Unega Mountain Dog Rescue

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Unega Mountain Dog Rescue DEDICATED TO THE PROTECTION AND RESCUE OF LIVESTOCK GUARDIAN DOGS IN IDAHO AND SURROUNDING AREAS.
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WE FOCUS ON THOSE THAT ARE CONSIDERED AT-RISK FOR INJURY, CRUELTY AND ABANDONMENT, AND THAT MAY BE SUBJECT TO EUTHANASIA AND INHUMANE TREATMENT

KAISER UPDATE 💙A change of plans: Kaiser's medical foster didn't work out, so yesterday he came home to the rescue. We'r...
10/16/2026

KAISER UPDATE 💙

A change of plans: Kaiser's medical foster didn't work out, so yesterday he came home to the rescue. We're caring for the wounds on his head ourselves now.

And let me tell you about this dog. 🥹

After everything he's been through, Kaiser is the sweetest, kindest, most gentle-hearted soul. It honestly blows me away.

He also wants to go back to work. He's already testing my fence lines. Holy smokes! 😂 That guardian heart never stopped beating, not for one second. This boy is a warrior through and through.

And nothing would make me happier than to give him his job back. But he can't go back. His kidneys went through too much, and his body couldn't hold up to life with a large commercial sheep operation. His ear canal is also wide open now and needs protecting. It just isn't feasible.

So Kaiser's commercial working days are over. But that doesn't mean his guardian days are! Kaiser could be an amazing guardian on a homestead, with a loving family who will care for him and keep up with his ongoing head wound care. But man, they'd need a sturdy, STURDY fence line. 😂

He gave everything to protect his flock. Now it's our turn to protect him.

His next chapter starts now. 💙

“*KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK*…WAKE UP CALL!!”For all of you who think these dogs aren’t “abandoned,” let’s just say 80% of the ...
10/15/2026

“*KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK*…WAKE UP CALL!!”

For all of you who think these dogs aren’t “abandoned,” let’s just say 80% of the time THEY ARE. 

Last evening we rescued a young mother and her 5 puppies from a creek bed in the wilderness. They are 48 hours old!! Mama found a safe spot to give birth, and in that short time the sheep moved on. The humans moved on. No one cared or accounted for a missing pregnant guardian. 

THIS IS REAL. These operations don’t practice routine spay and neuters. What happens when dogs aren’t fixed out in the field? Litters and mamas that are abandoned, that die in the freezing cold, in extreme heats, and are physically killed so mama can go back to work. 

We are begging for communication. Understanding. For spaying and neutering. We will do that and give them back to you so they can do the work they were born into. We understand instincts and nature. We are pleading for their health, safety, and the end of too many litters! 

We believe in spaying & neutering. We believe in doing so when these large breed guardian dogs are over one year old. The dogs grow stronger, don’t have possible health issues later on, and overall become their best selves. 

When the time comes for these pups to be adopted out, we will be asking for a $500 deposit. This deposit signifies your duty to spay or neuter when they are ready. This deposit signifies your duty to a strong and healthy guardian. This deposit signifies your respect and trust of us, yourselves, and the beautiful wonder you have brought into your life. 

We are at our minds, bodies, and spiritual end with the rescues we are committed to and those that will come. Why…why must this mistreatment continue? These guardians are not tools. These guardians demand respect; and in return they will love, care, and lay loyalty upon you to a degree you must learn. 

This is our present. These guardians deserve a future. 

Adopt when you can. Fill out a form even if you don’t think you could be a fit. We are always here. We are always learning. And we will always place these abandoned LGDs with their right family, environment, and HOME.

KAISER. PHOENIX. MAMA. BABIES. TOO MANY TO NAME. TOO MANY LEFT BEHIND.

KAISER IS LEAVING THE ICU! 🎉💙We have been waiting SO long to say these words.Kaiser's creatinine is down to 1.3. That's ...
10/14/2026

KAISER IS LEAVING THE ICU! 🎉💙

We have been waiting SO long to say these words.

Kaiser's creatinine is down to 1.3. That's NORMAL.

8.6 → 6.4 → 5.7 → 4.7 → 3.9 → 3.4 → 2.2 → 1.5 → 1.3

His labs are perfect. Every other value is stable. He's been weaned off his IV fluids. And tonight, Kaiser walks out of WestVet.

He's going home to be medically fostered by one of his own doctors. We couldn't have dreamed of a better person to care for this boy. She'll keep his head wound clean and closely monitored as he keeps healing.

When he came to us, Kaiser was infected, exhausted, and barely able to hold up his head. His kidneys were failing. We didn't know if he would survive the night.

But this warrior had the will to live, and an incredible team who refused to let him go.

💙 The Blaine County Sheriff's Office, who answered the call the night he was found
💙 Dr. Sofia Santacaterina and Dr. Laurie Breedveld at Sawtooth Animal Center, who answered my calls after hours, dropped everything, and kept him alive his first two nights
💙 Dr. Curtis Brandt, Dr. Nikki Licht, Mariah, Jenn, and the entire WestVet crew

And he had all of YOU, people from across the United States who prayed, shared, donated, and refused to give up on him.

You did this together. 💙

Kaiser still has healing ahead, including his head wound and his broken teeth. But tonight, he sleeps in a home.

I'm so happy for this boy.💙

KAISER'S MONDAY UPDATE 💙🎉⚠️ Heads up: one of the photos in this post shows the healing wounds on the left side of Kaiser...
10/12/2026

KAISER'S MONDAY UPDATE 💙🎉

⚠️ Heads up: one of the photos in this post shows the healing wounds on the left side of Kaiser's head and may be hard to look at.

What a weekend for this boy!

His creatinine went from 3.9 → 3.4 → and today it's 2.2!

Remember where we started: 8.6. A high-normal creatinine is around 1.8, and Kaiser is SO close.

The rest of his labs look great too. His BUN has dropped from 112 to 46, and his phosphorus is back in the normal range. 🙌

With his kidneys doing so well, his team is hoping to start reducing his pain medication.

He even had visitors this weekend! Dr. Nikki Licht stopped by with her crew, including her pup Asterix, who curled right up in the kennel with him. 🥹

Now for his ear. The wounds on the left side of his head still need the most healing, and they cause him the most pain. But Dr. Curtis Brandt shared some beautiful news:

"This is the worst area of skin. All his other skin is healing well, and I think this area is, too. What I wanted to draw attention to is the newly uncovered area of nicely pink skin near the lower part of the ear canal opening. The 'eschar' is lifting off and the skin underneath is pink! I'm so pleased with his healing. This spot has the furthest to go still, but he's better every day."

(Eschar is the thick, crusty layer of dead tissue that forms over a deep wound. As it lifts away, healthy new skin shows underneath. The little purple marks are the sutures from his ear surgery.)

Better every day. That says it all.

Thank you for loving this boy through every single day of this. We can't wait to share what comes next.💙

This weekend, we want you to meet an old friend.This is Woodsley. He came to Unega as an abandoned working guardian, and...
10/10/2026

This weekend, we want you to meet an old friend.

This is Woodsley. He came to Unega as an abandoned working guardian, and in 2024 he went home with a wonderful woman named Sterling. Once he felt safe with her, he finally let someone see everything he'd been carrying.

And he'd been carrying a lot.

His first trip to Colorado State University's veterinary hospital in March 2025 found bullets and BBs throughout his body: in his spine, his legs, even his lung. Disc herniations in his lower back. Arthritis in his knee. A broken tail. A lifelong GI disease that keeps his gut from absorbing food properly, and low B12 that needs ongoing injections.

Sterling ended her summary of that visit with what she called his most notable findings: a big heart, the cutest face, the most regal mane, the best attitude, and the best support team.

She wasn't wrong.

Recently, Woodsley started having seizures. This week we learned why. He has a cancerous tumor in his nasal cavity. The team at CSU is still checking whether it has reached the thin plate of bone that separates the nose from the brain. He starts high-dose radiation Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. The hope is that this round gives him up to two more good years. He'll be on seizure medication for life, and his neurology team will keep adjusting it so he stays comfortable.

This sweet boy just can't catch a break. But he has never once been alone in it.

When a dog has lived on our land, they're ours for life. We're standing with Sterling every step of the way, because she has enough to hold right now.

Please keep Woodsley and Sterling in your hearts this week. We'll share how radiation goes. 🤍

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KAISER UPDATE: Day 9 ☀️💙Look at that smile in the sunshine. 🥹His creatinine dropped again, from 4.7 yesterday to 3.9 tod...
10/09/2026

KAISER UPDATE: Day 9 ☀️💙

Look at that smile in the sunshine. 🥹

His creatinine dropped again, from 4.7 yesterday to 3.9 today!

8.6 → 6.4 → 5.7 → 4.7 → 3.9

Now the focus is keeping him eating and drinking so he keeps his strength up and those numbers keep coming down. His team is also watching the wounds on the left side of his head closely, making sure no abscesses form and no more skin turns necrotic.

Every chance he gets, Kaiser heads outside to soak up the sun. He's just an all-around good boy.

We're giving Kaiser a quiet weekend to rest and heal, so our next update will be Monday. We can't wait for the day we get to tell you he's leaving the ICU! 🙌

Thank you for sticking with him. Every share and every gift keeps him moving forward. 💙

Thank you for sticking with him. Every share and every gift keeps him moving forward. 💙

💙 Donate: https://www.unegamountaindogrescue.org/donate

KAISER UPDATE: Day 8 💙Kaiser's creatinine is down AGAIN, from 5.7 yesterday to 4.7 today! WOO HOO! 🎉8.6 → 6.4 → 5.7 → 4....
10/08/2026

KAISER UPDATE: Day 8 💙

Kaiser's creatinine is down AGAIN, from 5.7 yesterday to 4.7 today! WOO HOO! 🎉

8.6 → 6.4 → 5.7 → 4.7. Every single day, that number keeps dropping. That's exactly what we need to happen.

And there's more good news: he's eating more on his own, so his nasal feeding tube came out! 🥹

Kaiser inspires us over and over again. His silly personality is shining through more every day. Watch the video of him walking inside all the way to the end. We swear he winks at us. 😉

There's still a road ahead. If his kidneys keep getting stronger, the next step will be assessing the wounds on his head, which are severe, and his broken teeth. Both will need to be done under sedation, and he's not ready for that anytime soon. For now, our only job is to help him keep healing.

A huge thank-you to Kaiser's care team at WestVet: Dr. Curtis Brandt, Nikki Licht, DVM, DACVECC, is a Board-certified Specialist in Veterinary Emergency & Critical Care and the ICU clinicians who have cared for him for several days, Mariah, and Jenn. The entire squad over there rocks! 💙

And WE DID IT! Kaiser's $10,000 fundraiser not only met its goal, it went past it! And the $1,500 match from was met too. We are blown away by every one of you. 🙌

Kaiser's journey isn't over, and his care continues at the rate of about $1700.00 a day. If you feel so inclined, you can keep donating at the link below. Kaiser appreciates it very much. 🐾

😉 Wink back at Kaiser in the comments!

💙 Donate:https://www.unegamountaindogrescue.org/donate

KAISER UPDATE: Day 7 💙Kaiser's creatinine is still heading the right way, down to 5.7 today! 🎉That's 8.6 → 6.4 → 5.7. He...
10/07/2026

KAISER UPDATE: Day 7 💙

Kaiser's creatinine is still heading the right way, down to 5.7 today! 🎉

That's 8.6 → 6.4 → 5.7. He is working so hard. We still need it to come down to around 1.5, so there's more road ahead, but this boy keeps showing us he's up for it.

And his Pyr personality is starting to show. 😄 He does NOT want to go outside. He just wants to sleep. Honestly, after everything he's been through, we can't blame him. But he does need to move, so his team is gently insisting. Anyone who's loved a Pyr knows exactly how those negotiations go.

Everyone at WestVet adores him. He is truly an incredible dog.

AND WE HAVE ANOTHER MATCH! A huge thank-you to for matching $1,500 in donations for Kaiser's care! Every dollar you give, up to $1,500, will be doubled.

Man, this dog is a legend. 💙

💙 Kaiser's fundraiser:https://www.unegamountaindogrescue.org/donate

WE HAVE AMAZING NEWS! 🎉Kaiser's creatinine, the number we've been praying would come down, dropped from 8.6 last night t...
10/06/2026

WE HAVE AMAZING NEWS! 🎉

Kaiser's creatinine, the number we've been praying would come down, dropped from 8.6 last night to 6.4 today!

After days of it barely moving, this boy finally gave us the turn we've been waiting for. It's trending in the right direction, and we are SO excited.

We also have to stay cautious. A high-normal creatinine for a dog is around 1.8, so Kaiser still has work to do, and there may be ups and downs along the way. But if he can make a jump like that in one day, we can only hope it keeps going.

He is strong. He is a fighter. And today, he gave us a miracle.

And the sweetest part? Kaiser gave his vet a Pyr paw today. 🥹🐾 After everything he's been through, this boy is still choosing to trust people.

Thank you to the entire WestVet ICU team for fighting for him every single day. And to all of you who have donated, shared, and prayed: you are part of this moment. Every gift has carried him to today.

We'll keep you posted, one day at a time.💙

💬 Please share this post so everyone who's been praying for Kaiser gets to see his good news today.

💙 MATCH ALERT FOR KAISER 💙A generous supporter has offered a $1,500 match for Kaiser's fundraiser!Every dollar you give,...
10/06/2026

💙 MATCH ALERT FOR KAISER 💙

A generous supporter has offered a $1,500 match for Kaiser's fundraiser!

Every dollar you give, up to $1,500, will be doubled. $25 becomes $50. $50 becomes $100.

Kaiser is still fighting in the ICU, and every gift goes straight to his care. Let's meet this match together. 🙏

Address

Ketchum, ID

Telephone

+12087213349

Website

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