Poodle Rescue

12/5/12 - Here, in a report from Arizona, are photos of Violet (such a pretty girl!) and Ernie (every dog should have a couch, LOL):

All of the dogs we took here in AZ have new homes with the exception of Elton. He still needs more time in foster and more socialization before we will put him up for adoption.

Penelope, Picabo and Violet (who we believe to be siblings even though Penelope was said to be older) were all adopted to families in Tucson. Penelope and Picabo went to previous adopters so each have a young standard boy to play with. Violet went to a home with a smaller active dog to play with and two teenagers to boot!

Maggie was adopted by the foster, she has an active standard boy and Maggie has had a great calming effect on him. They ADORE her say she is the best girl ever. Ginger was adopted by a previous adopter so she has a like sized standard who is shy. Ginger is helping her become the social butterfly she knows she is meant to be. Ginger has hit the jackpot. Clyde the goofy boy was adopted by his foster and previous adopter. He has a sister standard to show him the ropes.

Gilley was adopted by a standard poodle loving couple in New Mexico that just lost their boy. They have a vast ranch and an old german shepard to keep him in line. He has accepted the horses and goes out with his Dad every day for a little trail ride. Great match for that crazy boy. Ernie was adopted by his foster mom and lives in an upscale neighborhood in Scottsdale with two other standard girls and a couple of human girls. He is the MAN!!

The puppies named Eliza and Jasper were adopted first. Eliza to a previous adopter here in Phoenix who (like the last standard we adopted to her) will make her a therapy dog. Jasper is in Tucson adopted by a wonderful lady who had submitted an application to the shelter and had been on my radar from the start. She is so pleased with her boy Jasper. These kids are scheduled to be spayed and neutered next month.

12/5/12 - and here are Dot's girl puppies! They are SO cute, and going up for adoption too in Las Vegas:

First, we have Zack (formerly known as Balzac), whose foster family reports they may adopt him, he loves toys, and he has his very own couch:

And Poodle Club of Las Vegas sent a photo of Dot's 5 boy pups, after their first grooming - SO cute! They are beginning to go up for adoption now:

MommaDot as she has come to be known is having her second childhood I think. She is playing with the other dogs, chasing a ball, and has taken my place in the bed she thinks she shares with my husband.( I recently had surgery on my foot, and was sleeping on the couch so I could elevate it on the back of the couch to keep the swelling down). Two nights ago I tried to return to my spot and got the look----like, you left, I came, so find another spot.

On the Friday after Thanksgiving she and my white Standard, Doodles, who is also an accomplished counter surfer had Pumpkin Pie(at least a half pie),no one heard a thing, the pie just disappeared. She plays with the puppies, but just seems to be enjoying life.

Because of the giardia and because I believe the mother plays a valuable role in the puppies socialization process, I have not rushed to find her a home. One of our Poodle club members is kind of looking at a second dog and has offered to foster her. I think as the puppies start to go to homes I will let her interview Caryl and see what she thinks. Caryl has a male Standard about MommaDots age and it would be a great home for her.

It is hard for me to reconcile his story with the happy, loving dog I am getting to know. He is now off-leash whenever I take him out. He loves his walks (we do three a day, about a half mile each). He is good about coming when called (I have been following training tips the trainer gave me over the phone) and he is learning his name. He gets along well with our other dog, a 14-year-old shepherd mix, and is learning not to chase our house cat. At first he was very intimated by our horses but is now more comfortable with them. He will now go into the barn and pasture while they are eating. Yesterday I walked a horse in hand on one of our walks and he followed along just fine. I hope eventually to let him follow when I exercise the horses under saddle. We are delighted with Gillie and are looking forward training him and having many years of fun with him.

It is hard to imagine that the dog we have spent the last three days with came from such a harsh background. He surely picked up a lot at his foster home.

We met him last Monday at his foster home in Tempe. We decided to adopt him and picked him up Tuesday morning. The back seats were down in our hatch back and he jumped in as though he had lived there all his life. I had his leash secured at the back so he could reach us in front but could not jump into the front. We drove the 500 miles home non-stop except for stops for short walks. He made no fuss and acted as though he was born to travel.

On his first night, he was introduced to our other dog, our cat, and our horses. He is okay with the dog but thought it would be fun to chase the cat. We explained firmly that he must be good to the cat, and he seems to accept that. He and the cat slept about six feet apart that night. We will continue to monitor the Gilley-cat interaction.

I now understand why he seems to be in such good condition. We take short walks two or three times a day, but I suppose he is accustomed to much more exercise. I would like eventually to let him come along when I exercise my horses, but of course he is still on leash at this time. Also, horses still intimidate him; I think he will get used to them after a bit.

He comes when we call him and loves to be petted. He is affectionate and sometimes climbs into my lap when I’m watching television.

A trainer we have used before will start working with us about the end of the month. I think he is smart and anxious to please, and will respond well to training. He is a good match to us and the way we live.

Clyde went to the vet this morning for a checkup and he has an ear infection. It is bacterial and should be cleared up soon with medication. Just a heads up in the event others from WA may have similar infections. He has been such a sweet boy and he did great going out to the vet. Met lots of new friends and was a champ. He is seriously the sweetest dog ever!! He is in good spoiled hands and we couldn't be happier. I attached a few pics of him and Raven playing together.

We are so impressed with these dogs. They clearly understand, based on the love you and your fosters and volunteers gave them and now my fosters, that people are pretty darn nice:-) They love their new lives. I have attached a picture of Maggie, she is just stunning. The foster Mom is in love so will likely adopt her. Will get you what we think are the three sisters Picabo, Penelope and Violet Wednesday after their grooms. In case I missed it, Ernie, who is now adopted to his foster his picture is attached as well. Clyde is adopted to the foster Mom as well.

Dot and the puppies are great. Dot was a little timid at first, but this morning got on the bed before my husband got up and made herself comfortable. She was a big help with the puppies last night when I brought them in for bed, I said bring the babies and she kept them in one spot until I could corral them. The puppies are little peeing and pooping machines. I think because of being crated for so long they got very comfortable peeing and pooping in their crates. Tonight we are trying individual crates,smaller ones to try to teach no business in your bed. I have to say they are having trouble buying my idea and have been vocal in their protest. They had a great time today playing in the sun and running around the yard. I'm beginning to see different personalities, some outgoing some more restrained. They all seem happy and healthy.

11/10/12: Update on poodle fund donations! After covering the boarding costs/food, vaccinations, spay/neuter of the adults, grooming for the dreadlocked adults, deworming, microchipping, purchasing extra travel kennels and towels, we were left with $3,379.80. We have donated that amount to Poodle Club of America Rescue Foundation, to be applied toward the transport costs for the poodles to get from WA to AZ and NV. Thank you so much for your generosity; we at Forget Me Not are so thankful that our expenses to house and care for these beautiful dogs did not have to take needed funds away from the rest of our shelter pets, and that's all because of your donations.

Here's a quick update from 11/9/12 on Eliza, the older female puppy who travelled to Arizona:

Eliza is doing well and has adjusted nicely, withmanagement has had no potty accidents in the house at all. Has had the scheduled vaccination, weighs 19 lbs, will be groomed today.

I have talked at length to the former adopter of one of our Standards who spends a lot of time visiting with her as a Therapy dog and is wanting to train another. Eliza I deem would be an excellent candidate for Therapy work. I will take Eliza to meet their other dogs, cats and horses in the family next week, if this adoption is to happen, I will keep Eliza until the end of the month as the family have plans to fly back East for Thanksgiving and we feel that she is better with us than the housekeeper until she is part of their family. She will be another lucky "working dog" who will spend her Summers in Flagstaff! I also will see her frequently as she will be living close and training with people I associate with.

11/7/12: Here are a few photos of Peejay, one of the older male pups - too cute! He has a "big brother" to look up to, and has gotten his first little haircut.

We had a great night, I called her Eliza (my Fair Lady) she romped and played with toys in the house last night, slept in the crate in our room and not a peep from her. She was probably exhausted from her time on the road! This morning I put a Flexi-leash on her and she went out to potty and play, she is in the Ex-pen right now and just as happy as can be. I am sure that on our ride out to Tempe this morning, she might throw-up, but we'll see ,I have not fed her this morning yet, but she has had a few of the big Milk-bones and I'll feed her when I get there. She had thrown up some weird stuff, red strips of something, might have been chewy treats or toy parts. I don't think she is as shy as the lady said she was, I think she was just overwhelmed and her whole life experience thus far has been far from sweet. When I bathed her she did not struggle, she even laid down in the water as if she was at the spa which made it very easy to clean her. I used the hair dryer on her before bed and that was OK with her too, she is just a very good girl.

We are calling him Henry after my grandfather who I'm pretty sure is the source of my love of dogs. I'm hoping he wouldn't be upset to have a dog named after him. I'd be okay with it myself.

Our trip back went pretty well. He whined/cried for the first half hour but then settled down when I turned the radio on and switched the crate around so he was facing us. Since we had such a struggle getting him into the crate I didn't let him out until we got to Whidbey. We arrived about 9:30. He didn't seem too miserable having to hold it so long.

He was pretty funny as he looked around the house. I don't think he had ever seen a tv. He watched it for a bit. He also likes looking in mirrors. He must have had something he stood on because he keeps wanting to stand on the coffee table. That's a no.

I stopped on the way and bought some of the housebreaking diapers. He's being a good sport about wearing them. He very much wants to mark the entire house but I'm keeping him close by and correcting him when he starts to lift his leg. He is very smart. He already pretty much understands sit and is close to knowing down.

My only concern is with the cat. He ignored her last night but this morning is ready to attack her. He and Marcella are still doing well together. I'm going to give him a bath today but was hoping the rain would let up so I can take him for a walk on the beach first and maybe a little wading.

The poodles have arrived in Arizona and Las Vegas! Here are some updates from Lou at Arizona Poodle Rescue; they have most of the adults and a couple of the older pups.

"They are here, they are safe and I am ELATED. My heart literally leaped from my chest when I saw them being unloaded. The unload and next step (getting them a potty break and into their foster vehicle) was a bit chaotic but everyone made it work.

So a run down. Gilley is very confident and did very well of course. When I met Picabo I knew she had to come home with me. She will come around but I feared to be the highest flight risk. Maggie and Clyde were great. They did well on a leash, went pretty willingly with their fosters. Elton was SO glad to stretch, he seemed pretty confident overall.

I also have Penelope because her foster Mom cannot take her until tomorrow. She is a chow hound and just marginally shy. EVERYONE loved Ginger, OMG she is a delight. Her foster Mom was so taken by her as were the transporters. What is not to love! Violet is with Ginger tonight. Will have her own foster tomorrow.

The puppies were traumatized! They were sick off and on, they had that look of horror in their little faces. They are getting a much needed bath tonight and lots of yummy food and water. Elton's foster family had plush beds for him to lie on and the kids rode with him of the way back home - great foster home (maybe will adopt?) Clyde was so happy to have a big kennel to get into when he left, I go think he said YES!!

Ernie, what a handsome boy. My foster Mom was waiting to hear what she would get and when I told her she said - YEAH, it is like being pregnant and knowing you are having a boy:-) I am beyond exhausted. I had an all day adoption event, thought I would get home in between event and doggie arrival. That was not to happen.

But, they are here, all will have ample space to stretch and lots of love and attention. My girls are in my doggie room on a huge cushy blanket. Picabo is my project. She melted my heart immediately. She has so much potential. I am looking forward to watching her blossom.

Kim, let your staff and volunteers know, they are here, they are safe and we will take good care of them. We took a lot of pictures at intake so will share those in the next day or two. "

The first photos are in: GILLEY, after grooming (who knew he had those great eyes?!):

Clyde is doing great! He is a very sweet boy. Still very shy right now but slept on the bed with us last night and has been outside for the last hour enjoying the grass. We also have a view fence so he is entertained too! Giving him a bath soon so we will see how he does for that. Raven and China have been great with their guest and are giving him space. Looking forward to a nice lazy day at home to make him comfortable.

I have yet to give our foster pup a name, but she should have that by tomorrow. She vomited profusely en route home. I gave her a bath immediately and she was the best and seemed to really enjoy the experience, laid down in the tub and allowed me to easily soap, clean and rinse her without a struggle. We put her in an ex-pen on the patio and with us all out there and with toys, water bowl and Milk-bone type biscuits, she just had herself a party. Every once in awhile she suddenly realized that she was the sole party goer and began to protest, we kept talking to her and she decided life was good...play some more. Then she crashed on her blankets.

I am poised to go now and blow the rest of her hair dry as it is not totally dry, I have an ID collar to put on her, and she will sleep in a crate with us tonight.

GREAT NEWS which we can finally release today; the owner has officially signed all the dogs over to Poodle Club of America Rescue! PCA Rescue headquarters is making arrangements now to pick up most of the dogs and pups and get them into PCA Rescue groups, where they will all have adopters or foster homes waiting. YIPPEE!!!

They will be split between Arizona Poodle Rescue in Phoenix, and Poodle Club of America Rescue in Las Vegas.

PCA Rescue, after reviewing applications we had received, did give us permission to place 3 adults and 3 pups in the WA area, so Walter (now Henry), Balzac, Daisy, Sage, PeeJay, and Javert will still have some connections to Forget Me Not; look for updates on them in the future on our Adopted page.

Here are some recent photos of some of these beautiful dogs who will be heading out soon - we'll take pictures again when they are all loaded into the transport vehicle and are being driven away:

In addition to those 4, Elton, Ginger, Gilley, Maggie, Clyde, Dot, the 10 youngest pups, and 2 of the older pups are scheduled to head south (lucky them, escaping this winter weather moving in here!!)

By popular demand, our 10/22/12 update is on DAISY (Ms. Formerly Dreadlocked Gal) and ELTON (Mr. Formerly Dreadlocked Guy). They are currently sharing a boarding kennel. Daisy is still... damaged, I guess is the best word. One positive development: she will now run to the kennel gate and take treats offered through the fencing! On the flip side, as soon as you go into the kennel, those treats aren't so tempting anymore, and she is wary and will try to position herself either behind Elton or in a corner as far from the human as possible. I was able to put a leash on her when she was pressed between Elton and the kennel wall (awwwwwww), and she will still put up with petting once she's been caught, but is still stiff and anxious at the beginning. She will NOT walk on leash, she will just stand there. She will occasionally allow brief eye contact now, and I know that a foster home with patience and a calm atmosphere will help her improve on her trust issues. Elton, on the other hand, is just a big ol' love bug now. Here are photos from 10/20; these two are still in a boarding facility, but we are busy trying to find indoor Ferry County foster homes for them and the other 6 that are boarding.

We are currently thinking about moving Daisy into the shelter building (we have ONE open kennel); we may try it this week, and see if she will do better with more human contact every day. Will keep you posted! Although Elton and Daisy clearly like each other (love that photo where he is looking at her, with his paw on her paw), he is also clearly very dominant over her, and will chase her away from visiting humans so he can have all the love. Would like to give Daisy a chance at accepting love slowly, without being chased away....

The camera has been busy lately! Here are brand new photos of Ginger, taken 10/19/12. She is such a beautiful little lady - the smallest of the adults, but don't tell her that! She is very much an "in-charge" kinda gal. She loves to give hugs... or maybe she's just asserting her dominance and trying to wrestle us to the ground (HA) - but she's such a dainty girl that we just hug her back. I know, I know, we shouldn't do that... but it's sort of like hugging a cuddly bear cub, how can you resist?

Our 10/18/12 poodle update features Maggie, the "old lady" at 8, and her son who we are calling Clyde. These two love to come out into the dog yard and kick up their heels... for a little while. The most touching thing is not how happy they are playing... it's how they actually look forward to going back inside. We know they are in "jail" with just a shelter kennel for their home, but to them, it's a wonderful place that has blankies and squeakies and treatsies and they love it. Can you imagine how happy they will be when they have families of their own?!

If you have trouble telling them apart, Clyde has the blue and black collar, is bigger, and is darker. He is also harder to catch standing still, HA! The first 4 photos are Maggie, the next 3 are Clyde, and the last one is them saying "can we go back into our wonderful kennel now, please?!?!"

Phew, it's been a while since we had a chance to do some poodle updating! Today (10/10) we are posting new photos of Dot's pups - there are 5 girls and 5 boys (no, don't ask me which is which, HA). They are learning about playing with toys, and have started exploring the food bowl with their little "vampire" teeth:

Dot got to have a nice bath and she is no longer nursing during the night (yay for babies that sleep through the night, huh mama?)... of course, this means Dot is now sleeping in her foster parents' bed... oops, a little spoiled....

We suspect Dot will be very glad to put her breeding years behind her. She's a good mom, but she really seems to enjoy time away from the kids.

They are doing SO much better. They are still quite shy around strangers, but are warming up faster now. The little information we've been able to glean indicates that these pups may be two separate litters, some from one of the shy black females and some from Ginger; fathers are unknown.

We keep hoping to hear of some settlement to decide the dogs' fate; our local paper today printed an article that indicated there *may* be a voluntary forfeiture in the works, but it would involve no charges being filed, and the county apparently hasn't decided if it's willing to go that route or not. From our perspective, anything that will get the poodles out of this forced limbo and into homes and rescues as quickly as possible will be the best solution. There was a recent case in King County that took 8 months before the dogs were released: http://www.issaquahpress.com/2012/06/12/homes-sought-for-neglected-dogs/

Next week, we will hopefully update on more of the adults. Everyone is doing well! Thanks for all your good wishes.

Today (9/30/12) we're updating you on the girl we are calling Daisy - this is the girl that started off like this:

We think this girl's real name is Riot or Rory (though she doesn't seem to know it, or any other possible name we've found). If so, she is about 2 years old. She is coming along very slowly with her socialization; in my own interactions with her, she will now let me touch her after I've sat quietly with her for 5-10 minutes, and will even accept a full-body massage, though she doesn't yet relax into it. We have numerous nurturing volunteers visiting with Daisy and her "kennel-mate" Violet, and both make progress every day. They usually spend the first few minutes trying to keep their dogloo between them and their visitor, but patience usually wins out. Here are a few photos of Daisy - you can see her sort of saying "OK, I'll put up with this if I *have* to..." She is my special favorite.

For our 9/28/12 update, we are happy to introduce you to Dot's 10 little pups - Dot brought them out into their foster home's play yard for the first time yesterday, where the little cuties had lots of fun exploring new things, playing in the water bowl (and drinking a little, too) and practicing their just-developing poodle prancing skills. They are SO cute! Here are a ton of pictures, hard not to go overboard (ha):

Today (9/27/12) we are updating you on two of the older dogs whose identities are known from their microchips. From what we are hearing, many of you know these two:

GILLEY, a 6 1/2 year old apricot male, and VALENTINE, a 6 1/2 year old black female!

These two are some of volunteers' favorites - a joy to be around, they are so happy playing in the dog yard and really kick up their heels. We love them!

Our 9/26/12 update is on a dog who has a chip, but no info registered on it; we are calling him Elton. You may recall him as the very shy guy who started off like this:

But what a difference a week makes! Elton has decided people might not be all that bad, and the vet was finally able to clip off the rest of those dreadlocks. Drumroll please, introducing ELTON:

The vet says his coat will grow in black with a little red. His teeth are OLD dog teeth:

Today, he let us give him a full-body massage, and took a treat by hand. YAY for Elton!

Today (9/24/12) we have an update for you on the mama with 10 little pups and the 5 older, unsocialized pups. They are sharing a very dedicated (and now very busy) foster home, and their foster mom reports:

Momma is doing great as are her pups who are eating and drinking and starting to charge the gate when I open it. Momma is housetrained, good with cats and other dogs. And, she likes to play fetch and prance around. Because of her size she is the dominant dog here, but in a good way. She likes to sleep on the couch and on the rug in front of the tv. She lets me know when she wants to tend to her pups. She is good on a leash too. Took her for a short walk around the house today. She is a great influence on the older pups!

Today was the first day we coaxed the five older pups out of their kennel and into the yard. After much holding and cooing, the wallflower, a male, came out of his shell! At first he hid behind the trash can and I had to bring him out. Later, he was running and playing with the rest of them. He is still shy but I think we had a breakthrough today.

We have learned who this mama dog is: her name is Dot, and she was born on 11/10/05, so she will be turning seven soon. Sure would love to see her in a new home by then, what a birthday present that would be!

Here are a few pictures of Dot, along with some of the five older, shy pups as she leads them around and teaches them how to be social; she's such a great dog, when she takes a break from her own puppies she is happy to show the ropes to these five. Will do pics of Dot's pups soon (right now they are usually one big black ball of poodle fur - black dogs are SO hard to photograph, HA).

On September 18, the Ferry County Sheriff requested assistance from Forget Me Not Animal Shelter volunteers. The county needed our help to remove 29 Standard Poodles from a remote access location in the county, where a deputy on a welfare check discovered them living in squalor, with no food or water. These are a few photos from the site:

Because Ferry County, WA has no animal control facility (nor any animal control at all, hence the request for help from our volunteers), Forget Me Not is housing the dogs at the shelter, at boarding facilities, and at foster homes, pending legal determination of the dogs' status.

Here are some of the dogs post-rescue; there are 14 adults and 15 pups 8 weeks and younger.

These dogs are moderately socialized; they will benefit from some TLC in a rescue's foster program, but should come around quickly:

These dogs are the least socialized; we have volunteers working with them daily to help them learn to trust and accept people:

(This is the girl who was so horribly dreadlocked/matted with feces and filth on site)

(This boy is the next in need of immediate relief - but it will take a few more days before he will trust anyone enough to have that coat cleaned up)

There is also the mother dog with her 10 very young pups (no teeth yet!), plus another 5 pups approximately 8 weeks old. The mother is pretty well socialized, and her pups are young enough that their time in foster care with Forget Me Not should get them on the right road toward excellent socialization. The older pups act like they have never seen humans, and will take a bit longer to bring around - but they are improving, some more quickly than others, with all the attention in foster care. We'll have new photos of these dogs soon.

We are learning more about the dogs every day, as we receive information related to their microchips (for those that have them), and also information from others in the poodle community who know the breeder from which these dogs were seized.

For people local to Ferry County who have dog skills, VOLUNTEER - anything from helping to socialize the more frightened dogs, to walking and playing with the others, is needed. Even people to just assist with our shelter's morning and evening volunteer dog care shifts - with a "full house" the usual feeding/watering/cleaning/walking/playing/poop-scooping goes MUCH faster with an extra assistant or two. Leave us a message at 509-775-2308 or

For 501(c)3 poodle rescue organizations, REGISTER to have some of these dogs transferred to your organization should they ultimately be granted to Forget Me Not. We know many of these dogs will have the best shot at a great new life if they are transferred into rescue programs with strong foster homes and lots of experience with poodles, and with finding the best forever poodle-placements. We will also accept registrations from other 501(c)3 non-breed-specific rescues. To register, please email or fax a copy of your 501(c)3 determination letter, and let us know how many adults and puppies you might be able to accommodate in your rescue program. Preference will be given by distance/ease of transport (so if you have your own transport procedures and can come to Republic to pick up your transfers, let us know that, too). Our fax number is 509-779-4339, or

If we are not able to find enough rescues to accept the dogs that exceed the shelter's limited capacity, we will then be seeking foster homes for dogs that remain in our care; we'll keep you posted on that, and let you know when it's time to apply to foster.

Too far away, or not able to take a transfer? You can donate toward the poodles' expenses; we are tracking all poodle related donations and expenses separately, so you can be sure your donations go directly to these wonderful dogs. We can see how passionate you all are about this majestic and magical breed!

We are also accepting donations of crates to facilitate transfers and/or foster home placements, but realize we are pretty far away for donations of goods like that; we're looking into an emergency grant to supply crates and other physical needs, and will also use donated poodle funds as needed to purchase crates.

We'll be making occasional updates to this page; while the dogs are in the "holding pattern" waiting for a judge to decide their fate, there may not be much activity (this page last updated December 13, 2012). You can keep up with discussions on our now very active FACEBOOK page, too!