COCKER SPANIEL RESCUE OF EAST TEXAS - HOUSTON

The Saga of the Rosenberg 32

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 On May 29, 2009, Cocker Spaniel Rescue recieved word that the Houston SPCA had taken custody of 32 adult cocker spaniels from a residence in Rosenberg.  The seizure, captured by several local television stations showed horribly matted and filthy dogs.  Click this link to one of the news stories archived on a Houston TV station's web site. (Note: CSR has no control over this site. It is posted solely for background information. Comments attached to this news item are strictly the opinions of the individuals making the posts. They have no association with CSR).
Having experience in grooming matted cocker spaniels, CSR offered our assistance the SPCA.  On June 8, a Fort Bend County court granted custody of the dogs to Houston SPCA.  On June 9, The SPCA and CSR worked out a grooming plan and on June 10, a grooming team from CSR arrived with clippers in hand.  Here's  some of what they encountered.
Channel 26 did a story on the grooming
  		A YouTube video from a CSR Volunteer
Just as our troops landed in Normandy to liberate Europe from the Nazis, the Houston SPCA landed in Rosenberg to liberate 32 cocker spaniels living in squalor. Confined two to a cage, with little food and dirty water, the cockers desperately needed liberating. Their coats were heavily matted with feces and urine, the underlying skin rotting away. Some of the dogs could not walk because of the mats.

Sick at the thought of these cockers virtually in our own backyard, Cocker Spaniel Rescue of East Texas has offered assistance to the SPCA. Grooming is the number one priority. We expect a minimum of 4 hours per dog is needed (usually a cocker takes less than one hour to groom). Mats this heavy will dull expensive blades and scissors quickly. Medicated shampoos are needed to sooth the raw skin. CSR may easily incur $2,000 grooming these cockers.

CSR had over 100 cocker spaniels in rescue before accepting any of the Rosenberg 32. We have approximately 70 foster spots, with the remaining cockers in boarding. With your generous donations, adoption fees, and fund raising we manage to make ends meet, but our funds are critically low right now.

CSR is currently determining whether to close our doors to incoming until our head count is down and we replenish our funds. If we decide to temporarily close our doors, we would not be able to take any of the Rosenberg 32. If, when and how many we can accept depends on the support we receive from the community.

Our most desperate need is for foster homes. Cocker Spaniels need to be in homes, not kenneled in boarding facilities. This is especially true for the Rosenberg 32. All these dogs seem to have good personalities but we do not know if they are housebroken. For more information on fostering click here, send us an email at cockerinfo@swbell.net with your phone number or call the hotline at 713-208-1314.

Foster homes save us boarding expense, allowing money to be spent on veterinary care. The arrival of the Rosenberg 32 may delay surgeries for dogs like Pollyanna who needs cataract surgery.

After foster homes, our next greatest need is money. Veterinary care and boarding is expensive but saves cocker lives. Once we accept a cocker into CSR, we are committed to meeting its needs. We do not know the health issues of the Rosenberg 32. CSR wants to accept as many of these dogs for which we can responsibly care. The cockers will need time, attention and lots of love. You can help liberate a Rosenberg 32 by opening your home temporarily to foster a cocker spaniel and/or generously donating to Cocker Spaniel Rescue of East Texas.

Please mail your donation to:
Cocker Spaniel Rescue of East Texas
P.O. Box 7326
The Woodlands, TX, 77380-7326
or you may donate through PayPal.

Lyndsie

Cocker Spaniel Rescue gratefully acknowledges all the assistance in the form of money, supplies, grooming products and moral support that outpoured from all over the country - nay - the entire North American continent. The generousity of cocker spaniel lovers has been phenominal and has given these dogs a much brighter future. Thank you so much.

Update 06/27/09:

Rescued, bathed and groomed, The Rosenberg 32 have moved on to Phase Two of their path to new forever homes. Despite initial news accounts of there being 33 dogs, the actual number was 32. Of the 32, unfortunately one passed away shortly after the rescue. Seventeen of the dogs are in the SPCA's adoption program. Cocker Spaniel Rescue has custody of the remaining 14, many of whom are senior cockers. These dogs aren't ready for adoption, but please watch the website for their availablilty.

Update 06/16/09:

Angelica...still being a little angel. Loves attention.
Lyndsie...OMG!!! This girl is coming along nicely. Tonight she got to run around without a leash and she started to play with other dogs!!! Right now, Lyndsie and Angelica are laying next to each other on the couch!!! I am so proud of her!!! She still has baggage but she is unpacking it.
Today they got new collars. Lyndsie's collar is light pink and Angelica's is pink camo.

Update 06/15/09:

Angelica is a great little girl. She loves to snuggle. She gets along with everybody. She wet her kennel the first night but not last night. She is such a sweetie. Her ear is still a little stinky. We are putting the antibiotic drops in there twice a day. It will take time to heal.
Lyndsie is doing pretty good. She is OK with the others but would prefer if she was the only dog around. I think her personality would be totally different if she was by herself. I keep a leash on her so I can get on to her for growling. Right now she is laying next to me on the couch resting. She will growl if anyone else wants to be on the couch. With time and loving care she will be OK. I do think that she will need to go to a person that is dog savy with these kinds of dogs. Lyndsie's personality changed from one type of dog to another after grooming. She really is a sweet girl but she just has some baggage to unpack.

Update 06/14/09:

CSR looked through the pictures taken during the groom-fest, and it is really difficult to put together before and after photos because there is such a dramatic difference between the way the dogs looked at rescue and how they look after grooming and bathing. The dogs were in full cocker cuts, with their long skirts and feathers heavily matted. They had to be clipped down to the skin which was red, sore and tender.

Update 06/13/09:

A few of the Rosenberg dogs have started to arrive in foster homes! Lyndsie got sprung early because behavior testing indicated some "resource guarding." In other words, she growls if you try to take her food away. Not a major problem for most Cocker lovers. The lady grooming Lyndsie thought she was so special she deserved a second chance.
Angelica was released for medical reasons. The volunteer grooming her Friday noticed pus draining from Angelica's ears and a sore so large the volunteer feared Angelica might need the ear amputated. The SPCA vets quickly anesthesized her and debrided the wound. The vet feels with antibiotic treatment the ear will heal.
Neither Lyndsie or Angelica are currently available for adoption but may be in the future.

Update 06/12/09:

Whew! The gargantuan job of grooming the dogs is complete. After putting in almost 40 man-hours of work each day for three days, all the dogs seem more comfortable despite raw skin and open sores caused by the mats. The dogs can once again walk without a hobbled gait; their skin can breathe; their feet can touch the ground; their beauty is evident. Some of these dogs will be magnificent when their skin heals, their coats grow back and they build back up to a healthy weight. The world has brightened considerably for The Rosenberg 32. What happens next to these guys is in the caring hands of the Houston SPCA. CSR stands ready to work with the SPCA to find foster and forever homes. Another chapter of this book has ended, but the story continues . . .

Update 06/11/09:

A team of CSR volunteers was back to help the SPCA with more bathing and grooming. At the end of another long day there are only 5 more to do tomorrow. One of our volunteers recorded some of the action for YouTube. The video is embedded near the top of this page.

Update 06/10/09:

Today a crew of seven CSR volunteers groomed and bathed 12 of the Rosenberg dogs. Some dogs took as long as seven hours to shave down. However these were the "easy" dogs. There is a horrid stench, a lot of red, irritated skin and sores. Some of the dogs are so thin you can see their hip bones. These dogs are so grateful to have human contact and be clean again. Thankfully all have been cooperative and friendly despite the pain involved in shaving off huge mats.

Update 06/9/09:

A Ft. Bend County court awarded custody of the Rosenberg 32 to the SPCA. CSR stands ready to help with the grooming and bathing of these precious Cocker Kids.

Lyndsie

Angelica


Update on the Rosenberg 32
UPDATE AS OF August 1 -
All but five (5!) of the Rosenberg 32 have found new homes. These remaining dogs could sure use a good home.

7/5/2009
(To view the story and earlier updates on this SPCA rescue, click this link).

It has taken a couple of weeks, but Cocker Spaniel Rescue finally has thirteen dogs the SPCA decided to turn over to us. The remaining nineteen had various dispositions: By court decision, three dogs were released to interested parites; one dog was allowed to be adopted by an interested party; and one dog died in custody. Thirteen were retained by the SPCA for their adoption program and one is still has a pending status.

The first to come to the Cocker Inn were Lyndsie and Angelica. Lyndsie's foster mom says she sees none of the food aggression SPCA evaluators noticed. Angelica's ear has healed nicely. Both girls have adapted to living in a home very easily.

The next to leave the shelter were Mikayla and Emily. They will travel to Oregon to live out their lives.

Dolly was sprung one Friday. Dolly is an elegant and gracious lady whose personality is blossoming.

On Sunday, June 28 we pulled another eight dogs. Adam, Buffy, Callie, Cinderfella, DeDe, Katy Jane and Maggie made for an interesting trip to the Cocker Inn. Nadia and Cinderfella are in foster homes in the Houston area. Adam, DeDe, Katy Jane and Maggie are in foster homes in the Dallas area. Dolly, Buffy and Callie are scheduled to move to foster homes shortly.

In our estimation the ages of dogs range from one and a half years to five or six years. Adam, Mikayla and Emily have permanent homes but the remainder will be available for adoption. The others are being rehabilitated largely for skin issues. We are also working on their social skills and housebreaking. Despite all they have been through, this group of dogs have some of the best personalities we have ever seen.

While we know your heart goes out to these darling dogs remember that they are not your typical rescue dogs. These were show dogs, not household pets. They are not housebroken and it may take a long time to do so. Prospective adopters need to be prepared to spend time helping these dogs adjust to life in a home with a family.

Please watch our website for additional information on specific dogs. If you are interested in adopting any of these dogs, please submit an application.

The plight of the Rosenberg 32 has touched the hearts of many people out there, and Cocker Spaniel Rescue is so grateful for the outpouring of support in the form of money, medical supplies, grooming products and moral support.

Among our generous supporters is Merilegs Cockers at http://TheJoyofBeingDog.com In an effort to raise money for the care and treatment of the Rosenberg 32 and the CSR volunteers who groomed them, for a limited time, Merilegs Cockers is selling items with their own Cocker Spaniel designs/photography and donating 100% of profits from the Cocker Memorial section and 50% of profits from the regular Cocker section. These unique Cocker designs can be found on apparel, home decor & more. They also accept custom orders and will even use your own photos.
To order cocker merchandice and help CSR Care for the Rosenberg 32, click the box below.

Update on the Rosenberg 32
UPDATE AS OF November 1 -
Katy Jane has been adopted, leaving Maggie as the lone Rosenberg 32 dog still in need of a forever home.

Callie is doing fine in her new home, but she has developed a common knee problem that looks like will require surgery. Pictured at left is a happy Callie with her Mom. To read the latest update from Callie's new family, click this link.

DeDe had to take an airplane ride to get to her new home in New Hampshire. She arrived right on time and is doing fantastic in her forever home.

Cinderfella, now known as Luke, dropped by the adoption in Lake Jackson just to check in with his former foster Mom. Luke is happy, looking great and loving his new life in his forever home.

The Rosenberg 32, because of their previous life (To view the story and earlier updates on this SPCA rescue, click this link), are going to take special care and patience to ease them into life as a pampered house dog. We've posted the remaining dogs in the Available Dogs section of this web site. To help distinguish the Rosenberg 32, their box has a rose colored background. To get more information on these special needs cocker kids, send an email to: cockerinfo@swbell.net