EMMY

On Saturday, August 15, my husband Mike and I helped transport this precious little girl to her foster home in Ann Arbor, MI. Emmy had been found as a stray down South, was rescued and taken into boarding by National Anatolian Shepherd Rescue Network. After being spayed and checked out by a vet, received all her shots, she is now going to her foster home until she finds a forever family.



I have driven dogs for them several times this year and the Anatolians continue to be one of my favorite dog breeds. I had never even heard of this breed until this year. They seem to be a great mixture of mellow and affectionate. The NASRN carefully screens the new adopters because they have special needs.

If you think you might be the perfect family for one of these LARGE dogs, please check out their website. They have so many needing homes right now.

Although Emmy is adorable she is not a typical example of this breed. She is a mixture of Anatolian and Great Pyrenees, and she is only 4 months old. I think Emmy is going to be QUITE a large dog when she grows up. Right now she is in foster care in Ann Arbor, Michigan and has a sibling named Annie who is now a therapy dog but once was rescued by NASRN.

This was a nice easy transport and I met two drivers that I have transported with before, so it is like meeting up with old friends from different cities.

If you would like to spend YOUR weekends helping homeless animals find their way to new lives, just go to Yahoo Groups and check into "dog transports".

You will sleep better that night than you have in a long time with a most contented feeling that you did SOMETHING to end the staggering rate of euthanasia in this country of adoptable dogs and cats.

EVERY LIFE IS PRECIOUS.

DOG LOVERS CHAIN THEMSELVES TO DOGHOUSES

On Saturday June 27th, to show support for chained and penned dogs, members and supporters of Dogs Deserve Better.org in the Cincinnati, Ohio area chained themselves to doghouses for a day in the hot blazing summer sun.

http://http//nky.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20090628/NEWS0103/906280377

I did this as a long time supporter of chained dogs and found it to be just as boring and lonely as it is for dogs. We suffered in the heat, were bitten by insects, were thirsty and hungry, but at least we were not as lonely as the real victims are. We were joined by visitors and supporters all day long and tried to educate the public as to how inhumane this practice is.

We continue to try to get laws passed in all 50 states to make this illegal.

Please help us.

Go to Dogs Deserve Better.org and see how you can help CHANGE this!

http://http//www.dogsdeservebetter.org/home.html

A Pit Bull Saturday

On March 14  my husband and I  had the pleasure of driving Ms. Gotti, a sweet 1 year old pit bull who found herself in the Toledo Ohio dog pound.

She has been rescued by the Bark Ark Bully Rescue in Cincinnati. 

Such a beautiful, happy little dog. She was a little underweight at 45 pounds and rode very well in the car. She did insist however that she sit in the passenger seat and not the backseat with me, so I let her.When we arrived at the meeting spot for

 Elisabeth to meet us and take her home to the rescue, we played in the grass for awhile. She was very strong and we really had to hold on to her. But we got lots of pit bull kisses. No one kisses better than a pit bull...don't believe the media hype.

After being at the rescue for a few days, Ms. Gotti was found to have a unique ability to catch a Frisbee in mid-air and is now training to be an agility dog! 

We are so thankful to Bark Ark Bully Rescue in Cincinnati for their continuing devotion to rescuing and rehoming this wonderful loving breed of dog. They find RESPONSIBLE pet owners who understand their special needs and traits so they can stay in their new homes forever.

Please check out their rescue website and help them if you are able.

http://www.barkark.org/

Ms. Gotti says THANKS!!!!

IVY and TUCK...Safely Delivered to Rescues

This is Tuck, a blind albino 2 year old  doberman who was saved from a kill shelter in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. A wonderful woman in Pennsylvania is taking him in because she has experience with blind dogs and will train him and love him until he finds his perfect forever home.  I was so surprised at  how thin Tuck was. 

Since it was such a COLD day, another driver had stopped and bought him a T Shirt to keep  him warm along the way. He came with his own sleeping bag for the car and cuddled up in it for most of our time together. My husband drove so I got to sit in the back  and snuggle with him.  

Tuck is well on his way now to a happy future.

Thanks to all the people involved in Tuck's rescue and transport.

Also, this past weekend I went along with my friend Belinda to transport a beautiful Anatolian Shepherd named Ivy.

 She found herself on death row in a dog pound in Mississippi and was so lucky to have been rescued by the National Anatolian Rescue Network based in Queen Creek, AZ. We met with her previous driver in LaGrange, Ky and she just climbed into the back seat and went to sleep. It could not have been an easier transport. She was very relaxed. That always surprises me about how well these dogs adjust to new people, new cars, with usually very few problems. They seem to know we are there to save them.

Ivy was thin at 80 pounds and reminded me a little of a Great Dane. I do not remember ever driving another Anatolian Shepherd over the past seven years of transporting dogs. They are wonderful dogs, and right now there is one at the Pike County Ohio dog pound in VERY rural Waverly, Ohio  in need of a rescuer or a foster home. They do their best to keep the dogs as long as possible but it is a kill shelter. Last December the biggest champion for these dogs passed away suddenly and they need a lot of help to get their dogs to rescues and on a transport. Please check out their website on Petfinder.com and also Adams County Ohio's dog pound. These rural shelters are trying so hard to keep from euthanizing homeless dogs but there is very little they can do. There just are not enough homes, especially in this economy. Spay and neuter programs are the hope for their futures.

 We also need to address the issue of puppy mills out there in that part of Ohio often run by the Amish community, and it goes unseen. They sell their puppies by the side of the road. Please help pass legislation to abolish this practice.

So, Tuck and Ivy say thanks to EVERYONE who helped them along the road to safety and love this winter weekend.

                           "WOOF!"

TURK has crossed the Bridge

I know I should not post while I am so sad and depressed. I got the news a few hours ago that Turk's tortured life has come to a peaceful end in the loving arms of the rescuer who drove 1000 miles to help him. Being chained outside in all weather conditions for 11 years took its toll on his body, and he suffered a seizure from which he did not recover. He passed away in the arms of the woman who saved him.

I am filled with so many emotions that I don't know what to do with them. I feel absolute RAGE at people who will take a BEAUTIFUL creature like this Dalmatian and CHAIN him out out in a yard for YEARS with no care whatsoever; with no thought at all of how he is SUFFERING from loneliness, fear, cold, heat, insects, predators, etc. WHAT IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE ????! Either you want a dog and you take CARE of it and treat it like a member of your family, or just go out to Walmart and get one of those cement dogs for your yard!

But then I also feel absolute faith in the goodness of people like Jenny Brock, Tammi Kinman, and so many others who did so much to help Turk. I cannot imagine the pain and grief that Jenny is going through this evening. They saw or heard of his suffering and they chose to act to help him. MANY, MANY people see it every day and choose to do nothing, to look the other way. Maybe after you read his story you will NEVER look at a dog chained in a yard again and DO NOTHING to help. It is absolutely inhumane to do that to a dog - no excuses.

Work for laws to be changed to ensure that people who do this to animals are treated like the criminals they are. California has a law against it, also Connecticut. We are trying to get a state law passed in Ohio this year. Even in Kentucky, where Turk suffered for years, is starting to get laws passed - Louisville has one.

YOU can do something to make Turk's painful life MEAN something. Go to dogsdeservebetter.org and get started now. They are sending Valentines this month to chained dogs. They spent THOUSANDS of dollars just for postage because they want to END this barbaric treatment of "man's best friend". Friends don't chain friends, as they say.


http://www.dogsdeservebetter.org/home.html


Do it for Turk.....God rest his soul.

UPDATES on Turk and Daisy

Here is an excerpt from an email from the rescuer from Dogs Deserve Better in Kentucky who got the ball rolling to get Turk the 13 year old Dalmatian and Daisy the 6 year old Rottweiler off their chains in the sub zero weather and into a HOME. These dogs have come a long way (literally!) in the past 10 days.












"I just wanted to give you the update on Daisy and how she did today at the dog park. She has never been to a dog park, and today is very sunny and about 30 degrees. She rode great in the car next to me, and once we got there she was very curious and just went exploring. Other dogs came up to her and she would stop, sniff, say hello and move on. She was very non-chalant, but didn't mind when other dogs came up to her. She was more interested in saying hello to the people at the park. She would go right up to them, and flop over on her back for some lovin. I give her an A-plus for her behavior. After the park, I took her on a leash walk with a harness, and while she pulled some, it wasn't bad at all. "

A foster home had been arranged for Daisy in Ohio but there is an offer of a FOREVER home in Virginia. We are waiting on the results of a home visit and then we will set up a transport to get her from Kentucky to Viriginia. She will make someone a GREAT family dog. What a waste for her to spend 6 years alone on the end of a chain.


NOW...TURK's update!
Jenny Brock from Second Chances Dalmation Rescue in Texas drove 1000 miles to get this wonderful old dog from Ohio where the rescue had him checked out by a vet and ready to transport. She has sent these updated photos of Turk.

This one is from the motel where they stopped for the night....








And here is one from when Turk got "home" . Now he gets to sleep on a warm, soft dog bed and has finally bid goodbye to his long days and nights on a chain.










THIS is the image I want to keep in my mind when I think of Turk.








To everyone involved in the happy ending of these two wonderful neglected dogs, thanks is just not enough.

UPDATE ON TURK THE CHAINED DALMATIAN

I received an email this morning from the Dalmatian Rescue that saved Turk from dying on the end of a chain in Kentucky. He may not have a lot of time left on this earth but it will be spent surrounded by love and warmth. These are the words of Jenny Brock from the rescue...














" Thank you to everyone who has sent e-mails offering their thoughts, prayers and donations for Turk. As you know, Tammi with Dogs Deserve Better sent out a plea to help Turk (a senior Dalmatian) and Daisy (a 6 year old Rottie) who were both living a life chained up and out in the frigid cold. I am happy to say that Second Chances Dalmatian Rescue was able to take in Turk and with the help of our volunteers, we picked up Turk on Friday, January 16th.

Because Turk has touched so many people, I wanted to send this update so people know what his future will be. Please feel free to post this to others who may be interested in his condition.

Here is the latest update on Turk as of 1/20/09:
Turk received a complete exam, bloodwork and a nice hot bath once he got to our vet in Columbus, OH on Friday. Immediately we noticed that his urine was dilute and had an offensive odor, the vet suspected that Turk was in Renal Failure. The bloodwork came back and it does appear that he is in the beginning stages of kidney failure. Additionally, his red blood cell count is also low, that combined with other blood work results indicate the potential of cancer somewhere in his body.
There is also an indication that he has chronic inflammation (not associated with the arthritis) however, we do not know what is causing it. Without doing a full body ultrasound there is no way to confirm the cancer. Unfortunately, we don't have the funds to do this so we are going to watch his behavior, appetite and monitor any changes. He does not have full control of his legs due to the arthritis, he does not lay down easily due to the pain and needs help getting back up. He is now being started on KD diet (for the kidneys) and pain medicine, which he will have to be on for the rest of his life. He was loaded with worms, thankfully was heartworm negative and is now on antibiotics due to the infection from the sores on his back. He has a grade 3 heart murmur. According to the vet paperwork that came with him, he is actually 13 years old, not 11!! The most amazing part is that Turk still has that spark left! He nuzzles with you, he craves attention and enjoyed some cheeseburgers on his ride to freedom!

So, he is still at the vet because we are trying to see if we can get his urine regulated once he is on a set schedule and we are also monitoring him with the pain medication to make sure we get the right dosage for him to start to feel better. Without the pain meds, his quality of life is poor. With them, we hope we can at least get him comfortable and improve the quality of life even though it will increase the chance of hastening the loss of kidney function.

Due to his legs not working well, and always being an outside dog, he pees whenever and where ever without the ability to hike his leg so his back legs are stained from the urine and he will walk as he pees creating a nice zig zag pattern to clean up! Also because he is in the early stages of renal failure and the kidney cells are sloughing into the bladder, the smell is pretty off-putting. As long as we are able to provide him comfort and quality of life, he will remain in our rescue program. Right now, he is not adoptable and he also isn't going to be able to go to any of our foster homes.

So, the plan is that I will take him here in Dallas, Tx. I work from home, I have a set up that might work for him (and I have my own 14 year old Dal going through some of the same issues, just not as severe) and the weather here in Dallas is much nicer so he would be able to be outside if he wanted to and it wouldn't be so cold. Right now, we think this is his only option. We are going to transport him Friday, our intake coordinator, Penny and myself will meet halfway between Ohio and Texas. But, only if we can get him comfortable on the pain meds. This is a 16 hour trip and we fear that the stress of the trip will be hard on him if he isn't comfortable.

Turk is a reminder of why we do rescue. He may not be young, well adjusted and adoptable but, HE is why we rescue. To give him a chance that he wouldn't have otherwise had. Yes, he will be with us until he crosses to the bridge and we will incur significant ongoing medical costs but, HE is what rescue is all about. Even if he only knows the warmth of a bed and the gentle touch of a loving hand for a few weeks (or whatever time he has left), we will know that we changed his life for the better.

Thank you to everyone who has offered to help and who has kept Turk in your thoughts. Please check out our website for updates on Turk and if you wish to make a donation (we are a tax exempt, 501 c 3 organization) http://www.gotspots.org/
I am attaching a few pictures of Turk taken the day he came into rescue and started his new and improved life! Thank you to all who helped make this possible! "


Jenny Brock, Director/FounderSecond Chances Dalmatian Rescuehttp://www.gotspots.org/
TX, OH, MI, IN, KY

I realize that hardly ANYONE has extra money to send to help a dog rescue, but if you are one of the lucky ones, I hope you will consider sending a donation to this wonderful group of people who went above and beyond to get this dog to safety. No matter how long he has, he will know love all the rest of his days.

NOW let's make sure that Daisy the rottie gets to a rescue.....I will keep you updated on her progress.

Sparky

My plan for this blog was to feature stories of some of the dozens of dogs I have helped transport since 2002. In memory of my sister Ronda's shih tzu Camille who passed away last month I thought I would look back at Sparky.

Sparky had such a sad beginning. At 10 months old he was tied up in the back yard all the time near Louisville. He had virtually no care from his owners who had told others that she planned to have him put to sleep the next day if someone did not come to get him. So a rescue rounded up some volunteers to transport him and a rescue in New York State called Forgotten Friends Pet Rescue generously offered to take him into foster care with a lovely woman.

My mom rode with me and we drove Sparky from Carrollton Kentucky to Cincinnati. She held him and cuddled with him for the whole trip and boy did he really need that human contact. He seemed so scared and timid. His new mom bought him 15 new toys, a new collar and leash, a new bed, and his own dishes!

Because it was such a long trip, Sparky spent the night in Canton, Ohio with a driver and the next day arrived in upstate New York to begin a new and BETTER life. He was quickly accepted by the other rescued dogs in the home and settled into a spot on the couch.

A VERY HAPPY ENDING....


You can be part of these happy endings too. Just go to YAHOO GROUPS and type in DOG TRANSPORT. If you join one or two groups, you will soon be receiving emails about the MANY dog transports coming thru YOUR city or nearby towns that YOU can help. It is SO easy and there is nothing that compares to the feeling of seeing them finally happy in a home that loves them.