An Amazing Rescue

This is an amazing story about a rescued Rottweiler and the detective work that found her lost family. Both the dog's loyalty and the rescuer's diligence are incredibly heartwarming.

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Life's Ruff

This news story about shelter dogs from NBC should be required viewing for everyone considering adding a four-legged member to their family. It's always so shocking to me that so many people still believe that the dogs in shelters are there because there's something wrong with them. This is just a great demonstration of how fabulous shelter dogs can be with just a little training!

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Pledge to Adopt

This video will definitely tug at your heartstrings. It’s part of The Humane Society of the United States' Adopt campaign, where you can pledge to save a life and adopt your next pet! So check out this short vid and then pledge to adopt your next pet, too. Shelter animals make amazing pets!

Get A Dog, By Ben Stein

A friend of mine just sent me this wonderful video which apparently originally aired on CBS Sunday Morning. Such true words for such difficult times!

Jasmine

I received this story via email from a friend last week, but I didn't want to post it until I had confirmed that it wasn't some sort of a hoax. A quick search of the Internet turned up several postings of the article on various blogs and similar stories on what appear to be UK tabloids, and just the sheer volume of related articles let me to believe it was probably true. Yesterday, Snopes.com verified that it is 100% accurate, so today I'm happy to confidently share this email I received from my friend Angie:

In 2003, police in Warwickshire, England, opened a garden shed and found a whimpering, cowering dog. It had been locked in the shed and abandoned. It was dirty and malnourished, and had clearly been abused.

In an act of kindness, the police took the dog, which was a greyhound bitch, to the nearby Nuneaton and Warwickshire Wildlife Sanctuary, run by a man named Geoff Grewcock and known as a willing haven for animals abandoned, orphaned or otherwise in need.

Geoff Grewcock and the other sanctuary staff went to work with two aims: to restore the dog to full health, and to win her trust. It took several weeks, but eventually both goals were achieved.

They named her Jasmine, and they started to think about finding her an adoptive home.

The dog had other ideas. No-one remembers now how it began, but Jasmine started welcoming all animal arrivals at the sanctuary. It wouldn't matter if it was a puppy, a fox cub, a rabbit or, probably, a rhinoceros, Jasmine would peer into the box or cage and, where possible, deliver a welcoming lick.

Geoff Grewcock relates one of the early incidents. "We had two puppies that had been abandoned by a nearby railway line. One was a Lakeland Terrier cross and another was a Jack Russell Doberman cross. They were tiny when they arrived at the centre and Jasmine approached them and grabbed one by the scruff of the neck in her mouth and put him on the settee. Then she fetched the other one and sat down with them, cuddling them."

"But she is like that with all of our animals, even the rabbits. She takes all the stress out of them and it helps them to not only feel close to her but to settle into their new surroundings.
"She has done the same with the fox and badger cubs, she licks the rabbits and guinea pigs and even lets the birds perch on the bridge of her nose."

Jasmine, the timid, abused, deserted waif, became the animal sanctuary's resident surrogate mother, a role for which she might have been born. The list of orphaned and abandoned youngsters she has cared for comprises five fox cubs, four badger cubs, 15 chicks, eight guinea pigs, two stray puppies and 15 rabbits.

And one roe deer fawn. Tiny Bramble, 11 weeks old, was found semi-conscious in a field. Upon arrival at the sanctuary, Jasmine cuddled up to her to keep her warm, and then went into the full foster mum role. Jasmine the greyhound showers Bramble the roe deer with affection and makes sure nothing is matted in her fur.

"They are inseparable," says Geoff Grewcock. "Bramble walks between her legs and they keep kissing each other. They walk together round the sanctuary. It's a real treat to see them."


Jasmine will continue to care for Bramble until she is old enough to be returned to woodland life. When that happens, Jasmine will not be lonely. She will be too busy showering love and affection on the next orphan or victim of abuse.

Jasmine doing what she does best--being a mother.

You can read more about Jasmine at the UK's Daily Mail website, which might have been the original source of the story. There are other blog posts about her all over the web and another article here. She's become a pretty famous little doggy, at least on the other side of the Atlantic!

I can't say that I'm at all surprised by this amazingly sweet and wonderful dog. I firmly believe that any rescued dog is so thankful for a second chance at life and love that they make the most wonderful additions to the family!

Stop Petland Puppy Sales

For many years, the Humane Society of the United States has been waging a campaign to end dog abuse and neglect in puppy mills all over our country. An eight-month investigation by the HSUS has reveal that America's largest chain of puppy-selling pet stores, Petland Inc., is also the nation's largest retail supporter of puppy mills. Many Petland stores across the country are marketing puppy mill puppies to unsuspecting consumers.

When I initially saw this news of the HSUS focus on Petland, I didn't really realize it was a battle being waged here in the Midwest. I didn't even know there were Petland stores here in our area, but there is actually one in Topeka and several in KC. I don't know if they still sell puppies at the Kansas and Missouri stores, but clearly stores all over the nation are still making money from the sale of puppy mill puppies. It sickens me that the staff people in those stores have the audacity to say their puppies come from the best breeders in the country. What responsible breeder would ever sell their puppies to a pet store where they have absolutely no control or say in that dog's future!?

It's hard to believe that there are still people in our country who don't know what a bad idea it is to buy puppies from pet stores and on the Internet. Unfortunately, those people still exist. You can help educate your friends, neighbors and relatives about the problem of puppy mills by signing the HSUS pledge and forwarding the link to others to have them do the same. There are many other things you can do to join this fight against puppy mills!

DogsInDanger

A couple of weeks ago I was having lunch with a few of my fellow humane society volunteers. One of the issues we discussed was the major frustration we all have with the lack of honesty our shelter displays with regard to how many animals they euthanize each year. They claim to be a "no-kill" shelter, even though we all know they put down perfectly adoptable dogs almost every week. We all understand that there are not enough homes for all of the animals that come into the shelter doors and that some animals are ultimately going to have to be euthanized, and we don't blame the shelter for this. However, we all believe that the shelter staff should be honest and forthcoming about the dogs and cats that they are putting down. Each one of us has heard a staff member blatantly lie to an unsuspecting person visiting the shelter, and it is unbelievably infuriating.

We all understand why they won't be honest about their rate of euthanasia, even though it's actually better than most city shelters in our area of the country. They are afraid that if the public knew the truth they would quit coming. They think people will be so disgusted and saddened that they'll quit adopting the animals there and quit offering their support.

While their concerns might be valid, it doesn't excuse the lying and deception. I believe that it's completely unethical to run a humane society with anything less than absolutely honesty and transparency. We have a major pet overpopulation problem in this country, and most people have no idea what a huge problem it is because rescues and shelters like ours are not providing any honest education to the public! How will our society ever know they need to make responsible changes with regard to pet ownership if they don't know there is a problem!?

While my own local humane society might not share my passion for honesty, thankfully, there are several organizations that do. My friend Amy shared with me a website called DogsInDanger, whose primary goals are to find homes for dogs who are at risk of being euthanized and to educate the public about the plight of dogs in animal shelters. I wholeheartedly agree with this statement from their website:

"DogsInDanger.com believes in the power of compassion, and that Americans would do more to help and adopt shelter dogs, if only they knew how many dogs shelters were forced to euthanize."

I firmly believe that if every animal shelter or humane society would commit to openly and honestly educating the public about our country's pet overpopulation problem, we would be well on our way towards correcting that problem!

Unfortunately, the DogsInDanger website has been criticized for is mission. As they said in their recent newsletter,"The concept behind DogsInDanger remains singularly controversial; shelters are not in the business of transparency. To reward organizations that care more for their animals than their public relations is a step in the direction of truth."

I just couldn't agree more.

Charlotte

Charlotte is a Chocolate Lab who was written off as unadoptable by the staff at the Lawrence Humane Society. She would generally get very nervous when first meeting new canine friends, and that nervousness would often result in some barking with her hair standing on end. The staff insisted that she was dog aggressive, and they took her out of the adoption area of the shelter so she wouldn't have as much interaction with the other dogs. They would have euthanized her, but my friend and fellow volunteer JoAnna came to Charlotte's rescue.

JoAnna worked with Charlotte for months, going to the shelter every day to walk her and work on her doggy social skills. Every day she encouraged Charlotte's positive interaction with other dogs and corrected her negative behavior. Then finally last week, a family saw Charlotte on Petfinder and came to visit her. They had another dog, and with JoAnna's help the dogs were successfully introduced. Charlotte was nervous at first, but within just a few minutes Charlotte and her new friend were romping and playing in the yard together! Once her adoption was approved, Charlotte jumped right into the back of the car like she'd been friends with the other dog forever! Now she's a happy girl with a new loving family and a wonderful canine sister, and it's all thanks to JoAnna, who stepped in to save her life when she was merely misunderstood!

Charlotte in the backseat on her way home from the shelter.

Charlotte playing with her new sister at her new home.

Charlotte learning to retrieve from her sister.

Charlotte's new family said that after just a few days Charlotte was already way more relaxed and happy than when she first arrived at home. So many dogs of the dogs I've known and fostered have behaved like a completely different dogs after leaving the stressful environment of the shelter. The staff there usually looks for the worst in them and never really tries to see them for the wonderful dogs they will become if given the chance. Thankfully, there are volunteers like JoAnna who look for the best in every dog and go to the extra lengths to save them!

Responsible Breeders

I've had people ask me from time to time how to find a breeder, and while I always try to encourage people to check out rescue first, I do understand that there are a select few times when buying from a breeder is necessary. For example, my husband has lots of friends who hunt, and I certainly wouldn't expect any of them to go to a shelter when they're ready to raise and train a new hunting dog. Working dogs generally do need to come from good working stock. However, for most everyone else, I believe rescue should definitely be the first option.

Regardless, if someone was choosing to buy rather than rescue, my hope would be that they would at least find a responsible breeder. Their question to me would hopefully be "how can I find a responsible breeder" and not just "how can I find a breeder." There is a HUGE difference, and if people don't take the time to find out the differences they will most certainly be supporting a breeder who is making the dog overpopulation problem in our country worse.

There are so many places on the Internet where you can find guidelines about responsible breeding. One of the most comprehensive pages I found was here, at Dogplay.com. The guidelines are pretty exhaustive and extensive, so I'll summarize a little and list just a handful that I think are incredibly important:

1. A responsible breeder makes sure that they have homes for their puppies before the puppies have actually been conceived. Only when there is enough interest do they breed another litter.

2. A responsible breeder interviews the future owners of their puppy to make sure they are a good match for the breed. Puppies do not usually make good gifts.

3. A responsible breeder takes back or helps place any puppy from one of their litters, at any stage in the dog's life. They would never allow one of their own dogs end up in a shelter.

4. A responsible breeder knows the health history of both the parents of the litter they are breeding, as well has the history of their parents. They do not pass along health or genetic problems.

5. A responsible breeder only breeds dogs who meet the breed standard and have excelled at some type of activity, such as agility, obedience, hunting, tracking, etc. Their goal is to make the breed better by only breeding the smartest and most talented dogs.

6. A responsible breeder will have no more than one litter at a time at their home or facility. Multiple litters cannot be well socialized by just one person.

7. A responsible breeder does not sell a puppy without making the new owners sign a contract. They go over the most important provisions, such as spaying/neutering their dog, relinquishing their dog, etc.

I am always amazed at the number of "backyard breeders" who don't take ANY of these things into consideration before purposefully breeding their "purebred" lab to their neighbors. People often only consider that puppies are an easy way to make money or a cute thing for their kids to play with. They breed without feeling any sense of responsibility for the life they've created, and then years or even months later those dogs end up landing at a shelter. Where in the world are the breeders of those 25% of shelter dogs who are purebred???

There are so many other wonderful resources on the Internet about responsible breeding. There are great articles from veterinarians, great lists of questions to ask a breeder, and good articles from responsible breeders. Make sure you do the research before buying a puppy from a breeder!!

For the Love of the Breed

I've said before that finding the puppy you want through a rescue is possible, even if it's a purebred or designer dog you're wanting. Here's a wonderful story to prove my point.

A few years ago, a friend of mine called wanting input on how to find a good breeder. She had done lots of research on dog breeds and had decided that she wanted a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppy. While I'm certainly not an expert in the area of purchasing purebreds, I tried to share with her what I know about responsible breeders and some ways she might get in touch with one. However, since I generally don't encourage people to buy purebreds in the first place, I also made sure to remind her about how she could search for specific breeds on Petfinder. Although I knew the shelter where I volunteer wouldn't have what she wanted, I thought there was a chance that another Spaniel-ish puppy on Petfinder might catch her eye.

To make a long story short(er), my friend e-mailed me a few weeks later to share some exciting news: not only had she and her husband found their Cavalier puppy, but they'd found it through Petfinder at a rescue just a few miles away in Independence, Missouri! I couldn't have been more excited! They found this adorable little puppy, which was exactly what they wanted, and they saved a life as well!

Many people don't understand that even adopting a very adoptable dog from a no-kill shelter or rescue saves a life. While that puppy might not be in danger of euthanasia, when he or she is adopted, space is created at that shelter or rescue for a new dog--one who might very well have been in danger of being put down. When compared to purchasing from a breeder, adopting from a shelter saves lives!

My friend just couldn't love her Cavalier more, and she certainly wouldn't have loved her more had she come from a breeder! Once she fell in love with Lucy, she fell in love with the breed as well, and just recently she started fostering a homeless Cavalier for Cavalier Rescue USA! I was so thrilled that her love of one little rescued puppy grew into the love of a breed and an overall concern for that breed's welfare!

Designer Hybrids

You might think this post is about some sort of fancy new car, but the title is actually a reference to the latest trend in dog breeding. Designer dogs are purposeful cross-breeds of two purebred dogs, often also called hybrid dogs. These types of dogs have exploded in popularity, often because many of them are low-shed, low-dander dogs (all of the Bichon and Poodle mixes), and sometimes because people believe them to be healthier than purebreds. Unfortunately one of the biggest reasons they've become so popular is because they're trendy and cute.

I know several people who have purchased designer puppies recently, and I have to say it saddens me for a number of reasons. First, it saddens me because whoever they are paying to "breed" what is essentially a mutt with a silly name (like Cavachon or Yorkipoo or Puggle) clearly is breeding just for the money. Responsible breeders do not breed mutts--they breed purebred dogs for the love of the breed and with the intention of keeping the bloodlines pure.

It also saddens me that most people are picking out these designer dogs based on one trait only: their appearance. Since there is no breed standard for hybrid dogs, that means that there's no consistently known temperament or common behaviors. One can guess what these dogs will be like based on the traits of their parental breeds, but they aren't picked because of their tried-and-true temperaments. They're purchased because they make adorable looking dogs and not because of the love of their character.

I'm obviously also saddened because people are paying hundreds of dollars for designer dogs when there are thousands of dogs of similar heritage living and dying in shelters all over the country. They might not have the fancy, funny names, but they're there. They might not have the pedigreed parents, but they're there. They might not still be in their earliest stages of puppyhood, but they're there. They are there, but only those people who truly care about the welfare of animals are trying to rescue them!

Heroic Puppies

This blog is usually focuses on ways that people can save dogs, but sometimes dogs can save people as well. This wonderful story all over the news this week is a perfect example. Here is the story from Fox News.

Puppies Credited With Keeping Lost Toddler Warm Overnight in Woods

Monday, December 08, 2008

A 3-year-old Virginia boy was rescued Saturday after spending the night in the woods with only his puppies to keep him warm.

Jaylynn Thorpe, 3, of Halifax County, Va., was found at around 1 p.m. Saturday about a half-mile from where he disappeared on Friday afternoon after wandering away from his baby sitter's house, FOX affiliate WRAL-TV reported.

They found him standing; he was wet, but the dogs were with him," Jaylynn's mother, Sarah Ingram, told FOX News on Monday. "I was told that the dogs slept with him. They could tell where they slept in the woods."

Ingram said her son slept sandwiched between the two 12-week-old puppies, which officials say helped keep him warm through the 21-hour ordeal.

Jaylynn wandered away late Friday afternoon from his baby sitter, who is Ingram's niece.

"The dogs went with him," Ingram said. "He told me he left that yard going hunting and fishing."

Around 300 people helped search for the missing child, and a command center was set up at the local Baptist church, the station said.

“God really protected the boy," Grace Baptist Church Pastor Dave Kline said. "We are happy that we were able to help.”

Ingram told FOX News that once he was found, her son ate two double cheeseburgers, a hot dog and strawberry ice cream polished off with three Pepsi-Colas.

"He was safely returned," she told FOX News. "And thank Jesus, without a scratch.

You can see the cute little puppies and the little boy they rescued in the news video as well!

Shelter Sheltie

In my last post I talked about people I know personally who've recently purchased dogs from breeders instead of rescuing dogs from shelters. My own cousin was one of those people. When his step-father recently expressed interest in a Sheltie after his mom's Cocker Spaniel passed away, he went out and bought them one, despite the fact that they didn't know much about the breed. Now they have a very young, very active, slightly crazy Sheltie that they're not sure how to deal with.

Had my cousin consulted me, I could would have found him the perfect dog, because she showed up at the shelter just a few weeks later. Her name is Laila, and she just couldn't be more precious! She's about four years old, but she's active and playful and goofy just like a puppy. She is incredibly friendly and affectionate and would make an incredible agility or freestyle dog. This precious girl was rescued from a puppy mill by the Kansas Animal Health Department, where she was clearly being used for breeding. She would have been the perfect dog for my aunt and uncle, and I'm so sad that my cousin never asked me to find her!

Check out this adorable, goofy girl. Doesn't she look like she's dancing??

Adoption is Always an Option

It's not a big secret to my friends and coworkers that I spend many hours every week volunteering at our local animal shelter shelter, doing everything I can to promote the adoption of homeless dogs. As you can imagine, when those same friends and coworkers decide to purchase puppies from breeders instead of saving a life through rescue, it is incredibly upsetting to me. Honestly, it makes me physically ill. When people tell me about the new puppy they are buying instead of adopting, my gut starts hurting as if someone just punched me in it. Really, they might as well have.

It might seem like I'm being overly dramatic, but when you've spent 10 years of your life watching helplessly as wonderful dogs of all shapes, ages, sizes and breeds are euthanized due to lack of suitable homes, it is painful to know that people--even people I know and have talked to about rescue--are still choosing breeders over shelters.

The fact is, with a little patience, a little extra research, and possibly a little travel, it's always possible to find the dog that you want through a shelter or a rescue. Most people just don't want to wait for the type of dog they are looking for to become available. They buy dogs when it's convenient for them. They buy dogs because they have papers. They buy dogs so they can give them as gifts. They buy dogs because they want tiny puppies instead of 4-5 month old puppies. They buy dogs from disreputable breeders without doing any research. They buy dogs with no concern for overall animal welfare.

It doesn't have to be that way. Adoption is always an option. Check out Petfinder.com!

The Animal Rescue Site Shelter Challenge

Most animal lovers have heard of the Animal Rescue Site. It's a great website that raises money to feed homeless animals just by getting people to click on advertisements and to buy cute animal related accessories. There's so much fun stuff to buy on this site you could do all of your Christmas shopping there!

Right now, the site has an additional fundraising challenging going on where you can vote for your favorite shelter around the country and help them win grants of various amounts. The grand prize is a $100K grant, but lots of other smaller grants will be given out as well. You can vote once a day every day between now and December 14. It's an easy way to help your favorite shelter!

Also, you can publicize this contest by sending out this or other cute e-cards to your friends and family members so they can vote as well. It will be customized with instructions on how to vote and your own personal message.


Click here for the actual e-card on The Animal Rescue Site and to vote for your favorite shelter! What an easy way to help homeless animals!!

Scooter

Yesterday at the shelter I met the cutest little Beagle mix named Scooter. It became very clear how Scooter got his name when I took him outside and started taking his video. Check out his funny little habit!

This little sweetheart made me laugh!!

The Amazing Story of Buddy

There's a great dog photographer in the Seattle area named Erin Vey who is currently running a contest. She is accepting submissions of intriguing dog stories that demonstrate the wonderful bond between canines and their humans, the best of which will win a free photo session anywhere in the United States.

Erin has posted a few of the amazing entries she has received, and the story about Buddy, an incredible dog living in Africa, is one that is definitely worth sharing. It is heartbreaking and wonderful at the same time.

The love and devotion of a dog is an amazing thing.

Picture of the Week

Normally I only volunteer at our shelter on the weekends, but lately my free time on the weekends has been a little lacking. So on Tuesday I took some "wellness" hours off from work (four extra hours per month we can use for volunteering in the community) and went over to get caught up on some pictures. I just had to share my favorite picture of the day.

How cute and photogenic is Peaches? This sweet girl was so shy and a little scared inside her kennel, but she got outside and was a totally different dog!

While Peaches definitely took the best picture of the day, I have to say my favorite dog of the day was little Samson, since I'm extremely partial to Beagles. He is only about 8 months old and just couldn't have been much cuter, happier or friendlier--everything a Beagle should be!


I also had a soft spot yesterday for little Leo the Shih Tzu (or maybe he's a Lhasa Apso--I can never tell the difference) who was transferred from a shelter in nearby Desoto. This poor little guy looks like he's had such a rough life. He had to be shaved because of matted hair, and his underlying skin is scabbed and dry and itchy. This poor guy was clearly uncomfortable, but he just couldn't be sweeter! His video made me laugh so hard I just had to share it as well.

So many great dogs--so few families!

Small Dog Surplus

At the shelter where I volunteer and at most shelters around the country, the vast majority of adoptable dogs are medium to large in size. I don't really know what the ratio of large dogs to small dogs coming in to the shelter is--I just know that in general, the small dogs get adopted much more quickly. Here are just a few of the reasons that small dogs seem more desirable to many people:

1. They take up less space, which is especially important to people living in apartments or who have pet size restrictions in their rented home.

2. They eat less, which makes them cheaper and easier to clean up after.

3. They are easier to bring along when traveling, or to dump off on a friend or relative when traveling.

4. They can be carried easily and can sit in laps easily.

5. They are generally easier to walk on a leash, and therefore a yard or a fence is not always necessary.

6. They may have still have behavioral problems, but because their size is smaller those problems seem smaller too.

With that said, this summer there was a bizarre phenomenon at our local humane society. There were tons of small dogs, many of them purebred, who were available for adoption for at least a month at a time. Most of them were from the state seizure that happened back in early August. This is so unusual, and a fellow volunteer and I were talking about the situation and pondering the reasons why it was taking unusually long for these tiny dogs to get adopted. The only theory we came up with was that maybe the people who initially came in and applied for these dogs on an impulse (after seeing the article about them in the paper) changed their minds after thinking about it more carefully. Usually when a dog has one approved application, other people are reluctant to put in their application because they think the dog has already been adopted, even though the adoption obviously hasn't been finalized. The staff usually gives the first potential adopter on the list several days to return any phone calls, which can delay the process even further if that first person changes their mind about the adoptable dog.

Thankfully, a few more of those cute tiny dogs went home this week, but there are a handful still looking for homes. One of my favorites is Kassie, a cute little Schnauzer/Westie mix who is very shy and very sweet!

Amazing Animal Sanctuary

A friend shared a video with me the other day about an amazing animal sanctuary in California called The Cat House on the Kings. While I normally stick to posts about saving dogs, this one still falls into that category since The Cat House has rescued 4,000 dogs in the last 16 years along with 16,000 cats! Most amazingly, this facility has NO cages and is the labor of love of just one amazing woman. You have to check this short video about this amazing place, despite the fact that the video doesn't actually fit on the site very well!