Rebel Blog — give back

This heartwarming story so clearly demonstrates the resilience of dogs and their incredible capacity to forgive and love freely even after horrible abuse. One such dog named Xena made her journey back to health only to find a boy named Jonny who needed her just as much as she needed him, this is their happily ever after…

We first came across Xena's story back in 2012 and followed her rescue with a hopeful heart, silently cheering for a miraculous recovery. She was brought into Dekalb Animal Services in Georgia in such a horrendous state of neglect she was not expected to make it through the night. Over the next six months, under the loving care of a wonderful foster family, she continued to regain her health, strength, and a renewed love of life and people. 

It was an inspirational recovery to say the least, but Xena the Warrior Puppy wasn’t nearly done impressing the world with what she was destined to accomplish. 

In the same Georgia vicinity lives Jonny, an eight-year-old boy with autism. For Jonny life was quiet. He was generally soft spoken and preferred to keep to himself and understandably, familiar situations. But that all changed when Jonny met Xena.

Jonny’s mother, rescue dog mom and volunteer, Linda Hickey had been following Xena’s story online. So when it was announced that Xena would make her first public appearance at a local fundraiser, the Hickey family headed to meet her. It was love at first lick for Xena, and likewise for Jonny. With that joyful introduction it was decided, the Hickey’s would give Xena a forever family and home.

  Xena is Jonny’s savior, the spark needed to light up his world. Since adopting Xena Jonny has flourished into a talkative, excited, happy-go-lucky boy who just happens to have autism. These two are nearly inseparable, and to see their connection brings tears of happiness to many eyes. 

Xena now lives the good life, with her amazing human family and two rescue siblings. In a YouTube video Jonny shares, “I think we make a pretty great team to spread the word.” 

We are inspired by you Jonny and Xena! And we are your forever fans, keep being awesome you two!

You can follow their adventures together on Facebook and on their website.

May was pet cancer awareness month, so we did our small part to support the cause and work towards kicking cancer's butt. We created an F Cancer Ruff Tag as a symbol of strength and hope for any person or dog who has ever been affected by cancer. With your help we were able to raise over $600 to donate to PetCancerAwareness.org. We want to shout out a gigantic thank you for all of your support and love all month long. 

We met a lot of incredible dogs and heard some heart wrenching stories, and at the end of the month we were inspired by the amount of care and concern strangers have for one another. We designed the cancer tag as a way to help fight cancer and to give back and along the way the idea behind the tag took on a life all its own. This tiny hand stamped tag become a symbol of strength, hope, and love for people and dogs alike. We shipped hundreds of them all around the world and we'll continue to ship hundreds more.

Show your support, get your F Cancer tags right here.

We have a soft spot for bulldogs. There is just something about all those wrinkles and that adorably squishy face that we can't resist. We could not have been more excited to start our Sunday at Brunch for the Bullies to benefit the So Cal Bulldog Rescue. This particular event is one of their biggest fundraising initiatives for the year and we feel so honored to have been able to contribute to the cause. Crazy Rebels donated a custom portrait to their silent auction, and we cannot wait to see which lucky bully took home the final bid (because we get to draw him or her!!!). In total the Brunch for the Bullies raised over $18,000 to benefit the bulldogs in rescue, which is just so very incredible!

SCBDR currently has over 75 dogs in their program which is an all time high, so every bit of generosity really counts. 45 of those bullies are in awesome foster homes and the other 30 are getting love and care at a kenneling facility. Some very special English Bulldogs made an appearance at the brunch where they received the star treatment and attention.

Such a great turn out So Cal Bulldog Rescue!

Our foster boy Snoop dog is doing really well and we are so proud of him. He is filling out nicely and is looking like a healthy dog again! He is gaining weight by the day and has finally reached the point where he is too heavy to lift in to the car (but that’s a good thing).

 This happy-go-lucky guy loves life and really just loves to be loved. Although he’s eager to eat we are starting to work on manners with mister Snoop, so he is learning to “sit” and “wait” before getting the cue to eat. He is so smart and learning quickly.

 Snoop has even begun modeling for Crazy Rebels and helping us product test a new line of custom collars. He’s a natural in front of the camera and oh so photogenic. We just adore his unique white patch and his sleek brown coat, and he doesn’t mind the treats for his modeling efforts.

 Next up, polite leash walking… we’ll keep you posted on his progress.

Read more about him here and here.

 If you are interested in adopting this awesome boy or have any questions about him, email us at woof@crazyrebels.com. 

Snoop has made some real progress this week and we are over the moon excited. If you are just tuning in, Snoop is our foster dog (you can read his story here) and he was beyond skinny and shy when he came to us. For the first couple of weeks we had to coax him to eat or even take a treat but now he's eating by himself, and not only eating, but eating with enthusiasm! 

It is as if he has finally come alive. Maybe he feels like he's home or maybe he's just finally full, but either way he now loves to play. He runs laps around the backyard and chases the ball. He loves tug of war and just about any toy you throw for him. He explores the backyard and sleeps in the shade and does things a happy dog should.

When Snoop first arrived it was as if he had shut down. He showed no real emotion, no reaction, he remained fairly straight faced no matter the situation. But now, he responds to his name and he comes when he is called. The sight of his collar and leash excites him to no end, and he will gladly sit while you ready him for a walk.

We have never known a dog to forgo a rawhide bone, especially our dogs, but up until now Snoop pretty much ignored anything we tried to send his way. He now loves his rawhide and carries it with him wherever he goes. He is finally happy, and that makes us happy too.

Snoop is awesome and available for adoption in the Southern California area. If you are interested in meeting him or have any questions about him, please email us at woof@crazyrebels.com.

Breed: Doberman, red and tan

Name: Snoop

Age: 4 years

Gender: Male, neutered

Temperament: Extremely loving, adores cuddling and having his ears scratched. Very friendly, loves people and other dogs. Crate trained and knows basic commands: sit, come, wait.