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A Newsletter from Collie Rescue of Greater Illinois
The Collie Nose
March 2016
Throughout this online newsletter, watch for clickable links to more information!
The text will be in color, and underlined. Plus, Click on our logo
on any page whenever you want to come back to page 1!
President’s Greeting — Tina Kiselka
Welcome to 2016 Collie Rescue of Greater Illinois, Inc. In 2015 we celebrated our 20
th
anniver-
sary and in 20 years we have rescued and re-homed over 1,330 collies with fantastic families.
The new Board members for 2016 are:
Tina Kiselka – President
Caroline Lewis – Secretary
Mary Warsey – Treasurer
Melanie Clawson – Intake Coordinator
John Juris – IT Developer
Also joining us:
Cathy Schroeder – Foster Home Coordinator
Maureen Joyce – Adoption Coordinator
John Cymerman - Newsletter Coordinator
(Continued on page 2)
Inside this issue:
President’s Greeting 1
Grunts and Groans 2
Farewell to Kate
Chrisman
2
Sketches of our Board 3
Farewell to Brave
Beau
4
Volunteer Luncheon 5
A New Partnership 6
Painting by our own Carol Foster, volunteer and talented artist.
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We all know and agree collies are the smartest of ALL dogs! <groan!> They are also the most beautiful
too! <grunt> Let's strut our stuff and show 'em off during our next annual picnic.
I plan to host a talent show, Grunts and Groans Collie-Got-Talent, so get your collies ready!
Practice now and show us what you got! You could win for the "Best Trick." Or maybe you would like to enter
the "Lassie-Look-Alike" contest! <grunt> AND if your collie has that great collie swish and swagger you may
want to enter the "Best Chassis On That Lassie" competition. <GROAN!> Already looking forward to the fun!
Top Prize? Big Bucks!
Grunts and Groans, by George
The last 20 years were amazing but now it is now
time to re-organize and make CRGI bigger and bet-
ter. Our new Board will be guiding and assisting in
this effort.
In order to increase our visibility and generate more
monies for the dogs coming in, we are planning
more fund raising activities. We need new fundrais-
ing ideas and to be successful, we need more peo-
ple to get involved and help us with the upcoming
events. New ideas are always welcome. Would you
like to help?
We are excited to announce that in 2016 a new fund
was initiated “The Morgan Memorial Fund." The
purpose is to help collies with emotional and fearful
tendencies. This fund will only be used to assist in
training, purchase of training materials and special
classes for dogs in foster homes. This fund will be
maintained for this reason only! Would you like to
donate?
Collie Rescue of Greater Illinois, Inc. is so very ex-
cited about the next 20+ years! Please help and
volunteer as we really need you. CRGI has been so
successful because of all our supporters, volun-
teers, foster homes, transporters, etc. We could not
accomplish this and build a future without ALL that
have become a part of this family. It is a lot of work
that is always rewarded by the bright future it gives
the rescued collies!
Please contact info@CollieRescue.org if you would
like more information.
President’s Greeting (cont.)
Dogs all over Northern Illinois are mourning
the loss of their friend and champion Kate
Chrisman, especially Lady and Kiss, the
rescue collies who adopted Kate and her
husband Paul. Kate passed away on
Sunday, February 21, 2016. Great rejoicing
was reported at the rainbow bridge as dogs
lined up to welcome Kate across. Anyone
who really knew Kate knew how she felt
about her Collies. To say she was serious
about them is an understatement. She was
a kind soul, devoted to her husband Paul,
her kids (which included all fosters), her
family and friends. Kate and Paul worked
with Collie Rescue over the last several
decades and helped dozens of dogs find
their forever homes. In the process, she
made some forever friends too. She was a
great asset to the rescue mission and will
be dearly missed by all.
Farewell to Kate Chrisman:
By Jean Dorrance, Kate’s cousin and friend
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Sketches of our Board!
Tina Kiselka: President
Tina is the founder of Collie Rescue of Greater Illinois, Inc. (CRGI) and has built and grown the
organization over the last 20 years. She worked in a corporate setting in Chicago for 30 years as an intel-
lectual property paralegal and managed close to 100 people in an HR position for over 17 years. She feels
that her love of animals, especially collies, and her history in corporate America have greatly assisted
her in building CRGI to what it is today. Tina is the catalyst of the organization, but she acknowledges
that without the support of all the volunteers, directors, and supporters, CRGI would never have flour-
ished as it has, as it takes a family to build such a great organization.
Melanie Clawson: Director – Intake Coordinator
After adopting her collie mix, Snickers, through CRGI in the spring of 2012, Melanie began to volun-
teer by helping out with the transportation of incoming collies. In addition to driving collies herself, she
has been able to leverage her connections with other rescue groups to arrange the transportation of many
collies. She has been the Intake Coordinator since 2014 and a board member since 2015, and she feels that
she has learned a lot since becoming involved with the organization.
Mary Warsey: Treasurer
Mary adopted her first collie from CRGI in 1997 and since then has been very involved with the
organization. She currently has two collies and has adopted a total of eight collies over the years, seven
of which came through CRGI. This is Mary’s second time serving on the board of directors and her second
time as treasurer. She has fostered for CRGI in the past, and she still does temporary fosters for a couple
of days at a time, but she doesn’t normally do regular fosters, stating that “every time a dog stays at my
house for more than four days, they always seem to stay forever.” One of her current collies, Jake, be-
gan as a foster with her in 2014 and after his 6 months of heartworm treatment, he’s still with her. Mary
also assists with transport as the need arises.
Caroline Lewis: Secretary
Caroline became interested in CRGI after reading about an appearance at PetSmart, and she be-
came involved with CRGI in September 2000 when she stopped by the annual picnic in Naperville to check
things out. Caroline does not own a collie, but she is very active within CRGI. She has helped with trans-
portation, has fostered over 50 collies, and is very involved with fundraising for the organization, all on
top of serving as the secretary for CRGI.
John Juris: Director – Information Technology
John became involved with CRGI in 2007, when his wife, Sue, found the organization online. They
were living in Seattle and longing to return to Illinois where they planned to adopt a new companion. The
pair found Kojak, a smooth coat merle, and once they returned to Illinois, they adopted him. Shortly
thereafter, they adopted another collie, Rowan. They adopted another collie, Buster, from Animal Wel-
fare in 2009. After the losses of Kojak and Rowan, the couple adopted Snow, a collie from the Ohio sei-
zure, and Cappy, from the Tomball seizure. John happily reports that Snow and Cappy have both come a
long way, becoming best friends who gain confidence from each other. John brings over 20 years of IT ex-
perience, and he recently revamped the CRGI website. His goal is to help leverage technology to aid the
volunteers and potential adopters to benefit all collies in need.
By Amy Zurita
Continued on page 4
Newsletter Volunteers:
Gail Diedrichsen, George Hayes, Ellen Keirnan, Kym McNabney, Dale Mohr, & Amy Zurita
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A Farewell to Brave Beau — Ellen Keirnan
Our first foster experience in 2010 was also our last, as it was a
failure. We had lost our first collie from Collie Rescue of Greater
Illinois, Sasha, in the winter, and her companion, Winston (also a
rescue from CRGI) seemed to need some company. We thought
fostering for CRGI would be a great compromise between the
responsibility for another animal in the house (we also had two
rescue cats) and the companionship of another dog for Winston
and ourselves that seemed to be missing. As soon as I made the
call to become a fosterer, a thankful Vicki Wilder told me that
Beau was in desperate need of care.
He was around 6, and was in really bad shape. He'd lost most of
his fur to a smelly yeast infection. He had eye and ear infections
as well and he itched so badly he could not stand for more than
a few minutes at a time without scratching. He needed daily
baths to relieve the yeast infection and get it under control, but
he seemed on the small side and bathing him in our large claw
foot tub was relatively easy, since he was so docile and hairless. We knew he would need foster care until the
infections were cleared. He was a great foster match, as he was extremely timid and would give Winston a
chance to learn to be an Alpha (important because our young male cat was starting to boss him around).
Sounded like a great first foster experience, and we were ready to provide him with a jump start to a perma-
nent home.
What we didn't know was that Beau had other ideas. When he first met my youngest grandson (3 at the time),
Kurtis called him Benjie, as he had that scared, tucked in look about him. As his skin health improved and the
itching stopped, we were surprised to see he was actually as tall as our huge boy, Winston - just not quite as
long. He also had no clue how to walk on a lead or climb the 5 small steps into the kitchen from outside.
Hours were spent on hands and knees coaching him to lift one paw and then another to go upstairs. 1-2-3
became the mantra for getting into the house. Until his last day with us, he still needed that coaching.
(Continued on page 5)
Sketches of our Board! (cont.)
Cathy Schroeder: Foster Home Coordinator
Cathy’s involvement with CRGI came about during a fortuitous encounter at doggy daycare around
2007. Her border collie mix, Chance, loved playing with a collie, Dozer, who was also at doggy daycare.
As it turned out, Dozer was in need of a foster home, so he became Cathy’s first foster dog. Since then
she has fostered around 30 collies for CRGI, and a total of around 50 dogs total, as she also fostered for
other organizations in the past. She has adopted two collies from CRGI, Ky and Misty, and also has a lab
mix named Nuelle. Cathy is excited about her new role as Foster Home Coordinator and feels that her
experience with fostering can bring something to the table. She sees the position as an opportunity to
help build a team of fosters that can work together to help collies find their forever homes.
Maureen Joyce: Adoption Coordinator
Maureen was interested in CRGI for a while before getting involved, following along online to
keep up with things, as most events were very far from her home. She finally got involved with the or-
ganization in May 2010 when she saw that CRGI would be attending the Tinley Convention Center Pet Ex-
po, right in her back yard. She came to the event and then began fostering in July 2010. She currently
has two collies, Bailey and Olivia, and is fostering another, Jameson, who she will be adopting.
Beau
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He walked with a little tip to his head, that was accentuated by his cute whiteish ears - one with a perfect tulip
bend and the other straight in the air. He needed a special diet as it turned out that the severe allergies he
was suffering from were actually food allergies. His eyes were so deep set that the vet wondered that he
could even see. It took six months to finally clear up all of the infections - the one in his ears being the most
persistent. By that time Bill and I had come to know most of his personality quirks pretty well - including his
absolute panic whenever an electronic device (cell phone, computer, smoke alarm) beeped. He would run to
one of us trembling and using his paw to get our urgent attention. We often wondered if there'd been a fire in
his prior life that that would trigger this violent reaction. After a lot of trial and error, all of our devices were
programmed to minimize the noise
When he was physically healthy and his beautiful coat was coming in, the time came to release him for adop-
tion. We then realized that no one could love him more than we did. So, we decided that he needed us as
much as we needed him and we adopted our quirky boy.
As the years went by and Beau thrived, we were always grateful that we had the opportunity to make such a
difference in his life. He was a buddy to Winston for 2 more years and then he was able to show MacGyver
(Mickey), another CRGI rescue, how to settle into a home environment. Beau's coat became as beautiful as
his spirit and he garnered as many oohs and ahs on our walks as his show buddy, Mick.
As age slowly stole his hearing and his sight, Mickey became his pack leader, but he always deferred to
Beau when the time came to sound the morning neighborhood wake up call. It was the only time Beau would
bark, and he was relentless in performing that duty. Now that a month has gone by since he passed, I can
still hear that alarm going off after I've let Mickey out. It is Beau calling out his thanks for another morning
where he can patrol his yard and let us know that all is well. We miss you, Brave Beau, and thank God that
we had you as a part of our lives.
Farewell to Brave Beau (cont.)
On March 6 we gathered with fellow rescuers to
enjoy good food and great company. Our
volunteer appreciation luncheon is always
one of our favorite events because it
gives us time to sit down to share sto-
ries about our beloved collies. With
pride, each of us boasted that surely
our collie was THE best, or THE most
handsome, or THE smartest. Lots of
photos of our dogs were shared for fun.
We also shared our experiences and
suggestions on health and behavioral con-
cerns as well. This event is a great
way to network and make friends.
This year Kim Zandstra, longtime volunteer, educat-
ed us on the importance and joys of canine
massage. Kim is a ‘Nationally Certified Ca-
nine Massage Therapist’ dedicated to im-
proving dogs’ health and wellbeing
through her unique talent. Care-full Pet
Massage Inc. can be reached at
kzands@yahoo.com or
www.facebook.com/
CarefullPetMassage. Kim says, “ I travel
to the dogs’ homes where they are com-
fortable, will remain calm and where they
feel secure.”
(Continued on page 6)
Volunteer Luncheon — Gail Diedrichsen
Kim Zandstra demonstrates massage
techniques on a stuffed collie
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We had lots of laughs as we practiced massage techniques on
very cooperative stuffed animals.
Kate Chrisman was remembered on a tribute table. We missed
her, but knew she was with us in spirit.
Thanks to Kim Nelson for organizing our event and to Tina and
her family for helping.
The traditional volunteer cake’s inscription captured our team
spirit and camaraderie we share as rescuers. Thanks, Karen
Rivera.
Once again, George Hayes secured our room at the Darien
Sportsplex and we surely appreciate it. George also announced
his “Grunts ‘n Groans Collies - Got -Talent” talent show planned
for our reunion picnic. Best Trick, Lassie Look-Alike, and best
Lassie’s Chassis is in the works, so start practicing now!
Although our collies
don’t join us for
lunch, we manage to
have a great time,
regardless!
Thanks for coming!
President Tina Kisielka and the delicious
cake provided by Karen Rivera
Volunteer Luncheon (cont.)
Volunteers practice massage techniques on
stuffed animals
The new board mingling with volunteers
A New Partnership — Ellen Kiernan
When Myron Baldwin and Helen Christ lost Riley, their senior collie, a rescue from Collie Rescue of Great-
er Illinois (CRGI), their first thought for finding a new companion for Willie, their border collie, was another
CRGI rescue. In walked Maggie. At 9 years old she was much younger than Willie, but she was not an ob-
noxious puppy who would make his final days an unrelenting challenge. She helped to fill the gaping hole
in Willie's heart that Riley had left.
When Maggie arrived at CRGI she needed a weight loss and fitness program to take off her excess
pounds, which had successfully given her back her energy and love of fun when she was placed with My-
ron and Helen. She helped Willie and she also amazed Helen and Myron with her playful spirit and quick
learning. Mile plus walks became part of her daily routine. Additionally, Maggie took on the role of Nurse
Maggie with Willie, checking on him regularly. Finally Willie's age and grief took their final toll and Willie
slipped away. Meanwhile Miss Maggie May was blossoming and proving to be a much more active com-
panion who loved to play with the long unused dog toys in the household.
About that time a hoarding situation in Missouri had flooded various rescue organizations with new respon-
sibility and CRGI stepped up to find homes for some of the miserable collies found in this horrible situation.
A senior girl named Candy was in the mix. While Maggie had not truly bonded with Willie, Helen and Myron
knew that they were too used to having two dogs and the extra activity in their household that makes pet
(Continued on page 7)
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ownership so rewarding. So a couple of weeks before
they were planning to leave for their winter home in
Florida they welcomed Candy, about 11 years old,
into their home as a new buddy for Maggie.
Since they had been involved with cat rescue over
the years, they also have 2 cats and one is named
Andy. They decided to change Candy's name to Can-
dle Light, so there would be no confusion on
Andy's part as they showed Candy new
routines and corrections, using her
name often and using treats to
motivate this shut down sweet-
heart. This solved the potential
issue, and also allowed the
dogs and cats to relax into their
new relationship.
Maggie May helped Candle Light
adjust to her new home environment,
however Candle Light still had a lot to
learn. Perhaps because of the over-
crowded environment she came from,
she had no concept of anyone else's
personal space - including Maggie's. Walking over
her new buddy was common, whenever or wherever
Maggie May laid. Care was taken to provide Maggie
as much attention as the newcomer, and daily walks
were critical. Candle Light benefited from the daily
walks and Maggie helped show her how to bond with
her new family.
Candle Light was extremely sensitive to correction
and confinement, and would shut down when she
was encountering new experiences. A CD with sooth-
ing sounds proved invaluable during this transition
and minimized separation anxiety. Recommended by
an Animal Control worker Myron and Helen had met,
the website https://asoundbeginningprogram.com
provided them with additional tools to help their two
adopted buddies adjust to their new homes and each
other.
Their first road trip to Florida proved another learning
experience for both animals and humans. Helen and
Myron learned that Candle Light had to be walked
with Maggie and never left behind for even a moment
when rest stops were taken. The trauma of being ig-
nored and neglected was still too fresh for her and if
she was left hooked in the car while waiting to exit
even with Helen beside her, she became upset
and shut down completely. She also demanded to
leave the car only from the same door as Maggie.
Luckily Myron and Helen were quick learners!
Now that they have settled into their winter home,
Maggie May and Candle Light have learned a new
game - Find Myron! Both participate in this Hide and
Seek activity and have become very successful at
tracking him down on command. They all love the
game and since the "Find" results in treats
Maggie May and Candle Light have be-
come very efficient. Maggie has
quickly learned that game and
others, and is patient in helping
Candle Light understand the
rules! The dogs get along and
share treats and food readily.
Candle Light still doesn't bark
often, but that first sound seemed
like a happy benchmark, signaling
that she was finally finding her own
identity.
Long walks in the balmy weather have
boosted Candle Light's confidence and
have delighted Maggie May. Candle Light came to
her new home shaved down to remove her matted
coat, just as the November blizzard in Illinois had ar-
rived. She acquired her first sweater for warmth and
has now become quite the fashionista. Even in Flori-
da days have been chilly and so her wardrobe has
expanded. Neighbors are always on the lookout to
see which colors Candle Light is sporting on the daily
walk. She and Maggie May are now working on their
new partnership, touching and coming together as
they face each new adventure.
Myron and Helen are thrilled that this new partnership
is thriving and have learned once again the true
meaning of adoption rewards that they receive each
day thanks to sharing their lives with these two spe-
cial senior
girls. CRGI
is also
thrilled with
another
successful
match!
Maggie and Candle Light keep
cool by the pool
A New Partnership (cont.)