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When I rescued my Pointer Westleigh in 1998 (Grandson of Miller's Silver Bullet), my main goal was to train him in dog agility. Fortunately for me--Wes had other ideas!! His pedigree showed he was from one of the most successful Field Bred Stud Book lines and he was determined to make sure his momma learned about FDSB Field trialing and AKC Hunt tests and Field Trials. Once Thelmalou, my Field Bred English Setter joined the family, I was able to learn the differences in running styles and bidability of both breeds. Buckwheat joined the family for one reason-- to show that dogs with mixed breed ancentry can also point and hunt like their purebred bracemates--and in most cases BETTER!!!
Wes, Thelmalou and Buckwheat had the benefits of being raised in a loving caring home which helped with their confidence in the field and training on birds. Most of the dogs and puppies we bring into IBR's foster care program are not so lucky. Most have suffered abuse and neglect and many are in poor health. Most of the dogs we bring in have suffered from harsh training methods and only a small percentage will regain their confidence through much TLC and patience in our foster care program. Sadly--most of our dogs come from the American Field trial community and are found as strays or are dumped into high kill shelters once their owners deem them useless.
IBR's work in this area is so important. Not only are we able to help some of these dogs overcome some of their past abuse and neglect, but we are also able to retrain and build their confidence in the field. These dogs are incredibly resilient and many do forget their horrible past and regain their joy and enthusiasm to work again in the field. As part of our adoption program, ALL are also spayed and neutered and THIS in no way affects their desire and natural ability to work in the field. Being treated with kindness and affection and being able to bond closely with their foster parents also creates a more loyal companion.
The dogs in this section are some of the few we were able to rehabilitate and many have gone on to loving hunting/pet homes much to the delight of their adopters.
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In June of 2004, we were told about a sweet Liver and White Pointer that was in danger of being put to sleep in an over crowded shelter in Robinson, IL. Nala was pulled to safely and after a few weeks of TLC- it was discovered that she was pregnant. She was so malnourished and as this was our first rescue litter we were unprepared for her complicated pregnancy. After a difficult delivery- Nala needed to be rushed to the ER as a puppy was stuck in the birth canal. After a C section we had 11 surviving puppies that needed to be bottle feed while Nala recovered.
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Skeets was born as puppy #2 as baby Baloo. Chris had just let her beloved Agility companion go and instantly felt a connection to Nala's litter. Natalie, Nala's foster mom, hand picked out Baloo for Chris and at 9 weeks old, he flew to sunny New Port Richey Florida to start his new life chasing lizards in the back yard while also learning all about dog agility. |
Renamed Skeets after the World Champion hurdler Renaldo Nehemiah, Skeets and Chris have been entertaining the Agility crowds in and around Florida for years with his silly Pointer antics. After a lot of hard work and maturity, Skeets and Chris completed his Master Agility Championship in 2011. Skeets was also ranked the #2 Pointer in the country for breed rankings in Dog Agility in the AKC for 2011. We are so proud of them both for their amazing accomplishments. Please enjoy some of Team Dewey's photos below.
On April 3rd, 2011, IBR's adopted Pointer Cassie completed her fourth qualifier to achieve her AKC Junior Hunter Title with proud papa Steve. Cassie was saved from an over crowded shelter in Manhattan, Kansas in the winter of 2008. She was adopted by Christine and Steve Selep in early 2009. They have both worked very hard on Cassie's training and she achieved her four Junior's passes is four attempts gaining perfect scores of 10 along the way. Many judges were very complimentary of her hunting abilites and can't believe she is a rescue dog. Chris and Steve also adopted Pointers Abe and Petey (pictured above with Rex). You Go Girl!
Cassie was rescued from an over crowded shelter in Manhattan, KS in the fall of 2008. After bouncing from foster home to foster home in Minnesota, she finally arrived in Illinois. I thought she made the worst first impression upon the Seleps when I did their home visit with her but upon seeing her on pheasant in early 2009, Chris and Steve added her to their family. Cassie has two legs towards her Junior Hunter title.
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Abe aka Abraham was found by animal control left for dead on the side of a ditch in southern Illinois. His beautiful tail had been severed off and he had several areas of road rash and we can only imagine he was most likely dumped out of a car and was hit soon after. Candy Thomas pulled him to safety when his time was up at the over crowded shelter he was at. Blood work soon showed he was positive for heartworm disease. Chris and Steve offered to foster him and prior to treatment it was also discovered Abe was infected with a tick borne illness common in Illinois called Rocky Mountain spotted fever--which he still struggles with today. The first time we tested him on pheasant-however-he was amazing! Abe has a breeder tattoo in his ear; could be from a big name breeder in IL. Chris adores this dog and calls him her squishy boy :O). Abe has two legs towards his Junior Hunter title. 
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Petey-Pie was a very frightened 6 month old puppy that would have been put to sleep at the Hinsdale Humane Society as unadoptable if Chris didn't commit to fostering him. He had terrible cage anxiety and food and fear aggression. While his first IDEXX 371 tick panel was negative, we started him on a month course of doxycycline. He continued to struggle with his issues although he was amazing on birds everytime we tested him. Follow up tick panel this summer did reveal the Rocky Mountain spotted fever that was hiding. He is being retreated but for much longer. Thanks to Chris and Steve he should recover and become a wonderful pet and hunting companion. We did track down his breeder as the original owner that dumped him at the Hinsdale Shelter did supply us with that information. Petey is now dual registered with the Field Dog Stud Book and the American Kennel Club.
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BIG CONGRATULATIONS to Meg Hoffman and her IBR adopted English Setter Heathcliff aka Cliff for finishing his AKC Junior Hunter's title this spring.
Heathcliff was pulled from a very high kill shelter in Southern Illinois by a friend of the rescue, Cancy Thomas. He was out of time and while we didn't have a foster home opening, Candy opened her home and got his vetting started until we could make room. Cliff was ornery and "snarky" upon arrival to foster care but blood work showed he was infected with Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) and with the headaches, hot flashes and joint pain, that would make any dog grumpy. IBR was in the initial stages of our tick borne illness research and we knew that any aggression could be related to his low positive diagnosis. While undergoing doxycycline therapy, Cliff also suffered from severe separation anxiety and became a very challenging foster dog for his very experienced foster mom--Pat. Follow up tick panels also revealed Cliff was also fighting Ehrlichia and Lyme disease.
Through patience and understanding and months of antibiotics, a very crabby, frightened senior Setter blossomed into the amazing hunting dog. Pat's love/hate relationship with Cliff turned into a true love affair as she helped him overcome his demons. It took a bit of arm pulling on my part but having noticed Cliff's very reliable off leash skills and pointing abilities, I convinced Pat to run him in a hunt test last October once we had his AKC registration accepted. Cliff's PAL name became IBR's Unrequited Love as a tribute to the book Wuthering Heights and the character he was named after. I have NEVER in 6 years of my acquaintance with Pat, saw her as happy and proud as the day she ran Cliff and worked him magnificently in her first hunt test and PASSED!! She was a natural and Cliff made it look easy.
On January 30th, Heathcliff was adopted to a wonderful family in Madison, WI and they agreed to continue his medication and retest in the spring. Cliff was their first English Setter and he started working in the field and pointing birds to their delight. In the spring, Cliff's new mom ran him in 3 consecutive AKC Hunt tests with solid scores and her first titled Setter. We could not be more proud of them both. Cliff's follow up tick panel in June shows his Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever are gone--but he still has antibodies for Ehrlichia so he will continue treatment and hopefully be negative in a few more months.
Here is a nice email we got from Candy once she heard of Cliff's recent accomplishment, "Meg, what a difference a year makes !!!! It was a year ago, June 1st, that I discovered CLIFF at the pound. He came in that day and just look at him now. This exceeds all hopes and dreams we have for our rescue dogs. There is so much sorrow and pain in rescue and many times when dogs cannot be spared euthanasia or illness strikes them, this is one case that keeps the hope alive and keeps the 'fire in my belly' as the old saying goes-- to continue on when all seems futile. --Candy"
 Jules looking amazing on point. |
 Jules on nice pheasant find. |
Jules is one of IBR's amazing success stories. She only had a few days left in an over-crowded shelter in Hopkinsville, KY in December of 2008 when we located a foster home for her. Upon arrival to foster care, Jules showed some fear aggression and bloodwork showed she had Lyme disease most likely because her owner didn't use a flea and tick preventative. We started her on antibiotics even before we got the Lyme diagnosis because her behavior was untypical of a happy- go - lucky Pointer. After 3 weeks on antibiotics we had her spayed but it was too soon and she struggled with swelling and pain. Jules continued to show fear aggession and anxiety for several more months. The first time we tested her on pheasant the end of February 2009, Jules was overwhelmed, frightened and couldn't even be handled. She would just cower on the ground--she was so pathetic--poor baby.
In early March, Jules moved to foster care with the President of IBR to help build her confidence. With several months of antibiotic treatment for her Lyme disease, Jules finally started to show improvement in her temperament and personality. Much to our delight, her confidence and birdiness began to show through. As her brain started to heal, Jules started to lock on point on every tweetie bird and squirrel in the back yard. Off leash training started at this time and Jules showed herself to be a true Field Trial prodigy- running with huge independent casts, taking every tree line all the while her tail whipping back and forth with such energy and enthusiasm. Jules also showed herself to be 100% reliable with her recall no matter how big she ran while her off leash training continued.
In April of 2009, with Jules' progress in foster care and her natural ability to point coming back, she was registered with the AKC and was allowed to run in a Field Trial for ribbons. Jules ran beautifully off of horseback and we have no doubt she is from Ferrel Miller's breeding stock- watch Animal Planet's Breed All About It--Pointers. Sadly, what Animal Planet doesn't know is that any dog or puppy that doesn't meet with Ferrel's standards are culled (killed). It is common knowledge that Mr. Miller will take a load of pups to Canada for training and several won't return to Paducah, KY.
With the 17 Jules has tatooed in her left ear--she is just one of many of a Field Trial Pro's assembly line of Pointer pups (much like the puppies in the Animal Planet Video) that didn't cut it--through no fault of her own because of her undiagnosed Lyme disease illness. What a tragedy it would have been if Jules had been euthanized in an over-crowded shelter and dumped in a land fill in rural Kentucky somewhere.
As a side note, TWO IDEXX 4DX Heartworm, Lyme disease, Ehrlichia, Anaplasma Snap Tests missed her Lyme disease. A Tick Panel Serology test caught it. We treated Jules for 12 weeks on doxycycline and retest 2 months later showed she was cured.
Heathcliff is another member of the IBR Rocky Mountain Spotted fever (RMSF) club. RMSF is the most common tick borne illness we are diagnosing in our rescue dogs--especially those anywhere in Illinois. Heathcliff came in from Southern Illinois and began treatment right away as he was exhibiting neurological issues and aggression. As he started to feel better his energy level and concentration and focus got better and his snarkiness disappated. Who wouldn't be cranky with a fever and headache?
With his focus came his desire to hunt and amazing bird finding ability at the fall hunt test. We are hopeful Cliff will be adopted and adored by a loving family that will allow him to work in the field as well as being a spoiled rotten pet. Special THANK YOU goes out to Pat Malcor, IBR's Blog Mistress (pictured with Cliff). She had never competed in a hunt test before but as his foster mom- I wanted her to be the one to handle him. Much to her delight they did a great job!!
Left for dead in a ditch in Southern Illinois January, 2009, Abraham has come a long way in a short time. Not only did Abe loose part of his tail in what we can only guess to be a hit and run accident, he also has some scaring on his back legs.
Abe’s road to recovery took many months of TLC as he was also diagnosed with heartworm disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) once he arrived in foster care with Christine Selep and family on Valentine’s day. While Abe started on his antibiotics to combat his RMSF prior to heartworm treatment, he struggled with nausea, joint pain and fevers. Because we took our time, two months after heartworm treatment, Abe’s tests are now NEG!!
During Abe’s convalescence, Christine decided she just couldn’t let her “squishy boy” be adopted by anyone else. She has worked hard on his off leash hunting and recall training as Abraham has an amazing nose for upland birds and quite a stylish point. Both were rewarded with their first Junior’s pass at a recent AKC Hunt test. We have no doubt that Chris and Abe will go on to complete his JH title.
 Cassie on a nice pheasant find. |
 Cassie and Steve's first Hunt test Q. |
Cassandra was pulled from an overcrowded shelter in Manhattan, Kansas after voluteers tried their hardest not to put her to sleep when conditions became over crowded. What a waste that would have been--but sadly Cassie's story is all too common as many aren't as lucky as she and don't make it out alive. It took Cassie a long time to bond with Steve and Christine as we do think she was ignored most of her young life and didn't even know how to respond to cuddles and affection. Abe was very helpful in building Cassie's confidence around humans and now she is very well adjusted and a spoiled rotten house pet with an amazing hunting drive in the field.
Bogie came to the rescue in June of 2006. I am convinced he came to me for one reason--to learn how Rocky Mountain spotted fever, RMSF (a tick borne illness) can affect English Setters. Bogie's health and allergy issues for the past 3 1/2 years can all be linked to his RMSF exposure and all the bad advise we got from many vets who were sadly following outdated information that is available about this troubling disease. The spring of 2009 I took matters into my own hands and treated Bogie for his "exposure titer" and almost immediately he started to feel better. His fevers, itchiness, skin leisions and behavior started to improve and we hope that follow up testing will confirm that he is in remission.
Bogie is a MANIAC in the field--but with his RMSF scatterbrained behavior--would hunt on his own. He is one of the most independent Setters I have ever met. I am hopeful to continue his training and get him to be a reliable hunting companion. He may always have allergy issues--but I am thrilled that I never had to get him on life shortening steroids to help find him some relief. I am hopeful that what we have learned about Bogie--will be published in a way to help vets better dianose dogs with chronic allergy issues.
09-04-07 HUNT TEST UPDATE: Well Bronson did very well at his first local Hunt test. He has come a long way from the frightened abused Pointer who was pulled with days to spare back in March of this year. He made his foster Mommy very proud on Labor Day getting his first JH pass. He pointed several quail and even retrieved one to hand. He appears to be over his gun shyness but needs a lot of work on his recall. It was a feel good to see him somewhat at ease around new dogs and people- especially men.
Bronson has turned into a first class house dog too and the fact that he lives indoors and IS neutered has no affect on his hunting desire. Many folks would argue that these dogs won't hunt unless they live outdoors and are left intact- NOT TRUE!!
Be sure to check out Bronson's Blog to read his full story and to follow his progress.
In the puppy stakes, placing first was parvo surivor, Hercules (pictured on right), placing third was Maverick (middle), and placing fourth was Duchess (left). Way to go puppies!!!
 Way to go Alex and Ben!!! |
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 Rocky got 2 legs towards his title that weekend! |
 Rocky in the field. (Photo by Pet Personalities.) |
 Mary and Rocky grab their first orange ribbon. |
 Rocky with a beautiful point in the bird field. |
 Zac and Maverick (one of Nala's pups grab their first orange ribbon also. |
 Mav on point in the bird field. |
 Ben and Alex grab their first orange ribbon also. |
 Alex with a stunning point in the bird field. |
 Alex is greeting the crowd. |
 Mav's hanging out in the clubhouse waiting for his ribbon! |
 Rob and Ivy secure their second JH leg. |
 Rob and Oliver also had some success. |
Saturday at East Central Illinois Pointer and Setter Club (ECIPS) Pete took 3rd place in Derby and Billy took 3rd place in Gundog. Both dogs had outstanding runs. Pete had about 3 finds in the Derby. Billy did not find any birds, probably due to the drizzling rain, but he handled better than he ever has.
On Sunday Alex, one of our newest rescues, creamed the competition in the Central Prairie Field Trial taking both 2nd place in Derby and 2nd place in puppy. Billy again took 3rd place in Gundog with an excellent bird find! Pixie was a little overwhelmed with excitement at her first field trial. While she didn't hunt as nicely as her mom would have liked, they both had a fabulous time walking.
Congratulations to everyone!!! We are proud to have you represent Illinois Birddog Rescue, Inc.
 Billy - 3rd place Gundog and Pete - 3rd place in Derby |
 Alex - 2nd place Puppy and 2nd place Derby |
 Billy - 3rd place Gundog |
 Buckwheat's first baby picture |
 Buckwheat earns his Junior Hunter Title |
Thelmalou's Little Rascal aka Buckwheat finished his Junior Hunter Title on Saturday :O). Weeties came in with a litter of 6 Pointer looking puppies a year ago April from Connie Guthrie of Save Our Strays. He was the only one of the six to come down with Parvo and survived and I just couldn't let him go. One of my goals with him was to ILP, ( Indefinite Listing Privilege ), him as a Pointer and try and get an AKC Hunting title on him. On his way to his Junior Hunter Title he proved himself to be quite the little hunter and in many cases he out ran, and out hunted his Pure bred bracemates. His scores were always very respectable too. I am very proud of him and that we achieved this goal.
Wes did a fabulous job on Sunday. I entered him only that day because I knew the judges would appreciate my big running Pointer. He was braced with a young Weimaraner who gave up trying to chase him after a few minutes. Wes ran big but under control. As he entered the bird field he slammed on Point and I heard the judges say, "That's what I'm talking about!", commenting on his style. He continued to run big covering the trees lines surrounding the bird field and hit every edge always keeping an eye on me and cracking his happy long Pointer tail. He just handled beautifully for the short time he was on the ground. Both judges went out of their way to say how much they enjoyed watching him work and how flashy he is and of course they had to ask if he was altered...
They also LOVED Jessie's "Billy Bob" and gave him great scores and great compliments on his running, hunting and pointing style. I filled them in on how he was a rescue out of Knoxville, Tennessee and that he was surrendered because he was gun shy- NOT!! Jessie and Billy finished their JH on Sunday as the second Illinois Birddog Rescue to achieve that title. This is Jessie's first ever Pointer and Billy just ADORES her-he gives her googily eyes. WAY TO GO!!!!!!
We will be heading down to Leroy, Il for an American Field Walking trail the end of October to run with the Good 'OL Boys and the Pointer Birdawgs...Actually they are very nice and appreciate the work we are doing for Illinois Birddog Rescue.
Lisa Spakowski-President
Illinois Birddog Rescue, Inc
Illinois Birddog Rescue
Lucky Pets Petsitting/ Lucky Canine Agility
Lucky Pets--Facebook
 Billy Bob's first qualifying round |
 Billy Bob's second qualifying round |
 Wesleigh's qualifying Junior Hunter run |
