Place of Hope

Hope

A program of Southern States Rescued Rottweilers.

Hope had lived her life having puppies to put money in her owner’s pocket.  Hope had never been to the doctor, not one dollar spent on her, so when she could no longer have healthy puppies, she was taken to the shelter to be euthanized. 

Several lovers of the Rottweiler breed banned together to give Hope a chance..

Hope was very sick, estimated to be approximate 8-10 years old, just diagnosed with numerous mammary tumors, heartworms, hip dysplasia and the list goes on ... But Hope is resting peacefully in a foster home, feeling safe and secure…

Hope is being cared for by one of the two special foster homes dedicated to foster senior Rottweilers until he/she is adopted in an appropriate, loving, home.  If the Rottie is too ill to be adopted, our foster home is committed to providing humane and loving end of life care.

About Hope

Hope is a special girl that deserved more than to be abandoned at a shelter where she truly would have died.  Senior dogs rarely get adopted.  A wonderful SSRR Foster Home has opened their home and hearts, welcoming Hope.  It was this special foster home and this very special girl that helped SSRR come up with their new program “Place of Hope”.

Place of Hope 

   doesn’t believe that senior dogs should be abandoned at the shelter after giving years of loyalty to their owners.

  rescues senior dogs from kill shelters within the SSRR coverage area only.

  will secure medical care for each Rottweiler admitted into the POH program through donated funds.

  will evaluate each dog for appropriate placement into a loving and permanent home.

    is committed to providing humane and loving end-of-life care

  SSRR has a few foster homes that are dedicated to fostering only seniors.

  The foster homes understand the dogs may not be adopted and they will be a permanent foster for their senior foster dog.

  Current SSRR foster homes cannot opt in to foster seniors, we must budget carefully for medical care. 

  All expenses for senior dogs in the Place of Hope program will be covered by the POH donations and/or sponsors. 

Donations and Sponsors

If you would like to sponsor a senior there are several ways to help out!

  Sponsor a senior by helping to pay for medical care such as for shots, spay/neuter, hw test, hw treatment or maybe grooming

Other ways to help

  Is your birthday coming up?  Have everyone send a donation to “Places of Hope” in your name, what better birthday gift than to help senior citizen dog!

  Have a fundraiser: Hold a Bake Sale, Car Wash for “Places of Hope”

Luna came to us as an Owner Surrender. Soon after arriving, Luna was underweight and had worms and Ehrlichia. She was given meds and sent home but ended up back at the vet a few days later. She was not eating, had a bloated stomach and was lethargic and very uncomfortable. She didn't want to go for her usual walk.The vet was concerned about Gastrointestinal disease. Through a series of tests over a few days and a CAT scan, it was determined that Luna's liver was too small due to having too small of an artery. Both kidneys were enlarged and she did not have a gall bladder. Our vet believes that Luna was born this way and it was not from any lack of care. There is no procedure or anything that can be done other than a few medications and a bland diet for whatever time she had left. There is no way to predict if she will have weeks or even years.

Carlie (formerly Violet) lived on a chain, neglected in every way possible, for what must have seemed like an eternity to her. Fortunately, an Animal Control Officer in St. Landry Parish, LA saw her and saved her from such a horrendous existence. As the ACO described her condition: “Her spine, arched, raised, almost like a dinosaur. Her twisted frame tears at my HEART. Today, I watched her frame sway with the chill in the air. Every fiber in her body, quakes, trying TO STAY WARM. She is the kindest dog.” She collapsed as the ACO freed her from the chain she was on.

Carlie was so emaciated that her body had started eating itself. She weighed a mere 33pounds. She had worms and an infection in both eyes that needed to be treated as well as being heartworm positive. She was one of the worse cases of neglect that we have seen. We have no idea how Carlie survived. But survive she did.

Carlie has gained weight, is free of those worms, including the heartworms that she went through and completed treatment for. Her infections are long gone but due to how bad they were, Carlie has had problems seeing and would walk into things occasionally. Today we found out from our vet that Carlie is now completely blind but being blind hasn’t stopped her. She is a very happy playful little girl living with our fabulous Transport/Intake Director, Cheryl Shaw.

Belle was rescued from the Escambia County Animal Shelter in Pensacola, Fl. in July 2018. Bell had had a rough life. She was a happy little dog, lived with her mommy in a house and was loved. But then her mommy died and she was in the house guarding her waiting for someone to come help them. when help came, the people took her and wanted to kill her, the lady's family didn't understand Rottweilers and everyone thought she was vicious. But the lady's neighbor said he would take her. But he didn't care for her the way her lady had, he kept her outside, never took her to the vet, let her have puppies, and didn't feed her very well. She kept getting out, trying to find a better life.

Over the holiday weekend she got out again, wandering to find good people. She ended up finding someone to take her in but they couldn't keep her and took her to the local shelter. The man's daughter came to get their other dog that got out too, but decided she wasn't going to take Bell.

So, this sweet girl was hoping someone would get her and love her. She was so sweet and gentle and starving for love. She needed some care. She was probably 20lbs underweight, had lost a lot of hair from flea allergies and a bad diet. She needed her dew claws removed, and she had mammary tumors. But she still had the biggest smile! She was so ready to be someone's special girl.

When you looked in her eyes, you didn't see fear or anger, all you saw was softness and love. She needed to come into rescue, land in a soft place where she could get vet care and good food so she could grow strong. And we knew she would pay that kindness in kisses and cuddles and love!

When she was picked up by our volunteer at the shelter, Belle was not her usual self. Over the last week our volunteer had gone to see her multiple times, while working to secure her a rescue and foster. She was taken out in the yard to play, met another Rottweiler for a meet, and she was bouncy and happy and playful, despite being so underweight and having a mass on her abdomen. The day we took her, however, was a different story. Something was wrong when our volunteer went to get her from the kennel. She wagged her nub like she normally did, happy to see her, but had trouble standing and walking. She seemed disoriented, but our volunteer thought maybe it was just the heat since it was July. Our volunteer got her in the car and hurried to our wonderful vet, Animal Hospital of Pensacola. Once we got Belle into the exam room, Belle collapsed. At that point we thought we were going to lose her. Her temperature was 105, her gums were pale and she was unable to even lift her head. Some quick blood work was done in order to decide what to do. Surprisingly, the blood work was all in normal range, except for some anemia. So, she was given fluids and antibiotics and we would wait and see. We were determined to give this sweet girl a fighting chance! But this would not be cheap. The vet stay, fluids, meds, and care for 3 days alone came to about $1600. Love is priceless, but vet care is not. And this girl deserve the chance to live and experience love and family, not just be used to make puppies and tossed aside when she was no longer able to do so. Our wonderful SSRR family came together and donated to Belle’s medical expenses making it possible for us to get her what she needed.

Bo was confiscated from his family by Chesapeake, VA Animal Services. When they confiscated this boy, he was so emaciated and week that he couldn't stand on his own had open sores on his ears back and rear end and was heartworm positive. He was immediately brought to a local Vet where he was treated for his more pressing health issues. Bo recovered at Chesapeake Animal Services for 2 months before he was rescued by SSRR.