Available for Adoption: Peter

Peter is a small, mixed breed dog estimated to be between 5-7 years old.  He came to us from a cruelty seizure in Texas:  Original Seizure Blog

The rescuers who passed this sweet boy to us thought he was  Pyrenees mix, but he is very petite (50 pounds) and looks like a minature lab/akbash mixed dog.  He was heartworm positive, but received his treatment and is now in recovery!  (Thank you to a very special woman who paid for that entire cost herself.. she knows who she is)

When we met Peter, he was infested with horrible, huge ticks.  He was shy and afraid, and behaved as if he had never even been outside before.  It broke our hearts, but not for long.. because he is doing so well!

He has made great strides in coming out of his shell! In his first foster home, he showed some confusion about where to potty, but in his new foster he has been an angel!  He uses the doggie door and is a perfect gentleman!  He paws his foster mom for snuggles, and is happy and enthusiastic. He can still be shy at times, but the world is a big, huge place he hasn't properly experienced before! She can't say enough amazing things about him!  He doesn't bark, chew, nothing naughty at all!  She says he is the easiest foster she has ever had!  He is great on a leash and great in the car.

He is up-to-date on core vaccines, neutered, and received blood work before his heartworm treatment which revealed him to be internally healthy. 

His ideal home isn't unlike that for many dogs: love, attention, and the time to dedicate to keeping his activity low for the next few months as he continues to recover from being heartworm positive. The family will also need to understand he is an older pup, who will need regular vet visits. This is true about all dogs, but our older dogs should be seeing a doc twice a year. Peter also needs a dental, as we believe he has spent years locked in a kennel.  He has chewed away at his canine teeth, and his other teeth are not healthy and will likely require several teeth to be removed down the line.

He is a sweet, gentle soul who has a second chance at life, if there is someone out there able to provide that for him.  We are hoping there is someone out there with the time and love to give Peter the life he has never known.  He is amazing with all forms of life.. other dogs, cats, and humans.  He really just is looking for his soul mate family, and he believes they are out there somewhere!

Available for Foster and Adoption: Paulie

Hi!  Paulie came to us from Texas, where his life was saved by the generous offer from a foster home!  Please read his original story, and a note from his foster mom, and let us know if you can write the final, happy chapter of his life!  Paulie is a neutered, healthy male mixed breed dog, estimated to be over between 5-7 years old.  He is currently in foster, but needs a new foster home due to the upcoming travel of his current foster home!

Cruelty Seizure Blog

"Paulie is a very special dog that will need very special people/person to love him!

My understanding is that he came from an abusive situation, yet Paulie is maybe the sweetest dog I have fostered to date.  

He is greatly appreciative of every, single small act of kindness he is given- from a tidbit of a treat to a good scratching behind the ears...once you gain his trust, of course.  Gaining Paulie's trust will take a bit of time but is proved possible!  Once he trusts you, you are golden.  

This precious dog has a perfectly clean bill of health!  I think Paulie will do well with a family/person that has a calm, low key lifestyle and has semi-low activity going on within the household.  He is wonderful company and a perfect companion dog (who is absolutely influenced by treats!).  

He will do well with or without other dogs in the household as long as they are friendly, naturally!

He's been around small children and other dogs and is perfectly behaved.  He does not have an aggressive bone in his body.  100% potty trained - never an accident! 

Also, side note...he likes to make a nest of socks if you happen to have them laying around.  He is very gentle and sneaky about it though- haha!

Please contact us for more information on this gem of a dog!"

 If you can foster or adopt Paulie, please fill out an application

Henry: Success Story!

Look how handsome I am after a trip to the groomer!

"Hey, why is your head shaved?"

Henry and his new sister, Mia!

Henry's long chapter of rescue, medical treatment, and finally finding a forever home has come to a close... Henry went home to his "forever family" yesterday!  Henry will live his wonderful life in the care of a family who adopted a Great Pyrenees girl from Dawn a couple of years ago.  Experienced with the breed and willing to take on a deaf dog, we knew that Henry had found his perfect home the day he met them.  Henry had never tried to play with anyone, before.  Upon meeting his potential new "sister" dog, he play-stanced and loved her.  He also thought it quite appropriate to make himself at home that day, wandering the yard and feeling it was "his" home to enter and explore.  His potential family worked with us through weeks and weeks of care, showing great patience, as they waited to learn this wonderful boy could be theirs.  I don't know who is luckier, them or Henry.

He was in rescue with us for quite some time.  We had no idea what medical conditions Henry came with, only that he stared at us from behind the shelter bars and said, "I'm a good boy.  Can you make the pain stop?"  The shelter said he was mean, and when he met us he said, "I'm not.  I'm just smart and I know who I can trust."  Never raising an eyebrow, or retracting from a hug, Henry stepped forward and told us that he was amazing.  The shelter prepared us for an aggressive dog, and he welcomed us with a head nudge and a plea for more kisses.

Henry received AMAZING donations that SAVED HIS LIFE.  Through all your generous support, his ear surgery was paid for, as well as all his other diagnostics to ensure he was fully healthy.  We didn't know what we were going to do:  this amazing dog we rescued, no money in the bank, but we had to say "yes" to treating him.  We were afraid we'd never find the money.. and then came YOU.

Henry's story is filled with many, many names.  Names of so many who gave so much, to help pay his bills and offer moral support.  Sometimes people can question, "Why spend so much money to save 1 dog?"  Our answer:  Every great dog is worth saving.

He was, and will always be, the reason people rescue.  An amazing boy.. smart, affectionate. Perfect.  The only thing not perfect about Henry was his history.. a stray who found himself in a shelter facing a grim fate.  A dog who wandered as a stray with ears so badly infected that he could hardly remember life without pain.  A skinny dog, who perhaps never knew what it felt like to feel full.

We would do it all, all over again, even if someone told me he only had 1 week left to live.  He is amazing, and he deserves to know a painless life full of love.  I wish a picture could capture his spirit, his courage, his forgiving nature.  Henry knew pain for years, and still never refused a kiss to his painful head.. never refused a hug from a baby.  He trusted us to ensure his life would be forever changed, forever improved. 

I wish we could all be more like Henry.

Thank you, THANK YOU, to everyone who supported saving this precious life.  We will NEVER forget your support and generosity.

Texas Hoarding/Cruelty Seizure Dogs Arrive to Denver! "Peter and Paulie's Story"

Paulie being curious and friendly!

"What 'ya guys doin'?"

"I was nervous at first, but now I knew it was okay to smile!"

"I can't wait to see what my life holds for me now!"

"I'm a dainty, friendly guy!"

"My new foster is taking me to the groomer!  I can't wait!"

"The next time I walk through these doors, I will be heart worm negative!"

"All we know is that we lived with someone who had *way* too many other doggies, and our health was neglected.  We all had fleas and ticks, not to mention nearly all of my brothers and myself have heartworm disease.  A few really nice people down in Texas, where we're from, met us at the shelter after other people came and loaded us all up in crates.  Some of my family I never ever saw again.  The locals told me that we were all great boys, and that they would work really hard to make it sure we didn't have to go to sleep.  They found nice people up in Denver who said they could take me and my brother!  I met them today, and they took us for a ride in their van to the doctor's office.  My brother, who they called Paulie, met this wonderful woman who put her in her car and said goodbye.  They said he is going into "foster home", but that I have to wait until the worms in my heart are gone.

"That's my brother, Paulie, in his new foster home!"

"Paulie was tired, it was a long trip.  I'm tired too!"

We were both a little shy when the nice Denver people got us, Paulie is a little more brave than me, but we are both so sweet and just want to snuggle and be loved.  I don't know if Paulie is *really* my brother, but I think I have known him for a really long time.  The lady today told me that she was going to tell me the same thing she told this other dog she called Henry.. she said that 'now that I met them, I didn't have to worry anymore.'

I have a wonderful foster home lined up, and I can't wait to meet her!  First I need to spend some time at the doctor's office so they can do some tests and get rid of the worms in my heart.  I can't wait to know what it feels like to be healthy again!

Me and Paulie are both great dogs, we didn't deserve this and we can't wait to become a member of someone's new family forever!"

Paulie & Peter are new to rescue and under evaluation.  They will be made ready for adoption when their health and behaviors are established and they've had time to adjust and get well!

We had overwhelming emotional support in our efforts to get them here.  They came a long way, and so many people were moved by their story and that of their other brothers & sisters.   These dogs were truly facing death and the Pyr rescue down in Texas really wasn't going to stand by and let that happen.  All the rescues down there are full, and they went to great personal and financial lengths to transport these guys up to us!  THANK YOU, Texas rescuers Eileen, George, and Dusteen!

If you'd like to donate money to help pay for Peter's heart worm treatments, or donate to all our worthy dogs in need in general, please call with a credit card or mail a check "For Great Pyrenees Rescue/Peter" to:

Animal Health Care Specialists

• 6701 Washington St
• Denver, CO 80229
• Phone: (303)288-6800