The Lancaster Love  fundraiser is now over but this is not the end of the story by any means.  Through your generous donations we raised over 1400.00 to pay some of the outstanding vet bills on these 92 Chows which is wonderful.  Thank you all so much for your participation in the project.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE UPDATED LANCASTER LOVE PAGE WITH NEW HAPPY ENDINGS

In the process of helping Christine Farnell work on this fundraiser, it really hit home just how just how HARD these volunteers work and how much of their time and HEARTS and even a little piece of their  sanity they give on behalf of our breed.  I want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart for all you do.

Turn on your volume and click the arrow on the video to see my dedication to the Lancaster Love volunteers, the rescued chows, and ALL those worldwide who give a part of themselves to do the work that most of us couldn’t dream of doing.  You are true heros to our beloved breed and I thank you!

BE SURE TO WATCH ALL THE WAY TO THE END ….THERE IS MORE WHEN THE SONG STOPS

An auction will be arranged in the near future to try to raise more funds for the Humane League of Lancaster County and various unpaid vet bills.  Stay tuned to the link above for info

BELOW IS A NEW FUND I STARTED SPECIFICALLY FOR THE HUMANE LEAGUE IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO DONATE ANY AMOUNT AT ANY TIME.  I WILL PUT THIS IN THE SIDEBAR OF WORLDCHOW SOON SO IT IS EASY TO FIND.  THIS IS FOR PAYPAL PAYMENTS AND I SET A BASLINE GOAL OF 500.00 USD BY OCTOBER 31, 2009.  THANK YOU FOR ANY HELP YOU CAN GIVE BETWEEN NOW AND THEN

ABOVE: DR KARIN FROM THE CREATURE COMFORTS WEBSITE

Really I don’t need to write much more to you all than to post this letter that Karen Tracy wrote to nominate her vet as VETERINARY OF THE YEAR.

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To whom it may concern:
I would like to nominate Dr. Karin-Susan Breitlauch for Veterinarian of the Year.  At the time of her graduation from Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine, she was the youngest practicing veterinarian in the USA.  She was 22.
She has been an AAHA Hospital Director since 1992.  She was certified by the American Veterinary Chiropractic Assoc. in 1999 and is a Lifetime Founding Member.  She is a member of the PVMA.  She owns an emergency clinic called Creature Comforts where they treat small animals and exotics.

At her clinic, when you walk in, she has a very informative bulletin board where she has all kinds of brochures and information on all types of things related to pets.  She also has a website that walks you through a tour of her clinic and what to expect when you take your pet there for a visit.  She lists her staff and tells you about them.  At her clinic, she offers Chiropractic care, Pet Acupuncture, physical rehabilitation, homeopathy, advanced comprehensive dentistry, pain management, reproductive, laser surgery, laser treatments, stem cell procedures,  a blood bank, and an on site lab.

Creature Comforts has received four – year AAHA certification since 1992.  On top of all those impressive credentials, the most important one to me is she is my veterinarian, my friend and a life saver for my dogs.

ABOVE: DR. KARIN GIVING CYRUS A BURN LASER TREATMENT

What Happened ———
On March 6, 2009 there was a propane tank explosion at my kennel.  I have show dogs and I do boarding.  Veterinarians and vet techs came to my kennel that day from all over the area to help with the dogs.  My kennel was completely destroyed, the back of my house was gone and ten of my dogs were killed in the fire along with five boarder dogs.  Several boarder dogs that survived were treated and released that same day by local vets.  But another six of my dogs were severely burned and suffered from smoke inhalation and they needed emergency care.  None of the vets that were here that day to help could undertake such a big task at their clinics.

I called Dr. Karin and explained what happened and asked if she had all the equipment and enough staff necessary to deal with these dogs.  She told me to bring them to her clinic and she would be ready for them.  Some of the vets that were here actually transported the dogs to Dr. Karin’s clinic.  I would like to add that even though I was the breeder of these dogs, I could not identify them, that is how badly they were burned.

When the dogs started arriving at Dr. Karin’s clinic, the entire staff was ready to jump in.  They had to evaluate them, shave dogs down, scan their microchips to identify them, set them up with oxygen, give them IV fluids, medications, do bloodwork,etc.  I was told later by some of the vet techs that they never experienced such a horrible situation as this before and they hoped they never would again.  The dogs had severe
burns on a great part of their bodies, one had the pads burned off of all four feet.

ABOVE: DR. KARIN WORKING WITH KAREN TRACY’S CHOWS

How Dr. Karin helped me——–
Dr. Karin did not hesitate when I told her my situation.  She said get them to her, she would be ready.  She brought in extra staff for the dogs.  She had other vets there that are part of her clinic, ready and waiting for my dogs.  They were working under a great deal of stress and chaos but everyone pulled together and worked like a well oiled machine till all the dogs were taken care of and settled in as patients of the clinic.

ABOVE: CYRUS AFTER SEVERAL LASER TREATMENTS
Reasons I am nominating Dr. Karin for this award—
First of all, I was and still am devastated over the explosion and losing my dogs.  I lost six generations of dogs that day and years and years of work to build a good solid line of show dogs that have been shown all over the country and have been top ranked dogs for many years now.
I lost my very first show dog that day.  She was going on 15 years of age.  I lost her daughter, she was 12 years of age.  I lost her daughter, she was 9 years of age.  I lost two of her daughters.  I could go on but you get the idea.  I did not just place my dogs after they were done showing and breeding.

They were with me for life, they were my life.  When this happened I did not know how to deal with it.  I went to Dr. Karin’s clinic very early the next morning.  When I got there, I was in shock.  I still could not identify my own dogs.

I asked one of the vet techs if they could get Dr. Karin on the phone at 6am and she came right in to talk to me.  I told her that I was devastated, that I didn’t know what to do in this situation.  I have had to make a decision to put a couple of my dogs down before but that was not like this.  That was because of cancer, etc.

ABOVE: CYRUS WEARING HIS BOOTIES TO GO OUTSIDE AT VET

I didn’t know anything about burns or smoke inhalation.
One of the girls passed away that morning.  I cried and Dr. Karin cried right along with me and hugged me.  The rest were in very bad shape.   I asked Dr. Karin to help me with my decisions because I was never in a situation like this and I didn’t want the dogs to suffer but if they had a chance to make it, I wanted them to have that chance.

She took the time to explain the situation with each individual dog and what the prognosis was for each and what was being done for each dog.  I needed her honesty and her advice and she was there for me.

I questioned putting one of the dogs down a couple times because he “looked bad” to me.  She told me that he wants to live, all his organs were functioning properly and he would be fine.  She told me she could fix him and she was right.  She did “fix him”.  On another dog, she told me that she didn’t know, it could go either way as her kidneys were compromised and that she was not as hopeful for that dog.

When that dog took a turn for the worse, I knew she had to be put down but because Dr. Karin went out of her way to explain everything to me everytime I went to see my dogs, the decision was easier on me than had I not been kept informed on every detail.

Dr. Karin allowed me to go visit my dogs any time of the day or night, not just during regular visiting hours.  Dr. Karin talked to me about reporters.  They had approached her about going to her clinic to do stories on the dogs for the television and the newspapers.  She told me it was my decision.  She told me that she would do whatever I wanted her to do.

We talked it over and decided we would allow it as it would bring public awareness to the situation and it might be a good way to bring in donations to help me to pay for the cost of all the medical expenses.  As busy as she was, every time a reporter came to her clinic, she made the time to talk to them and show them different procedures she was using on the dogs.

ABOVE: DR. KARIN ASKED  THE MEDIA TO LIST ADDRESS TO SEND DONATIONS

In conclusion—-
I am just an ordinary person that had a terrible, horrible thing come into my life the day my kennel exploded.  I still smell the smoke every day.  What little is left standing of the kennel has to remain that way till the final inspections take place.  When I mow my yard I have to mow around the dog bowls that are still there that blew out of the kennel because I am not allowed to touch anything yet.  I have the blinds down on the side of my house where the kennel is but I know it is there.  I know what happened there.

I have not even begun to deal with the dogs that died in the fire.  I can’t even go there yet emotionally.  But I do know that Dr. Karin and the staff at Creature Comforts Clinic worked diligently to keep my line going for me.  I know Dr. Karin went easy on me regarding my vet bill and she saved dogs that I would have never imagined would have made it.  If I would be well off financially, I would ask Dr. Karin what piece of equipment she would need for her clinic and I would buy it for her because of everything she has done for me.

But I have no income right now as I have no kennel to do boarding and besides that, equipment wears out.  But , to be Veterinarian of the Year would be an honor that she could cherish forever and I know she would be bursting with pride to receive it and that to me would be priceless and the greatest gift I could give her in return for what she has done for me.

To me, in dealing with this devastation, she was the rock on which I was leaning to hold me up and I would appreciate it with all my heart if you would consider her for Veterinarian of the Year.

Thank you.
Karen Tracy

………………………DRUM ROLL PLEASE……………………….

So to conclude this beautifully written letter by Karen Tracy to the Pennsylvania Veterinary Medical Association…….this was their recent reply back to Karen

“Hi Karen,

Can you tell me the name and location of your kennel please? If I didn‚t already tell you, Dr. Breitlauch was chosen for the Veterinarian of the Year Award, and I am sending her a letter today. Congratulations!”

Karen, thank you for letting me share this story with our Worldchow readers and for sending the articles and photos too!!  I get letters weekly asking how you are doing and I want to also share these 2 photos below with everyone as well (with Karens permission).

Left: Karen Tracy   Center: Dr. Samuel Draper   Right: Desmond Murphy with one of the Miracle Litter puppies

They were taken the end of June when she brought the “miracle litter” to visit with Dr. Sam Draper and Desmond Murphy and introduce them to the newest Liontamer arrivals.  I love these pix Karen. They are something to be treasured forever!!!!

AND ONE MORE THING!!!!….OMG THE PHONE CALLS I GOT FROM KAREN THIS WEEKEND WERE FULL OF NEWS

I can’t conclude this article without extending a huge CONGRATULATIONS on your BACK To BACK BEST in SHOWS this weekend Karen.  To hear the joy in your voice after so many phone conversations in the recent past full of the opposite emotions …………this was absolute music to my ears!!!!   I wish we all could be there with you in person toast the wins and have a party!!!

In the midst of all the worry and heartache surrounding these incredible Chows rescued in my previous WORLDCHOW MAGAZINE article, a bit of comic relief came to Christine and I via email this weekend……..COURTESY “Keefer” and his foster mom Cindy who is with a Chow rescue group in New York.  Thank you so very much Cindy for letting me post this on Worldchow! I know all the readers here will get a chuckle an be incredibly touched by f Keefers new lease on life

Cindy writes:

My step daughter and boyfriend ordered pizza tonight.  She left it in her room on her bed.  She forgot to shut the gate to her room and Keefer must have gone in there and said yeah DINNER…  I was in my room on the computer and all of the sudden I heard this thump, thump, thump.

It was something I have never heard before.  Then walks in Keefer with this box around him neck.  It was the funniest thing I have ever seen.  It didn’t even bother him to have it there.  I took a picture because I thought no one will ever believe this.

I then took off the box and realized he had chewed a hole through the side and got the box stuck on his head.  Just to funny.  Oh, Keefer also watches TV.  Yes, he actually sits there and watches TV.

This photo above is as Keefer was when he was rescued.  Matted terribly with skin issues and eye infection.

ABOVE….little Keefer learning to be the prince probably for the first time in his precious life

BELOW…Keefer following his beauty treatment in the gentle hands of the rescuers

Dear Keefer is available for adoption to the perfect home.  Please contact me if you would like to learn more about Keefer or any of the other rescues from the Lancaster Love project.  I will get you in touch with the proper folks.  There is still a desperate need for homes and funding for the vet bills which are still adding up.

On a great note, we are over $1000.00 in the LANCASTER LOVE CHOW RESCUE PROJECT thanks to all of your generous donations….1/4 of the way to our goal!!!!! Thank you all so very much for your generosity and your comments on Worldchow as well.

Please help us continue to spread the word by

PLEASE IF YOU ARE A FACEBOOK MEMBER, CLICK ON THE FACEBOOK BUTTON AT THE TOP OF THE FUNDRAISING  PAGE TO ADD THIS CAUSE TO YOUR PROFILE PAGE. THE EXTRA EXPOSURE WILL HELP A TON!!

Also post a link to the LANCASTER LOVE project to all your various list, animal and likewise. Spreading the word and making this cause “viral” is what will bring in the funds we need. A little from each of us adds up so very very fast!!

And JUST RELEASED TODAY…..my newest design available at ZAZZLE.  The postage stamp is still in the USPS approval process and will be up on the site within 24 hours, but the cards and postcards are available right now.  I also posted a number of postage stamps featuring my chow artwork for your consideration

25% OF THE PROFIT FROM ALL MY ZAZZLE CHOW DESIGNS PURCHASED BY AUGUST 8, 2009, WILL GO INTO THE LANCASTER LOVE PROJECT

Thank you all so muc;h for your purchases so far

AND COMING THIS WEEK>>>>>>>MEMBER INTERVIEW WITH BRENDA BUECHLER!!!!

CLICK HERE TO JOIN THE “LANCASTER LOVE” AMAZEE PROJECT AND PLEASE DONATE IF YOU ARE ABLE

In May of this year, 92 Chow dogs were seized from a Lancaster county home and taken to several temporary locations for shelter. Many of the dogs were suffering from various ailments including but not limited to parasites, skin and ear infections and one was said to have been picked up by this rescue person with injuries suffered from a vehicle collision.

Vets and shelters have provided emergency care for these dogs but the time has come where they need to be adopted to their forever homes and the bills for their recovery have to be paid.

The way we look at it, a goal of $4000 U.S. will settle most of the current vet bills, several have already been paid for by generous guarantors.  The bills were well in excess of what we are trying to fundraise right now

ONLY 10.00 EACH FROM 400 PEOPLE AND WE CAN QUICKLY REACH OUR GOAL!!

An auction will also be set up with many really impressive and ‘in demand’ artists’ pieces being offered.

We will keep you posted on the auction progress as it happens.

Today we plead with you to help those who have helped these suffering animals. We ask you to take whatever you can afford and pledge it toward the rehab and repair of these poor little Chows who were left abandoned and forgotten.

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THIS VIDEO IS BY THE HUMANE LEAGUE OF LANCASTER COUNTY TAKEN IN MAY 2009
It is not graphic but provides a lot of information about the seizure situation

A special heartfelt thank you to the HUMANE LEAGUE OF LANCASTER COUNTY, as well as all the volunteers who selflessly put in countless hours, and many times drove half a day to get to these dogs to help groom and assess these 92 Chows.

The volunteers are not compensated, and spent days up to their elbows in dirty dog coat and feces and putting themselves at times in a dangerous situation to comfort and groom a number of the dogs who were in discomfort and fearful of what was happening to their lives.

You are all champions to our breed and there are not enough words to express thanks on behalf of our beloved Chows. Please help give these incredible Chows the dignity and good health and homes they deserve.

Sandra Miller
EDITOR
Worldchow Magazine

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THANK YOU CHRISTINE FARNELL FOR SPEARHEADING THIS FUNDRAISER AND FOR CONTACTING ME TO HELP GET THE BALL ROLLING.  IT’S UP TO ALL OF US NOW TO CROSS POST THIS INFORMATION AND GET THE WORD OUT TO THOSE WHO MIGHT BE ABLE TO HELP!! COPY AND PASTE TO YOUR HEART’S CONTENT.!!!

If you cannot donate money to the cause at this time, please at least JOIN THE PROJECT at the Amazee page in support of these 92 Chows who need all the positive vibes they can muster up right now.

If you Join the Project,as well as donate via PAYPAL you will be listed on the page as a donator when Christine gets your payment.  All donations are hand entered so may not show up for up to 24 hours

CARAMEL …before cleanup…see the AFTER at the Lancaster Love Project page

AND A GENTLE REMINDER, NO MATTER HOW EMOTIONAL THIS MAKES US ALL FEEL AS DOG LOVERS.  THIS PLEA FOR HELP IS STRICTLY ABOUT THE DOGS AND FOR THE DOGS. HEARTFELT AND  ENCOURAGING COMMENTARY IS WELCOME…TOXIC COMMENTS WILL BE REMOVED IMMEDIATELY

Wow Karen…no more groveling around on your hands and knees to bathe your dogs and soak Cyrus’ feet multiple times daily!!!  You are now the proud owner of this incredible BOOSTER BATH donated to you by the company that manufactures them.!!!!!

The phone calls went like this………Jacquie Green after talking to you (Karen) about how badly you need a tub, called her friend Carol Sue Yaeger, who in turn called me and mentioned getting together donations for a tub.

After some brainstorming on the phone I decided to call

and see if they would be willing to give us a better price on a tub setup for Karen.  Without a moments hesitation, Erica Kersey from Paws for Thought said I could purchase a tub  for basically the cost of shipping.

So off went a check from Worldchow , and your tub will be on it’s way on Monday, Karen!!!!!  I’m so excited for you to get this tub and please have your mom Jean take some photos of you enjoying your new toy for the Booster Bath folks and Worldchow members to see!!!  Enjoy my dear friend!!  I had no idea you had to tend to all these wounds at ground level……….and all without complaining a PEEP!!   You have so many friends that are watching your back………literally darlin…NO MORE ACHING BACK!!!

Thank you to all who were involved in this whirlwind , 2 day TUBATHON….including the CCCI for their support in this endeavor!!!

There are more surprises on the way Karen , as there are others involved in this wonderful scheme.  Updates will be later!!!

Karen sent me some photos of the dogs she is nursing back to health who desperatly need this tub to soak their feet in to help them heal. It looks like they have made great progress since the last photos I saw Karen!!!

I’m so thrilled, Karens’ vet who did all the specialty burn treatments for these dogs will be writing an upcoming article for Worldchow.  We can all learn a lot about the immense investment in responsibility, emotions and time it takes to deal with these  animal burn victims.  I am looking forward to posting the article and so pleased she agreed to do it

Below is Iris…here is a story you may not have heard , but one that really touched me so deeply.  This mixed breed girl…If I remember correctly she is 15 years old, was one of the critically injured fire victims.  Iris was sent to a different clinic than Karens dogs (too many dogs for one clinic to handle) and was treated with conventional methods.

Iris burns were not nearly as bad as Cyrus’ injuries, but when Karen saw her weeks into the healing process, she noticed that Cyrus had healed twice as fast with the laser /specialty treatments he had been receiving at Karen’s normal clinic.  Karen make the decision to take Iris home and bring her in for regular laser treatments and she is healing at a very fast pace now

The part that blows me away is this is a boarder’s dog….an elderly woman who has been in a nursing home for 10 years(? am I right on the time Karen) and our Mz. Karen had been boarding Iris for all that time for basically what it costs to feed her.  This dog is as much a part of Karens life as any of her chows and she went the extra mile to make sure Iris would heal well and live out her golden years in dignity!

The bonus to the laser treatments is that Iris is arthritic and while she goes in for burn laser therapy, she is also getting stimulating laser on her rear and is making incredible progress in that department too.  Kudos to you Karen for giving Iris a quality life .  I know she means a lot to you!!!!

Woooooo Hooooooooooooooo Booster bath time for Iris, Cyrus and Dawson…and I bet Journey too!!!!!!!!!!!

Wow…I received these photos this weekend from Karen Tracy of her beautiful Miracle litter, born to the mama chow who survived the recent kennel fire.  Karen gave me permission to post these.  I get letters daily from people asking me how Karen is doing.  I had hoped to talk to her today for more puppy details but truly………the photos speak volumes!!!!

All of our best wishes go out to you Karen  and we hope you are able to enjoy those beautiful babies a bit more now.  I also hope you finally got some sleep with mom chow playing primadonna at night and keeping you awake to feed the puppies!

LOOK FOR THE WORLDCHOW PHOTO CONTEST COMING SOON!!

THERE ARE SO MANY NEW CHANGES…WHERE DO I START?

Sometimes it can be a bit overwhelming when a website makes a major change such as we have this week at Worldchow.  Digesting all the new information and format can take a few visits to work out but I hope this post will help clarify any questions you might  have, and as always..don’t hesitate to write me and ask questions.  sandra@worldchow.com

WHERE DID OUR FORUM DISAPPEAR TO ?

There are 3 main areas to the site now vs. the original FORUM most of you started at a few years ago. The new WORLDCHOW  MAGAZINE homepage which is where you are at now is the “cover” to our magazine so to speak.  Before, last week, this address http://worldchow.com used to bring you directly to the FORUMS.  Now that address brings you to the MAGAZINE

TO FIND  THE ORIGINAL FORUMS, ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS CLICK THE “FORUM ACCESS” BUTTON IN THE UPPERMOST RIGHT HAND CORNER OF ANY MAGAZINE PAGE.

The FORUMS still require you to be a forum member to post in them however, EVERYONE , member or not, can comment on the WORLDCHOW MAGAZINE posts

WHERE DO I POST MY CHOW PHOTOGRAPHS?

I also created a special page located in the tabs under THE WORLDCHOW MAGAZINE title that says “YOUR PHOTOS”.  This button is also accessible from ANY WORLDCHOW MAGAZINE  page and describes in detail where you can showcase your Chow photos and videos as well.

WHAT IS THAT THIRD AREA OF WORLDCHOW YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT?

WE HAVE COVERED #1 and #2 below:

1.  WORLDCHOW MAGAZINE ..our homepage/blog

2. WORLDCHOW MEMBER FORUMS… the original forums most of you signed up for

3. THE BAMBOO TEAHOUSE…our Worldchow social networking site and photography showcase

THE THIRD AREA IS ” THE BAMBOO TEAHOUSE”….HERE’S THE SCOOP!

• Start a MY BLISS page at the BAMBOO TEAHOUSE This is our newest and most interactive photo showcase created just for Worldchow.  It’s kind of a Facebook type social network format hosted by NING…. but WAY cooler and more image based.   You can decorate your personal pages in hundreds of ways with cool applications and brilliant themes!!
  

• Each member gets a personal mini blog, unlimited photo albums, and a “wall” where members can leave comments to the “friends” they acquire. It is very new but already I am seeing a fantastic interactive process going on over there..Come join us and see how much fun it is .
• You will need to SIGN UP FOR THE BAMBOO TEAHOUSE first to start your page

You can find the link to the Bamboo Teahouse in the right column of  THE WORLDCHOW MAGAZINE  on any page you are visiting.

So I hope this helps some and if you start drooling over any of the new features or ones you would like to see….. like Lillian below..let me know in any of the comments areas located below every post

HAVE A GLORIOUS WEEKEND MY FRIENDS!!!

Hi all…I was wondering if you could help me .I am currently testing this new magazine format and what I need to know is if you have gotten this update via email .  Please leave a comment in the post below this text  if you could.  There is a comments field and you do not need to be logged in to comment.

Also I am looking for Chow videos to be added to the VIDEOS page which is located in the tabs toward the top of the page.

Keep adding your images to the Worldchow Gallery at the forum as well because I will be pulling member photos from the gallery and forum posts to feature on the magazine with each of my articles.  There are so many wonderful shots already it’s hard to know which to use first.

This post  features one of my own dogs (Megawatt) but will be the last  of my own images for a while.  It’s all about the members and their chows from here on in.  The old girl was basking in the spring sun and sleeping while she was sitting up.  I couldnt’ resist taking pix as I was already outside with my portrait lens on taking photos of the birds at the feeders.  That dear girl…I just adore her!!!

Big hugs!

Sandra

Photos of BISS. Ch.Chinarose Megawatt  by Sandra Miller

A fledgling Song Sparrow watched me closely as I watched the dogs to make sure the baby stayed safe

You have all heard the saying “When one door closes, a new one opens”.  Well this could not apply any better than to this letter I got from Karen on Easter Sunday.  OMG what a miracle…

FROM KAREN

I wanted to let you know that I have some good news for a change.
Kampbell, who is out of Dr. Sam and Desi’s frozen semen from Ch. Foon
Ying Morningstar Magic and Georgie Girl (Lov Chow’s Risen Star
granddaughter) just had a litter of six puppies.

Kampbell was bred to
Maddox’ father.  Four boys and two girls and they are alright.  I was so
worried because she was in the fire and she had smoke inhalation and
burns and that happened right in the middle of her pregnancy,

I am so
grateful for these puppies.  This is a true miracle.
Karen

Please take a moment to leave Karen a message here in the comments box below.  I know she will be thrilled to hear from you all!!!!

ALSO LEAVE COMMENTS ON ANY OF THE POSTS HERE AT THE WORLDCHOW MAGAZINE.

This is my first post since I opened up the site and I need to see if you all are getting the updates ok

Hi Sandra,
I was trying to figure out how to post an email to thank everyone who is helping me with donations and I can’t seem to figure out how to do it so could you please post this email for me?
Karen

Dear friends,
Tomorrow it will be four weeks since we had a propane explosion at my place that took the lives of 10 of my chows and 5 boarder dogs. The next day, another of my chows died from smoke inhalation as I was on my way to the hospital to see them. The day after that, I had to make the decision to put another one down as her kidneys were starting to fail and she was severely burned. Several days later, a girl that I bred and co-owned had to be put down. I still have two dogs in the hospital. One is Iris, a permanent boarder. She has some burns but she is mostly there till I can take her back. And then there is Cyrus. His mother and a brother of his were lost in the fire. His sister Kampbell survived the fire. She was bred shortly before the fire so I don’t know how that will work out. She was singed across the top of her body from her head to her tail but she was released from the hospital. Cyrus on the other hand is still in the hospital. All four of his feet were burned, his face, parts of his legs and big burns on his sides and back. He gets lazer pain therapy treatments and debribed every other day. Three times during this ordeal I talked to the vet about putting him down. She told me he wants to live, all his organs have remained vital through this whole ordeal. Cyrus is my “hope” for right now. I am concentrating on him right now. I have not been able to think about or deal with the dogs that died that day in the fire. Not yet.
There are some people who have dogs and then there are some who absolutely love and adore their dogs and would walk to the ends of the earth for them. I am one of the people who would do the walking and that is why I am taking this so hard. My world has been turned upside down. Those dogs were my life. I had my very first chow die in that fire. She was going on 15. I had 6 generations of chows that died that day and a breeding program that I had been working on for close to 15 years also died that day.
This is such an emotional journey for me and sometimes I don’t know how much more pain I can take. I cry every day many times throughout the day. I have had nightmares about fire every night for the last two and a half weeks. I thought I was a strong woman but this is devastating and overwhelming for me. I wish I could tell all of you that things are getting better, but that would be a lie. It is going to be a long hard road for me emotionally and a long road to travel for my dogs that were burned.
But out of any tragedy, some good comes along with it. And you people are the good in this story. Because I did boarding, I was considered a commercial kennel and the boarder dogs bills were covered, but not my dogs and the bills are astronomical. I had six dogs that were getting round the clock care. Extra vet techs were brought in on all shifts just to work with the “burn dogs”. All of the dogs were on oxygen and morphine drips, and all kinds of antibiotics, etc. The money that you people donated will help toward the vet bills and I appreciate it deeply. There is a saying that is, “I thank you from the bottom of my heart”. Well, I THANK YOU from my whole heart. I was always the kind of person that donated to things, put money in the collection jars at the grocery stores for people who had cancer, lost their homes due to fire, etc. But, I looked at it as just one person helping, and thought it was not much of a help. But, when you are the person being helped, you realize that the one person helping is just a part of the whole picture and it is amazing how much can get done when we as individuals come together to give someone aid. Not only are you helping me with money but you are such a strong support for me. I have had so many emails and phone calls that I have not returned yet because I cannot deal with talking about it over and over. I get on the computer and answer two or three emails and by then my tears are covering the keys on the keyboard and I just can’t take anymore so I turn the computer off. Same for the phone calls. But I want you to know that even though I have not contacted most people personally, it is still so comforting to know that you care and I hope you understand that I am trying to deal with this as best as I can. So please don’t be offended if you have not heard from me. I appreciate each and every one of you more than you will ever know. Besides helping me financially, you are my support, you are my strength that gets me through each day, as rough as they may be and when I have a day where I can’t handle it anymore, I talk to Sandra and she guides me through it. She has been my pillar and without her, I don’t think I would get through this.
I will end now but I would appreciate if you would do yet another thing for me. Please hug your dogs tightly and tell them how much you love them. We just never know what happens in life and enjoy them every day that you have them.
Again, thank you so much for your emotional and financial support.
Karen Tracy
Pazzazz Chows