GEORGIA JACK RUSSELL RESCUE

Hello, everyone! Little Adam (Ant!) here. I’m a handsome young boy of about three years with a bright future ahead of me … unfortunately, I have some obstacles to overcome first to get there.

I arrived at animal control as a stray in mid-October when I was found injured. I had a really bad case of road rash, and at first, they thought just my left hind leg was injured. Upon further examination though, they discovered I have a broken pelvis. Ouch!

I need orthopedic surgery, which means I need a rescue with a fabulous surgeon who has performed miracles with other dogs like me. Enter Georgia Jack Russell Rescue, who has a heartstring history of putting little guys and gals with injuries like me back on their feet — and off and running to their forever homes.

They picked me up from Lifeline in DeKalb this morning and took me straight to Lithonia Animal Hospital to await my surgery. I am a little scared and a little “moany” because of my condition, but they assure me I’m going to feel better soon. Of course, it won’t be an easy road — or a cheap one.

My surgery is an expensive one, followed by lots of skilled TLC and physical therapy. But if all goes well (like it has for the ones before me), I should be ready to go home with someone in a few months.

The rescue and I could really use your help with my vet bills. They will be large, but we have done this before with your help and we know we can do it again.

As always, we will keep you updated here with my progress and let you know when I’m available for adoption.

Hi, everyone. Dexter here. I’m an adorable 10-year-old Maltese boy who ended up at a Jack Russell rescue at the end of 2020. I was a breeder dog for most of my life and when they were done with me, I ended up at the kill shelter.

Mama Donna (the rescue owner) was at the shelter that day to pick up a JRT and saw me. One of the staff members said, “Please, take this boy. It’s his last day.” And it was. She couldn’t stand the thought of me being put down without knowing what a real life is like, so she took me to the ranch to find a new home.

When we got there, however, Mama noticed that I couldn’t hear … or see. Because of my malnutrition, I have about every visual issue you can imagine — corneal scarring, cataracts, and glaucoma. They have been taking me to a specialist, hoping the next step would be a multi-med routine of eye drops — and they bought and administered a LOT of drugs. Unfortunately, my condition is drug-resistant — and it’s becoming VERY painful.

So, after seeing another specialist, the decision has been made to remove my non-working eyes. It’s scary, and my rescue peeps really hate to do it, but everyone says I will feel much better afterward. I’ve heard about some "pretty boy Floyd" here who had it a few years ago and went on to live an awesome life, so we’re all hoping for the best!

The consultation was about $200 and the surgery is almost $1800 (will upload estimate). It will get done, one way or another, but we already have plenty of special-needs dogs here, so … we are reaching out for help. Once this is done and I’ve recovered, I will be ready to be adopted and venture into the next stage of my life in a loving home with someone who loves me for the lovable boy I am.

As always, we appreciate you so much.

The year may be coming to an end, but we have some new projects to begin! One of those is adding roofs to the rest of our outdoor kennels. We have had a couple installed, and they have been phenomenal!

Unlike the tarps, which we have to replace constantly (money and manpower needed), the roofs are resistant to rain, snow, ice, leaves, and any other crazy thing the Southern climate might bring. It also means the dogs stay safe when they’re outside during the day.

Most of our money is tied up in vet bills right now, getting these guys and gals ready for their next big adventure ... so … that means we must beg, er, fundraise to raise the roofs! But if you or your company is looking for some EOY tax-deductible donations, this might just be the ticket.

Please, take a look around and see what we’ve done and what we’d like to do. Let us know if you have any questions. And, if you’re happy with what you see and want to help, please feel free to donate. We’ll share some photos as the project progresses, so you’ll know exactly where your dollars go.

Thanks so much in advance!

Hi, everyone! Trooper here. I recently landed at Barrow County Animal Shelter with a bad leg. They sent me to the vet for an x-ray and OUCH! You can see what's going on.

I was just picked up today (7/25/20) by Georgia Jack Russell Rescue and whisked away to their vet at Lithonia Animal Hospital to see what they can do to help or fix me. We don't know much yet (or how much it will be), but several people have already asked how they can help -- so we are kicking off my fundraiser ASAP!

Please, share it with your friends. My peeps at GA JRT will keep you updated as soon as we know something since I can't type well at the moment.

Hello, everyone. Rusty here. I know, I look a little pitiful right now, but that’s OK. We all have to start somewhere on our road to recovery and this is my point. With that said, here’s how I got to this point …

My daddy, Mike, loved me very much. He took great care of me (they have the vet records to prove it), especially after I started having seizures. But then my daddy got sick, too. So sick that he wasn’t able to take care of me anymore, and I ended up outside … a lot. The people taking care of him didn’t always have time to take care of me, so … I ended up with this nasty skin condition. Please, don’t blame anyone. Things happen.

Flash forward a bit … My daddy did not get to take his road to recovery like me. He took another one, something about a highway to heaven? :(

All I know is a lot of good human samaritans stepped in to help me and, through various channels, brought me to this place called Georgia Jack Russell Rescue. Well, actually, I haven’t been to the ranch just yet, but I’m currently at “the hospital” where all dogs with special needs are supposed to stop first, 

Right now? I’m undergoing laser therapy to help with my skin condition. It’s helped my predecessors with their hip/leg/back issues and it’s supposed to do wonders for my skin diseases, too. I hear it already has, i.e. my skin has gone from “purple red to pink.” I’m assuming that’s a good thing. They’ve also tested me again for diabetes, which is doesn’t appear I have, but I do definitely have seizures, so now they’re searching for that culprit as well.

As you might expect, the vet bills are adding up. Also, as you might know, these people will do anything and everything to help special-needs dogs like me become the best we can be. So, they'll fix me first, ask for financial forgiveness last.

If you have a couple of bucks, we would appreciate it. And like all the boys and girls before me, we will make sure to be “transparent”  and show you exactly where every dollar you spend goes … and how great I will become.

Hello, big world! Little Emma here (fka Ladybug). I'm a whole 5-6 months old, but ended up the county shelter in April. I had a heart murmur and could not be spayed at the shelter, so with the help of a bunch of great folks, I ended up at Georgia Jack Russell Rescue. 

Our vet noticed that my murmur wasn't just a murmur. It was something more. So, he ordered up some x-rays and, unfortunately, discovered that I have congenital heart defect known as PDA, which stands for Patent Ductus Arteriosus. They say it's is "an abnormal vessel that connects two large arteries, right next to the heart: the pulmonary artery and the aorta." In short, the left side of my heart is very large; the right side is very weak.

Although our vet has done these operations before, he said he did not feel comfortable doing so with me; that my condition was very special/advanced and that operating may do me more harm than help. But he, like me and Team Russell, is no quitter. The more he thought about it, the more he thought an echocardiogram with a cardiologist is the best route for me right now. Hopefully, we can figure out which meds might be best for my heart and if there's anything else we can do to help make my life the best and longest possible.

So, that's the next plan ... Of course, this is all pretty expensive and, of course, we have many other dogs with special needs right now, and, of course, we are having to ask for your help again to make this happen. 

For now, I am in a wonderful foster home with a couple of other four-legged GA JRT Rescue alum/friends and enjoying just being a puppy, i.e. I have no idea there's anything wrong with me.

I will keep everyone updated on my appointment and what happens next. Wish me luck -- and thank you in advance!

Hello, everyone. I’m Teddy and I just arrived at Georgia Jack Russell Rescue … Well, technically, I didn’t quite make it to the rescue ranch. Instead, I went straight to the vet.

You see, I was recently diagnosed with interverbral disc disease and lost the ability to walk on my hind legs. My tail still wagged just fine, though! Unfortunately, spine surgery is incredibly expensive and also requires a lot of TLC for me afterwards. My family was unable to help me with this for several reasons, so they went in search of a new home or rescue for me who could help me and posted my story online.

Lots of people saw my sad post and were naturally concerned. Why wouldn’t they be? I’m young, adorable, and full of life. I want to run and play like any young Terrier. They reached out to GA JRT, who have been known to take in lots of crippled fellas like me in and help many of them get back to full mobility, mostly recently with some guy named Sawyer. They saw my story and photo and that was “all she wrote.”

Some people named “Team Russell ” picked me up near Savannah on Tuesday for a fun car ride … but I ended up at the vet(?!). Wait, what?! This isn’t fun!

It had been awhile since I had “done my business” and it was obvious I was in pain, so they weren’t going to waste any time. And I’m a sweet boy. I just like to be around people, even when they are feeling me in places that hurt and putting me through some machine to find out exactly what was going on (the muzzle was “just in case”). Of course, they were hydrating and giving me “goofy juice” to make me feel better, so that made it easier, too.

They decided that I had a ruptured disc and needed surgery ASAP, so under I went on Wednesday.

And here it is, Thursday morning. I’m wrapped up, snug as a bug, and sleeping. Dr. Wright found much more damage than expected during my surgery. He did everything he needed to do to "fix me up," but there was some bleeding in my spinal cord and bruising that causing some concern. For now, it will be a waiting game to see how I heal. 

If you would like to contribute anything to my surgery and recovery, we would sure appreciate it. I know I have a long road ahead of me, but hope to share my success story like Sawyer did. Thank you for all of your support! As always, we will keep you posted here and on our Facebook page  with my progress.

Leaving home and headed to the ranch. In pain, but still such a happy boy!


Examination


Surgery

Sawyer was dropped off at a Waffle House by someone. It's on video and under investigation. Nothing much to say about that, but what we WILL say is ...

This little man has a leg injury. He was taken to a vet's office and x-rayed. They didn't find any  breaks, so they thought it was probably a slipped disc. 

You know us -- we (well, our vet) is a specialist in back issues, so ... yep .. here we go again.

We picked this guy up today around 4 and are transporting him to our vet. He is definitely in pain; letting him lay low in his crate. His x-rays have been forwarded and we are hoping for the best.

A lot of people on the Internets have expressed interest in helping with his well-being, so we've set up this GoFundMe page to make it easier to help. Hopefully, we won't need to meet our goal, but you never know. We've been known to spend thousands on other Terriers, so they can walk and play again.

Go, Sawyer!