Special Report!

Whoa- what a week we had. I'm sure you remember my last post and how my Bentman is acting weird? Due to circumstances out of our control, we haven't made it to the Doctor yet. He has been acting more normal but I know he's not up to par so we are going tomorrow since last weeks appointment had to be postponed. I'll  update the results later this week.

This is the scoop- Texas Airedale Rescue Team's Houston coordinator's Mom went to heaven. So I took over a possible owner turn in (male Airedale- approx. 3 yrs old and neutered) at the Harris County Shelter. The hard thing was that I wasn't on the approved pull list for TART at this shelter. No big deal, I made some calls and got a friend from the Golden Beginnings Golden Retriever Rescue to give me some advice. Thank doG for her and other wonderful people in rescue that guided me through that day. There were a few strange problems such as another group that was a mixed breed rescue with the same name as another in a town in North Texas that had put a hold on the boy 'Dale. Then of course the lovely automated phone sytem that the county uses at the shelter had me calling trying to get through for 3 hours off and on that morning. Then the news that he been given to another group that has a large number of dogs that already needed to be placed. It was a mess and I didn't want to step on toes but for the first time in many years our group TART is down to one Airedale in Rescue so we have foster homes waiting and even have some adoptive families ready. Great news, huh? Anyway- after a lot of finagling, calls, and driving from one end of Houston to the other three times, I gave money to the other rescue group to get him at five minutes to 5PM that day. He had been taken to another shelter outside of Houston. That group had shaved him down NAKED- no beard, no HAIRE and charged a lot of money for it. Strangeness was everywhere with this situation. But it is OK, he is with the TART group now where Airedales are put in wonderful homes that know the ins and outs of the breed! Poor boy didn't have a name. They were calling him Ted of course, then the other rescue named him Callahan. I just called him Pretty Boy because Bless his heart, you just knew he was confused with all his haire gone and being transported all over tarnation by strangers.

So Pretty Boy came home to our house late that afternoon and spent the night with our family. Kinda skinny because his previous humans had moved and left him in the backyard to fend for himself. Did they forget about him? Did they think someone would step up and rescue him? I don't know. Some people just piss me off.  He is so sweet and was a really good boy while he was here overnight. He drank and ate food like he was rationing it for the future, kind of like he didn't know if he would get any more. So sad. He was really good with our 4-legged's through the outside kennel fence and while he was in the crate in the house though Roux wondered why she didn't get to sleep in her crate that night. She laid there and stared at him for quite awhile. She got to sleep un-crated that night with the Bentman.

The next morning Kris and I left for Austin/ Georgetown to transport him to our contact there where a foster family was waiting. We drove through a Whataburger in the AM because hamburgers are our middle name. Pretty Boy ate a dry hamburger gently and politely out of our hands and drank his water like a gentleman. Obviously someone in his past had worked with him. He knows the command to sit, he is gentle, and he never once jumped up on us. He does have a great big booming voice! On our way to the hill country we had to stop and get gas and let him out for some exercise. The bikers rally R.O.T. was starting in Austin Friday and bikers on Harley's were everywhere. He never batted an eye and was even excited when they revved up their bikes at the gas station. So on we went to Georgetown and turned him over to Tom at the boarding facility. Nice place- aire conditioning and everything. They have stuffed Airedale toys that I am coveting. Anyway, Pretty Boy put on his best manners and never looked back as he went with Tom to his overnight room. The next day Pretty Boy was picked up by his foster family which may become his new Forever family. Blessings abound and Life is good!

Have a great week!

Karen Raye

These are the before and after pictures. Hard to imagine, huh?