Meet Little Romeo

The adoption went super-well. We brought my dogs into the bedroom, kept Romeo on his leash, and had George off his leash in the living room, where Romeo was, since he does better that way when meeting new dogs.

The initial meeting when very well. Romeo was suitably deferential to the other three dogs (who are all rescues).  I took my dogs out of the bedroom and into the living room, on their leashes, and did the close-but-not too close thing for about a half hour. There were no big skirmishes until late in the evening and at that point it was Romeo who lunged at George, who walked too close to Romeo while he slept in his bed (or actually, one of the other dogs' beds). George is a bit like Oscar the Grouch but he's easier with other dogs than he used to be. Romeo started the argument and George pinned him to the ground. Feisty yorkie! I bet Romeo will be more careful going forward.

Overnight he slept in his bed (again, another dog's bed) and stayed there all night till I walked them at 6:30am. We're walking them about every three hours right now till he gets used to his routine. When he first got here, my Mom kept his leash on him and walked him throughout the house. He peed on everything. It took us a few hours to realize he thought he was being walked! Since being off-leash in the house, he has only marked one area - not again since - and no pooping inside (even though he had slight diarrhea, which happens when dogs are nervous at being switched from one situation to another). It's already cleared up and now he's on a regular walking, pooping, eating schedule.

All is well. Here are some pictures of the adventure yesterday.  Mom is so glad she got George a companion, and I am so glad this guy got out of the shelter. He was NIPPY there because he was afraid and I was afraid for his life because he couldn't get placed. One rescue already said no to him. And here he is, now, a bundle of happy joy and good nature.

In the car, happy he's out of jail. He and Mom match.

One of the trees in my lobby provided facination.

Wow, this place is nice and much bigger than my shelter digs!

I know what I'm doing. (They sure do learn fast!)

Mom learned, too, how to provide a comfy place to sit!

Smiling shyly for the camera.

Everyone is so happy!! Shelter dogs are the best!!


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Ain't It The Truth?

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A Sea of Neon

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

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xoxo (I cried two seconds into this and am so happy I watched it!)

Adopted

I haven't written about Yonkers Animal Shelter in a while. Things have been good. I still volunteer there on the weekends, and am in love with precisely 104 dogs.  Last year was one of the best we had in adoptions, I'm told, and that was a surprise since things slowed down terribly for a long stretch, likely due to the economy. We've adopted out a good number already this year, with four going home this weekend!  I don't want to jinx anything (it's a superstitious thing) and will talk about them another time.

Suffice it to say two favorites of mine went home, and the last one I had the pleasure of watching him sit in the backseat with his new owner, in a car full of family members, and they all were waving goodbye. It was like the scene out of The Wizard of Oz with everyone waving as Dorothy goes into the balloon.

I'm so pleased about the two that I knew a while getting adopted. It's funny; one week you are taking care of them with treats, making sure they get their walk; the next they are no longer homeless. I marvel at how one minute things can seem a little hopeless for some and the next minute you know they will have a warm bed in a home that very night.

In the meanwhile, here is a picture of one that got adopted a few years ago by a then-volunteer.  I hope and pray they all get homes like this!

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xoxo (Best of luck to our little ones that got homes this weekend. They certainly earned them).

All Good News!

So much good news tonight that I must do an extra post!

First, I've been waiting patiently to announce this. We don't like to say these things too soon because we never want to jinx ourselves, or worse, the dog.

http://pets.lohudblogs.com/2009/11/03/congratulations-maybelle/

Read the story; you'll be glad you did. I will add only that Maybelle was with us for so long that she had developed kennel callus.  That is, she stood on cement for so long that she had tough spots on her feet. Sad; occasionally they would get infected and she'd have a little trouble walking or be uncomfortable. She'd be treated immediately (and taken special care of by Darlene, shelter worker extraordinaire), but still, this one really deserved a home.

Here's the picture of Maybelle and her new family. God bless them!

Maybelle

Also, I got word that Mitzi and Coco, both adopted last week, along with Sandee (aka Floppy Ear) the week before, are all doing well. This week Scout and Baxter are being adopted.  Yahoo!

Here are the lucky babies:

Mitzi

Coco

Scout

Sandee

and Baxter (Sweet boy!)

Also, tomorrow morning we are announcing a BIG GIFT made to the

Yonkers Animal Shelter!

Stay tuned...

xoxo

Victories And Disappointments

Raining again today. The dogs can't catch a break weather-wise. It stinks for them to be damp and for the outdoor pens to be soaked. As per usual, almost all the volunteers showed despite the bad weather. Camillo The Volunteer made friends with Mr. Willie, who needs to learn manners. When I was pulling away today Mr. Willie was sitting nicely and his ears were out flat, like he was listening! Camillo is good with the big dogs.

Well, we had the pleasure of seeing Coco leave today with a nice family and Mitzi being looked at. Sadly, the good comes with the bad, as both Smoke (a new boy who was owner-surrendered and has not cottoned to anyone and is a little too aggressive), and Abbey (long-timer at the shelter but who no one seems interested in) will be put down tomorrow morning. I hesitate writing the bad news but it is the truth. A number of volunteers are upset, but they understand, too. The shelter has been wonderful to Abbey; she's had a good life there and it's just time to make room for the new comers, who keep coming.

Good news from last week, Maybelle was adopted!  She was a long-timer, too, and I hear it's going well with her new family. 


Victories and disappointments.

xoxo

Two Good Adopt-A-Pit Bull Stories, in Honor of Pit Bull Awareness Day

...

As you may have noticed I write a lot about pit bulls.  If you asked me six months ago whether this would be true, I would have told you it was more likely for me to jump out of a plane.  I never wished them harm; I just didn't know a lot about them except the sensationalistic news stories that you see. 

So how did I get here? 
http://shelter-tails.blogspot.com/2009/07/volunteering-at-yonkers-animal-shelter.html

I have learned that pit bulls are a completely maligned breed. Like people, they come in all shapes and sizes.  If you saw the many pit bulls we have at Yonkers Animal Shelter, you would think they are just like people in this regard.  To suggest that all pit bulls are fighting dogs is like saying all people are body builders!  It's a ridiculous notion. Most of them are just homeless; their owner has fallen on hard times, someone neglected them, or they ran away and no one found them.  And now, some buildings in New York City are even banning breeds over 25 lbs.  Big mistake. It's an easy way out and it will only cause more trouble.

See why:  http://www.aspca.org/about-us/policy-positions/breed-specific-bans.html

I would add to the ASPCA's statement that banning large breed dogs is only going to encourage the terrible problem of puppy mills breeding little dogs.  That is a post for another day, but trust me when I say it's a terrible thing. Don't ever buy puppy-store dogs; 100% of them come from puppy mills.  100%: no exaggeration.

Back to pit bulls: I asked around at some of the pet-friendly discussion boards for positive stories on pit bulls and here are the two stories that I received.

From Kristin in Nevada:

I have attached photos of Johnny Walker Red (he's the white and brown/red one). Johnny was born to backyard breeders. When they were unable to sell him, they dumped him and his sisters. We added Johnny to our fur-loving family and he is by far the funniest dog I know.

Johnny licks out our dishes and coats his face in spaghetti sauce, loves water and opens the shower curtain on you, and his favorite is waking up the kids. When we let him out of our room in the morning to go outside, he runs directly to our children's bedrooms and licks their faces to get them up to play. When he's excited, he flips his head around like Fraggle Rock. He's learning to sit up, but often falls over backward. I'm am laughing out loud imaging his fearful face as he reaches out his arm for you to pull him back. He is an awesome cuddler and the fastest cat food eater on earth. In a split second, the dish can be cleared without a kernel left.

Johnny is still a puppy so he chews on things as puppies do. This morning he ate a blue marker. I only knew because his face and paws were blue! Our command to send Johnny to his crate is "Lock Down." Just a threat is enough to get him to obey. I caught him yesterday with a roll of toliet paper in his mouth. All I said was "lock do...." and he spit it out on the floor.

Johnny chased our cat for the first two weeks, but was easily trained out of it. Now he just follows the cat around, VERY slowly and VERY closely. He gives him big slobbery kisses when he catches him and our snooty cat HATES it! It's just what he deserves!

Johnny was 9 months old when we got him, but it didn't take long for him to fit in. Pits are the most loyal, intelligent, and sensitive dogs I've ever known.

Everyone deserves a second chance. Rescued pets are the best pets. Somehow they know! ( I think you'll like the poem too.) Pits definitely need some extra help. There are so many of them and they get a bad rap. In Las Vegas alone, they put down 15 a day! Most are under two years old, too.
Good Luck. Let me know if I can help you in any other way!

Kristen

Here are family photos:

And this is from Lawrence, a shelter volunteer in Indiana:

The best way I have found to get Bully's adopted is to get them trained as well as I can and to get them out in the public I take them for walks around town, every person that comes in to the shelter I ask if they have thought about adopting a Bully. I am always outside with 1 or more of them training and people stop and ask about them and I do my best to "Sell the breed to them". I also put them on Dogster.com. The shelter is on petfinders.com.

Here are a few more pic's for you to use in your blog. You may also publish my email addy if you think it will help. The pic. is my whole clan, the black and the brindle on the bench (Bailey and Nala) are my two that I adopted. The liver and white APBT is my 2 year old (August) and the Pointer-Jack Russel mix (Tred) is a stray we picked up along the road 4 years ago.

Let me know how thing are going; keep in touch.

Lawrence

And his family portrait (I'd like to know how he gets his to all look at the camera at one time!)

(a-ha - it's the treats!)

 

  Also from Lawrence about the shelter where he is a volunteer:

We have adopted out 12 other Bully's in 90 days. Rambo, Olivia, Game, Herman are just a few, they all have very good homes now. Here are a few pic's.

One more thing:

The next time you go to adopt a dog, please give a bully a chance. They are loyal, loving, funny, devoted, and they love to please. It's why some humans have trained them to fight. But not all of them have had that happen. Most haven't! Pit bulls today are like the ubiquitous shepherd-mixes in "pounds" when I was growing up. And anyway, when you adopt today, you spend time at the shelter with the dog, and you can see if he or she bonds with you. Give them a chance! They'll be shelter workers there who will tell you what's what with a particular animal. They have no interest in convincing you to adopt a dog that you are less than comfortable with. If it doesn't work out, they will only get the dog back and you will be upset. So you decide, but it has to begin by giving them a chance. Please don't let a sensationalist media and a scared government that seeks an easy way out stop you from doing the right thing by a homeless animal.

xoxo

Charlie (the formerly blind Beagle) Gets Adopted From Rolling Dog Ranch

Click the title for the story.

Well done, Rolling Dog Ranch!


xoxo

Ennis, Texas Rescue Group Closing - Homes Needed For 200 Dogs -- UPDATED!!

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As of right now, all dogs have been adopted! 

I sent an email to verify, but since time was of the essence, I posted the story.  Check out two email responses I received:

As of today, 10/18/2009, all the Camp Wolfgang Dogs have found their way safely to rescues and new homes. NO DOGS WERE EUTHANIZED-ALL MADE IT OUT SAFELY!!!

Thank you everyone for your dedication and quick response to our plight. God bless you all....
Neisha Maraffi

At this time, all Camp Wolfgang dogs have been spoken for. If you are interested in adopting, please email us on Sunday to find out which dogs are available after all rescues have picked up their dogs.

Camp Wolfgang is still in need of monetary donations to go towards transports and to sponsor dogs going to other rescues. We are also in need of large and extra large crates for transport.

If you want to donate a crate, please drop them off at:

6234 FM 879
Ennis, TX 75119

If you would like to sponsor a rescue transport or sponsor one of the heartworm positive dogs going to various other rescues, please contact: Neisha (214) 755-1627 or Audrey (972) 875-1597

** Please call these numbers only if you are interested in donating. If you are interested in adopting, please wait until Sunday and then email us.

 

Original  post:

via GulfCoastPoliceNews.Com, 10/20/09

A German Shepherd rescue group by the name of Camp Wolfgang, in Ennis, Texas is closing down because of family issues on October 31st.

All the dogs are vetted, spayed/neutered, micro-chipped, well cared-for and many have had training.

They have nearly 200 dogs that must find a foster or be adopted before 31 October or they will have no choice but to euthanize them all.

If you cannot help by fostering or adopting...YOU CAN STILL HELP!!!

Please forward this information to everyone you know...if we all forward this to everyone we know, chances are good that many of these dogs can be saved!

They do not need or want donations, they simply MUST place all of the dogs.

Adoption fees are $75.00, free to verifiable rescue groups.

xoxo

Adopted!

GOOD NEWS!

THIS GUY was adopted from Yonkers Animal Shelter!

We are all thrilled!

Congratulations Teddy and new owners!!

Maximus the Graduate

Click the title for a nice story about one of the dogs adopted out of Yonkers Animal Shelter earlier this year. 

Here's an exerpt:

We are a very happy family of four, and we are so thankful the shelter rescued Maximus so that he could be a part of our lives. Thank you!

Oh, I also forgot to mention that Maximus has a “security blanket.” It is a red Kong ball that he carries around with him everywhere. He will play catch with it until he is completely exhausted. It is the only toy strong enough to withstand his powerful jaws. I think we spent several hundred dollars on toys that he destroyed before we found this one. It has been around for months and our budget is very thankful…..LOL.

xoxo

What A Difference A Week Makes

From Baron's new dad:

Well, where do I start? I found this guy online and spent an hour with him. It was love at first bite. Baron is an awesome dog. He is one of the happiest dogs I've seen in recent memory and he's just wonderful all around. I took him to the Pet Store to pick out a bed and he was the beau of the ball. He's beautiful, he's well fed, and he's a really wonderful pooch. He's just such a wonderful dog I can't possibly imagine why nobody would've snatched him up. Well buddy, I guess we were both in the right place at the right time.....

I heard this news on my birthday last week, and I gotta say it was the best present I could have possibly been given. I walked Baron on occasion and he truly is a great dog, one of many Yonkers Animal Shelter has. He's one of those that you look at and think to yourself, there is nothing wrong with this dog except that he's homeless. He's beautiful, cheerful, happy to see you, obedient (though rambuctious!), and just wants to please.

Now, onto Mr. Willie, Miss Sophie, June-y-June, Grumpy Gracie, Abbey, Hanna Banana, Pudgie, Debbie-with-the-mole-on-her-cheek, Dixie-who-likes-her- treats...


xoxo

Little Baby Cloe Got Adopted

A sweet very puppyish nine month old brindle female named Cloe (who I dubbed Little Baby Cloe) was adopted by two guys this week from Yonkers Animal Shelter. I'm so thrilled! I used to walk Cloe most days I went to the shelter. What a little love! I like to take them into one of our two outdoor pen areas (one is the adoption area people meet and play with prospective pets and the other is a covered outdoor pen that's big enough for the dog to run around in and which has a dirt floor.) I took Cloe in the bigger pen about two weeks ago and she immediately stood up on the bench in there, though that was intermingled with her romping around. She slid off the bench and got her arm caught on one of the shaped metal things that hold the bench up so you can sit on it, and she just looked at me with guilty eyes that said "am I in trouble?" and "help me" simultaneously. She wasn't hurt or anything, just stuck, by her own doing!

All from a dog that was left in a closet when someone got evicted from their house! Can you imagine? It happens and it doesn't always end as well as this did.

Anyway, since the brindles (one "color" of pittbull) are dark brown and black striped (and usually have some white on their chest and paws), I and other volunteers or staff try to buy them brighter color collars so they get noticed. I'm not sure if we ever got a picture of her with the bright pink hibiscus collar I got, but I know those two guys noticed her as she walked down the street with a volunteer. That's how they first say saw her. Plus, it says to anyone visiting the shelter, someone cares about this dog and yes, even though they are in a pound, they are "pet-able." She looked adorable in that pink collar!

I actually got an email from Leslie, the volunteer coordinator (the one who roped me into all this!) letting me know Cloe was "going home," so I dashed from my office to quickly say goodbye and good luck. I was glad I did; she waggled her whole body at me. It was a good day.

I'm trying to get more pictures of her; the one above she looks a little menacing, but she was anything but! The dogs move around a lot when they are out of the pens so it's hard to get good pictures. But what a mush she is! I hope new owners and new pet are all happy. Best of luck to Little Baby Cloe.