Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Meet My Shelter Puppies: Rugby & Ryder

Dogs are a huge part of my life. I have always had a dog around me and cannot imagine my life without them. My husband and I knew (even before we were married) we always were going to have a dog (or two) for the rest of our lives. We decided early on, we would always rescue.

According to the US Humane Society, there are 2.7 million healthy, adoptable dogs in the US without homes. Every 11 seconds, one of these dogs is put to sleep in a shelter. This is why David and I have made the decision to always rescue.

Meet Rugby Sutton. We adopted Rugby a little over 7 years ago. He is the most incredible dog. He is kind, compassionate and has more love to give than any other dog I have met. He is our gentle giant.



Rugby came from the Boulder Humane Society. Before the Boulder Humane Society, Rugby had been to 2 other shelters in Colorado. He was initially found in a dumpster in Northern Colorado. How anyone could ever throw puppy in a dumpster is beyond cruel, it is absolutely horrific. However, luckily for us, Rugby was rescued from that dumpster and now is our 105 pound baby. We love him so much.

Two weeks ago, we welcomed a new addition to our home. Meet Ryder Sutton. We rescued him from a local puppy rescue, Colorado Puppy Rescue. CPR saves puppies from rural shelters and rescuers who don't have the funds to get these dogs homes or to take care of them. Ryder came from a small shelter in Moriarty, New Mexico.




When we saw Ryder, it was love at first sight. I was with my sister, Jennifer and my cousin, Katie. We all knew he was the perfect best friend for Rugby and us. So we adopted him at CPR's adoption event.

About a week after we got Ryder, he got very, very sick. He got Parvovirus. Parvo is a highly contagious disease that is mostly found  with puppies who have not been vaccinated or do not have the maternal antibodies to fight it. In Ryder's case, he was vaccinated but was probably taken from his mom at such a young age, he did not have enough antibodies to fight this disease. Parvo can be fatal if not treated and in some cases even treatment is not enough to save the puppy.

We immediately took Ryder to the VRCC Emergency Room when he started showing signs of the virus. For 5 long days, Ryder was treated at the VRCC, kept on multiple IVs of fluids, antibiotics and glucose. His white blood cell count bottomed  at 800 on his worst day, which is 200 below critical condition, 4,200 below normal. We were very concerned we were going to loose him. We would visit him each day, watching him as he fought off the virus.

On Sunday, the VRCC's internal medicine doctor, Dr. Dye, called us with the best news we could have ever asked for. She told us Ryder was bouncing around, eating, drinking, playful and he was ready to come home. We were thrilled.


I cannot imagine life now without Rugby & Ryder. Watching the two of them cuddle and play is one of the best things life can offer. I love them both so much.

There are so many ways to help out homeless pets. You can adopt, donate, foster, volunteer or just help spread the word. Here are a couple of my favorite organizations that are doing wonderful work for these innocent animals:

The US Humane Society- Donations, adoptions, volunteering-- this organization does it all!
Boulder Humane Society- The reason we have our Rugby! They are also part of a wonderful program called the Rescue-Waggin, which is part of PetSmart charities. The Rescue-Waggin has helped over 60,000 pets get homes since it was started in 2004.
- ASPCA- This wonderful organization has been helping animals since 1866. This is the charity we chose to make a donation to as a gift on behalf of our wedding guests. It is a great way to help all animals in need.


There are so many incredible local shelter organizations in each city. Which one is your favorite? Do you have an adoption story to share?

PS I have linked up with Totally Posted Tuesday! with Karly Kim and Glossy Blonde & Simply Lulu Style!

4 comments :

  1. OMG I can't take all this cauuuteness.... Just gorgeous <3

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  2. Ohhh I love them! And I love YOU for rescuing them! Shelter dogs are the best! I have two myself - a pit bull and a shepherd mix, and they are my everything!

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    1. Awwww I love that!! Ryder is a shepherd mix too! Shelter dogs are the BEST!!

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