I apologize for taking so long to get this posted but things, as always, have been hectic here.

Mikey continues to do well. He has gained 14 pounds and now weighs in at 50 lbs. The stiches from his eye surgery have now been removed. He had surgery on Monday April 4th to remove a small fatty tumor from his leg.

I am amazed  at his indomitable spirit, for a dog that has been so badly mistreated he harbors to fear, aggression or anger at people. In fact he is quite the agreeable little fellow, very happy go lucky, he greats every new person with his trademark, tail wagging,butt wiggling  happy ole self.

Mikey will be adoptable within the next week, so if you are looking to add a loyal new friend to your family, look no further, hes right here.

Meet Mikey, a very unlucky dog whose luck changed today thanks to the help of animal lovers,rescuers,transporter,donators and the animal control officer who picked him up and chose to call for help for him rather that writting him off and euthanizing him.

Donations for Mikey’s care may be made by using the paypal donation button on this website or mailed to Saving Furry Friends PObox 741 Glade Spring,Va 24340.

All donations are tax deductible as we are a registered 501 (c) (3) charity. Thank you.

 

Update 230 pm:

Mikey’s has survived surgery and is holding his own. He is on Clavamox to prevent infection, Nutrical paste, a dietary supplement to help him gain  much needed weight. He was also given an injection of Torbegesic  to control his pain.At 36 pounds Mikey weighs  half of what a male boxer his age should weigh.

 Dan Kegley, a local reporter, has agreed to write a story on  Mikey in the hopes that the reward money will encourage someone to come forward with information on who did this to Mikey.

A very special thank you to all of our animal loving friends, fellow rescuers, animal advocates that stepped up to help with his vet care and donated reward monies.

 

Update 11:10 am

 Mikey is now at Dr Garretts he is in shock and anemic. Surgery is risky however must be done. He so far has tolerated his pre med well and weighs just 36 lbs. I will keep everyone posted as I know more. In the mean time any excess donations above what Mikey needs for his care will be put towards a reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whom ever is responsible for this. Mikey was picked up by animal control on Chestnut Ridge Road in Chilhowie,Va. Animal control does not feel he was a stray because as a stray, he may have been thin but not emaciated, he would have found something to eat trash, road kill etc. In light of the very strong possibility that someone intentionally starved and injured him Saving Furry Friends is offering a 700.00 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for Mikey’s condition.

8:44am
I just got off of the phone with animal control. They have just taken in an emaciated boxer whose eye is almost completely out of its socket needs to be removed several other injuries/lacerations noted.We have 1 hr to pick him up or they will euthanize him as they do not want him to suffer, we have notified Dr Garrett and if funds can be raised to save him we have an appointment tentatively scheduled for 1130. Ac forwarded the following pics this am.I do not yet have the whole story on him only know he needs help now!! We do not have an exact total yet but do know his bill is expected to top out at approx 500.00

All donations for Mikeys care are tax deductible

 

Here in this house…

I will never know the loneliness I hear in the barks
of the other dogs ‘out there’. I can sleep soundly, assured that when I
wake my world will not have changed. I will never know hunger, or the fear of
not knowing if I’ll eat. I will not shiver in the cold, or grow weary from
the heat. I will feel the sun’s heat, and the rain’s coolness, and be
allowed to smell all that can reach my nose. My fur will shine, and never be dirty or
matted.

Here in this house… There will be an effort to communicate with
me on my level. I will be talked to and, even if I don’t understand, I
can enjoy the warmth of the words. I will be given a name so that I
may know who I am among many. My name will be used in joy, and I will
love the sound of it!

Here in this house… I will never be a substitute for anything I am
not. I will never be used to improve peoples’ images of themselves. I
will be loved because I am who I am, not someone’s idea of who I
should be. I will never suffer for someone’s anger, impatience, or
stupidity. I will be taught all the things I need to know to be loved
by all. If I do not learn my lessons well, they will look to my
teacher for blame.

Here in this house… I can trust arms that hold, hands that touch…
knowing that, no matter what they do, they do it for the good of me. If I am ill, I
will be doctored. If scared, I will be calmed. If sad, I will be
cheered. No matter what I look like, I will be considered beautiful
and known to be of value.
I will never be cast out because I am too old, too ill, too unruly, or not
cute enough. My life is a responsibility, and not an afterthought. I
will learn that humans can almost, sometimes, be as kind and as fair
as dogs.
Here in this house… I will belong. I will be home.

Virginia, a small,doxie/chi mix was surrendered by her owners to our local shelter. Our rescue found out about her just two days prior to her scheduled euthanasia day.

After scouring the internet’s various rescue sites and sending out mass email pleas for help, as our rescue was at full capacity, Virginia’s prayers were answered. The only problem was…how to get Virginia to the family that wanted to adopt her as they reside in Toronto, Canada. I must admit the task seemed daunting. Daunting that is until Alice Knottmyer, a pilot,stepped in with an offer to fly Virginia to Canada at no charge.

With an offer of a forever home and a free plane ride to get home, not a moment could be lost. Virginia was quickly pulled from the county shelter and placed into boarding, an appointment was set up with our veterinarian  for Virginia to be spayed, heart worm tested, wormed and brought up to date on her vaccinations. Virginia also required a health certificate as she would be traveling across state lines. Within a week Virginia was ready to go.

I am pleased to say that all of this came together and Virginia was flown home to her new family in Canada last week. A heartfelt thank you to the Read family for opening their home and heart to this sweet angel in need and  to Alice Knottmyer without whom,none of this would have been possible.

VIRGINIA~

It has come to our attention that there appears to be some confusion over what it is exactly that Saving Furry Friends Animal Rescue does, I would like to take a moment to clear that up.

First and foremost,Saving Furry Friends is dedicated to rescuing and rehoming SHELTER dogs, dogs whose lives are in imminent danger of being ended at the shelter.

We do also provide assistance with funds for veterinary medical emergencies whenever possible.

We  will provide assistance to those in the community in need of assistance with petfood.

We will assist owners who have lost their pets by distributing fliers, placing radio ads and sending out emails.

We will provide transportation for an animal to receive veterinary care to those in the community that are without transportation.

We will assist people who need to find new homes for their animals or animals they have found, by matching them with potential adopters,contacting other rescues,posting the animal on Petfinders and other various websites.

We will assist you with finding a dog that will fit into your family, whether it be a dog that is here at our rescue or another animal we are aware of  in rescue, a shelter, or still with its owner,that is in need of a new home.

Folks dropping unannounced, without calling first, at 6 am, or in the middle of  family functions, ( yes we actually had a family members birthday party interrupted by someone who needed/wanted to drop their pet off here) will not be assisted as this has gotten completely and utterly out of hand with people stopping by at 6 am to the other extreme of stopping by at 11:30 pm. We rescue but we also live here.

Now for what Saving Furry Friends is not. We are not the county shelter, nor a dumping ground for unwanted animals.

WE DO NOT ACCEPT ANIMALS FROM THE PUBLIC, NO EXCEPTIONS.

Like any other rescue there is only room for so many animals.

We have recently had  a very real problem here and that is people dropping by at all hours of the day and night to drop animals that they have found or that they can no longer keep. While we would like to help every animal in need, that simply is not possible, for multiple reasons including:

1) If you have found a pet it’s owners may be looking for it. They will check the pound to try to find it but may not necessarily check with our rescue.

2) We, like everyone else, have limited resources and are caring for, feeding and vetting as many animals as possible. We are never below capacity, as soon as an animal is adopted, within hours another is taken from the shelter to take the adopted animals place, thus sparring its life.

3) There have been issues with another rescue in the past that did take owner surrenders. In an effort to be helpful a rescue out of Floyd county, Virginia took in a dog from an owner. The owner claimed she was moving and could not keep the dog. A few days later and one visit from animal control and the truth came out. The owner was not moving, her dog had bit someone and was not current on its rabies vaccination at the time.

4) There are limits in the town as to how many animals our rescue can have at any one time.

5)   On one occasion I was at the shelter when a woman came in to surrender her dog.She signed the appropriate paper work, certified that she was indeed  the animals owner… two weeks later the dogs rightful owner showed up, the dog was gone.

6)   Animals coming into our rescue from the shelter are screened for behavioral and medical issues. On the behavioral side not every animal will fit in here, they must first be accessed. Are they aggressive with other dogs? cats? Do they have food aggression? Have they ever bitten anyone?

On the medical side we have no way of knowing the medical history of the stray that you have found. Has it been vaccinated? Does it have a communicable disease such as parvo,distemper,kennel cough, coccidia, etc.  Animals coming into rescue from the shelter are first held by the shelter for up to 10 days to help ensure we are not bringing an animals  in that could spread illness among the animal already here in our care.

I hope this clears up any misconceptions about what we do and don’t do here. Again if you need help rehoming an animal please call or email us with the animals information and we will try to assist you in finding the animal a home. Likewise if you are interested in adopting  give us a call, make an appointment we’d love to  match you with an animal in need.

Diesel is 1 year old, not yet neutered and there is no known medical history on him. He will,therefore, require full vetting.

Please if you have room for Diesel in your home or rescue kindly email us at SavingFurryFriends@yahoo.com

 

 

 

Levi’s owners are extremely distraught and feel he may have been taken as he has never in 11 years wandered off the property before. Thank you.

 

 Carol is 8 years old, gets along well with both cats and dogs and just wants to spent the rest of her days as a lap lounger. If you are willing to open your heart and home to this sweet ole gal please email us at savingfurryfriends@yahoo.com

 

This morning I received a phone call from Heather,Dr Garrett’s tech and my friend . A client of theirs Mrs Murphy, rottie had passed away last night from renal failure due to complications from diabetes . She told me that Mrs Murphy was heart sick over this loss and looking not to replace her beloved pet but wanted to try to fill that empty space and save a life in memory of her beloved pet. She gave me the womans number and asked that I call her. I called her almost immediately. Through her sobs she told me how she came to have this dog, the runt of his litter. She told me of her great love for him and of his for her. He was her friend, her confidant and her protector and how this would most certainly be the worst Christmas.
Through teary eyes she told me how she would be burying her long time companion with an unwrapped Christmas gift she had purchased for him ( at this point I couldnt keep my composure or any degree of proffessionalism at that point and broke down and cried with the older woman)

I spoke with Mrs Murphy at great length about what she was looking for and decided that Mandy or Austin may just fit the bill. Roads being what they are due to the storm I told her I would meet her at Dr Garretts at noon today. I loaded up Austin and Mandy ( who had not even had a chance to be seen by the vet yet) and met Mrs Murphy and her daughter at the clinic. Before any one critiques my judgement in placing a dog with an older woman I have also spoken to her daughter who agreed that should something happen to her mother she would take over caring for the animal.

It was decided that Mandy would be the one. To watch this old womans tears let up, to see her smile as she nuzzled this little ball of fur, to see some peace befall her, was an awe inspiring moment. A moment that reminds me why I do what I do. A moment that quiets the critics that say I should put so much energy into helping people, I do help people, all of us rescuers do.

Mandy was vetted given a clean bill of health. We stood and chatted at the clinic for a while. She thanked me, hugged me and we wished each other a very Merry Christmas and with that she left a little less heart broken, a little happier and a lot less lonely. Merry Christmas Mrs Murphy, thank you for allowing me to share in your heart ache, grief and joy, for it is interactions like this that affirm what we do is worth while to animals AND people.

I just wanted to post a quick update to let everyone know that Pongo has been found and is now back home with his family in Saltville. A heartfelt thank you to all that searched for him.
I’d also like to take a moment to thank Joan Baldwin, with the Smyth County Humane Society for getting the word out via radio.

Pongo was found Saturday evening. His owner phoned me to let us know that he had been found. She also informed me that she thought Pongo had been hit by a car. I went over to look at Pongo and I did not believe he was hit by a car I believe he was caught in a trap,as the only injuries he has are to his right eye ( possibly ran into a stick) and his two hind feet are literally mutilated.

We picked up Pongo today from his owner and brought him to see our veterinarian, who confirmed what we had suspected, Pongo had been caught in a trap.
He was put on antibiotics ( Clindamycin for his feet and Tobramycin for his eye)and pain meds ( Rimadyl). Our veterinarian feels that if we can get rid of the infection in his feet, amputation won’t be needed, but should the infection spread he would require amputation. At this point all we can do really is wait and see if the antibiotics do their job. Thanks everyone!