Hudson's Happy Day!

Hudson was adopted today! During the last 6 weeks this dog taught me so many things; unconditional love, trust in people and pure joy. Hudson never once hesitated to love us or trust us, despite how his people forced him to live before we met him. It didn't take long for him to fit in with our crew and it certainly didn't take long for him to love us and us love him.

Here is a picture of Hudson with his people - Pam - who rescued him, Glen & I - who fostered him & provided the care he needed to get better, and last but certainly not least, his new Mom & Dad, Lisa & Joe who will love him forever. This group of people is just wonderful! Thank you to each of you for loving Hudson!

                                                          Proud new parents!

This is exactly why my family chooses to foster dogs. The life lessons this teaches my children is something I cannot do. The dogs we welcome into our home, like Hudson, teach my family compassion and again, unconditional love. Fostering dogs brings us together as a family & makes our unit stronger. 

Congrats Hudson! You will always have a special place in our hearts. We love you, unconditionally.

Hudson...1 month later!

Hudson has been in foster care at my house for 1 month now & he is getting so much better! 1 month of multiple medications & daily medicated baths along with a special diet & he has improved greatly! Hudson has learned sit, lay down, shake, roll over and is working on leave it. He loves everyone he meets, both people and dogs!

Hudson still has a skin & ear infection, but they are no where near what they were a month ago. He goes back to the vet in less than 2 weeks for another recheck on his progress. 

Hudson met a wonderful family a few weeks ago who is going to adopt him when he is ready. This family has 2 other Jack Russells! He is going to have a ton of love & the life he deserves. 

The picture on the left is from 7/13/12. The picture on the right is from 8/13/12. Amazing what 1 month can do!

Introducing Hudson!

I was contacted by a friend looking for help rescuing a 6 year old Jack Russell who was suffering terribly from allergies. His family was going to put him to sleep rather than seek Veterinary care for their dog. I was sent this picture of this dog.

I knew immediately that we HAD to help this dog! We took him into our rescue, Wish Upon A Paw, on Friday 7/13/12. We switched his food from what his family was feeding him (Ol' Roy) to Pure Vita Grain-Free Salmon food and began giving him Benadryl. We also gave him a bath with a medicated shampoo. We noticed an improvement overnight. By day 2 we started seeing new hair growth.

Here are some pictures from his first day with us.

As you can see Hudson was bright red. Think how that must feel! He has been suffering like this for 4 years. We have been putting clothes on his to minimize his itching and the damage he is doing to himself trying to get some relief.

After a few days he went from red to pink and seems a little more comfortable. Here are some pictures after 2 days with us, eating good quality food & taking antihistamines.

My dog, Riley, knows Hudson is suffering and has been looking after him.

On 7/16/12 Hudson visited a Vet, probably for the first time in 4 years. Hudson tested negative for Heartworm and Mange. He does have a terrible infection in both ears. The Vet put something in his ears that will stay in his ears for 2 weeks. He also has 2 different medicated shampoos we got from the Vet that will help with infection & soothe his skin. He will need daily baths for a while. Hudson has lots of medications to take to clear up the yeast infection and help with his ears and skin condition. The Vet also recommended Hudson be fed Royal Canin HP food as this will help with his allergies and help his skin heal. This is the same food we fed our dog Miles for almost a year. It is very expensive, $85/month!

Please consider sponsoring Hudson's care by making a tax-deductable donation. To make a donation please visit our website at http://wishuponapaw.org/how-to-help/ and click on the donate button. Thank you!

My First AND Second Time Visiting an Animal Shelter

It's hard to believe that up until last month I had never set foot in an animal shelter before. Glen & I went to Eastshore Humane Association in Chilton, WI on 6/23/12. It was a very nice experience! The shelter was very nice & they have a huge fenced in yard for the dogs to play in! The volunteers gave us a tour of the facility & then we got to interact with all of the dogs. I took pictures of their adoptable dogs for petfinder.com while we were playing. We had such a fun time! Here are some of the pictures I took.

                                       Here's Glen playing fetch with the shelter dogs!

                                              Outdoor kennel run.

                                   HUGE fenced in yard for the dogs to play!

                                     Back of the shelter.

Glen & I also went to Lincoln County Humane Society on 7/04/12. We took pictures of their adoptable dogs for petfinder.com & brought home a doggie to foster! It was so hot (95) the day of our visit that we had a hard time getting good pics of the dogs. It truly was too hot for the dogs to be outside for more than 5 minutes. This shelter had many strays and older dogs, which breaks my heart. We brought home Charlie, a Bernese Mnt Dog/Collie mix who is 7 years old. He is a big ole sweetheart of a dog! Such a mellow, cool personality. Here are a few pictures from our trip to Merrill.

                         Kiarra was surrendered to the shelter for chasing chickens.

                          Quincey was Kiarra's counter part in the chicken chasing.

                                             Blaze's cute little nose!

                           Sadie was surrendered to the shelter because of her barking.

                                                       Daisy was a stray.

  

                                          Fran was a stray.

                                          Pepper was a stray.

   Duke, as I'm calling him, was a stray that just came into the shelter. He was not named yet.

                Here's Charlie getting some pets from Glen before leaving the shelter.

                                                                           Charlie

                                                                   Riley & Charlie

If you have never visited an animal shelter, do it! The joy a visit, a walk or some playtime can bring to a shelter dog is monumental! It is an amazing way to spend an afternoon & very rewarding for you as well!

Puppies, puppies & more puppies!

It's been a long time since I've posted on here, so here's what I've been up to...

My family has fostered 8 dogs in the last 5 months, mostly puppies, so we have been very busy!

 This is Ace! We fostered him for about 6 weeks & then he was adopted by an amazing family whom we have become very close friends with!

 This is Sophia! She was with us for a month, had some much needed dental work & then was adopted by a great family!

This is Maximus & Merlin! Maximus (brindle) we fostered for a few days for another rescue before his adoptive family picked him up & Merlin we had for a week before his parents came from several hours away to make him part of their family!

 This is Moxie! She was fostered by a good friend of mine & came to stay with us for a day here & there. Moxie was adopted into a wonderful family as well!

 And sweet Mocha...Those eyes just melt my heart. This sweet girl came into the dog program with WISH because her family was just not ready for a puppy. She stayed with me a few days & it didn't take long for a loving family to fall in love with her & adopt her!

Last, but certainly not least, this is Bert & Ernie! Both boys were stayed with my friend, Emily, for a few days & then came to my house for a few days for foster care. Both boys were adopted on the same day into  terrific families!

I am very happy to say that all of the families that adopted the above pictured dogs are just amazing! All of these lucky dogs are living the good life now. Thank you so much to all the families who chose adoption!

Emma

Meet Emma! She found herself in a pickle when her owner passed away suddenly. Glen & I met Emma today & just fell head over heels in love with her. The plan was to help find her a home, but the more I look at that sweet face, the more I am seriously considering that she is where she needs to be. 

Today started out with good intentions. We were driving Glen's Dad back to his home after a few long, difficult days. His girlfriend of almost 20 years passed away suddenly & he spent a few days with family. When we brought him home, he introduced me to his girlfriend's cat, Kitters. Immediately I was smitten. Glen & my kids were good with Kitters coming to stay with us until we found her a home. I think she found her home, especially since we've already renamed her as Emma. 

Only time will tell...

The Dog House

Let me start out by saying, I love The Dog House! The Dog House has a retail store and offer grooming & doggie daycare. What they continue to do to help homeless pets in need is, simply put, unbelievable. The Dog House helps out both K&R Small Animal Sanctuary & Wish Upon A Paw in so many ways. They provide foster care for bunnies, guinea pigs, hamsters, cats & dogs until they are adopted into loving families. They have an entire room set up for Wish Upon A Paw kittens. The dogs they provide foster care for get to play in daycare where they get to learn social skills with both dogs & people. When daycare is closed the dogs get to rest in a nice kennel.

Wish Upon A Paw had their first dog adoption (Toby) a few days ago. Toby was given so much love & care when he was at The Dog House. He loved daycare & loved the staff there. It was a wonderful experience for him. Toby was provided with a clean kennel, blankets to snuggle up & rest on, bones to chew on, toys & (as if that wasn't more than enough) The Dog House provided him with high quality food as well!

The Dog House also lets K&R and WISH hold adoptathons at their store. They put up a Christmas tree for the rescues to make a giving tree, for people to drop off some much needed donations for homeless pets. To say they go above & beyond is putting it lightly. I am just amazed at their generosity & willingness to help out.

Here is a picture of the giving tree The Dog House set up for us to decorate.

Here is a picture of the first dog adoption for Wish Upon A Paw, a day that would not have been possible without The Dog House.

                  Thank you to everyone at The Dog House for all of the lives you are helping save!
           
                                                        The Dog House & Pet Center
                                                        2230 Nordale Drive
                                                        Appleton, WI 54914
                                                        920-832-1001
                                                        www.doghousepetcenter.net/