Animals

Lucy’s Journey

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Little Lucy’s journey has sure been an eventful one! She was pulled from the city pound in late November, fostered by my friend Sandy until she got over her URI, then fostered by me, then fostered by a great guy in my building named Sam, and then back to me when Sam went out of town.

Lucy looking deceptively calm.

There was a ton of anxiety that came with welcoming the young and rambunctious Lucy back into our home. For starters, I’m pregnant. Second, our own dog Ella has a deadly infection we are in the midst of aggressively treating. And most complicated of all, she doesn’t get along with our two senior cats. But after a few days of “crate and rotate,” our declawed cat Kitty let Lucy know her place in the house! She still gets her butt kicked by the Bug, though, and has the scars on her nose to prove it. The good news is that we are confident that she will not eat them, only chase and annoy them. Phew!

The best thing that came out of taking Lucy back is that I really got to know her and love her and thanks to Facebook, found her an amazing home with a childhood friend of mine who lives in Georgia.

Lucy was supposed to fly down to Georgia last Sunday with the non-profit, Pilots-n-Paws, but the plane on the first leg of her trip had engine problems and never took off from the tarmac in New Jersey. Pilots-n-Paws meant well, but especially in the dead of winter, it was a risk, and the longer Lucy stays with us, the more she is feeling like she is home, and she is not.

Shortly after last week’s failed flight I booked Lucy a ticket on the new airline, Pet Airways. Lucy will leave New York en route to Atlanta, Georgia, this Saturday — and for those of you that don’t know, Lucy won’t be flying in cargo, but in the cabin, with a stewardess and all!

Here are a couple of pictures from Lucy’s non-eventful trip with Pilots-n-Paws…

Watching her plane land.

Boarding the plane that never took off.

 

 

16 Yr. Old Dog On Euth List Gets Second Chance

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On Monday night I was horrified to see the email that came in about a 16 yr. old shihtzu at the city pound that was to be put down the following day. The dog was dumped at the shelter in a black duffel bag and left with a note that read: “This is a female dog. The dog is 16 yrs old. The dog is sick, vomits & diarrhea… I cannot take care of the dog. Please do the humane thing. Thank you.”

Cindy was on the euth list at Manhattan ACC.

I quickly set out to write a note about her on Facebook and tagged a couple dozen animal rescue constituents in the process. Should I pull her and bring her to my vet and have her euthanized myself? At least then she would have someone to hold her and talk to her. Or might she still have some days, possibly months left in her to live?

The responses I got on Facebook were heartwarming and I was not the least bit surprised. Tammy Paris Woods stepped up to the plate and offered to take this old gal in and create a hospice environment for her to live in at her home in South Philly. I contacted the ACC, pulled Cindy and created a chipin site for her. I would like to give Tammy $200 so that when the time comes to put Cindy down, she won’t have to go into her own pockets for it. We are more than half way there with the donations that have come in thus far, but have still not met our goal.

If you would like to help us send this old gal off with the love and dignity that she so deserves, please visit her chipin site here: http://reefuge.chipin.com/cindy

Thank you.

Custom-Made Pillows & T’s Go To Good Cause

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I recently purchased an Epic Specialties pillow from Facebook friend and fellow animal lover, Chirs Brenner. The pillow says “We Have A Warm (Heart) For Cold Noses.” Not only were the pillows cheap at $10, but all the proceeds go to a great cause: the Helen Woodward Animal Center in Rancho Santa Fe, California. There’s only one, albeit simple catch: you have to email Chris a picture of yourself with the product.

I received the pillow in the mail about as fast as I sent Chris a check and now it sits under the tree for Ella to open on Christmas. Then, Chris will get his photo!

Epic Specialties also sells Hanes 100% cotton, tagless t-shirts that say “We Have A Warm (Heart) For Cold Noses” or “We (Heart) Pets!” The pillows, like the one I ordered, are handmade, and also come in either slogan. There is even a bone-shaped neck pillow that says “We Love Pets.” The t-shirts are being sold for $8 each and the pillows for $10, until the end of January 2010. But keep in mind, that price is being honored (in good faith) to customers who will email Chris a picture of themselves with the tee or pillow. 

Chris has been a marketing consultant for over 15 years, and started Epic Specialties – which is he is the Chief Executive – earlier this year. While in the business to make money, as a life-long animal lover and someone who is passionate about fighting animal cruelty, Chris launched the company knowing he would give a percentage of promotional product sales to the San Diego Humane Society and Helen Woodward.

Now that, is a business worth supporting!

To order your t-shirt or pillow, email Chris at chris@epicspecialties.com.

Lucy the Rescue Dog Needs a Home

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Lucy is a 11-month old petite American Staffordshire Terrier (pit bull) that was rescued from a NYC high-kill shelter and is currently being fostered in Brooklyn Heights. At a small 48 pounds, Lucy walks great on the leash, is completely house-broken, takes food from the hand very gently and gets along great with other dogs, adults and children. She should not however, be in a home with cats.

Lucy was given up by her previous people and is looking for a new home.

Lucy is learning many commands and is proving to be a quick learner. She is very affectionate and has a ton of young-dog spunk. She also enjoys taking car rides. Lucy would be the perfect addition to any household (without cats). She is spayed, microchipped, up-to-date on all her shots and ready to find her “furever” home today. Adoption application and adoption fee of $150 required. To meet Lucy please email reedutaha@yahoo.com or call 718.926.6621 today!!

Please feel free to share this post or Lucy’s petfinder link. http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=15312086

Project Pet Fundraiser & Happy’s Holiday Hour

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My friend Emily Tanen’s non-profit rescue group, Project Pet, is throwing a holiday party in which all proceeds go towards saving animals in city shelters – specifically pit bulls – from euthanasia.

Emily also works in the New Hope department of Manhattan Animal Care and Control and never leaves work without taking at least a few dogs out of the shelter with her to be marketed, coddled and adored by animal lovers who attend the fundraiser.

Happy’s Holiday Hour will take place at Von, a great space on Bleecker Street on Thursday, December 17th from 6 – 9 p.m. I went to Project Pet’s fundraiser at Von last month and it was a blast! I am hoping to get out of a prior engagement to come out and support Emily and the animals she works so tirelessly to save, and hope you will, too!

Below is a photo of some of my rescue friends at Project Pet’s last fundraiser. From top left going clockwise is the host of the party, Emily, followed by Christina, Jen, myself and Katherine.

Good times raising money for shelter pets.

A Pit Bull On My Pillow

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Mom and dads check out this wonderful children’s picture book by friend and fellow animal rescuer, Cathy Klein Nakayama, on pit bulls. The pits are all in sleepy time poses – it’s great for putting your little ones to sleep and great for pit rescue, too, as a percentage of each book sold benefits two North Carolina-based rescue groups.

To purchase one, click here. To read more about the making of the book, click here.

Good for the kids and for the pits.

The Story of Nico…

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This story begins with a photograph… probably one of the most compelling photos ever seen in animal welfare as it represents so perfectly the sadness and hopelessness these animals often feel as they sit in shelters waiting for a home, or in this case, for the end to come. The photo went out on Facebook the last week of July, and so began the amazing story of redemption for a dog named Nico… to finish reading Nico’s story, click here.