well. When winter comes, and my hubby wants to use the garage for his car however, we run into a snag as my basement won't hold the PDCR contents of the garage either!

We are asking the public's help in finding us a little garage or part of someone's warehouse to keep our supplies in. If you have a super single garage but drive a Hummer, please let us know as we would love to rent your little garage. Please email us with any offers of space or suggestions, prairiedogcaninerescue@hotmail.com

HATS OFF....

2009-08-21T10:54:00.003-06:00

TO THE DUKE!!!

They put on a great pancake breakfast, it was their first, and what a success. In three hours, they were able to raise a whopping $880.00 for PDCR. We couldn't believe it. I personally was hoping that 100 people would stop by, the Duke was shooting for 300, not sure what the end count was, but definately over 300 people attended.

Thanks to all our supporters, lots of past adopters were able to come out to brag about their babies, it was great to hear you came out.

Thanks to Global TV, Mark Campbell came out to do a quick interview with the lovely Colleen. Colleen showed off her little dog Ollie that she adopted from us, and Dewey also got a debut. We haven't posted about Dewey, but he sure made a great impression on people who met him at the breakfast, watch for his write up.

THANKS AGAIN TO THE DUKE!!! Great bunch of people.

Doc is SOOOOO Happy!

2009-08-20T19:34:00.001-06:00

Doc has the best news ever, he has a home of his own! The wonderful couple met him at the dog park when he had four legs, and waited patiently for the week he was gone to Calgary and arranged to meet him again with three legs. He won them over again and he was gone!

Doc and all of us from PDCR want to send out a really warm thank you to all of you who helped with kind words, coming to meet Doc at the park, and for the monetary donations for Doc's care.

His first foster mom, Samantha, took great care of his poor little foot. When he first came, the foot had open sores on it and Samantha was able to keep it nice and clean, give him the pills, and keep him happy.

His second foster mom took such great care of him and gave so much heart to this little guy, he will be forever in your debt Constance (and John, who gave heart to Constance!)

More thanks to Constance for playing on the weaknesses of all your dog-loving friends who opened their wallets and were able to raise almost a thousand dollars for Doc. It simply wouldn't have been able to happen if it weren't for you and your great gang of friends.

And, Chris, his foster dad in Calgary, thanks for all your 'big city' driving, your patience during the surgery and the extra care afterwards.

Mmmmm........Pancakes!

2009-08-11T16:36:00.005-06:00

Its that time again here in Lethbridge, Whoop Up Days!!!

With Whoop Up Days comes the parade and the fair grounds which are all great fun, but my personal favorite are the pancake breakfasts held around the city every morning during the week of the festival. The lovely people of The Duke (of Wellington Bar) contacted us as they are huge fans of PDCR and have chosen us as the recipients of the funds raised at the pancake breakfast they are holding!!

We warmly invite all to come out on Wednesday, August 19th from 7am - 10am to eat some hot pancakes, fresh off the griddle, and of course the bacon, oh, the bacon! Or sausages, whatever...it will all be great. People of all ages are welcome, the cost is a minimum donation of $2 for the breakfast, anything more would be the, syrup, on top.

The Duke is located in the parking lot of Dairy Queen on the west side of Lethbridge. Easy to find as it is located along Columbia Blvd. If you have any questions or need better directions to the building please email us at http://www.prairiedogcaninerescue@hotmail.com/

Update on Doc

2009-08-09T22:15:00.006-06:00

Well, we promised an update sooner then this, but the weekend got away on us! Doc did very well during the surgery, of course he did!, he was asleep!! The waking up part was pretty bad for the little guy as that is when the pain and confusion starts. Poor Doc was in alot of pain and looking for someone to help him. His foster dad, Chris, did a great job this weekend of being very attentive to Doc and tried so hard to help him manage. Chris told me how even thru the pain, Doc still ran to the door to ask to be let out to pee! What a good and smart little man. Doc is already adjusting to life with three legs, he is bounding around the house and yard with only a few tumbles when he tries something too fast and is thrown off balance. Here is a picture of Doc after the surgery.

We are looking forward to bringing Doc back to Lethbridge later on in the week.