Just An Average Day at Dreamweaver
Farms!
The evening of January 28th is a perfect example of what
Carolina Poodle Rescue does every day. We got a call
from a local shelter that had a large number of standard
poodles and collies brought in by an owner who had to
give them up. They needed pick up NOW!
 Donna Ezzell started calling Dreamweaver
staff and volunteers--who could help pick up these dogs?
Many, many thanks to those who answered that call,
dropped whatever else they were doing, and went to help.
Pam Smith was the first on the scene at the shelter.
Heather and Joshua Boyd rushed over ready to put as many
dogs as would fit into their car. Olivia Millwood, who
had worked all day and then worked all night, was close
on their heels with the van for transport. Only his
second week on the job, Johnny Howard was told that he
would have to ride in the back of the van with nine dogs
who may or may not get along with each other and his
only response was, "I love road trips."
 And many thanks to Lu Rentzsch, Jen
Chenette, Angela with Carolina Loving Hounds, and
caregivers Melinda Johnson and Amanda Lee who stayed on
site and had everything cleaned, beds fluffed, crates
ready for the new guys. And, of course, CPR's fantastic
operations manager, Pat McWilliams, for doing much of
the coordination while driving a van full of dogs back
to the farm herself.
Volunteer Heather Boyd described the evening:
"Twenty-seven dogs had just been brought in to a local
shelter in South Carolina (purebred poodles, collies and
poodle mixes). They belonged to a possible hoarder or
breeder. The dogs had to be out of the shelter tonight!
My husband, Joshua, smiled and said we could go and try
to squeeze in as many dogs as possible into our new car.
We arrived at the shelter. It's a sad place to see so
many dogs there. Five poodles were already going to
another rescue. Nine of them were ready for us. The
other 7 poodles are on "hold" awaiting a court case
(hopefully, CPR will get those too). We did a walk
through. The shelter girl said, "One is 14;" and I said,
we'll take it. She said, "Two of them have open
wounds/tumors;" and I said, we'll take them. We took all
they would give us. Another CPR volunteer was there and
we packed the cars up. The dogs desperately need to be
groomed; one had dreads of matted hair with dirt/feces.
I was surprised at how sweet they all were! They
probably have never been socialized with people and have
never received love. We left the shelter quickly to get
them out there before they caught anything. We then
arrived at the volunteer's home to wait for the CPR van
to arrive from Union SC.
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Before grooming
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After grooming
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Grooming
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After grooming
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Working with scared-to-death dogs,
who may never have seen a leash, is really hard. When the
CPR van arrived, Olivia, a CPR employee, carried most of
the standard poodles and placed them into the van.
Tonight, they will be settling in at the rescue, getting
ready to be groomed (they will need a LOT of blades for
the shaving down) and at least two of them need to see the
vet first thing in the morning. It may take some time for
the poodles to get adjusted to people, good food and love,
but they were incredibly sweet and adorable. It was
amazing thing I experienced tonight."
These dogs will need medical care. Please donate
and let us know it's for the "Nine Poodles". To
get pre-approved to adopt from us, please complete an Adoption
Application.
Where are they now?
Following up with Eleanor, one of the Tennessee Five
by Donna Ezzell
 I've seen a lot of gross things. I'm an
experienced animal rescuer and someone who works with a
breed - poodles -- whose hair just grows and grows. I've
become immune to the mats and the dirt and the overgrown
hair and to the ear and eye infections that come with
unkempt dogs. Even maggots, while not a daily
occurrence, do happen.
We deal with it. Compared to what the dogs go through,
we can handle a gross out now and then.
The groomer who rescued Eleanor is not from my world.
She hails from the world of show dogs with bouffant
hairdos and well-trimmed pedigreed pups with well-heeled
owners. She doesn't see this side of dogs. She doesn't
understand that hair spray and ribbons aren't a way of
life for all dogs.
She politely didn't believe me when I told her some of
my stories, thought I was exaggerating.
We are still in touch. She tells me she still has
nightmares about what she had to do the day she groomed
Eleanor. Thirteen pounds of filth and hair came off her.
This is a breed of dog known for wisps and puffs of
hair, not pounds of mats and muck.
 Not everyone takes good care of their
dogs. Even people attending dog shows don't take good
care of their dogs. That is one tragic element of this
story. Eleanor's owner, while physically unable to take
care of his own animals, attended dog shows and helped
others groom their animals for show. Meanwhile, his own
standard poodles, animals which normally epitomize grace
and beauty, lived in filth and degradation.
Fortunately, dogs don't hold grudges, for if anyone had
a right to, it would be Eleanor. Instead, she wiggles
her butt when you call her Elly and occasionally steals
food from the stove top.
After a few months of care at our poodle farm, Eleanor
was ready for her forever home. Susie Carter, a
second-time CPR adopter who had recently lost a beloved
standard poodle named Dolly, drove down from Wilmington,
NC to meet Eleanor. Susie is also an experienced animal
rescuer who works with special needs toy breeds.
The drive to the farm and back was a hard one on Susie
because she couldn't stay the night. She'd suffered a
back injury a few years ago and the strain of all that
time in the car put her in the hospital for a few days
when she returned to Wilmington with Eleanor. When Susie
checked out of the hospital, she found her husband
completely smitten with Eleanor and Eleanor to be quite
skilled at manipulating her husband into sneaking her
forbidden treats.
Susie knew the importance of patience and the reality of
treating sick and neglected animals. She treated
Eleanor's infected eyes and ears, slowly and carefully.
Meanwhile, Eleanor tended to Susie's injured back--some
days it hurts Susie just to breathe--and assuaged her
broken heart. It wasn't long before Susie stopped
slipping up and calling Eleanor "Dolly" by mistake.
Lola's Happy Homecoming
by Razy Owens
Razy the Razzle Dazzle Man
reporting here for CPR News:
 We still miss our Mamie every day, and I
try to keep Mama on her toes to distract her. She
sometimes still makes Dame Mamie's dinner before she
realizes it, and that makes her cry. That was a special
CPR Alum, as is my sister Lola.
Lola was Mama's first poodle. Ellie, our Corgi, tells me
that Mama had a "Lucy" before she hooked up with Ms.
Donna at Dreamweaver Farms. Lucy, who Mama called a
"peach terrier," was dumped on a highway that runs
through the Edgefield County peach orchards.
Mama wanted Lucy to be a terrier mix. People would tell
Mama that Lucy "had poodle" in her, and Mama didn't like
that. Poodles belonged with snootty, rich women. Or so
she thought.
Some time after Lucy went to the Rainbow Bridge, Mama
started looking around rescues. She was looking for a
terrier mix, lap size. She found this small operation
called Carolina Poodle Rescue.
But, she just kept looking at rescues for a "terrier
mix." At some point, she had looked at CPR so many times
that she went in her "mode."
An old newspaper reporter, Mama started "researching"
this place with the "poodle" word in its name. (Sigh.
That's my Mama.)
Finally, she asked to meet a red mini-poodle named
Ginger.
Ms. Donna told her on the phone over and over to keep an
open mind. Mama tried to back out on the visit to the
farm, but Ms. Donna talked her into coming to CPR, with
Corgi Ellie and two Godchildren in tow.
Ginger clearly wasn't hers -- that was certain when the
groomed, beautiful poo bounced into the meet-and-greet
room. In the meantime, Ms. Donna had slipped out
unnoticed by Mama, and Corgi Ellie was busy falling in
love with Ms. Olivia Millwood.
 After saying "no" to Ms. Joni Peterson
several times, including once for a Chihuahua named
Tiny, Mama was ready to give up. Then, Ms. Donna,
carrying Buffy, opened the door. Mama didn't even need
to hold her. Love at first sight.
Mama thought the name had to go -- something about
vampires -- but Ms. Donna was holding MY MAMA's DOG.
(Ahem. A toy poodle.)
Today, she is known as the diva, Lola (despite any
derogatory references to Barry Manilow hits, which Mama
sings to us and especially Lola).
Ya know, the Fairy Dogmother knows. She just knows. Get
me?
Razy, signing off, until next time.
We need your stories! Do you have a happy homecoming
that you'd like to share? Please send it to
newsletter@carolinapoodlerescue.org
Scout--A Tiny Hero
by Kathy Breedlove
 This is the face of our little heroine.
Last night after Ken went to bed, I went out the back
door to get some firewood and fell down the back steps.
I don't know how Scout knew I had fallen and not just
walked down the steps but she apparently started barking
frantically.
She kept it up until Ken came down to investigate and
found me on the ground with a broken nose and various
other abrasions and bruises. We spent most of the
morning at the emergency room and then at the ear, nose
and throat doctor. I am going to be fine.
We are both very proud of Scout, she knew exactly what
to do in an emergency.
We need
your stories! Do you have a story about your CPR
rescue pet that you'd like to share? Please send it to
newsletter@carolinapoodlerescue.org
Feature Pet of the
Month
Meet Wistful the Pistol!
 Wistful's name no longer suites him, so
the CPR staff have taken to calling him Wistful the
Pistol. But when he first came to CPR he was far from
the lively little guy he is now. In fact, we didn't know
if he was going to make it. Wistful was found near death
standing in the middle of an apartment building. His
hair was pristinely clean and bright white but heavily
matted and he was starving. No one knew him, no one knew
where he came from, or what had happened to him, but he
was in bad shape.
Two months later and Wistful is no longer that sad,
starving, sick dog who arrived at the Farm. He has put
on weight, his hair was shaved and is growing back a
soft apricot, and he loves to play, has found a
girlfriend, and is a big fan of treats.
Wistful is now available for adoption and he says he's
got a whole world to explore! If you are interested in a
wide open kind of guy who loves the world and would make
a great therapy dog, please visit our adoption
application page.
Virtual Adoption Pet of
the Month
Meet Scott!
 Scott was turned into the York County
animal shelter, reason unknown. Upon arrival he was
matted and terrified. He wanted to bite--and he meant
it--anyone who crossed his path.
Since his arrival at the farm, he has really come around
and is doing better with his caregives. He is crate
trained, and for the most, part very friendly. Scott
still needs some work as he can be somewhat
unpredictable. He does not care for other dogs and
should be an only dog. Because of Scott's behavioral
issues it may take a while for him to find an ideal
home. He needs someone with a lot of experience and
patience. Until then and for as long as he needs it,
Scott has a home at Dreamweaver Farms.
Scott needs virtual
adopters!
Can't have a dog of your own? Or
can't adopt another dog? Have a soft spot for old, sick
or hard to place dogs? It only takes a $20 a month
donation to adopt a virtual dog! Scott needs 10 virtual
adopters (sponsors) to help cover his monthly costs. The
caregivers at Carolina Poodle Rescue will do the rest.
Just think, without ever having to leave your home, you
can have your very own online dog that will send you
update emails, make Facebook posts, and be eternally
grateful for your support!
Go to the donate link at the top of the page for
instructions as to how to donate.
Questions? Email: cprsosdogs@yahoo.com
Join CPR's
Facebook Page for Friends & Family
Why join another Facebook
group? Well, if you love poodles or rescue dogs in
general, if you want to keep in closer touch with the
CPR community and everything that is going on at the
Farm, with the current dogs, with adopted dogs, and with
incoming dogs, then this is the place to be. We asked
some of the members of the CPR
Friends and Family Page why they love being a
part of the page:
There is nothing like being part of a community
and family of people who feel like you do about their
4 legged companions. Your family doesn't always think
like you do!--Jennifer Smith
I have adopted 2 dogs from CPR. Donna Ezzell and her
staff go above and beyond for each dog, poodles and
other breeds, young, old, disabled dogs. In this
community, we share the love we have for our dogs.--Elke
Penka
I love seeing all the successes and hearing all the
stories, be they happy or sad. Also I enjoy all the
advice that is shared.--April Steyert
Hope to see you there! https://www.facebook.com/groups/122083703951/
Please Stay in
Touch
If you have moved or plan to
move in the near feature, please drop a line to CPR
and let us know! We want don't want to lose touch.
Just send an email with your new mailing address
and/or email address to
cprmail@carolinapoodlerescue.org. We always love
hearing from the CPR community!
And if you have a
story about your CPR dog (or cat), we'd love for you
to share it--happy homecomings, travel adventures,
training achievements, or simply a story that you'd
like to share about your CPR family member. Please
send it to newsletter@carolinapoodlerescue.org.
The
Rainbow Bridge
Dedicated
to those who have passed over.
"Button"
Janice
Lawson--Middleboro, MA |
"Chi"
Marcie McDonald
and Family--
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"Cooper"
Taylor
Bell--Arden, NC
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"Domino"
Ashleigh
McDonald--Cross Lanes, WV
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"Maggie"
Kerri
Ward--Concord, NC
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"Mikey"
Debi
Raby--Cary, NC
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"Mya"
Joni Peterson--Blacksburg, SC
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"Nikita"
Deb
Guglielmo--Southport,
NC
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"Parker"
Allison
Mautz--Salem,
SC |
"Rosie"
Mary Winburn--Port Orange, FL
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"Sophie"
Dreamweaver Farms--Pacolet, SC
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