Support Your Animal Shelters & Rescues (My Volunteering Experience So Far)! Adopt & SAVE A Life - Donate & HELP A Life!
After much heart searching I decided several months ago to volunteer (dog walking) at my local shelter - Lakeland Animal Shelter (LAWS)in Elkhorn, WI. Even though I had been a member for years, it was a hard decision for me because I knew that I would love and want to save them all! The last time I went back by the "dogs" was several years ago and I ended up adopting 200# of Awesome Sam & Clyde. At that point, I started to leave my donations by front desk for obvious reasons. I also knew that as a volunteer, if I found out one of them had to be put down, I would be very upset so I decided to never ask if I saw one of them "missing". (Although I have asked!)
So I did decide to stuff all the emotional stuff down and volunteer anyway to bring some joy to the very boring & stressful lives of shelter dogs. I thought that if everyone decided to not volunteer for selfish reasons, these dogs would never have a chance! The more volunteers the better because these dogs need to get out and exercise to burn off some stress, for some interaction & socialization, and for some peace & quiet as it is extremely noisy in the kennel areas during the business hours of the shelter.
I have had many positive experiences as well as a couple negative. For the positive it is great to see the joy and excitement when you go inside a kennel to harness them up for their walk. You are met with loving eyes, wagging tails, wet kisses, and sometimes almost maulled but in a nice way. It is great to find out that a friend has been adopted and went home. It is also great exercise (walking, hiking, playing ball, practicing basic commands) as well as stress-reducing! I would recommend volunteering at a shelter to anyone. I usually take the large dogs and the energetic pullers but there are less active dogs and smaller dogs available as well. The cats are also very much in need of affection, care, and interaction to help them with their stress and to keep them more adoptable.
For the negative, I have found out that one dog I knew was put down for a bite. Our shelter is an extremely low kill shelter but bites give a strike against them even if it is a small one. (Any dog can bite or nip - accident during play, getting a hyper dog too wound up during play, pain if you step on them, sickness, acting out due to extreme stress, abuse, fear - You need to educate yourself of warning signs, how to interact with diff types of dogs as well as not freak out and scream if a dog play bites you as this can cause fear and a real bite. Shelters need to do more training in these areas to help volunteers and make them long term volunteers) This dog was getting very wired from shelter life even though he was very well trained when he came in. People cause most of the homeless former pet problems and shelter suffering when they get an animal without thinking about the long term & monetary commitments, when they buy a dog (or cat) instead of giving a shelter dog a chance (When demand decreases - so will supply), when they abuse or neglect an animal, when they do not spay or neuter, when they do not train a pet or seek help from a trainer for a problem and just give up and then turn their former family member into the pound!
Another negative is that I feel so bad when I have to leave and there are no other volunteers there yet, I have to walk past all of their sad eyes and hopeful wagging tails just waiting for their "turn". I may stay for a few hours but I spend extra time with each dog so I only get to about 6 in that amount of time and I feel sad for the rest. Please help your shelters and rescues!
Two Happy Moments came recently when I found out that 2 of my best pals found a home. Jolly Old Dixon (Found in a UPS Truck, driver did not close the back at a stop. - Why don't people check the shelters for their lost pets AND use tags!) and AWESOME Pro Ball Player Buddy 3!!!
Hoping for a home for my pal Ritchie (Pit / Shep Mix) he is a great walker, stays in his spot next to you, prob does not like cats and is choosy about other canine friends, but very sweet:)
ALWAYS hoping for a home for super smart & fun Mercedes. She is a small strong pit bull who loves loves loves to play ball, she always has to have a durable toy for chewing, she can sit, double shake, & lay. She does not like cats and being dominate she is choosy about her canine friends but she can mind her own business and continue to do so with structure. She has been at the shelter for 2 1/2 years, the longest resident. She was adopted over a year ago but brought back after 2 weeks as her person's living arrangements changed. She really deserves a forever home with a forever family!!!
And for Sirus - a male pit bull, I am worried for him - he is super smart but getting wired due to shelter life. He likes to grab your coat, jacket and play tug & not let go (Trades don't always work) which is bad because he could get skin! He does not like many other animals at this point and is being worked with by a trainer as may'be his last chance. He really needs to get out of the shelter and into a forever home with an experienced and dedicated family. Adopt & SAVE A Life ~ Donate & Help A Life! In My Clyde's Memory:) (Formerly from Lakeland Shelter)
Squeaker & Best Friend's Garcia - A Picture Paints A Thousand Words!
A picture paints a thousand words! (Extremely Moving Picture)
October 29, 2009:
It was one of the photos that accompanied a Feb. 2, 2008, front-page story in the New York Times about the dogs rescued from NFL quarterback Michael Vick’s dogfighting ring. No doubt most readers were deeply touched by the photo that showed Mckenzie Garcia, a dog caregiver at Best Friends, kneeling in the snow with Squeaker, one of 22 of the most challenged Vick dogs who came to Best Friends back in January 2008 for sanctuary and healing. Cartoonist Berkeley Breathed of “Bloom County” and “Opus” fame was moved by the photo, too — so moved that the photo inspired him to write his first novel, “Flawed Dogs: The Shocking Raid on Westminster.”
“The book happened because I came across both a picture and quote at about the same time — a picture of one of Michael Vick’s fight dogs,” Berkeley said in an interview on the CNN website. “It was set to be put down, but a shelter in Utah decided to take the dog and a few others at the same time and try to rehabilitate them. …
“This was the first time the dog had ever received any affection in its life. … It’s the most moving picture of a dog I’ve ever seen, having gone through an impossible transition and fallen back to where dogs naturally go, which is just loving people.”
Garcia remembers well the day that photo was snapped.
“It was the crazy media day — people and cameras everywhere,” Garcia says. “I was asked by someone if I could walk one of the dogs, and Squeaker was my first choice. We started to head out and she was starting to get a little freaked that there were people following us, so I squatted down to comfort her. She kept inching closer and closer and we stayed like that for a little while.”
Breathed spoke more about the novel, “Flawed Dogs,” and the photo that inspired him to an audience at the Long Beach Comic Con, a convention in Long Beach, California.
“There is a photograph that has been on the top of my computer that was my daily inspiration of what this is all about,” Breathed said in an article on www.comicbookresources.com. “This is a picture of one of Michael Vick's fighting dogs. This is the moment when he, for the very first time in this dog's life, faced only with hate and cruelty that you and I can't imagine, this is where he is receiving [kindness] for the first time, and he's becoming a dog again. And for a storyteller, this is like the bicycle in the tree. This is what we live for. This is what I live for.”
Breathed said the quote that inspired him is a couple hundred years old. “‘All animals dream, only dogs dream of us,’ and that is a theme for a book,” he told a noticeably choked up audience at the convention, according to the story on the Comic Book Resources website.
Breathed and his wife, Jody, have a number of rescued dogs, including a pit bull named Pickles. According to the CNN story, Breathed’s “affection and concern for dogs form the heart of ‘Flawed Dogs: The Shocking Raid on Westminster,’ Breathed’s new illustrated novel, whose hero is a resilient dachshund with a soup ladle for a leg.”
As for Squeaker, the dog featured in that inspirational New York Times photo, she’s doing great. “Today, Squeaker is living in the land of beds and blankets also known as the laundry room at Dogtown headquarters,” Garcia says. “She's very happy and comes out to say ‘hi’ whenever she hears my voice. I am one of the nighttime walkers for the clinic so I’m able to take her out for a short walk at night. She's super sweet and still loves to cuddle with me when I crouch down to her level.”
Read more about Squeaker and how you can sponsor her at BestFriends.org
Read more about “Flawed Dogs: The Shocking Raid on Westminster.”
Pit Bulls: Saving America’s Dogs is one of four Best Friends campaigns aimed at reaching the goal of No More Homeless Pets. Read more about the campaign BestFriends.org
Written by Sandy Miller Above image appeared in the New York Times/Garrett Davis
As part of Best Friends’ 25th anniversary in 2009, our goal is to double our membership, so we can double our efforts to bring about a time when all companion animals have a forever home. What can you do to help? Give the Gift of a Best Friends membership to family and friends.
(Includes 1 yr subscription to Best Friends Magazine - Full size beautiful publication with inspiring stories and tons of glossy pics.) Visit BestFriends.org & help them today as well as your Local Animal Shelter! Many former pets, abused & neglected animals are often overlooked this time of year and need our help as far as donations, adoptions, & volunteers! Adopt & Save A Life - Donate & Help A Life:) Don't forget your food pantries as well:)
Stumbled upon this sad poem and had to share because too many people never get around to tell others how they feel, they just put it on the top of their list. Take the time to tell someone how you feel. glitter-graphics.com
Cherry’s happy ending:) A formerly abused Michael Vick dog gets his second chance.
Cherry’s happy ending:) A formerly abused Michael Vick dog gets his second chance. From rehabilitation at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary to a new family through an official adoption:)
Many of the Vick dogs have had happy endings thanks to Best Friends, Bad Rap, & the help of the ASPCA. Many of the dogs have been adopted or are being fostered & some are still being rehabilitated. Some of pit bulls have earned therapy dog status, although a few may never fully trust people enough to leave the safety of Best Friends Sanctuary and get a complete second chance. A horrible reminder of the tragedy that jerk caused! Now Vick gets a free pass to earn millions, be a youth role model again, & have a new show which is a joke. Doesn't seem fair!!! It has been the dogs, the ones who were exploited, who have had to work very hard and pay a great price to try to get their second chances! See Story Below:
October 13, 2009
Watch the video @ Bestfriends.org:)
When Paul and his fiancé Melissa saw Cherry the Vicktory dog on the National Geographic show “DogTown,” they fell head over heels in love. Of course they weren’t the only ones. When Paul would hop on the Best Friends website to follow Cherry’s progress journal each step of the way, he’d also notice the other eight zillion fans Cherry has out there. And even though he figured it was a long shot at best, he decided to fill out an adoption application. He told himself he at least had to try.
A good thing, too. Cherry has gone home!
Backing up a bit, Paul actually sent in his adoption application a full year before Cherry came home. These Vicktory dogs all have a long list of court-mandated requirements that must be met before they can ever be considered for adoption. And even then, it’s always a foster home first (for six months) and then a reevaluation for the final adoption. Not a simple road.
All along, Paul says that Best Friends’ adoption coordinator Kristi Littrell was great. During the past year, says Paul, "I think I bugged her more than I’ve bugged anybody in my whole life!" Hey, this is Cherry we’re talking about. He’s worth a little bugging over, don’t you think? Paul and Melissa certainly thought so, and so did Kristi. Together they kept working toward the goal, as did Cherry’s caregivers.
All in the family:
After almost a full year of preparation, it was finally time for the big meet and greet. Paul and Melissa came with their pit mix Madison. Madison, a female they’ve had since a puppy, is a super confident and friendly dog. They all thought she would do great with Cherry, who has some issues with confidence (yet loves other dogs).
The plan was for Paul and Melissa to meet Cherry without Madison, and then go from that point. Only problem, Cherry decided to hide under the desk. Dogtown co-manager Michelle Besmehn tried to coax Cherry out, but it was no use. Finally, Michelle suggested that they might as well try to introduce Cherry and Madison, since he’s always done better with dogs than people anyway.
That’s when things really started to turn around. They went over to a neutral play area and the two dogs hit it off amazingly well. After letting the dogs play for a while, Michelle suggested they all go to a smaller space so there would be a better chance to get to know Cherry.
They went back to her office, this time with Madison in tow, and then flopped down on the floor for five hours! Paul and Melissa sat very quietly, and Madison lay down for a nap in between them. After observing the situation from every possible angle, Cherry also parked it right next to Madison. He allowed Paul and Melissa to pet him and the connection began.
Cherry and Madison = Love:)
They spent the next two days with him and took him on two sleepovers. With every day, Cherry’s confidence grew, as did his trust in Melissa and Paul. As for Melissa and Paul, they were more in love than ever. Because of their early flight schedule, however, they couldn’t bring Cherry on a sleepover for their last night in town.
That final evening, Paul and Melissa looked at each other and realized something was missing. Their family wasn’t complete any more. They knew Cherry belonged with them. It would be a long week and a half before Cherry could come live with them, and Paul describes that as the "longest stretch" in the entire year. But oh, was it worth the wait! Cherry is now living the life he’s always deserved. He has two people who adore him to pieces and a dog friend he can play with day in and day out. Madison has taken on sort of a mother role with him, teaching him confidence and teaching him to trust. Within short weeks, Cherry has made miles of progress.
The sunny side of life:
"He learns a new confidence every day," says Paul. And with that confidence, they’ve been able to see a whole new side to Cherry. A side most people don’t get to see. Cherry gets to romp through the woods with Madison. He gets to go hiking and conquer high peaks. And, best of all, he has developed his very own ”Cherry dance.”
Here’s how the Cherry dance goes. First, he stops all movement whatsoever. You might imagine he hears something in the distance, but no, he’s just gathering his artistic energy, honing it into a ball of creativity that explodes after thirty seconds of utter stillness. First he starts to stomp his feet up and down rapidly, then he performs several impressive sideways hops, and finally he tosses his head and ears around in reckless abandon. After a minute or so, he freezes again to let the focus build once more. …
The dance makes Paul and Melissa laugh every time. But, more than that, it shows he is feeling at home, which is worth every single hoop they had to jump through along the way.
Story by David Dickson Photos by Sarah Ause and courtesy of Paul and Melissa
Learn more about Cherry in his “DogTown” progress journal. And you can help be a part of that progress as he adjusts to his new home through sponsorship. Bestfriends.org
In My Clydes Memory, Adopt & Save A Life - Donate & Help A Life!
FAQ: Loyalty Exploited: The Truth About Pit Bulls - Best Friends Animal Society. Are pit bulls mean?
Like all dogs, pit bulls are individuals and can make first-rate family pets. In tests conducted by the American Temperament Test Society, which tests and evaluates the temperaments of several hundred breeds of dogs, the American pit-bull terrier scored 85.3 percent. By comparison, the golden retriever scored 84.6 percent and the average score of all tested breeds was 81.5 percent. The tests focus on and measure different aspects of temperament, such as stability, shyness, aggressiveness and friendliness, as well as the dog's instinct for protectiveness toward his/her handler and/or self-preservation in the face of a threat.
As anyone who loves a pit bull can tell you, these dogs are affectionate, devoted and incredibly smart. They were once America's favorite dog, endearing themselves to the likes of Helen Keller, Thomas Edison, Humphrey Bogart and Theodore Roosevelt. Pit-bull-type dogs have also been employed by U.S. customs and have served as police K-9 dogs.
Are pit bulls aggressive?
There is no scientific evidence that any dog, including pit-bull-type dogs, are inherently aggressive. The biggest risk factors for dog aggression are lack of socialization and training and dogs who are not spayed or neutered. In addition, reckless dog owners, or people who keep guard dogs or dogs as property rather than family members, are very likely to create dangerous dogs, regardless of breed.
Are pit bulls responsible for most fatal dog attacks?
No. Although the media would have you believe that pit bulls are aggressive dogs responsible for the majority of fatal attacks, the facts just don’t support that perception. Pit bulls are no more likely than other breed of dog to bite or kill people. For more details, visit the website of the National Canine Research Council.
Is "pit bull" a breed?
There is no specific breed called "pit bull." In fact, "pit bull" is a type of dog. A number of breeds, such as American pit-bull terriers, American Staffordshire terriers, Staffordshire bull terriers and numerous other stocky short-haired dogs, fall into the category of pit-bull-type dogs. Many other breeds - such as purebred Labrador retrievers - have been mistaken for pit bulls on occasion.
What is breed-discriminatory legislation (BDL) or breed-specific legislation?
BDL is a restriction on a certain breed (or breeds) of dogs. This type of legislation can be passed at the local and state levels. BDL can be directed at any breed. Sometimes BDL requires numerous restrictions, but this type of legislation can also completely ban a breed.
What is wrong with breed-discriminatory legislation?
In most places where BDL is proposed, it is done with the hope that this type of legislation will make a community safer. However, BDL doesn't work because it does not address the root of the problem: irresponsible, reckless and/or cruel owners. BDL tends to "punish the breed, not the deed." If BDL bans a breed, responsible members of a community are forced to give up perfectly healthy, well-behaved family members, relocate to a new town, or face harsh penalties.
In the case of pit bulls, breed-discriminatory laws are overly broad because it is very difficult to clearly identify dogs as pit bulls or pit-bull mixes. Dogs have been misidentified as pit bulls in many instances, resulting in numerous lawsuits. More than 20 different breeds have been labeled as pit bulls.
Furthermore, BDL is expensive. Animal control departments are generally underfunded, and when breed bans are enacted, that funding must be increased to enforce ordinances that criminalize responsible pet owners and result in more dogs dying in our shelters.
What are the alternatives to breed discrimination?
Everyone wants safe, humane communities. Best Friends opposes breed-discriminatory laws because studies have shown that they don't help reduce bites. To reduce the incidence of dog bites, Best Friends recommends that communities adopt progressive policies and pass generic dangerous-dog laws that target reckless owners. Communities should encourage spay/neuter, pass anti-tethering laws, enact stronger anti-cruelty laws, prevent reckless owners from owning dogs, and create off-leash dog parks. Best Friends endorses ordinances that identify and restrict dogs who are considered dangerous or potentially dangerous because of their behavior (not because of their looks) and that hold their owners responsible.
What is Best Friends doing to prevent breed-discriminatory laws?
Best Friends has been successful in preventing BDL in many communities through our Best Friends Network alerts and by lobbying city and state officials providing examples and suggestions to help build safe, humane communities protecting people and dogs.
In cooperation with the National Canine Research council and John Dunham & Associates we have created an economic impact tool that city officials can use to estimate the fiscal impact to taxpayers of enforcing a breed ban. This tool will work for every city and county in the country. You can try it here.
What is dogfighting?
Dogfighting is an illegal "sport" in which two dogs are forced to fight for the entertainment of spectators. Dogfighting around the world involves a variety of breeds. Illegal gambling, drugs and weapons are often involved. For more information, visit the dogfighting section of BestFriends.org.
What is Best Friends doing to combat dogfighting?
Best Friends has successfully worked to create anti-dogfighting legislation in Georgia. The legislation criminalizes not only those directly involved with dogfighting, but also allows for prosecution of spectators, advertisers and hosts of dogfights. Best Friends is currently spearheading a bill in Illinois that would prevent people who are convicted of fighting dogs from owning unsterilized dogs.
Dogfighting is a cultural problem of epidemic proportions. Estimated to be a billion-dollar industry, it's firmly rooted in at-risk communities in every major city in the U.S. More than legislation is needed to effect real change. Best Friends is a national partner of Safe Humane Chicago, a community-wide alliance to combat violence by promoting compassion and caring for people and animals. The goals of this alliance are to educate the public about responsible pet ownership and safety; promote programs that stop the violence associated with dogfighting and animal abuse by providing positive, beneficial activities; and connect pet owners to available resources. The initial results have been encouraging and Best Friends intends to introduce the Safe Humane programming in other major cities.Org
What is the plan for the Michael Vick dogs?
We are extremely pleased with the progress of the 22 Michael Vick dogs who were brought to Best Friends in January 2008. Trainers and caregivers are working with individualized training plans for each of the dogs, with the goal of addressing any behavior issues and improving their quality of life. The dogs have developed good social skills and many enjoy the company of humans as well as other dogs. For many, the ultimate goal is to move into loving homes. Of the Michael Vick dogs who did not come to Best Friends, five are now working as therapy dogs helping people in need, and nearly all of the others have become part of someone's family. Read more about the Vicktory dogs at BestFriends.Org (Visit Bad Rap as well)
*~*In My Clyde's Memory, (Support Your Shelters, Rescues, ASPCA, & Best Friends) (Adopt A Shelter Friend & Save A Life - Donate & Help A Life) (Do Not Support Puppy Mills, BSL, & Michael Vick!!!)*~*
