Meet the Pack

Princess ZeeNa BeeNa, NTD, ITD~

I was working as a vet tech when a Belgian Malinois named Gypsy, from Frost Kennels, came in for emergency C-section. Gypsy collapse while coming into our office and sadly passed away a few hours later. ZeeNa had been born sometime after midnight and was the only puppy to survive. The breeder just wanted someone to give her a good home. After talking with my husband, Shawn, she came home with us at 16 hours old. Bottle feedings every 4 hours filled our lives for the next few weeks. At 4 months old we ended up in training after she attacked our Boston Terrier. I fell in love with training her. I learned so much about behavioral issues and why training is an important part of a dog’s life. There was never a question in my mind that she was going to be the training dog for Pawsitive Results Training. ZeeNa can usually be found sleeping the home office, but does also help with reactive dog sessions when needed. ZeeNa also currently holds 2 trick dog titles, Novice and Intermediate. ZeeNa also plays on a worldwide Toss and Fetch Disc league and has began to learn all about Rally.

Halo~

Halo is part of our senior dog pack. He is the dog I believed we would never own. My husband, Shawn, had me convinced that we were not getting a dog. That was because he had a puppy lined up for my birthday, but not Halo. He drove down to Southern Ohio to pick up a Boston Terrier puppy. However, when he got there he was not a 4 month old puppy. More like a one year old dog that smelled horrible and was unsocialized. Thankfully I’m the type of person who doesn’t give up easily when I want something and had called Shawn that morning about some Boston Terrier puppies. After getting back from Southern Ohio he called hoping they still had puppies. Thankfully there were 3 males left. Halo was the smallest of the pack. He was getting picked on and beat up by the other 2 puppies. Halo hung back while those two played and interacted with Shawn. Their owner brought out food and all the puppies went to eat except Halo. Instead Halo started playing with Shawn and at that moment he knew Halo was going to be our first puppy together. I came home to the best birthday present ever. Halo is now 14 and completely blind. That doesn’t stop him from playing with his favorite ball every day and snuggling under the blanket every night. Sadly we had to say goodbye to Halo in Nov 2018. He is gone but not forgotten.

Daisy~

Daisy is also part of the senior dog pack. When Halo was 3 we decided it was time to add a second dog to our family. Shawn wanted a female brindle boxer with uncropped ears. Well that was like trying to find a needle in a haystack back then. I spent weeks calling around to only find that either there were no brindle puppies, or the ears had been cropped or 3 hours away. It was 3 days before Christmas and I had pretty much given up hope on what I thought was the perfect present. Sitting in a gas station parking lot with the newspaper and one final ad to call, I dialed the phone. A lady answered the phone and I asked about her boxer puppies. She told me oh yes I have lots of brindle females to pick from and their ears were not cropped. Great! Where are you located? She paused and I thought this is it 3 hours away. Nope instead in the same little Township we lived in, and on the same street about 5 houses up. All this time Daisy have been right down the road! We went and saw the puppies that evening. So many brindle puppies to pick from. Shawn chose Daisy because she was the only puppy that let him hold her on her back like a baby. Now 13 years old and still ornery as ever. Daisy enjoys laying in the sun and hanging out at doggy daycare a few times a week. Daisy also helps with reactive dog sessions and is now a volunteer for Serenity Hospice. Senior dogs do rock!! The beginning of 2020 Daisy developed a heart condition and we sadly lost her a few months later. Saying goodbye to her was very hard as she helped Pawsitive Results Training grow so much over the last couple of years. Her memory will live on!

Rainee~

Rainee is the final dog in our senior pack. In May 2009 we decided to start looking for a third dog to add our family. We were planning on either a Doberman or Rottweiler. We wanted to rescue a dog this time. We look for weeks and finally in June there was a Doberman at the Stark County Pound. We drove down to see her and look at other dogs too. Shawn walked outside to where some of the dogs were enjoying the sun and warm weather. As soon as he stepped outside he stopped and pointed to this one dog and ask what breed is that? I told him it was a bluetick coonhound. She had been there roughly 3 months. It was love at first sight for him and her. We decided to grab a bite to eat and discuss adding her to the pack. By the time we ate and talked the pound was already closed. First thing Monday morning I called to see if she was still available. Thankfully she was. I asked if they can hold her till the end of the day when I could come down and pay the adoption fee. They agreed and Friends of the Pound, a nonprofit organization, paid over half of her adoption fee since she’d been there so long. We went down and paid the fee. We knew they were closing soon but asked if we could spend a few minutes with her, since she had to stay one more night and go get her spay surgery the next morning. During those few minutes it sprinkled a few raindrops. We put her back in the kennel and prepare to leave. The gentleman at the desk stopped us. He said you know you saved her life right? I just looked at him. He told us that she was on the list to euthanize that morning. However, since I called and said we wanted her they held her back. It really started raining on the way home as we discussed names. Now rain has always been a sign of good luck for us. We knew right then Rainee would be her name. She will be 14 years old this June. Her age is starting to show some. She has a limp due to arthritis in her shoulder. She still loves napping outside. She also goes to doggie daycare with Daisy sometimes. Rainee crossed over Rainbow Bridge in March 2019. She is missed greatly and thought of often.

MEET THE CAT PACK

Tonee~

We considered ourselves dog people until Tonee came into our lives. One early evening in May 2012 we heard the cries of a baby kitten. It was no secret where we live we had feral cat issues. I called for the kitten but it was not coming. I saw the tall grass moving and knew the kitten must be over there. I continue telling here kitty kitty and moving closer. All the sudden out popped this tiny orange kitten. Eyes crusted shut and nose all covered in crusted up snot. Shawn quickly got the dogs in the house and got me a warm rag to begin cleaning him up. He needed help. Being dog people we had no clue what to do. All we did know was he was sick and we didn’t want the dogs to possibly get sick. So in the barn with the ducks is where he slept till we could get him into the vet’s office. We thought Tonee was a girl and had been calling him Katie, lol. The vet told me it was a male kitten only 14 oz and about 4 weeks old. She told me to bring him inside as he could not get the dogs sick. The next two months were filled with different antibiotics, eye ontiments, follow-up visits and learning that he may have to have an eye removed. Thankfully we were able to save his eye. He does have a pretty cool looking scar on his eye though. Now 6 years later he weighs 23 lb and enjoys sleeping in the “cat room” on his bed by the window. Tonee has taught us a lot about cats and thanks to him we are now not only dog people but cat people too.

Wylee~

Wylee is the 1st of a few foster fails for us. While working at a vet clinic in 2013 a little orange kitten was brought in after being found on the side of the road with an injury to his foot and an upper respiratory virus. The clinic I worked at also ran a rescue, so I decided I would foster this kitten until he was well enough to be placed in the shelter. The vet examined him and thought he may have to have a toe amputated. Wylee lived in a spare bedroom while being treated for his upper respiratory infection and until he was able to be tested for feline leukemia and Feline AIDS. He was a spunky little kitten for sure. During his treatment we discovered that his foot had a nasty infection and we began treating that. Thankfully he did not have to have a toe amputation. Once he tested negative for feline leukemia and Feline AIDS we decided to introduce him to our other pets. Tonee was terrified of him, lol. Halo and Rainee didn’t really mind that he was there. Daisy was in love with him. Wylee found Daisy’s tags dangling from her collar quite interesting and started playing with them. Next thing you know his tooth got caught on her tags. He was squealing and making all kinds of noise. Daisy just froze. So we got him unstuck and back in the spare room he went. Over the next few days though he gained more freedom in the house. He was healthy and ready to move to the shelter. One night Shawn asked me where he would stay at the shelter. Of course the answer was in a cage, Shawn suggested fostering him till he was adopted. I didn’t want to get him comfortable in our home and then have to move him to a new home. It was then that Shawn said how about we just keep him. Needless to say I agreed. Wylee is still feisty as ever. He is also the welcoming committee to anyone or animal that comes into her home. Wylee is currently working on learning tricks to earn his Novice Trick Title.

Furgee~

Furgee entered our lives in November 2014. I pulled into the clinic to see two cop cars in the parking lot. I remember thinking how this could not be a good start for the day. As I enter the building I could hear the vet talking. She said something along the lines of asking what type of punishment he would get. So I decided to steer clear of that for the time being. A few moments later the police left. I decided to make my way to the surgery room and see what was going on. When I asked her all she said was come this way. She lead me to the surgery cages and there was this black and white cat. She looks scared and confused. The vet said she was roughly 15 years old. Then told me she had just been thrown out of a car window. What!? Who would do such a thing and why. Furgee had a Rabies tag with our clinics name on it from 2000. This guy brought her in demanding we take her she was a stray in his neighborhood and wanted her gone. Since the tag came from our clinic we should take her. They told the guy it didn’t work that way. So as he drove away he tossed her out like a piece of trash. The vet was willing to take her home, but leaving for vacation the next morning. I said I would keep her for the next week. I took her home and settled her in the basement where the food, water and litter boxes are. Wylee was the first to come greet her of course. She hissed athim and he stepped back. I let her be for the night. The next morning I want to check on her. Wylee was sleeping close to her and I noticed he had brought her some toys. She was super lovey and purred like crazy. By the next day she had made her way upstairs and met the dogs. It became clear that giving her up was not an option, lol. I texted the vet and said hope you’re having a great time at the beach and I was not going to give her Furgee. She texted back and said she had hoped I would feel that way and would keep her. Furgee was a feisty old lady who didn’t put up with any crap from Wylee or the dogs. She would smack them in the face and walk away with attitude. April 2015 I thought she had an eye infection. However meds were not helping. I took her in to see the vet thinking maybe a tooth was the issue. Well she didn’t have a tooth back there. One more round of meds and nothing. Time to stick a needle in it and do a biopsy. The results came back quick too quick for me. As the vet read the report she started to tear up and I knew it couldn’t be good. Furgee had a tumor behind her eye. Cancer? Why her? Started her on steroids right away. Sadly a few weeks later we knew she was suffering and needed to let her go. That was one of the hardest things we have ever done. Although Furgee is gone she has not been forgotten.

Chess’ee~

Well I was working at the vet’s office Chess’ee, formerly known as Max at that time, came in because he was urinating blood and not using the litter box. The owner discuss her concerns as he had just been hospitalized at the emergency clinic due to a blockage causing him to not be able to urinate. She told the vet and I when he was on antibiotics he did great. However, once he was off the meds back to urinating blood. As the vet discuss all the options it quickly became clear she was wanting to euthanize him. We took him to the treatment room to give the owner a few minutes to think things over. While back there I sat him on the exam table and just stood there petting him. He started purring and making biscuits. The vet looked at me and said you’re taking him home. Right? At that moment I knew he was coming home with me. I could not let this handsome 3 year old boy die. I picked him up and headed back to his current owner. Once inside the exam room I asked her what her decision was. She told me she decided to euthanize him. I said how about I offer you an option b. I would love to take him home with me. She looked at me in surprise. Given all his urine issues you’d be willing to take him she asked me. Of course! She began to cry and thanked me. She asked if she could have a few minutes with him. I gladly stepped out of the room. I teared up a little. Now to tell Shawn. All this is happening right about 6  weeks of saying goodbye to Furgee. We had just discussed how 3 dogs and 2 cats was enough. And now we have 8, LOL. I finished up the appointment and took Max back to the treatment room. We gave him an antibiotic injection. I took a picture of Max and sent a message to Shawn  about our new family member. I figured he must not have been happy as he never texted me back. He never received the message and found out about him later that day when he stopped by to see our friends. They showed him the Facebook post I had put up. Shawn was not upset at all but happy that I saved him. We decided to change his name since he never really answered to Max. It came to us a few nights later while he was sitting in the window smiling like the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland. He came right over when we called the name Chess’ee. These days Chess’ee enjoys hanging out in the open windows and getting brushed. He loves to sleep in the bed with us at night. Plus he has never had any urine issues ever again.

Buddee~

It’s no secret that ZeeNa loves to hang out in the cat room and look out the window. Early one evening she went in there and started barking. I came to see what she was barking at. At first I didn’t see anything, but she kept barking. Now the lot next to our house is empty, and when I looked down I saw a black cat. The way the cat was positioned I thought it was giving birth. I got ZeeNa down and went to to tell Shawn what was going on. Of course he says let’s go see. All I kept thinking is we are going to end up with a mother cat and the biggest litter of kittens ever born, LOL. As we approached I could see the cat was just cleaning himself. I figured as we got closer this cat was going to run. No, instead flopped over and was making biscuits in the grass. He came right up to us and started purring. He followed us back to our house where I gave him some food and water. His little ears are all crinkled over from either frostbite or ear hematomas that healed naturally. We decided to let him be for the night in case he had a home to go back to. The next morning ZeeNa and I headed out the door for a routine structure walk. No sign of the cat. Still no sign of him about an hour later when her and I returned. Couple hours later I was leaving and there he was on the front porch sleeping. Gave him some more food and water. During the day we made him a place in the garage with a litter box, blanket, water, food and a fan to lay in front of. We left the garage door cracked so he could come and go as he pleased. He took off that afternoon when ZeeNa saw him and started barking. He didn’t come back at all that day. We thought for sure he was gone for good. The next morning there he was again. We decided this time he would stay in the garage for the next 30 days until we could test him for feline leukemia and Feline AIDS. During that time we spent time with him in the garage. He was a super loving boy. Shawn quickly named him Buddee. Once he tested negative it was time to move into the house. He transitioned into our home just fine. We joke that he is ZeeNa’s cats since she found him. Buddee he loves cuddling up in your lap. He also enjoy sleeping in the window.