One does not meet oneself until one catches the reflection from an eye other then human.
– Dr. Loren Eiseley

Many of you followed Teagan’s journey here from horribly abused and neglected little GSD; through surgeries, complications and life threatening super infection throughout her body. Teagan was at Rocky Ridge for a year and a half and was to become the longest, most expensive and stressful effort I’ve ever untaken on behalf of an animal….but, it was also one of the most miraculous, inspiring and joyous stories I have been privileged to be a part of. A wonderful adopter committed to sweet Teagan and she has now begun her new life as her special companion. I always had the goal of Teagan in her own home, with the heaps of love and attention and all good things she deserves. This match will give Teagan the best of everything and her sweet spirit and amazing story will be able to touch and inspire many people. You can follow Teagan on her Facebook Page

Many of you are also familiar with Parfait’s story. From severely neglected, abused, street dog on death’s door, she blossomed into a happy, healthy girl with an incredible, resilent and forgiving heart. This semi feral Pitbull was sleeping with lambs and bunnies within a month of arriving here, and has inspired me to write a children’s book about her stay here. A neat thing that happened was that Parfait and Teagan rapidly became best friends! Parfait also found a wonderful adopter! She will also have the special love and attention she so deserves and a haven to hide from the paparazzi once her book comes out! LOL! You can follow Parfait on her Facebook Page.

This is why NO PUPPY MILL pups and NO PET STORE PUPS. These poor babies, along with 4 others were rescued at auction. They came from a puppy mill that claimed “they were lovingly raised in the house”. Considering they are terrified of people, the world in general and all are skin and bones, if this is love, I hate to see what they consider unloved.

These 4 were fostered here at Rocky Ridge. Click on the first picture to see them. All of these are very small and poor examples for the breed. They are all extremely thin and full of parasites.

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One week later – Slowly making progress on physical and emotional healing.

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The greatness of a Nation & it’s moral progress can be judged by the way it’s animals are treated.
– Mahatma Gandhi

Lyric after being at Rocky Ridge Refuge

Lyric came to Rocky Ridge covered in mange, extremely thin and had recently had puppies.  We do not know what happened to her puppies as they were not with her when she was found abandoned.  

Any glimpse into the life of an animal quickens our own
& makes it so much larger & better in every way.
John Muir

Cornbread was born deaf…… Many Bull Terrier breeders feel it is best to euthanize their deaf puppies because they can be a challenging breed to raise even when they can hear. Cornbread came from a family that thought he deserved a chance and so he came to live at Rocky Ridge. He is a smart, sweet little boy that has won over my heart and I have enjoyed guiding him  to his full potential.

Truly, as companions, friends, equals; in opportunities of self -expression,
they unfold to me the dignity  of creation,
and in their joy smiles the blessings of St. Francis.
-Helen Keller

Oops was born blind and dumped out when very young. Luckily, she ended up in the yard of a kind man who cared for her the best he could and enlisted the help of the local shelter in his town to find her a home. I knew it would be tough to adopt out a blind pup, who also had the misfortune of being a black lab mix. Big black dogs are the toughest dogs to find homes for around the country and shelters are full of them. I adopted her myself and she is doing great here. She is amazing in her abilities to navigate the house and yard and learns so fast. She plays hard with her toys and friends, both canine and others. She is a happy, loving pup who doesn’t know or care that she is different. She is already proving to be an inspiration to all who meet her and she was adopted into a loving home.

Not to hurt our humble brethren is our first duty to them,
But to stop there is not enough.
We have a higher mission —
To be of service to them wherever they require it.
St Francis of Assisi

Boone is deaf and has seizures.  Boone spent his first year of life in the puppy mill where he was born.  He received minimal care and zero love, as in puppy mills everywhere.  This, coupled with poor genetics, left this sweet boy deaf and with some unknown brain damage causing seizure activity. A wonderful rescue group was able to get him out of there and put him up for adoption. But, it seemed no one wanted to deal with his issues and he was overlooked again and again. I have a special interest in natural therapies for seizures and other health problems and offered to take Boone and see what I could do for him. Since being here he has been on a top quality, grain free diet with added supplements, and has been doing great. He is a friend to all, and especially likes the baby fawns.

For the soul of every living thing is in the hand of God…
Job 12:10

Puzzle was born around June 2006.  She came to Rocky Ridge from the Tulsa, Oklahoma area. When she was very young, she was somehow terribly injured.   Her front leg became severely mangled but no one cared enough to seek treatment for it. She somehow survived this horrendous incident.  The bad leg was terribly deformed and had to be removed if she was to be comfortable.  She had the surgery and did great.  She was such a loving girl, as you can see.  Here she is with a gosling that also has an injured leg.  Look who gets the pillow and who takes the floor!

Puzzle was adopted to the BEST home ever. Sadly, after a few years there, she developed a cancerous tumor near her heart that was unfortunately too much for all the efforts to eradicate. So dear , sweet Puzzle was helped over the bridge with more love than I could have ever hoped for her to know in her 4 years on this earth. Thank you Puz for the opportunity to help you and be blessed by you and thank you David and Jill for your extraordinary caring …..

You think that these dogs will not be in Heaven?
I tell you, they will be there long before any of us!
~ Robert Louis Stevenson ~

Faith when she was rescued

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Faith after rescue in her forever home

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This is Faith, one of 7 Great Pyrenees Puppies that were rescued on 2/22/07.  They were born on Christmas and then just pretty much ignored.  They were kept in a very small place where they could not stretch out or walk around. Their legs were bent and weak. They had oozing sores all over their bodies from untreated mange.

Faith and her littermates have all found their forever home!

Our task must be to free ourselves by widening our
circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures
and the whole of nature in it’s beauty.
Albert Einstein

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Piper and her siblings were born to a stray momma dog on a cold December night. Within days they were picked up by animal control in a small Arkansas town. They grew to adoptable age at the shelter and Piper watched as her littermates were all chosen for loving homes. But no one would even look at little Piper. You see, she had been born with a bad eye that didn’t look too pretty and was blind in that eye.. She was still a sweet, beautiful little girl with lots of spunk, but no one gave her a chance to show her great little spirit. I saw her photo on petfinder and because she looked like an Anatolian Shepherd I have, I read her bio. Well, when I talked with the wonderful shelter worker, Susan, and heard that no one wanted this pup, I knew I had to do something. That meant adopting her into my family of canines and assuming the responsibility for fixing her eye problem. She has now had her surgery to remove the eye and is doing wonderfully. She is a funny, happy, loving girl, that fits right in with the gang here. Many of my visitors fall in love with her, but she is a keeper!

There is little that separates humans
from other sentient beings –
we all feel pain, we all feel joy,
we all deeply crave to be alive and live freely,
and we all share this planet together.
–Gandhi — 

Tristan‘s earliest days were surely not good ones. He and his 6 siblings were neglected and then dumped to fend for themselves at just 7 weeks of age. Little Tristan had been struggling with a broken leg for several weeks when finally picked up by animal control near Nashville, Tennessee. Tristan was going to be put to sleep because of this injury, but a local rescue stepped in and saved all the puppies. They were all sick and thin and little Tristan was most pitiful. His leg was in need of amputation and this was soon done. He had a host of other health issues and spent many days in the hospital. I arranged to bring him here to help him regain health and be a member of my canine crew. I discovered he has some special dietary needs, but he thrived and grew into a beautiful, loving dog. He is one of my main “pet therapy” dogs, visiting nursing homes and other facilities, to share his sweet, gentle spirit and inspire people with his ability to get around and be always happy.

River:  I rescued River at just 7 weeks of age. His parents had been neglected and starved for a long time. His mom was nearly hairless from untreated mange and one leg was grossly bent from an old untreated break. Because of the lack of nutrition when pregnant, the pups were born in rather poor shape, with River, the runt, the worst of all. He had the mange, several minor birth defects, and  one ear was deaf due to no opening to the ear canal. He also had crooked hind legs with loose knees. With good nutrition and treatments, he has become a beautiful, healthy boy with normal legs and  no problems at all from the issues he was born with. He grew into a big 31 inch tall, 110 pound  guy who  still loves to play and happily greets all my visitors.