Foster Homes....are you out there?

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?!

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....

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

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!!

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!!

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...

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!!!

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?!!

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!!

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.