Newsletter Summer 2011

Transcription

1 Newsletter Summer 2011 Dear Friends, The Rescue Follies Continue! How many times have Brian, Stephanie and I muttered the words, what would Laura do? in the last 12 months? The conversations we meant to have, thought we had all the time in the world to have in my personal life I have been struggling with this, and now in rescue we had to have the same conversation. One year later, we have muddled through, and I think I speak for all of us when I say, I think Laura would be proud of us! She d be laughing, but she d be proud. Oh yes, we ve made some real rookie mistakes. Let s see, probably two of our favorites happened almost simultaneously. Stephanie got a call about a very, very sweet (they are ALWAYS very sweet) Shorthair mix in the Devore Shelter in Southern California, a very high kill shelter. The staff was in love with her, and doing everything they could to get her into a rescue group. They even had a pilot who was a big fan of rescue dogs, willing to shuttle her up here on his private plane. The same week, I got a call from a very distraught man, also in Southern California. A friend of his had a Shorthair (purebred) that needed to be re-homed. The wife in the family had died, leaving behind a distraught husband and two small children - and this great dog, Honey. The husband had no time for the dog, for obvious reasons. This good Samaritan had taken Honey in, and was looking for a rescue to take her (I had him send me a photo from his phone, she was indeed a beautiful female Shorthair). The only problem? He was located in Palmdale, a couple of hours from the Devore Shelter. I checked with the pilot, and he had room for one more dog. If this fellow could get Honey to the plane, he would get her up to us at the same time as the dog from Devore. Everything fell into place, game on!

2 The girls arrived at the Concord Airport, and as it was a holiday weekend, 4 th of July, I was going to take Honey, and another rescue group was going to help us out and take the Devore girl (now known as GiGi) to a wonderful boarding facility in Patterson to board her until we figured out what to do with her. Judith Wolf and her son Joshua took the drive out with me, and we met a very subdued GiGi (little did we know she had kennel cough and was quite ill, hence the quiet demeanor) and a swinging-from-the-chandelier Honey. Oh boy, she was strong, and a handful. She seemed to know nothing, and walking her to the car consisted of me yelling heel, Honey walking the entire way standing up on her hind legs. What a sight! Oh, and did I mention that the girl from Devore didn t much look like a pointer, now that we were meeting her in person? I still remember what Mary Ingerson said when she got ahold of Gigi for the first time this dog doesn t have an ounce of pointer in her but at least she s a nice dog but no pointer whatsoever. Whoops. Our two rookie mistakes? Taking a mix, and taking dogs from far outside of the area. When people contact GSPSF.org, they are looking for a purebred. Occasionally Laura would take a mix, but it was a rare occasion, and it was always local. And taking a dog from Southern California without ANY opportunity to meet them first? No way. Once I met Honey and saw her paperwork, it was clear why she d ended up in rescue. She was wild, willful, and way too smart. She needed to be in a home where someone had some time to work with her, and bring her to her full potential. Both GiGi and Honey did some hard time with trainer extraordinaire Mary Ingerson, and both were placed in great homes. The Angers Family did a great dog fostering GiGi with their two rescued GSPs, and Honey now lives with a young, energetic black Lab that gives her the workout she needs. Gigi lives in Pleasant Hill with a wonderful family (a runner!), and has remembered all the lessons Mary laid on her. Both wonderful homes. Lessons learned? Stick to what you know, and stay close to home! The last thing we had a hard time adjusting to was how to work with Dr. Han s office and staff so we weren t driving them crazy with inconsistency. Hey, Laura was down at Richmond Veterinary Hospital DAILY, we had no idea of what the protocol was. One of our favorite techs, Stephanie, at Dr. Hans office very nicely clued us in to what we should 2

3 be doing with each dog we brought through there. We were red-faced, but I think we got it. We so took for granted the details and grunt part of what Laura did daily. I can see now how it filled her days, and how it gave her purpose. I can t tell you how many times I think of Laura, we all do, and shake my head knowing she is getting a big laugh out of our fumbles. But I know she is smiling as well when we make a good save, and find a fantastic home. I remember how excited Laura would get when she would hear from an adopter and how well their dog was doing. We now share that same excitement, and it reminds us why we do what we do. We will keep rescuing GSPs, one dog at a time. And we ll build on the lessons we ve learned, as well. Thanks for your help in doing this work. Laura Hansen s legacy lives on! Yours, Catherine Berryessa A Fitting Rescue For One Year Later How many times over the years did Laura get a phone call from Mary Ingerson or from the Sonoma Shelter that there was yet another GSP that had been dumped at that shelter? It seems like so many times, we couldn t even count them anymore. Most of the dogs that came from that shelter were from a specific backyard breeder, and he never reclaimed the dogs. He also never surrendered the dogs producing all of the offspring. I mean, we got entire litters from this situation! It was just crazy-making. We just knew that many of them came in shy and overwhe lmed, DUKE and with time and care from those who help our little group, those dogs overcame their cruddy beginnings and went on to become fantastic family members, and in LADY 3

4 some cases, contributing members of society through canine therapy groups. In April of this year, we finally got our hands on one of the mothers of the multiple dogs we d gotten over the years. Lady came into the Sonoma shelter with one of her adult puppies, Duke. When Mary Ingerson got word they were there, she popped over to evaluate them. Both seemed a bit shy, but sweet. The son was released to rescue after the appropriate holding period. Both Mary and Brian/Catherine had him for a while. The mother needed to be legally released by the owner and once that happened, Mary Duke, with his snatched her up. Both dogs three greatest were beautiful and sweet. admirers! Secretly, we were rejoicing that, finally, there might not be any more discarded dogs from that situation. Laura would have been overjoyed. Duke and Lady spent a decent amount of time getting readied for adoption, with Duke spending his final days in foster care with Joyce Infante and Scott Stauffer. Both dogs were lovely, both beautiful and Duke turned out to be a total goober. Lady was dignified and very focused on connecting with people. Champion swimmer, Duke They became ready for adoption at about the same time in June. Duke was up on the website for about 1 minute before we got a first application for him. The Harris Family, Paul and Paula and their three children, ages 8, 12 and 13. They were eager for a dog. Their last dog had been a black lab and their only requirement 4

5 was a dog that was good with the children and a good companion. They eagerly traveled from Sacramento to the Bay Area to visit Duke on their way out of town for the weekend, and because they were smitten, asked if they could take him home for a trial adoption on their way back into town. Duke left with them and never looked back. Duke now spends his days getting love from five people, complete with runs in the park every night with lots of ball throwing. He also discovered the Harris pool but didn t quite know what to do with it. Paula says that the first time Duke got into the pool, he flailed about, legs reaching FAR out of the water before he finally figured out he didn t have to work that hard! Now that he s a champion swimmer, the Harris can t keep him out of the pool. He dives for toy starfish and crabs, and swims laps in the pool. The whole Harris family, especially 8-year-old Will, loves Duke and he s a grateful member of their family. These pointers and their pools! This is Lady enjoying hers. We never even got the chance to post Lady on our website. A lovely family, Suzanne and Daniel Hansen (no relation to Laura Hansen, but apropos, don t you think?), were looking for a dog that would enhance their lives on their 7-acre, fenced in orchard property in Sonoma. The dog would be a running and hiking companion; a squirrel and deer patrol in the walnut orchards; and a friend to them, their father and adult brother, who also lives on the property. Perfect. Once Lady was in her new home, Suzanne told us she acclimated wonderfully and is a joy to all of the humans she meets. She gets along with the neighbors dogs. She has a great time chasing the lizards, birds and other wildlife she makes herself useful keeping the squirrels out of the walnut grove! She has responded sweetly to Suzanne s brother, who has Down s syndrome. He has become quite attached to her and loves walking with Lady. 5

6 Suzanne recently let us know that Lady went on her first camping trip in Shasta County! She spent the weekend scrambling on the rocks with Daniel, and hunted to her heart s content. At night, when she was chilly, she even got to share a sleeping bag with her people. A perfect ending for a dog who has more than earned a loving family of her own after being bred for so many years. Lady on her first camping trip! Hunting while camping! Lady had a great time and was pooped on the way home! Audrey - RIP Adopted December 2006 Passed April 2011 Sweet, sweet Audrey The passing of Audrey in April got me to thinking about GSPSF, and life without Laura. To me, what Laura created and what we are guardians of are human connections. And the connections are through these amazing dogs. Audrey was a perfect example of the type of human connections that Laura forged. From the moment Audrey was found half dead on 6

7 the streets of Milpitas in May of 2006 to her adoption in December 2006, it took a web of human connections to make it happen. And Laura was always at the center of that web. Directing, cajoling, always moving things along. She's no longer at the center of the web, but the human connections that she built within her family at GSPSF are what make this thing still work. When I read the lines that Jim Torello wrote me about Audrey after she passed, I know that he'll always be a part of the family at GSPSF because we share a Luna (left) and connection through Audrey (right) a special dog. adopted together by There is something Jim Torello. Lucky powerful and more girls than just a little mysterious about the emotions that dogs conjure in us, and those shared emotions that connect us. And keep us going, finding another throw-away that we can turn into a loving and essential part of a family. From Jim Torello... Having seen the before and after pictures of Audrey on the GSP website, I knew she deserved a life worthy of a cat in ancient Egypt. She got it in spades. Towards the end, I made sure that each day was a day that I wanted to make special for her. She was with me almost 24/7. The many, many pictures I took of her and Luna keep her with me in my heart and memory each and every day. At least I know she had a great life from the day she came home with me. Life owed her that." Amen to that. It's what keeps us going. 7 Audrey she earned that white face.

8 Foster Homes Needed We still need foster homes! To provide a little history, all GSP s who come into our rescue FIRST go into Mary Ingerson or Brian Parker/Catherine Berryessa s home for evaluation and potty-training, before going into a different foster home. We really want to make sure that all dogs that go out for foster have at least a little know-how under their belts, er, collars. Most of us cannot take more than one GSP foster at a time. And all of us work full-time jobs. And have at least two others dogs, of our own, in our homes. As of right now, we have 6 foster homes, and can definitely use more! To discuss potentially becoming a foster for our little group, call Stephanie Ladeira at or her at stephanie.ladeira@gmail.com. Donations Welcome! As always, we are thankful for the thoughtful gifts that come to us throughout the year to help us help the dogs! If you would like to make a contribution to further our work, please visit and make a paypal gift OR send along a check to Brian and Catherine s care at: GSPSF c/o Brian Parker, President th Street Berkeley, CA SAVE THE DATE Picnic for German Shorthaired Rescue of the San Francisco Bay Area Sunday, September 25 th, 2011 Potluck BBQ Invitations to Follow **We re planning to book in the Oakland Hills this year at a sunny, warm open space with fire pits and picnic tables! No more sweaters and loads of off-leash fun! 8