Hound Haven Lone Pine woman rescues, rehabilitates neglected, abused dogs
Amos, a treeing walker coonhound who was rescued from death row at a Virginia shelter, mugs for the camera at Hound Haven in Lone Pine.
Brandy Ellerman adopted Cody Jackson shortly after he arrived at Hound Haven in February. Cody Jackson was diagnosed with doggie autism, has heartworms and severe allergies and recently was found to have a benign tumor in his abdomen.
Brandy Ellerman of Hound Haven in Lone Pine gets a kiss from Leonidas, who is blind in one eye and was rescued from Kentucky, in this 2015 photo.
Two of the dogs play in the backyard at Hound Haven in Lone Pine.
It’s a tug of war among this group of dogs at Hound Haven.
Mallie Faye, a beagle rescued from the Fayette County SPCA before it shut down, takes a break from playing in the backyard at Hound Haven.
Oogy, a beagle who came to Hound Haven from a backyard breeder, relaxes on the picnic table at Hound Haven.
Willow Briar of West Virginia is among the new arrivals at Hound Haven within the past week.
Brandy Ellerman has been involved in animal rescue for as long as she can remember, never thinking that one day the very animals she’s been saving would end up saving her.
But that’s exactly what happened with her foster dogs a few years ago when the Lone Pine woman was diagnosed with breast cancer.
”I had a lot of self-pity going on,” Ellerman said. “I was wearing a muumuu, and I wouldn’t wash my hair. I was so depressed. They loved me no matter what I looked or felt like. “
Ellerman had total bilateral mastectomy with lymph-node removal, resulting in physical limitations in both arms that prevented her from returning to work as a nurse. She could apply for another job in the medical field that did not require lifting, but her heart wasn’t in it.
”I took that as a sign,” she said. “I did not want to be a people nurse. I wanted to be a doggie nurse. I was addicted to it. I did not need pain pills; I needed dogs.”
So, Ellerman established Hound Haven, an in-house, foster-based, nonprofit canine rescue that specializes in finding, saving and rehabilitating death-row coonhounds and beagles that have been neglected and abused. Many are affected with severe medical conditions, including heartworm, bite injuries, eye problems, diabetes and Lyme disease.
”It was one of the worst times of my life, and it was also the best time of my life,” Ellerman said. “I dove in full force.”
She is licensed to foster 15 dogs, and it’s rare when her home, which she has transformed into a doggie paradise both inside and outside, is not filled to capacity. As soon as one dog leaves, another arrives.
Ellerman said that next to pit bulls, hound dogs are the hardest to place, and the coonhound population, especially in the Southern states, is significant. She uses the Internet and Facebook not only to network with other rescuers and shelters to save the dogs, but also to recruit and coordinate volunteers for the dogs’ transportation to Hound Haven, where they are treated with love and compassion.
Upon their arrival, they are bathed, vetted, spayed or neutered and house-trained. They spend three days in isolation with Ellerman – and the hounds she has adopted – on the second floor of her home. After that, they are permitted to join the other foster dogs that reside on the first floor. Ellerman also conducts her own reference checks on prospective owners and coordinates home visits.
”Some will be here forever, but I can’t keep them all,” Ellerman said.
In the past year, Ellerman has saved nearly 50 dogs, and just this past week, three more dogs have joined the “family.”
Among them are Chiefton, a male bluetick coonhound who was rescued from a hoarding situation in North Carolina, and Willow Briar, a female redtick coonhound from West Virginia. Chiefton was emaciated with some skin issues, but is described by Ellerman as an “old soul-type guy with a very laid-back attitude.” Willow Brair has a neck injury from being tied outside with what appears to be a wire. She is very frightened and skittish.
”There have been a lot of walking skeletons,” Ellerman said.
In addition to the new hounds, Ellerman has been tending to Olive, a redbone coonhound who had a hernia repaired 10 days ago. She came to Hound Haven from a shelter in West Virginia. She had a horrible eye infection and has some mild vision loss due to corneal scarring, but she gets around just fine and greets her visitors with the same enthusiasm as her “brothers and sisters.”
Although Ellerman loves all the dogs she rescues, there is one that especially tugged at her heartstrings. His name is Cody Jackson, and Ellerman adopted him earlier this year.
In early January, Cody, as he was called at the time, was abandoned and sent to death row at the Columbus County Animal Shelter in North Carolina. He was emaciated and sick.
Volunteers rallied around Cody to provide transportation to a foster home, but their plans began to unravel when Cody began exhibiting strange behavior and was unable to be safely moved. He was pacing and jumping uncontrollably, and had heartworms. The veterinarian also suspected Cody had brain damage and recommended he be euthanized.
However, a North Carolina adopter was located by the original shelter. He said Cody could live on his large fenced-in farm. Cody was taken to the farm on Jan. 19.
Ten days later, a stray coonhound was found by animal control and taken to a shelter nearly 25 miles away from the original Columbus County shelter. He, too, was jumping and baying uncontrollably. He was called Jumping Jack, and if a foster home wasn’t found within 24 hours, he would be put to sleep.
A friend of Ellerman’s agreed to provide boarding, vetting and transport assist, and on Feb. 5, Jumping Jack was sedated and safely transported by Wheels for Paws to Pennsylvania.
Ellerman suspected the two dogs may have been from the same breeder/handler because of the odd nature of their behavior and close geographical proximity. But when Jumping Jack arrived at Hound Haven, Ellerman became suspicious and soon learned that Cody’s adopter wasn’t even aware that Cody was missing. The coonhound called Jumping Jack was actually Cody.
Ellerman said it’s been difficult and confusing for Cody Jackson, but he is safe, and Ellerman has made him as comfortable as possible. He has been diagnosed with doggie autism, has severe allergies and recently was found to have a benign tumor in his abdomen. The tumor will be removed when he is healthy enough for surgery. Cody Jackson is 4 years old.
Ellerman does not accept puppies for their own safety among the big, sick dogs, and even though she provides medical care on her own, there is a veterinarian two miles down the road from her home in case of an emergency. She cannot leave her home for more than three hours at a time because of the dogs’ medical needs and bladder-control issues.
Of course, the dogs’ care isn’t cheap. Even though Ellerman bears much of the financial burden, she holds fundraisers and receives donations. She is holding a summer fundraiser at Tractor Supply Co. in Washington to help supplement her food supply. The dogs, she said, eat 20 pounds of dog food a day.
”I didn’t think it would go as well ,” Ellerman said. “Financially, I’ve had support, I’ve had a lot of support with transportation, and vets work with us.
”I really, really love what I do. I just wish I was not covered in dog hair 24 hours a day. I might live like a refugee, but I’m pretty happy.”
And so are the dogs.
To make a donation to Hound Haven, visit http://www.adoptapet.com/hound-haven-of-lone-pine/, or email Ellerman at houndhaven.lonepine@gmail.com. Dog food donations also can be purchased at Tractor Supply Co.