Residents
PUMPKIN – ARRIVED 2021
Pumpkin, a Boston Terrier/Chihuahua mix, came to us from The Colony Animal Services in July of 2021. She was fourteen years old at the time. She had already had one eye removed when she was surrendered to the shelter. The reason for removal was unknown. However, the shelter veterinarian determined that Pumpkin had very little vision in the remaining eye due to glaucoma and so that eye was removed as well. On top of this, her intake medical examination performed by our veterinarian found that Pumpkin was also dealing with congestive heart failure. Her medications are working well to keep comfortable and happy.
In spite of these medical issues, Pumpkin is an amazingly energetic dog – that is, when she is not sleeping. I don’t think we have ever seen a dog that sleeps so deeply!! So deeply, in fact, that you can pick her up and move her from room to room and she won’t wake up!! But when she is awake and ready for a walk, her gear changes to fast – as fast as possible.
Pumpkin may not have any eyes but that doesn’t stop her from finding the treats. We hide them in a snuffle mat and of all the dogs at Dog Lodge, Pumpkin can find them the fastest. In fact, her nose works so well, that if we put treats near her when she is sleeping, she will wake up, and immediately work her way towards them. Without fail, she will find all of them. Then, she eats them and goes back to sleep!
At the age of sixteen, Pumpkin certainly shows no signs of slowing down. She gets along with everyone, both human and canine companions. She is a wonderful addition to our resident group. She is an absolute sweetheart and we are so happy that she has come to live with us.
GRADY – ARRIVED 2022
Grady is a Chihuahua/terrier mix who comes to us from the Humane Society of North Texas, Saxe-Forte Animal Shelter in Fort Worth. He is the sweetest little guy who was rescued from a hoarding situation. As is typical for the dogs coming into Dog Lodge, he is not only a senior, but he has some physical problems that he is dealing with too. The list of issues includes an inguinal hernia, dental disease, a heart murmur, an old pelvic fracture, degenerative joint disease of the neck, elbow, lumbar spine and hips, and chronic allergic dermatitis probably from a flea allergy. He weighs in at 13.5 lbs.
After going through his intake medical examination at ABC Animal and Bird Clinic in Sugar Land, Grady started his 10-day quarantine at our clinic at Dog Lodge. And then he met the other residents. We have a tried-and-true protocol for introducing the dogs and Grady was accepted into the group with no problems at all.
Grady is a funny little man who walks with a very distinct limp. He takes pain meds to help ease his discomfort and gets a medicated bath every week to help the skin on his back which had turned black and hard. It’s working!! The hair is already starting to grow back.
Grady is enjoying all the attention and “lovin’” that he is getting from the staff and volunteers. His favorite bed is the one that sits on top of a Kuranda bed. He climbs up to it as if he were scaling a mountain. He lies on top surveying everything and everyone around him, totally content.
My thanks go to Vanessa and Danielle from Humane Society of North Texas, first for reaching out to us about Grady and then for driving him from Fort Worth to Fairfield where I met them. Thank you for helping to make Grady’s transition so smooth. Thank you for what you do….
BAYZIL – ARRIVED 2021
Bayzil, originally from New Mexico, comes to Dog Lodge Sanctuary via Camo Rescue in Houston. He is a senior, black Miniature Schnauzer mix. Bayzil has the sweetest personality – very quiet, very gentle… Certainly, he has had his fair share of medical issues including a ruptured eardrum and hearing deficit, and sadly, his vision has begun to fail him.
While Bayzil gets along with all the dogs, it seems that he would rather stay with staff and volunteers. He happily follows them around and everyone has learned not to leave anything lying around because this inquisitive old man will get into it in a flash.
Bayzil is a happy addition to our residents’ group. We are delighted to have him with us…
CHARLIE – ARRIVED 2019
Charlie was living on the street, roaming with a group of dogs, when Rachel Swift saw him and rescued him. She took him in and had a preliminary vet evaluation done and then contacted us to see if he might be a candidate for the Dog Lodge program. It took a while but after we were able to meet Charlie and do our behavioral evaluation, we decided that he would be a perfect fit for Dog Lodge.
Charlie is as sweet as they come. He wants love, love, and more love. He is so gentle and patient. For a dog that was roaming the streets, he is amazingly well adjusted and has fit in beautifully with the other residents.
Our medical evaluation showed that Charlie is high heartworm positive. We are giving him his prep meds in order to begin heartworm treatment. Additionally, X-rays showed that Charlie’s hip problems, originally diagnosed as dysplasia before he arrived at Dog Lodge, are actually the result of traumatic injury to his hip that healed improperly. The nature of the injury leads us to believe that he was probably hit by a car. The hip is so badly injured that Charlie is not a candidate for a standard hip replacement, but rather he would need to have a much more sophisticated surgery to rebuild the whole hip. In the meantime, we have him on meds to keep him comfortable and as pain free as possible. Surprisingly, his condition only slows him down a little bit. He has learned to bunny hop and he still loves to go on short walks.
This is one happy pooch, and we are thrilled to have him with us.
JADE – ARRIVED 2020
Missy and Jade are 13 ½ -year-old full sisters who came to us from Sadler, Texas. They have lived together for all their lives and are completely bonded. If they are separated for too long, they fret terribly so we have accommodated them in every way possible. They eat side-by-side in their room and share a bedroom at night. We usually see them sleeping on the same dog bed or on side-by-side beds – always within sight of each other. However, they also grumble a lot! With seemingly no provocation, they will face each other and grinch and growl. It’s actually very cute to watch since they don’t do anything else except make a lot of noise and then, as suddenly as it started, it stops, and they wag their tails and lick each other’s muzzles. Just two old spinster sisters…
Missy and Jade are a Black Mouth Cur/Catahoula Leopard mix. They were somewhat overweight when they arrived and so they have been on strict diets. Both girls were given complete workups at our vet clinic prior to entering Dog Lodge. Both had their teeth cleaned. Specifically, Jade had a problem with an upper incisor, so it was removed. She also had a tumor on her left eyelid that was removed. Radiographs showed that Missy has spondylosis and degenerative joint disease, but she manages very well right now. Jade is the one who walks with more difficulty but perhaps that is because she is a tad more overweight than Missy.
Both Missy and Jade have fit into the Dog Lodge group beautifully. They are both so sweet and love their walks and cuddles. They adapted very quickly to their new home and the routines and are settled and relaxed. They look like they have lived here forever. We are happy to have them with us and delighted to have been given the opportunity to care for these retirees.
UPDATE AS OF DECEMBER 2022 – Jade is now 16 years old. We lost Missy several months ago. Jade is slowing down a lot, but she still loves to run in the yard and chase the deer. Sometimes she stops in the middle of the yard as if she forgets what it was she was doing. We love this old girl. She continues to have a unique personality and has become the senior matriarch of Dog Lodge
MARTIN – ARRIVED 2018
Martin and Maxtoo lived together in less than favorable conditions until their owner could no longer care for them. They have come to us as a bonded pair. Of the two, Martin was in somewhat better physical condition when he joined us. He has several oral issues that need to be attended to but has made the adjustment to his new home very well. Martin loves exploring when he is out on his walks. He is a bundle of joy who cannot get enough rubs, scratches and hugs from our volunteers. He certainly has a knack for putting a smile on your face….
UPDATE AS OF JANUARY 2020 – We are sad to say that we lost Maxtoo a couple of months ago. Martin continues to be the loving sweetheart that he has always been (with a touch of OCD behavior thrown in for good measure). He has become a happy member of our K-9 Family.
WOLFIE – ARRIVED 2018
Wolfie is a senior Chihuahua who has all kinds of personality. He came to us from the Houston Humane Society and has been a wonderful addition to our group. After a very nervous beginning, Wolfie has settled in and there is rarely a time when his tail is not wagging. He loves to be in a lap and scratching his neck gently will put him to sleep.
Wolfie loves to explore in the yards – he trots around with his nose in the air catching all the scents in the air keeping watch for the deer who graze at the edge of the woods. If he sees one, then he suddenly changes to his “Great Dane” persona, barking his warning that the deer had better not approach.
Visitors need to let Wolfie approach them. He feels more comfortable if he initiates the contact. But once he knows someone, they too get the loving greeting and snuggles that the little fellow bestows on his people.
JET – ARRIVED 2019
Jet is a 48 lb. old black Labrador Retriever. She entered the Dog Lodge program on the 21st of September, 2019 and we are delighted to have her with us.
In 2017, Jet began to show signs of ambulatory paralysis of the lower hind legs. She went through an initial medical evaluation during which x-rays of her spine were taken. They did not show any obvious fractures or other potential causes for her problem. Over a period of 3 days, her condition progressed to non-ambulatory paraparesis. She was referred to the veterinary hospital at TX A&M. An MRI revealed cyst-like lesions located centrally within her spinal cord. The sacs in the lesions were filled with a fluid which was drained.
Unfortunately, no one has been able to determine why Jet developed the cystic lesions and though all were hopeful that removing the fluid may have ultimately led to her regaining the use of her hind legs, that has not been the case.
Jet is a loving dog with the sweetest personality. Cuddling is one of her favorite activities. She loves everyone she meets, and all the Dog Lodge residents have welcomed her into the group with open paws.
Jet has been measured for her wheelchair and given the amount of energy she has, we have no doubt that once she is on wheels, she is going to be back on the move once again. “Jet” is a perfect name for this gal – it’s hard to keep up with her when we have her out with an assist lift. We can only imagine how fast she’s going to be on 2 legs and 2 wheels!
We are so happy that Jet has joined our family at Dog Lodge. She is a wonderful example for all of us – no matter what life throws at you, keep moving forward…
SUGAR – ARRIVED 2018
Sugar is a Chihuahua who is as gentle and loving as can be. She can be a little nervous when she is new to a situation but, given a little time, she settles in nicely. Everybody is her friend. Sugar loves to sleep in a lap but, more than that, she loves massaging rubs especially on the back of her neck and on her tummy.
Just like Wolfie, Sugar loves to explore outside – but she does it very slowly and deliberately. We make sure that we have lots of time when we walk her because it’s walk for 30 seconds and sniff for 2 minutes, walk for 30 seconds and sniff for 2 minutes. Oh well, does it really matter if she’s enjoying herself?
Sugar wants to be held and loved on all the time. This absolutely sweet little girl will put a smile on your face.
