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!
We hope that you have seen posts and videos of our latest rescue, Timber. When I saw her online at the Greenville County animal shelter, I just ‘had a feeling’ that she was supposed to come to us. All I saw was a pic of her head, and she looked like a black and white Pom mix. When I emailed them asked for more information, I received a reply back and was informed by the shelter that we were her ‘confirmed rescue’. I took that as a sign that we indeed were meant to be her life line. They were calling her ‘Unicorn’. We guessed it was because she was a 'rare one' and has a spot on top of her head. Honestly, we had no idea what we were getting in to. Turns out, that according to her donated DNA test, ‘Unicorn’ is a ‘rare' Border Collie, Rat Terrier, and Boxer mix! I could see the BC but would have never guessed in a thousand years the RT and Boxer parts! I was guessing she was a ‘Borgi’, a mix of BC and Corgi. In any case she was heart worm positive and needed help.
The first few weeks were full of surprises. We found out that she is fearful of storms and at the first sign of them, runs around the house barking like she wants to fight the storm. No one needs the weather report with Timber around!
She was also GREATLY alarmed by motors, ie: lawn mowers, weed eaters, edgers, blowers, mixers, vacuum cleaners, printers, hair dryers….well… you get the picture. You had to remove her from the area with the item or she would attack it. You don’t want to be holding a hair dryer when she does that! Slowly, but surely, we have worked with her and then Chief has been a calming influence on her. Today I was stirring up waffle mix with a hand mixer and realized she was not paying it any attention! It a wonderful revelation to see how far she has come in just a few short months.
I had no idea about the INTENSITY of a Border Collie. When they get ‘fixed’ on something, it is a challenge to redirect her. It took no time for Timber and Chief to hit it off and play, but it took longer for her and Wolf to come to an understanding. He is a growly boy and wayyyy too big for his britches. I was really worried he was going to start something with her that he could not finish. Then one day, I realized that they had all accepted each other and were one big happy pack. It was a relief and did not realize how stressful it has been until we were past it.
Now it’s hard to imagine how it was before Timber.
Kelsey, and Tundra(14) passed this year. Both were seniors.
I will never forget when Kelsey was dumped at a high volume, ‘kill shelter’, right before Christmas. The reason her family gave was they were ‘getting a puppy and did not want to deal with her anymore’. She was the sweetest looking dog I have ever seen. I don’t know what happened to her before, but she bit me that first day, badly, and then went after Ronnie. I lost count of how many times she bit me over the next 7 years. Most times, when she bit, it just never made any sense.
She loved Ronnie and he was her person, and he loved her. I loved her too, but she was the most mentally damaged dog that I have ever seen. Earlier in this year when her Dementia progressed to such that she would no longer eat and could not walk, she got her wings. I know that she is happy and whole now in Heaven.
Tundra was our tiniest little Pom. We had her 8 years and she had been a breeder surrender. Painfully shy, she was always my girl. Toothless and tiny, she was still a bossy member of the pack, and I miss her every day!
Trouble, Ryder, Lucy, Wolf, and Buddy are doing about the same as last year.
Trouble is 14 now and more frail. He and Lucy are still on insulin twice a day. It is so expensive, that the cost has caused us to have to slow down on rescue intakes. As with Timber, you just never know what you are in for.
We decided on the ‘slow kill’ method for treating Timber's heart worms. You just have to see her running around to know that massive doses of the heart dewormer- that could cause strokes- would not be a good thing for her! Kenneling her and hand walking her is just not an option. She shows no signs of heart worms at all, so I think we have made the right decision.
I updated the PomRescue.com website this summer. It was an emotional thing for me. Years of pics and posts were copied and archived so they would not be forever lost. It took a while. Wordpress had just gotten too expensive so I switched us over to Wix and it has been a refreshing change. I hope you like it.
We wish you and your’s the happiest of Holidays and may 2024 be even better than 2023! God bless you.
Big hugs-
Elaine, Ronnie, Chief, Timber,
and all the
Poms of