Update on Phoenix!

Any longtime followers of the stories of Red Lake Rosie's Rescue will remember Phoenix who came to us in February of 2015, but here is brief history. You can read all our stories about him by searching for "phoenix" on this blog.

It was truly a miracle that Clayton was hauling his garbage to the dump and found this puppy howling and trying to get out of a burning dumpster. Clayton pulled the puppy (now called Phoenix) from the fire and called the DNR who transported him to RLRR. Clayton took the photo above of Phoenix charred and sitting in the snow and trash.

We were very thankful that ACT V Rescue & Rehabilitation was willing to take him almost immediately.

Phoenix was gently shaved and his wounds were tended until he was ready for surgery to patch his burned skin.

His physical healing took months

He wore a cone and special suits to protect his skin.

It was a very painful process as is any recovery from burns.

He also had extensive training to help modify his sometimes unpredictable behavior.

Ultimately, he went to Higher Ground Animal Sanctuary to live where he has room to run and play with other dogs.

UPDATE FROM ACT V RESCUE AND REHABILITATION:
Here is a picture of Phoenix from December 2016. (Posted on Christmas Day. :-)
He is doing well at Higher Ground Animal Sanctuary (Where we *stole* his picture.) Their website is: http://www.highergroundanimalsanctuary.org
We ensured his safety and well-being for the rest of his life, and he lives like a King! They love him to bits and pieces.

Merry Christmas from 3 RLRR pups in one family!

Merry Christmas!

We would like to wish you another safe, warm and Happy Holiday season and let you know what my Red Lake pups were up to this year – Phoenix, Dylan and Casey.

Phoenix (aka Cinnamon) is still doing great – acting like a puppy even though she’s 8 years old this year! She hasn’t slowed down at all – she still loves to play with Casey and Dylan. When the boys want to go inside, she’ll look at us in a way that we know she wants to stay outside. She will just sit and stare at the bird feeders waiting for the squirrels. She still has quite the hunting instinct, although the squirrels seem to know to watch out for her! She still surprises me how smart she is. She is quite the sweetheart.

Dylan is doing great too! He is starting to talk even more that he’s getting older. He definitely has husky mixed in with his German Shepherd! He continues to be an outgoing gentleman when we have company – making sure people know how beautiful he is by insisting they pet him! He is a very special, sweet boy that loves to tease Casey when they are playing! I can’t believe he’s 7 years old this year.

Casey (aka Eddie) is a crazy man. His favorite pastime is retrieving a football that we can throw forever for him and he wouldn’t get tired! He’s learning how to talk to us by softly howling. Phoenix tries to mimic him, but can’t quite get it down. I’m wondering if he is part hound – he sure has a unique way of talking. He still loves and respects his pseudo Mom, Phoenix – and she still gets a wiggle butt from him. He continues to like to carry around different stuffed animals and will de-stuff them if they are new! He has quite the personality and will always be the baby of the house. He is 5 years old – where has the time gone?

Thank you Karen and everyone at Red Lake for helping these beautiful animals and all the animals needing help at Red Lake. Your continued commitment and dedication is amazing. I cannot explain the joy these animals have brought us – thank you for saving them. We couldn’t imagine life without them. Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

Take Care,
Tammy, Cliff, Phoenix, Dylan and Casey

We love to get updates on the pets that came from Red Lake Rosie's Rescue. Send photos and notes to d4luke@gmail.com and I will share them!

Phoenix is doing well

UPDATES FROM ACT V RESCUE & REHABILITATION:

August 20, 2015

Phoenix is reunited with his foster family and looks great! He's also grown and weighs 80 pounds!

He is not available for adoption as of yet; we have an appointment with the Veterinary Behaviorist and Fresh Air Training in September.

For now, we are letting him get settled. He's exploring his new home (remember, the foster family moved while he was gone) and we are assessing him physically.

He seems to tire out easily, but still plays and romps with the resident dog. (He's actually a hard player and occasionally needs a time-out.)

Stay tuned, as we will have more to report. Phoenix will be rolled into our regular rotation of pictures ~ not nightly updates.

Have a wonderful day! He's quite handsome, isn't he?

August 31, 2015

Carolyn and Alisa (the 'A' and the 'C' of ACT V Rescue) hung out with Phoenix this weekend.
We had a heart-to-heart discussion about the future.heart emoticon
Phee-Phee has his follow-up appointment with the Veterinary Behaviorist in the upcoming weeks and, in the meantime, we are letting him relax and play with the resident dogs at home.
On a side note, he's crating well and LOVES his frozen Kongs!

September 19, 2015

Sept. 26, 2015

Teaching "Leave It" is ALWAYS a worthwhile endeavor.
(Phoenix needs a little help with impulse control), but he did a nice job during training.

October 3, 2015

Time just marches on. No more splints, fire suits, or sutures for Phee-Phee - He is aging, growing, and romping around. His adoption plan is a work in progress, and Fresh Air Training works with him several days a week.

Phoenix

UPDATES FROM ACT V--

JULY 15:

Good morning all~ We have a Phoenix update!
He is doing very well with his new friends.

His wound seems to have stayed shut, and his stitches are out. He still wears his cone sometimes, but his health is better than before, and he's getting plenty of exercise and sunshine.

He still tuckers out easily, but we do not think his fatigue is pain related. He's using his electromagnetic mat (which he willingly hangs out on), and we believe it helps his muscles relax and provides him comfort.

He has met several animal friends and a few people, and all is well. We're in the process of formulating his adoption plan, and we will provide updates as we move forward.

JULY 24:

Phee-Phee and his friend sent us a picture. He's doing very well, (makes us proud!).His non-healing wound seems to be healing, he's met some nice dogs, and he continues to develop his social skills.

Happy Friday!

AUGUST 8:

We are in the process of making plans for Phoenix's return to his foster family.

The boarding facility captured this stunning picture of him (they take the best shots!), and we put it with his 'before' photo. Can you believe six months have passed?

We are also scheduling his follow-up appointments with the Veterinary Behaviorist and Fresh Air Training.

We need to see his wound (healed), his scars, his mobility and assess his overall health including his pain level (if any.)

But let's just say, "You've come a long way, baby"!

Phoenix in June

SUMMARY OF UPDATES FROM ACT V (JUNE 9-29):
Phoenix continued to have problems with the non-healing wound on his back, so another surgical procedure was performed. It looked good afterwards.

Then, at the end of the month, Phoenix was moved to a long-term boarding facility for about six weeks. His foster family is moving to a new house, and it is in Phoenix's best interest to not be in the fray of preparing the property, multiple open houses, and heavy traffic. He will be moving back in with his foster family once they are settled.

There will be fewer updates on Phoenix while he is boarding. Please continue to send him your healing wishes!

Updates on a special friend...

UPDATES FROM ACT V RESCUE & REHABILITATION ON FACEBOOK:
May 22
Phoenix has been with us for three months, and he is a work in progress. We've made huge strides in his medical care (given the condition in which he arrived), and we are proceeding at a slower pace with his mental care.

Here he is today hanging out in his car. Phoenix likes the car. Period.
(Which highlights but only one of his quirks.)

Our goal: We will march along tending to his (canine equivalent of) PTSD, his wound care, pain management, and basic obedience training.

We still meet with a Veterinary Behaviorist, (which, according to the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists, there are roughly 60 in the United States).

We continue to work with Fresh Air Training, and now we've added Physical Therapy to his schedule!

That's it in a nutshell.

May 20
Healthy mind, healthy body.
Busy, busy, busy.

May 26
It's true. His beautiful ears are suffering (just a little... not raging.)
He started treatment today. Poor fella. It IS always something, isn't it?
All will be well.

Phoenix and Rosa his live-in girlfriend on their favorite couch! Phoenix is an 8-month-old puppy and Rosa is 9 years old. Rosa is incredibly patient, but the pup finally pushed her buttons and she (and he) reacted appropriately. Good lessons, happy endings.

June 1
This is Phoenix with his pal Riley!

June 3
Your 'Phoenix-fix' is coming early today.
He is at his at his Rehab appointment. (YAY for PT...!)
He has many sessions ahead of him, and seems to be tolerating the experience as well as possible. (Thanks to training.)
All part of the process...

June 7
"P"is for "pooh".
Phoenix was a pistol tonight, a little big for his britches, but here he is - settled down - enjoying his Kong.

Phoenix updates

UPDATES FROM ACT V:
May 14
This photo was actually taken a few days ago. Phoenix was on an outing - was romping around, and pooped out. He chose the slide as his resting spot.

His back, left leg gives him trouble and he tires easily. We are scheduling him for physical therapy.

Funny fella.

April 30
Phoenix played 'The Name Game' today with his foster mom. smile emoticon
He's 'so-so' at it... but practice makes perfect, right?

May 3
Phoenix has a Thundershirt!!

May 4
Your nightly Phoenix update:
He had an appointment with the doctor today.
Phoenix has a non-healing wound that is worrisome to us, so he met with the surgeon for a treatment plan. He probably has an infection, so the wound was cultured, and he is back on antibiotics. We will know more in a couple of days.
Nothing shocking, given the extent of his wounds.

May 8
With his eyes half shut, Phoenix can still enjoy his favorite toy and have his snack :-)

May 9

Now and then, Phoenix enjoys hanging out in the car.
We don't know why - maybe it's where he spent his earlier days - but, whatever the reason, we try to support him.
Here he is with his brand new blanket.

May 11
Phoenix has his pick of sleeping arrangements, but right now he chose 1/2 on... 1/2 off.
His surgical team made another attempt at closing the wound on his rump. Fingers crossed. Physical Therapy is probably next on his to-do list.

May 16
Yeah... Saturday is cleaning day.
Who knows why Phoenix does what he does.
That being said, who knows why dogs do what they do.
(They do what works.)
Today? He cleaned the shower.
Night-night.

May 17
Bliss...

Another surgery for Phoenix

UPDATES FROM ACT V:
April 19
His wounds and scars need protection from the sun.

April 20

Phoenix is having surgery tomorrow morning.
He has a non-healing wound that needs surgical help.
In addition, he will be neutered (no need for extra anesthesia and an additional surgery.)
We realize this is a lot to handle for this little guy, but this wound needs attention, and to ignore it would be remiss.
So, no pictures tomorrow night because he'll be in the hospital, but we will carry on as usual afterward.

April 22

Phoenix arrived on February 21st and today is April 22nd.
It seems like he's been with us longer.
Perhaps it's because we've put him through three surgeries, a possible PTSD diagnosis (of sorts), and medical care almost every other day. Then, throw in socialization and training, all in an attempt to teach him the world can be a better place than what he once knew.
We've hired a Veterinary Behaviorist to help us create a plan for his future. We still work with Fresh Air Training, and we've started him on medications to help quiet his mind.
He's home from the hospital, (and doing well! smile emoticon and we'll post pictures tomorrow night.
Wow. This guy has been through a LOT.

April 25

Tonight we thought we would show you a picture of Phoenix's war-torn body.
He's healing pretty well, oozing a little in some spots, but overall we are happy with the outcome.

The combination of medications appears to be helping his body and mind, and we know this because he allowed us to give him a BATH!

We have reached a resting spot in Phoenix's health care. He's had three big surgeries, and he needs to recover before we can assess the next step in the plan.

Your donations have covered the cost of his care to this point, and we feel we should suspend accepting any more money dedicated solely to Phoenix.

If you would like to donate to the general fund of ACT V Rescue, we welcome that!
Thank you, everyone, for your unwavering support.

April 28
Phoenix looks much better from this angle.

April 30

No news is good news!