Success Stories

I just wanted to send a little update on Moxie (now known as Whiskey).
She's very friendly, extremely well mannered and a really fast learner! We have only had her for a few days but she has already learned her name and found her cozy spot on the couch :) Her favorite toys right now are a stuffed duck and a cheeseburger. She loves to follow us everywhere and if we leave the room for too long she starts to cry a little bit. She sleeps in the bed with us and is such a great snuggler. We are so happy to have her in our lives, she's absolutely perfect for us- we are like the three musketeers. We are looking forward to lots of laughs and adventures together.

Shes so funny, she really enjoys people and furry friends of all variety. Even when little bitty chihuahuas get a little feisty, growl and snap at her she just looks at them with her head cocked to one side, still wagging her tail like "what's the matter, don't you wanna play with me??"

We are so happy to have her and are hoping to maybe get a second rescue pup this summer so she will have a playmate. We look forward to adopting from you guys again in the future!

We loooove Whiskey! Shes just a sweetheart, she's so mellow when we are inside and just wants to snuggle up together all day but then once we are outside shes super energetic and playful and can play fetch for hours. I think it's so funny how she can go from mellow to wild so easily and knows how to stay calm in the house. She's already learned how to ring the bells hanging on the back door when she wants to go out- she loves to drag her stuffed duck outside and proudly shows it to the boy next door thru the fence. She loves children, our friends son Max came over the other day- hes 5 years old and was eating a donut. He was very impressed that Whiskey didn't try to snatch it away from him but instead kept dropping her ball at his feet and pushing it towards him with her nose- wanting him to play. So cute!

We will keep an eye out for any more big dogs that you may have available for adoption this late spring/summer. We would like something as big as her or bigger and with short hair because I am a leukemia survivor- as little dust/pet hair/irritants as possible is best for my immune system.

We are so thankful for you guys and the guy who found her! Thanks again for everything you do! Love and puppy kisses, Andi, Richard and Whiskey

Since we've had Knickers (renamed to Miles) just over a week, I thought I'd send you a quick update to let you know how he's doing. Miles has been fabulous so far!  He was perfect in the car on the 3.5 hour drive home, and with the exception of getting carsick once, he slept quietly the entire drive home.  He met our cat and though our cat (Martin) was a little unsure of the rambunctious puppy at first, they quickly made friends and are constantly chasing each other around the house.

Miles has met all of our (vaccinated) extended families dogs and has done really well.  All of them have been much bigger than him, and he would get nervous at first but settles down quickly and just wants to play.  I will make an appointment to have his third set of shots given next week, and then we'll be able to take him out to meet other strange dogs and I'll sign him up for a puppy obedience class.  He already knows "sit," "off," and "come," and is working on others.  He's very smart and learns very quickly.  Being food motivated helps a bit too :)

I'm very happy with him, and am so glad that you let us adopt him! Thank you, Chelsea

Bandit is doing great! Although I changed his name to Suds (something I've wanted to name my dog for some time)
 
He's very well behaved and he is the best puppy I could imagine. I don't kennel him so he's chewed some stuff here and there in my house...no big deal, he's still learning what he can and can't do. Aside from that he's great. He walks really well on the leash, I take him to dog parks almost every day. He plays well with other dogs. He's not a barker. He's a bit shy around new people but nothing to extreme. I've been commended on how calm he is quite a bit.

He's getting pretty big too, he's already just about 70lbs! I wanna say he's a Shepherd/Lab mix with maybe some Sharpei in there as well, just because he's got that wrinkley face and lots of extra skin around his neck still.

Thanks again, he's made everyone very happy!
 
Happy Holidays,
Joe

As we come up on her first birthday, I want you all to now what a great dog Ursula is.  She loves every living thing and most of the inanimate ones as well.  Happy Holidays to all of you and all the animals too. Don

We wanted to send you an update on our little success story, Olive.  We picked her up at eight tiny weeks in November, 2010, when she was still called Bess by her foster mom, Claire.  We had lost our beloved boy five months prior, and our surviving dog, Indigo, would lie on her bed and moan all day, every day for those five months.  And then came Olive.

Olive and Indigo became fast friends, cuddling together as soon as Olive came home.  She’s a hilarious ball of energy.  She turned out to be a Jack Russell mix—not what we expected, but we wouldn’t have it any other way.  Her 29 lbs. just make her more pick-up-able and cuddle-able.  She’s incredibly smart, agile, and loyal.  Her funniest trick is the “Oprah”, an enthusiastic two-pawed handshake.  We absolutely love our little Olive, and we think she’s happy with us, too.  We still aren’t sure who rescued whom.  Thank you for all you do, and thank you for bringing Olive into our lives. 

Rod, Lisa, and Indigo

Just wanted to let you all know Teddie has settled in well and has finally quit peeing on the carpet-takes herself out to the back yard through the doggy door. Bought her a set of doggy steps so she can climb on the sofa by herself, and it didn't take long for her to figure those out.

Teddie follows me around all of the time, and doesn't like me to get out of her sight.  She comes to work with me the three days I work and she is such a good little girl while in the office.  Also, bought her a doggy car-seat so she can see out as we roll down the roads.  So glad I am able to provide her with a warm, loving home. Happy holidays! Nancy Sjoberg  

We adopted Ozzie (formerly George) at Woofstock this year, 2011. When we adopted him the paperwork said he was 5 years old, but when I took him to his first vet appt. they said he couldn't be more than 2 at the most! So lucky us, we have a lot more time with him:)

He is just the cutest, best little guy. His favorite things are peanut butter, the dog park, bananas, and curling up on the couch. His least favorite things are being left alone (he won't have it), water, and having his feet touched (eww feet, right).

We really feel like we couldn't have gotten a better little dog for us. Thank you so much from the bottom of our hearts. Emma, Barry & Ozzie

I wanted to update Stella's foster mom on how she's doing. She just recently got her spay, so she's been extra babied! She is doing very well and we cant wait til she can get her stitches out. She has such an "i'm the boss" attitude, that she doesnt enjoy her stitches very much lol! Here are some new pix of her. She is currently 6 months old.

This is Me, Stella (making a silly face), My boyfriend Sylvester, and my grandma's dog snoop. He and Stella are best friends! The bottom one is her firts snow fall. She loves the snow!

Just wanted to share with you and your team, that Bear is good, happy and healthy! and has become a family member 100% - he has many friends human and lot's of four legged ones too!

And honestly, I love this boy to pieces!!! I was given a birthday gift from my 'crew' for photos of Bear!  and I had to share :): thanks Pennie

We adopted one of the 6 older puppies you had that were Bassett/Airedale mixes. I promised I would send you and email to let you know how he was doing, so here it is!

We named him Grizzly, or more commonly Grizzly Bear. This turned out to be a fitting name as he grows older. He now weighs about 65 pounds, is 26" to the top of his shoulders and 35" long, but in a full stretch he is 65" from paws to the end of his tail. His hair never fully grew back on his nose but it all adds to his character and overwhelming cuteness. When we tell people his name is Grizzly, everyone says, "that makes sense." :) His beard is bright red and he's got more white hairs every day. We aren't quite sure what he'll look like at the end of each week. 

He has impressed us over and over from the minute we got him home. He had a hard task in front of him with an 8 story elevator ride to the nearest patch of grass but within a week, he never again had any accidents. He's never chewed on anything but his toys and he even waits patiently until his food is all ready. He is super friendly to everyone and every dog, no matter what size. He gets extra excited around little kids. He graduated obedience class with flying colors and was even invited back for agility classes because he was such a quick learner! He loves hiking, though we haven't been able to convince him to jump in any water yet. 

How is the rest of his pack? We hope you were able to adopt all of them out. Grizzly has been an amazing addition to the family in all ways. Thanks again so much,

Zane and Jessica

Rescue Community Comes Together to
Save Multiple Dogs, Cats and Horses

This past June, 2011, Yakima Valley Pet Rescue received a desperate call requesting help to save 8 Alaskan Malamutes, 2 mixed breed dogs, several cats and 3 horses in imminent danger of being shot by an irate and frustrated neighbor.  On a Wednesday, a homeowner’s nephew contacted YVPR and told a volunteer that his uncle had recently been diagnosed with cancer and left for Seattle to seek immediate treatment leaving his pets behind with limited resources.  Evidently the dogs had a history of barking which was an irritant to this neighbor, but his solution was to dig a large hole with a backhoe (which he had already done) and dump them in it while the owner was away.  The frantic family member stated “The neighbor has given us until Friday to find a place for the animals or he is going to shoot them.” 

Phone calls and emails started flying and the next day Board Members Shelley Cort and Bev Mitchell, along with longtime YVPR volunteers, Mike and Marian Flory arrived to evaluate the animals as well as  assess the situation to see how best to go about getting help for these animals…quickly. All 10 dogs were living outside in separate pens, the cats had overrun the house and the horses were in a neglected pasture.  It was apparent that the owner cared deeply for his animals, but had obviously become overwhelmed with his own health issues, the living conditions had deteriorated badly in recent weeks for these loved but neglected animals. 

Assessment of the Malamutes was daunting as these 8 dogs rarely came into contact with strangers nor had they ever interacted with each other, therefore some were very territorial.   Only the mixed breed dogs, a very old looking Rottweiler mix and a white shepherd mix, were kenneled together.  The largest male was over 100 pounds, none of the dogs were spayed or neutered and the ones who weren’t territorial displayed fear of strangers, hiding in their dog houses.  These factors made assessments of these dogs potentially dangerous to the YVPR volunteers.

Photographs were taken to email in order to send to other rescue groups as part of the effort to locate available foster homes.  Assessment of the disposition of each dog began starting with the most timid.   Dog houses were upended so they couldn’t hide, and one by one each dog was leashed and handled until the volunteers got to the last three, the largest male and the two mixed breed dogs.  Initial assessment of these three didn’t look promising, they were frightened and confused at their recent abandonment as well as nervous of all the activity and attention from strangers.  The last three dogs showed territorial dominance and what appeared to be fear aggression; the volunteers would have to move slow and be patient in gaining their trust.  After a few hours, the volunteers were rewarded for their patience, and gained the trust of the last three dogs proving them to be salvageable and deserving of rescue.

An agreement was made with the neighbor to give YVPR at least a week to find a place for the animals. 
Then calls and emails went out to the rescue community with the subject line: “URGENT dogs are to be shot if not rescued!”.   The response was amazing, besides Mike and Marian Flory taking two malamutes to their home that night, by Friday, Lynn Paquette of Pacific Northwest Border Collie Rescue arrived to transport 3 dogs to the Seattle area.  She took on one of the dogs until an appropriate Malamute foster home could be found and drove two others to Puget Sound Rescue. 

On Saturday, WAMAL (Washington Alaskan Malamute Adoption League) had several people drive to the Yakima area to meet YVPR volunteers at the property to further assess and evaluate the Malamutes. WAMAL agreed to pay for kennel services if the remaining dogs could be in Kent, WA by 6:00 PM that same evening.  So began a race with the clock.  At 1:00 PM, Mike Flory arrived with his horse trailer, and Marian and Bev met him shortly after that, bringing extra-large crates from the YVPR office to transport the dogs in.  With a deadline of 6:00 PM, Mike took off with assurances from Marion that she would get directions to the kennel and send them to him while on the road.  Lynn Paquette helped out once again, meeting Mike in Kent to help unload the Malamutes.

The owner, his daughter and her husband as well as the nephew, all assisted with preparing the animals for transport.  It was extremely hard for the owner to let go of his pets, especially his Malamutes, but he agreed, knowing it was the best thing for all of concerned.  After meeting all the rescue folks, he was reassured that his dogs would be well cared for and they would be transported safely.  On Sunday, Mike drove his tractor to the property and filled the hole the neighbor had dug.  Marian and Mike brought home the remaining two mixed breed dogs to be fostered.  This left only the three horses to be rescued.  A local horse rescuer was contacted and came daily to work with the horses, getting them gentled and prepared to transport.  Several local cat rescuers also arrived and began gathering the cats and kittens.  

During one brief weekend in June, many hands came together to save these animals.  A person was prevented from unnecessarily shooting the animals and we hope has a better understanding of what animal rescue can accomplish.  An owner can now focus on his health, cancer treatments and family.  And all of the animals have been adopted or are safe in foster homes.  The old Rottweiler mix was accepted into Old Dog Haven Rescue and was adopted by 2 wonderful people from Rottweiler Rescue.  The white shepherd mix was transferred to K9 Rescue and Rehabilitation in Redmond and found a forever home with a loving couple in Seattle.

 The rescue community is an amazing group of dedicated volunteers who unselfishly spend their hard earned money and time saving animals.  The family of the owner wishes to extend their sincere and heartfelt thanks to all the people who helped in this rescue effort.

We recently adopted Juno, and wanted to thank you for bringing her into our lives. She has quickly integrated into our family and lives, and we could not be happier with her. She is a real sweet heart and incredibly well adjusted and confident. She loves her new dog pals, the dog park and spent a fun-filled week end at our beach house.
 
Please forward this message to Juno's foster mom. I lost her email she gave us at the Bellevue Petsmart adoption fair. We would love to keep in touch with her for periodic updates if she is amenable to that. I've included a few recent pics of Juno.
 
Steve Duniho

Doesn’t he look innocent?

We adopted Tucker from you one year ago today.  At that time his name was Diesel. Thank you for choosing us to be his forever family. He has had many adventures during his year with us. He has been to the dog park and met new friends. He has also been camping and loved every minute of it. He goes on daily walks with his sister Talley. We have 40-50 acres behind our house that started out to be a housing development but was never finished. It's a perfect place to walk dogs!!  There is one story I would like to share with you on our year with Tucker.  One Tuesday night we paid our caregiver $50 for watching our boys.  Later that night she called and said she couldn't find her money.  She was wondering if she left it on the kitchen table, kitchen counter or did it fall out in the driveway. We looked and looked and no money.  On Thursday morning when I was walking Tucker and Talley, Tucker needed to stop and go to the bathroom. While he was doing that I thought I would send my husband a text message. I happened to look up and thought to myself "What just came out of Tucker"!! I walked over after he was finished and saw our caregivers $50!!  I started laughing so hard I couldn't stand up. The look on Tuckers face was priceless. I called our caregiver and asked her if she ever found her $50. She said no.  I told her I believe Tucker ate it!!  We offered her the choice of another repayment of $50 or she could have Tucker.  Thankfully she took the repayment of $50.  We just couldn't imagine our lives without him. He has brought us so much joy and laughter.  Thank you again for choosing us to be his forever family. He is truly a loved and cherished member.

Sincerely,  Sean, Shelly, Tate, Tanner, Talley and Tucker Murray

Just wanted to thank you, YVPR and the kind woman who actually rescued "Betty". My mother has now named Betty "Sadie". As you can see, Sadie is well on her way to a long and happy life.   Thank You! Meshell

Thank you for such a wonderful dog. I love Mattie so much, he goes everywhere with me, loves being on the go. But sometimes I say let’s go and he will turn around and go outside on the deck and lay down, so that means he wishes to stay home. But it is wonderful to return and Mattie greats me at the door wagging his tail so happily. I bend over to give Mattie a kiss and he licks my cheek.
Thank you so much for my Mattie aka Popeye        

Lexie totally loved the coast from the very beginning. I'm only sorry my camera’s not great

at capturing her in motion -- most of the time she was moving so quickly trying to smell and investigate everything. She was a little sad to be back home I think but we're trying hard to give her lots of extra walks. This morning she did a fast 4 miles with me & my walking group. They of course loved meeting her. You would not believe how quickly this dog now JUMPS into the back of the car! We just open the back door & don't even get a chance to give her a command; she just jumps in, ready to go on the next adventure!

Thank you YVPR so much for making it possible for Lexie to bring so much joy into our lives!

Edgar (now Bodie-- Edgar seemed to formal for him!) is doing so great! He's only been home less than 24 hours and he has already settled in as one of the family. He immediately bonded with my 3 legged, 9 month old Taiwan Street dog and they are soul mates! They have been running around exploring and playing from the minute he got out of the car.

Bodie is such a love and I'm so happy to have adopted him. I have included some pictures I took of him yesterday. One of him and Ruby playing, another of them taking a hard nap after the playing (with their toys all around them), and another of him making himself right at home! :)

Thank you for all that you do, you do make a difference!  Wendy Carpenter

Here is a picture of "Bo" when you put him on Petfinder and then transferred him to Homeward Pet we fostered/adopted him and changed his name to "Baloo." He is calm, well-adjusted (even around active toddlers), and full of love. He loves everyone and everything (well except squirrels he likes chasing those). I wanted to send a before and after picture of him. The 2nd picture he just got done playing at a big dog park on Lake Washington and his happily tired. 

Thank you for all of the work that you do. Karin Llyr

Thought you guys would like to see this video uploaded of our precious dog Monkey that we got from YOU guys!!!!  (her name was Tiffany when you had her)

The video is also on my blog with a mention and link to Yakima Valley Pet Rescue: http://robinlayton.blogspot.com

We are so in love with her and are so grateful! She is beyond spoiled and we are proud of it!

All my best, Robin

Sam and Oliver had their first bath yesterday and are all clean and fluffy.  They are doing well and we are having fun with them.  They are very sweet little boys. They had their visit to the vet Friday.  Ollie had an ear infection, which we are treating, and he is also scheduled to have his teeth cleaned in a couple of weeks as they really needed it. They also got micro chipped.

They are getting used to their new surroundings and are doing well with their housetraining.  They are continuing to get used to their leashes, but there is still more training needed. They get two walks every day and enjoy doing lots of sniffing around. 

All in all, we are happy with our two little new doggie boys and they seem to be happy with us, too.  Elaine/mom

Noli (was Comet) is very much a part of our family!  Those eyes melt my heart every day.
Best,Emmye 

Molly is doing GREAT; she is smart as a whip. She is picking up commands almost as fast as I can give them to her. Today is a great spring day here, and Molly is sunning herself on the deck. She just loves the back yard. I take her for a walk at least once a day. We walk around 5 to 6 blocks and she is getting to know the proper way of walking. As you would expect for a puppy she is into everything.

I am talking her for rides almost every day, getting her used to being with me in the SUV.

All I can say is she has already ingrained herself into the family unit and we are so happy to have her with us. Talk to you soon (she is too quite so she must be into something she is not supposed to be)

 Bob & Jan

Update on Molly, she is now a very healthy 60 lb’er and cherished by her ‘mom and dad’.

I just have to reiterate how much we love Ms. Haley.  She is definitely coming out of her shell, she played big time with a French bulldog today at the park.  And she and Max(our other newly adopted GSP) play often at home and at the park, he just tries to be a little more dominant, although, as our trainer says, she has a voice, and she exercises it very often with Max!  They get along very well.  She runs like the wind and often goes airborne, she’s so delightful to watch, and many people have commented on it.  As Lisa said, agility for sure!  She sleeps peacefully by my head every night, although sometimes she snores (very lightly, I might add).
For someone who didn’t eat the first two-three days after we got her, she is now definitely all about the food.  She groans and shakes when it’s time to eat, and believe me, we don’t under feed her.  She loves my homemade tuna melts.
Thanks again for Haley, Nancy & Lisa

Editor’s note, read the tragic story to what led Lisa and Nancy to want to adopt a dog and learn of an awful problem with our infrastructure that is killing pets around the country.  http://sammysbigheart.wordpress.com/2010/11/27/goodbye-sammy/

Janis, Buddy and I ran in the See Spot Run on Sunday.  Janis ran with a shelter dog.  Buddy and I came in second in the men’s with dog division.  We had a great time, for a great cause.  Later, Jack

I'm in LOVE again! Bear aka Houdini, had his big bath & brush on Sunday, saw his new vet today, and everybody is very happy! Especially ME and I think he is very happy too! He is a very sweet & lovely dog…I'll keep you posted, thanks Pennie

THANK YOU FOR OUR BUDDY!  We just wanted to thank YVPR and Lori for bringing Buddy into our lives. He is such an awesome dog and we love him so much!!  He did great on the drive home to Puyallup and loves going to the baseball games!! He is getting lots of attention from all of us and loves the long walks. We are so blessed to have him in our family.  Thank You!!  Holmes Family

We are so happy to have adopted "Cal" from you guys! He has been named Jake Fisher Phillips. We call him Jake. He has adjusted pretty darn well. He sleeps in a crate at night and for the last two nights all my husband had to say was "Quiet down.. time for bed" and he was out and slept for 7 hours. So we find ourselves very lucky to have him. And he is amazing with the kids. He took right away with my daughter and me! My son is working very well with a relationship with him but he sure does like the woman in our family! If you could pass along "Thanks yous" to Beth his Foster.. She has done an amazing job with him. He is pretty calm for a puppy! But also can light it up when he is playing!!! We are so happy with him! Thank you! Thank you for everything. We will post pictures when we can. "Jake" is lying by my feet right now sleeping calmly.
Awesome!  The Phillips Family

I want to share and thank you for allowing us to have Scarlett in our lives and a part of our family.  We love her so much.  She walks the kids to and from school each day where she loves seeing all the children.  As well as exploring our 1 acre yard. Scarlett has been around us 24/7 since she arrived last week.  She is eating well and getting lots of exercise.  I am able to give her Reiki healing treatments to assist in her earlier trauma.  Even though it has been less than a week, I cannot image life without her.
Please let the young 17 year lady know her actions (Scarlett’s rescuer) made a huge difference in our lives!  She should never stop being courageous and bold.  Blessings, Laura       

Here are some pictures and an extremely funny account of the rescue of the little canal dog I got today... Only reason I'm passing it on to y'all is cuz we have ALL been there, done that, at some point without a second thought...  Just kinda funny getting someone else's take on it.  :)   Desi

This afternoon I received this email alert: Mark:

Harlan and I were just out for a walk and saw a dog down in the spillway.  It is a small dog; we only got a glimpse of it because it is very frightened.  We did see that it is partly white.  It was headed south of the bridge at the top of our hill.  We first saw it when it was closer to Wertenberger's bridge. Please send out an alert and we would be glad to help if needed. Thanks,   Barb
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Luckily I happened to check the email around 4:00 and picked up on the need to respond to investigate.  I grabbed a long rope, and my daughter Kali and my son Andrew went with me on two ATVs to search for the dog in the spillway.

We located the dog, but he would not come to us and kept running down toward a steep drop-off area in the spillway.  We retreated back up the spillway where I contacted Desi Verbrugge with Yakima Valley Pet Rescue to see if she had a cage trap that we could set in the canal to attempt to catch this little guy.  No telling how many days this dog had been in the wet canal.  Desi happened to be on her way home with her kids at the time, and in the general vicinity.  She offered to meet me at the scene to figure out how we could capture the cold, wet and hungry little guy.  

When Desi arrived, we jumped on my ATV and went down the spillway access road.   We located the dog which we observed just beginning to go over the dangerous down-slope of the spillway just before this Roza spillway goes under the Sunnyside irrigation canal.  On this down-slope, there also is a waterfall half-way down the steep drop-off.  This waterfall is where runoff from the Union gap canal skimmer is spilling a large amount of water into this Roza spillway and creating an increased and very dangerous water flow. 

Too many canals to understand here, but suffice us to say there was a lot of water just below where Desi chased the dog back up the spillway before he got into that deeper and dangerous water.  Desi happened to grab a bag of pet treats out of her Toyota when she jumped on my ATV to go down to locate the dog.  Desi discussed with me about her getting into the spillway and trying to catch the little guy.

Before I could duck soup, Desi was lowering herself down the straight up and down sides of the spillway and there she was in about two inches of cold water.  Desi kept squatting down and feeding this hungry little guy the doggie treats, but she just couldn't seem to grab his collar.  He was just too frightened to come much closer, or be touched, but he sure wanted to eat.  Desi could touch the dogs nose, but that was about as close as she could get.  He kept walking north up the spillway away from the serious danger, and that was the best thing at the time.  In the slimy water, the little dog kept turning around every little bit to get another piece of doggie treat, and Desi kept on following him. 

I suggested I go to my shop and bring back a fishing net to try to catch net the dog, but Desi said she was getting a little closer to being able to catch him and wanted to try this calmer approach first.  Already, I could see she had much more patience than I would have had.   I just kept walking up the side of the spillway with her in the water while I was trying to keep out of the dogs sight, and I continued to make silly comments and apologizing for getting her into this mess.  She said that is what she is here for, and actually praised me for calling her.  That's Desi.

After a while, the spillway began a gradual slope upward and it became very difficult for Desi to negotiate the slick cement bottom on the increased slope.  There was slick green moss growing on the bottom of this cement lined spillway.  From my vantage point on the side of the spillway, just out of sight of the dog, I many times could see Desi's head, but she was skating backwards in the slime.  She would grab the cement wall to keep from falling down.  She could just barely reach the top of the wall with her fingertips.  She kept on going like a duck would take to water and continued to laugh through it all.  I don't know how she kept from falling down, it was so slick.  If it had been me in there, I would be floating in the Yakima River, about down to Prosser by now. Desi ended up walking up that spillway at least a half mile before she got to dryer cement ,but she still couldn't grab the dog.  My patience was long gone by now and I felt we needed to resort to force now, so I left my daughter Kali to be of assistance to Desi, and I took off on my ATV and went to my shop to bring back the large fish net on an aluminum pole.  I also grabbed a can of wet cat food as well. When I arrived back at the scene, Desi had already gotten out of the spillway by an emergency escape ladder that was attached to the cement wall. 

Yep, there was the little dog still down in the spillway, standing in the water, looking up at Desi for more treats.  Desi said she could go to Yakima and get the cage trap and we could set it, but it would be 9:00 before she could get back down here with that trap. I suggested Desi get back in the canal and offer the dog the can of wet food and while he was eating it, scoop him up in the net. 

IT WORKED!

Within 40 seconds of Desi lowering herself back into the cold water of the spillway, Desi finely had the dog.  Let's hear it for men with madness to their method. After exactly one hour and five minutes in the water and a half mile hike in the bottom of that wet, cold, slimy canal, Desi accomplished what she set out to do.    Even though Desi was in nice tennis shoes, not very warm clothes for the windy, cold afternoon, and didn't have a coat, she did not hesitate one bit to jump in the water to do the right thing. 

This is the conclusion to the Canal Story

He's doing well. Got him out of the net and into a crate without getting bit... He let me pet him quite a bit.  So I'll get your net back to you. Thanks for the good idea and for calling me about this little guy...  My toes are still numb though... Could be tough to play tennis.  ;)  haha Desi Caring people like Desi are people I am proud to work with in this community Block Watch program.  It isn't all about tagging reports and gloom and doom reports about this bad thing and that bad thing happening to victims in this community.  I really do like it when I get a chance to tell about good things people in this community do, just because it is the right thing to do.

Oh yeah, while Desi was sliding backward in the bottom of the slimy spillway, holding on to the cement side, I asked her if she and her family would like to join my family in a roller or ice skating session this weekend.  She smiled and said she is still practicing. I felt guilty that Desi did it all, and that I was the one who got her into this mess.  It isn't the first time by far that I have called on Desi for assistance in taking a stray pet.  This is the first rescue and probably not the last.

Below are just a few of the many photos I took of the rescue today.  I had nothing else to do but walk up the spillway road, so I used my cell phone camera to record this little piece of history.  I didn't want to have to call a wrecker to get my fat body out of that spillway, so I didn't go in. Oh, believe me, I offered to get in...........under my breath.  ☺

If we cannot find an owner, he will be adopted out.  He is in good hands with Desi who represents Yakima Valley Pet Rescue.  He didn't try to bite us after we caught him in the net either.  He seemed to know that we were there to help him.  He really is a good little guy.  You could tell by how skinny he is that he hadn't eaten in a while.  He must have been in the spill for quite some time.

A big thanks also to Barb Dunn for her contact, or we may not have been able to save the dog in time.  When we see something like this, where a pet is in danger, or suspicious subjects or whatever doesn't look right, we need to call someone to help right away. Thanks for taking time to read my rambling, Mark

Thanks so much for the work you do for the animals.  We are totally infatuated with our new family member, Ursula, (formerly known as Sydney) and so is everyone she meets including all our friends, their dogs, and the vet's office.  I don't know if you can detach these images but I can get my wife to forward them to me as attachments and send them to you if you like.  Could you share this with your partners at YVPR?  I enjoyed meeting all of you a lot.

I adopted one of the eight puppies you brought over in October 2006. He turned four on October 16th and is the apple of my eye. He is an agility superstar and loves it more than life itself. And he recently got his 15 minutes of fame in downtown Seattle. He also has his own agility channel on YouTube,

I know how rescue can wear on the heart and soul at times, so please know that this pup is a huge success story! I've attached photos of the six month puppy reunion (with 6 of the 8 pups) and some of our agility photos. We now think he is primarily Catahoula Leopard Dog.

Having a new little one is time consuming, but oh so fun.  She made the trip back like a trooper.  She did get sick but it was just a short distance from the house.  We have since been shopping for sweet little pink colors and leashes and lots of toys.  Her favorite toy is my gone black and white cat who thinks it is great fun to have Daisy chase her.  Daisy though has a counter attack with a squeaky toy. 

She is quite smart and is catching on to sit, potty outside, etc. I am forwarding some pics of her in the yard with her big doggy brother playing tug-of-war.  Rachel

We love Pete!!!!  He is very calm, mostly obedient (except when being called off from chasing birds and swimming) and tolerates all the close up love and affection from our boys and the neighborhood.  He has been everywhere with us.  This is partially due to necessity and partially because we love to take him.  He has anxiety when away from us, especially me but this has improved.  We are working on crate training and are still working out what to do with him when I have to go back to work part-time in September.  He has started obedience training and is doing well.  Thank you for all the love you gave him. The Anderson’s

YVPR comment:  We’re so glad he loves to swim and fetch!  These were the two things we didn't know whether he was into or not and can see now how these things are important to your family.  We’re thrilled that there is so much love between Pete and the Anderson's! Anxiety is not an uncommon problem but with the right guidance from a professional dog trainer he will settle into your September routine quickly.  Thanks for caring enough to make sure he gets the right training.....

Dear Yakima Valley Pet Rescue, My husband and I adopted Petey on Oct. 17, 2009 from your organization after seeing his photo on your website. We cannot begin to tell you what a wonderful addition Petey has been to our family. His "brother" Otto has been a changed puppy since Petey came into our lives, and they both get along so well and Otto has become so much more obedient since Petey showed him how to have manners. Every morning Petey wakes up from the foot of our bed just the happiest guy on the planet. He gets to explore the woods next to our house with Otto, and they both play inside and out all day really well together. He goes camping and hunting with my husband and is the "star" of the show! He loves to snuggle with us and our guests and is a very friendly, mellow sweetheart. We cannot imagine our lives without him. We feel so blessed every day to have such a special guy in our lives.  Thank you, The Smith's

A little over 1 year ago, our beloved Boxer died.  We were heartbroken and after a few months began looking to readopt.  Yakima Valley Pet Rescue had posted a 10-month-old male boxer named "Sugar Ray" on the site.  "Sugar Ray" along with a few other animals had been pulled from a local shelter.  "Sugar Ray" was scheduled to be euthanized probably because of over crowding.  This little boxer had kennel cough, worms and was seriously malnourished.  In addition, he was skittish and shy of people.  Your organization began treatment for Guinness and started him on the road to recovery.  We adopted "Sugar Ray" now renamed "Guinness" and he is no longer the scrawny, skittish and shy little boy.  Guinness has celebrated 1 year with our family and is doing great.  He is such a healthy and handsome boy, full of life and bounce and people are amazed that he is a "rescued" dog!   

Here is a photo of Guinness today.    He was very skittish at first and wouldn't come to us.  If we moved too quickly or tried to get him to come, he would run away. We had to squat down to coax him over and then he would let us briefly touch him.  It took about a month before we didn't have to be so careful with him.   He also didn't like going outside by himself and we had to go out with him and take him on a leash and walk him around until he was willing to explore on his own.  Now, he owns the yard as he sits on the lid of the hot tub "surveying his kingdom".   He was so skinny and his coat sticky and flaky and he had kennel cough and worms.  He wouldn't eat much at a meal so we fed him several times a day for the first 6 months, which caused our Weimeraner to chunk up because she wanted to eat too.  Now, we can spell E-A-T and he goes vertical in a happy dance.  Guinness LOVES food. It had been about 6-9 months when we realized we were making progress.  One morning we found that he had quietly crawled up in our bed during the night and was at the foot end sleeping.  Then, a few months later, he began to show up between us!  We knew then, he trusted us and has decided we were "okay".    Guinness is a typical boxer, silly, stubborn, energetic and sweet with a atypical start in life.  We are glad Yakima Pet Rescue gave him a chance at a new beginning.
 
Please use our Guinness as one of your success stories so others can see the value of rescue not only to the animals but also to the families your group serves. Thank you for all you do. Lawson Family, Kent

I just cannot thank everyone at Yakima Valley Pet Rescue enough for connecting us with “Apolo”.  He is such a smart, sweet and mellow guy.   He is not exactly the “Swiss Husky mix” that everyone thought that he was, in fact, the genetic profile says he is mostly English Fox hound, and a little less Husky, Malamute and long-haired Daschund, which makes us laugh (a lot).  He is about 8 months now, long legged and pushing 70 pounds.   When people ask what kind of dog he is I like to say “daschund mix” and laugh.

He is super mellow and even eats and drinks frequently, while lying down.  He LOVES the water and is becoming quite the swimmer, if only his shaking skills would improve.  He stays soaking wet after a swim to the degree that one of is nickname is “PollyWog” or “the Wogster”.   We could not have ordered a more perfect fit.

Smiley's new forever home…. Smiley has adjusted so very well. She was so frightened of everything at first. When people would come to the door she would go hide. Now she alerts me when they drive down the driveway and stands with her hackles raised barking seriously at them to stay away from me! She quiets immediately when I tell her to and just keeps an eye on them, usually from my side. Runt has done an excellent job of training her--well, maybe I had a little to do with that! The vet thinks I have done an amazing job with her. She heels when she is on a leash glancing up to be sure she is doing things correctly. As I am sure you figured, she is very much my dog and very, very attached to me and to Runt. I don't know what she is going to do when Runt goes....

She still has to go potty as soon as she gets out of my car, but she rides really well. She shares the back end of the car with Runt and loves to go for rides, looking around and having a great time! Now that it is too warm for them to go to town with me, I put them in a kennel I have in the open-to-the-air West side of the barn. They each get a Milkbone when they go in, so when I get ready to go to town and grab two bones, she races to the kennel and goes in and sits down to get her treat! I am so glad I let Runt pick her out!. She weighs 55 pounds now and the vet believes she will not be growing any more which is a relief!

YVPR Comment:  When these pups were picked up and taken to their foster they were ABSOLUTELY COVERED in ticks. 

Hi there, We have changed her name to Bella Rose Patrick. I have attached some pictures for you. She is doing great! We just love her and our other small dog (Jaslynn) is loving her as well, now she has a play mate, they are sleeping side by side right now. Our big dog (Tasha) is taking some time getting to know her, I think her nose is bent out of shape. My boys just love her and so do all the neighbor kids. She is doing great on the potty training, only one slip up today! She sleeps with us at night, Jaslynn likes to be under the covers and Bella likes to be out of the covers. Josh (my husband) is not to sure about 2 dogs in bed with us but he is getting use to it. :-) I will do my best to keep you up to date on her. She is just so great!!! Thank you and all the others for what you do!!!! Jody

Buddy and Pal – relaxing at home!