Adoptions from Turtle Gardens Homebase and beyond

Posted on May 17, 2013 by yvette

I have been in Vancouver almost 6 weeks! My exercise program is doing quite well thank you. I can now walk 2 or 3 kilometers! How cool is that. My fitness level is slowly returning to what it was before I broke my ankle and hurt my back. It takes a lot longer for older bodies to heal — something I keep forgetting cuz honestly I don’t feel old until I look in the mirror. “Why do I look like my mother? When did that happen” So if my hair isn’t smooth you can blame it on my not looking in the mirror phobia! If I don’t see it it isn’t there …right?

Taz has graduated from the Prince George Prison Program and into his new home in Prince George – how cool is that? He goes home tomorrow. Good luck Taz – be the best that you can be!

Taz, Louis’ brother

And tomorrow is also an adoption – Ryder has found his hooman! He will live in Chetwynd and go to work with Sean. Thank you Alyssa of On Our Way Home Society for doing the homevisit for us and for offering training to help Ryder be the best that he can be with Sean. Networking is awesome!

Ryder

It has been a busy week for Vancouver area adoptions as well!

First was Charlie: He will be sunning himself on the Sunshine Coast. Good luck little fellow – you have landed quite softly!

Charlie doesn’t have to beg for his family – he has his own.

Wally has been adopted and will live in Victoria with his very active family. Lots of hikes and activities for this good natured boy!

Wally adopted

And Smokey too found his family this week! He will have two kids to enjoy playtimes with – how cool is that! Smokey really loves kids.

Smokey face

There’s now only 13 days to go before the gala! There are still tickets left so pass the word around!
Let’s make this 25th Anniversary for Turtle Gardens a SELL OUT!

Friends Of Turtle Gardens Celebrate
Turtle Gardens Animal Rescue’s 25th Anniversary
Fundraising Gala and Auctions
on Friday May 31, 2013
at the Italian Cultural Centre in VancouverTickets Available at Friends Of Turtle Gardens,
c/o CongressWorld Conferences Inc. 220 – 445 Mountain Highway,
North Vancouver, V7J 2L1
Tel 604 988 0450
email fotg.gala2013@gmail.com
Visit FOTG Website – HERE

Someone “paying it forward” to Turtle Gardens

Posted on May 10, 2013 by yvette

There is a movie about doing random acts of kindness without recognition I believe it is called “Paying it forward”. Someone recently made a donation on canadahelps of $250. It was labelled “all the animals – general” and anonymous. Anonymous said “I received this money for returning a dog I found so I am Paying it Forward. ” How cool is that!

An update from homebase. Two adoptions locally!! Yes we do adopt out locally to really great homes where the dogs are part of the family.

First Sequoia which mans beautiful yellow girl and she really is a beautiful dark tan/strawberry blonde. she went for a sleepover and has woven into their hearts. The had this to say about her:

Hi All,

All is well in Smithers with our new friend. After spending sometime in our home, Sequoia is settling in just fine and has no signs of aggression or bad feelings toward people, although her bark can be quite scary but at the end of the day she is just a big puppy who is sometimes a bit nervous about meeting new people but this is getting better everyday.

Copper and Sequoia are slowly learning to be friends and even had a bit of play time yesterday!!

Sequoia is great with children (had my 6 and 4 year old nephew over and she was sad to see them go). But because of her size and excitement she does have to be monitored until she learns how to act around them. I have started training with her and am learning that she has a stubborn side, and after some reading it is said that St. Bernards are willful and stubborn.

Sequoia seems to have a fascination with trucks, when she sees one she get excited and wants to get right in there…….so in her previous life she had a positive experience with trucks.

So, after 6 days with Sequoia we are committed to keeping her as a part of our family. So thank you again and the check is in the mail! Good Luck with the Reno’s!!

Cheers,

Leanne H.

Sequoia

The second adoption was our very clam and gentle Ruby by Mr Beans family! Ruby was chosen to help fill the tremendous hole left by Mr Beans not to replace him but to help heal. They drove all the way to Prince George to visit Ruby at the Prison Program.It was a very good match so Ruby jumped into the car and went home. How cool is that!

Jessica said: we r home now and so far so good! She didn’t try to eat the cat I will send pics and an update soon to you to post on website …. Thanks again! She’s wonderful!! )

Ruby shake a paw

There’s now only 20 days to go before the gala! There are still tickets left so pass the word around!
Let’s make this 25th Anniversary for Turtle Gardens a SELL OUT!

Turtle Gardens closes its doors for 3 weeks

Posted on May 1, 2013 by yvette

It is with deep regret that Turtle Gardens Homebase has closed its doors to all intakes/surrenders and outgoing/TG Bus Runs/spays/neuters for 3 weeks. This includes all visitors as well. We are undergoing extensive renovations to ensure the safety and health of all our dogs and their people that care for them. The outdoor changes are in desperate need of a machine. A machine that is owned by Turtle Gardens – there is just too much to do to hire a machine or to expect someone to donate their time and machine all summer long. The work has been piling up. Leveling grounds, expanding fences and dog yards, ditching to prevent flooding, ditching to improve draining, digging holes, putting in culverts, standing up water towers, clearing land across the road, more ditching, more leveling, more grading property just more spreading crushed stone. That has been on the agenda for years – a machine has been needed. Hiring a machine cost TG over $6,000 in the past 14 months. And the work is barely touched.

The inside renovations are progressing well. Pictures soon. The outside work to be done will also be shown so you can see what needs to be done and why. Meanwhile Turtle Gardens has to close its doors not permanently but hopefully no longer than 3 weeks. We need more progress to keep on helping the animals. Meanwhile we sincerely hope other rescue groups will step up to fill in the breech so no animals die during this time. Sometimes rescue hurts the soul.

In Memory of Mr Beans – April 30, 2013

Posted on May 1, 2013 by yvette

Hi Yvette…
I regret to inform you Mr Beans was put to rest at Driftwood Vet this afternoon
He was battling an illness that was undetermined. He had rapid weight loss these last 4 weeks and constant vomiting of blood. We did X-rays…blood work that showed red flags of possible cancer of the stomach or bowels. Tried prednisone and antibiotics. Then next step was ultrasound or scope on Friday. But over this past weekend he stopped eating all together and was lifeless. he was giving up i think. So I had to make the hardest decision ever.. to euthanize him this afternoon Brooke laid by his side during the entire process. He was very loved and went out of this world in loving arms. He was an amazing companion and we are so lucky he chose us as his family cuz I believe animals choose us

We are doing private cremation

Thank you for allowing us to adopt him. He will be GREATLY missed!

Jessica and Brooke

Mr Beans and his girl Brooke

Brooke and Beans

Happy Face Mr Beans

Mr Beans on the trail

Mr Beans’ Family

Realities at Turtle Gardens

Posted on April 26, 2013 by yvette

After the dearth of comments on Stan’s blog, I started thinking – I wonder if this blog is too positive – fuzzy heart warming so that when the harsh reality of worms and real life problems intrude that readers stop reading? The expectations of always being a feel good blog may be unrealistic and not always possible with “in the trenches dog rescue”. This has been an abnormally bad year for parasites – worms in particular but also ticks and lice in wildlife, moose in particular. Why do I mention moose? Cuz moose hides and parts are what scavenging dogs feed on and sleep on. The ticks and lice move from the hide to the live dogs and voila – an infestation of bubonic plague proportions. The moms and pups are the ones most susceptible to the overrun of bugs – their immune systems are crap.

I have been reading/researching worms on the internet (gotta love highspeed – this would not be possible on dial-up) ever since Dave and Dr Lois discussed parasite control when the pups went in for their check ups and vaccinations. She told Dave that bugs of all kinds will be so very much worse since we don’t have such sustained cold winters anymore. The worm eggs for instance need 2 weeks of -30 C to kill them. And in my research I found out that BLEACH does not kill worm eggs. Burning them in the dragon sure does but we pick up way too much feces for that to be environmentally feasible. So the only way to kill worms in the soil would be cook them – with boiling water. This machine will do the job – it heats water to 450 degrees!! That’s hot. And it would be effective in the dog yards and environmentally friendly both to animals ie dogs and ravens and other wildlife inhabiting the dog yards such as squirrels etc. It could be used indoors but ultra violet lights would do that indoors and the s 1200 psi hot water pressure washer that Jean B has so kindly offered us. Gotta research that ultra violet lights next. This machine is actually in Duncan and there are 2 of them. One would be all we need but here is the kicker – it is $3500!!!!! But look how beautiful it is and what a boon to all our dogs’ health to own. Dreams are made of this. link

dream machine

Now that is a dream. For now we will use our medical room that Stan is building to worm every dog on the property with drontal plus at $13 a pill for each 20 kg. Puppies of course cannot be wormed with drontal plus – they are too small. We are also seeing tapeworms in pups as young as 3 months old!! And seeing hookworms and whipworms as well as roundworms in tiny puppies. They don’t thrive or grow well. They aren’t strong and some do not survive deworming. So we have to delay worming until mom and pups are stronger and start all the litter and mom on antibiotics for a couple of days before worming them with panacur ($289 for a large jug of powder). That removes roundworms, whipworms and hookworms effectively. Once the hookworms are dead, they leave a hole in the intestines of the host animal ie puppy where bacteria can infect. Hopefully the antibiotics started a couple of days ahead will help heal the holes left behind before that happens. Leave them too long and hookworms will leave the host animal anemic from loss of blood. Worms are a battle we struggle with every day. Generations of dogs carrying massive parasite loads. The CAAT program has it right – wellness clinics are very necessary – treat the whole animal with the speuter. Worming and vaccinations will in the long run help not only the animals but the people as well. Healthy animals in healthy communities. People are also susceptible to these worms. Stop the cycle and stop disease. It is common sense and our reality at Turtle Gardens.

Ruby shake a paw

An update from Turtle Gardens’ Smokey in foster in Surrey

Posted on April 22, 2013 by yvette

Hi all,

Here is an update on the wonderful world of Smokey:)

Everybody loves Smokey. He is such an amazing dog. He is super friendly with everyone he meets. He’s a tad bit wary of people sometimes, just likes to exercise a little caution at first. But warms up quickly. He is so good with all the kids. The neighborhood kids often ask for him and Manny to come play and visit and he loves to be around them (especially when they drop food on the floor or rub his belly which he can never get enough of:)

He is quiet…I’ve only heard him bark once. He’s playful, loves to play with his toys (tug-a-war and fetch-ish…doesn’t always bring it back, lol). He has amazing recall off leash. He never lets me get too far away. Loves to follow me around. Even if it’s just around the house and he’s trying to nap. He’ll move from room to room with me flopping down to pick up where he left off in his nap.

He has met the cat and is not interested in her in the least (which she appreciates. Lol). He has been pretty much flawless at all his meetings with other dogs no matter the size. The only time I’ve seen a reaction from him was with puppies. He likes to quickly put them in their place with a growl and a pin down. He is easily called off and no harm is done.

He’s made many a new friend on all of our walks to the off leash dog parks. Loves to make a new friend for a game of chase and plays well with others. Needs a sturdy dog to play with though as he uses his body and packs enough weight that the lightweights get knocked around pretty easy. He doesn’t pursue the delicate if they don’t enjoy playing with him. He’s quite happy to go off and find a friend that can handle him.

I really could go on and on about him. Love him and really enjoying being his foster mom.

Denise

Smokey

New arrival at Turtle Gardens and another warning of the plant kind

Posted on April 22, 2013 by yvette

The newbies went to Vicky yesterday. This is what she has to say about them. They too are quite familiar!!!

Meet Asta and Bryn, my new fosters. Female, feral pups. We have a lot of work to do. They have to learn to trust the hindleggers and become socialized. They are terrified little muffins, as you can tell by the expressions. I would put them anywhere from 4 to 7 months, judging by the little teeth. Vet visit asap, then potty training. They’re so young, they will probably come around fairly quickly, especially with my pack to teach them that it’s okay to trust the human. The woman who brought them in told Dave there are at least six more like them out there.

Asta and Bryn

A warning about a toxic plant. I have grown this one myself – it is sold in all garden centers. It really is a pretty plant. Who knew it could kill?

FB friends, we got the biopsy report back and with great sorrow I must share this….Our darling girl died from the toxin in this plant that I have on my deck. It is called heliotrope and is highly toxic, causes total liver destruction. The pathologist said our angel had the worst liver damage he’s ever seen. Goldie would nibble at the leaves of this plant every so often and we had no clue it was toxic. (It can come in white or purple.) Please share with any dog owners you know to hopefully prevent their dog from becoming a statistic like Goldie. We are even more heartbroken now knowing her death was preventable. Please share her story so that something positive may come of it and create awareness of toxic plants. Our own vet had no idea this was a toxic plant!!

Heliotrope – highly toxic to dogs and cats

And an update I found on facebook (gotta love highspeed!! Cashmere was rescued with Silky’s group from Fort Babine way back.

Mike wrote: “Hi Yvette, by all means blog about her. She is a wonderful dog.”

: Cashmere; Cashmere closeup

The Faces of Turtle Gardens

Posted on April 21, 2013 by yvette

Finally – pictures of the new guys. Some names are being thought of like Moses for the new broken puppy. And some faces that remind us of other dogs that came through our doors. I will let you guess who I think they remind me of. So on a supposedly sunny Sunday – here we go – Faces of Turtle Gardens – Ta Da

Beautiful girl

medium size boy ready for foster

karelian mix puppy female

sharpei mix male

young male

Dex was neutered Friday – he is not a happy camper. He really feels hard done by.

Dex – he is all healed up and ready for foster

And for me – My Molson

Molson

Two smalls came in last night as well as a German Shorthair Pointer in need of rehabilitation. Good luck guys!

Updates and a warning

Posted on April 20, 2013 by yvette

Vicky sent this update on tiny Chip:
Chip had his crypto orchid surgery and dental on Wednesday. I was so pleased that he only had to get six teeth removed. He will now be ready for a forever home.

Tiny Chip is ready for foster in Vancouver

And another Update – this time from Murray formerly known as Tanner

Hi Mummy Yvette, it’s me again, Murray.

I have some very sad news and plenty of happy news for you. Just four days
after I came to my new home, my “sister” Charlotte went to the Rainbow
Bridge. It seems that she was waiting for me to arrive before she could
leave us. She was a lovely sister to me for a only few days and to Madeline
for her whole life. We all miss her VERY much.

The best news is that I am loving my new life. I met my new doctor who
hugged and kissed me and said “You’ve got a good one here”. He looked in my
eyes and my ears and checked me all over. Then he gave me a treat. My
“sister”, Madeline and I are having WAY TOO MUCH fun. We run and play-fight
till we’re both exhausted. We’ve attached pictures to prove just how tired
we get. I love to sleep on my “dad’s: chest as you can see. Our “mum” took
us somewhere called the SeaWall for a walk yesterday. I was a social
butterfly and greeted everyone we met. It seems as though everyone here
loves me already.

“Mum” & I are starting school on April 28. She says that I’ll like my
teacher – Madeline went to his school when she was just a pup.

So, Mummy Yvette, you do not ever need to worry about me. I am very much
loved and will be taken good care of for the rest of my life. Thank you and
your family for giving me such a great start on my happy life.

Love & Licks
Murray, Maddie, Doug, & Maureen

Murray asleep on dad

Murray and Madeline

And now the WARNING: Dog Food Recall

Contact: Natura Pet Consumer Relations – 800-224-6123
Natura Pet Expands Voluntary Recall of Dry Pet Foods Due to Possible Health Risk
FREMONT, NEBRASKA, April 19, 2013 –Natura Pet Products is voluntarily expanding its March 29, 2013 recall of dry pet foods because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. The expanded recall now includes all dry pet food products and treats with expiration dates prior to and including March 24, 2014. Please see the table below for details of affected products. Salmonella can affect animals eating the products and there is risk to humans from handling contaminated pet products, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with the products or any surfaces exposed to these products. Healthy people infected with Salmonella should monitor themselves for some or all of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever. Rarely, Salmonella can result in more serious ailments, including arterial infections, endocarditis, arthritis, muscle pain, eye irritation, and urinary tract symptoms. Consumers exhibiting these signs after having contact with this product should contact their healthcare providers. Pets with Salmonella infections may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever, and vomiting. Some pets will have only decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain. Infected but otherwise healthy pets can be carriers and infect other animals or humans. If your pet has consumed the recalled product and has these symptoms, please contact your veterinarian. Sampling conducted by the Michigan Department of Agriculture and the Georgia Department of Agriculture confirmed the presence of Salmonella in additional dry pet food and a cat pet treat. In an abundance of caution, Natura is also recalling product made in the surrounding timeframe. This action affects dry pet foods and treats only; no canned wet food or biscuits are affected by this announcement.
The affected products are sold through veterinary clinics and select pet specialty retailers nationwide and in Canada, Hong Kong, Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, and Costa Rica, as well as online.
Consumers who have purchased these pet foods should discard them. For additional information, consumers may visit www.naturapet.com. For a product replacement or refund call Natura toll-free at 800-224-6123. (Monday – Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:30 PM CST).

Brand Size Description UPC Lot Code(s) EXPIRATION DATE
California Natural
All Sizes
All dry dog and dry cat food and treat varieties
All UPCs All Lot Codes
All expiration dates prior to and including MARCH 24, 2014
EVO All Sizes
All dry dog and dry cat food and treat varieties All ferret food varieties
All UPCs All Lot Codes
All expiration dates prior to and including MARCH 24, 2014
Healthwise All Sizes
All dry dog and dry cat food and treat varieties
All UPCs All Lot Codes
All expiration dates prior to and including MARCH 24, 2014
Innova All Sizes
All dry dog and dry cat food and treat varieties
All UPCs All Lot Codes
All expiration dates prior to and including MARCH 24, 2014
Karma All Sizes All dry dog food varieties All UPCs All Lot Codes
All expiration dates prior to and including MARCH 24, 2014
No canned wet food or biscuits are affected by this announcement.
# # #
About Natura Pet Products Natura Pet Products is recognized as a trusted name behind natural and holistic pet foods and treats. Founded more than 20 years ago by John and Ann Rademakers and Peter Atkins, Natura is dedicated to providing the best natural nutrition. Natura is committed to making premium pet foods and treats based on nutritional science and high-quality ingredients, combined with trusted manufacturing processes, for complete pet health. Lines include: Innova®, California Natural®, EVO®, HealthWise®, Mother Nature® and Karma®. To learn more about Natura Pet Products visit www.NaturaPet.com.
Media Contact: Jason Taylor 513-622-3205

This recall is a disaster for Turtle Gardens. It affects puppies and old dogs the most. And we have this food donated. We have fed this food and yes we lost some puppies. And have very sick dogs at homebase. Stan, Dave and our vets have been working hard to save our dogs and they are succeeding. There have been no more deaths and the pups are slowly recovering. This is so disheartening. These are premium products – why are the ingredients contaminated? Makes you wonder doesn’t it?

Another talk with an Animal Rescue Club for Yvette

Posted on April 18, 2013 by yvette

An arrangement has been made for Yvette to speak to the Animal Rescue Club at McRoberts Secondary School, 8980 Williams Rd in Richmond on Tues. April 23rd at 12:30 pm. I am sure she would appreciate the support and would also either enjoy meeting you, or seeing you again. If you would like to come and support Yvette, please do!
*NOTE – Your TG furkids are welcome to join us as well. Please check in at the office first which is near the front entrance. Thank you for your support.