AHDRS Member Profile: Jim and Leslie Ingram

MEET JIM AND LESLIE INGRAM
NORTH CAROLINA

Jim and Leslie Ingram have been one of our busiest foster homes for the past six years. Their lives revolve entirely around rescue. Not only do they always have dozens of foster dogs, but they are also two of the major organizers of the North Carolina Wiener Roast, held every year in May.

I guess you could say that Jim and I have been rescuing all our lives. From the time both of us could walk we were bringing home four-legged creatures that we found, much to the dismay of our mothers!

I am a Yankee, born and bred in New York, and Jim was raised in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. We met and married and it was natural that we continued caring for strays after we were together. If we found a lost dog or cat, we would get it medical care and find it a home. It wasn't until many years later that we got our first dachshund, Oscar, whose legacy continues today.

Strangely enough, I never cared for small dogs. My family had always had a large dog; same for Jim. After we were married, we had Mickie, a Great Dane/pointer mix we had rescued who had was going into renal failure. Right around that time, Jim's mother wanted to give me a dachshund puppy for my birthday. I kept refusing because it was a small dog and I didn't think Mickie would accept it. But our veterinarian suggested we get a puppy for Mickie, since he had become very depressed. The idea was that a puppy would cheer him up. So we took Oscar, the dachshund puppy, and that started a love affair that will never die. Mickie and Oscar were the best of friends for two more years and I can say without a doubt they were Mickie's best years.

After Mickie's passing, we didn't want Oscar to be an only dog. After two years with Oscar, we had become completely infatuated with the breed. We had never seen such courage and tenacity in so little a dog before, so we got another dachshund named Auggie-Doggie.

Once our daughter was grown and on her own, and after we had accumulated more dachshunds, we knew we wanted to become active in rescuing this wonderful breed. We had the means to open our home and hearts to rescue, so we started rescuing, agreeing that we would take in no more than two fosters at a time. Well, that went out the window fast! With our first rescue under the banner of Almost Home, we took in three and we've never looked back.

Since we started rescuing, we've had so many dachshunds come through our home! We've placed more than 225 dogs, so we feel that we have a very large family dispersed all over the country. There is nothing better then coming home to find an e-mail and pictures from an adopter telling us what a difference adopting a rescue has made.

It's hard to choose just a few to tell you about when there have been so many neglected, abused, and maimed little dogs whose stories need to be told because each was special to us. But here are a few who have touched our hearts.

Willow was a tiny, six-pound little girl who was left for dead on the side of the road after being hit by a car. She was found by a high school student who saw her trying to move. This wonderful young woman rushed Willow to the nearest vet, hoping to save her life. After being told that Willow had a broken jaw and other serious injuries. her savior thought she was going to have to have her put to sleep because she couldn't afford to help her. We stepped in and got Willow the medical attention she needed. Her jaw was wired shut and muzzled for eight weeks, which meant she had to fed by liquefying her food and feeding her with an eye dropper. Willow, whose name is now Maggie, is fully recovered and lives close by. She is the light of her adopter's life.

Arnold was only minutes away from being euthanized by the shelter he was in. He had been found living under someone's porch in very poor condition. One person who found him called Jim and me, but another person called the shelter, and they got to Arnold before we could. I spent the next two days tracking him down. Although Arnold had the sweetest disposition, he was going to be put down because the shelter had deemed him un-adoptable: He had two stiff rear legs, more than likely from being hit, and all of his teeth had rotted though his jaw and sinus cavities. The infection from the teeth had invaded the muscles around his mouth, preventing him from being able to open his mouth to eat. After many extensive surgeries, we were able to save his bottom jaw from being removed, and he was able to open his mouth just enough to eat. Arnold now lives in Scarsdale, New York. He has been featured on the Animal Planet network and, believe it or not, has gotten his Canine Good Citizen certificate--an accomplishment that requires a lot of training and hard work. There has been a recent addition to Arnold's family--a beautiful set of twins. Arnold loves them and protects them by sleeping in their room.

Rusty was allowed to run free and chase cars. Well, one day he "caught" the car that almost cost him his life. He broke one leg and his pelvis. Because the surgery was going to be costly, the owner chose to put Rusty to sleep rather then save him. The vet had other plans; Rusty was a healthy young dog and she didn't want to euthanize him. Instead, she put Rusty back together then called us because we had dealt with her before. She told us that Rusty's recovery would be long and his therapy rigorous. And she was right! After four months of crating and therapy, Rusty was walking on four legs with a slight limp. He now lives in Blacksburg, Virginia, with his brother Tucker--who was also one of our rescues, and we get to see both of them every year at the North Carolina Wiener Roast.

Jiggs was not abused, neglected, or harmed; he was one of the lucky ones...sort of. He lived with an elderly woman in a retirement community until she had to go into assisted living. She could no longer have Jiggs with her and none of her family wanted him. We were told that because Jiggs had always been surrounded by people and had never wanted for anything, he had the greatest personality. My first sight of Jiggs is something I'll never forget. As we drove up to the car, the woman who was giving him to us opened the car door and there was Jiggs--a standard wirehaired dachshund weighing 63 pounds! I thought at first he was a potbellied pig--we had never seen such an overweight dog before! His belly dragged on the ground and he could hardly walk. We put him on the green bean diet and quickly got him down to 37 pounds. Jiggs went to live with AHDRS member Andrea Cammarata and her family in New Jersey. Sadly, they had Jiggs with them for only a couple of short years before he passed away, but a sweeter dog never lived, and Jiggs left his mark on everyone who met him.

Some of Jim and Leslie's adopters (and dogs) at the NC Wiener Roast

I am a master scheduler for a privately owned furniture company in High Point, North Carolina, the furniture capital of the world. Jim owns his own business, Doo-ty Calls (www.dootycalls.com), which is a pooper scooper service. Jim started his business seven years ago; it was the first of its kind in the state. We tell people that we work to support our rescue habit--otherwise, we would be at home full time with all our foster dogs.

We do have a human child named Amanda, and we couldn't be prouder of her. She has a family of her own and lives close by. Our grandson Ethan is seven years old and such a joy to be around. We also eagerly await the birth of our granddaughter in early September.

I am up at 4:30 every morning. When you're caring for 30 foster dogs on a daily basis, trust me--it consumes a great deal of your time! It’s my responsibility to give any morning medications to those who need it; Jim will give them their doses in the evening, at feeding time. If you want to see something comical, come to our house at feeding time! We have run out of counter space to line up all of the dogs bowls and medications. Because of special needs, diets, and pills. we have to make out a detailed schedule and post it on the kitchen cabinet to make sure each dog is getting the right food and meds. As we prepare the bowls of food and medication for each dog, 30 excited barking dogs are waiting, not very patiently. Imagine the noise level!

I am not joking when I say that Jim and I eat, sleep, and breathe rescue. At my job, I work with many other animal lovers, several of whom have dachshunds and one of whom is an independent rescuer of large dogs. So even my conversations at work tend to be animal- or dog-related. I love my job because of the diversity--no day is ever the same and I enjoy the challenge of doing new things. I am very lucky that I have been able to bring a dog to work if needed, because I never know when I’ll be going to pick one up on my lunch hour.

Jim’s day starts not too long after I leave the house. He likes to get an early start servicing his customers' yards so that he can get home to the dogs by early afternoon. Most of the yards he cleans will have the dog out in the yard when he arrives, and Jim just loves that! He’ll spend some time playing with the dog, and they all now expect him to show up with treats. Being such an avid fan of Cesar Millan, the Dog Whisperer, Jim has taught many of his customers how to walk or control their dogs using Cesar's methods. This he does without compensation; he would rather help keep the dog in its home than see it go to the shelter or into rescue.

In the evening, if the weather is good, we try to give the dogs some stimulation by getting them all outside for play time. We have many who love chasing a ball and each other. At least once a week Jim will select two dogs and take them to a local park for a good long walk on the hiking trails. Jim loves to cook and I’ll admit he's a better cook then I. Jim will grill out year around no matter how cold or rainy it is. Since the dogs will follow us anywhere, cooking outside is another good way of getting them outside--unless it’s raining, in which case, they'll poke their heads out the doggie door and look at Jim standing in the rain and think “Geez! Not me!” After dinner, one of us is usually on the computer with a sea of dogs at our feet, answering e-mails about adoptions, reviewing applications, and chatting with past adopters. Whoever isn't on the computer is usually on the phone doing the same thing.

On average, one of us is at the vet’s office two or three times a week in the evening. We have been using the same vet practice for 22 years and if we don’t show up for a week, they’ll call to see if everything is all right.

Our weekends are just as hectic as our weekdays. Every second Saturday of the month we set up a table at our local Pets Supplies Plus and bring a couple of our fosters. We’ve been doing this for a few years now and have quite a following. People make a point of coming by if they know we will be there. If we don’t have a pet event scheduled, we are driving all over doing adoptions, home checks, picking up new dogs or helping with transports. If we are really lucky, we get to spend our weekends at home so that our kids can spend the day out in the yard instead of being cooped up in the house or crated.

For 10 months of the year Jim is just a guy with a beard, but come November and December, he is transformed into Rescue Santa and, I might add, he is the best-looking Santa around! For many years now, Jim and photographer friend Robin Underhill have offered their services to rescue organizations that want to do pet portraits with Santa as a fundraiser. He has had his picture taken with quite an eclectic assortment of animals, the most unusual to date being a coatimundi. This coming August, Jim is going to attend Santa School in Atlanta, because often the two-legged kids usually want to sit with him too.

Every one of the more than 225 dogs we have rescued and rehomed has been very special; every one of them has a place in our hearts. Most people think we’re crazy for doing what we do, for spending our own money on “just a dog,” for not having taken a vacation in more than 20 years. Yes, we’ve made many sacrifices, but we wouldn’t have it any other way. When you take a foster dog who has been abused or confined in a puppy mill cage in your arms for the first time, and you feel him relax because your touch has told him he’s now safe, it's an amazing feeling, and, as the TV commercials say, priceless! It's a feeling we would like to continue to experience for as long as we can.

Our "kids" are the delight of our lives. With so many different personalities, life is never dull. They have made it very easy to foster other dachsies and have helped our foster kids adjust to their new environment. They came from many varied situations but have bonded into one big family.

Ziggy is a five-year-old, smooth, black-and-tan silver dapple. We took him in temporarily but he has become a permanent member of our family . Ziggy is a ham in front of the camera and quite the actor! Ziggy, along with his brother Levi, are our "therapy dogs"--they will eventually get every foster we take in to play with them.

Levi is a four-year-old, smooth, black-and-tan silver dapple. He was a birthday gift from family just about the time we started fostering. Levi and Ziggy knew instinctively that they were related and have been bonded to each other since. Having the two of them in the house is like living with Laurel and Hardy.

Auggie-Doggie is an 11-year-old smooth red boy. We realized quickly that dachshunds love their own kind, so after our first dachshund's companion passed away, we decided to find another. Auggie-Doggie loves to play fetch and is the worrier of our little group.

Reece is a four-year-old smooth double-dapple who, like many double-dapples, is deaf. He was dumped into a kill shelter because he was snapping at the family’s children. The family didn’t know how to deal with his deafness nor did they teach their children not to approach a deaf dog from behind. He has been taught to respond to hand signals and is such a delight.

Ollie is a four-year-old, longhaired, chocolate-and-cream dapple. He was one of many puppy mill dachshunds rescued by AHDRS back in 2002. Ollie came to our house with other fosters that fateful day and never left. Ollie and Casper are my Velcro babies, my constant shadows.

Casper is an 11-year-old, smooth blue-and-tan with the most incredible amber eyes! Long before we knew about rescue, we went to a breeder looking for a wirehair. I spotted Casper in a small rabbit hutch and it was those beautiful eyes that drew me to him. When we asked about Casper, we were told that he was no longer going to be bred and he would stay in that hutch until he either was purchased or died. We went home with our wirehair that day but I could never forget those amber eyes. I called back over a period of several months hoping to get the breeder to reduce his price or give me Casper because I was not going to breed him. We eventually went back for Casper and paid his ransom. We don’t regret a dime of what we paid. Casper’s dilemma ignited our passion for rescue.

Rufus Lowrider is an eight-year-old, black-and-tan wirehair. We call Rufus our tunnel engineer because over the years he has dug a tunnel system under the honeysuckle in the backyard. Rufus is not a morning dachsie; he loves to lounge around in bed longer then everyone else, and when he does get up, he walks down the hall grumbling and sneering at everyone else.

Romeo is a four-year-old longhaired red double-dapple. He was dumped because he wouldn’t listen to anyone. Of course, it turned out that he too was deaf. We took one look at his goofy face and knew from Day One that he wasn’t going anywhere.

Baxter is a seven-year-old smooth black-and-tan. When we took him in to foster, we discovered he had a faulty heart valve, which we thought would make him difficult to adopt. We placed Baxter into three wonderful homes, but each time he became very mischievous and destructive, traits he never exhibited with us. After the third time we realized that Baxter kept doing these things because he wanted to stay with us and he has been with us ever since.

Taz is an odd mix of perhaps wirehaired dachshund and terrier. Jim jokingly says he is a southern experiment gone bad. Taz was pulled from a local shelter after they told us he was a dachshund. Even though he wasn’t, we just couldn’t leave that adorable face behind.

Hannibal: is a very handsome 10-year-old Redbone Coonhound, and another dachshund wannabe. We rescued him off the streets when he was about 18 months old, frightened and lost. He was terrified of people and no wonder--people were shooting at him to chase him away! He had buckshot embedded in his skin when we finally got him home.

Daisy is a Shar-Pei/Chow mix who is 12 years old. Jim rescued her out of a basement; she was half-starved and severely heartworm positive. She wants to play with the dachsies, but true to form, they don’t like her because of her size.

Gone but never forgotten

Oscar, our first dachshund and the reason we rescue these wonderful dogs, died a little over a year ago. He lost his fight with cancer at the young age of 12.

Bandit was a special sweet boy we got from a "free to a good home" ad. He was a breeder dog who was being retired.

Quincy, Remington, Duke, Maggie, Pop, Emmet: All fosters who never got the chance to be adopted, but who, during the short time they were with us, knew love.

Butter & Pepper are sisters who came from an overcrowded shelter. They are dachshund mixes who are inseparable. They love to play, fetch and run after each other.

Snoopy & CJ are two red females who have been together all their lives. Both were terribly overweight when we took them in but have slimmed down to where they can now play and run.

Shorty is a dachshund mix who was rescued from a shelter. He is a very athletic dog and in the right hands will make a great pet. Because of his dominant personality, he has been with us for quite some time and just may become one of our pack.

Sampson originally came from Florida, where he ended up in a shelter. He made the long trip north to become our foster. He also likes to be the alpha dog so he needs a home where he is the only dog.

Howie is a cairn terrier/Jack Russell mix who was heartworm positive. He was rescued out of an abandoned car, but no foster space was available for him until we stepped forward. He is a funny little guy with a winning personality. Being surrounded by dachsies, we have no doubt that he thinks he is one.

Lady is a mix of chihuahua and who-knows-what-else who needed a place to go. Jim had gone to take pictures of many dogs that several organizations were trying to get into rescue. After seeing her tied to a tree, not able to reach the water or food, he brought her home. She was just skin and bones, and, of course, heartworm positive.

Roodi had a real good life until her owners' daughter moved back home. With her came another dog who did not like Roodi. Believe it or not, instead of asking the daughter to do something with her dog, they put Roodi in the local shelter.

Caesar is a very handsome black-and-tan who was an owner surrender to the local shelter. He has some issues but with the right person he will make a great companion.

Duke was surrendered because his owner was going to marry someone in the military. They knew his next post was going to be overseas and they would not have been able to take him with them. He is a red dapple with one blue eye.

Charlotte is either a mix or just a poorly bred, but beautiful, girl. She is brindle with one blue eye. She came from the same shelter as Butter and Pepper because they were overcrowded again.

Hot Dog is a wonderful black-and-tan who was never socialized, so he cannot relate to more then one person. He is a sweet boy who needs to be adopted by someone who can give him lots of attention and he must be the only dog.

Peggy is going through heartworm treatment with us as a favor to a member of Dachshund Rescue of North America. Once she has completed the treatment, she will be going up north to be fostered and eventually adopted.

Jim and Leslie have many, many foster dogs who need medical care. In North Carolina, heartworms are a major problem with rescue dogs, and Jim and Leslie have to have many of their fosters treated for this deadly parasite. Jim also does a lot of transports--not just for AHDRS, but for any dachshund rescue group that needs help, and he could use some help with gas money these days!

If you would like to send a tax-deductible donation to help Jim and Leslie do their invaluable work, please use the PayPal icon below to make a donation.

You can also donate by sending a check, made out to AHDRS, to:

AHDRS
Ingram Fund
PO Box 9671
Greensboro, NC 27429-9671


	Favorite movie: "The Searchers" and "The Quiet Man" (any movie with John Wayne in it) Favorite pigout food: Real New York pizza Best book I ever read: I'm an avid reader so I can't pick just one. Best vacation ever: What's a "vacation?" Dream job: Gardener on a private estate Hobbies: Reading and gardening Favorite way to spend a lazy day, if you ever had one: Sleep late, then sit outside and watch the dogs playing. If I won the Lottery, I would...purchase about 100 acres and open a rescue for all animals. I stay home to watch...the old black and white movies. Favorite season: Spring Favorite holiday: Christmas Favorite non-dog-related Web sites: eBay My philosophy: Adopt one until there are none.


	Favorite movie: "Citizen Kane" Favorite pigout food: Ice cream Best book I ever read: Anything by Stephen King Best vacation ever: What's a "vacation?" Dream job: Doing rescue Hobbies: Rescuing dogs Favorite way to spend a lazy day, if you ever had one: Staying home doing very little If I won the Lottery, I would...live on at least 50 acres in a log home and rescue I stay home to watch... "The Unit" and "The Dog Whisperer" Favorite season: Winter Favorite holiday: Christmas (You had to ask? Ho! Ho! Ho!) Favorite non-dog-related Web sites: MapQuest.com My philosophy: There are no bad dogs, only people who don't understand them.