MEET DUKE! Available NOW through White Paws German Shepherd Rescue! Also on facebook here.
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ABOUT DUKE:
Duke is a 1.5year old (will be 2 in June) German Shepherd Mix that came to White Paws German Shepherd Rescue in September 2020 from Missouri. He was training to be a service dog but training was cut short when he was diagnosed with diabetes and EPI (exocrine pancreatic insufficiency). This is where White Paws stepped in. He was transferred to Wisconsin and has been with the rescue since. We got his diabetes and EPI under control but then he was dealt another tough card in January 2021 when we discovered cataracts in both eyes, which is a common condition for diabetics. The rescue was able to raise funds and surgery was done at UW Madison in March to remove the cataracts from both eyes. After a month with the “cone of shame” Duke’s eyes are healing well. He continues to amaze us at the rescue with all he’s been dealt in his young life, but nothing slows him down.
For his diabetes he gets two insulin shots a day with his meals. His EPI is controlled with a powdered medication that is added to his food. He’s currently getting eye drops twice a day in both eyes to continue healing and the vet said he’d probably be on preventative eye meds for the remainder of his life, likely just once per day. We’re estimating his monthly medication costs around $130 but obviously this is dependent on many things (insulin dose, what long-term eye med, where medications are purchased, what vet clinic adopters go to, etc). He does great with his insulin injections, doesn’t mind his EPI meds at all (it’s in food so of course he loves it!), and sits well for his eye meds.
He’s currently living with two dogs and one cat in his foster home and he does great with them! The dogs are about 50lbs and older and he tries to get them to play but they’re typically not interested, so he tends to play with the cat more than the dogs. He does really well with the cat- playful chasing, nose punching and pawing and “takes what he doles out” when the cat smacks him in the face or bites his ears when playing. He’s also been exposed to smaller dogs and did great.
Kids are his best friend, he helps put his 5-year-old foster brother to bed every night. Ok, he just lays on him but he thinks he’s helping. He gets excited to see new people and will do quite the jump to say hi, if you’re not expecting it, he could knock you over. He’s also got a big bark and will alert to anyone new at the house (of course with all hair standing on end and tail wagging). We typically have small treats available for new people to greet him with and say hi and he does fine afterwards.
He’s an absolute goofball. He LOVES tennis balls and could play for hours with them. Often, he gets them stuck under the couch, bed, end tables, etc and will sit with his nose under where ever it’s stuck and whine until someone gets it out for him. We have a back scratcher we keep handy because most times we can’t reach the tennis ball either! His ears are as expressive as his eyebrows and he’ll let you know when it’s time to play ball. Most times it’s by dropping the ball in your lap and then whining at you until you throw it, haha! He loves to chew on bones as well, the nylabone type. He also loves stuffed toys but we don’t as much. This is mainly because if there’s a toy that has stuffing it all must be removed, according to Duke. In other words, he doesn’t get them very often unless we’re prepared for it to snow in the house! Because he REALLY loves his toys he has given a warning growl if another dog shows interest in what he’s playing with or chewing on, so if he’s with a dog with a strong personality he may need supervision.
Duke enjoys playing outside and will often play for a while and then just sit on the patio and watch everything that’s happening. He does need a tie-out or fenced yard until he works on his recall skills. He cannot be trusted off leash until he gets more training. He does like to dig as well, it doesn’t happen often (maybe twice in the 6mths he’s been in foster), but he can dig some pretty impressive holes.
Because of his diabetes he’s on a pretty regulated diet to keep his glucose in check. He gets science diet adult dog food, dry and canned, and very minimal biscuit-type treats. We have found that his favorite treat is peppers. Yep, peppers… red, green, orange, he loves them all. If he’s sleeping and we pull out the cutting board, he is there in t-minus 2 seconds waiting to see if there’s a pepper involved. Thankfully peppers have very little to no affect on his blood glucose so we often give them as treats. He also LOVES apples and we give him small pieces whenever we are cutting them up.
He is a cuddle bug and will lay all 75lbs of himself right on you if he feels the need. He often will curl up on a blanket and sleep for hours. He does well in his kennel when we are out of the home.
WHITE PAWS GERMAN SHEPHERD RESCUE INFO:
White Paws is a non-profit rescue that was started in 2004. We take in dogs at any stage of their life and believe that EVERY dog deserves a chance at a happy life despite their age, illness or disability. We are always excepting donations to fund the medical care for rescues that come in with major skin issues, heartworm disease, emaciation, blindness, and many other things. It’s donations that allowed the rescue to fund Duke’s cataract surgery and continue to pay for his medication costs. We are also always looking for volunteers and fosters to help with the rescue. We are run by volunteers and do not have a “central location.” The dogs we take in are determined by the fosters we have available. No fosters= no saving dogs, so we’re always accepting applications for new fosters! Please know that because we’re all volunteers, we do have jobs and families outside the rescue so with the amount of applications that come in, please be patient as we work through them all.
HOW YOU CAN HELP!
There is a list of fundraising opportunities on our website under the “How you can help” tab but currently include- many apparel opportunities through Bonfire.com, weddings for whitepaws- with a $300 donation we have an ordained minister that will customize your wedding service and you can get tax credit donation as well, you can choose White Paws as your charity of choice through Amazon Smile. Upcoming events- White Paws will be at the PetExpo at the Resch Events Center at the end of the month (April 30-May 2). We will have some of our forever fosters and even some adoptable dogs there (including Duke!), Ride to Rescue Motorcycle Run at Shoots Bar on June 26, Dog Days at Drexel July 24, and Ruff Riders Poker Run at The Dawg House Waubeka August 21 to name a few.
White Paws German Shepherd Rescue website: www.wpgsr.com
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