Monday, June 29, 2009

Humane Society Speaks Out About Petland

See how Petland continues to support cruel puppy mills.

June 29, 2009
As you might remember, The Humane Society of the United States released the results of an eight-month investigation in November showing that pet store chain Petland Incorporated is the nation's largest retail supporter of puppy mills.
Our Puppy Mills team has been working hard in the months since that exposé was released, and today reveals disturbing new revelations about Petland.
The investigation revealed at least two Petland stores in Florida, the Orlando East and Largo stores, still buying puppies from the facility linked to Kathy Bauck, who was convicted on three counts of animal torture and one count of animal abuse in March. We also found some Petland stores still buying from at least two other puppy mills that we filmed and identified as part of our initial investigation.

Our team conducted an intensive six-month search of public records in multiple states and tracked shipments of puppies from massive commercial brokers to more than 95 percent of Petland's domestic stores. We revealed once again that the store chain is misleading customers about dealing with a special selection of breeders. Instead, Petland's franchisees buy most of their dogs from puppy mills either directly or indirectly through large-scale wholesalers, like Hunte.

This deceptive behavior continues to harm both animals and consumers. More than 600 people who purchased dogs from Petland have already contacted us about the class action lawsuit Petland is currently facing. If you haven’t already, please tell us your story if you bought a puppy from Petland.

We'll continue to keep the pressure on Petland to join other national pet store chains that refuse to sell dogs from puppy mills, until the company does the right thing for animals.
Thank you for your continued support in our campaign to stop puppy mills.

Sincerely,Wayne Pacelle


President & CEO The Humane Society of the United States

Best Hotel For Dog Lovers

If you take Highway 95 through Boise, Iowa and drive another four hours to Cottonwood, Idaho you'll come to a hotel called DOG BARK PARK INN. The entire three-story, 30 foot high bed and breakfast is shaped into a giant beagle. They opened the doors to this inn in 1997 and have been welcoming dog loving families ever since. This is the pet project of Dennis Sullivan and Frances Conklin who absolutely adore dogs and have a fabulous sense of humor to boot. Every last detail to their inn is centered around dogs from headboards with 26 canine heads carved by the owners to dog shaped cookies left on the guest pillows in the evening.There public restroom is a 11 foot fire hydrant. They average 500 guest a year staying at their inn.

Lodging Amenities, Rates & Policies
Dog Bark Park Inn offers an expansive continental self-serve breakfast featuring our family's secret recipe for The Prairie's Best Fruited Granola. Breakfast also includes a variety of teas, coffees, juices, fresh fruits, boxed cereals, milk, yogurts, cheeses, hard-boiled eggs, bagels, home-baked pastries.
Sleeps four: Queen bed & two twin foldout side-by-side futon mattresses in loft.
Full bath
Microwave
Small refrigerator
Breakfast table
Stairs to loft
Air Conditioning
Coffee maker – loft room
Clock radio
Hair dryer
Books, games, puzzles
Breakfast
No phone or television

Rates: $92/night double occupancy. Includes breakfast. $ 8 per additional person. Single occupancy $86.
Reservations: Visa/MasterCard to secure reservation. All rates subject to Idaho 8% tax. All rates subject to change without notice.
Check-in time: 3:30 – 5:30 pm Pacific Time. They must have advance notice if your arrival will be after 5:30 pm. Check-out: 12 Noon Pacific Time
Cancellation Policy: One week advance notice required for full refund. If you must cancel please call them as soon as possible at 1- 208 - 962-3647. So if your looking for a one of a kind inn to experience with your dog and family you will have to check out DOG BARK PARK INN !!! Past guest rave about the inn and recommend it to everyone.
Smoking Policy: Smoking is permitted outdoors on ground level only. Please do not smoke on the deck to avoid smoke infiltration indoors. Thank you for your strict adherence to this policy.

Take Me Home

Two of the dogs are young Beagles: a very small male that is around 8 months of age named “I am a Keeper” and a tiny female named “ME TOO” that is about 8 months of age. The male is a tri-color and the female is an unusual chocolate with white.
Both of these dogs have soft temperaments and should be very good with small children.
Neither dog is leash trained but they are food motivated and should be easy to train.
Call Carla Watt at the City office at 573-238-3517.

Hurry, these two small dogs only have until July 3 or they will be euthanized.
I have an update on their story:This morning Slim, from the City of Marble Hill, called to give me the full story on these two babies.
Turns out they are brother and sister, just that his teeth are more mature than hers and we thought he was older, being also larger...
Well, they are only 8 months of age and had belonged to a neighbor of theirs who was not caring for them. Slim tried to save them from entering the pound, but the little female is an escape artist and "walked" out of the high fencing he had, so to keep them safe he had to take them to the pound.
While in his care, these two pups were loved on constantly by his 6-year old child, who is heart sick that they had to be secured in the pound. Slim says these babies were "excellent" with his baby girl and he too has a very deep concern for their future.
Please help these babies find a permanent home.
Rescues must pay the pound fee. They can have their own vets do the vetting, but must prove they are licensed by the state of residency. The $100 fee we set for the city is a bargain by rescue standards too because the Bollinger County Stray Project looses money on the most of the pound dogs at that fee, because our typical costs are $110 to $125, depending on the size of the dog.
NOTE:I just want to inform everyone that the two young beagles both had tarter on their back teeth, even at this young age.

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Dogs Don't Care How Much Money You Have !!!

A dog just wants to be loved and to love you back. They don't care about where you live or how much money you make....they just want to be MAN"S BEST FRIEND !!! How can anyone not treat dogs with kindness is beyond me.

Friday, June 19, 2009

Dog Learns To Express Himself

I'd like to make a new car window sticker saying This is how dogs feel about puppy mill owners with the picture above!! This canine has finally found a way to express himself and to tell puppy mill owner what he thinks of them. Actually I think that most puppy mill dogs would prefer biting puppy mill owners. What is so sad is that knowing how forgiving and sweet most dogs are despite these amazingly cruel circumstances in puppy mills they do learn to trust again when rescued. Buy your next pet from your local shelter or look up rescue groups in your area to find your next family pet. So many wonderful dogs in shelters are put down every day. We all need to support our local shelters and rescues especially if they are a NO KILL facility. SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL SHELTER OR A RESCUE GROUP BY YOU AND YOU'LL BE REWARDED WITH A FABULOUS FAMILY PET.

Monday, June 15, 2009



No Kill Advocacy Center Study:
INVEST IN LEADERSHIP

The Costs of Saving Lives
A survey of animal shelter funding and save rates conducted by the No Kill Advocacy Center finds that if communities want lifesaving success, they should invest in leadership.
One shelter saved 90% of the animals. Another saved only 40%. One community has seen killing rates increase nearly 30%. Another has caused death rates to drop over 50%. There was, however, no correlation between success/failure and per capita spending on animal control. In other words, the difference between those shelters which succeeded and those which failed was not the size of the budget, but the commitment of its leadership.
Roughly, per capita funding ranged from about $1.50 to about $6.30. Save rates ranged from 35% ($2.00 per capita) to 90% ($1.50 per capita), but they did not follow any predictable pattern. There were shelters with an 87% rate of lifesaving spending only $2.80 per capita, and shelters with a 42% rate (less than half of the former) spending more than double that (at $5.80 per capita):
In other words, the amount of per capita spending did not seem to make a difference. What did make a difference was leadership: the commitment of shelter managers to saving lives.
While communities should provide adequate funding, only throwing money at the problem will do very little without leadership committed both to lifesaving and to accountability. In King County, WA, the City Council has spent millions of additional dollars since three independent evaluations in 2007 and 2008 revealed high rates of illness, deplorable conditions, cruelty and uncaring at King County Animal Care & Control (KCACC). In fact, the King County Council has never denied a funding request for KCACC. But no improvement in animal care has been made. Animals continue to languish, continue to get sick because of poor care, continue to go untreated, continue to suffer, and continue to die.In Portland, OR, likewise:
Over the course of the past few years (fiscal years 2003 though 2008), a period during which the total number of animals brought into the shelter increased by only 5 percent and the agency’s budget increased by 50 percent (to a current $4.6 million), nearly every measure of the agency’s performance documents failure. Adoptions are down by 40 percent (dogs) and 18 percent (cats). Nearly half of the dogs not returned to owners are killed; so too are nearly two-thirds of cats. The “kill rate” is now well above rates in neighboring counties facing far more severe budget limitations. Thousands of dollars are squandered on adversarial enforcement efforts that have achieved no meaningful improvement in the public’s safety. The number of animals saved by cooperating life-saving organizations and individuals, a number widely recognized as a key measure of community support, has dropped by 40 percent.
That doesn't mean that governments should continue underfunding their shelters. Shelters with low per capita spending claimed difficulty sustaining programs. As a result, the study should not be used as an excuse by self-serving politicians to reduce shelter budgets.
It does mean, however, that to really make an impact, communities must also invest in progressive leaders willing to embrace the programs and services which make No Kill possible. In the final analysis, the most important element of the
No Kill Equation is:
A hard working, compassionate animal control director who is not content to continue killing by hiding behind the myth of “too many animals, not enough homes” or regurgitating tired clichés about public irresponsibility.
Please note: The data is preliminary and still being analyzed. Some additional findings of the study included that municipal shelters save more lives than private shelters with animal control contracts, and that municipal shelters paid more for animal control than when private shelters performed animal control under contract. The conclusion for the latter finding was that governments tend to underpay private shelters for the service, at the expense of saving lives and the long-term financial health of these SPCAs and humane societies. Private SPCAs and humane societies have been subsidizing animal control for so long that it has become the unfair and unreasonable expectation of municipalities that these private non-profits should continue to do so.
Assuming that the agencies will retain these contracts despite compensation levels that fail to cover the actual costs of running animal control, and regardless of whether they are No Kill or killing shelters, governments are, in effect, having shelters use private donations to subsidize a government mandate. As a result, these shelters are using money raised for adoptions, medical care, and other lifesaving work to pay the cost of sheltering and killing stray and seized animals under their animal control obligations. Donor funding may also be used to enforce often arcane and inhumane animal laws (e.g., breed bans, cat leash laws, feeding bans, pet limit laws) which are inconsistent with lifesaving.
There are other notable studies as well:
Breed Bans are Economically Wasteful. Not only are dogs needlessly being killed because of them, but they are also wasteful financially. A new study commissioned by Best Friends shows the high economic cost of breed bans, without the corresponding public safety benefit. The study demonstrates that breed discriminatory legislation tends to exhaust limited resources in already under-funded animal control programs by flooding the system with potentially “unadoptable” dogs due to the ban. It is not that the dogs themselves are dangerous. The vast majority (roughly nine out of ten) are healthy, friendly, or treatable. It is that the legislation declares them to be “unadoptable” and slated for execution. Costs to regulate or ban the animals can run into the millions and provide no help to prevent dog bites. At a time when communities are declaring bankruptcy, this is yet one more reason why breed bans should be abandoned.
Too Many Homes, Not Enough Animals. The Maddie’s Fund keynote from No Kill Conference 2009 was based on a study by the Ad Council. It shows that 17 million people are going to bring a new pet into their home next year and have not decided where that animal will come from. They can be influenced to adopt from a shelter next year, where there are roughly 3,000,000 available animals.
Cost is the Primary Barrier to Spay/Neuter. Alley Cat Allies has a new study that shows while most house cats are neutered, the primary factor for neutering rates in household cats is income. The lower the household income, the lower the sterilization rate. The primary reason cited was cost. The research also found that low cost sterilization of unaltered feral cats would have a dramatic impact on impound and death rates in shelters.This research reaffirms what we have known in this movement since at least the 1970s when the city of Los Angeles opened the nation’s first municipally funded spay/neuter clinic in the United States for low-income pet owners and saw sterilization rates increase, and impound/death rates at local shelters plummet. Another study several years ago in Mississippi found 69% of pet owners with unspayed/unneutered animals would get them sterilized if it were free, a fact which is not surprising for a state with some of the lowest per capita incomes in the nation.It also reaffirms a ten year JAVMA study of feral cat impound and death rates in Ohio. It reaffirms an analysis of impound dates at animal control done in San Francisco in the mid-1990s that found upwards of 75% of kittens are from feral moms. It reaffirms early to mid-1990s-era studies (one in Santa Clara County, CA and the other in San Diego, CA) putting the percentage of sterilized housecats at or around 80%. And it reaffirms many others going back decades.
www.nokilladvocacycenter.org

Leena Is Out Of Time....


This sweet girl was the victim of an horrible case of cruelty. She was confiscated by animal control for having a chain collar deeply imbedded into the neck. (WARNING, the picture is graphic). The collar was removed via a surgical procedure and Leena has healed up nicely. Amazingly, Leena doesn't hold a grudge for what people have made her endure. She is a friendly girl, sweet, and just so happy to be alive. She does hope with all her heart that someone will give her a loving home though, where she can finally know what it feels like to be loved and well cared for. Leena is a medium size, short coat, young adult. She has an easy going personality and seems easy to handle. She thinks shelter-life is much better than what she had before. Imagine how thrilled she will be when she discovers what a caring home is all about?

UPDATE: Leena is out of time!!!!! Please help! The staff loves her and we have been doing all we can to buy her time - We are now running out of options. Our cages are full and we must make room for all the new unwanted pets that arrive everyday. It's not our fault; its definitely not Leena's fault... Its a reality we must face everyday at the city pound. Leena's only hope is that someone will come save her before we are no longer able to justify using up a kennel space for a dog nobody wants...
We promised Leena when she arrived that we would try to turn her life around. Could someone please help us keep our promise to her?

If you can help Leena, contact Jennifer Shive at 816-507-4502. Halfway Home Pet Adoptions Kansas City , MO (816) 513-9850

Saturday, June 13, 2009

PilotsNPaws

PilotsNPaws is trying to plan a 5,000 Animal Rescue Week to highlightsecurity clearance requirements that may threaten air transport ofanimals. They are asking if rescues across the country are willing toparticipate in transporting an animal of theirs on a given week yet tobe determined. TO DATE,THEY HAVE HAD FEW RESPONSES FROM RESCUE GROUPS.Air transport by volunteer pilots is so important. I think rescues wouldlove this!!! The word is simply not getting to them.I have posted a link to this blog. Please go there and comment and sendthis to rescue groups. CROSS POST like mad. We can't lose these pilots.They also need people to join as voluteer fosters. They have a greatinteractive map showing volunteers and where pilots are located. Pleasehelp with this. Can you imagine 5,000 animals in the air in one weekgoing to rescue or forever homes?!!!Please go the blog and comment if you are a rescue willing toparticipate. Obviously, people can't hold dogs but it enough can belocated within a given distance of these airports, then whoever has an animal that needs to get somewhere that week, can participate.
http://pilotsnpaws. org/forum/ viewtopic.php?f=13&t=1657& sid=786ddc1205e5 ca2 82ad0d23305c8f5a e
http://pilotsnpaws. org/forum/ viewtopic. php?f=13& t=1657&sid=786ddc1205e5 ca282ad0d23305c8f5a e>
Lecia 847-212-2429 (cell)

Monday, June 8, 2009

Mash Clinic On June 28th

June Events
A word from the Director of VolunteersI am so very pleased with the turnout for our Open House. If you were not able to join us, schedule a time to see our new facility!As promised, we have selected a name for the Volunteer program...P.A.W.S. Team! (Partners for Animal Welfare Solutions). Thanks again to everyone that submitted ideas and helped with this process.
MASH is BACK!!
JUNE 28th MASH CLINIC:
The date everyone has been waiting for is drawing near...JUNE 28th will be our first MASH clnic in our new building. We cannot conduct these clinics without significant volunteer support. Thanks in advance to each of you for helping pets in our community by volunteering at our MASH clinic.What is needed:ADMIN(helping guests as they arrive)-2 volunteersPET RUNNER(helping get pets to their section)-5 volunteersDOG SURGERY/RECOVERY(pre and post op)-33 volunteersCAT SURGERY/RECOVERY(pre and post op)-5 volunteersAUTOCLAVE(sterilizing surgical instruments)-6 volunteersWe will start at 6:30 AM and will probably end around 6-7 PM. Please respond by copying/pasting the following R.S.V.P. and email to tamara@snkc.net...ASAP!!R.S.V.P. (Your Name, email):Section you would like to volunteer in:When you will arrive/leave:
June Vaccinations Clinics:1116 E. 59th St. (NE corner of 59th and Troost)
June 13-Need 8 volunteers, 9-11(New Hours)June 20- Need 8 volunteers, 9-11(New Hours)Please email tamara@snkc.net to sign-up.
Pet Outreach:
June 20th-11-3, we will meet after the clinic and leave from SNKC to the neighborhood we are targeting. We very mcuh need SPANISH SPEAKING volunteers for this area. I am hoping for a large turn out to help support our MASH clinic surgeries! ALL ARE WELCOME!Please email tamara@snkc.net to sign-up.
Volunteer Orientation:
1116 E. 59th St. (NE corner of 59th and Troost)
June 12th- 1-3June 17th- 5-7June 26-1-3
Contact Us:
By Phone:816.353.0940
By Email: snkcnews@snkc.net
Follow us on Twitter: @SNKC

Saturday, June 6, 2009

Humane Society Has Great Advice On Their Site

So you’ve decided to get a dog. You’re
prepared to feed, exercise, train, clean up after,
work through problems with, and love a dog every
day for the next 10 to 20 years. You’ve evaluated
your lifestyle and know exactly what sort
of dog you’re looking for (e.g., a high energy dog
to go running with you or a more sedate dog to
lounge on the couch with you), and you know
that you need to seek desired characteristics in
individual dogs, not just a breed, because breed
is no guarantee of temperament or likes and
dislikes. Because you know that about one in every
four dogs in U.S. animal shelters is purebred, you
start there, because you want to do a great thing
and help a homeless dog. You know that most
dogs lose their homes because of “people
reasons” like cost, lack of time, lifestyle changes
(new baby, divorce, moving, or marriage), or
allergies, and not because of something the dog
has done. You’ve checked out the breed rescue
group for your desired breed but still haven’t
found “The One.” And you know better than to
buy a puppy from a pet store or over the Internet
because most of those puppies come from mass
breeding facilities better known as puppy mills.
HOW TO FIND A GOOD DOG BREEDER
So you’ve decided to buy a dog from a
breeder—but you don’t want to support someone
who doesn’t have the dogs’ best interests in mind.
How do you identify a compassionate breeder?
First, know that good breeders don’t breed to
make money—they don’t sell their puppies to
the first person who shows up with cash in hand.
Too often, people opt for convenience and quick
purchase and buy a puppy from a pet store or
over the Internet, thinking that they are dealing
with a reputable business. Too often, the result
of such practices includes puppies with poor
health or temperament problems that may not
be discovered until years later. Unfortunately,
these new pet families often end up heartbroken,
with dogs who have genetic health problems or
who develop significant behavior problems due
to a lack of early socialization. In some cases,
these problems can cost thousands of dollars
to treat.
So to avoid these pitfalls and choose a good
breeder, look for one who at a minimum:
Keeps dogs in the home as part of the family—
not outside in kennel runs
Only breeds one or two types of dogs and is knowledgeable
about what are called “breed
standards” (the desired characteristics of the
breed, such as size, proportion, coat, color,
and temperament)
Doesn’t always have puppies available but rather
will keep a list of interested people for the next
available litter
Has dogs who appear happy and healthy
and don’t shy away from visitors
Shows you where the dogs spend their time—
in a clean, well-maintained area
Encourages you to spend time with the puppy’s
parents—at a minimum, the pup’s mother—when
you visit
Has a strong relationship with a local veterinarian
and shows you individual records of veterinary
visits for your puppy
THE HUMANE SOCIETY OF THE UNITED STATES
Explains in detail the potential genetic
problems inherent in the breed (every breed
has specific genetic predispositions) and
provides documentation that the puppy’s
parents and grandparents have been tested
to ensure that they are free of these genetic
problems
Offers guidance for caring for and training
your puppy and is available for assistance
after you take your puppy home
Provides references from other families who
have purchased puppies
Feeds high quality “premium” brand pet food
Is actively involved with local, state, and
national clubs that specialize in the specific
breed; good breeders may also compete the
dogs in conformation trials (which judge how
closely dogs match their “breed standard”),
obedience trials (which judge how well dogs
perform specific sets of tasks on command),
or tracking and agility trials
Encourages multiple visits and wants your
entire family to meet the puppy
Provides you with a written contract and
health guarantee and allows plenty of time
for you to read it thoroughly; the breeder
should not require that you use a specific
veterinarian
In addition to those criteria, you’ll want a
breeder who requires some things of you,
too. The breeder should require you to:
Explain why you want a dog
Explain who in your family will be responsible
for the pup’s daily care, who will attend
training classes, where the dog will spend
most of his or her time, and what “rules”
have been decided upon for the puppy—
for example, whether or not the dog will
be allowed on furniture
Provide proof from your landlord or
condominium board (if you rent or live in
a condominium complex) that you are
allowed to have a dog
Provide a veterinary reference
Sign a contract that you will spay or neuter the
dog unless you will be actively involved in
showing him or her (which applies to showquality
dogs only)
Sign a contract stating that you will return the
dog to the breeder should you be unable to keep
the dog at any point in the dog’s life
If the breeder you’re working with doesn’t
meet all of these minimum criteria, The Humane
Society of the United States advises you to walk
away. Remember, your dog will likely live 10 to 20
years, so it’s well worth investing some time now
to be sure you’re working with a reputable
breeder who breeds healthy, happy dogs.
You can find reputable breeders by asking for
referrals from your veterinarian or breed rescue
group, contacting local breed clubs, or visiting
dog shows. Remember, a reputable breeder will
never sell dogs through a pet store or in any other
way that doesn’t allow interaction with buyers to
ensure that the puppies are a good match for the
families and that the buyers will provide
responsible lifelong homes.
Please don’t ever buy a dog without
personally visiting where he or she was born and
raised. Take the time now to find the right
breeder, and you’ll be thanking yourself for the
rest of your dog’s life.
humanesociety.org/stoppuppymills

Friday, June 5, 2009

Top 15 Low Cost & No Cost Ideas You Can Do To Help Animals

In these tough economic times you may think there is nothing you can do to help animals in the St. Louis area, well you thought wrong! Here is a top 15 list of low cost and no cost ideas of things you can do to help animals.

15. Create a link on your email signature that takes readers to your favorite shelter site and helps create awareness.

14. Join the Puppy Mill protest that occurs most weekends in Chesterfield and St.Peters. Contact: leannefritsch@yahoo.com

13. Call authorities if you suspect a pet is being abused or if you find out information about dog fighting in your area.

12. Never advertise a dog or cat as "free" in a classified ad. People pretend to be loving families who actually take these animals and sell them to research facilities or use them as bait for dog fighting. Always charge a nominal fee and do a home visit before letting your pet go with someone.

11. Join the Missouri Alliance for Animal legislation and be a part of the legal process to make Missouri a better place for pets. http://www.maal.org/index.asp

10. Click daily on the website on the right of my blog which donates .6 bowls of food for every click and then vote for your favorite shelter thru July 29, 2009 where they can Win up to $20,000 (Put these in your Favorites)

9. Clean out your closet and drop off the clothes and shoes at one of the Carol House furniture stores(One near Page and Lindbergh,the other near 44 and 141) The donation funds free and low cost spay/neuters thru OpsSpot.

8. Cut coupons for free pet treats and products out of the weekend paper. Once a month donate the items to your favorite shelter. Just last week I was able to get 3 boxes of kitten chow free!

7. Donate old towels, sheets and blankets to your shelter, they can always use them. Most also need newspaper.

6. Sign up for a free Schnucks escript card(available at the courtesy counter) then register the card for you favorite shelter. Every time you make a purchase at Schnucks and show your card, Schnucks donates money to your shelter.

5. Have your kids(or yourself) set up a lemonade stand, bake sale or garage sale and donate the proceeds to help build a new shelter in St.Louis City http://animalhousefund.org or the new Jefferson County Shelter http://newjcac.org .

4. Make sure your pet is microchipped and ALWAYS wearing a collar with an ID tag.

3. Volunteer to walk dogs and pet cats at your local shelter or be a foster parent to a homeless dog or cat through a local rescue group.

2. ADOPT, never buy, a pet.

And the number one thing you can do to help St.Louis area animals.......

SPAY OR NEUTER YOUR PET!!!!!

Please forward to everyone in your contact list and lets make Missouri known for being the number one pet rescue state not the number one state for puppy mills!
rescue:http://ssomail.charter.net/do/redirect?url=http%253A%252F%252Fwww.flickr.com%252Fgroups%252Fneedrescue%252F"ADOPT A PET AND SAVE A LIFE"

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

10 Calmest Dogs To Purchase

According to one source these are the 10 Calmest Dog Breeds
Newfoundland
Black Russian Terrier (can't imagine any terrier on this list)
MiKi (this sounds like a drink to me not a dog)
Scottish Deerhound
Mastiff
Great Pyrenees
Dogue de Boreaux (okay PLEASE with these names)
Caucasian Ovcharka
Bouvier des Flaundres
Biewer Yorkie
Personally just go to your local shelter and you can find some of the most loving, sweet-natured dogs around. Most shelters have about 40% puppies and always some pure breeds as well as just adorable dogs waiting for a loving family to call their own. Right now the recession has fueled shelters needs. As the economic crisis hits more households across the country, between 500,000 and 1 million pets are at risk of becoming homeless, estimates the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. This has the potential to put extra burden on animal shelters and rescue groups and all of them are feeling it right now. One wonderful shelter in the St. Louis area is the NO KILL Humane Society on 1099 Pralle Lane in St. Charles, Missouri 63303 and their phone number is (636) 949-9918. . Their adoption fees are so reasonable and they have some of the most beautiful sweet animals waiting for loving homes!!!

Stray Rescue Needs Foster Families

THE EMAIL BELOW IS FROM RANDY GRIM WITH STRAY RESCUE OF ST. LOUIS. THEY DESPERATELY NEED FOSTERS. IF YOU CAN FOSTER OR KNOW A DOG LOVER IN THE ST LOUIS, MO METROPOLITAN AREA WHO COULD HELP OUT NOW WE NEED THEM!
To foster go to www.strayrescue.org & fill out the application to foster. PLEASE CROSSPOST THIS EMAIL FAR & WIDE. THANKS FOR CARING!Hey gang- First thank you for all those who have open their homes and hearts to our strays. I have a moratorium on rescuing anymore until we can move our kids out of the kennels and vet clinics.this kills me for I have to say - as well as donna and Darrell- "hang in there, we will save you soon" to hundreds of street dogs waiting for their second chance. So here it goes-Please if you can squeeze in a dog into your home, let Tara know. If you have a friend or family member without a dog, ask them to take one of our "only" dog strays. If you are skilled at fostering and think you can handle an only dog stray and separate them from your crew.you get the Randy Grim Merit Award JTo put it in perspective we are using 4 to 6 kennels, just one of the kennels bill was over 15,000! We are working our butts off to raise the money for the new shelter but with the new reality it isn't going to happen as fast as we all thought one year ago.We have close to 300 dogs in our system- which is amazing but also means many more will die for we just don't have the space. That is the part of rescue that breaks me, eats me up. Help us out if you can.You guys rock! I am so blessed to have people who step up to the plate so often- you all! The strays I know thank you.If you are fostering too many as it is- remember to hit up as many adoption events as you can and network as much as you can.Last month I was walking with Donna down maybe a 50 foot alley to feed our strays. We found 3 dead and one who we promised to help in the past. We see so much and we have become "tough" inside to deal with what we see but that day I held Donna while she sobbed. I felt guilty for the week before I was going to get her and I didn't. It's brutal out there. It's reality.If you foster I will mow your lawn and send you a big bottle of Vodka (a rescuers medicine J ) Ask Tara and Marianne who at the kennels might fit in your home and please keep helping. The strays need you, I need you.Love, woof and a meow and please feel free to send this to other people....thxs :
Randy Grim Founder
www.strayrescue.org

Monday, June 1, 2009

Dogs Deserve Better

There is no longer a DDB rep for the St. Louis area. I was wondering if you could crosspost this so we can drum up some interest? ~Sandy
Dogs Deserve Better Reps http://dogsdeservebetter.org/reps.html
Do you long to make a difference for the chained dogs? Take on the volunteer Area Rep role! You will be leading this crusade in your area, and are encouraged to find other volunteers to work with you. Dogs Deserve Better will provide brochures, flyers and letters with your name and contact information. If interested in becoming an area rep, please contact the DDB National Area Rep Coordinator: Marie Belanger at ddbrepcoord@dogsdeservebetter.org.
Area Rep Responsibilities:
As an area rep, you will be an incredibly important resource for your community. You will be responsible for getting back to concerned citizens who e-mail or call about chained dogs in your area. While you are not required to foster (it is encouraged, even one dog at a time), we do expect you to be a resource for people who would like to give up chained or penned dogs in your community. This could involve going out to meet and evaluate the dog, take photos, and then searching via e-mail and phone for foster homes or breed rescues to help. When a dog is released to you, you are responsible for having the caretakers sign an action form, for our protection as well as an agreement that they will not chain or pen again.
It is also your duty to post fliers and posters for DDB, attend tabling events in your territory and to let local humane authorities, shelters, and vets know that you are a Dogs Deserve Better rep in their area.
Once a month, you will need to provide the area rep coordinator with a brief update of what you have been up to in your area and to discuss your concerns, efforts, and achievements. This will help us recognize what methods of education work best.
You are also encouraged to recruit volunteers so you can pursue additional activities such as fundraisers and presentations.
The title of area rep is a serious commitment— we at DDB realize that you probably have other daily obligations, but it is essential that you take the responsibilities of the job to heart and keep us informed if you feel you no longer are in a position to handle them.
Above all, you will be expected to remember the important role you are playing in the lives of animals nationwide, as well as in the lives of people who will be better educated thanks to your time and service.
Junior Area Rep Responsibilities:
As a junior area rep (If you are under the age of 18, you will be considered a junior rep), you will be an incredibly important resource for your community. You will be responsible for contacting local area reps regarding information from concerned citizens who e-mail about chained dogs in your area.
It is also your duty to post fliers and posters for DDB in your territory and to let local humane authorities, shelters, and vets know about the job you have taken upon yourself.
Have your state, first name, and email address listed on the site. Once a month, you will need to provide the national area rep coordinator with a brief update of what you have been up to and to discuss your concerns, efforts, and achievements. This will help us recognize what methods of education work best.