We've Come a Long Way Baby!

 This is Helen today! She's looks so good & is so happy I can't even believe she's the same dog we took in 4 months ago.  She is ready to find that forever home & live out her years chasing birds & snuggling on the couch.  She's gone from a dog I thought I'd never get healthy again to a happy-go-lucky, healthy girl.  The biggest news...THE TAIL IS HEALED!!!!  I can't believe we did it, but we saved her tail.  She's been bandage free for almost a month now & the hair is growing back. 
She is outdoor & bird crazy. She spends hours running around our yard with her butt & tail wiggling.  My husband took her out hunting several times in February & boy did she have fun.  Unfortunately, Helen is gun shy.  The gun goes off & she comes running to your feet...so a lot of the trips were just him carrying it & letting her find birds & have fun.  With the right love & care, I really think she could come around.  She just needs to learn to trust the person with the gun & learn how fun the bird game can be.

SHE NEEDS HER FOREVER HOME!  I know there is the perfect family out there for her.  She's been neglected & mistreated for so long, she deserves that happy family!  Helen is house broken & crate trained.  She's learned to come & sit...not so good on the stay part though.  She's a lover & very playful.  Kongs, our Pointer & my 2 small kids are her favorite play things.  I've even taught her to fetch a tennis ball.  She's wonderful with my kids (3yr & 6yr) and will even let them take the ball out of her mouth. She will need an active family, she's full of "it" but once you wear her out she's just the best snuggler...although she does like to bonk you  in the face with her wet nose to get your attention.  She also has these really cute noises she makes in her sleep. You can't help but smile when you hear them.

Everyone at the vet & the groomer just love her.  They can't believe how calm & easy-going she is for them. My in-laws are retired GSP breeders, so there's been many a GSP in & out of their lives.  My husband & FIL will tell you Helen Jane is top 5 for them.  They thinks she's wonderful.  I can't wait for her to meet that perfect family & finally get her forever after she deserves.

Helly Belly

"Hey, who you calling a barrel?"

Zack loves snuggling his "Helly Belly"

My kids have given Helen Jane a new nickname of Helly Belly.  It cracks me up every time my 3 yr old says it.  Helen has filled out so nicely that she now has a little belly on her, we joke that she's a barrel with legs now.  She's started to play more & loves the black Kong I bought her. He other favorite game is trying to get Kali to wrestle with her.  After getting picked on by Helen those first few weeks, Kali's not so sure she wants to...but Helen gets an A+ for effort. She gets in full "puppy pose" tail wagging, bumping her nose under Kali's chin & barking.  Just too cute to watch & I'm sure my cranky Kali will come around, how could she resist.

"Fine, if you won't flip the seat up, I'm gonna sit on it anyway!"

Saving The Tail

4 1/2 weeks of battling Helen's tail wound & I'm feeling a little defeated because it still hasn't healed.  This poor girl & my poor house!  This summer when Helen came into rescue, her tail was a mess & IBR took great care of it. Everything healed & all her hair grew back.  After a bad foster care situation, her tail is once again in jeopardy. It looks much better than the day I brought her home, I wish I had taken a picture of it then, but it still looks SO bad!

I met up with Lisa from IBR to get different meds to treat her Lyme & Ehlrichia and also to learn what her tricks were in fixing it the first time around.  Unfortunately, most vets aren't as knowledgeable on treatment of these diseases & so I struggle everytime I go in.  I'm getting a crash course on these 2 tick-borne diseases thanks to Lisa & all her research. Last night Helen started her new meds, so fingers crossed this is the answer to saving her tail. 

In less than 24 hrs, I've had to rewrap & change bandages 6 times! I'm exhausted, frustrated, & feeling like a failure.....but Helen is the most snuggly, loving girl & I have to keep on pushing.

She's SO good for me when its time to wrap her tail.  She lays down & lets me sit completely on top of her.  She doesn't move or fight, but complains the entire time with this funny moaning.  It's hysterical, I'm going to try & get it on video the next time.  She almost sounds like a cat purring & it cracks me up.



Day 1 - Both legs look like this

Day 1 - Only 46 lbs & hungry



Week 3 - 55lbs!





Week 3 - Lookin' Good!

New Foster Home

It has been 4 weeks since we brought Helen Jane into our home to foster her & get her back on the road to being the healthy, happy girl she deserves to be. This is my first time ever "blogging" so bare with me. I'm going to keep this up as Helen reaches those amazing milestones but wanted to catch everyone up first. I'm not sure who's getting more out of the "new" foster experience, Helen or my family.

December 28, 2011 we went to see her & she was a very sick, very skinny little girl.  She had ZERO house manners but a heart of gold & several open wounds, including a severe tail injury we are still battling.  She was so hungry she ate everything in site, including a glass ornament & several of my kids toys.  She was just feeling so awful & in so much pain, I can't blame her for being a little crazy & cranky.  Even feeling as awful as she did, she was a lover. The vets couldn't believe how calm she was while they poked & prodded her. She had so many open wounds I needed to care for.  Twice a day (sometimes more) I had to change bandages & Helen put up no fight, none...well, except for her little moaning noise, she's a vocal girl :)

Today is 4 weeks since we brought her home! I can't believe how far she's come. She's gained 15.5lbs & after being on her meds for Lyme she's feeling like a million bucks.  This past weekend we took her out pheasant hunting (no guns) and I'm not sure who had more fun, Helen or us.  I wish I had pictures, but with a 3 & 5 yr old in tow, knee deep in snow, a photo op just wasn't on my radar.  Next time!  The first pheasant got up & Helen froze like a deer in headlights. As the bird flew off, she looked at my husband, he cheered her on & the game was began.  I think she chased at least 12 birds that day & by the end she held point until he released her.  She was so happy & loving every minute so much that she didn't not want to leave the fields.  For the first time in 4 weeks, she didn't come when called. She just stood there in the field looking at my husband like he was crazy.

Yesterday she chased & wrestled with our other pointer, Kali.  HUGE deal since they haven't gotten along all that great since Helen's arrival. Helen is a bit of a dominant dog but I think they have officially worked it out.  Kali wasn't so keen on the wrestling match but Helen gets an A for effort as she bowed to Kali w/ her cute little pointer butt in the air trying to convince Kali to chase her.

This past month with Helen has been such an amazing experience & I can't wait to see what else is in store for us.  Hopefully, that wonderful forever home will come soon for her.  After everything she's been through, she's deserves to find that sooner that later.  In the meantime, while she's hanging with us, I'll post some pics & write about her progress.

Helen Jane at the Dog Park

Before IBR Saved Me....

My future was numbered and not in a good way. I needed help and thankfully IBR stepped in. I can't say enough on how wonderful they have taken care of me and how I can never repay the generosity of all of the friends that helped me get to a better place. I may be in "foster" care, but I can tell you that I feel like I'm home! I'm loved, taken care of, as the pictures show, feeling like a million dog bones :o) These before pictures are sad, but I know I will never look like this again.

Sad, tired eyes with a glimmer of hope still alive.

Skin and bones and

not by my choice

fresh wate tastes so good

The drive lives on!