Do You Shop at Petland?

With almost 8,000 dogs and puppies rescued from puppy mills in the U.S. just since February of this year, I would have thought that the atrocities inflicted in these operations would by now be nationally recognized and condemned, especially by companies devoted to selling products for pets. However, a recently completed, eight-month long investigation by the Humane Society of the United States has revealed that the national pet store chain, Petland, is selling dogs from cruel puppy mills to unsuspecting customers. The investigation into Petland stores in Florida, Indiana, Minnesota, Nevada, Ohio and other states showed that many of the puppies sold at these stores came from massive commercial breeders in Missouri and other Midwestern states where hundreds of breeding dogs live their lives packed into filthy, crowded cages. These dogs spend their lives birthing litter after litter, with minimal human contact, no exercise, and never knowing the love of a family.

Please take the time today to ask Petland to stop supporting the puppy mill industry. You can do this by clicking here to send them an email through the HSUS's "Stop Puppy Mills" campaign, by contacting your nearest Petland store, or by calling their corporate headquarters at 740-775-2464 or toll-free at 800-221-5935.

OR... why not do all three! The more we bombard them and let them know we will not shop in their stores until they are no longer selling puppies the more important the issue becomes to them!

Speak for those who cannot speak for themselves!

Scotty Goes Home

Well, Scotty left last weekend... Saturday morning I took all three dogs to the research park one last time together and then I went home, dropped off the girls, brushed Scotty, and headed out to the drop-off location for his Homeward Bound transport. I talked to him all the way out there and told him he was going to live with his new family and to be a good boy and that we would miss him. I wished he could understand.

I didn't think I was going to cry but when we got to the girl's house I couldn't leave him. I asked to sit there with him for a while and I just sat on her couch hugging on him and rubbing his belly and breaking down intermittently. Luckily, all the Homeward Bound people are animal lovers too and they totally understood. They let me stay with him as long as I wanted while they got everything ready and I did... for an hour and a half. :-) I just couldn't overcome the (probably irrational) feeling that he would think I was abandoning him.

So, I finally pulled myself away from him and walked, crying, to my car, then drove, crying hysterically, home. I felt like I was giving away one of my own dogs... and, in a way, I was. The experience I've had with him has meant so much to me.

So, where is Scotty now, you ask? Well, after a short stint with a family who, due to unforseen circumstances, decided that they were no longer in a position to have a dog, he is now at the home of the owner of Luke's Place, the New Jersey rescue he was adopted through. I spoke with Pat, the owner, last night and she just raved about how great a dog he is! She said he and the other dogs she received from the transport were all a little shaken up after the 15-hour van ride, but that he was doing wonderful now and can already heel and shake. She said he is great with her three-year-old granddaughter, which is a relief because I had never seen him around children. As I was talking, she said his ears were perking up so she let me say "Hi" to him, haha :-) She also said if he didn't get adopted in the next day or so, she really just wanted to keep him! I am just elated over how well this has worked out for my sweet Scotty and I feel really grateful for having been a part of it.
Fostering has been such a fulfilling experience. Really, it is saving a life, because in most cases you are helping shelters keep more animals and give them a better chance at adoption. As long as people continue to neglect spaying and neutering their pets, we will always have an overabundance of animals and shelters will never have enough room for all of them. Four million dogs euthanized each year is a tragic, sickening number. You CAN help though!

• Spay or neuter your pet! In just six years, a female dog and her offspring can multiply to 67,000 puppies! And you can often qualify for discounted or free spaying/neutering, so there's really no reason not to! Check with your vet or local animal shelter.

• Be a hero - Adopt your next pet! With a homeless dog being killed every nine seconds in American shelters, why wouldn't you?

• In fact, you can quite literally save a life by going to Dogs In Danger and entering your zip code. It will show you adoptable dogs in your area who are soon to be put down, most often due to space limitations.

• Foster a dog or cat! Contact your local animal shelter to find out about their foster program and see just how rewarding it can be.

A Very Happy Ending

SCOTTY GOT ADOPTED!!!

We are all so absolutely thrilled and joyful! Actually he is going with the next Homeward Bound transport to a rescue in New Jersey, who will easily be able to find a great home for him! Hooray for Scotty! He is such a special guy and deserves to live as a beloved pet. The family that gets him is quite lucky.

When I find out more details about the rescue, etc. I will post them here. Right now I am simply ecstatic! When I got the news yesterday, it brightened up my whole life. It is so rewarding to know that I have made a difference to this one dog. If he had gone to the shelter, especially here in Starkville where the euthanization rate is about 65%, he probably would have been put down after a week. Now he has a chance at a wonderful life making some family very happy with his sunshine-y spirit.

What people don't understand is that, when they BUY a puppy from a pet store or breeder, they are perpetuating the cycle of abuse and keeping puppy mills in business, like the one in West Virginia where 1,000 dogs were rescued last week from horrible conditions.

On the other hand, when you ADOPT a pet, you are actually saving another living creature's life. And in return, adopted pets teach you about forgiveness, grace and joy. They know they have been rescued and spend every day for the rest of their lives thanking you. They are the epitome of devotion and, in the end, you realize you were the lucky one.

So be a hero and adopt your next pet!

Adult Male Golden Retriever Mix Seeks Loving Forever Home

This is Scotty. My brother's girlfriend found him wandering across from her work with a little white lab puppy and she picked them up and called me. Our local shelter is so full that we decided they (especially Scotty - a Golden Retriever/Chow mix) would have a better chance on the street than in there. So, after boarding them for one night at the vet clinic where she works, Lauren drove them back out near where she found them but deep in a neighborhood to drop them off. After driving them around in the neighborhood asking everyone she saw if they knew who the dogs belonged to, the last person she talked to said she would put them in her yard for a week to give us a chance to find them homes.

Here they are in the nice lady's backyard. We put up "Found" signs and I posted them on my Facebook profile. After a week and a half, they had to be moved so they spent the weekend at the clinic. On Monday they would have to be moved again and that night I lay awake thinking about them. The shelter would be a death sentence for the Golden mix. But from the time I had spent with him, I knew he was a great dog -- too good of a boy to not be given a chance. He looks at you with such attentive eyes and is so calm and easy-going. I knew I had to do something!

So I came up with a great plan for fostering him and Paul actually agreed to it! We took the lab puppy to another area shelter who said he was "highly-adoptable" and I'm trying to work with Homeward Bound of MS to get Scotty to a rescue or home up North; but I'm also making use of every other resource I have, like this blog. I already know if he doesn't get adopted I will not be able to just dump him at the shelter. He deserves a loving family who will spoil him like I do :-)
He is already beginning to become a part of our family. He follows the girls around and they show him the ropes. The kitten loves to mess with him and get him to chase her... but he is always gentle with her so I just let them play. Here he is below with his buddy, Lux the kitten. He is a very smart, calm boy. He already knows how to sit and walk on a leash and since he is grown there is no destructive or unruly puppy behavior to deal with!

He gets along with everyone, even other un-neutered males. He is a little skittish around Paul -- I think he may have been abused by a man at some point or he's afraid of the beard (a lot of dogs don't get beards, haha). But he will lick his hand if Paul isn't looking at him and he hangs around Paul, like he's curious about him so I think he'll come around with time. It's very strange not knowing where he came from or where he has been, but it is the most rewarding thing I have ever done. I've gotten him to trust me and I have taught him things and showed him that it's all going to be OK. He leans up against me, hungry for ear scratches and "Good boy"s.

Oh, and did I mention he is beautiful?! He has gorgeous strawberry blonde fur and a crimped light blonde poofy tail. His gold eyes are soulful and his smile is pure sunshine! :-)

Scotty will be neutered and up to date on shots next week and ready to go to his forever home! Transport can be arranged for him to anywhere so if you or anyone you know is looking for a calm, happy, devoted companion to be a beloved member of the family please contact me for more information at 662-694-0347 or esdmsu21@gmail.com.

Iggy in North Carolina

This is Iggy. He has had a sad life so far. He lived at his previous owner's house on a heavy chain, with no shelter, dirty water, little food and ears dripping blood from fly bites. For some reason (and thank God she did!) his owner decided to bring him to a pet store and leave him. The woman she left him with said this: "The "owner" just asked for her chain back & walked away. No, goodbye hug, no concern of where he was going to end up... just walked away with her heavy, 4 foot chain---the only life Iggy had ever known." Luckily Iggy went to a great foster home and has now been there for two months. He has been neutered, given shots, and dewormed. Along with medical care, he was socialized and given basic obedience training, crate training, and has been housebroken. He is almost 2 years old. He LOVES kids, plays very gentle, and loves other animals!

If you live in North Carolina or know anyone who does, please pass this on for Iggy. The foster home has LOTS and LOTS of foster dogs and puppies, and Iggy is getting sad that he doesn't have a family that loves him. Everyday he watches the puppies get adopted and no one comes for him. Let's help find Iggy a forever home where he will know love like he never has!

Please contact Tiffany Jourdain at leovrhs@gmail.com or call Sharon at 828-837-4186 if you can help Iggy! He is located in Murphy, North Carolina but transport can be arranged for him to anywhere!

Charlie in Indiana

If you live in Indiana, please pass this on for Charlie. He is looking for a forever home!
Isn't he a handsome boy?! Read below for his story...

This is Charlie, he is a 4 year old mix. Of course, we have no idea with what. He has spent his life chained to a tree with the ground having dumped cement on it. He came to me in June of '07, very thin and no toe nails.

His owner took him to the vet because he was poisoned. The vet got him better but then heartworm tested. He was positive, of course. His owner wanted him euthanized. Said he didn't want that disease around his other dogs. Even after all the explanation of what heartworm's are, he was still to be euthanized.

That's when I stepped in and took him. We had him treated for his heartworm's, vaccinated, neutered all that good stuff. He stayed with us for 7-8 months until he went to another rep. There he tormented that cats and got into one fight with their small Chihuahua. He then, after 3 months living there, came back to us and was immediately adopted out.

His new home had no cats, which he hates, and 2 boys (8 & 9) to play with. He was taken to ball games and ran around in the backyard to play with the boys and their friends. He does show possessiveness of a toy or bone when he has it. You just have to leave him alone. He does jump really high and there is a small portion of fencing that was only 4 feet and he cleared it with no problem. He loved every visitor that came to visit. He's an absolute sweet boy who knows simple commands.

Then last week he was on the trampoline playing with a few other kids (why he was on the trampoline we'll never know) and the boy that lived there started to fall off the trampoline and grabbed Charlie by his back legs and took him with him. During the fall, Charlie, who was startled, turn around and bit the boy below the chin. Instantly, after they hit the ground, Charlie licked the boy with tons of kisses knowing he didn't mean to bite him. The boy was taken to the hospital with a small gash from the bite. I've seen pictures and it's ugly, but not severe.

The boy supposably got grounded for having Charlie on the trampoline, but now Charlie has to find another home. His owner doesn't think it's fair for Charlie to be in a home with boys that don't understand the reponsiblity of taking care of the dog. Of course, I feel the same way about the owner. His owner, however, did praise his behavior and everything about him. He was sad to let go of him, but didn't think his kids were ready for a dog.

He spent 3 months at this home and now needs a new one. Preferably without cats and small children that don't know how to behave around a dog.

PLEASE HELP ME FIND CHARLIE A HOME OR A FOSTER HOME!!!!

Jamie Shively PH: 765.506.0607 Dogs Deserve Better, IN Rep

Help Stop the Horror of Puppy Mills

This past Saturday I volunteered at the Humane Society here in Starkville. That morning three Poodles and three Yorkies had been dropped off by a breeder who was going out of business. All of the dogs were so badly matted it took two of us the whole morning to shave one of the Poodles. His ears were matted to his head and you couldn't even see his paws for the matted fur they were wrapped up in. When we were finished with him he was half the size he was in the beginning.

I was absolutely appalled at the condition of those dogs. You would think a breeder would take care of her animals but the same thing happens to dogs all over the country every day. This video hosted by Brad Garrett from "Everybody Loves Raymond" is a real eye-opener. Please take a moment to watch it and pass it on.

http://humanesociety.org/stoppuppymills

Puppy mills are large scale operations that force breeder dogs to produce litter after litter to support consumer demand for puppies. Puppies sold in pet stores or through Internet sites come from places filled with suffering, disease, malnutrition, and loneliness. Even the puppies themselves are often prone to a variety of diseases. Some die within days or weeks of purchase.

The Humane Society of the United States is working to stop puppy mills and they need your help.

Please watch this short video that exposes the cruelty of puppy mills. Then, you can take action by pledging to stop supporting the retailers that perpetuate cruel breeding practices. Click here:
http://humanesociety.org/stoppuppymills

Thanks for taking action!

Be Good to Animals -- Adopt Your Next Pet

I volunteered at the Humane Society again today. Man, they are just busting at the seams... they have so many dogs and litters of puppies that they have had to start housing them in the rooms with the cats. There are so many animals there who need homes. It has really started breaking my heart to go there, but I feel like, if I can't adopt an animal right now, I can at least go help make their lives at the shelter better. My next dogs though are definitely being adopted!

It's frustrating for me to not be able to get the word out more to people about all the great animals who are waiting at shelters for someone to take them home. The dogs are not scary or dirty or wild; they are just so purely joyful at the site of you that it fills your heart. I wish I could do more to help them find loving families. So many people out there are BUYING pets while dogs sit in kennels at shelters and hope every day for that to be the day someone walks in and rescues them. All it takes is opening your heart to being that someone for one dog. Adopted dogs are loyal, grateful, and easygoing and often the human ends up feeling like the one who has been rescued.

Many times people go into shelters and get overwhelmed. There are always a lot of animals and, in the dog rooms especially, the noise can be deafening. Before going back to the rooms with the kennels, you should ask the animal attendants if you can pick out a few dogs to take in the yard. That way you can go through the kennel rooms and point out a few you like and the attendants can bring them out in the yard for you to get to know. You should not feel rushed or obligated to pick one immediately. The attendants are glad to let you play with the animals and can usually answer questions about age, breed, and health.

Some shelter employees may seem a bit gruff and standoffish but I think that is because they see so many animals never get adopted and so many people leave empty-handed that they have stopped getting their hopes up -- a reaction that is definitely understandable. But don't let this turn you off; you are there for the animals and you should focus on finding that special one.

If you are considering getting a pet, please check out your local shelter first. They often have purebred dogs if you are set on that, and they always have great animals who are looking for someone to be devoted to.

You can check out the Oktibbeha County Humane Society by clicking here.

Or find a local shelter near you by clicking here.