Why Rescued Pets are the BEST!
-764717.JPG)
This is a picture of Phoebe, the ugliest dog in the world--so ugly she's beautiful. She represents why rescue is worth it. I've blogged about her before, but wanted to use her as an intro to this topic. She was dumped at a local shelter. Old, one eye, nipped off left ear, a limp and a crooked tooth, unspayed. But she was sweet as ever. I thought, "Who will EVER adopt this dog?" Well, a woman in Lexington, Ky. involved in Keeshound rescue, saw her on Petfinder. She has a heart for the old and forgotten. She was going to try to get Phoebe into a rescue, but ended up keeping her. Phoebe is so well-loved and happy and good. She has her own little kiddie pool, follows mama around all day and watches over the new dogs that come into the house. Having had a rough terrible life, she APPRECIATES the fact that she is now loved. They know.
Dollar, as you know, was rescued from a bad situation. Thanks to all who sent money to the Humane Society for his needs. The Humane Society was shocked by his condition and after taking him out of there, wrote a letter to the previous owners. Here it is, which gives an update on him and also more insight as to how the poor boy was living:
"It is amazes that you were able to look at this scene day in & day out & not care enough to do something more for this dog a lot sooner. His physical condition & desperation for human interaction were deplorable & it was obvious that little care was provided since adopting him as a puppy in 2005. His back end was completely matted all the way to the skin & he reeked of feces & urine. His collar was so tight we were amazed he didn't have any cuts around his neck. His chain was all tangled up. His doghouse had no floor... and no protection from cold winds or rain. His water was grimy & hot from 97 degree temps. He was not current on any vaccinations (especially rabies, which is required by TN state law). He was so desperate to get off the chain & obviously never had any training. It cost us over $250 to get him current on all of his vetting and to provide him with much needed grooming.
Despite all of this,(The owner) cried when Dollar left saying she loved him, which only proves that people "love" in very strange (and often cruel) ways. Perhaps they were tears of "guilt" rather than sadness. While we don't typically provide updates on adopted pets in situations like this, we felt the need to do so in this case. Dollar is thriving in his new home. He is getting along with other animals of all shapes & sizes & is responding extremely well to training. He was described by the veterinary office, volunteers, & his new home as a "sweet, sweet boy." We felt the need to share this information with you all so you could no longer blame Dollar for the reason he was "housed" in this manner. You see, he DID have the potential all along to be a great family companion... but he was never given that opportunity. We sincerely hope the next time you opt to get a pet you will always carry this picture of Dollar in your hearts & minds, so that NO dog will ever experience this kind of suffering at your hands again."
If only all such dogs could be saved. I will never understand the human who could let such things happen and worse yet, pretend that they care about them. They don't, they just put on a show for others once they know what is thought of them. The same with Adrienne's Hunter and his previous family.
Working in rescue is hard and heartbreaking and it's tough knowing you can't save them all. But when you help dogs like Phoebe and Dollar, it makes it easier to carry on. Remember, even if you can't help by taking in another pet you can send donations to help rescue groups. You can help with a leg of transport to pet's new home. You can report neglect to animal control. You can talk to a neighbor about a better way to care for a dog or cat and help any way you can. Because, if not for us pet lovers, who will help them?
posted by Sandy at 8/08/2007 08:27:00 PM
Pet People
10 Comments:
Awesome post, Sandy!! That needs to be next week's column for the paper!! You're going to make B cry with this one.
God bless Dollar and Phoebe and those angels who adopted them!!!!!!!!!!! I hope the dogs and new families have more blessings than they will ever be able to count for the rest of thier lives as well as all others who have been rescued as well as thier rescurers!
I just saw Stacey's post and I agree! Put that in the Leaf-Chronicel for the whole county to see what some poor animals have endured and they'll know there are too many out there still suffering and in need of rescuing!
Ah, look at that precious baby… I just love happy endings! Make’s life so much more tolerable! Please try to get some pictures of Dollar in his happy new environment!
I would like to think that maybe we here on the Pet People have been some sort of instrument in saving Dollar. Maybe we "Pet people" should consider “Posting” once a month if not more on a special needs baby that we can help or we could sponsor a certain baby or something neat like that. Can we form a Club and name it Dragon Enterprises? Hey, just a few ideas here, what y’all say??? Could we do this on the Blog Sandy???
Vick update… It is hard to believe that any good can come from the recent story on Vick and his dog fighting scandal. But it seems that those poor Pit babies are speaking out from the grave! People are taking notice down here in Georgia! The head bangers in Atlanta are trying to update the old outdated animal laws! As it now stands, anyone attending a dog fight cannot be prosecuted under the law. But if law makers get their way, ANYONE attending a dog fight will be found guilty of animal cruelty amongst other crimes! They are working on the laws as we speak…
Phoebe is beautiful! The love is clearly shining out of that one eye.
I did the Pedigree thing and was trying to decide which shelter to send the food to. I ended up sending it to all four. I wish there was a thing like that for the other shelters.
I wish I could win the lottery and have a home for unwanted pets.
*sigh*
Alice, I have two dreams in life:
One…To get back home to Clarksville and stay!
Two…Win the lottery so I can help the neglected animals more then I am able to now!
Jeremy and I always talk about a animal preserve for dogs and cats if we won the lottery. Just 500 acres or so off in the country, with staff and such to keep everyone groomed and to train and feed and love all those who could get to it's gates--kindda like Boystown, just alot hairier. Skeeter I am all up for sponsoring a special needs or last chance baby. There is one on the petfinder right now called "easter" who just hit the URGENT list. I wish we could find her a doster home so that she wouldn't be harmed or put down. BUt I know that HS has it's hands full, and that some babies have to go to heaven. But I don't have to like it.
And yes Stacey--I love the story and it touched me very much--but no tears-sorry
Okay, I will try to post more special needs cases when I hear about them. I also sent an invite to Amy from the Humane Society so she can post those special cases here too if she wants.
We have to get Skeeter back to Clarksville. So, that means getting The Saint a good job here. I foget what he does, but tell us (and you can do it in an email) what kind of job it would take for you to make the move. Then we can put out our feelers and see what we can come up with.
And I will try next week to format this post for print! I have even more pictures of Phoebe. I'll post one or two on top showing her with her baby, "Henry" a rescued French Bull dog who came to the family as a puppy. Phoebe took her over and babysits and guides her. It's so SWEET.
we are all on the same page here about winning the lottery and helping the animals. If we win the lottery I plan to not only set up shelters for all the ones here now Cats R Us, HS, and the rest (Animal Control will be turned into a NO kill )but have some kind of business where all the profits go for them and they will always have funds not just a one time thing. You have to plan ahead you know. Maybe we should all play as a group since you hear of groups winning every so often. It might be a bit hard to work out on getting the tickets and money but it's a thought. As long as we all keep playing and try thats something.
Sandy, the Saint is a “System Administrator”. That is a fancy title for one which maintains computer equipment. He learned his trade in the Air Force but has worked on government Computer Contracts through the Army for the past 19 years. He is currently supporting two class rooms (full of computers) here at Ft. Gordon. He has a nice resume but not many companies outside the government will pay him what he is worth being around a GS-12 pay grade. Ft Campbell would be about his only chance at something in Clarksville and all they seem to hire is people that carry guns and jump out of helicopters! He has been researching the new hospital but with little luck. Nashville would be another choice but he keeps hitting brick walls with job availability…
If anyone knows of a computer support job, let us know!
Post a Comment
<< Home