QT 's Surgery Is On!

   QT is having her ACL surgery!    Thanks to the many generous friends and strangers who bought some of our handmade jewelry, we've raised enough for our girl to undergo her surgery Tuesday, June 7th at North Georgia Veterinary Specialists in Gainesville.  The Humane Society of Northeast Georgia will pay for what our fundraising has not covered.    We managed to raise $2,000!  Thank you, thank you, thank you!
   This is a good thing because she's been limping more and more.  She's a rather stoic dog, so she never whines or shows obvious pain.  But, we can tell she's hurting.
  So, thank you for your support in making this happen, and please keep QT in your thoughts on Tuesday.  She needs a little positive energy...

   We are nearly halfway to our goal of raising $2,200 for surgery to repair QT's torn ACL.  And, we still have three more weeks to raise the rest of the funds.  So, check out our etsy.com website.  The store is called "The Dirty South."  Don't ask.  If you find a necklace, pin or earrings you like, let me know. 

    Here's a few more of our girl QT.    She's really a beautiful dog - inside and out..  

It your interested in visiting our QT shop, on etsy.com clink on the link in the last post.

Shop for QT

   This is a very hot, panting QT taking a dip in the creek during one of our hikes.  She liked!  

   Hey, I finally got the "Get Cute for QT" esty.com store opened. And it's packed with sweet, handmade necklaces any woman would love.  I'm working on some manecklaces.  Okay, not really.

 Unfortunately my shop named is The Dirty South, which is a whole 'nother story in itself.  And, even better, it's unchangeable. Perfect.   So, ignore the name, and buy your mom, self, sister, friend, wife a necklace.  100% of the money we make will be used for QT's ACL surgery next month.  Here's the link:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/thedirtysouth

Please tell your friends.  We're already a quarter of the way to paying for QT's operation.  Help us get this wonderful dog back to 100%.  Thanks for reading this.

QT'S BIG SURGERY

After several appointments with the vet, we've realized QT has a partial ACL tear.  To fix the problem, she will need a pretty indepth procedure that will cost The Human Society of Northeast GA about $2200 (that's discounted!)  So, I've been madly making necklaces and jewelry to sell as a QT Fundraiser.  I will start posting them on this blog and on etsy.com, if you know anyone who might like one.  So far, the owl necklaces have been a big hit!  We've sold out once, and now I've got about three or four more.  We're already 1/4th of the way to the money we need for her surgery!   We'll start positing some pictures here tomorrow.  Thanks for your interest and support.  Team QT!

update on QT

You can see QT's upside down heart on her tongue in this picture.  We don't have very many good shots because she's a bit shy with cameras.


This week, after several weeks of limping on and off, we took QT to two vets who both said she would need ACL surgery soon. 

Because QT is a foster dog, the Humane Society has been helping us get her in to see specialists and general practitioners who can help - at no charge to us.  But this surgery is very expensive.  Probably at least $2,200 with a serious discount for the Humane Society.

So, I will be selling some super cool necklaces - and selling them for good prices - to try to raise money for QT's surgery.  100% of the money will go to her surgery and follow up medical care.

I will begin posting photos of the necklaces and earrings very soon, along with some nice ones of QT.  Feel free to ask anything you want about her.

QT's "Before" Shot

    This is QT when she arrived at the Humane Society of Northeast Georgia back in June.  Her eyes look so stressed and frightened.  Rick Aiken, the President of the Humane Society, says QT would huddle at one corner of her kennel, trying to get as far away from you as possible.  She would allow staffers to touch her, but would hold her body rigid and tense.  Just being close to humans almost immobilized her with fear.  When she moved, it was in a low crawl, with her head almost touching the floor. 

     Once her babies were given medical care and adopted, Aiken and the shelter staff realized QT was going to need a lot of TLC and one-on-one work. 

    So, they contacted Angie Woods, a dog behaviorist known as "Atlanta's Dog Whisperer."   She agreed to take QT into her pack of healthy, balanced dogs and work with her at no charge.   People bring dogs to Woods' facility - called U.S. Canine - from all over the Southeast - some with minor behavioral issues, some with major problems like aggression and biting.   Her website is www.uscanine.com, in case you're curious.

Woods has an ability to instantly connect with animals and understand where they're coming from and why they're behaving the way they are.  She could see that QT was fearful and skittish, but not at all aggressive.  QT immediately took to Angie's pack of dogs - some of them hers, some of them clients' dogs she's working with.  And, by watching the pack interact with Woods and her staff, QT slowly began to learn it was okay to trust humans, that they would not hurt her.  This was really a huge step for her after so many years fending for herself and trying to steer clear of strangers.


    In the fall of 2010, Angie Woods felt QT was ready to move on and live in a real house, with real people.  Woods' only requirement was that QT go to a home with at least one other dog, since she's much more a dog's dog than a people dog. 

   That's how she ended up with us.  We'd been looking for a dog we could foster and, hopefully, help.  When we first went to pick her up, I felt a little overwhelmed.  She was huddled close to the ground, stooped over in fear.  The smallest sounds made her jump and little things, like passing through a doorway or getting in and out of the car, almost paralyzed her with fear.   It felt like we were taking on a lot, but she was so sweet and gentle and hungry for affection, I knew she had a huge heart.