Turtle Gardens Animal Rescue

Clinic Update:
It is crunch time at the Burns Lake Veterinary Clinic as our Mother Millie sale is less than a week away. Everyone is working every spare minute hauling, organizing, pricing, advertising and preparing. Local businesses have been great again this year with many exciting donations, baskets loaded with goodies for cat and dogs and even humans! Beautiful original artwork, guitar, barbados black belly hair sheep cape, hair cuts, birthday cakes, barbecues, hay, dog jackets, collars and leads, scarves and hats, deli trays, hotel stays, dog grooming and pet boarding, books, TV, lamps, picture frames, kids stuff, computer stuff, dishwasher, everything for the kitchen….you name it, we have it! Stop by this Saturday, Feb.13, 9-4 at the Lakeview Mall. We will be giving away pet dental kits, healthy weight kits and spay/neuter kits! There will also be a yummy concession with homemade goodies and coffee!

Foster Home Updates:
Gabby and Tifa had a very emotional separation from their owner as she was forced to relocate due to health issues this last Friday. Clinic staff took gentle and loving care of them as we vaccinated and gave them a full health check. A very generous and caring foster home opened their doors to these lovely girls not only for the sake of the kitties but also in the thought that their owner would be able to better heal without worrying about her precious pets. The first night went well and Gabby was content to sleep on the bed and show her gratitude but head bunting their hands. Tifa was content to stay hidden and get used to her new surroundings quietly and in her own time. Her new foster family will give her the patience and space she needs to come out of her shell. Gabby is a 10 year old female Bengal Leopard cat who likes high places, playing in water and drinking from the bathroom tap. Tifa is a 10 year old female who is shy but very affectionate. Both these girls are used to dogs and we will see how they react to other cats as their foster home allows slow introductions over the next week.

Onyx, Abbie and Callie are making amazing progress. These three feral kittens are now considered lap cats! They are about 6 months old and they are about to embark on a new adventure at the clinic to be spayed and neutered. Callie (Whiteface to her foster home) would do well in a home of her own as the head lap cat! Onyx (Blackie to his foster home) is well on his way to competing with Callie for lap space. Abbie (Hissy to her foster home) has a little way to go but is allowing short undecided pets!

Midnight (the mother of Onyx/Abbie and Callie) is about 2 years old, spayed and vaccinated. Her foster family is also her rescuer. Midnight now lives with several other cats and she is very unhappy. She hides under the bed all day long. She needs a loving hand who can give her some one on one attention without the distraction of other cats. She loves her rescuer and is very affectionate.

Lucky is our 5 year old polydactyl kitty who is looking for a home where she has a quiet space of her own. She loves high places, hiding in drawers, and attention! She doesn’t like other cats but she will tolerate a quiet dog. She has been with her foster home for 6 months and several months before that she was at the shelter. Lucky has spent the last few days venturing outside and loves to chase mice!

Shelter Update:
Olivia has returned to the quiet space of the shelter. This little girl has a hard time adjusting and it takes her at least one full week to accept her new situation. As the week has progressed, Olivia has shown more and more affection towards her new caretakers. Olivia does not like other cats and she will require a home where she is the only “queen”. She has proven herself as a good mouser and an affectionate lap cat. She is about 5 years old, spayed and fully vaccinated. She has had a very hard life moving from place to place, rescued by human after human. She deserves a home of her own. A patient home who understands she doesn’t like change but will resign herself to it if given a chance to shine!

Missy is 1-2 year old spayed female who is friendly and affectionate and loves her bowl of water! She is getting a little cooped up at the clinic and needs to find a home so she can have room to explore!

Little Black is a 7 month old neutered male. His former foster home says he loves to play in the bath tub with his toy mice and sing in your ear when he cuddles beside your neck. This sweet little kitten is content and easygoing.

Little Smoke is also 7 months old and spayed. Her former foster home says she is a fair weather cat who likes to be inside when it is cold! She is a happy kitty who seems to like other cats and kids.

Willow is a 5-6 year old spayed female. Willow is a very unique cat who hides in the corner of her little wooden basket when the shelter door opens and seems terrified of people, but as soon as you pet her, her tiny head pops up and she purrs and kneads and kisses. She doesn’t like being picked up but this super sweet cat would be the perfect companion for anyone!

Noir is a 5-6 year old spayed female who is wary of strangers and can’t decided if she wants to be cuddled or if she wants to chase mice! She is feeling cooped up in the shelter and needs room to roam. This kitty is one of many that were rescued when their owner passed away this summer with no family to adopt them.

Please call the clinic at 250-692-7476 for more information about cats up for adoption, our adoption policies or to register your lost or missing pet. You can also check us out on facebook under “The Burns Lake Veterinary Clinic”.

©Turtle Gardens Animal Rescue Society. Have your pet spayed or neutered today.

It has been quite mild for a couple of weeks now and the sun is shining into the house again. What a beautiful sight – with the stained glass glowing and crystals casting rainbows throughout the big room. How I missed the sun!

The dogs of course are also enjoying the warm days and nights too. Sometimes they just don’t want to come in even when I shut all the lights off. That is their choice so I let them. Then at 2.30 I let them back in cuz they are crying to come back in. I let them cry for 5 minutes just to let them know it isn’t ok to stay out when I asked them in earlier. Do they understand? Probably not but they don’t stay out for a few days- they come in when it is lights out – for a while again. This time it was Jade and Godot. Noah comes in on time lately. It was a tad colder last night – he wasn’t taking any chances.

Photgenic Godot!

happy, funny Lily playing with a toy!

Puppies playing tug! Thank you Gabriel – the dogs love the toys!!

On Friday Dave had to go to Burns Lake to pick up the newest pound pup – a 22 pound corgi/sheltie mix so he took in Jerry the daxi for a check up. We noticed that his back legs were off. Our vet feels that Jerry spent so much time in a crate that his legs have been deformed. I am going in on Monday and will talk to her and work out a plan for Jerry. He would benefit from hydro-therapy and will need a very special home. On the plus side – he is very cuddly and sweet.

and a wondrous gift came in the mail – a silver torch pin! How cool is that! Thank you so much Barb and Caili! I will wear it with pride.

©Turtle Gardens Animal Rescue Society. Have your pet spayed or neutered today.

My day started early with the usual chores, feed the dragon, open the door, pick up deposits, open the door, wash the floors, open the door, make coffee and then before I sit down open the door. I also answered the phone several times before 8am – Stan was itching to get going – it was going to be a very long day. Dave got up and we figured out our day. He went to Houston to deposit cheques so I could send Stan gas and ferry funds to pick up Cass-son and bring him to his foster home in Nanaimo. He missed the 1 pm ferry, got the 3 pm ferry, got lost -finally I mapquest directions for him and emailed his iphone. Cass-son was way way in the boonies! Stan drove like a madman and made the last ferry – 9pm. he met Louise at 10.30 pm and Cass-son was settled in his his home. Stan then drove back home and hit his driveway at 1 am. But Cass-son is safe and sound.

Louise sent an email this morning:

Hey Yvette
I just wanted to let you know Cass-son is doing well. Poor Stan & co. had a long journey yesterday! I doubt they got home nearly 1am or so.

Cass-son settled in pretty quickly. He whined at the front door for a few minutes but that was about it. His whine sounds like that high pitched noise that a balloon makes when you let the air out. It was pretty funny. Anyway since he got here at bedtime he wound up sleeping through the night.

He gets along great with our dogs and is just a really nice mellow dog. He’s going to make someone a lucky owner. I took him out for a walk this morning and he didn’t pull much. I think he’ll be easy to train.

Anyway just thought I’d let you know how he’s doing thus far.

Louise

How cool is that!

The new arrivals are all doing well. They fit in so nicely that it seems that the numbers did not swell. The little pregnant girl is more accepting of me and comes in and out readily. The puppies are all friendly. The little border collie is so very sweet. And the big guy Godot? He is totally awesome – he is gentle and gives such nice kisses. The blue eyed momma dog is a darling – she likes the kuranda beds in the common room. She wants to be near us all the time. What a fantastic bunch of dogs.

Buddy and Teddy Bear with Dave’s Patches behind

Running Bear and the pregant lady.

Beautiful Kenzie is growing up into a very nice pup

Gentle sweet little Yeta found her family yesterday! She will be a loved companion for an older couple in Telkwa. They want a cuddly lap dog and Yeta wants a lap to sit on. Good luck little one – I will miss you in my bed!

©Turtle Gardens Animal Rescue Society. Have your pet spayed or neutered today.

apply here – John arrived in the early afternoon with dogs but none of the ones he had planned to bring us. The pups and mom were not released as all of a sudden they were “owned”. But he had others. The first to disembark was a huge teenager intact male. Oh oh I said – he might be trouble – his other option? -the needle. So……..I brought him in and lo and behold he is perfectly fine. He is still too young to “smell” like a male – he is huge though. He lay down on the kuranda bed and relaxed.

He needs a name!

Then it was a young female border collie! She is a quiet sweet little girl – very pretty too. And the last was a blue heeler youngster – a little male. He is a good little boy, a bit reserved but friendly. Turtle Gardens welcomes the last of the roundup.

The arrangements have been made for ALL of them to go to Burns Lake on Monday for vet checks and vaccinations – oh maybe not the pregnant mom – she may have her litter by then. Brian will dog sit so Dave and I can handle the dogs and pups. Wow Dave and I will go out again together – how cool is that!

Cass-son is on his way to foster in Nanaimo. Thank you Stan for driving across to pick him up and deliver him to Louise. Margaret told me this morning that Cass-son would be an ideal therapy dog – he was so very gentle with the residents in the care home she works in. He has a rock solid temperament. She is so very disappointed.

And now updates!

Hi Yvette,

So great you were able to do the the torch run! Very cool!

I wanted to let you know how Chewie is doing. I remember when we spoke on
the phone before adopting her. You told me she was a very serious dog,
gentle, but serious. As you can see from the photos her silly side has come
out The past two months she has really opened up. After dinner she
gets all of her toys out, puts them in a pile, and waits for Edison and I to
start throwing them around the house for her. They both love this time
together! She is much more playful than she was in the beginning. I think
she needed time to realize that she was staying with us forever and now her
inner puppy has come out. She is still very vigilant when we are on walks,
but will play with other dogs that she likes. She is a bit choosy about her
friends.

We love her so much! Thanks again and good luck with all those puppies!!!
Best,
Chewie, Lisa, David, and Edison

And Edie Sue:
Hi Yvette! Thanks so much for looking after our little darling and all the hard work you and your husband do! Edie sue is settling in wonderfully and is already quite attached to us!! We love her so much and know she is going to be the perfect dog!

We will be booking her in to get spayed in the next 2 weeks or so. More pictures to come!

Thanks for our beautiful puppy,
Shauna and Ryan

And Akeila from over a year ago:

Hello Yvette -

You are asking for suggestions of names for your new arrivals. I offer you the name “Teva” (pronounced Teeva) which means ‘nature’ in Hebrew and ‘angel’ in Cambodian (I just found the latter on the internet). It would be a great name for a female dog that loves the outdoors (out of choice, of course, not because she has been abandoned).

I enclose a photo of my TG alumna, Akeila, who I got as a puppy about 1.5 years ago. She is wonderful.

Anne

And Asta!
Hello Yvette & Dave,
Asta had a good sleep Monday night, she went for a walk with me around 7am and had her first BM outside,GOOD GIRL! She is now walking on the sidwalks and Barry and I follow the same route each time, allowing her plently on time in the bush or wooded paths in our neigbourhood.
Barry & I took her for a walk along Lynn Creek a dog walk close to us. She met many dogs and was very acertive at giving them a bark to say that she was now apart of the neigbourhood.
We go to see the vet tomorrow , she is eating well and drinking water.
I’ve taken photos but need to make dinner now and will send them with tomorrows vet update.
Take care Shelley.Barry & Eli
Hi Yvette,
It’s been busy around here, everyone is doing great. Asta responded to “Lilly” and we all agreed to change her name. Eli picked the name and it’s been in my family for three generations as well as being my middle name, so it fits into our family.
Lilly went to the vet and she did very well, recieved shots for Rabies and Canine cough.
Dr. Sandy LePitre, at the Marine Drive Vet, was very good with her and she was very happy for us to fine such a calm lovely girl to add to our family.
Eli has been fantastic with her, he is very caring and has a good grasp at what her needs are.Lilly is my shadow but she has a good repore with Barry also.
I’ve included two pictures, one infrount of our dragon and the other is Lilly sitting beside me as I use the computer.
Take care, Shelley, Barry & Eli Pallot ( Asta’s new family)

And Trixie:
Yvette,

Thank you and Dave, Brian, Stan, Bev and everyone else who helped out so Trixie could become part of our family. Kwel was wonderful, she picked up Trixie in Parksville for us and delivered her to our door. When Trixie arrived, she headed straight for the front door. It was as though she were saying, “I’ve had a long hard trip, I’m home, let me in.”

Trixie is an absolute sweetheart, so polite and she listens so well. After being told that jumping at the aviary isn’t allowed, she decided that the birds were her friends and now likes to stand and watch them. Today was spa day, Trixie had a bath and some grooming. While she wasn’t nuts about the bath, she politely endured and she was very good about being brushed as long as she had lots of belly rubs with the brushing. She was very quiet last night but today she started talking. She has a lot to say when her leash comes out or after a tasty treat. She is an absolute treasure.

We can’t thank you enough.

Margaret & Hubert

and last but not least – Des formerly Oliver:
Hello, Yvette,

Des continues to do well. His coat is starting to shine. Must be the
sardines and the flaxseed oil. He is a mad hunter. The picture of him
standing on top of the log is representative of his daily hunting trips
in the yard. He uses the log as a look-out perch. There must be
rodents out there in the underbrush! Doots joins him frequently. We
continue to work on his barking binges. He almost never barks in the
house or in the yard. It is people and other dogs that he encounters on
walks. I have noticed that he doesn’t bark at people when we come up
behind them. It is always when they are coming toward us. if they
stop, he is totally friendly. I’ll keep at it until I find the key. I
still haven’t cured Velma, and I’ve had her for almost a year, but I
keep working on it. Des is now able to leave his food until I give him
the signal to eat. We have been working up to it gradually. This is a
big deal for him, because he is fairly obsessed with food. Such
self-control!

Congratulations again on being chosen to carry the torch! I’ve never
even spoken to you, and I was so very excited and proud for you!

Hope you are all well.
Maureen

©Turtle Gardens Animal Rescue Society. Have your pet spayed or neutered today.

Cass-son is a perfect companion in every way except – he chased and hurt one of the resident cats when she ran. Since early Sunday Cass-son lived with the 4 cats but they didn’t run away from him. He went to work with his Mom and was awesome – all her clients adored him. He is wonderful on leash and in the car, quiet in the office – a total gem. But he isn’t safe with the old cat and she was there first. Is there anyone who can take this boy as soon as possible like tomorrow! He is in Abbotsford.

please send me an email or call me – I am up until after 11 pm.

©Turtle Gardens Animal Rescue Society. Have your pet spayed or neutered today.

I certainly miss Dave while he is away on the TG Bus Run. That man sure does a lot around here! The dogs woke me up at 7 am – that was great because for some reason I turned on the TV and caught the interview about SAINTS – how cool is that!

My first job this morning after I opened the door to let everyone out was to fill the dragon. Of course there was no more wood on the little porch platform so I went down the two steps and got the last of the split, piled wood in the carport. No one got out when I threw the wood in. While i was there I grabbed a couple of bags of dog food.. We are down to half a pallet but Jerry called yesterday to see how I was doing and will send a pallet by the weekend. Funds should be in place by then to pay the shipping – $219.38. Once the dragon was appeased it was pick up the deposits and mop the floors. Food bins were filled and water buckets replenished. Finally I ground my coffee beans – ahh the delicious smell revived me – and put on my pot to brew. My computer turned on – the door checked again and I can finally sit down with a cuppa and start reading emails, updates and requests. Dave will be home later today. The TG Bus is full on its return trip with donations and supplies. The Birthday Boy Gabriel’s gifts were picked up last night as was the Christmas Hampers from Liz – my sharpei foster in Prince George. Dave will stop at the Wal Mart and pick up cleaning supplies – they are cheaper there. Then home again – yahooo!

I had a visit from three young people who had a surrender for me – the owner had left the little guy with them while she tried to find him a new home. When they wanted to return him she told them that just get rid of him. He had run out of options. Turtle Gardens welcomes a very sad little dachsie!

He has a name but he needs a new one to reflect his new start in life. He is neutered – a bonus. He is not housebroken and had been in a crate for a long time. He is starting to follow me and is lying at my feet.

And then later in the afternoon – what I dreaded most arrived. My son’s favorite saying popped into my head as I watched the pickup back down my driveway.
Am I a saint? Or am I a fool? My answer is neither! I am the somebody that everybody talks about. Somebody should do something about that dog running around town. Somebody should do something about that starving dog that those people who moved, left behind. Somebody should do something about the puppies that nobody wants. Somebody should do something about … etc.
Again I will tell you my life philosophy : “I am one, but still, I am one
I cannot do everything, but still I can do something
And, because I cannot do everything
I will continue to do the something that I can do” Edward Everrett

I closed my eyes fearing how many he had. You see when you stop the shoots – you have to provide a solution. John had told me that they were rounding up the strays and unwanted dogs when he brought me Murphy and O’Malley the terrier boys.
He said there were puppies and a few small dogs. But his version of a “few” and mine could be different. He looked tired as he came up to me. He worried that we couldn’t take them. All I can say is – thank doG we have just sent so many to their new homes and fosters. Turtle Gardens welcomes moms and pups and one very pregnant little girl.

Mom and her 1 pup – the other 6 will arrive today.

The 6 pups – their mom will arrive today.

The two medium girls – the black and tan is heavily pregnant . The black has 2 pups .

The two tiny pups

The little adults are a bit shy but the pups dove into the food and water dishes and are wandering around -fitting in very well. the big girl is quite friendly. She is going in and out already with confidence. She reminds of Cashmere who came in with the Karelian girls. All of the pups have blue eyes. Now all of them will need worming, vaccinations and spays. Somehow the funding will be there when they go in to our veterinarians. They too, have a new beginning and a future.

©Turtle Gardens Animal Rescue Society. Have your pet spayed or neutered today.