New Beginnings Shih Tzu Rescue

Donate

We are so grateful to you..... New Beginnings could not have helped over 1000 dogs so far, if not for the generosity of people who very much care that a dog be given every chance for a happy life. We rely on donations to pay the veterinary bills of our foster dogs.

The average foster dog, who doesn't need any surgeries or diagnostics, costs NBSTR approximately $350-400. On the other hand, a special needs dog may accumulate vetting expenses topping $1000-2000.

Because we believe that every dog in our program deserves the medical care they need, and because a large part of our mission is to help the dogs that others turn away because of their demanding medical needs, our expenses are an ongoing concern.

Your donation helps us continue to save dogs' lives and give them the happy ending through an adoption to a loving home that they deserve.

Donating is easy, it is tax-deductible*, and your donation dollars will make a difference to our foster dogs. Thank you!

NB is a 501(3)c non-profit organization and all donations are tax deductible, to the fullest extent allowed by state and federal law.

You can donate any amount safely and securely to NBSTR by using Paypal. You do NOT need a Paypal account to donate through Paypal with your credit card.

You may also send a check or money order by mail to:
NBSTR
Box 11562
Milwaukee, WI 53211 .
(please note "Donation")

Cancer Can't Keep a Good Dog Down
Click here to see Lexie's Facebook Page! Pictures from the First Canine Cancer Caucus march on Washington DC
Click here to read Lexie's blog...

(Click Story titles to Show/Hide)

Olga's Story...

I am so upset I don't even know where to begin ....

Olga and I were at the emergency vet last night until nearly midnight. Her one poor ear was nearly torn off and the other severely lacerated, but these were not new injuries; they were already starting to heal on their own. However, infection was rampant, in addition to starvation and dehydration ... so they gave her morphine, debrided the wounds, put her on IV fluids and antibiotics, and ultimately sent her home with two pages of instructions, pain meds, antibiotics, and advised me to see my vet in the next couple of days for a recheck and blood work.

She weighed 5.6 pounds; she was a Miniature Poodle who should have weighed approximately ten pounds.

She did not eat last night but slept quietly. This morning she was out of it but not in distress. She did eat a nice breakfast of grated Natural Balance turkey roll and some shredded chicken breast; she cleaned two plates and I did not give her more because I was afraid of making her sick. Now I wish I had let her eat all she wanted ...

She looked and acted "drunk" and before I was going to work she staggered and collapsed against the baby gate, and then moaned where her wounds hit against the gate. I immediately took her to my vet who saw her as soon as he finished the morning's surgeries. He cleaned out her wounds with betadine, shaved more of her severely matted coat, and gave me detailed instructions for home care. Her wounds were ugly and seeping but at this point we were still optimistic she would make it. She was very out of it even though she hadn't had anything stronger than a mild pain med today ... this worried Dr. Gividen because he was evaluating what to give her for pain but she appeared almost dazed. Then while he was treating her ears and neck, the vet tech kept hearing swooshing sounds ... underneath the hair that had not been shaved, this poor little girl had three puncture wounds in her neck that went through her trachea and esophagus. It was bad. It was really bad. Air, bubbles and other matter was coming out of these holes. Dr. Gividen said it was the worst he'd ever seen, and these weren't new wounds. Some of the tissue was already necrotic. This little girl had been suffering like that for a while.

She was so weak, so riddled with infection, and had so much stacked against her ... we had to let her go.

She was the sweetest thing. She couldn't even lift her head up but she licked my hand before she crossed over. And she was only two years old, if that. We should be celebrating her wonderful new beginning, not waiting to bring home her ashes. And I did ask for her remains to be returned ... she may have lived alone and unloved, but she died with family. She was loved.

I couldn't do anything else for her but give her a tribute ... http://www.in- memory-of-pets.com/personaltribute.php?ID=78243 ... if it has been in her best interest to continue to fight, we would have. But my vet summed up what had to be done in four simple words: "She has suffered enough."

Thank you for listening, and for caring. She deserved that.

Attached is the last picture of her, on the exam table, while we still believed all was ultimately going to be well.

- Bekye Eckert, New Beginnings Shih Tzu Rescue

Couple Rescues 7 Pets From House Fire

Couple Rescues 7 Pets From House Fire
Reporting
Anne State
CHICAGO (CBS) ―

Dennis Bleau and his wife Amara rescued seven pets from a fire at their house on Sept. 4, 2009.

A local couple was spending Friday night in a hotel along with their four dogs and three cats after their house caught fire early Friday morning. As CBS 2's Anne State reports, both the husband and wife ran into their burning home to rescue their pets.

Firefighters always say don't go back inside after evacuating from a fire, but the Bleaus said their animals mean everything to them.

Dennis Bleau said it felt "great" to be safe with his pets Friday night.

"It feels good. That's the only thing, you know, Amara and I made it out alive and all these guys made it," Dennis Bleau said.

While holding one of their cats, his wife, Amara Bleau said, "The firefighters brought her out and she was just limp. I thought she was dead and she wasn't."

The couple spoke to CBS 2 News Friday night at their hotel suite. They had their seven pets with them.

Dennis and Amara Bleau said they rescued the animals from their home in the Belmont Craigin neighborhood after it caught fire early Friday morning.

The windows of their house have been boarded up and soot was visible around the windows Friday night. Dennis Bleau said it was like a volcano inside, a scene out of the movie "Backdraft."

He and his wife were able to save most of their pets, but they lost tw dogs and a rabbit.

"There's absolutely nothing in that house that I miss and we've lost a lot. There's nothing that I miss except the three animals we lost today," Amara Bleau said.

Dennis Bleau went to the hospital for smoke inhalation. He said he was feeling okay Friday night. Some of his dogs looked grey. He said that's the soot; they were actually a lot whiter than that. They needed a bath.

Despite all they've been through, they were worried about other people. Dennis Bleau asked people to donate to the "New Beginnings Shih-Tzu Rescue" group. He said the group was running out of money.