So many dogs, so little time!

It has been a while! Between being a mom to 5, working a lot and doing as much as we can for the dogs, I admit that the blog has fallen by the way side. I honestly could not even tell you how many or whom we have helped this year. I had brilliant intentions of keeping up, but it just didn't happen!


Some changes in our volunteering situation...this year, we found a rescue literally right around the corner, 1 minute from our house. It's not a big rescue and there are not many people in it so they need whatever help we can give them and it's VERY nice having them right around the corner! We are also randomly doing emergency short term foster for other areas as well as the occasional transport.


On a personal note, my oldest son has been accepted to early college (yay J!!!) and he has to acquire 150 volunteer hours before he can graduate with his associates degree in 5 years. My child TRULY love volunteering, anyway (well...the 12yr old needs a fire lit under him at times), but this will truly be a big help in acquiring those hours. We also hope to get his early college community involved so that our rescue will have even more volunteers.

So far, here are some of the animals that we have helped from Jan-July of this year...that I remember. Keeping in mind that between my kids and job, I have so many names and numbers running through my head, I *guarantee* that I have forgotten some!!! As well, some were only with us for a very short time so may not have had as much of an impact on us as those that were with us for longer. (Also, we got our own puppy this year and I took a small break during this time for his health and safety until he had several shots.)

And...gooooo...

Lily, Sandy, Annie, Molly, Bailey, Zach, Ben, Rue, Titus, Posy, Raggs, Midnight, Star, Bruno, Vita and her three pups (did not foster her pups, but did foster her)

Writing them down, it seems like we had a lot more in foster than this!

I have had many great firsts this year that I am proud to say that I was able to participate in, even if they may have been difficult at times. We picked up our first surrenders that we coordinated and picked up, a mom and three pups. All mom and pups are now in their new homes! We did several transports. We did our first connection and adoption! I learned to give shots (still not my favorite by far!). We did our first connection with breed specific rescue and did the transport for that which made us feel GREAT and he is now in his forever home!

Fostering and volunteering is not all glamorous, of course. There's poop, pee, sleepless nights, sickness, sadness and yes, sometimes, there is death. :-( I can say, after a year (wow! Has it really only been a year?!?!?) that the benefits of knowing that we are making a huge difference in these animals lives far surpasses the not so glamorous or sad things that make occur.

But I want her to experience the miracle of birth!

(may be offensive to some)

I saw the cutest chihuahua today. A customer opened her door and three chi's came running out, including this tiny little thing that couldn't have weighed more than 3 pounds. The customer said that she was full grown and (exact quote) "They want me to get her fixed, but I just want her to experience the miracle of birth one time."

*shaking my head*

Dogs do NOT get the "miracle of birth". They breed and have babies because that is their instinct. They do not do it because they want to have children, raise a litter, see them grow or anything at all like we do as humans. I know that I humanize feelings in my head some times for animals. However, they do NOT experience the miracle of birth. They experience breeding. They experience pregnancy. They experience birth. They experience nursing. There is no beauty in it for them. It's the instinct that they are born with. Period. WE see it as miraculous and yes, birth is miraculous, but dogs do not understand nor need to experience the miracle of birth.

The truth is, not only does spaying or neutering your pet lower the overpopulation of animals, it is also healthier for your animal! If you spay your female before she goes in to her first heat, it reduces the risk of breast cancer, uterine cancer and ovarian cancer. If you neuter your male, he will not develop testicular cancer and his risk for developing prostrate cancer is greatly reduced.

Also, this dog that I discussed above, that weighs less than 3lbs? Her "baby" that she "loves so much" will most likely have to have a c-section, if not die, from having a litter, due to her very slight size. That's how small she was. How is there anything miraculous about that?

If you want to experience a miracle, go down to the shelter and save a life. Experience what a rescued dog brings to your life. THAT is miraculous.

Consider this, before deciding to let your dog (or cat) "experience the miracle of birth"

The Prolific Cat		The Prolific Dog
1st year	3 litters = 12 offspring	1st year	4 offspring with 2 females
2nd year	144 offspring	2nd year	12 offspring
3rd year	1,728 offspring	3rd year	36 offspring
4th year	10,736 offspring	5th year	324 offspring

The faces that we helped this year...

Keep in mind that we did not even begin fostering until the end of July and I was very sick with an, at times debilitating illness, during that time.

My dog would be better off on the side of the road than at the pound...

FALSE!!!

I do not know if people here think that (although I know some do because I have actually had people tell me that) or if they do not want to take the responsibility of bringing them to the shelter. It's just a dog, after all. /sarcasm Yes, you might leave your dog on the side of the road and some kind person or rescue MAY see it and bring it home to keep or find a home for it. I may also win the lottery tomorrow, but the odds are against it.

The more likely scenario will be what I saw yesterday (and it's not the first time, nor the last, I am sure)...the dog that you leave on the side of the road will run out in front of a vehicle and suffer a horrific death that NO ONE AND NOTHING should suffer. That dog that you dropped on the side of the road, in hopes of it finding a better home (I have to believe in my heart that is the real misguided reason that you did it), runs out, either not being street smart or searching for food or whatever, and has his head crushed by a truck tire. Blessedly, immediate death. However, wouldn't the shelter and humane euthanasia be the better way to go? YES. It would!!!

How about this...you bring your dog to the shelter...they

*get adopted

*get humanely euthanised

Either way, they do not suffer. They do not suffer a horrific death. Yes, it sucks going in to the shelter (for you and them, if you have any heart), however, if you cannot/will not take the time to rehome them yourself or contact a rescue to see if they can take them, it is the appropriate and responsible thing to do.

If you leave them on the side of the road...they

*get hit by a car and suffer

*get hit by a car and have immediate death (sad that this is the preferred!)

*starve to death

*rarely get picked up and saved

I have a hard time seeing people bring animals to the pound, however, I would far rather see that than throwing them from the car. I really do think that people are misguided when they do this. They really do think it's the better option. It's not. Truly. Please either take your dog to the shelter/rescue/pound OR take the time to rehome them yourself. Your pet has done nothing wrong. They deserve better. Even if they HAVE done something wrong (chased livestock, bit someone, etc.) taking them to the pound is the responsible thing to do.

I am truly at a loss as to how to change things. I talk to my children about it often in some way. They know how I feel. They know what I expect of them. They have known about animals and responsibility for them since they could talk and understand. However, education is needed greatly. We need to get in these schools and have programs teaching children about animals, responsibility, choices and respect for ALL living things. That includes spay and neuter to control the population, what to do if you are truly no longer able to keep an animal (hey, I have been there! I understand that it happens. I had a dog that bit. We rehomed him through a breed specific rescue and he now lives in NY City! Go Westbrook!). Education, education, education!!! Animals are not trash, they are not throw away things. Don't have them if you do not plan to have a commitment for their best care and keeping, including what to do if you can no longer care for them! (And I don't mean because they no longer match the drapes or they shed (many dogs do!) or they have too much energy or they chew things or...or...or... Quite honestly, if you don't want to deal with it, get a fur real puppy. They don't chew or potty in the house AND if you get sick of them, you can take the batteries out! ;-)