CAWI’s Dog Tales

Sometimes CAWI hears interesting stories about how some of the dogs it has rescued are getting on in their new lives, and occasionally CAWI itself has a story to tell. Some of those stories find their way onto this page.

Harriet hits the Jackpot

The first we knew of Harry was a phone call about a dog being left in a rented house when the tenants moved on.  She had been in the house for quite some time before her rescue by the contract cleaners.  Harry doesn’t have youth on her side but she has aged gracefully and her coat is still as soft as the day she was born.  Harriet has the distinction of being CAWI’s longest lasting foster dog.  She was with us for 12 mths before her last foster carers decided she was a good good dog and she may as well settle in at their place.  Despite her reputation as a cat hater, she must of known things were not going to get much better than the paradise she had landed in, and kept her paws to herself  leaving the family cats alone.  Harry is a beach fanatic and luckily so is her new owner.  She is nearly 10 yrs old now but can be seen regularly pounding out through the waves to fetch her stick.  Harriet had fantastic foster carers who all loved her and in the end her gentleness and loving personality won her the biggest prize of all – a wonderful home with great new owners.

 

Eddy’s long road to a good home 

When the rangers gave CAWI a call almost a year ago and told us they had a very friendly male black lab in the lock up we thought it would be an easy job to find this handsome boy a home.  But Ed soon proved that he was a handful.

Eddy as his trainer renamed him; was a leader of dogs, the lieutenant of the dog pack,  the strong boy who had no fear, the brains of the outfit and the one with the most stamina that would keep the pack together and strong.  He is extremely intelligent and will push man and dog alike until he has worked out any weaknesses.  In other words, Ed needed professional training if he was to settle into a normal family situation.

CAWI invested heavily in Ed’s future because he was worth it.  Ed loves other dogs and plays really well, he is no slouch at self defence but would prefer a game rather than a punch up.  He attaches himself to a strong male owner and is fiercely loyal, and he has no problem with cats – probably admires their guts at standing their ground.

After testing a couple of families out Ed moved on to become a man’s dog!  He and Les are now inseperable after Les offered his home as a foster home until Ed could be adopted.  It didn’t take long for Ed to work out that this is where he belonged.  He worked and worked at Les until he won him over completely.  Les, who had no intention of getting another dog nearly freaked out when we advertised Ed in the local paper.  He was on the phone to Margaret immediately to let her know that Ed had a home with him from now on and could CAWI please stop advertising him as he would formally adopt him asap.  Of course we all new that Ed had chosen Les in the end and were delighted that Les had fallen for this big fellas charms.

It is very uplifting to see Eddy and Les on their morning beach walk after so much heartache .Ed knows he is loved and is no longer searching for his illusive home.

 

George’s ordeal

 

George was hit by a car while on a quiet stroll in a country lane in December 2010. George’s leg was smashed – multiple fractures. He ran on three legs off in fear into the bush, leaving Harry devastated and searching for 12 mths for his beloved dog. George was sighted occasionally but was elusive and could not be caught.

Then on 12th December 2011, a landholder at Myocum borrowed a humane trap for a dog she had sighted on her property. George was finally captured and the rangers came to fetch him and delivered a very fearful dog to Rowan and Nichole at Byron Vets. CAWI was contacted to help with the cost of amputation and treatment while the vets volunteered their time and skill to make George more comfortable. Nicole spent many hours with a roast chook in the cage with George to get him used to humans again. He would gently lick her hand as she bathed him in preparation for his operation. Everyone fell for George’s deep eyes and gutsy survival instinct. The leg was taken off and CAWI started searching for a suitable foster family.

 

Then a Christmas miracle happened and George’s owner Harry was found. Harry hotfooted it down to Byron vets to see if the incredible story of his long lost dog could be true. It was the sound of Harry’s voice … then George saw for himself the person he loved the most in the world. Harry had to sit down. George ran on his three legs to jump into Harry’s arms and spent the next five minutes licking the face that meant so much to him.

Harry never stopped looking for George and in the end, his search was rewarded. Harry has another dog that he rescued now; Polly the red kelpie. George and Polly checked each other out when first introduced and seemed to hit it off.

Everyone who witnessed this fantastic reunion was totally overcome with emotion. A great outcome for a great faithful little dog and his committed owner.

 

 

Sandy’s new life begins…

by Tiann, her new owner

Sandy has brightened up every day since we started fostering her. You just realise how smart she is (as we’ve been fostering Scruffy who isn’t as bright)*. Sandy and I have so much fun just being around each other, every morning we both go up to mum’s bed and have cuddles, then Sandy sits on the couch and watches me get ready for school. Once I’m ready Sandy knows what time it is:: “time for school”. So Sandy jumps into the car (she loves going in the car) and off we go to school. While I’m at school Sandy sleeps on her bed in mum’s office. When I get back from school Sandy, me and mum go to the beach or if not we go home and me and Sandy run around the block together.

*Editor’s note – not that anyone is suggesting Scruffy is dim!

 Sandy takes first prize!

At the Bangalow Show Sandy achieved more than I thought she could do, one of the judges wanted Sandy to win everything I entered her in but the other judges didn’t. Sandy really shined in most talented pet thanks to paw power for the great advice on training. Just as the judges were watching Sandy sat, laid, stayed and then rolled which she had never done before. At that second the judges came over to me with a huge ribbon which only meant one thing – me and Sandy won!

 

Traveldog… from a life of misery!

When CAWI rescued Billy he was a mess of demodectic mange, almost furless and itching like crazy. Bill’s positive demeanour and strong character saw him through his troubled times and with great foster carers, he staged an astounding recovery.

 

 

Bill made friends in the neighbourhood, played ball at the beach, sat on the lounge to watch tele, ate two square meals a day and was lavished with love. Amy and Victoria nursed Bill back to full health, and Bill repaid them by tidying their shoes (seriously – he is a neat freak), giving them total devotion and growling at suspicious visitors.

 

But underneath the growl, Bill is a big baby and like all dogs just wants to be loved. Poor Victoria was torn. Travel plans were drawing closer and Bill hadn’t been adopted. In the end, the decision was made… Bill was packed into the camper van and they were off to Margaret River.

 

Bill’s now been more places than your average dog and he and Victoria are a team.  CAWI is full of great stories like Bill’s.  Dogs bring joy into the lives of many.

 

BJ’s story (a cautionary tale)

BJ lost his life-long home when his doting owners were forced to surrender him towards the end of November 2010. Big trauma for all concerned. To compound his misery, he’d run in front of a car a couple of months previously (August 2010). The rest of his story is not for the squeamish, but, thanks to CAWI, there is a happy ending, as you can see from this “after” picture.

 

BJ breaks one plate, bends another

Immediately after the car accident a metal plate was screwed to BJ’s left shin-bone to support it whilst the two ends re-fused. That metal plate broke. Ouch. A second repair was attempted, this time, with a stronger metal plate. When BJ came to CAWI, he’d just had this plate removed, and he was limping badly. It turned out that he’d bent the second plate. The broken ends of the bone hadn’t managed to stay in touch, let alone form a lasting bond. Despite all his troubles, he remained brave, trusting, sweet-natured, gentle, friendly and affectionate. The way he handled himself was admirable and humbling.

 

Decision time

CAWI faced a tough choice: save that left foreleg or amputate? Both options would involve BJ in more surgery, discomfort and long-term rehabilitation. When CAWI committee members went to meet BJ before making a final decision, they were torn. Now, BJ (like most male dogs) is left-handed, so he was in the habit of using his damaged left paw to tap at the door, attract attention, lead off with, reach with… and he still had a trick up his sleeve.

 

BJ plays his trump card

He sealed the deal by lifting his mangled leg right on cue, just as the committee members bent to say their good-byes. It looked uncannily like an earnest plea or an offer to shake on it, depending on your perspective. Of course, it was pure reflex on BJ’s part, but that exquisitely timed gesture tipped the odds. CAWI made an appointment with an expert to save his leg.

 

BJ’s bionic leg

CAWI started fund-raising and a few weeks later (Jan 2011) the third attempt at repairing BJ’s leg went ahead. The broken ends of the bones were tidied up, his ankle and toes were turned around to face the way they should, two heavy-duty metal plates, several pins and a lot of screws were inserted to keep it stable, and tissue from a donor site on his shoulder was packed around the repairs to aid bone re-growth and healing. BJ was pretty much confined to barracks, walked only very short distances on a lead and carried up and down stairs for months.

 

BJ bounces back

BJ is a very lucky dog – thanks to his surgeon (Gordon Corfield at Veteriary Specialist Services, Carrara, Qld), his leg is now as solid as ever, albeit about a centimetre shorter. More than nine months after coming into CAWI’s care, he was taken to Tallow Beach and given completely free rein for the first time since the car accident a year earlier. It was simply fantastic, and worthy of  a few photos at least. Unfortunately, he took off so fast when his carer mentioned “snaps” that there’s no permanent record of the historic moment. He eventually slowed down enough for these:

 

 

BJ is now part of an adoring family in Ballina. He has two young lads that play with him every chance they get, and he runs and paddles at the beach almost every day.

 

Sooti’s Story

Sooti is an ex-CAWI dog that was adopted by Lenna. Sooti and Lenna joined the Story Dogs team in September 2010.

 

Story Dogs by Lenna

Story Dogs’ mission is to make reading fun for children, so they become confident lifelong readers. No child should be left behind in literacy. 

 

After some initial training for Sooti and myself we commenced the program at Brunswick Heads Primary School where we found the principal, staff and children very enthusiastic and supportive with this method of helping children especially those struggling with their reading. We help a broad spectrum of children although most are selected by their teacher from years 1 and 2 who need help with literacy skills. Some are chosen for other reasons such as low esteem and to enhance their communication skills.

 

Dogs have no bias and they are non-judgemental! We select a suitable place in the playground, spread a rug and some cushions; the student will then read out aloud a story at their level of literacy. Sooti often sits in their lap or between us, she gets lots of pats and cuddles and a treat at the end of the session.

 

The children soon gain confidence and I keep a weekly record of progress plus the names of the books read. The children often laugh at their own mistakes, and I will prompt and assist when necessary. Sooti listens, she remains quite focused and will rest her paw on the page!  Each reading session one on one lasts about 20 minutes and then the student will take Sooti for a run around the playground and give her a drink of water.

 

Sooti represented Story Dogs at the Byron Bay Writers Festival this year and rubbed shoulders with the stars on Kids’ Day.

In less than 2 years we now have 28 dog teams visit 20 schools in the Tweed Shire plus Brunswick in the Byron Shire, helping over 120 kids to become lifelong readers. We hope to add Lismore and Byron Shires in 2012.