EXTREME MAKEOVERS
Among more than a thousand dogs helped annually by ESRA, many come into our care from extreme circumstances and in poor condition — some are sick, malnourished, infected with parasites, filthy and matted, suffering from neglect and perhaps even abuse. ESRA's mission is to aid even the most down-trodden of these Springers, giving them the extra love and care they need to help them flourish with their foster families in hopes that they may find their Forever Homes one day soon.
Some of our saddest cases blossom like butterflies from cocoons, both physically and mentally, and leave ESRA's care to enjoy the lives they so deserve with the love of very special families. We present a few of these success stories here as ESRA's "extreme makeovers."
A WORK IN PROGRESS
There is a little fellow in Minnesota who is hoping to become one of ESRA's "butterflies." This is Ben's "before" photo — his "after" photo doesn't exist yet unless you consider in your mind's eye a hopeful vision of his future. To give our readers a better sense of what some of these dogs endure, we want to share the ongoing story of Ben in Minnesota and allow you to follow his progress through photos and updates as his foster family helps to control his severe allergies. Click here or click his photo to read more and watch what we hope will be yet another "extreme makeover."
This "before" photo of Apollo was taken ten days after he was brought into ESRA's care, nearly dying from starvation. His foster mom worked almost four hours shaving away his matted hair and soothing underlying urine burns. His handsome "after" photo is ESRA's reward for ensuring him a happy and well-fed future!
Suffering from a terrible case of Demodectic mange, Chelsea came from a shelter that recommended euthanasia for her. However, with the love and care of her wonderful ESRA foster home, she has blossomed into the beautiful girl you see here and is now living out the rest of her life with a loving new Forever Family.
Sometimes "before" and "after" photos just can't tell the story because what a dog has endured and has overcome can't be seen in a picture. You can certainly see that Hannah was much underweight in her "before" photo — she just barely weighed 20 pounds — but you wouldn't know that she also had mammary tumors, internal parasites, a "digestive disorder" to put it politely, and blood counts high where they should be low and low where they should be high. She was very close to death when she was first brought to ESRA. With extra special care and attention from her foster family, feeding her around the clock every hour just little bits at a time of home-cooked beef liver at the start, she gradually regained enough strength for the vet to tackle her other health issues, including spaying her. The perfect Forever Home would have to be one willing to provide a special dietary regimen as well as the love and affection she was starved for! The "after" photo proves that the perfect family was indeed found and Hannah now has a full and shiny Springer coat and today weighs almost 38 pounds — a definite happy ending for this beautiful little girl!
Matted and filthy, Maxwell came into rescue after a year of neglect. First stop — the groomer's. After stripping down his coat, the groomer discovered his back legs, tail and rear had severe urine scald and the open wounds infested with maggots — one of the worst cases of neglect ESRA had ever seen. Nursed back to health in a loving ESRA foster home, Maxwell found his Forever Home very quickly.
Missy lived her whole life in a backyard dog house with little attention to grooming and hygiene. When she was relinquished to ESRA in her senior years, the vet had to sedate her to rid her body of mats and foxtails. Her ears were so infected she had lost her hearing. She blossomed in her ESRA foster home and soon started a new life as an adored newcomer in her Forever Home.
Little Maddie came to ESRA with untreated allergies that left her entire body oozing with infection — her ears dripped like faucets. With services and medications donated by a professional groomer and vet, she was quickly set on the road to recovery. Today she is healthy, happy, very beautiful and extremely spoiled in her Forever Home.
Poor senior Benny was pulled from a shelter in Ohio. Blind, malnourished, and with mange, this little guy was suffering from the inside out. He was nurtured back to health by two ESRA foster families, and was later adopted by one of them.
The "before" and "after" photos of Gidget can't show the whole story of how the quality of her life has improved under the care of ESRA. What a good grooming session did for her is obvious. What you can't see is how much better she feels now that she has received treatment for her Lyme disease, daily medication for the severe arthritis in her hips, pain medication for her jaw—diagnosed as osteosarcoma—and vitamins for her failing eyesight. Because some of her medical conditions are insurmountable, total "success" is not our goal for Gidget but we promise she will live the rest of her sweet life as comfortable as possible through donations and care from ESRA supporters who love the "little dog with the big spirit."
Would you like to help ESRA create another “success story?”
The Springers pictured above are just a few of our “extreme makeover” success stories. It is the extra help from donors like you, earmarking your gifts for “any Springer in ESRA’s care” that has allowed these dogs to be transformed into the beautiful dogs that we know today. We thank you all for your generous support. With your help, we are changing the lives of dogs like these every single day.
MAKE A DONATION FOR
“ANY SPRINGER IN ESRA’S CARE”
Your donation is tax deductible. You can pay online by secure credit card transaction, or mail a check.
In return for your donation designated for “any Springer in ESRA’s care,” your gift will be acknowledged here as a supporter of those special dogs in ESRA’s care who need extra help to join the ranks of these “extreme makeover” success stories.
A list of contributors whose gifts supported "any Springer in ESRA's care" in 2012 can be found at sponsor/makeovers/donors_2012.html
2013 DONORS
 Patricia Rolfson |
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| Frank J Ostrowski IV |
A gift for Cori Ostrowski in memory of Milo |
| Chris Daverse |
A gift in memory of Samson, Derringer and Wallace to help with veterinary care or general support for Gumby, a senior Springer in Florida |
| Sheri and Ron Bishop and Alex |
A gift for Alesa and Shawn Grant in memory of Bosco — forever in our hearts |
| Copie and Jim Cain |
In honor of Barbara King, Coordinator for the Carolinas |
| Theresa Mueller |
In memory of Cricket Johnson — Cricket, you brought so much love and happiness to our family....Until we meet again at the Rainbow Bridge....We love you and miss you |
| Pat Ryan |
In memory of my 7 Springers |
| Megan Raun |
A gift for John Yeamen |
| Suzanne Knight |
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| Lane Lasater |
In memory of Riley |
| Colleen Roper | |
| Douglas Hartshorn and Patricia Rafter | |
| Robin Eschenbruecher | |
| Joseph and Judith Walsh | |
| Robert Toy | |
| Mary Patterson | |
| Michael and Dianne Shanley | |
| Wesley Day | |
| Vernon and Irene Shaul | |
| Michael Minning | |
| Kathleen Fitzsimmons | |
| Steven Mayberry | |
| Ralph and Bernadetta Titus, Jr. | |
| S.W. Arnold | |
| Kathleen Waters | |
| Carolyn Molloy | |
| David and Maureen Grinnell | |
| Amelia and Paulo Moniz | |
| Cody and Alicia Hankins | |
| Anita and Timothy Knipper | |
| Scott Grubar and Jessica Ellerbrock | |
| Carter Snider | |
| Beverly Ulis | |
| M.C. and G. Burkard | |
| Cynthia Swift | |
| Sheri and Gary Leider, Blaze and Riley |
In honor of Riley, our Special Needs Springer. ESRA helped Riley so we want to give back. |
| Cara McAnnally |
In memory of Buddy and Sambo |
| Nicole Neubig |
A gift for Jackie Figueroa in memory of JJ Josko |
| Judith Zeppa |
In memory of Rusty |
| Warren R. Couture |
In memory of Cocoa — Thank you for your great work. |
| Barbara Nix |
A gift for Courtney Stalnaker in memory of Indy Stalaker |
| Lacy D. Bofinger |
A gift for McCoy Bofinger — Happy, happy Valentine's Day! Love, Mom XOXO |
| Melissa Simon |
A gift for Deb Fishbain and Tom Kennedy in memory of Cleo the Leo |
| Paul and Karen Hamrick | |
| Volker Brendel | In honor of Nolan |
| Michael and Virginia Blosser | In honor of Lottie |
| Carol Feldmann | |
| Victoria Polce | In honor of Sydney and in memory of Arco and Patrick |
| Marcella and John Colling | |
| Gary and Billie Imler | |
| Thomas Felder | |
| Wendy Hinson | In honor of Max and Bailey |
| David and Rebecca Hipp | In honor of Max and Bailey |
| George and Irene Cobb, Jr. | In honor of Max and Bailey |
| Michael Lawson and Nancy Nelson | |
| Richard Piazza | In honor of Chewy |
| Virginia Crooks | |
| Anna Southworth | In honor of Tiny |
| Kristen Maley | In honor of Zeke |
| Elliott Rakofsky |
In Honor Don Babcock |
| Jeffrey Gaer |
In honor of my beloved Springer Woody, the most magnificent dog and most loving friend I ever knew. I will see you in heaven if they will let me in. |
| Randi Zafman |
A birthday gift for MaryElle Hoover |
| Lisa Cooley |
A Valentine gift for my ESRA dog Elcie |
| Alex Chapman |
Happy 16th Birthday, MaryElle! |
| Karen Foster |
A gift for Christi Cooper in memory of Henry |
| Arthur Merz |
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| Anthony DeMarnello and Kenneth Roybal
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| Sharon and Michael Andersen
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| Judith Elzi |
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| Bo and Carlye Bolstad
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In honor of Maggie |
| Francis Roth
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In honor of Maynard |
| Susan Calvin
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In honor of Lilly |
| Jeffrey and Sharon Dickinson
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In honor of Lewi |
| Kevin and Camille Legg
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In honor of Joey |
| Kim Denton
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Gift for Shawn and Alesa Grant in memory of Bosco Rottersman Grant |
| William and Brenda Mason
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In honor of Jax |
| Judy Hansen
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In honor of ESRA foster dog Prince |
| Peter and Martha Dorland
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| Cynthia Tackett
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| Karen Foster
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| Greg Ghodsi |
A gift for Patricia Kerwin in memory of Herb Caddell |
| Margaret Martin |
A gift for Stephen Catalini in memory of Eleanore Catalini |
| Orin and Chris Oakes |
A gift for The Family of Herbert Caddell in his memory — a good friend that will be greatly missed. |
| Sumeet and Jayati Prasad |
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| Glenn and Jeanne Thomas |
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| Douglas and Laura Benoit |
In honor of Bonnie |
| Gordon Peden |
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| Lisa and Bobby Hoover |
Happy Birthday, MaryElle! |
| Christine and Rebecca Westhall |
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| Pamela Robertson |
In honor of Maggie |
| MaryElle Hoover |
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| Emily Campe |
In honor of Shaemus |
| Ralph and Barbara Hanson, Jr. |
In honor of Henry |
| Winifred and George Covintree |
In honor of Blue |
| Theodore and Lisa Schade |
In honor of Reno and Mindy Poulton |
| Thomas and Gwenda Skiff |
In honor of Laney |
| Jeffery and Kimberly Kincaid |
In honor of Sam |
| Tom and Gwen Skiff |
In honor of our adoption of Bandit |
| Richard Eustis |
A gift for Maverick 2010-285 NE and Petunia 2012-867 CO in memory of Charlie |
| Gretchen Parker |
A gift for Petunia 2012-867 CO |
| Eileen Ryan |
A donation for Petunia's care in memory of Popeye |
| Danielle Sneed |
A gift for Triste Kerwin in memory of Herbert Anthony Caddell, Dude and Randy |
| Kathleen Trendler |
A gift for mary Anne Carpenter in memory of two special friends. Sammy was a little silky terrier, rescued in 1999 who immediately made friends with our rescued Springer Lilly. Sammy was a happy one year old and Lilly a sedate lady at 7 but the two became life long friends giving all that knew them many happy hours of companionship and joy. Thank you to the rescue organizations for giving us these two very special friends. We will miss them but know they will always be in our hearts. |
| Suzanne Knight |
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| Anne Fishkin |
A gift for Patricia Kerwin in memory of Herb Caddell |
| Dan and Pam Kobus |
In memory of Critter |
| Mary Gaviglio |
A gift for Amy Gaviglio and Tony Steyermark in memory of our beautiful Bergen, who will be a part of our hearts forever. |
| Mary Elizabeth and Chris Pike | |
| Shirley Harford | |
| Kathy and Bernard Raidt | |
| Courtney Hansen | |
| Ann Sunderman | |
| Deanna Henshaw | |
| Marlene Massetti | In honor of Riley |
| Clifford and Karen Feldheim | In honor of Pooch |
| GGESSA | |
| Marilyn Cahill | In memory of Herb Caddell |
| Betty Griggs | In honor of Maxx |
| Barbara and Gladwin Ellis |
A gift for Warren Wattenbager in memory of Sally Ann Wattenbarger — Butch and I will miss Sally. She was a special lady. |
| Thomas E and Mary Helen Mitchell |
In memory of Sally Ann Wattenbarger. Wih love and gratitude for Warren and Sally Wattenbarger and family. |
| Virginia and Joey Haddad |
Honoring Martha Boyce on her birthday |
| Phyllis Hosback |
This donation is for Sir Edgar Newton 2013-204 NC - rescued from Urgent Dogs of Columbus County Animal Shelter, NC - Thanks for rescuing him. |
| Anonymous |
For little pup, Sir Edgar Newton, 2013-204 NC |
| Sheridan Alcock |
Thank you from the UK |
| Ruth Ventura |
For Sir Edgar Newton, rescued by ESRA Carolinas 3/18/13 |
| Meredith Jensen |
For Sir Edgar Newton 2013-204 NC, rescued by ESRA Carolinas 3/18/13 |
| Lena Raberg |
For Sir Edgar Newton 2013-204 NC, rescued by ESRA Carolinas 3/18/13 |
| Vicki Martin |
For Sir Edgar Newton 2013-204 NC, rescued by ESRA Carolinas 3/18/13 |
| Nicole Keigher |
For Sir Edgar Newton 2013-204 NC, rescued by ESRA Carolinas 3/18/13 |
| Donna Proctor |
For Sir Edgar Newton 2013-204 NC, rescued by ESRA Carolinas 3/18/13 |
| James and Joy Richardson, Jr. | |
| Timothy Callahan | |
| James and Peggy Kyzer, Jr. | In honor of Mr. and Mrs. Lee Lemsky |
| Philip and Julie Swintek | In honor of Phoebe |
| Michael Holtz | In honor of Nellie |
| Jan Gallagher | |
| Brandon and Amy Rogers | |
| Debra and Jeffrey Ouellette | In honor of Maggie |
| Dudley and Lisa Higgins | |
| Katie Greeley | In memory of Papi. Rest in peach, Papi. You'll be missed. |
| LeAnn Engel |
For Petunia 2012-867 CO |
| Karen Hamrick |
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| Lori Manderfield |
In memory of Jim Brikowski |
| Sheila Szmondrowski |
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| Eric and Nora Garland |
A gift for Judy and Jeff Garland in memory of Marilyn White |
| Suzanne Knight |
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| Sarah Fritz |
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| Wendy Brown |
A gift for Petunia (CO) in memory of Stella Ann |
| Anonymous |
In honor of my best friend Kvichak |
| Beverly Lynch and Rob Lang |
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| Tirza Fogle |
A gift for Janet Parsons in memory of Bailey Boo |
| Renee Sobel |
In memory of Melissa Jenkins and her love for her English Springer Spaniels Max and Angus (2012-278 NC) |
| Barbara Jonusaitis |
In memory of Melissa Jenkins and Max and in honor of Angus (2012-278 NC). Your fine work honors us all. |
| Ronda Moore |
In honor of April's adoption (2012-539 NC) |
| John Baudoin |
A gift in honor of Amy and Dan Replogle. Thank you for your hospitality. It was a wonderful visit. |
| Steve Garner |
A gift to honor Dan and Amy Replogle. Thanks for a wonderful time and great hospitality during the Alabama Masters. |
| Anonymous |
In honor of Maverick in Nebraska |
| Michelle Bender |
A gift for Mike Krestar and C.J. Witkowski in memory of Lord Montague |
| Anonymous |
For Carver |
| Jeannette Murphy Adams |
A gift for Petunia 2012-867 CO in memory of Sydney, Cassady and Emma |
| Craig Ferley |
A gift to honor Dan and Amy Replogle |
| Janet Koehnke |
In memory of Gumbeaux |
| Karen Hamrick |
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| Nancy Sommer |
In memory of Brandy Pisciotta |
| Jennifer Pickett |
Thank you for helping these wonderful dogs. |
| Suzanne Knight |
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| Ann Snyder |
God bless you all for the work that you do! |
| Jack Kubat |
In memory of Joey Kubat |
| Paula Barton |
In memory of Joe Kubat |
| George and Paula Rood and Family |
A gift for Durae Kubat and Family in memory of Joe Kubat |
| Kathryn Cardwell |
A gift for Durae Kubat in memory of Joe Kubat |
| Rick Mailand |
In memory of Joe Kubat |
| Kenny and Deanna Dropiewski
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A gift for Durae Kubat in memory of Joe Kubat |
| Patricia Seeling |
In memory of Ruth Seeling |
| Beth Nelson |
Happy Birthday to Carolyn Molloy and what she loves most ’ Springer Doggies! Love, Beth and Matt |
| Abby Brodgen |
A gift for Penny Perkins in memory of BB. He was a wonderful sweet Springer, a beautiful liver boy, with my sister Penny for over 13 years |
| Carolyn Molloy |
In honor of our Rockin' San Diego ESRA team — you guys do rock! |
| Debra Levey |
A gift for Zach Harrison in memory of Chester |
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