Elsa: Starving mama dog

The first time I set eyes on Elsa, I felt so sorry for her.

She was starving, had quills in her front shoulder, and was trying to care for her puppies. Then we got the sad story that, in order to survive, Elsa had eaten two of her puppies that had died. Her remaining three puppies were alive and well and soon old enough to go to care with our friends at ARVSS in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin.

For Elsa, it was going to take a long while until she was well. Not only was she a physical mess, but she was also fearful and mistrusted people’s good intentions. Elsa went to the vet the day after she arrived and had what quills could be removed taken out. The quills had been there for a while and some were embedded in her shoulder, so Elsa would hop on three legs. She was spayed and vaccinated and began her journey of healing.

After three months with Red Lake Rosie's Rescue, Elsa is now walking on all four legs and is in very good physical condition. Elsa is also more trusting of people she encounters. We hope Elsa will soon be taken in by one of our partner rescues and find her forever home.

Elsa loves playing with the other dogs at the shelter and, while she seems to assume the "alpha female" position, she gets along really well with all the other dogs.

Recently with the closing of the Shed and the end of the 20 for 20 program, it is more difficult to get good quality kibble for cats and dogs at Red Lake. We are so thankful to our supporters who have provided food for the shelter and also for the community animals such as Elsa who are suffering malnourishment. 

Here is Elsa celebrating a beautiful fall day here at RLRR with all her friends!

Karen Good

Elsa's pup: Champ

Elsa and her newborn pups were chipped out of the ice under a porch at Christmastime 2013 by Red Lake Rosie's rescue. See original post HERE.

The family moved to All Dog Rescue and, after the pups were weaned, they were raised by foster mom Linda until adoption.

Pup Chance is well-loved (and well-rested) in his new home!

Guess who looks the most like her mom, Elsa??

ELSA IN HER NEW HOME

The runt pup, Faith!

FAITH IN HER NEW HOME

NOTE FROM ADOPTERS TO FOSTER MOM LINDA AND ALL DOG RESCUE:

Faith is doing great and getting big. She attended her first puppy classes last week and is now 25 pounds. Attached are some recent pictures.

Thanks again for the amazing work you do, we are so happy to have been able to adopt through your rescue.
Keep up the great work,
D & S and Faith

Elsa's pup, Cash

NOTE FROM FOSTER MOM LINDA:

What a gorgeous pup - Cash was the last of Elsa's pups to be adopted - what a big boy he is going to be!!!

NOTE FROM ADOPTERS:

Cash is really a great pup. Pretty mellow guy and for the most part behaves great. It might help that he lives on a farm and gets plenty of hikes in a day and often has buddies to run around with too. He's taking a liking to the chickens and cat but not in a good way.

LITTLE CASH

He's a great co-pilot too. Gets in the car and goes right to sleep. We did a road trip yesterday with him for 8 hours and slept the whole time.

Elsa's pup, Serenity, now Namoosh

How quickly they grow!!

ADOPTION DAY

SIX WEEKS LATER WITH BUDDY MUGS

EIGHT WEEKS AFTER ADOPTION

Elsa's pup, Chace

CHASE (NOW LOKI)

All Dog Rescue update received March 2014: Chace (now Loki) is doing really well. 

LUPIN AND LOKI

Lupin (my 6 month old lab) and Loki have gotten along really well. Lupin watches over him and they are always together. 

LOKI AND LUPIN

He has really enjoyed the snow. He constantly wants to go outside and play in it. It must feel good with his thick fur. He's also growing like a weed and is up to 16 lbs. Potty training's going well and he's nearly able to sleep through the whole night already.

Loki's new family was interested in what breeds he might be and here is some of the information they received:

Elsa's pup, Grace

All Dog Rescue update received March 2014:
I wanted to update you about Grace who we adopted on March 1. She has been here 1 week and we have been enjoying her very much! We have renamed her Sophie, but have kept Grace as her middle name. 

SOPHIE GRACE

Within 2 days she was going outside for potty. She seemed to catch on quickly. Maybe a couple of accidents in the house, but 99% of the time she has been good about going outside.We crate her at night for now, and she settles down quietly and sleeps for 4-5 hours before having to go out. Then we'll go outside and she'll come back in and sleep some more until about 6:30. 

Tom taught her how to fetch the ball and bring it back. That also was the 2nd or 3rd day. Our house is a split level so she did good going up the stairs on the 2nd day but was afraid to go down the stairs . On the 3rd day we taught her how to go down the stairs and she wouldn't stop going up and down the steps. Now she runs down them! 

She is very intelligent. We have brought her to the local pet store and riding in the car with us and visiting. We have the fenced in area in back as one of her exercise areas, and since it was full of snow (3-4 ft) we shoveled out little pathways similar to a maze and she likes to run around that and we will hide behind the higher snow mounds and she likes to come find us and chase us through the maze. She likes to climb the snow mounds so she can get a better view of her yard. 

She has been so much fun. Everybody who has seen her thinks she's the cutest little puppy. We want to tell you thank you for letting us adopt her. She's really a great puppy.

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!

Elsa and her icy pups

I received this note from Karen on January 2, 2014:

It was 38 below zero this morning- actual temp.

About 5 days ago, Dan rescued a mama I named Elsa who had 9 newborn pups under a porch in Red Lake with no bedding. Babies born right on the ice.  Miraculously 8 survived and we lost only one. Dan had to chip ice away for over an hour to get them out from under that porch!

Thankfully now they are at least  in an outdoor kennel, see pics and are still thriving.  I think they will make it but it is bitterly cold- I am using a dog house, straw underlining then fleece and then a dog house lid covered with a blanket. Indoor housing would be much better, but we don't have it available here. 

Elsa loves the food as she was malnourished on arrival. She gets canned morning and night and lots of puppy kibble. Elsa is a great mama- slipping away only briefly to toilet and then right back to her mission of keeping the puppies warm and nourished. 

Thank you, Dan, for the amazing rescue and for our supporters who help with straw, blankets, food, transport, and vet costs for the Red Lake animals.

We are continually amazed at how these animals survive against all odds!  

Sincerely, Karen

UPDATE: 

We have a great update on Elsa and her litter of 8 puppies that were born under an old porch on ice in subzero weather at Red Lake. Thanks to the support of our good friends from ABE! Fund,  Elsa and her 8 babies are tucked in a bed of warm straw and nice fleecy blankets. 

Elsa is a wonderful mother who has taken great care of her little puppy pile.  She is producing massive amounts of milk since she in eating high quality grain free food from our 20 for 20, and Doggy Day Care donors.

Thank you to all our supporters for making a difference for the Red Lake disadvantaged animals.  This little family would have certainly frozen to death had they not been rescued by Dan and brought to the RLRR shelter where you provide all the supplies needed to save them.  

RUNT OF THE LITTER

I have attached some photos of this beautiful family!

Sincerely, Karen Good RLRR

Elsa is happy now

Elsa was a mangy and very hungry pom that came to Red Lake Rosie's Rescue as a surrender at the August clinic. There is not too much demand for a mangy pom, but ARVSS took little Elsa and gave her a chance. Now she has a wonderful home!
Karen :)

ELSA BEFOREFROM ADOPTERS:
Update! Things are going pretty well with Elsa (not totally decided on her name yet, but right now it's Pepper Ann). She and my Aussie are doing great together - check out the video of them playing!



She is into everything! Cat toys, dog toys, slippers, dirty laundry . .
and she's fast! My cat is not thrilled, but it's improving day by day. So I guess so far so good!

B~

Transport to ARVSS

EMILEEARVSS (Animal Rescue & Veterinary Support Services) has once again taken a load of puppies and 2 litters with nursing mamas on Saturday September 3rd into their foster care program. With the crowded conditions at Red Lake Rosie's Rescue, it was a great blessing.

TRANSPORT DRIVERSThe transporters once again stepped forward to get these kids on their journey were Nancy and Tom O'Sullivan, Carolyn, Kristen, and Barb who run hundreds of miles on a regular basis helping the animals get to their new homes.

BUDDYBuddy was found as a stray puppy wandering the streets in Ponemah and hungry at the last clinic in September. He is a great dog and has fattened up nicely.

CHUNKAChunka a little husky pup was found on the highway and brought to the shelter.

ELSAElsa is a little pom that had mange and was surrendered at the last clinic.

MCKAYLAMcKayla and Emilee were surrendered as stray at the clinic.

JONESYJonesy was brought by Tony as an unwanted stray.

JOELLA & JONESSAJoella and Jonessa are littermates from a group of 4 pups that went to ARVSS last month. The owner wanted to keep 2 pups and one was found at the Redby dump and the other was surrendered by owner later on. We were happy to be able to save the last 2 girls from this litter. They came in starving and left happy and plump.

ROSALEEROSALEE'S PUPSRosalee, the chocolate lab was starving and mangy when Tony drove her out with her litter of eight tiny one-week-old puppies. Rosalee was a great mom and started to produce massive amounts of milk after she started eating well. One day Geri caught Rosalee trying to take her puppies out in the woods at RLRR shelter, and thankfully we got her to give us the puppy and return it to the kennel. We had to start keeping Rosalee contained after that, and letting her out and locking up her puppies for safekeeping.

RAYA AND PUPSRaya was a darling- She came in at the clinic with a litter of 3 survivors. A few days before the clinic 3 tiny pups were brought in to the shelter that still had the cord and placenta. Unfortunately, they all died before the mama could be found and brought to the shelter to be with them.

Raya suffered malnutrition and mange and this was no doubt her first litter as she was having newborn pups everywhere in the Bartons area. She turned out to be a great mom to the last 3 pups. Jo, who is the Chairperson of the Red Lake Rosie's Rescue Board, brought the 3 pups belonging to Raya to the shelter.

The are all safely at ARVSS foster care now.

Karen

A sad postscript from ARVSS on Facebook:
ARVSS and our friends in Red Lake lost a wonderful little puppy to the deadly disease Parvo. She was loved by many people in her short life! A very special angel has just received a very special puppy! RIP Chunka