BABY JAKE

February 2006


JAKE THE RAKE

(rakish adj. fr. the raking masts of pirate ships...having a smart stylish appearanced suggestive of speed; jaunty)

11/15/05 Born in puppymill
1/12/06 Surgery at Hunte Corporation (8 weeks old)
1/25/06 Purchased at pet store in Michigan (10 weeks old)
2/17/06 Surrender to Rescue in Michigan (13.5 weeks old)

SPECIAL THANKS TO: Dr. Theodoroff and Dr. Saxton (and staff) at the Animal Medical Center of Troy and also Dr. Green and staff at Oakland Veterinary Referral Services in Bloomfield Hills, MI. Because of them, Jake is still here with us today and will be able to lead a full, normal life. Also thanks to so many others who helped Jake with contributions (financial and otherwise including one "angel" who paid off his bill at the emergency facility and another who sent us a nebulizer which she has donated to rescue) and all who prayed for him and send good thoughts his way! With all his support, how could he help but get well!

Jake was born on November 15, 2005 in a Missouri puppymill. He became a "Hunte" puppy which means that he went into a "higher class" puppy mill. There they saw that he had an inguinal hernia which they repaired and also neutered him on January 12, 2006, at 8 weeks old. From there he went to a pet store in Michigan where he was sold on January 25, 2006 at age 10 weeks.

Most advice you will get when buying a puppy is to never buy one who is less than 8 weeks old. It "sounds like" the buyer took this advice BUT they didn't stop to consider that this was the 2nd or 3rd sale of this puppy. Most likely he left mom when he was extremely young. If he was lucky, he was kept with his littermates when he was delivered to Hunte. But then he had surgery and was again sold and transported to the pet store in Michigan. All of the moves meant that he was not kept with mom and most likely was not with his littermates all that time so he did not have the advantages of a puppy who is produced by a responsible breeder.

When he was purchased, he went to a home where not all the family members wanted him. He developed a serious case of kennel cough and was very sick. The owners turned him over to Rescue on February 17th when he was about 13.5 weeks of age. They were concerned because he wasn't doing well with their young husky and had already decided to replace him with a Husky puppy. Fortunately for Jake, they chose to give him to Rescue and didn't just dump him somewhere. Jake came "home" to his foster home weighing just 3.7 pounds. He had been shaved down because they said he matted while he was sick.

JAKE'S FIRST EVENING 2/17/06




As thin as he is, he retains a good spirit. He still has a persistent "cough" and he seems to walk rather "stiffly"; as though he hasn't had much chance to exercise his little legs. He is very cuddly but doesn't seem to relate much to other dogs and hasn't yet learned how to play with a toy.



JAKE'S FIRST DAY 2/18/06

Jake begins to explore his new "world". He looks at the toys and meets his foster sister.




Jake shows off his new "duds". He needs help to maintain his body temperature without his natural coat. This should keep him warm.




Jake is eating and drinking well now. We hope he will soon gain weight and get enough exercise and mental stimulation to become "all he can be"! He is learning that he is a Westie and he is meeting his foster siblings, Molly and Glennie.




Jake needs to learn how to be alone also. He would much prefer to be held and cuddled and hasn't learned to entertain himself yet. But he is beginning to be friendly with Molly.



JAKE'S THIRD DAY 2/19/06


Jake is learning that he is a puppy and not a people!



JAKE'S FOURTH DAY 2/20/06

Jake had a feverish afternoon on Sunday but the vet helped us out and he had a good night last night. He is eating again and acting more and more like a puppy should act! He actually played with a toy and chewed a bit. And he went to the vet this afternoon. (Jake says, "Big boys like me can ride in the car in a seatbelt harness!) Jake is on antibiotics and a wormer. We'll get his shots started when he is feeling a bit better.



JAKE'S FIFTH DAY 2/21/06

Jake is learning both to play and to chew. He likes the ball but he seems to like the knot on the rope best of all!


Jake gets to see what his foster siblings see out that window...but he wasn't too interested. Glennie is gradually warming up to Jake (He hasn't been mean to him but hasn't been very interested to date. Now that Jake is feeling better and growing a bit, maybe that will change.)

Jake weighed almost 4.25 pounds on the postage scale today. I haven't heard a cough or gag in about 24 hours although there is still a bit of congestion. I saw his tail go up a couple of times but only temporarily....that is a long tail for a little guy to carry in the air!



JAKE'S SIXTH DAY 2/22/06

Jake says, "Let me out!!"

TO SEE A NEW GROUPING OF PHOTOS FROM THIS DATE, CLICK HERE This series shows the emotional progress he has made. Even yesterday I could not have imagined getting him to play and interact like this. Nor would I have been able to imagine getting Glennie to stick around for these shots. These photos show Jake's personality coming out. Jake today has pulled on my pajamas, chewed on my slipper (while it was on my foot), tried to tear up a piece of paperwork sitting on the floor and just been a little pest. I choose to consider this and his annoying barking last night to be a "good thing"! LOL

AND A FINAL GROUP OF PHOTOS FOR FEBRUARY 2/23-2/28. JAKE CAME A LONG WAY IN SUCH A SHORT TIME!


Jake needed water and his bowl was empty so he just walked over to the bottle and began drinking out of it. He wasn't ever shown how..he just did it. You can see Molly waiting her turn.

And he began to play with toys. His critter instincts are really coming out


Jake kept disappearing and I finally realized he was sleeping on the brown blanket and blending in. (The sweater is really a pale lavender and not as noticeable as it looks in the photos.)

Jake is all Westie and all puppy now! He has gained back all of his earlier weight loss and is pretty close to normal now.


Jake is running through the agility tunnels at top speed!

He is even volunteering the behavior and loves to be cheered on!


Jake takes a time out in the sun!

And then poses for yet another photo.


Jake had a bath before going to the vet...and then cuddled in the towel.



Jake enjoyed a visit from a new volunteer, Katie.

FIRST WEEK OF MARCH

Jake has had a really bad first part of March. He began to get sick at the start of the week and has been to see the vet almost daily. On Wednesday he was diagnosed with pneumonia and we began homecare for him but on Thursday we had to put him in the hospital. They can do so much more for him than at the vet's office or certainly at home and he really needed the extra help. Please keep Jake in your thoughts and close to your heart.

1st photo: Jake on Wednesday after he was diagnosed with pneumonia. He was sleeping on the couch when I slipped away to the computer. This is what I found when I checked on him! He may have been sick but it wasn't getting him "down"!
2nd photo: This was on Thursday morning. He actually seemed better that morning. He had stopped throwing up and wasn't running a fever. He was a pretty happy little guy. (His foster sister laying next to him has an ear infection and hasn't been feeling tops.)
3rd photo: As the day went on, he started feeling worse and worse. His breathing got difficult and when we got to the vet his temp was 104.5. He quit eating and would only sleep. It was a clear change in just a few hours.