2005 FOSTER PHOTOS

Robbie came to us in late 2004 with Heartworms and other problems. He was in foster care for 3 months. After treatment he went to his new home where he is being spoiled to death. Something he has earned after such a rough start in life! Click here to read more about Robbie and see other photos
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Ernie chased cars and wouldn't come when called. His family was afraid he would cause a lawsuit. Ernie does have a tendency to run and must be monitored near open doors but he has made progress and is now living in his new home.
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Maggie was an unwanted Christmas gift. She "doesn't listen". Maggie was not housebroken so we are worked on that in foster care. She does have loose kneecaps but that is very common among these little ones. Most never need any corrective surgery. Maggie was adopted and lives happily with another Westie and 2 kitties (along with mom and dad, of course!) ******************************************

Majik is a tiny little 4 year old....only 12#. He came in because he was marking and his owner didn't have time to train him. So he was crated most of the time. The owner was wise enough to realize this wasn't a good way for a dog to live and hoped Majik will find a family with time to work with him. (He was adopted in February.) ******************************************

Austin's family asked a friend to care for him when they went away over Thanksgiving. Austin was skin and bones (11#) and had a lot of hair loss. He had been diagnosed with Addison's but they told the lady to give him only 1/2 of his pill so it would cost less. When they returned they had bought a replacement puppy and refused to take him back. The friend cared for him and got his weight back to normal but could not afford his medical care and her home, with a child and cats, was too small to include a dog. She surrender him to Rescue. Austin was fostered by a vet and brought back into good health. He showed himself to be a very charming boy wo was difficult to part with. However, he went to his "forever home" and is now living happily with his mom and Westie and Kitty siblings. ******************************************

Wesley is an example of why we get so upset with backyard breeders. He is a five year old boy who was kept by a breeder as a stud. She dumped him at a shelter when she felt she no longer had a need for him. She didn't try to find him a good home or bother to call rescue. Wesley has been adopted and now spends a great deal of his time chasing a big ball around the yard with his Westie brother. ******************************************

Amelia (Age 4) was surrendered to us when the owner could no longer care for her. She had hookworms, fleas, her ears were filthy and the canals were swollen closed and painful. She had broken teeth and was generally not in good shape. After some time recovering, she found a new home and a much better life.

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Darla and Spanky came into foster care needing medical attention. Click Here to read more about them. ******************************************

Five-year-old Buttons is being treated for a skin issue arising from allergies but is in general good health. He was surrended at the Westland Humane Society. The reason for their surrender to the shelter was "housing related". Buttons has become a favorite among the foster parents. He is just a sweet little boy who makes no demands but loves to play and be loved. He is doing well with other Westies and with the larger dogs he has meant. Like most Westies, he prefers to keep his yard free of squirrels and other such critters. Buttons was recently adopted but will need continued work to complete the job of clearing up his skin. ******************************************

Wallace came to us from the Westland Humane Society. He is 4 1/2 years old. His family is moving to Arizona and can't take him along. Wallace arrived with an ear infection and wasn't neutered. We took care of that and also did a dental. Then he was fostered until his adoption. ******************************************

Read Fiona's story here. It is one you need to read and experience. ******************************************

Let me start out with the happy ending. Katie came to us with many physical issues but most were resolved by putting her on thyroid pills....2 little pills a day and she is a totally different little dog.

Katie will soon be ready for adoption. She will take thyroid pills for life. She does have some hearing loss but she is not deaf. She does have some allergies which are being treated now with a new drug called Atopica. We have had a lot of success using this treatment and so far it seems to be doing well for her. Like so many rescues who came from pet stores (supplied by puppy mills), she has loose kneecaps and does sometimes limp. We give her a pain pill when we feel it might be especially bothering her but the vets agree that she does not currently need any corrective surgery. (June 24, We did have surgery on her back left knee because she tore the Cruciate ligament. She is already walking very well on her repaired leg and runs easily when critters appear in the yard!)

The good news is that the thyroid pills have completely cured her previous, long-term incontinence. They have also cleaned up her skin and she is now getting a nice coat of hair. They have allowed her to lose weight and she has lost 5# and is now under 20#. She is now a happy little girl who likes to play with toys and would like to snuggle with her adopter. She has her energy back but will never be an athlete. Because of her history, she has never really learned to be around other dogs. She can live with them but just can't figure out how to interact appropriately. This causes spats at times because she doesn't understand "doggie behaviors". She may be best as an only dog for someone who has time to love just Katie.

Katie is now six years old. She has gone from a little girl we thought we may not be able to save to an adoptable dog.

SATURDAY, JULY 16 - KATIE WENT TO HER "FOREVER HOME" TODAY!!!!



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Four-year-old Rex came into Rescue because his owner was no longer able to care for him. Circumstances had changed and Rex was left home without a human for a great deal longer each day than was appropriate. His owner loved him a lot and could not allow this to continue. Because he had to work and had no options, he released Rex to rescue. Rex was quickly adopted by a family looking for a companion to a Westie they had adopted previously.

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Calleigh (10 years old) was given up when her family had a new baby. She was advertised as "free to a good home" and was adopted by a man who could not afford her care. When she ran out of food and her meds for pancreatic insufficiency, he decided he could not keep her. A co-worker took her but another dog in the home would not tollerate her so she finally made her way to Rescue. Calleigh is a very little girl who arrived with a whole lot of hair! (The lady who gave her up has Yorkies so Callie was groomed like a white Yorkie).

She is especially cute. She plays hard and when playing sounds rather fierce but is usualy just playing...although she isn't happy to share her toys with other dogs. She has minor allergies as do so many of this breed. She was a bit incontinent at night but we are treating that with female hormones and she is already making it through the nights without accidents. She had a very slight heart murmer when first examined but it is so slight as to not need any treatment and could even go away now that she has had her dental. Her pancreatic insufficiency is treated with a small amount of powdered enzymes on her food and gives her no problems at all.

Calleigh would like to be an only dog but could live with other dogs as long as they don't try to take her toys away. She is currently fostering with multiple dogs and has been successful with cats. Calleigh will soon be ready for her new home. She loves to sit next to foster mom in the chair while mom works on the computer. She follows foster mom all around and will not go outside alone. She enjoys going for walks and is extremely good on leash. Everyone falls in love with this little girl!

Calleigh was adopted by a lady who had lost her previous Westie recently and needed another to fill her heart.

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Alex (age 5) was given up because his owner did not have time for him. He was a very sweet boy with relatively few problems. He was quickly placed in a new home where he will have a lot of attention and play time with 2 other Westies. Alex loves to chase a big ball around the yard. ******************************************

Frizzy was pulled from a shelter just before the date when she would have been put down. Her rescuer contacted us and offered to foster Frizzy. We gladly accepted and were gratified to watch Frizzy get well. Much of her problem was a simple need for thyroid medication. She was adopted by a lady who works at a dog care facility (The Dog Zone in Battle Creek, MI.) and is often able to take Frizzy to work with her. Both Frizzy's rescuer and her adopter have volunteered to foster for us so we have all had a "win" with this one!!

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Buttons' owner had an accident and wasn't able to keep her. She gave her to her sister. The sister was working such long hours, she just couldn't care for her properly. She was surrendered in hopes that she would find a better life. When we got her she had not had medical care in a long time, if ever. She had many issues to deal with. The first thing that was done was a dental because she was in pain from her dental issues. Her skin was cared for....she was nursed back to health and then spayed. Buttons then went through a "false pregnancy" which caused her to treat all her toys as babies. She would try hard to nurse them. Van Kal Haven Animal Rescue brought in some nursing kittens to try to help her but that didn't work. She did recover with meds and has now gone on to her "forever" home.

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Snickerdoodle came to us from a family with two young boys. He was doing well with the boys but not with the neighbor children. Snickers is 1.5 years old and extremely high-energy. He is a dog who needs to be supervised and needs lots of exercise but does not need "over stimulation". He came to rescue as a full grown but untrained puppy. He made strides after his arrival but will always be a busy little guy and needed a home ready to take on this bundle of energy.

Snickers lived well with two other Westies while in foster care. He learned housebroking and rules. But if you took your eye off of him, he was likely to be in mischief.

We looked for and found a family experienced with Westies. He needed a full-time parent and someone who planed to spend a lot of time with Snickers. His new family is taking him to school and hope he will be able to become an agility dog. We think he has a good chance of being very good at agility or any other active sport.

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Chloe came to us because she was not able to adjust to the toddler in her home. She was in foster care for a short time before finding her perfect home.

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Chico had some skin issues and his owners didn't have time for him. So he came into Rescue. His forever home has another westie boy and they have become great friends. Chico loves having a full-time playmate and is doing very well.

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Dee Dee is 9 years old. She has had two litters. Her mom had some medical issues and has decided to sell her house and live with her son. She could not bring Dee Dee along. Dee Dee came into foster care and was a real charmer. She had some medical issues which were resolved. For two weeks she refused to eat kibble. She got by on a minimum of food for a while but then one day decided that kibble would have to do and has been eating well ever since. Dee Dee was quickly adopted and is doing well.

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Riley was having problems with the children in his life. The family finally decided to give him up. He came into rescue at age 2. He did very well in foster care. Sometimes when the environment changes, the whole dog changes, in this case for the better. Riley has found his new home with a family who understands the importance of being the boss in the home and making the rules for the dog.

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Murphy's owner died leaving Murphy (8 years old) with no family. The owner's children all had dogs and children and simply could not keep Murphy. Murphy went into foster care and turned out to be a very nice little boy. He was adopted and is now a happy member of a new family.

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Jordan was a stray in a local Humane Society Shelter. They were unable to find a home for him because he had a skin issue. We brought him into foster care, neutered him, did a dental, updated shots, microchipped him and began working on the skin problems. After a short time on antibiotics and Atopica, Jordan responded dramtically. He is quickly getting new hair growth and the itching has disappeared. He is a fun little guy who loves to play. The vets have estimated his age to be "under 5"; he may be as young as 2 or 3. He will be on rather expensive medication for a while but hopefully he will be able to taper off within 2 months and maintain the improvement.

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