Animals in Need

This is a new weekly ( and, God-willing, more often) feature that will appear on my blog. I will post information about animals in shelters that are at risk of being euthanized. You may also see mentions of animals in foster care or who are in no-kill shelters, but the main focus will be on animals that are at risk of euthansia.

I realize that many of us are not in a position to adopt, foster or donate money to help towards placement. However, by sharing these posts, you will be able to get the word out about these animals, and may help them find the right homes. Please visit our page on Facebook to read about more urgent animasls.

Tabby the Cat (domestic shorthair, unknown gender) - Longview Humane Society, Longview, TX (via Pet Pardons)

Alex (neutered male Labrador) – Columbiana County Dog Pound, Lisbon, Ohio (via Dogs in Danger)

Lost dogs and lost cats - Midland Animal Services in Midland, TX (updates not available)

Don’t Wait for a Miracle

One lucky little dog in a shelter with a euthanasia policy was literally saved by a miracle this past fall. He survived being put in a gas chamber. His story received attention around the world, and he was finally adopted by an Irish family.

Unfortunately, situations involving animals surviving euthanasia attempts are very rare. I have only heard of two such cases in my whole life. The time to save an animal in danger of being euthanised is before they’re taken to that “back room”.

If you’re involved with animals in any way, you may see postings about animals in danger of being put down on social media sites, or see links in email signature lines, but feel like you can’t do anything because you can’t donate, foster or adopt.

The good news is – you can! Share these links around, since you never know if one of your friends or a friend of a friend may be able to help. If the site makes information of the animal available to non-members, you could pass their information along to a rescue group in the area where the shelter is. Every little bit helps.

Pet Pardons

Dogs in Danger

Pet Harbor

Info Needed About Mobile Rescue Groups

I’m trying to get some information on rescue organizations that arrange transportation for animals in one area of the country that need to be transported to a shelter or foster in another area that isn’t as full.

The groups may be located anywhere in the U.S. The information that I can use includes how the groups handle the logistics, what types of fundraising efforts are made, and how reliable volunteers are found to do the driving.

This is a type of rescue effort that I think has the potential to save the lives of a lot of animals. Please join me in helping to raise awareness of this issue. You may share information about such groups by posting a comment to this post.

Puppies Saved From Puppy Mill – Again

The issue of puppy mills has unfortunately become too politicized. On the one hand, many see places like this as a reason to end the breeding of all pets. Others feel that legislation that targets such inhumane breeding operations poses a real threat to legitimate dog breeding. The dogs lose out because of all the conflict this causes.

The public needs to take a stand against inhumane breeders by using a lot more caution in who their pets are purchased from. By only getting animals from breeders who follow responsible breeding practices, you can help slow the demand for pets from puppy mills. Visit the ASPCA website for more information on finding a responsible breeder.

Shelter Employee Fired Over Pictures

A NYC animal shelter employee was recently fired after taking pictures of animals about to be euthanized and posting them online. You can read more about it here: Terrierman’s Daily Dose

Being able to post pictures of animals at risk of being euthanized is perhaps one of the best ways to get the word out. The sad fact is, a lot of people simply don’t know what kinds of animals are available and waiting at their municipal shelter.

The initiative should be taken by someone. Ideally, this would be a group of volunteers working with the consent of shelter staff to help save time and money. Rather than punishing employees who decide to do something about this situation, perhaps shelters should create a working environment where such outreach is encouraged.

Canine Breast Cancer Awareness

In October, people around the world commemorated Breast Cancer awareness month. Cancer is always a tragedy, and any efforts to find a cure are always important.

One thing that people don’t realize is that pets, particularly dogs, can be affected by breast cancer. Since many people lose pets to cancer on a regular basis, this makes the need for prevention and detection more important. A helpful article on canine breast cancer may be found here.

To help prevent this tragedy from claiming the lives of our dogs, better screening options ought to be available, especially through clinics that serve low-income pet owners who are less likely to be able to afford diagnostic tests for their pets. Spaying, preferably before the first heat, is also a way to prevent breast cancer.

A Perspective on “Designer Dogs”

This link from Terrierman’s Daily Dose nicely addresses the issue of crossbreed dogs that are commonly sold by the types of “breeders” who care little for the well being of their dogs.

The sad thing is, such dogs are believed to have qualities that simply don’t exist in all puppies. This creates an artificial demand based on misinformation. The result is a large number of unethical breeders looking to cash in on these dogs. When you combine unethical breeders solely interested in money with ignorant owners, the result is a large number of dogs dumped in shelters.

There are people who crossbreed working dogs for good reasons. However, you should always do some research before buying from any breeder. Anyone can put together professional-looking business cards and a website, it doesn’t mean they’re legit.

Better yet – adopt a dog from a shelter. You may very be be saving a life, and you won’t be giving your money to someone who treats their dogs irresponsibly.

The Sad Reality of Re-homing

It’s common for people to assume that the only dogs that ever get re-homed have something wrong with them. It’s usually assumed that dogs who are relinquished to shelters are badly behaved, aggressive, poorly bred or are otherwise deficient.  It affects dogs of all shapes, sizes and ages, even famous dogs.

One dog that is currently in need of a new home is Berry, who was featured in “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban”. The 10-year old German Shepherd was relinquished to a GSD rescue organization due to his owner’s travel schedule. He’s in my thoughts and prayers for a new “Mum and Dad”.

While there are not extensive statistics available, it’s estimated that many of the animals euthanized in shelters are owner surrenders, which makes the situation even sadder. It’s common for well-meaning rescuers to be hasty about judging owners who surrender pets to high-kill shelters, when there may no no other options for them. Let’s give thanks for rescues with willing fosters, and work together to ensure that every pet surrendered to a shelter has access to such a group.

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Urgent Updates

Please note: Many of the rescue organizations highlighted here use Facebook pages to promote their information. However, you do NOT need to have a Facebook account to view the info on these pages. Most page owners list an email address or phone number.

This sad case involved a situation where a soldier’s dog had to be relinquished to a Brooklyn animal shelter. His dad had promised to take care of him, but was forced to break his promise after an ultimatum from his landlord.

Urgent Dogs of Miami, a Facebook page that lists animals at Miami-Dade Animal Control, has several great dogs listed, including Mallery, a 6-month old female who needs treatment for a respiratory infection. She has narrowly escaped euthanasia, and is still at risk. Several pitbulls, bulldogs, mastiffs and boxers are available.

Friends of Arlington (TX) Animal Services lists animals at risk of being euthanized. Boogie and Bear, a mother and daughter pair of dogs, were relinquished by an owner due to easily-remedied behavior problems.

Pet Pardons has listings for several dogs at risk of being euthanized at various shelters, including Chelsea and an unnamed pit bull. You do need a Facebook account to use Pet Pardons, and they are also on Twitter.

Good news: one pet shop chain with 27 stores has decided to stop selling puppies. Instead, they will focus on in-store adoptions in cooperation with rescues. Hopefully, this will help decrease the number of purchased animals that are put at risk of being relinquished due to unprepared, un-screened new owners.

Excellent Article from a Local TV Station

Local Humane Societies Not Getting National Support

This is a great article that exposes the problem of thinking that donating to national groups funds your local shelters. The Odessa Humane Society has had to struggle with adoptions and donations being down. When you want to donate to a shelter, please donate locally.

What do you think can be done to increase awareness of the difference between national groups like HSUS and your local, unaffiliated Humane Societies?