If a picture is worth a thousand words, these pictures tell a tale of tragedy! An urgent call from Animal Control alerted us to Vander's plight. Turned in by his owner, Vander's owner claimed he took him to the vet for treatment of an infected ear and it was "fixed". To our horror this meant the ear was removed! This does not explain the wounds that are randomly scattered all over his body. One has to wonder how a dog can suffer so much cruelty and neglect and still trust and love people!

What you see when you look beyond Vander's smile will shock you. Where his right ear was removed is now an infected oozing scar. His left ear is so infected and inflamed that a probe couldn't even be inserted in the ear to take a look. We don't know whether either ear canal can be saved. Beneath his white fur, his body is a patchwork of wounds, some of which are open and bloody and some of which have scabbed over, indicating they occurred over time.

Vander's first medical bill was $800, which covered an overnight at a hospital to receive IV antibiotics, pain medication and wound clean up. At this point we don't know whether his ear canals can be saved or if he will need surgery to remove them. Only a CT scan in a week or so will tell. Medical expenses to diagnose and treat his ears is estimated at $3,500 which also includes opening and treating what is left of his right ear.

Vander is now in a foster home waiting for the next step in his treatment. In spite of all he has endured, boy is very sweet and friendly. We now need to raise the funds to diagnose and treat his damaged ears. We are appealing to our friends and supporters to take this special boy into their hearts and help with his medical bills. All donations will go directly to his care. We have more pictures and information about Vander on his bio page.

Update 1/19/10
It's time for an update on our brave and courageous Vander. Friday was the day for a follow up appointment with a veterinarian who is board certified in ear surgery. We are happy to report that his both his bite wounds and burns are healing very nicely. Both ears are also much better but we need to wait a few days until the next examination. Very briefly, the open ear is looking much better. Not quite so "angry" as a week ago and with more flesh like color returning. Vander even seemed to like it when they were rubbed! The inside is still inflamed though, sort of reminding you of a cauliflower, so he'll stay on antibiotics for another week. Hopefully the vet can then get into the ear canal and look at the ear drum as well as the inner ear. As for his closed ear, it seems to be bothering Vander a bit and he is scratching it. So what's next? We are hoping that a CAT scan can be done so the veterinarian can see inside both ears, especially the closed one. Then we can chart out a course of action for both ears.

By the way, Vander was the perfect patient, all 82 pounds of him! As for the ride to the vet, we couldn't figure out why he would periodically rush to the window, barking incessantly. After a while we realized he was trying to chase the cars passing in the other lane. After being unsuccessful in repeated attempts, he finally gave up the chase and settled down to rest. By the way, Vander already knows the "sit" and "down" commands! That's one smart boy.

Update 2/07/10
We are happy to post an update on Vander and in the words of one of our volunteers, "Vander underwent surgery and it's ALL GOOD NEWS!" In his foster home, Vander has been showered with love, affection, and attention. And lots of antibiotics. When he was well enough, surgery was performed last week on both ears. Here's the outcome. It was found that the right ear (the closed, butchered ear) was heavily infected. It was cleaned and the ear canal and eardrum removed. As for his left ear which was also heavily infected, it was necessary to remove part of the ear canal but the eardrum was saved. What does that mean??? Vander will be able to hear!! No more severe ear pain and no more ear itchies!! Here's a note from his foster mom who wrote after he returned home from surgery. "He is doing super. It's good to have him back home. We missed him."

Angelica Adopted!

Boomer Adopted!

Fossil Adopted!

Hilga

Major

Mallory

Marshall

Matt Adopted!

Maude Adopted!

Rudolph

Rust

Simba

In keeping with the holiday season, we are trying to find homes for as many Seniors as possible this month. What greater gift could these wonderful dogs receive than a loving family! Our senior dogs listed above will be available for a reduced adoption donation of $200. These Seniors are very deserving of great homes for their twilight years. "There's still plenty of life left on their tires" and they still have plenty of love to give!

The grey hair of an aging dog, spreading across the muzzle and over the eyebrows, is known as "frosting". To many in Rescue, there's nothing more wonderful than a "frosted face" with all the wisdom and experience it communicates and all the love that is still there to give. In contrast, there is nothing as heartbreaking as finding these poor souls abandoned and alone in our high kill shelters!

All too often older dogs are dumped by their owners for one reason or another. These faithful companions have earned security with age, not change. Unfortunately it's likely that they will be waiting for a forever home much longer than the youngsters in the shelter, because many people are reluctant to adopt an older dog. And sadly for some, that chance may never come and they will not leave the shelter alive!

People give many reasons for not considering the older dogs available for adoption, but in fact, an older dog may be the perfect addition for your family!

You may think:   "An older dog won’t bond with me like a young one will." It's true that an older dog doesn’t bond as a young one does; an older dog usually bonds with new guardians even more than a young dog. This statement is actually true an older dog usually bonds with new guardians even more than a young dog. Animals who have experienced loss or a difficult past often display their desire to form new and stronger attachments. They have found someone to love them and they have no intention of letting go!

You may think:   "An older dog up for adoption must have problems, or it wouldn’t need rescuing." The reality is that pets enter shelters and rescue societies for every imaginable reason. Often it's not the dog that has the problem, but the human. Many people get a dog because it seems like the thing to do, not because they truly appreciate the qualities and needs of the species. Others are forced to surrender their pets for personal reasons. There may be a problem with a particular dog, but you are much less likely to find a senior dog that isn't housebroken or a senior dog that doesn't walk well on a leash, older dogs have usually outgrown many of the bad habits of "youth".

You may think:   "An older dog will have more medical bills". To some extent, this may be true, in that older dogs need more medical "supervision", such as geriatric testing during their annual exams. But there is no health guarantee for a dog of any age. One year old dogs can die of cancer. And puppies have larger immediate medical bills because of their need for vaccinations and spay/neuter surgery. And don’t forget the bills for chewed shoes and shredded drapes!

You may think:   "We won’t have much time to enjoy her". There are no more guarantees for our dogs than for our human loved ones. You never know how long a beloved pet, or person, will be with you. Love is what matters, no matter how long we might be able to share it.

When you adopt an older dog, you can erase unpleasant past experiences that they've had simply by loving and caring for them. Older dogs are very grateful for the second chance they've been given and are very good at giving and receiving love. There's absolutely nothing like the smile you get from older dogs, especially dogs that haven't felt like smiling in awhile, but now have reasons to smile because you love them. It doesn't get any better than that! So if you are considering adding a new dog to your family, please don't pass up these frosted faces so quickly. You may be missing out on the sweetest dog that has ever graced your home and your life.

When Gideon first arrived, we really did not know if he would survive. We knew we needed a lot of hope, a network of supporters and a skilled vet. Thankfully these all combined and pulled off a huge recovery for Gideon! It is amazing how far Gideon has come in the last 3 months. The final chapter in Gideon's recovery was recently featured in the O.C. Register.

His wound was surgically closed last week and all he has is a line of stitches to show the trauma that he has been through. He will continue to grow fur and should have very little scarring! He has also been adopted by a wonderful family and now has a loving home to call his own. Gideon's story was featured on KTTV and the O.C. Register. He has created quite the fan club of well-wishers! His journey in pictures can be seen on Picasa!

The devotion that poured in for Gideon was amazing! People from far and wide were touched by his story. Many sent well wishes, donations came in and we started collecting for what was going to be the biggest fundraising effort to date for Coastal German Shepherd Rescue. I'm proud to say that our devoted followers and supporters pulled it off! We were able to raise all of the funds for Gideon's care. Our vet team did amazing work and Gideon got top off the line care due to the generous donations!

In Gideon's honor, we would like to start a Saving Gideon Fund. This fund will be for seriously injured dogs who need immediate medical care. Often times the decision to save a life depends upon how much money is in our bank account. It's very sad, but unfortunately the truth! We would like to create this fund so that the next time we are asked to save a severely injured dog we can say YES!

Marshall

Mara

Story

Riley

Hi Katie,

Sorry, it took so long for us to get these pictures to you. Our lives have been a whirlwind since Frankie (Gizmo) has come into our lives. He is a wonderful addition to our family. The kitties are even starting to tolerate his presence.

He has also become the life of the party around our neighborhood. As you can see Dog Beach is his favorite place to be!!!

He goes on at least three walks a day and your tips and guidance have made a trememdous impact on his behavior. We look forward to the reunion. Please let us know how the other pups are getting along!

Best regards,
Sam Brust & Paige Kilgore

 

Hi Sanika,

Abby is doing well.

In the picture, she is sleeping after a long day. She loves to run. We take her on long trail rides with the other two dogs and the horses about 3 to 4 miles.

She is having trouble with playing. She barks to play but doesn't push her way in with the other dogs. I am sure with time it will get better. She gives you her paw and is turning into a very good dog!!!!

Kim Holzhauer

 

 

Hello all at Coastal GSR!

Just wanted to check in and let you know how our 2 girls, Millie and Cinder, are doing. To sum it up, great! We brought home Millie 4 months ago and loved having her in the family so much that we decided to give her a sister, so we adopted Cinder one month later.

Millie is protective and loving towards our two sons, 5 & 2 and LOVES walks, the beach, and the dog park. People comment to us all the time what a beautiful, well-mannered dog she is.

Cinder is our gentle giant. She has gained 20 pounds since coming home and is now 85 pounds of affectionate silliness. When she wags her tail, her whole body wags. She loves to love and be loved and adores her big sister.

Our sons absolutely love their “sisters”. We couldn’t ask for 2 better dogs and we are so happy they are part of our family. Many thanks to you for all you do to save these wonderful dogs and for uniting us with them.

We hope you enjoy seeing the photos of our big, happy family.

~Mike and Corinne Binsfield

 

 

Hi Trisha

I was colt now I am Cabo, and I love my life thank u for introducing me to my family!!

I live on 14 acres and chase everything and I have A older bro that teaches me!!

My mom calls me curious George!! I wake my Mom, Dad and bro w/kisses!!!!

Come see me!!!

Thank u Trisha & also Tracey from San Diego
xxxxxxx

 

 

Hi there,

Things are going well with Degan. He is completely part of our family. I have attached some pictures for you.

Degan is getting big and quickly.We just weighed him last night and he is tipping the scales at 35 lbs. The week before he had weighed 30 lbs...that is 5 lbs in one week! His feet are still big ... the Vet Tech from Banfield thinks that Degan could weigh up to 100 lbs!

Mike will be sitting there and then say..."I love my dog"! Degan follows Mike everywhere too.

Thanks!

Michele, Bruce, Mike, Buddy & Degan

 

 

Hi Jordan,

We just wanted to update you on Lola (Tabitha). She’s doing great! She’s a perfect fit for our family and we all absolutely love her.

She started dog training last week and is getting good with walking on the leash, simple commands (sit, lay down, shake, stay- sometimes). She’s also getting better about her puppy biting. Our trainer loves her and says she’s going to be a great dog and easy to train. She’s very social and wants to meet every person and dog she sees. The hardest thing is teaching her that we can’t stop and say hi to everyone. She’s good with her crate. She sleeps through the night now too. The house training is pretty good- occasional accidents but getting better.

Lola and Boonie, the cat, are getting along fine. Lola wants to play and Boonie puts her in her place. They sometimes lay down pretty close to each other though.

Lola is getting very pretty. Every once in a while, her ears start to pop up (usually one at a time). She’s also starting to get some light brown markings on her back, ears, and tail. She only barks when she wants to play and it’s more of a Husky howl. We met another female german shepherd/husky mix and she had a nice personality and many of the same traits as Lola.

Thanks again for everything!
Colleen, Jay, Alexa, and Troy Cavalieri

 

 

Hi Sanika,

Many thanks to the volunteers at Coastal GSR for saving the newest member of our family! Dudley is an absolute sweetheart. He seems to be adjusting to his new surroundings just fine and has become more playful since we brought him home. We will be sure to send more pictures and updates of Dudley.

Best regards,
Francesca

 

 

Hello Teresa!

I just wanted to touch base with you and give you an update on Molakai. He is a wonderful wonderful boy who has found his way into our hearts so quickly. I truly feel so blessed that we have him. He is such an incredible love! He's strong, got lots of energy, plays with Neo and Santosha and with us, he LOVES to go on walks and to chase balls, he just has a very good, very happy life. I'm attaching a picture of all of the "kids" of our family, thought you would like to see them all together.

We are so grateful to you for what you do, we can't imagine our lives without Neo or Molakai (neither can Santosha!). Thank you for taking care of them until we could bring them home.

I hope everything is going well with you, your family (human and otherwise) and everyone who gives their time for the rescue.

Many, many blessings, Carin

 

 

Hello everyone at Coastal,

I adopted Hartley from you last September and wanted to give you an update. He loves his best buddy Zack, and my young daughter Clare. She has renamed him Mr. Hartley, Tartley, Lemon-Fartly.

He's a big mamma's boy and extremely obedient. We just got him DNA typed and were very surprised to see that he's white german, white lab, and wait for it, a tiny bit basset hound. Who'd have thought! We love him 100% and will definitely use Coastal again when we look for our next doggy family member.

Best,
Lisa, Tom, Clare and Zack & Hartley

 

 

Hi Sanika,

Here are a few pictures of Mia and the kids. She is 11 weeks old now and we absolutely love her and of course she loves us and her new home!

She is doing wonderful and we couldn’t have asked for a better dog. She is so well behaved, even for a pup! We look forward to watching her grow up to be a beautiful young lady.

You guys are the best and we look forward to our next adoption!!

Scott & Cathy Harris