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Welcome home Zora!

3/16/2012

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Zora has had a whirlwind month.  Some great news, some lessons learned for both of us, and ultimately she has a new home!  We received an application on Zora in February.  The adoptive family had all the right stuff for her.  We did a meet and greet, and the most amazing part- Zora actually interacted with the man as much as she did with the woman!  It seemed a perfect fit, and the caring and loving environment that Zora desperately needed to transition into a home environment and be a pet.  

She went to their home, and experienced the normal transitional stress that we would expect with any dog, getting used to a new routine.  But surprisingly they reported that she was warming up to them quicker than any of us expected.  We were thrilled!  

Then, 10 days after her adoption was final, I got a call from somebody who said they had heard the mom had been bitten by Zora.  I frantically called them, to see if it was true.  Sadly, it was.  I was terrified for Zora!  My sweet loving Zora who had never offered to bite under any of the stress I exposed her to!  The adoptive mom reported that she had been carrying Zora up the stairs to the bathtub because her feet were muddy.  As she went up the stairs, the other dog was getting in her way, and she called to her husband to contain the other dog.  Zora was in her arms, and her husband lunged up the stairs to grab the other dog.  As he grabbed the other dog, and started back down the stairs, Zora bit her in the face.  

They understood exactly why she would feel threatened enough to bite, that it was completely out of fear.  Because the bite caught her on the lip, and needed several stitches, Zora was forced to be surrendered to the shelter and placed under bite quarantine.  The adoptive family determined that although they loved her already, it would probably be best to return her to the rescue and asked that the city follow their wishes.  Unfortunately, paperwork needed to be filled out, red tape needed to be navigated to make that happen.  During the 5 days Zora was forced to spend in the shelter, she was absolutely terrified.  The adoptive mom, and her previous foster mom tirelessly advocated for her return to the rescue.  The foster mom applied to officially adopt her, after all, she had spent 7 months in their home without incident and they loved her dearly!  I worked on the paperwork end of things with the assistance of the foster mom.  

Zora has been officially returned to her foster family.  She is still under bite quarantine, but she is obviously happy and relieved.  She now has a forever home that will ensure she never has to worry about being placed in a position of fear again.  

The whole incident raised a lot of issues for me as a rescuer and a trainer.  Every dog is a loaded gun sitting on the table.  I feel like I had failed Zora by not ensuring that the adopters realized she had that potential if they were not careful to watch her signals and see when she was in a fearful emotional state.  The reality is that things happen for a reason.  I understand that these dogs have a lot of potential to be great companions for the right situation.  I perhaps was a little too eager to make her a success story.  Adopting her to this couple was a double edged sword.  I love Zora, she is extremely special to me.  I had hoped in the back of my mind to be able to welcome her into my own home.  I was not in a position to do so, when they applied for her.  I convinced myself this was what I needed to gain the respect and the admiration of others, to turn this tragedy into success.  The day they signed the paperwork I cried for hours.  I don't know how her foster mom reacted.  I didn't care.  I only knew there was a hole in MY HEART, but eased it with the knowledge that Zora was at least in town and I could see her from time to time.  The day I heard the news, I was completely locked in the grip of terror that I would lose her forever.  I was frozen in fear, and for the 5 days she was in the shelter I felt like an elephant lived on my chest.  I learned that it is possible to love and let go, I learned how to detach and deal with a difficult situation.  I am grateful for the grace and love with which the adoptive family and her foster family responded to the situation.  I learned I had many people in my court, who support me and who loved this little dog as much as I did.  I learned this is much bigger than just me.  I learned that I need to rely on the help that is offered.  I learned forgiveness in it's most pure form the moment Zora jumped into my lap upon her release and licked my face and shook until she arrived at her new home.  She was instantly fine.  She was home.
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Montana 5 UPDATE!

2/15/2012

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I have not updated the blog for many months!  But in that time we have had major breakthroughs, setbacks, and overcome some amazing challenges!

We were forced to move from our original location, when a dispute with the landowner arose.  They wanted to adopt all of the dogs, and allow them to run free on the property.  While this may sound like a wonderful idea, there were many concerns that went against what this rescue stands for.  They disagreed with our decision and asked us to leave.  In the end it was a great thing for the dogs and for us!

I'd like to address some of the reasons we concerned with the option of adopting to them.  First, some of their dogs had died from distemper, which is a terrible illness, and was likely contracted from interaction with coyotes.  Their deaths could have been the result of a violent altercation but ultimately resulted in a painful and sad death that was drawn out.  Simple vaccinations would have prevented this from happening and we were concerned because their dogs had not received these inexpensive and simple vaccines, which would have saved them.  

A few of their other dogs had disappeared and never returned just prior to us setting up out there. Bodies were not located, so it is unknown if they were killed by coyotes, or were picked up by strangers and what fate they may have suffered in that case.  It is our sincere hope that they were picked up by kind and caring strangers who have provided them with a loving home.  

Interstate 80 runs less than a mile from the property, in addition to a busy country highway, and a major railroad track. There is no real way to confine the dogs to their land only. The larger dogs all live outside and were allowed to come and go at will, often crossing the perimeter of the owned property to hunt and explore.  


Although in some ways it sounded appealing, it was a tough choice, but we elected to keep these dogs in rescue and continue with the rehabilitation so that they may one day live as pets with loving and caring families, despite meaning we must cut all ties with these people.  We are, though, still grateful to them for letting us set up the kennels so that we were able to get the dogs here, saving them from certain death.  

During this decision process, Zora, formerly Zorro, was moved to a foster home.  She was a bit nervous at first, but she has developed a trusting relationship with her foster family, and is very excited to greet me when I visit them!  She has a foster sister who was adopted from an affiliate rescue, HeRD of WY!  She figured out how to use the doggie door and has only had one accident inside the home.  Her foster mom takes her for daily walks and allows her interactions with other people, gently teaching her that people can be trusted and are not as fearsome as Zora once thought.  She makes major strides, and then tiny ones, but continues to move forward at a steady pace.  Zora is ready for a home that will understand she needs quiet guidance to become comfortable, and will adore her as we all do!  A busy home would not suit her timid demeanor very well.

We finally made the move to the home of one of our new board members with the rest of the dogs in October!  We constructed a sturdy wind break, and installed heaters in all of the houses.  While we would prefer to obtain an actual shed structure to house them in, this will certainly do for now.  Winter was fast approaching and we had find a solution!  The dogs have so far wintered well, and are doing good.  The energy at the new location is much more positive and peaceful, and the dogs display a whole new attitude!  There are still horses, and other dogs, and they are successfully socialized to them. It is a bit windier than the other location, with a lot more sand to blow around, but they are secure in their houses, safely heated and stuffed with straw!  We put down wood shavings to limit the blowing sand and to provide them with insulation when it snows, and they are thriving!

Fred, who was one of the more gregarious of the bunch, has since moved into a foster home as well!  He has a large yard to run and play in, a variety of other friends, and he is enjoying rides in the pickup with us to and from caring for the other dogs!  He is sweet, affectionate, and still very timid, but like Zora, he makes progress steadily.  He too would be adoptable to a home that is willing to work with him to encourage his progress in a gentle and kind way.

So - update complete!  I apologize for the lag in reporting developments, but now that we are becoming more settled and organized, we will report much more regularly!
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The MT Five Settle In

5/6/2011

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What a wonderful day with the dogs today!  They have been here for almost a month.  The day they arrived, they were affectionate and all of them ate out of my hands - but they had been off food for several hours. The trip from MT was by plane from Kalispell to Riverton, and then they were driven to Rawlins by a wonderful volunteer!  Thanks Kathy!  They arrived cold, tired, and hungry.  I was able to remove a collar from one of them, Zorro.  Nobody else would let me do that though and they were so cold and hungry I didn't have the heart to push them.  They were wobbly from the sedation administered early that morning to help them make the trip.  I was so excited to see them that I drove out to see them several times throughout the night!

Since then, they have settled in well.  About a week and a half after their arrival, the volunteers who were mainly responsible for them in MT came for a visit. Bruce and Joni are warm and caring folks who obviously won the hearts of these dogs!  I was on the phone with Joni- and they must have heard her.  All of them came running out of the dog houses and focused on me with intensity!  When I told Joni this, it was obvious she did not believe me.  However, when they arrived the dogs all greeted them with such enthusiastic joy that she had no choice but to believe me then!  It was a giant step forward for both the dogs and myself.  I was able to see how much progress they had made with these wonderful people and the dogs were able to see that Bruce and Joni had trust in me.  

Last weekend, Zorro, the most social of them, allowed me to leash her and lead her around.  She had allowed this when in MT too, but has been so shy with me here that I had not pushed her much.  That day, the weather was finally warm and calm.  After quite some time, she relaxed and I felt it was time to make a move, so out came the leash.  Later in the week, I took her in the car to the classes I teach, during a time when I knew there would be few dogs to overwhelm her.  She was afraid, but she handled things well.  She watched with interest as another dog and her handler practiced the agility course.  It was major headway!

Today, a young volunteer came with me to work with them.  She sat in a chair and I picked Zorro up and placed her carefully in the arms of this young woman.  Zorro was initially uncomfortable with having to sit in the lap of a stranger, but eventually she relaxed and allowed Sonya to pet her and even cuddled a bit!  Meanwhile, I was attempting to get the last collar off.  I had been trying to get the collar off of Ethel, it was too tight and was concerning me.  She resisted allowing me to touch her near her head.  The past few weeks I have been petting her, but only after many treats and she would often stiffen and shrink away.  Today, I was not giving in!  Crawling halfway into her dog house, I placed my hand on her and waited for her to relax.  When she did, I softly spoke to her,  I began stroking her tummy, inching my way up to her neck.  After around 30 minutes of this, finally she would allow me to fiddle with the collar without flinching away or fighting me,  Zorro was in there too, and I think her presence helped calm Ethel.  After several more minutes I was able to loosen the collar enough to remove it!  SUCCESS!  
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    Christi Chapman

    Certified Dog Trainer and lead trainer for the MT Five.  

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