Hope for Christmas

On Christmas Day, a message came to Red Lake Rosie’s of a dog that the owner said, "Looked like a puppy because it was so skinny." The owner wanted us to come and take the dog because he did not want her to die. On finally finding the location of the dog, a trip was made to find the little female I named Hope.

She was on a chain outdoors in a plastic dog house; she was very thin and had rickets. When Hope tried to walk she fell over. She wagged her little tail as I scooped her up and took her to the Red Lake Rosie’s cat house. She was so grateful that every chance she got she gave me kisses.

We began by giving her small canned puppy food portions which she ate hungrily. Then we soaked puppy kibble and gave her one spoon at a time at regular intervals until she began to eat at a normal rate.

 

HOPE'S RICKETS SHOULD IMPROVE WITH GOOD NUTRITION

We are not sure how Hope managed to survive the past months in her condition. We are always amazed at how the will to live can be so powerful. It was as if she knew help was on the way and she wanted to live until that happened. The sad part is that all she ever needed was food and shelter.

Thankfully Minnesota Pit Bull Rescue took Hope and she is with a stay-at-home foster mom who is giving her all the nutrition and love she needs to begin her new life on the right foot.

HOPE HAS A NEW JACKET AND A FRIEND IN HER FOSTER HOME

This rescue was a wonderful Christmas gift for Hope and for Red Lake Rosie’s Rescue -- It is a reminder of why we exist and encourages us to continue. Thank you to all who generously have supported our work financially, through volunteering and spreading the word about Red Lake Rosie's Rescue. Thank you to those who provide food. Many animals are hungry here, like Hope, and they desperately need food. 

Sincerely, 

Karen and RLRR

Elsa and her icy pups revisited

Elsa and her icy pups were rescued by Red Lake Rosie's Rescue just after Christmas 2013. Elsa had her nine pups under a porch on the ice and snow. Even once we got there, it took an hour to chip away the ice to get them out of there. Amazingly only one newborn pup had died, the other eight survived. There were four boys (Cash, Carter, Chace, Champ) and four girls (Hope, Serenity, Grace, Faith). 

MAMA ELSA

Once Elsa had protection from the weather in an enclosed kennel with deep straw and fleece blankets and plenty of nutritious food and fresh water, she was a fantastic mother producing lots of milk and caring tenderly for her pups. Once they could be weaned, the family was taken in by All Dog Rescue for foster care. Linda, who has fostered so many pups from RLRR, took in all eight pups.

ELSA'S PUPPY PILE AT RLRR

We were so happy to hear that Elsa and all of her pups have been adopted!

FAITH, THE RUNT

FAITH, GROWING UP

CARTER AND HOPE

ADR update received March 2014: Here's Carter in his new home hanging out with big sister Athena.

CARTER AND NEW BIG SIS

Updates on more of the pups will follow in coming days!

New Hope

Hope is doing great.

She had a vet check on Thursday. All her sutures were removed, but, she still has some mastitis, so, is on two more weeks of antibiotics.

She's entered her next stage of recovery.....acting like a puppy dog:)) I'm in constant substitution mode, as she loves to steal pillows, towels, shoes, and Really wants to chew on the sofa.

I love that she's acting like a puppy and know this phase will pass. Good thing I don't own any expensive shoes:))

Foster Mom, J~

Thanks to Marilou for sharing her photos!

Hope remains

FROM MARILOU'S BLOG:
Jenny reached out to Jean of Carver/Scott Humane Society about the possibility of taking Hope and her 3 surviving pups, and without hesitation Jean said YES! Jean and her husband have been angels for so many of the animals. Hope and her 3 surviving pups are loaded up immediately and are transported to the cities by volunteer Heather who has just spent 3 long days up at Red Lake Reservation volunteering at a spay/neuter clinic. She stops every 2-3 hours to feed the puppies.

Jenny and I head over to Jean's house and around 6 pm Heather arrives with Hope and her 3 pups (Faith, Wendall and Leonard). Jean immediately takes the less than 24 hour old pups into her house and she and Jenny begin syringe feeding the pups some goat's milk. I'm hanging outside with with Heather and Hope ... her ribs are protruding and a couple of her mammary glands are wide open and it looks like her insides are coming out. Despite all she's been through, her calm, gentle, loving spirit was all I could feel. Once inside the house, she lays like a perfect angel on a blanket. After her babies have had some goat's milk we bring them over to her and she kisses them and cleans them off. What a kind, gentle mama.

Dr. Vicki of Act V Rescue offered to come over and check on Hope and the pups. I call her and she immediately comes over to Jean's house. The pups are not doing so well. Their bodies are cold and we do everything we can to warm them up. Hope's IV needs to be replaced as she is also dehydrated. Dr. Vicki tells us we need to head to her clinic. Shortly after arriving at her clinic we place Faith, Wendall and Leonard under blankets and a warm air blower. Heather is rubbing them and trying to warm them up and whispering to them to keep fighting! Vicki told me at Jean's house that she was very concerned about Wendall. Less than 5 minutes after we arrive at the clinic we lose Wendall. Heather holds him and kisses him and tears start flowing. She brings Wendall over to Hope so she can say goodbye ... Hope kisses Wendall. Ten minutes later, we lose Faith. Hope kisses Faith to say goodbye.

All this time Hope is laying on the table and being a perfect angel and not even flinching with all the poking and prodding. Vicki stitches up her gaping open mammary gland ... while Vicki is working on Hope and cleaning her wound, Hope calmly rests her head on my right hand and arm. I start to feel my hand vibrating and moments later I hear Hope snoring. She's sound asleep (without the help of any drugs). She has got to be beyond exhausted after being in labor for more than 2 days and after enduring so much pain and suffering.

At this point Leonard is still hanging in there and Hope has been stitched up and a new IV put in and given fluids. It's almost 9 pm. They head home with Jean who will ensure Leonard is fed every 2-3 hours. Leonard ate at 1 am this morning. But it is with great sadness I share that Leonard passed away at 4 am to join Faith and Wendall, and their other 6 siblings.

So now, as Jean shared this morning, she must focus her efforts on helping Hope get well. It's hard for me to even comprehend the level of suffering Hope endured, and despite what she endured, has such a loving, gentle spirit. Many hearts are hurting for the loss of Faith, Wendall and Leonard. My only consolation is in knowing that for their brief 24 hours that they were surrounded with love and that Hope is now free of a life of suffering.

I remind myself as well, that for all the losses, there are many happy endings. Thank you Karen, Heather, Jean, Dr. Vicki, Jenny for all you did for Hope and her puppies.

I found a beautiful prayer from "Prayers for Healing"...

May our eyes remain open even in the face of tragedy.
May we not become disheartened.
May we find in the dissolution
of our apathy and denial,
the cup of the broken heart.
May we discover the gift of the fire burning
in the inner chamber of our being ~
burning great and bright enough
to transform any poison.
May we offer the power of our sorrow to the service
of something greater than ourselves.
May our guilt not rise up to form
yet another defensive wall.
May the suffering purify and not paralyze us.
May we endure; may sorrow bond us and not separate us.
May we realize the greatness of our sorrow
and not run from its touch or its flame.
May clarity be our ally and wisdom our support.
May our wrath be cleansing, cutting through
the confusion of denial and greed.
May we not be afraid to see or speak our truth.
May the bleakness of the wasteland be dispelled.
May the soul's journey be revealed
and the true hunger fed.
May we be forgiven for what we have forgotten
and blessed with the remembrance
of who we really are.

~ The Terma Collective

Heartfelt thanks to those who risk being vulnerable and having their hearts broken, over and over again. Please continue to keep Hope in your thoughts and prayers .....

For more photos of Hope and her puppies:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mchanrasmi/sets/72157630274706568/

Never lose Hope

This is a bittersweet story of how we should never lose hope.

Red Lake Rosie's Rescue just concluded a neuter/spay clinic. Volunteers were cleaning up the warehouse (after vet had gone) and a boxer/pit mix was brought to the warehouse who had been in labor 2 days. She was sitting in the back of a truck on an old tire in the rain. She had green slime seeping out of 2 holes in her mammary glands. She had 2 pups that were dead previously the owner said. You could see the pain and suffering in her eyes.

Heather appropriately named her "Hope" and for the next 12 hours Heather would work tirelessly to make sure not to lose hope for the poor mama and her puppies.

Hope was surrendered in very serious condition and Heather took her to the emergency vet in Gonvick MN where the vet opened her up and removed four dead puppies and three still living. Her embryotic fluid was green and foul smelling. Heather, a vet tech was able to help Dr. Danielle do the surgery which took 2 1/2 hours.

Hope is malnourished and after the pups were taken out, she lost lots of blood. Hope remained overnight at the vet on antibiotics IV and fluid IV. The next morning she was in remarkably much better condition. Heather spent that night feeding the surviving 3 puppies.

A plea was sent out and by 10:00 am we had a response through Jenny Fitzer's contacts and by 11:00 am Hope and her 3 puppies left with Heather enroute to foster care with Carver Scott in the care of Jean, her foster mom. Dr. Vickie of Act V also offered medical care for Hope.

We want to thank the wonderful network of clinic volunteers, RLRR Supporters who help with vet bills, Heather, Jen, Dr. Vickie, and all who took the time to respond to remind us that there is no such thing as a "hopeless rescue"!

Karen Good
Red Lake Rosie's Rescue