My name is Gianna and I'm a sweet Southern girl. My former owner couldn't keep me anymore, so they brought me to Col. Potter to find a new forever home. I'm spayed, heartworm negative, and up-to-date on all my vaccinations. I'm housebroken, very well-mannered, and basically a quiet, indoor kind of girl. Foster Mom says I'm very ladylike. At first, I wasn't sure if I would like sharing my foster home with other four-legged house mates, but I've decided I like having step-brothers to wrestle with - 'cause I always win!
I also adore going for walks and I'm an excellent traveler.

I was recently diagnosed with Diabetes Mellitus. Foster Mom started me on insulin injections twice a day, and along with a healthy diet, I'm feeling better already.

For updates on Gianna, please see the listing on the Available Dogs page under CA.

UPDATE 12/11: Bubbles has several large lumps on her lower breasts and needs to have them removed. She had an x-ray to verify the cancer had not spread to her lungs, but that same x-ray showed 'something' different near her heart. Bubbles then had a sonogram done to verify there was no damage to her heart. The good news is that her heart has some thickening on one wall, which would be 'normal' for a dog that has been in a high ammonia environment found in a commercial kennel but her heart is functioning very well and she would be fine to have her surgery. She does not need any cardiac medications, she can continue all normal diet and activities. She's now scheduled for surgery on Tuesday to have her lumps removed. They are HUGE so I'm glad that everything else looks so good.

UPDATE 12/10: Bubbles is still the sweet soul she was when she first came to us. She loves to interact with my dogs and they love her. She is nervous about people so she prefers to just watch us. Just recently it was discovered that Bubbles has some lumps on two of her breasts. She is going to be x-rayed soon to see if they are suitable for surgery. Until the x-rays are complete we will not know what challenges she faces. Let’s all pray this sweetie can be helped. If you are able to make a donation to help with the medical expenses for Bubbles, please click on the Guardian Angel link at the top.

10/03/2008: Bubbles must be the Mae West of doggiedom. Both male Cairns in her foster home are DELIGHTED she is here - prancing, dancing and showing off. At 26 pounds she waddles with magnificent composure between her adoring fans. Even my most distracted boy is eager to play and romp with her! I have taken her into the yard for some leash work. She was NOT thrilled. With her voluptuous proportions she can be quite an anchor! We worked it out and she got better as the day went on. She is still afraid of the leash when I am holding it though. When I let her run loose in the yard a bit, she went off on trails of discovery, and managed to fall down the 4 concrete basement steps. I've had dogs who didn't know how to traverse steps before, but they just stopped when confronted by them. Bubbles kept right on walking! Needless to say, there is now a gate across those steps. I have a ramp down from the deck and she really appreciates that. Bubbles is a sweet, very overweight girl, who may never be called 'Tiny Bubbles' - at least not ‘til she loses a good bit of weight. Her muscle tone is not good yet - possibly due to confinement in a crate for long periods of time. She's very playful with all the dogs here - boy and girl, but gets tired quickly. This will improve as she loses weight and plays more with her foster siblings. She seems oblivious to toys so far. Bubbles has a mournful howl that only shows up when she is lonely. It’s cute, not jarring, and gives me a chuckle. It’s very effective at getting the boy dogs to go to her. She is a fairly quiet girl other than the one or two howls for attention.

For updates on Bubbles, please see the listing on the Available Dogs page under MD.

Darra is a sweet girl with a serious skin problem. She came to Col. Potter with a yeast infection on large areas of her body as well as an ear infection. We are working with her to try to heal her skin and overcome the infections. Grooming, with her skin issues, is somewhat painful but is really important for her health. It's no surprise that she doesn't welcome the grooming sessions. Aside from this, Darra is a very loving and well-trained little girl. She lets you know in no uncertain terms when she has to go outside to do her business, but is otherwise quiet around the house. She gets along with the other dogs in her foster home, but she will probably not miss them when she goes to her forever home because she is very people oriented. Nothing is better than a cuddle with a human! Darra is very strong willed and needs a home with terrier experience, so that she knows who is in charge.

For updates on Darra, please see the listing on the Available Dogs page under MD.

It happened in an instant - he ran across the street and was hit by a car. The car never stopped. He has no collar, no identification, no microchip - and no one has come looking for him. Luckily for him, someone saw him get hit and called the local animal warden. The warden called a local rescue group who came and picked up the little Cairn and immediately took him to the vet to be treated for shock and pain.

The x-rays show his right leg that was shattered and fractured in multiple places and has severe nerve damage that will need to be amputated. His pelvis on the left side has 4 fractures and will need to be plated and pinned. He's estimated to be 3-4 years old.

If you can help Col. Potter find the financial resources, in these tough economic times, to pull off another miracle for this young Cairn who finds himself in dire straits please click on the Guardian Angel Link above.

For updates on Magic, please see the listing on the Available Dogs page under MO.

UPDATE 8/16: Polly came home today, but she doesn't have a stricture. The Endoscope of her colon was done and 2 senior clinicians did not find a stricture. What they did find were several ulcerated lesions. They took 8-10 biopsies which will be back in a week. Quite frankly they don't know what is the causing the problem and don't know where to start to fix it until the biopsies come back. At this time they suspect anorectal mucosal disease. They stated they have seen this in German Shepherd's called perianal disease, but it is not normal for Cairns.

I just don't know what to think, and neither do they at this time. She has been put 2 additional medications in conjunction with those she received during her first visit last week. They want to try and clear up the severe dermatitis in the meantime, until her biopsies come back and if her skin infection can be successfully treated, then it’s hoped her immune system can focus on her anorectal disease. We'll just have to wait until the biopsies return and go from there. To say the least we are dumbfounded, as are the Doctors at NCSU. I was hoping for some better news.

UPDATE 8/15: Polly went in to NCSU Monday morning for testing and I’d love to report they did the procedure Tuesday and all went well, but her intestines didn’t clear out from eating nothing but fluids all day Sunday, so it had to be delayed until today, Wednesday. She’s so tiny it was very, very hard to withhold all solid food, but she’s doing okay just on liquids, and I have heard from NCSU twice today. She is all cleared out now and will undergo the procedure this morning. They said her bloodworm and urinalysis came back fine and she is very healthy. This will aid in her recovery and doesn't pose any new problems to watch for. She's made everyone fall in love with her and ALL the doctors at NCSU are very proud to be working with a rescue group compassionate enough to give this sweet girl a chance at a good life. They are confident this will work - by all they have seen so far. I'll post any new news as soon as I can and hopefully we will be headed home with our healing little girl in tow, but if not, surely by Thursday morning.

UPDATE 08/11: Polly went to NCSU this week for an assessment of her stricture, enlarged secum and infected skin on her rear. It was determined Polly was not a good candidate for the surgical removal of this stricture due to it's location, just on the back side of her anus because it would most likely leave her incontinent. That would make it impossible to find a home for her.

She is returning to NCSU this Monday, August 13th, for blood work and preparation for a procedure called 'Bougienage' , which will be done on the 14th. This treatment involves inserting a tool inside her rectum to stretch the stricture and applying an antibiotic ointment to prevent the stricture from growing back together. Hopefully, this one treatment will solve her problem, but if not she will return in a week to have the procedure done one last time. Once the colon is open and she can drain properly, the other problems created by this condition should resolve on their own. Polly is on antibiotics and we are treating the black, infected skin on her rear with medication. It is unbelievable that this small girl has lived this way all her short life. Polly's cries of pain tear our hearts out. She seems to understand we are making an effort to help her so she runs to us with those big eyes staring up, begging for the immediate help which we can't give. We can only comfort her during these episodes – and feel helpless.

We pray this will solve her problems. It is her only good option. This little girl deserves to have a life free from this misery, and to spend time in the arms of someone who will return all the love she has to give. The soft desperate sounds she makes from the suffering she has to endure make us very, very anxious to see this end for her. Prayers are greatly needed here and any donations would be appreciated because the bills continue to grow as we move forward to help her.

UPDATE 8/6/07: Polly continues to have good days and bad ones, yesterday being a fairly difficult one for her. Her stools always hurt and continue to make us cry as she screams in pain. Sometimes, she just doesn't seem to feel well at all. She moans and whines a bit, pants a lot and seems to alter her breathing as she just lays about and rests. She acts a little more needy, yet doesn’t want to be handled, and she's a bit more unpredictable, and "snippy". We know her moods now and can tell better when she's uncomfortable. She's more trusting of us so we don't worry about her biting, even though we sense she wants to. Her initial vet visit discovered a "swollen appendix" and that may be causing this discomfort but we don’t know for sure, and are hoping this is something that can be easily addressed by the doctors along with her intestinal stricture.

Today Polly seems to feel good, moving about the house more and with a comfortable look about her. We always enjoy these days. They let us see more of her personality, as she is just SO sweet and affectionate when she’s feeling better.

NCSU has passed her case from the Internal Medical group to the Surgical Team. They have moved her appointment up to this Thursday, Aug 9th when they will have all her medical records, X-rays, and the summary from Dr. Wickman. Then NCSU will be able to examine her themselves and give us a prognosis of her condition now and after the surgery, plus an estimate of what her medical bill will run.

We would appreciate any donations for little Polly. We already know this will be expensive, especially if 2 surgical procedures are needed. Wayne will be taking Polly in while I stay home with the other 5 dogs. He knows I will be a basket case during the wait because I want so badly to be with her too. But I know she's in good hands and cares very much for Wayne. We continue to ask for prayers and donations so Polly has a chance at a good life without pain - and full of love. We pray mostly that the vets determine she CAN have the surgery to repair her stricture as well as whatever has to be done with her appendix. Everything depends on the prognosis of what her life would be after she has the surgery if it's even possible.

Polly continues to leak constantly, and we know that if this is not "fixable" with the surgery, we can never expect to place her in a home. We give her as much freedom as we can which means everything in our home is covered with towels, blankets, and pads, changed many times during the day. She loves being with us and can't help that she leaks. It requires extra effort to give her this freedom, but we want to make her life as happy and comfortable as we can. She is only a little over a year old, so we are hopeful there will be a new beginning - the best part of her life - shortly ahead.

Polly is only 13 month old; an owner surrender whose family was unable to deal with her physical problems and was going to turn her in to a shelter to be euthanized. She was fortunate to have had an "angel" who was helping the owners, and contacted Col. Potter to jump in and help. This Angel did all she could to help Polly, but it was apparent her needs were very complicated. Col. Potter quickly stepped in and arranged an emergency transport to get her moved to her present foster home in Virginia.

Polly has an anal stricture which makes all her stools very painful, and apparently she has been sick most of her life with giardia, hook worms, and ear infections. Polly only weighs a tiny 11 pounds , but can never have a normal life until this colon problem is sorted out and the pain is eliminated. Polly holds her stools until she just can't hold them anymore. She seems to understand that food is good, but eventually causes pain. What a way to live!

Because of her health issues, Polly seems unsure as to whether or not you want to fuss at her, or pet her. She has the biggest eyes (although they are sad) and looks at us as though she just doesn't understand why life has to be so hard. She's just adorable and was dealt a very bad hand in life, so we're hoping she can be treated and given a chance at a long and happy life.

She needs our prayers and donations now, to give her the chance that she so desperately deserves.

For updates on Polly, please see the listing on the Available Dogs page under VA.

Can you imagine being a 3 month old puppy and facing death? That's the situation Leona found herself in. The breeder suspected there might be something wrong with Leona because occasionally she wouldn't eat, would just lay around and would whimper softly. She was taken to the breeder's vet who gave her a clean bill of health. So, little Leona was sold to a pet home where she lived for over a month. But the pet family also noticed that on occasion she would not eat, would just lay around and cry. They also took her to their vet, who could only determine there might be something wrong with her jaw. The pet family decided to return Leona to the breeder for a healthy puppy.

This was almost the end of Leona. The breeder didn't know what was wrong with Leona, but knew she couldn't sell her, so the only thing left to do was euthanize her. The breeder had only had Leona for a day when she decided to give Col. Potter a call before taking her to the vet to be PTS, on the off chance I could help. As she described what was happening with Leona, it reminded me of another little dog we helped. It sounded like CMO - Lion's Jaw. It's not uncommon for vets to miss this diagnosis as many have no experience with this condition. Col. Potter agreed to bring Leona into the family.

We don't know yet how long or difficult Leona's journey will be, but do know with the support and love of her CP Family, Leona will have a bright future. Her new foster home chose the name Leona, which means Lion in Irish. Little Leona will be joining our Guardian Angel program and would greatly appreciate your support. Please keep Leona and her foster family in your thoughts - it could be a long, tough journey ahead of them.

For updates on Leona, please see the listing on the Available Dogs page under WI.

Hi, ebereebodee, my name is Mardee. I iz a berry gud dog. Um, ‘scuse me, I meen, I iz a berry hansum, sweet gentleman! I shure lob my fosser mom an dad. And I lob all ob my fosser brudders and sissers. It’s preddee cold out here, so I reelly jus go outside tu do my duties. I do not like doing dem in da house! Fosser mom says I am a sweetee!

Foster Mom: Mardee is new to Col. Potter. He is currently undergoing treatment for a bladder infection and bladder stones which may require surgery, so Mardee is not ready for adoption yet. He is looking for some guardian angels to help him with his vet expenses. If you would like to be a guardian angel for this sweet boy, just click on the link and fill out the form. Mardee would appreciate it!

Mardee is completely housebroken! Well, except for the leaking due to the bladder stones. I can really tell it bothers him if he leaks a little bit in the house. He is quick to let us know when he has to go outside. He loves to follow us around and just sit on our laps for love, scritches, and kisses. As soon as Mardee is free of his infection and his bladder stones, he will be ready to adopt! He does very well with people and other dogs. He has not been around any children, so I do not know if he would do well with them. If you want some true sweetness in your life, fill out the application to adopt Mardee. He's not ready yet, but once he is, he will not be with us very long. Pictures will be up on Mardee soon.

For updates on Mardee, please see the listing on the Available Dogs page under WI.

Shhh – quiet – don’t move! Very slowly move your eyes to your right – just a little more - there! Look! Whoops – you missed her. There’s a Mouse in our House! Little Jaymee, a rescue from a breeding facility who has never lived in a house before – is very afraid and timid, and yet very, very brave. As long as she has free access to her safe area, (her crate and the family room) she peeks and peers and investigates, but scampers away if startled. I see her every once in a while peeking at me and she will get closer as long as I don’t move. She has ventured to the upstairs and deck area for a little look-see. She spent the first days in her crate with the door open. Jaymee likes to watch the house and will venture out after a while with our other furkids, the DuDaRi Gang. She has taken a toy to her safe zone but treats are another matter. For those, she will come pretty fast with the Gang and wait her turn - especially for cheese. Hmmm. See a pattern here? Jaymee's not ready for any more changes – just learning to be a puppy again – so she is not ready for adoption yet. She is beautiful and has the sweetest face. So inquisitive and such a brave lady. Tonight she stood in her crate, excited that I was home and ready to come out and go potty with the Gang, and then on to fence patrol! It's so exciting to watch the first steps!

For updates on Jaymee, please see the listing on the Available Dogs page under WV.