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2003 Incoming Dogs: owner turn ins: 8 shelter pulls: 28 from other rescues: 4 total incoming: 40 (ACS=21, ECS=2, others=17) |
2003 Outgoing Dogs: adoptions: 16 euthanasias: 0 to other rescues: 12 total outgoing: 28 |
Teddy (#2) - Little Teddy was between homes when his older owners entered a care facility and couldn't bring him along. Their family stepped up to the plate and worked hard to find a suitable second home for their parents' beloved companion, but nothing quite right was to be found. They turned to San Diego Spaniel Rescue and we knew we'd be able to help find a home for this well-behaved two-year old. Sure enough, we found his forever home. They are thrilled with Teddy ... as he is with them!
Lucky - Left in his back yard when his family moved to a new home. To give them dubious credit, they did call Springer Rescue to have them come get the poor boy. At just over one year old, they didn't even know they had a beautiful parti Cocker Spaniel in their possession. The Springer folks immediately called SDSR and hearing the condition Lucky was in just broke our hearts. His ears were so matted and heavy he couldn't even lift his head all the way up. The flies were swarming around his head and his run was filthy. Lucky for Lucky he was physically okay and it wasn't long before his new family saw his photo and fell in love. He is living the life now, the center of his family's life.
Buffy - This little cutie lost her home when her elderly owner passed away. At only 4 years of age, she found herself unexpectedly a resident of a local shelter who called SDSR to help them find just the right home for her. Now living her life in the comfort of Palm Springs, Buffy is one pampered little pup once again! Take a look here to see how happy she was with her choice of homes.
Quincy (aka Wiley) - Quincy has a forever home! This teddy bear (or Moo-Cow, from this Halloween picture) was a long time resident at SDSR with 6 months of foster care under his belt. And older man, he was the true definition of a gentleman with his easy going attitude, his fun-loving side and his penchant for cuddling close. He charmed his new mom over the internet and got a paw of approval from his new brother, Scout. The rest, as they say, is history! 
Claudia - It just breaks our hearts when we see young Cocker Spaniels who enter the shelter as strays, looking like they have never had a day of proper care in their lives! Claudia was one of those. But take her out of that environment and clean her up and she is a whole 'nother dog - ready to please and snuggle to your heart's content. Claudia is now keeping her new mom and dad in line and showing them how best to cater to her every whim.
Schotzie - This little
girl wasn't catching any breaks at shelter. Dumped by her owner who claimed they were having
trouble "controlling her" she went into quarentine while the shelter evaluated her. While she
had issues with one kennel attendant and had no problem telling him so, she was a completely
different dog for the rest of us. The shelter and SDSR felt that she was adoptable, although
she was kept off view the whole time she was there. That makes it hard to get adopted!
Arizona Cocker Rescue stepped in and said they'd take her on and with the continued help of
Flying Paws, Schotzie made it to her new rescue home. She made it clear that she wanted some
special attention and is now being worked with to overcome her past abuse. Special thanks to
AZ Cocker Rescue and Flying Paws in helping Schotzie! UPDATE: Sadly, Schotzie was not able to
overcome her past neglect and abuse. She made some progress with the dedicated work at AZ Cocker Rescue,
but her issues continued to dominate her. We are saddened that her past owners had allowed
her neglect to escalate to this point. Please, learn from dear Schotzie ... if you cannot
provide the regular grooming, socialization and care for your dog, relinquish her to rescue or
even a shelter NOW before it is too late!
Elmo (aka Buster Brown) - Just look at him now! Elmo was getting passed over at the shelter in his rough and ready look. But after a bath and a puppy cut, his handsome face was there for all to see. After a 2 month stay at shelter, Elmo is now happily frolicking with a cocker brother and a doting mom (take a look at them together!).
Little Boy Blue (aka Charlie) - This beautiful boy was abandoned at a grooming shop in Los Angeles. When MinPin rescue swooped in to help out they were able to contact San Diego Spaniel Rescue and it wasn't long before this beautiful and perfectly behaved 11 month old had a new home to call his own.
Teddy - This boy had sat at the shelter for almost 2 months with no one expressing an interest in him. And all because the shelter had him guesstimated at 12.5 years of age and he had a slight incontinence problem. What a rescue story Teddy's is! SDSR was full to the brim. California rescues all over the state were full with the summer tossed-out cockers. What could we do? He had barely one day left when SDSR put the word out nationally about Teddy's plight. HART-New Mexico stepped up to the plate and offered to take him .. but how to get him there? This is where Teddy's big adventure really takes flight (so to speak). Flying Paws is a fabulous organization that donates flights to shelter and rescue animals, to help them get to safety. Once they heard of Teddy's story they were on the case and before you could say "airborne to a forever home" Teddy had landed in New Mexico - after charming everyone he came into contact with. Some very inexpensive meds will take care of his minor "leaking". Oh, did I mention that multiple vets have re-estimated Teddy's age ... and we all think he is really closer to 8! He has half of his life still left to live. Thanks to everyone who made this possible! (PS: your donations make all of this possible. SDSR, HART-NM and Flying Paws can only do what they do best with your generous support. When you make your donation, tell them that Teddy from San Diego sent you!)
Oliver - When I heard of a puppy at the shelter that wasn't getting adopted, just because he had 2 "cherry eyes", my heart went out to this little orphan boy. Smart as a whip: housebreaking was a cinch and learning to sit and stay was a breeze for Ollie. Dudley's Mom fell in love with Oliver immediately and she became his "foster-to-own" mom - that program is where an approved applicant offers to foster a dog until he is 100% adoptable, with the intention of being the adopter. She went one step further (as did Buddy's Mom) and offered to pay for all of his medical expenses. An angel to Oliver and a boon to rescue!
Buddy - One look at Buddy and I knew he wouldn't be long in our foster program. This sweet one year old was turned in by his owners for playing too rough with their 4 year old child and in need of a cherry eye surgery. Happy at his home now, he is the apple of his new mom's eye - and she just can't imagine life without Buddy Jefferson by her side! Click here for a look at the happy family. UPDATE: Dear Buddy was able to spend the last 2 months of his short life in a home knowing true, unconditional love. He is missed by us all!
Grace (aka Princess Grace) - Grace is our miracle dog! SDSR found her in misery at our Central Shelter when we went to see if another cocker was an English or American. Poor Grace just begged us to help her - but we were already bursting at the seams and couldn't squeeze another dog in. I told this to Grace, but promised her I'd do everything else possible to help her out. She gave my hand a gentle lick thru the kennel cage, as if to tell me that she didn't hold out much hope, but would appreciate any efforts on my part. And there really wan't much hope. Her age was guessed as "ancient", she had dry eye, her ears were a smelly mess and to top it all off, she weighed twice what she was supposed to! But a call out to our national contacts yielded hope after all. A wonderful Cocker Santuary in Texas had one opening, and they wanted Grace to fill that spot. And then it got even better - the Santuary had an approved adopter in San Francisco who wanted to be Grace's savior and forever mom. Sight unseen, Grace's new mom fell for her and covered all of her many medical and foster expenses and drove down the following month to take her back home. A rough start (while Grace learned that the resident female was in fact top dog of the pack) ended with a new life for this Princess. Take a look here for how she smiled when she met her new mom. UPDATE:Princess Grace now spreads her loving joy at the Rainbow Bridge. Heart failure finally claimed this sweet soul. SDSR will forever be grateful to Grace's adopter for giving a senior Cocker a warm loving home for her final months in this world.
Valentino - Valentino was pulled from the El Cajon City Shelter just one hour before he was due to be put to sleep. The Shelter called us that morning after Val snapped at them during breakfast feeding. When we got there, we found a sweet English Field Bred who happened to be a bit possessive over his food and toys. But under that tough guy attitude was a teddy bear just pining away for some special lovin'. Valentino got the chance to prove how fast he can calm down, with the right type of person, and is now keeping a yard of his very own cat-free - when he isn't inside snuggling up to his forever mom. Click here for a look at Val's new life.
Sullivan - Sullivan was fostered by SDSR for Cocker Connection out of Los Angeles. What a bundle of joy this young guy was to have here! After spending the first year of his life tied up outside with an overturned trash can as his only protection from the rain and sun he still had nothing but love to share with anyone who came his way. Well, except for cats, that is. He was returned from his first adoptive home when his feelings for felines came out but was quickly accepted with open arms and smiles into his new forever home. With a young girl, her parents and a 4 year old cocker mix to play with, he'll never have to relive his first year of neglect ever again! 
Caitlyn - Caitlyn came into rescue after her owner passed away. Used to being the center of everyone's attention, living with 2 other fosters and only one human to dole out attention wasn't this princess' idea of an ideal situation - but she made the best of it, learning all the best ways to situate herself for most attention at any given time! Caitlyn finally found a home that she put her paw of approval on ... she is now the proud owner of a young girl with lots of attention to lavish on her each and every day. Click here for a look at Caitlyn's new family!
Dudley - How do dogs this great end up at a shelter in deplorable conditions? Dudley was a mass of hair - but such a loving mass you've never seen before! Under all that hair was a dog just looking for a special person to call his own. Lucky Dudley found just that!
Lady Bird (aka Serenity) - What a rough time Lady Bird has had of it this last month of her life - and whatever had happened before that she's not telling us! Lady Bird found herself a resident of a local shelter when she was picked up as a stray. Her owner, when notified, decided she was better off there (and with that attitude, was probably right...). Her winning looks and charming manner quickly won over potential adopters. Her first hold was a no-show which thrilled her second hold family. However she was returned to the shelter the very same day that she was taken home. It seems Lady Bird didn't tell anyone that she had issues with children. I spent some time with her at the shelter and she passed my handling test with flying colors. The very next day she flunked the shelter's temperament testing. But she had charmed some of the shelter staff and they trusted my evaluation of her. Released into my care, Lady Bird and I immediately headed off to her forever home in Arizona where she is continuing charming everyone she meets! Congratualtions, Lady Bird (now named Serenity)!
Rocko - The resources of the internet combined with the powers of rescue gave Rocko a new lease on life! He was turned into the shelter by folks who just didn't want to own a dog any longer (and from the looks of him, hadn't wanted to in a while). The day after I met Rocko, I e-met a couple looking for a dog just like him. The very next day they drove to San Diego and took Rocko home with them! Looking for a cocker, their neighbor put them in touch with a Dachshund Rescue, who put them in touch with a Cocker Rescue in New York State, who put them in touch with a Cocker Rescue in San Bernadino, who put them in touch with me, who then put them in touch with Rocko in the Chula Vista Shelter. From a January 13th inquiry to a January 17th adoption - thanks to the internet!