Rescuing Kaiser: A Journey of Love

 Welcome to the Starlight Pet Talk podcast, where we'll talk about and explore ways to help pet parents and future pet parents learn everything they need to know to have a happy and healthy relationship with their pet. So sit up and stay for Starlight Pet Talk. Rescue, adoption, and pet parenting done right.

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Our merchandise is the perfect way to show your support for your favorite pet podcast and Animal Rescue at the same time. So what are you waiting for? Just visit our website at www. starlightpettalk. com to order your merchandise today. Welcome to Starlight Pet Talk. I'm your host, Amy Castro, and one of my favorite things to see when I'm on social media are before and after photos of animals.

You know, the ones I'm talking about where an animal's rescued from a bad situation, they're in poor condition. And then they're lovingly rehabilitated to a glorious version of themselves that they were really meant to be. Well, today's episode is the story of a miraculous before and after for a dog named Kaiser.

And I first saw Kaiser when I was volunteering at my local animal control facility. And he was emaciated, he was missing most of his hair, to the point where, you know, he looked so bad that it was kind of hard for me to even tell what kind of dog he was. He was also really quiet and really just, I don't know, the epitome of pathetic for lack of a better term.

But luckily for Kaiser, one of my co volunteers, Mason Zimmerman, saw his tremendous potential and committed to his rehabilitation and she even adopted him. So I wanted Mason to come on the show today and share her journey with Kaiser, not only so you can hear about a wonderful before and after. But I think it's also important for people who see those photos online to realize that there's more than meets the eye behind those photos when it comes to the journey with a pet like this.

So Mason, thank you so much for being here today. Yeah, thank you for having me. I'm excited to share my story about Kaiser. Yeah, no, I appreciate that. I feel like it's been so long since I've seen you. So I'm curious when we get to that point to kind of see what's the latest and greatest, but when did you first, I mean, I remember when I first saw Kaiser, but tell us about the first time you saw Kaiser at Animal Control and what were your first impressions of him?

Yeah, definitely. So when I was at Animal Control, I was volunteering there with you. And I would go and walk all the dog on my spare time and I remember I was walking through and there was the cages all the way at the end and the kind of back area where all the new animals were put and it was always kind of a surprise to see what, what they brought.

And I remember I was going through walking everybody and I saw him and I said, Oh. Oh, wow. I was like, that was, that's probably one of the worst looking dogs I've seen in here. And I was kind of scared of him. Honestly, I have to say, I was very, very, I approached him very slowly and I wasn't really sure about him.

So I walked all the other dogs and I kind of was like, you know, I'm going to ask them about him and maybe tomorrow I'll take him out. And. I remember I asked the animal control officers and they said, Oh, he's actually very sweet. There's nothing to be scared of with him. I said, okay. So the next day I actually, I took him out and I felt so bad for not taking that dog out the first day.

He was the sweetest dog and I instantly felt so connected to him and he was my favorite dog to take out after that. I remember. That I realized that somebody had gotten attached when suddenly the half hairless naked dog was wearing clothes. At some point he started putting little shirts on him and stuff because it was starting to get chilly.

Yeah, it was cold because it was around Halloween time and I started doing research about, you know, why his hair might be gone and different creams. And I was looking into Manuka honey. I was ordering all these different creams to help his hair come back, but I did get him little sweaters too, to keep him warm.

So other than, you know, you said he was very sweet. Was there anything else in particular about him that really drew you to him specifically? Because you were talking about like that back area. Oftentimes volunteers weren't allowed over in that area because sometimes the animals were either dangerous or we didn't know what was going on with them or not sure what was going on with their condition.

And I think also didn't want to upset people. I think sometimes the animals that come in are really upsetting and he was pretty pathetic, but certainly not the worst I ever saw. But what else do you think was really special about him? So I've been around dogs my entire life. Um, really big dogs. We've always had Mastiffs and.

So I'm very familiar with dogs and I think that's kind of why I was able to go into that area because I was a bit more experienced, um, but with him, I've, I mean, I've seen all the puppies, you know, and every dog is very sweet that goes in there, but I think with him, he seemed very wise and he seemed so appreciative and he would just come over and lay next to me.

And we just sit there and I mean, it was just a weird connection. I can't even explain it, but he seemed very wise. I was like, man, this dog has been through so much and he just seems smart and he loved playing with the toys and it was just an instant bond that I can't really even explain. Um, but I think he's just a very smart, wise dog and he learned so quickly.

Yeah, so I remember when I was there, you had a really busy life at the time. Yeah, I don't remember all the things you were involved in, but I think it was like school and work and, you know, you're a very active person. And I can't even remember if you had other dogs at the time or not, but what made you decide to ultimately adopt him and take him on as a, you know, I hate to say a project, but he is a project or was a project.

Yeah, at the time I was in school, I was working, I didn't have a lot going on, but I felt that the joy that I got from having him and being around him was something I wanted. And that was something that was worth it because it just, it brought me so much comfort and happiness and I look forward to going to the shelter to see him every day.

And I said, man, I want him to be at home. I want him to be there whenever I can be with him. So I actually ended up building an entire fence to keep him there because I was actually at my parents and they had, they had English Bulldogs, but they didn't wander. So we didn't have a fence. So I actually saved up and put some of my savings for it and learned how to build a fence and built a whole fence so that I could have him.

I remember that now because I know you didn't adopt him immediately and bring him home, but I knew he was yours. So that explains that. So, like I mentioned at the beginning of this episode, people see the before and after, and they don't see everything in between to get that animal from there, and they certainly don't see the beyond.

And so, I think sometimes they have this vision that it's just this miraculous transformation and suddenly, you know, the whole world is rainbows and bunny rabbits, as I always say, but that's not necessarily true. So, tell us a little bit more about your journey and maybe some of the challenges, because I remember running into you.

At a couple of events, like out in the community and he looked fabulous, but you went through some things that obviously to me showed your commitment to him because it wasn't all perfection along the way. Yeah, no, I mean, it's definitely a challenge when you take on a dog like that. Like I said, I was very fortunate.

He's very smart, but he was very hesitant with men and he was very reactive whenever men would have. Hats or sunglasses on. It was almost like he was having flashbacks and become terrified and just start barking. So I had to work with him a lot. I had to work with him a lot with socializing and showing him that the world is okay.

And I think one of the things to going into that, you have to know. Like, first of all, you can handle your dog if you're trying to socialize them and bring them out into the public, knowing that you have control over them, just for safety of everybody. And so I had to do a lot of research with that. I had to do a lot of research with how to approach people or how to work on myself.

Cause I, a lot of it is being calm, being able to control your emotions and be calm when going out into public with them. So I would bring him out to dog parks and I would be very hesitant. I'd be very, very aware of the surroundings. And as soon as he would start barking at anybody, I would leash him up and we'd leave.

And so we did that constantly all the time. Um, and I would just bring him out to places and then whenever he would start barking. I would apologize, and we would leave. So. It kind of became a thing where I had to constantly work with him and eventually he was like, okay, everything's okay. And now he's a lot better and he is a typical dog that's going to bark at people when they come into the house because it's his area.

But, um, now I bring him out into public all the time. And he doesn't have any issues, but it was a challenge doing that. I think when it comes to the health aspect of it, when dogs don't have hair, that's probably one of the most rewarding things. It's not that hard. You just give them a special medicated bath and their hair just pops right back.

So. I think that was the least difficult part. I think the training and letting them know that everything's okay was the most difficult. Yeah, for sure. And I can definitely attest to that, you know, in working in rescue for as long as I have. And I would definitely like to be able to share some photos. If you have some other ones, what we'll do is we'll make a Facebook post that kind of announces this episode, and then we'll link to that in the show notes.

So people can see. Kaiser's pictures because it's amazing to me just the physical difference what I saw in that kennel the first time I saw him and the way that he looks now, I never would have predicted that that's what he would look like. I mean, ballpark ballpark, but it's incredible how gorgeous he is.

And I think you I remember you posting a DNA picture. Do you remember what breed it turned out? Because I was thinking maybe he was husky, but he also could have been German Shepherd or something like that. What did he turn out to be? He's 50 percent German Shepherd and he's 20, I think it was like 20 percent Great Pyrenees.

And another, and it was like another percentage was chow and then a mixture of others. Okay. Um, so he's kind of good old mix, but has a lot of German shepherd and yeah, the great Pyrenees part actually showed, cause he had the double Duke laws in the back, which is a, which is a thing that great Pyrenees have.

And so I actually had to have them removed because they were hitting each other. Um, so whenever he was neutered, he actually had those removed, uh, just cause we're really outdoorsy. Thank you. Yeah, so, um, I want to, I want to just dig in a little bit deeper to the socialization that you did and the effort that you put in, because we said, and I know you're, I'm sure you're super busy now, because you're just, like I said, I see your photos on Facebook and I'm like, man, this girl doesn't stop moving, but, um, you know, you had so much going on and what we see in rescue is the opposite side of things where somebody, they get sucked into the, um, Drama or being the hero of this animal and then cameras aren't on them anymore, or maybe I'm just being a little jaded.

Maybe it's not even like I want to be that hero. So everybody loves me, but I want to do the right thing and I feel bad for that animal and then they get it home. And then 48 hours later, they want to bring it back. Despite the fact I know, like, behavior issues. We're always super open with people about that and let them know, like, this is what you're going to need to do.

But I don't think that they understand the reality. So my question is, how did you make the time to put in the work to keep this dog as opposed to just bringing him back to animal control? Because, you know, you had 30 days, they could have, they could have taken him back anytime in those 30 days. So I think with Kaiser, um, he was my first dog, my first dog that was actually mine.

So I was very committed, um, whenever I got him and I did make that time. And it is difficult. It's almost like having, I mean, it's like having a kid in a way that you're, I mean, especially those first three months when they're adjusting, you don't know what's going to happen. They're probably not gonna be potty trained.

You don't know if they're going to chew things up. You just, you have to do your research and you have to be prepared. And I think that's one thing, prepare yourself, prepare yourself for them, not acting out and being different. I mean, you don't know what their past is. And so. You're going to run into some challenges, and you just have to be prepared if that means Um, if you're out of the house, making sure that, you know, you have them in a crate while you, when you leave, if that's going to be something, if they're destructive, um, but just being, being ready to conquer those issues.

And I think Kaiser, I didn't have as many issues with, but I did get another. Another rescue recently, then she was actually on the, the put down list at bark for that day. And I had left and picked her up and she was crazy in the shelter. I mean, she was just sitting and barking and spinning in circles and I said, what am I getting myself into?

Um, and I, I brought her home and she Has so much energy and compared to kaiser who's very laid back Um that I think was the most challenging but you do have to put that time and it is frustrating for a bit but Once you get over that hump and once they're comfortable and You've trained them enough and done enough research to train them.

That is the most rewarding thing because now I can walk with both of them. We go to the river, we're always on property off leash. They both follow me around, but, um, it's repetition. And I think that's one thing you just have to say, I have to keep doing, I have to keep repeating, I have to keep training and making sure that they understand.

Um, these are not being saying, Oh, you know, whatever, like they, I'm really tired and. Oh, they're jumping up and grabbing something. I don't have any time to try to work on training because every single time that they do something wrong, that's a training opportunity that you have to take advantage of. And so you do have to be on top of it and it can be frustrating, but it's completely worth it at the end because it's the amount of love and affection that you get and the pride that you have afterwards and they know it too.

And that's the thing is they know how much they've been through and they look at you like you're a hero to them. Yeah, and I can't even imagine the level of bond that you have when you go through all that with with an animal. I can't say that I've, I'm kind of halfway. I've either gotten really, really lucky and my animals are not.

A huge challenge or, or we just had a situation like I had a dog that wasn't great with kids. And so, because we didn't have little kids in our home and we didn't have friends with little kids, we kind of avoided the, the issue for the most part. But I, you know, definitely applaud you for. For putting in that effort, especially as a younger person and being, you know, having so many things going on in your life.

That level of commitment is not something that you see all the time. And I think people need to, uh, you know, you did so many things, right? You know, you did your obviously you had the experience and that was helpful, but people can gain that experience. They could work with a trainer. You did your research.

You didn't just, you know, give up. And I think that's really important. I also do want to make a point too, just because you brought up the issue of crates, just a little sidebar note for our listeners is that many times we'll get calls from people and, you know, they'll say, Oh, my dog has separation anxiety and goes crazy and tears up my house.

And it's like, well, have you tried creating them? Yes, it didn't work. He tore out of the crate. Not all crates are created equal and not all crates are going to have the same impact on your dog and so you do your homework on your crates too because I had a Doberman Pinscher that had storm anxiety and if he was in a wire crate where he could basically see everything that was going on, he would tear his teeth apart trying to get out of that.

But when we transitioned him to a. One of those, you know, it was, of course, it was a huge, giant plastic crates that has limited visual and it, you know, it was more solid and harder for him to get his teeth on to things. We never had any problems with that. And sometimes, yeah, sometimes we were going to be gone and we knew a storm was coming.

We put a blanket over it to, to minimize. The stimulation and now they make even heavier duty dog crates. So it's, some of them can be an investment. You know, we just got one for the rescue a while back that I bought. It was like a thousand dollars, but I felt like we needed something on hand. Should we have somebody like that?

So, you know, so don't give up on the first try, you know, do your homework and see what other options might be there. I think that's important. And know, and know the breed and some of the breeds too, if you do a DNA test. They do have very similar characteristics. So German Shepherds are a dog that have, they have really high separation anxiety.

And so Knowing what to expect as well. Sometimes you could see some of the breeds in them. Um, That kind of makes it to where you kind of understand. Okay, this dog might have these issues or might have these challenges So but yeah, the crate thing is definitely a huge part of it I think if people understood the different crates and you know Making sure you have the right size crate not getting the biggest crate because dogs find so much comfort in crates Actually, it's not really an And don't ever use it as a punishment.

That's the other thing to make your dog love their crate. So having that, and I think it really does help whenever you do have to leave the house, the house. Yeah, and we've, and we've talked about that before, but I don't think we can talk about that enough. It's just, you know, like, with my dogs, everybody's got their crate.

Um, you know, and it's not necessarily that they're going to be destructive, but you just never know what, you know, what's going to the thing that's been sitting on that coffee table for 6 years suddenly becomes something they want to. Destroy today, or are they going to get into the trash can or get into it with each other?

And it's just for me, it's more peace of mind to have them in their crates, but they're so used to those crates. They sleep in them at night. They get fed in them 90 percent of the time. And so all we do is say houses. And everybody goes to their individual crate and sometimes they're just laying in it.

When I came out this morning, everybody was out, you know, it already been outside. But 1 of them was back laying down in their crate that becomes their house, their bed, their safe space. So I think for those out there who were like, oh, I don't want my dog being in a cage all day. Um, realize they do. Like their crates, if you introduce them properly and, um, and also the fact that your dog generally is going to sleep a good part of the day, um, as well.

So it's not anyway, that's a whole nother episode about great training. But, um, what do you think? Um, are there any particular. Either stories or accomplishments that you say really stand out to you about, like, the, you know, the positive story about, uh, the time that you guys have been together. Um, 1, actually, you made me think of it whenever you talked about with children, um, so that was 1 thing.

I always want to make sure that my dogs are comfortable with children and that they don't think of them as, you know, threats or anything. And, um, Kaiser, whenever I first got him fixed, we actually went on a small camping trip and he still had his cone on and one of the ladies there, she brought her daughter and her daughter's friend and they were there at the campsite and Kaiser was sitting there and they kept going over and kind of jumping and trying to like almost scaring him and he didn't see him because he can't see.

To the sides and I was kind of telling him, Oh, please don't do that. You know, and I saw him show his teeth for a second and that freaked me out. And so. I went over for, I separated him. I brought, I pulled him, I called him over and, um, you know, started petting him. And then I went over to the little girls and I said, Hey, he's had a very hard life.

He is very scared when you do that. And, you know, I think, I think he's really scared right now. And if you could please not do that. And here are some treats actually go tell him you're sorry. Give them a treat and let them know everything's okay. Um, and that you're trying to be his friend Because he's really scared of y'all right now And so they went over and gently went over there and they said oh, we're sorry They gave him the treat and they were playing fetch with him the rest of the time And they I think it taught them something about dogs and it also it taught, um him a lot too, so it was a I think a very It started out as kind of a very Stressful situation where, you know, you can, a lot of people can react to be like, Oh God, like I need to get my dog away.

I need to leave or something like that, but turning it into a learning experience and being cautious of it too. Cause it's, I mean, you don't want to just say, Oh, go run back over to him. Um, knowing your dog and trying to take things like that and turn them into a learning experience. So that, I think, really helped, and he doesn't have any issues with kids now.

Yeah, and like you said, it's a, you know, it's a learning experience for the dog, and it's a learning experience for children, because, you know, in some instances, and we see videos, you know, I spend way too much time watching videos online of, sometimes it's an issue of humans. Uh, whether it's the human approaching an animal or the human allowing their children to approach an animal and just not being respectful, you know, you despite what a person says, but sometimes people just don't know, like, hey, that might be scaring that dog or whatever the case may be.

So you really have to advocate for your dog in that situation and not make him the bad guy and just like. Always remove him from the situation. I mean, obviously if you feel like there's danger, you would remove them from the situation. But I think that's awesome that you turned that into a real learning experience for everybody involved.

And probably all the adults that saw you do that. It's like, Hey, that's a great way to handle that. Yeah. And just communicating, you do have to advocate for your dog though, because they cannot talk and they can't tell people, Hey, I'm, I'm uncomfortable. I'm scared. All they can do is growl or bark. And you have to just understand what your dog, try to understand what your dog's thinking.

Right. Um, And just communicate with others and that's because that's what they're trying to do. Well, yeah, and people don't understand that dog behavior. So you have to be the translator for them too, as well as the advocate. So, um, and I know you've alluded to this a little bit, but, um, can you tell us a little bit about, I can't even remember how long has it been that you've had Kaiser and what's life like with him today?

I know now he's got a sister. I know. So he, uh, so I actually got him. So in 2018, so in November of 2018, so it's been about almost five years now. Um, so it's been a while. He is very, very laid back. He's like old, old man. Uh, he's always by my side, always stuck right by my side. Um, he has Stella now. It's his sister and we go out, we're constantly going around places.

We go to the river all the time. Um, they both get on the paddle board with me and we'll paddle around. He loves being, they both love being in the river. Uh, we go to the ranch, run around there. I usually have them off the leash and I'm constantly training them. So even with animals running by, you know, saying, Hey, like tell him to sit, stay.

Well, animals will be there and, um, they're very well behaved. And I always have people that say, Oh, what kind of dog is he? Where'd you get them from? I like they're both shelter dogs. They're both from shelters because they think they're going to go miraculously pick up a dog just like them. And it's going to be perfect like that.

And they don't realize the amount of work you've put in over the last 5 years. Yeah, and I think it's really similar because, um, you know, Stella, she looks more like a purebred German shepherd and people are like, oh, well, it must have been hard not having her from a puppy. And I, you know, yes, there are. So I think the only challenge is that their past can sometimes have an influence and it can be a bit harder, but.

Honestly, I think having from having a puppy to you, it requires a lot of training, but I think you have to have a bit of empathy when you get a shelter dog, but it pays off so much more because they appreciate it and they respect you so much more. Um, my last question would be, you know, if you could turn back time to the first day that you saw him, would you do anything differently?

I honestly, I have to say, I can't think of anything I would have done differently. Nothing's ever going to be perfect. And. They are going to be challenged, but you learn from them as you go. So I really wouldn't change anything because I'm so happy with how they are now, and I'm happy with all the experiences, the happy ones and the challenging ones.

So I don't really think I would change anything. Great. Great. So anything else before we wrap it up? Anything else that you want to share about your experience or about Kaiser? The only thing is now he is living his best life and. They are my best friends and every single day I'm, I'm so happy and fortunate to have them by my side and it adds so much joy to your life to have a dog that has gone through that and that they're your best partner.

And so he's probably one that he's probably the best thing that's happened to me and. Has made me a better person. Well, gosh, Mason, this was better than I had hoped. It was so, so, so good. So much wisdom, so much great information. And it's just so good to hear because, you know, as somebody that does rescue and I've literally, I mean, I've had thousands of animals pass through my house, mostly cats, but definitely quite a few dogs and the updates are always.

You know, there's something where, like, there's a hesitation sometimes, like, I don't want to ask because I don't necessarily want to know if something bad had happened as far, you know, to the animal or something like that. But at the same time, when we have adopters that reach out to us and provide us these.

Happy updates similar to your story with Kaiser. It makes all the struggle in rescue worth it. So, thank you so much for taking the time out of your very, very busy life to be with us here today and for sharing your story and Kaiser's. We really appreciate it. Yeah, thank you for having me. Great. And for everybody out there, as we say, every single week, if you don't do anything else this week, make sure you give your pets a big hug from us.

And Mason, make sure you give Kaiser and Stella a big hug from us as well. I definitely will. You've been listening to the Starlight Pet Talk podcast. We're glad you joined us to gain new insight on the many loving ways to adopt and care for your pets. Be sure to subscribe. So you'll never miss an episode.

And if you want more information, go to starlightpettalk. com because your pet can't talk, be sure to join us next time for Starlight Pet Talk.