Faces of Shelter Dogs

I have gotten to know each and every one of these dogs. They have feelings, thoughts, personalities, and pasts unique to each one. All are inherently, valuable beings who deserve to be happy, live, and be loved by someone. People are breeding these dogs and it is our ethical and moral responsibility to see that they are taken care of throughout their lives. It is inexcusable that they are tossed out onto the street, no where to go but here, where their life will be cut short after only a few days due to lack of homes. A dog will be euthanized if not adopted whether they are 10 years old or 6 months old. This tragedy must end and I'm asking everyone to help. Adopt from a shelter or rescue, volunteer with a shelter or rescue or simply educate someone who is unaware of this enormous and still growing problem.

My Fear of Pit Bulls

I've had very little interaction with Pit Bulls in my life. I, too, was afraid of them. Most of what I heard was that they were unpredictable, vicious, attack dogs. When I decided to volunteer at the shelter I was unsure of my ability to get over my fear, enter a kennel with such an intimidating looking dog, especially in a cage, and attempt to leash him, but I was determined to educate myself and get over that fear. To my surprise I "unleashed" my fear in one day. Over the last few months I have interacted with as many as 100 pit bulls, every one of them friendly, loving and easy to photograph due to their submissive stance when in your presence. There is no doubt in my mind that one day I will either foster a Pit Bull or own one. It is true, however, everyone must be responsible with such a powerful dog and take all precautions necessary to keep everyone safe. However, we must all understand that this is true with all breeds of dogs, including, small dogs with children, large dogs with strength and dogs that may have been taught aggression by a human being. These breeds may also include popular dogs such as German Shepards, Dobermans, Rottweilers, and yes even small Shih Tzus and Poodles. Use common sense. Realize as well, that many stories we hear about are the negative ones, not the positive ones, of which there are MANY!

Adopt! Please do not breed!
Thank you.
LAWS ANIMAL RESCUE
PAST IT ON!

Go Puppy Mill Truck Go!!!

Please view:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=4B6ugPAF-7I

www.puppymilltruck.com/


Educate your friends and family. So many people just don't know!
PASS IT ON!!!!!!!

Inside a Puppy Mill

Puppy mills are mass dog breeding facilities that have been around for decades. They continue to thrive because they prey on consumers who are smitten by cute puppies in pet stores or websites. However, behind the scenes lies the puppy mill where the parents of these puppies are suffering terrible lives often for many years. These dogs live their entire lives in cages, continually bred, without human companionship, little or no medical care, poor quality food, and sometimes never seeing the light of day. They can endure intense heat in the summer and freezing cold in the winter. Cages are stacked one on top of the other while the cage on the bottom receives feces and urine from the cage above, the paws of dogs get stuck in the wiring damaging the leg to the point of losing it, and the pads of their feet bleed from cuts. Most of these dogs have horrific illnesses including respiratory infections, worms, hair loss, tooth decay, blindness and loss of hearing. Some dogs can lose their bottom jaw due to severe dental disease. Not only do they suffer physical pain, but emotional and mental torture as well. Some dogs are in a box or cage their entire lives which causes intense mental instability and may never recover if ever rescued. Only half of the puppies born in these conditions survive. The surviving puppies enter the pet stores or the internet for sale. If you are considering buying from a pet store or internet, think about the parents of this puppy. 99 PERCENT of puppies in pet stores come from puppy mills and the pet store owner will lie about it.

I'm not asking, I'm begging, PLEASE DO NOT buy from pet stores or the internet.

Please do not buy while thousands suffer and die!
PASS IT ON!

View these links to learn more:

http://www.hua.org/Dogs-For-Adoption/Beau.html

http://www.prisonersofgreed.org/download.html

Puppy Mill Dog Poem

I sat inside the mill so long, I thought the sky was black. Then one day rescue came for me and I'm not looking back. Now I live in foster care with many friends I played, there were many pillows everywhere in which I always layed. I waited there for quite a while, yet no one seemed to care, being old is difficult and sometimes so unfair. Now I stand beside the Lord his hand pressed on my head, he said he couldn't bear to watch and took me up instead. A tear was falling down his cheek and then he softly said, dogs were my great gift to man yet they abuse instead. He then began to tell me that he hoped that man would "see" and open up their arms with love for seniors just like me. Rather disappointed that again nobody came, he said he taught man better, then shook his head in shame.

Seniors Make Wonderful Pets
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Adopting From Rescue

Adopting from Rescue is a very different experience from shelter adoptions. Their goal is to find forever homes for dogs, cats and other animals using a process that ensures the happiness of the family and the pet. Animals from rescue live in foster homes while in rescue care. This allows the potential adopter to contact the foster family and obtain valuable information about the pet in which they have interest. The foster family can provide information on temperament, whether the animal can live with other dogs and/or cats and how it reacts towards children of different ages. The foster family also provides house training, training in manners and will work on any other behavior issues the dog/cat may exhibit. The rescue group provides all veterinary care including, spay and neuter, vaccinations, etc. up to and including very expensive treatments for any medical issues at hand. Prior to adoption the dog or cat's needs are met and included in the adoption fee. An application form must be filled out and most rescues require a home visit to ensure the home the pet will live in is acceptable. They require a veterinary reference as well as a personal reference. Many rescue groups are breed specific, so if you are interested in a particular breed they can provide lots of information to ensure the breed is right for your family. One of the best ways to find a rescue in your area is www.petfinder.com. This website will provide you with not only dogs and cats, but birds, small animals and animals of all kinds all over the country. Another advantage of adopting from rescue is if for any reason your family can no longer care for your pet, they will take the animal back and find another wonderful forever home for your pet. As opposed to a shelter, there are many advantages to utilizing rescue for adoption and can be a very informative way to find the best possible pet for your family.

Adopt From Rescue Groups!
www.petfinder.com

PASS IT ON!

Shelter Adopters

I meet many people at the shelter, whole families trying to find their great family dog or a young person who just bought a house and wants a dog now that he/she has a yard. But sometimes I meet those special people that find the shelter a difficult place to visit. How many times have you said to yourself, "I can't go to the shelter it's so sad." I've seen people walking through the kennels with tears in their eyes, with sad faces and desperate concern. A woman was about to enter the ladies room and turned her head to me and said "I have diarreah. Every time I come to a shelter I'm so upset I get diarreah." But she didn't leave. When she came out of the bathroom she went back to the kennel and adopted a 4 year old Shih Tzu. Another woman who lost her dog just 2 months earlier was so glad to have someone to talk to about her loss. She came to the shelter to seek some comfort and knowing that adopting dog would save a another life. At times, someone will point out to me that a dog is getting picked on by another dog or a dog whose paw is bleeding, or another who looks so sad. These are brave people. They put aside their feelings of sadness for the sake of the animals. Regardless of the pain they feel, they go to the shelter and adopt.


Go to the Shelter! Adopt a Pet Today
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Pit Bull Adoption

I volunteered at the shelter today and met with an older couple. I approached them and asked what type of dog they were looking for. The man said "we want a Pit Bull". I said, oh, ok, we have plenty of them here. He and his wife explained to me that they would like a puppy and love very large dogs. They have experience with large dogs as well as Pit Bulls and have found them to be very wonderful, loving pets. We walked through the kennel looking for a young Pit Bull to fit their needs. Yes, this cute elderly couple found their sweet pit!

According to the American Temperament Test Society, Inc. Pit Bulls (American Staffordshire Terrier) scored one point below Golden Retrievers.

Please don't buy while thousands die.
PASS IT ON!

Right Next Door

As a child I witnessed first hand the cruelty imposed on a young defenseless dog right next door to where I lived. A boy would come out of his home and beat his dog over the head with a bat. Everyday I sat by my living room window waiting and watching over this poor dog who was fenced and chained in his backyard. When the boy came out with his bat I'd scream for someone to help. This dog was also severely matted with little food to eat, never going inside his home. He endured severe heat in the summer and intense cold in the winter. Finally someone intervened on his behalf, but sadly, this sweet young dog was euthanized since no other home was readily available. This incident stayed with me all of my life. Now I work daily to help homeless dogs and cats, giving them safe, happy, forever homes.

Save a life - Adopt
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Goodbye Sweet Dog

I went to the shelter today and visited many dogs, played with them, hugged them, gave them treats. This husky sat on my lap for a long time. She didn't want to leave me as if she was saying "don't leave me here, I didn't do anything wrong". Her sad face touched my heart and I wanted so badly to take her home and make her life happy again, but I can't. I can't save them all. In my mind I know this, but in my heart I must try.

She will be euthanized tomorrow. Her time is up. She was 5 years old.

My First Foster

Dear Ashton,
I saw you at the shelter one day. You were huddled in the corner, so afraid of everything. You wouldn't come near the cage door to greet any visitor, too scared and not knowing what was going to happen to you. Day after day went by and nothing changed. You still couldn't understand your circumstances and why you were there. No one paid any attention to you, only I came to visit you. I took you out of your cage to walk in the yard. You were timid but sweet and let me pet you. I picked you up and held you for a while telling you everything would be ok. I knew after many days gone by that not a single person was going to give you a chance. Finally I took you home. Oh how happy you became after only one day. We took walks together, you met my cats, you met all my other dogs. How incredible it was to find you, your personality so sweet, totally housebroken from day one, very loyal and affectionate. So many people don't realize how any family can find such a great dog in an animal shelter.

My dear first foster. I love you Ashton.



Adopt from you local animal shelter or rescue.
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God and Dog

Take a Stand!

It is time for all of us to take a stand on the homeless problem of our pets. Only one in ten dogs ever lives in a forever home. That means 9 out of 10 dogs are currently homeless. The statistics for cats are much worse. We are breeding dogs for profit without considering these awful consequences. Consider that taxpayer's money is being used to house these stray dogs and cats in town and county shelters all over the country. These animals are found on the streets or turned in by owners because they don't care about them anymore or can no longer care for them. Most are euthanized due to lack of homes. Consider this: imagine one of your pets that you love so dearly left in a shelter, scared, lonely, wondering where his family is and why they left him there. While your dog is at the shelter he is confined to a kennel, housed with one, two or three other dogs, with the potential of getting attacked by one of them. He is hoping day after day that his family will come back, and after losing that hope, he gets desperate for someone to save him. Over time, your dog becomes ill with respiratory infections, kennel cough, possible injury from other dogs and runs the risk of contracting deadly diseases such as Parvo and Distemper.

Please, it's time to take a stand. DO NOT purchase a dog from a pet store or breeder.

Adopt from your local shelter or rescue group.
PASS IT ON!

Debbie

Debbie lived in the shelter for 12 days. She was very matted and emaciated when she arrived. Another problem was that Debbie was 11 years old and heartworm positive. No one wants an old, sick dog. Rescue stepped in and frantically tried to find a home to save her life since her time was up at the shelter. Thankfully, a very kind woman with a heart of gold adopted Debbie. All rescue people involved were so happy for her. A week later the woman wrote to all who cared about Debbie:

"It is with a heavy heart and tears in my eyes that I tell you all that Debbie died. She had quite a case of heartworm and the vet said that even the monthly medication might cause her to have a heart attack and die suddenly. So we chose not to medicate her. Now I don't know if that was the right decision. She slept on a rug next to my bed and I awoke early this morning to a noise. It was Debbie trying to catch her breath. I woke my daughter because I could tell she was going to die before I could get her to the vet. Debbie died with both of us rubbing her head and telling her we love her. We hoped to give Debbie a few years of pampered living, but that was not to be. All we gave her was a few days. My comfort is in the fact that she died, not alone in a shelter, but with two people who loved her."

Adopt from your local animal shelter or rescue.
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Shelter Dog

This is the face of one dog out of millions in animal shelters across our country. He has a 1 in 10 chance of finding a permanent home. 10,000 pets EACH DAY are euthanized due to lack of homes. This one shelter euthanizes 13,000 pets each year. Why is this happening? We must stop breeding dogs in puppy mills and in our homes. We must stop purchasing dogs from pet shops and backyard breeders. Finally, spay and neuter our pets.

Adopt from your local shelter or rescue group.
PASS IT ON!