Mina: In late March 2023, Leashes End welcomed two senior pups, a bonded pair, who had been dumped at the Allegany County Shelter in the dead of night! Mina is a 12-year-old brindle mix and  Bo was a 16-year-old, blind & deaf, white Shih Tzu. Sadly, Bo has passed on. But Mina is still with us! Mina has a condition called Degenerative Myelopathy (DM), a neurodegenerative disease that affects older dogs. It initially results in paralysis of the pelvic limbs but progresses to affect all limbs. We also anticipate incontinence as Mina loses nervous control of her hind quarters. But we’re no strangers to this condition and are ready to Sherpa Mina through it.

Mouse: Now 16-year-old Mouse (aka Lynda) is our resident “foster failure.”  She initially joined us on loan from AWL Alexandria as a foster.  But as of April 29, 2021 she became a permanent party. Huge thanks to AWL Alexandria for letting us keep her! Mouse is absolutely tiny, weighing in at just over 4lbs.  So of course she’s hooked up with ginormous Moose as her BFF.  Mouse has rules when it comes to humans though:  Look, but don’t touch!  We are absolutely, positively not allowed to touch the Mouse.  So, for the most part (notable exceptions being grooming and veterinary visits) we’ve arrived at an accommodation with this little lady.  The Mouse underwent quite the ordeal during her dental surgery (provided courtesy of AWL Alexandria). She had 32 extractions and went into cardiac arrest under anesthesia! She had to be revived with CPR. But the Mouse didn’t skip a beat in her rapid recovery.  Maybe some day she’ll let us hold her. It’s good to have aspirations, you know.

Olive B:  We’re not sure why, but after nearly a decade and a half, Olive’s family had decided to surrender her to the county shelter at the end of 2022.  We were able to jump in and squirrel her away to Leashes End before that could happen. Leashes End kicked off 2023 with a new frosted face in our midst!  Extremely food-motivated, able to reach cat food on countertops, and with no problems barging through most pet gates, 14-year-old Olive B kept things lively!  In September 2023, Olive was diagnosed with Cushing’s. That explains why she slowed down a lot over the past few months. We have her on medication now, and we’re hoping to have her back to normal soon.

Phineas:  On 14 September 2023, 14-year-old Phineas Poodle joined us from the Prince Georges County Shelter.  Poor Phin had been stuck there since mid-August with dim prospects of adoption. Phin is quiet and apprehensive, so we’re taking it slowly. He’s also a bit under the weather. But he enjoys having access the grass outside, soft beds inside, and plentiful soft food.  

Rufus:  On the evening of 11 August 2023, we welcomed 16-year-old Rufus (Papillon) into the Leashes End family.  His caregiver was suffering from dementia and neglecting both herself & Rufus.  She was moved to a care facility while Rufus was remanded to the local shelter.  Poor Rufus was in rough shape physically & emotionally. His mouth is rotten and his gums are bleeding, but he’s on the schedule for a dental, which should clear up a lot.  After two weeks at the shelter, the staff figured he’d do better in sanctuary.  Rufus is not a people person, which, despite his devastatingly good looks, would render him pretty unadoptable, especially at his age. After a while at Leashes End, he’s finally coming out of his shell a bit, barking, prancing, exploring…he even let me pet him for a few minutes!  Take your time, Rufus. You’re among friends here.

Smokey: Smokey joined the Leashes End family in mid-April, 2023 when his owners were threatened with eviction if they didn’t get rid of him. It seems Smokey was starting fights with the neighbors’ big dogs. Not entirely difficult to believe given his personality! Of course we couldn’t turn Smokey down. Gorgeous Smokey is a 16-year-old Dachshund-Yorkie mix: a Dorkie! He’s a chatterbox and has some amusing vocalizations. He also joined Trina‘s howling choir… daybreak performances every morning in the acoustically, vibrant foyer! He can climb cat trees and it’s virtually impossible to keep him out of the cat den and from eating the cats’ food. He loves walkies. And he is quite protective of me, especially during bathtime (my bath time!) and in bed at night. Welcome to the family, Smokey!

Snowball: Now 16-year-old Maltese Snowball joined the Leashes End family in August 2022 along with his Maltipoo brother Buddy.  The Floofs’ (as we call them) owner, a DoD civilian, has been sent on orders to Japan for a while. It was unlikely that the Floofs would have done well on the transpacific flight (in the hold!) or the mandatory 6-month quarantine in country.  So we’re watching the Floofs until Mom gets home. Snowball is a cuddle and loves to be around people. Snowball has a grade 5 heart murmur, but that doesn’t slow him down.  He and Buddy run around the house getting into mischief and just generally being cute.  Snowball also had wicked bad teeth, but thanks to a generous veterinary grant from House with a Heart, Snowball’s mouth is as good as new now … well, as long as you don’t mind having only three teef left!

Tango: 15-year-old Shih Tzu Tang is blind and deaf. He joined the Leashes End family shortly beforeThanksgiving 2022 from the Maryland SPCA in Baltimore. Due to his special needs, the SPCA felt he’d do best in a sanctuary environment. It took Tango no time at all to adjust to his new life at Leashes End. He doesn’t even need a halo to navigate! He has figured out where the comfy beds are, the good water bowls, and of course the food! He even figured out the dog door! Poor Tango does frequently get disoriented and have little meltdowns, but nothing a hug can’t fix … he’s a total cuddle bunny! He’s also a bit of a bed hog at night! 

Trina: 11-year-old Trina joined the Leashes End family on November 2nd, 2021. She was found wandering the streets and delivered to us by a Good Samaritan!  Her paws were pink and raw from hoofing around, she had some fleas and flea dander, she was definitely hungry and tired. She hadn’t been spayed, microchipped, or probably vaccinated either. But we took care of that. We waited a week, hoping for her family to claim her. But no one responded to our “found pet” notices or appeared to be looking for her. So we got to keep her!  Trina is now spayed, microchipped, vaccinated, energetic, and healthy.  Other than some nuclear sclerosis in her eyes, she’s in pretty good shape physically. Emotionally, she’s a bit scrambled: an affectionate sweetheart one minute, Kujo the next.  Based on her reactivity to certain stimuli, we surmise that she came from an abusive background. But she’s in the right place now … safe and loved!

Walter: On 20 November 2021, we opened our hearts & home to scrawny now 16-year-old Walt. He was found crossing a busy road in Bowie, MD at night … alone! Yikes! Walt was in pretty rough shape: flea infested, nails way too long, fur matted & dirty, and of course starving! Walt is unaltered, has no patellas to speak of, and needed an urgent dental to repair a missing bone in his lower jaw. And absolutely none of that slows Walt down one tiny little bit. This old boy is busy!  He also has a lot to say! He figured out the dog door on day one, the stairs to the bedroom on day two, and mixes it up with the pack like a big dog.  Oh, and he approves whole-heartedly of chicken!