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!

Rescue Ink is a group of awesome,dedicated male rescuers that handle dangerous rescue situations, that other rescues, comprised mostly of woman, won’t or can’t handle.

Please check out Rescue Ink on the National Geographic Channel Fridays at 10pm!

For more information please visit:http://www.rescueink.org/

This is Lauren. I met this sweet,sad soul at Smyth County Animal Shelter last week.
Lauren was take in as a stray, she had multiple injuries and as often happens no one ever came to reclaim her. I don’t know who happened upon this gentle creature prior to her arrival to the shelter or if her former owner inflicted her injuries.

What I do know is that we took Lauren from the shelter yesterday, frightened and quivering. She was immdiately seen by our veterinarian with 1 hour of being taken from the shelter.

Her right eye was sunken into its socket. Slightly to the left of her injured eye was a moderate indentation in her skull. The veterinary exam revealed that the damage to Lauren’s eye was not caused by infection but rather by a blow to her head.
The exam progressed,revealing two toes missing from her right front paw, a broken tail and abrasions on her nose.

I am happy to say that she will recover, at least from the physical wounds inflicted on her. Hopefully time, love and pactience will heal her spirit.

Many people were instrumental in saving Lauren and we are very grateful to have had their help, but the hero of the day is Betty, Lauren’s foster mom, who opened her heart and home to this broken little dog  and gave her a place to convalesce.

We, as well as many other rescues, both local and out of state have been having a rough go of it lately,unbearable loses,decreases in donations,lack of volunteers, the list goes on.
I just wanted to take a minute to remind you all that we are making a difference day by day, one animal by one animal.

This is dedicated to everyone in rescue, from fosters, to transporters, to adoption co-ordinators, donators, cross posters,pullers and everyone in between.
NEVER FORGET THAT YOU ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE!

Source:http://www.wbir.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=103900&catid=2

With the holidays upon us, we here at SFF  would like to take a moment  to remind well intentioned parents, grandparents,aunts and uncles that a pet isn’t a “gift”. It is a life. A pet is a living, breathing, feeling creature that has many needs. If, as the adult of the household you are not prepared to meet the needs of the animal please, please, please do not give it as a gift.

If however after careful consideration you do decide that the holiday’s are the perfect time to add a furry member to your family, please be sure to adopt from your local shelter.

 

 

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
With no thought of the dog outside filling their head.
And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Knew he was cold, but didn’t care about that.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Figuring the dog was free and into the trash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the luster of midday to objects below,
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But Santa Claus – his eyes full of tears.
He unchained the dog, once so lively and quick,
Last years Christmas present, now thin and sick.
More rapid than eagles he called the dog’s name.
And the dog ran to him, despite all his pain;

“Now, DASHER! Now, DANCER! Now, PRANCER and VIXEN!
On, COMET! On CUPID! On, DONNER and BLITZEN!
To the top of the porch! To the top of the wall!
Let’s find this dog a home where he’ll be loved by all”

I knew in an instant there would be no gifts this year,
For Santa Claus had made one thing quite clear,
The gift of a dog is not just for the season,
We had gotten the pup for all the wrong reasons.
In our haste to think of giving the kids a gift
There was one important thing that we missed.
A dog should be family, and cared for the same
You don’t give a gift, then put it on a chain.
And I heard him exclaim as he rode out of sight,
“You weren’t given a gift! You were given a life!”

—Author Unknown

LOS ANGELES – When the Rev. Tom Eggebeen took over as interim pastor at Covenant Presbyterian Church three years ago, he looked around and knew it needed a jump start. Most of his worshippers, though devoted, were in their 60s, attendance had bottomed out and the once-vibrant church was fading as a community touchstone in its bustling neighborhood. So Eggebeen came up with a hair-raising idea: He would turn God’s house into a doghouse by offering a 30-minute service complete with individual doggie beds, canine prayers and an offering of dog treats. He hopes it will reinvigorate the church’s connection with the community, provide solace to elderly members and, possibly, attract new worshippers who are as crazy about God as they are about their four-legged friends. Before the first Canines at Covenant service last Sunday, Eggebeen said many Christians love their pets as much as human family members and grieve just as deeply when they suffer — but churches have been slow to recognize that love as the work of God. “The Bible says of God only two things in terms of an ‘is’: That God is light and God is love. And wherever there’s love, there’s God in some fashion,” said Eggebeen, himself a dog lover. “And when we love a dog and a dog loves us, that’s a part of God and God is a part of that. So we honor that.” The weekly dog service at Covenant Presbyterian is part of a growing trend among churches nationwide to address the spirituality of pets and the deeply felt bonds that owners form with their animals. Traditionally, conventional Christians believe that only humans have redeemable souls, said Laura Hobgood-Oster, a religion professor at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas. But a growing number of congregations from Massachusetts to Texas to California are challenging that assertion with regular pet blessings and, increasingly, pet-centric services, said Hobgood-Oster, who studies the role of animals in Christian tradition. She recently did a survey that found more than 500 blessings for animals at churches nationwide and has heard of a half-dozen congregations holding worship services like Eggebeen’s, including one in a Boston suburb called Woof ‘n Worship. “It’s the changing family structure, where pets are really central and religious communities are starting to recognize that people need various kinds of rituals that include their pets,” she said. “More and more people in mainline Christianity are considering them to have some kind of soul.” The pooches who showed up at Covenant Presbyterian on Sunday didn’t seem very interested in dogma. Animals big and small, from pit bulls to miniature Dachshunds to bichon frises, piled into the church’s chapel to worship in an area specially outfitted for canine comfort with doggie beds, water bowls and a pile of irresistible biscuits in an offering bowl. There were a lot of humans too — about 30 — and three-quarters of them were new faces. The service started amid a riot of tail-sniffing, barking, whining and playful roughhousing. But as Eggebeen stepped to the front and the piano struck up the hymn “GoD and DoG,” one by one the pooches lay down, chins on paws, and listened. Eggebeen took prayer requests for Mr. Boobie (healing of the knees) and Hunter (had a stroke) and then called out the names of beloved pets past and present (Quiche, Tiger, Timmy, Baby Angel and Spunky) before launching into the Lord’s Prayer. At the offering, ushers stepped over tangled leashes and yawning canines to collect donations and hand out doggie treats shaped like miniature bones in a rainbow of colors. Donna Lee Merz, a Presbyterian pastor at another Southern California church, stopped in with Gracie, her 14-month-old long-haired miniature Dachshund. The puppy with ears soft as silk was overcome by the other dogs and wriggled across the floor on her belly, quivering with excitement. She finally calmed down when Merz held her in her lap. “She knew it was a safe place and a good place to be, a place to be loved,” Merz said, gently petting Gracie after the service. “I’ll be back.” Emma Sczesniak came to Covenant for the first time, lured by the promise that she could worship with her black Lab, Midnight, and her wire-haired Dachshund-terrier mix, Marley. Marley sat on her lap during the service, while Midnight checked out the other big dogs and sat patiently waiting for his biscuit. Sczesniak said the dog-friendly service came at the perfect time for her: she’s been thinking about getting back to church, but wasn’t sure how or where to go. “I don’t have any kids, so my pets have always been my children, so it does mean a lot,” she said of the dog-inclusive service. “I haven’t been to church in a long time and this may push me into it. I’m getting older and I’ve been thinking about those things again.” But Midnight, Marley, Gracie and the other pups probably had something more important on their minds as Eggebeen intoned his benediction and the service drew to a close: Just where could they find more of those delicious treats? For Eggebeen, the night was a spiritual success — and the rest is out of his hands. “It’s important for a church like us just to do good things. The results, we’ll just have to see,” he said. “Ultimately, that belongs to God.”

 

Yesterday was a profoundly sad day for Rosie, and on a larger scale, the world of animal rescue, what Rosie’s death exemplies. The slaughter of innocent animals across this country every single day. Rescuers and well-intentioned folks working feverously to pull as many as possible to safety, not enough “front-end” intervention to interrupt the over-population, desperation, hopelessness, “no-kill” being mostly a concept, not a way of doing business. Senseless death, that is never ending.

 

 Why is no-kill not an ingrained national attitude, a full-fledged, dedicated movement?

The innocents have faces. Like Rosie.

 A desperate plea came through channels yesterday: Tarboro, NC ~ URGENT ~ Edgecombe County Animal Shelter-ROTT PUPS & LAB PUPS!! The word “County” in the subject line rang instant alarm bells: The forgotten back alleys of civilization. Out in the country, lawlessness, recklessness, animal abuse, animals dumped, backwards ways of thinking, red necks, animals starving, dogs chained, unaltered. Animal control has only one function: dispose of unwanted animals, Method: gas chambers or other cruel, inhumane kill methods. Few, if any, get out alive. The euthanasia date was stated as yesterday and today.

The time of the plea for help was sent around 3pm. Among those pictured was a very, very pregnant medium sized dog. She looked like she was about to go into labor, so far along she was. From the picture, it looked like she was wagging her tail, but her face pleaded. It looked like she had not had it easy in her life, her backbones and hip bones protruding. I immediately put forth an urgent request for help for the momma dog. Beautiful little girl, light tan with white. Oh, how cute she must have been as a puppy…. I received his plea around 3:30 eastern time.

I called the shelter, miraculously getting through even though shelter hours are only until 11 am. The guy who answered did not know who I was referring to. Further detail offered. Long pause. Oh, … she’s gone… I could not breathe. Then, a silent scream that will last for all eternity. Nooooooooooo,….. ! Time stood, as I saw her pleading eyes, her unborn babies, … then her lifeless body, her babies, unborn, or perhaps born as a result of forced labor upon her death. I know her babies did not die right away… Inhumane at the most reprehensible level. Her “crimes”: unwanted and pregnant. Man’s crime: murder. Rosie, I whispered,…. your name is Rosie. You will always reside in our hearts, minds and souls. You and your babies will never be forgotten.

Written by my friend and fellow rescuer, Monique Williams.