Zootoo.com, the networking site for animal lovers, announced the top 20 finalists of its Million Dollar Makeover Contest. Two of them are right here in the metro New York area -- Little Shelter in Huntington and Bobbi and the Strays in Queens.
Zootoo honchos were in town today to tour the two shelters.
Comments (14)
What wonderful news! Here's hoping Bobbi and the Strays get top prize.
Any news on any of our lost pups? Miracles happen everyday and the best is yet to come.
Where is everyone! A Madison Update. They are seeing improvements with each day....
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April 10 - update and prayer request
Posted by Gina at Thursday, April 10, 2008 11:56 PM and is filed under uncategorized
Hello to everyone keeping up with my dear princess Madison. We have been keeping very busy going to the chiropractic neurologist and school. Madison having a twin is so bittersweet for me. I have been going to Jason's class in the afternoons after I do Madison's cross crawl to read a story to them. It is so wonderful to see Jason thriving in school. Madison was so dominant over her twin that John and I worried that it would be hard for jason to come out of his shell. He has however blossomed this year in pre-k. I can't help though to wonder how Madison would be right now in pre-k. It makes my heart ache to think about it. It's hard enough wondering, but having a twin to watch is a constant reminder for me. I can only hope and pray that someday Madison will get to join Jason again in doing the things that they love.
On her road to recovery, we are noticing some good changes. This is such a painstakingly slow process, but all in all Madison has done nothing but go forward. When we first started seeing the chiropractic neurologist, Madison had one side of her brain that was working more than the other. Because of that, she would keep her head turned to one side and she only had her eyes reacting the way they are supposed to spinning in one direction. Lately, the weaker side of the brain is catching up! Madison no longer keeps her head to one side. She turns it to look around the room. When holding her upright and spinning her slowly, her eyes react the way they should BOTH ways. There is still a weaker side, but it is catching up! In addition, Madison is getting more strength. We have been sitting her on an adults lap and holding her head in midline. We then let go. In the past, her head would just flop forward like dead weight. Now, she either holds it for a second or two or she drops it in a controlled way. The doctor wants her to make the motion to try and catch her head as it falls forward and that is what she is starting to do. It's a very subtle movement but every time she does it, it is firing something in the brain. The more she does it, the stronger that will get! I cannot wait for the day that she can hold her head up by herself!
As hard as this journey is for me, I sometimes am in disbelief that Madison survived her near drowning. The doctors still are baffled that she is here. Boy is she ever! She is trying so hard and I cannot wait for the day that i can come on here and tell you that Madison talked or Madison walked. Someday......someday.
As you probably read all the over the internet, there are so many others on this same journey. Children and adults alike are struggling to beat their brain injuries. Luckily, God seems to bless these people with loving family members and friends who support them. Unfortunately, there are those who don't have that support. I have recently learned of a woman who also has an anoxic brain injury. please read about her at the following address: www.christiantelegraph.com/issue492.html. Lauren has an anoxic brain injury due to an overdose after being clean for 10 months. She was pregnant so the parents, who are divorced agreed to treatment until she could deliver her baby. once her baby was born, the ventilator was removed. To everyone's astonishment, Lauren began breathing on her own. It was then that the parents did not agree on the plan of action. Lauren's mother insists that Lauren would not want to live this way and wants her feeding tube removed, thus starving her to death. Lauren's father believes there is hope for her and wants to bring her home to love and care for her. I watched a video today of lauren and i must say, I don't see too much difference between Lauren and Madison. It breaks my heart that anyone wants to end her life when there is hope. There is an italian proverb....Finché c'è vita c'è speranza. The translation is: Where there is life, there is hope. I firmly believe this. Please please please visit Lauren's website at www.lifeforlauren.com/. Read how you can help. At the very least, please pray for Lauren and her father. For anyone interested, you can view lauren's video at the following address: www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5ZRWn-gE5g. Lord, please protect this woman and her father who so whole heartedly loves his daugther!
Until next time, please keep praying for Madison as well. God is good!
Wonderful news about Madison, Kathleen. I pray the patterning will bring Madison back so she can have the childhood she deserves and is in the same class as her twin.
Hope everyone is OK. Vivi is always on my mind and in my heart. Sniffles was found, now it's Vivi's turn.
That is fantastic news kathleen. It is slow but when you look back there is a big improvement. I will pray that it continues and Madison will someday have a normal life.
Hi Everyone,
Just checking in and seeing some good news about Madison is really great. Praying for her continued progress.
I have a question maybe someone could help with:
My cousin recently adopted a female border collie, approx.age was told to her about 1-2 yrs. old but when her husband and her got the dog she appears to be much older due to some noticable graying. They got her through an internet ad which she said she should have checked out better. But anyway, they have adopted her and plan to keep her. One problem, she is very much an alpha dog and very aggressive to the point of getting into bloody fights with other dogs. She adores children and people and will roll over and let you scratch her belly. They are doing everything they can think of to try and break her of this but they haven't been successful. Does anyone have any suggestions or books, etc. that they can use to help them. Any ideas would be most welcomed.
Thanks,
Laura
Laura - let me get Jill on here. she and Monica both have experience with Borders. perhaps they can help the little tyrant :)
Sounds like improper socialization and she probably knows she finally fell into a good spot and wants to defend it. We have a trainer who rescues/owns/trains Border Collies and has helped us a lot with the dogs at our rescue. I'll see if she has any advice for you. She does mostly clicker training, so my guess is that she's going to suggest using clicker training to form a bond with the dog, establish hierarchy, and give that infamous Border Collie intelligence something else to focus on - but, will ask her.
Isn't it Karen who also has Border Collies and trains them for agility? She may have some input as well.
Thanks Laura about Madison. I am just waiting for that BIG DAY when she talks or walks by herself for the first time again.
Definitely get Karen S to help you on this. She gave me some great advice (and many, many others) to help calm my aggressive chow/lab named Onyx/Onnie. It worked well too.
One thing people told me is to keep a spray bottle of water and a can with coins or something noisy. When the dogs try to fight, spray them or throw the can down to scare them. I use this with Tinkerbell and Sophie still. Tinkerbell has to be reminded she is not the "head of the pack," and quite often too. Man those Chi/JRT are hard-headed little girls....
Another thing I was told which really is true, ALWAYS have a collar on this type of dog. It reminds them you are the head of the pack and have control with that collar. You can also leave a leash on it which you can step on suddenly to stop them if they head towards the other dogs until they are trained.
Another trainer told me to never let Onnie jump up on the coach or chair and look down at me (dominance issue). I really believe your first chore will be to establish a "human" as the leader of the pack, and then the other things will fall into place.
Karen S also told me to teach Onnie to always sit at the door and wait for me to open the door and give her the command to go outside. This has worked well also. I also do not pay attention to her if she jumps up on me or is not in a sitting position. Then she gets lots of love for sitting from mommy. When I give her treats, I put them in the palm of my hand and remind her with "gentle" when she takes them from me (saves the fingers).
Go to a site called SITSTAYFETCH. I got some great advice there too. Good luck. You can change this dog. I was not sure Onnie could be changed, but she is FANTASTIC now!
Hi Everyone,
Thank you all for the suggestions with the border collie. I e-mailed them to my cousin. They really have come to love this little devil. I'll keep you posted about how Andi is doing.
Thanks,
Laura
Good luck Laura. Hope this little "booger" gets settled soon!
I don't know about everyone else, but I am on serious BURNOUT over all the sad stories on the blogs, in the news, and now IN ALL MY E-MAILS about animals.
I think everyone has picked up my name and added to their e-mail lists. I have e-mailed many back and asked to please be removed. I am just having a very serious time dealing with it right now (and other things), and depression has had the best of me. Please do not share my e-mail with other groups unless asking me first. I cannot handle it right now. Thanks a bunch.
Seems my e-mail account is running over with pleas for animals all of a sudden....
Kathleen,
Thanks for the encouragement. Sorry you're having to deal with all this sadness. I would like to share a picture of Andi the border collie with you if that's okay as I only know how to e-mail her picture. I think looking at her sweet face will cheer you up. Just let me know and I'll send it to you. I guess people read the blog and notice how you try to help and are so caring that they think it's okay to send these e-mails to you. Unfortunately, I know how depressing that can get. Please try to stay calm and if you need someone to talk to you can e-mail me.
Take care,
Laura
LAURA - Thanks for the words of encouragement. I think the e-mails may be more from mailing lists for transporting dogs that have been shared. I have contacted them and asked to be removed for this reason.
I would love to see this sweet Border Collie. A friend of mine trains and shows hers in agility also. I just love her dogs. They are so eager to please their owners. That is why I think this baby will do great - just a little overprotective of the new happy place right now it seems.
The first dog I transported was a Border Collie, and it was a good thing I had a "full house." I would have been adopting that pretty boy if not!
Have a good weekend everyone. TGIF....
HAPPY BIRTHDAY VIVI!
XOXOXOXOXOX
VIVA LA VIVI!
I am a little behind on this- just now reading it, but one book that deals really really well with reactivity, which is often a Border collie problem more than aggression, is Leslie McDevitt's book, Control Unleashed. She has a smart program of teaching dogs to respond to the presence of other dogs by passively looking at them and turning the attention back to you, while not pushing them too far too fast. She also teaches how to make transitions, which is often where fights happen- such as coming into a room with dogs and distractions from outside. She has games that reinforce these lessons. It's all positive training and operant conditioning and requires practice. You might try reading that book or taking a CU class.