Suddenly Stover found himself without the ability to stand, walk, roll over, and control his urinary and bowel movements. As his condition progressed, a wheel chair was considered, but the muscle atrophy in his front made him too weak to support his body weight. He came to stay with us at Top Dog and loved going out to play with the dogs
5-6 hours every day. We would support his back end with a sling and walk him outside. Stover played with “the little guys”. He would lie on the turf and bark at all the puppies and the little dogs playing ball. When they were tired, they would come over next to Stover and nestle into him for a little afternoon nap. That made him feel important, and that his life still had a purpose. He loved his afternoon “Yappy Hour” biscuit, and would bark with delight, sounding a bit like Scooby Doo when he says, “Rutt Row” in his raspy little voice.

Like so many dogs, Stover stole our hearts. With the grace like every dog I have met, he did not complain, or feel sorry for himself, or give up on life . . . instead he simply adjusted to his new challenge for mobility and gratefully accepted our assistance. What wonderful lessons we humans can learn from our canine blessings.

Libby spent the next week with me at Top Dog. The owner’s plan was to spend the next week getting caught up at work, and then take the following week off, hire a dog behaviorist and work with Libby on her severe separation anxiety. Libby’s history showed that she had been given up three times previously for reasons of separation anxiety, and each time she was given up, the anxiety became worse. Upon examination, Libby had no teeth, only stubs in her mouth. They were all ground down to nothing from her severe anxiety. As long as she was right with you, she was the sweetest dog ever, but if left alone, even for a short time, she would destroy anything is sight, would try to bite her way through walls and doors and kennels.

So, Libby stayed at the house with me and my (at that time) 4 Shelties. Within that week we became very fond of this sweet but emotionally troubled girl. The next week, Libby’s owner came to get her and then went back home. She and the behaviorist spent the next week working every day on her separation anxiety and the act of Libby’s mom coming and going from the house. The following week, she went back to work. Monday was OK, Tuesday was not so good, and by Wednesday, Libby was completely crazy and destructive again.

The owner called me back again in tears and told me that the humane society said she could return her, but she would be euthanized, as she was now considered “un-adoptable”. She asked if I knew of anyone who could provide absolute 24-hour per day companionship. I told her that I knew of no one but me, and that Libby could come to live with us. Nearly 7 years later, Libby is with us and feels loved and safe.

On August 18, 2008 Libby went to puppy heaven and we fondly remember her gentle spirit.

I received a call regarding a puppy-mill Sheltie mom who was at another rescue organization here in Minnesota. She came to them from a puppy mill with horrible stories of abuse. She lived her life in a crate stacked with many other crates. She was only let out to be bred and then again to deliver puppies. This went on every 6-8 months for years. She is a small Sheltie, only 12 lbs, and the word was that she was not a “big producer” in terms of the size of her litters, so the puppy mill operator would withhold food from her as punishment for not producing big litters. He would put the food outside of her crate but would not give it to her. She learned to survive by eating her own excrement . . . the part that did not fall through her crate on the dogs below her. She was dragged and picked up by the collar. She lived months on end with no socialization, no exercise, cold, damp, and hungry. She learned that people are cruel and not to be trusted.

When she arrived at this other rescue organization, she was let out in to a fenced area and of course, ran away from the staff. They claimed they could not catch her for 10 days. It was the fall of the year, October, and very cold and rainy. In the process, Hailey developed a case of pneumonia, infection in her mouth, became severely dehydrated and nearly died. In fact, she was so weak; she could not run away from the staff anymore, so they picked her up and brought her to a vet.

Once on her way to recovery, they called Minnesota Sheltie Rescue for help with her, and she was brought out to me. Hailey had to have several teeth removed and antibiotics to clear the infection in her mouth. She was deathly afraid of people and particularly men. It took me 6 months to get her to walk on a harness and another year to get her to walk on a collar leash. When I looked into her eyes, all I saw was blackness and I thought she had really dark eyes.

After 9 months of trying, another of my rescues, ten-pound Ziggy got Hailey to respond to him with his crazy antics of play. I actually saw a glimmer in her eye for the first time and then realized that her eyes were not black. They were, in fact, a beautiful hazel color. I realized that the blackness I saw that first 9 months was her pupils. They were so dilated with fear that they covered her entire eye. It has now been 3 ½ years, and Hailey is slowly coming around to realize that not all people are cruel and that no matter how scary it is you need to try to trust. She has learned to be a dog and to play, thanks to her best buddy, Ziggy. The pack (my Sheltie family) has been good for her. I have lots of dogs, so I never felt the need to put pressure on her to love and accept me. She simply learned by observing me with the rest of my crew. She is learning that people can give unconditional love just as dogs do and that she is safe and no one will ever hurt her again. These are big lessons for a little dog that was so neglected and abused.

Sidney lived the first 11+ years of his life on an unheated porch. He had never been socialized, and was surrendered to Pet Haven rescue because the owners were “tired of looking at him on the porch". Sidney not only survived it, but has shown us his true spirit in such a short period of time. We took him in at Top Dog Country Club, as his other option was euthanization. Pet Haven wrote regarding his stay, “After just one week of being pampered and given more one on one attention than he has ever experienced, Sidney is a brand new dog. It is so obvious how much he is loved there. He prances and holds his tail up high. He came running up to me wagging his tail and waited patiently for his dose of love and attention, and when I stopped petting him, he pawed at me to let me know, ‘don't stop -- I want more!’ “It just warmed my heart to see him prancing, wagging his tail and enjoying the sights, sounds and smells of what is all so new to this senior dog.” Sidney was adopted by a wonderful family and is a completely new dog.

Haley had a terrible mouth infection when she arrived. The previous owner would not authorize a dental because she was afraid Haley would not make it through the anesthesia. We tried to manage the infection with antibiotics, but that too could present problems long term. In addition, it was clear that Haley was in pain. After several consultations with Flying Cloud Animal Hospital, and pre-op works ups, we decided it was in Haley’s best interest to move forward with the surgery. She had several teeth removed and all the bacteria that had been causing the infection. She made it through like a champ and is a very happy old gal. We look forward to many years.

On July 13, 2008 Haley went to puppy heaven and we fondly remember her sweet nature.

Tia (age 11) was surrendered to Minnesota Sheltie Rescue on November 9, 2008. The very first night, her foster family ended up in the emergency clinic with her. She had labored breathing and a suspicious cough. X-rays revealed an enlarged heart and fluid in her lungs. The foster family was not comfortable caring for her, not knowing how advanced her heart condition was or how much time she had left. The surrendering family was contacted to discuss her health situation, which they indicated they were not aware of. When asked if they wanted to be involved in end-of-life care/decisions, they said “no”.

Top Dog Foundation took her in under The Bentley Grant Program. Tia was about as sweet a dog as you will meet. After another vet visit and a plan of action, Tia was doing very well on medicine to control the fluid. She was a happy girl, running and playing with her new friends. She would cough once or twice each day, usually at night or upon waking, until her body got moving.

On Thanksgiving Day, I awakened, took the dogs out to potty, fed and medicated them; and got ready to go to my in-laws for Thanksgiving dinner. Just before I was to take all the dogs over to Top Dog for the day, Tia became very agitated and was breathing heavy. I checked her color and her gums were quite pale . . . not oxygenating well. I have experienced this before in two of my own dogs and it is never a good sign. I spent the day with her at the emergency clinic. We gave her an injection of Furosemide to quickly ease her breathing. It did not work. We gave her a second injection which the vet indicated will definitely give her relief . . . it did not. We put her in an oxygen tent for 4-5 hours. Her color came back but then faded.

I made the tough decision to let her go. She only survived 2 ½ weeks, and in that time she became one of my own. I am quite certain they were the best two weeks of her life. Not a day went by during that time that she was not hugged and kissed and told how beautiful she was and that she was loved.
It was very emotional and I just keep thinking of how she was abandoned by her owner at age 11 and in failing health. This marked the 8th dog I have had to put down in 6 years, and with every one, it opens up the “wounds” of the others I have lost.
Tia passed on Thanksgiving Day, and true to the promise of Top Dog Foundation, she passed away . . . in my arms . . . the arms of someone who loved her.

Maggie is a 10 year old German Shorthair Pointer. Over the years she has developed multiple fatty tumors on her belly which had become so large they were dragging on the ground and bleeding. The tumors were benign but were affecting her ability to move and definitely interfered with her quality of life. Maggie is otherwise healthy. The owners had both lost jobs and were taking on odd jobs to make ends meet and could not afford the surgery to remove the tumors.

Maggie was accepted for a Bentley Grant. She had surgery in July 2009 and she is a happy and healthy dog, loving her new mobility!

In March of 2009, Dixie’s elderly owner was unable to care for her after a fall. The woman’s two daughters would not take Dixie and so she was going to be given to the pound. Another relative contacted Minnesota Sheltie Rescue and asked if they would take her, and boarded her with her vet until arrangements could be made. The vet noticed that Dixie’s heart rate was a bit fast. She was quite overweight, but an ECG and chest x-ray revealed a mass on her heart that is pressing on her esophagus, causing labored breathing and her heart to race. The vet did feel that with care and medication there was still potential for quality of life. Due to her age and health condition, Sheltie Rescue asked if she could be cared for under The Bentley Grant Program.

Another x-ray two weeks later revealed the tumor had grown substantially and that it was pushing her esophagus right up against her spinal column. The cough was limited to once or twice each day but the breathing was becoming more wheezy. The heart was functioning fine but with the fast growth of the mass we thought she had only weeks not months. She was put on a broncho-dilator and was a happy dog, wagging her tail and running with my pack of 12 Shelties. The plan was to keep her comfortable and monitor the situation, assuming that she may not have long.

I have to tell you that as of mid October, 7 months later, and about 7 lbs. lighter, Dixie is still active, running with the pack and very happy. She will continue to have a great life until she can no longer function with the tumor.

On June 9, 2009 Minnesota Sheltie Rescue received a call from animal control at Hillcrest Animal Hospital. They took in a female Sheltie estimated between 11-15 years of age. She was in very rough shape. Her coat was matted down to the skin. She was full of burrs and twigs and was unable to defecate properly. Her nails were overgrown and curling back in to her pads and causing a lot of pain when she walked. She weighed 43 pounds and based upon her frame, should have weighed about 23. As the groomers tried to brush her, the coat was falling out in clumps. She had several lumps on her body and a golf-ball sized mass dangling on a thin line of skin under her chin.

Animal control indicated that her general appearance was that of a lifetime of neglect. They determined that she would not be a good candidate for adoption and was inquiring about a rescue group to do sanctuary/hospice work to give her a chance to live out her last weeks/months in comfort. She is a very sweet dog with an incredible disposition and I am so glad that she found her way to Top Dog Foundation.

Hattie was accepted into The Bentley Grant Program June 2009. A vet visit revealed that she is hypothyroid and has Cushing’s disease, both very treatable. We put her on thyroid medicine and Vetoryl for the Cushing’s. Surgery was done to remove the tumors and clean her teeth.

With our care and play time at Top Dog Country Club each day, Hattie has lost 8 lbs.
She is a happy girl and is responding very well to her medicine.

Bandit’s owner was found at home with a broken hip, severe dehydration, malnutrition, and was taken to the hospital. The daughter took Bandit to the Bismarck impound and requested they put him down. The staff there couldn’t just euthanize this dog for no apparent reason, so they contacted Top Dog Foundation.

Bandit was in terrible condition from neglect. His teeth were nearly black with tarter and decay. His ears were filthy and his nails so long they interfered with his ability to walk. His fur was so matted to the skin they had to shave him completely except for his head. He had a lobe of skin and tissue covering his backside, making it difficult to defecate, and causing a severe rash and skin irritation on his bottom. Despite all of this Bandit has the sweetest disposition I have ever seen in a dog.

I had him tested and he, like Hattie, is hypothyroid and has Cushing’s disease. We started him on treatment, giving a few weeks for the thyroid medicine to work before attempting surgery. He had 7 teeth removed and the rest were cleaned up, removing lots of tarter and bacteria that was causing an infection.

Bandit did not respond well to the medicine to treat Cushing’s. He completely lost his appetite and had severe diarrhea. We were concerned that he would not make it. It took several weeks for his appetite to return once the medicine was stopped. He is now on a different treatment and is handling it well.

Bandit, who we think is 13 or 14 years old, now has a great prognosis and is a sweet and gentle soul who many gave up on. He loves hanging out my home with his new family. He brings us lots of smiles and many laughs.

Zoey

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Zoey is a 9 1/2 year old husky mix female. She was adopted out as a puppy and given back to "Paws and Prayers" rescue in Ohio, at 5 years of age due to an accident that caused her to have a back leg amputation.

After 2 more years in foster, Zoey was again adopted. Now, another 2 years later she was returned due to problems with her other rear leg and an owner laid off from work. Paws and Prayers, a non-profit rescue organization in Ohio, heard about The Bentley Grant Program and contacted us.

They will provide housing for Zoey for the duration of her life but cannot afford the medical care and diagnostic work she needs. "Zoey is a sweetheart and true joy", says Marty Harbin, with "Paws and Prayers. "When her leg is mended she will do well again. Thank you so much for authorizing her medical care. We could not thank you more."

Darma

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In January 2010 Homestretch Hounds contacted Top Dog Foundation for a Bentley Grant for Darma. We are currently funding the necessary medications for her remaining eye and are happy to provide for her care.