Sylvie with her new family

Today is a very happy day for Babette!!! She has been adopted by a fantastic family. She is now going to be called Sylvie, and she will live with her human parents and sister, and with a cat, too! Her confidence has increased dramatically since she first came into the rescue, and it will continue to grow with her new family. YAY for happy endings!!!

Babette likes to sit on the couch with her people. she likes to have her tummy rubbed when she is on her pad on the floor. She sleeps with her people and frequently snores ever so quietly!

Babette still needs to increase her confidence, and we are working on that. She is getting better with people coming into the home. While she had originally shied away, she is now occasionally coming to sniff the people at the door. When someone has been in the house for a few minutes, she makes friends with them (and wants to be petted!). She is still not able to go up and down the basement stairs, but she can go about 1/2 way.

Here are a couple of pictures of Babette- I especially like the one of her on the couch with her foster dad!!!

Babette is doing fantastically!  She was initially very shy, but she is doing a great job coming out of her shell.  She hasn’t had any accidents in the house for a week now.  She doesn’t like to go outside (who does when it’s this cold!), so when I call her to go out, she runs the opposite direction.  When I get her to the back door, though, and give her a little shove, she’s happy as a clam to run around and chase after her foster fur brother and to go potty.  She is now coming in on command… just hops up the stairs and into the house.  She was originally very hesitant to cross
the threshold to come in, but she’s doing it now like a champ!

On Friday, Babette started to play with her foster brother.  She’s also been playing with toys, and has decided to start sleeping on the bed with the people at night rather than to stay by herself on her little pad.  When she is laying down and when anyone walks by, she rolls on her back to get her tummy petted.

She has come SUCH a long way in these past couple of weeks.  I know she is going to make a fantastic house pet for someone.  :)

The Story: A rescue group notified us of a breeder wanting to downsize her kennel. They would get 3 miniature schnauzers along with the dogs they were to rescue. (We ended up taking 4).

The Plan: The rescue coordinator of that group would go to the State where they lived, get the dogs from this woman, bring them to a vet, and then they would be transported to MN. We got foster homes in place, transportation was arranged, and a meeting place was determined. The rescue then called us and said that it is canceled due to weather conditions. We were disheartened knowing they might be there all winter long.

A New Plan: One of our volunteers family was determined to get these dogs out and offered to drive there themselves. They drove over 7 hours each way. Before crossing the border they would stop at Banfield “walk in vet clinic” to get them vaccinated and then back to Minnesota. The family told me that they did this in memory of their beloved Lola who just recently passed away to Rainbow Bridge. Their mission wasn’t over yet.

Driving Home: All the dogs had feces in their furnishing, paws, and rear end. They really stuck horrible and badly needed grooming. They got on the phone and got a grooming party together before getting them off to the foster homes.

The following a.m.: Everyone got a bath, groomed, and clipped down, as a schnauzer should be kept. They then went off with their new friends to start their new life.

All Dogs: Are very shy. They do not have a mean bone in their body. They are very sweet, loving, and so pretty now. They are all between 4-7 years old and an approximate age will be determined once they get their teeth cleaned. House training is coming along better than we thought. They all love the warm cozy home life and are learning new things every day.

Rehabilitation: Fortunately, all the girls are very friendly and want attention.   These dogs do respond well to kindness and love.  It just takes a lot of time and patience to gain their trust and teach them how to be a house pet.    We do begin training as soon as we get the dog in.  However, this rehab process can take about a year to complete.    These dogs will turn around, and they eventually do become more normal.  But it takes a lot of time and patience.

BEFORE

Note: Each foster will posting Blogs about their foster dogs, how they are becoming a family member, and we hope they will all find loving homes. Please follow their story as they transition into having a life that dogs deserve. If you are interested in giving one of these girls a new home please fill out an application, and send it in. Adoptions will resume in a couple weeks once the Holidays are over. They all need a happy ending with us, though a new happy beginning with a real family to call their own.

AFTER