HomeCatahoula Leopard Dog

Rusty James, retired police officer and continual doggy rescuer

Rusty James, retired police officer and continual doggy rescuer
Like Tweet Pin it Share Share Email

Back when Rusty James was in police operate, he loved taking the animal-relevant phone calls. James has a soft location for all animals, in particular canines.

For approximately a ten years, he and his (quickly-to-be-ex) wife, Caprice James, have been rescuing canine — largely Boxer breeds — from abusive properties, puppy mills and deserted properties, like strays stuck in dangerously hot or cold temperatures.

They’ve printed espresso desk publications with shots of their rescue puppies. They’ve likely rescued and transported a great number of canines, and have adopted as a lot of as 20. They typically take in aged dogs to give them a fantastic home for their remaining years of everyday living.

Oftentimes, folks will contact him when they need someone to rescue a canine. He has stable connections with many animal businesses and products and services, which includes Independence Animal Clinic and Amos Loved ones Pet Crematory.

Initially from Kansas Metropolis, Kansas, James graduated in 1974 from Turner Higher and is now retired immediately after 30 years in regulation enforcement. He served 24 years of his vocation at the Lenexa Law enforcement Department. Most of his specialist practical experience is in law enforcement and traffic basic safety.

Outside the house of rescuing puppies, he enjoys target observe and looking. He lives in Shawnee with pal and roommate Rob Sanderson, a retired police officer with the Lenexa Law enforcement Office, rescue dogs Charlie and Paco, and cats Marco and McKenzie.

I think matters occur for a cause.

Soon after a even though, Caprice wanted a pet dog, so she located Abby at it was Animal Haven then. She said I want you to glance at this doggy, so I went down and I seemed at the puppy, and I stated, Caprice, this dog’s a mess. We both of those get the job done, we never have time for a pet like this, this dog’s gonna get a ton of operate, we’ll come across the suitable puppy. She mentioned, yeah you are possibly proper.

The following day, she adopted her, and we experienced no complications with her. She was the ideal canine.

And then Excellent Plains termed us about one more canine. So we went and received Winston, and we believe that he was a single of Abby’s pups — Abby was a pup mill puppy — and Winston was a terrific dog, he was like the perfect dog.

Then we identified Ruth. Ruth was an more mature puppy at Fantastic Plains in Independence, and we went and acquired her. By that position, I was hooked. It’s not like I had a alternative we were being adopting canine (laughs).

And then, Caprice needed a puppy, so we received Grace, and she’s been a terrific puppy. And Maggie ran out in front of us on a freeway, so we picked her up, took her in, bought her taken treatment of, no person claimed her so we received her.

She was a mess, she wasn’t this significant all-around. And we labored with Woofs about right here in Merriam, Shelly has generally taken treatment of the canine we have gotten as significantly as grooming them and cleansing them up. ‘Cause these puppies are seriously a mess.

I’m gonna overlook out on several dogs…. Then we obtained a call from Fantastic Plains once more about a doggy that is coming up from Emporia, been confiscated by the law enforcement on a warrant, he was 35 pounds underweight, he experienced tumors hanging all over him, he experienced in no way been preset, he was a Boxer, about 12 a long time old. His name’s Reno. So I went and got him.

When they did the operation to neuter him and remove the tumors, there in the medical procedures, he hacked up an 11-inch dinosaur that was in his stomach. The dog was feeding on something he could to keep alive. I acquired him up to a superior pounds, he obtained to be about 75 lbs.

I took Reno down to Emporia to animal regulate so they could see the puppy they experienced taken away, ‘cause I’d communicate to them off and on, and they explained that normally a pet dog that will come in like that, they would set down since he was in these kinds of undesirable physical situation, but they stated in his eyes, there was so significantly existence.

We had him about nine months and evidently experienced a mind tumor and we misplaced him.

James published a number of coffee table books showcasing his family’s rescue dogs.

When my stepson got married, we boarded the pet dogs out at Odessa. We arrived again to get them and Surelee was in there. I was telling the girl that owns it, that’s a fantastic canine. I never know the offer, but the proprietor was paying out for her to stay at the boarding facility. And I said we’ll consider the doggy.

I had Surelee until final yr, and she passed absent last July, she had a seizure. It’s not strange with Boxers.

I experienced been without the need of a doggy for about two weeks, and as before long as they located out you really don’t have a pet dog, at least with me, they start calling me. They sent me some facts on a blind, deaf Boxer that was in Missouri, 10 decades outdated, proprietor could not care for her any more.

A week later on, they said they hadn’t found a household for this pet dog, her title was Pearl, so I named the owner. She was disabled and experienced to transfer, so I met her in Columbia, and I took the pet, bought her vetted. She beloved being right here, most people knew her. I had her about 4 months then she handed absent. She also had a seizure.

So I was with no a canine for, oh, a month or so, and a friend that I went to faculty with at Turner I had not seen considering that I graduated, she had this photograph of this pet dog out in a area in Carroll County, Missouri. It experienced wandered up on a farm on the day my father died, Jan. 28 of this year.

I claimed it is 10 levels higher out, it’s not an outdoors pet dog, it is a Boxer. I was just likely to take him to a rescue, ‘cause I could obtain him a residence. I just did not feel I was prepared for a further doggy, and I went and acquired him.

Charlie is named soon after James’ father, a former police main.

There was just no way I was going to get rid of him, he was the excellent puppy, and I named him just after my dad, Charlie.

An additional great aspect of the tale is my dad was a chief of police down in Arkansas, and the young children at the farm in which I obtained him from — this was ahead of I’d even talked to them about something when I was coming to get him — the operator explained well I do not know what you want to phone him, but my youngsters want to name him Chief.

It is like, this was odd how does this things materialize? My dad was a chief, and I’d currently resolved to name him following my dad. And like with Pearl, Pearl came to me when I necessary her the most, at the start off of the divorce stuff. And, I dropped Surelee at the exact same time. Any person is viewing for me. Someone is getting treatment of me.

Charlie has been the ideal puppy. He is quite social, he will get together with every person. He loves to experience the truck. He’s been just an remarkable companion. He will get alongside with my cats. He’s the variety of canine you want to have. You can see his temperament, like this, and this is just how he was when I obtained him.

People today check with me all the time, how do you do this, due to the fact you know you’re heading to reduce them? I only get previous canines, I do not maintain youthful canine.

I never know what their everyday living was like in advance of, but I know how it is going to end. They’re going to be pretty nicely taken care of, they are heading to dwell the very good lifestyle.

I cook for this doggy. He eats superior. He’s my buddy. I attempt to just take him all over the place I can.

With the dogs that I have had that I have shed, I have a shelf at home basically of their urns, all their ashes. I choose them around in this article to the Amos Relatives Funeral House, they cremate them for me, I keep them.

These are some of the most dignified animals I’ve ever noticed, and I’m going to make confident that which is the way that it ends.

Rescue animals are the best. They know they’ve been rescued. They can notify.