The four colors of Pointers (shown by some of our adopted dogs): Lemon and White (Ernie), Black and White (Chaz), Liver and White (Pheasant), and Orange and White (Burt). Note that the only difference between a lemon and an orange Pointer is that the lemons have a flesh-colored nose (pinkish) and the oranges have a black pigmented nose.
A Guide To This Webpage
Welcome to Pointers From Oz! This webpage has a ton of information on it! As a quick guide, we have featured dogs and urgent situations up at the top, and towards the bottom of the page we have information about the Pointer breed and our adoption process. If you are seriously interested in adopting a dog from us, I would highly recommend spending 10-15 minutes reading this page. You will be much more knowledgeable about Pointers (aka English Pointers) and our rescue group, Pointers From Oz.
Teen Mom Epidemic
We recently have has an onslaught of puppies at Pointers From Oz – five litters (or partial litters) to be exact. Well, we have found homes for nearly all of the puppies. But we now have five homeless young mommas. All of them are very young at two years of age or less (that’s a teenager in dog years). They’ve all been great moms, and watched their babies go to their forever homes. Now it’s their turn. Please take a look at these lovely girls to see if any of them would fit into your family:
Annie Oakley – Mom to Slim Pickens and Roy Rogers. Annie is a smaller Pointer (36 lbs). Annie also underwent heartworm treatment with us, so has been with us for some time. Annie would do best in a home where she is the only dog. She has done fine with dogs at our house, but is a little bit of a princess and utterly adores her people. So, to play it safe, we are looking for a home where she can be a spoiled only dog. She also isn’t sure what to make of cats, so no cats for her.
Viva – Mom to the Fraggle Litter, only Gobo Fraggle survived. Viva is a petite little girl (not quite 30 lbs). She is shy and submissive and would do best in a gentle home with older (or no) kids. Viva is still quite thin, in large part because she has been shuffled around a lot in the last couple months – the shelter, vet’s office, foster home in Alabama, and now with us. She needs some stability in her life. We have found that our shy dogs tend to do best with an outgoing dog. Viva would be happy to live with dogs of either gender, and she is good with cats.
Tori – Mom to the Veggie Litter, only Okra and Pumpkin survived. Tori will be about 45-50 lbs when she fills out. If you need a good laugh, Tori might be the one for you. She is always happy with a big grin on her face, loves to tap dance, and is very social. She was more of a working mom; she took great care of her puppies, but was content to leave them to go outside and play or visit with us in the house.
Susannah – Mom to the Disney Litter. Susannah and her kids have been living the good life on a sheep farm in Kentucky. Susannah is great with the other dogs and cats on the farm (she thinks chickens are for hunting though). She has also been getting loved on by two great young girls, so would be happy to live in a household with kids.
Eva – Mom to the Stars Litter. Eva is a mellow, sweet, submissive girl. She would fit into just about any family looking for a calm dog in the house that loves outdoor adventures too.
Five 8-10 week old English Pointer babies were dumped in a ditch on the side of the road to starve to death, be eaten by coyotes or hit by cars (unfortunately there were 6 but one had already been hit by a car). These sweet, happy most loving babies did not deserve this! Luckily, RockySpot Dalmatian Rescue was notified about them, and took them in. They were full of worms and weak from hunger. They took them home and dewormed and fed them and even gave their first round puppy shots. When we found out about them, we immediately offered to take them in and find them great Pointer homes. Unfortunately, the puppies contracted Parvovirus, a deadly puppy disease that is easily preventable by vaccines.
On 4/17/09, Ando Hero started acting a little lethargic and stopped eating. The rescue group in Oklahoma (RockySpot) immediately took him to the vet’s office where he tested a mild positive for parvo. He began being treated for it with IV fluids and plasma. He is still doing well, but is in need of continued care. The vet's estimate for his care is $800-$1200.
On 4/19/09, the remaining puppies broke with parvo and started showing the same symptoms as Ando, as well as bloody diarrhea.
The 4/21 Update from RockySpot: Ando had a very bad day on Sunday but a really good one on Monday.. but today Tuesday he is vomiting again. Still no food and that concerns me as he needs to eat soon! Hiro is still vomiting and having bloody stool but he did hold down a tiny bit of chicken today. The other 3 are here at the rescue getting fluids and shots twice a day and feeling very bad. Daphne was bouncing good yesterday and eating like a pig.. kept us all in tears laughing at her antics but today she is slowing down and not eating :-( She is the only one who tested negative for Parvo so far. The vet said the chances of her coming down with it are extremely high. Claire seems a bit better today as she actually is walking around some but Syler won't get up out of bed. The only good news from Sylar is that he can now wag his tail again even though he does not want to raise his head. Praying we can maintain them at home and not have to make the decision to hospitalize them ..or not.
UPDATE 4/26/09: Sadly, Ando lost his battle with parvo, and died on his own early Friday morning at the vet's office. We did everything possible for this guy, including two plasma transfusions... but he just couldn't beat it. Sylar and Claire are doing wonderfully, and Claire actually jumped in the air, spun around and caught a bug! When she did that, her foster mom knew she'd be fine. Daphne and Hiro are still sick and are doing their best to get better. We are still very worried about them.
RockySpot and Pointers From Oz are going to do everything we can financially afford to try to save these puppies. But, we are in dire need of donations right now. If you are able to help out with a donation (whether small or big), please do!
UPDATE 5/21/09: Claire and Sylar are heading home in the next week. Claire is going to St Louis and Sylar to New York. Daphne will be going to her new home in Texas in June. Hiro is still very thin and not doing well. He’s in the best foster home in Oklahoma, and we are all hoping for the best for him.
THANK YOU TO ALL for donations both to RockySpot and to Pointers From Oz (we are paying the vet’s office in Oklahoma directly). You guys are the best!!! Without you they would not be here today!
These puppies are lucky to be at a top notch 24-hour vet facility. Ando’s vet bill (of over $1200 has been covered) and we are now working on paying Hiro’s vet bill and the cost of the remaining puppies. The final vet bill was, the total for the puppies vet costs are just over $4200! The donations made to RockySpot and Pointers From Oz have nearly covered the entire bill. Parvovirus is a very tough disease, and these puppies are still very fragile. So, we still need help! Any donation amount, big or small, will help us with these adorable Heroes.
Have you ever considered adopting a senior dog? It takes a special person or family to consider this… but these dogs are SO grateful. One of our best foster homes is Jill in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She LOVES the seniors! She has a 14 year old Pointer, Lucky, that she adopted from a shelter in Kansas when he was 2 years old, and two seniors she has adopted from us in the last two years (Violet who is about 10 years old and Bud who is now 11 years old). She is fostering Norman for us right now.
We ourselves adopted Herman (who is approximately 10 years old) after fostering him for 9 months. Nobody was interested in him, and we utterly adore him… so he became a permanent addition to our family.
Some of our seniors don’t even need a fenced in yard for exercise, and would be happy with just long leash walks. They are content to lie on an arm chair, in front of the fire place, or sleep in on a weekend morning. But they are still up for adventures or a walk in the woods when the weather is nice. What more could you ask for?
Also check out our “middle-aged” dogs. We have found that some of the toughest dogs to adopt are those that are four to eight years old. These dogs have plenty of life left in them, and likely have years ahead (Pointers frequently live to be 12-14 years old, sometimes older).
The pictures below are of Jill, her friends, and Bud, Lucky, Violet, Norman, and Ellie (also in foster care) on a play date.
Norman and Briar were recently adopted. But Ellie is still looking for a great home!
McKenzie the Mascot!
Check out McKenzie on the local news. McKenzie is a Pointers From Oz girl (she was named Hope with us) who is now the official mascot for the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point... they are the Pointers of course!
Thank You!
Thank you to all of our adoptive families out there that continue to support our efforts with donations, transport help, and fostering. We could not do it without you! We have noticed an increase in the number of Pointers coming in recently (maybe due to the economy), and we really need all of the help we can get.
Also, a big thank you to all of the great families that have adopted a Pointer from us and made a happy ending for a lucky Pointer. Without your open hearts and homes, we couldn't continue our rescue work. You might notice that we do our best never to repeat a name. Each of them was special to us, and we think about them often. Please remember to keep in touch, we love getting email updates and pictures from our foster kids.
Happy Happenings
We are happy to announce two exciting happenings in our life. First, Erin graduated from veterinary school in May 2008, so she’s now officially a veterinarian. She is working at the Michigan Humane Society in Westland, Michigan.
Secondly, we are happy to announce the birth of our daughter, Killian Adelie Horan-Turner. She was born October 10, 2008 (on her cousin Henry's first birthday!). She was 6 lbs, 7.2 ounces and 20.5 inches long. Thank you to everyone for your continued support to help us with the rescue at this busy time. More than ever, we are looking for transport help and foster homes... if you have adopted from us, please consider fostering a Pointer for us. It will make all of the difference for that dog, and help us out too! Also, since Kyle has now become a full-time stay at home dad (in large part so that we can give our own dogs and the rescue enough attention), donations are helpful more than ever since we are now a one income family and cannot use much of our income to subsidize the rescue.
Killian at five months old (with our dog, Brody, in one picture).
New Ways To Donate - Cafe Press and isearchigive.com
With the help of a new volunteer, Pointers From Oz is launching two new ways to donate to our group. The first is by buying Pointers From Oz merchandise on Café Press. We know many people have been wanting some official PFO merchandise (including us)! Our volunteer is still working on getting some of our best pictures up (including some that adoptive families have sent us). Go ahead and check out the site now, and continue to check it for more pictures of the dogs up:
The second is by encouraging people to search and shop using http://www.igive.com (a website that has been in existence since 1997). You can go to the website and select Pointers From Oz as your group, or click on the link below.
On igive, up to 26% of every purchase through the site is donated to Pointers From Oz. Membership is free using this site. There are 680+ online stores on the site, including Drs. Foster & Smith, PETCO, Petsmart, and PetFoodDirect.
igive.com also has a way to earn money while searching the internet through http://www.isearch.igive.com Using isearch is free (and works using yahoo search engines). The donation is $0.01 per qualified search (no hidden fees, no limits). Donation checks are sent every month and you can keep track of your individual contributions. Please give it a try! The numbers may seem small at first, but we all search the web hundreds of times every month, and our combined efforts can add up to real funds for a great cause. We know that other rescue groups are receiving around $50-$100 a month through this site.
News
Pointers From Oz has now rescued over 500 dogs... the last exact count was 357 dogs (as of October 2007). We rescued 91 dogs when we were located in the Olympia, Washington area and 56 dogs when we were located in the Millbury, Massachusetts area. We are now located in Williamston, Michigan (where I moved to attend vet school at Michigan State University). My husband (yes, we finally got married in September 2007!) is an ecologist that is currently being an awesome stay at home dad (for both are new daughter Killian and our dog kids).
Pointers From Oz is in great need of DONATIONS!!!
Pointers From Oz could greatly use some donations right now towards paying the shelter fees to get dogs out, dog food, vet expenses, etc. If you are interested in making a donation...
1) Use Paypal to donate to pointersfromoz@yahoo.com
2) Mail a check payable to Erin Horan to 1875 Burkley Road,
Williamston MI 48895
Please indicate what you would like the donation to be used for if you have a preference.
Non-Profit Status
Pointers From Oz has been in existence since 2001, but we have not gotten non-profit status in a large part because I kept thinking that I wouldn’t be able to keep being able to do rescue with going to vet school. But, with the help of my husband and my sheer determination to save these Pointers, we just keep going on and saving dogs. Since we are so busy with the dogs at our house and making arrangements to save other dogs, getting non-profit status has been slow in coming… but we are making headway. The paperwork is long and tedious, and the process takes about a year, but we will get it done. We now have not-for-profit status in Michigan and are beginning steps to file for 501c3 federal non-profit status. We will get it in 2009 (a delay from our hope of 2008... but a realistic goal), which will be a huge step in the right direction to helping Pointers out. Right now, one of our awesome foster homes (Jennifer and family in Lansing) are taking on the task of getting our non-profit status.
Looking for a Pointer that Loves Cats???
In an effort to help our potential adopters that have a cat (or several cats) already in their family… we have added a listing called Have Kitties?. We will continually update this listing to reflect all of the Pointers we have in our program that are good with cats. Nearly all of these dogs are in foster homes with cats, which gives us a lot of confidence behind our “cat friendly” stamp of approval. Just look for this listing in our petfinder scroller below (or click on the link in this paragraph).
Our Pointers Looking for Forever Families (in alphabetical order)
We take in Pointers from shelters if they are not
adopted by their euthanasia date or on a space
available basis from no-kill situations and owner surrenders, get them ready for adoption, and adopt them as family pets. The
majority of the Pointers we get are from far away
places, where there are an abundance of Pointers and
not enough rescue resources or adopters. While they
are with us at Pointers From Oz, the dogs are basically at dog camp. For the most part, they are in kennel runs, although we keep as many as we can in the house and try to rotate them. They get to run on our 3-acre property often. They get ample socialization with people and dogs. They love it here, and for most of them, it’s the best they’ve ever had. But, it’s far from a real home. They
also get medical attention, which can range from the
basics (spay/neuter, vaccines, heartworm
testing and preventative, etc.) to advanced veterinary treatment. Some examples of past veterinary treatment that we provided include dentals and tooth
extractions, surgery for cherry eyes and umbilical hernias, heartworm treatment (for heartworm positive dogs), repair of fractured bones, care of malnourished pregnant dogs, treatment for puppies with parvovirus, etc. Once we take dogs in, we take care of their medical expenses just as we would if they were our pets.
As space becomes available, we send some or our luckiest dogs to foster homes. Since we have limited foster homes, we send the dogs that need to be there the most; which include those dogs that are older, need more socialization, have been at Pointers From Oz the longest, or have never lived indoors before. For more information about our fostering program, look in the “Fostering” section below.
But, while we do the best we can at Pointers From Oz... it is not a permanent
home. We want the best for these guys, and we do our
best to match them up with families that can provide
everything they want in life. Unfortunately, most of
the dogs we get come from bad situations, and living at Pointers From Oz or in foster
care is heaven to them. They have no idea that a
wonderful life being spoiled by their very own family
is in their future, they are just happy with what they
have, every day. Pointers are an amazing breed to
rescue since they have extremely stable temperaments,
even with rough pasts. They adapt well to their new
lives and families, and are wonderful with kids and
other pets.
The name Pointers From Oz came from the name of my
first rescue Pointer, who ended up staying around due
to a knee injury which kept him here long enough for
me to call him my own. He has now become a great
buddy, and friend to all of the other dogs in the
house. He came from Kansas, and so I decided to name
him Oz. The dictionary definition of oz is: an
unreal, magical, often bizarre place. Since the vast
majority of rescues have unknown histories and come
from unknown places, this seemed a fitting name for
both my first rescue and, later, my own rescue group.
Five years later, Oz is still here. He has had two
knee surgeries and four malignant tumors, but is
currently cancer free. He is a wonderful ambassador
for rescue Pointers and still makes an effort to get
each new foster dog to play, as do our other wonderful
Pointers who are so accepting of their temporary
foster brothers and sisters.
Information About Fostering
Pointers From Oz is fortunate to have some great foster homes. We wanted to take this opportunity to tell you about how our foster homes work. We are hoping that it will inspire you to become a foster home for us.
The majority of dogs in our program stay in kennel runs at our house (in an insulated barn). The dogs live in groups of a few dogs and get access to unlimited food, and often chew toys (like hooves) to prevent boredom. We let out 10-15 dogs at a time to run in our 3-acre underground/hidden fenced in area when we are home. It is sort of like living at a boarding school, it is okay, but it’s not home.
Since we have limited foster homes, we use them for those dogs that need them most. The dogs that are in this category are those that have a medical condition that needs more attention, dogs with special needs, dogs that are timid and could use more socialization, dogs that have not lived in a house before, and dogs that have been in our program for a long time and we would like to get them out of a kennel situation. We also rotate foster dogs in our house when possible. Of course, we are always short on foster homes, so when a spot opens up in a foster home, it is tough to decide who needs to go the most.
One of the nice features about fostering for us is that we choose dogs that have already had their temperaments screened with us for a couple weeks, so we know they are stable. We make a list of dogs that will fit your needs, and also those that would benefit the most from being in your home. From that list, we let our foster homes choose the dog they would like to help. And, if the foster dog ends up being more than you can handle, then you can just bring the dog back to our house, knowing that they will be safe (rather than returning them to a shelter where the outcome is unknown).
If you are adopting a dog from us, and there is a dog that fits what you are looking for in foster care that would be a good match, we will be sure to mention these dogs. One of the perks about adopting a dog that has been in a foster home is that we know them very well. They are housetrained and crate trained and we know all of their little quirks. And remember, many of the dogs in kennel runs at our house have been in our home or a foster home at some point in time, so the same can be said of them. We are very honest with our adopters about letting them know as much about the dog as we do. We want you to have the best match. By far, the best thing about adopting a foster dog from us is it is a domino effect of good: You are giving a permanent home to a foster dog, opening a foster home up to move a dog from the kennel runs into, and opening a spot in the kennel runs to move a dog from a shelter into.
Information About Pointers
The first important fact to clarify about Pointers is
their name. The American Kennel Club just calls them
Pointers. But, some people also call them English
Pointers or American Field Pointers. They are all the
same breed. But, they are not the same as German
Shorthaired Pointers, which are much more popular and
are very different in personality and slightly
different in looks. Pointers typically come in 4
colors: Black and White, Liver and White (a fancy way
of saying brown and white), Orange and White (which
means they are orange/beige/red and have a black
nose), and Lemon and White (which means they are
orange/beige/red and have a pink nose). German
Shorthaired Pointers come in only Liver and White or
Liver Roan (which means they are mostly brown). The
easiest way to tell is that Pointers get to keep their
tails, and German Shorthaired Pointers get their tails
docked (cut short) when they are puppies in most
cases. And Pointers are not hounds or hounddogs!
They are birddogs. But, more than that, they are
wonderful pets.
As you’ve probably guessed, we are big fans of English
Pointers around here. What is so great about a
Pointer… oh, where should we start. First of all,
English Pointers are not just hunting dogs. Only
about 1 in 50 dogs we adopt will go to a home where
the person is interested in hunting with them. For
one thing, we want these dogs to be pets first and
foremost. If you have an interest in hunting, that is
wonderful, just let us know. We hunt with our dogs
and have nothing against it, but it takes a certain
dog to make hunting with them a fun experience for
both of you. And if you do have an interest in
hunting, we don’t want you to be disappointed in the
dog if they aren’t a good hunter. If you are a hunter, we welcome you to bring birds and help us test our foster dogs with them. Additionally, if you are in our area, you are welcome to join us when we train our dogs and we will help you out with your adopted dog. Secondly, most of
the dogs we get in our program are not great hunters
due to previous treatment (abuse, neglect, or lack of
socialization) or they were specifically dumped or
turned into the shelter because they could not hunt.
Put simply, these dogs have already had a rough life,
they just need a place to kick back and have it good.
But they make wonderful pets!
Let’s start with the good qualities English Pointers
have. When choosing a breed, it’s important to think
about the origin of the breed. Pointers were bred to
hunt alongside their person, so they are very loyal
and affectionate. They were also bred to hunt with
other dogs and live in groups, so they tend to be very
good with other dogs. Pointing means that the dog
freezes like a statue and stares in the direction of
what they see or smell. Because they were bred to
stop (rather than chase), Pointers are not aggressive
towards other animals. Probably one of the best
things about English Pointers is that they are
typically great with other dogs, kids, cats, etc.
They love to point birds, squirrels, butterflies, and
sometimes your cat… but they don’t want to cause harm
to these animals. We have 3 cats and would be happy
to test any rescue with our cats. I have never gotten
a Pointer that actually wanted to harm a cat, but some
are more obsessed about pestering cats than others.
One of my favorite qualities about Pointers is that
they are very resilient and forgiving. I think they are the most stable breed of dog I have ever been around. Many of the
dogs we get in our program have obviously been
neglected or abused. Nearly all of them were outdoor
dogs that did not get the comforts of a house. And
yet all of them learn to love and trust people in an
amazingly short amount of time. I have tremendous respect for Pointers as a breed for this ability. I would estimate that
90% of the people we adopt Pointers are so sold on the
breed, that they get a second Pointer. We have had
many families adopt two dogs from us, and a few adopt
3 or 4!
Alright, now for those reasons that Pointers are not
the most popular breed in America. The number one
reason is probably because people think they are
“huntin dawgs” and do not make good pets. And they
think they are outdoor dogs. That is absolutely not
true. Pointers are wonderful couch potatoes, love to
sleep under the covers, sometimes like to play fetch
or go swimming, and they all love to run and play.
Most of them have a great sense of humor too. Only
about 5% of the Pointers we get in rescue are show
Pointers, meaning they were bred for dog shows. Some
of these show Pointers can hunt, but most are pets.
They are bigger and calmer than the field dogs, but
personality wise they share a lot of the same traits.
About 95% of the Pointers we get into rescue are field
bred Pointers. This means that they were bred to run
in field trials, which are competitions where people
ride horses so they can keep track of their dogs. So,
while it is rare for a Pointer to want to run away,
they typically think there is nothing wrong with going
pretty far away from you when they are off-leash.
This is definitely not true of all of the Pointers we
get. And, with a few exceptions, rescue Pointers can
be trained to be off-leash. This is very beneficial
in both exercising them and just enjoying your Pointer
to the fullest. The range of a Pointer is probably
the number two reason that Pointers are not more
popular. Because of this, Pointers absolutely require
fencing. They do very well with underground fences.
All of the dogs in our program are already trained to
our underground fence, so it will make training them on
it at your house very easy. If you don’t have a
fence, an underground fence is typically much cheaper
than a traditional fence and keeps your view pretty.
We have a great relationship with our underground fence
dealer (Randy at http://www.dogwatch-midmichigan.com)
and he will make a donation towards our rescue if you
are in our area and get a fence from him and tell him
you found out about him from us. If you have a
regular fence, please ask us if we think the dog you
are interested in is a fence jumper. That is another
not so great characteristic of a lot of Pointers. You
see, when people hunt with them, they expect them to
get around obstacles like fencing and barbed wire and
not see it as a barrier. In my experience, few
Pointers will jump a fence just to go explore, but
more will jump if they are left in a yard unattended
because they love their people. About 20% of the dogs
in our program we consider “fence jumpers” and would
like them to go to underground fence homes. Now, we
don’t want you to think Pointers are not a great
choice for you. We just want you to know the good and
the bad. We tell you first hand all of the good and
bad about the dogs you are interested in adopting. It
is not in our best interest or the dogs to hide
anything from you, and knowingly place a dog in your
home that isn’t the best fit. When you visit us, we
will happily tell you which dogs are bossy, very
active, point cats, etc. We want you to get the best
dog for your family. On occasion, we may even tell
you that we don’t think we have a dog to fit what you
are looking for, not because you are a bad family but
maybe the breed isn’t a good fit for you or we just
don’t have the right Pointer here.
We often are asked, what is the difference between an English Pointer and a German Shorthaired Pointer (GSP). I have rescued 24 GSPs, so I do have some experience with the breed. But obviously, I prefer the English Pointer. The breeds differ beyond just the colors and whether or not the tail is docked. While they are both bred to hunt birds, they differ a bit in that regard. English Pointers were bred to be bird-finding machines. They are a one-sport athlete, and they are the best there is when it comes to pointing. GSPs were bred not only to find birds, but also to retrieve them and to track deer and rabbits. To a GSP, this means that just about anything running with fur is fair game. If you have a cat, this isn’t such a good thing! GSPs are more likely to be swimmers and retrievers, although many English Pointers also do. GSPs have a shorter range off-leash since they were bred to hunt closer. GSPs were also bred to hunt alone, or maybe with one other dog whereas English Pointers were bred to hunt in big groups, and often to live in kennel runs with a lot of other dogs. English Pointers that didn’t get along with the group didn’t last long in a breeding program. It is rare for an English Pointer to truly be dog aggressive. But for GSPs, it is not considered such a fault since they were bred to hunt independently. We do get the occasional older male that is a bit of a grouch with certain boys, but fine with the ladies. These dogs do fine in households without another male dog, and they get along fine with dogs in public, in hunting situations, and at the dog park. I have also found that English Pointers are much more stable temperament-wise and not as likely to suffer from issues such as storm phobia and severe separation anxiety. Finally, English Pointers are calmer inside the house. When it comes to breeds, we all have our opinions, and I know there are plenty of die-hard GSP owners, especially in Michigan where GSPs are fairly common and English Pointers are relatively rare. But, I will say we have adopted to plenty of GSP owners, and every one I can remember is sold on the English Pointers.
Most of our own personal Pointers (the ones we keep
forever) are dual (show-field) Pointers, so they are a
combination of both in personality, although they look
like show Pointers. We also have two field-bred
Pointers. About half of our dogs we have had since
puppyhood, and half of our dogs we took in or rescued
as adults. We do occasionally breed our dogs, but
mostly we just adore them as pets and love to take
them hunting. You can also visit our dogs at our own Birdsboro Dogs website. The majority of Pointers we know have
been through rescue. We have rescued 9 Show Pointers, about 170 Field Pointers, and many other hunting breeds (particularly German Shorthaired Pointers, German Wirehaired Pointers, English Setters, and a few hounds) and Pointer mixes. All but a few of these
dogs have lived at our house (a few of them were in
foster homes the entire time). So, when it comes to
Pointers, we usually know what we are talking about.
And of course we think they are the best. If you have
any questions about the Pointer breed and if it is
right for you, please contact us.
The Boat Mountain Tragedy
In March 2006, 60 dogs, mostly English Pointers and English Setters, were found severely neglected in rural Arkansas at a place called Boat Mountain in the town of Harrison. Pointers From Oz has been very involved in the Boat
Mountain Tragedy. For once, these rescue dogs seemed to have great timing when we found out about them. The following week was my spring break for vet school, and I offered to drive down there to evaluate the dogs, begin their vetting, and try to match the dogs up with rescue groups. I drove down to Arkansas over my spring
break (March 7-10) and brought back 14 adult dogs (6
English Setters, 6 English Pointers, and 2 GSPs) and 5
mixed breed puppies up from the Boat Mountain tragedy.
I also brought home Stella the hound, who had been
very abused and really deserved a second chance up
north. I moved the remaining 4 dogs from Boat
Mountain into temporary foster care in Arkansas and
Illinois Birddog Rescue has since moved them up north.
There was also a momma GSP and two Pointer/GSP mix
pups in temporary foster care in Arkansas that were moved up at a later date. The majority
of the dogs from Boat Mountain have now been adopted, but there are some still in foster care with Illinois Birddog Rescue. The “Hobbits” as we began calling them, are absolutely amazing dogs. When they arrived, they were feral in every sense of the word. They had been living in barrels and junkyard debris and eating bones and moldy bread and we think hunting whatever they could. Once they arrived, they learned about toys, chew-hooves, dog doors, dog beds
and being loved. These dogs are all wonderful, very
clean, non-aggressive, and adorable. More than
anything, they all deserved a better life... and we
wanted to do our part to help them get that.
Read the Boat
Mountain Clan Story (Warning this link does
contain some graphic images in a couple parts of the
webpage)
Our Adoption Fees
Our adoption fees are:
$325 for adults (dogs over one year)
$375 for young dogs (any dog under a year of age)
$475 for purebred puppies (includes spay/neuter and all age-appropriate vaccines)
$375 for mixed breed puppies (includes spay/neuter and all age-appropriate vaccines)
A Note About Our Adoption Fees
Currently, our costs for each dog we adopt out are about $100 over the adoption fees. We run this rescue because we just adore this breed, and think that the dogs are worth it.
While our adoption donation may seem high to some potential adopters at first, we would like to take this opportunity to explain some of our costs. This list is not intended to be viewed in a negative light. We love caring for the dogs in our care and finding them wonderful forever homes. However, we also realize that if you have never been involved with the bank account of a rescue group like ours, you may be unaware of everything that goes into these dogs, and the adoption fee can seem a bit steep.
What Pointers From Oz Does For Our Foster Dogs:
1) Basic Vet Care: Every dog in our program is spayed/neutered, updated on vaccines (regular and rabies), tested for heartworm, wormed, and been given heartworm preventative (and flea preventative during the warm season). If a foster dog is only with us for a month, the cost of all of this is $200. Of course, many of our foster dogs stay with us much longer, so their expenses are higher (it’s about $10 more for each extra month).
2) Food and Bedding: Every foster dog at our house costs an average of $26 per month for food and $17 per month for pine shavings to keep their kennel runs clean. Together, this adds up to over $1000 per month! We do have a few dogs in foster care, and we are fortunate in that their foster homes provide the food for their foster dogs.
3) Shelter Fees: The shelter fees for each dog are quite variable, but on average, we spend about $50 per dog from the shelter.
4) Gas Money: Very few of the dogs we get in our program are from Michigan. The vast majority of our dogs are from Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, and Tennessee. We occasionally get dogs from other states (recently West Virginia, Georgia, South Carolina, and Kansas). To save these dogs, we try to get volunteer transports (which are basically relay rides). However, we often drive VERY long distances to get dogs and occasionally pay for the dogs to be transported. We spend an average of $400 per month on gas for transports.
5) Emergency Boarding: We avoid boarding dogs in our rescue program as much as possible. However, there are situations where a shelter cannot hold a dog for us until we can find a ride, and we are forced to board a dog to save his or her life. The costs of boarding are usually $12-$18 per day, which, as you can imagine, adds up fast.
6) The Little Extras: And of course there are the little additional items. While they are here, they get plenty of toys and chew toys to play with, kiddie pools in the summer, etc. Every dog goes out with a collar with an ID nameplate on it. We also send every dog home with a great training DVD from Pets Incredible.
7) Extra Vet Expenses: We do not turn away dogs at Pointers From Oz for health reasons. This is one HUGE difference between our expenses and the expenses of a typical shelter. We take senior dogs, heartworm positive dogs, dogs with fractured limbs, sick puppies, pregnant dogs, dogs with cherry eyes and umbilical hernias, and anything else you can think of. To date, we have treated 10 heartworm positive dogs (this is not including those that have been treated prior to getting to our rescue). We get a deal with our vet on this, but it still costs $200 per dog. Sadly, 3 dogs and 11 puppies that we have taken into our program died while they were with us in foster care due to medical problems. Obviously, we do not get adoption donations for these dogs that never make it to their forever homes.
8) Our Foster Dogs Are With Us A While: Unlike a shelter, where dogs typically stay a few days to a couple weeks, our foster dogs are typically with us anywhere from a few weeks up to a year. Once a dog is in our program, we provide for their basic and medical needs. We do not euthanize dogs unless they have a serious health issue that cannot be treated or have a behavioral issue that makes them unsuitable for an adoption.
9) Our Time: We do not charge for our time, but it is important for adopters to realize just how much time we put into our dogs and into making the adoption a success. Before a dog even gets to us, we have spent an average of about 5-10 hours per dog making arrangements with the shelter, transporters, etc. to get them here. Keeping petfinder up to date takes about 10-15 hours per week. Taking care of our foster dogs (feeding, watering, exercising, and training them to the underground fence) takes a few hours every day. Home visits take time and gas money. Every family that adopts from us spends at least a couple hours at our house. Lastly, there are all of those phone calls and e-mails for training and behavior help after a foster dog has gone to their new home.
What You Get When You Adopt From Us:
1) A Fully Vetted Dog: To the best of our knowledge, your dog will go home clear of any health issues. If your dog does have any health issues that we are aware of, we will fully disclose them to you and many times we provide further vet care for your dog to help with the disease. We know that the first trip to the vet is expensive regardless and we do our best to give you a dog that is free of parasites and other health issues in addition to being up to date on vaccines, heartworm and flea/tick preventative, and spayed/neutered.
2) A Socialized Dog: Our dogs do not go out with perfect manners by any means. But, they have been socialized extensively with people and other dogs. We do not hide anything from adopters when it comes to temperament. We want our adoptions to work. We place our alpha dogs in homes where they get to be the only dog. When it comes to kids, we are very particular about which dogs are appropriate for which ages. If a dog appears to have been abused, we will not place that dog in a home with small children, which is in the best interest of the dog and the kids. If you have a cat, we will happily cat test your potential dog with our cats (in front of you) to see if they are a good candidate for your home.
3) Free Advice: I have been training dogs and studying dog behavior for over 10 years, and am currently in my third year of vet school. My fiancé, Kyle, is an expert by living here! We are happy to help you with any basic training or behavior issues, or if you have a medical question that does not warrant you running to your vet. We will let you know if your question is beyond the scope of our knowledge.
4) You Get To Be A Hero: Just look into the face of a dog you adopt from us and you know you did the right thing. By adopting from us, you are not supporting puppy mills, pet stores, and backyard breeders. That is not to say there aren’t good breeders out there… but there are plenty of dogs that are phenomenal pets and even hunting buddies that need a spot on someone’s couch and in your arms.
5) A Last Resort: We hope that all of our adoptions are perfect and permanent. However, sometimes things don’t work out and sometimes life gets in the way. When you adopt from us, you have the comfort of knowing that if anything happens, even years later, that makes the adoption no longer work, that you will be able to (and are required to) bring the dog back to us and not to a shelter. It is our promise to every dog we take in that they will never end up in a shelter, an outdoor home, or a neglectful situation again.
Adopters are required to sign a contract that specifies that the dog is to be a family member first, meaning that it will reside mostly in the house. We also require that any dog that we adopt is returned to us, for any reason, no matter how much time has gone by or what condition the dog is in, if the adoptive family can no longer provide a home for them. We are hunter-friendly and do adopt Pointers to hunting homes (and we do hunt with many of our own Pointers), provided the dog is a pet first and a hunter second. However, only a few of the dogs, due to instinct, temperament, and previous treatment, will make good hunting companions. If you are interested in a hunting buddy, I'd be happy to talk with you.
A Book About the Dog Underground Railroad
We have been asked many times about how we get dogs to us. We try to tell people about the wonderful volunteers we have that drive for us, time and time again, to literally save Pointers in their last hours. These volunteers spend a lot on gas money, as well as dedicate a lot of their weekends (and the limited free time they have), in order to help Pointers From Oz out. We even have volunteer temporary foster homes in a few cities where folks will keep Pointers for us for a few days to a couple weeks until they make their way to Michigan. Sometimes all we need is an overnight on Friday or Saturday night - these volunteers basically serve as a doggy bed and breakfast for us to break up a long transport. We do not have the funds to board dogs every time it is needed, so these temporary foster homes and overnighters are crucial. The world of dog transporting is a mystery to most people. Yet, there are literally thousands of folks who are involved in it all across the country. When I set up a transport, it typically takes me about 20-30 hours to do it... that is often more than the time it would take for me to drive the route myself, but obviously I cannot leave for too long because there are dogs to take care of at home, which is why these transports are so necessary. I just found out about a new book on the subject by Bonnie Sliva titled "Fifteen Legs: When All That Stands Between Death and Freedom is a Ride".
You can buy this book directly from the publisher for about $18 at the Riverbank Press website. We have no affiliation with the book, but it does say some of the proceeds will go towards shelter and rescue organizations. And obviously we want to support this effort, and hopefully interest others in helping out with the Doggy Underground Railroad.
Donations
Pointers From Oz is
currently in the process of getting non-profit
status. We plan to have non-profit status in 2007, and after that time, donations will be tax-deductible. However, we could greatly use donations now for all of the dogs currently in our program for food, shelter fees, and vet expenses.
If you
are interested in making a donation...
1) Use Paypal to donate to pointersfromoz@yahoo.com
2) Mail a check payable to Erin Horan to 1875 Burkley Road,
Williamston MI 48895
Please indicate what you would like the donation to be used for if you have a preference.
We have a DogWatch brand fence. We love the fence (as do the Pointers) and highly recommend it. If you are in our area, and purchase a fence through Randy of Dog Watch Mid Michigan
and let him know we sent you, he will donate to our rescue!
Come Meet The Pointers
Pointers From Oz is a rescue group that takes
place at my home or in foster homes. Thus, we do not
have shelter hours. If you would like to know more
about one of the dogs or meet him or her in person,
please call and we will work out a convenient time for
both parties. Right now, we are doing appointments on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays at our house… and our foster home’s schedules vary. But, please remember this is our house, so we cannot have unannounced visitors. Our address is listed below. If we
make an appointment with you, you can use yahoo maps
or google to get directions as both are accurate. We are easily accessible from highway US-127, M-52, or I-96. Our house is a brick house with a deck and a red barn that is visible from the road. Our address is on the mailbox. Pointers From Oz 1875 Burkley Road
Williamston, MI 48895
Phone: (517) 648-1666
