The YTNR Board of Directors Proudly introduces Patti Kushnir as our new Secretary. Patti took over the sending of Smoky Award Nomination letters this year and sent out over a hundred invitation letters to those who had adopted a dog from us in the past year.

She also met us in Rochester, New York in September for our Annual Board Meeting and is going to be  a great asset to our organization. 

You can see her in the picture above with Eleanor her one and only yorkie!  

I live in Huntington Beach, California with my husband Richard and my 7 year old Yorkie, Eleanor. Or maybe I should have said Richard and I live with Eleanor in Southern California. Huntington Beach is between Los Angeles and San Diego along the coast.

We originally come from Forest Hills, Queens, New York, but Eleanor comes from Dromcollegher, County Limerick, Ireland.   I worked for Trans World Airlines (TWA) for many years both in New York, in the city, and in Los Angeles. Working with such a wonderful airline gave me the opportunity to travel and see many different places here and abroad. Now I love to just relax with a good book.

I have always been an animal advocate and growing up we always had dogs. I got my first Yorkie way back in the early 70's. I originally became interested in the Yorkshire Terrier Breed when I noticed a picture of Elizabeth Taylor in a magazine holding her Yorkie. Right after that,  I saw my soon to be yorkie in a pet shop window and I thought, wow! I named her Tiffany. So began my love affair with Yorkies.    Of course one was not enough, so along came Amber and Phoebe. My girls!!!! As the years went on I got my first male Yorkie, Timothy Lee. He was my best boy! And now there is the infamous Eleanor (who by the way is named after my Grandmother). In between and along with my Yorkies we have rescued a Great Dane Lab puppy, Julian Kay, a Shar-Pei Husky mix, Honeybunch and my beautiful Landseer Newfoundland, Nicholas. They are all very special to us and each one brought great fun and joy! Eleanor is now the Queen of the house and she rules the roost. She has her own routine and we follow it.   She had two surgeries to repair her knees and ACL ligaments and now she can run, play and enjoy herself. What a difference it has made in her life.

I found YTNR on a website many years ago. I was always looking at the babies that were up for adoption, but my house always seemed to be full so we could not adopt. I think that YTNR is a wonderful organization and the work they do is so rewarding when you see these little dogs that are broken become whole and get forever homes.

I look forward to contributing and being involved with such a dedicated group of people.

Patricia Kushnir

 Yorkie Doodle Dandy by Bill Wynne the full story of this WWII hero is available in our Yorkie Angel Boutique.  www.YorkieAngelBoutique.com  

 


The 2012 Smoky Award Winner is Willow

                                       

WILLOW's nomination.... 

 

 

  2012 Second Place Smoky Award Winner.....

Issy Cambra

Monterey, CA

Last Christmas my very old Yorkie, Bug, passed away suddenly from kidney failure. He was my first Yorkie, and came to me much later in his life so we only had four years together. Not sure what to do with the void in my life, I decided to volunteer with Yorkie Rescue. The original plan was to bake for fundraisers and help place dogs in new homes. This was my first experience volunteering with a rescue organization.

Missy was surrendered in Bakersfield in February 2012. From what I have pieced together, Missywas surrendered by the daughter of her owner. The man was going into a nursing home and could no longer take care of himself, let alone his dogs. Missy was in serious need of medical care. She was approximately 11 years old, 8 pounds, and had an inguinal hernia larger than a softball attached to her belly. According to vet records, she had been diagnosed with the hernia over five years earlier, but no one had done anything about it. In that time, her hernia continued to grow larger and larger as her intestines filled that space. The large mass she carried on her abdomen caused her a great deal of discomfort. It was a daily struggle for Missy, but she learned to accommodate the obstruction in order to do things as simple as walking or eating.

Despite all of Missy's discomforts, she continued to display all the sweetness of a little angel. Even a simple belly rub had to be carefully done to avoid causing her pain. Such a condition was preventable and treatable, and the fact that it developed into this stage is a tragedy. Missy was in desperate need of having her hernia surgically repaired and restored back to health. An emergency vet in Monterey, California agreed to give surgery a try knowing it was possible she wouldn't survive since some of her organs were in the hernia, and she may not have enough skin to cover the opening. Amazingly, the three hour surgery was a success. She was also spayed at this time.

I was called and asked to foster Missy while she recovered from her surgery. I had just taken in a spaniel mix puppy in need of a home, and had a large 16 year old dog laying around the house, but I thought I would take her in for a few weeks until she was healthy enough to go to a new home. In the days following the surgery she began to get her voice, and her personality started coming out. She was suppose to stay in a crate for a few weeks while she recovered but each day she was more and more ready to play. Finally the stitches were out and she was off to play with dogs three times her size.

It has been interesting to see the progression and increase in her mobility. I can imagine the struggle to even walk with such a large hernia in the way. Everyday I could see her ability and confidence increase as she tackled steps and leash walking. The house is now outfitted for her to help her jump on the couch and bed. Imagine my surprise the day I came home and she had figured out how to get on the back of the couch, like her younger fur sibling!

The more time she spent with us, the more she became a part of our family so this foster became a permanent member. We dropped the "M" and call her Issy, as it seems to fit her new personality.  I had her fully checked out and she was very healthy except her teeth and right eye. She was already missing most of her teeth (probably fell out since I doubt they were pulled) but needed more removed. In July she had ten teeth removed and now has seven. Even with less teeth she still loves to eat and chew Greenies. We are going to brush the remaining seven teeth and she drinks special healthy mouth water so she can keep the remaining few teeth. She loves giving kisses and now no one minds with her clean breath!

Now that we have her hernia healed and her mouth fixed up, we are tackling her eye issue. She was originally diagnosed with an ulcer but I had a feeling that wasn't all. We saw another vet who checked the pressure and also believed it was something more than an ulcer so we were sent to an ophthalmologist. She was diagnosed with intraocular melanoma in her right eye. Although the tumor is benign, it will eventually destroy the eye and vision by causing secondary glaucoma, cataract, pupillary block, retinal detachment and perforation. Removing her eye is the recommendation. If it had been caught years ago, more could've been done to save her eye but this was not the case. She is scheduled to have her eye removed next week. The good news is that the tumor won't spread and she will be fine with just one eye. We are already on the look-out for a pirate costume she can wear at Halloween but hopefully this is the last of her medical issues.

Fortunately her medical issues do not slow her down. Including the canine cousins, we can get a pack of six dogs together for family events, Issy loves it. She is the smallest and only girl but loves to boss the boys around. She chases after them and barks at them as they try to retrieve tennis balls.  She is still getting used to going to a groomer regularly, and hates having her nails clipped, but her little pink bows help distinguish her from all the boys! She wears a pink bow over each ear, her signature style. It is wonderful to see such a happy dog. I can't imagine the pain she had been in but now she is enjoying her life.

Issy had her eye removed on August 23rd and is recovering very well. Hopefully this is the last of her surgeries.

Leigh Cambra

 Week one with Kailee and all is going well.
 
She has adapted very well to her new surroundings.  She went to the vet and the groomer today and did beautifully and smells like a cupcake.  Both the groomer and the vet were surprised at how attached she was to us after only a week.
 
She is such a nice dog and has such a good personality, it is clear that she was well cared through the last nine years.
 
After about 48 hours of being in our home, she started to wag her tail.  She follows us everywhere and she is so excited when the kids get home from school.  She spins around and wags her tail at an impressive rate of speed.
 
She sits on my husbands foot as he works and gets walked about 5 times a day.  She gets along with the other neighbor dogs very well. She sleeps on her pink blanket and loves to ride in the car.  She is also very good at licking.
 
The only time she barks is when the doorbell rings or someone knocks and then she goes a bit crazy.
 
Kailee was a perfect match for our family.
 
Thank you,
 
Leslie Maloney  

    

Fostering a needy pet is one of the most important things an animal lover can do.  It's also an emotional and often life-changing experience.

The Yorkies that come into our rescue go directly into private homes until they can be spayed or neutered, brought up to date with their immunizations and evaluated as to what their individual needs may be.  Older and dogs with health problems need to stay in a foster home care until they are well enough for adoption.   

In some cases, a foster home is needed to help an animal transition from the stress they have been living after having been abandoned by their family.  Foster families can provide love and emotional support and give these animals a second chance.

Being a foster family has rewards beyond the essential value of helping a pet in need find a new home.  For some it is a chance to have an animal companion without a lifetime commitment, or to try new companions for your own pet.  Sometimes it is the special challenge of helping an animal recover from an illness or injury, or the trauma of losing a beloved owner or home.  

If you are interested in fostering please go to our web page www.YorkieRescue.com and fill out a volunteer application and someone will contact you.    

THANK YOU everyone for coming to the event to help.
  I had a great time and we made $100.00.  We are on target for exceeding our goal of raising $5,000 for YTNR this year!  I think we are very close to the $5,000 mark alreay.  Carsons should easily put us over the goal! Isn't that GREAT!!!!!

 

  

Congratulations Illinois Volunteers you are all doing such a fantastic job! Because of your efforts we have been able to go the extra mile for some of these poor little ones needing so much care.  We are very proud of you!