Falling into rescue

My dive into rescue started about 13 years ago, when a young pup was given away as special needs by a backyard breeder. Actually wait, the idea of giving animals another chance started when I was a little girl, first when I saved one of the rabbits my grandfather was breeding, showing and in the end, eating… Isidore would never end up in our plates (at least one, I felt bad for the others left behind) and he spent a happy life, making us laugh with his many stunts and lounging by my side while watching tv. And later when I got my first cat Chloe, after a long battle with my mom who didn’t want any pet that couldn’t be contained in a cage. She was the last one available in the litter, had serious conjunctivitis and squinty eyes, but she was perfect to me, ignoring my dad’s recommendation to choose another one elsewhere. I’m definitely the black sheep of the family, with such a love and devotion for special furry beings. Anyway, Elliott had severe Demodectic mange and had not been given any care, at all. The “breeder” had even lied about his state and when we got him, we were shocked: he was almost hairless, with a swollen and flaky skin, smelling horrible and in very low spirits, we were not sure he would pull through. But with a natural treatment, a proper diet and lots of love (check out the Demodectic mange post for our approach), he perked up and even now in his senior years, is pretty healthy. This dramatically opened my eyes on the dog business (Gurky was yet another proof, a show dog in the making who actually was a rescue in disguise) and made me want to reach out to damaged dogs especially, mostly Chihuahuas who’d been used for breeding - tiny enough to be stacked in a wall of cages, producing year-round, quite profitable -, but also any small dogs shamefully discarded by their owner because of health or behavioral issues, or just because they’re too old and became a burden.

So in 2012, I officially became involved in saving dogs and created a small rescue organization called “Chichi Factory Rescue”, which quickly became a sanctuary for senior and special needs dogs. We gave them what they had missed so far: love & comfort, care & respect. Many were saved from euthanasia, others came from a similar deplorable situation. We welcomed pups with with diabetes, hypothyroidism, epilepsy, heart and kidney failure, skin diseases, senility, blindness, arthritis, physical or psychological disabilities, incontinence, to name a few. We were not of great interest for the French audience (we were living in Normandy at the time), mainly because people wanted cute, young and easy dogs. Our bruised and sick dogs required too much care and attention. We even had other organizations handing us their dogs because nobody wanted them and were deemed unadoptable. They knew we would not let them down. We cared for their well-being much more than just taking care of their issues on the surface and then trying to find other people to relay the torch on in order to pass to the next case. Even more with dogs that needed a bit more attentiveness than the average. So we kept them all until the end, that way making sure their last months, years would be safe and surrounded with love and good care. And our care worked wonders, many of our residents managed to live a much longer and comfortable life despite their disorders. But it all had a cost and we had very few donations. Adding more weight to the daily struggles, I got pretty tired of the too many deceitful and deranged actors of the rescue world, so I ended up taking my distances. With about 30 little dogs when we had reached our limit, my life consisted of taking care of them only and although I loved it and it gave me a purpose, it slowly wore me down. Juggling with meds, trips to the vet, grooming, cleaning, feeding, rehabilitating, training, exercising, loving, worrying, it was a 24/7 job that I did all alone. I was so into this yearning of saving lives and giving them the best home that I lost track of all the rest, my own well-being included. No social life, no beak, no vacation, not much support from next of kin either. And when over time we endured too many deaths in a row, it was the last straw. I quit the organization, of course keeping all the dogs that were still with us, but retrieving a more balanced and normal life. A hard decision, but necessary for my health and sanity.

Today, we all moved to New York City after several life-changing events, still with a substantial pack for the life in a city but totally manageable for me (everything is relative, right?), still involved in rescuing broken dogs, but on a moderate level, volunteering for carefully selected organizations and taking pictures of their adoptable pets (I’m a free-lance photographer as well). My adventure in rescue so far has definitely been a rollercoaster but I would do it all over again because it mattered for each and every soul I saved. Each dog and cat made me learn so much and made me who I am today, a better human being, I hope.

Even though the Chichi Factory Rescue website is no more active (you can check the old Facebook page though), I wanted to keep the memory of the organization and those who were part of it. Even if a few are still with us today, most are now gone, but never forgotten.

Chichi Factory Rescue

Here are all the special souls that were part of our organization, which ended up being more of a sanctuary since they stayed with us until the end. Each had various quirks and issues, adding a pinch of spice or sweetness to the crew, but all found a comfortable spot in our loving family. A safe haven in the countryside of Normandy, France.

This was our logo, that I created after a picture of Gutz, our mellow guy whose face testified his many years serving as a breeding soldier.

Mamie Nova

She was our first senior and was about 13 when she came to us. Rotten teeth, mammary tumors, severe arthritis, poor overall health, she had clearly been neglected for years. She perked up the first year with us, followed me everywhere, gave us private opera recitals and was clearly feeling great despite her age. She sadly was in kidney failure, which triggered several strokes that left her senile. Her whole system got weaker, hypothyroidism came topping all of her other issues and we had to let her go. Hard to know when it is the right time, especially when the dog has such a will to live despite a weak body… She was also the first dog we lost, it took me a few weeks to get over it. She had spent almost three years with us and left a big void.

Arnold

This senior alien was found in the streets of Paris and was scheduled for euthanasia. He was hypothyroidic, walked like Robocop because of arthritis, had obviously been abused physically (by both humans and canines) and also quite neglected. With the right treatment and care, patches of hairs grew back on his legs, but his whole body remained naked, which gave him a fun look, kind of a naked Crested with curly hair. He was not afraid to tell when he was bothered by something, was pretty grumpy, but super loving once he let his guard down. The sweetest signs of affection he had was to sneakily come next to you and put a paw on your arm or leg, and just stand there peacefully, like saying “I love you”. He was truly a character, making weird noises while scrubbing his back in his favorite chair. He remained stable for two years, but later suffered from an acute renal failure that weakened him and he passed of heart failure after more that three years with us. He was around 14.

Guizmo aka Qui

He had been brutally abused as a puppy and left with a partially paralyzed rear end, incontinent and several health issues due to this condition. His digestive and urinary tracts were a mess, he had trouble keeping all the nutrients and had kidney failure. Euthanasia had been brought up several times by the previous organization that rescued him, because he had so many issues and needed regular drainage of his bladder and colon, something few peope would be willing to do. We couldn’t let that happen without trying! He needed a lot of care, but we actually managed to keep all those issues under control for a few years. He gained weight and strength, so much that he could be a trouble maker at times, but he was smart and learned to behave. His incontinence was not much of a problem (see our diapers for dogs post), until he started to have several urinary infections despite a rigorous sanitary routine. I was always super careful he got drained regularly and his diapers changed often, but it was almost inevitable. Although he had many good days and was a happy pup, he dragged the abuse he endured until the end and passed way too early.

Titus

This guy was another heartbreak who came to us too late. He was suffering from Leishmaniasis and although he had received a treatment by another organization, it took weeks for him to be transported to us and his other issues had not been taken care of. His liver and kidney were too affected, he passed two weeks after he arrived. He was only 5. This loss was the last straw and I decided to quit the organization after that, continuing my work in the shadow, away from the too many malfunctioning and phony people of the rescue world.

Muffin

Muffin is a puppy mill rescue from Eastern Europe. Part of her lower jaw is missing, which is why her cute little tongue is hanging out so much. She needs a little help eating, although she doesn’t seem to have any problem snatching poops when she has a chance (a bad habit she probably developed in her cell). She also had several ulcers that made her eyes quite fragile. She was almost five years old when she came to us, very neglected (she had the worst teeth I had even seen) and fearful, but quickly perked up and easily felt at home. She is now still going strong at 11! She has become Cookie’s best friend and likes nothing more than to huddle on our laps.

Gus aka Pti loulou

This little terror was surrendered by his owners with his buddy Domino. He was nine years old and had spent his whole life biting many fingers! He was like many Chihuahuas, misunderstood and the lack of training increased his bad behavior. He was not the fully confident brat everyone thought he was. He was insecure and used his barks, growls and teeth to keep his fears at a distance. It worked until he came to us and with the right rehabilitation, even if it’s been a rollercoaster, he finally calmed down and almost became a little angel. He had loose joints, glaucomas but remained pretty healthy until the end.

Raymond

We believed Raymond was some Yorkshire terrier mixed with a dinosaur! He had a round back, a long neck, short legs, almost no hair with the skin of a reptile. This poor guy was unwanted even by the organization that saved him from euthanasia and I got a “you won’t bother for long since he is going to die soon” when he was dropped off! That’s the truth behind many so-called rescuers, so phony and cold-hearted… He had not received the proper treatment for his hypothyroidism, so we did in addition to natural supplements for his weak body. The first few weeks were full of ups and downs, we thought we would indeed lose him quickly… But a little love added to the concoction helped him feel better for a bit, even if he was not the most friendly and demonstrative dog. Both his body and soul were damaged. In the end, many organs broke down, pancreatitis being the last straw. He had been with us a short year and although he had been more than a handful, we were glad to have been able to give him a loving and caring last home.

Maggie

I cried the first time I saw Maggie, and not just because her face showed she had been outrageously neglected. She was lying flat on the floor when a hand approached, terrified of humans. She had been found in the streets, a senior shamefully abandoned after she had been overly used for breeding. Her belly looked like a cow’s, with distended nipples, she had hardly any teeth left, a tongue hanging on the side (we were told she had probably had a stroke at one point, numbing a side of her face and making her gait a little woobly), cataract, keratitis, a slight cherry eye, a cyst on her thigh and a small mammary tumor. Once her physical issues were taken care of, we tackled the psychological trauma. She slowly learned to trust us and started to show her clownish side, dancing and shaking her big butt, which is why she was granted the nicknamde of “boogie-woogie”. She was fine the first few years despite some skin issues here or there until she had more severe pyoderma due to an underlying hypothyroidic dermatitis. All the meds were harsh on her immune system, we even decided to stop administering one drug because it made her dizzy… Some phytotherapy helped her at first and even if she bounced back, it all came back a few months later. She had kidney failure and passed away while on a drip at the vet’s, right before I was supposed to get her back. It was the first time I was not there when a dog died and this haunted me for days… She showed us how resilient dogs can be, giving us her trust others had so badly destroyed.

Domino

Domino came to us with his long-time buddy Gus. He was the kindest and mellowest little guy, until his protective side kicked in. His brother being so anxious, he thought he needed to be the tough guy. I learned it once when a lady got severely bitten: he was getting a pet until Gus barked, that’s all he needed to switch and want to protect him… My bad, I didn’t see it coming, being so focused on Gus so that he would not get too excited and bite! He who was an angel at home could transform when he felt assaulted. They also could fight together, but once we got rid of their jewels, they simmered down. Domino had very weak joints and arthritis, his rear end especially could hardly support him. He ended up having serious mobility issues despite numerous supplements and pain meds. He was one of those who’ll smile at you, using his teeth for a much better purpose!

Cacahuete aka kwet

This super senior came to us quite skinny, with advanced cataract, almost no teeth left, serious heart failure and tiny mammary tumors. Her heart condition didn’t allow a surgery, so we used homeopathy which helped for a bit. She was also epileptic and senile, but she was a strong little girl who didn’t let all those issues bring her down. She hated car rides, so each trip to the vet was an out-of-tune serenade, even once arrived she hardly kept her mouth shut, she had such character! She definitely made her presence felt, even at home. Although she was around 15 years old, she still went into heat regularly and tried to arouse the males of the house, all neutered! She stayed with us almost two years.

Gutz

This precious guy was retired from a backyard breeder, where he had not received any care. He had multiple ulcers on his eyes, his remaining teeth were awfully rotten, his tongue was lying on one side, fleas were running on his back and had caused serious skin inflammation. He was pretty shut down too. But again, with love and good care, he perked up and became a happy chill dude. He became a magnet for cuddles, because he was not very active and apparently comfy, many loved to nestle against him for a nap. He snored quite a bit though! He lived with us many good years, although he became almost blind at the end and suffered from tracheal collapse.

He actually came to us in 2011, shortly before the organization was officially created. He is the one on the logo, which represented so well the quirky features we had so much affection for, because it made them so special.

Blue

Blue was rescued from a backyard breeder, with an advanced case of Leishmaniasis. He was young, but looked like an old pup. He was just skin and bone, with hardly any hair, flaky skin, rotten teeth, blurry eyes, and severely anemic. Unlike Titus, he tolerated the treatment and we could slowly see improvements, his eyes became clearer, his fur grew back and his spirits rocketed. He perked up and we were finally able to get rid of that pernicious disease after several months. Our natural approach and homemade diet definitely played a role in his recovering. He is still with us today, feeling great and super loving!

Cookie

Cookie was our first puppy mill rescue and boy, he made me learn so much about trauma! He was hiding, growling, biting before he came to us, nobody could handle him, a pet behaviorist even advised euthanasia, saying he would never be a normal dog (and prescribed drugs to knock him out). So we were his last chance and for some reason, he chose me as his person and gave me his trust (you can read more about him in the magic of rescue blog post). He was then able to come out of his shell, but only in his sweet bubble. Still today, he has trouble handling new situations, steers clear of most people and will only be at ease if I’m in sight, otherwise he freaks out. Even if he has come a long way and is close to a normal dog in a safe environment, his trauma shaped him for life and I have to adjust so that he remains balanced. He is my heart dog and so lucky he somehow ended up with me!

Bonnie aka Schnouf

One day we got a call from our vet who didn’t know what to do with a tangle of fur someone had just dropped at their clinic after having found her wandering the streets. An hour later, I was in my bathroom, grooming the mess that was covering this little mama. I finally discovered an almost lifeless and old Shih-tzu, with a punctured eye, huge warts (one of them on her eyelid), crooked legs, super skinny, eye ulcers and ear infections. She had obviously been through hell while being homeless and didn’t let anyone mess with her! She would growl to keep others at bay and bite if she felt the need to. At first she kept sleeping on the floor and hiding under the car in the yard, what had obviously been her everyday life for a while. She was one of the few with an identification, so I discovered that she had been given away by her owners (because she kept escaping they said) to an old lady, then spent some time in a shelter and either escaped or got adopted since she ended up in the streets. Anyway, she chose our home as her last one, never tried to escape and eventually chose comfy beds to rest. She had not been spayed (quite irresponsible from the shelter to say the least) and surprised us being in heat just a few days after her arrival. So once she plumped up and finshed her cycle, she got spayed and her warts removed, together with a much needed dental. She remained quite independant, but showed us her gratitude by occasional scratches on the leg and rollings in the grass. Her years of neglect took a toll on her body and she later had kindey and heart failure. She left without a sound, in her sleep, discreet until the end.

Baboosh

Baboosh was what I called a personal rescue, mostly because he was not really old enough to be a “fair” member of the organization (he was 6) and was bought (for a ridiculous amount) from a breeder. Being a stickler for integrity, none of the money donated to the organization went to him (read more about “rescue or not rescue” to better understand my point), when on the contrary, most of our savings went to the rescues of the organization since we had so little sponsors. Anyway, he came from a licensed breeder who was proud to say she always passed the state inspections with fyling colors. Yeah, I guess they did not look closely enough. The little guy was cute and fluffy, but a mess on the inside. He was shy and kind of extinguished, could stand in a corner looking lost, not even reacting with food under his nose, had a loose jaw, rotten teeth, many missing, was of course not neutered since she had highlighted his breeding feats (one of the reasons why I wanted to get him out of there, he was bound to end up with another tainted breeder, his price tag was lowering each week to get rid of him), had a heart murmur, wonky rear legs and a broken tail. When I genuinely asked what might have happened to the tail, she went berserk, saying he was fine, I was making it all up! Again, I was not suprised of this lame denial, it was just so common for breeders to disguise the truth and let themsleves off the hook. I was pretty sure he had been kept in a small cage all day long (he would turn in circles), not at all the perfect care she pretended to have provided. But we were going to try and repair all that neglect. He became more confident once rid of his private parts, was the sweetest platonic lover ever and got supplements to ease his damaged joints. Over time, those years of confinement took a tool on his mobility and his heart ultimately let go.

Toy aka Funky

Toy had once been adopted by a loving couple from a shelter (he came from a hoarding situation). That was until the lady had a baby and he became a burden after 7 years of companionship. He was said to pee on her stuff and was just a jerk (those were her words!). She also mentioned he was eating snails in the yard, which made him sick… He actually had rotten teeth and couldn’t eat his kibble anymore (she didn’t even think of soaking it or give anything soft), so he tried to find anything else that could do! But she had no money to spend on a dental and just wanted him out. He was surrended on the day of his 11th birthday! The poor guy had been so neglected that he was super skinny, had indeed horrible teeth that made his kisses smell like death, his ears were full of scabs with no hairs, his claws were dramatically long and curved, one toe was missing, as well as part of his tail (that dated from his past) and a severe cough due to his weakening heart. He had never been neutered (again weird from the shelter) and one testicle was undescended, which can cause cancer, especially after such a long time. Anyway, after a much needed dental and neutering despite the risk with his heart failure, he made it through the surgery and was finally able to eat again properly and gain the lost weight. He spent his retirement taking long naps in a plush bed, lying in the sun on the terrace, sprinting in the yard from time to time, and making his weird dance moves with those long legs he had, very often backwards, which is why we changed his name to Funk(y)! And, he never peed on our stuff, even if he was not fully trained in that department. His heart eventually let go when he was almost 15.

Tania

Tania had been a princess until the day her loving owner passed away and the family didn’t want to bother with a diabetic senior. It seemed like anyone aside from the next of kin didn’t want either and she was about to get euthanized before we stepped in. She was very different from all the other rescues and that difference stemmed from the fact she had been an only dog and spoiled. She felt like doing as she pleased and was, let’s be honest, a little brat. She took pleasure in bullying the most sensitive dogs, wanting to be the center of attention and just thinking she was the queen of her new domain. She also had a big mouth and was pretty stubborn. With us, she learned to respect her pack, adjust and share, and that she couldn’t always do as she pleased, something she had obviously never done before. In short, she learned to be pleasant and kind. Healthwise, she had cataract and needed high doses of insulin twice a day. With strict monitoring, by adjusting her diet and giving her natural supplements (check out our diabetes post for our tips), we were able to lower her need in insulin by half! She was stable for a good while until she started having epileptic seizures and her diabetes became harder to control. She was also in renal failure. One severe stroke was almost the end of her, our vet couldn’t stabilize her (she kept convulsing once awake) and advised to let her go. But we didn’t give up and she was able to come home two days later. That stroke left her blind and senile, but she continued to live comfortably for another few months until we knew it was the right time to say goodbye…

Bob

Oh boy, Bob was quite something! He was on the list of euthania at the pound and when we took him out of there, not only did he fill the car with a pestilential whiff, but he also made us almost deaf. He cried the whole ride (about an hour and a half), totally shell-shocked, unable to calm down. His fur was a bundle of tangles, he had severe otitis, anal fistulas, a cyst on his butt and pretty bad teeth as well. But his mind was the most damaged. He had obviously been with a family before because he knew basic commands and was very loving. But I couldn’t fathom if he was so anxious because of the separation, the time he spent at the dog pound or if he was just a crackpot. He was over-the-top, couldn’t control his excitement, couldn’t concentrate, all of his reactions were brutal or extreme. He was not mean, but uncontrollable. Even with lots of training and exercise, in a peaceful environment, he didn’t calm down. I also wondered if he had not been beaten up at one point, which could have triggered trauma to his head. One day he bit me hard when I was just trying to avoid him knocking down a senior, gently restraining his energy. He was surely startled, but didn’t let go of my hand right away, I was shocked. We tried herbal supplements and aromatherapy to soothe his nerves, but it didn’t help much. He sometimes worked himself up into such a state that he was shaking. We couldn’t find any reason to his demented reactions so we had to come up with stronger medication. He showed signs of dementia and ended up having epileptic seizures, one also so severe that just like Tania, he spent days at the vet clinic under a drip. He came back with his back legs paralyzed and unable to eat on his own. With patience and rehab, he was able to retrieve part of his mobility, but he was just not the same dog anymore, disoriented and vegetative. We didn’t want to give up too early (he was about 11), but when he was not interested in his food anymore, we knew it was time to let him go. He had shaked our world for almost three years, we felt sad we couldn’t have helped him be in peace.

Zebulon aka Boody

This little guy had been rescued by another organization after he had been found living outdoors and left with a disabled rear end after a fight with a bigger dog, making him also incontinent. He also had behavioral issues, trying to bite almost everyone. When he was transferred to us, he was obese (was eating cat food at his foster’s home) and had pyoderma. He had a lot on his plate… Like many other biting dogs, he was just very unconfident and hadn’t received any training. Our amazing pack helped him relax and we showed him how to properly behave. He remained skittish, but didn’t bite anymore and was much more friendly. Overtime, he had other skin and thyroid issues, weakening his system. We always tried to tackle health problems naturally as much as possible, but sadly when we had to come up with stronger drugs, we knew it was triggering other issues and messed up organs. He surprised us though when he passed of a seizure before he was 10.

Leonie

This poor little nugget also came from another organization where she had been spayed and her mammary tumors removed. I don’t exactly know what had happened, but when she was transferred to us (she had spent some time there, the person had too many dogs and needed to make space), she was severely emaciated and just a wandering corpse. She was blind, deaf, senile, with kidney failure and in a very bad shape. We were not able to make up for all the neglect she’d been through for years, she unfortunately left us after a short month and a half with us… She was around 15. It always shattered me to arrive too late and not be able to at least give these dogs a little break and feel good for a while…