Cody and Bear

Cody, a purebred chocolate lab female, and Bear, a purebred black lab male, were found by a neighbor over the long holiday weekend. Since the neighbor is known for rescuing dumped dogs and cats, she automatically assumed that they were dumped. She called several rescues which were closed for the holiday weekend, and as soon as she could took both dogs to the local veterinarian to see if they were microchipped. Since it's a small town, there is always the possibility that the staff at the vet's office would recognize the dogs and be able to contact the owners. They weren't chipped. The neighbor couldn't keep them at her house as she is getting ready to leave town for several days, so she asked if the vet's office could take them in as they are the unofficial pound for the area. No room at the inn. The vet's staff called me to see if I had room to keep them and find the owners, a rescue, or rehome them.

Cody and Bear were brought to me, and I immediately started contacting a rescue that has helped us out before. A couple of hours later, thanks to the sheriff's department, the owners made contact and said they would pick them up. It seems they have "electronic fencing" and in the bad weather over the long weekend, the fencing failed and the dogs took off on a hunt.

I made sure that the owners knew how close they came to losing these two great dogs forever. If the rescues that were contacted in the larger cities had taken them in, they would have been considered "owner surrenders" and might have been euthanized for space. If the vet's office hadn't known that I have extra kennel space available, they might have been forced to do the same. Not to mention the fact that if some of the other rescues had had space or been open, Cody and Bear might have ended up so far from home that they wouldn't have been found. I strongly encouraged the owners to microchip their wonderful dogs. I had two people that I already know interested in Cody - she would have had a new home within 48 hours.

In the process, we might have found a home for one of my rescues that was once considered "very difficult to adopt". Ms. Ellie, the border collie, would flat foot a 6 ft. fence, get bored and chew stuff up, and has a fear of thunder and gunshots. She no longer jumps the fence, doesn't chew stuff up, and her fear of thunder is much less. She helps us herd the alpacas, but it isn't the perfect situation, as the llamas and alpacas aren't real fond of dogs. The neighbor's father has a farm and a herd of cattle, not to mention a six year old border collie male. He's looking for a younger dog to help him herd cattle and learn from the older dog. We are going to give her a chance at a life that will fulfill her better than we can. Bottom line is that if it doesn't work, they bring her back to us. Thanks Cody and Bear for helping us find what just might be the perfect home for our sweet Ellie!

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.

Taxi Needs a Ride

Taxi is a senior maltese at the Animal Protection League in Anderson, Indiana. He has bad teeth and even a couple of snaggle teeth in the front, a hernia, a fatty tumor, and with his age and health issues, he has yet to be adopted or even fostered. Ever since I first saw his face and read his story, my gut instinct has refused to let him out of my mind.

If I were still in Indiana, I would contact my rescue coordinator, aka "partner in crime", and ask to make a road trip to get him, with a stop at our favorite Taco Bell on the way. We used to do that every chance we had --- and always took extra crates so we could pull a few more adoptable dogs and even cats while we were there.

I can't explain the attraction. I look at pictures on Petfinder every day, but this little guy has gotten into my head and heart.

The Animal Protection League, formerly Anderson Animal Care and Control, has one of the most caring and dedicated staff ever. They try their level best to find homes for dogs, cats, and occasionally a chicken, goat, or some other animal.

Taxi - my prayer is for you to have a new home for Christmas.

Roxy Gets Another Chance

Roxy is an 18 month old German shorthair mix that was adopted from a local humane society at eight weeks old. She has a certificate of completion in obedience school, knows sit, down, high five, shake, is spayed, and very well house trained and crate trained and isn't a barker. She's currently at the end of her "teenage years". She weighs around 40 pounds and is a beautiful chocolate with classic shorthair white markings on her legs and belly.

My son called me one day and said her owners had decided that they could no longer keep her because of their 12 hour shift work and her "hyper" behavior. He asked if I would consider taking her in and doing some rehab as she also didn't come when called, and after that go on and find her a new home. They didn't want to take her to a local shelter as they were concerned about the possibility of euthanasia.

Roxy came to me with the main problem of not paying attention. I worked with her on her leash skills and recall, and in a matter of a couple of days she was walking like a champion on a leash and starting to come when called. My husband actually asked me just why they were giving her up as she has been so very well behaved here.

She improved so rapidly and behaved so well that I contacted the owner, as was the agreement, and told her that I really felt she could make this work if she was willing to take some advice, instruction and coaching along the way.

Yesterday I got an email saying that they felt their long shifts at work would make it just too difficult to take her back and to find her a new home. I was disappointed, but went on to email a local rescue that was willing to post her on Petfinder for me.

However, today I got another call asking if I really thought it could work. The owners just can't stand the thought of giving her up for good. Of course I do!!! So Roxy is going to get to go home, and I am going to do my level best to help them make this work for the whole family! So, in our prayers at Thanksgiving, we will be sure to include a prayer for this family and their success.

Cat Problems

This is about someone who is trying to save a bunch of cats --- barn cats to be specific --- that were dumped by people who didn't want them. These kind hearted folks live on a gravel road in the middle of acres and acres of farms, and they have provided shelter, food, and gentled these cats. They started out getting them spayed and neutered, but soon there were so many more that their fixed income would not allow them to continue the practice. As word spread that you could dump your cats on that piece of road and they would be fed and cared for, more were dumped. Just last week a tiny gray long hair about 8 weeks old was dropped off. You know it didn't stray out there!!!

Now, with winter coming and so many to feed, these folks need to find homes or barns or something for these animals. They have contacted rescue groups and shelters. The shelters will take them and admit that there are so many cats that euthanasia is almost guaranteed. The rescues want to charge these kind folks from $20 to $50 per cat to take them in. There are about 20 cats. In all cases, the rescues were somewhat accusatory - asking why they didn't have them all altered. I guarantee you that if that many animals, dog or cat, were dumped around here, we could not personally afford to alter all of them and neither can these folks. The fact that they have provided the care that they have and are concerned for their continued welfare speaks for itself.

I know the cats were dumped. I know they have been taken in and fed and given shelter and affection and attention. I don't know what the solution to her problem is going to be. I have found homes for a few of them with people who will make sure they do not reproduce.

I guess my biggest problem with this whole thing is that these good folks are going to have to pay lots of money they really can't afford to spend to attempt to be sure that these animals have homes and care ----- and they weren't the ones who just dumped them on a gravel road to get rid of them!!!!!!