Tales of Aussie Rescue in Illinois

Well today is Hagar’s birthday. Since I didn’t know when he was actually born, I decided it was the day he was rescued from the shelter I pulled him from. Hagar’s story is a tough one, and I have told it before, but will do it again.

Hagar was running wild in Woodford County Illinois for a while when one day he ran across a busy highway and was hit by a car, a county officer saw him get hit, and saw him keep running across an open field. Animal control tried to find him for a week and finally caught him and brought him in. He was supposed to be treated with pain medicine for his injury. Sadly this didn’t happen and he spent 10 days in a dark, cold, concrete cell, with no human contact, no sunlight, and no other dogs to keep him company.

I went to evaluate him and was horrified by his conditions and the fact that he wasn’t treated for his injury. Hagar was paralyzed from his mid-back on, he couldn’t stand on his hind-end, only balance on his front paws. He also was not able to hold his bowels and was loaded with worms. It was a very scary 20 minute ride to my vet’s office, who wasn’t open for another hour, and I was frantically calling over and over, with Hagar crying the whole way.

When we arrived, he was still un-able to hold his bodily functions, and the concern was he was going to have major nerve damage. Once on the table we sedated him, and began the process to see what would be the end result, only to have him have a major seizure, something I had never seen before. I was scared with him, and worried I would be requesting he be put to sleep to ease his pain. My rep at the time said that they made little wheelchairs for dogs, and my vet felt he deserved a chance to recover. So it was decided to dope him up, keep him immobile for 2 weeks to allow the swelling to recede, he had a broken back, and was in a spot that was probably the worst place for a dog to suffer a broken back.

I took him home, stopping at Petsmart to buy a special crate that allowed access to him from every angle. The next 2 weeks I came home at lunch and checked up on him, changed his bedding and gave him medicine and sat with him. I set goals for this little black tri:

• He had to eat, and drink
• He had to hold his bowels and bladder
• He had to sit up, he had to stand
• He had to crawl
• He had to walk
• He had to run
• He had to bark
• …And he had to wiggle his butt like any good and happy Aussie would do

Then I would consider him healed, and ready for a foster home in Chicago, only he never made it that far, I failed, and I failed big time, he wasn’t going to go anywhere, he had met and exceeded every goal, and became part of my pack, and now a year later, Hagar’s having a birthday, he is not only getting pizza, along with him brother’s Cruise and Mocha, he is now officially my Aussie, I adopted Hagar today, 1 year after that fateful day in February of 2009.

Welcome home Hagar!

Ozzy is a handsome black-tri Aussie who is estimated to be around 3 years old. He came to ARPH after being abandoned and taken in by a cat rescue.

Topping Ozzy’s list of favorite things to do is going for car rides, taking walks and playing fetch. You might even think he doesn’t like riding in a car because he gets so excited he just quivers all over. And when the leash comes out and his foster mom puts on her coat, he’s so happy he just spins around in circles and gives lots of butt wiggles. His favorite “toys” include a purple stuffed animal that he carries around with him and a red blanket that he likes to drag around behind him—he is very gentle with both of these items and does not chew them up.

Ozzy is quite food motivated and can catch a treat from across the room or steal one out of your pocket if you aren’t paying attention. He is also very much a velcro Aussie who follows his foster mom everywhere, occasionally nudging her arm for some petting. He is crate trained but prefers sleeping on the floor next to his foster mom’s bed or sometimes even under the bed.

Ozzy is continuing to learn how to trust his foster family when it comes to his toys and his food—and he has yet to figure out how to play with the other dogs in the home. He is usually the first to bark to let you know the mailman or another delivery person has arrived, but does not show any aggression toward them and is well behaved with visitors to his foster home.

He is fully vetted, neutered, up-to-date on all shots and micro-chipped, and is currently enjoying walks in the woods in Bloomington, IL.

Learn more about Ozzy and all the other great Aussies in Illinois

What a beautiful, unusual looking boy! Royal is only 10 months old and weighs 30 lbs.—a vibrant blue merle guy with a soft curly coat of fur, dazzling blue eyes and yes, A TAIL! His appearance is striking and his sweet puppy face and big ears bring compliments constantly from the people he meets.

Royal is a happy-go-lucky pup who loves to ‘hang with his people’ when he isn’t off playing with other dogs. Here is a guy who will play energetically all day long…so it would be great if he could join another dog family with a pet who has the same level of enthusiasm. He enjoys doggy daycare 3 days a week—and there hasn’t been another dog that he has met that he doesn’t like. At the end of a long day of playing Royal will cuddle up super close on the couch for a quick puppy style nap.

Royal is somewhat hesitant around strangers and barks at unfamiliar sounds. His ability to walk well on a leash is improving, and he is housebroken—only needing frequent visits outdoors to insure there are not any accidents on the carpet. He is great with cats who want to play with him. Royal is crate-trained and loves rides in the car. Consider Royal if you are interested in a dog for agility training—his energy level would be perfect for this.

Learn more about Royal and all our Aussies in Illinois

Have you been craving the perfect companion? If so, then meet Chew!

Here is a 1-2 year old red merle male who was found on a Good Samaritan’s doorstep—anxiously looking for a warm place to sleep. We don’t know much about this handsome boy’s background, but we can vouch for his desire to please and love his human companions. Chew is always sure to greet you with a smile, a kiss to say hello and is constantly at your side.

Chew has an abundance of young dog energy and likes to play all day if you are up to it! He loves to engage all of his male and female foster siblings, and interacts well with all of them. He can run lightning fast and jumps while playing. A ball, a Frisbee….any toy will do!

This beautiful redhead weighs 50 lbs, is neutered, up-to-date on vaccinations, is heartworm negative and is micro-chipped. Chew has multi-colored eyes and absolutely drop dead gorgeous merle markings and already has learned sit and stay. His foster family is working on his ‘enthusiastic greeting’ behavior—and he does pull a bit on a leash—but what can we say—he is a young boy who loves life and everyone he meets!

Chew is very sweet with a constant wiggle in his Aussie butt. He will make a wonderful family pet, but due to his high energy level we do currently recommend he be placed with a family experienced with young Aussies.

Learn more about all our Aussies in Illinois ready for a home.

We’ll be at the International Kennel Club Dog Show, February 27th and 28th. Plan a trip to McCormick Place in Chicago that day and be sure to stop by. We’ll have the latest information about dogs that are up for adoption, volunteer opportunities and success stories about some of our latest adoptions! We’ll also be giving away prizes for donations in an effort to generate money for our continuing efforts. This show features over 10,000 dogs competing in various types of events. It is truly a dog-lovers paradise!

2010 International Kennel Club Cluster of Dog Shows

Friday, February 26th Blackhawk Kennel Club (Unbenched)
Tickets are just Adults $14 ● Seniors (age 62 and Older) $10 ● Children under twelve get in FREE.
View Larger Map

Say hello to Keno, a black tri Aussie with some other dog in him just to make him super sweet. Keno is 2 months old, and will be posted for adoption very soon. He is in Indiana, so plan a road trip for this cute little guy.

Meet Cheri, a red tri Aussie in Iowa that needs a forever home. She probably needs to be the only dog in town, but that means she will give a family all the love a one dog town would need.

Learn more about Cheri on our Iowa Adoption page

http://www.aussierescueil.com/available-protege-dogs/

Nick Ames, a new volunteer with Aussie Rescue has donated his time and talents to video taping our Aussies for adoption, he came to Lotto’s birthday bash to tape all the fun.

The little guy laying on the floor is Moose, a very cute blue merle, he is soon up for adoption.

If you are in Chicago and feel like meeting some great Aussies, come to the annual
Lotto Birthday Bash
K9 Playtime
403 Washington Bvd
Mundelein IL 60060
We will have prizes, food, pet communicator (phychic) and all sort of Aussies to meet and adopt*
From 11-2 Jan 31st Sunday

Meet Livvy our newest girl to the ARPH family. She will be officially in our arms on Saturday, right now she is in Missouri getting some vetting and some freedom from her smelly shelter time.

Expect Livvy to be ready for adoption in a few weeks.