THE Dawgs of Dogtree Pines

Nubbins, formerly Army, found down in Casa Grande was paralyzed from the neck down. His story is horrific. He was hit in the back of the head with a “blunt object” and thrown out of a car on the side of the highway. While he was lying there waiting for help, he got tick infested. They estimate he laid there for 3 days!

     A blood clot in his neck caused paralysis and he was in a catatonic state. He could not walk and didn’t know how to do even basic things like eating and drinking. I saw that face and I wanted him badly but knew I could not handle a fully paralyzed dog in the middle of 20 others. Luckily, Southwest Oasis Labrador Rescue (SOLR) stepped up and placed him with fosters. I stayed in touch and three months later he was walking, albeit like a drunken sailor, and was ready to come to the sanctuary and join his new pack to continue his recovery. 

     He is now fully recovered with just some lingering oddities. He’s 85 lbs. of pure joy and muscle and he’s the funniest dog to see walk. His little “Nubbin” (nubbed tail) just bounces all over the place with joy...a bit out of control. He’s so beautiful and so sweet and loves exploring his 3-acre forest and having his freedom. He accompanies Tucker on patrols around the back forest making sure that his fence line is secure.  He’s fascinated by the squirrels and can be found staring into the trees in hopes that someday he may catch the little critters. He was one of those "meant to be" miracles. He is absolutely flourishing. When it comes to walks, Nubbs is first in line but instead of walking he takes our volunteers for runs.  Yes he can run in his own awkward beautiful way AND you need to be in shape to keep up with his pace.  Nubbs has a special relationship with his favorite volunteer and he 'chirps' and jumps with glee when he sees her knowing a walk will soon be in the day's events.

Gus formerly Grayson, came to us from the euthanasia list at the Devore Shelter in San Bernardino where he was found living in a pile of garbage. From there he went to the vet for a full workup. He has a horrible spine that is actually fused in a few places, hip dysplasia, allergies that have caused hair loss and places on his skin that are hot to the touch. The worst are his poor ears. That had to sedate him to work on them as they were full of pus and blood. The vet had to use a kitten sized otoscope to even find his ear hole. X-rays showed that his ear infections were so chronic and untreated, that the inside of his ears had calcified and turned to thick bone-like material. This poor guy has been suffering from untreated ear infections for a long time. We are trying everything we can to improve his ear condition, starting with oral and topical antibiotics. Gus may be a candidate for TECA (total ear canal ablation). He was so sweet through the whole uncomfortable vet examination. We are hopeful that his pain level will be better in the near future. Our vet is amazing and when she came in and sat down with Gus, he began rolling back-and-forth on this back kicking his feet in the air, showing off for her. What a funny boy. Maybe he was just happy to finally having someone provide him with some care for his pains.  Gus has survived a hard life and deserves to be here. Gus believes he needs to 'guard' me and we love him for that even more.

Est DOB  2.14.16  Rescued 7.14.24

Two days before Christmas, Navi was rescued by the border by Barb's Dog Rescue. He was in such terrible shape, starved nearly to death and covered in lice and maggots. Much of his body was covered only by raw skin but his biggest problem was an infected wound so deep his bone was exposed and extended down into his paw. 

Fearing amputation was the only option, Barb reached out to Dogtree Pines for help. Navi made his way to the states and to Dogtree Pines to continue his treatment. His wounds were so severe that they had to be treated from the inside out. Medical maggots were delivered to Dr. Delia at Harmony Veterinary Care and inserted into his wound to debride and clean up the damaged flesh. 

Navi spent the better part of 6 months recovering from his severe wounds but he did make a full recovery. His wounds will always show the horrific start to his life but all that has changed now. It was said that all Navi wanted was a family. Navi has a family, has made friends and finally feels safe for the first time in his short life. He wiggles and squiggles all over the bed in the morning with excitement for another day! He has also discovered the "BALL" and lives to play. He's good too...one of the best retrievers we've seen. 

Navi is a volunteer favorite because of his happy outgoing manner and his enthusiasm to play ball. We call him the Mexican Jumping Bean

The Lily flower is associated with fresh life and rebirth. Our little Lily has had a rebirth coming to Dogtree with a swollen abdomen and an emaciated body showing all of her ribs. We heard she was found abandoned in Casa Grande while trying to eat rocks.  Beth and Susan drove to Phoenix to meet the other half of the transport relay and brought her home to us. It just breaks our hearts to think about her pain but Lily is a sweetie and shows no bitterness.  She is also brave and shows her teeth to any pups that approach her while she is eating. After taking Lily to the vet to get her abdomen drained weekly, Cindy continued an aggressive care program for Lily. After several weeks, we noticed that Lily’s abdomen no longer was swelling. Cindy contacted the vet to ask what was happening. The vet really did not have a scientific answer. We, at Dogtree Pines, think it was a miracle and a testament to the love and care here. Lily, does still have congestive heart failure that caused the fluids to drain into her abdomen.  That condition did not allow her to fill her stomach enough to get the needed nourishment. However, now she is able to walk around the sanctuary and join the other pups outside. She is usually found resting on her oversized dog bed but is no longer experiencing pain from the extended abdomen and is able to finally gain some weight to fill in her protruded ribs. 

"Tucker the Great" Pyrenees came to Dogtree Pines when his owner became very ill. United Animal Friends was advertising him for adoption and there were no takers, probably because of his size, his need for property and a job, and the amount this dude eats. That day, I was at my vet office and mentioned him to Dr. Tammy. As it turns out, she has treated Tucker his whole life and knew his owner well. One call later, and we were scheduled to pick up Tucker the following day. Now, we have never had a dog this big and had no idea what to expect. Tucker is the size of a small horse and brings counter surfing to a whole new level. He and Bill bonded almost immediately and Tucker became a permanent of Dogtree Pines. Bill built him the Taj Mahal of dog houses that Tucker absolutely loves. Tucker stays busy guarding the 3-acre fenced property and chasing coyotes, deer & especially javelinas.  Tucker was 8 years old when he came to live at Dogtree.  As he has gotten used to his new home, he has claimed my bathroom as his new dog den (complete with his own personal fan).  Tucker has passed his Good Citizen test and is becoming our Dogtree Mascot at events.

Stevie was the last one left on the euthanasia list Friday and we pulled her at the very end of the day. My friend Meagan drove her up to Dogtree. She is in quarantine getting lots and lots of food. She has a warm bed and a view out the front with a private yard. She is a skinny 33 pounds which is very thin for a shepherd. She has weak back legs and is emaciated with two different types of tick disease. Stevie is younger than initially suspected, aged at 12 years old, but we think she is more like 8 or 10 years old at the most. She is bright and curious and is busy checking things out. I am not sure that she has ever lived in a house because the garage door is open to the yard, however she pees and poos in the garage. It is like that is what she is used to doing because she was never let outside, however we will never know for sure. Stevie learned quickly to go outside as the other dogs showed her the ropes after she joined us in the house. She saw the vet last week and received a welcomed medicated bath, but also received a list of her health problems such as testing positive for degenerate myelopathy. Thank you Meagan for transporting this pretty girl and naming her for us. I am very protective over this sweet, thin lady who will spend her senior years here at DTP.  She is almost always by my side 'guarding' me.                           Est DOB 2.1.2016  |  Rescued 2.18.2024

I would check each morning on this tiny pup to see if anyone had adopted him. Each morning the days that remained before his euthanasia date ticked by. The picture posted on the shelter site of this pup (now named Teddy) was really bad, I mean terrible. Teddy looked like an elderly, disabled, disjointed bear-fox-dog combination. No one wanted him and we swooped in and brought Teddy to Dogtree Pines. We all initially thought Teddy was an elderly dog that had suffered from distempered. We were completely wrong on all accounts. He does move oddly from some type of injury, but he did not have distemper. He is also quite young, a puppy of a few months old. He runs and jumps and chases the squirrels up the trees. Teddy is a fan favorite and could easily be up for adoption however he is a team mascot and is staying put. He entertains pups and people alike. He is one of our favorite success stories that he was a few days from euthanasia but because of Dogtree Pines he is happy and provides happiness to everyone around him. Teddy would have been just a victim of a bad picture but now we cannot take enough pictures of him jumping, running, sleeping, enjoying life and yes, kissing fellow resident Pappi. Check out our Dogtree Pines Facebook page for some precious videos.

Sally is a 15-year-old small lab mix who came to us from Yavapai Humane Society, after she lost her home in early August 2024. She started here in quarantine and was taken to the vet for  tests. We renamed her from Sassy to Sally because it sounds like Sassy although we believe she is deaf so it may not matter much. 

Once we got her tests results, Sally has joined the pack now. She is old but healthy.  When I left for an appointment, I noticed that Sally was in the front yard but upon returning, somehow, she was able to make her way around the maze of construction fences up from the front door through the bedroom and was waiting for dinner in the kitchen.  She was shy at first and avoided eye contact but now she seems to really like it here and has claimed one of the dog beds in the kitchen as hers. The very best thing about Sally is her smile. Her smile makes me smile and makes most everyone else smile.

Est DOB 8.09.2009 | Rescued 8.09.2024

One-eyed-Jack is an interesting story. He was found wandering and homeless in Ash Fork, AZ. A trapping group was called to rescue him, but they had no one to foster so he went straight to boarding at Prescott Animal Hospital. I was called because he was reported to be an "old dog". I went to meet him at PAH and knew immediately that he was not very old. I left to return a week later and decided to foster him. He was not a good candidate for Dogtree Pines because is too young, but the thought of him just sitting in boarding day after day did not sit well with me. Jack (then Sarge) is hard of hearing and blind in one eye, but you would never notice as he gets around perfectly. Once I got him home, I realized he was much younger than once thought, only about 3 years old. Everyone loves him but is afraid of the commitment of a one-eyed dog. After several months, One-eyed-Jack officially became one of the Dogtree Pines pack. He gets along with all the dogs in our pack and gets around quite well, galloping to everywhere he goes.  He especially loves Olive! If you are interested in fostering Jack, he is a lover and is a young, active dog that will be a wonderful addition to your family.