Transport #41: Buddy

I am embarrassed to say how long it's been since I last did a transport, but I'm sure if you scroll down you can see the amount of time that has passed.  Nearly an entire year!  But this year has been a nightmare of ups and downs with my father going through cancer treatments (and ultimately passing away) and my new agility endeavors (there's the "ups" of the "ups and downs"!).  So when a transport came up on a free weekend for this handsome old guy I just couldn't resist.  His story is a sad one:

This sweet senior yellow lab (8-10 years) was found standing in the middle of a highway the other night, not seeming to know what to do or where to go.  It appears he was hit by a car and suffered a stroke.  At first, they thought he was blind in one eye, but after doing some testing, it appears he can see okay.  

He was found by a good samaritan who got him vetted and kept him until a rescue could be found for him.  One in New Hampshire was happy to take this handsome old guy in and so he was sent on transport from Missouri all the way to New Hampshire.  Quite a ways to travels for an old guy!

I brought my Mom along this time as she loves dogs and is happy to have some time out of the house with someone to keep her mind off of things.  We got over to the meeting place early and we buckled in for a long wait as the transport was running behind.  Lo and behold, the person who was coming from the Rochester area was running a bit ahead.  So she got him out, found him a spot to pee, we got him some water and on our way we went!

The trip out was, thankfully, entirely uneventful.  The roads west of Syracuse were pretty hairy and I think the whole transport was a little on edge because yesterday a transporter in the south and the puppy she was transporting were killed in a horrific accident after getting caught in an unexpected ice storm.  I know I felt really nervous heading out, but it ended up that we had a bit of sun and dry roads all the out and back from the meeting spot.

We arrived some 25 minutes early and got Buddy out for a little walking around and some pictures and, since it was only 15 and very windy on the river, we hopped back into the car to love on Buddy and wait for the next person to show up.  My gosh this dog was a love sponge.  He couldn't have leaned any harder into our petting.  I'm pretty sure he was ready to crawl into our laps and I think my Mom was a little bit in love with him.

Once he was passed off, the car felt kind of empty without him.  He was such a silent, sweet presence.  I hope he quickly finds a home to cherish him for whatever remains of his life.  He deserves it!


 


 




 

Transport #22: Abby, Speckle, and Nesbit

I agreed to help out the Brittany folks yet again. They seem to be the ones most interested in my services and the ones who keep the number of dogs on a transport to a reasonable level. Several of those who have come through my area recently have had 4, 5, or even more dogs. Far too many for my little vehicle. It would be nice to have a large vehicle for transporting, but that won't ever happen. So I limit myself to no more than 3 medium sized dogs, 2 large dogs, one giant dog, or a handful of puppies/little dogs.

So this time it was for three Brittanies. Nesbit was 6 years old, an orange and white boy who was heading. Abby and Speckle were two 10 year old Brittanies (one liver and white, the other black and white) who were going to a forever home in Vermont. It always warms my heart to see these older dogs getting a home.

I arrived in Rochester a little bit after the folks I was going to meet. I misjudged the time a bit this time. I thought I needed to arrive by 2:20pm and it was really 2:10pm and the other folks were moving pretty quickly. I got there about 2:05pm, but they still beat me by about 10-15 minutes. They had already walked the dogs and were waiting in their car for my arrival. I met Nesbit first and I was amazed at his size! He was incredibly tall and much bigger and stronger than most Brittanies. We all looked at him and thought he was the size of a Springer Spaniel, but clearly looked like a Brittany. He was a bit more exuberant than I expected a dog of his age to be. The other Brittanies I've met who were over 3 were much calmer than he was. I got him into the car and wasn't surprised to see him immediately hop up into the front of the car.

Then I met Abby and Speckle. Amusingly, we all had them reversed as to their names. I was sure that Speckles was the little liver and white one was she was quite speckled. But her name tag said Abby on it, so I guess they were reversed. Much like Nesbit, I was amazed at how active they were. Wendy and Pepper, who I had transported before, were much calmer than these two. I got them into the car, got all the paperwork, and then returned to the car to find Abby on the floor of the driver's side seat with her head stuck under the seat. I guess I missed a couple french fries when cleaning and she managed to find them. Amusing. In order to get her into the back seat, I had to drag her out of the car and get her to go to the back seat. Nesbit, who was now on the front driver side had to be physically forced backward onto the passenger seat.

I got in. Shut the door. And though "how on earth am I going to keep them all under control?"

I started up the car and started driving, and as if by magic, they all suddenly settled down, curled up, and slept! I looked in the rearview mirror a few times and saw that Abby and Speckle (who have been together since they were pups, I believe), were curled up together. Everyone say "awww!"

The ride was uneventful from there on out, except for the lake effect snow and wind.

Oh and the next driver calling to tell me he'd be late because he locked his keys in the car. Well, that was unexpected! It turned out that the battery in his car had died. When they jumped it, all the doors immediately locked (I hate those automatically locking doors!) and his keys were in the car at the time. Just great. I didn't have any major plans, but I wanted to get home to my dog!

I arrived at Syracuse and the folks who were there for Nesbit arrived shortly thereafter. It was easy to get him out and on his way.

I decided that, since I had to hang around a bit, I might as well sit in the back seat with Abby and Speckle. I could give them some attention and take some pictures. Well, I found out one thing. Those poor girls were starving for attention. They were all over me as soon as I got in the back with them. I don't know where they came from originally (they were owner turn-ins), but it seems that their emotional needs were a bit neglected. Speckle was also ITCHY. Seriously itchy. She kept itching her ear for a few minutes at a time (when I checked on it, it was clear that she had a hot spot behind it from all the scratching) and then she would roll around on the back seat trying to get some relief. I'm not sure what was causing it. I didn't see any fleas, so maybe it's the food she's eating or some sort of allergies. Either way, I felt bad for the poor girl. Both she and Speckle seemed to have some issues. Their ears were turned funny (matts or just bad breeding, I'm not sure) and both were really tiny for Brittanies. They were nice dogs, but they need some help to get healthier and happier.

The next driver called me and was on his way only about 10 minutes late. We did a quick transfer of the dogs and then he was off.

A few pictures:

Nesbit
(click for a larger image -- whole image did not fit here)




Abby






Speckle








More can be found here.

Transport #21: Abby

My 21st transport of the year was an absolute breeze. It went by a little too fast, in my opinion. Abby was a 10-year-old overweight Brittany who was on her way to her forever home in Maine. I'm all too happy to help out the Brittany folks. They're good people and the dogs are just lovely. I haven't met a Brittany I haven't adored and Abby was no different.

I drove out to Victor this time and met up with the people before me. They arrived about 15 minutes after I did and the transfer was done quickly and easily. Abby was sweet, profuse with kisses, and easy to settle down in the back. She spent about half the trip laying down asleep and the other half with her nose stuck to the crack in the window, taking in all the smells. She was cute to watch.

I arrived in Syracuse in good time and found the next folks already there. I had no time to really get pictures or anything. Abby was loaded into the next car and on her way before we could blink. She's now in her forever home in Maine and going to spend the remainder of her years with some lovely people. I'm sorry I didn't get to know her better, but I'm glad to have been able to help!

A couple of the decent pictures I did get are below.

Transport #16: Seymour, Ruby, and Jerry

On Sunday I opted to help out with the Brittany transports again. I haven't gotten to meet any new Brittanies since the crazy Bindi transport back in April. This transport started off with one dog planned (Seymour) and a possibility of two others joining in. When I found out all three were coming along, I was a little worried about fitting them all in.

I met up with the transport at a Chili's in Victor, NY. The woman who was meeting there is well-known as a bit of a lead foot, so it was no surprise that, even though I was 10 minutes early, she was already there waiting for me. To her credit, she didn't try to call me and see where I was.

We first got little Seymour out of the car (at 35lbs fully grown, he's small for a Brittany). He was a terribly nervous dog and kept skirting behind Kathy a bit when I bent down to approach. They believe the poor guy had been abused or mistreated in some way, maybe treated harshly. We managed to get him into my car easily enough, though he was still a bit skittish.

I got out Ruby, the old gal. She's somewhere around 8 or 9 years old and incredibly sweet. She's a special needs gal -- on some sort of medication for a heart murmur that occasionally causes her to pass out. I saw none of that on the transport, but it's still a concern for a future adopter. For an old gal who was a bit on the thin side, she did really well climbing in and out of cars.

Jerry was the third one out and he was the bigger boy. Boy was he friendly! We're pretty sure that Jerry was indeed NOT all Brittany. I'm not sure what else might have been in there (perhaps English springer), but Brittany was not the first word that came to mind. He was bigger and his ears were set differently. At any rate, he was a sweetheart and so incredibly soft!

We got all three dogs into the car and the amusing thing was they ALL wanted to be in the back. So all three of them curled up together and were absolutely calm during the drive. I loved transporting them! Compared to poor Bindi, who kept trying to get into my lap the entire trip, they were an absolute dream. I would occasionally stick my hand in the back to see if I could get poor little scared Seymour to sniff my hand and each time I did, Ruby put her head underneath my hand. So instead I started to reach back to scratch her head a bit. She's a bit of an attention hog, that one!

When I arrived in Syracuse, I took each dog out one at a time. I spent the most time with Seymour and he very quickly warmed up to me. The next thing I knew, he was licking my hand and leaning up against me as a petted him. Winning him over wasn't tough at all! I just needed a little quiet time with him.

The next driver showed up and we got Jerry and Ruby into his car easily enough. Now poor Seymour? He was scared to DEATH. We're all pretty sure that he was abused by a man at this point. He first kept hiding behind my legs and then made a beeline for my car. Every time I tried to reach in to get him, he would run to the other side of the car. Eventually I managed to catch him on one side, picked him up, and carried him to the next driver's car. Once inside the car he was settled pretty well, so hopefully he warmed up to the poor guy who was driving him.

I took a handful of pictures but unfortunately didn't have my good camera on me and the camera I borrowed from a friend had batteries that were on their way out.

These first two of Seymour are from the overnight stay (taken by someone else):






Jerry

(Yes, he's peeing -- it was the only moment I could catch a picture of him and I didn't realize what he was doing when I held up the camera!)


Ruby

Transport #8: Wendy, Pepper, and Roxie

I was set up to do a transport for the Brittany rescue last week, but due to weather in Ohio it fell through. Then they added another two dogs to the group. I contacted the person in charge of it and said I didn't have the room. Rather than find an extra driver, she pulled me off it, found someone with a larger vehicle, and suggested I contact another coordinator who had two senior dogs and a puppy who needed to go. I was all to happy to!

From what I understand, Wendy was a poor dog found as stray and brought into a kill shelter. Some good samaritan, who was there to adopt a younger dog, saw her and since they were going to almost immediately euthanize her, brought her to the Brittany rescue. Pepper was an old guy whose owner was going in for major surgery and then going into a nursing home. So off they went to a new home. Roxie was a sweet mix-breed puppy (Brittany and something else -- we think she looked a bit like a Weimaraner), whose origins I don't really know.

I headed off this morning to pick up Wendy, Pepper, and Roxie in Victor. The drive out was basically uneventful I hit a little bit of snow in Rochester, but nothing that was really worrying. I met up with Roger, who had the trio in his SUV. We got them out, walked them, let them do their duty and all. We chatted for a bit, as I was running ahead and he was quite the talkative type! Really good guy. He had this way of doing the dogs up in his truck that was brilliant and he offered to make me some of those tethers. He also offered me his crate for Roxie (the 4-month old puppy), but I declined as I was worried about room in my vehicle.

We got Roxie into the car first and he managed to tether her up really well. There was no way she was gettng into my lap, which was perfect. Then we got Wendy and Pepper in. I was told we had to help them in and out of the vehicle and that held true for Wendy, with her strange dislocated leg (likely a bad break that healed poorly), but Pepper was able to get in and out with no problem. Luckily, my car is pretty low to the ground.

The drive was entirely quiet, especially compared to yesterday's insanity! The two old dogs immediately curled up and slept. Roxie settled down nicely within the first few minutes and also slept for most of the trip. I couldn't believe how well behaved they all were!

When we arrived, the people picking up Roxie were right behind us. We got her out of the car, walked her and the other two, and then I finally convinced him that it was ok to leave me alone with the old kids. They took off and I crawled into the back seat with Wendy and Pepper and the three of us spent some time snuggling up. The guy who was picking up the seniors finally showed up and after chatting for a bit, we got them into the car and off on their way. They were already curled up before he even took off.

I took a lot of photos and managed to get good shots of all three. Here are some of my favourites:

Roxie





Pepper





Wendy





The rest can be found here.

Transport #1: Molly & beagle puppies

So I'm all done my very first transport and it was so much fun!

I took off a little before 1pm and just as I was leaving, I got a call from the person who was meeting me there. She had arrived early. So I rushed off, put some gas in the car, and met up with them. The dogs were just ever so sweet. Molly hopped right up into the car, though she limped a bit and shuffled her way over. She's the calmest dog I've ever met.

The beagle puppies just wanted to play, but it was easy enough to get them into the crate. They chewed on the towels and shoved them around a bit, but settled down within the first 5 minutes of the trip. I almost forgot I had them most of the time because everyone was just so quiet. I regretted not having Molly on the front seat as she kept sticking her nose in between the seats for a pat.

I arrived at Herkimer really early. So I took Molly out for a bit first. The main problem was that they didn't provide leashes for the puppies, so I had my leash plus Molly's which meant only two at a time. Since I couldn't get Molly to go back in the car at first, I had to take the puppies out one at a time. Of course, this gave me a chance to play with each and get photos of each. By the time the other woman had arrived, I got Molly back into the car and had the two puppies out.

I didn't quite count on Molly's intelligence there and left the back door open by the crate, thinking she couldn't get around it. She did and got out of the car, but luckily, we were both there and the other woman (Marci) just hooked her up with one of her leashes.

The transfer went pretty smoothly and we got the puppies into their crate, Molly into the car, and we were off in our opposite directions.

And then came the real fun. ;-) My key chain had come undone in Herkimer and I didn't think to check the keys until I was well on the road. Well, one was missing..the one to our apartment! Oy! I stopped at a rest area, got the number to the apartment office, and managed to talk the woman into leaving a key for me in the box. Phew.

So now I'm back and with lots of pictures!

Here are a few of my favourites:















The rest can be found here.