Look at this gorgeous grin! This dog is absolutely adorable! He looks like the happiest guy in the world. Unfortunately, Pen #136, an adult male pit bull, has somehow landed in an animal control facility. Despite his infectious grin, the fact that he was born a pit bull is a strike against this guy. He really needs someone special to bail him out!
The Shelter thinks that Pen #136 is a 1 year old black and white pit bull who is very playful, active, gentle, and super affectionate!!! He came in as a stray and is available for adoption, rescue or euthanasia beginning April 10th.
If you are interested in adopting Smiley Pen #136, please contact Gwinnett County Animal Control immediately at 770-339-3200.
Gwinnett County Animal Control
884 Winder Hwy (Hwy 29)
Lawrenceville, Ga 30045
or call 770-339-3200
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Smiley Boy Needs a Good Home, Lawrenceville, GA
Beautiful Glory Needs a Wonderful Home Where She Can Retire, McDonough, GA
It's just heartbreaking to see senior pets dumped off at animal control facilities. After giving years of utterly faithful devotion to their previous owners, they are simply abandoned, when the thing they deserve most is a warm bed and a gentle hand.
I saw a plea for this beautiful senior black lab through Saving Georgia Dogs. Glory 4/4-1036, a senior female black lab is located at the Henry County Animal Control Shelter in McDonough, GA. Sadly, at Henry County AC, a pet's time is not unlimited. Can you offer this beautiful, dignified senior lady a comfortable place to retire? Do you know a rescue organization that has room for this beautiful girl? If so, please contact the Henry County Animal Control Shelter at 770-288-PETS (7387) immediately!
Henry County Animal Shelter
527 Hamption Street
McDonough, GA 30253
Phone: 770-288-PETS (7387)
Puppy Breath!
As you may be aware, the pet overpopulation problem in the Southern states is overwhelming. On a daily basis, hundreds of perfectly adoptable dogs, including puppies, are euthanized simply because there is no where for them to go. One of my favorite organizations, Saving Shelter Pets, Inc., has created an innovative rescue program called Puppy Promises. Through this program, Saving Shelter Pets intervenes when an owner wants to surrender a litter of puppies to a shelter. The owner of the puppies agrees to quarantine the puppies for several weeks, and Saving Shelter Pets spays the mother dog, as well as any other intact pets in the household. By keeping the puppies out of shelters, Saving Shelter Pets keeps these cute little guys out of shelter environments, where they often contract parvo or other deadly diseases. The litters of adorable puppies are then transported to adoption centers and no-kill facilities in the Northeast, where they are quickly snatched up by happy adopters.
As spring approaches, puppies and kittens are flooding into the shelters. Right now, Saving Shelter Pets has 22 Puppy Promises puppies waiting to hitch a ride to the Northeast. Each puppy needs $35.00 to cover their "fare" on their way North. Can you buy one pup his or her ticket to ride? Click here to donate!
Saving Shelter Pets (SSP) is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) animal welfare organization. SSP facilitates rescues from high-kill animal shelters and promote spay & neuter, in an effort to give all pets the chance at life they truly deserve.
SSP is a small, all-volunteer organization with supporters and volunteers located throughout the country. SSP relies solely on donations to continue its rescue and spay/neuter efforts.
SSP is one of my FAVORITE rescue organizations. Through a group of dedicated online volunteers, SSP facilitates rescue from high-kill Georgia shelters. The group also has a WONDERFUL forum for pet lovers and anyone looking for ways to help shelter pets.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Help Shelter Pets While You Do Your Taxes!!
It's that time of year: TAX TIME!
If you use TurboTax, you can help shelter pets at no extra cost to you! All you have to do is sign up to iGive.com, and go to TurboTax through that site. TurboTax will donate a percentage of your total purchase price to your selected charity. TurboTax even makes a small donation if you do your Federal taxes for FREE!
iGive is an awesome program that allows you to shop online just as you normally would, except that your purchases through participating vendors help support your selected charity. This is a wonderful way to help your favorite charity with no extra cost to you. To make it even easier, iGive has a Shopping Window program that you can download. Each time you land on a site that is a participating vendor, you'll get a pop-up window to let you know that any purchases will help support your favorite charity. All purchases made by going through the vendor links at iGive or by using the Shopping Window program are automatically credited to your favorite charity.
Why not get started this weekend while you're working on your taxes?
Help Shelter Pets for FREE! Take Two Minutes and Write a Review
Insider Pages features an awesome fund-raiser program for charitable organizations. Right now, the Pet Rescue of Mercer is raising money through Insider Pages reviews. It's simple...simply sign up for an account with Insider Pages (I'm a member...no spam!), then write reviews of businesses you've patronized. Each review you write earns the Pet Rescue of Mercer either $1.50 or $0.50. If you think about it, that's a LOT of money for spending just two minutes of your time to write a review. PLEASE help this rescue organization out. This fund-raiser is over in just ONE DAY! Get on board right now and write a couple reviews! It costs you nothing but a couple minutes of your time.
Pet Rescue of Mercer is an all volunteer, not-for-profit animal 501 (c)(3) rescue group based in Mercer County, NJ. PRM rescues neglected, abused, and abandoned animals from local shelters by finding quality homes for them.
Foxy is just one of the beautiful pets awaiting adoption at the Pet Rescue of Mercer. Foxy is a senior female purebred Akita. She loves attention and is good with cats and dogs. Foxy is up to date on shots, spayed, and house-trained. If you are looking to adopt a pet like Foxy, please visit Pet Rescue of Mercer.
**UPDATE 4/9! FOXY WAS ADOPTED!**
Friday, March 28, 2008
Cool Magnets from PBRC
Awhile back I mentioned I went on a magnet shopping spree at Cafepress. You see, I had just moved, and I decided my new fridge needed a new look. I bought a bunch of magnets from various Cafepress stores, all of which help support animal rescue. Here are two I purchased from the Pit Bull Rescue Central Store.
I LOVE the magnet on the left! My fiancee has a buddy that refuses to have his adult black lab mix neutered, because "he just couldn't do that to his buddy." I think this magnet explains it well: "Real Men Have Their Own Balls -- Neuter Your Dog!"
The magnet on the right is just beautiful in real life. It poignantly points out the fact that we need remember that the blame for dog attacks lies with humans, not with the dogs.
Pit Bull Rescue Central website is a virtual shelter and resource for owners and caretakers of American Pit Bull Terriers, American Staffordshire Terriers, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, and pit bull mixes. The site features an absolute treasure-trove of information about "Bully Breeds" as well as a "virtual" shelter featuring adoptable "Pit Bulls" around the United States. As a bully-lover, I can't recommend this site enough. If you have a question about Pit Bulls, you will find an answer here.
Cutie Crystal Needs a Home! Georgia
Look at this cutie pie! What a unique mix! You can keep your puggles, I think I'll take this girl! She looks to be part beagle, part dobie. Does that make her a "beagleman" or perhaps a "dogle"?
Crystal 72778 is a 10 month old female beagle/doberman cross in desperate need of a new home. Her adoption fee is $110.00 which includes vaccinations, spay, rabies, and de-worming. Do you have room in your heart and home for this Georgia peach before her time is up?
If you can adopt Crystal, please contact Lowndes County Animal Services immediately!
Lowndes County Animal Services
337 Gil Harbin Industrial Blvd.
Valdosta, GA 31601
Phone: 229-671-2760
Are You Midnight's Good Luck Charm?
Black cats, like black dogs, are much less likely to be adopted from shelters and pounds. Sadly, many people still associate black cats with "bad luck." Black cats in shelters also often get overlooked in favor of "flashier" cats like Siamese, long-hairs, orangies, Maine Coons, etc. Black cats and "plain jane" tabbies are usually the first to go down in high-kill shelters, who are starting to see a huge influx of cats and kittens as kitten season begins.
This guy really breaks my heart. Midnight looks exactly like my mom's cat, Max. I tried to convince her that Max needed a buddy, but considering the fact that my mom is in Minnesota and Midnight is in Georgia, it just doesn't work. Can you give Midnight a home?
Midnight 08-1259 is a black adult male domestic short-hair cat in desperate need of a new home. He just loves attention! If you can help Midnight, please contact the Lee County Animal Shelter immediately.
Lee County Animal Control
759 Hwy 32 East Leesburg,Georgia
P.O. Box 889
Leesburg, Ga. 31763
Phone: 229-759-6037
dcopeland@lee.ga.us or dmathis@lee.ga.us
Check Out These Cool New Banners and Widgets from Petfinder.com
Many of our fellow pet-loving bloggers feature Petfinder.com "featured pet" widgets on their blogs. I just recently discovered that Petfinder now has dozens of other new cool banners and widgets to choose from. Please consider adding a couple to your website!
This new "featured pet" widget can be found here at Petfinder.com.
Here's another neat banner from Petfinder: 
And my favorite, the "101 Reasons to Adopt" series of banners: 
These awesome banners and MORE can be found here at Petfinder!
Awards! (and a little bit about me)
I apologize profusely for being absent for so long! Sometimes real life gets in the way of the fun stuff ;)
A little more about me, for anyone who is interested: I'm a full time law student in my spare time when I'm not trying to help shelter pets, so I've been super busy with school lately. I just got done with a mid-term and taking the MPRE (keep your fingers crossed for me-- I'll find out if I passed in a couple weeks), and I've been super busy at the law firm where I work. The good news is, I'll be graduating in May! After three years of working my butt off, I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel! It will be weird after I graduate to be able to say "I'm a lawyer." Then comes the Bar Exam. Yikes!
I've also got a job lined up when I graduate, so that's a huge relief. Many of my classmates are scrambling to find some sort of job to help pay the gigantic student loan bills that are going to start coming in a few short months.
I started law school with all sorts of altruistic aspirations to do all sorts of good with my law degree. It was my intention to become a criminal defense attorney -- specifically, a public defender. During my second year, I came to realize that criminal defense work wasn't really what I wanted to do. Moreover, I also came to the conclusion that if you want to make enough money to pay back your student loans when you're done with school, you probably better look at private practice or a corporate law job. Ironically, it seems that public interest legal work is best reserved for those law students who come from wealthy backgrounds. Those jobs really just don't pay enough. Lots of people think lawyers are rich. That's not necessarily the case, I've discovered. The cost of education has gone up exponentially, while the pay scale for attorneys has barely risen over the last couple decades. We now graduate with much, much more student debt, fewer job prospects, and lower earning potential.
But, I digress. I worked for a solo practitioner law firm last summer doing personal injury and workers' compensation. It was just supposed to be for the summer, but at the end of the summer, my boss offered me a job. He decided it was time the firm brought on a second attorney. Yay!
Anyway, I'm so honored to report that Saving Lives One at A Time received two blog awards while I was absent from the blogging world.
First, we received the "Wonderful Site Award" from The Cat/Dog Log. We are so honored! Thank you!
We also received the "You Make My Day Award" from Kay's K9's. Thank you!!
We are proud and honored to pass these two awards on to Pet Rescuer Central. This wonderful blog always has awesome information about a variety of subjects related to animal rescue.
**UPDATE 4/10!***Just wanted to share...I passed the MPRE! Yay!
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
The Devastation of Parvo: Can You Help Save This Pup?
Parvo is an absolutely devastating, highly-contagious viral canine disease. It most often strikes puppies, and typically, those infected with Parvo have only a 50% chance of survival. Puppies and adult dogs are usually vaccinated against Parvo, but shelter pups, who have often never received their puppy shots, are extremely susceptible to this terrible disease.
It is also extremely easy to spread Parvo, and the virus itself is extremely hardy. Most disinfectants don't kill it, and it can live in the environment for five months or longer.
In puppies, the virus usually takes about 7-10 days to incubate, which means that up to a week may pass after exposure before the puppy shows symptoms, or before the pup tests positive for parvo. The first symptoms of Parvo usually include a high fever, lethargy, depression, and loss of appetite. As the disease progresses, symptoms include vomiting and bloody diarrhea. Left untreated, the disease progresses to dehydration, shock and death. For more excellent information about Parvo, please visit the Working Dogs website.
Recently, I received an urgent plea for some pups at the St. Martin Parish Animal Control Facility. Three pups came in, and over the course of just a couple days, their physical health rapidly deteriorated. A kind soul brought the sickly pups to the vet, where they were diagnosed with Parvo. Unfortunately, as of this morning, two of the puppies have died. Their young systems just couldn't beat this devastating disease. One puppy is fighting to survive.
This little girl, 444518, is a baby rottweiler mix, and she's fighting for her life to survive.Given the severity of the disease, the costs for treating the puppies, both the puppies that didn't make it, and the one puppy that is fighting for her life, are going to be enormous.
If you have a few spare dollars, please consider donating it to help offset the costs of treating the pups. Donations can be made to the St. Martin Humane Society. Please note that the donation is for the "parvo pups."All donations are tax deductible.
If you can't donate, please consider cross-posting this plea for help, or please send your prayers and/or good vibes to the one pup fighting for her life.
UPDATE 3/20: I'm very sad to report that the remaining "Parvo pup" has gone over the Bridge. She appeared to be doing a little bet better, and then she was gone. Thank you to anyone who donated, cross-posted, or sent prayers or good thoughts to the sick puppies.
In loving memory of the two babies who didn't make it. May you find love, health, and peace at the Bridge.
Sweet Pea is a Sweetie Pie! Adopt Her Today! Georgia
Sweet Pea 9182 is an adult female orange tabby cat. From the looks of her profile photo, she loves to "sing." When she's not practicing her vocal scales, Sweet Pea loves lounging in laps and getting snuggles.
Unfortunately, Sweet Pea somehow landed herself at a shelter, and her time is not unlimited. As kitten season fast approaches, the situation may get dire for Sweet Pea if she is not adopted soon!
If you are interested in adopting Sweet Pea, please contact the Bainbridge-Decatur Humane Society immediately!
Bainbridge Animal Shelter
1300 Cox Avenue
229-246-0101
bainbridgedchs@bellsouth.net
Like humans, cats have one pair of sex chromosomes. These are the ones that make them male or female and they play an essential role in determining a cat’s colour. In females, both sex chromosomes are X making girl kitties XX. Males are XY, the Y making them male. A kitten gets one chromosome from Mom and one from Dad. Moms only have X’s so the variable is given by the Dad, if he gives his X, the kitten is a girl, if he gives his Y, it is a boy.
The gene which makes a cat ginger (orange) is located on the X chromosome. The gene for ginger will override all other colours. Since males have only one X, they either are or aren’t ginger - no halfway about it. Girl cats have two X’s in each cell. As far as the cells are concerned two X’s is one too many, so each cell deactivates one of the X chromosomes in a fairly random fashion . . .
Since males only need to have the orange gene on one chromosome to become ginger, and females have to have it on two, ginger males outnumber females 3 to 1.
Nymphadora Tonks is Looking for Her Magical Person! Black Lab, Fargo-Moorhead
Nymphadora Tonks, or "Dora" for short, is a beautiful one-year old female black lab. She is currently fostered by my sister-in-law-to-be through Adopt-A-Pet of Fargo-Moorhead. Sweetie "Dora" was adopted when she was just a puppy, but she was returned to Adopt-A-Pet.
Are you that "magical" someone "Dora" is looking for?
From her foster:
"She is the sweetest dog I have ever met! Dora is quite mellow for a lab. She is the kind of dog that is excited when you want her to be excited, and lazy when you want her to be lazy. She will gladly go on a walk and then cuddle with you for a nap. She just wants to be loved! Dora thinks she is a lap-dog. One of her favorite things to do is be the "big spoon" when you sleep at night. Dora loves snow and will try to make her own snow-angels in the deep stuff. Dora is spayed and current on all her shots. Due to some unfortunate circumstances at her previous residence, Dora had trouble going to the bathroom as much as any other dog would, but she has not once had an accident inside. Dora is also very fearful of certain men but accepting of women and some men. Once she realizes you aren't going to hurt her she will try to lick your face off! Dora is sweet enough to be around kids and she loves to play with other dogs. Dora has never chewed anything she wasn't supposed to, but she does like to lazily pull apart her own toys. Right now she is about 10 to 15 pounds overweight but she should hopefully lose it quickly with a healthier diet and a few more walks during the day!"If you are interested in adopting "Dora," please contact "Adopt-A-Pet" of Fargo-Moorhead.
Adopt-A-Pet
P.O. Box 865
Moorhead, MN 56561
Info/Cat Line: 701-232-5856
Dog Line: 701-232-5681
If "Dora" isn't right for you, but you live in the Fargo-Moorhead area, please consider adopting a needy pet from "Adopt-A-Pet." About "Adopt-A-Pet":
Adopt-A-Pet is a non-profit, completely volunteer-run organization with the primary goal of placing rescued pets in loving and responsible homes. We are dedicated to keeping our animals happy and healthy.
We receive no government financial support. Adopt-A-Pet relies solely on private donations to keep operating. Private donations, fundraising events, and our adoption fees help us pay for food, medical supplies, and the veterinary expenses we incur every month.
All of our animals are under our care until a permanent home can be found, no matter how long it takes.
Did you Know????
Each year hundreds of cats and dogs are euthanized. In 2006, 1291 cats were admitted to the Fargo, West Fargo, and Moorhead pounds, and 574 of them were euthanized. In 2006, 979 dogs were admitted to the pounds, and 112 were euthanized. These numbers do not account for the large numbers who die on the streets or are hit by cars. Please spay or neuter your pets.
Do you have extra room in your heart and home to provide temporary safety to a dog or cat in need? One of the greatest ways to help rescue organizations is to foster pets. For more information, please visit the Pet Foster Network, which has lots of great resources for people considering fostering.
I'm happy to announce that "Adopt-A-Pet" of Fargo-Moorhead is also to be the March recipient of proceeds from my Cafepress store, Reekoe's Room. 100% of the profits from every sale from my store through the month of March goes directly to "Adopt-A-Pet."
Friday, March 7, 2008
Looking for a Perfect Dog? Look No Further!
From Homeward Bound Dog Rescue:Name: Perfect
Breed: Pug / Poodle / Doxie / Golden Retriever / Cavalier King Charles Spaniel / Bichon
Age: Puppy
Gender: Male / Female
Description: Are you looking for a dog who has perfect manners, never has an accident, doesn't shed, adores children (even toddlers who tug on his ears or stumble on him while he is sleeping), needs no exercise, doesn't bark, has impeccable manners, never chews, and needs no training? Perfect is just that and then some. Perfect requires no heartworm preventative, never needs to be groomed, and never needs to go to the vet. He gets along with all other animals, even rabbits, and never even so much as grumbles at another animal, even if another dog is eating out of Perfect's dog dish. He'd be perfect for someone with a very busy life who isn't home much. If Perfect sounds like the perfect dog for you, you may find more dogs just like him at your local toy store. If Perfect DOES NOT sound quite what you are looking for in a pooch, you'll be a great guardian for a real dog! As you can see, we have tons of other wonderful, perfect-in-their-own-unique-way dogs!
We rescue all types of dogs, ranging from small to large breeds. Roughly 40% of the dogs we rescue are purebred while the other 60% are mixed breeds. The age of the dogs varies from puppies to adults. We will tell you about each dog's history, personality, & behavior, including whether or not they are good which children and other pets, their exercise needs, & other important information.
Each week, new dogs are rescued and we hold pet adoptions every Saturday at a Petco location from 11:30a.m. - 4p.m. in the Twin Cities area. Please see our Adoption Dates and Locations for more information.
If you live in the Twin Cities Metro area and are looking for a new furry friend, please check out all the wonderful pets available at Homeward Bound Rescue.
Are You An Artist or Graphic Designer? Donate Your Talents!
In trying to figure out ways to raise more money to donate to my favorite rescue organizations, I decided to experiment with Cafepress. If you're not familiar with Cafepress, it is an site that allows members to build an online store, hosted by Cafepress, to upload designs, and to sell hundreds of items featuring those designs to online shoppers. All hosting is managed by Cafepress, as is all order processing, and manufacturing. For the most part, all you have to do is set up your store, and upload designs.
You can set up a store for free, or you can pay a relatively small fee to have a "premium" store. After experimenting with a couple free stores, I set up my first premium store, Reekoe's Room. My store features over 100 pet-related designs, focusing on animal welfare, animal rescue, and spaying and neutering. Each month, I choose a deserving animal welfare organization, and donate 100% of my profits. My little "experiment" has turned out to be a huge success. Since I started my store about six months ago, I have been able to donate an extra $1,000 to animal rescue organizations. To see which organizations I'm supporting, please click here.
A Cafepress store can be a very lucrative fundraiser for animal rescue organizations. For tips on how to make your store a success, please visit Cafepress Tips for Animal Rescue Organizations. All it really takes is a little time and some effort.
For individuals wishing to help rescue organizations, starting a Cafepress store and donating a portion of your proceeds is a great way to help. If you've got some ideas for t-shirts or bumper stickers, start a free store, and donate your profits to rescue. If you've already got a Cafepress store, consider donating a portion of your proceeds to animal welfare organizations. Or, you could make a "special edition" design, the proceeds from which are donated to rescue. Finally, you could donate a t-shirt, or a mug, or some stickers to organizations looking for raffle items or prizes.
One other option is to create a design and donate that design to your favorite animal rescue organization if they already have a Cafepress store. Click here to find out size and dimension suggestions for your designs. Typically, your favorite organization's website will have a link to their store. Otherwise, check out this site for an extensive list of organizations with Cafepress stores.
As an example of how this works, I am offering this design from my store, free, to any qualified organization or individual who wishes to use it for animal-welfare related purposes. To get a copy of this design as high-quality, large-scale png. file, please e-mail me at jyackley01@gmail.com. Please include the e-mail address where you wish to have the file mailed, as well as what you intend to use the image for.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Chardonnay & Michelob, Senior "Pups at Heart" Need a New Home, Ohio
Did you know that shelters have a much harder time placing big black dogs? This tendency for adopters to by-pass large black dogs is known as "black dog syndrome." No one is quite sure why would-be adopters overlook large black dogs waiting for a new home. I'd like to thank Pet Rescuer Central for posting a link to this fascinating article about Black Dog Syndrome. If you are in the market for a new dog, please don't overlook those wonderful Big Black Dogs.
Here are two wonderful big black dogs that are in desperate need of new homes. Chardonnay and Michelob were turned in together by their owner who was diagnosed with a debilitating illness. Chardonnay and Michelob are now fighting for their lives. Both are scheduled for euthanization on March 22, 2008.
These two dogs have been constant companions since they were puppies. They are now both 11 years old. Chardonnay is an adult female black labrador retriever. Michelob is an adult male shepherd mix. They want nothing more than a nice place to relax and retire. If possible, they'd love to be adopted together.
Both dogs have spent their entire lives as outside dogs, and would really love for someone to bring them home and let them live inside. Both Chardonnay and Michelob are already altered and are very sweet.
Chardonnay and Michelob also come with sponsorships for any qualified rescue that can save them.
If you can adopt or rescue these sweet pups, please contact the Stark County Dog Warden Department immediately!
Stark County Dog Warden
1801 Mahoning Road NE
Canton, OH 44705
330-451-2343
starkdoginfo@yahoo.com
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Can You Find the Pit Bull?
Pit Bull lovers in Minnesota, my home state, are currently battling attempts to introduce Breed-Specific Legislation which would ban ownership of "Pit Bulls," Rottweilers, Chow Chows, Akitas, Wolf-Hybrids, or any mix thereof.
One of the many problems with Breed-Specific Legislation is that there is no such thing as a "Pit Bull" as a breed. Several breeds are commonly classified as "Pit Bulls," such as the American Pit Bull Terrier, the American Staffordshire Terrier, and the Staffordshire Bull Terrier.
However, dozens of different types of dogs are commonly mis-identified as "Pit Bulls." Herein lies the problem. Even pit-bull fanciers, and persons that would be classified as "experts" can have difficulties determining whether a dog is a purebred "Pit Bull." Yet, Breed-Specific Legislation (BSL) typically requires law enforcement officers or animal control officers to try to make on-the-spot determinations as to whether a given dog is a "Pit Bull."
Part of the problem underlying Breed-Specific Legislation is that is it usually based on the notion that Pit Bulls are somehow inherently dangerous. This idea is typically based on widespread media reports of "Pit Bull" attacks. The Merrit Clifton "study" and the Centers for Disease Control statistics are widely relied on by proponents of Breed Specific Legislation. The CDC freely admits that its statistics are unreliable, however, Clifton concludes that his study reflects that Pit Bulls are inherently dangerous dogs. Both the CDC study and the Clifton study rely on MEDIA reports of dog attacks. We all know the problem with that...a cocker spaniel attacks a child, and it isn't reported. A "pit bull" scratches someone and it makes national headlines.
Beyond that, given the fact that "experts" often have difficulty identifying "pit bulls" how on earth can one expect that victims of dog attacks would accurately identify the breed of the dog?
To illustrate this problem, please visit Pitbulls on the Web. Can you Find the Pitbulls? I consider myself relatively knowledgeable about dog breeds, but I was TOTALLY wrong! I'm sad to admit that I've seen this webpage many times before, yet I STILL can't pick out the pit bulls! Can you??
For more information on the battle against BSL in Minnesota, please visit A Rotta Love Plus.
For more information about Breed-Specific Legislation in general, please check out these resources:
The Merritt Clifton study so you can judge for yourself. Biased much?
The CDC study on dog-related fatalities.
Info on BSL from Pit Bull Rescue Central.
Understand-a-Bull: Great Resources about BSL.
Dog Bite Law, presents a balanced view of the issue of dog-bites.
Good summary of the issues from Dog-Play.
HSUS position statement on BSL.
More info from Bless the Bullys.
Good info from PitBulls on the Web.
From PitBulls: The Truth -- lots of great facts and resources.
StopBSL.com: really good info about BSL.
BADRAP's take on BSL.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Willy, Happy Black Lab Desperately Needs a New Home, Nebraska
Willy NE4 is an adult male purebred black labrador retriever in desperate need of a new home. He's a fun-loving guy that would make an awesome family pet! Willy's adoption fee is $30, which includes Parvo, Distemper, Hepititis, and Parainfiluenza vaccinations, a free vet exam, a $15.00 neuter coupon, and a $5.00 rabies coupon. Willy is located at the North Platte Animal Shelter in North Platte, Nebraska. The Shelter is an animal control facility, so Willy's time is extremely limited! In fact, he is scheduled for euthanization on March 3, 2008. Can you give this happy guy a new life?
If you are interested in adopting Willy, please contact the shelter immediately!
North Platte Animal Shelter
1402 N Sycamore St.
NORTH PLATTE, NE 69101
308-535-6780
Contact name: Staci Blake
Contact email: staciblake@yahoo.com
Catnappers: Helping Feral Caretakers
I ran across a wonderful organization called Catnappers, located in Albany, Georgia. This organization is dedicated to helping feral cats by providing assistance, education, and resources to feral cat caretakers.
One of the major ways they are helping feral cats is through their low-cost spay and neuter program. Catnappers sponsors low-cost spay and neuter clinics, and clinics especially for feral cat caretakers. Through sponsoring T-N-R (Trap-Neuter-Return), Catnappers is assisting caring individuals to help feral cats.
So how can you help this awesome program? Sponsor a spay! Click here to donate to this wonderful cause! Feral cat caretakers can also apply for assistance from Catnappers directly through their website.
CatNappers
PO Box 71203
Albany, Ga. 31708
http://www.mystraycat.org/index.html
Why Shelters and Rescue Organizations Charge Adoption Fees
I'm honored to report that Jane at Pet Rescuer Central asked me to do a guest post on her site about why shelters and rescues charge adoption fees. She has kindly permitted me to repost the article here.
I often run into people that think they should be able to “adopt” or “rescue” a pet free of charge. After all, they’re saving the animal’s life, right? Why should they have to pay anything when they’re doing that organization a favor by taking the pet off their hands? Plus, giving away those pets, or reducing the fee will encourage more people to adopt, right?
These folks are missing the big picture.
Shelters and rescue organizations charge adoption fees for three basic reasons: 1) to attempt to recoup a small portion of the cost of rescuing pets, 2) to discourage impulse adoptions, and 3) to keep the bad guys away.
1. First, shelters and rescue organizations charge a fee to attempt to cover at least a portion of the costs incurred in caring for the pet prior to the adoption. Depending on the agency, the costs involved can vary greatly. Some shelters provide only food, water, and shelter before the animal is adopted, or more likely, euthanized. Other shelters and organizations, however, go to great lengths to save severely ill, injured, or neglected pets, and care for the animal until it finds a home, which can sometimes be for the life of the animal. Most shelters and rescue organizations fall somewhere in the middle. Often, these organizations are no-kill, which (depending on who you ask), means that a pet will be taken care of for the duration of its life if a suitable adoptive home cannot be found. In addition to providing the basic necessities of food, water and shelter to these pets, most organizations also spay or neuter, provide vaccinations, perform necessary veterinary care, and last, but not least, provide companionship, socialization, and comfort for the pet prior to its adoption. Non-profit organizations, such as most humane societies and rescue organizations exist and do their work supported solely by the generosity of donors. Once in a great while, these organizations receive grants, endowments, or other forms of funding, but not very often. And, contrary to popular belief, the vast majority of organizations receive absolutely no funding from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), or any other national animal welfare organization. Animal control facilities, on the other hand, often have contracts with local government to protect the public from stray, unwanted, or sick animals. However, the funding received by animal control facilities usually does not even come close to the amount needed to do a good job.
This is where the adoption fee comes in. Depending on the extent and level of care provided to the animal prior to its adoption, the fee is almost always dwarfed in scale to the actual expense incurred in caring for that pet.
Here’s a fairly common scenario: A rescue organization “rescues” what appears to be a purebred male black Labrador retriever that is about 1 ½ years old, from an animal control facility, where it has been slated for death because its owner cannot be found, and its “hold time” has expired. The animal control facility has most likely provided only the bare necessities, i.e., food, water, and shelter, to the dog during its stay at the “pound.” When the rescue pulls the dog, it often has to pay a “pull” fee, which is generally a reduced adoption fee. Let’s say the pull fee is $15.00 for rescue organizations at this particular animal control facility.