NOTE TO ADOPTERS

[by Diane Morgan]

Diane writes, "After a couple of bad experiences with adopters (NOT the dog) in rescue lately -- I wrote this. Forgive the irritated tone. (If anyone would like to place this on their own rescue page for any breed, you have my permission so long as the content is not altered." dcrocodile@aol.com

Note to adopters: Lassie and Cleo and Rin Tin Tin and Toto don't show up in rescue. We don't get the elegantly coiffed, classically beautiful, completely trained, perfectly behaved dog. We get the leftovers. Dogs that other people have incompetently bred, inadequately socialized, ineffectively "trained," and badly treated. Most Rescue dogs have had it. They've been pushed from one lousy situation to another. They've never had proper veterinary care, kind and consistent training, or sufficient company. They've lived outside, in a crate, or in the basement. They're scared, depressed and anxious. Some are angry. Some are sick. Some have given up. But we are Rescue and we don't give up. We never give up on a dog. We know that a dog is a living being, with a spirit and a heart and feelings. Our dogs are not commodities, things, or garbage. They are part of sacred creation and they deserve as much love and care and respect as the next Westminster champion. So please, please don't come to rescue in the hopes of getting a "bargain," or indeed of "getting" anything. Come to Rescue to give, to love, to save a life -- and to mend your own spirit. For Rescue will reward you in ways you never thought possible. I can promise you this -- a rescue dog will make you a better person.

If I didn't have dogs:


1) I could walk around safely barefoot in the dark;

2) My house could be carpeted instead of tiled and laminated;

3) All flat surfaces, clothing, furniture and cars would be free of dog hair;

4) When the doorbell rang, it wouldn't sound like the SPCA kennels;

5) When the doorbell rang, I could get to the door without wading thru four or five dog bodies who beat beat me there;

6) I could sit how I wanted to on the couch without taking into consideration where several little furbodies would need to get;

7) I would not have strange presents under my tree ....like dog bones, stuffed animals and have to answer to people why I wrap them up;

8) I would not be on a first name basis with a vet;

9) Most used words in my vocabulary would not be:

potty, outside, sit, down, come, no, and leave him/her ALONE;

10) My house would not be cordoned off into zones with baby gates;

11) My purse would not contain things like poop pick up bags and dog treats;

12) I would no longer have to spell the words B-A-L-L, T-R-E-A-T-S, O-U-T-S-I-D-E, and F-R-I-S-B-E-E;

13) I would not buy weird things to stuff into 'kongs' or have to explain why I'm buying them, or what a "kong" is;

14) I would not have as many leaves and Pine Straw INSIDE my house as outside;

15) I would not look strangely at people who think having their ONE dog ties them down too much;

16) I would not have to answer the question why do I have so many dogs from people who will never have the joy in their life of knowing they are loved
unconditionally by something as close to an angel as they will ever get. Who else has a friend who considers you the MOST important thing in the whole
wide world all the time.

The Gift



Eyes fearful, paws worn
A sorrowful sight
So forlorn

Love they said would be the cure
For the suffering
You had to endure

So our family grew that day
We brought you home
With us you'd stay

Slowly, gently the bond it grew
Faithful, loyal
Loving true

Looking back it's so unclear
How we got by
Without you here

Trusted companion, devoted friend
You give and give
It never ends

They said we were a gift to you
But now we know
Who rescued who



J. M. Berry

Spay & Neuter Your Pets!!!

1. Just one litter and then we'll have Fluffy spayed.
(Studies show that virtually the entire pet overpopulation stems from
the "just one litter" mentality.)
2. My dog doesn't run loose, so he doesn't need to be fixed.
(Murphy's Law says otherwise.)
3. We always find homes for the kittens/puppies.
(And that means that an equal number of kittens/puppies at the pound will be killed.)
4. I want the children to witness the miracle of birth.
(Rent a video.)
5. My dog is so cute and unique, there should be more of her.
(The shelters and pounds are full of cute and unique dogs, most with only a few days to live.)
6. It's not natural.
(There hasn't been anything "natural" about dogs since we began to develop breeds thousands of years ago.)
7. I just couldn't look my dog in the eye if I had him castrated.
(Watch it, you're anthropomorphiizing.)
8. A female dog or cat should have at least one litter for health reasons.
(Medically, factually and ethically indefensible.)
9. Neutering my dog will make him fat and lazy.
(Too much food and not enough exercise make a dog fat and lazy.)
10. Fixing my pet will change its personality.
(The main influences on an animal's personality are the kindness and care with which it is raised.)
-Unknown

PET RULES

To be posted VERY LOW on the refrigerator door - nose height.

Dear Dogs and Cats,

The dishes with the paw print are yours and contain your food.
The other dishes are mine and contain my food. Please note, placing a
paw print in the middle of my plate and food does not stake a claim for it
becoming your food and dish, nor do I find that aesthetically
pleasing in the slightest.

The stairway was not designed by NASCAR and is not a racetrack.
Beating me to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn't help
because I fall
faster than you can run.
I cannot buy anything bigger than a king sized bed. I am very
sorry about this.

Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to ensure your
comfort. Dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball
when they sleep. It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each
other stretched out to the fullest extent possible. I also know that
sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out the other end to
maximize space is nothing but sarcasm.

For the last time, there is not a secret exit from the bathroom.
If by some miracle I beat you there and manage to get the door shut,
it
is not necessary to claw, whine, meow, try to turn the knob or get
your paw under the edge and try to pull the door open. I must exit
through
the same door I entered. Also, I have been using the bathroom for
years --canine or feline attendance is not required.

The proper order is kiss me, then go smell the
;other dog or cat's butt. I cannot stress this enough!
To pacify you, my dear pets, I have posted the following message on
our front door:

To All Non-Pet Owners Who Visit & Like to Complain About Our Pets:

1. They live here. You don't.
2. If you don't want their hair on your clothes, stay off the
furniture. (That's why they call it "fur"niture.)
3. I like my pets a lot better than I like most people.
4. To you, it's an animal. To me, he/she is an adopted son/daughter
who is short, hairy, walks on all fours and doesn't speak clearly.


Remember: Dogs and cats are better than kids because they:

1. Eat less
2. Don't ask for money all the time
3 Are easier to train
4. Normally come when called
5. Never ask to drive the car
6. Don't hang out with drug-using friends
7. Don't smoke or drink
8. Don't have to buy the latest fashions
9. Don't want to wear your clothes
10. Don't need a gazillion dollars for college, and...
11. If they get pregnant, you can sell their children.

http://www.brightlion.com/InHope.aspx

As a nation, we claim to love cats and dogs. Millions of households have pets, and billions of dollars are spent yearly on pet supplies and food. But as a nation, we should take a hard, sobering look at a different annual statistic: the millions of dogs and cats given up to shelters or left to die on the streets. And the numbers tell only half the story.

Every cat or dog who dies as a result of pet overpopulation—whether humanely in a shelter or by injury, disease, or neglect—is an animal who, more often than not, would have made a wonderful companion, if given the chance. Tremendous as the problem of pet overpopulation is, it can be solved if each of us takes just one small step, starting with not allowing our animals to breed. Here's information about this crisis and why spaying and neutering is the first step to a solution. -HSUS

In Hope: An Animal Shelter Story

A Film By Robert Valentine

I am the voice of the voiceless; Through me the dumb shall speak. Till the deaf world's ears be made to hear. The wrongs of the wordless weak. And I am my brothers keeper, And I will fight his fights; And speak the words for beast and bird. Till the world shall set things right. - Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Since 1985, more than 150,000 animals have died here.

Why did they have to die?

Irresponsible people, failing to control the breeding of their animals, have created a surplus of millions animals that society has no homes for...

Animal ownership has traditionally been held as a right.

It needs to be a revocable privilege.

"The worst sin towards our fellow creatures is not to hate them...

...but to be indifferent to them: that's the essence of inhumanity." - George Bernard Shaw

"He who is cruel to animals becomes hard also in his dealings with men...

...We can judge the heart of a man by his dealings with animals." - Immanuel Kant

For every animal that dies in a shelter...

...there is someone, somewhere, responsible for its death.

"You cannot do a kindness too soon...

...Because you never know how soon it will be too late." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

This is Goodbye...

"Think occasionally of the suffering of which you spare yourself the sight." - Albert Schweitzer

Each day approximately 10,000 humans are born in the U.S.

Each day approximately 70,000 puppies and kittens are born as well.

This leaves 5 million animals without a home to die in shelters this year.

40 animals will die in shelters during this film.

"These birds and animals and fish cannot speak, but they can suffer...

...and our god who created them knows their sufferings, and will hold him who causes them to suffer unnecessarily to answer for it." - George Cannon

The solution rests on all of our shoulders.

Spay or neuter your animals.

Be a responsible animal owner.

Written and Directed by Robert Valentine

To view film: http://www.brightlion.com/InHope.aspx

Thru a dog's eye's

I lay in my cage
all sad and blue
no one wanted me
it must be true

Some people came thru
some of us got a home
most were like me
still all alone

Hey kid, hey kid
check me out
I'm a real good dog
without a doubt

Yeah, a nine yr. old
would work just fine
but there weren't any
standing in line

And just when I thought
I was at the end of my rope
a new face appeared
hey, maybe there's hope

She had this sad look
all over her face
like she needed to fill
a big empty space

Hey lady, hey lady
I can do that
please take me home
I don't like where I'm at

I slowly crept up to her
afraid, a little unsure
and allowed her to gently
stroke my fur

She smiled at me
a little glint in her eye
I thought, make up your'e mind
I don't want to stay here and die

Well,she did take me home
arf, arf, it was worth the wait
maybe it was luck
but I'm betting it was fate.

Author: April S. Balint

How do you know when you have too many dogs?

When you have more grass in your driveway than in your backyard.
When your neighbors find ANY dog running loose and automatically bring it to your house.
When you want to watch TV and you have to sit on the floor because all of the furniture is "occupied".
When it takes you longer to wash your dogs' dishes than your own.
When you have to use a wash tub for a water dish.
When you have to run an obstacle course to get to the phone.
When you see one of your dogs doing something bad like chewing something up or leaving a "dog deposit" on the rug) and you have to run through the entire list of dogs' names in order to yell at the right one and by then it is too late.
When the Hazmat team comes to your house on trash day to handle the "deposits" that you have placed in your trash can.
When you have all of your dogs in the back seat of your car and it automatically changes lanes when they move to the other side of the car.
When you NEVER go anywhere for a vacation because it costs more to kennel
your dogs than to go to Hawaii.
When you have an extension on your king-sized bed so you all fit.
When Iams/Eukanuba/Nutro makes home deliveries.
When you move your bedroom into the garage and put a king and queen-sized bed together so all of your dogs can sleep with you.
When you can't remember all of your dogs' names and just call them Baby and Pup-Pup.
When you take your dogs for a run in the park and people think it is a dog show (more like a 3-ring circus!)
You know your veterinarian's phone number by heart and have your own file drawer.
Your veterinarian drives a Porsche, you drive a used van and you paid for both!
-- Author Unknown

You Know You Are A Dog Person When...

You know you're a dog person when...

* You have more dog beds, chew toys, collars, leashes, harnesses, and dog crates than you have dogs.
* You meet other people with dogs, and remember their dog's call name after 30 seconds, but don't get the owner/handler's name until you've met them 2 or 3 times.
* You don't think twice about trading licks of an ice cream cone with your dog.
* Your parents give up on grandchildren and start to refer to your dogs as "your kids" or your children." (Bonus: they start to call them "our granddogs.")
* 90 percent of your Internet connection time goes to the dogs (seeing what's new when you enter your breed into the browser, reading up on multiple lists, checking out photos, sounds and FAQs, etc.)
* You have hundreds of pictures of your dogs on your desk at work, in your wallet, etc., but none of your family or yourself.
* No one wants to ride in your car because they know they'll get dog hair on their clothes.
* You reach into your pockets for change, and liver treats, dog kibble, and pick-up bags fall all over. (Bonus: You've done this in a classy establishment.)
* You've had long meaningful discussions with your friends on the best way to trim your dog's nails, but have never had a manicure or pedicure in your lifetime.
* Books and movies are ruined for you if the dog references are incorrect.
* The highlight of your day is spending time with your dog.
* You watch simply awful movies because your breed is either featured in a cameo scene or there's a 3-second camera shot during a crowd scene.
* All of your clothes have dog hair on them, even when they come back from the Laundromat or dry cleaners.
* The only thing your friends, colleagues, and passing acquaintances say to you when they see you is, "How are the dogs?" or "How many dogs do you have now?"
* Your photo Christmas cards feature your dogs (humans optional).
* Your jewelry box contains no jewels - just those fasteners from vari-kennels.
* Every time you read the name, Bob, you think the guy's first name is Best of Breed.
* You ask your vet if you can ride in her sports car sometime.
* Your house isn't carpeted - the fuzzy furballs under your feet are soft enough.
* Your hungry hubby comes home from work, lifts the cover of the pan on the stove and says, "Is this people food or dog food?"
* Your hungry hubby once ate the dog food and asked for seconds.
* Your mother-in-law keeps asking when you are going to have children.
* You don't give a second thought to using the brush you just used on your dog to give a quick run through your own hair.
* At your dinner parties, you always double check the butter before putting it on the table.
* You put important papers in your latest issue of your breed magazine. You know you will find them there.
* You have dog hair stuck on tape on wrapped gifts.
* You have dog toy/treats in your briefcase.
* You have several albums filled with the 8 by 10 pictures of your dogs, but you can't locate any pictures of your kids to send to grandma.
* You show up at the car dealers with a ruler, to measure and see if your big dog crate will fit. Before the actual purchase, you make the dealer cringe by insisting that you load both crates and dog into the shiny, new vehicle to make sure it works!
* You can't get the groceries in the car because its: a) already full of dog food or b) you have that big old crate in there.
* You visit relatives only if there is a dog show nearby.
* You remove all the seats from the van except the two in the front so you have room for crates.
* The passenger seat is full of dog stuff.
* You cringe at the price of food in the grocery store, but think nothing of the cost of dog food or treats.
* You have six squeaky hedgehogs...but only one with a squeaky that works.
* Your mother knows the implication of a "major breaking".
* You put popcorn in the clean dog dish for a movie treat.
* You pull out your credit card and little bits of liver are stuck to it.
* When you get your latest roll of film and there isn't a single picture of a two-legged person in it.
* People at work have stopped offering you their lint brushes. They realize it is a hopeless case.
* Friends no longer ask, "how was your weekend"; they ask "how did the dogs do?"
* All babies and youngsters are "people puppies".

-- Author Unknown

Ways to Help Rescue

Ways To Help Rescue

100 Ways to help Rescue Organizations Without Adopting a Dog or Cat or Fostering a Dog or Cat, Can you...

Transport a dog or cat?
Donate a dog/cat bed or towels or other *bedding* type items? (Gently used dog/cat equipment is always welcome)
Donate MONEY?
Donate a Kong? A Nylabone? A Hercules?
Donate a crate?
Donate a x-pen or baby gate?
Donate a food dish or a stainless bucket for a crate?
Donate a leash?
Donate a collar?
Donate some treats or a bag of food?
Donate a halti or promise collar or a gentle leader?
Walk a dog?
Groom a dog or cat?
Donate some grooming supplies (shampoos, combs, brushes, etc.)?
Donate a lawnmower?
Make a few phone calls?
Mail out applications to people who've requested them?
Provide local vet clinics with contact information for educational materials on responsible pet ownership?
Drive a dog or cat to and from vet appointments?
Donate long distance calling cards?
Donate a scanner or digital camera?
Donate a photocopier?
Attend public education days and try to educate people on responsible pet ownership?
Donate a gift certificate to a pet store?
Donate a raffle item if your club is holding a fundraiser?
Donate flea stuff (Advantage, Frontline)?
Donate Heartworm pills?
Donate an animal first aid kit?
Provide a shoulder to cry on when the rescue person is overwhelmed?
Pay the boarding fees to board a dog for a week? Two weeks?
Be a Santi-paws foster to give the foster a break for a few hours or days?
Clip coupons for dog food or treats?
Bake some homemade doggie biscuits?
Make book purchases through Amazon via a web site that contributes commissions earned to a rescue group?
Host rescue photos with an information link on your website?
Donate time to take good photos of foster dogs for adoption flyers, etc.?
Conduct a home visit or accompany a rescue person on the home visit?
Go with rescue person to the vet to help if there is more than one dog or cat?
Have a yard sale and donate the money to rescue?
Volunteer to do rescue in your area?
Take advantage of a promotion on the web or store offering a free ID tag and instead of getting it for your own dog, have the tag inscribed with your rescues name and phone # to contact?
Talk to all your friends about adopting and fostering rescued dogs and cats?
Donate vet services or can you help by donating a spay or neuter each year or some vaccinations?
Interview vets to encourage them to offer discounts to rescues?
Write a column for your local newspaper or club newsletter on dogs on dogs currently looking for homes or ways to help rescue?
Take photos of dogs available for adoption for use by the rescue groups?
Maintain web sites listing/showing dogs and cats available?
Help organize and run fundraising events?
Help maintain the paperwork files associated with each dog or enter the information into a database?
Tattoo a rescued dog?
Microchip a rescued dog?
Loan your carpet steam cleaner to someone who has fostered a dog that was sick or marked in the house?
Donate a bottle of bleach or other cleaning products?
Donate or loan a portable dog run to someone who doesn't have a quarantine area for quarantining a dog that has an unknown vaccination history and has been in a shelter?
Drive the fosters' children to an activity so that the foster can take the dog to obedience class?
Use your video camera to film a rescue dog in action?
Be the one to take the dog to its obedience class?
Go to the foster home once a week with your children and dogs to help socialize the dog?
Help the foster and rescue organizations clean up the yard (yes, we also have to scoop what those foster/rescued dogs/cat poop)
Offer to test the foster dog with cats?
Pay for the dog or cat to be groomed or take the dog or cat to a *Do It Yourself* Grooming Place?
Bring the foster take out so the foster doesn't have to cook dinner?
Pay a house-cleaning service to do the spring cleaning for someone who fosters/rescues dogs and cats all the time?
Lend your artistic talents to your club's newsletter, fundraising ideas, t-shirt designs?
Donate printer paper, envelopes and stamps to your club?
Go with a rescue person to the vet if a foster dog or cat needs to be euthanized?
Go to local shelters and meet with shelter staff about how to identify your breed or provide photos and breed information showing the different types of that breed may come in and the different color combinations?
Go to local businesses and solicit donations for a club's fundraising event?
Offer to try and help owners be better pet owners by holding a grooming seminar?
Help pet owners be better pet owners by being available to answer training questions?
Loan or donate a crate if a dog needs to travel by air?
Put together an *Owner's Manual* for those who adopt rescued dogs/cats of your breed?
Provide post-adoption follow up or support?
Donate a coupon for a free car wash or gas or inside cleaning of a vehicle?
Pay for an ad in your local/metropolitan paper to help place rescue dogs?
Volunteer to screen calls for that ad?
Get some friends together to build/repair pens for a foster home?
Microchip your own pups if you are a breeder, and register the chips, so if your dogs ever come into rescue, you can be contacted to take responsibility for your pup?
Donate a small percentage of the sale of each pup to rescue if you are a breeder?
Buy two of those really neat dog-items you "have to have" and donate one to Rescue?
Make financial arrangements in your will to cover the cost of caring for your dogs after you are gone - so Rescue won't have to?
Make a bequest in your will to your local or national Rescue?
Donate your professional services as an accountant or lawyer?
Donate other services if you run your own business?
Donate the use of a vehicle if you own a car dealership?
Loan your cell phone (and cover costs for any calls) to someone driving a rescued dog?
Donate your *used* dog dryer when you get a new one?
Let rescue know when you'll be flying and that you'd be willing to be a rescued dog's escort?
Do something not listed above to help rescue?
Donate a doggy seatbelt?
Donate a grid for a van or other vehicle?
Organize a rescued dog picnic or other event to reunite the rescued dogs that have been placed?
Donate other types of doggy toys that might be safe for rescued dogs?
Donate a roll-a-treat or Buster cube?
Donate clickers or a video on clicker training?
Donate materials for a quarantine area at a foster's home?
Donate sheets of linoleum or other flooring materials to put under crates to protect the foster's floor?
Donate an engraving tool to make ID tags for each of the rescued dogs?
Remember that rescuing a dog involves the effort and time of many people and make yourself available on an emergency basis to do *whatever* is needed.
John Bodenheimer