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Chloe and tiny pups rescued by BCAR

Little mother now enjoying her "forever home"

By Lynda Zblewski
Contributing Writer

Poor Chloe upon her arrival at BCAR

Sweet little Chloe was found on Big Canoe property in July of 2006. A construction crew found her living on a construction site behind silt fencing in the Wildcat section. When found she was struggling with her newborn pups--pups that were so tiny they would fit in the palm of your hand. Only three of the five were still clinging to life.

A frightened, trembling Chloe was brought into the kennel with her babies and a "maternity suite" was set up. With good nutrition for Chloe and a safe, clean, temperature-controlled environment for her puppies, they all grew stronger by the day.
Late in August, after her puppies had been weaned, Chloe was taken to Dr. Habermann for a thorough check-up. It was at that time Chloe was found to be heartworm positive. Heartworm is fatal unless treated aggressively. The treatment involves two injections given a day apart, followed by four to six weeks of cage rest. Additionally, Chloe was diagnosed with a skin condition that required oral medication.

This is where Maggie Holmes enters the picture. Maggie was relatively new to BCAR as a volunteer. Although Maggie had only been a cat owner up until then, she fell in love with Chloe's tiny puppies and began to seriously consider adopting one of them. Unfortunately, all the puppies were spoken for before she was able to make a final decision.

Chloe with volunteer Maggie Holmes, who adopted her

Maggie and Chloe at home with Buttercup and foster dog Andy

However, after careful consideration Maggie decided to adopt Chloe. Chloe's shy, quiet nature was a terrific fit for Maggie's low-key household. In addition, she got along perfectly with Maggie's cats.

A bad reaction to medication
There was however, one very scary moment. When Chloe was given her first monthly heartworm pill following her heartworm treatment, she had a violent reaction. Maggie came home to find Chloe laboring to breathe. She was able to reach the BCAR vet on his cell phone and he directed her to the nearest animal emergency hospital.

Chloe was in serious respiratory distress due to a rare condition. Leftover fragments of the worms were still in her blood stream. These fragments had reacted with the heartworm pill. Chloe was immediately put on IV and kept overnight at the hospital to stabilize. A relieved Maggie picked her up the next day.

After that scary moment, life became idyllic for Chloe. It included pillows on a chaise next to Maggie's bed for Chloe to sleep on, and a small bed on the front seat of Maggie's car for Chloe to curl up in as she accompanied Maggie on errands.

Buttercup enters the picture
All of that changed when a tiny ball of fur and energy by the name of Buttercup joined the family as a foster dog. Buttercup was literally minutes from being euthanized when she was selected by Jane Galvin and Joyce Chura and brought to our kennel with seven other small dogs/puppies for Oktoberfest.

An urgent plea had gone out from Murray County to area rescues that had space available. BCAR only had three dogs in the kennel at the time and the board agreed to try to help. There is always a lot of interest in our booth at Oktoberfest, so the board felt this would be an excellent opportunity to find homes for dogs that otherwise would be put to death.

Unfortunately, Buttercup was not one of the dogs adopted at Oktoberfest and she was returned to the BCAR kennel. Maggie's heart went out to this tiny dog that looked so small in the large kennel run. So, it was off to Maggie's home for Buttercup until a forever home could be found.

It was a real culture shock for Maggie when Buttercup arrived and literally took over. Where Chloe was quiet, reserved, and pretty much a couch potato, Buttercup would run through the house and slide into a room sidewise, not stopping until she literally hit the wall. Maggie spent a lot of time laughing, truly enjoying Buttercup and her antics.

Not long after entering Maggie's home, Buttercup was scheduled for a trip to Dr. Habermann's for follow-up vaccinations. When Maggie dropped Buttercup off, she asked if the groomer would please give Buttercup a bath and grooming at Maggie's expense. Maggie called Jane Galvin to let her know that she would pay that portion of Buttercup's visit.

Jane Galvin, having been around the BCAR block a few times, had a pretty good idea where Buttercup's ultimate new home would be. Jane predicted to the adoption team that Maggie would be keeping Buttercup. She was right. A short time later, Maggie formalized the adoption.

And Andy makes three
Since then Maggie has added a third BCAR foster dog, little Andy.

Maggie truly adores her little canine family, but my guess is she won't be fostering again anytime soon!

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