I brought my toddler over to the rescue this morning when I needed to bring some pictures by. I’m not sure who had more fun, him or the dogs! The dogs were so excited to have a little person to play with and covered him in slimy dog kisses. He just stood there and alternated barking and giggling. Many of the dogs proved how well they can do with small children. It was a fun little outing for us!
Looking out the window together
Doggie kisses!
The local 4-H club worked here yesterday. Nola talked to the kids about the purpose of the rescue and why she does it. She shared some of the dogs’ stories with the kids and told them how hard the rescue works to get them healthy and find them new homes.
Nola talking to the 4-Hers
The 4-Hers came to the rescue to groom and play with the dogs. The kids had a blast cuddling, chasing and brushing them! It was so much fun watching the excitement on the kids’ faces. The dogs were all very patient with the kids. Some of the kids were a bit rough, but the dogs stayed calm.
Holding one of the dogs
After the kids had some time to get to know some of the dogs, she got them all set to walking and brushing. I’m not sure who was having more fun; the kids or the dogs! The dogs’ tails were all wagging and the kids were smiling and laughing.
Brushing a dog
Brushing a dog together
Watching the kids walking dogs was a little like watching a rodeo. Some kids were running with a dog in tow. Others were being dragged behind dogs. Nobody seemed to be bothered by being pulled, though. The kids who were being dragged were so proud that they were “walking” the dogs!
Walking a dog
Carrying a puppy because he didn't want to walk
One of the dogs is going to her forever home tomorrow and desperately needed a bath. She’s pretty afraid of people, so Nola hadn’t been able to give her a thorough bath yet. We got her cleaned up and one of the girls snuggled her in a towel until she was dry. She looked so much better when she was clean!
Snuggling a dog after her bath
Before they headed back home, I gathered everybody together for a picture. The kids each grabbed a dog and we let the others run around in the group and posed under the rescue’s sign. I got a great picture of them. I think the kids had a great time helping out.
The whole group with the dogs
This is the story of a special dog that we rescued. His name is Lewie. He didn’t start with that name. He came to us at the age of about 8 weeks. He was skinny, mangy and he melted our hearts with his personality.
We named him Simba after the lion on Lion King. That was our granddaughter’s idea. We placed his picture online at Petfinder, and had a couple come to look at him from out of state. They adopted Simba took him home and 3 days later called in tears. They hadn’t thought it through and realized with the job and internship, etc. one more dog wasn’t going to work. They brought him back, still in tears with a huge apology. We reassured them that this sometimes happens and they decided to sponsor Lewie at the rescue. Yes, Lewie was now his new name.
Lewie grew tall and lanky and never met a stranger. He loved everyone. That is what caused his first accident. He ran to greet a car, driving up the lane and they ran over his feet. It was a Saturday afternoon, but the Vet came back to the animal hospital for Lewie’s injury.
The incident turned out to be very painful for Lewie, and required weeks of healing, but we were grateful that there were no broken bones. So time went on, Lewie received gifts from his sponsors of toys, dog bed, food and treats. He was one spoiled puppy. Another incident, hole from barb wire, another hole from a dog bite–more trips to the Vet, stitches, medicine. As you can see, Lewie had a run of not so good luck.
Lewie’s luck has begun to change, and we hope all the bad stuff is behind him. Lewie loves people and wants to be the center of attention when he is in the room. His favorite way of getting your attention is to lean into you, blocking you from moving in any direction. We assume that is the herding dog in him. Speaking of herding, that is his favorite pastime. He likes herd the cattle–into the pen and out of the pen. Of course, he usually gets in trouble and has to go to time out for while, but that hasn’t seem to dampen his interest in cows, or herding.
By the way, we could use some guidance or direction in what breed you may think Lewie could be. He weighs around 90lbs. He is 27″ to his shoulders and is 40″ from his nose to the base of his tail. As you can see in the pictures, he is a golden color and has long legs and a beautiful curvy thick tail.
So if you want to take a guess on his breed-leave us a comment. It will be interesting to find out if they match what we are guessing.
12 Hills Dog Rescue 