I am quite pleased to tell you that SFF and its members are now certified thru FEMA to do emergency animal transports. We have successfully completed modules A & B in FEMA ” Animals In Disaters”. While I hope we never need to use this knowledge, its nice to know that should a catastrophy occur in our region, we have the knowledge and skill to help our furry friends. For more information about the coarse please contact us at savingfurryfriends@yahoo.com

WHY ANIMAL RESCUE TEAMS ARE NEEDED

From time to time, people tell me, “lighten up, it’s just a dog,” or, “that’s a lot of money for just a dog.” They don’t understand the distance traveled, the time spent, or the costs involved for “just a dog.”
Some of my proudest moments have come about with “just a dog.” Many hours have passed and my only company was “just a dog,” but I did not once feel slighted.
Some of my saddest moments have been brought about by “just a dog,” and in those days of darkness, the gentle touch of “just a dog” gave me comfort and reason to overcome the day.
If you, too, think it’s “just a dog,” then you will probably understand phases like “just a friend,” “just a sunrise,” or “just a promise.” “Just a dog” brings into my life the very essence of friendship, trust, and pure unbridled joy. “Just a dog” brings out the compassion and patience that make me a better person.
Because of “just a dog” I will rise early, take long walks and look longingly to the future. So for me and folks like me, it’s not “just a dog” but an embodiment of all the hopes and dreams of the future, the fond memories of the past, and the pure joy of the moment.
“Just a dog” brings out what’s good in me and diverts my thoughts away from myself and the worries of the day.
I hope that someday they can understand that it’s not “just a dog” but the thing that gives me humanity and keeps me from being “just a human.”
So the next time you hear the phrase “just a dog.” just smile, because they “just don’t understand.”

Authored by Richard A. Biby

I think the author did a wonderful job explaining our emotional connection to dogs, however, for those that don’t understand the emotional connection with a dog, I’ll try a different approach.

If you still think its just a dog…………….then you are just a human.

Scott Rayfield, Pookie's owner

Scott Rayfield’s companion for 14 years, even the years he spent sleeping on Roanoke’s streets, was a small dog with curly white fur named Pookie.
Rayfield and his dog had settled into a home on Chapman Avenue. But in June, his beloved mutt disappeared from his yard. Rayfield posted numerous fliers asking for help finding Pookie, who he says was deaf, blind and toothless.
But when a Roanoke animal control officer contacted him, it was to tell him his dog had been killed.
Wednesday in Roanoke General District Court, a judge certified a felony animal cruelty charge against Daniel Alexander Perry to a grand jury, which will decide whether Perry should face a trial in circuit court.
In July 2002, Virginia lawmakers passed the “T-Bone” bill, which made the abuse of a dog or cat that causes its death a felony punishable by up to five years in prison. Perry is the latest of a mere handful of defendants in Roanoke charged under that law; city police have charged fewer than five people since the law took effect, spokeswoman Aisha Johnson said.
Perry, 22, maintains that when he encountered Rayfield’s dog in an alley beside RAM House on Campbell Avenue, the dog snapped at him and tried to attack him. “What if I was walking with my daughter?” he said.
The man who witnessed the killing, Derek Cooper, said outside court Wednesday that he didn’t believe Perry’s story. “How are you going to get a deaf, blind dog to attack somebody?” he said. “How does he know you’re there?”
Cooper testified that when he came home the evening of June 18, he heard his own dogs barking. He peered over his fence to see a tall, shirtless man repeatedly beating a small dog with a stick as the dog lay on the ground, twitching her tail.
When the man noticed he had been seen, he said the dog had attacked him and then walked off with two other men who had been watching, Cooper said.
Cooper called police. Based on his description, Officer C.B. Tinsley said he suspected Perry, whom he’d seen nearby earlier in the day.
On July 11, while in jail on an unrelated charge, Perry told an investigator that the dog had charged at him. At first he threw rocks at the dog, but when she kept coming at him he grabbed a stick and hit her, according to evidence.
Barry Dawkins, director of a state animal health lab, testified that Pookie had severe bruising along her back and her skull had been caved in.
Roanoke Public Defender John Varney asked Dawkins whether Pookie could have been rabid. Dawkins said he could not reliably test for diseases because of the condition of the dog’s body.
Although Varney argued that the charge should be dismissed because Perry had a right to defend himself, Judge Chris Clemens chose to certify the charge to the grand jury.
Rayfield said after the hearing that Pookie’s shots were up to date and that she was wearing a Roanoke dog tag when she was killed.
“I’m still upset,” he said. “Physically I’m trying to be here. Mentally, my thoughts are racing. … I still have nightmares about it.”
Rayfield said he’d owned the dog since she was a puppy. She was with him when he worked as a bricklayer and with him for the years he spent living on the streets after a nervous breakdown.
He recalls scavenging for food at night for his dog and himself after restaurants closed.
A couple of years ago, Rayfield moved into a house on Chapman Avenue. Pookie would spend time in the fenced-in back yard.
Rayfield believes his old dog could not have gotten out of the yard on her own. Perry is not accused of any involvement in her disappearance.
Outside the courthouse, Rayfield grew misty-eyed when he saw a man walking with a dog that reminded him of Pookie. “Whenever I see a dog like her, I break down into tears,” he said.
View the full article at Roanoke.Com

TOGETHER ……….WE ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE!!!!!

Many tax-funded animal shelters still use carbon monoxide gas chambers to kill unwanted cats and dogs. This method is considered by many to be outdated and inhumane and guess what?! Your taxes are funding it!

Animals in a gas chamber do not die quickly or painlessly. They struggle for breath. They claw to get out. They attack/bite each other in their confusion and panic. This is not a pretty site and will stay with you for a very long time. When animals inhale carbon monoxide, they can suffer convulsions, vomiting, angina, and muscular spasms. Some will not die the first time. IF it MUST be done, there is a better, more humane way — euthanasia by injection. This method is cost effective and takes only seconds.

****PLEASE NOTE – SAVING FURRY FRIENDS IS A NO-KILL RESCUE. OUR ANIMALS STAY HERE UNTIL THEY ARE ADOPTED BE IT 6 DAYS/6 WEEKS/6 MONTHS/6 YRS. WE DO NOT SUPPORT/ENDORSE EUTHANASIA HOWEVER IF CITY/COUNTY SHELTERS HAVE TO DO THIS AT LEAST DO IT HUMANELY. THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE IS IN REGARD TO CITY/COUNTY SHELTERS*****

The Humane Society of the United States, American Humane, American Veterinary Medical Association, National Animal Control Association, the American Society of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and the Association of Veterinarians for Animal Rights all advocate lethal injection of sodium pentobarbitol. It is considered the most humane, safest, and least stressful choice for euthanasia.

The Killing With Kindness Campaign demands one U.S. federal law: That all animal species housed in any shelter/pound/animal control facility shall be euthanized, only when necessary, by a veterinarian or trained, certified euthanasia technician, and that the animal shall first be sedated/tranquilized (when advisable) before being administered a lethal intravenous injection of sodium Phenobarbital.

The idea for a federal law for the humane euthanasia of shelter animals began with an e-mail message written out of frustration by a rescuer and animal advocate who was tired of hearing the same horror stories about killing practices in some shelters and dog pounds. Numerous people from every background in rescue efforts and advocacy (”animal rights” and “animal welfare”) responded and added their expertise and recommendations.

Despite the irony of the campaign name, it does not place a seal of approval on killing! From the start, nobody involved in this campaign approved of killing animals as a “solution” for America’s surplus pet problem. We despise the killing and the reality is that despite all our individual efforts and those of national and international organizations, nobody has yet been able to accomplish more than reducing the number of companion animals killed. The horrible killing practices continue and will likely continue into the foreseeable future. We are all hopeful that our other efforts will someday change that situation. We hope the campaign will call attention to all the other factors that have led to the mass killing. It is already too late for the millions of companion animals who have died terrible deaths.

This is a grassroots campaign — “your” campaign. Whether it lives or dies, whether companion animals die cruelly or compassionately, will depend on your involvement.

http://www.crean.com/kindness/

EMERGENCY in Summersville, WV.

Nicholas County Shelter is overflowing. They are located in Summersville, WV 45 minutes north of Beckley, 1 1/2 hours south of Morgantown off of I 79, Hour east of Charleston, WV.

The contact  person for the shelter is Angie: 304-872-7877 at Nicholas County Animal Shelter
nicholasanimalshelter@yahoo.com, VERY RESCUE FRIENDLY!!!!!

It’s horrible.  Three hundred  miners are layed off and the Community is Devastated!! They can’t afford to keep their pets. 
On Sept 16th 11 dogs + 8 pups  came into the shelter,as well as neglect case from a man who is now in final stages of cancer and is dying.

They are begging for help.

I will help coordinate trasnport for anyone wishing to adopt.
There is no pull fee for rescues that wish to assist in helping our pets. 
Note: there has been no parvo, kennel cough or anything at this shelter for a few months.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE HELP!

Shelter is going to try to set up a food bank and will gladly accept donations in order to help families keep their pets or delay animals going into the shelter. It will help buy time to find rescues for the animals at the very least.

To view pets in need of adoption please visit:

http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/WV30.html

NOTE: 7 year old altered, housebroken, pure bred black lab boy Beethoven is a shelter fav as are Dobie and Errie…..and black white pit mix Cheeke!….

A little 6-month-old pitbull/mastiff puppy was the innocent victim when a domestic dispute got out of hand in Fairfax, VA. Terrence G. Merritt, 41, and Latoya Grant, 24, were arguing and Merritt threw the puppy out a second floor window of the King Louis Drive apartment.

The puppy suffered a broken front paw in the fall and was taken by animal control for medical treatment. It will most likely be available for adoption soon.

Merritt and Grant were both arrested and charged with animal cruelty. They’ll be in court in October.

This is yet another case of domestic violence and animal abuse going hand in hand, an innocent victim paying the price. When you think about it, it could have just as easily been a child who was the victim. So for those of you who say “it was just a dog,” yes, in this case it was, but what about next time, or what about if there was a child there, who would have been the victim then? This is yet another reason why animal abuse needs to be prosecuted vigorously!!

The correlations between animal abuse and domestic and child abuse are well known and documented. Very often in cases of familial abuse, you also find animal abuse. This needs to be taken seriously. I don’t know how often this has to be pointed out for it to get through the thick skulls of those in law enforcement and our judicial system!! Animal abuse is not a joke or a game, it is often a precursor or in addition to violence against people. People who don’t think twice about hurting the most innocent and voiceless members of our society also often won’t think twice about hurting others, especially when they find out there is practically no punishment for their cruel behavior!

Source:

http://fortheloveofthedogblog.com/news-updates/another-example-of-domestic-violence-and-animal-abuse-hand-in-hand-two-arrested

A beautifully done video with very appropriate lyrics.
Look at their faces, look into their eyes. How can you just turn away???
Please adopt your next pet.

On the turning away
From the pale and downtrodden
And the words they say
Which we won’t understand
Don’t accept that what’s happening
Is just a case of others’ suffering
Or you’ll find that you’re joining in
The turning away
It’s a sin that somehow
Light is changing to shadow
And casting it’s shroud
Over all we have known
Unaware how the ranks have grown
Driven on by a heart of stone
We could find that we’re all alone
In the dream of the proud
On the wings of the night
As the daytime is stirring
Where the speechless unite
In a silent accord
Using words you will find are strange
And mesmerized as they light the flame
Feel the new wind of change
On the wings of the night
No more turning away
From the weak and the weary
No more turning away
From the coldness inside
Just a world that we all must share
It’s not enough just to stand and stare
Is it only a dream that there’ll be
No more turning away?

Pink Floyd

It is hard to believe that it has been eight years since our country was attacked. Please take a moment today to remember all those lost on 9/11/01. May God provide some comfort to their still suffering families.
Let us also take a moment to remember the heros of that day, both human and canine.