Don’t Breed and Don’t Buy!

Posted on 01. Mar, 2010 by Annvi in Barkin' Doggie Bloggie, Rescue Dogs

Ever wondered what a high-kill shelter is like from someone who works there?

Here is the truth.  From what I see at our Houston shelter, BARC- I think it is pretty accurate.

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 too that doesn’t allow pets? 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 she’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. 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 because 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 freaks out and puts on the brakes 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 pets 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 farther 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 persons 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

For those of you that care— please repost this to at least one other craiglist in another city/state. Let’s see if we can get this all around the US and have an impact.

Cheers and Happy Barkin’!

Annvi and Tobiah

Rescue Dog plus Rescue Human equals PERFECTION.

Posted on 11. Jan, 2010 by Annvi in Barkin' Doggie Bloggie, Community Efforts, Companies doin' cool things, Rescue Dogs

“It’s impossible to be around them and stay in a bad mood.” ~ John Grogan

I just found this blog post.  I had to immediately share it.  It made me cry.  Goodness.  I LOVE RESCUE DOGS.  Go out and get you one.  You will never regret it.

Cheers and Happy Barkin’!

Annvi and Tobiah

I RESCUED A HUMAN TODAY by Janine Allen

Her eyes met mine as she walked down the corridor peering apprehensively into the kennels. I felt her need instantly and knew I had to help her.

I wagged my tail, not too exuberantly, so she wouldn’t be afraid. As she stopped at my kennel I blocked her view from a little accident I had in the back of my cage. I didn’t want her to know that I hadn’t been walked today. Sometimes the overworked shelter keepers get too busy and I didn’t want her to think poorly of them.

As she read my kennel card I hoped that she wouldn’t feel sad about my past. I only have the future to look forward to and want to make a difference in someone’s life.

She got down on her knees and made little kissy sounds at me. I shoved my shoulder and side of my head up against the bars to comfort her. Gentle fingertips caressed my neck; she was desperate for companionship. A tear fell down her cheek and I raised my paw to assure her that all would be well.

Soon my kennel door opened and her smile was so bright that I instantly jumped into her arms.

I would promise to keep her safe.
I would promise to always be by her side.
I would promise to do everything I could to see that radiant smile and sparkle in her eyes.

I was so fortunate that she came down my corridor. So many more are out there who haven’t walked the corridors. So many more to be saved. At least I could save one.

I rescued a human today.

http://rescuemedog.org/dog-blog/i-rescued-a-human-today-by-janine-allen/

Written by Janine Allen CPDT, Rescue Me Dog’s professional dog trainer. Janine’s passion is working with people and their dogs. She provides demonstrations for those who have adopted shelter dogs, lends email support to adopted dog owners that need information beyond our Training Support Pages, and aids shelter staff and volunteers in understanding dog behavior to increase their adoptability. Copyright 2010 Rescue Me Dog; www.rescuemedog.org

Facebook & Fostering…

Posted on 18. Nov, 2009 by Annvi in Barkin' Doggie Bloggie, Rescue Dogs

My First Foster

The month of October has been a busy one!  Social media has definitely made it easier to spread information about pets that need homes.  I discovered Snowball via Facebook.  Snowball, part Dane and part Pit, was surrendered at BARC by his owner.  Snowball could not see out of one his eye.  It was bulging out of his eye socket.  The owner wasn’t sure how that happened and could not afford the surgery to remove it; and so, Snowball was turned over to the City of Houston Pound.  Lucky for him Friends of Barc, a non-profit whose mission is to facilitate more adoptions, fostering, and better treatment for BARC animals, was at Barc when he was dropped off.  As a result of the overpopulation of pets at BARC, it is difficult for the city workers to give each of the animals the care they need.  With one eye bulging out of his eye socket, Friends of Barc volunteers were worried whether this sweet pup would survive Barc.  I forgot to mention, Snowball was only about 6 months old.

Friends of Barc convinced Barc to remove his bad eye and to neuter him (a double whammy for Snowball).  In the meantime, Friends of Barc had to find someone to foster Snowball for at least a week so that he could heal from the surgery.  I read the story and the pleas… we just need a foster for one week…just a week! I scroll down all the comments, has anyone volunteered to take this little guy in yet?  hmm…I wait a few more hours…still no one.  I start typing…if you can’t find anyone, I’ll do it.  Does anyone have a crate I can borrow? It is only a week, I think to myself.  Who cares that I have two very big dogs, a small space, and no yard…or that I am running around like a mad woman trying to tie up lose ends for BDB.  I make a promise to myself that I have seven days to find him a home.  I can do it, I remember thinking.  He is so cute, someone will want him!

Fast forward a few days, I have never had a puppy.  THEY ARE EXHAUSTING.  Peeing all over the place.  YIKES.  I still  find Snowball to be absolutely precious.  I can’t help but fall in love with him.  He feels like velvet and he has that puppy breath going on.  Three dogs and no yard.  I have to walk Rocky and Zeus together and then come back for Snowball.  Snowball just wants to play with the other two, but he can’t yet because his eye has to heal. Keeping all three dogs apart is quite a challenge.  So, I post him all over facebook and twitter, talk him up to the neighbors, send pictures of him to everyone I know.  He has such a big fan base, but no takers.  The week is coming to an end….what am I going to do?  Can I just take him back to BARC?  Will he be okay there?

Luckily, one of Tobiah’s co-workers wants to try him out. I couldn’t believe it.  She grew up with dogs so I thought she knew what she was getting into…fast forward two weeks, Snowball, now Pirate, was back with me.  She was allergic to him and realized she did not have time for him.  Sigh. Fostering is a lot harder than I thought.  It really ain’t over til the fat lady sings.  Pirate jumps into my arms as soon as he sees me.  What am I going to do now? I begin to realize how when you foster, you really take full ownership of the dog.  I couldn’t just drop him off to Barc.  I had to find him a home.

Fast forward two more weeks, a friend of mine who had been following Snowball’s entire plight on Facebook had always wanted a Great Dane mix.  The only problem was that she lives in Alabama.  She is a huge rescue advocate and even volunteers at shelters.  So, Snowball takes a roadtrip to Alabama to be with his new family.  So big hip, hip, hooray for social media!  I would have never been able to find this little guy a home without Facebook!

Although I had not planned on fostering, Tobiah and I certainly learned a lot from Snowball.  Snowball had been tossed around and may have been abused, regardless of this, he still had a carefree and loving attitude towards dogs and humans.  Fostering was also beneficial for our pups.  Snowball taught Rocky how to be social and play with other dogs.  Snowball showed us that Zeus is very attuned to other dogs.  When we first got Snowball, Rocky was not a fan.  Zeus warned me quite a few times by digging his nose into my leg that a fight between Rocky and Snowball was imminent.  We are thinking about enrolling Zeus in the Caring Critters Program, a program that trains therapy dogs!

And apparently, the University of Missouri is studying whether fostering pets is beneficial to older adults.  “Studies show that people of all ages who own pets are more likely to exercise and to be more involved socially,” said Rebecca Johnson, PhD, RN, FAAN, director of ReCHAI and associate professor for the MU Sinclair School of Nursing and College of Veterinary Medicine. “However, older adults often are hesitant to adopt dogs because they travel too much, don’t want the commitment or responsibility, or they are afraid the pets will outlive them. In this study, we will partner these older adults with shelter dogs and determine if the foster owners receive the same benefits as those who own dogs.”

Bottom line, I would definitely foster again.  Let’s just hope BDB takes off so that we can get ourselves a big yard! 

Cheers and Happy Barkin’!

Annvi and Tobiah

Turning Point

Posted on 10. Sep, 2009 by Annvi in Barkin' Doggie Bloggie, Rocky

“You think dogs will not be in heaven? I tell you, they will be there long before any of us” ~ Robert Louis Stevenson

Who would have known this is what I would be doing? Ha. If you knew me just two years ago, you would have laughed at the idea of me becoming a dog obsessed advocate for rescue dogs. I didn’t grow up with dogs and I definitely did not understand why people humanized their pets. I mean, c’mon, they are just animals.

This all changed when I received an email at work about rescue dogs that needed to be adopted. My then boyfriend (and now, husband), who grew up with dogs, always wanted a yellow lab. I always said, we are NEVER getting a dog. Eew, gross, dog hair everywhere…No thanks. In this email, there was Sunny, a very sad looking yellow lab. I forwarded the email with a jokingly, “hey, tubbs, let’s get Sunny!” He responded with a “YES! Let’s go get him!” O no, I remember thinking. No No No. A dog, what have I gotten myself into?! I was just joking…

We picked up Sunny that weekend. And let me just tell you, I must have been the most awkward person you would have ever seen with a dog. I did not know how to walk it (I was calling the dog an it back then), pet it, or play with it. I remember Sunny’s foster mom was very reluctant to hand over Sunny to us. Tobiah convinced her that he would teach me how to handle him. And I was absolutely terrified of its mouth. I refused to give it anything from my hand.

We decided to name it “Rocky” (I know, not very original, Rocky is one of the most common dog names.) because when we got him, he had been abused by his previous owner and he had a huge scar on his nose. I love all the Sylvester Stallone Rocky movies. We thought Rocky was very suitable for a dog who had faced adversity and came out on top!

Fast forward a few months. I became obsessed with Rocky Roo. Rocky came with me EVERYWHERE. I found dog friendly restaurants and parks. We took him on vacations. We drove 13 hours to Georgia rather than flying to see my parents because I couldn’t bear to leave him in Houston in a kennel. I even took him with me to San Antonio when I had to work there for a summer. The thought of losing Rocky literally did and still does brings tears to my eyes.

And then came puppy mills, shelters, and rescue groups. We felt overwhelmed with frustration and guilt the more we learned about what was going on in the dog world. How had we not known about all these places? There were so many dogs, beautiful creatures that needed homes. So many that needed to be rescued.

Tobiah and I started to brainstorm. What next? I had been considering a career move… did I want to stay in tax law?  I mean, don’t get me wrong, I actually really liked tax law, but it definitely did not get me up in the morning. I went to law school because I wanted to be an advocate for something. Until now, I did not know what I wanted to advocate for.  Plus, Tobiah always wanted to own his own business. Now seemed like the right time to start brainstorming.

Tobiah told me about Tom’s Shoes , for every pair of shoes Tom sells, he donates a pair. And then we thought, dog biscuits! And let’s donate! We thought this idea could bring more awareness to rescue groups, shelters, and foster homes so that maybe more people would adopt rather than buy dogs. Like, did you know that about 25% of shelter dogs are purebreds? (In case, you think you can’t find a specific breed of dog.  I am more than certain you can whether it is at a shelter, breed specific rescue group, foster, etc. You can always find an opportunity to save a life!)

And so, an idea was born and an adventure has begun!

Cheers and Happy Barkin’!

Annvi and Tobiah