Follow-up to K9 Northwest's rescue of German shepherds from Camp Wolfgang, Ennis, TX

November 11, 7:18 AMTacoma Dogs ExaminerPenny Eims

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Still hoping for a family to call his own.
K9 Northwest

Just last month, word spread like wildfire that Camp Wolfgang in Ennis, TX, was closing its doors. When the volunteers at K9 Northwest heard what was happening, they jumped into action. What happened next was a whirlwind of activity to get the volunteers, transportation, and items necessary to take in 27 dogs from a rescue that was halfway across the nation.

Melissa, of K9 Northwest, shared details of the rescue effort with me late last week. As is typical of rescue efforts, things did not go smoothly, and there was plenty of scrambling to make everything come together. The team's hard work paid off and a crew of 4 hit the road on a Wednesday, driving straight through to reach Texas late Friday.

The K9 Northwest team was shocked by what greeted them at the Camp Wolfgang sanctuary. Dogs were in a makeshift kennels in the middle of a huge, wet field. Initial inspection of the dogs revealed signs of neglect. But there was no time for a thorough evaluation - instead, the dogs were quickly loaded into the trailer, and the team was back on the road home 4 hrs. later.

One of the dogs, a senior by the name of Flossie, was being transported by the team to a family in Utah.  The family had found Flossie on Petfinder and wanted to provide her a home. Sadly, Flossie was found to be suffering from painful, crippling dysplasia, and ear mites that were so extensive that her ear drum had ruptured. The family's veterinarian decided that Flossie was in too much pain for treatment, and they made the difficult decision to have her euthanized.

Despite the sad setback, the team was determined to make it back to Washington with the remaining 26 dogs and find them the love and care that they so desperately needed. And make it back they did. Upon arrival  in Washington, most of the dogs had foster homes waiting for them.

Before leaving for their foster homes, the dogs were thoroughly bathed and groomed. Most were severely matted and filthy from living for months (some dogs, years)  in kennel runs. Nearly all of the dogs had over-grown nails, painfully neglected ears from ear mite infestation, hot spots, and raw feet from too much time on cement floors.

Shock and sadness over their condition prevailed through all of the volunteers. Especially when considering that the dogs had come from a rescue.  Too many of these dogs had lived for years at Camp Wolfgang, devoid of the human companionship that they literally live for.

Currently, about half of the rescued dogs are spoken for, but the others are waiting for their special families to find and adopt them. K9 Northwest is adopting the dogs out for $100, which includes alteration and vaccination.  They are hopeful that loving families will step up and give these dogs, who have been neglected and ignored for too long, a home of their own.

If you are interested in adopting a rescue dog, please visit K9 Northwest.  If you are unable to adopt, but would like to help with a donation towards the dogs' care, please visit the website where donations can be taken. Unexpected health issues in the dogs have been discovered since they were brought back to Washington, including one dog that had to have a huge mass removed from her spleen. According to Melissa, all funds have been depleted and the volunteers are currently paying for veterinary care out of their own pockets. Any help is very much appreciated by the K9 Northwest Team.

One final note, a volunteer at FISH of Puyallup Valley Food Bank, heard about the amazing transport and took it upon herself to secure a generous dog food donation for K9 Northwest. A special thank you to both the anonymous donor, and the food bank. The Puyallup Valley Food Bank, located at 239 W.  Stewart in Puyallup, WA, is in need of cat food. If you are able to donate this much needed item, please contact the food bank to find out how. Thank you!

Please share this article with others. K9 Northwest is in need of donations and the dogs they rescued are in need of homes. Taking a moment to share this article will hopefully land it in the right hands. Thank you for reading and thank you for sharing. To Subscribe for future article notifications, just click the Subscribe button. It is free to sign up!