Good News Updates

4/27/09

Here are thoughts from one of the other foster parents who hosted Duckie for a slumber party before her heartworm treatment…

“Duckie is a hoot! She followed me around everywhere and slept right next to me on the floor on her blanket when I was on the couch at night. Duckie is a survivor - she's tough and charming. When I came home from getting the red bag Sun. evening Sue was on the couch with Abbey next to her and Duckie on her lap.

Duckie loves people but doesn't like strange dogs to get close - she growls. She has no trouble going up and down the stairs (well, she did slip on the slick wooden stairs once), and she likes to sneak out the door. She can move surprisingly fast when she sees a squirrel.”

Duckie doesn’t sneak out the door to run away – she really wants to see what’s going on outside, if there are any nice people to meet, and if there might be a squirrel to chase. Since Duckie had some challenges guarding food when she first came to me, I have been feeding her in her crate. She has this funny habit of trying to “bury” her food before she eats it. Because she is so people-focused, she sometimes knocks the whole bowl over in distraction if I went upstairs or she didn’t know where I was.

She also makes me laugh when she takes one of the big, heavy bones, drags it out of their toy basket into another room, and manages to flip it in the air. She will sneak into your heart as fast as she tries to sneak out the door.




4/15/09
We had our first trip to the dog park yesterday, and I was so proud of Duckie. She did wonderfully - she ran around with her ears flapping and handled the small ups and downs of the park really well on three legs. She is very much a people-dog, as she showed the woman she ran up to and laid down in front of. Considering some of her past challenging interactions around other dogs, she did very well managing the dogs at the park. She is also doing well with sitting and trying to contain herself before she gets a treat. I think we should have named her Lucky (considering everything she's been through) or Hop-a-Long. She has so much fun running around.

Update From My Foster Home

"Tammy has this innate ability to warm your heart - you can't help but be in awe of what this little girl has been through and how she still hops around with such a positive, bubbly attitude. When someone new meets her, I wait for the inevitable "awwwww" that comes out of their mouth.

When she greets you, she runs up to you to say hi with her ears flopping and tail wagging and then immediately rolls over to beg for a scratch or a pet. With the warmer weather, she has been exploring outside and hopping around the backyard. She loves food, chews, and attention. Now all the dogs in my house have gotten through their adjustments, Tammy can take her treat after everyone else get theirs - that is if she can contain her excitement about getting a treat!

Please contact IBR to find out more about adopting this honey of a dog."

Update

While she may have additional health issues to deal with in the coming months, she was dignosed with mammary cancer because she was never spayed, she is at least getting a little more settled here emotionally. This evening, I was on the floor with her and two of the other three dogs I have at my house right now and everyone was happy cuddling up. She really loves laying on your lap and settling in for a good pet.

Update From Vet Visit

Tammy has gone through a lot of medical issues and has done so with great triumph. Now, she has another one to over come. It's not enough that she has gone through amputation of her leg, found to be Heartworm Positive, now she has to face mammary cancer. She will need surgery once she is through with her HW treatment. She has cataracts in both eyes, teeth that need to be pulled and still needs to be spayed.

What more can she go through. How much more can she take. Her age is estimated to be around 8-10 years not the 5-6 years believed to be when taken in. IBR WILL continue to help this honorable trooper, but we do need donations. Her medical procedures can run over a thousand dollars. Money that IBR just doesn't have. Please consider a Upland Bird Sponsorship. To learn more about this process, please visit IBR's home page. Tammy sure would appreciate a little good news. Will you be the one to give it to her?

I Can Run and Play with 3

On my journey to my foster home, we stopped to stretch and run around a little. Coach was going to his forever home and his new sister, Nicki came to meet him. We all ran around the tennis court for a while. See, I can run and play with 3!

I'm a Cheese Head! for now

Well, temporarily at least. I came from MO through KS,IA,IL and ended up in WI last Sunday. It sure was a long trip, but so worth it. I'm at a foster home that is really making sure I feel like I'm home. My mom has this to say about me after just 2 days. "She is such a sweet dog. All she wants to do is be wherever you are. She'll follow me from room to room, lays down next to me, and falls asleep. I think of her as a little fighter - the street and life tried to take their toll on her (between losing the leg and her teeth being worn down), but she keeps getting up wagging her tail and just wanting to be loved and petted. She would be great with someone who is interested in a lower energy dog and is willing to love her, and just keep her company." Could that someone be you?

A true fighter for life. Tammy has survived the worse of conditions. Now all she asks for is a chance at a normal life. Not to be treated differently nor felt sorry for, but to be part of a family that feels the need to have a companion in their lives. Someone to cuddle with them, to listen to them, and to love them unconditionally. Tammy will do all of this, 3 legs or not. She is a complete special trooper that deserves the highest honor of heroism, Your Love!She has been at her foster home, who is the sponsor for her HW treatment for 1 week. She does great in the house, is a snuggle bug, loves to sleep in bed with you and has only had 2 accidents, both times she was left alone from about 6am to 3 or 4 in the afternoon. She gets around great. Her companions are 8 other dogs and cats. Tammy pays no mind to the cats and does fine with the dogs unless they get to bouncy up next to her and then all she does is give them the under her breath growl. She is a Velcro dog at the moment, where ever you go, there she is and she said she loves men, she follows her foster dad everywhere
She has been at a lower kill shelter for quite some time with no prospects of getting out. I am told she is 6-7 years old. She has been vetted and was found to be HW+, however she is currently receiving treatment. This 'lil gal was a stray who had an old, serious leg injury that was never treated so she had to have one of her hind legs amputated. It has healed nicely and she gets around fine.
Tammy shares her name from another real trooper. To read more about her namesake Tammy Duckworth just click on her name.