Month: August 2013

We loving sharing Happy Beginnings stories about happily adopted pets, and here’s a lovely one about Lilly… “I adopted Lilly, a pure-bred 18-month-old Standard Poodle, through your site in September of 2008. I had been actively searching for a poodle to rescue for a couple of years. I made a 650 mile round-trip from Lubbock, Texas to Weatherford, Oklahoma, between two very wet storms, leaving after work on Friday, and returning Saturday. I woke up several times Friday night, thinking the storm was causing flooding. I discovered my room was next to the run-off drain for the building! Raining, yes; flooding, no, thank goodness! Lilly and I had lots of time to bond in the car. I took a water dish, dog biscuits, towels, and a collar and leash. While she never slept on that trip, she didn’t try to wander into the front seats or cause any problems. We stopped several times, and she was shy with strangers, especially men. We were met at home by my daughter, who had just moved to her new home, and she called Lilly “Sweet Pea”. It stuck, and she’s still Sweet Pea to my daughter. We also introduced her to the cat, who allowed her to stay.

We’ve had almost five years together. I never could have hoped for a better dog! Other than the “counter-surfing” that Standard Poodles are known for, and ingesting some strange objects while she was still young, we haven’t had any issues. She is smart as a whip, and can learn a new command within minutes. She still doesn’t regularly respond to “come” or “stay”, but she knows what they mean! Everything else has been a piece of cake.

Since September 11 is the day I found her in my inbox, it’s kind of our anniversary. I’ve attached a picture of us in a field of flags in Lubbock last September 11.”

Thank you Darla for sharing your story, Lilly’s photo, and for adopting a pet! Did you find your newly adopted pet on Adopt-a-Pet.com? Email your story and photo to info@cms.adoptapet.com if you’d like to share your Happy Beginning and inspire others to adopt too!

Megaesophagus is mouthful of a name for a rare condition that affects dogs, cats, and humans too! Those in the know refer to it as “ME” or “Mega E” and many are passionate about spreading the word to help pet owners and potential adopters understand that megaesophagus can be managed and dogs can lead fairly normal lives with ME. Sadie Mae is a shelter volunteer who is doing just that, and she’s documented her discoveries in a wonderful in-depth article here about her personal journey of ME discovery. “As a volunteer at various shelters, I had heard of this condition only once before and knew it had something to do with the esophagus and the digestion of food,” she writes. “After speaking with members of Megaesophagus Support Groups, I have learned a great deal about the condition, and I certainly do understand how overwhelming this condition, with possible underlying conditions and varying degrees of severity and symptoms, can be.” Read on to find out more about ME and see if you’re one of the compassionate adopters who are willing to incorporate the routine of a homeless Mega E Baby into your home!

So what is megaesophagus? “Megaesophagus refers to a syndrome in which the esophagus becomes weak and flaccid, and subsequently becomes much larger than normal, hence the term megaesophagus. Megaesophagus is diagnosed by taking radiographs (x-rays) of the chest,” says the Michigan Veterinary Specialists. A pet with ME needs the help of gravity to transport food to their stomach after they eat. They don’t throw up, but rather regurgitate their food before it reaches their stomach.

While for many pets there is no cure (see “Will it ever go away or be cured” in the veterinary publication here), there are proven management techniques that help many ME dogs and their owners enjoy long and happy lives together! A good DMV is key for proper diagnosis. Depending on the type and severity of the ME, they can help owners figure out if and which medications and surgery will help the most. One of the more popular – and quite adorable – techniques is the use of a “Bailey Chair” to help an ME pup stay upright. Above you can see a photo of adorable JellyBean sitting in his chair just chillin after his dinner! You can read more of Sadie’s stories and information in her in-depth article here.

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A compassionate pet person I know recently was pontificating about how amazing it was how much we enjoy having pets, despite the difficulties they can put us through with say, destroying our couch, or otherwise emptying our wallets. Pets provide us with so much joy and love, most pet owners will agree they are worth the occasional challenge a hundred times over! Obviously the love they give and enjoy receiving is a huge part of the connection we feel to the animals we tame and take care of as our own. There’s many reasons 60% of US households include pets, and why studies have shown pet owners reap health benefits including leading longer healthier lives. But as I was reading Ten Simple Things You Can Do to Be Happier, Backed by Science (looking for a mention of pets, and finding none) what caught my attention was the before and after mediation images of the brain, shared below. “Meditation literally clears your mind and calms you down, it’s been often proven to be the single most effective way to live a happier live.” Now try saying that sentence, replacing meditation with a favorite quiet activity with your pet…

For me, one would be, “Snuggling with cats and dogs literally clears your mind and calms you down, it’s been often proven to be the single most effective way to live a happier live.” I could just as easily say enjoying the sunset with my dog on the couch in the back yard, or brushing my foster cat till he flops over and shows me his bunny belly!

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You may have seen them already: big and small, yellow ribbons tied to a dog’s collar or leash. No, the dog isn’t necessarily welcoming home a war veteran! The ribbon is sending you a very visible message through a simple and pretty medium! Think of a yellow stoplight telling you to go slow. The Yellow Dog Project is a global movement for parents of DINOS aka Dogs In Need Of Space. Having fostered quite a few DINOS, I know how difficult walking them through public spaces can be! For shy foster dogs, bringing them to areas with people was part of their socialization, but taking it slow as their trainer recommended wasn’t always easy. I had to always on the alert for overly friendly people who might, in their well-meaning way, bend down and try to give my fearful or shy pooch a rough pat on the head, sending them scooting behind my knees in terror. Through social media, physical awareness, as well as educational courses for kids and parents, TYDP hopes to remind people to ask before petting, to help owners of other dogs recognize a dog that’s not interested in meeting their dog, is sick, and other situations where a dog needs some extra space. “They are not necessarily aggressive dogs but more often are dogs who have issues of fear; pain from recent surgery; are a rescue or shelter dog who has not yet had sufficient training or mastered obedience; are in training for work or service; are in service; or other reasons specific to the dog.”

We’ve so happy to hear that TYDP flyers in different languages have been spotted in dog parks around the world! So how can you get flyers for your town? Flyers and tear sheets are available for free downloading at their website www.theyellowdogproject.com or you can purchase 100 pre-printed business-card-size posters, a bumper sticker, magnet, tee shirts and more. The Yellow Dog Project is a non profit organization, and all of the monies raised/donated are used to buy more material for ribbons, t-shirts for representatives, and posters for display.

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You probably know by now that usually our Happy Beginnings stories come to us straight from the adopters who’ve given a homeless pet their new happy beginning. (If you have a happy adoption story thanks to Adopt-a-Pet.com, we’d love to hear from you! Email your story with a photo attached to info@cms.adoptapet.com.) But today we have a Happy Beginnings story direct from a rescue that lists their pets for adoption on Adopt-a-Pet.com!  Half The Way Home Rescue sent us this story about Gia & Gigi as part of their application for an Adopt-a-Pet.com Happy Beginnings Fund, which helped create more “Happy Beginnings” with grants for adoptions programs at shelters and rescues. Half The Way Home writes…

“It was Sept. and the middle of kitten season in the south.  half the way home had just completed all paperwork for set-up and was ready to help. The responsibility, results, and reality of animal rescuing lay before us…we were nervous.

I (Vicki) went to the county animal control facility, as I had done for several years, but this time was different. I could now help instead of simply plead for help.  In the isolation room, awaiting their fate, were the bite cases, eviction cases, arrest cases, feral cats, feral kittens, and orphaned kittens. I went in to see who we could help.  Smooched up against the back of the cage, behind the litter box, were two sets of tiny ears…I never saw their faces…just their ears. “I’ll take those two,” I said. The animal control officer said, “There are three of them.” “Okay, I’ll take all three then.”

Gia, Gigi, and Pixie, three little feral kittens, were now half the way home. The three kittens went to a foster mom who had retired from the Dept. of Natural Resources –a woman well-versed in working with wild creatures of all sorts. A month later, the girls were attending adoption events. Gia came to an all-day, outside art show one Sat. in November. She was such a hit! All the kids pet her and played with her. Gia was so very gentle and affectionate – nary a feral bone in her body. A young girl named Karma fell in love with her; but her mom said, “Not today, Honey”.  Mom took one of our cards and we all parted ways.

Two weeks later, we got an email from mom…she said she and Karma had been looking online at bunches of kittens but Karma just kept saying she wanted Gia!  Mom wanted to know if Gia was still available. She was. She and her sisters were set to be spayed and would be ready to go soon. Pixie had already found her home and went a couple days after her surgery. That was perfect because mom wanted to surprise Karma on Christmas with Gia and Gigi! Their foster mom kept the two girls until Christmas Eve and then delivered them to mom. Karma was not only surprised…she, Gia and Gigi were all very happy girls!

Three little feral kittens ALL the way home… what better way could we start.”

We’ve heard all of the untrue and often downright, absurd stereotypes before. You know, “shelter pets are aggressive” or “shelter pets have all been abused.”  It’s enough to really scare off some adopters not only from saving the life of an animal that really deserves a chance, but experiencing the tremendous gifts that rescue animals have to give. As it turns out, by and large, shelter pets are soulful animals that have been known to pay back adopters tenfold with gratitude and love.  They are fun-loving, silly, and loyal. Shelter pets are just like any other pets. In an effort to help spread awareness of how terrific shelter pets are, we’re asking those of you on Facebook to click on this link and “SHARE” the image with your Facebook following, and the rest of you can share this post by using the share options below! Because the truth is, the ONLY thing wrong with shelter pets is that they are in a shelter!

My favorite books from my childhood that I remember the most clearly are ones that told a moral tale, wrapped up in an imaginative story. The Little Red Hen was one I asked to have read to me over and over, and aside from making me love chickens (as friends not food!) I really do believe it helped me understand me the value of patience, hard work, and the fruit – delicious bread – I’d get to eat as the result of my labors. When an acquaintance I admire told me she’d written a children’s book, I was intrigued. Author Denise Fleck  is not only a talented writer, she is the Past President of the Volunteers of the Burbank Animal Shelter, has her own line of pet first-aid kits, and she’s been on many TV shows demonstrating Pet First-Aid & CPCR. While she has written a series of animal care pocket guides, her latest book is a beautifully illustrated children’s story, Don’t Judge a Book by its Cover. Here’s more about this modern moral tale which can help teach children not to make judgements based solely on appearances – not just pets, but people too…

“Mary-Alice and her friends like pretty clothes and hanging with the in-crowd, but when she requests a puppy for her birthday, her parents decide the fluffy one with the pink bow in the pet store may not be the best choice. Instead Mary-Alice ends up at the local Animal Shelter where she not only saves the life of a loving older dog, but learns that once you look beyond the plain cover of things, you can be treated to the true joys that lie underneath! Looking beyond the cover is truly canine in that dogs do not judge others based on their income, beauty or status. They live in the moment rejoicing in every kindness they are shown. Humans, young and not-so-young, can learn pawmazing lessons from our four-legged friends and when they Don’t Judge a Book by its Cover.”

And with that, we present the cover of the book, and one more illustrated page below! You can purchase Don’t Judge a Book by its Cover on Amazon.com click here.