Tiffy

August 2007: Hi--My name is Tiffy. I want to tell you my story with the happy ending. I used to work in a kennel. I was a breeding dog. It wasn’t much of a life. On a hot summer day I was rescued. I didn’t realize it at the time, but rescue is a great and wonderful thing! It wasn’t as simple as it sounds, but it was the best thing that ever happened to me. I am a young Westie girl of about 4 years. But my lifestyle was causing me to feel much older. My wonderful foster Mom says that most of my problems come from carrying or caring for puppies most of my life. She said that kennel must have thought I was just a puppy factory! She thinks my short life has been a hard one. She told me that because I had been bred so much; my rear end is smaller than the rest of my Westie frame. The nice vet, Dr. Franks said I was carrying puppies so much of the time and not getting exercise while my body was still trying to grow. Because of that, I now have and will most likely always have weak hind legs and hips. My foster Mom Carol is working with me daily on regular exercise and supplements, but says I will probably always be weak in my hind quarters. She also says that the reason my skin is so saggy all over is because of the weight from constantly being pregnant. Foster Mom also said I got a bad report on my teeth. Again, probably because I was always expecting puppies. That robbed my body of what little calcium I got, passed it on to my pups I was carrying and I got left with very little, if any. Dr. Frank’s office worked on my teeth while I was asleep getting spayed. Foster Mom is going to continue to work on keeping them clean with as little tarter build-up as possible. I found out at the vet that day that I had yeasty ears. I didn’t know my ears weren’t supposed to itch. It sure is nice though. The medicine worked great! I got vaccines and some meds to take with me that day.

Guess what makes my story have a fairy tale ending? WestieMed and my foster Mom Carol. You see, WestieMed paid for all my vetting and medicine that day. They love to help rescued Westies. They know what a tough road we breeder dogs have traveled. They take pleasure in lightening our load. Isn’t that the neatest thing you have ever heard? Three cheers for WestieMed!! Now as for my wonderful foster Mom Carol, I have a secret to tell about her. She is a failure at fostering. Yes, that’s right. She broke the main fostering rule. She fell head over heels, hopelessly in love with me. She couldn’t help it, I mean look at me. She changed my name to Gracie. I love my new name. It helps me forget my old life and it is such a pretty name. She said I could live with her and her other two Westie kids furever if I wanted to. And boy do I want to!!! She said I am the sweetest of all the Westies she ever had. I have fallen right into the daily routine with my new fur siblings! My Mom Carol tells everyone that she wouldn’t trade me for the world. I’m no expert, but that sounds like a gigantic compliment to me. She feels that I, along with the other rescued Westies she has fostered, am so very appreciative of anything and everything that is done for us.

I am very happy and much healthier now thanks to Dr. Franks, her staff and my new friends at WestieMed. But guess what the very best part is? My Mom Carol says that I am definitely now one of the family. I have a family!

Loving my new life,
Gracie

Tiffy is one of seven Westies rescued from a puppy mill in Nashville, Tennessee.

Update January 2008:  Tiffy now called Gracie

My precious, Gracie…

Oh, how I can’t imagine life without “Miss Bossy” to keep the other Westies in line (the two other rescues who live with me AND any fosters we have coming through our household!)

While Miss Gracie (named for a couple of reasons…”saved by the grace of others,” and also after “Miss Grace,” the Carolina Beach Music hit from the ‘60s, that only true Carolina Beach Music lovers would recognize…) is a wonderful addition to our home, we also have to work diligently with her to make her realize that Mom is the pack leader and not her.  She sometimes wants my 13 year-old daughter to think she is the pack leader and Caitlin, my daughter, is in her pack.  I think all those 3-4 years in the “breeding” backyard made her as bossy as she is.  I truly believe she was the breeder’s “cash cow.”  Her poor young body (which looks MUCH older than it is or should look) has taken a real beating with her probably being pregnant every 6 months from the first time she went into heat… She is on an ever-other-day half dosage of Rimadyl, which the vet said won’t hurt her, because of the decreased dosage, and it really seems to help her joints in her hind legs.  She truly had a rough go of it, and in my estimation, she probably won’t grow to be a really old dog, I do believe that a good diet, regular exercise and her Rimadyl  will do wonders.  I could be totally surprised, and be giving you an update on her in 10 years!  Let’s hope that is the case!!!

Sweet Gracie (who weighs about 22 lbs. now), is very, very clumsy when she plays.  Caitlin and I have knicknamed her the “Jawalrus,” because we say she is the cross between a Walrus and a Jellyfish (because when you pick her up, she doesn’t seem to have a backbone!!!!).  I know it sounds silly, but it’s so dead-on, and she just melts into your arms!!!

I have to admit that Miss Gracie is by far the prettiest Westie I have.  She has the most beautiful coat I’ve ever felt on a Westie, and when she goes to the groomer, she is always the best-behaved of the 3, and appears to feel like a princess when she gets home.  She just KNOWS she’s beautiful!

Thanks to WestieMed for ALL they did for her during her rescue.  On top of providing her basic vetting, the wonderful vet also cleaned her teeth while she was under being spayed.  It made all of the difference in the world, because Gracie was diagnosed with having severe mouth/gum problems.  Now, she has quite the Ultrabrite smile!

We can’t thank Bette and WestieMed enough for all they do to help precious Westies in need.  As a founding member of Westie Rescue of Tennessee, I know I will personally do all within my power to help any Westie in need to best of my ability.  Having WestieMed on our side is a SUPER PLUS!

Thank you Sooooooooooooooo much!

Carol Gore and Gracie