Please help find dogs that should be rescued

Rocky was our first rescue dog, but we have learned a lot since then.

We got Rocky from an Australian shepard rescue group. He had been passed on as his owners lives changed. Chained in a backyard, he got heart worm and was at risk of dying. The rescue group took him and gave him the required treatments, and we took him into our home at about one and a half years old. He is an Aussie, a bossie Aussie, that is now thirteen years old in 2006. This picture is just a couple years old and he is still in good health.

We have two other dogs that were strays that we have taken in. We now have learned more about the importance of leadership rules, socialization, and giving dogs work like various roles as therapy dogs. We have learned lots from Liz Norris, founder of Pawsabilities Unleashed. All our dogs have done some therapy work in schools and nursing homes.

The main message that I want to convey here is that there are good dogs out there that should be saved. We don't need more dogs, we need to save and give jobs to the ones that are alive today. We need to find the dogs with good temperment like Haven, so that they can fulfill the great need for service dogs. Haven was discovered in a pound. She is a super sweet dog that loves people. Keep an eye out for these great dogs and foster them until they can be trained and put into service. Contact Pawsabilities Unleashed to learn what traits to look for. Contact your local rescue groups to see how you can help.

More stories of our dogs
Shadow is a liitle momma's boy with a high prey drive. He showed up as a stray with his wild mother and a crippled sibling. We had heard whimpering outside and went to investigate. Blacker than deep shadows he was easy to spot in the night. He was covered with ticks when we found him as a young pup. He was surely born in the wild. Although he has had territorial aggression issues, he is now socialized and does well with kids and in nursing homes.

Buck is our most recent rescue. He also showed up as a stray. I named him Buck, because shotgun pellets came out of his many scabs when Jill was first grooming him. Jill has always had a way of gaining the trust of fearful wild dogs, but Buck was a real project. He did not fit in well with Rocky at first so he went to a local rescue where Jill began to volunteer and where she met Liz Norris. They started training Buck to improve his adoptability. He did not do well in the kennel, but bonded strongly with Jill and has become a fine dog that is now part of our home. Buck has done some therapy work such as a few nursing home visits, but still gets nervous with large groups of kids. A chow mix is not the dog for just anyone. They take a responsible owner willing to pay special attention to the dog at all times. In most settings he is fine. He can be good with kids a few at a time. He also hangs out at the yoga studio and loves to show off his tricks.

Buck was very fearful at first. The hula hoops freaked him out. Now thanks to the help of Liz and all the work that Jill has done, Buck walks proudly through town and many people enjoy his tricks. He even won some medals at a fundraiser for a humane society in the area. He jumps through two or tree hoops at a time. And he has other tricks now, a spin and a snappy roll over. That one was a hard one for a dog that did not want to go into a submissive position. But perserverance pays off with the right dogs. Look for them out there. They are too many good dogs being put down every day.

Steve Marple
Soggyfeet Adventures

I should include our old buddy Andy (Androcles)in this information. He was the first dog that Jill and I had together. We adopted him as a young dog from a neighbor in Auburn, AL who could not take care of him. Mike was a gentle man who knew that Andy needed more activity than he could provide. Andy became Jill's faithful companion during a time while I was not the husband I should have been. He died at the age of fifteen on August 29, 2001, six days after my new life began.


Androcles was half Australian shepard. A gorgeous dog, but he was not socialized properly, and was pretty rough on other dogs. We did take him to training and made some headway. We have learned as years went on. Meeting Liz and getting to work with a variety of dogs in her training classes has taught us much more. Jill is the one really working with the dogs, but I participate in training some and go along on the nursing home visits.

I don't think the dogs like some of the outfits they wear for the holidays, but the people we meet get a kick out it and it helps the dogs learn to tolerate all sorts of stuff. One of the things that Liz ephasizes is that the dogs must have good tempermant.

Part of this is genetic and part the result of good socialization. Also it is import to expose the dog to all sort of challenges to prepare it for life in the world.
Liz makes it very clear that you cannot shield your dogs from children and all of the unexpected things that
kids will do. So in the training classes the dogs are challenged with tail grabs, loud noises, and strange things like blowing rasberries on their heads. A
dog with good temperment and socialization will barely respond to these challenges and certainly not have any aggressive response. Food and toys can be easily taken away from a good dog with no risk to anyone, even a child.
Dogs with these kind of qualities are what is needed for any adoption whether for service work or just a pet. Without these qualities a dogs will liable to bite, and you will be liable for the damages.