Saying Goodbye to Isis (Ellie)

ForPaws Corgi Rescue has been finding homes for dogs that need them for almost 15 years now. As a result, every so often we hear from former adopters whose dogs have completed their lifespans. Today was one of those days. (Sniff)

In April 2004, this pretty girl found a wonderful home. Sadly, her human is now mourning her recent loss, due to cancer. In foster care her name was Isis. She became “Ellie” in her new home and was a treasured companion. She will be deeply missed.

Ellie   2000-2012

Please send some good thoughts to Ellie as she crosses The Bridge. She was a very lucky girl and we are deeply grateful to her person for giving her such a wonderful life.

Rescue Updates – Ruben got a GREAT Home!

Once in a blue moon we see a nice Cardigan Welsh Corgi like this in rescue. Last year this handsome teenage boy found his forever home, just in time for the holidays. Ruben found the home that every dog dreams about.

While these folks had had corgis previously, this is the first Cardigan and they’re thrilled with his happy, sweet, energetic temperament. There could be some performance awards in Ruben’s future, based on the nice update we just got from his mom (below). HUGE thanks to Ruben’s new family for giving him such a wonderful home!

Ruben’s mom said:

I hope this little note finds you both well. Just wanted to give you the latest update on Reuben. He is a STAR** pupil and graduated from beginner training class with flying colors! He can now sit, stay, leave it, roll over, shake and come when asked. We are working on heel at the moment and he is doing extremely well. I also took him to a local dog training and day care facility where they offer agility training. When the weather cooperates (spring) we will be embarking on some fun things.

He is just such a wonderful and SMART dog and I just love him to pieces!!! Its off to Pet Smart today…..Reuben just loves the “TREAT” isle!!! Thank you both again so much!!!

Give all the dogs big hugs and kisses from me and Reuben. I have also attached one of my favorite pictures of him.

Another ForPaws Dog goes Home for Thanksgiving!

Last Saturday Lada, our nice Cardigan Welsh Corgi girl made the trip to her new home, just in time to get to know her new family for Thanksgiving.

Today it was Pepper’s turn to fly! If she looks happy, it is because she is.

Unfortunately we don’t have a photo, but if the telephone report is any indication her new family was smiling just as enthusiastically when they picked Pep up at the airport!

Happy Homecoming ladies! Have a great Thanksgiving and a happy, healthy life!

Needed – A Home for a young Cardigan Boy!

“Romeo”

Available for adoption. Fostered in Wichita, Kansas.

Currently ForPaws Corgi Rescue has this handsome 17-month-old Cardigan boy available. He is neutered and up-to-date on his vaccinations, heartworm negative.

He is a typical teenager – full of energy, happy, affectionate and in need of all of the typical training and socialization that goes with raising a nice young Cardigan. He gets along with other dogs, plays well and understands the cues. Being a teenage boy, he’s a bit full of himself and would not work with an alpha male dog. He has not been cat tested. We also would not place him in a situation with young children, as he’s pretty rambunctious.

Ideally, we would love to find a “cardi person” for Romeo. Another female corgi, or dog of similar size, as a companion would be wonderful. Any new owner should plan on basic obedience training and continued socialization for Romeo.

With the holidays coming, there are always more dogs in rescue and we’re really overloaded right now. If you’re aware of anyone who might be right for this boy, please send him our way.

Interested and qualified parties should submit an application through ForPaws Corgi Rescue.

Please help find Romeo a wonderful new home for Christmas! (Thanksgiving would be even better!)

Home Needed for Lada! (Or even a Foster in SF Bay Area)

You’ve seen her before. This is Lada!

Location: San Francisco Bay Area, CA

Lada has been in foster care with ForPaws Corgi Rescue for awhile in order to get past a stubborn urinary infection. Her previous owner was hit hard financially so her veterinary care was overdue. Ultimately she realized she just wasn’t able to keep Lada, which broke hearts on both sides!

Right now we really need a home, or even a foster home, for Lada ASAP. We recently had another foster dog in the same home rupture a disc in her back. She will require an extended period of care and crate rest and Lada is WAY too playful to have around while we’re trying to keep our patient quiet for the next couple of months.

Now this spunky girl is 100% healthy and ready to rock a new home! We’re on the hunt for the perfect place for her. She is a very affectionate girl, a velcro dog looking for Her Person.

A REALLY nice Cardigan Welsh Corgi with a textbook Cardi female personality, Lada loves to be Queen, but isn’t overwhelming about it. She gets along with other dogs, but will do best as an only dog, or with a male corgi who clearly understands that he is #2 in the pack order.

Lada is a pretty dog and has actually lost a little more weight than shown in these photos. She came in to foster care quite heavy and has done well on her diet.

She’s a lovely brown brindle girl. We were told she is somewhere between eight to ten years of age, but have a hard time believing it. We have no way of knowing her actual age. Our vet puts her around 7-8 years.

Lada is as active as any five to six year old dog, extremely playful and ready to go for a walk or ride in the car at all times. She’s been fully vetted, is up to date on vaccinations, heartworm negative and on preventative for heartworm and fleas. A true corgi, she loves a good belly rub and isn’t hesitant to ask.

She also loves, loves, loves to play with a tennis ball!

Unlike many corgis, Lada will “fetch.” She wants you to continue to interact with her and throw the ball again. It is all about being a companion to her person for this dog.

We mean it when we say “active.” Lada also loves to swim and will hop in the pool the moment she’s invited.

She’s become quite good at the dry cycle too!  Just remember to step back while you watch!

And she can multi-task with the best of them, fetch while swimming!

We are looking for a corgi-experienced home with folks who understand what makes a happy Cardigan Welsh Corgi tick and time to spend with her during the day. This is a dog that prefers human companionship to that of other dogs. We can’t put her in a situation in which she will spend the majority of her hours at home alone during the day. An retired couple or someone who works from home would be ideal for her!

She would love to be an only dog, which has been her situation up to now. But she will adapt to sharing space with another submissive pack member. She will do best if she is allowed to be the alpha dog. She is confident, slightly pushy, but not difficult to manage for those who “get” the corgi temperament.

Lada has had some basic obedience training, is house trained, leash trained, crate trained. She has excellent house manners and can be left indoors without issues. She is gregarious, and while she’s affectionate toward all people, she’d be too much dog for a young child, as she likes to bounce, jump and run and would definitely want to take a ball away from a toddler. We’re looking for an all-adult home, or a home in which children are at minimum age 12 or older.

If you know anyone who might be interested, or who could fill in as a temporary foster person in the interim, please ask them to e-mail Kathy@ForPaws.org (Serious inquiries from corgi-experienced and knowledgeable parties located in the Bay Area only please.)

The Amazing Story of Thomas the Corgi – Chapter 1

This is an amazing story, about an incredible little Pembroke Welsh Corgi, a dog with more than nine lives!

This is Thomas.

He is a ForPaws Rescue dog, currently in foster care in Kansas. He is about four years old and the sweetest little guy you’d every want to meet!

Thomas came from the local Humane Society shelter in Kansas, where his foster mom went to pick him up in February of this year. When she got him home she quickly found that he was one of the nicest corgis we’ve ever seen in rescue – just a doll!

But someone hadn’t treated Thomas very well. He’d been kept in a crate for up to sixteen hours each day and had reportedly been urinating in the kennel. He had terrible urine burns and a bad secondary skin infection all over his belly and under his front legs. Someone had neglected him terribly!

He was so dirty that it took multiple baths to get him clean.

He was really good about being handled and emerged looking like a “new man,” albeit, one that was carrying around a few extra pounds! An adult male corgi should weigh 25-28 pounds typically. This one weighed 42 pounds upon arrival! Time for a diet as part of his rehab plan.

In addition to being on antibiotics and an antifungal medication for his skin issues, Thomas was also found to have food sensitivities. After some experimentation, a diet was identified that seems to work for him. Needless to say, he started to feel a whole lot better.

He proved to be quite the social little fellow, getting along well with the other dogs in his foster family, as well as a nearby neighbor who just fell in love with him. She was kind enough to foster him for a time when it became apparent that he was going to need to stay in foster care for a longer-than-usual recovery period.

It soon became obvious that the reason that he had such a terrible rash on his stomach was that Thomas was incontinent. When tests showed only minor urinary infection we tried medication. Ultimately, after numerous different medications failed to cure the problem we took the next step. A series of x-rays, with a contrast dye to show the functioning of the kidneys, ureter, bladder and urethra was performed. Here are two of the x-rays! You will never guess what we found!

(Click on photos to enlarge.)

Holy kibbles ‘n bits…that little white arrow-like object, it is a BB from a pellet gun! That’s right – this poor dog had a BB lodged in him! We were absolutely astonished!

But even after finding this, it wasn’t clear that the BB was the cause of the problem. The local vet said it was time for further diagnostics and that Thomas should really go to a teaching veterinary hospital where he could get specialized diagnostics and care. Ouch…$$$

At this point we were really concerned. We had one of the nicest dogs ever. He’d been in foster care for six months and everyone who met him had fallen in love with him. The idea that we might not be able to afford the care he needed was pretty devastating.

Enter, CorgiAid, Inc!

CorgiAid, Inc. has long been a terrific supporter of ForPaws dogs with special medical needs. This was no exception. They didn’t hesitate to award Thomas a grant to cover his medical expenses and we are beyond grateful to them!

And so…the story continues:

So off we go… Into the car for the ride to KSU.

Here we are!

Of course Thomas was a perfect gentleman in the waiting room.

He makes it look easy! There are times when not being able to understand every thing being planned for you is a good thing. In this case, it was decided that a fluoroscopy would be performed first.

His team of doctors was ready to go to work!

Thomas was also assigned his very own veterinary student, whose job is to monitor him throughout his visit. Can you tell he likes her?

So – today was the big day! The fluoroscopy showed that urine was leaking into his prostate gland so the doctors decided they’d go in surgically to repair it. While they were in there they found a cyst and a hole in his urethra that allowed urine to leak into the prostate. They removed the cyst and closed the hole. The doctor said he’d never seen anything like it before!

Next they went looking for the pellet. This proved to be the most difficult part of the surgery. Ultimately they had to do an ultrasound to find it. But they were able to remove it and didn’t see any holes in the urethra underneath the pellet.

They also found a small mass from Thomas’ abdomen and a mass from his thyroid gland that had been discovered earlier in the diagnostic process. This was incredibly fortunate. Had this whole issue not caused us to pursue the diagnostics, this mass wouldn’t have been found until it had grown much larger and potentially spread to other areas. The doctors think that both masses are benign, but lab tests will be performed to be sure.

All of this happened this morning – after four hours in surgery, our little trooper is resting comfortably. He is in ICU with his dedicated student vet by his side. (Thank you – thank you – thank you to her, and all of the wonderful medical team!)

Thomas will be in ICU for two more days where they will continue to provide care and monitor him closely. This was HUGE surgery. Thomas will remain in the hospital for five to seven more days! We’ve asked his student vet to take some more photos and will post them as we get them.

In the meantime, please join us in thanking the medical staff, CorgiAid, Inc. and most of all Thomas’ two dedicated and loving foster moms who have done so much for him and taken so much of their time to ensure that he got what he needed. Without all of these incredible people, he wouldn’t have made it.

Please send healing thoughts to Thomas while he’s at Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine in Manhattan, Kansas. He’s a pretty smart guy and if you tell him you’re thinking good thoughts for him, he’ll probably hear you!  He did graduate from obedience class, after all!

We will post updates on the blog! Stay tuned!

We love you Thomas! Be well, heal quickly so you can go on to a new and wonderful life!

Another BHT Puppy!

This litter was a nice mix of color, with two little black-headed-tricolored males. All were named for cities/towns in Kansas and our two BHT boys were Logan and Lucas. You’ve met Logan (Bogey), now here’s the other boy, Lucas! Just as handsome and just as sweet, he’s shown here as a twelve-week-old pup, with his litter sister, Viola.

Destined to be our Travelin’ Man, this little fellow’s theme song should be “I Get Around.” His parents love to take road trips and Lucas shares their enthusiasm. As part of his birthday celebration, this lucky dog is getting a grand tour! When he’s not on the road with his wonderful mom & dad, Lucas makes his home in Arizona where he’s got scenic vistas like this available when he’s ready to take a hike. This breath-taking picture was actually taken on Lucas’ first hike with his new family! No it isn’t a backdrop – it’s the real deal! Welcome home Lucas!

Along the way, Lucas visited his namesake town.

And was there at the right time of year to capture a great Christmas Card photo!

Another new discovery – snow!

This little canine vagabond has a wonderful set of wheels, allowing the family to go anywhere and take their home along.

Riding in style, he doesn’t miss much.

Of course, stopping to smell the roses is always a good idea!

Modeling his beautiful coat which contrasts so nicely with his surroundings. Hasn’t he grown into a gorgeous dog!

Of course, when you’re surrounded by the Grand Canyon it’s even easier to show off a handsome coat!

Hiking at Bright Angel Point in the Grand Canyon with his mom.

Switching gears – here’s Lucas on the shoreline of the Oregon coast. Yup – he definitely gets around!

But his travels haven’t stopped him from being all puppy during this first year. Nothing better than a plastic bottle from time to time.

Unless it’s the new rope toy that he got for his first birthday.

Or a great romp in a green meadow!

But when it’s time to celebrate your first birthday, the best thing a dog can have is a wonderful family like the one Lucas found…oh, and a great cake!

His parents said:

Here are few shots of Lucas on his birthday trip to the Northwest. He’s been on the road for five weeks now advising Mommy and Daddy what to photograph and paint while visiting Bryce National Park, the Oregon Coast, Portland, The Columbia Gorge, and Olympic National Park. We will wind up back on the north rim of the Grand Canyon on the first of the month, and then home for a few weeks before possibly heading to New Mexico.

Hope everyone is doing well and we’ll be sending more along as Lucas winds up his First Birthday Tour.

Take care and Happy Birthday to all the kiddies.

Happy Birthday Lucas – and many Happy Trails ahead for you and your family! We will definitely look forward to more pictures, as they’re available!

More Pupper Updates! (Logan)

Who is this little cutie? Yep, another one of the Morgan puppies. This is Logan, shown here at 10 weeks of age.

He was a strikingly handsome puppy with a textbook-perfect sweet and happy temperament. We thought he was a doll as a puppy and he just kept getting better as he matured! Here’s Logan (renamed Bogart, a.k.a. Bogey) at a year of age!

Not surprisingly, this wonderful guy was the first to be snatched up when it came time to find homes. Bogey didn’t have far to go to find his new family – he lives next door to his littermate, Kismet. The two are B.F.F. and play together almost every day.

But Kismet isn’t Bogey’s only playmate. He also has a canine big sister, Pandy, another adopted ForPaws Rescue dog.

In addition to Pandy, Bogey has another very special friend! Show me a dog that isn’t thrilled to have his very own Little Girl!

Not to mention a coveted spot in the easy chair!

And the most coveted spot of all!

Bogey’s first Fall season was a time to grow, explore and learn all about his new world.

He soon learned that there are creatures in the vertical world too – pesky ones!

Now an excellent squirrel dog, he spends hours keeping an eye out for these interlopers in his yard.

He takes his job very seriously. Clearly the photographer is interrupting his concentration. The look says it all.

But its definitely not all work for this beautiful boy, as his perpetual smile indicates.

Bogey’s mom says:

Bogey has had a great first year. He has many playmates, including Kismet, his litter sister. He gets along well with Bossy Pandy, his live-in sister, mainly because of his sweet disposition. He can go to visit his foster mom, Denise, whenever he wants, as we share connecting yards. He loves his walks and rides in the car. As you can see by the pictures, he is infatuated with squirrels.

He is very, very sweet! He’s grown into a large corgi and is extremely handsome. We love having him as part of our family.

Happy Birthday to all of the littermates!

Happy Birthday Bogey!

Many thanks to your family for giving you such a wonderful year. Here’s wishing you many more!

More on Kismet

In answer to the question – OH YES, Aunt Molly was only too happy to play with tiny Kismet. Molly was a rescue in foster care during Kismet’s youngest puppy days. The two were fast friends and Molly seemed to think that Kissie was her puppy. She taught the youngster a lot before ultimately finding her own wonderful forever home.

So cute at 10 weeks of age.

Deceptively adorable! From the beginning Kismet was definitely the spark in the litter. No question as to the identity of  the Alpha Princess in this group!

She started out as one of the three really tiny newborns. For the first 3-5 days we were really worried about them. They had to be tube fed. Kismet’s foster mom said: ” Kismet was only a few days old the first time she really fought me when I was putting the tube down her. I knew at that point that she would live. I wondered how I was going to give her up.”

By the time she was 5 months old she’d become as striking as Morgan, her lovely Mom, and was busy making it clear to all of her housemates that she was boss.

Her brother Logan (Bogey) went to live next door. He was the first puppy to find his new home. Luckily for Kismet, Bogey remains a ready and willing play partner. They have connecting yards and play with each other just about every day.

Her other black-headed brother, Lucas, was also a willing play buddy.  Here they are on an adventure together not long before he departed for his forever home.

All in all, life was pretty darn good in her foster home. Kissie got to go swimming with some of the in-residence members of her foster family.
She got to play by the pool in the big backyard.

Certainly she has never suffered for lack of toys, or the inability to make a toy out of just about anything.

She has wonderful places to walk.

And run…

Playmates who know all the best places to nap.

And one who will swim in the pool along with her! (Myrtle, you’re a gem!)

They all know that Kissie must be the Center of Attention – sometimes literally!

She celebrated Christmas in a proper style.

Along the way she grew into this beautiful girl!

Oh she is still plenty full of herself!

And, as you’ve probably guessed, there was no need for Kissie to go anywhere to find it. She was already in the Perfect Home! Her mom, Denise, says:

“I really didn’t admit to myself, or anyone else that I wanted to keep her. But at age six months, when we’d been unable to find just the right home to handle her strong personality, I knew I’d become VERY attached to her and decided to adopt her myself.”

Denise goes on to say:

“Kis is a spitfire. She is a smart and busy girl. She enjoys going to training class to demonstrate behaviors as my demo dog. She loves having all of the other dogs in the house to play with and gets along with everyone. She is the presiding Princess. I LOVE her tail. It is so expressive. You can really tell what she’s thinking by her tail. Having her brother Bogey next door is wonderful. With a houseful of older dogs, having someone her own age with whom to play makes having a rambunctious pup much easier.

Kis is a fun pup to raise. As she grew she was always the smallest puppy with the biggest attitude. I knew she would be a challenge, but I like a challenge.”

Kismet is definitely the Princess of the litter. As this recent pictures shows, she is a very HAPPY princess. Definitely right at home in her own back yard! Welcome Home Kismet, we’re delighted to have you as part of the family!

Happy 1st Birthday – Morgan’s Puppies!

This week ForPaws Corgi Rescue celebrates some very BIG birthdays!

Over the years we’ve seldom had puppies in rescue, let alone puppies whelped while in foster care! Last year on July 25th our pregnant mom, Morgan, delivered a litter of pups while in the care of our wonderful foster person, Denise. Denise became “grandma” to six beautiful Pembroke puppies, who are now officially “dogs.” All six of them, and mama Morgan, found incredibly wonderful homes! This week we celebrate their first birthday and take a look at some pictures from their first year. Each posting will look at a different puppy.

Typically we wouldn’t place littermates together as they tend to bond too closely to one another and not as much to their people. In this first case we made an exception. Dodge was the “omega dog” in the litter and he gained a lot of confidence by remaining with his sister, Viola, who is a benevolent alpha. It has proven to be a winning combination!

Now in Colorado with two human parents who couldn’t possibly love them more, these two dogs have a life to envy! They go everywhere, do everything and celebrate all occasions as if there is no tomorrow!

Naturally their first birthday meant a BIG party! Family and friends gathered for a wonderful celebration. Way cool party! It is really hard to tell where the human cake ends and the doggie cakes begin – they all look delicious!

And of course, it isn’t a party without decorations!

Looking back, here they are at 8 weeks of age. Dodge on the left, Viola on the right.

From that to this! Aren’t they lovely!

Doggie cupcakes – not for human consumption – yum!

Yes, this is a birthday cake! Awesome, huh?

These two have always loved one another. The bond has grown as they’ve matured.

As I said, they celebrate all the holidays. New toys for Valentine’s Day!

Doggie Easter Baskets. “I’ve never seen anything like that before. You check it out first Vi and I’ll watch!”

When Dodge was really little he found his “security spot” in his toy box.

But things got complicated when that darn toy box kept getting smaller!

Shopping…what girl doesn’t like shopping. Could Viola’s grin be any bigger?

From the time she was little Viola has been a Daddy’s girl.

Likewise, Dodge isn’t shy about cuddling up to his human Mom!

Beautiful Big Dogs!Notes from their Mom:

Dodge and Viola….their first year-

Dodge and Viola have done great transitioning to our home!  Viola is a complete sweetheart, and has really helped Dodge to build his confidence.  He is our teddy bear, while she is Miss Independent.  They love each other a whole bunch and play together nicely.  In their first year, Dodge and Viola have met family and friends, graduated from puppy kindergarten, celebrated all of the major holidays, played in the Colorado snow, shopped at Petsmart, were spayed and neutered, went to their first parade, strut their stuff in the Take a Bow Wow pet modeling contest, went to the dog park, and they just celebrated their first birthday with a fabulous party. They enjoy playing together, cuddle time with us, and going for walks every day…they are healthy, happy dogs.  We really, really love them and are proud to be their parents!

HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY TO DODGE AND VIOLA!

And many thanks to the people who’ve made life wonderful for these two lovely dogs!