Rory

7 years old, Forever foster

August 28, 2023: Celebrating Rory!

This is the smiling face of a girl who’s finally gotten her wish – a new foster home!

After months of searching she’s finally found the perfect-for-her family, ready and willing to work with her special needs and provide a home where she can be the queen of her castle as the only dog.

We’re so happy for Rory, incredibly thankful for her new foster parents, and grateful to her previous ones – who did everything they could to give Rory a good life despite it not being the ideal environment for her.

This is rescue.

August 8, 2023: Rory’s reading about what it takes to get a home

Our girl Rory is a busy girl, but this week she’s squeezing in all the moments she can in her personal library for some must-do reading. The topic? What makes people want to give a dog a home. She’s offered her services as a personal tour guide, flaunted medical skills thanks to her Canine PhD in corgi care, baked as many sweet treats as her little paws could roll out, and created masterful works of art with a paintbrush, yet not a single one of them has landed her the spot she deserves in a loving foster home.

Rory has had a tough life, working hard to overcome an immune disorder that weakened her joints and build the confidence she lacked for so long while focusing on getting healthy. She’s physically and mentally where she needs to be now, but the last box she needs to check on her to-do list is finding a home where she can be the queen of her castle – free of the need to compete with or feel anxiety around other dogs. Please, help a girl out and let Rory know she’s built enough skills and read enough books. That the time is now to get her in the home she needs to thrive.

If you can help Rory, head to our foster page on this site to submit a foster application and mention her name when you do.

August 3, 2023: Rory the Painter

Just when you thought this girl couldn’t possibly be more talented, she surprises you with yet another skill.

Introducing Rory the Painter! After she’s taken you on a magical road trip, cured all your health concerns thanks to her Canine PhD in Corgi Care, and baked you a tasty treat in Rory Crocker’s kitchen, this girl will paint you a picture. Of what, you ask? Of the beautiful, happy life you will have with this sweet girl by your side as your loyal foster.

If you’ll give Rory the chance she needs to thrive in your home as the only dog, she promises so much magic and love in return. Please, don’t let her down.

Take a look through the rest of Rory’s album and then head to the foster page on this website to submit an application. She and her paintbrushes are waiting for you.

August 2, 2023: Rory Crocker

You know that Rory is an expert travel advisor with a Canine PhD in Corgi Care, but that’s not all! This little one is a girl with many talents, and today she’s sharing her baking skills! (Catch her on an upcoming episode of the Great American Baking Show under her moniker, Rory Crocker…)

If you can give Rory a long-term foster home with no other dogs, she promises you’ll never go hungry as she’ll have all your culinary desires covered.

What are you waiting for? Head to the foster page on this website to submit a foster application today and get in on these tasty baked goods before they lose their shelf life!

July 31, 2023: Rory gets her Degree

Rory has returned home from her weekend road tripping and is here to announce she is now the proud recipient of a Canine PhD in Corgi Care! With this girl around you’ll never need to worry about feeling sick or down, because she’ll turn any frown upside down!

Want a girl like Rory by your side? If you can promise her a home with no other dogs, you could be her next long-term patient because she’s still looking for the perfect-for-her foster family. Check out the rest of Rory’s album and head to the foster page on this website to submit a foster application. Mention this post when you do!

July 28, 2023: Beach or Bust!

Traveling this summer and wish you could have a trusty corgi sidekick to join you? Rory loves to travel and makes for a pretty awesome backseat driver!

If you’re in the market for adventure and can offer Rory a loving foster home where she can be the only dog, she wants to hear from you! Just tell her where to find you on the map (limited to the Carolinas and Georgia).

May 30, 2023: Rory needs your help!

Friends, today we have a new and extremely urgent call for help for one of our long-term forever fosters, Rory, who has been part of the SECR family for a year. She is in desperate need of a new, special needs foster placement where she can be the only dog in the home and we need your help to find it. (LONG POST AND PLEA AHEAD…)

When Rory came in to rescue in May 2022, she was unable to walk. Her nails were long, completely cutting into her paw pads, and the only way she moved was by dragging her little feet behind her. Urgent veterinary treatment revealed that Rory had loose wrists on all four legs, joint deterioration, and arthritis in her spine and hips – all the result of an immune disorder that impacted her mobility. We all got much more than we bargained for when we took Rory into rescue as none of her health issues were previously disclosed to us, but as soon as we got her we made the commitment to give this girl our best shot at a happy forever. Because she deserves that, and because, as a rescue, that’s what we do.

It took a while to find the right foster placement for Rory, and unfortunately for her we had to bounce her through several homes to find the one that would be able to provide the daily, ongoing care that she’d need to improve her condition. As a special needs dog with an immune disorder, Rory’s health issues will never disappear. She’ll always be a dog with special needs and at least some mobility issues. But, with diligence, we can minimize her symptoms and optimize her mobility, making Rory the best corgi she has it in her special set of abilities to be.

We finally found that placement for her, and Rory has thrived for months thanks to having diligent care from a foster family that got her accustomed to wearing orthopedic braces to support her joints, on a regulated set of prescriptions that worked for her, and used to daily exercise and strength-building that improved Rory’s ability to walk and move independently. Limitations aside, Rory has been feeling better and stronger than she ever has, and – after a long wait and lots of different homes – like she finally has people she could count on to love her. And, as it goes, Rory has developed a deep attachment to her people that she wants to protect.

As herding dogs, many corgis who bond with their people develop tendencies to guard them, often not wanting to share them with other animals in the household. This is the case for Rory, who after being let down by people so many times, wants to keep the good ones she’s finally found all to herself. Rory is currently in a foster home with other dogs, but as she grows stronger and more independent she also grows more protective of her people. In guarding the people she loves Rory has developed aggression toward the other dogs in the home resulting in injury to herself and to them.

In order to ensure everyone’s safety and Rory’s continued progress we desperately need to move her into a new foster home with committed people she can trust who don’t have other animals in the home. It sounds like this should be an easy task, but in months of searching, we don’t have a potential foster who can both offer an only-dog home AND be committed to the ongoing therapy and prescription maintenance she will need as an SECR forever foster. Think you can help us change Rory’s luck? Here’s what we’re looking for:

• An adult in our coverage area of the Carolinas or Georgia that is willing to be an SECR forever foster, committed to Rory’s care for the duration of her life.

• No other dogs or cats in the home (no exceptions)

• Experience with, or commitment to learning how to care for a special needs dog with medical and mobility issues

• Commitment to keeping up work with orthopedic braces, prescriptions, and the therapy and exercise regimen needed by a special needs dog with mobility issues

• Willingness to love and be loved by a sweet girl with a big heart who desperately wants to bond to people she can trust forever and treat her like one of your own

Rory is a sweet girl who has come so, so far in the last year, and we don’t want to see her backtrack now. If you think you have what it takes to give Rory the forever she needs, please submit a foster application! Tell us that you’re specifically applying for Rory and let us know why you’d be the right fit for her.

THANK YOU!

April 14, 2023: A Rory Update!

Our girl Rory has battled orthopedic issues since she arrived in rescue nearly a year ago, struggling to walk independently due to loose wrists and joint degeneration resulting from an immune disorder. She still has a long way to go, but thanks to the dedication of her special needs fosters Rory is finally headed in the right direction. She’s grown accustomed to wearing orthopedic braces, is responding well to medication (which we monitor for any side effects with regular lab work),and is growing stronger by the day. A full recovery isn’t expected for Rory – her condition is permanent. But diligent care has made a once seemingly helpless situation manageable, and we’re happy to have found a way forward in allowing Rory to thrive despite her disability.

Rory is shown here modeling her braces while pulling double duty and guarding her foster siblings during a recent thunderstorm. We always say we can’t do what we do without our fosters and volunteers, and Rory is a prime example of that.

To help rescue dogs like Rory, please consider joining the SECR family as a special needs foster. More information about our foster requirements and a link to the application are available on the foster page on our website!

May 16, 2022: Welcome Rory!

Weekends are for rescue, and this one was spent welcoming several newbies to the SECR family. This is Rory.

Rory was surrendered to us because she was having difficulty getting along with other dogs in the household, so upon her arrival we were prepared to place her in a foster home where she’d be the only dog, working on training and socialization needs as the Queen of her castle. What we weren’t expecting, though, is that Rory would come to us with critical health issues and in need of an immediate trip to the vet. Her nails were long, cutting into her paw pads, and making her bleed. She was also dragging her feet behind her, unable to walk. Rory’s new fosters took her to the vet first thing this morning, where she was sedated for nail treatment and to get x-rays on her legs and hips. She has loose wrists in all four legs causing her to stand in a plantar position, a condition that may be the result of joint degeneration or a change in her joints from an immune disorder. She also appears to have mild arthritis in her spine and hips.

We’re waiting on Rory’s lab results, but in the meantime we’ll be making an appointment with a specialist for a joint tap to rule out an immune disorder, get a surgical consult, and begin physical therapy. We’ll also be treating Rory with anti-inflammatories for pain and getting her on a healthy diet to lose a few pounds. In addition to improving her overall wellness, weight loss with help improve Rory’s mobility by putting less of a strain on her hips, back, elbows, and other joints. She’s another newbie with a long recovery journey in front of her. While it wasn’t one we expected, it’s a road we’ll definitely get on with her. Because this is rescue, and this is what we do. If you want to help dogs like Rory, please visit our website for more information about our foster program and submit your application.