01 pei-mate

Mia was a stray that was rescued from Animal Control in New Jersey. She arrived at Operation Scarlet in August 2000. She is a sweet little girl with a bubbly personality and just simply loves life. It did not take very long at all until that "special person" came to the rescue to meet Mia and it was love at first sight.

Say "Atlantic City" and people immediately think of the beach, boardwalk, and especially the casinos. Everyone is hoping to win the jackpot, but I truly have done it. My prize was Mia, my sweet little four-legged girl. The moment I saw her at Operation Scarlet, I knew she was to be mine. When I petted her, I discovered she communicates by snorting. It is music to my ears.

Mia is quite a character. At first, she would drag rugs and toys to the center of the hallway. Now, she is more selective, only items with mom's scent on, particularly clothing and shoes. Every day, after my shower and before I can put the wet and used bath towels and washcloths in the hamper, Mia has confiscated those items for her building project. Every day, she creates a new artistic collage in the hallway.

Mia is my sentry. She lays, sits, and stands up on her back legs to look out the windows. Any person or animal, squirrels, rabbits, birds, etc, walking along the road in front of the house, she makes sure I know it. However, Mia does not forget to take time to chew a nylabone or play with Jake, my male Shar-Pei.

I have saved the best for last. Bedtime is game time for Mia. After she and Jake have been outside just before we go to bed, Jake heads to the bedroom and snuggles up in his bed. Mia waits patiently in the dining room, as I turn out the lights. Then she runs around the dining room table for several minutes and I chase her. Finally she stops, sits down, and I pick her up. I carry her like a baby, and put her in her bed. Luck and good fortune comes in different types of packages. For me, it is a little, black brushcoat Shar-Pei named Mia.
Dawn Witmer, O.S. Representative

Akasha came from a vet clinic in Georgia in March 2001. She had been hit by a car and needed to have the ball removed from the ball and socket in one hip. The owners did not want to pay for the surgery and requested that she be put to sleep. The staff at the clinic could not do that since she was so sweet. The vet performed the surgery and then contacted Operation Scarlet. She was transported to Operation Scarlet by a canine caravan. Pam McCune, O.S. representative, completed the last leg of the trip to get her safely to the rescue.

Akasha has fully recovered from her injuries and is enjoying her new home and new life. She is a very sweet, gentle dog and certainly was deserving of a second chance.

- Hugs and Kisses to you, Akasha

Sweet Akasha came to me in March of this year. She is my second rescue from O.S. but my third Shar Pei. I¹m in love with the breed.

I received a phone call from Dawn explaining that they just received an eight year old female who had been hit by a car. Akasha arrived from a pet clinic in Georgia where they had performed an FHO on her left side. (That is when they remove the ball from the hip). Dawn told me how sweet she was and how her eyes told her story. I was hooked. A couple of days later I was at the rescue picking up Akasha and taking her to her forever home. When I arrived at the rescue, Dawn explained that Akasha had been examined by the O.S. vet who discovered that she had an FHO previously done to her right side. Akasha would be a little lame for the rest of her life.

I understood what Dawn meant about Akasha¹s eyes telling her story. When I first brought her home she had the saddest eyes I had ever seen. She seemed lost and just a little overwhelmed. It was as though the light had gone out of her. All I could do was shower love on her and do some physical therapy that another O.S. rep told me would help Akasha¹s healing leg. True to the intelligence and determination of the breed, in just a couple of days, she understood the routine of the household when we go out, when we eat, when we play and when we go to bed. She had two other Shar Pei for company - she was home.

Akasha does wonderfully, even with her disability. She walks well, runs and even jumps. She is happy and now her eyes sparkle. She has lots of love from everyone who meets her. Her sweet personality wins people over.

Once again, I¹ve been blessed with a wonderful companion. Who could ask for more?

Crystal II is a female cream horsecoat that was rescued as a stray from a shelter in Dillsburg, PA in 1999. Crystal is a very special girl in that she is the 500th dog rescued by Operation Scarlet. Because she was the 500th dog, she has been affectionately referred to at the rescue as Crystal 500.

When Crystal was rescued, we were told that she had been running as a stray and was spotted in a farmer's field quite often. The farmer threatened to shoot Crystal, so the wife called the Dillsburg shelter in concern for her safety. She was then captured and transported to the shelter.

When O.S. rescued her a tumor like growth was discovered on her side and was immediately surgically removed. Several months later X-rays showed a bullet was lodged in her rib cage. The growth on her side was actually an abscessed area where the bullet had entered her body! The poor, sweet girl had been shot and was also on the run. Can you imagine what pain and fear she must have endured!!!

She is now in a very loving home, but Vicki Petrisko, Crystal's new mom, will tell you the rest of the story.

The first time I saw Crystal she was looking a little raggedy--the next
time I saw her she looked like a hairless rat-dog. I would walk by her
crate at the rescue and say to my mother, "Boy is she the homeliest
Shar-Pei I have ever seen." "No one is ever going to choose her." But
eventually her fur grew back and I saw that she was quite cute with her
tiny little expressive eyes and her neat little folded ears--and to top
it all off, she talked a blue streak. My first Shar-Pei was a talker.
She had recently passed away, and I wasn't really ready for anyone to
take her place, but there Crystal sat woo-wooing every time I stopped to
chat. Then came the verdict--she had cancer, and because her lab
results were lost no one knew how long she had left. And still there
she sat, woo-wooing when I came to visit. And so, to make a long story
short, my husband and I decided that she didn't deserve to spend the
remainder of her life in a crate--she'd been through so much, and she
deserved a loving home for however long she needed it.

What a funny little thing she is. She's a bit on the geriatric side,
and her feet get all mixed up when she moves too fast. Her life motto
seems to be "always forward--never back." She demonstrates this daily
on her morning walk. When we attempt to make the turn to head back
home, she locks her legs and leans out sideways on her leash. Sometimes
it's just easier to pick her up and turn her around, because it's very
embarrassing if you let up on the leash too fast and she falls over.
That's my girl and I love her. She's losing her hearing now, so I've
noticed that she compensates by following the other dogs and keeping her
eyes on my face. But she's a happy girl--her favorite things in life
are playing with her tennis balls, eating, sleeping in the sun, taking
walks with her mastiff, chasing all the dogs out of her park, and
playing "chase me" with her Mom after dinner. And her main contribution
to my household--she taught the other three Shar-Pei to talk.

She's been with us for over a year and as she appears to be healthy as
the proverbial horse, we're counting on having many more years with her.
Crystal has taught me that life is what you make of it and as long as
you're happy, nothing else matters.

Here is Crystal the day she was rescued by O.S. in November 1999. She was presented this beautiful leopard coat to keep her warm.

Crystal is getting the royal treatment. She was transported to Operation Scarlet riding in style. The limousine was donated by a local limousine service. Without the slightest hesitation, she hopped right in.

She not only hopped right in, but actually made herself right at home. She really seemed to love all the attention. TV and newspaper reporters and camera crew were present to record her rescue.

Crystal received the royal carpet treatment. Upon her arrival at the rescue, a red carpet was rolled out from the limo and many of the O.S. volunteers were present to applaud her arrival. She was also presented with red roses, but dog biscuits would have been more to her liking. She is pictured here with Dawn Hertzog, founder of Operation Scarlet.

Rocky arrived at Operation Scarlet on April 29, 2000. He came from a New York City shelter and was surrendered by his owner who had allergies to dogs. Rocky was a very pleasant dog and got along very well with everyone at the rescue. The day he was transported from NYC to O.S., he was exchanged by three different people along the way and was fine with everyone. Operation Scarlet members Cindy McLoughlin, Stacy Statkus, and Mary Ellen Berry did the transport. Rocky would like to say thanks to you folks for getting him safely to O.S.

He would also like to say thanks to O.S. for finding a wonderful family for him. He feels like a very "lucky dog" to have Melissa and Ryan Good as his new parents. Melissa and Ryan have two young sons who enjoy playing with Rocky. They have since added another O.S. Shar-Pei to the family whose name is Oatmeal. Rocky is very happy with his new family and knows he is now in a "forever home".

I had always wanted a Shar-pei and had heard about Operation Scarlet years ago and decided to give it a try. I talked to my husband, Ryan, and he said that we could make an appointment and go in and take a look to see if there was any dogs I wanted. I went in there with the idea of wanting a puppy. No dogs over a year old. And I had a certain image in my mind. Boy was I naive, thinking that I was going to go in there and pick out a dog when in reality, you don't pick your Shar-pei, they pick you. Well we started to look in all the crates and when we got to the last one, there was Rocky. He had the most adorable face with these droopy eyes that just said, "Love me". I immediately knew, that he was going to be ours. He kept putting his side against the cage so that we could scratch him. The funny thing is, that before we went into the rescue, I had told Ryan that when we got a dog, I wanted to name him Rocky. You can imagine how I felt when Dawn told me that this dogs name was Rocky. I knew then that it was meant to be. And when we went downstairs so that he could come out of his cage and meet us, he just walked up to us like he knew he was going to a new home. Dawn said ," Are you sure you want him? Because he is three years old?" At that point it didn't matter because I had already fallen in love. We made our decision right then, and could hardly wait the three days that we had to wait to pick him up. Right from day one he fit right into our family. I can honestly say he is the best dog we have ever had. He always greets everyone he sees. He has a "greet me" dance that he does and everyone must say "hello" or he gets very upset. And when we got our other dog,(Oatmeal) from the rescue, he greeted her just as nicely and made her feel very welcome in our home.

Macey was rescued from a shelter in Annapolis, MD in February 1998 and was four years old when rescued. The owners said they could no longer take care of her. She is a very sweet dog and is extremely happy to have found a "forever home". She was adopted in 1998 and is enjoying her new life with a rescued Greyhound.

Macey has been a pleasant addition to our home. She is well behaved, has a sweet disposition and is affectionate and playful. We think she's a classy little lady, and wouldn't give her up for a million dollars. - Louise Groff

Hello, my name is Lorraine. I was rescued along with my two Shar-Pei friends by Operation Scarlet. We were abandoned in a home in New Jersey. We were very frightened and had no food for days. I was also in a lot of pain because my back was broken. The nice people at Operation Scarlet saw to it that all of our medical needs were taken care of and they gave us lots of love. Many very caring people sent donations for our medical expenses. My two Shar-Pei friends, Oatmeal and Chipper, and I would like to send a big WOOF of thanks for all your help. All three of us are feeling much better and are now in very loving homes.

I recently attended Operation Scarlet's fall luncheon on October 27, 2001. I had a lot of fun and dressed up like a little bumble bee. I live with nine other Shar-Pei, but my mom says I am definitely the "Queen Bee" so this was a very appropriate costume.

I am very proud of this picture. Here I am with my mom and dad, Wil and Janice Chamberlin. I really love them a lot. I am really grateful to them for giving me a second chance at life. Operation Scarlet presented me with the Rescue Dog of the Year award. I feel very honored to have received this award and I proudly appear at all the O.S. events.

I must say that I am now a very, very happy dog!!!!

I remember the morning Dawn called and said three girls were coming
from New Jersey. Their owners had abandoned them and kept them in the
basement. Needless to say they were in really bad shape.

Along with the malnutrittion, dehydration, mange and open sores,
Lorraine had a broken back. We can only wonder how long she was in this
condition. She received no medical attention and she suffered through
it herself.

She has had several operations and is doing wonderful. She gets
aroung so much better. She does't have to walk like a little seal
anymore. She runs and plays and likes to roll on her back.

Since becoming a member of our family it was apparent early on that
Lorraine is a very special little girl. She gets along really great
with all of her brothers and sisters. She can still offer affection,
loyalty and trust despite the horrid conditions she had suffered.

Her daily routine consists mostly taking long naps. But not much goes
on without her knowing. When she is outdoors it's interesting to watch
her sitting and quiety observing everything around her. We
affectionately call her the QUEEN BEE of the Chamberlin household.

In our opinion, this is the true meaning of animal resuce. Lorraine
and ourselves would like to say Thank You to Dawn and to Dr. Dow for
hearing her and Oatmeal and Chippers cry
for help and to Dr. Hall and the team at Smoketown Veternary Clinic.
Also a BIG THANK YOU goes to Dr. Jankowski and his team of experts for
doing such a great job on Lorraine if it would not be for these
wonderful caring people Lorraine would not be doing as great as she is
today. Lorraine is a cherished member of our big happy family.

Lorraine means

L=Lovable and Loyal
O=Outgoing and obviously loved
R=Ravishingly Beautiful
R=Really Great Shar-Pei friend
A=Attention she wants from her family and also
anger she feels towards the people who left her and Oatmeal, and Chipper
in that basement.
I=Intelligent
N=Naughty, but always nice
E=Enthusiastic and Eager to please

Lorraine means Love

Wil & Janice Chamberlin

Hi, my name is Precious. Everyone says my name is very appropriate because I am a very "precious" dog. I was rescued by Operation Scarlet in 1995 along with nine of my Shar-Pei friends. We were flown from Georgia to Operation Scarlet because we were in a puppy mill that was closed down. My canine friends and I were not in very good shape. I was totally bald and covered with fleas. Some of my Shar-Pei friends were heartworm positive and some had entropion. Thanks to all the nice people at Operation Scarlet, we all received the medical attention we so desperately needed. The very best part of all was that we were adopted into very loving homes.

I am now a very happy Shar-Pei and love my family very much. Thanks O.S. for saving me and my friends!!

My husband, Bob, and I were visiting a pet store in Lancaster when we ran into a group of members from Operation Scarlet, Inc.. We had been looking for a dog, but we weren't sure what breed we wanted. We both fell in love with Shar-Pei on that day. We were interviewed and approved by Operation Scarlet. Precious was coming back to Operation Scarlet because she was barking during the day and the landlord would not allow her adopters to keep her. The reason that she was barking was because an African gray parrot lived in the apartment and had learned to call Precious's name. We were thrilled to adopt her. She is everything that we wanted in a Shar-Pei. She is extremely wrinkled and the biggest couch potato. She has claimed the one chair in the family room as hers. Her duty in the house is making sure that nothing has ventured into the backyard. She is very good at chasing the squirrels up the tree or out of her yard. She has been a constant joy to us. She has that way of tilting her head and looking at you like she knows exactly what you are saying. Precious made her acting debut about a month ago on Blue Ridge Cable for a show on rescue programs. She even got a bark in at the end of the show. I cannot tell you how much joy and laughter she has brought to our lives. Precious also has two younger Shar-Pei sisters to watch over and she is very accepting of them and loves to chase them around the yard. Precious had none of these interests when she came to our house because she came from a very bad situation where she never saw people. She has become much more outgoing and trusting of people. It has taken a lot of patience and encouragement, but it is all well worth the effort. Precious has sold us on the breed and we will always have Shar-Pei in our lives because of her.

She is the reason that we have become so involved with Operation Scarlet. I just think of the wonderful people that we would not have met had we not adopted her.

- Michele Laucks