Rolling Dog Ranch Animal Sanctuary

What's With the Banner?

We're suddenly having banner "issues" with the blog tonight.  Our sanctuary logo is blowing out the margins of the banner one minute, the next it's too small and off-centered.  We tried re-posting it, then re-sizing and re-posting it, but nothing seems to work.  Oddly, it is still fine on the About page.  We finally submitted a help ticket to the Typepad support team.  So if something looks very strange up above ... we're working on it.  If it looks okay ... then we got it fixed.

One Down, 99 More to Go

This is one of our weekends when we're closed for visits, which gives us time to do the basic ranch chores that just have to get done. In between other chores today, we picked up the first of 100 tons of grass hay we're buying from our next-door neighbors.  For the past couple of years we used big round bales (1,000 lbs +/-) and moved them with the tractor and a round bale spear.  We'd pull off the hay by hand and feed to the horses that way.  For a lot of reasons, we're switching back to small square bales this year.  'Small' being relative, of course ... these bales are about 70 lbs each. 

So we hitched up the flatbed trailer and drove over to our neighbors this afternoon to pick up the first ton fresh from the fields.  What you see on the trailer is that ton ... 28 bales total.  Because we converted our hay barn to a horse barn two years ago -- it wasn't big enough to hold more than 25 tons anyway --  we will store about 90 tons in our neighbor's hay barn.  We'll take about 10 tons initially and pick up the rest throughout the winter.

In case you're wondering, each ton costs $95, for a total purchase of $9,500.

Two Disabled Dogs Coming from California

We agreed today to take two disabled dogs from the Hayward, California animal control shelter.  One is a deaf female hound mix named Delight.  She's young, about 8 months.  The other is a blind Springer Spaniel ... she was dumped in their holding pen overnight, so she doesn't even have a name.  The shelter believes she's probably about 7 years old.  Both of these dogs were facing euthanasia.

We're working now on travel arrangements with a wonderful volunteer named Terry D. who first contacted us about them. Terry is responsible for rescuing blind Penny and sending her our way earlier this year. 

At this time of year flying dogs via the airlines is tricky because of the temperature restrictions and summer heat.  So we're also looking at ground transportation options. 

Ironically, we just had a blind Springer Spaniel named Cookie who we adopted out to a young lady in Seattle several weeks ago.  We always are glad when we can adopt an animal out to the right family, because it frees up a spot for another disabled dog.  Here's a photo of the Springer from California.

Popeye Gets Adopted

Popeye came to us at the tender age of 3 weeks from Spokane Animal Control.  He had been dumped in the overnight bin outside the shelter.  His front legs were bent inwards from a condition known as a "varus deformity" ... two bones in each leg were growing at a different rate. 

This little scamp immediately captured our hearts.  He had no idea his legs were oddly shaped, and they didn't slow him down at all.  As the weeks went by, his legs started straightening out, and soon it was hard to tell that anything was different.  You can see Popeye's original story here.

Last week, a nice young lady in Missoula named Carmen U.  saw Popeye in our summer newsletter.  She called to ask if he was available for adoption.  We said yes, and Carmen came out this past weekend to visit with Popeye.  It was love at first sight, and Popeye went off to his new family in Missoula.

Today Carmen e-mailed us to say, "Just wanted to let you know that little Popeye is such a joy! I think he's very happy in his new home -- purring all the time, checking out every nook and cranny, and getting to know the boys and the other animals."

Pappy Comes Home from the Hospital

Our old German Shepherd, Pappy, is well on his way to recovering after 10 days in the vet hospital in Helena.  I had taken him in one morning after finding him listless, with no appetite, and a high fever (105.7).  Turns out he had pneumonia.  Last Sunday, July 10th, our vets had called and said he could come on Monday.  But on Monday morning they called to say Pappy had suddenly come down with meningitis and that I should come over to be with him "just in case."  Just in case he didn't make it.  I hopped in the truck and drove like mad the 70 miles to Helena.

A spinal tap and analysis of his fluid confirmed the meningitis diagnosis.  Our vets gave him a 20% chance of survival.  He looked and felt awful.  He didn't respond to me, didn't even seem to realize I or anyone else was around him.  Just a blank look.  I waited until a vet tech arrived from St. Peter's Hospital with the special meningitis drug and watched as they injected it into his IV and trickled into his veins.  I kissed and petted this special old boy and left in tears, afraid I would never see him alive again. 

All that night we waited for the phone to ring.  It didn't.  The next morning the report was astonishing.  Pappy was alive, alert and eating ... and his temperature had plummeted.  Every day last week we waited for the twice daily call from our vets with the update.  Each day came and there were no setbacks.  Only slow, steady progress.  Gradually we allowed ourselves to hope.  Our vets cautioned against too much hope.  Meningitis is a killer.  In an old dog, it can be especially lethal. 

Last Wednesday I drove over in the evening to be with Pappy at the clinic.  I wanted him to know we were still there.  Then, on Friday, our vets said we could bring him home for the weekend if we wanted to.  But it was our call.  Clinically they would prefer he stay in the hospital, but they also recognized the therapeutic value of being home.  And they thought the risk was reasonable.  There was no doubt in our mind.

I drove back to Helena Friday evening and picked him up.  When I got back to the ranch with him, Alayne and I both cried.  We didn't think Pappy would ever be coming home again. 

So far Pappy's doing great.  He's eating, drinking, and alert.  He's still very weak and needs help walking.  He is struggling with bowel and bladder control ... less of the former, more of the latter.  We have to get up during the night to help him.  But he is steadily gaining strength.  His temperature has stayed in the normal range.  Our vets caution that he can still have a relapse ... the chances are as high as 50%.  So every day is a blessing.

You can see Pappy's original story on our Web site here.