There But For The Grace of God...

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Hi Doodle friends, JD here. It's been a while since I've posted, this past winter has been a tough one for me, but I'm doing fine and I hope all of you are doing well, too. 

Our friend Laurie (better known as Fudge and Vern's Mom) has written about "the luck of the draw" and how some doodles are not as lucky as we are and didn't get homes and people who are able to love and care for them for their whole lives, no matter what. Actually, I started out life as one of those doodles who didn't draw such a good hand. For those of you who might not know, I was born in a puppy mill and sold in a pet store to somebody who ended up not wanting me and who left me in a shelter when I was just a year old. But then I got lucky. My mom found me and took me home, and I've been with her for more than 10 years now. I've also had health problems pretty much from the beginning, and if my mom couldn't take care of me, I'd be in big trouble, because I'm what is called "unadoptable" in the rescue world. But my mom does take care of me and she always will, so you see, luck can change, and sometimes a bad hand is not the end of the story. I'm writing today to tell you about four doodles who were not lucky enough to get moms and dads like mine, or Fudge and Vern's, or yours. DRC calls them the Fantastic Four, and with your help, a bad hand doesn't have to be the end of the story for them, either. 

Brinkley is three years old and was dumped in a North Carolina kill shelter by his family after he developed a seizure disorder that his family could not afford to diagnose or treat. DRC is working with his foster's vet to find the right combination of meds. Brinkley is a gentle giant at 95 lbs, and his meds are very expensive. Finding the right combination to control his seizures will take some time, so he will be in foster care for a while. 

We also have Toby, a 3 year old medium goldendoodle who was seized by animal control from a severe neglect situation and needs extensive vetting. He is HW positive, which requires excruciatingly painful and very expensive treatment, and also has 11 broken and/or severely infected teeth.

Then there's Tucker, who is 9 years old and is also heartworm positive. His owner neglected to take him to the vet for several years, and when he was diagnosed HW+, he was dumped, as they could not afford the treatment to save his life. 

Moose is 6 or 7 years old and was also the victim of severe neglect. He came into rescue extremely malnourished, (20+ lbs underweight) with bacterial ear infections that had gone untreated so long that they now require surgery and have rendered him partially deaf. Moose has already undergone surgery to remove some cancerous tumors. 

Photos of all of the dogs can be seen on the Go Fund Me link here: https://www.youcaring.com/brinkley-moose-toby-tucker-533636#.VttySS...

The hard part is already done; DRC has found fosters willing to care for these boys for an extended period of time while they go through painful treatments and difficult adjustments. Now we need some help to get them healthy enough to be adopted into the loving homes they deserve. 

All four of these boys have the sweetest, most loving temperaments in the world, despite all that they have been through. They just drew short straws in the doodle owner department. 

There but for the grace of God go I. 

So I'm here to ask you all to please ask your moms and dads to help DRC change the Fantastic Four's luck. Ask them to do it for me, ask them to do it for you. No amount is too small. Together, we can make miracles happen for these four boys who didn't get as lucky as we did. Together, we can change that. 

May you all live long and healthy lives with the families that love you. 

With love and many thanks from the bottom of my heart,

Your friend Jackdoodle

Here's the link:https://www.youcaring.com/brinkley-moose-toby-tucker-533636#.VttySS...

[Leslie, Yogi & Maci Bear]

Tucker is just a puppy! He is a doll.

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

Awww, he's a perfect age.  Some of the dogs with the best "therapy" hearts that I've met are older dogs.  They are so grateful to have a person or family again, and have so much love to give, and are so much fun. They are often overlooked treasures.  Hoping there's someone wonderful waiting or him...for all of them.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Me too. :)

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Yay; the same age as Ned and Clancy - a great age to be.