Care For Life ∙ Extended Care

While we are an organization with a no-kill policy, this program was developed to care for those who will live their lives out within the Dal Rescue/Pets At Risk blanket.  Many of these pets are senior, suffer from illnesses and conditions which sometime can be debilitating.  Quality of life is essential to these once companions who lived in the only home they ever knew.  Foster care can provide a substitute family for these pets longing to once again give loyal companionship.

Even though some of these "Care for Life" Dals have challenging needs, let's not rule out the possibility of adoption.  Just ask Dash!  Though he deeply admires Mark and Pati, who for many years had provided the very best for him, he will be the first to tell you that he's ecstatic to be living large in his new "Forever Home".  Who would have thought that Dash could have landed such a great home in his senior years!  Dash's winning smile and elegant charm would not go unnoticed by this family looking to add another spotted member.  Keep an eye out for Dash's success story.

Meet some of the Dalmatians who have been overlooked because of their age or medical conditions.  These Dals would love to live the rest of their lives in a "Forever Home".  If you have room in your home and heart for an elderly Dal that still wags its tail and offers unconditional love, please consider one of our "Care for Life" Dals.  They have earned the right to live life to their fullest no matter what their limitations may be.  We are sure their stories will touch your heart.  Just like elderly people, these Dals have a lifetime of stories to tell and can teach us more about life than you could possibly imagine.  Which Dal will you choose?

 

 

BELL  

Bell came to Dalmatian Rescue in '97 in a very unique fashion.  Late one Thursday night, we received a call from Hialeah Police that a severely beaten liver/white Dalmatian was spotted lying in a ditch.  Mark drove to Hialeah and started his pursuit.  Spotting the abused Dal several times in the rain, dodging in and out of traffic, she eluded Mark until way after midnight.  Exhausting his efforts, Mark returned home empty handed.  That next Monday, we received a call from a lady in Coral Gables that a beaten, bleeding and run down Dalmatian was parked on her doorstep.  Could it be?  Yep, it was Bell.  Rushed to the hospital, she was worn out full of road mange and her face looked like a grenade had exploded in her mouth.  What a mess.  After a long recovery and several years of pampering and emotional heeling, Bell was adopted.  Her new home was brief, as the family relocated out of the country and she was returned to Dal Rescue.  Bell still suffers from her traumatic experience on the street, is extremely timid and shy and will live her remaining years out with Mark and Pati where she started her new leash on life.  For the most part, Bell is a now healthy senior.  For her next few years, she will require the usual maintenance, orthopedic supplements and teeth cleaning and a tremendous amount of love.  Bell is camera shy as a result of her once grotesque appearance, so after all these years we're still working on her self esteem.
 

SOUTHBOUND  

This deaf, abused boy got his name from the direction he was leading Mark and Pati on their way to an anniversary dinner in May of 2000.  Southbound's rescue, aside from his desperate condition, was quite comical. Driving down Biscayne Blvd. for a nice celebration dinner, Pati caught a Dalmatian in her peripheral.  Mark slammed on the brakes, Pati jumps out in dress and high heals with a leash in tow and proceeds to run down the Blvd.  Mark played rodeo roundup in the Explorer, finally cornering this helpless soul in a corner bush of a private gated residential area.  Looking like an episode of Cops, Mark and Pati all but wrestled Southbound to the ground.  Resting with food and water in the car, it was discovered that blood was dripping from freshly cut ears.  Both ears were sliced open in a very precise manner as if intentional. Southbound's physical scars have heeled over time, but he is still very untrusting. Southbound in his later years has started having severe seizures.  His seizures are long and hard.  Comfort is key in this Dal's life and he must remain on anti-seizure medication to control his condition.  The medication after long term use can take a toll on the liver, so bi-yearly liver levels will be necessary as well as necessary routine senior care.
 

101 

The animal control manager of a local shelter called Pati on July 7th of '97 about a liver/white Dal in their facility who needed help right away. Feeling overwhelmed and scrambling to get to the facility, Pati and Carolina found this poor Dal screaming in pain.  The shelter was told that this 3 y.o. Dal fell out of a pickup truck.  It was obvious to Pati that this Dal had a crushed pelvis and hip among other possible internal injuries.  Carolina and Pati gingerly assisted an attendant, carefully placing this painful, scared Dal into the car for a quick trip to the hospital.  While Carolina comforted this Dal in route, Pati counted in her head the amount of Dals they had taken in so far that year and soon realized that WOW, this Dal was the one hundred and first......thus the name "101".  With no funds to afford orthopedic surgery,  Dal Rescue opted for crate rest for this Dal whose injuries were more indicative of blunt force trauma,  perhaps  being beaten with an object such as a ball bat.   Making matters worse, a few years after heeling, "101" became blocked and needed emergency surgery to make a new urinary opening.  For years now, "101" has required a special urinary diet, daily medication and orthopedic pain meds as he still has pain from his crushed pelvis/hip.  Now showing signs of aging, "101" has acquired cataracts and is slowing down considerably.  He is still happy though...... all things considered. "101" likes to meander in the woods and bask in the sun.
 

MACK 

Mack is part of a family surrendered to Dal Rescue.  He is the son of Penny and Marley.  After living only outside and required to guard property, Mack had some things to learn, in fact when he came to Dalmatian Rescue he was totally unsocialized and very ruff around the edges.  Because of his upbringing, Mack has behavioral issues and is not very trusting.  Mack is now 11 years old and happy in his own world.  He and his Mom Penny do things together, however, we lost his dad Marley a couple years ago to bloat.  Mack has learned how to play since he came to rescue, is mannerly in the house now, and even though he is healthy, is not adoptable because of his emotional and behavioral concerns.  Mack seems to be happy just to get attention and chase squirrels all day.

 

BLUE 

While on her way home from the kennel on a very stormy day and just about dark, Pati caught a glimpse of a dog running near the city dump.  At closer look, Pati saw a very scared Dalmatian soaking wet and frantically looking for someone.  After a couple hours of an exhaustive effort to capture this Dal, Pati went home and planned out an early dawn search.  When Pati drove up to the attendant at the dump and asked if anyone had seen a Dalmatian running at large, she was directed over the embankment to a Dalmatian all curled up in the ditch, sound asleep and unaware of his impending capture.  When this Dal opened his eyes, Pati could not believe her eyes, they were bright blue, sad but blue like the sky.  With biscuits and treats in hand Pati coaxed Blue to her hands, quite easily slipped a leash over his neck and off they drove.  Before Blue could even make it to adoptions, he developed bladder stones and required emergency surgery.  After recovery, Blue was placed on daily medication and special diet which he remains on to this day.  Blue is with the care for life gang due to his reoccurring stones and urinary tract infections.  Blue is very quiet, and she adores attention.  Blue is about 9 years old now, still active and loves to eat.
 

DASH 

These puppy-like eyes are really very old eyes. In June of '97 Pati made a "haul" to the local shelter to bail out several Dals on death row.  This particular Dal at the estimated age of 2 was trying to assist Pati before he even met her.  You see, this creative Dal learned how to open all the kennel door latches with his nose.  He could be spotted walking down the aisle of the shelter with an entourage of various shelter dogs behind him.  Seems Dash was masterminding a "jail break" of his own!  So now we know how Dash got his name!  While he had a home for a short period of time, the family returned Dash saying he was destructive.  This deaf boy doesn't have a destructive bone in his body.  Dash is a big smiler, very loving and affectionate and has been passed over for adoption for all these years perhaps because of his deafness, but certainly not because he is destructive.  Dash, like most of the "Care for Life" Dals is aging with cataracts, arthritis and generally slowing down.  Orthopedic care, yearly dentals and soft cushy places to lay keep this handsome smiling face happy.  Of course, special attention and lots of petting are at the top of Dash's list.