Little Miss Miah is a puppy mill survivor.  She spent four years giving birth to litter after litter of puppies.  She has been freed from that gruesome life and is looking ahead to great things in her future.   Miah is smaller than the average English Bulldog, but her spunk and personality sure makes up for it!   She is a loving, goofy, playful girl who loves all the attention she can get.   She is content to play by herself but would much prefer to be with her human companions.   Snuggling on the couch or bed (with a little help from you) and body scratches are the best things ever. 

Miah’s past has had some detriment to her future health.  She does have keratoconjunctivitis sicca or what is commonly known as dry eye syndrome.  Until she came into rescue, this condition was left untreated.  Because of this, Miah has limited vision and will require eye drops for the rest of her life.  It is possible that Miah could lose her eyesight completely.  She also suffers from allergies and does have problems with her skin too on occasion.   

Due to her severe case of her KCS, Miah saw a veterinary ophthalmology specialist.  He wanted to exhaust all medical treatment prior to surgery, if indicated.  Because of this, she is currently on four different eye medications.  Three are administered three times a day and the fourth one is administered four plus times a day.  She is also on prescription food due to her allergies.  She will see the specialist again on the 9th of February to determine if this is the regimen she will remain on or if surgery is, indeed, warranted.  An update after this visit will be posted.   

Can you sponsor Miah, and help with her visits to the ophthalmologist?

Most dogs born with my type of birth defect do not live as old as I have without having surgery to repair the heart problem. My defect must not be as severe as usual but I probably will not live the typical life span of my bred without getting checked out and probably having surgery.  Unfortunately, I need to see a veterinarian who specializes in heart problems and so I need some extra money for an appointment and then surgery.

How about you?  Got a little money to spare to help my broken heart?  I can love you so much better if my heart beats normally!

If you would like to read about what a PDA is, you can go to this web page.

I've had my surgery and I feel so much better. My heart beats like it should and my foster mom says that I'm now a spunky, energetic, playful little guy. I'm almost done recovering...would you like an adorable 'lil boy to come live with you? Apply for me!

I am not really called Z Man but since there is another small dog that also needs help and his name is Zander, I figured I had to make sure everyone understands that there is a difference between us.

Now why would a cute little dog like me need help?  It seems I inherited some genes that weren’t so good.  I think my mom’s owner should have been more careful before she let her get pregnant.  I was born with a liver shunt.  No one realized it at first because neither my mom nor my dad had symptoms but it is something that is not unheard of in shih tzus and is actually quite common in Yorkshire terriers.  Before I was a year old, I started having balance problems and even started having seizures.  My owner took me to our veterinarian and when she found out what was wrong, she started looking for rescue to take me because she had lost her job and could not afford the surgery I needed to make me better.

My rescue people don’t have a lot of money either but after they met me and realized what a good boy I am, they decided to try and help me get better.   If you want to donate money towards my surgery because you are nice person, that is great!  But you can also claim it on your income tax because my rescue group is non-profit!

If you would like to learn more about my problem, you can check it out here.

We were certainly surprised when two young pugs showed up at the same shelter.  The really bad part was when both of them were tested for heartworm and they were positive.  Even though they are both really young, they were already having trouble breathing and x-rays showed that they had blood clots developed in their lungs.  They were given medicines and thankfully both are doing extremely well and have a great chance of surviving treatment. Unfortunately, the medicine for treating heartworm is very difficult to for veterinarians to get so we are not sure when we will be able to treat them.  They may have to stay in rescue for a long time, costing money to feed them and keep everything up to date.  Then, when the medicine does become available, we are not even sure how much it will cost.  It is all very sad for Bella and Folger – although they don’t see to care too much as they are both feeling much better and are happy friendly dogs.

Please consider donating money to help us pay not only for the initial extra treatment but for the hopefully future treatment that will completely cure them of the heartworm.

I think there was a special somewhere on dogs with knee problems! Yes, I am another shelter dog that needed surgery on my knees. However, I am a little more special because before my knees had their surgery, I first had to have lots of lumps and bumps on my belly removed and biopsied when I had my spay surgery. It was good news though! Some were benign and some were the kind of bumps that were completely removed so they won’t grow back and new ones hardly ever come after a spay.

But once I got over all that business, of course I was still walking really funny and almost everyone noticed that I was having lots of trouble. My doctor said that I really needed to come back and have both knees fixed up.

Whew! I wasn’t sure I wanted to spend all that money on myself because I am not a flashy and spoiled little girl and I can live simply but maybe someone will help and send some money to help me out with this big bill.

Meanwhile, if you are interested in adopting me, I can tell you that I am a just a calm, easy-going and independent little dog, who really doesn't need much. I wouldn’t mind if you have some cats because they are lots of fun to chase!!! And while people are calling me a dog, I am not too sure about that. I have this little soft bed that I like to sleep in and if any of those dogs come around and are thinking about trying to share it or to bother me, I chase them away. It is my bed, not a dog bed!

Even though I made a lot of car rides to the vet, I still love to go with out. If I see that you are ready to go for a ride, I know you want to take me and I will do a little happy dance just to let you know that I would definitely be thrilled to go along with you!

Hi everyone, I've been so busy, racing around on my new legs, that I almost forgot they ever made me cry! It took me longer than usual to recover from my knee surgery because my knees were so bad for so long! It was kind of a bummer that my foster mom lives so close to a lake, because she made me go swimming all of the time, because she said swimming is good for my knees. I hated every minute of it, but I lived through it, & it helped me to stop walking, using only my front legs, so I guess it wasn't so terrible after all! The water really did nothing for my curls, & I spent the summer with a short hair cut & frizzy hair. I'm so glad nobody made fun of me! Now that my knees are better, I take my security job a lot more seriously. I would still rather sleep in my dog bed, by the front door, than in the big, poofy bed that mom says that poodles are supposed to like. They say the bed is for a king, but I'm pretty sure there's only room for foster mom & dad, & my foster poodle sister. Plus, if I sleep up there, who is going to make sure we're all safe? I'm still not interested in cuddling, but I have learned that it feels good when foster mom loves on me. I get all happy, & do my little Tiffy dance. It always makes mom laugh, so I like to do it a lot! I'm so glad I get to make foster mom laugh so much now. When i first got here, she spent so much time worrying about my knees & my bumps. She knew that She needed a lot of money to have me all fixed up. I kept looking, but I couldn't find a money anywhere. I'm not even sure I know what a money is, but I guess I have some fans out there because I got to have my knees fixed & my bumps removed, & I feel like a million money's now! Thank you to all of my fans, who understood that bad knees hurt! My mom says that my doggy mom &/or dad probably have bad knees too. She says there are people out there who don't care if a dogs knees hurt, as long as they keep making puppies to sell for money's, they are fine. I really hope the rest of my family found nice fans like I did. I know I'm very lucky to have good knees, a nice bed & good food, but it would be so much better if I didn't have to share my house with other dogs and cats. I think I'd be fine with one other dog, but the cats don't like me very much when I run at them snarling & barking. I just don't like being bothered by them. I just need a quiet home with parents who will give me a little bit of love, & a lot pets & cookies! I'm not a big fan of little kids either. We have one of those here too & he's always been nice to me. I just don't know that I really trust him very much. When he comes near my bed, I sound the alarm, & mom comes to save me.

Thanks again to everyone who sent money's for all of my surgeries! I'm so happy I don't wake up crying in pain anymore & I haven't had any new bumps grow! They spaded me, so they say it's not likely I'll get more! Yay!

Italian Greyhounds are often very prone to breaking their legs but my foster mom thought I was a sturdy girl and she wouldn’t have to worry about me.  Well it is very possible I had a calcium or Vitamin D deficiency.  You see, I was surrendered because I didn’t take very good care of my first litter of puppies and they all died.   My foster mom wonders if I had a problem giving them milk.  Anyway, I was in my new home for only a few days when I jumped off the doggie couch and my leg just broke.  I didn’t jump fast and I didn’t slip or anything.  Really! I promise!  It just broke.  Then, after a few weeks, I ran down some steps and landed wrong and the other leg broke.  I didn’t fall funny or slip again and that silly leg just broke, too!

It has been a lot of work for the humans to take care of me after that.  I had to be kept really calm and most of the time I had to be in my “jail”.  Since my legs hurt a little, I didn’t mind it too much.  But I did have plenty time to worry about where the nice rescue people are going to get all that money to pay for my surgeries.  Hopefully some people who will feel sorry for a poor little broken Iggy will read this and want to help. 

I am not sure when I will be ready for adoption.  If you check back in August, I can post an update on how I am doing.  If you think you are interested in adopting me, make sure you take some time to research Italian greyhounds so you know about us.  Also, since I am from a puppy mill, I am really afraid of any new humans so I will not be the right dog for some people.  My foster mom is working with me to try and get me to at least trust her so that she can pick me up without me running away from her.  I can let you how I do with that in my next update.  

This beautiful girl became pregnant at 6 months of age and was a mother to her babies two months later.  Once she had her babies, her previous owner decided to dump her and her babies in a shelter.  All of them were very, very ill when they arrived at their foster home.  As if she hasn’t been through enough already in her short lifetime, at the age of only 11 months, she was just diagnosed with heartworms.  She must now undergo the painful procedures to rid her of these totally preventable parasites.  The upcoming weeks will not be pleasant for her at all. 

Ginger is a very sweet girl who loves to just sit or lie down next to you and be with you.  She is really quite the character too.  She makes you laugh with almost everything she does.  She snorts all the time and her snoring after a busy day of activity can be heard from rooms away.  She even stands on her head at times and of course snorts while doing it.  She tucks her rear end underneath her and zooms as fast as she can around and around when she gets excited.  She is definitely a pleasure to have in your home. 

Ginger gets along very well with her foster friends and enjoys running and playing tug and keep away with them.  She also enjoys car rides and going places and meeting new people.  In the car, she is very quiet and either lies down or just looks out the window. 

Ginger is both house and crate trained. 

Thank you for reading Ginger’s story and if you can find it in your heart to donate towards her treatment, we thank you so much. 

Update:

Miss Ginger went through the very painful procedures required for her heartworm treatment.  She completed the shots and the several weeks of confinement necessary to rid her of her heartworms.  She is now ready for her forever home.  She is spunky, does the zoomies all over, and makes everyone laugh with her silly antics.  Ginger would love to thank her sponsors for their donation toward her treatment. 

Hi, my name is Maddie.  Nobody knows what my name used to be, but I was found wandering on Madison Street so my foster mommy decided to call me Maddie.  Things have been pretty rough lately, but the people at APB say it will be better from now on.  I sure hope they’re right! 

I got bailed out of doggie jail yesterday, but it turns out I still need some help.  Not only did my former people not come look for me when I got lost (or maybe I was dumped and not really lost at all), they didn’t give me heartworm preventative.   A really cheap pill once a month could’ve kept me from getting heartworm.  But since I didn’t get that pill, now I have to go through really expensive and painful treatment.  Do you think maybe you could make a donation to help APB pay for my treatment?  It doesn’t have to be a lot – every little bit helps!  Thank you! 

Woofs & Kisses,

Maddie

Update:

Maddie Paddie (as foster mom calls her) is doing well.  She was Heart Worm positive and successfully treated for this, and is now heart worm negative.  She will need to remain on monthly heart worm prevention for the rest of her life.  She has gained weight and enjoys her two long walks a day.  She is a very trusting girl and enjoys nothing more than being a couch pit-ato when foster mom watches tv or does other things in the front room.  Maddie Paddie is a very happy girl, enjoys human interaction but other dogs and cats are not her forte, she prefers to be the only pet in the home.  Thank you for helping her regain her health!

Hiya! I'm the Smokey-dude. My foster mom says I'm awesome with a capital A. The humans left me at a shelter...so APB is gonna find me a great new home.

I'm housebroken - I had a couple of accidents the first couple of days, but I ask to go out, and once those silly ole humans learned how to pay attention, it's all good! And I'm quiet and well behaved - I found the couch this week, and that's my kind of spot to hang out!

There's just one 'lil thing tho. I'm blind. Yep. Can't see a darn thing. But I'm SUCH a smart boy that I learned my way all 'round my foster home really quick!! One of the humans thought I was faking, I get around so good! And I looooooove to go roam all around the yard!

So, we're gonna go see the doggie eye doctor, and see if he can tell us why I can't see stuff. Watch for an update on me after we see the doc!

Update:

So the eye doctor says - yep, he can't see! I have something called PRA - progressive retinal atrophy...my retinas don't work anymore. I also have a rare form of dry eye - my eyes make enough tears, so I passed that part of the test. But, the mucus layer of the tears isn't good enough...so the tears are there, but they don't stick to my eyes.

I'm on a medication called tacrolimus....my eyes are feeling much better now! But I need to be on this medicine forever and ever, please check with your vet before you apply to adopt me!

Update 1-2012:

That bed over there? That's mine. See, it's cold out, and it's by the heat duct! My foster mom says I've had a couple of challenges,and come thru them like a champ! First, I had my teeth cleaned, and they found something in my mouth that shouldn't be there- a growth. It was a long, anxious week..but it came back benign! I don't know what she was worried about, I wasn't worried at all. The vet looked at my blood, and said it's fat - I have hyperlipidemia. So, I needed to start a low fat diet. I'm not picky about my dinner, but I gotta say, Blue Buffalo senior is good stuff, and it's only 8% fat!

I had a really bad mess in my leg of bones going in a bunch of wrong directions.  The shelter couldn’t adopt me out this way so now I am in a foster home.  I have this metal thing in my leg to help those bones heal right.  Since I can’t really talk, I can’t tell everyone how this happened, but it never slowed me down – even before they put that pin in there – ‘cause I can run really fast with the other 3 legs! 

I have to go back to the vet to have the pin taken out so I won’t be ready for adoption until the end of October, but meanwhile, I would be really grateful if you want to send me some money to help pay for my big vet bill!

I am a pretty active “puppy” and I like to check things out by chewing on them.  I love doggie toys and I love doggie treats.  I play with the other dogs and sometimes I get disciplined because I get caught teasing some of the senior dogs here.  Oops.  I figured they might want to play so I was just checking to see if I could talk them into it!

Sometimes I get lazy and I don’t feel like going outside to potty.  But if foster mom catches me thinking about doing it in the house, she yells my name so then I go dashing outside!

I really like to lay in a human lap when I am done playing and I kind of like going into a crate to sleep at night and when the humans go to work so I can be fun and I can be cuddly – pretty good combination for a nice pet dog, don’t you think?