Carla and her 'crew'

 

Special thanks to photographer Jim Poor (jamespoor1@cox.net) who has donated his time and skill in taking many of the wonderful pictures of Chance Foundation rescue dogs.  Check out some of his work at the Chance Flickr Group page: pics of Barbie, Buddy & Holly, Boone, Don Julio {of course a Chihuahua} and Myrtle, all available for adoption! 

 

This is only our second  newsletter and we are busy preparing for our busy holiday season so I ll keep it brief. I really just want to wish everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving and to remind them to think about what they are thankful for.  I have many things that I am thankful for, some of which are listed below:

 

I am thankful to all the wonderful dogs, (both mine and yours) I have known and loved throughout the years.  Each and every one of them have been special to me and I have learned so much from them.  It’s amazing how much I have learned about dogs and dog behavior just from watching them interact with each other. I often times think that we humans should try to take some lessons from the dogs around us. We would learn 1) to wake up every morning in a good mood ready to experience a new day, 2) to relax and enjoy the simple pleasures of life, and 3) we would learn how to forgive and to love unconditionally.  There are so many lessons to be learned from dogs...the list could go on and on. Living a life surrounded by dogs as I do has made me a firm believer that dogs are angels from Heaven sent here to teach us all how to love. I have learned so much from them and for that ... I am eternally grateful!

 

I am thankful for all of my wonderful customers who make the long drive out to the country (often times in the worst of rush hour traffic) and entrust the care of their precious pets to us.  I know how hard it is to be separated from such a special member of the family and it really means a lot to me knowing that you trust us to take proper care of your pet and to make sure they enjoy their stay with us.  BTW...it also does my heart good getting to meet and know so many good, kind-hearted people who love the dogs in their lives.

 

I am thankful to my wonderful staff! Without their hard work and dedication I would not be where I am today.  I started this business by myself and kept it very small.  As it became more and more popular, I had to expand the business to the point where I could not possibly do it by myself.  I have a strong team of talented, responsible, devoted dog lovers here at CCK&T and for that...I am very grateful!

 

I am thankful to my husband, Ed Wenger, who understands and supports me with my passion.  It’s not always easy caring for so many dogs, many of which have serious health issues who require a lot of my time.  As you can imagine, there’s not that much time left for the other important people and things in my life.

 

I am thankful to all of our wonderful adopting families. The rescue business is extremely difficult work.  It is emotional, costly and very time consuming.  Every time we complete a successful adoption, I am reminded of why we work so hard for The Chance Foundation.  When we are able to make it possible for a dog who comes from a neglectful or abusive home go home to a responsible, dog loving family who will appreciate and cherish them for as long as they live....that makes all the tears and hard work well worth while!  Thank you to all of you who have welcomed one of our special Chance Foundation dogs into your hearts and home!       

 

I would like to thank our long time volunteers, Traude Weber, Jill Stopka, Laura Mortell and Angela Olinick who come out once a week (in all types of weather) to spend special time with our homeless dogs. They will walk the dogs for hours on the property so that each dog can have special one-on-one time with a person while also learning some basic obedience commands and socialization skills.  The dogs enjoy exploring new scents along the pond, in the field and in the woods.  The dogs LOVE IT!

 

Lastly, I would like to thank everyone who has donated to The Chance Foundation.  Some of you donate financially which is truly appreciated as many of the dogs we take in are in need of medical attention (often times, quite costly) and I just couldn’t do it without your help.  Some of you donate food, bedding and doggie related items.  All of it is much needed and appreciated.  If everyone does just a little....we can help so many more needy dogs!

 

I want to extend a special thanks to Carousel Frozen Treats in Warrenton as they have graciously donated all the change from their  make a wish fountain to The Chance Foundation.  They are dedicated dog lovers and they make the BEST ice cream ever!  We often bring some of our Chance Foundation dogs to Carousel to socialize and to enjoy a special Pup-Cup.  I highly recommend it!

 


Teddy - success story!

Update on a very special adoption! For those of you who fell in love with our sweet boy, Teddy, the dog who was dumped by his owner with a femur bone fractured in three places and fresh road burn from a separate incident.....this is just one more thing I am so thankful for!  Here's a wonderful note from Teddy’s new parents telling just how well he’s doing.

 

 

We continue to make improvements to our website ... same address CountryClubKennels.com, but new features, easy navigation, lots of handsome pictures of adorable and adoptable dogs, and things like an adoption form you can fill out online, PayPal/Credit Card Donate Button (thank you!), and a page people can sign up for the newsletter or view past editions.  We're also putting adoptable dogs on a Flickr group page (link in first picture under Carla and her crew), and will soon have a Chance Foundation presence on Facebook and Dogster as well.  So if you're already on those social networks, or decide to sign up, make sure to link up with us there as well.  We'll let you know as soon as our social media pages are up and humming.  It's all about the dogs, and we're hoping these new ventures will help get the word out about Chance dogs so we can find forever homes for them.  

 


 Tiger Lily

 

Featured Adoptable Chance Foundation Dog: Tiger Lily

 

I am a gorgeous, female dog with exact heritage unknown. Some say I look like I may be a Pitbull mix.  This could be true....Pitbull mixed with the sweetest dog ever! I absolutely love people and will roll over for anyone that will rub my belly!  I am good with other dogs, but not so good with kitties.  I am well mannered in the house, housebroken, current on my vaccinations and would just love to go to a loving home where I can go to work being the "poster child" for the Pitbull breed.  I am very well socialized and really just a dream of a dog!

Ben and Barbie

Featured Adoptable Chance Foundation Dogs:  Ben and Barbie

 

We are incredibly beautiful, miniature Cocker Spaniels in need of a very special home.  We were rescued along with over 100 others from a puppy mill in Texas. TCF took in seven of us.  Five found wonderful homes, however, as luck has it, our bloodwork showed that our kidneys are not functioning as well as they should be.  With this knowledge, TCF is willing to keep us forever and provide us with lots of love and attention.  However, if they’re able to find a very special home where our "special needs" could be taken care of ... it sure would be nice to be a part of a loving family!  It's not known how long we have ... it could be months... it could be years.  For the few months that we have been with TCF, we’ve been thriving.  We arrived skinny and we are now plump with beautiful coats and outgoing personalities.  Because of our kidney problem, we have to be kept on a low-protein diet and we need plenty of access to water.  We also need to go out to "take care of business" often as we just can't hold it too long.  Everyone that meets us think that we are absolutely gorgeous and incredibly sweet!  We’re hoping that someone special may one day come along for us and love us for as long as we have.  Could you be the one?

 


Tad

Featured Adoptable Chance Foundation Dog:  Tad

I am a very magnificent hound mix named Tad.  I resemble a Swiss Hound, which makes sense as I am strong and handsome like most Swiss men!  I am good natured with people and dogs.  I would make a great companion for an active family as I am quite an athlete.  Everyone that meets me thinks I am a true gentleman (except kitties) as I like to chase them!

 

 

We want to say a special thank you to Bill and Michelle Bristow as they have just given all of us here at CCK&T the most wonderful early Christmas present! Many of you have heard of our husky mix named Sarga. She came to us from the local SPCA about 14 months ago….very fearful, skinny and PREGNANT!!! While we take great pride in caring for the dogs under our watch…we admittedly don’t know much about whelping puppies. Two days before Thanksgiving of last year, Sarga had her five puppies late in to the night. She needed help with two of the puppies and we had to revive one as she was completely blue and not breathing when she was delivered. Unfortunately, one of the puppies wasn’t strong enough to make it and died after two days. We took care of the puppies and made sure they each got their turn at nursing. We had them over Christmas and all of us worked hard to make sure they got all the time, feedings, outings and socialization that is crucial to a young pup. Sarga was a very nervous, mistrusting, protective mother. This didn’t make our job any easier! At 8-9 weeks all of the puppies went to good homes, but Sarga stayed. While she has been with us, she has made lots of progress and has warmed up to all of us. She absolutely loves other dogs and being surrounded by them has helped her w/ her trust issues. We all knew that Sarga would not be an easy dog to place. While we all love her, it is hard for other people as she takes a while to warm up to them. We consider ourselves (and Sarga, especially) very lucky to have met Bill and Michelle as they came out to visit Sarga, and were very gentle and patient with her. Coincidentally, they have another handsome Border Collie mix named Chance who absolutely adores Sarga. I have attached an update from them describing Sarga’s first and second day after joining their family. This has put such big smiles on all of our faces. Yeah Sarga….dreams can come true!!!!! Thank-you, Bill and Michelle!

 

And finally, before we say goodbye for now (but not for long I hope!), I want to share a Special Dog Story with you.  (click here) Who doesn't love a great dog story?  This one will warm your heart, and hopefully help set the mood for this wonderful holiday of Thanksgiving.  Thanks for taking the time to read our newsletter, and for sharing your lives and special pets with us.

 

Carla