Canisolida Mastiffs Foster and Retirement Home, Inc. Retired Dogs ~Senior and Elderly Dogs that are living out their lives at the retirement home~ ~Those who have passed away are not forgotten: See them HERE~

Since you last visited.....We've updated: Granpa Nudge is a new retirement dog!

MARLEY .....

Birth year, 1996. Marley is a female brindle English Mastiff who was first rescued at the age of 4 from a breeder who was surrendering all her dogs, and then she was adopted and stayed in her adoptive home for 5 years until she was 9 years old. She developed urinary incontinence, kidney failure, and diabetes insipidus, and was welcomed to the retirement home when she was nine years old when her adoptive owner was not able to provide Marley with the senior care she required. At this writing, Marley is 13 years old and can still go into a full run and lets mom know if she is a minute off of feeding time. She sure can wet a bed, but that is never any fault of her own - that is what the laundry is for! Marley does not wag her tail, but she shows her happiness in other ways, like dancing for her meal and giving her paw for more when you stop petting her. ..... Marley passed away on November the 28th, 2009. She will be very, very missed and her clickety nails on our wooden floor will still be heard echoing and her strong spirit to keep her mom motivated will carry on in all of the things we at Canisolida do.

BESSY JEAN

Birth year, 1999. Bessy Jean is a female fawn English Mastiff who was rescued when she was 2 years old from a local puppymill. She exhibited serious separation anxiety in a couple of brief adoptive homes, and decided she liked the foster home the best. Bessy has welcomed in so many needy dogs into the foster/retirement home and serves as a momma figure to old ones and young ones alike. Bessy as a rule takes her walk twice a day with mom and the gang. She enjoys taking naps in front of the cool air conditioner. If she sees any sort of "round disc in the sky" such as the moon or the sun shrouded by clouds, she will woof it away and raise her hackles while doing so - it is comical. She is gentle and sweet, gives paw relentlessly and also does one of the most forceful "leans" of any mastiff we have known. Bessy Jean passed away on June the 3rd, 2010. This is the tribute Cindy wrote for her: "A grand old lady Mastiff, who was a pillar of how the gentle lady mastiff is to be defined and experienced, has passed away this morning after a tough struggle with after-surgery complications. She was 11 and 1/2 years old. Bessy Jean was wise and accepting, intuitive beyond imagination, beautiful in personality, and the embodiment of joy and love toward everyone. She stood guard here for 9 and 1/2 years (after being rescued from a nasty puppymill at age of 2) serving as playmate, sister, mother, grandmother, comedienne, comforter to many humans, resident snorer, tail-stub wagger, signaler of storms on the wind, teacher to younguns, warning-barker to the big bad discs in the sky (she told the sun and the moon who was boss), and finally, she was an angel in life. She served a different kind of family: a family of rescue dogs, and helped many other dogs through their troubles and sorrows. I am so grateful for Bessy Jean as a helper to me here at Canisolida. She carried a lot on her shoulders and did not want the spotlight for it. How can I thank her enough? There is no way I can." Bessy Jean, Autmun 2009 Bessy Jean, June 1st, 2010

WINNIE

Birth year, 2001. Winnie is a newcomer to our retirement home program. She was welcomed into a fabulous home where she can spend her senior years in comfort and with love and adoration each day. As Winnie's new mom gets to know her better, we will provide more about her personality - her likes, dislikes, triumphs and other aspects of her personality that shine. Did you notice her lovely curly ears? So cute! Winnie requires daily incontininence medication; would you consider sponsoring her medication needs for a month? Learn how to do so at this link: SPONSOR WINNIE 8/2009: Here is an update about how Winnie is doing: "Winnie is doing great she is such a sweet sweet dog. Its amazing how active she is. I usually go for a morning walk and that ole gal is right there along my side with the rest of the gang chasing cats, birds and rabbits and boy she can move. She is so happy with her new life and we are happy to see her joyous face every day." ..... Winnie's magical sparkly eye...

Grandpa NUDGE

Birth year, 1998-2000? We are not exactly sure of Grandpa Nudge's birth year, but we know that he is a geriatric boy. He has glaucoma (he cannot see very well) and he also has hearing loss. Nudge is a collie/chow mix who came to us in neglected condition, having been found as a stray in a rural area. He had a very overgrown fluffy coat full of matting and very unkempt. The name Nudge just seems to fit his way of letting you know it is time for him to be petted, after he nudges his nose under your hand and has rested his head on your lap. We eventually took him to a professional groomer who gave him a beautiful overall body-shave (except his tail) and this has allowed him to relax comfortably during this very hot summer. He has enjoyed the feel of gentle petting over his skin now rather than through his very thick overgrown coat. Nudge has a lot of spunk and plays with a fellow young dog named Jeddy. Jeddy receives many lessons from the elder wiseman. Nudge is a HW positive patient and is undergoing treatment to kill the worms. His treatment should be finalized in the autumn of 2010. If you are interested in helping fund Nudge's HW treatment via pypal donation to our nonprofit rescue, you can simply click here: We will post an update about Nudge and his recovery from HW once the treatment has become final and he can be given monthly prevention medicine. Nudge is not overly hot now in the summer heat with his full-body shave that was professionally done. Here are a couple pictures of Nudge before he was shaved: ....