Canine Asylum

Unlikely adoptions

2011-06-28T21:19:00.005-04:00

Sometimes people question my choices when it comes to adoptions that I've allowed for my foster dogs. Some fosters and/or rescues have set rules. "All dogs require a fence" and "no adoptions out of the area" are two more common ones. There's some controversy about invisible fence as well. I've always taken it on a case by case basis. I feel like I know "my" dogs and know what they need. Some do require fences. Some will do fine with an active hands-on owner who plans on spending time with the dog, rather than just turning it out in the yard. (Something I'm guilty of myself!) I'm not going to send an iffy match 5 hours away because I don't want to be making the drive to pick that dog up if it doesn't work out. Still, some of my most successful adoptions were those where I "bent" the rules a little.

Take Blue (NKA Chance) for example. Since he was an aussie, I did insist on a fence for him. I turned one guy down because he didn't have one, and lived in an apartment, even though he insisted he ran every day. Maybe he did, maybe he would've been a good home, but there was no way to verify whether or not he was active enough for a young aussie. As it turned out, Blue got the very best home possible! His new parents drove from eastern PA to meet him and take him home, and yes, they also had an invisible fence. With Blue though I guessed from his nature he would learn the limits of the yard quickly, mostly from other dogs, and have little interest in testing those. He's now living the good life with several other aussies and a mom who participates in agility.

On the other hand, I declined an application for Haven because of invisible fence. With her history of abuse and neglect, being zapped even once would do her in entirely.

Some people insist on "breed experience" but I wonder how will you learn about a breed until you have one? We all started somewhere. I can think of a lot of adoptions I allowed for first time breed owners who understood the basic needs and traits of the breed they were interested in. Tommy the German Shepherd dog is living the good life with his "first time" GSD owners, as is Ilsa, who was adopted by a couple who had Rotties before. And I about bet both of those families will continue to adopt GSDs now that they have that experience.

The one that makes me shake my head the most though was a Jack Russell Terrier named Herman. He was at the pound with an injured leg, which we found out was broken. I don't even know how I ended up fostering him. It's not a breed I've had all that often. He was a young dog too, very sweet but of course very active. He was listed for adoption but not ready to go until the pin was taken out of his leg. I got an application and then follow-up emails from a senior couple in eastern PA who were determined Herman was the dog for them. They'd had a JRT before that had recently died and just fell in love with Herman's picture and story. They didn't have a fenced-in yard but assured me Herman would get all the walks and exercise he needed. I drug my feet for a long time. A young JRT going that far away? And without a fence even? And to an older couple? No way! But they wore me down. They were willing to take on the expense of follow-up on his leg and their vet assured us they went above and beyond for their previous dogs. Finally they made the 7 hour drive and I met them in Sandusky so they could meet Herman. I told them beforehand it wasn't a sure thing yet and they also agreed they would make the drive back if for any reason it wouldn't work out. I had Sally come along since she is the JRT expert, to make sure we were comfortable with sending him on his way. From the minute they got out of the car, holding their camera to get first photos of Herman, it was clear this was a perfect match. They sent pictures when he got home of his meeting the rest of the family and playing with all of his new toys. He is truly their kid, and very well cared for. And what cracks me up the most is out of all the people I've adopted to, his dad sends me an email every year, for 4 or 5 years now, after his check-up assuring me he's had his shots and is doing well.

I'm not against rules in general. In most cases yes, dogs do better with fences, and for some dogs it's an absolute. Still when you never allow for any exceptions you miss out on great adoptions, like Herman's.

this is Nitro's Law

2011-06-17T20:54:00.010-04:00

"Nitro was not a Democrat, Republican, Liberal or a Conservative. He was my boy." --Tom Siesto, testimony before Ohio House Committee on Criminal Justice, in support of HB 108, "Nitro's Law."

Nitro was a three year old Rottweiler. Nitro, along with his sister Bella, had been a pampered, beloved part of Liz Raab and Tom Siesto's family since they were puppies.

In 2008, Nitro went for training and boarding at Steve Croley's High Caliber K-9 training facility in Youngstown OH. Tom and Liz had no reason for concern about the care he'd receive. Croley came highly recommended, and had cared for and trained dogs from all over the country. Not only had Nitro been there before, they had spent time getting to know Croley on a social basis. The kennels were clean and well-maintained, and Croley presented himself as a personable man with a great way with dogs. They were also dealing with family medical emergencies and keeping Nitro in a stable, familar environment seemed the best option for him at that time. They talked to Croley on a regular basis and were assured Nitro was doing well.

On October 22, 2008, Steve Croley's High Caliber K-9 facilities were raided. The 19 dogs he had at that time had been systematically deprived of food, water and even access to inside shelter. Of those dogs, 8 were lying dead in their kennels. One of those dead dogs was Tom and Liz's beloved Rottie, Nitro. They had entrusted Croley with the care of their 105 pound baby, a dog who had scrambled eggs for breakfast, wore handmade costumes for holidays, and had always been included in family celebrations and vacations. This is the dog they got back.

Seven other dogs besides Nitro were dead: 3 Dobermans, 1 American Pitbull Terrier, 1 Border Collie, and 2 German Shepherd Dogs, slowly killed by a man who convinced their owners to trust him, and profited from the "care" they didn't receive. This neglect didn't happen in some faraway location. Croley's kennels were right in his backyard. That means for weeks he sat in his air conditioned home, had dinner, access to fresh water, assured the owners the dogs were fine, while 100 feet from where he stood the dogs died slow gruesome deaths based entirely on his own selfishness and greed.

The story doesn't end there though. Perhaps the most appalling part of it all is that Ohio animal cruelty laws are so lax that no matter what someone does to a companion animal: starves it, beats it to death, sets it on fire, pours Drano down its back, shoots it for sport, drags it behind a car, cuts its throat and leaves it to bleed to death, the MAXIMUM SENTENCE for first offense animal cruelty convictions in the state of Ohio is 6 months in jail and $1000 fine. We are one of only five states without ANY felony provisions for first-time offenders, no matter how heinous the crime. We rank 43rd in the country according the the H.S.U.S's 2010 "Humane State Report." Shame on US! And the reality is when the maximum sentence is so lenient, few judges choose to give the maximum sentence at all. The list of convicted animal abusers whose sentences were a veritable handslap is endless. In Ohio you will spend more time in jail for incidental property damage than you will for brutalizing a dog,

Steve C Croley was originally charged with 19 counts of animal cruelty. Due to a technicality, 15 of those counts, including Nitro's, were dropped. Croley plea bargained his case and was sentenced to a total of four months in jail, with credit given for 13 days already served. He was fined $1000, along with $1796 restitution for the care of the dogs who lived. He was given three years' probation during which time he cannot own dogs. He will be free to again care for innocent animals in January, 2012. Croley also filed bankruptcy which eliminated the possibility of justice through civil lawsuits. No charges for fraud or theft were ever brought against him.

Nitro's life might have ended here

but Tom and Liz's fight for true justice had just begun. Since Nitro's death and Croley's lenient sentencing, this New York couple has fought tirelessly for a change in OUR laws. With HB 108 (Nitro's Law) signed into law, kennel owners who abuse or neglect a dog in their care could be charged with a fifth degree felony. Is this enough to bring Ohio cruelty laws in line with 45 other states? Of course not, but it is a solid start towards righting what's wrong with the laws in Ohio. At the very least can we allow for felony sentencing for those you misuse our trust and profit from the care they are supposed to be giving our dogs or cats?! From there we can add to this law and make sure the truly depraved crimes against innocent companion animals are dealt with appropriately. And the fact is, it shouldn't be this hard! In 2010, Nitro's Law was passed in Ohio's House of Representatives but stalled in committee in the Senate. This year it has been reintroduced and is on the agenda for consideration this week in the House Criminal Justice Committee. There is still a long ways to go but with your help we can make sure it is a part of Ohio law before the end of 2011.

What can you do RIGHT NOW to help?

Right now you need to send an email to all of the members of the Criminal Justice committee insisting they support Nitro's law and move it to full House vote immediately. The bill is on the agenda for Wednesday June 22 so they have to hear from you on Tuesday. We absolutely must flood their offices with emails so they are clear on the urgency of this matter. Contact information for the committee members is at the end of this blog. I have also included a link to a letter written by Mel End BSL on facebook, that she has offered for use by anyone who is not sure what to say. I have also added my own letter to this blog. Please feel free to use either one of these or adapt them with your own words. Just a short note to say you care about this bill is a huge help! If you can only send one email send it to Rep. Lynn Slabey, but it only takes a few minutes to copy the same text to the others on the list, too. You can make a difference! With your help, we will see a change in Ohio laws!

Please join The Nitro Foundation's page on facebook for the most current updates on Nitro's Law.
Nitro's Law
For more information go to
Nitro Foundation

About 20 years ago* in Lucas County a woman left for work after a fight with her abusive boyfriend. When she came home, he told her he'd fixed dinner for her, and directed her to open the oven. When she did, she found that he had turned the oven on high and shoved her new puppy in to cook to death. At that time there was a huge outcry over the fact he could not be charged with a felony for what was clearly a premeditated and brutal crime. And since then, for over 20 years, nothing has changed?! I'm no different than anyone else. I assume someone else is doing these things but guess what? No one did! That someone now has to be me. And it has to be you and everyone else! Enough is enough, Ohio! The process for making things right for the companion animals who cannot vote and cannot protect themselves should not be so impossible that even after 20 years, nothing is any different than it was when that puppy burned to death in that oven! The time is now and it's up to every one of us.

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, concerned citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has. -Margaret Mead

Resources

link to Sample email by Mel

my letter:

Dear Representative XXXXXX,

I am writing to ask for your support in voting to move HB 108, Nitro's Law, to a full House vote, and hope for your continued support until it is signed into law. As a voter and animal lover, I am saddened and dismayed to know that Ohio has some of the most lenient laws against animal cruelty of any state in this country. It is time to change that and Nitro's Law is an important first step in the process. Can we please get this bill passed before we turn on the news to yet another crime against innocent dogs and have to explain to the public why Ohio is so far behind the times on this issue? Thanks for your consideration.

Your name and address

Ohio House of Representatives Criminal Justice Committee:

House of Representatives
77 S. High St
Columbus, OH 43215-6111

Lynn Slaby
district41@ohr.state.oh.us
Bill Hayes
district91@ohr.state.oh.us
Louis W. Blessing, Jr.
district29@ohr.state.oh.us
Danny R. Bubp
district88@ohr.state.oh.us
Robert Sprague
district76@ohr.state.oh.us
Joseph W. Uecker
district66@ohr.state.oh.us
Roland Winburn
district40@ohr.state.oh.us
Nancy J. Garland
district20@ohr.state.oh.us
Connie Pillich
district28@ohr.state.oh.us
W. Carlton Weddington
district27@ohr.state.oh.us
Sandra Williams
district11@ohr.state.oh.us
Margaret Conditt
district55@ohr.state.oh.us

*I cannot find information about this crime so am relating it from memory. I know for a long time I couldn't walk past my own oven without thinking about what that man had done. If anyone can offer additional details, please let me know, thanks.

response to Toledo Blade article. 4-24-11

2011-05-26T18:07:00.001-04:00

First off I would like to again acknowledge the Blade's role in pushing for the many changes we have seen at the Lucas County Dog Pound over the past few years. Certainly without your willingness to bring the problems to the public's attention, it could very well be business as usual at our pound. I also appreciate the ongoing updates on dogs available for adoption, euthanized, and transferred to the TAHS. I'm certain that feature helps get dogs adopted.

That said I cannot understand the point of or the need for the negatively slanted front page story on April 24, 2011. From the very headline it is clear what the writer is going for: "EUTHANIZATIONS UP 30%!" Since adoptions are also up 40% that could have just as easily been the headline but that wouldn't have set the tone that continues throughout the entire article.

Not only do I believe you have misrepresented the facts, there is also one huge error or omission that skews the entire story. You are including pitbulls as "adoptable" dogs. To quote:
"Many adoptable dogs were killed simply because the pound didn’t have enough room to keep them alive until homes were found for them." At this time, and presumably until Ohio "vicious dog" laws are changed, pitbulls are NOT offered for direct adoption by the dog pound. At no time is that fact mentioned in this story at all. If anyone could wade through what is said, one might wonder why these dogs are being put down because of space limits when at the same time, John Dinon of Toledo Area Humane Society is saying he has and will take any "adoptable dogs" that are offered. He does not and cannot take all "adoptable" pitbulls because he too is limited by his board's policies and can also only take the dogs he has space for. Whether we like it or not, there are too many pitbulls and so too many pitbulls are being put down.

When it comes to the numbers being tossed out, I really don't know how anyone short of a statistician could even figure out whether the "30%" means anything at all. It looks to me like the comparisons being made are apples to oranges with bananas thrown in too. I count roughly 20 different numbers or percentages in first 12 or so paragraphs. Do you really believe anyone sorts through all of that? I doubt I can even summarize it concisely enough that most people won't zone out and lose focus partway through but I'll try.

Between Jan 1 and April 18, 408 dogs were put down. Of those 67 failed or were too aggressive to be given behavioral evaluations. 160 were pitbulls that were put down because pound was over capacity for pitbull type dogs. In spite of the fact there is also a big emphasis on the dogs failing these tests, no comparison numbers are even given for how many dogs failed evaluations last year.

During first 3 months of 2011, 361 dogs were put down which is 94 more than during first 3 months of 2010 (267). However, there is also an increase of 156 dogs coming INTO the pound and guess what? 119 of those dogs were pitbulls. So, do you see now why the little lapse in mentioning the facts about pitbull adoptions plays a pretty big part in how these numbers play out? In reality that "30%" are dogs the pound has said all along they will not hold and can only be transferred in limited numbers. Do I think it's wrong that one particular breed is singled out for a separate place in the pound and nearly certain death if there's no space available? Yes I do but those are the facts at this time. If the Blade wants to do a story about Breed Specific Legislation by all means go for it, but do not blame Julie Lyle, the dog pound, the Toledo Area Humane Society, other area rescues, or anyone else aside from Ohio legislators who wrote and voted for these laws for simply doing their best with a breed that where supply is way higher than responsible demand and the laws are against them as well.

Going back to the behavioral evaluations, these are not new. SAFER is the same set of tests they have used all along and in fact are used by many other shelters and rescues. Do I personally like these assessments? No, I do not. That is not the point though. Even disliking them, I recognize the need for some sort of tool to determine which dogs are most likely safe to be placed in homes. And anyone who works with rescue or shelter dogs knows Julie Lyle is right when she says most people will pass over dogs with "issues," whether it's a need to be an "only" dog or for more training with food or would do best without young children or whatever else. Yes if you can get that dog into a foster home or adopted by an experienced owner then they will most likely work out but how do you do that at the pound? Because another fact here is for all the discussion about whether or not these dogs should be put down for doing poorly on aspects like food aggression, no one in this article offers a single solution or suggestion as to how or who will work with these dogs towards adoption. All this part of the article does is once again paint the dog warden as the bad guy when she honestly says we do not have the resources to work with these dogs. Without any solutions to this issue it comes across as more needless attacks.

I also find it interesting your writer picked April 13 for his "snapshot" of dog numbers at the pound (105 at pound, "just" 13 available for adoption) but then skips to April 14 to tell us that no dogs were adopted, none were transferred and 5 were put down. If he'd chosen his stats from April 12-13 (available on toledoblade.com), 3 dogs were killed, 3 were adopted and 5 were transferred to TAHS. Or from April 8-11, 1 dog was killed and 6 were adopted. Not nearly as much fun that way is it?

In between all the hype there is good news. The adoption area will make a big difference and be a more comfortable place for the dogs and potential adopters. Of course we see at least 2 references to "too small" cages and another reference to a couple of dogs that have been put down because they couldn't handle being caged all the time. At this time though they can only work with what they have and that pound was not designed to comfortably house dogs at all. Even as far as the pitbull problem, the pound has a Petsmart grant to spay and neuter 500! Toledo pitbulls and mixes for $5!! a dog. A fact that didn't warrant even a sentence in this article. Yes that was published in the Blade earlier but the Dog Warden Commission's recommendations have been published multiple times and they still were added again to this article, too.

What's my interest in all of this? I've been going to dog pounds for quite a few years, as a dog rescue volunteer. I care about dogs and I don't want any of them put down needlessly. The fact is though the dog wardens and other people who work at these pounds don't create the problems. It's one thing to shine a light on corrupt or callous people who aren't doing their jobs. It's another to continually hound someone who is making improvements, simply to sell a few more papers. Do I think there's room for improvement? Certainly, same way I think there's room for improvement in just about any place or any of us. You're not helping the problem when you publish articles that are so biased most people never get beyond thinking "See! Nothing has changed there at all!"

Thanks for your time.

A Challenge to Northwest Ohio Shelters & Rescues

2011-01-24T09:30:00.007-05:00

Yes, we all know that for too many years rescues and shelters in this area couldn't count on too many Lucas County dogs, and so everyone adjusted their intake accordingly. In most cases, that meant saving pound dogs from elsewhere. That was great. A lot of wonderful dogs were saved from death row and responsibly adopted into loving homes.

Then, after a lot of hard work by a lot of people, we had a regime change at the Lucas County dog pound. More dogs began getting out alive, both through adoption and via direct transfer to the Toledo Area Humane Society. From there, the pound began working with other shelters and rescues, and those others have helped now and then too. Yes, it's a gradual process on everyone's part. Still, it's been a year now. Isn't it time to start asking "what have all of you done to change along with the dog pound?"

OK, it's been discussed to some degree, in the form of (quite frankly) some unfounded accusations slung in a lot of directions. Where's the positive discussion been? What disturbs me the most about what's been said is just how quickly way too many people are willing to toss Fulton, Ottawa and Wood pound dogs right under the bus. "They can develop their own groups!" And in the meantime, what happens to those dogs? Not to mention, Lucas County has at least a dozen viable options for dogs, and we'll just hope the adjacent counties can manage with one or two?

What was overlooked in all of that was how many dogs come into Lucas County from a whole lot farther away than a 20 minute drive? Yes, those are great dogs too, and the people in those counties work very hard to get some of their dogs to safety. That was fine for a lot of years. Now though we are saving hundreds more dogs from right here in Lucas County. There's not room for the others anymore.

And let's get something else out there not too many people seem willing to say. The "rescues" in this area "adopting out" high demand puppies and dogs for breeder prices are not legitimate. If they paid anything more than a pound fee, and/or do not offer complete veterinary care including spay/neuter and follow-up, and/or are vague about where their dogs come from, they are a for-profit business. Period. And most of the time when you "adopt" a puppy from them, some part of that money is lining the pockets of a puppy mill. We've come a long way in educating the public about pet stores. Unfortunately now we have to do the same thing all over again when it comes to unscrupulous "rescues." And let's also make it clear that puppy mills aren't just huge Amish operations with hundreds of dogs. They're everywhere, everywhere someone keeps breeding dogs in substandard conditions to make money.

So what are we going to do? Where is everyone's willingness to work together for the good of the dogs? I am completely convinced that if all of the legitimate, hard-working, dedicated rescues and shelters in this area were willing to at least talk about common goals and coordinating efforts, the greater Toledo area could be close to "no kill" within a few years. Owner surrenders go to shelters, or better yet, we find more ways to help more owners keep their dogs. Strays go to the pounds, and once they are there, everyone works together to get them out. Some of "our" dogs might go to areas where there's more demand than dogs but we don't turn around and fill the resulting spaces with 3 dogs from somewhere else. Add in continuing education; as many spay/neuter options as possible; recruiting more volunteers and donors; and promoting responsible adoptions, and it is not an unrealistic goal.

It is and should be up to all of us. If you foster, ask where your foster dog came from and if it came from out of this area, ask why? Are you sure that same dog isn't being put down right here? Same if you donate money. We could put together a blog of dogs that die here, if that would bring the reality home. Adopt local dogs and educate yourself about what to expect from a legitimate rescue before you do. We've come a long, a lot farther than most of us could have imagined. Let's not stop now.

Going to Pounds

2010-08-26T10:46:00.001-04:00

I've been trying to remember when and how I started going to pounds. It's easy to lose track of time when the years and dogs start piling up. I can't even easily tell you how old my own dogs are. I have to think through when I started and who came first, who came after that, who was a puppy and who was an adult when I adopted them. I started fostering 7 years ago in July. Most of my dogs were adopted within that first year. I started going to pounds the following winter or spring. I didn't start off going to Fulton County. I did ask to go almost from the start, since it's where I grew up. It's mostly rural out there and I know dogs aren't generally held in high esteem. At that time I was told all they had out there were "hounds and labs." I believed that lie at first but now I can barely think of a breed I haven't seen there.

I started off going to Sandusky County in Fremont. They were the front-runners in this area for being rescue friendly and doing all they could to get their dogs to safety. They had dogs on petfinder then and even now, the same volunteer is still driving over to get photos to post. The dog I fell for first became Timber. He was a beautiful 100+ pound long-haired German Shepherd. I laugh now remembering just how little dog experience I had then. Seems to me they pretty much brought him out, I petted him and said I'd take him. After he was vetted, Sally brought him back over here. She even called and said "you want this dog?!" He was a BIG boy, not to mention dirty and smelly. I wonder now if I would pull him today. Aside from the fact I no longer have the space for a dog that size, Timber was super sensitive. He hated being groomed. It took me weeks to get him cleaned up. He hated the vet. He had to be sedated and muzzled for a heartworm test. A dog that size with such a low pain tolerance would probably be considered unadoptable now. He was also adopted out as an "only" dog. I don't know now if he was actually dog aggressive so much as just dominant but with his size and my level of inexperience I wasn't willing to take a chance on teaching him to get along (or breaking up a dog fight if he didn't.) Still Timber was an awesome dog. To this day he's one of my favorites. He was adopted to a family in Cleveland area, for an elderly man. Another unlikely adoption that actually worked out well. His son lived with him and was willing to help with his care, and when they came here to meet him, that huge baby of a dog slowed himself down to walk in perfect step with his new owner.

(As it turns out, Timber's story also includes one of the top 10 in "stupid owners" stories too. A few weeks after I got him, I got an email from his previous owner. It was clear she actually had owned him. She knew what color collar he was wearing and that he hated going to the vet. She claimed he got loose while she was in the middle of moving from or to some town out that way. She claimed she called the pound and they told her they'd already put him down. That was a typical lie. He was on the pound's website for weeks before I got him, then on the rescue's as well. She of course had no money to actually pay the cost of his care but seemed to believe I would just give him back regardless. That was my first "you realize your dog would be dead if I didn't take him. Be happy he's even alive and will get a GOOD home next time" reply to someone. It wouldn't be the last.)

Eventually I made the trip out to Wauseon. The first time I went, they had a shepherd mix puppy. I called and got the OK to bring her in, and when I said I could take her, the dog warden opened her kennel door and she took off like a shot out the backdoor and into the yard! He clapped his hands and called her, and she circled back. I named her Josie.

At first I just went out occasionally and called in between. During one of those first weeks, they told me they had a Rotty mom and a litter of puppies. Back then the intake coordinator I answered to wouldn't take Rottweilers (or boxers or mastiffs or any other "bully" breeds.) That was one of the first battles I took on and it was established the only breed she couldn't take were pitbulls (because of Ohio law.) I still think about those puppies and their certain fate, all because of ignorance and breed prejudice.

Over time, I've visited most of the pounds or the shelters that serve as pounds in this area. I made a few trips to Hardin County in Kenton Oh, a 3 hour round trip to the literal middle of nowhere. That is one depressing pound, I can assure you. (At that time anyhow) it was basically a metal shack with a dirt floor crammed full of cages and kennels, all full of dogs. There's a lot of breeders out there and even less concern for dogs than here. The first time, I went down with a van full of crates and carriers and came back with 7 dogs and puppies, including a Golden with bad hips I named Chance. 2 "beagle-mix" puppies, named Risa and Renee. Risa was adopted by the couple who later founded Dog Works, and turned into a hound along the way. A dachshund who became the first Percy. Another time I kept watching the listing for a Golden mix and finally couldn't stand it anymore and called about him. As it turned out, he was scheduled to be put down that day but they'd held off a little longer. He was so scared when he was a stray they'd had to dart him. They tried to lure him with treats but a lab who was his running buddy kept taking them over to him instead. On the way back he laid in between the front seats with his nose stuck in the air conditioning. Before we were even home, I called my daughter and asked if she wanted a Golden for her birthday. That dog is now London.

My own dogs: Banjo, my aussie; Julio, my son's chihuahua; Arlo, my daughter's yorkie-poodle and Cody, my old man black mix, all came from Fulton County. Nothing against the dogs I have from elsewhere but once I realized how many dogs are out there and how few options there are for them, compared to the networks available for other places, my efforts stayed focused on that pound, and I will never adopt from somewhere else.

The dog wardens out there have come to rely on me. They've seen a lot of people come and go over the years, start off all gung ho and then burn out and fade away in a short time. I have honestly seen more of those 2 than I have of anyone else in my life aside from my own family. In a way I think we're friends. I know them and they know me, know me well enough that the last time I was becoming burnt out, Brian told me I needed to drink more, and we all laughed. I will say they thank me each and every time I walk out the door, either with pictures or with a dog on a leash or in my arms. That's more than I get from most people. They have also changed too, and work with me a lot more than they did in the beginning because they have found over time that if they do hold off on a dog, a lot of times I can find a place for them. I quit once, for a month, after a culminating round of ignored burn-out ended up in a meltdown of epic proportions. I really had no idea at the time if I'd even go back but I finally did because no one else stepped in. Shortly after my first return "check-in" call, Brian called me and asked if I was back. A breeder had dropped off 5 female dachshunds of various sizes and ages. I sighed and picked them all up, brought them here, and got them into rescues. I still feel bad about the dogs that came through there then but everyone has limits and I met mine. When I imagine quitting I worry about letting them down nearly as much as I worry about the dogs.

Over the past 6+ years I've gone through 2 cars. I've cleaned poop out of every one of them many many times, and the interior of my Saturn wagon (which I bought after the van died because I cannot manage all of these dogs with a regular car) was completely destroyed by an unattended lab mix. Many people believe I live in Fulton County but I don't. I make a 40 minute round trip out there nearly every single week to get pictures of these dogs and sometimes make another trip to pick them up again. I've gotten a total of 3 gas cards donated. I've gone through probably 100 leashes, and more other possessions than I can even keep track of. I've fostered a lot of those dogs myself and held others waiting for vet appts or a foster space to open up. I've vetted and placed more than a dozen dogs myself for various reasons, usually because of their breeds and sometimes because I refuse to allow a puppy to be put down. I've worked with dozens of rescues. Some I would call again in a heartbeat because of how quickly and professionally they responded. Some I wouldn't call again if I had to bring 20 dogs here instead. And I can assure you I care about every single dog I've met, all of the ones I've saved and all of those I didn't. I realize people don't mean to be insulting when they say "Oh I could never do what you do!!" but you know what? It sounds that way to those of us who do this branch of rescue work. I'm not any less sensitive than anyone else. I'm not so cold I don't care when I see this dog or that one and know that because of how they're acting or how old they are or what breed they happen to be that they'll never get another day outside of the kennel they're in now, that the only nights they have left will be spent sleeping on cold concrete. Yes there's a great deal of satisfaction and real joy in this, spending a few hours with a dog who immediately remembers me when I see him again. The stories these dogs have as they move onto their next lives and the happiness they bring to their families. The success of a less than high demand dog getting out of there and finding a home right away.

I also know that everyone who does this work has a story. Everyone shoves their own lives and their own needs aside for these dogs, but this is MY blog and so it's my story. I had no idea years ago when I first met Timber and Josie that all of these years would go by and I would still be doing this, still be tossing every hour of my time and every dollar I can scrape up into saving these dogs. I had no idea when I first walked in that the only way I could extricate myself would be to turn my back on all the dogs out there who literally have no one else. Everyone who knows and loves me knows I'm not an easy person to deal with but you know what? I bet "easy" people don't sit on the floor of a pound petting a fat old beagle and telling him he's a good dog, even though she knows he's going to die soon. I don't even TELL people about half the dogs I see out there, about the hounds and big beagles or the old dogs or all the times I've gone in and there were so many dogs there I had to play Sophie's Choice and pick the few I thought had the best chances or reeled me in somehow, but I can assure you all those dogs I've left behind still live on in MY memory. Right here and now, I have had it with the politics and the egos and the never-ending incessant bullshit. It's not enough to just save them. It all has to be done this way or that way and in between the rules and the demands and the fucking ungratefulness of so many people, many of the same people who could never go to a pound. So. Yeah. Did I mention I have had it? I clearly need a break and so I'm taking one and during that break some nice dogs may very well die because I'm not there for them. I'm sure I'll calm down again and go back, because I know in my heart I love all of these dogs and I do get so much from getting them out of there. But you know what? Every single time I get to this point, I honestly wish that THIS will be the time I really do walk away. Just pick up the shreds of the life I used to have, and enjoy my own dogs and move on.

This rescuer supports the Obamas' new dog

2009-04-12T13:34:00.006-04:00

Rescuing a dog isn't for everyone. As much as we'd like it to be. There, I said it. For myself, I'm certain I will always be able to find the perfect dog from a rescue or shelter but as it happens, the breeds I prefer are common in rescue. That isn't true for everyone.

The Obamas were limited to begin with by their daughter's allergies. That's unfortunate. Ideally they would have been able to choose from a million black lab mixed puppies and set an example for the rest of the country in doing so but hey, ideally there would be NO black lab mix puppies out there for anyone anyhow. From there, they decided on 2 possible "breeds": a Labradoodle/Goldendoodle or a Portuguese water dog. (I use quotes because doodles are not an actual breed but rather mutts, same as the aforementioned lab mix.) Let's give them credit to begin with for researching their breed choices and deciding on one that met their needs, rather than just grabbing up the first dog they found to be "cute." A lack of education about what a specific breed needs is one of the reasons so many dogs end up in rescue to begin with.

No one loves dogs more than I do, and I'd venture a guess not too many people have devoted more of their life to saving those dogs who are tossed away like so much trash than I have. As a dog lover and a rescuer, I understand people prefer different breeds of dogs. What is wrong with that? One of the things that makes dogs so wonderful are their differences.

Here's the facts. If you want a rarer breed dog, and there's dozens of them, you are probably not going to find it in rescue, especially if you want a puppy. So what do you do? Settle on a breed you're not in love with? Is that fair? If your favorite breed is a German Shepherd Dog or a pug, would you be just as happy with an Irish Setter or a shih tzu? Maybe you would be but let's not expect everyone to do things your way. If you want a breed not commonly found in rescue, the next step is finding a RESPONSIBLE breeder.

What does that mean? A responsible breeder shows their dogs and breeds to breed standard. They get all of the recommended breed health clearances and don't breed dogs that have medical problems. They screen their owners as carefully as any reputable rescue, and insist any dogs that don't meet show quality will be spayed or neutered. They take all their dogs back if for any reason the original owner can't keep them. Yes, maybe now and then one of these dogs ends up in rescue but by and large these breeders are NOT the problem. The problem comes from backyard breeders and "just one litter" breeders, whose puppies go off into the world to have more puppies. The problem comes from puppy millers (and dare I say, the "rescues" that buy these puppy mill dogs under the guise of "saving" them, and continue to provide financial incentive for the creeps who use dogs as a source of income.)

Since the news of Bo's pending arrival at the White House has been leaked before an official statement, I don't know yet what they will say about their choice. Still unless I hear otherwise, I will presume that his breeder meets those standards. Also Bo was returned to his breeder, which means he was not actually purchased by the Obamas as an 8 week old puppy. That in itself does make him a rescue of sorts. He goes onto a happy, loving home now, same as any of the dogs we save.

Yes, perhaps now we will see a spike in interest in this breed, but that isn't going to happen overnight and it might not happen at all. Yes, there will be bad breeders who will jump on this bandwagon now in the hopes they can meet an imagined demand, but like it or not, many breeds come and go in popularity. Who's fault is that? Not the Obamas, but rather the people who want to make money off dogs, and those who buy a dog without educating themselves as to what is the right way to do so.

I said from the start I hoped they chose a Portuguese water dog over a doodle. Doodles are MUTTS, folks. Poodles are being bred with everything from labs to yorkies to chihuahuas. They are promoted as hypoallergenic "designer" breeds (and let's be honest, they're almost invariably very cute) but there is no way to responsibly breed a doodle. When labradoodles first showed up here, they cost a fortune, $1500 for a mutt?? And then they started trickling into rescue, and the price went down. Now you can find just about any version you want from a rescue somewhere.

(One of our own dogs is a yorkie/poodle, rescued from the pound I get dogs from when he was about 6 months old.)

So, yes, the Obamas probably could have found a "designer breed" in rescue. And then what? Every other dumbass with a poodle would start the whole trend again.

I sincerely hope that the Obamas take this opportunity to educate people about rescue and responsible breeders. In the meantime, I'll do my own part here. I want a world where dogs aren't considered disposable. I also want a world with a full variety of wonderful dogs. Responsible breeders aren't the problem. Let's place the blame where it belongs and continue to fight the battle on the fronts where it matters. I for one congratulate our President and his family on their new dog. I hope he provides many years of love and happiness.

PLEASE if you're considering a new dog, check into rescue first. If you still need to consider a breeder, here is more information on what you need to know.

How to find a good breeder (pdf)

yeah, I was rude

2009-03-08T14:07:00.010-04:00

I picked up this rat terrier around Christmas; hence the name "Jingles" (not chosen by me but cute anyhow.) He's an older dog, 5 or 6, right on the border of being "too old" for many people, so he's still not adopted. He's a sweet dog, with a reserved nature.

Yesterday at the adoption event, his foster mom called me over and said,
"These people used to own Jingles!"
A couple stood there with a young child and a baby. Apparently when they walked up, Jingles went nuts, jumped all over the man.
He said, "He looks just like a dog I used to have!"
Deb asked what happened to him, and he said, "He ran off."
I looked at them standing there, looked at Jingles, who by now was standing behind his foster mom with his back to his previous owners, and said "Why didn't you check the dog pound and get him out?"
The man's eyes shifted and he said "We did call! They said they hadn't seen him!"

I call bullshit on that response. If they'd called at all, they would have got their dog back. Unlike some pounds that require you to visit in person every 3 days, this pound knows what dogs they have and what dogs people are looking for, and even if you call during off hours, you can leave a voice mail and they'll call you back. I asked where they live and it's the same town the dog pound is in, so it wasn't even a matter of not knowing to check an adjacent county in case he ended up farther away. No one said anything more and they turned and left.

(Want to bet they came to the event originally to try to adopt a new dog?)

It proves my theory about why so many dogs sit unclaimed in these pounds every week. Half of them were probably dumped off out there by people who believed they had a better chance if they were "turned loose in the country" than if they were left at a shelter or pound. Yeah, a better chance of becoming feral or starving or being hit by a car or injured some other way. Their best chance is if they ARE picked up and end up at the pound. The other half go unclaimed by people who sit around and wait for them to come back or believe they were "stolen" or suspect they might be at the pound but don't call because it's easier to just get a new dog than spend some money saving the one they lost.

Many of these dogs are just like abused children: no matter how bad it was at home or the fact their beloved human tossed them aside like so much trash, what they still want more than anything is to go home. They adjust, sure, or most of them do, but they don't forget just like that. I'd venture a guess most of them would know and forgive their first owners even if their paths crossed years later.

When I got my old dog, Cody, home, I brought him through the back yard and let go of his leash. He immediately turned back to the gate and stood there looking at me as if to say "Thanks for your help. Now can you take me home?"
I said "I'm sorry but you can't go back there. You have to stay with me."
He put his muzzle into the air and let out a long mournful howl, a sound I've never heard him make since, and then seemed to accept his fate, even though it wasn't precisely what he had in mind.

(I have never been able to explain exactly why, of all the dogs I see, I had to save Cody. My only explanation is he stood in his kennel every time I was there, just wagging his tail and looking at me as if to say "Well, when am I leaving?" until finally I went back, opened his kennel door and said, "Come on.")

Maybe I should have been nicer. I know I should have asked what his name used to be and how old he really is. It was never an option from my point of view to allow him to go home with them again. He would have been dead if not for me, the rescue who took him in and the people who agreed to foster him. You don't get a second chance when you have so little concern for your dog's life.

In my defense, nearly my whole life is these dogs. Not a week goes by when I'm not forced to leave some nice dog behind to die, and what goes on at the pound I work with happens everywhere, every day. It's not too often I end up face to face with someone who is the reason why, and my initial gut response was "how the hell did you let this happen to him?!"

Jingles will find another loving home, one that values him unconditionally.

dogs dogs dogs

2009-03-06T21:00:00.003-05:00

Wow I've realized this blogging thing has to become a routine but I didn't realize I'd gone this long without updating. It's not like I don't have time exactly. I am online a lot. It's more a matter of what I do with it when I have it, like choosing to read a book rather than mop the floor then complaining my house is never clean.
Anyhow, I haven't stopped rescuing dogs. It's been crazy at the pound for a while now but I've been pretty lucky (or many of the dogs have) and a lot of nice dogs have gotten a second chance.
This puppy was there this week and available to go so rather than leave her in a scary pound to sleep on concrete, I brought her here until I could find someplace for her. Oh man, puppies are way more work than I'm used to and this one seems to be a littermate to some I got from there a few months ago, which means her mom was a Jack Russell terror....er, terrier. And now that she's older I suspect she's mixed with bassett hound too. She's a bundle of cuteness and energy. Her favorite thing seems to be taking flying leaps into my lap when I'm on the computer. She's leaving tomorrow, thank god.

sponsor a snowflake!

2008-12-04T12:10:00.003-05:00

I want to take a minute here to promote this, partly because it's for a great rescue and partly because it was my idea and I'm the one who is designing the page!
For as little as $10, you can dedicate one of our gorgeous snowflakes to your pets, friends or family members! The donations go entirely to supporting our low cost spay/neuter programs and for helping the at-risk dogs and cats in Northwest Ohio find great new homes!

Sponsor a Snowflake

On our virtual adoption page, for $25 you can "adopt" a dog or cat for someone too. You can even name the pet or we'll name them for you. What a great gift idea! (I do this page, too!) :)

Virtual Adoptions

new Planned Pethood website!

2008-11-26T23:10:00.003-05:00

This is how I've been spending most of my time over the past few months. We had the website professionally designed with a software program that the volunteers can use to create and maintain the pages. As it turned out, being an art major years ago finally paid off (LOL) and I designed many of the pages on here. It was a lot of fun and we're all very excited by the final product!

Planned Pethood

More cute pictures

2008-11-25T23:37:00.005-05:00

I have to post these. I was getting pictures for the (coming soon!!!) new Planned Pethood website.

This is Cody, our grouchy old man rescue dog, meeting Calypso the Jack Russell terrier mix puppy. Remind me to blog about Cody next.

Calypso and Emory, the stray kitten who never left (and who thinks he's a dog.)

And last but not least, one where my daughter, who ends up helping with most of the pictures around here, isn't chopped off.
(Emory is the sweetest kitten, really. He's not as demonic as he looks in these pictures!)

November Dogs

2008-11-25T22:32:00.003-05:00

On any given day, I think "I'm going to blog about this!" and before I know it, another week has gone by, and then another. Sometimes just keeping up with the dogs is as much as I can manage. Keeping track of the dogs is another story entirely. Every year I start a list, and usually I lose track before the year is out on that project too.

(This year's list ends on June 20, with the 90th dog. I don't know how many more since then. I'll have to figure it out when I get time. That's a lot of dogs. I take some credit, sure, but most of it goes to the rescues who save them. Planned Pethood has taken most of them but other rescues have helped many times as well. Everyone plays a part.)

I try to get pictures of the dogs I pick up, before they're on their way to somewhere else. Here are the dogs from November.

How Many Dogs Do You Have? Julio

2008-11-01T21:17:00.006-04:00

When we first started fostering, my son informed us that chihuahuas were his favorite dogs. I've never been a little dog person, so he had to deal with some abuse over that, but we let him foster an occasional chihuahua as they came along.

Julio originally came from the pound I get dogs from, over four years ago. Back then I was still naming dogs after every friend I've ever had, as well as every friend's dog I could think of, and so Julio got his name from someone I knew a long time ago.

We all enjoyed having him here. My son always took "his" fosters for walks and they slept in his room. Julio was soon adopted by an older woman. When we did the adoption she managed to leave with him before my kids got the chance to say goodbye. I think I was more heartbroken over that small omission than my son was, but we all agreed, he was a very nice dog. For a chihuahua.

Fast forward a few months and we find out that Julio is being returned. Apparently he is door dashing, and taking off on romps through the neighborhood, with his senior citizen owner running behind. His return to our home was a joyful reunion for all. We joked he kept taking off so he could come back, since my kids didn't get the chance to say goodbye.

My kids have always been pretty stoic about the dogs that come and go here. They understand the idea of fostering is saving more dogs and if we kept them, then we wouldn't be able to continue to help. Still, I couldn't make my son give that little dog up twice, and so I told him we would adopt Julio.

I have to admit, I love that dog. He's all chihuahua. When we go on walks in the park, he always has to play tough guy, barking and snarling at whoever crosses our path. He knows better. I say "Julio, knock it off!" and he gives one more little snarl, just to let them know he could take 'em if he had to. It's embarassing; everyone laughs. When I pick him up outside, he growls and then I growl back and then he gives me a kiss. He has to sleep under the covers.

We didn't have any problems with him trying to run away from here, except twice a few months ago, when he escaped from the yard. The first time, the gate wasn't shut all the way and he squeezed his body through and took off, with us in hot pursuit. We ran through a couple of neighbors' yards and then across the road, and then something must have clicked with him because he stopped and let us get him. On the way home, I lectured him in no uncertain terms about trucks and little dogs and how sad we would be if something happened to him. A few days later, he shoved his fat little body through again. This time he made it as far as the neighbor's driveway when I yelled JULIO and he stopped in his tracks and sheepishly came back. I do believe that part about missing him hit home!

With as many dogs as he's helped save over the years, it's only fair that my son have a dog of his own, and Julio is a great dog. I can't imagine what it would be like here without him. And I think I'll always have a chihuahua. Just for my son, of course!

Good Week/ Bad Week

2008-10-03T22:42:00.007-04:00

It really makes up for a lot of bad weeks and a lot of left behind dogs when a couple of "ordinary" dogs like these 2 get out of the pound and get another chance. I can't even imagine what rescue was like before widespread use of the internet but a whole lot of dogs are saved now because of email networking, as well as increased adoptions from websites like petfinder and others.

That these 2 dogs are alive is an example of all of that in action. I sent an email out to one of many rescue mailing lists, asking for help on their behalf. Dozens of emails like mine make the rounds every day and are passed on from person to person, rescue to rescue, in the hopes somehow it will find its way to the person who can help. From there, someone else might donate money or act as a contact, and then once the details are squared away, a few more people step up to help transport them to where they need to go. Before the week is over 2 dogs who were within hours of being put down because no one wanted them and they had nowhere to go are on their way to becoming someone's much loved pets, either again or for the first time in their lives.

The bad part of the week is Haven is still missing. Tuesday and Wednesday I had a dozen calls from people who spotted her in the same general location. On Thursday, my daughter and I took 2 dogs out and combed the area for hours, and never caught even a glimpse of her or got a single call. Today a couple of people called because they saw her again. I can't stand it. It's impossible not to worry about her almost constantly. I can't stand the thought she could die out there simply because we weren't able to get her in time. I've gone from confused and dismayed over the lack of assistance from the county dog wardens to out and out angry. I'm not sure what is going on, but next week it's going to change. She has been out there long enough and I have done what I can. She needs to come home now, and I will do whatever it takes to get the help I need for that to happen.

Lost Dog

2008-09-28T19:58:00.005-04:00

I love my dogs of course, but I don't consider them to be my kids or the same as my own children. I didn't give birth to them. I can't hold actual conversations with them. I don't wonder who they'll be or how they'll turn out as adults. I realize I will most likely outlive all of them. Still I do worry when I send one of my fosters off to a new home, in much the same way I feel when I send my kids off to a new situation: I hope they will be happy and well cared for.

I don't think losing a dog is comparable to losing a child. I can't imagine a worse hell on earth than a missing child. I'm finding out though, a missing dog isn't easy either. Haven escaped on her "trial run" adoption. Long story short, she's been loose in Marblehead for a week now. We went last Sunday and looked for her and put up signs. We didn't hear anything for a week, then over the weekend got a few calls from people who saw her, so I went back out today and walked around for almost 3 hours. And didn't see her at all.

Marblehead's a really small town and she seems to be staying in the same general location. Still you can only walk up and down and around and through people's yards and look along the lake and under bushes and in abandoned garages so many times over and over until it's clear you're going to drive home again without her. I don't know how long she can stay out there like this. I'm sure she can get water and some food. I can't imagine how scared she must be. I don't know what will happen. I'm an hour and a half's drive away so even if I could leave as soon as someone calls, she's going to be gone. And I can't keep driving out there. All I can do is hope she lets someone else catch her.

I've said it before--even when it wasn't actually about me personally--that it's so unfair that the people who do everything they can to find their dog and get it safely back home so oftentimes never see him or her again. And then the pounds are full of dogs with owners who never put up a sign or ran an ad or gave the dog a second thought once it left the yard....

How many dogs do you have? Haven

2008-09-15T21:58:00.006-04:00

I'm planning on making this a regular feature, to highlight some of my own dogs and some of my fosters. Haven probably wouldn't have gone first but as it turns out, she's in a trial run in a possible adoptive home, and like any over-protective mom, I can't help but worry about how she's doing.

Haven was confiscated by the courts for abuse. Dogs aren't held in high esteem in the county I work with the most. It's not at all unusual for a dog to spend its whole life chained outside, or left in a tiny kennel run with a dilapidated dog house. And so I have to assume that if the police and then the courts intervened, Haven's life was quite wretched even by their standards.

I love this picture because she looks so fierce but she isn't really. Her mom was a Rottweiler and it looks like she has some kind of shepherd too, perhaps Aussie. I chose her name because I thought it was pretty and fits a dog from her background. After I discovered Haven Kimmel's books, I was kinda pleased I already had a dog named after her. It's not like Molly, where every 6th dog has my name.

After months in our home, Haven has settled into our routine just fine. She has never had a problem with any of the other dogs, doesn't get into any trouble (well, unless you're a cat or a rat, which is another whole story.) She is so submissive and so grateful to be treated kindly that if we even look at her, she wags her tail so hard that half her body wags along too. Still it's not easy being Haven. She is afraid of everything. For the first years of her life, what little experience she had was frightening. Now the most important thing we can do is have patience and give her time. With dogs like Haven, sooner or later someone will come along who sees something special and who is willing to take on the job of teaching them to enjoy the life dogs were meant to have.

They all really do find their place, if they're given enough time for that to happen. Sometimes it takes a few tries before it finally works out. People will say they understand the effort it will take and then change their minds within days of living with a dog who bolts at the slightest movement or has to be left on a leash and nearly pulled back into the house after going outside. I suppose in a way it sounds cruel to put a dog through these kinds of changes, knowing how very frightened she will be. The alternative however is worse, and for a dog who just desperately wants to be loved, how can you not give them every possible chance towards that outcome?

The couple who would like to adopt Haven had an abused dog before. He had to be out to sleep recently and when they were ready again for another dog, they chose Haven. They spent some time with her first, and worked towards winning her over. Yesterday I met them again and put her in their car to go home, hopefully to stay. She was so scared. It really is heartbreaking, to have to hand her over like that, knowing she doesn't understand. It has to be this way though because I cannot keep them all. And she deserves her own special home where she is cherished. Now all I can do is hold my breath and wait to see how it turns out. More to come soon.

I need to get rid of my dog!

2008-09-14T09:32:00.003-04:00

Aside from all of the dogs that end up on borrowed time at the dog pounds around here, and the non-stop requests from people hoping someone will take their dog, responsible rescue always takes their adopted dogs back, for any reason.

There are legitimate reasons for having to give up a beloved pet. Most of those reasons are also used by people who just want to get rid of their dog but are hoping to seem like better people than they are. Take allergies, for example. I had one foster dog years ago whose family tried everything for over a year after one of the children developed allergies. They were heartbroken when they finally had to accept nothing was working, and he had to be returned. Their dog was exceptionally nice, obviously much loved and well cared for. Contrast that to one application I received from a family who answered the question: Have you ever given a dog away? with: Yes we had to give our last dog to the Humane Society because of my wife's allergies. We would like to adopt this dog because we realized she wasn't allergic to the dog after all. Um, what?! That's the story. She started having allergy symptoms so the FIRST thing they did was to get rid of their dog! But it's OK now! After the dog left and she was still sneezing she went to a doctor and found out she wasn't really allergic to him at all! And they couldn't understand why I wouldn't adopt to them.

Foreclosure and the economy are taking a toll on pets, too. It's understandable that if you're losing your home, sadly enough you might have to give up your dog, too. Still would you wait until say, 48 hours before you're out the door to look around and realize the dog needs somewhere to go? OK! We have all the dishes and knick knacks packed away and friends are coming with a truck on Monday. Cousin Mary is taking the couch and the dining room table, and OH NO! What are we going to do with Buddy?! Because those last minute calls happen all the time.

Death or serious illness are oftentimes genuine reasons for having to give up a dog. Those situations can be so sad, as if there weren't enough loss for everyone to deal with, the dog needs to go to a new home as well. Still, my all-time favorite dog return story was a woman who needed to return her dog because she was battling a life-threatening round of cancer. In those situations of course our hearts go out to the owners and the dog. Her dog was an older mixed breed, uneasy in new situations and with strangers, and so she was in foster care for a long time. Many months later we got an email from her owner. It explained who she was, and that she had finished up treatments and was doing much better. She'd been keeping an eye on the website and was sad to see Sadie was still not adopted. She was sure though we would be able to find a good home for her soon, because she's such a great dog. THEN she asked if it would be OK if she adopted one of the puppies we had available at that time. Her husband had never really bonded with Sadie but they really miss having a dog and so they think it would be better to just start over with someone new. Just imagine the look on my face when I read that one. So, your dog is still without a forever home and you know how much she has been struggling with the change but you come to us again to get a new dog?

It's sometimes a real struggle to avoid becoming jaded about the people we deal with to help the dogs we love.

Still I've found one happy ending or a thanks so much for our wonderful dog email makes up for a whole lot. More on those stories soon.

Look at this handsome guy!

2008-09-14T09:15:00.005-04:00

Here's another of the throwaway dogs I see at the pound. 2 years old, an all but perfect dog. He's housetrained, gets along great with other dogs, needs some manners reinforcement but has had basic training. The story is his owner had to move back home to care for her ailing mother and didn't have room where they live to keep him. (I can't count how many times I've heard that story. Maybe once in a while it's really true.) And I can't find a rescue with room to take him. If a dog like this can't get in, what chance does a mere shepherd MIX have?

No good deed goes unpunished

2008-09-10T20:06:00.004-04:00

OK before we get to the actual topic, I need to explain where I live. It's a rural area on the edge of a small town. Lots are at least an acre and wooded. I have lived here for 20 years and have been involved in dog rescue (and owned multiple dogs) for 5. Within the last 2 years I have acquired new neighbors on both sides. I'll freely admit I am not an especially social person and I did not make any attempt to get to know them. They're both younger families with younger kids, and even if I were a get-together-for-coffee-with-the-neighbors type, I can't imagine what we would have in common.

I'll also say for as many dogs as I have, I do try to be considerate. I do not leave my dogs outside when we're not here. I do bring any barking dogs into the house as soon as I notice they're barking. Still, dogs bark. That's just the fact of the matter. They bark outside if they see something they believe I need to know about. They bark inside when we come home or if someone comes to the door. Anyone who does rescue knows what that is like. (On the phone we all hang up when we get to the door. "I'm home now, gotta go, dogs will be barking in a minute.")

So this evening, one of my neighbors came over to inform me he has had it with my dogs. He has called the cops several times so they can hear them barking. According to him, the neighbors on the other side have had it too. With a wave of a hand, he implied perhaps the whole road has had it, maybe the whole county, who knows. He paid a lot of money for his house. Apparently at this time there is nothing they can do, so he has a friend on council and they are going to put through a new noise ordinance that addresses barking dogs. I have no idea why he felt the need to give me this heads up, although I suspect it was so I would know why it came about and who was behind it.

So basically, I'm fucked. This is a small town and I am nobody so I am going to get nowhere trying to fight this. If I somehow succeed in one aspect, they will come after me from another. It's not like dog rescue is a valued venture anyhow. If it were, that would suggest people value dogs, and judging by how many dogs we need to save, that's obviously not the case, right? I can look at it from every angle, and it's pretty clear my only options are going to be getting rid of my dogs or moving. Even if I cut back on the dogs I have here (and that would necessitate putting several of them to sleep because they are not adoptable) the dogs I own bark. They're dogs. I don't know how to keep dogs from barking entirely. The bottom line is this is what I do. I rescue dogs. Perhaps it is hell to live next to me. I can think of many many other situations that will be just as bad if not worse. And I suspect this man will be aggravated at any one of those as well. (And I'm spiteful enough to hope whoever does end up living here next is every bit as annoying as I am now.) That doesn't change what we're dealing with now.

I really don't mind moving. I was planning to before the real estate market took a dive. Still right now I am in no way at all able to or prepared to, and the logistics of how that will occur are beyond me at this time. I guess all I can do now is wait and see what happens next. I dunno how much time I'll have before the ax falls, or how drastically they'll push this. I do know that this is my life now and a few disgruntled neighbors will not change that. We'll find a way through this and it will work out for the better in the end.

What was I saying about labs?

2008-09-04T23:04:00.005-04:00

I picked up a couple of dogs this week, a beagle and a mixed breed puppy. There are 2 more older lab-mix puppies there (1 pictured here) I should be able to find someone to take before it's too late.
There's also a couple of adult lab mixes, maybe more since I was there a few days ago. Nice dogs, really, just nothing special, and so they don't have a chance unless by some miracle someone calls to claim them. One big guy has every strike against him. Big but not so big he'd get interest in the way the extra large dogs do. He'a almost all lab but with long hound dog ears, so he misses out on being a big-headed purebred lab. And he's older, not ancient but 5 or 6, which is usually more years than most people want to take on. It's not his fault at all that he'll most likely end up dead. It's just the reality of the situation. There's too many dogs just like him crammed into every pound everywhere. Sometimes I'll try, send out a bunch of emails, go the extra mile. It rarely works out, rescues can't create room when there's none available. And sometimes I'm just tired. I don't want to go back and see any of them again. It's best if I just put them out of my mind, and move onto whoever will be taking that kennel next week.

Top 10 Most Popular Dog Breeds

2008-08-14T22:28:00.005-04:00

2007 Most Popular Dogs in the U.S.
1. Labrador Retriever
2. Yorkshire Terrier
3. German Shepherd Dog
4. Golden Retriever
5. Beagle
6. Boxer
7. Dachshund
8. Poodle
9. Shih Tzu
10. Bulldog
AKC dog registration statistics

It comes as no surprise to anyone in rescue that Labrador Retrievers are invaribly the most popular purebred registered with the AKC. From that starting point, imagine most of those dogs sold or handed out with no oversight whatsoever, and from there begin multiplying proportionately with all the other breeds they end up mixed with, and just try to imagine how many lab-looking dogs end up competing with each other for a shot at life.

Don't take my word on it. Check petfinder. 18,000 lab listings, twice as many as the nearest competitor, pit bull terriers. And that's not counting those listed separately as black, yellow or chocolate labs.

Around here anyhow, labs and beagles (6,800 on petfinder) seem to reign over any of the other breeds I see dumped in pounds. And not all of them get out either. In the rural pounds I go to, I'm sure some of them are lost or abandoned hunting dogs. They also both have reputations as "good family dogs" which may or may not be true, depending on what you want from a dog for your family. I just about bet at least half of unwanted dogs out there end up that way because their original owners acquired them for all the wrong reasons without bothering to put the least amount of effort into learning what that breed is like and whether it is even close to being a good fit for their family situation.

Take for example the number of border collies (4,600), Australian Cattle Dogs (2,900) and Australian Shepherds (3,300) on petfinder, way out of proportion to their popularity rankings (54,64,33.) Yes, the straight numbers can be misleading--not all of these dogs end up registered and many of those listed on petfinder are mixes--but the main reason is these are NOT breeds that adapt well to just any home but that sure doesn't stop a whole lot of people from getting them. "They're so pretty!" As someone who likes and usually fosters a herding dog or two, if I had a dollar for every UNqualified applicant I've had who insisted they should still be allowed to adopt these dogs, well, I'd have at least a tank of gas and a bag of dog food.

Continuing down the list, it doesn't seem like the smaller breeds show up nearly as often. They're certainly still out there, in this area dachshunds and yorkies more than shih tzus or poodles, but my guess is more often than with the big dogs, someone offers to take them before they end up at the pound. So instead they just get bumped from home to home!

Quite honestly even with these smaller breeds, when I do happen across them, there is usually foster space more readily available and they are also adopted more quickly. That's not to excuse irresponsible breeding or owners, or to suggest they aren't put down elsewhere but I'd much rather walk into a pound with a few yorkies or poodles than a bunch of yodeling beagles or bouncy labs. At least the odds are higher I won't be the last friendly face they see.

Boxers and Goldens fall into a category of their own. There's still way too many of them for even purebred rescues to keep up with but for me anyhow I can usually find a place for them and they do seem to be adopted easily. Again, they aren't safe from euthanasia, and sometimes I'm holding my breath up until the last minute, too. I don't see too many German Shepherd Dogs but they're definitely out there and not getting a better shot at it than the labs and beagles. And the only dog more common than a lab mix is a "shepherd mix."

I have only seen one bulldog, and that was a "hold" from a turnpike accident who was of course claimed. I'm not sure why. Cost has something to do with it but even when the stupid "doodles" were going for $1000, they'd still trickle into pounds. Sooner or later, bulldogs will start showing up too. Terrible as it perhaps sounds, I can't wait! Going to that pound week in and week out believe me it's fun to run into a high demand dog or rarer breed. I love bulldogs.

Obviously I think it's freaking nuts to go anywhere for a dog besides responsible rescue. Still if you HAVE to have a purebred puppy, PLEASE at least find a responsible breeder. Responsible breeders will make sure you are a good home for their puppies. They will at the very least ONLY adopt with a strict spay/neuter contract and they will also ALWAYS take their dogs back if for some reason they can't stay in their original homes. It does matter. Yeah I know, not everyone is into this cause or concerned about the bigger picture, and why shouldn't they just go ahead and buy that puppy wherever it's most convenient for them? My only response to that is to quote St. Francis of Assisi:

If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men.

cloning dogs

2008-08-05T20:16:00.005-04:00

Yes, I know 5 puppies or even 300 dogs a year won't make a big difference one way or another when it comes to pet overpopulation. I also recognize my disgust over this one litter of puppies labels me as the rescue zealot I really am. I just see this as the absolute epitome of selfishness. I want my dog back and rest of you be damned!

Of course this woman attempts to absolve her conscience by donating 2 of the puppies as service dogs, apparently under the delusional belief that her dog was more special than any other could ever be! Even better, the puppies are pitbulls because that's a breed where supply can't meet demand! Oh wait...

Lots of people choose to adopt right after they've lost a beloved pet. Sometimes they pick the same breed or a mix who looks like their first dog. And lots of times when they find the right dog, they're very happy with their new companion. Still, if they truly believe they can get their dog back, they will be disappointed when the second dog falls short. This woman will find out--she can clone their physical attributes but she cannot create the same dog.

I recognize cloning on some level or another is here to stay. I don't even care that this woman spent a pile of cash on this venture. It's her money. The fact is though, her dog died. She loved him, of course she's grieving, but emotionally stable people find some way to move on. I can't help but think of all the ways she could have honored his memory without looking like someone with more money than sense.

Pitbull Cloned in Commerical First

Update: OMG now it comes out she sold her house to pay for this litter!? I rest my case.

A roomful of puppies

2008-07-30T00:09:00.008-04:00

"There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face." Bernard Williams

I can't sleep at night when there's baby puppies at the pound. It's not the worst place on earth for puppies to be but the thought of them sleeping on cold stainless steel or concrete floors in kennel runs, divided up from each other, just makes me sad.

This week someone dropped off six 5 week old Weimaraner mix puppies (and now for the first time in my life, I can actually spell "Weimaraner.") I saw them there yesterday and went back and got them today. They'll just have to stay here for a week or so until we can make room for them somewhere else. How hard can it be? Well, here's how you take care of a roomful of puppies.

Get a bucket, a mop, a stack of newspapers, garbage bags and a gallon of bleach. Then an hour later, get more newspapers, more bleach, and most likely a new mop soon too. Puppies are messy!! Still they seem to get the hang of using the area with the newspapers before too long. And they're puppies! They bite on your ankles with their little sharp teeth and make little grunting puppy noises when you pick them up. They run and wrestle each other, then suddenly collapse for a nap right where they're standing. And don't forget puppy breath and little puppy kisses! There's not much that competes with the fun of playing with a litter of puppies!

My kids love having them here too. I let them choose their names. We have Ruthie,
Rigby,
Rover,
Rufus,
Rusty
and Rocket.
Did you see, Rocket has a white star on his chest!

They'll be available for adoption in about 3 weeks.

Christian the Lion

2008-07-25T23:20:00.004-04:00

I don't spend much time on youtube and I spend even less time reading all the heart-warming stories that make their way through email. With this one though, I sent it to everyone I know. Of course they'd all seen it days ago and never sent it to me so thanks a lot! I'm posting it here on the off chance I'm not the only person who hadn't seen it already, and also because I think it's so awesome I want it on my blog. I swear I cry every time I see it.

According to snopes this story is from 1969. The older man in the background near the end is George Adamson of Born Free fame.

I've got a whole bunch more to say about animals and emotions but that's going to have to wait for another day. What I will say now is I see this same sort of thing happen all the time with the dogs. There's way more going on with these animals than just obeying a "sit!" command because you happen to have a treat. And we miss out when we attempt to reduce them to nothing more than that.

One day's haul: more dogs

2008-07-25T22:50:00.007-04:00

Yesterday I was set to pick up 3 dogs from "my" pound. The night before, I got an email from the dog warden, said he had 2 golden mix puppies and another terrier. So I contacted the intake coordinator for the rescue I work with the most, she worked a few more miracles and we found space for those too.

So my 9 year old and I head off to the pound in my pitiful dog-mangled Saturn wagon. In the far back goes the big female yellow lab who has been there close to 2 weeks already. We thought she had been claimed, someone called and was looking for a female yellow lab, lost around the same time and in the same general area but it wasn't their dog. With her I put the new little male terrier. Mixing up dogs who don't know each other isn't something I do if I can avoid it. So far, knock on wood, I have yet to have to deal with a dog fight at 60 MPH on a country road, but in this case they both seemed pretty friendly and it was a chance I had to take.

Then I bring out the puppies, and drop those in my daughter's lap. Everyone in this family lives and breathes dogs (and dog fur) but she is my most loyal helper. For all the dogs and puppies she meets, she falls in love with every one of them. Next comes the little Jack Russell terrier who is sweet as can be, so she gets tossed in the backseat too. And we're off!

As if the car loading isn't enough, I have to bring them here first for a few hours. That means unloading all 5 dogs and stashing them in various crates outside in the shade (adult dogs) or inside my house (puppies.) I live in a rural area but I do have neighbors, who I'm sure wonder sometimes why I have crates of dogs sitting outside but so far anyhow, I've managed to get them back in the car before the dog warden's ever showed up.

This is a busier week than most but all of these are super nice dogs who will be adopted in no time. All someone else's rubbish. I'm about as unlikely a hero as anyone can be but these dogs really have no one else, and to them I'm a lifeline. When you wonder why I do what I do, it's for each and every one of these wonderful dogs, to give them another chance.

2 stray cats and a stray bunny

2008-07-22T12:58:00.007-04:00

For a couple of weeks, we had a little light yellow kitten hanging around. First, he would sneak out of the woods, and run back when we'd see him. We started leaving food out and he gradually worked his way to our shed, then to hiding underneath the cars. Some mornings he'd be outside when we walked out the front door, and he would tear alongside the house when he saw us, hiding behind the hostas. From there, we'd lose him, and eventually figured out he was pushing his way into the crawl space via one of the vents in the side of the house. From there, he was following the pipes back and forth so we couldn't catch him.

(The cat rescue people are always on the look-out for good homes for "barn cats," cats that have been fixed and given shots, but are too feral to be pets. Who knew I could offer up my own house for "crawl space cats.")

The way my house is set-up, at the far end we have a room that is used as an office, and it's the (dog free) room where most of my own cats hang out. One night, my daughter said she thought she saw a cat run down into the heat duct. I checked and all our cats were accounted for. The lightweight plastic vent cover was shoved aside a bit but that didn't seem like anything too concerning. I did have the passing thought that I hoped there wasn't a mouse coming into my house, scurrying by my fat cats to eat out of their food bowls, a la Garfield.

A few days later we picked up a live trap, in the hopes of catching the kitten to get him fixed and see if he could be tame enough to be adopted out. That very same evening, after the trap was set up with food, my daughter came running up to me and said the KITTEN was coming into the office via the heat vent! I snuck in very quietly and sure enough, there he was, crouched behind a desk near the vent. As soon as he saw me he took off again. I got a can of food and hid while he poked his head up and then back down, hungry enough to want the food but not quite willing to take the risk. Finally, he couldn't resist the smell of the food, and when he ran into the room, I slammed the cover back on the vent and we had him. Come on, now I have strays coming into my house?! Where will it end??

(I can't wait to go under the house with a flashlight to find the gap in the ductwork he used as his entryway.)

As it turns out, he's a very nice kitten. He was apparently raised around people before he found himself alone and hungry in our woods. He's been fixed and vetted and I'm sure will be adopted soon. We named him Sherwood: from the bright forest.

A day later, I get a call from my 20 year old. She starts off explaining it's my fault she "turned out like this," which is somewhat concerning because it could mean anything. She finally gets around to telling me what she needs. Someone came to the door at her dad's with a tiny kitten he'd found in the road by their house. She told him it wasn't theirs but she could find someone to take it. Since the dogs at her dad's, and her dad himself, are anti-cat, that someone was me. She said she named it Stella, which became Emory when we realized Stella is most likely a boy. He is a wild boy and just beautiful. The flash washed out some of his color in this picture. In person he is so dark brown he is nearly black. He's too tiny still to be vetted so for now he's hanging out here until he grows a bit.

As sad and somewhat insane as I become at times, trying to make a small difference in the lives of abandoned dogs, I would completely lose my mind if I were to try to tackle the problem of unwanted cats. There are tens of thousands of stray cats in this county alone, and we have a really amazing spay and neuter network. For every five litters of kittens that are saved, ten more "free kitten" signs pop up, and those kittens are handed out like kewpie dolls, too often then abandoned too, having more litters no one wants. During the worst of the kitten season, kittens are euthanized almost every day at the area's "open door" shelter. I cannot imagine anything worse than coming to work to kill kittens. I have nothing but respect for the people who care enough to keep battling the problem, one tiny kitten at a time. PLEASE spay or neuter every cat you have, or come across, or know about. It's the only solution.

Another day or so after Emory came here to live, I walked across the road at work, and there between 2 pastures was a bunny! My next thought after "Aww, look! A bunny!" was "Wait, wild bunnies aren't black with floppy ears!" "Come here, little bunny!" And the bunny came hop hop hopping over to me and let me pick him up. Alrighty! Now I have a bunny, too?! My boss had no idea where it came from and she had the same "what am I going to do with a bunny?!" reaction I was having, when she decided to check with the neighbors on the off chance it was theirs. As it turned out, it was. He had escaped from his pen a few days before. Even though we both had qualms about returning such a small defenseless animal to people who were so haphazard with his care, he went back home again. While I was holding him, I couldn't help but think I do have a rabbit cage here, and I did clean the basement not too long ago and so, how bad could it be?

If you're ever considering getting a bunny as a pet, or a rat, or a bird, or a gerbil, or a snake, or a horse, or just about anything else you can come up with, odds are good you can find whatever you might want in rescue. If people can own it, people will get tired of it and decide it's someone else's problem.

And another thing, if you think getting decent pictures of dogs and puppies can be challenging, just try getting pictures of cats! I had 40 that were a black blur before I got one where you could even see Emory at all!

Ultimate Air Dogs

2008-07-13T18:57:00.004-04:00

We had a 2 day rescue adoption event this weekend, to coincide with the Purina Ultimate Air Dogs show. It's a "dock jumping" exhibition and competition, and it's a lot of fun! You can try your own dogs out at it too, for a donation. Some of the entry fees were donated to Planned Pethood and they also asked for extra donations from the spectators today, which were generously matched by Andersons General Store where the 2 day event was held. The weather was a bit hot yesterday but perfect today. Lots of great dogs were out and about, and the rescue dogs got a lot of interest as well.

Most of the "rookies" weren't too happy to leap off the "dock" like that. There's a lot of stopping dead in their tracks going on, like this chocolate lab, who tried to lean over as far as he could, and when that didn't work, said "Hey we can just hang out here, ok, Dad?"

I loved this husky. It took her forever to jump in and then when she did, she swam to the wrong side of the tank. Her owner pointing which way to go didn't help any. "Come on! Just get me out of here!"

Today I took my aussie, Winter. I figured she had better than average odds of pulling it off. She loves water and is obsessed with tennis balls. She jumped in twice the first round but stopped at the edge and refused to budge the second time, even though she really really wanted that tennis ball! In fact as soon as I gave up, she ran back down the platform and back up the "exit" ramp to go after it that way. Not nearly as funny as the dog who jumped from the platform over to the ramp and went down it to the water, smart dog!

Here's how it's supposed to be done!

Noah

2008-07-08T23:49:00.005-04:00

First I thought I would be picking up an Australian Shepherd, the dog warden said "seemed a little quiet." A few days later they decided he was "most likely" deaf. Deaf is challenging but not insurmountable. When I finally made it over there and walked back to his kennel, he was sprawled out with his back to the walkway. He didn't notice me walking up, so I shook the door, which got his attention. As soon as he sat up and turned around, it was clear he's old. When I checked his teeth, I could maybe say 8 but my more accurate guess is around 10. Old is even more challenging than deaf much less old and deaf but there is no way I can leave this dog in the pound to die.

I wish I could convince everyone to take a chance on an old rescue dog. He is so gentle and sweet-natured. He just wants to be by my side whenever possible, and is happy to have a bed to sleep on. His hearing loss doesn't seem to effect him all that much. He does respond to hand clapping so we do OK with eye contact, hand clapping and me leading him to where he needs to go. I'm not sure yet where he will go. We will work that out soon. In the meantime we're the lucky ones to have him sharing our life for however long he is here.

Some dogs

2008-07-02T08:40:00.010-04:00

Since this is a blog about dogs, how about if I post some! Here's a random selection of some of the (cutest) dogs I've picked up in the last couple of months. It's funny, more than once before I started going out there, I'd heard this pound gets nothing but "labs and hounds," so it wasn't worth bothering with....

All I knew was I was getting a westie mix puppy, so since I didn't know if it would be male or female, I named it Stevie. You have to figure if we're getting a young puppy from one of the breeders out there, there's something wrong with it, or they'd just sell it. Stevie came in loaded with worms and fleas and was in such bad shape he had to go immediately to the vet. He never even made the website from there but was adopted by someone in the vet's office. Second photo was sent in by his new owner, enjoying the good life! Tell the truth, you said AWWWWW!!

-----------------------------

I LOVE this puppy! Every time I would see him at an event I would rush over, grab him up, and say "oh! I love this puppy!" He was on the website for one of the pounds here for 2 weeks! It was a lousy picture but still! A little white puppy? I thought for sure he was adoped, but nope. Nikki named him Popcorn.

-------------------------------

There are always too many beagles at the pounds, and a whole lot of them don't get another chance. They're probably the most over-represented "Top 10" breed left in kill pounds. My guess is it's partly because they wander off so easily and then aren't claimed, and partly because they appeal to people initially as small cute dogs but they aren't automatically a good choice for all families. This little gal is Vera.

--------------------------------------

Dayzee (so she came with that name, don't blame me!) was an owner sign-off, sounded like some guy got a dog for his kids but since they're only there for an occasional weekend and he works a lot, she was just left in a crate most of the time. You can imagine how much interest she got!

---------
Trix is another breeder reject. We knew when we got her she had a small hernia that would need to be repaired when she was spayed. As it turned out, she apparently also had an infection and will need to spend some extra time getting healthy before she can be adopted. She's another one who hasn't even made it to the website and is already spoken for!

--------------
I've grown to love pugs! No offense to other breeds but pugs and boxers have the most personality, I swear! Maybe it's all the snorting and grunting sounds they make because they all seem to actually talk to you. This little guy went to pug rescue. I deal with a lot of breed rescues. Some are great, others I will never call again. Pug rescue said yes and had arrangements made almost as fast as I sent the first email. They lucked out too. He's a great dog!

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You'd think after all this time and as many dogs as I've seen, I'd learn, but I really thought someone would claim this one. A purebred 5 month old sheltie puppy?! But nope. This is Rookie.

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More to come.

Blogging Slacker!

2008-06-29T23:43:00.003-04:00

Wow, I knew it had been a while since I'd been here but almost 3 months? It is truly unfair that time goes faster the older we get. I am completely convinced that by the time I'm (God willing) in my 80s, I'll wake up from one day to the next, and a year will have gone by.

So much for my original "good blogger!" vows of updating this every few days. I can't blame it all on the dogs, although they certainly are time-consuming. Last week was about typical. I made 3 trips to the pound in 4 days and then met the dog warden halfway a 4th time to return a dog someone decided to adopt after I had him here. And in between, I had 2 extra new dogs to work into the routine, and all of my usual dogs and fosters to deal with. And don't underestimate all the time and effort required to keep everyone in this house from being suffocated in black dog fur.

It does seem like this blogging thing has to become a habit. It's not like I'm ever that far away from my computer monitor when I'm home. And it's not like I'm generally at any loss for words. So let's try this again.

Dogs Gone By/Bear

2008-04-15T22:28:00.005-04:00

This week the rescue story that made the AP rounds was about the challenges of adopting out Big Black Dogs. It's great people are becoming educated about rescue, and the reality is the large black mixed breed dogs are the hardest to adopt out, and in many many many cases don't get another chance at all.

It's funny now to look back on how naive I was when I met Bear. He'd been a street dog for as long as anyone could remember, in a part of town where dogs running loose is commonplace. He was well known and well liked and so someone took him in and contacted us in the hopes of giving him a better life. I went over to meet him and he seemed like a nice enough dog to me, so I agreed to foster him until he could find an adoptive home. Not only was Bear a BIG BLACK DOG, he was also a chow mix. Of the breeds people tend to be leery of, I'd say chows are pretty near the top. AND not only was he an all black, large-sized chow mix, he wasn't especially pretty either. What did I know? It seemed to me he was a nice dog and if that was enough for me, it would be enough for someone else too!

As it turned out, Bear had heartworm so he stayed here throughout his treatments and recovery. And then he stayed and stayed and stayed some more. It was looking like perhaps I had made a mistake in taking him on. That fall was the first local "Dog Days of September" festival, a whole day of dog fun. Almost all the area rescues had their dogs there. One man spent literally the whole day meeting dozens of dogs, carefully weighing which one would be the right choice for him. He came back to Bear over and over, and finally Bear became his dog. A year later they stopped to say hi. Bear acknowledged me with a hello, but he never took his adoring eyes off the man who chose him.

Aussies!

2008-04-15T21:48:00.005-04:00

We all have "our" breeds and for me, while I love a lot of different dogs, the breed I believe is absolutely perfect are Australian Shepherds. I mean, c'mon! They're beautiful, smart, energetic, and have enough of an attitude to be challenging. They're a great size, not too small, not too big, and don't require a lot of grooming to look nice. I started off with Winter when she came in as an "extra" on transport one December day. She was a fluffy gray puppy with gray eyes and it was love at first sight for me!

She was so much fun I said someday I'd get another. That someday came the next 4th of July. 4th of July seems to be the worst weekend of the year for rescue dogs. Some probably run from fear of all the commotion and are never claimed. Others are probably dumped off by people who don't want to pay the cost of boarding when they head out of town. Either way, the pound is invariably packed after the holiday. About 4 years ago, among all of the others, there was a small, young tri-colored aussie sitting nicely in his kennel, wagging his docked tail as sweet as could be. How could I resist?? Since then, Banjo has been my most loyal companion, the dog who would literally do anything at all for me. At 40 lbs, he's the one who I am sure would do whatever it took to protect me or this house.

Since then, there's an occasional aussie at the pound I go to, but it doesn't seem to be a breed that shows up a lot of the time. So, what are the odds that not one but two of the prettiest aussies I have seen show up at the same time AND go unclaimed by anyone?! Look who I picked up today!! I cannot get over how gorgeous these dogs are! They're young too, and sweet natured. Goes to show, really, that ANY dog can end up on death row. Yeah these 2 will get another chance, but don't believe for one minute that is always the case.

I'm calling the blue merle "Blue" for now, because it amuses me. As it happens, a friend of mine lost one of her blue merles not too long ago, so he will go to a great home with her.

And this is Ruby. Right now, we're not sure if she'll be available for adoption......or not. :)

Puppy Mill Dogs

2008-04-04T20:11:00.006-04:00

Some of the puppy mill dogs we've saved.

Shelly and Sherman, before: we were shocked to find a purebred schnauzer under all that!

And after: the grooming part was easy. Teaching them it was OK to be dogs took much longer.

Otto Von Bismarck is another one who came in as a mystery breed.

Look at the sweet dog under that matted filthy coat!

And then there's Fiona. Her ears had been infected for so long they will always be deformed. Her adoptive family were such dedicated Scottie rescuers, they flew here from Oregon to adopt her.

accolades for Oprah

2008-04-04T19:52:00.004-04:00

I watched her puppy mill show at my mom's. Big mistake. I cried through the whole hour. You'd think those of us who know all of this already would become immune but it never happens. I was surprised at how hard hitting it was. She didn't pull a single punch. Here's dogs with missing feet, dead dogs left to rot. I'll never get the images of the dogs being "let out" of their tiny box cages to run in hamster wheels out of my head. And yes, SHOW these dogs being walked down shelter corridors to their deaths. Even in rescue, there's so many people who don't want to face those facts. You have to. They die. All the time, all over, nice dogs who really do want to live, and then they're packed up like the garbage many believe them to be, and hauled away, to make room for still more.
I don't know how much change an hour will make but I do believe making these facts mainstream will have a big impact. In a way it seems nearly shocking this is still "new" to anyone. Rescue is very big here, pet stores that sell puppies are nearly non-existent. Still there are certainly puppy millers. I see those dogs all the time. Thank you to Oprah for giving them the attention they deserve.

One More for the Stupid Files/Rory

2008-04-01T23:10:00.005-04:00

A week or two ago, there was a really nice-looking cocker spaniel at the pound. The dog warden said the owner signed him over because she "didn’t like how he was acting" around kids. She said he hadn’t bitten anyone. He seemed nice enough to me, wagged his tail when I talked to him, let me rub his back and check his teeth with no problem. I brought him back here before he went to rescue. He’s great with my 9 year old, although that doesn’t really count as much of a "kid evaluation" because all dogs love her. She has him on her bed while we get a picture and she says, "hey, there’s some kind of metal thing stuck to his leg." I look, and sure enough, someone had wrapped a metal headband complete with wire prongs so tightly in his fur that he yelped and tried to get away when I barely touched it. Can you freaking believe it? Some kid was probably playing "dress-up" with the dog, and once it got completely tangled, was trying to yank it out. The dog does what any of US would do too, and tries to get away or her to stop. Next thing you know, he’s tossed in the car, and dropped off at the pound, without his owner making the least amount of effort to find out WHY he was suddenly acting out.

Oh yeah and imagine the outcome if he had defended himself by biting. Then he would have been put down as aggressive and no one would have ever bothered to find out why.

As it ended up, Rory was happily adopted to a family with a whole bunch of kids.

Names

2008-04-01T22:33:00.003-04:00

I know when you read about the fox and Boston terriers, you'll be thinking "where in the heck does she come up with these names?" Well, I didn't name those two, but there is logic to the choices. Boston terrier: Cheers. Get it?

The rule when I started going to pounds was whoever brings them in gets to name them. That is a fun fringe benefit.....for about the first few 100 dogs. I still name some of them, the intake coordinator names some of them, and sometimes the foster parent gets to name them, as thanks for taking them in. Without the fosters, none of these dogs get out of there alive. Fact is though, when I come up with a name I really really like for that dog, the new owner almost invariably changes it. When I toss one out in desperation at the last minute at the vet's office, the dog will almost certainly be stuck with it for life.

Whisper

2008-04-01T21:35:00.008-04:00

I was at the pound today picking up:
Carla Tortelli

and Cliff Claven
.
(Sorry about the lousy pictures. When it's freezing in April, you see how long you want to stand around getting a dog to look nice!)

It's not unusual to head on over there and find more or different dogs than I went for in the first place. Today when I walked in, the dog warden said a woman was just there and dropped off her mother's dog. She died and no one is able to care for him. He's a schnauzer mix, 1 1/2, neutered, just had his shots. His name is Whisper. Sight unseen I say, sure I'll take him. I walk back to the kennels and there's this tiny gray dog, backing up and barking his head off at me, obviously scared to death and looking like he'd be more than happy to bite me if I move too quickly. I go back out to the car to get a leash and a treat to try to win him over. When I walk back in, the little dog is running across the room, with the dog warden's 90 lb red doberman in hot pursuit. The dog warden had gone back to see if he could grab him for me, and he raced out of the kennel instead. The dobie loves other dogs and really only wanted to play. I'd just about bet if he were chasing any of us, "oh he just wants to play!" wouldn't be the first thought that crossed our mind, and it was no different for a 8 lb little dog who doesn't know how the hell he ended up in this place to begin with. We got the dobie out of the way, which left Whisper snarling and snapping in a corner. I wouldn't mess with most dogs if they were acting this way. This one got another shot at it because he just came in and had no time to adjust before he was hit with all of this chaos, and also because he's a tiny little dog. Fair or not, little dogs get away with more. I looped the leash over his head, gave it a tug and he was happy to get the hell out of there, even if it was with me. He got right in the car with no problems. We had to take the other dogs to meet the foster, and every time I stopped, I talked to him a bit, and by the time I got home, he would let me pet him. Still he's absolutely terrified. It's heartbreaking. I put him in the crate in my bathroom/short term boarding kennel for pound dogs and leave him to chill out a bit. Every time I check on him, he is a wreck, growling, backing into the corner. I leave the crate door open so he won't feel as trapped. I still can't get near him again. He is shaking so hard the water in the bowl in his crate is moving. I talk to him the whole time, tell him I know he's very scared but no one is going to hurt him and he has to get over it. He just looks at me with some of the saddest eyes I've ever seen. I'll tell ya, I am notorious for ending up with fosters who take forever to get adopted and while I'm sitting on the floor with Cujo Jr snarling every time I move my hand towards him, I'm thinking this one isn't going to be going anywhere anytime soon either.
As luck would have it, one time I walked in eating a piece of pecan bread, and since I'm always willing to share, I held out a small bite. Miracles of miracles, he scooted right over and ate it right out of my hand! And then a few more bites. Then he let me pet him again. And from there on in, he is my new best friend. He came right out of the crate, walked by me, walked around the room, came when I said "come here," got on my lap, nudged me to pet him. Pecan bread. Now there's a training tip I'd never tried before! He's still going to need some time, and he's not going to be a dog that will work out in every home, but he is a sweet little guy and before too long, he'll be settled in for his second chance.

Ava and the A puppies

2008-03-30T21:48:00.006-04:00

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The first I heard about Ava was an email in mid-January from the dog warden that said "just picked up a Golden mix and 10 10 day old puppies."

Yikes!! While that particular dog pound is clean and heated (some Ohio pounds are neither), sleeping on a concrete floor in large kennel run is no place for young puppies! We moved quickly to get them out of there. I assumed they were owner sign-offs, that someone had decided feeding her was too much trouble and dumped her off. I was surprised to find out she was picked up as a stray.

In the car on the way back to my house, Ava was so concerned about her puppies, she tried to fit herself into the cardboard box with them! Once I got her here and settled in, it became apparent she was a really great dog, sweet, calm, loving. She had clearly been someone's pet. She was housetrained, knew commands, and had nice manners. And the puppies were so well cared for! Their eyes had just opened. They were chubby and inquisitive and didn't mind being handled at all. We made sure she had time to feel comfortable and then my kids "met" and picked "A" names for all 10 puppies: Archer, Anabelle, Aubrey, Angus, Alex, Alvin, Amethyst, Arin, Avery and Ayden. Ava and her puppies soon went to a foster home.

A day or so later, I went back to the pound for another dog. I told the dog warden I couldn't get over what a great dog she was, and how nice the puppies were too. I said they were all in such great shape, they had to have been just dumped off. He said "No!" and told me her story. The farmer who called about her had an old truck cap clear back behind his barn, alongside a field. It had sat there for so long the windows were all broken out of it. She had found it somehow, and dug a hole in the dirt underneath it, as a den to have those puppies. He said, "No one was feeding her either!" It became apparent she was going over to the nearby barn and eating what field corn she could find, to produce the milk needed to feed her puppies.

You have to wonder, how did she end up out there like that? Did she run off and end up too far away to make it back? Or did her owner decide "some nice farmer" would take her in, as they pushed her out of the car on some country road? Did they know she was pregnant? How long was she on her own? It had to have been at least 2 weeks, long enough for her to find a place to have her puppies and care for them for 10 days in the dead of winter.

Ava's story is exceptional and by all accounts, she is an exceptional dog. And yet in some ways, her story is exactly the same as so many of the dogs we see. They're all wonderful in their own ways, and still they've been tossed aside like useless trash by someone. When we hear of a dog like Ava, we are thankful once again that rescue was there to care for her and find her the perfect lifetime home. We are truly blessed to have had the chance to know a dog as special as Ava.

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