07/28/2012
Marge is back at Suncoast Humane Society in Englewood, FL and is looking for the perfect home. She is terrified of men, and the ideal home would be with a single older woman who may already have another small dog of her own. She was raised by the dog hoarder who had over 250 dogs and used for breeding litter after litter of puppies. She just needs a loving home with someone that can spend a lot of time teaching her to feel safe, comfortable, and learn the basic training of being a house dog. One thing she is for sure is incredibly sweet and loving, I have videos on you tube of her playing with puppies and countless pictures, so if you or someone you know might fit the description for the perfect home for Marge, please contact Suncoast Humane Society in Englewood, FL. (941) 474-7884. thank you
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JACK RUSSEL FAMILY RESCUED FROM HOARDER IN VENICE, FL
The family includes the momma, Marge, the smallest male, Blazer, the only female, Roxy, and the largest male, Oliver. All of them have in common the fact that their ears flop over and get stuck from time to time, they love getting their back scratched, and all they all love playing with toys and running around in the backyard. I recommend lots of toys for everyone, they love to chew as most dogs do, but to keep them really occupied with chewing on toys only, I would rotate and introduce new toys often.
MARGE, the mom, is an excellent mother. She is always keeping an eye on her puppies and is loving and affectionate. I have had them a total of 6 weeks, and it has been a joy to watch the progression of their personalities come out, but especially the mother. When she first came in, her spine looked like stegosaurus running down her back, she was extremely underweight for a nursing mother. It took her a couple of days to get comfortable enough to sit next to me while I fed her puppies. She never attempted to want the food, just made sure her puppies got their share, which made sense why she was underweight and her puppies looked well fed. So, on day 2, when she didn’t cower in the corner, I put some wet dog food on a spoon and she began to eat in front of me. Once she realized this was okay, the next few days, she devoured her food and enjoyed every bite. After a week, she was beginning to trust me a lot more. They have an entire bedroom for themselves with a bed area for them to curl up in, the bed area became her safe zone. When I was working on spending time with her to get her more comfortable and to trust that she was going to be okay, sometimes I would sit with her in her “safe zone” and then she would relax and let me pet her. She absolutely loves her back scratched, which was my trick to calming her down if she showed signs of anxiety. One thing she has never shown is aggression. She allows being picked up and held, but she is the most comfortable just sitting or standing close by. After a couple of weeks, they were all getting attached and I gave them a chance to begin to experience the fun of running around in a grassy yard. It took the mom about 10 minutes before she walked out onto the grass, but once she realized she was okay, she was running around with puppies and having a ball. I have a lot of this is on video and in pictures which I will post shortly if anyone wants to see (info below). Over the weeks, the mom started acting more like a dog instead of a scared pet. She loves to play with toys, run around with her puppies, and simply sit with a companion and get a back scratch. She may take a little longer than most to get used to her new owner, but I found the secrets to win her heart were the certainty of a next meal and definitely a place she can feel safe and protected without being locked up. She does come from a hoarder’s lifestyle and the images showed chicken coop like cages in total filth. Only rescue animals know the true life they lived, so all we can do is spend the time necessary to show them a loving and peaceful life. She was a joy to watch her loving personality grow, and I know she will bring a lot of joy to the one that rescues her.
BLAZER, is the smallest in the litter and a male. I named him that because he blazed a trail everywhere he went. He may have been the smallest, but he was always the first one to start eating and the last to stop. If there was a puppy sitting at my feet or following me around, it was Blazer. He is full of life and curiosity. He plays with everyone in his family and is very ambitious. Size means nothing to Blazer, he has no fear and loves to play.
ROXY, is the only female and bigger than Blazer. Once they could play in the backyard, her full personality blossomed. She loves to race around and always has to grab whatever her brother or sister is chewing on. She loves the chase game and loves to wrestle with Blazer. She is extremely ambitious and is the most dominant in the group. She fell in love with our 1 year old hound, Charlie, who was also a puppy from a previous litter I had fostered. Charlie loves to meet the new puppies and play Mr. Mom.
OLIVER, is the biggest and a male. He definitely has the nickname, “momma’s boy”. From day one, he was glued to his mother’s side. The other puppies would run right over to me, but Oliver always stayed with his mom. When they were able to play in the backyard, Oliver began to escape the boundaries of the attachment to his mother. He is definitely the most docile in the group, and would like to wander by himself through the grass. But he will also come out of his shell and wrestle with the others and play the game “let’s chew on what the other has”. But, for the most part, Oliver would be the one to snuggle in my lap the longest, or just enjoy his time to himself, but he will definitely get attached to his new owner. He is the extremely clingy, and I would recommend him as a companion for another dog, because I don’t think he does likes to be completely by himself.
This has been the story of their progression over the past 6 weeks. Fostering is a blessing in my life that I feel fortunate to be able to provide. I am aware that I have to give everyone back so they can move on to their permanent home, but that doesn’t mean I don’t form a special bond with each of them. The mom is an incredible dog with such an extremely loving personality, which is phenomenal considering her previous life. Her puppies may have not known the dangerous she lived through, and only the mom knows, but I feel like she is finally learned that life is okay, and she is going to be okay, so now she can finally just “be a dog”.
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