Category Archives: Dog Updates

Sometimes things work out just perfectly.

Cleveland/Northeast Ohio has an amazing animal welfare and rescue community. There are lots of ‘key players’ in this arena and two of them happen to be named Becca. Becca Riker who owns The Mutt Hutt (doggie daycare and boarding facility) who started Secondhand Mutts, quite organically after her business took off and Becca Britton who founded and is still at the helm of The Friends of Cleveland Kennel.

Both Beccas broke into the animal world in Cleveland at about the same time ten years ago and were quick to become friends. This friendship has led to dozens and dozens of dogs being pulled from the City of Cleveland Kennel and moved to Secondhand Mutts for re-homing and has also helped develop their friendship and respect for each other.

Sadly, both Beccas lost beloved rescue dogs last year.

As it turns out, there’d be one little dog that would help both Beccas heal.

Miracle came to Becca Riker and Secondhand Mutts after a volunteer peeled her mostly dead body from the ground on December 15, 2014. Becca Riker didn’t hesitate to save this dog, to go ‘The Extra Mile’ for her, no matter the cost. She was immediately taken to Gateway Animal Clinic where Dr Liz and the staff there took the lead on getting her on the road to recovery…and what a recovery it was!

Miracle moved to foster more quickly than any of us could have imagined; and with the original woman who found her! As Becca Riker got to know Miracle through visits to her foster home and at her vet visits  she began to realize Miracle could be a “Becca Britton dog”

Becca Britton maybe wasn’t “there” with wanting or feeling ready for a new dog , after all, losing a beloved dog is heartbreaking and she knew there was no replacing her Sam. Becca Riker already felt the relief and wholeness that saving Miracle offered and she just had a feeling that Miracle was meant for Becca Britton, to help her heal and move on as well, so the seed was planted.  Knowing Miracle would be making her public debut at the Barkfeast fundraiser and Becca Britton and her partner Dave would be there: the introduction was made. Becca Britton met Miracle and as they say: the rest is history!

Becca Britton and Dave have worked diligently at implementing this puppy, who lacked some social graces and a whole bunch of manners (and more than just puppyhood – she missed out on proper social development – and food and water, clearly (!) when she was growing up and needed it most) into their lives and with their other pets.

The journey took about a month. Miracle is literally: “One Smart Puppy” and is learning skills and manners and is fitting in great with her sister Peanut (dog) and the household cats. Dave and Becca couldn’t be happier. We couldn’t be happier.

Miracle is fitting right in with the very active and outdoorsy life she is leading! So far she loves hiking in the snow and Becca and Dave can’t wait until it’s warm enough to hit the beaches and creeks and bring Miracle swimming and camping with them. They also look forward to just hanging out with Miracle in the back yard as they read, garden and just enjoy the warm days that are soon to be upon us.

Miracle is used to at least some sort of adventure or errand almost every day when Becca and Dave get home and she still enjoys coming to The Mutt Hutt for socialization and play.

The biggest loves of Miracle’s life outside of Becca and Dave are the outdoors, any of the cat toys she can find, (though she does like one, little green Christmas bulb shaped dog toy!), her favorite cat of the house: an orange tabby named Leo and anything stick related: finding sticks, chewing on sticks, running with sticks, hanging out with sticks, thinking about sticks and so forth!

It’s amazing that this little dog that was found near death on the streets of Cleveland, who received love and prayers from all corners of the country, would end up with someone who has been one of the most integral members in animal rescue and advocacy in Cleveland for over a decade.

Once again the Beccas pulled it off: an amazing story of healing and love and rescue.

Thank you (again) to everyone that contributed to Miracle’s care, has donated money, has followed her story, sent thoughts and prayers and cards and made inquiries and shared in the triumph of her health. We’re so lucky for every part of this story and for all of you and we are thrilled with the happy ending!

This story is not just about one dog’s road of rescue to recovery to re-homing, this story is about an outstanding woman. Her name is Melissa.

We met Melissa a few years ago when she started volunteering for our organization. From fostering dogs, to dog walking, to reference calling, to chaperoning dogs to events, to transporting dogs from high kill shelters to our facility, or transporting dogs to new homes in Pennsylvania and New York, to evaluating dogs for our program, she has always been someone we could count on. She defines the word commitment.

Melissa is a lover of all dogs but has a special place in her heart for German Shepherds. She is a math teacher by day, a therapy dog teacher in her spare time, she owns 3 of her own, all rescues, and has been fostering our very own Yosemite Sam for over a year. Yes, we said over a year.

Sam has been a bit of a project dog, but one that isn’t like most others in rescue situations. Dogs don’t end up in shelters or rescues because they are great dogs – the usually find themselves in those situations because their owners have let them down, they have “too much energy”, they are not good with kids or cats, they are destructive, they need too much attention, they poop in the house, oh, how the list goes on. Sam was once a street dog and when we committed to taking him in that meant we committed. Our mission is to respect the dog and Sam is living that motto. Not only are we committed but Melissa is committed too. If it weren’t for her we don’t really know where Sam would be today.

Sam is a dog that needs time to build trust. He found that time with Melissa and her dogs. Melissa’s cat isn’t so fortunate so when Sam is crated her cat gets run of the house. Melissa has made many personal sacrifices along the way while fostering Sam, including passing up on adopting Rhoda – a dog who came into her life on June 27, 2014. 

Rhoda, a 2 year old shepherd mix wound up at the City of Cleveland Animal Control. We were asked by the Friends of the Cleveland Kennel to please step in and help find her a home and we were happy to do so. Rhoda had a terrible skin condition. She was covered in bloody scabs and needed weekly, medicated, baths in addition to dozens of veterinary appointments over the last 6 weeks. Because of Melissa’s availability to open her heart and home to Rhoda all the while fostering Sam and taking care of her own 3 dogs, she made the commitment.

Making a commitment like this is not always easy but it saves lives that would otherwise be tossed away.

Everyone who knows Melissa could see she was falling in love with Rhoda. How could you not connect with a dog when you’ve put your heart and soul into them? When they are napping on your lap on hot summer days, when they are counting on you to provide for them. It was easy falling in love with Rhoda.

We received the “ok” from Dr. Liz at Gateway Animal Clinic that Rhoda was healthy and could move on to finding a home. When we started to receive multiple applications for Rhoda we turned to Melissa to help us select a family. Not only has she cared for Rhoda for a month taking her to vet appointment after vet appointment after vet appointment but she called references and screened adopters for Rhoda at meet and greets. We know this must have been hard but also rewarding to be a part of the process of letting her go.

Before we would make a decision we do what we do with our foster parents and we asked: “Do you want to adopt?”. The answer was yes. However, there was a pause.

“I am committed to Sammy” she said.

Committed. Committed to finding Sammy a forever home. We all want Sam to find a home – our organization, our supporters, and mostly Melissa. He is a homeless dog living in foster home, and we all know there is someone out there for Sam. This gift Melissa has given not only Sam, but us, and now Rhoda, is undeniably unique. There are not a lot of folks out there that would do what Melissa has done for the dogs that have come into her life. We all owe her our gratitude and thanks.

Today, Rhoda is in much better health and spirits thanks to Melissa’s TLC and is in the comfort of her forever home in Shaker Heights. Congratulations to Rie and her family on your new dog!

Sam will continue to stay with Melissa and go to events with various volunteers in hopes that one day soon someone will cross his path and fall in love. There are lots of variables that may make Sam seem “un-adoptable” but there are lots of variables that we sure do think it’s just about finding the right person. Sam is good with other dogs, he’s got tons of energy to burn, he’s treadmill trained, he’s probably best in a home with kids over 12, he’d love to have a fenced in  yard and maybe a dog to play with, he’s crate trained, housetrained and not good with cats. Please share Sam and help us find him a home.

Fostering is an extremely rewarding way to save a dogs life and give them stability during a transitional time in their life. If you are interested in fostering for Secondhand Mutts please email us at foster_coordinators@secondhandmutts.org. Chances are you’ll reach Melissa and she can fill you in on how rewarding it is.

Fostering saves lives. Respect the dog.

Photo credit: Portraits by Martha

We received an update from Molly, she and her family adopted Angel a month ago, letting us know how thankful they are for all we’ve done to help Angel on her journey to mobility. You can follow her story through Facebook.

“I wanted to thank you for all you have done to help Angel. Her therapy is coming along nicely. She’s getting stronger every week. She’s now able to balance herself on her exercise ball while placing weight on her back legs.”

~ The Laraway Family

Here is a picture of Angel on her therapy ball in her week 3-4 therapy sessions at Woodlands Animal Care Center in Farmington, PA.  Tax deductible donations can be made to continue helping the Laraway family withe expenses for getting her the therapy she needs through our online fundraiser at YouCaring.com. 

“Jarvis (Buddah is the name you had given him) is doing so great! He rips through any chew toy in about 30 seconds and as you can see from one of the pics below decides to destroy his own pet bed. He enjoys trips to Cincy (where I am originally from) and LOVES to snuggle. Thank you for all of the work you do and I hope all of your pups/dogs find forever homes in 2014!!!”

-Anurag

Please send your Secondhand Mutt pictures and updates to rescue@secondhandmutts.org. 

When we take a dog into our program, we commit, and Maia is no exception to our mission to ‘respect the dog’. She arrived a few weeks ago, she was obviously overbred, she was overfed, she had a skin infection on her tail, and she had a mammary tumor the size of a grilled cheese sandwich. Her owners could no longer care for her and gave her up, not knowing for sure, but suspecting she could have health issues. She was up to date on shots but in desperate need of being spayed and having the tumor removed. 

Maia was cared for by the wonderful staff at Gateway Animal Clinic including Dr. Brian Forsgren, Dr. Liz Sobol and Veterinary Technician Emily Sanders. She underwent a huge surgery to not only spay her, but remove the tumor and correct one of her breasts that was filled up with dried up milk.

Maia recovered in one of our most experienced foster homes with Michelle and Steve and their three dogs. She kept them up at night crying, she paced,  she pooped in the house, she had a urinary tract infection, she had to go to the ER clinic the day after her surgery, they made sure she got her antibiotics, her UTI supplements, they took her to Gateway probably a half dozen times and they never once complained. They just took care of her.

While in post-op recovery we met a wonderful family related to one of our Mutt-Match applicants. We attempted to match them up with Maia and they immediately thought of their extended family who had been looking to adopt a Doberman and put them in touch with us. The Gound Family had wanted a Doberman that was kid-friendly, one who who get along with their puppy, and be a part of their lives. They were drawn toward Maia and her sad story, her prior experience with children, and they wanted to meet her at Michelle and Steve’s home. We just needed to schedule the meet and greet to make this happen.

And then we got the diagnosis…..the tumor was cancerous. Dr. Liz is confident she removed the entire tumor but there is never a guarantee the cancerous cells won’t spread into other parts of her body. This news was devastating. For everyone. Emails and calls loaded with questions were asked, and answers were given. Our founder, Becca, shared her own prior experience with the family about three of her own previously rescued dogs (two of whom were SHM Dobermans) who had received a similar diagnosis. There was a lot of thinking going on, and we patiently waited, understanding this home just may not end up being a fit. Especially since there were young children involved.

And then we received the following message from Christie Gound:

“I spoke to Emily at Gateway and she and the surgeons who operated on Maia thought there was about a 30% chance of the cancer reoccurring.  She said that if we wanted a dog that was going to live a really long time this was not the dog.  Ben and I talked about it and we would still love to meet her, like I said if she only lives a couple of years in a good home we are happy with that. “

Ben and Christie had just gone through a loss with their last dog, a cancer diagnosis. If you have ever wanted to know a couple of saints, meet the Mound Family. 

Foster parents to Maia: Michelle and Steve

It was last Sunday and the meet and greet went well. One of their little girls loved her, the other was a little unsure. Ben seemed very uncomfortable, and Christie was deep in thought and a little overwhelmed with Maia’s current state. Afterall, she was bandaged up, quite the hot mess, but had nothing but love to give to them. They hoped in the car, and shortly thereafter we received another email asking tons more questions, and this cute note:

“Isabel, my 8 year old, really enjoyed meeting Maia,  and my 5 year old who was reluctant to pet her, said, ‘let’s get her!’ as soon as she hopped in the car.”

Again, we answered a series of questions, Michelle coached them through her recovery process, Becca reassured them everything would be fine with Maia meeting the puppy and we anxiously waited for the next reply. And this is just a bit of what we received:

“We have decided to move forward and foster to adopt. I showed some people at work her picture and they were all, ‘how can you not adopt that sorry thing?”‘ I am going through a little, ‘what the hell are you doing?’ but I am like that with everything.  She might be perfect because of her horrible life and at the end of the day I want a dog with a scary bark to ward off the murderers, one to watch over that puppy, and one that the kids can pet without fear of reprisal (puppy teeth are brutal.)   The kids are really excited and I am going to get her a cape so no one thinks that I did that to her poor body.  It will be tartan and she will be beautiful.”

So, this weekend Michelle, Steve and Maia all hopped in Steve’s truck for one last visit to see Dr. Liz and Emily to make sure her stitches were looking good. She had most of them removed and a few stayed in. The three made the trip to Chardon for the big delivery to the Gound homestead. A holiday gathering was just getting started, family and friends, kids and dogs all excited to meet Maia. We started to check in via email to see how things are going, when we opened our emial and received this:

“She {Maia} is snuggled up on Isabel’s bed right now while Isabel is reading, Ben (no dogs on the bed!) looked in, smiled, and walked away. He told me, ‘It’s been a long time coming for that dog.’  Love all around. This dog is going to break my heart when she passes.  She is honestly the sweetest thing, reminds me of our Saint without the hair and slobber!  If she doesn’t try to kill Rory in the next couple of days (Maia has tried to play with her numerous times and Rory is all, “what the hell” and runs to her dog room) we would love to adopt her. She deserves a life, thank you for giving her the chance at one.  You run an amazing organization, everything you told me about Maia was spot on, it is wonderful that people who are adopting know what they are getting in to.  You give them that reassurance and it means everything. Happy Holidays to you and yours!”

Our paws our crossed for Maia, and the Gound Family, and we look forward to hearing from them one more time telling us she has a forever home with them. Until then, we know she is in great hands, and whatever happens our hearts are filled with happiness and joy this holiday season. 

“Things are going so well with Lily!! She’s such a sweet girl and is very protective of all of us, she never leaves my side & has to do everything Keane does. She is a total ham, really intelligent & gives kisses like it’s her job; she’s beyond affectionate & really snuggly. She and Keane play all day long; usually underfoot, such show-offs! We’re working on being better on the leash on walks and on some trust issues (she’s still a bit skittish around loud noises, like the fridge and furnace kicking on or someone dropping something) but otherwise things couldn’t be going any better! Honestly, it’s like she’s always been a part of our family & is such a blessing! I just couldn’t imagine her not being with us!”

~ Erika

We love to receive the updates, pictures of how our former Secondhand Mutts are doing! Please send yours to rescue@secondhandmutts.org. 

“Happy holidays!! I wanted to share this photo of Huckleberry in his Christmas bow tie. I can’t even put into words how important he is to me. He is my best friend and the most amazing dog. I don’t know what I would do without him and am so thankful we met him. I’ll be forever grateful to you for that!”

~ Nadine & John

“Just wanted to update you on Bascher. He is doing great! He is settling in just fine like part of the family. He is warming up with Jeff (my fiancee) and my 2 teenage sons. He was even playing in the yard this morning with Jeff running in the snow after snowballs. He was jumping around like a happy puppy!

We have a cat that is a “jerk” to most animals so was not surprised she is not happy… but Bascher avoids her. He wants to play with our dog Allie but she is still a bit shy…. It took her a couple of weeks to warm up to our old dog. Bascher has not needed to be crated, although he has gone in once or twice to take a short nap. Our other cat and Bascher were hanging out walking around together.

He also slept all night in our room on the floor next to Allie. Did fine without the crate; although we left it open for him if he wants to go in.

We are going to definitely keep him!”

~ Trina K. and family

“There is no way our kids are ever giving this dog up, and we’d like to make it official. Gus, our 3-year-old, has changed Cranberry’s name to Ruby Firefighter Dog (and we are not allowed to shorten any part of it). She is doing well. She has made herself at home and sleeps with Gus- running upstairs and joining them for storytime every night as well. She does need to learn some manners, but we’re here to help her. She already has a Xmas paw stocking hanging on the fireplace mantel. Here is a picture of our son, Gus, reading to her to.”

~ The Gibbs Family

“Just wanted to give you an update on Frank. He is doing great! He has adjusted well to our life & schedule and seems so happy which makes me happy. Also he is doing well getting used to people. He even stayed for an hour when I dropped him off with Friends for an hour and was not stressed at all.  I took him to the vet and he is healthy and weighs 55 lbs. All around he’s a happy, healthy doggie! We love having him in our family.”

~ Amy