This is long over due but I wanted to touch base with you about Gizmo. She has adjusted very well and we LOVE having her. She was a loud mouth to everyone at the beginning, but has made great adjustments over the 3 months. We started her off in a 3 week training and day care in Sept and she was socialized with all kinds of dogs everyday. I nervously dropped her off on day one, among the 15 weimaraners that "run" the place and greet you at the door each morning. When I picked her up that afternoon, she was hanging out with them! She didn't try to attack them or anything. Incredible. Her training was great for her and us. We work on her basic skills (sit, down, stay, come, off and heel) everyday and she is VERY smart. Thee Dog House is where we took her because the owner, Dan, is great with all kinds of rescues and "challenging" dogs. He did a great job and fell in love with her, too. He tells us every time we drop her off for the day not to worry about picking her up, he will keep her! He says that while he enjoys all dogs, he has only ever owned and loved big dogs. She is a huge dog personality in a tiny body, he says.
She has adjusted well to being a member of our family. She and Codi, our other dachshund, love to chase and wrestle. They have even come to an agreement over toys...that most of them belong to Codi, but Gizzy can have a couple occasionally! Gizmo has also learned to snuggle under the covers at night with Codi and be really still, so she can stay in the "big" bed all night. Everyone who meets her loves her. We are very thankful to have found her through you all. Hope that this email finds you all well. We will come visit you at PetCo in the spring sometime. Take care!Lori Morris & Theresa PlatteVa Beach
Thank you so much to LDDR for our wonderful doxie! Our daughter Karen adopted him for us from Melynda. His name was Digger and we changed it to Stimi because of the stimulus money we used to pay for him. Our lives are filled with walks, fetching, warm laps, and persistant barking at the squirrels and deer in our yard! We could not be any happier with our new companion and we are so thankful to you for all of the rescue work that you do!
Jimmy and Gracie Parks
Sparky
Hello everyone at the Long Dog Rescue!
My name is Ashlee. I just wanted to send a note of thanks for all of your hard work and to tell you about the special little dog that I recently adopted through Cindy in your group. When he came to me his name was Sparky but after getting to know him and his personality I quickly started calling him Woody (after Woody Allen) because he just reminds me of a little, squirrely old man in a little dog's body! Woody is 5yrs old and adopting an adult dog has been such an adventure!
It's taken a couple months for us to really figure each other out and now we're simply inseparable! Recently, I was in bed for a few days with a cold and he was my ever-present companion... my own little self-heated blanket/alarm clock/security system & entrainment!
My whole family has really fallen in love with this special little dog! I don't know how I got so lucky to have found him. I've included a picture of him in bed and a picture of Woody and our Maltese Bailey just finished playing tug-o-war (Woody won!).
Thanks again! ~ Ashlee
Miss Bella
Hi Melynda: Jim and I love to tell our adoption story about Bella and how nice you and Frank were in the short time we met. Needless to say, Bella has been a joy since the first day we got her and I always say she is the best dog ever.
I thought since you have been snowed in the last few weeks, you would like to see Bella in her new sweater.
Thank you again for all you do. We will keep you in our thoughts and prayers.
Love from Jim, Melissa, Bella
Chili Dog and Luci
Oh, my gosh.They are so adorable together.Chili Dog follows Matt everywhere, and Luci follows Chili everywhere.If he runs around the house, she runs after him.If he picks up toy, she picks up one.She learned to climb steps watching him.She loves to lie next to him and rest her head on his back.They act like litter mates.During the snowstorm, they stood huddled together near Matt while he shoveled out the car.Although I double-coated them, they were still shivering, but Chili would not leave Matt, and Luci would not leave Chili.
Love,
Randi
Brady's Sory
He's finally here! The first 24 hours have been a little over whelming. sort of like having a new baby without people bringing you food and gifts. lol. brady settled in last night after being dropped off wonderfully. I think he knew that I was the one who would be buying his food so I had a little shadow.
I have yet to see him use the bathroom outside. i have had three "gifts" from him in several places in the house. and a few dog made ponds. i feed him and then wait 15 minutes before taking him outside. his last feeding today, we sat outside for almost an hour. came back in and not even 10 minutes later i had his last "gift". he did not have water down all day. so any helpful hints would be very much appreciated.
overall, the last 24 hours have been good! I can't believe I said that but it has been. he is everything that Jay and I could have asked for in a dog. so far every thing that i thought would happen has (except for sharing my room with my son and a dog). I will try to work with Brady on the house training. so far i have discovered that Brady can sit (when he wants to), come (when he wants to), stop (when he wants to). he fits right in with my son. they both do exactly what they want when they want.
I have attached a picture of Brady and his new older brother.
Brady's new mom in training, Rickita
Rusty's Story
I am Rusty, I have just been adopted by a wonderful couple. I also have a new fur brother. I was a family surrender but now I have my very own bed, toys, cage, mom and dad WHAT ELSE COULD A GUY ASK FOR ! ! ! I have been passed around thru several families but no one ever tried to understand me, but my new mom and dad are experienced dachie parents and they will understand my needs and feelings.
Thank You to my foster momma for correcting me when I was wrong and continously tell me to love and be kind to the other foster kids. Thank you for all of the hugs and kisses that you always gave me, even when I did wrong, you still loved me and was never mean to me. The day that you picked me up, you told me that I had just hit the lottery. I didn't know what a lottery was. But I think that I do have a pretty good idea now.
Love, Rusty
Gabbi's Story I wanted to give you an update on our little Gabbi. Every day I look at her and think how beautiful she is. Really just the picture of a perfect doxie.
It is now been 6 months and Gabbi has really become a big part of our family. It is so cute how she has become so attached to me. When I get home from work she attacks me, Does her little dance, jumps all over me giving me kisses. She loves to go for walks (unless of course (in typical dachshound fashion) it is raining, wet, windy, snowing, sleeting, or extra cold) lol! I want to find her little doggie rain boots and a rain coat!
She also loves to play with socks and slippers. She chases them and bites them and we play tug of war. I tried getting doggie toys that are for that, but she just prefers socks and slippers. She is also VERY fast. When we play in the yard she zooms around as I chase her. She is so funny when she does this.
Of course, she does none if this when Patrick is around. They are still going through the bonding process together. I think she just really has a fear of men (or maybe she was abused by a man similar to Patrick's stature, facial hair, or voice). She is still very leary around him. He just keeps giving her love and every week he tells me he thinks she is getting more trusting of him. I say, hey, by next May she may give you a kiss. So baby steps.
Sam is also so gentle with her. HE gives her kisses, and lays on her and holds her leash when we walk and she is so protective of him. She really is a great dog. And it was a bonus that she was housebroken.
Did you know she gets carsick? Yep! Worse than me! Our vet told us to give her dramamine, and that helps! I never heard of a dog getting so carsick!
Well anyway, I wish I had pictures to show you, but our camera is still broken. We dressed her and sam up as lobsters for Halloween and went trick or treating. They were the hit of the neighborhood. It was totally cute!
Thank you again for all you do and thank you for bring Gabbi into our lives. She is a wonderful dog.
Have a great weekend.
Sincerely, Gabbi's Family in Maryland
Chili's Story
Hope you all are doing well. Chili is doing great. He is a very, very happy little boy. Since I work at home, he has learned to master the doggie dog and goes in and out all day long. He loves sunbathing and studying squirrels. He loves having his own little pack with Zak and Chloe. Zak, our cranky, 13-year old doxie, and him are brothers and Chili follows Zak around. Chili and Chloe, our little Yorkie, play together really well. Chloe has bad knees and Chili finally figured out out to get down low and play with her lying down. He is so sociable, it's really a pleasure taking him for walks. He greets everyone and loves playing with other dogs at the park.
Unless you're fairly spiritual this next piece of information may sound weird but, for a while when I visited Daisy's grave (in our yard), I told her I wanted her to be Chili's guardian angel and look out for him. It's interesting because, besides calming down a lot, he has starting exhibiting a lot of her mannerisms. It could be coincidence, but I like the idea of her having a positive mission.
And last, but not least, we bought Chili a bun costume for Halloween. I'm sure he'll be the talk of the neighborhood. Have you rescued any more doxie's lately?
take care, love, Chili's Family in Maryland
Oscar's Story
Hi, just a quick update on Oscar. Heʼs doing great. Still improving and fitting it. Heʼs opening up and is so playful. Itʼs adorable! Iʼm really falling in love with him. Thanks for making me get him : )
He had a vet visit over the weekend and is in great health. Dr. Annie (my roommate) was concerned with him sleeping so much but his blood work was normal, so we decided itʼs just the dachshund in him. He amazes me with how high he can jump (not that he jumps on anything).
Were still working with the potty training but I am glad to say there has been excellent improvement in such a short time. Iʼll keep in touch and Iʼve got some really cute pictures of the like to send you.
Love
Jenn/Oscar/Sprocket/Squat and soon Dr Annie
Chico's (aka Cheeckers) Story
We had no doubts that Cheekers would win paws down - and sure enough. :)
It was just another chance to chase the much loved tennis ball.
He was absolutely wonderful - as always.
OH.......and in honor of Foster Daddy Frank and all his previous training - we entered him under the nickname he gave him - Dumb Dumb.
We also promoted rescue and the benefits of rescuing doggies in the post interview - but that was cut out. :*(
But everyone we talked to at the coliseum heard all about the benefits of rescue - and two beautiful examples!! (Brown came along but was NOT interested in doing 'dog-like' activities. After all - he says he isn't a dog but a people, you know. lol He chose instead to sit on Christopher's lap wrapped in a blanket.
Oh.....and yes.....the "Kiss My Wiener" t-shirt you see in the piece is Daddy Shawn - all four of us made t-shirts with Cheekers picture to wear to show support.
Actually 4 other families (17 other people total) came to cheer him on - And many others also had Cheeker t-shirts on. :)
BIG fan base here in Chesterfield for Mr. Cheekers!
OH! Besides the fame and adoration he has received - he 'real' prize was a $50 gift certificate to Fin and Feather - a local pet store. He is going this week on a squeek toy shopping spree!!!!
Oh boy!!!! Fame apparently runs in the family.......
Carli is doing wonderful. She has had a couple of accidents but as long as we let her out on a schedule and with Leisel she does fine. She barked at her first deer today. They were outside about 9 am and there were three in the woods about 3 car lengths away from them. She barked, and then Leisel did too. Then she trotted towards them--leaving the shoveled area, barking more. She quickly decided they were not worth the snowy pursuit and turned around! She is eating fine and sleeping quite well. We accidentally discovered a favorite chew thing--Katalyn brushed her teeth the other morning last minute in the kitchen before school and her toothbrush was knocked off the counter. A couple minutes later, Carli was trotting across the living room with it in her mouth like a bone! That evening we gave her a spare one--she loves it. She now has a nice bumpy nylabone that I get out in the evenings for her. Leisel refuses to chew on rawhides or bones--she immediately tries to bury them even in carpet giving herself a rug burned nose! Thank you for saving her life and helping us to rescue her. Carli’s family in Ohio
Barkley’s Story
Little man Barkley has added a few pounds. You can no longer see his ribs. He has made himself right at home. Although he still favors Bill over me, he has gotten a lot friendlier with me. He now greets me in the evening when I get home from work, but is hesitant to be in with the rest of the excited pack of hounds. Each night now when we remove the baby gate to the rest of the house, Barkley flies down the hallway to our bedroom and stands on the side of the bed waiting for Bill to give him a lift onto the bed. He has gotten playful with Huck in the bed a few times in the morning and it is so cute to see the two of them playing with each other. We have found out this weekend that he is storm shy. We are so happy that we have him as a part of our family. I still haven't done the micro chip, but need to especially now that I know he is storm shy. That may be how he ended up roaming the streets of WestVa. He has done very well with his house training. Usually if he does go, it is on the newspaper we keep down on the floor. I need to take a recent photo and send it to you. Once he sees me open my eyes in the morning, he creeps over and starts giving me kisses on the face. Barkley loves eating time at our house. Right now he is a nice weight and I plan to keep him that way. He has learned about people food (because Bill saves a few bites each night for each of our hounds). Sometimes Barkley gets so anxious that you see his nose creeping above the top edge of the table just waiting for his taste. He is truly a pretty wire haired dachshund and I know somewhere out there he must have had a previous family. You just don't desert a dachshund of his quality. We were destined to be his forever home and he never has to worry about being neglected or mistreated again. Thanks for all the time and good that people like you do for dogs like Barkley. God bless, Barkley’s family in Virginia Rusty’s Story
Rusty is wonderful! He was very good on the drive home, sitting on my lap the whole way. When we got back to our place we gave him the grand tour, room by room. After a little while Kyle and I took him for a walk of the neighborhood so he could get used to the area. He was just perfect, walking and playing. When we got back home we just hung around for the rest of the day, in and out of each room. He seems to be acclimating himself quite well. Kyle and I left him alone for about an hour while we ran out and when we left and returned there was no barking just excitement, and the house was still in fine order.
The only problem thus far is that he has not eaten his dinner in full. He's been drinking a lot of water but he has not really paid any mind to his dry food. I assume he's just a little thrown off. All in all everything is going well.
Thanks again for everything and we will keep you posted.
Love, Rusty’s family in New York
Sparkie’s Story
Sparkie is AWESOME.He no longer cries when we pick him up, and he learned how to swim in our pool yesterday. All the dogs get along without problems.I am so glad I wandered upon the ad to find him.We love him and he will be spoiled for the rest of his life. Stay in touch, Sparkie’s family in Connecticut
Bella's Story
Bella was a 10 year dapple female turned rescue due to a divorce. Bella lost an eye earlier this year and we thought it would be hard to find her family, but low and behold, we found them in Whichita, Kansas. Read more aabout Bella on the Success stories page
Odie's Story Odie was turned into rescue due to a biting situation. His family loved him very much but was not able to take the chance that Odie might bite again. Odie came into rescue and was here about 4 weeks when he went to an adoptathon and found his new family. The moment his new mom saw his eyes she knew should be taking him home with her. Odie now has several kids to play with in his new family and many people to take him on his beloved walks. Knowing that Odie found a wonderful home gave his original mom some peace of mind, that her Odie is being taken care of and has another chance to lead a normal life.
Max's Story
Axel is a 'Bama-boy. He was turned into a high kill shelter in Alabama and was being transported to Maine for foster care when our very own Amy Taylor fell in love on the transport. After waiting for over a year for the right 'weenie' she found Axel....and as the stories go....they are living happier ever after!!
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