Hi! My name is Gianna and I'm an 8 year old Cairn who is looking for a loving family to call my very own.

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

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.

Carthage made it to freedom after spending all eight years of her life in a breeding facility The years at the breeding facility had taken their toll on Carthage. She is heartworm positive, stage 3, which is the highest level of infection. But that's not the worst of it for Carthage. She also had a very large breast mass which our vet was certain was cancerous. Normally, we would not consider doing surgery on a stage 3 heartworm positive dog. However, in Carthage's case, we couldn't wait for her to undergo heartworm treatment. She didn't have much time left if we didn't rid her of the cancer.

She has spent her first days of freedom at our vet's in Missouri enjoying a bath, a soft, warm place to sleep at night on cold winter nights, her own dish of good quality food and plenty of clean water to drink. Carthage has been a model patient, letting the vet staff do whatever is needed without one bit of a fuss. This little girl so deserves her chance at a happily ever after!

Our little girl's ALP blood levels continued to climb into dangerous levels despite every effort to help her liver bring the results down. Carthage's time was short unless we took some of the load off her overburdened little body. So the decision was made to remove the tumor. It's her only chance.

Carthage is one tough little Cairn! Surgery took more than two hours. The mass was huge; more than 4" long and tightly adhered to her muscle walls. She has 4 incisions throughout her abdomen and chest, the longest being more than 9" long to be able to get at the tumor from all angles and detach it from the muscles and other organs. Carthage held her vitals throughout the surgery. Her liver looks very pale and swollen. Hopefully getting the cancerous mass out will allow her liver to heal.

The next 24 hours are critical for Carthage. She is on IV and someone will be watching her most of the night,but, SHE MADE IT!

Her surgery was amazing, but didn't come without cost. If you are would like to help cover the cost of Carthage's surgery and heartworm treatment, please click on the Guardian Angel link at the top to make a donation.

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

Joie is a 4 year old Cairn who came into Col. Potter pregnant. She had her last litter of puppies just 9 months ago and here she is, delivering another litter. She's a sweet little girl who always has a tail to wag and kisses to give. She's just happy to be here and glad she has good things to eat with a warm place to sleep and have her puppies. Joie is safe now, and her puppies will grow up safe, too.

Joie had her puppies Monday, November 16th. She had 2 boys and 2 girls. They have happy names
like their mother: Mirth, Merriment, Glee, and Jocularity. Merriment wasn't strong enough to
survive and didn't make it through the birthing process but Mirth, Glee, and Jocularity are
growing up strong.

Pregnant moms and puppies cost money. There are tests and x-rays, equipment needed for having
puppies, good food and supplements to provide Joie and her puppies as much nourishment and
strength as possible, and all the medical expenses that come with having babies. Can you help Joie and her puppies with their many expenses? Think about becoming a Guardian Angel by
clicking on the link at the top, and help to give them the good start they deserve.

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

2/26/10: Glacier came to her foster home very pregnant see that second photo?), and about to whelp. She gave birth to 5 adorable babies on February 23rd. All the puppy's names are derived from Alaskan Glaciers, except for Lucy's. They are Byrn Lare, Coal Spencer, Logan Taylor, Tyndal Reid and Princess Lucy Dell.

Mama Glacier is very sweet, she absolutely LOVES people, and she likes our cats and the other Cairns here. She's also smart as can be; she's learned how to use the stairs and she goes potty on a pad when I can't get her outside for a while. Would you like to be a Guardian Angel for this little girl who should have been retired from breeding when she was 5 – not almost 8! It's expensive to get a mama dog through the whelping and raising of her litter, so any amount you can help with will be greatly appreciated!

For updates on Glacier, please see the listing on the Available Dogs page under MS.

I'd like to introduce little Kuri to everyone. Kuri was recently rescued and is thrilled to be living in a home and enjoying good food and love. Kuri is a special little girl - because she is heartworm positive. This means that she needs to go through some rather expensive treatment. It is not without risk and it will be painful when she gets her Immiticide injections. Please keep Kuri in your heart and in your prayers for the easiest passage through treatment possible. It will be a couple of months before Kuri is ready to be adopted but I wouldn't wait if you are interested in her. She's as cute as a button and oh, about umpteen times as sweet! She is a cuddle bug and just loves to lie draped across my lap or my chest. She gives kisses and, let's face it, we're pretty much toast when she turns her big brown eyes on us. She has been spayed and is up to date on everything but heartworm protection and that will be started after she's through treatment and been thoroughly tested once again. Kuri is already doing a great job of going outside and pottying with the resident Cairns. She's good, and sweet, and if we hadn't promised ourselves to stick with our two Cairns we would add her to our family in the blink of an eye. So get your application in as soon as possible. Kuri is part of the "Squash Blossoms" group. A Kuri squash is a bright orange winter squash with a gentle sweetness and a slightly nutty aftertaste. Other than the color, this sounds like our little, precious Kuri.

For updates on Kuri, please see the listing on the Available Dogs page under OH.

Please welcome Kallie to Colonel Potter. She is a 9 year old owner surrender who is currently trying to sort out what has happened to her life. But she is starting to adjust, and we see improvement every day. She has a wonderful disposition, enjoys being around her people, is fully housetrained and leash trained and gets along well with my dogs. She sleeps quietly in her crate at night, and thoroughly enjoys going outside. She also likes children. She was recently exposed to a 14 month old neighbor child and she approached her and licked her. Kallie is still in her evaluation period, so check back if you think this little gal would be a good addition to your family.

For updates on Kallie, please see the listing on the Available Dogs page under TX.

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.

Her name is Cotton, but we've been calling her "Candy", as in "Cotton Candy". She's one of the "Fabrics To Keep You Warm" group of pups brought into Col. Potter two weeks ago. She's small in stature, but big in heart. She's wheaten in color with dark ears. She makes funny little "snuffling" noises but can also bark with the best of them - a kind of raspy bark. She's sweet, gentle, playful and she's been a commercial breeding dog for her entire life. But now she's free and ready to begin her new life and find a forever home to love and protect her.

But she has some MAJOR medical issues going on right now so she is not yet ready for adoption. When rescued, Cotton underwent extensive surgery to repair two inguinal hernias as well as being spayed. According to her initial vetting report, Cotton's uterus was attached to scar tissue throughout her abdomen. It appears the surgery to repair the hernias has failed, and Cotton is now facing additional surgery to see if the damage can be repaired. She has a large hernia protruding from the right side of her belly, and it appears her bladder is inside the hernia. There is also an area above that which appears hard and swollen. It is not clear whether it is fatty tissue or some internal organ trying to pop through. Only surgery will tell.

In spite of all this, Cotton is making good progress in her potty training. She urinates frequently and in small amounts, but last night she kept her exercise pen clean and dry, with some help from foster mom, who got up at 3:30 a.m. to take her outside. She trots around the backyard with her tail held high and does happy dances when foster mom is preparing her meals.

Please help Cotton on her journey to her forever home by becoming a Guardian Angel. It's easy – just click on the link at the top. To look at her, you would never guess what this little angel has endured in the past - or what she's going through now.

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

Hi Everyone! My name is Jenner! I got named after Bruce Jenner because of my energy level and how active I am. I love to run and play with balls and toys! I race around my fenced in yard and I love it! I am six years old, I just had a birthday. I am very lovable when you can get me to sit still and I love to sit at foster mom's feet! I am looking forward to finding a good forever home that has lots of toys. I need a family that likes an active dog. If you are that family, fill out your application, because foster mom says I won't be here long!

For updates on Jenner, 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.