Two Blind Pups at CCBTR

Cassie ,on the left, and Calli, belly up,  are very sweet young pups who think the world is just wonderful. They eat, they poop they pee, they play a little, and then they nap.

They do not realize that they are not "just like every other puppy. "They started their lives in Georgia, as breeder pups that would surely bring a excellent price when they were ready to be weaned. When the breeder realized that there were problems with the pup's eyes, they were surrendered to the local animal shelter.

The shelter then brought them to a local animal clinic in hopes that the clinic could help them. Luckily for Cassie and Callie, the clinic contacted rescues to see if these girls could be saved. CCBTR stepped up and the girls made their way to NC and into foster care.

Laura, their foster mom said their fist day,  they woke up at 10:00 pm when she went to bed and were up until 12:45 pm. They slept until 5:06 am, then played, pooped, peed, and ate... played pooped, peed, etc. until 11:30. Now it's nap time for everyone.

Cassie is a deep brown colored, calm and sweet  BT puppy- a bit bigger than her sister Calli.  Treatment for Cassie seems promising, she has corneal perforations in both eyes.  The Dr. Gift thinks that this most likely occurred within the last 2 weeks, and a surgical procedure to graft good tissue onto one eye and an implant of a lens on the other was performed on July 10.  Paws crossed, some of her sight will  be restored. 

She is recovering at Laura’s with a lot of meds and a cone of shame.  As with any surgery, she is not out of the woods yet and the extent to which her sight will be repaired is unknown.  The fact that she is a young, healthy puppy should help her heal.

Calli, the smaller, black and VERY active puppy is another story, like Dora the Explorer, always on the go. 

 Callie may not be as lucky s her sister but we don’t think that will slow her down, she developed corneal perforations, most likely in the first 3 to 4 weeks of life, maybe before her eyes even opened. There is a shifting of structures within the eyes, so the specialist believes that the left eye may be permanently blind, there is potentially some hope the right eye will have some light perception.

 On Monday, Calli will make the trip to Cary, NC.  MAYBE there is something they are working with- a new med, a laser- that can help.  Although we totally trust the
Animal Eye Care specialists, we owe it to Callie to get a second opinion. We will be taking her to NC State Veterinary Hospital for additional evaluation and if Callie is destined to be blind, we will contact a trainer experienced with blind dogs. This will give her a life much closer to normal.

 Laura, thank you for caring for the girls and I hope  they've turned their sleep schedule around. 

The costs for the care and treatment for both girls are going to be very high. We hope that you can open your hearts and your wallets to help CCBTR help Cassie and Callie. We will do everything in our power to give both girls the most "normal" and happy lives possible.

                                                                     MEET SPANKY

Spankey belongs to one of our  friends and is  almost 85% blind and deaf.  Paula says they have to be carefull not to put anything in his "run/paths" area and that he always follows the same path. When he goes to the back yard he follows the fence perimeter of the area.

My Chair, but I'll share if you have treats.

Knock Knock Disaster Calling

Last week we had a heck of a storm suddenly emerged; rain, winds and the green skies indicative of tornados appeared out of nowhere.  In my neighborhood we had a trampoline launched over the 6ft fence and into a car across the street.  The twisting of the clouds and high winds were very similar to those of a hurricane and it is hurricane season and time to prepare for bigger and badder storms coming if the predictions for 6 hurricanes are true.

It’s not difficult to protect your pets during a storm whether you have to evacuate or not.  The American Kennel Club has tips on the best way to ensure survival and safety of our furbabies. 

Plan ahead; many hotels will relax their pet policy during an evacuation but hotels also fill quickly so knowing of more than one can assure you don’t end up sleeping in your car.  Dog Friendly  has a list of hotels by state and city which allow dogs.  Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina.  Also KOA allows dogs in their cabins and most have dog parks onsite. American Tourister Collapsible Travel Crate

Front porch at KOA

Keep a copy of your dog’s medical records especially their rabies shots and microchip information. I have a binder that has my family’s birth certificates and other documents, I added a section for my dogs and now I don’t have to worry if we  leave in a hurry. 

On the subject of microchips, even if they are not, make sure that their ID tag is current and that they are wearing it with their rabies tag. This will help you in case your dog does get lost. Thunderstorms and tornados like fireworks can turn a mild mannered calm poochie into Hairy Houdini.

If the forecast calls for a hurricane you have a few days notice and that’s the time to preemptively pack a bag for your pet.  In it should be bowls, extra leashes and collars,  at least a weeks worth of food, a gallon of water, portable bedding and a crate. Oh yea and TOYS!    

 Things that have familiar scents to them will help comfort your pets in unfamiliar places. If you don’t have extra bedding or travel bedding a few towels with your scent on them can work wonders.

No matter how long you think you will be gone you should never leave your pets at home alone if an evacuation is called.  During Hurricane Ivan, the 3 hour trip to my Mom’s became 14 as my family evacuated Pensacola.  Take your pets and take their picture! Keep current pictures of your dog in the binder with pictures of kids and other important documents.

For more information PetsWelcome has travel tips for that are good in fair weather and foul.

July 4 The Dogs

Fireworks and BBQ on July 4th are the pinnacle celebration of the summer (unless you have a summer birthday) and one of the busiest days for animal shelters.  Shelters across the country take in normal, calm loving dogs who instantaneously become furry Houdini and crazed canines when the lights and sounds from the fireworks begin.  I'm sure they can't understand the fascination humans have wiht explosions and loud nioses after stuffing ourselves full of grilled meat, corn, watermelon and potato salad.  Most likely they wonder why we are not napping or chewing on the bones.

Giving our dogs a happy july 4th is important if we want to have a safe and happy 4th and I discovered two parts to that happiness.














First, prepare yourself and your dog for the festivities.





Are you visiting a park or party and are dogs welcome at these places? Are our dogs nervous around fireworks or large crowds? If the answer is yes or maybe then consider leaving them at home. The combination could be enough to make a mildly anxious dog an overdone bundle of nerves.

Will there be shade, water and a cool place for them? It's going to be hot and while we get shorts they are in a fur coat.  If the answer to these questions isn't a resounding yes then a pet sitter or overnight boarding might be a better choice.

Second if you bring you dog to the festivities plan and prepare. Make sure that our dog's ID tag is up to date in case he runs off during the party. Give dogs time inside and outside, keeping their leash on them and supervised so they don't jump a fence or get loose while guests are coming in and out.







If your dog is inside, give them a chew toy and have music or TV on to keep them occupied.  There will be a lot of human food out so place bowls or dog treats around for our canine friends. People food such as grapes or onions can be toxic  and bones may splinter and injure them.  Exercise them before the party to avoid over stimulation and make it a pleasant experience for everyone.

Summer is here and the temperature is great for being outside, but while we humans can cool off in the pool, shade or AC, our furry friends can't always do the same.  It's up to us to look out for them.

Clyde the Quiet

Meet Clyde! The friendly and fun boy that was found as a stray in Onslow county, NC. After spending a bit of time in the shelter, Clyde's medical issues were brought to the attention of CCBTR by their volunteers.

Let's go for a swim.

It looks like C;lyde had a rough time in the past. He came to CCBTR heart-worm positive, irritated skin and a bad right eye. (He doesn't know abotuthe right eye part.)  He doesn't have sight in the eye but that doesn't slow him down at all.









Weighing in at 26 pounds Clyde is a gentle giant, we occasionally see resource guarding with food and toys no doubt due to his previous lifestyle. Clyde is a perfect match for a home with children or other quiet pets.

Clyde is crate and house trained and practices for the BT500 every chance he gets now that he is recovered from the heart worm treatment.

We hope that you can look past Clyde's eye injury as he does and see the lovely personality of this guy. He is waiting on that forever home where he can be the puppy he didn't get the chance to be.

Is your home the right one for this guy?
Contact CCBTR and find out.

Lazy Days At The Beach

Mandie is a engaging  little Boston Terrier that loves to run in the yard and chase squirrels up the fence. Once she has successfully scared them off she lays in the sun, rolls on her back in the grass and tries to get as many tummy rubs as she can.  In the evenings she will lay on the couch between her foster mom and dad and chewing a Nyla bone until she falls asleep.  When she sees her old friends she will jump up on her crate nd do a happy dance to greet them , and ask to be picked up.  She likes her bird’s eye view of the world.

Mandie came to us in March, found by a kind spirit who believed she was being starved. After a few visits to the vet, we found out that she has Protein Loosing Enteropathy (PLE).  She was given some meds and put on a low fat high protein diet and gained weight like a champ.  What we thought may be a long and tough battle turned out to be something rather simple in this pretty girl’s case.  The right diet and a periodic trips to see doc gives her a normal life.

Mandie loves going for walks on the beach and hanging out listening to the music, if you’re not careful she may steal your dance partner.

Dock Dogs to the Rescue

While driving around Virginia Beach I heard the Dock Dogs ad and thought it would be a good way to waste a day to dreary and cold for the beach.  For the uninitiated dock dogs is a competition of three events to se how far and high pet pooches can jump.  Some of these dogs get high enough to duck hunt all by themselves.

All I need is the cape.

The events judge distance, height and speed plus there is the “Iron Dog”, that’s the dog who scores the highest in all three events. 

 “Big Air” is the long jump where the dog starts on the dock and leaps as far as they can to reach the toy bobbing in the water. I think the dogs must imagine it sitting out there moving as if to say “nah nah you can’t get me”.   

  For extreme vertical, a toy is hung eight feet out  over the water , the height starts at four and a half feet and goes up in two inch increments .  Last is speed retrieve which is just a the name suggests, how quick can poochie get to the toy and pull it from the bracket hanging at the far end of the pool.

Good thing grace is not scored. 

Off to the side was a bright colored tent with a twenty foot inflated dog sitting by it.

Max The Magnificent



Looking to his furever home



Max is the crazy fun playful boy who loves to run and romp with his people and other dogs.  He is great with all the but prefers ones closer to his size. 

 After playing, Max really enjoys chewing on his bones and lying on the couch watching a movie, action movies are his favorite.  He’s crate trained and enjoys his private crate time at night to dream of chasing balls and wrestling with his friends.

Max would be a great companion on a road trip and would love exploring the mountains and canyons.

Max wants to take basic obedience training with his family so that he can learn to channel his enthusiasm!

Max's medical history shows some idiopathic seizures - meaning that no cause has ever been identified for them.  These could be caused by environmental factors he no longer has in his life.  Max isn’t being treated for this and hasn’t had seizures while in foster care. If you’d like to read more go to Canine Epilepsy Resources.

Max would love to find a home where he can run, play, hike, and have an active life, he’s no couch potato.  If you are looking for a dog to live your life with you, Max is your boy!