SHOREWOOD COCKER NEWS      Issue 3  09/05/01

 

NEWS
Cocker Ears
Rescue Events
Meet Deanna
Recent Adoptions

 

ARCHIVES
Issue 1

Issue 2

 

RESCUE BECOMES NON-PROFIT & OTHER NEWS

Shorewood Cocker Rescue, Inc.

 

Due to the efforts of rescue volunteer Elaine Baumann, Shorewood Cocker Rescue became an incorporated non-profit in the State of Wisconsin on August 22nd.   Shorewood has always been "non-profit", however we're now officially a separate legal organization.  Stay tuned for updates on our tax status.  Thanks Elaine for all of your efforts!

 

 

Shorewood Cocker Rescue, Inc. is very fortunate to receive donations periodically and would like to thank everyone who has given generously to our organization.  While it is impossible to list everyone, here are some of the most recent contributions:

 

 

Very generous monetary donation from Cindy Burdick

Large supply of Biospot from volunteer Elaine Baumann

Very generous monetary donation from volunteers Bob & Kathy Nauta

Professional banner for rescue events from Ann Kummrow

Very generous monetary donation  from Diane Ahren (who recently adopted Maggie)

Five forty pound bags of high quality natural dog food from Paula Harris (who recently adopted Pixie)

Very generous monetary donation, toys, treats and grooming necessities from Karen Reinen

 

 

Thank you very much! Please contact Carole Kohler, carole@cockerrescue.com, if you would like to make a donation to Shorewood Cocker Rescue, Inc.

 

HOME REMEDY FOR COCKER EAR PROBLEMS

 




The following is a treatment you can do at home that works well  for a variety of cocker ear problems from mites to wax to canker. 

Many have found it also effective for cuts, fungus between toes, and small tumor-like cysts, but the treatment must be done faithfully as instructed.  Keep in mind that ears are very sensitive and your dog may appreciate having it warmed up a bit.  The best way to warm up a solution is to place it in a cup or glass of very warm water for about a half an hour or so.

                       "Blue Power Ear Treatment"


INGREDIENTS:
- 16 Oz. Isopropyl Alcohol
- 4 Tablespoons Boric Acid Powder
- 16 Drops Gentian Violet Solution 1%


All of these ingredients should be available for purchase at your local pharmacy.  Mix the above ingredients together in an alcohol bottle and shake well.  You will also need to shake the solution every time you use it to disperse the Boric Acid Powder.  Use a "Clairol" type plastic bottle to dispense the solution to your cocker's affected ears.

 

TREATMENT:

Evaluate condition of ears before treating and if very inflamed and sore do not attempt to pull hair or clean out ear at all. Wait until inflammation has subsided which will be about 2 days.  Shake the bottle each time before using.  Flood the ear with solution (gently squirt bottle), massage gently to the count of 60, wipe with a tissue.  Flood again on first treatment, wipe with a tissue, and leave alone without massage.  The dog will shake out the excess, which can be wiped with a tissue. Keep in mind Gentian Violet does stain fabrics.

 

SCHEDULE OF TREATMENT:
Treat 2x per day for the first week or two depending upon severity of ears. Treat 1x per day for next 1-2 weeks.  Treat 1x per month (or even less frequently, depending on the dog). The dog should not object to even the first treatment since Boric Acid Powder soothes the ear.  The Gentian Violet Solution is an anti-infection agent.  After the 2nd or 3rd day you can clean out the ear with a Q-tip or cotton ball.  The success rate for this treatment is typically 95-99%.  Those who do not succeed usually have not done the treatment long enough or have not been regular about it.  


If an infection seems to remain in the treated ear after the above course of treatment, you may also have some Pseudomonas bacteria in the site.  This can be cleared up by using a gentle flush of raw apple cider vinegar and warm water.  Use 2 Tablespoons of vinegar to one cup of water, 2x per week. It has also been  found that the Blue Power Solution is effective for treating fungus-type infections on the feet and elsewhere on the dog, for cuts on dogs or people, and for hot spots.  You may find other uses for this simple anti-infective agent.  Remember it is for external use only and be careful not to get it into the eyes.

  RESCUE EVENTS

 

Rescue volunteers continue to host informational booths at local pet stores and special events to promote adoption and inform the public about Shorewood Cocker Rescue, Inc.  If you would like to know when and where our next event will be held, please see our Scheduled Events page.

 

 

 

Right: Shorewood volunteers and cockers at Mounds Pet Food Warehouse in Janesville; from left to right starting with bottom row are Donna with Pepper, Sue with Irish and Barney, Karen A., Marianne, Elaine, and Betty 

 

Left:  Volunteers Sue, Kathy N, and Lynette at Three Dog Bakery in Madison with Princess and Dandy

Dog Fest Revisited    Madison area volunteers manned a booth at Dog Fest 2001 on Sunday, June 10th at Warner Park in Madison.  Over 4,000 dog lovers and 2,000 dogs participated in this day of activities which included demonstrations, games, vendor booths, contests, and a Rescue Dog Parade which featured our very own adoptable dog Luther.  A good time was had by all!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MEET A SHOREWOOD RESCUE VOLUNTEER

Deanna

 

"Hi!  My name is Deanna and I am the Chicagoland Intake Volunteer for Shorewood.  I pick up dogs from local shelters, get them cleaned up, take them in for spaying/neutering, shots and microchipping before sending them north to Carole, our Program Director, who lives in the LaCrosse area.  I also transport from the Chicago area to Madison on a regular basis and foster dogs from time to time.  

I stumbled across the Shorewood web site while searching for a companion dog for my nephew.  At the time, I knew there was a cocker in a local shelter and I was heading north to move my sister to a new home.  I contacted Carole and offered to transport the dog as long as I was headed in her direction. Carole contacted me back saying that the dog I told her about had already been adopted, but..... there were 2 others in a shelter south of me and could I go pick them up and drop them off to another volunteer on my way north.  Two weeks later there was another dog to be pulled and transported so I did that one too.  From there on, I was hooked on rescue.  I love being able to see a dog go from a shelter into a loving home.  Placing dogs in their new families is the best part of the whole job!   

My most memorable experience involves flying 2 cockers back with us from Minnesota. My husband and I were going to a friend's wedding, and I let Carole know when we would be in Minnesota. We flew one of my husband's small planes, so we were in a position to bring a dog back with us.  Carole had a dog who needed to come down so we set it up to meet a local volunteer with the dog at the airport.  There I was in church getting ready to be escorted to my seat just before the ceremony was to begin and the cell phone rings.  It was Carole and she had another dog that needed transport.  Could we fit another in the plane?  We ended up having to leave a few gallons of fuel out to accommodate the added weight, but we transported both dogs back to Illinois. Carole can find dogs to transport no matter where you go! :-)


The other rescue event that sticks out in my mind as most interesting resulted when a dog escaped from the new owner just hours after he had been placed.  We spent untold hours searching for the dog during hunting season in the wilds of Wisconsin.  In the end I believe the total was 16 full days of searching, 450 fliers handed out and 2 frigid nights spent sleeping in my van before the dog was found.  I drove up to get him, and what a sight he was!!  Twenty-five days on the run had taken a toll on him.  It was my privilege to hand him over to his foster mother so that he could join her family and live out his life being spoiled rotten.

Above: Chicago Area Volunteer, Deanna, at a rescue event held at Three Dog Bakery in Madison.  

He has now fully recovered and is a very handsome boy who does not stray from his Mom's side. 

Yes, I am married and my husband, Bernd, puts up with all of my cocker rescue work.  When I started with Shorewood I owned 4 dogs.  Beau is a 10 year old German Shepherd, Kodie is an 8 year old American Eskimo, Piper and Blue are 4 year old littermates who are an Aussie/Border cross.  Piper and Blue are also trained for therapy work and certified through TDI and the Delta Society. When I can fit it into my schedule, Piper and Blue work with a local Special Recreation Association program.  Since starting with Shorewood I have also adopted 2 cockers.  Both Lindy (Lady2-'00) and Abigail ('01) came to me as foster dogs and we fell in love with them.  They now accompany me on all of my transport runs.


In my spare time, I am a Teaching Assistant in a Special Education classroom at a local Middle School.  At this time I plan to continue with Shorewood and rescue work for years to come.  They are a great group of people to work with!!  I find it extremely rewarding and well worth the time and effort.  Seeing the joy on people's faces when you arrive with their newest family member is worth all of the effort that goes into being a rescue volunteer."

 RECENT ADOPTIONS

 

 

MOLLYBEAR

Mollybear, a middle aged chocolate female cocker, was surrendered by a private breeder earlier this summer.  She came to us overweight and completely blind from cataracts.  Despite these major obstacles, she was a very sweet and loving girl and managed to navigate her way around.

Cataracts are usually inherited, so it's important not to breed a dog you know is genetically predisposed to this condition.  Unfortunately Mollybear had been bred prior to coming to the rescue.

There's a happy ending to Mollybear's story.  She not only was adopted by her foster family on July 14th, but also due to a very generous donation from one of our adopters, Mollybear received very expensive eye surgery that removed her cataractous lenses and restored her sight! What a difference this must make in her life.  

 

REGGIE

Reggie, a three year old, buff, male cocker, came to the Rescue in June 2001. He was notably underweight when he arrived. Reggie was surrendered by a breeder due to the fact that he has seizures. He has had seizures periodically for the last couple of years but the breeder did not have the money to take him in for any medical care.  

Comments from Reggie's new family:  "I just wanted to email you this morning and tell you that after one week with Reggie (Reggie was being fostered by this family), our family has agreed that he needs to permanently become a member of our family. My husband and I took Reggie to Dog Fest 2001 in Madison. When we stopped by the table for Shorewood Rescue, we received the Adopt Me scarf from the volunteers there. I could not bring myself to put that darn scarf on him so I put it in my purse."

 

 

 

MAGGIE

Dear Shorewood,
 
My name is Lori, and I work for a veterinary hospital in Golden Valley, Minnesota.  I have also been a volunteer for golden retriever rescue for four years, helped found a local humane society, am a past kennel club board member, founded a chapter of Therapy Dogs International, and am owned by three goldens, two cockers and a great pyrenees mix.  I lost my first dog, a 13 year old female cocker, Porsche, a couple of weeks ago. 
I am writing to tell you that I recently became aware of Shorewood through a client at our vet clinic, Diane W., who adopted Maggie from you on July 6.  After working with the humane society I helped found, I have seen all manner of shoddy and poorly-run rescue groups, and it was a wonderful surprise to learn about your group, and see how well it is run.  

Not only do you vaccinate, spay/neuter and heartworm test, you did a super job of screening Diane, and delivered Maggie right to her door only after determining that the odds were that Maggie was a great match for Diane, her husband, and Bow (her male cocker).  After spending so much time "cleaning up" after irresponsible backyard breeders and rescue groups that sometimes do more harm than good, Shorewood is a breath of fresh air.  Keep up the wonderful work!

I met Maggie today when she came in for her "new pet exam."  A bit bashful, she is so loving and will do great with Diane.  When Diane's 14 year old cocker, Ling, was in her long, final illness, there was NOTHING they wouldn't have done for that dog.  The deep emotional commitment and devotion was so moving.  Maggie has lucked into (with your help!) a wonderful, caring home, and I'm sure she'll be very happy!