Jessie is doing great, both girls love her especially Lauren she is really attached to her.  Not sure when I can come up there as we only have one car at the moment and Jack uses it for work and he is working two jobs  and I am working lunch hours at Laurens school.

Jessie has made quite a few friends in the neighbourhood (lots of rescue dogs also) and loves to run and play with them in our hydro field.  She is so great with kids, I walk with her to pick up Lauren after school and all kids come running when they see Jessie.  Jessie loves to chase her tail and can now sit and shake a paw for treats and Jaclyn has taught to give a hug for a treat.

Every morning she and I go for a 45-minute walk and another half-hour at mid-day, which is helping my fitness level considerably. Last Sunday she went to the dog park for the first time and held her own against a galoot Lab. I think you socialized her very well: she is interested in other dogs, but not afraid at all.

She learns fast and is now familiar with “wait,” “let’s go, Hopey,” and “careful” when she crosses in front of me and gets a foot coming forward in her bottom. An added plus, her beauty. Everywhere we go strangers tell her how cute she is.

Her personality is fabulous. She is kind and gentle and will tolerate all manner of hugging and kissing, wrestling and raspberries blown onto her tummy. Our two old cats are perplexed but in no danger, Hope either ignores them or comes to visit when they are petted. Her energy is contagious and such a joy after the past year of living with a very old dog. She is quick to find things to chew, but caught just as fast. In other words, the honeymoon is continuing.

Thank you for bringing such a lovely dog into our lives.

All the best,

Barb

Just want to send you an update and pics for our pair of misfits, Sasha & Ripley.

Sasha’s a wonderfully sweet little girl, who loves everyone and food. She’s great on walks, either on or off-leash, and responds with a wag of the tail whenever she thinks her name is mentioned. She’s good in crowds, as we often have a bunch of people around here, and socializes for a while, eats a bit, and then scoots off to a quiet place to be grumpy for a while. She plays chase with Ripley when they’re off-leash at the park, but toys and balls seem to be beneath her… she’s fit in to our routine, seamlessly.

Ripley has decided he’d like to be a puppy again. We’ve been increasing his walks to build his muscle mass, and he’ll take any pace that we can throw at him. He’s good and very strong on the leash, but careful not to stray too far when off-leash. He loves all toys and he’d play all day if he could, and adjusts his level of intensity if he’s playing with my daughter or wife, but ratchets the energy up for the boys. He hates water, and barks at anybody if they jump into the pool and don’t check in with him that they’re okay. He’s less aggressive with food, since he understands that we feed him on routine and he ignores the cats (even the young cat that wants a piece of him everyday). He’s goofy, and busy, and thinks it’s funny when he jumps on our laps for a cuddle. He loves to wake anybody up by climbing on the bed and sniffing their faces… he’s smart & trainable, and he’s trying his best to fit in.

I’ve attached some pics, for you to share with the shelter in Ohio.

Our thanks to them, but especially to you for allowing us the opportunity to provide these two a home.

Tony & Wendy

Our guy’s name is Ivan – a beautiful boxer/mastiff cross that we fell in love with as soon as we saw him on the Camp Lotsa Dogs website. We met him and adopted him right away. To make a long story short, Ivan turned out to be HeartWorm “positive”. Regardless, nothing would change the fact that Ivan was a part of our family now and we’d do whatever we could to make him better. It was scary at first, knowing absolutely nothing about the disease .. but don’t let it scare you off .. HeartWorm is a fully preventable and treatable disease with no long term side effects to your dog. Here’s a little bit of information we have learned along the way with Ivan .. hope it helps!!

Our vet said he was only the second case of HeartWorm he has EVER seen in his whole career – so right away, we were terrified. After a LOT of research and back and forth with vets, Su and just about everyone else I could find, it was determined all we needed was a few treatments of HeartGuard, rest and some other medications! *PHEW* What a relief! Along with some medication, Ivan was also put on HeartGuard for a year (as opposed to the 6 months a year that vets reccommend) and he’s now as happy and healthy as ever and has recently tested NEGATIVE for any kind of HeartWorm both last Fall and this Spring. We wanted to get him tested just to be sure So every ounce of worm in him was gone thanks to the medication and proper treatment.

Now here are a few things we have learned along our journey with Ivan .. What is commonly called “heartworm disease” is not really a disease at all. Rather, it is an infection by adult parasites called Dirofilaria immitis, which live inside the pulmonary arteries, the right heart chambers and, in severe cases, the vena cava and veins of the liver. Properly treated, this disease is NOT fatal.

How do dogs get heartworms? Only by the bite of an infected mosquito. There’s no other way dogs get heartworms. And there’s no way to tell if a mosquito is infected.
It takes about 7 months, once a dog is bitten by an infected mosquito, for the larvae to mature into adult heartworms. They then lodge in the heart, lungs, and surrounding blood vessels and begin reproducing. Adult worms can grow up to 12 inches (GROSS, I know!) in length, can live 5-7 years, and a dog can have as many as 250 worms in its system.

There are also different treatments to treat HeartWorm. There is the injection (that Ivan recieved in Ohio – where he is originally from) and then there is also the slow-kill method. The vets are able to determine which is right for your dog based on the amount of adult and/or microfalaria (“baby” worms) in your dogs system. The levels of “baby worms” can be found through bloodwork. Chest xrays can also be done for adult worms around the heart. Luckily Ivan only had “baby worms” left in him after the treatment in Ohio, so he was just put on the proper medication.

I know HeartWorm seems scary and your vet may try to convince you to worry BUT that’s only because it is so scarce here in Canada. In the States, it’s VERY common and they deal with it all of the time. Our vet was GREAT during this time with Ivan as well. Innisfil Vet Hospital Dr. Saini – WONDERFUL. Do your own research – don’t let the vets scare you into something that they’re not even familiar with.

Also VERY important: After treatment – Why do you have to keep your dog quiet during the several months he’s being treated for heartworms? After treatment, the worms begin to die. And as they die, they break up into pieces, which can cause a blockage of the pulmonary vessels and cause death. That’s why dogs have to be kept quiet during the treatment and then for several months afterward.

So when you’re adopting a dog, don’t let the word “HeartWorm” scare you off Once they’ve been treated for it, just some medication, REST and you’ve got a happy, perfectly healthy dog again! If anybody has any questions, feel free to contact me. We’ve become our own experts on HeartWorm

Benjy has settled in as if he was born here. Perfectly behaved, totally charming. Our friends love him as much as we do.

Thanks again.
Ted and Mary

Just wanted to drop you a line and tell you how Casper is doing – which is great!

He is such a sweet boy, filled with energy and spunk but also knows how to be a couch potato too.  He is very smart and has learned sit, down, stay and free very well.  His leash manners are greatly improved and he hardly pulls at all now (unless of course he sees a squirrel!).

We love him very much and he is such a nice addition to our family – we can’t imagine not having him!  Here are some pictures.

Thanks again,
Kate and Darrell

Cally adopted all her 3 dogs from us, one at a time tho and she wanted to share their beautiful faces with everyone and how happy and healthy and GORGEOUS these dogs are!

Mya – approximately 3 years old, black and white Border Collie/Lab cross. She is very intelligent!
Lacey – approximately 2 years old, American Dingo (Carolina Dog). She is nicknamed “Licky Lacey” because she chases the dogs around the dog park just to kiss them!
Tripp – approximately 2-3 years old, German Shepherd/Lab cross. He is very clumsy, hence the name. He’s a mama’s boy and knows how to open doors so he won’t be left alone.
All have been adopted from CampLotsaDogs. If I could get 20 more I could…

He was completely house trained, his recall is excellent and he doesn’t jump on people or beg.  After six weeks we are still amazed and how good he is.

He sleeps all night and doesn’t mind his crate during the day. He loves his walks and heels most of the time. He also loves to run so we try to get him out off leash as much as possible.

We wish he was a little more playful (for his own happiness) and hope that will come with time.  If not, we’re okay with his totally relaxed attitude. He has bonded with Rielly (our 12 year old) and they spend lots of time together.

Morgan is an absolute joy and we are so pleased that he has joined our family. I can’t imagine life without him.

Thanks so much for all that you do for these dogs AND for your great advice.
Best regards,
Linda, Patrick, Rielly and Morgan