Evie's Story

The animal control officer found her wandering the streets of a city. On a body score index of one to five, five being fat and sassy - she is a 1. Whether she got loose and got lost or whether the family that owned her couldn't afford to feed her, we will never know. Whatever the case, Evie, named for being rescued on the eve of Christmas Eve, needed help. The staff at the shelter called to see if PAWS Hancock would take her in. The shelter was full to the brim and that means that any animal that comes in with a health issue is at risk of euthanasia.

Evie was rescued and went to the vet immediately. She is about two years old and looks like a chihuahua and toy fox terrier mix. She weighed only 6.4 founds. She has a wonderful sweet personality, and her tail wags non stop in spite of the fact that she is starving. Her ribs and hip bones stick out for all to see, and she has no muscle mass in the front half of her body. She does have some muscle mass in her thighs. She is heartworm negative and is on a deworming program. She is also on a special feeding schedule for a week till she gets used to eating again without gulping down her whole meal and to give her internal organs time to readjust themselves to proper nutrition.

Right now Evie needs some time to get healthy again, but soon she will be looking for a new home. If anyone would like to help with her expenses or wants to adopt this sweetheart, please go to the PAWS Hancock website at http://www.pawshancock.org/ or email pawshancock@aol.com.

Clint's Cosmetic Surgery

Yes, it's true --- Clint, a six year old chocolate lab, has had cosmetic surgery!!!

Now, as the saying goes, here's "the rest of the story". Clint was a stray for at least two weeks. He wandered into a small town and hovered between two homes which were across the road from each other. His guardian angels kept him from getting hit on the road. One of the families finally called H.E.A.R.T. rescue in Eldora, Iowa and asked for help for this gentle, kind, well mannered dog. He was sick, and the rescue got him to the vet and on antibiotics, and he is healthy now.

Clint knows sit, not to jump on people, takes treats gently, loves to play ball, and the vet said he is only about six years old, in spite of the white muzzle. Clint has degenerative retinal disease that cannot be fixed, so he can see shadows, dark and light. He needs a home and family with a fenced yard to keep him safe. Unfortunately, because of his size (80 pounds) and his disability, only one person has come forward to meet him. Even more unfortunately, the person who asked for the meeting wanted a registered chocolate lab to replace her "lost" dog. Her lost dog had wandered off never to be seen again - her comment was that he probably went off to die and he "was just a farm dog". Needless to day, Clint would not have been adopted out to her.

Clint is very friendly and would really like to be a lap dog. He seems fine with other dogs, and is not interested in cats. He hasn't been around small children since he has been in rescue, but his good nature and gentleness makes one think that a family with children would be a definite possibility.

Clint is microchipped, current on vaccinations, heartworm tested negative and on heartworm preventive, and neutered.

The cosmetic surgery??? - when Clint was neutered, he had lots of extra scrotal skin, so the vet did a scrotal tuck!!!

Please pass this along and help me find a forever home for this wonderful dog. For more information about adopting Clint, go to www.petfinder.com and search for H.E.A.R.T. Rescue in Eldora, Iowa. Let's give this guy a home for Christmas!!!

If You Can't Adopt - - -

This holiday seasons takes a toll on animal shelters and rescues. Shelters, because of budget restrictions, often have to euthanize animals right before the holidays to keep from paying overtime. Rescues find that there are some folks who really want to adopt a dog or cat, but for the most part, everyone is caught up in shopping and preparing for the holidays while the shelters and rescues are full to the brim and stretching to make ends meet.

If you can't adopt, then please consider fostering even if it's just for a short time. Let's get as many of the adoptable animals into homes for the holidays. Never know, you might decide to keep the dog or cat! Also, if you do decide to adopt or foster this time of year, first of all for the first week or two, please don't invite everyone you know and their own pet to meet your new arrival. Give them time to settle in to your routine. With the excitement and stress levels of the holiday season, it's best to give them a crate in a room where they can smell, hear and see what's going on before they have to dive into the middle of a room full of excited children or stressed out adults.

If you can't foster, then maybe you could volunteer for an hour or two. The dogs, cats, and staff really appreciate it. They have lots of work to do and often don't have nearly as much time as they would like to walk, pet, socialize, groom, etc.

If you can't volunteer, then maybe you could donate. Bleach, dry dog food, dry cat food, litter, canned food, treats, tennis balls, toys, blankets, towels, even cheap collars and leads are all very welcome any time.

If you don't have time to do any of the above, maybe just sponsor an animal. Send a donation, however large or small, to help support a rescued dog or cat, horse, goat, chicken - it all helps out!!!

On behalf of the rescues and shelters that I have worked with and currently work with, we thank you for any help you can give us.