Grateful Dogs Rescue Blog

"Murphy was a Grateful Dogs Rescue who came into my life quite serendipitously. He was a beautiful Newfoundland/Black Lab mix, with the sweetest of characters. Although our time together was entirely too brief, he made his way into my heart and soul. I am so glad that I was able to provide him with lots of love and an environment in which he could thrive and do what he did best, be a fantastic and happy dog!" A Grateful Dogs Rescue Volunteer

See more videos of Murphy at http://www.youtube.com/user/createsf

Saturday, February 11th is the official opening of the Beale and Bryant Dogs Park – a volunteer run non-profit community association that has leased the land from the City of San Francisco and Caltrans.

Grateful Dogs Rescue will be in attendance with dogs available for adoption. Here are some of the dogs who will be there.

Learn more about Owen at http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/21697359

Learn more about Roxie at http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/21365960

Find out more about the Beale and Bryant Dog Park opening and the Grateful Dogs Rescue Adoption Event at
http://gratefuldogsrescue.org/announcements/adoption-event-at-beale-and-bryant-street-dog-park 

Start with an enclosed area (fence barrier) with newspaper covering the floor. It is best to have a small crate in the enclosure with blankets inside. Keep the crate door open for now. When the puppy is taken out of this area to play we keep newspaper on the floor nearby so a quick transfer to the paper can occur if the puppy starts to poop or pee. Lots of praise and a treat when they go on the paper anywhere.

Start schedule for taking outdoors if immunizations have reached this point. Always take out 10 to 20 minutes after meals to start a pattern. You may have to wait up to 30 minutes for success. When he/she starts to relieve himself use the word “go potty” or whatever you prefer.  Take them outside during the day between meals every hour or so and treat and praise (“good dog”, or whatever marker you choose) if you get lucky. At some point the puppy may pee or poop on the paper when  outside the enclosure – LOTS of praise. Once started on the paper start moving it closer to the door to the yard, but continue taking to the yard very often. As soon as possible move the paper outdoors and after a few days you can stop using the paper completely. Mistakes should be ignored but immediately cleaned up with an enzyme odor neutralizer.

At 2 to 3 months try to keep the crate closed for short periods during the day and carry to the yard as soon as you let them out of the crate. Gradually increase the time the crate is closed and start closing at night. This may entail some 2:00 AM time outside.  When house training in one part of the house is reliable, start showing him the rest of the house for short periods, but only on leash to stop pooping or peeing before they start. The goal is zero mistakes as each mistake results in a major setback.   

· in addition to taking out after meals, take pup out first thing in the morning, after every nap and last thing before bed.
· Do not begin to praise & treat the pup for going potty until dog is finished.  If you praise mid stream, you may interrupt him and inadvertently inhibit him.
· Handler needs to go outside with pup every time.  
· Do not bring pup indoors immediately after pottying.  The pup may learn this and delay pottying to be able to stay outside longer.  In addition to praising and treating for going potty outside, play with pup a few minutes outdoors as a reward.

We are looking for a very special person to provide a loving foster home for a wonderful dog.  Murphy is an extremely sweet, gentle, loving 12 year old 75 pound. Lab mix who Grateful Dogs Rescue agreed to take in because his owner, a former Grateful Dogs Rescue foster parent, is now terminally ill.  His previous vet didn't run tests but recently gave him a tentative diagnosis of lymphosarcoma with a likely prognosis of just a couple of months.  He is currently in a fabulous foster home but it's short-term.

Talk about good news/bad news. The Grateful Dogs Rescue vet saw Murphy yesterday for a second opinion, and tests show that he doesn't have cancer after all.  However, he had a major seizure in the vet office lobby just as we were leaving.

If the seizure was brought on by the stress of being at the vet, he might never have another one.  (He completely freaked out at the vet when he had TPLO surgery a couple of years ago and had to go home prematurely)  Or he might have more seizures. There is no way of knowing.  We have not talked to the vet yet about medications.

So we need to find very special longer-term foster parent who can deal with future seizures IF they every occur again.  Ideally it would be a home with a living space (NOT a garage or basement) with no stairs because he does have some mobility problems. Also, it would be best not to have other dogs because they could be a problem if he seizes.

Please contact Grateful Dogs Rescue if you think you can help, or if you know of someone who might be able to help, or if you have any suggestions at all. Call 415 587 1121 or email info@gratefuldogsrescue.org

"Poor Rigby! This sweet little ten pound boy has been through quite a rough patch recently. He landed in the city shelter with “cherry eye” (a prolapsed gland on the third eyelid) at the tender age of about one year old.  saved him in November and paid for the surgery to fix this common eye condition. Then, just before Christmas, his foster dad came home to find him with a broken leg! There’s no webcam to see how it happened and Rigby’s not talking. So, that leaves lots of room for conjecture. Was he trying to climb the Christmas tree? Did he trip over the stuffed dreidel on the floor? Was he celebrating the Winter Solstice? Reaching for the TV remote to do some online shopping? Or, just trying to get down from the couch? We’ll never know the cause but the effect was a second surgery and now, weeks of confinement and TLC while his fractured femur heals completely. Rigby is a very friendly guy who will make a great family pet!

Rigby’s $2,800.00 vet bills were unexpected and a significant year-end expense. Please donate to Grateful Dogs Rescue to help us pay Rigby's vet bills or expenses for our other rescue dogs. You can earmark your donation.  We also want to say a heartfelt “Thank You! “ to everyone who has already contributed to our astronomical vet bills in 2011. Your donations make our volunteer efforts possible!"

Click here to donate to Grateful Dogs Rescue.

Olive needs a new San Francisco bay area foster home tomorrow! She is a loving, adult, house-trained female miniature pinscher mix. She doesn't require lots of exercise and is mostly happy sitting on her foster parents lap. She would prefer to be an only dog. Grateful Dogs Rescue thought we have a couple more weeks to find her a new foster home, but there was a death in the family and her current foster parents have to leave town on Thursday.

 

About Olive (written by her current foster)

Are you looking for a loving companion? Olive is just the dog for you. She would be happy spending the whole day sitting on your lap, sharing the couch or just hanging out around the house. She is the most affectionate dog I have fostered. She is a miniature pinscher mix, about five years old and weighing about ten pounds. She is fully house trained, walks well on a leash and is learning how to sit and come. Olive is very protective of her family which means a bit of barking when other people enter the house, but she stops after a short time, and calms down. She is rather shy and does not do well with other dogs at this time. She would do best in a quiet home without young children.

Let us know if you can help by fostering Olive until an adoptive home is found.

Click here to learn more about fostering a dog with Grateful Dogs Rescue.

Click here to fill out an application to become a volunteer foster with Grateful Dogs Rescue

Click here to fill out an application to adopt Olive

To contact Grateful Dogs Rescue about Olive
· info@gratefuldogsrescue.org
· 415 587 1121