Blue Lion Rescue Lisa Kavanaugh PO Box 11, Yoder, CO 80864 Phone: 719-478-2374 Website: www.BlueLionRescue.org
BLUE LION ANIMAL RESCUE is providing a home to some 125 giant breed dogs. Loving adoptive homes are found for as many as possible, but many, who have endured past abuse and neglect, have dispositions unlikely to win them new homes. They will live out their lives at Kavanaugh's ranch, where even grumpy growlers seem to relax under her gentle care. Please watch and enjoy this video of the castoffs at Blue Lion and consider supporting their great work with the big breeds by making a donation on their web site.
So hello ... I'm Sully and I'm about 5. I've never been interviewed before, so this is all pretty exciting ... you can tell I'm excited, right? I'm an Akita/Mastiff cross and I'm now out of the county lockup where these pictures were taken and am at the vet's for the next little while. I am not what you would maybe call a "pretty boy" and some people have laughed when they saw me. Yes, part of my left ear did get chewed off in the days when I had wild oats to sow. Seems like it happened in a discussion over a very attractive dog girl whose name I don't believe I ever learned, but I'm about as sweet and easy going a guy as you are going to find.
My life hasn't been real easy ever. See my last people didn't really care much about me -- I'm not a rocket scientist, but I am a sweet heart and I have figured out they didn't care much about me. They didn't come looking for me when I got lost, they didn't neuter me and they didn't take very good care of me -- shoot, they didn't even get me a collar with my name on it. So I ended up in the dog jail and was at about the end of my days and Akita Rescue said "shoot yes, he's a cutie." Wow nobody ever said that before.
You do need to know that I am positive for HW and about to begin treatment. I'm pretty excited because I hear that once I complete my HW treatments and am neutered and have my health certificate and all my vaccinations on board, I'm going to be waiting for adoption by people who will love me. And I'll get to stay in a "foster home" until my forever people come and find me. I have to tell you not really much excites me (except belly rubs, boy I love those belly rubs) -- but the idea of having a real home with people who love me and will take care of me and not let me get lost again and will be nice to me ... you know what? I'm thinking that kind of home will make where I've been and what I've been through -- those five years will be an okay price to pay for a real home. I don't ask for much, but I wonder what it would be like to have somebody love me. So today is November 23, 2008, and it's the first day of my new life.
I hope you'll find the time to walk with me online here and maybe even send me a note of encouragement. I've got a little bit of a rough patch ahead of me and I sure would appreciate knowing people really do care what happens to a gentle giant like me.
Check in with me through my foster mom in Colorado and she'll let you know what's going on. Don't forget now ... ask for Sully ... and if you are in the market for a real sweet guy, think about sharing your life with me. I'd sure like that.
Sully arrived with his special girlfriend, Josie, on a C.A.R.E. transport on 2/4/09. Sully came through his difficult heartworm treatment and now both Sully and Josie are staying at Blue Lion Animal Rescue while that rescue and Blue Moon Akita Rescue looks for a home for this nice pair together.
Karena from Blue Moon Akita Rescue updates on 2/23/2009 ....
Happy to tell you that Lisa Kavanaugh adores the little couple and they are living large at Blue Lion and absolutely happy as clams. They have their own big house and their own run and can socialize with the other dogs. Josie is settling in and Sully thought he owned the place when he got out of the truck so now he's thinking of running for mayor of Yoder.
Big Dogs Huge Paws Lindsay Condon, CEO/President Big Dogs Huge Paws, Inc Phone: 303-618-6647, Fax: 303-474-5861 Website: www.BigDogsHugePaws.com
BAMBI
Bambi the Newfoundland puppy was found as a stray and ended up at a shelter in Kansas City. She had some resource guarding behavioral issues and was diagnosed with SAS (Sub-Aortic Stenosis) which is a heart condition and requires daily medication and regular monitoring and will shorten her lifespan to only 3-5 years. BDHPI was able to bring her into rescue thanks to C.A.R.E.'s transporting services and get her the behavior training she needed as well as to a Cardiologist for diagnosis and care. She found a wonderful forever family willing to take her on with her special needs and all!
Bigsby
Bigsby the Saint Bernard was turned in by his owners in Wichita. He was locked outside, unsocialized, and neglected prior to coming into rescue with BDHPI. C.A.R.E. transported him to CO where we were able to get him into a foster home and get him acclimated to indoor living as well as work on positive socialization around new people. He was also diagnosed with a torn ligament in his carpal joint which could not be addressed through surgery due to his size so he was fitted with a special brace at Orthopets to help him get around more comfortably. He is now in his forever home with plenty of big friends to play with and getting all the love and attention he deserves! Bigsby is the big guy on the right above.
Molly
Phoebe
Molly and Phoebe
Both of these puppies came in on 2/11 transport and went directly to their permanent adopters lined up by Big Dogs Huge Paws. C.A.R.E. helped unite these adorable pups with their forever families.
Bob
Bob is a 2 year old, male English Mastiff who was seized from his owners due to neglect and cruelty and taken to the local animal shelter in Topeka, Kansas. Big Dogs Huge Paws was contacted immediately for rescue assistance and thanks to our friends at C.A.R.E. we were able to get him transported to Colorado where a foster home was awaiting him! Bob has gained 50 lbs since his arrival and is now happily in his forever home with Tyler & Liz in Highlands Ranch, Colorado.
Rogue
Rogue is a 3 year old, male Great Dane from Leasburg, Missouri who started to lose weight rapidly and was experiencing some medical issues beyond his owner's ability to afford. She contacted Big Dogs Huge Paws in hopes that we would bring him into rescue and get him the care he needed! C.A.R.E. helped us get him transported to Denver and within 48 hours Rogue bloated and torsioned and required emergency surgery to save his life. If it wasn't for our friends at C.A.R.E., this sweet boy may not have had a chance!
Captain
Captain is a 1-2 year old, male Great Dane from Lawton, Oklahoma. He was found as a stray and believed to have been hit by a car due to an injured leg. Big Dogs Huge Paws agreed to bring him into rescue and upon further examination discovered that this gentle giant had actually been shot in his hock/hind leg area. Emergency transport was arranged to get him to Wichita, Kansas and C.A.R.E. took over from there and acted quickly to get him to Colorado just 1 day later so that he could see a specialist and hopefully save his leg!
Captain's injured leg
Ozzie
Ozzie is a very special, 8 year old, English Mastiff that came to Big Dogs Huge Paws (BDHP) from Omaha, Arkansas, near the Missouri border. He was completely emaciated, with huge pressure sores on his elbows and tumor skin tags hanging down from his belly, and he had absolutely no muscle tone or strength in his back end. In addition, his coat was in horrible condition with mats all over and he smelled awful.
Ozzie came in on a C.A.R.E. transport and was completely exhausted and barely able to stand up when he arrived at his foster home. After hours of grooming, poor Ozzie still had a bad odor and it was discovered he has severe ear infections in both ears. It turned out that he had likely been suffering from chronic infections most of his life without medical attention and he required 2 surgeries in order to address the problem, which ultimately meant removing part of his ear drum.
Ozzie recovered nicely from his surgeries and has settled in quite nicely at his foster home! He has put on quite a bit of weight and is gaining strength every day. However, the reality is that he is a senior dog and we are not quite sure how much longer he will have quality of life. He has Spondylosis of the spine which causes him quite a bit of pain in his back and he is also suffering from some level of dementia and isn't completely there mentally. We are managing his pain and he is still happy and eating well, but we don't think it is fair to ask an adopting family to take him on when he probably doesn't have too long for this world. Bree and Brian Dew, his loving foster parents, announced in December that Ozzie would be staying with them permanently.
Sadly, C.A.R.E. received the following email from Bree on January 12, 2009
It is with the heaviest of heart that I write to let you know that we said goodbye to our dear old friend, Ozzie, this evening.
Oz came into rescue in November- skinny, painful, weak and stinky. Dr Rob said he had the worst ear infection he had ever seen. Even though he was incredibly painful, he was nothing but loving and attentive to Brian and I. He was seriously one of the coolest dogs I had ever met!
Sadly, Oz started limping last week. We saw Dr Rob on Saturday and he determined that Ozzie had some sort of soft tissue issue with his ankle, which Dr Rob said was incredibly painful. Rob explained we were looking at a borderline quality of life decision, but we all agreed to try two new meds for 5 days to see if it could relieve some of the pain.
Ozzie had a very hard today, and could not get off the floor without assistance. I made yet another tearful call to Rob, who told me it was time.
Oz was such a great dog...devoted to Brian and I to his very last breath. He passed very peacefully in my lap. Even though we knew this day was coming, we are completely heartbroken, but so happy for the time we had!
C.A.R.E. would like to thank BDHP for bringing Ozzie into your program. Brian and Bree, thank you for loving and caring for Ozzie as if he spent his whole life with you, instead of a few short months. Ozzie is an extraordinary rescue success story!
Colorado Animal Rescue Express (C.A.R.E.) is a 501(C)3 Public Charity
