Sabrina

Sabrina was rescued from a puppy mill in Rockport, TX, in May of last year. At the time she was only about two years old and had already had at least one litter of puppies. She is a tiny thing, weighing less than 10 pounds. Conditions at the puppy mill were horrific. The dogs were kept in cages inside an un-air conditioned, filthy trailer. The dogs had been seized by law enforcement officials and the court agreed that the breeder could not have them back. Three dachshund rescue groups transported more than 50 of these dachshunds to the Austin area. Sabrina was one of them. (CTDR named the Rockport rescue dogs after dancers on Dancing with the Stars .) When I first saw Sabrina after she had been taken to our vet's office, she appeared to be terrified. She huddled in the back of the cage and would not look at me, and when I opened the cage she scrunched down even more. She flinched when I touched her. Sabrina went from scared (top) to smiling. When she arrived she was very dirty and was covered with fleas. She had intestinal worms that would take three rounds of medication to eradicate. When I brought her home, I was concerned that she was so traumatized that she would never come out of her shell. However, within 24 hours at our house, Sabrina was coming around. She was exhausted and spent hours sleeping on my husband's lap. In the following few weeks she ate well and learned very quickly. Turned out, she had a quirky little personality, was full of affection, andwas very playful. She barked for attention, and pranced around when she got it. With her funny little stick-out ears (her adopters call them her "flying nun" ears), she made me laugh every day. She adored our other foster dog, Winston. She was afraid of strangers, however, which was understandable. Adoption applications started coming in when her picture was posted on the CTDR website. I knew that we needed to find a home for Sabrina with people who knew dogs, would be patient with her and pamper her, and I hoped would have another dog for her to play with. When I walked into her adopters' home, I knew we had hit the jackpot. Her new home had two other dachshunds, one an older girl and the other a youngster, Shelby, who wanted to start playing with Sabrina immediately. The adopters also had a doggie door and stairs leading up to the sofas in the living room. There were dog toys, treats, beds, and dachshund "stuff" everywhere. Perfect! Sabrina's adopters have kept in touch with me. She is doing great, plays nonstop with Shelby, and fits in perfectly. While still shy, she is loving life and her family is incredibly happy with her. What a change for this sweet little dog who seemed destined to live out her life churning out puppies in a cage! I am so proud and happy that CTDR and her adopters were able to give Sabrina the life she deserves. Janet Smith

Shorty and Jazzy

Two months ago, Heidi, our 16-year-old short hair mini dapple, finally gave in to old age. We were heartbroken for the next six weeks. Finally, we filled out the application with CTDR to adopt two small doxies similar to Heidi. After a very short wait, we got just what we were looking for - well, sort of... Shorty and Jazzy (daddy and daughter), ages five and three, are both long hairs and rather large tweenies, tipping the scales at more than 18-19 lbs. We affectionately refer to them as our two little pigs with dachshund heads! As you can see from the picture, they enjoy my chair, whether I'm in it or not. We visited Shorty and Jazzy three times at the vet before bringing them home. They eagerly searched the parking lot for our car and jumped in, as if they knew they were going home with us. Within 10 minutes after they arrived, they had checked out the house, learned how to use the doggy door, and then acted as if they had lived here their entire lives. They are both cuddle bugs, and try to get in as much lap time as possible. When they went on their first walk, they were only good for about 100yds before being completely tired out. After just two weeks, they are up to ¾ mile, adding a little distance each day. We’re watching their diet carefully, so they should be in pretty good shape after another two or three months. Although these dogs probably think they somehow made it to heaven without dying, we know they were heaven sent. They have brought so much joy to our home, ending the silent void left by Heidi. We are both home most of the time, so we get lots of quality time with them. Thanks to all of you at CTDR, especially Sheryl, for making this adoption possible. Margie and Charlie Neuenschwander