Volume 5, Issue 4 ● Summer, 2013
Why Do I Rescue?
By Caryn Pola, ESRA President
I am often asked why I rescue dogs. More frequently I’m asked how do you give
up the dogs you foster? Why do you rescue dogs? “Because they need me” comes to
mind first. But I’m pretty sure that’s not the reason. Because someone has to do it?
No, that is clearly not it.
I do love dogs, all kinds of dogs. Dogs make me smile, just walking past a dog
makes me feel happy. I love the way dogs interact with people. I clearly like dogs
more than I like people, and I know dogs like me more than people do. But that is not
why I rescue.
Why do I foster and give up the dogs ? It’s not at all easy. It’s much easier to fail
fostering. But why I give up the dogs has to do with why I rescue them in the first
place.
I rescue because I get so much back. Taking in a dog in need is a labor of love. I
get to know them, take care of their needs, figure them out. Bring out the best in them
and search for what they need. This is an incredible, wonderful experience. When I
look at them I see their soul, and they look at me and fill up my soul. This amazing
exchange is what it’s all about for me. Some foster dogs are with me a short time, and
others much longer. All are forever in my heart.
How do I give them up? Well I find them the perfect match; sometimes it happens right away but sometimes it
takes great study. But after I put it together, I just know.
When I see the dog and the family together it’s like magic. Do I feel sad when they leave? Absolutely. They take
a piece of my heart with them. But when I hear about
their new lives, I am filled with joy.
Sometimes we rescue people too. Some people come
to us because they have lost a dog or a spouse or their
family and they need someone to love.
Recently I met a wonderful man, a veteran who had
recently lost his wife of many years. He had adopted a
springer from ESRA, and he told me this dog was his angel who had helped him survive his loss. He had not left
his home since his wife died, but came out to our rescue
parade to thank us for this wonderful dog. He felt we
saved his life. When times are tough I will remember this
wonderful pair and know why I rescue.
I wish you all such wonderful blessings, to know the
soul of a fine dog and the joy of saving both dogs and
people.
“And wept when it was all done, for being
done too soon…” Neil Diamond
Tobias Zigler Dearmin 2004-2013
For Annie, Buddy, Charlie, Daisy, James, Max, Mickey, Rusty,
Sam, Jacob, and so many more – heart dogs each and everyone – but especially my Toby.
Heart dogs we call them. Most people don’t get it. I’m not sure
that those of us who experience it really understand it. But we feel
it. We know a deeper emotional connection to these special dogs
and once you feel it, you stop wondering about the hows and whys.
You accept that somehow THIS dog, seldom your first or your only,
speaks to you in a language known only to you two, communicates
feelings, thoughts and desires in an unknown wave length loudly
and clearly much better than your human loved ones.
Not an overtly Velcro springer, Toby rarely did laps and hated it
when I would pick him up to hold him. Never one of those exuberant kissers, he gave gentle thoughtful licks that meant so much because they were that rare. He had those “old fashioned” springer sturdy feet and was ever ready to shake your hand and hold you with a leg wrap. Every night, on his
way to “Toby’s place” on the bed, he stopped for a kiss and held my hand as I kissed him goodnight on the top of his
head. He had a wonderful smell – sort of a musk perfume that you knew Tom Selleck would like.
Writing Toby’s column was much more a communicative process than most people understood. I only had to look
into those Eeyoresque eyes and I heard his voice with its dry humor and often pithy take on his siblings and life in general. I just needed to write it out for him. That’s the way it was with us. He was
the only dog who raised his head each and every time I got out of bed during the
night and never went back to sleep until I returned to the bed. If I left the kitchen
ESRA News Editorial Staff
while he was eating, even with his siblings eating too, he stopped eating and followed me. We were together every moment it was possible, and I weep now
Publisher
wishing there had been more, so much more time.
Shelley Dearmin
[email protected]
I feel his presence still. I look to my feet as I type this and feel him lying
where he always did. When I am in the bathroom, I reach out to pat his head as I
sit. When I am in the kitchen, I know he is sitting by his dish and at night, I reach
to his spot and stroke his soft fur.
Editor and Layout
Linnea Maxwell
[email protected]
Several years ago, I hung a wind chime in the bedroom because its color was a
perfect match for the new paint. Even with a floor fan and central air, it NEVER
chimed. On the day we had to accept that his cancer had won and give him release, it chimed. Each and every evening it chimed just once until his ashes came
home and I set them by my bed. It has not sounded since. I know that his spirit is
at rest and remains with me, in me, and it comforts me.
Contributors
Nancy M. Kelly
Barbara King
Caryn Pola
Pam Waidler
And yet I mourn. My heart has a piece missing. That’s why we call them our
“heart dogs.” I don’t ever think I will be exactly the same again.
~ Shelley Dearmin
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ESRA News is always looking for
Springer-oriented articles for future
issues. To submit an article, please
email Shelley or Linnea.
Str uttin’ For Our Springers!
Longtime ESRA folks know about ESRA’s big fundraising event, Strut Your Mutt. But if you’re new to
ESRA and need a quick explanation, Strut Your Mutt is
an annual event sponsored by the national group Best
Friends Animal Society, designed to bring attention to the
work of rescue organizations all across the country.
ESRA joins as one of hundreds of Best Friends Rescue Partners that all hope one day to see no more homeless pets. It’s a multi-layered event that will physically
take place in almost a dozen locations across the country
on certain Saturdays this fall, but fundraising goes on behind the scenes for months prior to the actual strut day!
All donations raised by each partner go directly to
that group (with the exception of a small administrative
fee and credit card transaction fees). ESRA has chosen
Jacksonville, FL as its home base this year on Saturday,
Sept. 7. But you don’t have to physically be present in
Jacksonville or wait until September to help us reach our
$32,000 goal! You can join ESRA’s Strut Your Mutt
“dog pack” (aka team) today simply by choosing how
you want to participate.
Get started by going to strutyourmutt.org/team/
ESRA and click the “Join This Team” button. If you plan
to be in Jacksonville to attend the event, register as a
Walker. If you want to help raise funds but can’t attend in
person, register as a Virtual Participant. Then you’re all
set with your own personal customizable fundraising
page and you’re ready to encourage your friends, family,
neighbors, and co-workers to make donations toward
your own personal goal as part of ESRA’s overall goal.
There is another way to participate. On ESRA’s team
page, you can simply choose to make a donation to anyone already listed as a member of ESRA’s dog pack. Just
choose a name on the list, click on the “Support Me” button on their personal fundraising page and you’ll be taken
to a quick and easy online donation form. Donations of
any size will be welcomed and appreciated.
Did you know that ESRA covers an average $40,000
each month in vet bills to support the Springers in foster
care? For most of our dogs, the $300 adoption fee doesn’t
come close to covering what we’ve spent on them before
they go on to their Forever Homes. Strut Your Mutt provides ESRA an easy and cost-effective way to raise a lot
of much needed money with no “boots on the ground”
organizing, no printing, advertising or shipping costs, and
no heavy lifting, toting or other physical work setting up
and tearing down a merchandise booth! Fundraising this
way is easy and a great team-building experience!
By Barbara King
ESRA’s “Strut Your Mutt” honorary flag bearer Sawyer
Spaniel and his brothers Harley and Kato will be ready to
strut in Jacksonville, FL.
Beth Livesay in Florida is serving as ESRA’s team
captain this year, and will be glad to answer any questions you might have about this fun event. Contact her at
[email protected]. And leading ESRA’s parade
on strut day in Jacksonville will be ESRA’s very vocal
and enthusiastic “ambassadog,” Sawyer Spaniel — an
adopted Springer himself who knows firsthand the value
of the work ESRA does and works every day “payin’ it
fo-ward!” His adopted Springer brother Harley and honorary Springer brother Kato will be by his side along
with their mom and dad, Kathy and Mike Avadikian.
Plan to join them in Jacksonville if you possibly can,
and do whatever you can to help us reach that $32,000
goal if you can’t make the trip! Many Springers will be
grateful!
Other Upcoming Events
ESRA Board Elections. Three positions are open this
year, and voting will take place from Aug. 1 – 15. All
members are eligible to vote. If you aren’t sure whether
your membership is current, contact your state coordinator. Voting reaffirms your membership and keeps you on
the roster for another two years.
ESSFTA National Bench Specialty. Oct. 26 – Nov. 2,
with the Rescue dinner and auction on Fri., Nov. 1, and
Best of Breed judging and the Parade of Rescues on
Sat., Nov. 2, at Purina Event Center in Gray Summit, MO.
More info: www.essftanational.com.
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The Minnesota Four: On the Road with ESRA
At the end of May, we heard
about what became known as the
“Minnesota Dogs,” although they
came from Minnesota, Iowa, North
Dakota and South Dakota. At one
point, 14 dogs were reported in
need of rescue or foster care, and
Minnesota needed help. Prior to the
transport, two bonded pairs went to
Illinois and Colorado, allowing this
large geographic region to intake
two dogs that were scheduled to be
euthanized. Then the transport to Colorado became a
reality with no small effort and a huge commitment
on the part of the Minnesota/Iowa coordinators and
the Midwest Vice Presidents.
ESRA volunteers in several states responded to
the plight of these dogs. Colorado reached out to prior adopters and found foster homes for four dogs.
Cookie, Buster and Duke traveled from Rochester, MN to Des Moines, IA (215 miles) with Ellie
Starks, then on to Lincoln, NE (200 miles) with Nancy Gourley. All spent the night in Lincoln at Mary
Guitierri’s house (without Mary, who was out of
town – kind of like Risky Business?). Hunter from
NE joined the party. Nancy told us the dogs got along
well and just asked for love and attention.
Ben Wright took the next leg from Lincoln to
North Platte, NE (225 miles). Julie Mohr drove 45
miles to meet the transport in North Platte and then
drove another 140 miles to Sterling, CO. Jim and
Laurie Schirger took the final leg to Denver (130
miles). The Minnesota Four arrived safely after a
two-day, 900-mile trip.
The Colorado pick-up location was a sea of
spots. In addition to the four transport dogs, another
Colorado dog joined the group. By the time all the
dogs were watered, walked and went safely on their
way to their new foster homes, ESRA had attracted
the attention of the security patrol. Fortunately, no
dogs or volunteers were detained.
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By Pam Waidler
Duke, Cookie and Hunter
went to Colorado foster homes.
Duke is being adopted by his new
foster parents, Cookie will meet
her adoptive family in July, and
Hunter is recovering from surgery
and should be adopted soon.
Buster’s foster parents, Caryn
and Bob Pola, flew to Denver to
pick him up and drove back to his
new foster home in California.
Wow! What an incredible effort
by ESRA volunteers! Minnesota and the Midwest committed to saving these dogs and reached out for help when it
was needed.
Mary Gutierri, ESRA MidWest Co-Vice President commented, “The interstate cooperation in ESRA is a real
strength of the national organization.” When all was done,
the Minnesota/Iowa crew had
rescued and placed 30 dogs,
and Colorado rescued 22!
Top: Two of the dogs await
their turn for a rest stop.
Right and bottom: Buster
enjoys the scenery at
Grand Canyon and Arches
National Parks with Bob
and Caryn Pola.
Teach the foundations of good dog behavior
Basic behavior goals for all dogs should include
confidence, friendliness, and an ability to relax in almost any situation. Clearly, any dog who performs as a
Service or Hearing Dog, a Search & Rescue Dog, a Police or Hazard Detection Dog, as well as ones who compete in Obedience, Agility, or other sports, needs to
have these qualities.
Family pets are also expected to achieve these qualities at a high level, especially for the safety of small
children in the home. Is it realistic to think that every
owner can reach these goals with every dog? No way.
But these goals are ideals to pursue, even if we don’t get
all the way there. At each step toward these goals, we’ll
be improving a dog’s ability to cope with changes in his
life.
Confidence: We help dogs achieve confidence
when we show them that they have some control over
what happens in their lives, and that we are protecting
their safety. Each time we teach a dog a behavior using
positive reinforcement, we teach him that by performing
the target behavior, he is setting himself up to receive
something he wants. When we give him what he wants
— whether it be a treat, game, the opportunity to go
outside or come inside —we show him that by his
choice of behavior he is controlling whether he gets
what he wants.
When we prevent small children or ignorant adults
from grabbing our dogs inappropriately or yanking on
their leashes, we keep our dogs feeling safe and secure.
The same occurs when we prevent other dog owners
from letting their ill-behaved dogs bark and lunge at our
dogs. Over time, our dogs learn that they need only look
to us for protection and to see what choices they should
make when new situations arise, resulting in bolstered
confidence. Fearful behaviors and behaviors indicating
our dogs are experiencing conflict will disappear as they
learn these valuable lessons, including that when they
display confident body postures, both people and dogs
in their presence are likely to relax, lowering the level
of arousal in the whole room. Thus, our dogs can actually help create a low-stress environment, reinforcing
those behaviors that contribute to it.
Friendliness: What we’re looking for here is a good
mix of tolerance for all people and affection-seeking
with some people. A dog doesn’t have to love all people, but he needs to tolerate the presence of all people,
and he needs to tolerate their often clumsy attempts at
interaction and the poking and prodding that’s done in
By Nancy M. Kelley
the name of grooming and medical care. He should be
able to approach people and seek interaction in an appropriate way. While we’re setting our dogs up for success in
this area, we need to remember to protect him from people who approach him with good intentions but poor social skills as discussed in the previous paragraph. Sometimes we can help to educate these folks so that when
they meet another dog, they won’t make the same mistakes!
The Ability to Relax in Almost Any Situation:
Right or wrong, we expect dogs to go where we want
them to go and tolerate whatever conditions we expose
them to. If dogs are nervous or stressed in a certain situations, they are likely to be nervous or stressed in others.
In fact, dogs can become conditioned to the flow of stress
hormones and other factors of the physiological state of
being stressed such that they tend to respond to new situations by becoming stressed. This means that they may
even start becoming stressed in situations in which they
were formerly comfortable and relaxed. As a rule, a dog
is relaxed if he’s displaying confident body postures, behaving in a friendly manner, and is comfortable enough to
perform one of the behaviors he knows very well when
asked, and to eat a treat when he’s given one. These are
ways you can tell how relaxed your dog is in a given situation. Of course, there’s a continuum of levels of being
relaxed and comfortable, depending upon how your dog
is feeling that day, how familiar the type of situation is to
him, noise and excitement level, and other factors. Use
your best judgment to objectively evaluate how your dog
is doing with this quality. Your dog will relax more when
your behavior is very consistent and he has developed
some confidence.
Briefly, the foundation behaviors I recommend for
every dog to help them achieve the highest levels they
can of confidence, friendliness and relaxation include a
good solid “sit,” performed immediately when the cue
word is given; a default “sit” to ask for what he wants;
tolerance of being touched on every part of his body; and
attentiveness to his owner.
Nancy M. Kelly has been using science-based methods to train
dogs for over 20 years, and is proud to have studied with such
knowledgeable trainers as Bob Bailey and Sue Ailsby. She
likes to train and compete with her own English Springer Spaniel and Golden Retriever in various dog sports. Nancy loves to
help ESRA foster homes and adopters with behavior issues;
please feel free to contact her at [email protected]
or visit her website, www.TheMannerlyDog.com.
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Helping Petunia Blossom
ESRA learned of Petunia from a local shelter, where she had been
found as a stray. She was severely overweight and no one claimed her.
At the shelter, the staff cheered when ESRA volunteers arrived to pick
up “our fat girl.” and wheel her out. Three staff members lifted her into
the back of the SUV on a quilt. Petunia weighed in at nearly 106 pounds,
although her normal weight should have been 45 to 50 pounds.
We didn’t know what to do. We couldn’t lift her, she couldn’t walk
and we didn’t know if or how we could care for her. We did not know if
Petunia would survive. The first veterinarian we contacted turned her
away, but we found another vet who welcomed her.
Petunia was quite ill due to the severe neglect. In addition to her
massive obesity, she had multiple infections, including her ears, skin and
urinary tract. She also suffered from hypothyroidism and was anemic.
She appeared dehydrated and was unable to retract her third eyelid. Her
teeth were badly diseased and she needed significant dental work. And
then she became anorexic — Petunia refused to eat!
What we hadn’t counted on was Petunia’s incredible spirit. By the
end of the week, she was walking and going outside on a regular basis.
She went to her foster home on multiple medications. She couldn’t climb
steps without assistance, but she could walk. She couldn’t potty without
assistance, but she insisted on going outside to do her duty. Her interest
in food was still compromised, but she would eat an expensive delicacy
– freeze-dried elk burgers. Oh, yes, the clinic staff indulged her and so
did we.
Over the next three months, the clinic isolated the bacteria causing
the UTI and was able to treat her multiple infections. She became strong
enough that her dental surgery was completed successfully. Petunia is
down to just one inexpensive medication – thyroid! She has lost 38
pounds, but more importantly, she is healthy.
Petunia has “blossomed.” She is an alert dog who is interested in her
environment and wants to interact with everyone she meets. She has a
sense of humor and likes to play with her humans and sometimes with
other dogs. She loves her walks and makes a beeline for the door when
she suspects a walk or ride is in the offing. She likes to run! Petunia’s
spirit and lovely personality have endeared her to the local volunteers
who have followed her adventures.
Petunia wouldn’t have her happy life now if it weren’t for the help of
many people. The Colorado ESRA volunteers have rallied behind Petunia. In the beginning, a donated ramp made it possible for her to climb
in and out of the car. One ESRA volunteer gave her a “buzz” cut, and
another volunteer helped give her medicated baths at the dog wash.
Most of all, Petunia has experienced love and care from ESRA volunteers and her veterinary clinic. She has given us the opportunity to do
what we are all about: rescue and rehabilitate. We’re working on the
next step: a wonderful new home.
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By Pam Waidler
Above: Petunia at her heaviest.
Below: Petunia enjoying the yard.
ESRA is a non-profit 501(c)(3)
corporation. Our all-volunteer
organization works with love
and passion for English Springer
Mailing address for
donations and inquiries:
19518 Nashville St.
Northridge, CA 91362
e-mail: [email protected]