CALLING ALL HORSE FOSTER HOMES! We have more stray horses that need our help. Here are two of them that will be ready soon but there are more. We asked people not to let them starve to death and not to send them to slaughter so now they’re being turned out or turned over to us. This is our chance to make a difference and start the wave of change. Let’s change the cycle of sending horses to slaughter or leaving them to die. If you can foster or would like to adopt a horse, please email [email protected] or call 936-878-2349. We need you now more than ever!
Tag Archives: Foster
Foster Feature: Winston Update #2
We are pleased to share with you the latest update on Winston!
It’s been three weeks since Winston went into foster care with Kim and he’s doing very well. His wounds are healing and so is his heart. He is such a well behaved boy that his foster Mom feels sure he must have been someone’s beloved pet before he ended up on the streets and in the hands of people who were not so nice. What does that mean for Winston? It means he has some trust issues with people and other dogs but it also means he remembers the people who treated him well and he wants to trust again. Little by little he’s warming up and feeling safer and more secure. He’s learning to love life again and enjoys lying around, riding in the car and playing with toys again. He’s housebroken and crate trained and walks on a leash too! He’s never offered to hurt anyone or any other animals but his foster Mom monitors him with them all the time for now. Physically his wounds a closing and he’s even putting some pressure on his injured leg now. If you’ve been following Winston’s story keep praying for him to heal. He’ll be going to the vet soon for an update and some vaccinations. He wasn’t healthy enough for those three weeks ago but thanks to a wonderful foster Mom, he is now. Watch for updates after his vet visit giving us a go ahead to put him up for adoption!
Foster Feature: Gina
Today’s foster feature is Gina. She was next to be euthanized at the Brenham Shelter so the manager there asked if we could network her to find her a home. We sent out the picture of her in the kennel and although True Blue Animal Rescue foster homes are all full they came up with a plan to save this beautiful yellow lab. They contacted Kathryn Kwiatkowski of K’s Mutt Hut in Brenham and asked her to help. She offered a discounted boarding fee just to cover her care. Kathryn runs a wonderful boarding facility in Brenham, but she’s a rescuer through and through. She’s always rescuing animals and can’t look away when asked to help. The members of True Blue Animal Rescue chipped in to cover her board for several weeks. This will allow time to get her vetted and up for adoption.
If you or someone you know would like to adopt this sweet girl, please share or email us at [email protected]. Please help buy Gina another day by paying for a day of board. Go to t-bar.org and make a $10 paypal donation with a note to let us know it’s for Gina.
Thank you to all the wonderful people who donated enough to get her out of the shelter and a great big thank you to Kathryn of K’s Mutt Huthttps://www.facebook.com/kmutthut for taking care of her and giving her a chance!
Foster Feature: Honey
Today’s foster feature is Honey. Written by Shellie Bellinghausen.
I got tagged in a Facebook post for a dachshund and a chiweenie (chijuajua/dachshund mix) one Friday evening recently. Yes, I’m THAT dachshund lady that everybody tags. A shelter in a town two hours away had an emergency situation and had to find homes for some of their dogs ASAP, or they would be put down Monday morning.
I replied to the post and started emailing with the shelter that evening. Their sheriff’s office had seized a large number of dogs that day in a cruelty case, and it took up half the shelter’s kennels. The kennel these two dogs were in was tagged for euthanasia. The dachshund was a year or two old, and the chiweenie about five months old. Two young and healthy dogs, perfectly adoptable.
Thankfully the owner of the dachshund claimed him on Saturday, but the chiweenie was still there. So TBAR pulled her from the shelter, and since we had an event all day Saturday, I met a transporter half way on Sunday to get her.
Turns out, the “chiweenie” hasn’t got a lick of dachshund in her, but is probably a corgi mix (shorter legs/longer body also). She showered me with kisses from the moment I first held her. Adorable hardly describes it. I named her Honey since her fur and her eyes are honey-colored.
The sad thing is this precious little puppy would have had her life ended prematurely because this shelter, as do many across the country, had limited space and was greatly over capacity. Some of
these shelters have kill rates as high as 85%. Let that sink in. 85% of the animals that come in to some shelters die there.
Now before you get angry at the shelters, please know that the majority of the people working at these shelters are loving, caring, giving people who genuinely care about these animals. They do their best to adopt them out or find foster homes or rescues that can take them in order to avoid having to needlessly kill them. But with so many animals coming in their doors, their hands are tied.
In Septemberr, TBAR received a request from a local shelter to network an older Red Tick Coonhound. We networked her for a few days before receiving notification from the shelter that she was on the euthanasia list that day due to overcrowding. Again, TBAR pulled her, I picked her up that evening after work, and we had a pending adoption for her the next morning. Annabelle went to her forever home that Friday after a quick trip to the vet. What a difference a day made for her!
The reason we were able to find a home for her so quickly was through social networking. Facebook has allowed us to share pictures and descriptions of these animals with lightening speed! And friends share these posts, who share these posts, and so on, and so on, and so on (anyone remember that commercial from the 70s?). And someone out there sees it and steps up to foster or adopt. Networking works!
TBAR has even created a separate networking page on Facebook for just this purpose, called RAIN Networking (Rescue Animals In Need). Anytime we receive calls or emails for help with animals, we post them here first, and often times we don’t even have to officially bring them into rescue because these animals find homes through this page.
So whenever you see the countless posts from those of us active in rescue, even if you can’t help any other way, you CAN share the post, because you never know when someone you know may find an animal they can help.
And just as important, you can foster through a local rescue. You may have to fill out a foster application, which only takes a few minutes, and when an emergency situation comes up (and they do often!), the rescue can immediately respond because they have foster homes available. (Just like shelters, rescues are limited by the space they have available.) The rescue covers all the vet care (and many provide food and crates), you provide the love and one-on-one attention, which socializes them.
Fosters are able to share additional pictures and information about these animals, such as temperament and whether the animal is good with children or other pets. When potential adopters read this information, it often seals the deal, and they know this pet is meant to be theirs. That’s what happened with Annabelle! Her adoptive family saw a picture of her that a friend had posted on Facebook. That picture reminded them of a Blue Tick Coonhound they had that was no longer with them. They knew Annabelle was theirs!
And Honey? Well, after seeing her pictures, my mom decided this little girl was for her (much to my surprise)! I’m telling you…networking works!!
Update: Moonshine
Moonshine update. Here he is with the vet that pulled coggins and vaccinated him. He loaded easily and handled this new situation like a champ. Thanks again Juan Vendrell of TC Ranch Ventures for getting him to this point. Next phase will be his new training foster home with AJ Greer.
Foster Feature: Butch (part 1)
Today’s foster feature is Butch the Dachshund – Part 1 (By Shellie Bellinghausen)
When one of our fosters advised me there was a dachshund at the Columbus city pound, I knew I had to call to see if he was still there. Yes, I’m the crazy dachshund lady…well, maybe a few dogs shy of being crazy.
When I called the city office, the lady I spoke with wasn’t aware of a dachshund but left a message for the Animal Control Officer to contact me. He called a couple days later and said there was, in fact, a young dachshund there, but he was very aggressive. He had bitten the officer, drawing blood on more than one occasion. If this had been anything other than a small town city pound, this dog most likely would have been euthanized right away,
This little guy had been there for over a month, and the ACO, whose name is Butch, was able to get him to at least let him pet him, but he still couldn’t pick him up. I was relieved to find out he was not dog aggressive, as the officer had put him in with another small dog for a little while, and they got along well.
After finding out the requirements for TBAR to be able to pull as a rescue and getting TBAR officer approval, I arranged to pick up this dachshund after our event that weekend. Even though they are closed on the weekends, Butch was willing to meet me there late that Saturday afternoon.
I had no idea how I was going to be able to work with an aggressive dog in my small condo with three other very active dogs (dachshunds, of course). Over the next few days, I kept praying God would somehow cause this little guy to feel completely comfortable with me and remove any aggressive tendencies.
When I arrived in Columbus that Saturday afternoon, I followed Butch to the kennels. As we walked to the gate, we could hear the dachshund barking at us. Once we were inside, he continued barking and growling viciously. Butch told me that several people expressed interest in adopting him, but when they saw how aggressive he was, they weren’t willing to take the chance. To me, there was no choice. This little guy needed help, and at TBAR, it’s what we do.
I brought hot dogs with me (bribery might work, I thought). But when I tried to give him a piece, rather cautiously so as to keep my fingers in-tact, he wasn’t interested. So I gave a little to the other six or eight dogs impounded there. I decided to give it one more shot with the dachshund, and this time he very gently took it from my fingers. That was a good sign, and I was encouraged. Still, I wasn’t sure how I was going to work with this little guy.
Butch was able to get him into the metal crate he had been brought in with, and I had him put a collar and leash on him that I brought with me. I figured this way I’d at least be able to control him when getting him out of the crate later. Into the backseat he went, and we started on our way.
I decided to call him Butch, after the ACO, who was a tough ol’ guy with a kind heart. This little dachshund was definitely tough, but I wasn’t sure how kind he’d be.
I immediately called the vet we use in Bryan, Dr. Thurstin at CCC Animal Clinic, and she graciously agreed to meet me at the clinic as soon as I got back to town that evening. I needed to make sure he didn’t have anything contagious before bringing him home. But how in the world was she going to examine him?!
To be continued…
Foster Feature: Sonador
Today’s foster feature is our newest rescue horse, Sonador.
The County Livestock Officer in Austin County responded to a call and found her tied, around the neck, to a tree- both back feet tied with a rope- starving, with no food or water anywhere she could reach. He IMMEDIATELY seized her and called for TBAR’s assistance.
She spent 5 days at the vet waiting for a clean coggins report. Since this case was going to court evidence had to be collected too. Even though it was more than obvious to the vet the horse only needed food, he had to run fecal tests, full body exams and assessments to determine that she is a healthy otherwise, underweight, 10 year old mare who’s current condition was due to the lack of food.
We would like to thank Deputy Nathan Hale for removing her from this abusive home and the judge in Austin Co who awarded her to True Blue Animal Rescue on August 20, 2014. Now we can all breath a sigh if relief knowing that this sweet mare will never suffer again!
Sonador will need a few months of foster care with good food and lots of love to recover from her abuse/neglect. She settled nicely in with the other horses in her current foster home but she’ll be ready for an adopter very soon! She’s sweet, gentle, easy to handle and loads easily into a trailer. Please email [email protected] or call 936-878-2349 if you’d like to adopt. If you’d like to donate toward her vet care use True Blue Animal Rescue’s facebook donate button.
Foster Feature: Piper
This weeks foster feature is Piper. Here is his story written by his Foster Mom, Diane Holt, who didn’t give up on this little guy. Please like and share his story until he finds a home!
Melanie
Piper’s Story:
My husband and I were traveling down FM 1155, in Washington, Texas on Sunday afternoon July 20th, 2014. I see this little thing on the side of the road. I wasn’t sure what it was at first so I tell my husband, STOP. I jump out and see that it’s a tiny emaciated dog on the side of the road. He starts to run from me and he goes under the road into sewer pipes ones about 3-4’ big with 4 in a row. I follow trying to help him; he was in the worst shape of any animal I have ever seen alive. My husband and I try for over 2 hours to get him with no luck at all.
We leave very frustrated, upset, and sad. This little guy didn’t have a chance in the heat. It appeared he might be living on a sticky smelly dead deer by the road and hiding in the pipes for safety. It was getting dark so we had no options but to give up for now. I vowed that we were stopping just for now because we certainly were NOT giving up on this little life that desperately needed help. I kept wondering how he had come to be tossed out on the side of the road and left there like garbage.
I didn’t sleep all night thinking about him being out there. The next morning I asked my husband to call me on his way past there to let me know if he saw him. He didn’t see him. So I headed back down there around 1pm with food-hot dogs, ice water and towels to try to find him again and if nothing else leave the food and water for him to find. When I got there I see that there was another good hearted couple that also saw him and had stopped because he and his wife had been seeing him for weeks. He wouldn’t let them help him either. The man said he ran behind him this time and he didn’t see where he went. We spent about an hour looking for him but couldn’t find him. His wife called Tbar rescue from the road. I put out the food and water for him so at least maybe he can get something to eat and drink and I’ll check back.
I came back later that day and see him. He ran when I got really close to him and he started screaming because he’s so frightened. He ends up escaping into a 14” culvert pipe at the bottom of someone’s driveway on FM1155. I try everything I can think of to get him to come out. I offered him hot dogs and water and use soft talking but nothing I did would coax him to come out.
This culvert is maybe 14” wide and about 30’ long so it’s a lot better to deal with than the underground sewer pipes. I work with him for hours in 98 degree temps; it had to be well over a 100 inside that pipe. Folks passed by and out of the driveway. No one stopped to help or even ask anything. I tossed him hot dog pieces. He loved getting them and came for water but would never allow me to get close enough to help him.
I decided the ONLY way this little guy was going to get saved is if we can trap him. I was about 4 miles from home, so I try to block both ends of the pipe off with towels and stones to hold him in there. Leaving the food and water for him I head back to a neighbors to get a live trap and a long PVC pipe to reach down the pipe to guide him into the live trap. I return to find he had escaped.
Now I am unbelievably frustrated because I knew this little guy did not have much time to survive these temps. He is very thin, weak and had almost no hair left due to mange. He was in need of rescue badly and now it was late in the day and I couldn’t find him.
Next morning I have my husband look for him on his way to the office and he didn’t see him. I head back down there around 11:30 with troops from Tbar to meet up because I was going to get this little guy today and get him the help he so badly needed. I get there and don’t see him but I’m going to set the trap up by the culvert pipe with food and water and just check it throughout the day.
I get down on my knees to set the trap up and look in the pipe and I see him looking back at me!!! I was so happy to see him. I wasn’t taking any chances this time so I set the trap up and locked it in place and put hot dogs up at the other end with water. Now I’m on one side with a PVC pipe and the trap is at the other end. Just in time Lauren from Tbar Rescue pulls up, I motion to her to get to the other end of the pipe. We toss him hot dogs but he wasn’t coming to us so we had to trap him.
With Lauren on one end and me on the other end Lauren starts to put the PVC pipe in the culvert pipe to chase him the other direction into the trap where I waited for him. Within 10 minutes we had him!!! Lauren and I hugged and thanked GOD for helping us get him as Melanie, another Tbar member, pulls up. Tears of relief after 3 days of trying to get him, it was a joyful event. Lauren says to me, ‘since you’re going to Foster him you get to name him!’ I said, what about PIPE….she replied how about Piper!!! How perfect. So now little Piper is my foster dog. Melanie loaded him up and off to the vets for help.
I will mention that I found out that he had been seen on this road in this condition by many folks over the last month or more. Some stopped and tried some just ignored him as it was someone else’s problem as if he was garbage. Yes, it took time to get him but his life was worth the effort.
Even the day I think I spent at total of six hours at the bottom of that driveway, folks actually drove in and out of that drive way and never even ask me if I needed help or what was wrong as they saw me at the bottom of their driveway in 98 degree weather crawling on the ground they just kept driving by vehicle after vehicle.
So I wonder about where the compassion has gone? If people do this to people no wonder they do it to animals. But if you just try, and keep trying or at least try to figure it out and not give up you might save a life. You won’t stop the problem, you won’t solve the grand issue but if you stop and try to help or at least report it to someone that can you’ll save at least that one life. Doing something is better than nothing, show some compassion and try, DO SOMETHING!
As it turns out Piper is a sweet, gentle and friendly 7 month old puppy who loves to sit in your lap. He also enjoys going for rides in the car, loves kids and gets along with other animals. Most surprisingly he’s completely housebroken too. He must have lived in someone’s house before they tossed him aside like garbage. Now he is mange free, vaccinated, neutered and ready for his forever home. He’s gone from being only 8 pounds to a healthy 14 pounds and he won’t get much bigger than that. He’s perfect for any family! Email [email protected] or call 936-878-2349 if you’d like to adopt Piper!
TBAR Foster Feature: Kassy Part 2
On day three I was outside with the dogs because I wanted to make sure Kassy used the potty so she could be loose for an hour before crating her again. I admit I was sleepy; it was 7:30 and too hot for coffee. I heard Jack make a funny noise. I looked to see Jack and Kassy playing with each other. It was amazing! What was even more shocking was she was instigating the play. She happily bounced over to Jack, raised a front leg, smacked him in the face and then began to run around him. Her tail wagging, she then bowed with her front legs stretched out and her hind quarters still up. This is the classic body language that my dogs use with each other meaning, “Let’s play!” Jack, who for some time I always have thought of as a puppy, looked at her like she was crazy. He barked once at her and I sat up and took notice. But Jack’s bark did not stop Kassy from her quest to play.
In fact she wanted Jack to bark. His bark triggered in her the desire to run in circles around him and then come back and smack him again. Jack had a new best friend and he wasn’t sure what to do about it. He acted like a gentleman and played as long as he could stand, but once done he headed for the back door and then sat down. Still, watching Kassy play was huge. Seeing a dog that was so full of fear when I first got her that she messed herself twice, now have a big doggy smile on her face was staggering. I began to understand that Kassy had no clue how to be a dog and now more than ever I was going to be relying on my pack to help this dog in need. I just wasn’t sure they were up to helping sort out such a backward little girl.
Day seven I was in for a surprise yet again. Kassy at this point still wanted to only be in her kennel. It was her safety spot. The cat’s basket that was in the same room as her crate also became a “safe zone.” Kassy enjoyed cramming herself into the beautiful Garden Ridge Pottery basket my mother had gotten the cats. For days our foster dog would transfer herself from the kennel to the basket, non-stop. Almost like she had no control over her actions. Then day seven happened.
I should point out that at this time we also took in another Corgi mix named Bacon, from a rescue group in Nixon, Texas. Call me crazy, but when I saw her picture and plea for an adoption for a special needs dog I just had a hard time saying no! My dogs before this have always been solid colors. I am not sure if that was by choice or fate. But Bacon was a black and white Corgi mix and she looks a lot like Kassy, only a bit shorter. But back to day seven. On the seventh day, I was on the couch and I saw a dog sleeping in the middle of the room I was in. At first glance I thought it was Bacon, who came to us a very socialized dog that slid into our home with ease, now asleep. I then looked at my feet and saw Bacon napping there. (She is like my shadow and I love it!) Kassy was sleeping in the middle of the room. Not under something, or in something, but in the middle of the room with nothing to shield her from me! Not only was she napping but she seemed to be at peace. I was so excited I started to cry a little. I didn’t think the dog would grow this fast but things were looking up. Her accidents when we touched her had started to disappear. Everything seemed to be going so well. But then week two knocked us for a loop and we had major steps backwards.
To Be Continued…
We hope our “Foster Features” help to inspire others to open their homes to animals in need. If you are interested in becoming a foster home for a Texas animal rescue, please visit our info page, email [email protected] or call (936) 878-2349. It is because of foster homes like Casie that TBAR is able to save more lives!
TBAR Foster Feature: Cricket
Today’s Foster Feature comes from one of our wonderful True Blue Animal Rescue Foster Homes: Casie Cooper!
We picked Cricket up from TBAR on Valentines day a few years ago. She was part
of a group siezure at a breeding facility.
I knew she was going to be a challenge from the moment we met her. She was in
the working pens ready to be loaded when we walked up. I reached through the
fence to pet her. She froze and started shaking like a tiny chihuahua! I figured
it was best not to mess with her much in the chute. We loaded her up.
Once we unloaded her into the round pen at home, things got a little better. It
was obvious that she had not had much interaction with people. But through all
of her fear and insecurity, she was never aggressive or mean. Never offered to
kick, bite or even paw. She was legitimately scared, but seemed to know we
weren’t going to hurt her.
After about 2 weeks of good progress in the round pen, she was able to be
touched, haltered, led and moved her hips when asked. At that point, we thought
it a good idea to try some transitioning to working in a larger area. Boy were
we wrong! Hah!
We opened the gate to the round pen and stepped to the edge. She stretched and
sniffed. I waited. Then walked through. Well, she bolted! Ran like crazy!! Got
loose from me and jumped the fence into the back pasture. Then the front
pasture. Then the front yard. Then the back pasture. Then the front again and
finally the back again and ran like crazy. All I could think, after “Please
don’t break your neck”, was “What the heck was that”!? “I must have done
something wrong? Too fast?” I decided I was out of my league! We called a
friend who trains horses.
Our trainer friend came over once we got her back in the pen. A week later, he
felt confident he could transition her. Same scenario. Less dramatic, but the
same outcome nonetheless.
We felt hopeless. Figured we would have to keep her forever and just have a
really pretty yard ornament and no space to foster a more adoptable horse. Then
we realized that if she ever needed medical attention, minor or emergent, we
would have no way to care for her. Unacceptable in an animal lover’s eyes.
In comes Juan Vendrell. We took Cricket over and unloaded her into his working
pens. Within a week, he could lead her through an opening from one pen to
another! She still rushed, but absolutely traveled through an opening into
another area with lead still in hand!! At the end of the month, Juan had her in
the pasture doing lunge line work with ease. Anyone who has hit a roadblock with
a horse understands the happiness this brings!
We now have a horse who was almost unhandleable who now has true adoption
potential. She has gained confidence in new situations and continues to learn
with every interaction we have. No matter how sparse they be lately. Seems like
whatever lessons he gave her, are solid enough that I don’t feel like I have to
rush home from work every day to reinforce. His help has made my job as a foster
much less stressful and even rewarding again! Thanks Juan! 🙂
Thank you Casie for sharing your story, for being a TBAR foster home, and for not giving up on Cricket! For anyone interested in becoming a Foster Home for True Blue Animal Rescue in Texas, please visit our info page, email [email protected] or call (936) 878-2349. It is because of foster homes like Casie that TBAR is able to save more lives!