animal rescue

16 Yr. Old Dog On Euth List Gets Second Chance

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.

Lucy the Rescue Dog Needs a Home

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

A Pit Bull On My Pillow

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.

Meet Benicio…

Last Thursday I pulled a dog from the Staten Island ACC. He’s believed to be part English bulldog and part American staffordshire terrier. The shelter was calling him Little Baja, although I quickly changed it to Benicio, or Benny for short. I wanted to stay true to his roots and, well, who doesn’t love Benicio Del Toro?

I’ll never forget how scared Benny was when he first came off the van. I live on a busy street, so when I saw him crouching down with his tail between his legs I took him to a quiet street lined with trees. When he stepped in a pile of leaves, the sound that the leaves made beneath him sent him jumping five feet ahead. I knew right there and then that this poor soul likely never saw the light of day.

My suspicions were confirmed even more when Benny proceeded to do his business in my apartment. Wherever he lived, a shed or basement, he relieved himself where he wanted, when he wanted. So our area rugs got rolled up and I got on the horn with my dog trainer, who reminded me what to do and where to take him.

On top of Benny’s timidness, he also came down with a big ol’ case of URI. I freaked of course because kennel cough is highly contagious and Ella already has enough going on.

Luckily, a wonderful woman in my building by the name of Cindy Rosen, offered to take Benny for one week until his cough subsided. She walks him in the morning and at night, and I take him for a few walks during the day while she is at work. We communicate via text to give one another updates about what he eats when, and what he does when he goes to the bathroom. It’s a great partnership that we have dubbed, “Team Benny!” I am happy to report that while Benny is still scared of big, surly men and objects such as strollers and shopping carts, he has not had a bathroom accident since last Friday.

But there’s even better news: Benny has a trial, “furever” home already lined up. The day I was expecting Benny to arrive from ACC I was getting my teeth cleaned. My dentist lives on Long Island, has two kids and two dogs and has been pining for a third (dog, not kid!) Her husband wants an English bull dog, she would like a pit. “Behold Benny,” I say! I emailed the family some pictures and Benny did a meet and greet with my dentist the following day, which went very well .

We’ve been giving Benny the week to get over his cough while working on house-breaking him as best as we can. This Saturday Benny will meet his potential new family on the Brooklyn Heights Promenade and if all goes well, he will go home with them for a one week trial period.

Keep your paws crossed!

Four Needs Good Four-tune!

Hello,

My name is Four. I used to have a nice warm home that I lived in but my people had to move and their new landlord wouldn’t allow me to go with them. So after 12 years of having a cozy bed to sleep in each night I have now found myself behind an unfamiliar, cold steel cage at a high-kill city shelter.

I need a new home...

I am about 55 pounds, creme colored, completely, utterly housebroken and get along great with dogs and cats. In fact, I could really give a rats-ass about cats! I am currently in the New York City area but if you are not, then I am sure I can hitch a ride to where you are, just ask!

Is someone out there who will kindly let me live out my twilight years with them? I will show you love, respect and a loyalty that will stay in your heart forever… even after I am gone, I promise.

Yours,
Four

P.S. PLEASE don’t write asking me to take your pet. Being a dog and all I am a bit technically challenged and will just delete your email. And think about it, why would I be helping my competition anyway?

Fifa Forever in Our Hearts

Fifa’s foster mom, Saleena and I made the very painful and difficult decision of putting Fifa to sleep in the middle of the night. Her condition had deteriorated drastically between when I picked Fifa up Saturday and took her to Saleena’s home in Queens, to last night. Since Saturday night she had been having constant watery stool, wouldn’t eat much and drank profusely while becoming incontinent in the house. She could walk Saturday but was restless, taking two steps and falling down since yesterday.

The vet who put her down concurred with our second opinion that choosing not to mess around with an eight year old dog’s liver was the right thing – that the biopsy and surgery would have been highly invasive and risky. So it is almost a blessing that we were not able to come up with the $4,000 estimate.

It is my belief that Fifa had no idea what was going on and was already half gone before they administered the injection. Saleena held her and I spoke gently to her. As heavy and sad as it was, we’ve at least been able to find solace in the fact that unlike millions of other animals that die in shelters every year, Fifa had love and quality end of life care.

Thank you to the few individual donors that came through as well as the generous donation from Friends of Animal Rescue. It is a shame that everyone’s vital contribution ended this way, but I wanted to say thank you nonetheless.

Please bless Wes… with a home!

Wes is a 2-year old Staffordshire Terrier mix who is a very social boy. He weighs about 45lbs and was rescued from a New York City shelter where he was dropped off as a stray.

Wes loves people, and other dogs — he loves to play and just generally have a great time. Wes still has some puppy behaviors, and as with any pit/staffie mix they need a strong leader, discipline, exercise, and training…and of course love.

This pup needs a home.

Wes’s attitude is truly in the spirit of the pit bull. He loves everyone and everything, and takes on life to the fullest. He shows us every day how wonderful the world is and how much fun it can be!

Give him a job, exercise, rules, and affection, and you will have yourself a wonderful pet and a great ambassador. Will you be the one to give Wes a chance at finding a forever home?

Wesley is up-to-date with routine shots, house trained and spayed/neutered. For more information, please contact United Action for Animals at info@ua4a.org, or call 212.249.9178.

Cats & Dogs in Need of Homes… ASAP!

Krypto is a pit-lab mix who is deaf. He desperately needs someone to be his lifelong guide.

I received horrible news last night from a colleague I used to work with at Animal Haven, a non-profit animal shelter in New York City. Animal Haven recently went from being a no-kill shelter to a limited-intake adoption center with the possibility of humane euthanasia. I am posting this note in hopes of reaching someone who may be in the market to adopt, at this point rescue, a cat or dog.

Please, please, please contact me directly if you or someone you know can provide a good home to these animals. Or contact the shelter directly at 212-274-8511.