A Newsletter from Collie Rescue of Greater Illinois

The Collie Nose

Fall 2015

In This Issue:

New Things To Notice

Picnic Recap 1-4 Pet Expo Recap 5

Tina’s Thank You Note 4 Grunts & Groans 6

The President’s Heartworm Positive Dog 9 2015 Adoptions 11

Volunteer Spotlight 7 2015 Rainbow Bridge 12

2015 Picnic Recap

Special Ceremony Thanks Our Founder For Twenty Years

By Gail Diedrichsen

Kim Nelson and Tina Kiselka did a great job

planning the 20th Anniversary Picnic for the

CRGI extended family. The food was wonderful

and the company even better! We would be re-

miss if we didn’t mention our wonderful volun-

teers who came early to help erect the tents, haul

the equipment, set up tables, position the sound

system, and place signs. Those who stayed late

and helped clean up also

deserve a very big pat on

their backs. The effort it takes to plan this event

is significant. Without these volunteers who

show up year after year to volunteer their time

and muscle, it would not get done.

Caroline Lewis’s team collected some fantastic

raffle prizes. It’s no wonder her table was so pop-

ular - the baskets were beautifully displayed and

the items very desirable. Many lucky people went

home with some great loot!

Jan Melahn, single handedly served and

made sure the buffet area was well tended. Jan

deserves a very special thank you. She has be-

come a fixture behind that table. Year after year

she sets up, serves and cleans up!

Sherylee Dodge’s “20

Anniversary” logo on

Kim Nelson’s tee-shirt design was a hit. Our

fashion tent was very busy selling these new

shirts, in short– or long– sleeved styles, in two

(Continued on page 2)

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!

Memorable Moments of CRGI:

colors. Shirts are available for sale on our web-

site.

Thanks to everyone who helped set up, pitched

in to clean up, brought food, donated items to our

raffle, purchased collie attire, bought raffle tick-

ets, or simply came out to enjoy the fantastic day

with their collies. This year’s picnic was very

special. As in years before, the multitude of beau-

tiful collies and their people arrived just as

George’s “Grunts and Groans” feature aptly

describes. Nothing is more beautiful than a

park full of collies.

As we celebrated our 20

Anniversary, our or-

ganization’s founder, Tina Kiselka was honored

during the program. This is why our picnic was

extra special this year. Susie Moncek, CRGI

Board President, called Tina to the microphone

and introduced her as the reason we are all to-

gether in this organization. Tina, with happy

tears, thanked everyone when she took center

stage. She gave special thanks to Kim Meziere

and Cheryl Hoglund, old friends who helped her

in the early days of the organization. Tina also

thanked “Dr. B.” who has worked with her for

years.

We successfully orchestrated our very

sneaky plan to present Tina with a gift! The gift, a

charm bracelet, represents Tina’s unwavering 20

years of dedication. Rescuing hundreds of home-

less collies takes lots of hard work, but Tina has

done just that! If one were to ask Tina, “How do

you do it?,” she would give everyone, but herself,

the credit. BUT, Tina is the latch - the glue - that

links us together. The charms, from her many

loyal volunteers, past and present adopters, and

friends and supporters, are a testament to her

leadership. Many were sent from people located

all over the country.

This token, not only expresses our collective ap-

preciation to Tina for her years of dedication, but

it also gave individual members a chance to ex-

press their gratitude in a very personal way.

For example, one member contributed a

lemon charm because her own children’s lemon-

ade stand raised funds for the collies. AND one

(Continued from page 1)

(Continued on page 3)

Picnic-

people min-

gle and vol-

unteer to

pull it off

perfectly

Memorable Moments of CRGI:

member gave her a golden angel holding a purple heart. Anybody who’s

worked firsthand in the rescue business knows it sometimes takes some di-

vine intervention, but it ALWAYS requires bravery. One charm represented

the parable of a starfish found on the beach and returned safely to the ocean.

One member added a fire hydrant charm, while another chose to give her a

pile of doggie poop. Rescue work is not glamorous.

It’s dirty, hard work. This little charm may be funny,

but it tells it like it is!

Although too many to list, each and every

charm is a treasure that Tina will cherish forever. Over

50 charms adorn the bracelet! No surprise - the heart

charms definitely outnumbered others and this says it

ALL! It’s all about the love this generous woman has

given so selflessly for 20 long years. Tina reaps what

she has sown…bountiful love!

Thanks to all of our volunteers and adopters,

old and new, who participated in our celebration. Tina

picked up the microphone to welcome everyone and

jokingly reminded the

group, “In another 20

years, I could easily

be in a wheelchair!

We need young peo-

ple to step up and

carry on.” Wheth-

er to one of the old-

ies or a new mem-

ber, Tina has been a

role model and a

constant inspira-

tion!

Thanks, Tina, for

your

commendable

20 years of

distinguished

leadership.

(Continued from page 2)

Collie Rescue of Greater

Illinois, Inc is:

Board Members:

President and Foster Home Coordinator Susie Moncek,

Treasurer Tina Kiselka, Secretary Caroline Lewis, &

Intake Coordinator Melanie Clawson

Adoption Coordinator: Jeana Butler,

Events Coordinator: Kim Kiselka

Newsletter Volunteers:

Gail Diedrichsen, Sherylee Dodge,

George Hayes, Ellen Keirnan,

Kym McNabney, Dale Mohr,

Madeline Sibon, & Amy Zurita

Our thanks to sponsors, Artistic

Grooming (above), and Furry Ex-

pressions Photography (below)

CRGI Friends and Family (above)

and Tina Kiselka with our

anniversary cake (below)

This year Collie Rescue of

Greater Illinois is celebrating

our 20

year. Each one of us

attending the picnic this year

have the honor of sharing

our home and families with a

rescue collie, But none of it

would be possible without

our Founder Tina Kiselka.

Tina in honor of you,

we started a project

months ago and contacted

volunteers and adopters

past and present and invit-

ed them to purchase a charm that either means something to them, to you or

to the CRGI family as a whole. This beautiful box was adorned by Gail Die-

drichsen, and inside are cards or notes of thanks of people who contributed to this gift to honor you.

We cannot thank you enough for being the reason we are all here today. On behalf of all of

the collie rescue family, we thank you for your hard work, dedication and love that you have shown

to each and every Collie that has come into our care. Without you 1330 collies, collie mixes and a

few that might not have been collies at all would not have had a chance at the life that they de-

served. We thank you, we love you and most of all….the Collies thank you!

I cannot thank everyone enough for all that was

done to celebrate the 20

year anniversary of

Collie Rescue of Greater Illinois, Inc. at our re-

cent annual family picnic.

Thank you for all the notes, cards, letters

and most of all, thank you for the individual

charms, necklaces and gifts honoring me for the

existence of CRGI for 20 years. However, I need

to thank all of you and more for getting us to 20

years! Without ALL of you, this would not have

happened. Never thought the first day I picked

up the first collie (Candy) that this would be

where I would be 20 years later.

I would like to thank everyone that walked

this path with me from day one and you all know

who you are.

A thank you to all who attended the picnic

with well wishes and

smiles, and a special

thank you to: Helen, My-

ron, Kate, Paul, Ruth,

Bradley, Susie, Scott,

Gail, Kim, Brad, Joan-

ie, Vicki, Nancy, Dawn,

Sherylee, Laurie, Char-

lie, Mary, Carol,

Michelle, Paul,

George, Karen, John,

Sue, Kathy, Robin,

Rich, Cheryl, Maureen,

Karla, Gerri, Dan,

Ray, Cathy, Mela-

nie, Caroline, Melanie, Jason, Bobbie Jo and

all the collies and their brothers/sisters, collie or

non, for all the special smiles you put on my face

celebrating my 20

anniversary. See you

all at the 30

anniversary!!!!!

Founder’s Words:

Heartfelt Thanks

By: Tina Kiselka

Picnic Presentation to Tina:

By: Susie Moncek, President

Clockwise from top: Caroline and Jeana display the

anniversary shirt; Adopters and collies introduce

themselves; and a happy collie rests in the sun

Kim Meziere and Tina Kiselka

Collie Rescue of Greater Illinois, Inc. began 20 years ago with the rescue of a collie named Candy.

What started as a small operation with a few volunteers, a couple hundred dollars of our founder’s own money

and a mission, has now successfully placed 1,330 collies in their forever homes.

Over the last 20 years our rescue organization has grown by leaps and bounds as we strive to improve.

We’re adding new volunteers in every facet of our organization, and working on a new internal database. Our

brand new website has officially been launched and our newsletter gets better with every issue. We have certi-

fied trainers that are able to work with fostered dogs who need extra attention. We have been providing seminars

for our foster homes, and soon we plan to make those informational opportunities available to our adopters too.

Tina Kiselka’s dream is to nurture relationships between children and rescued dogs through a children’s

volunteer program. Ensuring that young minds understand the importance of properly caring for animals is

important. There are many ways children can participate. Through fundraising, fostering, and/or helping with

various aspects of our work, they learn what rescue work is all about. Great lessons taught now, just might save

the lives of collies in years to come.

Keep an eye on Collie Rescue of Greater Illinois, Inc. over the coming months and years to see all the

great work we do. If you would like to be part of our ever growing and exciting organization you can contact us at

info@Collierescue.org for opportunities within the CRGI family!

Memorable Moments of CRGI:

Windy City Pet Expo,

Schaumburg

By: Gail Diedrichsen

It’s always so much fun to spend time

with fellow volunteers and their collies at

events like The Windy City Pet Expo held July

at the Schaumburg Convention Center.

This year’s event was lots of fun and

we scored a coveted corner booth. Its location

was perfectly situated next to the “Boston Terrier

Kissing Booth.” The snorting terriers were cute

and the rescue’s volunteers made great neigh-

bors…I will give them that. BUT…who wouldn’t

rather kiss the handsome long nose of a collie?

The smooching Bostons, no matter how

hard they tried, could not upstage the collies! We

had LOTS of folks stopping by to give our collies

an adoring pet. Everyone’s always so impressed

with the good behavior and gentle spirit of our

collies and they tell us so. What better way to find

collies homes, than to have such exemplary rep-

resentations of the breed there for people to

meet?

Thanks to the many volunteers who helped man

the booth. Thanks, also, to our wonderful ambas-

sador collies. You never disappoint us! Each of

you put your best paw forward for your admiring

fans.

Where Do We Go From Here?

Our booth staffed (from left) by Mary Sue Warsey with Jake and

Aiden, Susie Moncek with Chase, Kim Nelson, Melanie Clawson,

Tina Kiselka with Brody, and Jeana Butler with Bayne.

Chase,

Bayne, and

Brody repre-

sent the

breed.

Four score and seven years ago … <groan>….

Ok, drop the four score. About seven years ago

my wife, Karen, and I went to our first collie res-

cue picnic. Boy was that a treat! We were like

kids walkin’ into Willie Wonka’s Chocolate Facto-

ry. We were both in awe and full of wonder.

Karen and I parked ourselves in our lawn

chairs right next to the entry pathway leading into

the park. We couldn’t get enough of the specta-

cle passing before us…THE grandest parade of

collies ya’ ever did see…beautiful collies every-

where! … wave after wave of stunning sables,

feast for the eyes tri-colors, magnificent mahoga-

nies, wowing whites, breath-taking blues, and

show-stopping smoothies.

“Oh boy, look at the chassis on that las-

sie!” I found myself exclaiming more than once

that day. I also found myself assuring my better

half my meaning was only to be taken in the

most complimentary way as I was referring to the

beauty of the dogs. Once I made that clear, we

BOTH enjoyed watching the happy collies strut

their stuff as they headed down the path with

their adoptive families.

Annie and Roxy (our collies), my wife, Ka-

ren, and I look forward to the picnic every

year. It ranks up there as one of my top three

favorite days of the year: our wedding anni-

versary is first, <awww!> Christmas with the

kids, a close second <awww!> and the

C.R.G.I. picnic is right up there! <Grunt>

<grrrr> … Okay, Roxy! Your birthday is spe-

cial too! <Whimper>… And Annie’s too …

AND the cat’s … <bark, bark, grrrrr > … okay,

okay, Roxy…NOT the cat’s.

Attending this special event never grows old. We

always have a memorable day! High five and

many paws up to Tina and Kim and the volunteer

workers who put together this great event, rain or

shine, year after year.

Last year’s weather was slightly cold and

wet, but it was a testament to the loyalty of our

members because they came out to enjoy the

dogs and the company of fellow collie fanciers.

As in any great story, eventually the sun did

come out and by the end of the day we had the

opportunity to add another collie sweatshirt to our

wardrobe.

2015’s picnic was no disappointment.

There were great new tee-shirts to add to our

wardrobe and the weather was PERFECT! As

always, seeing the perfect “chassis on those las-

sies” was perfectly entertaining. The food was

perfect, all the collies (even Roxie) were perfect

(after all, they are collies what do you expect?)

AND the company at a CRGI picnic is better than

perfect! We are already looking forward to 2016!

Grunts&Groans

Enjoying A

Special Tradition

By George Hayes

Collie Ware & Collie

WEAR! CollieWHERE?

Find fun CRGI-themed

gifts at the

CRGI Store!

George with his girls, Annie

(left) and Roxy

By: Amy Zurita

Every collie that comes to Collie Rescue of Greater

Illinois Inc. goes through the intake coordinator, Mela-

nie Clawson. She searches the Internet for collies

that are being given up or have ended up in shelters,

and reaches out to arrange the safe transportation for

each incoming collie to one of our vets. Melanie has

been the Intake Coordinator since June 2014, when

Vicki Wilder recommended her as a candidate to be

her successor.

Melanie’s involvement with CRGI began in

2012 after the loss of her 12 ½ year old corgi, Hunny.

Left to her own devices, Melanie probably would have

gotten another corgi to be a companion to her terrier,

Sassy; however, her husband, Jeff, wanted a collie as

his family had one when he was a child. The two

searched online for the perfect collie, but they had a

hard time narrowing the list down.

Finally on the CRGI website, they found Snickers, a collie mix, and after reading his bio,

Melanie knew they had to have him. Vicki was Snickers' fosterer at the time, and she prepared

Melanie for the worst, as Snickers was very afraid of people. The Clawsons drove three hours to

meet Snickers, and when he was quick to lick Jeff’s hand, Melanie knew they had a connection.

One week later, Vicki brought Snickers for a home visit. Snickers responded very well, and that was

when Melanie knew he had finally found his home.

Following Snickers’ adoption, Melanie began to volunteer for CRGI. She explains: “The more

I saw how much goes into every dog, the more I wanted to help.” She started helping out with the

transportation of incoming collies, doing some driving herself as well as tapping

into her connections with various boxer rescue organizations in order to get the

collies where they needed to go.

Melanie was involved simultaneously with Across America Boxer Rescue

and Northern Plains Boxer Rescue. Her friend, Lori Weese, was very active with

these boxer rescues and at her request, Melanie had begun to foster boxers.

She has fostered more boxers than any other type of dog. Melanie notes:

“Collies are my love, but I love them all.”

In September 2012, the Clawsons adopted Brody, a sable collie who was

heartworm positive. When she and her husband attended the Annual CRGI Pic-

nic, as they do every year, they had an opportunity to meet Brody and

some of the other available collies in person. That introduction was all they

(Continued on page 8)

Meet Intake Coordinator,

Melanie Clawson

Volunteers Matter:

“Rescue

is my

heart

and

soul.”

Melanie greets a sable

friend at a CRGI event

New Things To Notice Around CRGI:

Volunteers Matter:

needed, and they adopted Brody the following

weekend.

Melanie says that she has “learned so

much since 2012, it’s unbelievable.” She admits

that before getting involved in CRGI, she did

not realize the importance of spaying and neu-

tering and the impact it makes on behavior.

She praises the CRGI foster program, calling it

“one of the best foster programs I’ve seen.”

She is impressed with how knowledgeable the

fosterers are and how much support there is in

the CRGI fostering community. She describes

them as a family who will step up when they are needed.

Becoming active with CRGI has helped Melanie to find herself. For most of her life she was a

single mom, and her kids were her passion. Once her kids were grown, she found herself looking for

her calling. She says: “rescue is my heart and soul.” In addition to volunteering with CRGI and the

boxer rescues, she also volunteers for Tri-State Collie Rescue, and she has become very involved

with the Humane Society of Danville (HSD), her local Humane Society. As their Associate Director,

she's made positive changes and she loves her job, happy that she is able to take the education that

she has gained through CRGI and use it to help other shelter dogs.

In the spring of 2015, Melanie was asked to become a board member of CRGI, and she ac-

cepted the position. She says that in the future, she would like to become a dog trainer and be able

to do evaluations on the dogs at the shelter. She openly admits that she is “a crazy rescue person,”

which has been great for her and for all of the animals she has helped. Rescue has clearly become

a part of who Melanie is, as she even jumps in to help loose dogs in her neighborhood. She recently

took in her daughter’s senior Shih Tzu mix, Princess, who is now enjoying a spoiled retirement.

Melanie definitely has her hands full, but it is clear that she loves what she does and we sure

appreciate her. She’s been a great addition to the CRGI family.

(Continued from page 7)

Keep an eye out for our Anniversary Logo

T Shirts! They will also be available for sale

on our website soon!

Featuring: The New 2016

Collie Calendar Online Now!

Our Newly

Re-designed

Website!

*If you haven’t been to collierescue.org

in a while, check out our new look!

Melanie’s pack, (from left) Brody,

Snickers, and Sassy

When my sable Amy first arrived at Col-

lie Rescue, my heart melted the minute I

looked in her eyes. I just knew this one wasn’t

leaving and she would be mine. As a foster

home volunteer for Collie Rescue of Greater

Illinois, Inc. I have the benefit of priority in

adopting the dogs that I foster. All the rescued

dogs are spayed or neutered, teeth cleaned,

vaccinated, micro-chipped, and tested for

heartworm and then either treated for it, or

started on preventative medication right away.

Amy was a happy and healthy 4-year-

old barrel of fun, or so I thought. Now that she

had been with us a year, it was time for her

yearly checkup, vaccinations and heartworm

test. As the Foster Home Coordinator for CRGI,

one of my duties has frequently been to assist

our foster parents in caring for dogs that have

come in with heartworm. I had become pretty

good at telling our volunteers “It will be okay” or

“It’s not that big of a deal”. Now I was about to

get a crash course on what it is like to care for a

heartworm positive dog and how important it is to

use year round prevention.

The day after Amy’s check

-up, I received the call no pet

owner wants to hear; she tested

positive for heartworms. I thought,

“How could this be? It must be a

mistake!” She was negative last

year when she arrived, and she

had been on heartworm preventa-

tive ever since. Our vet suggest-

ed additional tests to rule out the possibility of a

false positive. I thought, “Yes! That’s it, it’s a

false positive!” We immediately ran Amy to the

vet to get further testing.

After an excruciating night of worry, wait-

ing for the results to come back, the phone rang

in the morning. All testing confirmed Amy was, in

fact, heartworm positive. My heart sank. I truly

did not understand how MY girl could possibly

have this disease.

As Foster Coordinator, I had done past

research on this disease, but now that my own

dog was diagnosed, I began more extensive in-

vestigation. I learned that it can take 6 to 8

months after infection for heartworms to be de-

tected and Amy had been infected before we

even adopted her.

When a mosquito bites an infected ani-

mal, and later bites a dog, it deposits baby heart-

worms called microfilaria into the ani-

mal’s skin. And there you have it, your

dog has now been infected with baby

heartworms. At this stage the monthly

preventatives are effective and kill the

baby heartworms before they can turn

into adults. However, without preven-

tative meds, the larvae mature into

adult heartworms in approximately 6

months. Unfortunately Amy had been

infected prior to starting the preventative. The

worms had been too old for the medication to

work, but too young to be detected by the test.

So Amy soon had all the proper blood

work done and was first put on 30 days of medi-

cation to help kill the bacteria that heartworms

survive on and reduce the inflammation they

cause. This initial treatment decreases the likeli-

(Continued on page 10)

Voice of Experience:

By: Susie Moncek

Amy,

Rescue

Dog

heartworm-positive

It can take 6

to 8 months

after infection

for heartworms

to be detected.

hood of complications. Then it is time for the in-

jections that actually kill the adult heartworms

that have invaded the heart and lungs. I dropped

off a happy, tail wagging little girl in the morning

at the vet's office and

waited by the phone,

anxious to hear if

she lived through the

first treatment. When

that phone rang, my

heart sank again,

hoping it was good

news and she sur-

vived. Thankfully

they said she was sleeping quietly and I

could pick her up and bring her home.

Nothing can prepare you for the af-

termath of this injection. They brought my

normally sweet, spunky, happy, tail-

wagging girl out from the back of the vet’s

office, but she was not the same dog I just

saw that morning. Her head was hanging

low, she was not even happy to see me.

She walked so slowly and had a painful

gait. We were given our instructions to keep her

quiet, no walks, no barking, no excitement, no

playing, strict confinement and nothing that would

raise her heart rate.

If Amy were to get excited about anything,

her heart rate would increase, the dying heart-

worms could travel and cause an embolism that

would probably kill her instantly. We took the ap-

propriate measures and closed all the drapes,

blinds and covered windows with sheets to keep

her from seeing a bird or squirrel or chipmunk

that might cause her to get excited. We now lived

in a quiet, dark cave with little to no sunlight just

to keep our girl calm. Even though we have a

fenced yard, Amy now was leashed when in the

yard, confined to just go to the bathroom, protect-

ed from getting excited about anything she might

see or hear.

The first days were the worst! Amy was

sore at the injection site and it was painful for her

to walk, sit or lay down. She could not get com-

fortable and did not want anyone near her. This

was so unlike the girl who loved to jump on the

couch and lay in my lap. I watched her act as

though she was dying before my very eyes. She

slept a lot during the first few weeks and gradual-

ly started to feel better, but this would be short

lived, because her next treatment was coming

up.

After 30 days it was time for her next treat-

ment - injections on back-to-back days. This

treatment proved to be worse than the first. The

soreness from the injections was now on both

sides of her hindquarters and I cannot even de-

scribe the look of discomfort on her face. Again

she wanted nothing to do with us, her head hang-

ing low, unable to find a comfortable position. An-

other 30 days of keeping her

quiet and having my heart

sink if she walked too fast or

became excited at the ring-

ing doorbell. Praying that

she does not see the bunny

in the yard or the bird in the

tree, I fear she will drop

dead right in front of me. An-

other 30 days of living in our

dark, quiet cave.

And then– today is the day! We will finally

find out if the treatment worked and our little girl

is safe from this horrible disease. After one more

blood test we learned Amy is now heartworm

negative!

Being in rescue has allowed me to learn

so much and one of my favorite things is to share

what I learn with others. The most useful lesson

this horrible experience has taught me is the im-

portance of year round heartworm preventative.

Stopping preventatives in the fall and resuming in

the spring is just enough time for heartworms to

develop into adults that will invade the heart and

lungs. The saddest part is you will not know it un-

til it is too late and your dog will have to suffer the

same treatment that mine did.

Talk to your vet and keep your pets safe

by giving them monthly heartworm preventative

and spare them the suffering Amy had to go

through. She is now back to her happy and

healthy self, and will NEVER miss a dose

of her monthly medication!

(Continued from page 9)

Amy during treatment

Amy

after

finishing

treatment

Presenting

Some of the Adopted Faces of

2015

Memorable Moments of CRGI:

Remembering:

Some of our 2015 Rainbow

Bridge Travelers

Memorable Moments of CRGI: