Foster Blog: Kassy

Kassy1 As you know, dear readers, Jason and I took in our first foster dog on St. Patrick’s Day this year (and we even named him Patrick)! He was with us for three months, and when he left Jason and I felt like the house was a little quieter. It had been four years since we had worked with a puppy and our dogs are now at that blissful stage in life where sleeping is the main goal for about sixty five percent of the day (unless there is a yard man near by!)

Another Tbar member, Casie Cooper, brought to my attention a group of dogs that needed to be saved or they faced certain doom. Rescued from a hoarding situation, these dogs were moved into the Sealy pound. Casie shared pictures of the dogs in need and my heart strings were tugged on by the image of a dog cowering in the corner with a hand holding up her little face. I was nervous about taking on another dog as I remembered how bringing Patrick home caused a stir (to say the least) with my corgi mix, Jack. It took about a month until all was well and my dogs became a happy pack. Did I want to do that again? And so soon? I confess when Patrick left I had a good cry but that feeling of helping a dog and a family find each other was such a good feeling it overpowered the sadness. In the end Jason and I knew we wanted to do that again, so I decided to take Kassy.

Kassy was only 30 lbs, smaller than Jack, but by height only, and being female I knew Jack would have less of an issue with her since she was not any competition. Casie and her wonderful husband Cody went to give Kassy her freedom ride. The dog smelled terrible and was so scared she was messing herself and the crate she was in. I have never seen a dog so full of fear. I would liken her fear state to that of a spooked horse. To be safe we carried her in the crate from the truck into our back yard. I could see this new dog bolting and since she didn’t know us the chances of us catching her if she got loose were slim. That alone made me a tad nervous, but  we got her into the yard and gave her a bath. It was hard for her to be bathed, and believe me it was for Jason and myself as well, but it had to be done. Not to be too graphic, but she was covered in her own messes. Once inside the house our dogs smelled the cage (now cleaned) that Kassy was in, but they were pretty bored about her arrival into the house. Lucia, our oldest, really could have cared less. Chloe, our middle dog, once again behaved the way she did when Patrick came into the house (Kassy could be a table for all she noticed). Jack, after his experience with Patrick, did so well; no growling, no sizing up, he just smelled her and moved on. I was impressed and so proud of him (I may have sprouted off a few tears). Kassy3 Kassy’s first days with us were surprising calm. At first the new dog made no sounds at all and always wanted to be in her crate. Making her go outside to potty was hard and often resulted in accidents when we would touch her. No eye contact was ever made and she even refused to point her nose in our direction. If we walked near her kennel she would shake uncontrollably and ram herself into the corner as far away from us as possible. All the while Kassy was too afraid to point her body or head at us. I started to sing around the house to get her used to my voice and Jason would talk to her non stop once he got home. Kassy2 Still things were tense, and basic things that many take for granted were hard. Feeding time was a nightmare because she would pee as soon as I went to put her food into the crate. Not wanting her to get used to the smell I would have to get her out of the crate and get her a new towel and wash the crate floor out. Then the struggle of putting her back in the crate started. All the while my other dogs are starting to unravel while waiting for their food. Getting her outside was a chore and I am sure each time I went to let her out I was grinding my teeth. She started to pee the moment I opened her kennel and peed all the way to the door. We had to move all the furniture around in the kitchen to get her cage right by the back door. Success! The new system worked for her and made her feel more in control of her movements but most of all she seemed to feel safe. I started to get a little tense when it was potty time for the pack. Once outside she ran around non stop. I mean she was always moving. Only when she was exhausted would she finally go potty and then she would lay down far away. My dog seemed to sense she was scared and gave her space but I wanted her to have more of a life. I fretted as I watched her on the third day. She held herself differently something had changed. Jason and I were in for a surprise…. To Be Continued!

TBT – Pony

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Here is a pony being ridden in his new foster home. He was taken in about 8  years ago. They were called the Welsch Mountain Ponies and none of them were rideable or touchable. Thanks to this loving adoption home this pony is well trained and healthy and happy now!

Happy 4th of July!

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TBAR is wishing you and yours a great Independence Day! Please remember that pets are often frightened by fireworks, so keep them safe today!

This photo is of our two week old puppies, Moose and Eddie, who are currently being bottle fed by one of our foster homes. They will both be available for adoption in four weeks. If you or anyone you know are interested in giving a forever home to a Corgy mix puppy you’ll want to get your application in now so we can have you approved and ready!

Visit our how to adopt page, email [email protected] or call 936-878-2349 for more information on how to adopt from True Blue Animal Rescue. We have lots of kittens and puppies that need to be rescued by you!

Press Release: TBAR a Semi-Finalist (help us by voting!)

TBAR Selected as Semi-Finalist for Community Program Improvement Funding

Vote for TBAR to reunite them with Ty Pennington!

Washington, Texas — True Blue Animal Rescue (TBAR) has been chosen as one of 50 semi-finalists in the Ultimate Neighborhood Give Back Challenge hosted by Guaranteed Rate! This is a contest that will award five runner-up prizes of up to $10,000 for their community project, and one Grand Prize Winner will get $50,000 for their Community Project AND help for a day from Ty Pennington!

You may remember that Ty Pennington has helped TBAR in the past – back in 2005 he brought his team from Extreme Makeover: Home Edition to build a new home for the DeAeth family. When Ty, EMHE, and the Community made-over the DeAeth home they increased the capacity that TBAR had for saving animals, and allowed them to make a bigger impact in the area. Since then TBAR has helped save and rehome thousands of animals (including dogs, cats, horses, donkeys, and more).

In the past five years TBAR has branched out in their efforts to decrease animal abuse by starting the Animals Bridge Love and Education (ABLE). These camps allow hands-on experience to develop compassion and empathy in children toward animals to make them better pet owners and future advocates for animals and people. The programs under ABLE include Foster Family Fun Days, Field Trips, Scout Troop Days, Church Groups Days, and Community Service Volunteering.

In order to continue to expand this program we need to make some improvements, including air conditioning and an accessible bathroom in the classroom area, new fencing, and better walking paths. Being one of the six finalists in this competition will allow us to make some of these improvements so we can reach more children and help even more animals than ever before.

Please vote for TBAR by CLICKING HERE and vote for “Educational and therapeutic equine program improvements – Washington, TX”! Don’t forget to share this link with everyone you know so we can advance our animal education program in the Brazos Valley!

This Round 2 of voting closes on July 8th, and the 6 finalists will be announced on July 15.

About True Blue Animal Rescue: TBAR is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and is a no-kill animal rescue located in Brenham, Texas.  If you would like to help their cause please consider donatingfostering or adopting.  Every little bit helps us to help another animal in need of safety and rehabilitation.  Save a life: adopt instead of shop and spay or neuter your pets!

Pet of the Week: Bailey

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Bailey is a one year old Labrador mix and currently weighs about 60 lbs. She and her other buddies were saved from a field in Brenham, TX. She is playful, energetic and an avid retriever. Bailey loves to cuddle up on the couch with her favorite person when it’s time to relax inside, but when it’s playtime, she is ready for a friendly game of fetch in the backyard! Her favorite snack…mini marshmallows! Bailey would do well in a family environment with older children (or children that can understand a larger dog). Her favorite thing in the summer is to play in the sprinkler, if you have a pool or pond – even better. Bailey loves to play hide-n-seek and fetch; she loves to sleep in bed and snuggle with you too. Bailey also enjoys being worked outside with a retriever toy. She will be the perfect, loving companion for the right family. Bailey understands basic commands like “sit” “stay” and “in” when it’s time to go in her crate for resting. She knows potty time is reserved for outdoors and she’s beyond ready for a family to take her home for a sleepover! Won’t you give this sweet girl her chance at a forever home?

T-BAR is 501(c)3 non-profit, no-kill animal rescue. Save a life and adopt instead of buying a pet. If you are looking for or would like more information on Bailey, or another animal you see, please call 936-878-2349 or email, [email protected] to make an appointment. Please remember to have all your pets spayed and neutered to help control pet overpopulation!

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Throwback Thursday – Dancer

Our #ThrowbackThursday animal is also our Pet of the Week! Dancer was removed from his owner by law enforcement. He had been left in a stall was starving and had overgrown hooves. His road to recovery included special farrier work, lots of nutrition and a month of natural horsemanship training by Juan Vendrell of TC Ranch Ventures. Now he accepts a saddle and rider and is ready to finish his training. If you want to know more about adopting Dancer email [email protected]
TBT Dancer

Pet of the Week: Dancer

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Are you interested in having a four-legged, beautiful companion and best friend in your pasture or barn? This boy is quite attractive so look no further. This is Dancer a gorgeous 12 year old bay Arabian gelding. He is up to date with shots, has a negative coggins and is ready to go to someone’s home. He’s not rideable at this time but, he accepts a saddle and a rider and he is ready to finish his training. He has had lot of natural horsemanship groundwork and desensitizing training with Juan Vendrell of TC Ventures which will help his new forever family further his training.

If you are looking for or would like more information on Dancer, or another animal you see, please call 936-878-2349 or email, [email protected] to make an appointment. Fill it out and send the adoption form back (email or regular mail) and once you are on file as an approved adopter or foster home, you can meet any of TBAR’s adoptable animals.T-BAR is a 501(c)3 registered nonprofit, no-kill rescue. Save a life and adopt instead of buying a pet. Please, have your pet spayed or neutered. It is the right thing to do.

Foster Feature: Family Circle Chis

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A few weeks ago we introduced you to our Charlie Brown family of Chihuahua pups – now meet our Family Circle bunch!

*UPDATE*  We now have folks wanting three of these puppies — PJ, Dolly, and Jeffrey are pending adoption but Billy and mom Tina are still available!

I wanted to say how exciting it can be to foster a litter of puppies!   Watching their eyes begin to open and when they begin to focus on the world around them.    One key is preparation.   We used an inexpensive child’s swimming pool for our whelping box.   This is easy to find this time of year and allows the mother to get away from her puppies while leaving them safe and confined.   Combined with puppy pads for the floor, the surface is easy to keep clean.  These pups were big enough to climb out at about 4 weeks when they started trying to eat soft, moist kibble.   We put two doggie exercise  pens together to make  a 6 x 3  pen for them to learn to run and play in.   It will be still be several weeks before these pups are completely weaned.   During that time,  it is important to socialize and handle all the puppies.    Get them used to different types of surfaces beneath their feet, different noises, different types of toys.  Also, rub their toes, rub their ears, turn them over — establish a human-dog trust.     This will help your puppies to develop into well socialized,  outgoing puppies at an early age and keep them from being shy or fearsome.   Thanks TBAR for the opportunity to raise this cute litter!   Linda and James

TBAR depends on foster homes to help us save animals, as we do not have a shelter location. We hope this story has inspired you to consider becoming a TBAR foster home. If so, please email us at [email protected] or call (936) 878-2349 and help us save more lives!