News: Happenings in the English Toy World
March 7, 2010
In Tribute
Marilyn Garrett
October 6, 1948 – March 5, 2010
The world is a lonelier, harsher place today.
Marilyn Garrett, ETSR Board member and friend to so many, passed away after a valiant battle with MDS. She will be remembered for her countless acts of kindness, her compassionate heart, her life-long commitment to aiding the neediest among us, and her all consuming passion to defend the rights of the dispossessed.
Her passionate, benevolent heart naturally led her into the world of dog rescue and rehabilitation. Living in the heart of Missouri, Marilyn was an indomitable, zealous force for good in the lives of hundreds of neglected and abused mill dogs. If you are holding an English Toy Spaniel adopted from ETSR or a Cavalier adopted from Lucky Star Cavalier Rescue, Marilyn’s hands likely lovingly ministered to the needs of that four-legged family member. Marilyn’s life impacted so many.
Someone once said, “Friends are angels following you through life.” We suspect this author knew Marilyn, too. Godspeed, dear friend. You are, and will always be, deeply missed.
August 26, 2008
Upon my arrival at the warehouse in Parkersburg, WV, I was struck by the sheer magnitude of this undertaking. Only a handful of dogs had been physically released to rescue organizations at this point and the warehouse was still full and overflowing – both with dogs and volunteers. All that would change almost immediately, though, as rescue organizations arrived with their empty vans and began loading dogs that had been processed, seen by a vet, and deemed ready to move. Only a few days into their rescue, and many of these dogs were about to get their first real taste of freedom as the transfer to rescue organizations began in earnest. These dogs would get the additional medical care and individual attention imperative to their recovery and adjustment from puppy mill life to the life of a companion animal. An air of celebration was felt with each crate of dogs loaded onto waiting freedom vans.
Armed with a flashlight, and guided by the HSOP coordinator, I began to walk the warehouse floor and the rows and rows of wire cages stacked two a breast. I have never seen so many dogs in one place in my life, and certainly have never seen so many Doxies in every size and color imaginable. Paperwork on each crate indicated the number of dogs inside each crate, the breed of dog, and the sex, if known. My responsibility was to find the dogs that were waiting for us. I was called in to identify the Cavaliers and English Toy Spaniels, the dogs that would be relinquished to our rescue organizations, and would go with our group of volunteers the following day. It was difficult to identify some of them as the really traumatized wanted to remain huddled in the far corners of their crates, hiding their faces from us, trying their best to become invisible. Others were eager to see us, faces pressed against the wire cage, tails wagging ferociously, eyes begging, “My turn, my turn, my turn…”.
I would tell them all - “Tomorrow, kids….tomorrow, we’ll get you out of here. Hang in there one more night. I’ll be back for you.” Most seemed to understand and would settle back inside the crate with those words. They knew their turn was coming, and they could be patient one more night.
After walking through the entire warehouse, looking in every single crate, we had our count – 35 English Toy Spaniels and 29 Cavaliers. Some of those crates also held a single Peke, or a single Shih Tzu, or a single Dachshund – or in one crate, three small Cocker pups. They would leave with our volunteers as well. They were now honorary spaniels and we weren’t going to leave them behind either.
“Do you want them all?” I was asked. “Yes, every single one,” was my reply.
Having marked the cages, there was nothing to do but wait for tomorrow and more ETSR and LSCR volunteers to arrive.
August 27, 2008 – Freedom Journey Begins
I arrived at the warehouse at 7 a.m., unable to wait another minute. I was to sit at the vets’ tables on this morning as our dogs were examined and deemed okay to travel. The vets came to me with their concerns…
“Watch this girl. She hasn’t eaten well in two days and we are going to give her fluids before she leaves…she’s lethargic…get her to a vet immediately….
“This little guy has dry eye…
“Female in heat…
“Intake form says pulmonary issues on these two…I don’t hear anything now, but have your vet double check it…
“Possibly pregnant girl…
“Severe corneal abrasions on this little fellow…
“This little pup has serious eye issues…infections, for sure, but could be something more serious…
“Upper respiratory infections in these little ones….we’re giving one dose of clavamox, but they’ll need immediate vet care…
“Look at this little girl’s urine…looks like a UTI…”
By noon, all 69 had seen the vets. Only one was deemed unable to travel and had been moved to the medical ward – she was having a serious “panic attack.” Despite my arguments that this little girl was having a panic attack because she needed to get out of there, and my pleadings with the vet to let her travel with us, she would be left behind. We would return for her on Sunday.
Volunteers from WV, Indiana, Pennsylvania, and Maryland arrived at noon, ready to transport our rescues to vet and foster care. We waited for a transport load of 100+ Doxies to finish, and then it was our turn to load.
By 4:30 p.m., all our charges had been loaded into waiting transport vehicles and some were already on the road, heading to the Midwest, the Northeast and the South.
Thank you doesn’t begin to express the gratitude I have for our volunteers who drove hundreds of miles to help with this mission, and those who have volunteered to house and foster these dogs until they are adopted or until further foster homes can be found. Our requests for help were sent out at the last minute, and all of these volunteers dropped whatever they had going on to help get these dogs to safety. Thank you!!
Tomorrow has come for these 69. Their tomorrow is bright. Their tomorrow is hopeful. Their tomorrow promises to bring years of love, joy, compassion and companionship.
My prayer is that tomorrow comes quickly for those not so lucky ones still left in the puppy mills of America. For them, tomorrow can’t come soon enough.
Please help us continue to make bright tomorrows a reality for these WV puppy mill rescues – and all those still waiting on their tomorrow – by sending a generous donation today to English Toy Spaniel Rescue. ETSR relies on your support to continue our mission. Thank you so much for your commitment and dedication to English Toy Rescue!
Help us ensure that all English Toys in need get their shot at tomorrow.
Toni Webb
Founder/Rescue Chair
English Toy Spaniel Rescue
English Toy Spaniel Rescue
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