Latest News Items:

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It must be spring! Incoming Collies and Shelties! -- Monday May 20th, 2019

It must be spring!  Two smooth Collie puppies....both males, almost 4 months old, absolutely darling and very smart.  Of course.

Two tri-colored rough Collie young adults.  Both males, handsome and sweet.

Applications first, of course.  Please read the basic requirements on our website.  

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Dusty's story -- Friday June 15th, 2018

Dusty is one of three darling shelties that  came to us from Foothills Animal Shelter, all intact of course, one male and two females in heat.

Dusty had what was to be a routine neuter on 6/1 that turned into a nightmare. He ended up at the Animal ER and Specialty Clinic in Parker for six long days and nights in Intensive Care. His scrotum was badly inflamed and oral antibiotics were not penetrating the soft tissue and the peritoneal fluid (pus) was found by ultrasound in his abdomen where it obviously should not have been. He needed emergency surgery to remove the scrotum (scrotal ablation) and flush his abdomen (lavage) to control the infection. While they were poking around, they wanted to take biopsies of his intestines in multiple places to rule out Inflammatory Bowel. Dusty's lymph nodes were greatly enlarged (no kidding!) and he could not (or would not) pee because of the pain.

The vet placed a urinary catheter but called for a "go ahead" on the surgical procedures because of the cost. The only other choice was euthanasia and we could not even go there emotionally or mentally. One of the staff called with a range of charges for all the diagnostics and the projected charges for the surgeries and recovery time. That is the most frightening part of rescue. Can we save the little guy and make him well and how will we pay this bill and keep moving forward to save more dogs? Dusty was a patient at the Specialty Clinic from 6/8-6/14 and survived the ordeal. He was released into the loving arms of Tom and Andrea who have fostered more dogs than even they can keep count of. And he is making good progress. Nobody told me that patience is required to hold the position of Director. (God grant me the serenity...) Another 10 days before his staples can be removed. Thanks for listening. Hope

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Pinky the Collie, cousin of Cujo -- Saturday March 3rd, 2018

Just another moment to prove that being the Director of a dog rescue is not all bright lights and glamour.  Pinky came to RMCSR from one of our Colorado municipal shelters in September of 2015.  She had been sent to the shelter for observation and to be placed on a "bite hold."  Initially, we could not handle her much at all.  But the loving Collie in her came through and she made overtures to us to be friends.  She was clearly in distress with what seemed to be both emotional and physical pain.  Our favorite Southern Colorado Internal Medicine Specialists Docs asked lots of questions and reviewed all of the test results.  The ultrasound showed what had been overlooked.  She had a pinhole leak in her gall bladder and all that nasty bile had been spilling into her gut.  She went into emergency surgery and after six days in Intensive Care, she came back to us, a little thinner but a great deal more comfortable.

But, I digress.  Pinky is the most loving dog imaginable under most conditions.  The exception is having anything to do with grooming.  If she sees a brush in your hand, all bets are off.  She lunges and snaps her teeth like Cujo.  Hence the odd-looking padded muzzle that Pinky is wearing in the photos of her in the elevated bathtub in Doggie Central at Hope's house.  We have a professional groomer come as often as possible and Pinky is a two-person job if ever there was one.  We groomed for 3 1/2 hours one day this past week and at that point it was difficult to tell who was the soggiest.  Luckily, my pal Steve came by to help me with my new computer (OY!  That is another story!) and snapped these photos.

Pinky looks great today.  But in the next few weeks she will start to look like an unmade bed again.  And eventually, we will have to tackle grooming Pinky again.  Perhaps I could run away from home before that happens!!

Yours in dogs,  Hope

 

 

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More dogs than you see on the website -- Friday December 29th, 2017

We realize that you don't always see a ton of available dogs on our website at any one time.  We generally wait to post dogs until they have completed their medical treatments, unless it is a long-term treatment like for heartworm disease.

But here we are racing toward 2018 and some Collies and Shelties that have never made it to the website are asking to be seen.

"Polly Pocket Collie" is a small sable and white rough-coated Collie that has been holding her own since the end of September.  She has Mammary Gland Adenocarcinoma.  That is 'breast cancer' in humans.  She has had multiple surgical procedures and we decided against chemotherapy, which is generally not advised in her present condition.  Polly has the most incredible foster family in Wichita, Kansas that will love her and treasure her company for every day she is on the earth.  No one could ask for a more loving friend than Lisa. We ask for prayers for a remission.

"Pinky" is an extra large blonde sable and white rough Collie that came to us from a Colorado municipal shelter.  The Pink has had some health issues that were difficult to diagnose.  But since she had her gall bladder removed, she is much improved and is maintained on a strict lowfat diet with a consistent regimen of meds.  But when the shelter asked us to take Pinky, it was with the understanding that we would keep her for a lifetime within our organization.  Because Pinky bit someone.  It could have been out of pain or fear, we will never really know.  But once a dog has bitten, liability goes through the roof.  And another bite would mandate that she be euthanized.  That can't happen on our watch.  So, she will live with our Director for her lifetime.  And she only threatens to bite Hope when she is being groomed.  She turns into a pencil-nosed Cujo!

"Tess" is the sweetest little old lady dog.  She is a Sheltie puppy mill survivor, definitely in her teens, with limited vision and limited hearing and lots of other health concerns, but with a great capacity to love.  Tessie lives to eat and spends a good part of every day either cruising around the dining room table or in the kitchen, just in case a morsel of something should come flying off the counter in her direction.  Over the last year and a half in her foster home, she has become quite comfortable as a member of a stable pooch pack and with her very own humans.  With the dog door, she has not had a potty accident in a long time. 

Shawnee Connor is a little fellow that was described to us as a Sheltie or Sheltie mix from a euthanasia list in Oklahoma.  'Please, would we take him?'  Connor is probably a toy Aussie or a combo of other small herding dogs.  His questionable parentage is secondary to his behavior issues that Karen, his foster mom, is working on.  He is very territorial and extremely opinionated.  Men and small kids would be out of the question for Connor.  If he could just get his foster mom alone with him on a desert island, his life would be complete.  I think Karen is considering that!

Yesterday we got another senior Sheltie and the day after tomorrow we will pick up a female tri-colored rough Collie.  It often seems like a revolving door with precious lives on the line, all the time.

All in all, we have 18 dogs in foster homes for various reasons and with various potential outcomes.  Our foster families are very precious to us and we could not function without them.  As I often say, this is a team sport.  We are always looking for more fabulous humans to join our team. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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4 Shelties from National Mill Dog Rescue -- Wednesday November 1st, 2017

 

 

Come with us and follow the journey of four Shelties from "puppy mill hell" through the wonderful changes ahead of them.  All of the dogs are 7-10 years old.  These precious pups have been used for only one purpose their whole lives.  No joy, no love, no Christmas stocking with dog treats to enjoy while lounging on the sofa together.  It will be like coming to an unknown planet for them.  Today is the first day of this fabulous change.  They are with our dear friends at National Mill Dog Rescue today.  Tomorrow they will be with RMCSR.

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New and Fabulous Incoming Dogs -- Wednesday September 6th, 2017

 

 

ALERT   ALERT   ALERT   ALERT   ALERT
RMCSR has new and fabulous Collies and Shelties looking for their forever homes.  More information coming as their vet care is completed.

KellyAnne, spayed female blue merle rough coated Collie

Captivating Carson,  neutered male sable merle Sheltie 

Princess Pooch, spayed female tri Sheltie-ish

Suzy Q, spayed female sable and white Sheltie

 

 

 

 

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Incoming Dogs -- Saturday April 29th, 2017

We have five new dogs coming in for the week of May 1.

3 young adult smooth Collies, 2 males and 1 female.

1 blue merle rough coated Collie, female.

1 young adult tri rough coated Collie, female.

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Second Hand Kansas Collies -- Monday April 17th, 2017

I turned around "just the other day" and discovered that I am not a kid anymore.  I am not sure exactly when that happened, but it did happen.  And I am ever more conscious that if my health declined and I did not have the full support of my loved ones, my dogs (whichever ones were living with me as my beloved companions) would be dependent upon other humans for their kibble.  It seemed the right time to be making some plans.

This train of thought began with two purebred senior rough-coated Collies that have come to us from Kansas.  Kansas Jack, a 10-year-old bi-black and his best friend, Wichita Lil, at 8 1/2 (with her AKC papers) were left at a shelter by a family member of a woman who could no longer care for them.  The Kansas Humane Society in Wichita must rank as one of the best shelters in the country.  And when their staff discovered that both of the dogs were heartworm positive, they reached out to RMCSR to see if we could make magic for these lovely creatures.  Of course! 

Jack and Lilly came to us desperately needing to be groomed.  That is not unusual.  They have had a crappy diet that is evident by their skin and coat condition.  That is also not unusual.  They both have trouble getting up and seem to have arthritic joints.  Once again, not unusual.

But, even though mom may not have been well enough to care for Jack and Lilly herself, someone should have noticed.  A family member, a friend, a neighbor.  Someone should have offered to help with the dogs that were once lovingly cared for and cherished.

I have had that hard discussion with my husband and adult children about how strongly I feel about my dogs (as if they didn't know) and I am rewriting my will to contain specific instructions about which dog will go where if I am no longer on the earth. And dollars to be set aside for their vet care and premium goodies.  Robin (who belonged to our founder Harry Amick) will go and live with Uncle Steve, although I am not sure Aunt Maureen knows about this arrangement.  Stirling Silver Jackaroni would stay with our granddaughter Christina for his golden years.  And on and on.

But it all begins with placing a value on the lives of these sentient beings that have chosen to intertwine their lives with ours.  Our dogs give us unconditional love forever.  Can we give them less in return?

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Welcome dear Remi -- Monday October 10th, 2016

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Forever home, Finally -- Sunday October 9th, 2016

There will be times in the life of enlightened humans when they look into the eyes of another being and feel the connection from one soul to another. Such a rare moment occurred five years ago when Greg Kovach met Remi, a rangy tri-color rough Collie from the wilds of Wyoming..  Greg and Cynthia are Sheltie lovers and have adopted many lucky Shelties over the years and taught them everything a beloved dog needs to know.  But there was something about Remi that reached out to Greg.  Unfortunately, at that time, they had a very ill dog and needed to concentrate their attention on their little love.  But Greg never forgot the draw of the big shaggy Collie boy.

Remi was adopted by a lovely couple from Denver that enjoyed his company for that five year period.  Barb and Bill's health declined to the point of needing to relinquish Remi back to RMCSR (as specified in our contractual agreement).  And the original foster parents of Remi wanted him to come back with them.  Tom and Andi Carrasco have fostered 50 dogs over the last 10 years or so.  (I hope to have permission to come and live with them if I come back as a blue merle Collie!) So Remi came back to live with the Carrascos while looking for his forever home, just in time to attend our annual picnic.

As Greg walked toward the picnic gathering at Highland Heritage Regional  Park on September 24th, his eyes were drawn to a handsome tri-colored Collie that looked very familiar.  He smiled that glorious smile that is saved only for a dog that will be your next best friend. And that was that.  The bond that was begun five years prior was completed at that moment. Cynthia gave her blessing.  And Remi has a new forever home.

It doesn't get much better than that, now does it?  What a lucky dog!