Welcome to the first annual Twelve Dogs of Christmas
program from Carolina Poodle Rescue. The staff at
Dreamweaver Farms has been arguing since Halloween about
this list. They've checked it twice.
Starting on Monday, November 28th we will feature a new
dog with its own page each day for 12 days. Every webpage
will feature one of the Twelve dogs (or cat, as the case
may be) of Christmas, providing details about them, their
personalities and history, additional photos, and even
video to help you get to know these wonderful animals.
Each of these dogs comes with the following gifts for you:
Waived adoption fee
6 months heartworm preventative
50 lbs of food
Crate and bed
Collar and leash
All of these are great dogs (and one great
cat) and in the right home, they will bring you the Joy
and Happiness of the season all year long.
Guardian Angel
Can't take one home but see one that speaks to your heart?
Each of these dogs (and cat) can also be sponsored. $25
per month means a great deal to these animals. It means
canned food for older gums, soft blankets and beds,
medications when needed and a caregiver to stroke their
head and hold them close for you.*
Sponsored dogs write monthly to their guardian angels,
updating you on the going's on about the sanctuary and in
their lives. Consider being an angel to one of these dogs
in need.
* If a dog who has been adopted also receives offers of
sponsorship, CPR encourages sponsors to consider
contributing toward the support of another deserving dog
at the sanctuary. If you see a dog who moves you to
sponsor, the chances are that CPR has other dogs, who are
in size, breed, and (possibly) situation, very similar and
who also need financial support.
ADOPTED!
The
Twelve Dogs of
Christmas
Carolina Poodle
Rescue
Presents
The Twelve Dogs of
Christmas
On the twelfth
day of Christmas, my true love gave to me,
Dharma, a tiny silver toy shy as can be!
Dharma's
Christmas wish came true--she has been
adopted! Below is the video taken with one of
her new people and sister, Gigi!
Information about Dharma
Intake date: 9/20/2011 We've saved
the one who needs you the most for last.
For need you, Dharma does.
Her life until her arrival at Dreamweaver
Farms was filled. It was filled with:
Pain -
inflicted by human hands
Filth -
from too many bodies, usually hundreds,
crowded into too small spaces and never
cleaned
Stench
- from the thousands of tons of feces
surrounding her and never picked up
She was a
machine. A baby making machine. She lived in
what is known as a puppy mill. You know those
cute puppies in the pet stores? Dharma was a
mama to those.
They are crowded, cage upon cage. They never
leave those cages except when hands reach in
and grab whatever they come to first--an arm,
a leg, an ear--anything that can be caught and
then lifted by the same, high in the air no
matter how hard you struggle, either to be
inspected or to have puppies taken away too
young or to have yet another male thrust into
that tiny space to fill you again with
puppies.
Food is shoved through the bars. It is the
cheapest that can be bought. There is no
medicine no matter how sick you get.
Potty breaks are taken right where you live
and sleep and eat. Since dogs want to keep
their "den"--their personal space--clean this
is especially frustrating to them. However it
takes manpower to walk many dogs and millers
cut corners every way they can. The feces and
urine passes through the wire you're standing
on, often falling on the dogs below you. If
you're lucky, you're in a top crate. The same
wire that allows your waste to pass through is
also cutting the delicate pads of your paws
into shreds.
We
don't treat prisoners who have committed the
foulest crimes in this way. Why man's best
friend?
And it's legal.
Dharma and 3 others came from Missouri where
they lived in a mill much like the one
described. She was originally accepted by
another rescue group but they found out very
quickly that the girls were far too much to
handle. "They're coming around," I was told
and I didn't believe it. I confess I threw up
several roadblocks and said no several times
for I've rehabbed puppy mill dogs before but
the group met every one of my contingencies
including delivering the four toy poodles to
our door.
We found out
quickly why a fairly young and healthy female
was also too much for her other rescue: Dharma can be an
escape artist. She is tiny, under 6 lbs. and
can slip easily through most gates. Envision,
if you will, three women chasing one tiny
poodle all over an acre of open land; we never
caught her. We did manage to open enough gates
to be able to herd her into a smaller space to
get her in. After that, Dharma lost a good bit
of freedom until we figured out which play
yard was secure enough for her.
That was at first. Now, several months after
coming to us, we have taken care of Dharma's
physical needs. She's been spayed and
vaccinated. She can be groomed.
For her behavior--do you have patience? Dharma
cannot be cornered. Being cornered brings back
too many memories and she will snap and bite
if you do that. But, if you move slowly and
carefully, you can win her trust and once you
do you will start to win her heart.
Dharma is extremely loyal once you gain her
trust. She will follow you and watch you,
trying to figure out what you're up to next.
She'll bark at you to get you to pay attention
to her. She can be picked up if you move
slowly and show her what you are going to do.
She is now clean in her crate, a necessary
first step to house training. When she trusts
you, she will be excited to see you, jumping
and waving her front paws like a cheerleader
to get your attention. If she's feeling
especially happy, which she is more and more
often these days, she will let you pet her.
Her favorite spot is on the top of head and on
her back. She will sometimes roll on her back
to let you pet her belly, an extremely
submissive position, but that is going to take
time for you to get to. Until she trusts, you
don't get the fun.
If you push her too fast and too far she will
bite you and she will mean it. We will not
place Dharma in a home that has children under
18 because of this.
Dharma will continue to improve here but it
will be slow. Her best bet is to now find a
committed owner with a secure fenced in yard
that will take the time to turn her from
former puppy mill dog to trusting pampered
pet. It can be done. It isn't easy but it's
one of the most rewarding things you can ever
do.
Before you commit to Dharma or any of her
sisters, please read this article.
It will help guide you through the journey.
Ten years ago, one of the worst puppy mills in
North Carolina was busted. I was fortunate to
be able to bring home one of those dogs to
foster. I ended up adopting Remington, a tiny
red toy poodle. It took about six months, but
Remington went from hiding under the bed and
hoarding his food to jumping in my lap every
time I sat down and sleeping on my shoulder at
night. After a year with me, Remington went on
to become a registered therapy dog, bringing
joy to youngsters and seniors with his silly
tongue hanging out of his mouth, giving him
the look of a perpetual grin. I only had
Remington with me in his body for a few years
but he will forever live in my heart. He
taught me that no matter what happens in life,
that forgiving and moving on is what it's all
about.
Donna Ezzell
Director
PS--Thank you for staying with us through
these 12 Dogs of Christmas. So far, three have
been adopted. We hope that by the end of
December, I can say that all have found
forever homes or sponsors to help their lives
be better.
Please visit our web page to hear more about
our life saving programs:
Never Say No
- helping us reach the goal of never
turning away a poodle or poodle mix in
need
Guardian
Angels - our newest program where severely
abused animals are offered permanent
sanctuary thanks to the generosity of our
donors (the description for this is in the
left hand column on every page of the 12
Dogs of Christmas)
