Adopted!!

It is dogs like Zena that need us the most, and we are happy to help her. However, with our funding so low at this time, we need your help to make her well again. Zena got a second chance at life - we're hoping we can make it shine for her!

There is a reason Zena has lived, and there is someone out there she is meant to be with!

Please consider donating to Zena's care or offering a safe place to recover in! 

September 20, 2009 ~ Update!

We are so happy and relieved to report that Zena has been moved into foster care!! Thank you so much to Jennifer and David for opening your hearts and your home to this very special girl! We can't thank you enough for dropping everything and making the drive to come out and get her.

We're giving Zena this week to find her bearings and settle into her new placement and then we will go forward with surgery. Zena will have chest x-rays done, and if all is well, her tumor will be removed and she will be spayed at the same time.

Zena is a very happy and animated girl, who is so full of love and eager to please! We are grateful that we have the opportunity to help her have a full and active life again. 

Sadly, these types of tumors often do reoccur once they have established themselves in the body. It is likely that Zena will have to have additional tumors removed as she ages.  This is something that her new family should be aware of and consider when thinking of adding her to their home. 

Zena is very much worth the effort! She is a diamond in the ruff, and should not be overlooked!

Zena has had her surgery and all went well! We were very relieved to hear that the whole tumor was able to be removed. It has been sent out for testing, but our vet is fairly sure that it is going to come back malignant.

Zena's foster reports that she was sleepy, but in good spirits when she picked her up and she is now at home recovering... with some heavy duty pain meds to keep her comfortable.

To the right you can see the size of the tumor that Zena was packing around with her! Luckily, it has not spread into any other organs, and her prognosis is great for a full recovery. 

However, with this type of cancer, and the way that it spreads, there could very well be cells in Zena's body that can latch on and grow in other places. She will need to be watched carefully through out her life for any bumps and lumps. The good news is that this type of cancer is a slow growing one, so the chances of being able to take her life are low. 

No matter what the outcome for her future, Zena deserves a home and love and someone to stand by her for her life, just like all the rest of them. 

She is a sweet girl who adores people, with a great sense of humor, and loves, loves, loves her cuddles. 

She is not always great with other dogs, but she is getting better with some direction and socialization. 

We are very happy we've been able to help Zena get this far, and would love to see her get that happy ending that she deserves. Thank you so much to her sponsors! We are so grateful to you for your support!

She is a very nice girl, very friendly with people, and likely no more than 4 years old. She is a mixed breed (maybe some elkhound or akita) appears house trained, but has not yet been tested with other dogs.

Zena has some medical issues that the shelter was unable to take on, and contacted us for looking for a place for this girl to go. Zena has what appears to be a tumor on her right side, mammary gland :(

Zena arrived in our care August 25th and we have booked her in for an appt with our vet for Thursday. We're hopeful that it has not spread into her lymph nodes, and that the tumor can be successfully removed. 

We are looking for a foster home for Zena so she can have her surgery and have a place to recover in. Right now she is in our kennels, and this is no place for a dog to do rehab. 

September 30, 2009 ~ Update!

Zena and I are tucked in bed (yep she is beside me with the squeaky plush alligator!) and here’s some thoughts on our few days together.  

Zena has fit in really well with our household. She likes to go adventuring outside – whether by car or by foot – and in that element she is most happy.  

Zena is great with people. Doesn’t seem that children are any problem. My only concern is that she may want to play too rough with them. When she gets excited and lets it loose, she plays hard! She has responded to a very firm “Zena No” right away. She plays gently with squeaky toys and is in heaven with all the different sorts of stuffed squeaking animals that Tyra has left to her. She has made best friends with her stuffed grunting groundhog which she loves. Oh the joy! Occasionally she goes into, what Dave and I call, “puppy frenzy” mode and runs figure 8’s in our back yard. She sure is fast and powerful when she wants to be!

Zena walks on leash great. Obedience wise, the last few days involved practicing sit, down, watch, let’s go, and Zena come. We are working towards reliability in those commands.  

Zena needs help with learning how to properly socialize with anything 4 legged it seems. Currently, she is very reactive towards dogs and cats while on leash. She certainly lacks this socialization and I will start while she is in my care and we’ll see how far we get before she is adopted. I believe Zena will respond well to training in this regard. She just needs someone to put in the effort to help teach her how it is done.

Right now I leave Zena roaming the car alone for a couple of hours while I go to appointments. (Of course I park in a cool place!). She drives everywhere with me and loves to ride in the front co-pilot seat. That’s where I find her curled up when I come back to the car - Head on the consul, fast asleep! Cool.    

Above all, Zena is finally being well cared for and having a great time. She is now sound asleep with me and it’s time for me to join her. Hope you enjoyed reading about our escapades and I'll share some photos and when I learn how to get them off the camera!

Tomorrow is Zena's surgery, and we're all hoping everything goes well for this special girl!  

October 21st 2009

We are very happy to announce that Zena has been adopted by her foster family! 

Sharing the journey of cancer together has brought them very close to Zena, and they feel that they have an unbreakable bond with this wonderful girl. Zena's long journey to find that one in a million family to stand by her for life, is finally over. There is a person for every dog, and Zena has truly found her match in this wonderful home and family. 

We wish you a lifetime of love Zena! 

Special thanks to all of Zena's sponsors:

We are a registered non-profit Charity as of April 1st 2005