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"A perfect summer day is when the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, the birds are singing, and the lawn mower is broken."
-- James Dent
Welcome to the dog days of summer! We're going to take advantage of this most beautiful time of year by taking a couple of weeks off for ourselves.
Starting Sunday, Aug. 16, you might find us at the beach, or maybe in the mountains, or maybe reading a good book, or even maybe just hanging with our dogs.
We will regroup, refresh and reopen for business on Monday, Aug. 31.
But don't worry. We'll still be available for emergencies.
Everything else? Well, we'll just put it on hold.
Have a happy end of summer!
 | | Celeste, |
 | | Audrey, |
 | | and Michele |
GSP Rescue NE Board of Directors |
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PASSAGES: BROWNIE
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| | Brownie, in 2010, at her new home with Kelly Kenny. |
As the years in rescue trickle by, many, many of you send us updates letting us know how your dog is doing and tell us funny stories about how much joy they bring you and how much fun they are. Pictures abound and we love every single email. Those updates happily remind us of the work we do.
The inevitable emails also come when you do rescue for a long time. As much as we all would love to have our dogs live forever, regretfully they don't. Although I'm always sad when one of our dogs passes over the Rainbow Bridge, there's also an undertone of thanks, too. I am filled with gratitude to all of you who gave a rescue dog love and a great life.
While I recall all of our dogs fondly, there are some that leave a mark on my heart like no other. Brownie was one of those dogs.
In February of 2009, when I was very new at running a rescue, a sister rescue emailed in a panic with a horrendous picture of a dog in New York being surrendered to them by her owner. This rescue knew they didn't have the resources to care for her so they were asking our assistance. We took one look and didn't know what was wrong but we agreed to accept Brownie into our program, if nothing else to humanely euthanize her and stop her suffering. Brownie had other ideas though.
I'll never forget the first day I met her. She was being fostered in Rhode Island, my home state, and her foster mom and I met at my vet a couple days after Brownie came into the program to try and figure out what was going on with her.
Brownie was downtrodden and she was just painful to look at, let alone touch. We walked into my vet's office and I recall the look on his face -- the same one we all had when we saw her -- of disbelief.
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| | An intake photo of a painfully sore Brownie. |
That was our starting point and at that time we had no idea that it would take us close to a year to get Brownie to become a healthy, normal dog.
There were dermatologist visits, many specialist visits, we had special diets and special meds and expensive meds and we just kept plugging away until one day, almost a year later, we knew Brownie's ordeal was over. We had her symptoms under control, her fur grew back, she gained weight but you know how I REALLY knew Brownie was better? She came to my house for a play date one day and told my "in your face" Scooby to leave her alone in no uncertain terms. That was a triumphant day! She'd finally grown into her own!
Brownie remained in foster until April of 2010 when she was adopted by a wonderful family who loved and cherished her. I remember the day she was finally going to Maine to her forever home like it was yesterday. We had food, and meds, and instructions and trepidation that she was going to be OK. Sometimes it's even hard for us rescuers to let go and have faith.
Frequent updates from her new parents removed any anxiety, and happily, Brownie remained healthy and active until a few weeks ago when she succumbed to liver failure.
Brownie taught me so much in my rescue career. She taught me about the resilience of our dogs, she taught me that life is worth fighting for, even when it's a lousy life. Medically, I learned so much from her about dogs with allergies and I have used that knowledge to help other dogs. Brownie taught me about hope. I will always remember her and she will always have a place in my heart.
A friend always says "love is forever" and it's never been truer as it is in Brownie's life. Her sweet nature, determination and loving soul were an inspiration.
So, Godspeed sweet girl, know you were loved by many and will be missed. Run with the angels and be free.
-- Celeste
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| | Brownie enjoying a warm summer day in 2015. |
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RAISING PUPPIES TO BE BRAVE
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| | Taking puppies out for an early-morning walk. |
Breeders and owners can do many things when raising puppies to be confident, stable adults. There are 10 top ways to create confident dogs.
Learn how to make a fun Adventure Box to help build your pups' self-confidence by clicking HERE.
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PREVENTING PARVO
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Parvo is alive and well and several cases have been reported in Providence. If you think you're safe because you don't live there, think again. Parvo is highly contagious and can be transmitted on the bottom of shoes, another dog's feet etc. from location to location. Please make sure your dogs are vaccinated. It's a very inexpensive vaccine but the cost to treat parvo is in the thousands of dollars not to mention how sick a dog gets!
Providence Animal Control is alerting dog owners in the city of an unusually high number of cases of canine parvovirus being reported to their facility and to the State Veterinarian's office.
Canine parvovirus is required to be reported to the State Veterinarian if the diagnosis is made in a dog that originated in an animal shelter, municipal pound, boarding kennel, rescue, or pet shop. Several cases of parvovirus from Providence have reported to the State Veterinarian and there have also been reports made by members of the general public to Providence Animal Control. While the virus is considered to be always present in the environment, the high number of recently reported cases suggests that there is more of it going around than usual in the Providence area.
Parvovirus can cause severe disease in dogs that are not immune to the virus. Puppies and dogs that have not been properly vaccinated are most at risk. Immunity can come from vaccination or from surviving a natural exposure. The usual signs of parvovirus infection in dogs are related to the intestinal system. Usually dogs will vomit and have diarrhea, sometimes with blood in it. The diarrhea and vomiting can be severe and result in dehydration and death. Dogs with parvovirus infection can also develop other infections because the virus can weaken their immune system. Sick dogs should be immediately brought to a veterinarian for appropriate treatment.
Infected dogs can shed tremendous amounts of virus, which in turn can infect other dogs. The virus can be spread easily on feet, shoes, or other objects. Dogs typically contract the virus by ingesting it. The virus can live for a long time in the environment, but using household bleach according to label directions as a disinfectant kills it. Some breeds of dogs such as Pit-bulls, Rottweilers, and Labrador Retrievers are more susceptible to infection. Cats cannot contract canine parvovirus. The virus does not infect people.
The best protection against parvovirus is to make sure your dog is properly vaccinated. Treatment can be very intensive and may not always be successful, so vaccination is the best strategy. We advise all dog owners to consult with their veterinarian to ensure that their dogs are currently vaccinated to minimize the risk of this potentially deadly disease.
Veterinarians reporting confirmed positive cases of the virus should contact Dr. Scott Marshall in DEM's Division of Agriculture at (401) 222-4700 ext. 4503.
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WALKING FOR MONEY
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Support GSP Rescue New England simply by walking your dog! Check out this app at http://www.wooftrax.com/ and use it each time you grab for the leash. It's healthy for you, your dog, and GSP Rescue NE!
Did you know that the Wooftrax app also has a setting for running and biking? If you enjoy doing either, take a look!
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Cookbooks Still Available!
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How 'bout some home cookin' for August?
Get yourself a copy of "Point to the Pantry," a cookbook full of recipes by the GSP Rescue family. Cost? $10 per copy, plus shipping.
To purchase, go to the Rescue Store at www.GSPRescueNE.org!
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Look Who's Been Adopted!
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More GSPs have found their forever homes!
They are: Riley, Petey, Cameron,
Hooray for the dogs!! Hooray for their new families!! :-)
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Donations
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Donations have gratefully been accepted this month from: Weston and Kelly Kenney, in memory of Brownie; Amy Levesque, on behalf of Chris and Drew Palmer; Cheryl Martin in memory of Levi Robinson, Mike Dionne, Tim Morris, and Mike Hanlon.
Thank you, thank you, thank you all for your generosity!
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Recurring Donations
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Thank you to these donors who have set up recurring monthly donations -- an easy process that can be set up on PayPal.
Donors are: Frank Straccia, Jeff Adams, Bill Crawford and Emilie Knisley,
Thank you for your generosity!
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Thank You, Donors!
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For those who have graciously made donations to GSP Rescue NE and would like a receipt, please contact Celeste.
And, once again, a big THANK YOU to you all. :-)
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Help From Our Friends
At Bissell
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 Click HERE to get to the Bissell website.
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Help Us With
Our Year-Round Fundraisers
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Zeppa Studios designs and produces unique gifts for dog and other animal lovers.
Their Project Rescue was specifically created to help rescue groups earn money and for customers to save money!
Enter the coupon code for German Shorthaired Pointer Rescue New England (GSPRNE) during your online check-out or mention it to the customer service rep when ordering by phone. Customers get 10 percent off their order, GSP Rescue NE will get 20 percent.
For information or to see their product line, go to ZeppaStudios
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Dog Door Discount!
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GSP Rescue New England is listed among rescue groups and shelters that have participated in Hale Pet Door's Rescue Rewards program.
The Rescue Rewards works this way: When customers let Hale know that they adopted a pet (either recently or in the past), they receive a 10 percent discount on the cost of their Hale Pet Door. And then Hale makes a donation for that same 10 percent amount to the organization that the customer tells them about. In 2010, Hale donated more than $20,000 to rescues and shelters all over the country.
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