Eskie Rescuers United

The 'railroad' home

BY JEAN STARR
Times Correspondent

Thanks to what's called the Eskie Railroad, Dixie is in her forever home for the holidays. The 9-year-old American Eskimo was rescued in September from a shelter in Wisconsin.

"I fostered Dixie from the time I picked her up at the shelter and knew she was heartworm positive," said Deborah Guske of Eskie Rescuers United American Eskimo Dog Rescue.

"Despite her age she didn't have any problems with her treatment."

When Dixie recovered from heartworm treatment and was spayed and healthy, she was adopted by a pre-screened family in Kalamazoo, Mich.

But they needed help getting Dixie home. Guske called on a group of volunteers throughout the area that comprise the Eskie Railroad.

"Each driver donates time to drive from 50 miles to 300 miles, and sometimes more," Guske said. "We have a list of volunteer drivers who will fill a leg on that certain railroad/transport."

One of those volunteers was Terri Russell of Valparaiso. Russell, who is involved in wolf and wolf cross rescue, saw Guske's call for transport volunteers on the Internet and filled out a volunteer application.

"I'm one of these people that if it gives a dog a home for the rest of its life, I'm all for it," Russell said. "And I'll do whatever I can do to help."

Her assistance involved meeting a couple from Aurora, who had brought Dixie as far as the Kennedy Avenue Cracker Barrel parking lot in Highland.

Dixie isn't the only American Eskimo to have gone through Northwest Indiana. A little Eskie named Hallee, a 2-year-old that had been severely abused in her former home, took the Eskie Railroad up to Michigan from Clinton, Ill., through Chesterton where two area residents drove Hallee to St. Joseph, Mich.

Hallee's new owner Heather said that the dog is progressing wonderfully since coming to her new home. She sent an e-mail to Hallee's volunteer drivers that said: "I just wanted to take a minute to personally thank you for your participation in getting Hallee to me. Without good-hearted people like you, these 'Eskie Railroads' would not be possible."

Sweetpea is another Eskie Railroad beneficiary who came from Indiana via the Calumet Area Humane Society. Workers at the shelter called Guske in order to get the dog into foster care and out of the shelter environment.

"Sweetpea was adopted to a couple who live in Springfield, Ill.," Guske said. The wife, a woman named Jewel, has kidney disease and is on dialysis. The dog and woman became fast friends at first sight.

"Before Sweetpea can go to sleep every night, she lays her head on Jewel's chest to make sure Jewel is okay," Guske said. "Jewel tells her she is all right and Sweetpea then goes to sleep at the foot of the bed."