Stories told at the Club Rescue Parade by Members of the Cascade Scottish Terrier Club

Mr. McGregor: owned by: Larry and Phyllis W.
Mr. McGregor came into the Oregon Scottish Terrier Rescue program from an elderly gentleman. He and his late wife had always had Scotties, and after his wife passed away the man decided he needed another Scottie to ease his loneliness. But his wife had always taken care of the Scotties and he didn't have a clue about raising puppies, so Mr. McGregor soon became too much for the man to handle and he decided to give him up to rescue. Since he had been running wild in a big, two-story house, Mr. McGregor was confined to the kitchen of his new home, with constant supervision and lots of walks. He was even enrolled in obedience school, where he graduated with good command skills -- as long as a leash is involved! (He is a Scottie, after all!) After big improvement in his behavior, Mr. McGregor became free to have the run of his new home, and loves to take naps all over the house in his favorite position -- belly up!

Penny: owned by: Eileene G.
Penny was found wandering the streets of east Portland in the rain. She'd obviously been homeless for a while. She was quite overweight, so the lady that found her had no idea she was pregnant. So one day soon after the lady had found her, when Penny was put outside to go potty she went to a secluded spot in the yard and delivered her puppies, who all died, and Penny stood guard over them in the rain. The lady wanted to keep Penny, but her other dogs had other ideas, and Penny was given to Oregon Scottie Rescue. She was a sad and lethargic little Scottie, with a very dull look in her eyes and NO hair on her body from her shoulders to her tail! But Penny's head and tail were all Scottie. Once in rescue, Penny was diagnosed with a thyroid condition and put on regular meds. In her foster home, she quickly remembered what fun it was to be around other friendly dogs, and her dull eyes evaporated as her Scottie personality started to shine through. She then met her new forever mom. It was love at first sight for both of them!. Eileene sewed special summer and winter coats for Penny to protect her skin from the sun and the cold, but after a few months, Penny's coat grew back completely. With regular walks and also accompanying her new mom on camping trips, Penny soon lost her excess weight as well. It wasn't too long before Penny and Eileene even started agility training. Penny was lucky to find such a great new home, but Eileene says that she is the lucky one to have found Penny. 

Raider: as told by his initial rescuer, Laurel B
Sometimes a rescue program is able to facilitate adoptions without taking a rescue dog into a foster home. This was the case with Raider, a two-year-old Scottie. Raider’s owner started having to spend so much time at his work that Raider was left alone in the backyard and seemed to have developed some allergies to his environment, along with a nasty ear infection. The owner couldn’t devote the time needed to explore treating Raider, so he got in touch with a friend, CSTC member Laurel B, who contacted STCA Oregon Scottie Rescue coordinator Camille Partridge. Camille has applications from people all over Oregon, and she happened to have one from a couple in southern Oregon, a portion of the state where the climate might be less of a problem for an allergy prone dog than in wetter, moldier western Oregon. She connected those folks with Raider’s owner, and some phone calls and a personal visit later the adoption was made! At his new home, Raider's ear infections have cleared up and his allergies are much better. Plus, he has his place on the couch where he watches TV with his new family in the evening, and at night he sleeps on their bed. They take him for three walks a day, and he already has a reputation in the neighborhood as the King Scottie. They even bought him a jeweled collar & leash. He has also been doing his tricks for them and they will continue to teach him more, as he is such a quick learner. Raider finally has the forever home he so rightfully deserves.

Megan: owned by: Val, Bob and Carey B.
Megan came to Oregon Scottish Terrier Rescue from a "puppy mill" type operation on the coast, where all the dogs ran loose in a pen with goats, and were given wooden boxes as shelter from the weather, and straw for bedding. Megan had given birth to two litters in a row, but all the puppies had died so the puppy mill didn't want her for breeding any more. She was infested with whipworms, was very malnourished, suffered severe bladder stone trouble which required immediate surgery, and was diagnosed with Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency, possibly due to her extreme parasitized condition and malnourishment for her entire early life. She also had colon polyps which required surgery, and which were found to be benign, thank goodness! But even with all this, Megan's temperament was always very sweet -- she has a heart of pure gold, and rules the roost in her new adoptive home by virtue of her charm. Megan is just a joy to be around. She is always happy, she never growls or even looks fierce, but her housemates -- two Dalmatians and two other Scotties -- are her slaves! She enjoys walks, exploring the yard, hunting mousies and gophers, greeting visitors, and sleeping on the couch. She also loves social gatherings, and acted as Toto in a Halloween costume contest Wizard of Oz group at work. She was a big hit, and of course the group she was in won first prize! Although small in stature even for a Scottie, Megan is truly Queen Megan at her new home.

Rochester: owned by: Ellen E. and Lois
The owners of Egan Gardens in Salem, whose Scotties are often at work with them, got a call from a customer who'd found a puppy wandering across a field across town. The customer had watched as the puppy got close to the road, and then sat by it looking at cars as if he thought one might be his. So they took him home and kept him for several days, contacting the Humane Society and putting a found ad in the paper. But there was no response, and they couldn't keep him any longer. He looked like a Scottie, and they knew there were Scotties at Egan Gardens, would they help find his owner? So Ellen fostered the puppy, who was indeed a wiggly, energetic, affectionate little Scottie. In spite of Ellen's best efforts, his owners were never found. She knew he needed a home of his own, but she hated to give him up, he was so much fun! Ellen's mother, Lois, had lost her Scottie a few years before, and had wanted another Scottie ever since. So Rochester found his new home with Lois. Rochester's new name came from the character in Jane Eyre, who was described as being not a very handsome man, and rough in his manners, but with a good heart and easy to love. Lois thought that fit her new puppy pretty well!

Wee Stewart: owned by: Pam and Marty A.
A lady who had just bought a Scottie puppy from a pet store called Camille in near panic. The puppy was wonderful, but her other dog, a female Dachshund, was trying to kill it! She couldn't seem to do anything about it, and felt like she was in way over her head. Could rescue help her find a home for this puppy? She loved him but was afraid he'd be killed! A rescue volunteer immediately went to see about this little fellow, who was adorable and as friendly as could be. And there was the lady's Doxie, too, behind a closed door, growling and barking at him. So Jack the Scottie puppy came to rescue but only spent a morning in foster, playing with the dogs in the foster home and giving kisses to anybody who wanted them. By that afternoon, he was meeting his new family to see if their Scottie would accept him. She did, and that was that, except that "Jack" was renamed Wee Stewart. As an interesting aside, the lady who bought Stewart originally and gave him to rescue kept in touch and has taken the advice of her vet and enrolled her Doxie in obedience class and slowly started to socialize her with other dogs.

Angus: owned by: Susan, Lynn, Kris and Emily H.
Angus was found as a stray by some kind people who kept him and tried to find his master. But no owners were found, and he was turned over to Oregon Scottish Terrier Rescue, where he was fostered for a short time before his new forever family was found. New Scottie mom Susan says that Angus is a very polite and quiet Scottie, given to nose nudges and looks as his favorite modes of communication. He may not bark when strangers come to the door, but he sure lets the family know when there is a mole in the lot across the street! He's taken up patrol duties in the yard as well, and loves to play ball with Emily. He also enjoys car rides, and likes the whole family to be together. Susan says "I used to think older people doted too much over their high maintenance dogs. But now *I* carry a doggie diaper bag!"

Ellsworth: owned by: Alicia
Ellsworth's rescue is a little different, because he started out life as a show dog and his future looked rosy, indeed. In the show ring he did well, and earned his championship, but then he started having seizures. With his show career ended, he was given to a family that had him for a year, but then they moved out of the country so he was given to another family that already had a Scottie. But their Scottie was a very dominant female who didn't take to Ellsworth at all. So, after three months and one fallen through placement -- this making the 4th home he was to have -- Alicia came into his life. She had collected Scottie things for years and had everything but a real Scottie. She fell in love with Ellsworth right away, even though all he wanted to do was bark at her. Ellsworth wasn't in great shape; he was very overweight, had thinning hair due to a thyroid condition, and of course he still had the seizures. Alicia had already had a dog on meds for seizures, so that wasn't a problem, but the extra weight had to come off -- Ellsworth couldn't walk around the block without giving up and sitting down.  But Alicia knew they could do it. Then, through a funny bit of luck, Alicia was able to find Ellsworth's breeder, who taught her how to groom a Scottie. Ells now looks like the champion he is.

Salty and Gavin: owned by: Anita S. and Rory G..
Salty and Gavin came to Portland from Bonhaven Rescue in Oklahoma. The dogs had come from different locations to Bonhaven, but they bonded strongly in the two weeks they were there together. When first adopted by Rory and Anita, neither dog would approach their new owners, let alone a stranger. They didn't want to eat if anyone was too close to the bowl or even standing nearby. They were anxious and nervous on each of their three daily walks. But they soon responded to love and kindness. Salty greets passersby on walks. Gavin no longer pulls out of his collar to run all the way home at the first sight of another dog. Meal time is no longer and anxious period, and initial shyness and kennel seeking for comfort has given way to lounge time on the sofa and night time on the bed. These boys have come a long way! (Update: Salty was diagnosed with lymphoma and only had one year of the perfect doggie life before being taken by the disease. He is sorely missed. His legacy lives on, however, in the newest Scottie rescue addition to the family, Andy, also from Bonhaven.)

Nellie: owned by: Karen P. and Tony P.
Nellie came from Kansas, rescued by Hearts United for Animals (HUA) in Nebraska. She was one of 14 Scotties taken from a puppy mill. All the other dogs were adopted first, because Nellie had been kicked had had a burst spleen, which required immediate surgery. She recovered at HUA for four months before her adoption by her new family in Oregon. At first, Nellie was overwhelmed by people and wouldn't let anyone but her new mom touch her. She was uncomfortable around groups of other dogs, too, although she loved her new sister, Macie. Everything was frightening to her -- rides in the car, cars going by the house. She would retreat into deep sleeps. She was out of shape and overweight, and couldn't walk much, understandable since she hadn't been outside for the first five years of her life. But she's a different dog now. After just a year with Karen and Tony she was sociable with other dogs and with people, and is a cuddly lap dog at home. Nellie is, indeed, one of the lucky ones.