Rescue Corner - October 2011

By Veronica Hudak-Moe

The Rescue Corner column began in the August 2011 PCTC newsletter. The Corner will keep you up to date on all the goings-on in PCTC Rescue and more. You’ll be hearing from several of us over the next several issues. We’ll tell you our stories about how we came to rescue and how it has enriched our lives. We invite you to enjoy our stories and maybe join us in Rescue, one of the most gratifying experiences the dog fancy offers.

I met my first Cairn terrier when I was 15. My 28-year-old brother brought home this awkward pup with a big head and huge ears and named him “Cruiser MacTavish Hudak”. Cruiser ended up with my parents a few years later when my brother moved overseas for work. He was sweet, well-behaved, and a master of the hunt. He ruled the neighborhood and liked to eat green peppers out of the garden just as they reached peak ripeness. He was “the best dog” and I determined that someday I would have a Cairn of my own.

Cruiser at age 15

After Ken and I married in 1997, we decided it was time for a dog. Our landlord wouldn’t allow it, so we purchased our first house in Reston. I searched for a Rescue since we didn’t want a puppy and I found Lynda Hammel. Lynda led us to Shell who was a direct referral. My first thought when I saw Shell was “that’s not a Cairn.” She was slightly underweight at 13 pounds and had very little hair on her back end due to inhalant allergies. However, the whole time we visited with her, she brought us her toy and insisted we throw it for her. She was 8 years old but acted much younger. We took her home and quickly discovered that “not all Cairns are like Cruiser.”

Shell was pushy, bossy, demanding, and dog-aggressive. She was “daddy’s girl” and she and I butt heads from the start. I really wanted a second Cairn, but didn’t know if it was possible with Shell’s aggression. However, a year after we adopted Shell, 7-year-old Malcolm came into the PCTC foster program at an obese 30 lbs. He was a gentle giant and gave Shell the space she needed to get used to him and ultimately accept and love him.

Malcolm and Shell

I wanted to be a foster home, but I didn’t think it would work with Shell being, well… Shell, and our home being so small. Then Lynda Hammel wrote a post on the Cairn-List that addressed my doubts and made me realize that I could foster if that was what I really wanted. The full post can be found on our rescue web site, but here’s the part that hit home for me:

What does it really take to foster? Well the desire to save a life is the first step. Then basically all the home needs is a crate and an extra hour a day. I know that we all want to spoil and give undivided attention to our Cairns. So many people say -- I don't have the time or space, or my dogs won't accept another dog at my home, I am over my limit, etc. Well, the alternative is that if there is no room then the dog will be put down. Faced with that option living in a crate for a few weeks is a wonderful choice.

That Lynda Hammel can be quite convincing. I joined the PCTC in January 2000. Ken and I have fostered 33 Cairns since then, including the 3 rotten brats that live with us now: Tavish, Brody, and Oz.

Rescue can be frustrating, heartbreaking, and at times, a thankless job. But it can also be rewarding, interesting, and fun. There is always more to learn and I have had some hilarious characters come through my doors.

Tavish (left) 11 years

Oz (middle) 3 years

Brody (right) 6 years