My name is Keeper!

03-01-2014: Life Is Finally Good For Keeper

Nothing is more gratifying for any of us involved in the animal rescue process than to see the difference one has made in a dog’s life. Keeper is a prime example of a dog who makes us all smile.
Below is an update from Keeper’s doting foster mom:
“Keeper has become a true northern dog and is one of the few in this house who is loving this winter! He loves playing in the snow in the yard and trying to entice the other dogs to play. We think he would stay out all day if we would let him but he shivers when he comes in so we limit his time out. If someone happens to be using the hair blow dryer when he comes in, he begs for his turn in the warm air.
While he can be a madman outside, he is laid back indoors. His favorite things to do are lying on the couch and rolling around on his back on the carpet. He sprawls in some of the most comical positions! He is a fabulous cuddler and also enjoys helping his foster Mom with her yoga! He is doing fantastic and we just love him! Anyone who enters the home is an instant friend and is immediately recruited for full body petting. Keeper loved the holidays when he met extended family, including the four legged members.
Keeper's health issues have cleared up nicely. He is still being treated for the heart worms with monthly preventative and tolerating the treatment very well. Keeper never makes "mistakes" in the housebreaking department anymore and has put on the weight he needed. We feel he would fit into almost any forever home that has plenty of time to dote on him.”

11/12/13: Keeper’s Past Continues To Haunt Him…
Although we whisked Keeper out of the shelter within a few days of his arrival, it wasn’t soon enough. The poor fellow has come down with a bad case of kennel cough. This has been particularly hard on him due to his thinness and heavy flea infestation (which we have taken care of). He has had a thorough examination by the Veterinarian which resulted in more disturbing news…..Keeper is heartworm positive! Due to his age and poor physical condition, we have opted to treat him for this slowly with the once-a-month treatment rather than the harsh two day treatment that he may not survive. A urinalysis showed a raging infection but it is unsure if it is stemming from his bladder or prostate (since he is an intact male). His blood work came back excellent with only a minor low magnesium level. The Doctor feels this will resolve itself once he has decent food for a period of time. Of the many lumps, bumps and skin tags that cover his body, the one that concerned the Doctor the most is on his scrotum. This will be examined further once he is healthy enough for us to consider neuter surgery. The treatment plan at this time is to get him over the kennel cough and urinary tract infection. Once those two things have cleared up, he can start his heartworm treatment. Somewhere down the road it will be determined if he can be neutered.
In the meantime, Keeper continues to enjoy the comforts of his foster home.
“Keeper has fit right in with his doggy brothers and sister. They get along very well and he seems to enjoy being part of the family. Keeper has no problem sharing toys, treats, beds, pets and hugs, although he would like to have his peoples laps all to himself!
Keeper has been a charming house guest and we can’t imagine a more laid back and easy going gentleman. He has progressed very well with his housebreaking and once the infection is cleared up, we suspect there will be no further issues in that department. He charms everyone he meets into joining his fan club, which has already grown quite large.
Although we would love to keep Keeper all to ourselves, there must be someone out there who has been waiting for such a special dog!”

11/05/13: 12 Year Old Keeper Is Enjoying Life - Better Late Than Never
We received the following email from a shelter that was far away from our usual Rescue area. “Beautiful old man - deserves so much better than a cold concrete kennel! Can you help him? I have contacted 2 local boxer rescues and neither of them have even replied!” We responded to find out more details about this boxer’s sad life. We were told his name was Reefer and his owner had gone to prison for drugs. Reefer was given away to a person who the shelter described as a “horrible man” and it was he who surrendered him. This was probably the luckiest day of this dog’s life.
We knew we had to help this senior gentleman. We felt hWe feltmmmme needed a new name to begin his new life. We renamed him Keeper. The next step was to find a way to transport Keeper to a foster home in our area which was more than an 11 hour drive. As fate would have it, the shelter told us there was a paid transport service that was leaving the same day and they happened to have an available space. We were thrilled to hear that this could be arranged so quickly and jumped on the opportunity for Keeper to leave his concrete kennel behind.
Keeper needed his health certificate for the trip but the vet had already left the shelter for the day. The staff was so happy that we agreed to save Keeper’s life that they called the vet and asked for a favor. Thankfully the vet was nice enough to return to the shelter to complete the necessary paperwork for Keeper to travel.
The transport service was also eager to help but they were only scheduled to drive to a destination that was four hours from Keeper’s foster home. Although our foster mom was willing to drive the entire way to get Keeper if it was necessary we posted a plea for people to help with the driving. Within an hour of our plea, we received several kind offers and had the final leg of his journey arranged.
The transport drove throughout the night and Keeper arrived at his destination early Saturday morning. During his journey he was all boxer wiggles and loved everyone he met. When he arrived at his foster home, he was introduced to several of the resident dogs with no issues. Within hours he was on his foster mom’s lap snoring away…undoubtedly having sweet dreams.
According to Keeper’s foster mom, he is not housebroken which solidifies our suspicion that he lived his life as an outside dog. He was also very dirty and covered in fleas. He has transitioned into a loving family life with no issues. He is simply enjoying his new environment where he receives unconditional love and affection. This is quite likely something he is experiencing for the first time in his life. Keeper is an incredibly special boxer and we are so honored to have him in our Rescue program. He is definitely a Keeper!