Dec 10, 20244 min read

Our 2024 Christmas letter

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year to our PomRescue.com family, friends and supporters!

Thank you so much for your donations, support and prayers over the years!

I wanted to to update you on what has been going on with us this past year.

2024 was a ‘doozy’!

Our latest rescue, Trooper has been quite the challenge. He was turned in to Greenville County animal control when he was picked up as a stray in an apartment complex. When I saw his shelter pic being all bones, scabs and no fur, I knew we had to help. The shelter worker brought him out to me wrapped in a fleece blanket. When she told me I could just keep the blanket, I knew he must be even worse than the pic, and he was. The entire trip home he chewed and scratched at his skin.

I have been on a mission for ten months to try to find the right treatments to get him to be a normal, healthy boy.

We have seen three vets. He has had skin scrapings, fungal cultures, mange tests and extensive blood work. The vet did not consider him strong enough to have a neuter or a dental. We have tried numerous allergy pills and shots. I have bathed him in MANY different medicated and soothing shampoos. I have used ointments, creams, rinses and topical meds on his skin. I am even careful about the detergent I wash his blankets, beds and clothes in and even give them an extra rinse. I have tried numerous skin specific dog foods/vitamins/supplements. All these months, he has had to wear long sleeved, surgical suits that button up the back to keep him from chewing and scratching. At our most recent vet visit, Trooper was prescribed a very expensive hydrolyzed protein, prescription diet. For about three weeks, I thought it was working, but then he was back to the itching, scratching and then vomiting.

Recently, I have been watching YouTube videos on dog skin allergies and nutrition and the link to a dog’s gut health. I have come up with a home made diet, and a topical oil rub consisting of seven various oils. For the last several days this seem to be working. He has not had to go back for an allergy shot and has been sleeping all night with out scratching. I am praying this is the break we have been looking for! As far as his personality, he is so loving. However his nickname is ‘Chupa’. Shortened from ‘Chupacabra’. As he is one tough, little, loud, opinionated dude! ‘Chupa’ has been a full time job, but he is worth all the work and cost and we love him to pieces.

Timber (the rescued Border CollieX), is as healthy as can be and she and Chief (German Shepherd) are good for each other. I cannot imagine her in a home that did not have someone to wrestle and chase with in a big back yard, and with someone home all day!

She is so smart and VERY active! Timber is gradually over coming her fears of vacuums, and things that make noise and have a motor…

She still does not like to ride in a car. Unfortunately she was bit by a Copperhead in the face and neck this summer. The snake actually got three bites! We noticed her face swelling right after it happened and quickly got her to an ER clinic. Timber is fully recovered and has no lasting issues. It was very scary.

Buddy is still doing well. When we rescued him, with him being old, blind and deaf, I thought he was a hospice case. However that boy has been the healthiest, and happiest of pups. I wish I could relax and be as happy as he is!

Wolf is still our ‘wild Wolf’ and runs with ‘the big dogs’, Timber and Chief. He has not slowed down a bit and still stirs up trouble every chance he gets….

Speaking of Trouble… We lost Trouble this Fall. His age, and diabetes caught up with him. He had been with us, the longest of all of our rescues….fourteen years. I miss him every day.

Back in July, Ronnie and I contracted Covid. Ronnie was over it in a couple of weeks. When I thought I was over it, I got it AGAIN! It’s called ‘Covid Rebound’. So I had it the whole month of July and into August. It was AWFUL. Our sweet Ryder had aged and slowed down a lot but when I was sick, I noticed he was having a runny nose and cold symptoms as well. Then he collapsed and passed unexpectedly. I wonder now if he had gotten Corona(Covid) from us? It was heart breaking. I had thought we would have him at least three more years! I miss his funny, expressive eyes and constant barking…He was quite a character.

Then last early Spring, our little blind and diabetic Lucy, stopped eating. I tried coaxing her with everything, but it turned out she was in renal failure and we had to make the difficult decision to end her suffering. We loved that baby girl to pieces and it was so hard to lose her.

Also in the Spring I had to have both eyes operated on for cataracts. It was not fun, but I am very thankful that I can see better. It is true that you don’t know what you can’t see until you can see it!

Our latest news was that we were very much affected by Hurricane Helene and lost power for nine days. It hit our neighborhood hard and we lost at least twenty trees on just our property. It looked like a tornado came through. Thankfully, we had no structural damage (only to our fence) and no one was hurt. We came to know lots of our neighbors that we had not yet met. Many of which pulled together to get our roads opened back up.

During all this, we learned many lessons about sustainability and the importance of having REAL BOOKS to read when you have no power or internet. Never under estimate BOOKS!

All right, speaking of books, I didn’t mean to write one here,

but maybe some day…

We wish you and your’s the happiest of Holidays and may 2025 be even better than 2024! God bless you.

Big hugs-

Elaine, Ronnie

and all the

Dogs of PomRescue.com