The Rise Rescue Alliance

08/06/2024

Until we meet again 💔

Today was one of those days we hate in rescue.

Today, we had to say goodbye to our sweetest guy Gus.

Gus developed neurological symptoms that sent us on a rollercoaster…

With the help of our amazing vet, we left no stone unturned trying to figure out how we could help him...

But just when we thought we were on a good path and things were looking up, the coaster would take a turn and Gus would veer off the tracks.

After a lot of ups, where we were certain he was getting better, and downs, where we were convinced we were losing him…

ER visits, countless vet visits, tons of really great days, and so many sleepless nights...

Today, Gus told us in no uncertain terms that the ride was over.

This is how we choose to remember Gus.

Playing and having a blast with his BFF.

Rest easy my friend.

I hope you know how much you were loved.

08/04/2024

[Foster or Adopter Needed]

This is Byrd…

And she’s a fan favorite. I mean seriously, how cute is she?

She is essentially a Wirehaired Bully Mix (we've decided she is a designer dog since we don't actually know her mix...but whatever it is, it's extra cute!). She is medium sized.

She is a pretty mild mannered girl, who has never met a stranger. She is great with people, and has regularly accompanied us out to lunch where she lounges quietly at our feet as we eat.

She is very easy around the house, totally housebroken, and generally quite calm and low key.

Here’s the problem for Byrd.

She suffers from some pretty considerable Separation Anxiety - this means she struggles being away from her person.

Byrd thrives on routine and consistency and is more confident when she has it.

But she really needs someone who is home more than not, and someone who will continue the training we’ve started.

Byrd also has very mild reactivity with other dogs - she will react very sporadically - I’ve taken her out to lunch or into town about a dozen times, and we’ve passed dogs that are barking at her, dogs that are just walking past etc and she’s been fine. But every so often, a dog will startle her or a dog will offend her in some way and she’ll bark and lunge. (For reference, she's only done it once for me when I have her out and about). She is easy to manage when this happens and otherwise walks perfectly on a leash.

Her perfect home is one where:

- Her person is home a bulk of the time, and understands what it means to have a dog with true separation anxiety (Byrd will become so anxious when alone that she will injure herself if not managed properly)
- Her daily routine is pretty consistent and predictable
- There are no other dogs (she has been fine with dogs and our facility cats but we think she’d be best on her own)
- If her person is going to leave her alone, they either make arrangements for her to have care, follow our training protocols, or give her medication to help her with her anxiety

If you are interested in adopting or fostering Byrd, please reach out. Our organization is willing to offer free lessons for life to help manage her, and if you are local and need to leave for appointments or for the day, she can come hang with us so she doesn't get anxious.

She is not affiliated with our rescue, but we’ve been helping her temporary human with training while we find the perfect place for her.

Email [email protected] for information or send us a DM if you are interested in fostering or adopting

07/23/2024

You’ve probably heard the news, but for those who live out of area and may have missed it…

Our local dog shelter has announced it is closing its doors effective immediately.

This is incredibly concerning for a number of reasons…

First, they have dogs in their program that need a place to go by the end of August.

A majority of them have been adopted, but there are still several left looking for homes.

At RISE, we’ve already opened our doors to one of them…

And we assisted with behavioral evaluations for several more that are looking for placement.

Second, the shelter is responsible for providing temporary housing for county strays, surrenders, impounds etc.

With their doors closed to intakes, and no shelter facilities currently available…

Your local rescues are all the dogs of Clallam County have left.

And most are operating at or close to capacity as it is.

Last week at RISE alone, we averaged phone calls for help for 12 dogs per day - these dogs were either spotted running at large, owners needed to give them up, or dogs were facing behavior challenges in the home that were really tough to deal with.

The phone never stopped ringing.

This is unsustainable for us…

And I’m certain our other area rescues are feeling the same.

Many of you asked how you can get involved…

And the simple answer is…

Support your local rescues. (The ones I know of are us, WAG, Huckleberry House and Center Valley Animal Rescue - they aren’t in Clallam but they help with Clallam dogs often. If I missed any local 501c3 rescues that service the dogs of Clallam County, please post them here)

Since the announcement, we’ve all been working diligently on brainstorming solutions to this problem.

Rise representatives were in meetings every day last week with other area rescues, animal welfare advocates, community members, and other non-profit organizations trying to sort out what to do next.

Our amazing team has been on site at OPHS, doing our best to help with the dogs there…

And yesterday, all of our community animal welfare agencies attended the County Commisioner’s work session to brainstorm solutions where many ideas and solutions were proposed.

Everyone is working diligently on this. It's inspiring to see and we are confident, the dogs of Clallam will not be left high and dry.

But for the time being…

Local rescues need to make room…

We need resources…

We need YOU.

So if you want to get involved, support your local rescues.

The dogs of Clallam County have an incredible community behind them and we are so grateful.

07/19/2024

Be still my heart 😍
I just got a couple of updates from some of our amazing adopters and it looks like our RISE pups are truly out living their best lives...
In fact, there seems to be a trend (and I LOVE it!)...
Our alum pups are hitting the water and soaking up the summer sun.
Rise Rescue Alum Sherlock (now Mac) is having so much fun adventuring with his amazing family...
And Rise Rescue Alum Ophelia is enjoying her time on the water with her amazing family...
Such lucky pups. So fun seeing what everyone has been up to this summer!

07/16/2024

It's PRIME Day! Support the dogs of RISE by sending them a gift.
Here's a link to our wishlist...
If you are shopping the sales...
Our pups love long lasting chews, safe toys (our dogs are big guys - we don't have any littles currently)...
They always need food (it's one of our biggest expenses)...
And we burn through cleaning supplies like it's hot.
The dogs and we so appreciate you thinking of them as you shop :)

07/14/2024

Sweet little man Kelso is off with his wonderful new family.

I hear there are neighborhood walks, hikes and park visits in his future. He will even have a doggy pal to hang out with at home.

Big things are in your future little man. We couldn’t be more happy for you!

07/11/2024

Our local humane society is closing its campus. This is a big deal for our county. We are all reeling after hearing this news.

If you’ve ever considered getting involved with animal welfare efforts and dog rescue in Clallam County, we need you now more than ever. As a dog loving community, it’s time for us to come together.

**7/10/24 - OLYMPIC PENINSULA HUMANE SOCIETY CLOSES ITS DOORS TO THE BARK HOUSE**

The Olympic Peninsula Humane Society sent out a news release today that they are closing their doors to their Bark House campus, 1743 Old Olympic Highway. They will continue operations at their Kitty City campus, 91 South Boyce Rd, Sequim.

Clallam County has contracted with OPHS to house impounded dogs and cats, as well as handle animal licensing. Due to their notice of immediate closure, the Clallam County Sheriff's Office no longer has a facility to place dogs at this time. This is a very unfortunate event that will impact our entire county and as a community we need to work together to address this issue.

For more information you can visit the OPHS website at: https://www.ophumanesociety.org/

07/04/2024

Our Little Man Renton is off!

He left today for his next big adventure. He’s got a new doggy brother, and a wonderful new family who can’t wait to take him out and show him the world. He’s going to go on walks, play at the nearby park, and even join the family on road trips!

Be the best little man! We can’t wait to hear about all of your adventures!

07/01/2024

If your dog struggles with fireworks, and you want a less stressful holiday, here ya go. :) Starting in 30 minutes!

If you didn’t know, every year I take care of dozens of dogs on the 4th of July holiday.

Inevitably, a few of those dogs will come to me with extreme phobias around fireworks.

And if you haven’t seen my past posts, fireworks in these parts are a pretty big deal. My next door neighbor’s house has resembled a war zone in past years, and it’s not uncommon for me to have a 360 degree view of fireworks as they surround me when I’m at our facility.

But every year, the dogs are relaxed…

And we’re often able to reverse phobias and create neutral dogs around fireworks pretty darn quickly.

Because SO many people asked me for help leading up to the 4th of July holiday here in the states…

I decided to do a very informal live chat on the topic.

I’ll share with you how we:

(1) Manage dogs and create safe zones so even scared dogs aren’t stressed out
(2) Change how dogs feel about fireworks so they go from cowering, shaking and drooling to being able to be outside with us enjoying the holiday

I’ve taken several dogs with extreme phobias…

Dogs that previously have been heavily medicated on the holiday…

To being totally fine outside while fireworks are going off right next door.

If you want to hear the stories of how I did it, join us live Monday July 1st at 11am Pacific.

It’s free…

I’m not selling anything…

It will be informal - nothing fancy (although be prepared, I’m not known for brevity)

I just want to share this stuff with those that can benefit so these types of holidays don’t have to be so stressful anymore…

And it’s just too much info to cram into an Instagram or Facebook post.

And for those who asked, I’ll do my best to record it and post it for those of you unable to make it live, but no guarantees technology will cooperate with me (if it doesn’t, it will be user error but me and technology are often not friends).

Here's the link to join the live chat July 1st at 11am Pacific https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82864303503

06/26/2024

Little floofernugget Alfie (don't judge him by his nicknames) had his second grooming session at Lap Dog Legends and he rocked it.

When we arrived, he pulled me to the door to get in - he was super excited to see his friends.

He hung out for about 45 minutes for some brushing, and to get rid of some of the tight matting he had near his rear end so he could be more comfortable.

He still has one final session to go but so far, he's handled it all like a champ and is looking so much better.

Photo of him with his awesome groomer (and new best friend).

If you want to support those that support our rescue dogs, voting has opened for the Best of Clallam County. Show Lap Dog Legends some love. Link is in the comments.

06/26/2024

Holy cow you guys. We are overflowing with gratitude. 🥹

Our good friends at Kitsap Humane Society recently became an ambassador for the Greater Good Charities GOODS program, where all sorts of amazing things - excess, short dated and rebranded supplies are distributed to charities across the globe.

Recently we were lucky enough to receive an incredible shipment of wet dog food, and this week, we received a donation of dog beds for the pups in our program, and those in our community.

We are sharing these amazing and necessary items with other organizations and individuals in our community - so many dogs are benefitting from these generous donations.

A huge thank you to the donors that made these amazing gifts available, and another huge thank you Greater Goods Charities for this incredible program. Thank you Kitsap Humane for coordinating all of this and always doing so much to help us and the dogs in our program, and thank you Tim and Vicki Karnes for picking these donations up and delivering them to us. We appreciate you all. It really does take an army ❤️

06/21/2024

Floofy boy Alfie just got back from his first grooming session at Lap Dog Legends and he's feeling good!

We love this place, because they are totally fear free and aren't in a rush to force grooming on dogs who might not be used to it.

Alfie was just rescued after being abandoned. His skin is in pretty rough shape. And he's overwhelmed. He's experienced A LOT of life changes recently.

So it makes sense that grooming, with the big force dryers, and the loud noises might be a bit scary.

Too much force in the grooming process, and not only will Alfie be afraid, but life long problems with grooming could result. And no one wants that.

Alfie's groomer took him through much of the grooming process today. She was able to give him a deep conditioning treatment and use the dryer on him, but she stopped when he started feeling stressed. She's great at reading his subtle signs, and decided to quit before he became totally overwhelmed.

When I picked him up he was all tail wags - it was clear he really liked her - he wasn't overly stressed, traumatized, or fearful...and that was the goal!

Alfie will go in for short sessions - we're breaking his first groom into bite size pieces - so he learns to LOVE grooming, not fear it.

We are so grateful to the Jessie and all the folks at Lap Dog Legends for giving our sweetest boy their full attention, being patient with him and making sure he had a super positive experience.

He's excited to go back!

06/18/2024

OMG you guys. Thanks to our partners at Friends of Forks, these perfect floofers are safe!

Three were abandoned, and one sadly was killed by coyotes. But these two were saved and just landed at our facility today. Our amazing vet gave them a quick exam, and our staff poured on the snuggles to make their arrival a little less scary.

We are in love! These two are sooooo sweet.

We are going to get them groomed, spayed and neutered and then they will be ready to find their forever homes. ❤️

Welcome to the fam Stella and Alfie. We are so glad you are here!

06/14/2024

Little Blynnie pup 🥹 The runt of our Washington Litter. Our little quiet observer. The puppy that is too smart for her own good is headed to her new home where she will be the queen of her castle.

Blyn found amazing new humans to do life with and a new home that promises lots of snuggles, treats, fun training, and a perfect environment for Blyn to learn about the world at her pace. I even hear there is some hiking, adventuring, and family dinners in her future (if food is involved, Blyn is ALL in).

Be the best girl Blynnie pup. We miss you already but we are soooo happy for you ❤️

06/02/2024

And he’s off! Our sweetest, snuggliest guy Baker landed himself the most amazing new family.

He’s got three human siblings to run and romp with, another pup to keep him company, and I hear there will be lots of camping and hiking in his future.

Be the best boy Baker. We can’t wait to hear about all of your adventures. ❤️

05/26/2024

The rain didn’t stop our sweetest, goofiest boy Trooper from finding his happily ever after.

Trooper is going to be hanging at his new home, where he has acres to run and play. He’ll be accompanying his new family on hikes, camping adventures and will get to play with the other dogs in the neighborhood.

Have so much fun sweet boy! Things won’t be the same without you but we can’t wait to hear about all of the awesome adventures in store for you!

05/20/2024

RISE Dog Spotlight

The party has arrived! Meet Blaine. She's a super fun, super sporty little mixed breed pup hanging out in our rescue.
Born 1/31, Blaine is spunky, quick, and super sweet. She loooooves toys (check out the video in the comments of her first time ever seeing a flirt pole!), and loves food even more making her so...much...fun to train.
Mom was mid sized (40lb) and is super fun and sweet. DNA'd essentially supermutt (only prominent breed is GSD at a whopping 12%) - we don't know what Dad is.
This girl is made for great things! She would be fantastic for agility or sports (obedience, dock diving etc). She'll do anything and have a blast doing it. Social, stable and all around fun girl. Just a really enjoyable little puppy.
Blaine would be perfect for a junior handler who wants to start out in dog training/sports, someone who wants a pup to train for agility or obedience, or someone who just wants an excellent, friendly, no-stress hiking partner.
Blaine is spayed, vaccinated and chipped.

05/15/2024

Remember Gus?

He’s our guy that developed sudden onset of seizure activity (it literally happened overnight) and sent us scrambling to the ER - we didn’t know what was happening.

For a while, he held a broad diagnosis of “idiopathic epilepsy” meaning he was having seizures but we didn’t know why - what we did know was that they were well controlled with medication.

Until they weren’t…

Gus started to decline and again, no one understood why. He developed vomiting, diarrhea and severe lethargy. On taking his temperature, he was running a dangerously high fever of 105.9.

We began cooling immediately to no avail. Despite wet towels, Sub Q fluids, steroids, and ice packs, his temperature shot up to 106.2. Our amazing vet dropped what she was doing, and raced over, starting our big guy on IV fluids, antibiotics, more steroids and pain medication.

She consulted with other veterinarians, and we came to the conclusion that maybe his seizure activity wasn’t epilepsy at all…

Maybe his seizures were brought on by a high fever and something else was going on entirely…

I mean, he has always had a fever in the past when he seized, but since seizure activity can result in fever, it was a chicken or egg scenario that left us with a lot of questions.

We began treating for meningitis.

While Gus almost succumbed to the high fever…and we had a VERY, VERY scary day with him…

He has now recovered, is running, and playing and acting like he was never sick in the first place.

He is OFF of all seizure medication and has not had a seizure since.

We are keeping him on steroids and antibiotics and monitoring him closely.

He is THIN. His body taxed from all of this. But he’s eating well and gaining his strength back daily.

And while we don’t know what the future will hold for him, so far we finally feel he is trending in a really good direction.

A huge thank you to the Petfinder Foundation, who awarded our rescue a grant to help with Gus’ medical care. Between Kingston getting sick, and Gus’ ongoing battle, the extra support means the world to us - it helps us keep getting Gus the care he needs as we sort this mystery out.

Keep our guy Gus in your thoughts. He's tough, and he's fighting hard (and loving all of the extra attention ;) )

(Photo from the day he spiked the fever, and then a few from yesterday while we were playing in the yard, and he was being his normal, goofy self).

05/01/2024

KINGSTON UPDATE

Good Morning from Kingston!

You may be getting tired of these, but I don’t want to leave you hanging after I told you the vet was considering putting him back on Oxygen yesterday.

I know Kingston has amassed quite a few fans. ❤

Here’s today’s update…

Kingston about leapt out of his kennel to see me today (which was so much better than not really wanting to come out at all yesterday when I came in the room).

He has been restricted to the kennel, and can’t even come out for short walks. We have an ex pen attached to it and a potty area so he can do his business but he doesn’t have enough room to zoom around or play (which sucks, but it’s only temporary).

Apparently, just the fact that I was taking him with me to the facility and letting him hang in the car crate while I tended to the dogs there, and then pulling him out for a 5 minute walk (per my instructions btw - I wasn’t breaking any rules) was too much stress. We think it was more about the excitement (he loves going there) than anything else that was taxing his little body.

I mean, just yesterday when I took him over to see the vet, within 5 minutes of climbing in her lap, his gum color went from so-so, to really not great and he slept for hours to recover.

So he’s on house arrest. And it’s doing him wonders.

He still gets his steam treatments and coupage three times a day (he’s getting one now!). And we’ve pulled him off of dry food and put him back on wet because he’s not been hydrating well. We are also mixing quite a bit of water in with his wet food which has been helping.

Because of these improvements, and because of how poorly his body manages stress right now, our vet made the call to keep him home and not put him back on Oxygen. We are going to have him lay low for several more days to give his body a bit more time to heal, and then we are going to take him back in for a new set of X-rays to see where we are at.

Thanks to everyone for your well wishes. I’ll update you when we get our new X-rays. But so far, so good!

*No photos available of the wild child sitting still. This felt more fitting for today 😂

04/30/2024

KINGSTON UPDATE -

Our amazing vet popped by to check on the little guy and I’m not going to pretend I’m happy about what she found.

Here’s the good news - His heart sounds great, he’s eating, and acting normally. He wants to play and is frustrated we won’t let him.

Here’s the not so great news - She couldn’t really hear any lung sounds on the right. So essentially his lungs are only working at 50%.

Also, his gum color was pretty muddy. This means, he’s probably not getting as much oxygen as he should be.

Our plan is to monitor today. To further restrict his activity (sorry buddy - it’s the crate and pen for you full time for a while) and if there is no improvement he’ll go in tomorrow, where they’ll take new X-rays and get him back on Oxygen.

Not the news we wanted, but at least he’s still perky and trying to play. He doesn’t know he’s sick and we don’t intend to tell him.

Send him all the good vibes and healing energy. We’ve got a road ahead but I know, with our amazing vet, and the entire army of humans he has behind him, he’ll get through it ❤️

04/30/2024

One more quick shout out (Because I think vets and their teams don't always get the credit they deserve)…

The folks at Animal Emergency & Specialty Center in Poulsbo went above and beyond to help our kiddo Kingston when he choked.

When we arrived, and I was covered in diarrhea, they brought me a fresh shirt so I could change, and a garbage bag for my poopy clothes so I could get them home without making a mess.

Dr. Hetrick was amazing, helping us understand Kingston’s condition, the prognosis, and the treatment. He spent a lot of time with us, and we are so very grateful. We really appreciated him, and his very thorough and honest communication with us.

And the vet techs (I’m sad I didn’t get their names - we met several at drop off and pick up and they were all wonderful) that tended to us when we arrived, literally running out from the back when we stepped in the front door (the relief I felt in that moment was overwhelming), rushing Kingston back, and then tending to us, to make sure we were cared for too, while giving our kiddo so much love and spectacular care. So great.

When we couldn’t commit to 48 hours of care initially, and I told them we needed to scale back and that we’d do our best to fundraise to extend his stay, there was no judgment. They were all truly there for us.

I'm not going to lie - I've not always had the best experience at emergency hospitals. But as much as being there sucked, this visit was our best experience by a landslide. Well done team. And thank you for saving our little guy's life. And while you all were so wonderful, I hope I never have to see you again 😉

04/29/2024

HELP ME SAY THANK YOU…

Sometimes in rescue, we focus so much energy on the dogs, we fail to mention the amazing humans that show up for them, without fail.

Like this one right here.

This is Mary and believe me when I say she is ALWAYS there for our rescue, for the dogs, and for all of us.

When Kingston began to choke and we couldn’t get a hold of a vet, she was the next person we called.

In minutes, she was at the facility helping us sort out what we needed to do.

Mary has a healthcare background, and she immediately made an assessment best she could, and then volunteered to drive me to the emergency clinic.

It was almost 9pm, and it was raining. The clinic is over an hour away.

I was covered in puppy diarrhea, and in a total panic and while I had complete intentions of driving myself, I am so glad I didn’t have to.

The entire drive, she kept lighthearted conversation going so I’d keep my cool as this tiny puppy in my lap struggled to breathe.

When we arrived, and they rushed Kingston back, she ran over to Walmart and bought me new clothes before they closed so I’d be more comfortable (I’m not exaggerating when I say I was covered in diarrhea) and snacks so we’d be able to manage the long car ride home at 1am.

When the doctor came in to talk to us, she helped me sort through the medical jargon so that I knew what was going on, and what questions I should ask.

And after all was said and done, when the adrenaline dump started to take it’s toll, she walked me through what to do so I’d feel better.

And this isn’t the first time she’s stepped up.

She does it daily.

From taking in one of our dogs to foster…

To helping us find homes for our puppies…

To helping out at our Spay/Neuter clinic…

To driving all over to rescue puppies, pick up dogs from transports, pick up donations, and shuttle our dogs to the vet.

She was also there when Gus had his seizures…

And she was the one who braved the winter storm, snow and ice to drive three hours to rescue a mom and her puppies.

Mary is a wonderful friend to us, and to the rescue. She is ALWAYS there for us. And we couldn’t be more grateful.

So send some thanks to her in the comments. You can also mail cards and notes to our rescue (address is on our website). Help me thank the amazing humans who work tirelessly to help these dogs. We couldn’t do what we do (or survive what we do - rescue is hard!) without them.

04/28/2024

So we did a thing...
We bailed Kingston out 😉
Actually, he did so well coming off of Oxygen today, he got paroled for good behavior 😂
In fact, they sent him home early ❤
Kingston will be on strict rest for the next month while he recovers.
That means no running or playing and 5 minute leash walks daily. He will get daily steam treatments and coupage to help him heal.
We've got a road ahead of us, but we are so ecstatic to have him home.
I'll share more in the coming days but for now, THANK YOU to everyone who made it possible for us to get this perfect little guy the care he needed.

04/27/2024

KINGSTON UPDATE (with the help of his brothers)
Keep the prayers, good vibes and positive energy headed our way.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your support. It is because of YOUR generosity we are able to get him the help he needs.

04/26/2024

KINGSTON UPDATE:
(See below if you missed the original post)
I just got off of the phone with the vet. Here's the latest.
Oxygen he requires is at 40% (down from 56%) which is good.
Breathing less labored and he's able to sleep comfortably which is awesome. He needs his rest.
He's eating small bits on his own. Yay!
He does not tolerate coming out of oxygen so he'll need another night.
We've almost made it to the halfway mark of our fundraising goal. (A huge thank you to everyone who donated!) We need to raise another $2500 before tonight to get Kingston an extra day in critical care. We hope that will be his last day, and we'll get to bring him home, but we can't say for certain.
If you'd like to donate, you can do it here. https://givebutter.com/EXxOR0
Or by venmo at @ riserescue
You can also call the clinic directly. He's at Animal Emergency and Specialty Center in Poulsbo.
Thank you from us all. Your support means more than you know.

04/26/2024

When it rains it pours…(this is going to be a tough read, just fair warning).
Last night, while the puppies were in the yard chasing the toy with one of our awesome staff members before bed…
Kingston began to choke (at that point, we weren’t sure on what).
When I got there, (I was right inside so I was out in a flash) he had collapsed.
We immediately got to work…
I was trained in, and taught Pet First Aid and CPR…
But all of the normal strategies weren’t working.
His tongue and gums turned blue…
He was completely limp and non responsive.
He had entirely lost control of his bowels.
And despite ALL of my efforts (and they were intense), we weren’t getting anywhere.
We called our vet and every vet we knew to call to no avail.
Our closest emergency clinic is over an hour away…we’d never make it.
After at least 10 excruciating minutes (I only know that based on the outgoing calls that were made from my phone as our staff tried desperately to find him help while I worked)…
Kingston coughed a bit.
He began gasping (It looked AWFUL).
But he was getting a tiny bit of oxygen and he was trying to stand.
This was an improvement!
We kept working.
Several more minutes later, by some miracle, a single piece of kibble was dislodged from his throat.
A…single…piece…of…kibble. (And not even the big stuff)
He began to breathe.
But while he could now sit up, and was more alert, his breathing was labored, and his gums were still blue.
We put him in the car and made the long trek to the emergency clinic. It was late and no local vets were open.
You have NO IDEA how helpless it feels driving an hour to the closest emergency clinic with a choking puppy in your lap…
Especially when you read the sign that says “accident ahead”. (Yep, one of the highways was closed so we had a delay).
But we powered on.
Just as he began to give up…
His little body exhausted and his will to fight waning…
We made it to the clinic, where they were waiting for us.
Long story slightly less long, when the doctor came in, he told us that the labored breathing came from non cardiac pulmonary edema - something he said happens to young puppies when they go through something traumatic like this.
While we successfully dislodged the piece of kibble, essentially, Kingston’s lungs were full of fluid.
He also appeared to be suffering from aspiration pneumonia.
Our only choice to save Kingston was to leave him on Oxygen overnight and start IV antibiotics.
You guys…
I’m going to tell you straight.
We can NOT afford this.
They suspect he’ll have to stay there for 1-2 days minimum to try to recover. There is no guarantee he will, but he already looked so much better by the time we left.
They think he’ll need to be there a couple of days…
Which will cost our rescue over $4,000.
But he is a happy, healthy puppy, and he has such a wonderful temperament, and such a full life ahead of him, we made the call to at least try.
We could not commit to the entire stay.
But we gave him the night on oxygen…
And I promised him I’d spend all day begging, borrowing and stealing to get him help.
So here I am.
Help us help Kingston. I know he can get past this.
You can call the clinic directly to make a donation…
It’s Animal Emergency and Specialty Center in Poulsbo (360) 697-7771 (Rise Rescue Alliance/Kingston)…
Or you can donate through our website here https://givebutter.com/EXxOR0 - It’s tax deductible and it will go straight to helping him.
We are also on Venmo @ riserescue
Keep him in your thoughts today.
And if you have dogs or work with them…
Take a Pet First Aid / CPR class. Please.
Trust me. It’s worth it.
(Three cheers for Eli who was with Kingston and who jumped into action, getting him immediate help, and then stuck by him helping until we finally got him stable and rushed him to the clinic. Kingston wouldn’t be with us today if it weren’t for Eli.)