Animals Abused & Abandoned Blog

I received this AKC CAR press release last week and wanted to share it with friends of Animals 3. If not for the microchip that Dopey’s owner had implanted, he might have been euthanized at the shelter. For more information about microchipping, visit the Animals Abused & Abandoned website Animal Care article on Microchipping.

Raleigh, NC – After disappearing 6 years ago, Donna Lane-Mills had given up hope that their beloved family cat “Dopey” would ever be found. But last week, a recovery specialist from AKC Companion Animal Recovery (AKC CAR), the nation’s largest not-for-profit pet recovery service, called her to say Dopey had been found as a result of his microchip being scanned at a shelter 20 miles from her home in Sacramento, California.

Dopey had somehow found his way to another town 40 miles away and was adopted by an elderly woman. When she recently passed away, the cat was brought to the local shelter, where personnel there decided to scan the now 9-year-old cat, because due to his age, he would most likely be euthanized. The shelter contacted AKC CAR with the microchip ID number.

“When I checked my voicemail at work I received the most unexpected message from AKC CAR,” Lane-Mills said. “They let me know that Dopey had been turned in to a shelter. I had to listen to the message twice. I thought there is no way, Dopey’s been missing for six years.”

After contacting the shelter and getting a description of the orange tabby cat with droopy eyes and long legs, she was convinced it was him and went to pick him up.. Dopey was born at Lane-Mills’ home in 2000, one of 7 in the litter, and was named by her children.

“He was a favorite of my youngest daughter who was just 6 years old at the time of his disappearance,” Lane-Mills recalled. “She was crying herself to sleep at night saying, ‘I miss my Dopey.’ We thought he had been hit by a car.” After his disappearance the family posted fliers around their rural neighborhood and spent weeks calling vets and shelters, looking for the family pet.

“We’re thrilled that Dopey found his way home after all this time. His story illustrates that the more pets we enroll translates into more animals being safely returned home,” said Tom Sharp , CEO of AKC CAR. “Whenever we hear of reunions like Dopey’s it underscores the importance of using a recovery service with a one-time lifetime enrollment fee with no hidden annual fees to keep contact information active or additional charges to change that information. Because Dopey was enrolled for life, our recovery experts were able to contact the family immediately after he was scanned. To date, AKC CAR has helped reunite more than 360,000 pets with their owners.”

Lane-Mills said Dopey was happy to see her at the shelter, “purring like crazy” and her daughter called her while en route back from the shelter to make sure Dopey was coming home. The family reunion also included other pets, that according to Lane-Mills seemed to remember Dopey, “Spencer” the 17-year-old American Staffordshire Terrier mix and “Inni” their 15-year-old cat. Based on the longevity of the family’s pets, it seems Dopey has many of his 9 lives ahead of him.

“He’s still the same sweet kitty we remembered,” Lane-Mills said. “He’s just a little bit more mature.”

For more info rmation on AKC CAR’s microchip and lifetime recovery service call AKC CAR at 1-800-252-7894 or go to www.akccar.org.

Posted on June 27th, 2009 by janehimmel
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I know many of you are waiting eagerly to hear more about Lady, the subject of our May-June Spotlight Story, since her surgery.  I have been asked by several of you “How is she doing?”  The rescue organization who helped Lady recently provided us with this update:

It became obvious that Lady had not been able to walk for quite some time prior to being rescued.  When taken out of her crate, where she was recovering, she very hesitantly took baby steps with her legs spread far apart.  Apparently she was expecting the chain to still inhibit her ability to walk.  Lady became more confident with each step she took and in the span a few days she was proudly trotting around.  Within weeks, she was wagging her tail, learning to play with toys and starting to “pounce” during playtime.

She was an impeccable patient. She calmly and patiently allowed the staff to clean her surgical site which had become infected. The infection took weeks and weeks, with multiple rounds of antibiotics, to heal. Everyone who cared for her became very attached to “Lady Bug.”  “She is the kind of dog that each of us would love to take home if we did not already have more than our quota of pets.” She was spayed and had two abdominal hernias repaired. Lady was not in an ideal environment to develop trust. Pain was associated with her operations, her wound care, and yet, it was amazing to observe how Lady’s affect changed from a dog completely devoid of emotions to learning to trust and accept love and affection from the staff and volunteers.  She loved getting attention and began to cry when she did not feel that she was getting her share of it.  She even learned to give kisses.  Something no one thought she would ever have the self-confidence to do.

During an eye exam, the veterinarian noted that Lady is blind in one eye due to trauma.  You will notice on the photo that her right ear curls up.  It is thought to be due to frost bite. Everyone at the shelter is thrilled that the surgeries are over for this gal and they are anxiously awaiting the veterinarian’s discharge orders that will allow them to place Lady in a loving adoptive home.   They are looking for that very special home because nothing less would ever do for that special girl. Look at that precious smile on her face!

The ending still needs to be written…….

Posted on June 10th, 2009 by Monique
Filed under: Dog Stories, Spotlight On, Uncategorized | No Comments »

For me, one of the saddest experiences in rescue is senior pets who have no chance of being adopted because they are overlooked due to their age. I hear so many different reasons why they are not welcomed in the lives of potential adopters. Where is our compassion? Let us not forget that one day we will all be senior citizens. Let’s hope we never have to hear or experience personally those insensitive excuses one day.

The few elderly dogs that I have had the pleasure of rehoming, lived longer than expected with the love and care given by their new families. Frequently I heard what a joy that particular animal brought to them. Yes, his life was short in comparison to bringing a puppy home, but knowing how much you meant to this pet in his declining years, it was a privilege to have had the companionship, love and devotion of a wise old friend.

There are two dogs I have grown especially fond of and break my heart. They are Doucette, an Australian Cattle Dog, approximately 8-9 years old, and Princess, a Schnauzer, about 10 years old. They were both rescued from a municipal facility and are now safe in a no-kill shelter. But this is not the place for them to live out the rest of their lives.

Doucette, after many years of loyalty, was brought to the shelter by her family. Princess is still mourning the death of her caregiver. Not one member of her family loved her enough to provide her with the comfort she needs during these hard times. Shown below are their photos and short stories. Both dogs are charming and very affectionate. I know there must be at least two persons out there that could give each one a home. They would be forever grateful!

Doucette

Doucette is a sweet and slightly timid pooch. Don’t let that stop you from loving her. She’s easy to walk and fun to be with. Her easy nature and gentle demeanor are pluses. Doucette would be a perfect “fireside” pooch - she’ll sit quietly with you, helping you with your crossword puzzle, or reading your newspaper. Doucette tends to get overlooked because she’s not a big show off. And, that’s just so sad because she’s ready to love and she deserves her own bed in her own home from someone who is caring. Are you the person to make Doucette’s dreams come true?   Please email adoptions@dognkittycity.org to make arrangements to meet Doucette.

Princess Girl

It hardly gets sadder than this. Princess, a faithful dog companion, had the misfortune of having her pet parent pass away. Nobody in her owner’s family would step up to the plate and show loyalty to their own human family, much less to Princess. Instead, she was cast off like a used item of trash.

At our shelter, poor Princess cried for her owner. She was not used to the loud shelter and being so alone. A volunteer agreed to foster Princess so that she would not be so unhappy.

In a home environment, she’s much happier. Her foster parent reports Princess is settling very nicely. She has taken residence on the couch and where she gets in some very good naps. She has about 3 teeth in her mouth so no chewing going on (that is a plus)! She is very affectionate and loves to be next to you. She is the perfect lap dog.

Despite her “senior” status, Princess still has a lot of life left in her. She is very social and enjoys people. She seemed to get along with the other dogs at the shelter. Princess loves walks and has excellent leash skills, traipsing about quite friskily. She is fully house trained and lets the foster parent know when she needs to go. She makes adorable noises with her throat like she is talking to you. Are you able to open your heart and home to this sweet dog and let her enjoy a loving retirement?

Since Princess Girl is in a foster home if you’d like to meet her or know more about her contact adoptions@dognkittycity.org to make arrangements.

Posted on May 17th, 2009 by Monique
Filed under: Dog Stories | 1 Comment »

This evening we have posted the May Spotlight Story: Lady was saved from a life of excruciating pain when she was rescued from the yard where she had been tied to a tree by chains that were two short to allow her to walk and by a collar that had become embedded in her neck. Lady survived her ordeal because the shelter that came to her aid decided to pay for her life saving surgery. Please read her story and make a donation to help defray her shelter’s surgical and medical expenses. She got at rough start in life, but has a chance now!

Also this week we would like to share with you a letter from a shelter manager that vividly describes what happens to far too many animals. It is difficult to read, but it is the truth. For animals that end up in shelters, chances for adoption or — even survival — are slim. City animal facilities have neither space nor funding to care for these animals indefinitely. No-kill shelters are few and far between and are more often than not filled to the brim.

Still breeders continue to breed and people continue to go to breeders more frequently than I would have supposed.

I recently adopted a puppy from a shelter. Her name is Phoebe. On a cold January night and at barely five weeks of age, she was tossed over the fence of a local no-kill shelter. I am thankful she was not abandoned on the streets to fend for herself and I am also thankful she was left at a no-kill shelter. Otherwise, as this letter makes clear, we might never have found her!

After we adopted her, we began puppy education at a local pet store. It was one of the largest classes the trainer had seen with ten puppies under six months old. While there were many shapes and sizes, only Phoebe and one other puppy had been adopted from a shelter. All the rest were purchased from breeders. I am glad these dogs have homes, but I cannot help but think of all the homeless dogs waiting for adoption that were likely euthanized over the eight weeks our class ran.
While I know that the owners in our class were taking a critical first step in making sure their dogs did not develop intolerable behavioral habits — a reason many dogs are surrendered to shelters – I wondered if we were all committed to the long term. If we met again in three years, would all of the dogs still be with these families? I hope so. I want to believe it.

Phoebe has now graduated and received both a certificate and edible diploma. Although she is likely made up of many breeds, she was top dog in her class. She is not always perfectly behaved and we will continue her education – and ours – through her lifetime. She is worth all the effort we can put forth for the joy and laughter she brings us every day. I know many of you have a “Phoebe” in your lives and know just what I mean.

The following is the Letter from a Shelter Manager. The author of the letter is unknown, but it was sent by email from Nancy Underwood along with a link to her photo album of dogs rescued in the last six months.

Nancy said, “Because I believe that pictures can communicate a lot more words than words alone, I have included something special on this otherwise somber email: a photo album containing 100 photos of dogs that I know have been rescued in the past 6 months.”

Letter from a Shelter Manager

I think our society needs a huge ” Wake-up” call. As a shelter manager, I am going to share a little insight with you all. ..a view from the inside if you will. First off, all of you breeders/sellers should be made to work in the “back” of an animal shelter for just one day. Maybe if you saw the life drain from a few sad, lost, confused eyes, you would change your mind about breeding and selling to people you don’t even know. That puppy you just sold will most likely end up in my shelter when it’s not a cute little puppy anymore. So how would you feel if you knew that there’s about a 90% chance that dog will never walk out of the shelter it is going to be dumped at? Purebred or not! About 50% of all of the dogs that are “owner surrenders” or “strays” that come into my shelter are purebred dogs.

The most common excuses I hear are:

• “We are moving and we can’t take our dog (or cat).” Really? Where are you moving to that doesn’t allow pets and why did you choose that place instead of a pet friendly home?
• Or they say “The dog got bigger than we thought it would.” How big did you think a German Shepherd would get?
• “We don’t have time for her.” Really? I work a 10- 12 hour day and still have time for my 6 dogs!
• “She’ s tearing up our yard.” How about making her a part of your family?
• They always tell me: “We just don’t want to have to stress about finding a place for her we know he’ll get adopted, she’s a good dog.”

Odds are your pet won’t get adopted & how stressful do you think being in a shelter is? Well, let me tell you, your pet has 72 hours to find a new family from the moment you drop it off. Sometimes a little longer if the shelter isn’t full and your dog manages to stay completely healthy. If it sniffles, it dies.

Your pet will be confined to a small run/kennel in a room with about 25 other barking or crying animals. It will have to relieve itself where it eats and sleeps. It will be depressed and it will cry constantly for the family that abandoned it. If your pet is lucky, I will have enough volunteers in that day to take him/her for a walk. Â If I don’t, your pet won’t get any attention besides having a bowl of food slid under the kennel door and the waste sprayed out of its pen with a high-powered hose. If your dog is big, black or any of the “Bully” breeds (pit bull, rottie, mastiff, etc) it was pretty much dead when you walked it through the front door. Those dogs just don’t get adopted. It doesn’t matter how ’sweet’ or ‘well behaved’ they are. If your dog doesn’t get adopted within its 72 hours and the shelter is full, it will be destroyed. If the shelter isn’t full and your dog is good enough, and of a desirable enough breed it may get a stay of execution, but not for long. Most dogs get very kennel protective after about a week and are destroyed for showing aggression. Even the sweetest dogs will turn in this environment. If your pet makes it over all of those hurdles chances are it will get kennel cough or an upper respiratory infection and will be destroyed be cause shelters just don’t have the funds to pay for even a $100 treatment.

Here’s a little euthanasia 101 for those of you that have never witnessed a perfectly healthy, scared animal being “put-down”.. .. First, your pet will be taken from its kennel on a leash. They always look like they think they are going for a walk - happy, wagging their tails. Until, they get to “The Room”, every one of them freak out and put the brakes on when we get to the door. It must smell like death or they can feel the sad souls that are left in there, it’s strange, but it happens with every one of them. Your dog or cat will be restrained, held down by 1 or 2 vet techs depending on the size and how freaked out they are. Then a euthanasia tech or a vet will start the process. They will find a vein in the front leg and inject a lethal dose of the “pink stuff”. Hopefully your pet doesn’t panic from being restrained and jerk. I’ve seen the needles tear out of a leg and been covered with the resulting blood and been deafened by the yelps and screams. They all don’t just “go to sleep”, sometimes they spasm for a while, gasp for air and defecate on themselves. When it all ends, your pet’s corpse will be stacked like firewood in a large freezer in the back with all of the other animals that were killed waiting to be picked up like garbage. What happens next? Cremated? Taken to the dump? Rendered into pet food? You’ ll never know and it probably won’t even cross your mind. It was just an animal and you can always buy another one, right?

I hope that those of you that have read this are bawling your eyes out and can’t get the pictures out of your head I deal with everyday on the way home from work. I hate my job, I hate that it exists & I hate that it will always be there unless you people make some changes and realize that the lives you are affecting go much further than the pets you dump at a shelter…. Between 9 and 11 MILLION animals die every year in shelters and only you can stop it. I do my best to save every life I can but rescues are always full, and there are more animals coming in everyday than there are homes.

My point to all of this: DON’T BREED OR BUY WHILE SHELTER PETS DIE! Hate me if you want to. The truth hurts and reality is what it is. I just hope I maybe changed one person’s mind about breeding their dog, taking their loving pet to a shelter, or buying a dog. I hope that someone will walk into my shelter and say “I saw this and it made me want to adopt.” THAT WOULD MAKE IT WORTH IT! Please don’t breed or buy while shelter animals DIE. Please spay/neuter to SAVE LIVES and ADOPT from a Rescue or Animal Shelter - THANK YOU! Let’s pray that 2009 spares more lives than the 11 million killed this year…

Posted on May 11th, 2009 by janehimmel
Filed under: General, Uncategorized | No Comments »

We have exciting news to share with you! Animals Abused & Abandoned has been invited to participate in a special one-day Internet fund raising event that will enable our Animals 3 friends to double the impact of a donation made on that day!

The prestigious Communities Foundation of Texas, in partnership with the Center for Nonprofit Management in Dallas, has created Donor Bridge. Donor Bridge is a new online resource that will make mutual connections between nonprofit organizations, donors and supporters. Donor Bridge will “launch” a one time only fundraising drive on May 20, 2009. That date is very important because Communities Foundation of Texas will match up to $2,500 in donations from “Friends” of Animals Abused & Abandoned on that day, and that day only.

Collaboration and support for this project are also provided by the Dallas Foundation and the Institute for Urban Policy Research at The University of Texas at Dallas. Gathering reliable information, making charitable gifts, and addressing community needs will become easier and more efficient as a result of this new communication tool. Animals Abused & Abandoned, Inc. was invited to join the Donor Bridge community through its membership in the Center for Nonprofit Management.

We count you among our many Animals 3 Friends and want you to know that a donation from you on May 20, 2009 will be matched dollar-for-dollar, doubling the impact of your gift to the abused and abandoned animals we work so hard to help.

Animals 3 will alert you two more times; once two weeks before the launch date and again on the morning of May 20, 2009, just to be sure you have an opportunity to offer your support for our beautiful and deserving animals on that “one time day.”

Thank you again, for your very generous past and future support.

Sincerely,

Monique Voelker
Animals Abused & Abandoned Inc

Posted on April 20th, 2009 by janehimmel
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