On April 27, a day when we were on tornado watch, I met Storm. She was abandoned by someone with only food and an old, thick collar. I promised her that day I would find her a loving home, and I intend to keep that promise.
I haven't been doing it alone. I did something I don't normally do. I asked my community on social media and Tulsa Remote for help. I had made a request on my birthday asking my friends and acquaintance to donate $5 toward Storm so I could get her a kennel. My community more than delivered. Instead of raising my $80 goal, we raised almost $700. With that money I was able to do the following for her:
1. Get her a harness, leash, collar, training clicker, dog bed, dog crate with a plush mat, a toy ball, dog food, and training treats.
2. Take her to my dogs' vet, where she got DA2PP-L4 Adult Vaccine 1 Year, Bordetella Rapid Respiratory Intra-Nasal Vaccine, Rabies Adult Vaccine 1 Year, Pedicure - Simple, Venipuncture (check for heart worms), Heartworm Canine Antigen (check for heart worms), Fecal Flotation In Hospital (to check for parasites), Amoxicillin 500mg Capsule and Carprofen 75mg Tablets (for her Urinary Tract Infection), and Simparica Trio (Blue) 22.1-44# (hardcore flea, heart worm, and tick prevention).
3. A visit to Tulsa SPCA to get spayed.
Every penny has gone toward Storm and I'll continue to provide whatever she needs until she finds a new home.
I copied the original post I shared on social media below. Please note, I don't need any more donations. We just need to find her a home now. Thank you again to everyone who came to Storm's aid. If you are interested in adopting her, please email me at shayna.l.brewer@gmail.com. I love her so much and hope I can find someone who will love her even more:
Good morning! I have a story/birthday wish!
I want to introduce y’all to Storm. I found her in my neighborhood right before some very intense weather last weekend (we were on tornado watch). She was left in an empty lot with some food and she was very reluctant to move. I knew she must have been dumped by her previous owners. She smelled terrible, had a very worn out collar with no tags, and doesn't have a microchip. It took about an hour to get her to warm up to me, but once she did she was a completely different dog. She is super playful, very curious, and quite cuddly. Nick and I gave her a bath, got her vaccinated, and we are currently treating her UTI, but otherwise, the vet says she's perfectly healthy. No heart worms, no fleas, no parasites. She will need to be fixed in the near future, but that is the only thing pending health-wise!
Once we knew she was healthy, we were finally able to introduce Storm to our corgis, Pixel and Jpeg. After the typical sass from our loaves, Jpeg and Storm started playing and it was adorable. However, because we had to quarantine her in the garage for 2.5 days, Jpeg is convinced she belongs outside. When Storm’s in the house Jpeg has meltdowns and constantly communicates with his buttons that she needs to go outside (see video below). So he likes her outside, hates her inside. It’s a bit difficult to navigate, but we’re making it work.
I’ve been struggling to get her into the foster system here in Tulsa. Strays are a huge problem here, so every shelter is full. Whenever I speak to people at any of the shelters, I let them know, “Hey, I found this girl before the storms last Saturday and I would really like to foster her. Is there any way we can get her in the system so we can get more eyes on her?” They all seem excited because I already plan to foster her and took her to the vet, but when I fill out the forms they send me, they decline them because their facilities are full. It has been discouraging to say the least.
I need to get her a crate so she can be trained to get through the night without going to the bathroom. She currently sleeps on a bed we bought her in the garage, which is fine for now. Our weather is perfect at night, but it’s going to start getting really warm soon. I’d prefer to have her in the house, and a crate will make it less stressful for her and the rest of us.
So I have a birthday wish to ask of y’all. If you have friends who live in Oklahoma, please share this with them. If you have a friend you trust who may be interested in this sweetie, send them my way! And if you have $5 to spare toward a new crate, please send it to my Venmo @Shayna Brewer or my PayPal @shaynabrewer. I’ve spent about $400 on her already, which is totally fine. I want her to be comfortable and want the best for her. Whether or not anyone donates to us, she will get her crate, so please don’t worry about that. But any donation will certainly help. I will provide receipts so y'all know it's strictly Storm money.
Here’s a little bit more about Storm:
Age: Estimated by the vet to be between 6mo-1year. Closer to a year, probably.
Coloring: Dark gray (edit: actually dark brown) with light brown socks and tiny light brown eyebrows. Her eyes are light gray (edit: actually light brown).
Breed: Who knows?! Everyone seems to project breeds they grew up with onto her. I think she’s part blue heeler, but others have said German Shepherd. All I know for sure is, she’s the goodest girl. (edit: my friend Tiffany bought a DNA test for Storm. I haven't received the results yet, but we may know in a few weeks).
Energy Level: VERY HIGH. She is not a first-time-dog-owner’s type of dog. She wants to play. She wants attention. She uses her paws like hands to grab at you. She will probably be happiest on a farm or with someone who likes to run with their dogs.
Personality: So very sweet and playful. She is also VERY curious about everything I do. She’s right there when I garden and she watches me while I paint. She is observant and eager to please. She also seems to learn quickly, so she will not be hard to train.
Leash training: She’s not perfect, but she’s going to be easy to train on a leash. I took her on a 45 minute walk and it was pretty dang easy.
Noise Level: She doesn’t bark. I’m not even sure she can (edit: she can bark, but doesn't unless she feels like it's necessary).
Okay with dogs: YES. She loves other dogs. LOVES them. Unfortunately, mine are assholes to her (edit: my corgi Jpeg loves her now. My other corgi Pixel is an old lady and can still be an ass, but tolerates Storm).
Okay with cats: I’m not sure, but I think she would irritate the crap out of them if they’re not used to dogs.
Okay with kids: YES. One of the reasons she warmed up to me is because a 7ish year old and his mom stopped to talk to me when I was trying to gain Storm’s trust. She was immediately drawn to the boy.
Again, please share with anyone you know in Oklahoma, and if you have a few dollars to spare for Storm, it’ll help immensely and be the best present ever.Let’s find her a happy loving home together. She deserves it so much.
