Dog 5 .... Rescue # 2 .... Linda - gave birth to Dog 6 and saved an elderly grandmothers life.

Linda was a pure pomeranian who was used for breeding by a couple who also had a pure pomeranian male. The dogs were inside dogs in a small inner suburb home with small concreted yard and shed. Each time Linda had her litter of pups she was kept away from the male in the shed with her pups until they were old enough to sell. After several litters Linda became quite dishevelled, losing her fur and incontinent inside the home, therefore was left outside and the owners didn't want her anymore, so I said I would take her off their hands and look after her as a companion for Jazzmin.

By the time I got her she was quite sickly looking with scraggy, patchy fur and very little energy, but within 6-8 weeks of tender loving care, she blossomed into a healthy, huge ball of fluff, running and playing with Jazzy and the kids, no longer incontinent, but very needy for continual attention.

We didn't want her to have another litter to ensure she stayed healthy, however not knowing that dogs get pregnant within the days following their show, we agreed to allow one of our friends to bring over her elder maltese/shitzu when coming to visit. Part way through the visit we noticed the two dogs stuck together and then later Linda was pregnant and gave birth to our sixth dog Coco. 

Both Linda and Jazzmin shared the duties of raising Coco. Meanwhile another friends Russian mother in law had just lost her dog and her health was deteriorating rapidly, in and out of hospital, because she felt she had nothing more to live for being at home alone. Therefore we offered her Linda who needed a lot attention, she quickly recovered and this extended her life for another 8-9 years. Linda ate with her at the kitchen table, sat on her lap when in the lounge room, slept with her in her bed and they both enjoyed walks together. She had to change Linda's name, as she said her other daughter in law's name was Linda and although she did not like her much, she thought it would not be appropriate to call the dog Linda too, so she picked the name Lillee, which she said was Russian for Linda.

Linda passed away due to old age and our friend's mother in law passed away not long after her. But by us giving Linda a second chance and saving her life, Linda then did the same for our friend's mother in law.

For information, tips and products for small dog breeds go to www.allforsmalldogbreeds.com.

Rescue Dog #1 - Jazzmine

Due to the pain caused by the sudden lost of Buffy, my wife felt she could never have another dog, as no dog would ever be as good. I figured given time, it would happen, so I didn't push her too much.

Then some months later, my wife and her friend went to the beach for a short holiday with the their two daughters. One day they found a big stray dog and decided to take it to the local council pound before it got run over, or injured. The two girls were looking at all the dogs in the cages, then our daughter stated that she liked the dog in cage number 8. The pound attendant explained that this was not the cage number, it was how long the dog had to live if it wasn't collected, or a new home was found for it. This really upset our daughter, so she started nagging my wife to keep it, saying "it's just a puppy, you can't let it die, can't we have it, I will feed and look after it, please, please, please".

Well the nagging became too much for her, so she rang me at home to see what I thought. Knowing how she had been feeling about Buffy, I said "well I would really like another dog, but it's up to you and how you feel about it". After much discussion, she decided if it was still there on the last day we would take her, but it would be our daughters dog, not ours and her responsibility to look after it. Our daughter couldn't wait for the days to pass and when they went back on the last day, the dog was still there, so my wife told the attendant that we would take her, thinking she would just have to sign some papers and take her there and then.

Having never got a dog from the pound before we were not aware of the long winded process required. Before she could be taken home, a whole heap of papers had to be signed, she had to be sent to local vet to be checked out and spayed and we had to agree to pay the expenses and pick her up the following weekend, therefore my wife rang me again to make sure it was OK, to which I agreed.

When we got her home she was riddled with flees, so we gave her a wash, brushed her coat and treated her with a anti-flee treatment. She was a real friendly pup, somewhere between 8-12 months old, with a Chihauhau head and mixed breed body, which our daughter named Jazzmin, that often got shortened to Jazzy. She had such a gentle nature, easy to train and happy to please, we don't know why anybody would give her up, but she was scared of a newspaper,  or magazine in your hand. I suspect she was hit with one at some stage of her early life.

Our daughter started off really well feeding her and looking after her, but the novelty soon wore off and it was back to us to do all the work, however by then she was already in our hearts. In all the 15 years we had her she never gave us an ounce of trouble, she would mother all the other dogs we had along the way, helped Pippy with her pups and taught the new dogs how to behave. The only two issues we had was that she became a compulsive licker, so bad that her tongue would no longer fit back in her head and she was a bit of a guts. We had to feed all dogs together and wait until they finished eating otherwise as soon as we left she would steal the others food, or sometimes she was so smart she would pretend not to want to eat, so the others wouldn't eat either then steal theirs.

We will always remember her with fond memories and the knowledge that she showed us that we could love other dogs, just as much as Buffy and enjoy the company of many more. RIP Jazzy.



For information, tips and products for small dog breeds go to www.allforsmalldogbreeds.com.

What to do when you have to make the agonising call to be kind to your pet and have them put to sleep!

Sorry for the delay in posts, but I have been away and the Internet when available was so bad it was near impossible to use.

After writing my last post, it brought back bad memories of what happened when we had to make that agonising decision to put our beloved Buffy down for the good of the dog.

Whilst weighing up the pros and cons of what was best for Buffy the Vet and nurse were extremely kind and considerate. However, when we had to make that final decision they became extremely clinical, quickly giving Buffy a needle putting her to sleep with the nurse then picking her up, placing her in a black plastic bag swinging it around to twist the top, tied the bag up and handed her to us. My wife and I were so dumbfounded with the cold hearted process we just stood there unable to talk. All I could remember was Buffy looking up at me when the needle went in, as if to say help me. We were devastated. And on top of that we then had to go back to our four young children in the car and tell them what had happened and drive 2.5 hours home. It was the longest trip I have ever had to endure.

Some 16 years later we were faced with the same dilemma of how to best perform the task with another beloved small dog we had rescued from death row as a pup, who after 15 great years had become deaf, blind, incontinent and no longer able to get around easily, or in and out of the doggy door in a very cold winter. .

After many discussions with a vet, we found it became kinder to let her go, than keep her. The vet suggested that they could come to our home rather than have it performed in a clinic. This allowed us time to say goodbye and kept our dog at ease being in familiar surroundings, without the stress and smell of a veterinary clinic.

Whilst there is never a good way of having this procedure done and although still upsetting to see our beloved dog go, it was so much easier and nicer for both us and our dog. Even the Vet had a bit of a tear in her eye when our dog licked her hand as she put the needle in her paw.

For information, tips and products for small dog breeds go to www.allforsmalldogbreeds.com.