Feb 8, 2016

BCSP Report – Week 4

Bollinger County Stray Project Report January 25-31

We have good news to report about the two challenging dogs we adopted last week. Shy Collins is doing great, adjusting very fast to the lady of the house. I took a little longer to adjust to the husband. Still he bonded quickly compared to when he first came to us and “shut down”, having been terrified of all humans.

Rita Holloway, the Lab Hound mix gal who may also have some bully breed in the mix, is adjusting perfectly to her home as well. She is in heaven being the only dog. The dogs here have fully recognized that she has left and they are more at ease with the reactive alpha gal gone.

Peace at last it would seem. However, when one alpha leaves another often rises over the rank. Such seems to be the case now that the pack mix has been altered and “the dust has fallen”. A tough gal has aggressively taken the opportunity to discipline the other small to medium dogs to an extreme, and so we have to watch carefully and make decisions to protect the masses.

We both were so angry Sunday night that we discussed having her euthanized Monday. So today we will ask to find a home for this dog who is a tough-as-nails Hound Labrador type mix, 45 pounds on a good day.

We are not looking for a person who wants to save a dog just to save it. We are not looking for a home who will put their other dogs, their cats or especially small dogs in danger. We don’t want a home that allows her to run the country side to hunt and put her and other pets in danger either.

There is not a fence on our place that can keep her in. She can crawl out of a cyclone fence like a ladder. She goes over cattle panels like she is walking up the deck steps. She would need a privacy fence OR to be a city dog walked for exercise on a leash. I have no idea if she would respect an electric fence, but with her hard headed manner, I think she would tough it out and barge through the shock to get at what she wants most: freedom to hunt and explore.

I will not adopt her to live on a chain. We don’t approve of such a life for a dog and frankly this gal’s small head to neck ratio would not sustain a collar if she wanted to pull out of it.

I won’t adopt her to live in a kennel her whole life either, except when used to hunt for a month out of the year. We are a hunting dog county and it breaks my heart that so many hunting dogs live the life of a prisoner with little human interaction, and in many cases, poor living conditions.

The dog we are concerned with is named ”Geni in a Bottle” and to date, has been very lucky when she needed good fortune the most. A former stray from Puxico, she is about age 2, had at least one litter of pups. She is upper stage two, possibly stage 3 Heartworm positive. Because she is not a large dog she will not be as expensive to treat for her heartworms.

The day I got her she went directly to the vet and had an ER spay the next morning for a deadly uterus infection. She also has been treated twice for ear infections.

She came to us extremely thin. Sadly, I have hardly put any weight on her due to her hunt drive and heartworm.

She comes back to the yard at late afternoon to evening when exhausted from hunting the beavers at our large pond. She can be seen or heard chasing bunnies in the pasture, and our front yard by day.

She is submissive towards the veterinary staff, my husband and me, and she seems good around kids. However, the manner in which she changes towards other dogs so quickly from content to aggressive…I worry about her around small kids who may irritate her. So I won’t adopt her with kids under age 8. Note that I have not seen any negative behavior around kids age 6 and up, but then, when I first saw her start to be aggressive with small dogs here, I was shocked at the intensity and how little it took for the amount of aggression to peak.

Just because a dog has a strong prey drive for bunnies, squirrels, or other wildlife does not mean the dog would be dangerous around a child.

I don’t understand how that works in the dog’s mind. They generally seem to associate love with humans of all ages and heights if the adults or children don’t harm them and they have been socialized around them. They can attack a woodchuck and come to a child’s face and lick them silly. I can recall my own childhood pets doing so on so many occasions.

I would not put out the plea to find a home for this dog if I felt she was not trustworthy. I love this dog.

She is totally house broke and one of the few rescues allowed to be free to roam anywhere in the house unless I have food on the table or counter top… She is still on a survival dial and hunts food in any location, in any form, including in the kitchen. This gal is lead by her nose like a prize purebred hound would be.

If you are interested in adopting Geni In a Bottle, we will pay for her Heartworm treatment at our vet. The approved family will need to agree to the treatment dates the vet has available. Her adoption fee is $250. Call Marilyn at 573-722-3035 if you will give this pretty black gal a loving home.

I had planned to share a “Happy Tail” with my readers this week about an older dog who finally found a home to love her, but the need to find a home for “Geni In a Bottle” has taken precedence. Hopefully very soon we will have another happy tale about this gal who is a challenging dog while in my care.

Always I must take the safety of the other pets as priority. Currently they are very stressed and that is not right or fair for them or for me.

Accepted strays and relinquished pets (Facebook FB):

… 4-5 year old female Pom, 25 pounds.

… Rottweiler female pup, stray from Wayne Co, age 4 months.

Adoptions, return to owner or placed in other rescues (2):

… Male Golden Retriever and Coonhound mix 12 week old pup: went to Jackson Mo family

… Female sister to above pup: went to Eureka Mo home, young family’s first pet.

… Rat terrier posted on FB came home to owner after being gone 12 hours.

… Two small dogs returned thanks to methods discussed by phone to track them down: Bollinger Co pets got lost in Jackson Cape area when visiting a friend.

Cat calls:

… FOUND 1/5/16, B Hwy and Co Rd 322: PG cat, dilute grey with tangerine dots.

… $100 for a super sweet spayed kitty we saved with a now healed broken leg. FL neg. Shots and all are done. Kitty was found at Jer’s parking lot. (FB)

… FREE, several cats: age 9 months to over 1 year, all spayed or neutered house cats.

Dogs with Heartworm (HW), Ehrlichia, special needs, or that were euthanized:

… None.

Calls requesting assistance for dogs we did not admit:

… FOUND 1/24/16, about 5 miles north of New Salem Church, PlainsView Co Rd: Black, tan, white, looks striped like a brindle but caller does not know what Brindle is, seems young, female.

… FOUND 1/28/16 5 miles west from junction of Hwy 51 and P: Great Pyrenees is laying near the hay bale and not allowing rancher’s cattle to eat. Call 614-1611 to claim.

… FOUND 1/31/16 beside Trace Baptist Church: long coat black with red, wearing a light blue web collar.

… LOST 1/11/16, Co Rd 808: black male Lab Chow mix, call 573-238-5614.

… LOST 1/14/16, rural Millersville area: 10 year old male Jack Russell, mostly creamy white with reddish on his ears and side of face, REWARD for his safe return. ( FB)

… Called by an elderly lady who has over 20 cats: wanted help with spays. I lost her number. Please call me at 573-722-3035.

Miscellaneous and contact info:

We had 37 dogs and pups at our home 2/1/16.

Need help to find your pet? Do you have a stray camping out in the yard? Don’t wait, call us at 573-722-3035 or email photos at ace@clas. net.

We LOVE Buchheits! Donate a buck or more at the Jackson store for dog food and supplies when you shop. Also, Second Time Around in Marble Hill is taking donations for the Stray Project. Monetary donations are accepted at the Bollinger County Veterinary Service, Marble Hill Coop, Buchheits, and the MH Town and Country.

Stray Project monetary donations accepted at the Marble Hill Coop. We purchase de-wormer and other supplies at the Coop and donations are greatly appreciated.

Please be advised that the Bollinger County Stray Project is not the county or City of Marble Hill dog catcher. When you have a stray we try to help and can usually offer solutions. Patience is required of the caller towards our ability to find and implement a solution. I wish we had a magic wand but we don’t and can’t always help the callers in a manner they may demand of us. Remember, we are volunteers and help as time and space allows.

Offer a stray water on day one and food day two or three. Call if missing a dog or if you have a stray. We don’t always have room but we may have a solution to help you and the stray.

Dumping dogs is a form of abuse and against the law. Please report animal abuse or neglect.

Please do the following when your pets are expecting or caring for a litter: offer any pregnant dog small-breed-puppy-food the final 1-2 weeks before delivery and while the pups are nursing. Give those mothers all the food they want: bowls full all day and lots of fresh water available all day. Cats need kitten food. Free feed the higher calorie food during the nursing stage to help mom make milk and maintain her own body mass. Babies need to be de-wormed as young as 1-2 weeks, then every 7-10 days until age 10-weeks or older if in a confined environment with re-infestation concerns.

Thank you to the County Residents who have continued to support the Bollinger County Stray Project. 

Check out our available pets at Petfinder.  Call 573-722-3035 about our adoptable pets.

If you suspect an animal is being neglected or abused, call the Humane Society of Missouri Animal Cruelty Hotline, 314-647-4400 or 800-383-9835 or you can make a confidential report on line at Humane Society of Missouri.

To understand when an animal is being abused or neglected in the state of Missouri read the following link:http://asci.uvm.edu/equine/law/cruelty/mo_cruel.htm