UPDATE 1/15/03 on the Montana Collies
Statement by AWCA President Jean Levitt
*Permission to crosspost*
I am very relieved and happy to report ALL 188 animals in the Shelby Montana collie rescue are now completely bathed and groomed. Since Jan. 5 the AWCA Grooming Team was in Shelby working up to 13 hours/day for 8 days to accomplish this task. Our team of professional groomers, headed by AWCA member and professional groomer, Rev Oakes, was assisted by “collie huggers” from Montana and Canada. These professional groomers closed their shops; donated their time and expertise; fund-raised on their own to obtain most of their expenses; donated equipment from their shops; obtained loans and gifts of equipment and supplies from manufacturers with whom they do business; flew on donated Frequent Flyer miles and drove their vans to Montana.
They are all on their way home now, leaving behind the animals they grew to love in the capable care and custody of the good people of Shelby. Some grooming equipment has been packaged for shipping to our storage in Colorado to be stockpiled for future rescue missions. Certain other equipment and supplies have been transported 1 mile to Camp Collie to be used for maintenance grooming.
On behalf of AWCA (and in this regard I feel certain you will permit me to speak on behalf of the entire animal-loving community) I deeply, deeply thank Rev Oakes, the professional groomers, and the Montana and Canadian collie huggers for grooming, and thereby providing these animals with dignity.
I personally want to thank Undersheriff Don Hale, of the Toole County Sheriff’s Office, Emergency Medical Technician Dawn Seifert (the pretty woman with the jacket full of puppies), and the Toole County Search and Rescue personnel for fulfilling every request I made to arrange for this second phase of grooming.
Medical
AWCA has arranged with attending veterinarians Dr. Clark in Shelby and Dr. Kelly Manzer in Great Falls to provide additional dentistry for certain animals requiring it and hernia surgery for others in need.
The rough sable male collie on i.v. is unfortunately not improving, Dr. Clark told me yesterday. He is proceeding with further diagnostic testing and consulting with the AWCA “collie” veterinarian who flew to Montana in November to examine all of the animals in preparation for the arrival of our grooming team. While the other animals have gained weight and are responding to good nutrition, this collie remains at 44 lb. He refuses to eat. He is being supplemented with a tube paste of enriched nutrients, and I sent over a collie hugger to Dr. Clark’s clinic yesterday to try to encourage this fellow to eat normally. Dr. Clark welcomed this idea, so this collie will have his own personal collie hugger. We will keep you informed.
We have arranged with the Collie Health Foundation to ship one of Dr. Cindi Bossart’s bloat kits to Dr. Clark’s clinic.
Towels
Now that the grooming process is completed, we will not be needing any more towels. Thank you for sending them (and the wonderful notes you tucked into the packages!). The remaining towels will be used for bedding for certain individuals. We sent over a bundle to Dr. Clark’s clinic for use in the animal pens there.
Dr. Manzer happily explained now that the dogs are receiving good quality food and medical care, most are full of energy. In addition, now that they are all bathed and groomed, most are much happier and want to play (both doctors helped unload that truck on Halloween). .
...and now I know you will enjoy the second part of Thea Sperline’s article, “Collie Hugging.”
By Thea Sperline
I am a collie hugger. If I was overwhelmed with the daunting task of daily care for these animals, I was truly doubly overwhelmed when anticipating the grooming of 188 animals. This task truly called for the skills of professional groomers. My grooming skills are honed to the show ring. I’ve learned many tricks of the trade over the years, which work well on dogs that are accustomed to being groomed and in a nicely groomed state. These dogs in Shelby are in need of some serious help. So when Jean called and asked if I would be a collie hugger I agreed without hesitation, I knew the professionals would appreciate some help. I also know that, if it comes to pass, it will be easier to place a rescue dog if their coat is intact. I hope that miracles are in the making.
The pictures in the newspaper are of the worst examples of coat condition. The majority of the dogs are not quite that bad but far more serious than I have ever seen. They have several rows of thick ropes of matted hair across the backs of their necks, on the front of their roughs, on their backs, haunches and feathers. It must hurt for many of them to move with the hair pulling. I could only imagine the hot spots that might be found under the mats. I envisioned that many would have to be shaved to free the mats.
My role as a collie hugger has been to reassure the collies, be a calming influence upon them, take them for a walk when needed and to help them relieve any stress they may experience while being groomed.
So I arrive ready to help along with a few other huggers. We have been selected to be huggers because we have multiple collies and understand their needs. I wear clothes that can get wet and discarded if need be. I take dogs for walks, clean the pens, make sure they have fresh water. The bathing stations are ready, the groomers are ready and the dogs are here. It is time to start grooming.
I take a dog out for one last walk before his bath, he is shy and timid, he doesn’t like the leash, I have to carry him outside to do his business before getting in the tub. He shivers with nervousness, this is a new environment, new smells. I put him down near a post, he lifts his leg and relieves himself, as if he understands that is what I want him to do. He takes a step or two, then realizes he is on a leash and plops to the ground and won’t move. I get on the ground, pet him to reassure him, but he still won’t move. I have no choice but to carry him back into the grooming building. We all speak gently to him trying to help him to understand that we are here to help him. He is moderately matted compared to the other coats in the building. The challenge for this dog is that he is a possible fear biter. We opt to not put a muzzle on him, he actually is calm in the tub. I caress his ears, keeping them covered with my hand, rubbing his cheek with my thumbs, he closes his eyes and relaxes, resting his muzzle in the palm of my hands. The massaging action of the jet spray and the warmth of the water must feel good. He leans against me as the groomer massages his coat and skin. A shampoo, then a special conditioner is applied. Then he gets to go take a rest and let the conditioner soak for a while and do its magic. In the meantime, another dog goes through the same process. About an hour later this timid dog is back in the tub for more shampoo, massages, conditioners and rinses. The next hurdle is about to be experienced, the giant noisy blower to get most of the moisture out of the coat. Again I am at this boy’s head, holding the ears, massaging the cheeks. He is incredibly quiet and calm. He stands there quietly as I coo in his ear and watch the mats lift and move away from his skin, I am totally amazed. It is during this time that we discover a possible reason why this boy doesn’t like the leash. The skin on the back of his neck is inflamed, possibly an early symptom of a developing hot spot, he has another on a shoulder. The majority of the water is out of his coat, no other skin conditions are identified. He goes into a crate with a blower directing room temperature air at him. He will be there until he is dry, then we brush him out, being careful not to aggravate those tender spots. This dog gets to stay at the grooming center for a couple of days. It will be good socialization for him, and we would like to watch those tender spots to see if they develop into anything requiring veterinarian assistance. On my next trip to help feed, I find this dog, he will now walk 12, 15, maybe 20 steps before he plops on the ground. This time I am able to encourage him to move again. He is getting better, the socialization at the grooming sanctuary has helped this boy.
The bath procedures are basically the same for each dog. The smooth collies are easier, they don’t have the extensive matting problems of the rough coats. The vast majority of the dogs are easy going and take to the bathing and blowing without any significant stress, but there are the exceptions. A young female was terrified, she screamed and clawed trying to get out of the tub, there were two collie huggers to help her, the grooming process was shortened considerably to minimize her distress. There were other dogs that were fine in the tub, but suffered with the blowers. All the collies that I hugged seemed to be fine on the grooming tables. A local groomer specializes in dematting the locks behind the ears, so when she is there, we let her work on them, she has a magic touch.
When we discovered medical conditions that needed documentation as evidence, a picture was taken along with the dog’s identifying number. If we found a tattoo, that was also photographed with the dog’s identifying number. We are now discovering many of the girls are coming into season, not surprising, one comes in, the rest follow. The boys at the 4-H building must be going wild.
Well there are many tricks of the trade to be learned. I have now seen many of them first hand. It is virtually a miracle what these groomers have done. Almost every one of the badly matted dogs has emerged from the grooming sanctuary with its coat intact, prancing with pride, playing with toys and feeling good.
I am grateful to the groomers who have arrived from great distances to volunteer their time and expertise in the effort. They work hard from 8 in the morning until 8 at night. They want to see these dogs clean, they want to see their coats left intact if at all possible. I am grateful to the AWCA members and officers who have so generously taken on the coordination effort and brought these groomers to Shelby to help clean these animals and restore their coats to their glory. Thank you, ladies, it has truly been my pleasure to work with each and every one of you. May God keep you safe and bless you abundantly for all you have done.
Forever in Collies
Your friend Thea Sperline
Thank you again, Thea.
Calmly,
Jean Levitt, President AWCA
Lisa King, AWCA Director AWCA Rescue
Officers and Members of AWCA