Support Brisby’s Soots

Greetings, folks!

While I hate to do this, ask for help, I have to do it as we were not expecting to care for a 4th dog any time soon. I’ve been hesitant to attempt to collect funds, because it was my choice to welcome home a foster dog and while we weren’t quite prepared for this, he needed our help. With the support we’d like to provide to him, I’m hoping for your help, too.

Buckle up; let’s start from the beginning. On June 12th (I know the date, because I HAD to take a screen shot of one of the cutest, smiliest Shar-Pei I had ever seen!), I saw a post in one of the various Shar-Pei hobby groups on Facebook of a woman in Texas looking to rehome her Shar-Pei (SP), because she was having a baby. Looking back on her previous posts, she had only one; a photo of when he was a 10 week old puppy (which makes his birthday around mid-May of 2020, let’s go with May 15th, shall we?). You better believe I reached out, but at the time, I truly was not ready to take in a 4th dog… and she was in Texas… and I didn’t know how I’d get him here… and we couldn’t afford it… and, and, and…(so many excuses!). I saw him being networked and a rescue group had cross-posted him, so I assumed he would likely end up in the care of a Shar-Pei savvy home. I thought about him often; trying to look for the original guardians post again, but she had deleted it. Story over. 

Not quite! Fast forward to about two weeks ago when Christine of @Boki.the.Rescue on Instagram had a “story” of a chicken-footed Shar-Pei, where she was acting as a middle-man, imploring for help regarding a medical issue he was having. Doth my eyes deceive me?! The same chicken-footed SP I had saved a photo of, because I adored him so? It was him! I messaged her right away, saying “Hey! Is this dog in Texas? Did he get rehomed recently or is he still with his original family?” and when I learned he had found his way into a new home on July 26th, I was thrilled for him! His new family had other dogs, they were seeking advice for a reaction to flea and ticks meds he was having, and they were asking for help in the social media Shar-Pei community, so I felt like he was in great hands. Which he was, but they were also in a transitional period of their lives, moving houses, trying to care for their other 3 senior dogs, the works. Great intentions, but found Brisby’s needs to be a little more than they could handle at this time. Christine reached out to me in tears for fear of the worst happening to him; shelter life, which, as we all know, Shar-Pei don’t tend to do well in, often being labeled as “aggressive”. (We, in the community, like to call it “selective”. Hey - it’s inherent in them to be territorial of their space. It’s why they’re such wonderful guard dogs… most of them.) Anyways, back to Brisby’s life… that fate, or divine intervention, or coincidence, or whatever you believe in brought this silly little boy back into my orbit, I jumped at the opportunity to foster him! His new parents were willing to drive all the way from Galveston, TX, meeting me in Gainseville, FL at the drop of a hat just to ensure he ended up in good hands. I don’t know many people who would drive 13+ hours to ensure the welfare of a dog they’re about to relinquish. That’s incredible!

Now that he’s here and becoming acclimated to the circus that is our Crinkle.Cuts Cuddle Camp (nod to Helen of @HGSaile for that one), I want to do right by him. I want to provide the best nutrition because that’s the foundation to good health, the best supportive supplements, the best behavioral trainer (there’s some challenges we need to work on), and, most importantly, the best veterinary care for him. First order of business: he’s not okay with his paws being touched, but those nails have to be cut (no more clickity-clacking, tap-dancing around here), so I’m going to have to have my vet sedate him for a nail trim. Secondly, a friend suggested checking out OrthoPets, where the company creates custom braces for dogs who could benefit from additional relief. I’ve already set up an appointment with a vet who’s within the OrthoPets network for Friday, August 27th, where he’ll get x-rays to see if he’d be a good candidate for carpus braces (I don’t even want to think about the cost of custom braces yet, because maybe they’ll say it won’t help him at all). Furthermore, I’d like to find a specialist, a canine orthopedic surgeon, who deals with bones and joints day in and day out, to see if there’s anything we can do about these cute soots (foots/feets/paws/toes/tootsies). Sure, I love them, but if they’re causing him any discomfort, I need him to walk (literally) into his adult life pain free or at least with the best possible chance of such. Last, but not least, now that he’s been here for 3 days, he’s becoming more comfortable, which is fantastic, but that also means he’s becoming more brazen, which isn’t so excellent, because he’s wanting to “stand his ground” in a sense with my dogs and we all know Finny is a troll and doesn’t put up with that nonsense. That girl is in charge around here. I’m going to look into finding a behavioral trainer who can work with him to help him overcome some of these issues that are certainly a result of fear and panic in the first year of his life. 

Without further ado, and from the bottom of my heart, I would so appreciate every quarter, nay, even any penny you can find in your couch cushion to help this little timid rascal. And if you’re not in a position to donate, a “share” might reach someone who can. Thank you so much for all the love and light thus far. Cheers!

PS. If you’re coming across this GoFundMe from someplace other than Instagram or Facebook, feel free to follow Brisby’s journey with the rest of my gang on Instagram: @Crinkle.Cuts 

Disclaimer: Although it goes without saying, I’m going to say it; all donated funds will go directly towards Brisby and his care. Never would I use any portion of those proceeds for myself or the dogs in my pack. I will always be more than willing to share allocation of funds with any interested parties. Most important part of this disclaimer… if there happens to be any additional funding leftover, it will be donated to helping other Shar-Pei. (Of course!)

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