Westie Rescue of Northern California

Angus

May 1, 2018December 23, 2020 by westiemed in Stories

Angus came to Westie Rescue of Northern California (WRAP) from a northern California shelter on 12/2/2017 after several people contacted us on Facebook about him. Angus was a stray, that the shelter said was about ten years old. Angus was fairly blind only seeing some shadows with cataracts in both eyes. His dental condition was poor. He had early renal disease and was mildly anemic. In addition, he was hard of hearing and had ulcers in his eyes which were discovered later. As the WRAP volunteer was sitting in her car to leave the shelter, Angus began to throw up. That set the tone for the weeks to come. He didn’t want to eat and when he did he was sick.

Angus was very dirty and matted on arrival so he was groomed within days. He looked beautiful when done. Angus was a very good boy for the groomer.

His loving foster mother took him to the Veterinarian almost immediately (and often) to start to deal with his medical issues which were many but most importantly his nausea. Multiple labs and testing over the next months were done along with teeth cleaning. He saw three different Veterinarians (including an Ophthalmologist) over four and a half months for various issues.

Angus was a loving boy who had clearly been loved at one time. He got along well with the others dogs in the foster home and became very bonded with them and his foster mom. Angus blossomed with some love and medical care. After over four and a half months Angus was finally cleared for adoption.

Angus was adopted by his foster mother on April 20, 2018.

Thank you WestieMed for helping us provide for Angus.

Update July 2019

Angus, my little man of the house went to Rainbow Bridge on Thursday, November 1st, 2018. We knew he was going to be a tough case because he was very ill when he first came to rescue and us. In spite, of his poor beginnings, Angus was a very sweet boy, enjoying his time snuffling around in the yard, lending affection whenever and wherever he could, and enjoying his food.

We think he was about twelve but he had had a very hard life and ultimately his kidneys failed him. Though he was blind and deaf, he really did manage to get around just fine and would meet me at the door with the rest of his pup siblings.

He was a beautiful little Westie and had the most expressive tail. A great lover of cuddling, he just loved to be around others and made friends easily with the rest of my crew. I love my girl Westie dearly, but oh how those little boys break my heart every time. Angus will be greatly missed.

Mom Janet

Albert

May 1, 2014December 24, 2020 by westiemed in Stories

Albert is a 12-year old Westie boy who was surrendered to our Westie Rescue of Northern California by his lifelong owners who are divorcing. Both moved to apartments where they cannot have a dog and want him to be in a home with a yard and the opportunity to have proper care and attention. He is a diabetic Westie who is totally blind from cataracts and his hearing is also impaired.

He is being fostered by a retired RN who practiced as an Emergency Room nurse her entire career in Napa, California. I had trouble finding a Foster who was comfortable giving Albert insulin shots and managing his loss of sight. Albert is quite content to be a laid back boy and it is my hope that she requests to adopt him once we have taken care of his cataracts.

I picked him up in Milpitas, CA and made a stop at Veterinary Vision in San Francisco en route to Napa. Dr. Cynthia Cook has performed cataract surgery on one of my own Westies and also for one of my rescues, Darby, who received a grant from WestieMed. She gives us a 20% discount and strives to come in at the low end of her estimate for surgery. Our Rescue will pay the remaining costs of his surgery after the WestieMed grant is sent to her. Dr. Cook has confirmed that he is a good candidate for surgery. He is having his pre-op blood work and vet exam on May 11 and I am going to try to schedule his surgery for May 20th.

Albert is a very sweet little guy. He has another dog to play with in his Foster home and has become fast friends with a Golden Retriever named Connor. He learned his way around the house fairly quickly and is favorite spot is on the sofa with the Foster. He also naps in the sun on her deck and is able to ask to go outside after only a few days. He is affectionate and tries to play when he is on the floor. Here is a quote from the last update from the Foster: “If Albee had his vision again he would be a playful lil guy, likes to lay on his side next to you and have his tummy rubbed.” It will be wonderful to observe what he thinks when he is able to see after three years being blind.

Our thanks and Albert’s gratitude to all of the people at WestieMed for giving him the gift of sight with your funding of his surgery.

Mary Young
Westie Rescue of Northern California

Update July 28, 2015

We lost our little Albert to congestive heart failure last weekend. We are so sad. He was the best boy and at least had his eyesight for his last two years. It hurts to lose these rescues as much as if they were my own dogs.

Thanks WestieMed for your support of Albert and our other rescues.

Mary Young
Rescue Chair

Lily Marline

August 1, 2013December 24, 2020 by westiemed in Stories

Lily Marline is a very sweet thirteen-year-old Westie whose owner recently passed away and trusted Westie Rescue of Northern California, San Francisco Bay Westie Club to find her a new forever home. She was one of many animals in the household but the only Westie.

Our lovely Bay Area becomes gridlocked during the 4th of July holiday so Rescue needed assistance in picking her up in Stockton, in the valley below Sacramento.

Jo Fleming agreed to fetch this Westie for Rescue and picked her up on July 5th. She settled in at Jo’s place and became fast friends with Duffy, Jo’s five-year-old Scottie.

Within a few days, Rescue was informed that Lily would not be leaving. So Jo set about having vet work done including a much needed dental cleaning, removal of an eyelid cyst and treatment for infections. As a single working terrier Mom, Jo needed assistance to take care of Lily’s needs and WestieMed was asked to provide financial assistance.

Jo and our SF Bay Westie Club Rescue appreciate the generous donation from WestieMed to help us tend to this neglected senior Westie.

To celebrate Lily’s official adoption on July 27th, Jo threw a “Gotcha Party” in Lily’s honor.This party was well attended by seven Westies and two Scotties and provided the perfect opportunity to present Jo with our Adoption Contract which she hastily signed to applause and tail wags from the group. Have you ever seen a happier dog wearing the head gear? Lily Marline loved the Frosty Paws!And here is a photo of Lily Marline’s new sibling, Duffy the Scottie in party attire.

Lily Marline, Duffy, Jo and Westie Rescue thank WestieMed for your financial assistance!

Mary Young
Rescue Chair,
Westie Rescue of Northern California, a non-profit service of the
San Francisco Bay West Highland White Terrier Club

Update February 11, 2014

The attached picture was taken on October 25, 2013, of Lily at the SF Bay Westie Club’s Tartan Games. Lily (thirteen years old) was rescued on July 5, 2013, and had kidney and bladder infections, ear infection, growth on her eye and her teeth had not been cleaned. Many thanks to WestieMed who paid for Lily’s vet bill. Her left eye was crusted over, her ears were full of goop, and her teeth were needing a comprehensive cleaning. The kidney and bladder infections lasted for six weeks and she did not like the cone. She had dental surgery and at the same time, they removed two growths, one on her eye and the other on her leg, which she had been licking.

She settled in very nicely into my house with my five-year-old Scottie, Duffy. Lily has been having a hard time lately as we lost Duffy to lymphoma on January 17, 2014. At first, she didn’t want to come near me after she realized Duffy left with me and he didn’t come home. She has had a time of adjustment. She wanders from room to room looking for him. She now lets me hold and love her. She sleeps as close as she can get to me at night. She doesn’t like to be moved after she has found her spot. She grumbles.

She is now eating Science Diet Dental as treats, loves carrots, apples and anything else that is edible. She hates getting her teeth brushed. She acts like a puppy in that she loves to be chased. She has set her own time to be fed each morning and evening. She bounces around whining and if you don’t move fast enough she barks. The walker comes every day to pick her up and she is happy to see him. She tries to help put her harness on. It has been hard on her with Duffy gone but she isn’t crying (face around her eyes were wet) as she did at first. Lily has surprised me in so many ways. She is a wonderful little girl who has her own mind. She takes her dry kibble out of her dish and sits it on the floor, looks at it as if she is counting it, and she will eat a couple otherwise it is left on the floor. One friend suggested she is leaving it for Duffy.
Jo Fleming

Luzi

November 1, 2012December 24, 2020 by westiemed in Stories

Luzi was a dream rescue Westie girl for the San Francisco Bay West Highland White Terrier Club’s non-profit Westie Rescue of Northern California. In addition to being the most popular request we get (female, one is two years old) she came already spayed, all shots up to date and no health issues. The family that came to mind for her new forever home, Teresa Carle and David Martinez, had served me well with fostering a six-year-old male who was one of five puppy mill Westies we had on hand all at once. This fairly feral foster (whose name has morphed from Seamus to Shamus to Tory to “The Great Ollie”) proved to be too stressful for their males, Romeo and Rufus, and they called and suggested their son as a suitable foster home. It was a terrific solution to a real need and Teresa continued to provide for his vet care (removal of neutering stitches). They also offered to foster any female to preclude gender rivalry. And then this little twelve-pound wonder Luzi was surrendered so her family could travel. Little did they know she was a traveler! And the author of Luzi’s story switches from Mary Young, SFBWHWTC Rescue Chair, to Teresa Carle and Dave Martinez:

Luzi came to us at the end of June of this year. Luzi is our fifth Westie, our second rescue, and our very first little girl. The moment Luzi arrived, she was instant friends with Romeo. They tore through the yard at top speed and leaped in and out of the wading pool until they were completely exhausted. For Romeo, also a two-year-old, it was love at first sight. Rufus, our nine-year-old, who has bladder cancer, took a bit longer to accept that she was actually going to stay, but they too are now best friends. Luzi can get Rufus to play even when he does not feel well.

When we walk the three of them in our Sacramento neighborhood, in downtown Calistoga, or through various campgrounds (we take the three in our RV), people always stop and talk to us and want to know all about the dogs. The boys are handsome for sure, but it is always Luzi, that receives the most compliments about how cute she is. Luzi only weighs twelve pounds, so she still looks like a puppy. She has such beautiful eyes and she is very charming.

Luzi’s most favorite thing in the entire world is to take walks. Her leash hangs in the laundry room and if she wants to go out, she will sit in her bed and stare at her leash and bark. She is a good little walker for such a tiny girl. She keeps up with Romeo who is near twice her size. Today, I put a raincoat on her for the first time, because we had to get out despite the constant drizzle. Boy was that fun, trying to get that raincoat on her! We have a bit of training to do. Luzi is a key part of our family and we know that she will comfort us all once our Rufus passes on. Today I bumped my head really hard and was in tears. Luzi was the first one to run over with a concerned look on her face and offers of kisses. We are very blessed to have this loving little girl in our lives.

And now back to Mary of SFBWHWTC Rescue. Luzi’s urinary tract infection proved to be non-responsive to antibiotic treatments so it was necessary for her to have surgery to remove crystals that were lodged in her urethra. A very complicated and expensive process made manageable by WestieMed’s generous contribution to this deserving Rescue and her family. We are both very grateful to WestieMed for fulfilling your mission to help needy rescues overcome unexpected and expensive medical costs. This little Westie will be back in the pool soon thanks to WestieMed. And also back “on the road again” charming all of Northern California with her sweet, engaging personality as she serves as an excellent “SpokesWestie for our breed, for our Rescue organizations and for WestieMed.

THANK YOU!

Mary Young, SFBWHWTC Rescue Chair
Teresa Carle and Dave Martinez

Update June 21, 2013:

Luzi is doing fantastic! She is so darn cute and getting better each time I groom her. She is much calmer and trusting. It just takes time. I have to remember that she was taken from her mommy. She loves to curl up right by my chest when I lay on the couch. Also, far fewer accidents with medication Proin and after her bladder stone surgery had time to heal. She gets rewards and praise. She is such a wonderful dog. She does have to wear a bark collar while we are gone because of the neighbor’s complaints. She is yappy without it but seems calm and happy with the collar on.

Teresa and Dave