My name is Maple Syrup!

Maple LOVES kids and would make such a wonderful hiking companion. When we go to the dog park she can't run as big as her pure bred buddies- but she does her best to hang with me. She is so sweet and cuddly --one of the nicest rescues we have ever brought in - in 10 years.

September 2011: Maple and her boys now called Kevin (Bacon) and Jimzie (Hashbrown) are now in foster care in Illinois. Maple could be a GSP/ Cattledog/ Boxer mix and she is just AWESOME!! Not only is she gorgeous- but she is a youngster herself and is so sweet and playful. Take a look at how playful she is with her new buddy Setter Remy in the videos. She's had a rough start but we are hopeful that a nice family in the Chicago area will see how special she is because we adore her!!

Here are some new photos from IBR Facebook.

Here are some recent videos on YouTube too
#1,
#2, and
#3!!

5-2011: Maple Syrup and her 5 puppies were pulled from a Georgia shelter in early July. She was very sick and so were her puppies and while every effort was made to save them only 2 of her boys (Bacon and Hashbrown) survived but are doing well now. We are only guessing what his breeding is- but he is a SUPER Mutt for sure! Here are additional photos of Syrup and her boys from IBR Facebook

The vet bill escalated to over $1,000 for her and her puppies so if you would like to contribute for her care- please help with her ChipIn.

We do not believe in pediatric spays and neuters and due to the IL Dept of Ag regulations, the pups will need to stay within 50 miles of Chicago so that they can be spayed or neutered at 6 months of age. The $375 adoption donation will cover 3 Parvo/Distemper vaccinations, rabies, fecals, multiple dewormings, and microchip. We also provide an adoption packet and an english slip lead with every adoption. We also require an additional $100 deposit that will be refunded after the adopter fulfills the spay or neuter requirement when the pups are 6 months old so that they can use their own vet. These pups will also need a mandatory tick panel (IDEXX 371 preferred- paid for by adopter and a CBC/Chem) to look for any diseases (Ehrlichia, Lyme disease or Rocky Mountain spotted fever) they may have caught from mom. This is incredibly important to make sure these pups have long and healthy lives and must be done prior to any neutering. We also test and retest for other intestinal parasites including Coccidia and Ghiardia besides the standard vetting in house fecal. These tests usually run $40 each and we test and restest to make sure the puppies are squeaky clean! Puppy adoption donations usually barely cover their vetting expenses but we want to make sure they are happy and healthy prior to adoption.

Due to the fact that these dogs have come from shelters or abuse or neglect situations, and unless we have tested these dogs on upland birds and feel they are confident and ready to work as a hunter with families where they will be trained with kindness and patience, we will only adopt to pet homes.

All adoptions include vaccinations, fecals and deworming, microchips, spaying or neutering, collar, leash and an information adoption packet. All dogs and puppies are also tested for Lyme Disease, Ehrlichia and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever via a $100 blood test. On average nearly 83% of our incoming dogs and puppies from the Midwest are testing positive to one, two or all three tick borne illnesses. If caught early- these diseases are highly treatable. Infected Dog and Deer Ticks are all over the Midwest and United States and these diseases often go missed yet are epidemic. Left untreated- dogs may suffer horrible painful joints, brain damage, chronic allergies, and if the disease progresses- death.

All IBR dogs in foster care are learning to be crate trained, housebroken, socialized with other dogs and loved on by their human foster parents. Adoption fees are used to cover vetting expenses and special need dogs' vetting care. Our adoption guidelines also require non-smoking homes and safe fenced in yards.

If you are interested in adopting this pet through our rescue organization, please go to the ADOPTING A FRIEND section to read about our pre-adoption policies and vetting protocols.

Please help us reach our fundraising goal so we can continue our work helping save these homeless hunters and other abused and neglected dogs and puppies! We have a long way to go and any amount --big or small--will make a huge difference especially if the dog or puppy is in an area where they use gas chambers to euthanize.
We see the worst that humans can do to defenceless animals- but with your donation- we will be able to do more to end the suffering of many frightened dogs and puppies.

Others Ways You Can Make a Difference

Shop for custom calendars, mugs and T-shirts at our Café Press fundraising website and choose merchandise featuring Pointers, Setters, Hunting Dogs or Friendly Mutts. All of our calendar stars are rescued dogs that would have been euthanized in shelters across the Mid-West had IBR not stepped in to save them. Your support does make a difference!!

Help offset the high cost of our vetting bills via the Petfinder.com Sponsor-A-Pet link. Illinois Birddog Rescue has always prided itself in not turning away any sick and injured dogs; animals that most shelters would have euthanized. We have saved many dogs with heartworm, tick borne illnesses, broken legs, missing legs, blind dogs, a new deaf puppy, dogs suffering from Parvo and especially senior dogs that may need expensive health care to help them get ready for adoption. In February of 2006, in one weekend, we brought in 20+ dogs from the Boat Mountain Tragedy, and that depleted our emergency funds.

Your donation will not go unnoticed. In addition to helping save lives, when you donate your name will be added to the Illinois Birddog Rescue Donations and Rescue Sponsor List.

Become an IBR foster home and help give a rescued dog or puppy a second chance at a new happy life. The work and dedication of the current IBR foster families can be seen by clicking HERE! You are not just fostering a dog, you are joining a birddog family! If you would like to become a foster home and join our enthusiastic group of birddog lovers, please fill out an online foster home application.

Shop and search the Internet using iGive.com and iSearch.iGive.com - Two great ways to help us raise funds while using the Web. It's free and there is no limit or hidden fees. Give them a try here:

iSearch.iGive.com is a fun and easy way to raise money while searching the internet. The donation is $0.01 per qualified search (no limits) and if you are logged in as an iGive.com member (membership to use iSearch is free and optional) you can keep track of your individual contributions through searching and shopping. $0.01 per search may not seem like much, but with our combined efforts it can add up very quickly and make a difference for our rescued dogs. iSearch.iGive.com is powered by Yahoo! search engine. Start searching the web and download the iSearchiGive toolbar to earn every time you search by clicking here:

Monetary donations can also be mailed directly to IBR, PO BOX 364, Wood Dale, IL 60191.

Illinois Birddog Rescue, Inc is a 501c3 not-for-profit charity licensed by the Illinois Department of Agriculture.