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#197 Island Jessie

Island Jessie
GSRNE #197
1997? – 3/28/2008  

We know little of Jessie’s life with her first owners. We have heard she lived with an elderly lady and her son for her first 9 years. The son drove a truck and left Jessie in the care of his Mother for the most part. Things turned bad for this elderly lady as she was placed in a nursing home, and Jessie was left to the kindness of a neighbor’s care when her owner went on 5 day driving assignments. Her owner soon realized that it was best to give Jessie up so she then went to a kennel where she waited for GSRNE and a foster Mom. This we assume was with great pain to Jessie’s owner and performed out of love for Jessie. Jessie became ill while in the kennel environment with whipworm and wasted away to 61 lbs. Jessie’s angel came along via GSRNE and in the form of Foster Mom, Dottie Paquet. Jessie was one sick lady but with the proper care and love she was nursed back to health over a 3 -month period. Jessie added another 10 pounds and although still very thin was now up to 71 lbs. Jessie’s foster Mom was caring for her in a method that provided discipline, exercise and affection. Dottie had reservations about giving Jessie up to adoptive parents as she had become very attached to Jessie. Dottie stuck to her guns as she had made a promise to a German shepherd (Shane) that she recently lost to disease. Dottie had promised Shane she would foster some German shepherds and find them good homes.

We, as Jessie’s new adoptive parents, had recently lost our German shepherd to disease and were searching on the Internet via the GSRNE web site and saw many German Shepherds needing homes. When we came across Jessie’s picture and story (an elderly gal looking for a retirement home) we knew we had a place in our lives for this sweet lady. We applied through GSRNE and were approved. The first meeting with Jessie and her Foster Mom went well, we knew from the moment we saw Jessie that we wanted her to enter into our pack/lives. Jessie was very comfortable and secure in her present Foster Home, receiving discipline, exercise (playing ball with her Foster Mom when we first met Jessie) and love. We played some ball and took her for a walk, wishing we could take her home with us. We know that GSRNE wanted us to think it over and the same for them. We called a couple of days later after giving this responsibility serious consideration and expressed our interest in adopting Jessie. We knew Jessie was an older dog, and we knew we would not have her with us for more than a few years. We knew we had love to give, and we had a great home to share with her. We said yes to Jessie and Jessie, GSRNE and Dottie said yes to us.

06,Jessie,Summer,B The parting of Jessie and her Foster Mom, Dottie was a difficult event to watch but both stood tough. Dottie had made a promise and Jessie seemed OK with the separation. You wonder what a dog thinks at a moment like this. Dottie had provided us with Jessie’s bed and a pillow case with Dottie’s scent. The car ride home went well and then came the next ride, a boat ride in the dark to our island house. Yes, Jessie was off to live on an island in the middle of Lake Winnipesaukee in NH, Cow Island. We arrived at our island dock; I remember helping Jessie out of the boat, and she almost stepped right back into the water. I don’t think she was seeing all that well and this was unfamiliar to her. We introduced Jessie to her new house/home and set up her bed in our bedroom. After a walk outside she settled right into her bed and remained there until daybreak. You can guess the next few days of walks in the woods, swimming in the lake, drinking water from the lake, chasing the ball, barking at ducks, chasing chipmunks and no danger of cars (there are no roads on Cow Island) she settled right in. Now I can’t remember if it was week one or week two that I was concerned about Jessie’s weight (she was not eating well and our vet indicated she could stand to put on another 10 pounds) so I started sautéing hamburger and chicken livers, adding this to her dry food mixed with some cooked rice. Jessie ate like this for the rest of her life, and we maintained her weight at 80 to 82 pounds. She usually finished all of her meal, both morning and evening. Jessie was in seventh heaven, eating good food, free to roam (never strayed far from our house), swimming at will, drinking lake water, playing with our neighbor’s dog, receiving discipline, exercise (two to four, one-mile walks every day) and love. Jessie joined our pack in September so by November we discouraged her from swimming in the cold. Soon the ice would start and we’d leave the island and head to our Killington home where she seemed just as comfortable. She liked the fireplace, meeting new people and being with her pack. Killington would last until Christmas and then we were off to family until early January; Jessie fit right in here also.

Mid-January brought us back to the island and a walk over the ice to the lake house. Jessie and OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA  her pack would settle down now for the winter. Lots of snow, lots of ice and lots of cold, Jessie seemed to thrive in the cold. Now is when I discovered that Jessie would ride anything with me, she even joined me on the snowmobile. She seemed to like anything that involved the word walk or ride. We now stayed on the island until there were signs of ice out, usually April 1st. I set some rules when we had our previous German shepherd, Jack. If you stayed out on the island for a winter you earned the surname, Island. So there was Island Bob, Island Penny, Island Jack and now Island Jessie.

 

Now the bad news: Jessie developed a small blister type wound around her anal area and it broke one evening in December 2007. We were unaware of this blister until this break occurred, a little liquid and some blood had appeared on the floor. Jessie seemed to treat this wound fairly well by herself over the course of the evening, but we took Jessie into the vets the next day as a precaution. Our vet examined Jessie and indicated her anal gland had developed a tumor and due to the hardness of this sac it was likely cancerous and had spread. Due to the likelihood of spreading the cancer still more, the vet advised against an operation. The vet gave us a time frame of 1 to 8 months and warned us about cancer attacking the lungs. Cancer in the lungs would be fast-spreading and a very unpleasant way of crossing that Rainbow Bridge. The vet indicated we could explore and confirm this by taking Jessie to the cancer diagnostic center in Manchester, which we did. Jessie had an ultrasound and this confirmed our fears, the cancer had spread to her liver, spleen and lymph nodes. They also indicated cancer was likely in her lungs and gave Jessie 1 to 6 months. After having Jessie in our family/pack for just a year and a half we decided to make her remaining days as happy as possible. We were praying Jessie could make it through another summer at the lake; she loved the freedom at the lake and had only experienced one summer there. Jessie’s remaining days consisted of three or four walks a day, stick gathering, snowmobile riding and eating her usual meal (which she loved) of sautéed hamburger and chicken livers mixed with dry food. Jessie lasted about 3 months before her breathing become very laborious. We also knew Jessie was not sleeping well and she only went for walks to please us. After serious consideration and thoughts of her suffocating, we decided Jessie’s time had arrived to take that walk over the Rainbow Bridge. We were not going to keep her alive just for us. So now she walks on that “other side” with our previous German shepherd, Jack. They play, run, walk, ride, breathe and eat; all the good things they enjoyed here on earth. And yes, someday we’ll join them.

Jessie passed away March 28, 2008 and we miss her every day. We want to hug her, kiss her on the nose, have those two-way conversations and some day we will. We love you, Island Jessie.

Jessie's last day

Jessie’s last day

Island Penny & Island Bob

#070 Hank

Hank

Hank

Hank
GSRNE #070
1996 – 2008  

I was researching German Shepherd Rescue in the US since there were no groups in Canada at that time and found the very best in New England – that’s where I saw Hank.   Somehow that boy knew he was destined to be with Rob.  I’m not quite sure how he did it, but after a few weeks and many many email messages and phone calls, and a 24-hour drive from Toronto to New England and back, the adoption was complete.

From the minute Hank laid eyes on Rob, no one else in the universe existed for him (other than the nice lady who filled his dishes every day, took him for walks and gave him his special treats).  Everyone in the neighborhood knew about Hank as soon as he “came home”.  He was sure that everyone walking by the house or coming to the door were there to see him and he loved everyone.  Hank welcomed us home every day for more than 8 yrs squeaking his favorite toy; always with an enthusiastic story to tell about the mailman’s visit and what his other dogs and cats had been doing while we were out!

Hank and Rob One of his very favorite things was to hang out with the guys & watch a game on TV.  Hank had his own special chair and if there wasn’t enough seating guests would sit on the floor – no one would sit in Hank’s chair without his okay.  We soon found out that our boy had a particularly special talent; he could tell me when his daddy was about 10 minutes away from the house which was amazing, since Rob never came home at the same time.  It didn’t matter if he had been away business, attending a late meeting, or golfing …. Hank knew when he was near…a psychic link, a bond that will never be broken.  Even if Rob was in a plane, Hank would start to pace just about the time he was coming in for a landing; then the whining would begin in earnest when he was 10 minutes from the front door.  I now have to rely on a phone call since Degenerative Myelopathy robbed me of my “early warning” alert.

A very BIG thanks to Janice Ritter for having faith in us and breaking the rules just this once so that we could share our life with this extraordinary boy.

Nancy & Rob Clements, Toronto, Canada.

#392 Georgie

Adopted on 5/22/2014

UPDATE 09/05/13 – In Georgie’s new foster home, she has bonded with both adults and the resident GSD. She is a dog that craves affection and her sweet eyes just melt your heart.  She is a dog that wants to please you.

Georgie is great with other dogs, but slow to initiate play.  She even likes cats, and if the cat is dog friendly, she will hang out with the cat.  She enjoys having a foster brother who she attends doggie day care with two to three times a week.  With the other dogs in doggie day care she introduces herself like a lady and appropriately and is slowly beginning to initiate interaction with them.

Georgie is working on new commands such as “wait” at the door before going out, “wait” in the car before jumping out, and learning to go from a sitting position to a down position.  She knows what to do, but can be stubborn and test you.  One thing being worked on is keeping her off the furniture.  She always tries to get up on the couch when you are not looking, but when told off she gets down.

With meeting new people outside the home, Georgie is still timid, but shows a great interest in checking them out.  She just needs to know they are okay and just want to be kind to her.  This is also true with people coming into the home.  She has that typical Shepherd trait to be on alert with people entering the home.  As done with most of the foster dogs, she is put in a secure place (like the crate or another room) and not positioned at the door when someone arrives.  She is very vocal with strangers coming into the home, but once the stranger is in the home, they ignore her and are introduced to her appropriately, she settles down.  Another typical Shepherd trait is being aware and alert of the activity in the neighborhood day and night.  Georgie will bark when she thinks she needs to let you know, but when told to quiet down or “enough” she will stop.

An ideal home for Georgie would be one where someone has patience as she can be sensitive.  A home that spends time with her whether it is hanging out watching TV, going on a walk, taking her to run errands, going for car rides, or playing in the yard.  The adoptive home should continue keeping her social with other dogs and people as has been done in her current foster home.  Georgie would do great in a home with a confident and tolerant male dog that would show her the ropes, but would also do well in a home without another dog.  Taking her to an obedience class would help her gain more confidence, trust and respect.  She desperately needs a person of her own.

If you think you have the time, patience and will continue her social and training skills by attending dog training classes, Georgie is the girl for you!

_____________________________________________________________________________________

UPDATE 07/28/13 – Unfortunately, Georgie’s foster home had to find a new place to live and was unable to take her.  She is now in a new foster home with two adults and a male GSD.  Georgie is doing great and learning the routine of the home.

Biography

This black and red beauty is a German Shepherd mix with lots of love to give. At 5 years old she’s housebroken and Georgie already knows her basic commands.

Georgie loves her toys and is overjoyed when she discovers something new to play with in her basket; if it makes noise, even better! When she’s home she stays close to her foster mom, leaning against her for kisses. She loves attention and is eager to please. Often she can be found sleeping on her back with her feet in the air!

When someone new arrives Georgie can be timid and fearful. She barks and then retreats to a hiding spot in the back of the house. Once she knows it’s safe she’ll join the group and start to relax, although she still keeps a watchful eye on everyone. She wasn’t socialized properly in her former home and is slowly learning.

Georgie is looking for a quiet home that will shower her with love and attention while helping her gain confidence.

 

#364 Manny

Manny
GSRNE #364
2004 – 6/8/2018   

Click for more photos of Manny
Password: Manny

Dear old Manny passed away at the ripe old age of 13.5. He had hip problems and hearing loss, but he was still a happy boy. Six months ago, he was having problems passing stool and x-rays showed two tumors. His tumors grew very quickly, causing Manny a great deal of discomfort and pain, so his loving family made the difficult decision to let him go.

Manny’s dad shared a nice memory about a bear that frequented their yard. Manny rarely ever barked, but he would follow that bear when he entered the yard, and both bear and Manny would watch each other.

 

Adopted on 1/26/2013

Biography:

Manny has had quite a few changes in his seven years, but he’s managed to adjust each time and is eager to please; Manny [3] he’s food-motivated and enjoys doing obedience exercises for treats.

He came to GSRNE from a shelter, and we were told that his former owner had adopted him from there five years ago and was now losing her home to a foreclosure.  The reason he was turned in the first time was due to the owner’s homeowner insurance being canceled because she had a German Shepherd dog.  Sadly, the people didn’t check around for another insurance company.

At one point, Manny lived with 6 children, ages 8-16; and with 2 cats and a Pomeranian, so he’s had a variety of social experiences.

Initially, in foster care, he would race around the fenced yard as though he didn’t know what to do with himself; his Manny [4] foster Mom called it having the “Zoomies.” He would charge at the fence when the neighbor’s dogs were out in their yard barking at him, but can walk past other dogs on leash as long as those dogs are under control.  Manny is constantly learning new words and commands, and he has let us know that he really likes chewing on a bully stick or a marrow bone or playing with a stuffed toy.  When he was given a Kong stuffed with peanut butter, though, he did not show much interest.

Mostly, Manny likes doing things with his humans and is not interested in having another dog for a playmate.  If you’re looking for an active guy who will find you more interesting than anything else in his world, he may be the one you’re looking for!

#389 Chloe

Chloe
GSRNE #389
3/09/2007 – 3/24/2018   

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Password: Chloe

 

In April 2017 Chloe was diagnosed with two types of cancer and due to her age, her oncologist recommended palliative care. Her family told us that if you saw her, you would not believe that anything was wrong. She still enjoyed going outside to play and would shake her squeaky snake for attention. She had almost a year from the time of her diagnosis to enjoy with her loving family before she crossed the bridge in March 2018.

Her family tells us that their only consolation is the fact that Chloe had a very good life with them since they adopted her in 2014 and that she gave them a great deal of love.

Update on 04/28/2016

Chloe 04282016 Sweet Chloe is trying to get some sleep after eating

 

 

 

 

 

 

Update on 07/29/2014

Chloe is doing very well. Chloe’s parents no longer crate her! She knows that she will get a treat as soon as the door is Chloe #389 [3] opened. She will have a lovely fenced yard. As for her medical, her last urine sample about 2 weeks ago showed no infection or crystals. She is off all the meds. If her test results are okay, Chloe’s parents hope to transition her to real dog food!

Adopted on 04/15/2014

Biography
Chloe is a snuggly, friendly female German Shepherd Dog who just wants to be with everybody in the family! Though she can be very excited and jumpy when she meets new people, she’s very friendly with your friends as well as with family.

Chloe_7820 (1) Chloe is a gorgeous black and tan, medium-sized girl. She loves to play, especially keep away or catch me if you can! She is learning that it can be fun to bring back toys, and enjoys a short game of fetch in the house each evening. Though she’s 6 years old, Chloe is still very active. She goes for a two mile walk/jog every day, and would really prefer twice a day. She’s an awesome jogging partner, running easily along with you; she never trips you up. If you are interested in agility, Chloe would love to learn that, too.

Chloe’s got a keen mind and a great food drive so we’ve been using that to teach her new tricks. She’s learning “leave it” when we put down her food dish and already knows basic obedience. She can be a bit pushy and needs someone that will continue her training to keep her intellectually stimulated. She tries very hard to please, and if you use reward based training she catches on quickly.

Chloe wants to be around you, playing with you, sitting with you and snuggling with you. She was given up along with Hank (see “Adoption News” in this issue) by her owners. The dogs were being left alone more than was healthy, and she had developed separation anxiety. Chloe panics when her people aren’t home – perhaps from the amount of time she was left alone previously. If she sees you getting ready to leave, her panic builds, but we’ve managed this well with a routine that puts Chloe in another room for her breakfast where she can’t see our morning routine or us leaving her. This has worked well, and her foster home can leave her for 4-6 hours at a time.

Chloe likes for somebody to assume clear leadership and confidence so that she doesn’t feel abandoned or scaredChloe #389 [2] when the humans aren’t home. When she first came into foster care, Chloe got nervous anytime anyone walked upstairs or out of her sight. Her foster family has worked with Chloe for awhile to help her feel ok when someone is leaving, and she’s made amazing progress!

#365 Zeus

A Zeus-7 dopted on 2/8/2012.

Biography
Zeus is a 10-month old black and tan male. He is a super sweet, friendly guy and likes to play. He needs “all” training—pulls on leash, when excited and wants to get to something, likes to counter surf, jump on people and furniture—new to a crate. He likes new people, interest in new dogs, kids…Sorry Jill, not sure about cats. He came from a shelter as an owner-surrender dog. He is going to be a super GSD for someone, especially once he is trained more

#366 West

Adopted on 2/24/2013

Biography

West has the typical rescue story of an abandoned starving dog who was picked up by animal control and then quietly West-6 passed over at the shelter. On top of the malnutrition, he needed to be shaved while undergoing treatment for flea dermatitis, survived acute bloat and neutering surgery, and developed a very painful ear infection all in a very short period of time.

One would think this poor guy would be a little mad by now, but in fact, he’s quite the opposite. West is a heart throb, a real gentleman by nature. For instance, West will sit and eagerly extend his paw to most people he meets. When he wakes up in the am, he will greet you with a kiss then roll on his back with delight, secretly hoping for belly scratches. He will proudly walk through the neighborhood alongside you or ride cheerfully in the back seat of the car, and has recently shown some interest in swimming. At the end of the day, West will quietly settle by your side or at your feet, affirming his allegiance through adoring eyes.

West is a fairly calm companion, and barks only occasionally. He fits in nicely with most other dogs, but cats seem to push his buttons, and he will chase, mouth, and paw them, so a home without cats will be best for West.

West will continue to need basic obedience training but is very eager to learn and to please. For instance, West still feels he can help himself to food on the counter, but he is quickly learning that foraging for food is no longer necessary.

#367 Touser

Adopted on 4/12/2013

Biography

This handsome boy was turned into a shelter after his family felt too overwhelmed to care for him along with their young Touser-1 children. Realizing what a wonderful dog Touser was, the shelter called GSRNE for help.
At only 5 years old Touser is still energetic and loves to play fetch. His ideal play date would involve someone throwing a ball for him for hours on end! He rides great in the car, likes going on errands, and enjoys going to the dog park. Wherever he goes he’s happy and constantly wagging his tail.

Touser loves being with his foster family and is very affectionate. He’s eager to please and is very well mannered. He knows sit, stay, walks well on a leash, and comes when called. He gets along with other dogs although he prefers the company of people. He would be okay with a dog-savvy cat but will chase them if given the opportunity. He’s friendly when meeting strangers and tends to gravitate towards women.

Touser has been diagnosed with Pannus, a lifelong eye condition that can be managed with eye drops. Touser sits willingly when getting his drops and is rewarded with a treat each time. His eyes are sensitive to the sun and his foster dad is working on getting him used to wearing Doggles for eye protection.

#369 Madison (Maddie)

Adopted on 4/27/2013

Biography
Madison is a super sweet and friendly girl. Her first reaction to new dogs is bark and hackles up, but she warms right up and is friendly wanting to play with the dogs. She knows how to sit, is crate trained (previous owner said), but needs a lot of training as she pulls on the leash and jumps on people. I wanted to take her home. She has a nice, prancey gait, left ear flops, and her front paws look like they turn out a bit, but she is wonderful!