Elise Able – Page 3 – Fox Wood Wildlife Rescue

A Special Tribute to “Denali”, A Very Special and Loved Rottweiler

Adam and Lydia Pulka lost their beloved dog, “Denali” on June 2, 2012. They would like to honor Denali’s life by making a difference for other dogs in need. Adam and Lydia wrote the following about Denali and all that they went through with her.

As many of you know, Denali was very special to us. She helped us get through many transitions in our lives, such as, but not limited to, moving to North Carolina and then moving back to Buffalo to begin our teaching careers. Her sister, Laila, misses her very much, as they were best of friends. This past year, Denali fell sick to cancer, as she was only five years old. After returning home from vacation in April 2012, we noticed that Denali was not herself. It was very scary witnessing her sustain a seizure, and then finding out that she had a mass on her spleen. We were able to successfully have her spleen removed but then found out a month later that the cancer had now spread to her liver, and the biopsy revealed that her cancer was malignant histiocytic sarcoma. Making the hardest decision yet so far of our lives, we chose to make sure that Denali would not suffer any longer. Exactly one year ago from now, on June 2nd, 2012, Denali was euthanized. We believe a lot of these issues came from improper breeding of dogs, seeing that Denali’s mother was only nine months old at the time. We never realized that this was such a huge issue, but doing research on breeders showed how common these unfortunate actions are. This organization came highly recommended through a friend of the family, and what’s even more special is that one of the many miracles this organization does is they’ve saved and rescued Rottweiler puppy mills located in the area. The founder is always looking for donations, as well as foster parents to help her organization run and adopt dogs. In memory of Denali, we are looking to advocate and support this organization in hopes to stop improper breeding. Please donate whatever you can on behalf of Denali, if you feel that she has touched you in anyway. We can all make a difference, and thank you for your support. We will always love you, Denali.

If you would like to make a donation to help another dog in honor of Denali, you may do so by sending a tax deductible donation to:

“Denali”, Fox Wood Wildlife Rescue, Inc, 11156 Old Glenwood Rd, East Concord, NY 14055

or, use PayPal : foxladye@yahoo.com

Sad Dog Rescued from Highway

This poor dog was dumped along a busy expressway. She was stiff from being hit by a car, and living off road killed deer. She ran from anyone who tried to lure her or catch her. We became proactive and set up a feeding station for her, and when we saw her actually eating the food at the station, she was trapped just a few days later. She is now living at Fox Wood and learning how to trust humans again!

She is the little brown blob in the middle of the hill of rocks. This is as close as we could get to her in a car. Photographing her on foot was impossible because we couldn’t get this close

In the trap, growling and frightened because she is worried about her fate

She was a bag of bones

Just a few weeks later: Happy at Fox Wood. She has free roam of the house and yard. She loves our other dogs, loves car rides and loves to go for walks at the park with her pals. She has gained considerable weight and has been dewormed, de-flead, and will be spayed soon. She is a very young dog that plays like a puppy. It is especially rewarding when she comes running to us now, instead of running away in fear as she did at first. We are so glad that we noticed this sweet dog curled up by the expressway fence and decided to take action to help her!

This year’s pups are rolling in one by one!

Healthy 2 week Old Fox Pup Sleeping

Short tailed Weasel Hit By Car

This little guy is recovering after being hit by a car. Notice that it is half-way between its winter and summer colors! Animals that change colors from summer to winter are Seasonally dimorphic.

Fox Pup Opened His Eyes Sunday Night

Hopefully some buddies will arrive soon for him! The adult Red foxes, Boo and Handsome Boy are anxious for a youngster, but he is way too small to put him in with them yet. Despite how much handling he must receive at this age for proper care, once he goes in with Boo and Handsome Boy, his surrogate parents, he will find out that foxes are much more fun to be with than humans!

First Red fox pup of 2012!

Just a little guy, only a few days old. Witnesses say that they saw his Momma carrying him when something frightened her. She dropped the pup and ran. Despite giving her many hours to retrieve the pup, she never came back for him. Probably a first time momma.

Bats in Homes in the Winter

During the winter many bats, especially Big Brown bats in Western New York hibernate in homes. During mild weather, or when the home might be heated warmer than usual, the bats will wake up and search for food or water. They often follow beams of light streaming in from lit rooms, thinking it is the way outside. It might be the light from a hallway, a tv or a reading light. These beams duplicate the light of dusk that bats use to find their way outside from attics during warmer months.

Many people are terrified of bats and they panic when they see one flying around their room at night. The bat is equally terrified – as he/she was planning on flying outside for a sip of water or a meal of insects. To send the bat out into the cold winter air is a death sentence for the bat, as is ignoring its need for water. When bats wake from hibernation, their fat stores are rapidly depleted, often to the point where it will starve to death before spring. In addition, after three days of being awake and not getting water, the bat will become dehydrated and will perish.

Ideally, in this situation, the bat should be allowed to re-enter its state of hibernation after getting some food and water. This is not an easy process, as the bat needs to be kept awake long enough to be re-hydrated and replenish depleted fat stores with a special diet, then allowed time to digest the food and slowly re-enter the hibernative state. But who will do this? Not an easy, safe or legal task for the average person who cares about bats. It is difficult to duplicate the conditions of a bat hibernaculum. The temperature and humidity have to be just right. Years ago, some bats could be “overwintered” in refrigerators. But with the new “frost free” refrigerators, all moisture is extracted from the bats body during the “frost free” process and the bats will die. Ideal conditions are those that are found in wine cellars. Wine Humidors have been suggested, but since they are “air tight” the bats would suffocate. Fox Wood is trying to find a solution to this dilemma so that we can help more bats.

There are precious few people who understand bat biology, and even fewer in New York State. With White-Nose Syndrome decimating our Little Brown bat populations, there is a possibility that this disease could spread to our Big Brown Bats- and what will be the costs to the environment and humans as a result of the loss of these bats? Insect populations would spiral out of control, pesticide use would have to be accelerated and that’s not going to be a good situation.

Please be kind to bats. If you know there are a few hibernating in your attic, please allow them to stay at least until spring. Use caulk to seal off cracks and holes that might allow them into your living space. If you need to have them removed, please wait until spring and hire a reputable, environmentally conscious Bat Excluder to install one-way doors and check valves after insuring all cracks and holes where the bats may re-enter are sealed or repaired. In New york, the rule of thumb is “June or July, let ’em fly”. This means that the bats have their young in the very beginning of June, and so you will need to have them excluded before June, and wait until at least the second week in August when their young can fly to attempt an exclusion. If you have bats in your home that you don’t want, then you need to take a close look at your home. If you have bats getting in, you also have bees getting in, and warm air escaping in the winter. Many bat excluders are experienced carpenters who can advise you on necessary repairs.