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A Newsletter from Collie Rescue of Greater Illinois
The Collie Nose
Fall 2015
In This Issue:
New Things To Notice
8
Picnic Recap 1-4 Pet Expo Recap 5
Tinas Thank You Note 4 Grunts & Groans 6
The Presidents 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 didnt 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 Lewiss team collected some fantastic
raffle prizes. Its 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 Dodges “20
th
Anniversarylogo on
Kim Nelsons 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:
2
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 years picnic was very
special. As in years before, the multitude of beau-
tiful collies and their people arrived just as
Georges Grunts and Groansfeature aptly
describes. Nothing is more beautiful than a
park full of collies.
As we celebrated our 20
th
Anniversary, our or-
ganizations 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 Tinas 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 childrens 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:
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Memorable Moments of CRGI:
member gave her a golden angel holding a purple heart. Anybody whos
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.
Its 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! Its all about the love this generous woman has
given so selflessly for 20 long years. Tina reaps what
she has sownbountiful 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)
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This year Collie Rescue of
Greater Illinois is celebrating
our 20
th
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
th
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
th
anniversary. See you
all at the 30
th
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
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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 childrens
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
Its always so much fun to spend time
with fellow volunteers and their collies at
events like The Windy City Pet Expo held July
25
th
at the Schaumburg Convention Center.
This years 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 rescues volunteers made great neigh-
borsI will give them that. BUTwho wouldnt
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. Everyones 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.
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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 walkininto Willie Wonkas 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 couldnt get enough of the specta-
cle passing before usTHE grandest parade of
collies yaever did seebeautiful 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 Annies too
AND the cats … <bark, bark, grrrrr > … okay,
okay, RoxyNOT the cats.
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 years 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-
sieswas 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
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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.
Melanies 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 Jeffs 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 Snickersadoption, 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
8
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, its 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 Ive 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 daughters 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. Shes 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 havent been to collierescue.org
in a while, check out our new look!
Melanies pack, (from left) Brody,
Snickers, and Sassy
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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 wasnt
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 okayor
Its 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 Amys 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! Thats it, its 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-
mals 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,
My
Rescue
Dog
heartworm-positive
It can take 6
to 8 months
after infection
for heartworms
to be detected.
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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 vets
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
11
Presenting
Some of the Adopted Faces of
2015
Memorable Moments of CRGI:
12
Remembering:
Some of our 2015 Rainbow
Bridge Travelers
Memorable Moments of CRGI: