"Blessed is the person who has earned the love of an old dog." —Sydney Jeanne Seward
Central Texas Dachshund Rescue has taken in several senior dogs this year. Those of us who have had the honor of fostering or adopting a dog with a bit of a frosty face know the joy they bring. We urge you to consider them when looking for your next dog. Here are some reasons why, from The Sanctuary for Senior Dogs:
Many people automatically think of a puppy when they think of adopting a dog. Puppies are warm and cuddly, and everyone wants to hold and pet them. But puppies demand patience and energy to help them become wonderful family members and companions. Older dogs, however, can be as cute and lovable as puppies, and they often come with many wonderful qualities that puppies take years to grow into.
Maybe you are reluctant to adopt a senior dog because you fear that your time with your new best friend will be short, bringing that painful time of loss closer. But the privilege of loving a senior dog makes every single day special, as you and your companion share love, friendship, and a special relationship that grows stronger with the knowledge that you have given this fine old dog a second chance at life. The love that grows from this knowledge is stronger than the pain of eventual separation.
So spread the word! Adopting a senior dog is a wonderful experience for you and your new dog. You will gain a faithful companion. You will save a life. And don't forget, senior dogs and senior people bring out the best in each other. Old dogs make great friends!
Reasons to Adopt a Senior Dog
Senior dogs love to sleep and cuddle the day away. They enjoy a brisk daily walk, but the best part of the day is the nap. They love for you to join them.
Senior dogs have a tremendous amount of love to give. When you rescue a senior dog, you have a best friend for life.
Senior dogs reward your care with an unwavering devotion. Nothing matches the love of a senior dog for his rescuer.
Senior dogs have learned many of life's lessons. They know, for example, that shoes are for walking and bones are for chewing.
Senior dogs know that great outdoors is for eliminating and the house is for relaxing. Your carpet will last longer with a senior dog.
Senior dogs can learn new tricks and be valuable family and community members. They make excellent therapy dogs.
Senior dogs often fit into your household with ease. They find the softest, warmest spot in the house and claim it for their own, but they will share with you, too.
Senior dogs make excellent companions for everyone, especially senior people.
Senior dogs are often the first to be killed in area shelters. Passed over for cute and cuddly puppies, they often do not have a chance and must go to make space for more puppies.
Adopting a senior dog saves a life!
If you can open your home to one of our deserving senior dogs, please fill out our adoption application today!
Remembering Hazel, a CTDR hospice dog
Hazel came to CTDR via Town Lake Animal Center after having been picked up in an abandoned lot at a terrifyingly busy intersection in a bad area of town. She was in bad shape including a false pregnancy, high heartworm positive and with loads of tumors all over her body with a concentration on her mammary chains. The shelter and the doctors guessed her age to be between 12-14 years.
Arthur and I were asked to take her into our home and keep her comfortable for what would probably only be a few weeks. This was in May of 2005. At the 2 1/3 year mark, we had some dental work done on Hazel and had a lot of the tumors removed. We also discovered that after two years on Heartguard (our conservative choice of treatment), she was now heartworm free!
Some of the tumors that were removed and biopsied were malignant but we felt she had already outlived everyone’s expectations. At her age (now around 15 years old) we opted not to do any cancer treatments. This May, we were back in for what turned out to be a bad tooth. Whew! After two extractions and a cleaning, Hazel was feeling better and eating well again.
Then a few weeks later, she started coughing. As I made the appointment to have her seen, I told myself that this was some lingering effect of anesthesia or intubation. An x-ray showed that her cancer had metastasized into her left chest – she had three very large tumors clearly visible to the radiologist. So the past few weeks have been spent using different medications coupled with acupuncture to try to make her comfortable. Through all of this, Hazel remained alert and continued to have a good appetite.
But her breathing became more and more difficult and her lung slowly filled with fluid. On July 29, we had to make the incredibly hard decision to let Hazel go.
Dr Richardson at Hwy 620 treated Hazel almost from the beginning and he loved the old girl. He worked through every treatment option to keep Hazel comfortable and we will always be grateful to him for his immense compassion for us as well as Hazel.
Good bye Hazel. We loved you a lot for the short time you were with us and miss you very much!
Our Third Annual Adopters’ Reunion is now just around the corner. It will be held once again at the Triple Crown Academy on Saturday, August 23. The doors will open at 12:30, with the reunion starting promptly at 1:00 with our always-popular Agility Demonstration.
Let your creativity shine and your dog strut his or her stuff with our costume contest following the Agility Demo. We will once again have prizes, so start planning your costumes now. Then we will have an informative talk from a Representative from Lee Mannix Center for Canine Behavior with some basic behavior training that we’re sure everyone will find helpful.
While all of this fun stuff is going on we will once again have a doggie masseuse available, Christina Hardinger, CCMP, from Skillful Paws. And our top-notch vet clinic, Hiway 620 Animal Hospital, will be on hand to provide nail trims and implant microchips.
Of course we will have things for you to buy! We will have our new t-shirts and sleep shirts for sale, designed by one of our members. We will also have our CDs for those of you who still haven’t caught that music bug. But we know that the best part is of course the fun raffle and silent auction items. We have once again gathered a wonderful bunch of items for you to bid on, so don’t leave your wallets and checkbooks at home! Every year it just gets better and better. This year our big silent auction item is a gift bag with a signed book from Jon Katz, a certificate for a professional pencil portrait of your dog, and a dachshund-shaped Cognac bottle.
We will be serving hot dogs, munchies, and drinks throughout the reunion, which will end at 4:00. A nominal $5 entry fee will be collected at the door. If this is your first reunion, you can find directions to Triple Crown on their web site at http://www.triplecrowndogs.com/138/Map-and-Hours.htm.
To help us with our planning, please let us know if you are able to come by responding to catherinelyon@yahoo.com by August 15. We hope to once again see many of you and our alumni doxies on August 23!
Rockport puppy mill rescue
UPDATE 7/11/08: All our Rockport dogs have been adopted. Thank you for caring for them, and please consider making a donation so we can continue to care for dachshunds in need.
CTDR helps rescue dogs seized from Rockport puppy mill.
When officials in Rockport seized 54 dachshunds from a breeder's mobile home, CTDR's wonderful volunteers stepped up and we were able to take in several dogs. We know they'll bloom into super pups with a little TLC, and we named them in honor of the judges and contestants on "Dancing With The Stars." Click on the pictures to read more about Bruno, Carrie Ann, Julianne, Emmitt, Fabian, Anna, Sabrina, Kristi and Cricket. This rescue will put a strain on our resources and we will need help to vet them all. If you are able to make a donation to help us with their care, please use the PayPal button below. If you would like to waltz or tango with one of them, fill out our adoption application today!
From the site: "GoodSearch is a search engine that donates 50 percent of its revenue to the charities and schools designated by its users. It's a simple and compelling concept. You use GoodSearch exactly as you would any other search engine. Because it’s powered by Yahoo!, you get proven search results. The money GoodSearch donates to your cause comes from its advertisers — the users and the organizations do not spend a dime!"
Be sure to specify CTDR as your charity of choice. Thanks for helping our dogs!
Check out our first fundraising newsletter
The first edition of Wiener Words and Wags is here!
CTDR traditionally sends out a fundraising letter in the fall, but this year we've done a newsletter format. We're making it available online for anyone who is not on our mailing list.
If you would like to contribute to our fall fundraising drive via PayPal, you can do so below. All donations are tax-deductible.
Visit The Doggie Deli and Spa in Cedar Park and support CTDR
Visit the Doggie Deli and Spa at 2051 Cypress Creek Road in Cedar Park in the Austin area for your premium pet food, supply and grooming needs. The owners are CTDR supporters and sell CTDR merchandise as well!
CTDR has rescued hundreds of dogs over the years. Some are
healthy, some need veterinary care to be ready for a new home,
and some of the precious dogs that we take into are program
are so sick that they simply will never recover to a point
where they will be adoptable. But that doesn't mean they aren't
loved and cared for just as much as any other dog we rescue.
Our new Hospice Program was officially started this past
year to let our supporters know about these very special dogs
that come into CTDR and live the remaining days of their life
in a safe, happy, and caring foster home, receiving medical
care, good nutrition, and lots of love. To read more about
our Hospice dogs, visit our Hospice
Page - every story will touch your heart. We hope you
will consider supporting these deserving dogs and help to
make their last days their best days.
Shop with iGive.com and help CTDR
Central Texas Dachshund Rescue is now set up as a charity
to receive funds from iGive.com.
iGive.com allows you to support CTDR with a percentage of
your online shopping and it is free. When you access merchants
through iGivecom, CTDR gets a portion of the sale automatically.
Once you register at the site, you can list CTDR as your charity
of choice.
You can do all, or a lot, of your online ordering through this because most of the regular stores are hooked up with them. Just order through the IGive portal instead of direct through the store so that that store gives us a percentage. Happy shopping and thank you from all the CTDR
dogs in need!
Foster Homes Needed Immediately!
We have received so many urgent rescues in the past several weeks,
our current foster homes are overwhelmed. We simply don't have enough
resources right now to take every dog. It breaks our hearts to say
'no' to helpless Doxies — will you help us give them a fighting
chance? Please consider sharing your home and love with a foster
dog. It is an unforgetable and rewarding experience. If you think
you can open your heart to a Doxie in need, please fill out our
foster form. A volunteer
will be in touch with you very soon and you too can make a difference
in the life of a rescued Dachshund.
