Spencer Lives!!

(MOBILE, Ala.) June 16 -- His fate has gained national and international attention, and he doesn't even know it. Now it appears Spencer the pit-bull terrier is getting a new leash on life.

At a Friday news conference, Mayor Sam Jones announced while he supports the shelters policy of not adopting out pit bulls, he is taking a special interest in Spencers case. The dog will be transported to a sanctuary half-way across the country to spend the rest of his days.

Spencer is to be picked up from the Mobile Animal Shelter by Hearts of Gold Pit Rescue, a group based in Tennessee. They have arranged transport and foster-care for Spencer until he can be taken to the Best Friends Network, another group which is based in Utah.

Spencer was discovered May 30 when he was walking down a midtown Mobile street dragging a 10-foot chain. He was dehydrated and starving. The dog was so thin it was able to slip through the bars of a wrought iron gate of a residence. It is obvious the dog had suffered physical abuse. He was wearing a leather collar with the name "Spencer" stenciled on it. Spencer is believed to be about 18 months old.

Residents of the area took him to the shelter. Janet Jordan, kennel manager at the Animal Shelter, commented that the dog is not aggressive towards other dogs at the shelter. He seems to be real friendly," she added. "He doesn't bark at any of the other dogs." It was obvious to her Spencer had been starved as well as beaten.

Amanda Kramer filed a petition for a temporary restraining order to stop the euthanasia of Spencer. Amanda pleaded to adopt Spencer. Judge Stout granted that petition which stayed the euthanasia pending a hearing. In the subsequent hearing, however, the court ruled Kramer had no standing in the case and the city had the right to follow its unwritten policy, meaning Spencer should die.

Bill Fassbender, director of animal control at the Mobile Animal Shelter, who testified at the hearing, claimed it is a nationwide practice to destroy pit bulls because of the possible danger from them. No evidence was presented, however, to show proof of that statement.

In fact, there is nothing in the Mobile, Alabama ordinances or Alabama law that requires the shelter to kill Spencer or refuse to adopt him to the many people who have offered to take him and give him a good home. Instead, it is the shelters policy to kill pit bulls not claimed by their owners regardless of their temperament. Apparently, it is an unwritten policy followed by many shelters throughout Alabama.

On their website, David Phelps, a representative for Best Friends Network told readers the organization had contacted the city of Mobile and arranged for Spencer to be given sanctuary, so he will not be killed, but he will also not be adopted out to anyone else.

Another animal angel gets new wings

Beth Petronis was a long-time rescuer of animals in and around her home in Albuquerque, NM and worked tirelessly to help Katrina evacuees find and be reunited with their precious pets.

Beth died peacefully this morning in a hospice in the presence of her loving family.

She worked without complaint throughout her chemotherapy treatments; for a long time many of us did not even know that she was battling cancer.

Goodbye Beth - you will be so sadly missed.

The following article is one that she co-wrote with her daughter and another animal rescuer a few years ago for Petroglyphs, New Mexico's Resource Publication for Animal Lovers.

SOPHIE'S TALE (in two parts)

I. On a cold clear day last January, while walking our two dogs, we spied a dirty, worn- looking sheepdog wandering inside an irrigation ditch. We scaled down the ditch's walls in hopes of rescuing her, but our attempts only sent her running in the opposite direction. Lost and scared, she hid in a small culvert and refused to come out.

A few days later, we saw a familiar character standing right next to our house: a dirty, worn-looking dog. Positive it was the mystery dog from the ditch, we grabbed some jerky treats and went to fetch her.

The dog happily accepted the treats and followed us into our yard. It was only then that we realized she wasn't the same dog at all. This one was friendlier, shaggier, less spooked. The fur on her nose and tail was almost gone. She had huge tumors on her chest and her teeth were dull little nubs. But her eyes were full of love and her tail wagged a vigorous hello. It seemed fateful that we should see two stray, almost-identical sheepdog-types within days of each other. It was like the first dog was an omen, showing us what was to come.

We filed “found” reports with Albuquerque Animal Services Division and Animal Humane Association and placed an ad in the newspaper, though we didn't hope the dog's original owners would claim her (what kind of owners would let their dog get to this condition?). Neither ASD nor AHA would have considered placing a senior dog with serious medical needs for adoption, but we knew the foster program at Watermelon Mountain Ranch would.

We named the dog Sophie. After giving her a much-needed bath, we took her to our lifelong vet at Rio Grande Animal Clinic, who confirmed that she needed to be spayed, have her massive mammary tumors removed, and have a thorough teeth-cleaning. He estimated the minimum cost at $350 (not including pre-operation work ups). We didn't hesitate. Sophie was a loving dog, and she deserved another chance. We asked him to take x-rays and do pre-surgery lab work to assess her surgical risk, scheduled an appointment and took her home.

For the next week, Sophie was a great guest. She got along wonderfully with our dogs and loved having company while she ate. She was full of energy, and bounded along beside us the second we stepped outside. Sophie was just overflowing with love - why had her owners let her go?

On the day of surgery, Sophie seemed to know that the vet team was there to help her. She wagged her tail enthusiastically as they led her to the operating room. It took more than two hours to remove her cyst-laden ovaries, uterus, and four mammary tumors (one, larger than a softball, had invaded her chest muscles). In light of the anesthesia risk, the dental work was postponed. When we picked Sophie up that afternoon, despite her post-op discomfort and fatigue, her shining eyes and lopsided little smile said, "Thank you." She slept soundly that night as our three cats kept watch and our dogs respected her need to rest.

Two days later Sophie visited Watermelon Mountain Ranch's adoption center, where she charmed and befriended everyone, including curious children and the other pets. Every day throughout her recovery, we discovered more and more of Sophie's special qualities. She loved riding in the car and would hop right in whenever she got the chance.

Having posted Sophie's picture on the Internet, we soon found out that she was a Bearded Collie/Airedale X (a "Neardie"). A fantastic shaggy dog rescuer in Montana spontaneously sent a donation to help offset Sophie's surgery expense, and the Beardie/Neardie rescue group (BONE Rescue) distributed Sophie's picture and bio to the members. A member culled old applications and found one from the Whittle family, who were considering adopting another rescued dog after their Beardie had died. It was a long shot, but we exchanged emails and, the same day, the family invited Sophie to visit them and their pets.

We went to visit, thinking it would simply be a nice outing for Sophie. But within an hour, she had a new home with dog and cat companions and a wonderful family that was totally committed to her wellbeing. Just 24 hours later, Sophie had been groomed and was scheduled for the dental work that had been postponed. She was already a loved and loving member of the family.

We are involved in foster care for Watermelon Mountain Ranch hoping to make a difference in the lives of our foster animals. Often, they actually make more of a difference in our lives. Sophie certainly did. -Lexi and Beth Petronis

A writer in NYC, Lexi visits her family in NM and often helps with fostering rescued animals, which her Mom, Beth, does for several rescue groups.

II. Sophie came to live with us in February 2002. My husband, Larry, was a little doubtful about fitting yet another dog into our household, but Sophie charmed him soon enough. Unfortunately, the tumors that had been removed came back to her, and biopsies showed they were cancerous. By the time the external tumors showed up, Sophie had cancer CANINE CORNER (continued from page 7)through her liver, kidneys and bladder. We lost her to cancer in August 2002.

She wasn't with us for long, but she left an impression. I still miss her very much.

Sophie didn't walk; she pranced. We walk our dogs every day, rain or shine, and Sophie loved to walk. She was very good on a leash, and tended to stick right next to my side.

She would buck and kick and dance for her supper. She never failed to make me laugh when I emerged from the house with the dogs' supper dishes.

Sophie wasn't much of a barker, but she didn't take any guff from our other two dogs. She liked to sit next to me, watching Lizzie and Deedee rolling in the grass and jumping on each other.

She seemed to prefer the company of cats, and had a funny snuffly grunt she used to talk to them. Of our three, she liked Tiger, the kitten, the best. I loved to wake up to hear the two of them chasing each other through the house, first one way through the bedrooms, and then the other.

Sophie loved to be petted. She would insist on it, nudging our hands or feet in a not- so-subtle request to be rubbed and loved.

She had such good manners, that I know someone must have loved and taken good care of her once. I am curious (yet not sure I really want to know) how Sophie ended up matted, dirty, hungry and abandoned.

We have far too many Sophies. She was a wonderful, loving girl, who gave us so much affection in the little time we had with her. We're thankful that we got to take care of her for a little while. -Elsie Whittle -Elsie Whittle

Larry and Elsie Whittle have provided happy homes for rescued cats and dogs over the years, and expect to do so for a long time to come.

If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went." - Will Rogers

Digging through my personal archives

I have thousands of files and folders stored on my computer and on various CD's as well as on a few crashed hard drives. I'm attempting to sift through most of it in hopes of finding bits of information (that were useless in September- October) that may prove helpful now. I'll post some of the 'other' stuff I come across that may be of general interest here.

From Noah’s Wish Website:

· Update: August 31, 2005 - 9:00 p.m. Louisiana Time

The Noah's Wish team reached Slidell, Louisiana today. We have met with emergency management and animal control. Tomorrow we will begin to provide assistance for animals in this devastated area. Almost everyone we talked with this afternoon had a story to tell of an animal. Unfortunately, many of the stories were of animals that were left behind when people had to evacuate. People are getting desperate to find their animals.

Areas of Slidell are still underwater this evening and the devastation is widespread. There is no electricity, gasoline, or phone service (landlines and cell). In order to post this update I had to travel almost two hours back to Baton Rouge where I could get internet access. Even here cell phone usage is impossible. We truly feel cut off. I will be driving back to Hammond tonight where our team is staying at the home of one of our Volunteers.

Tomorrow evening I will return to Baton Rouge with a much more detailed update and photographs.

Report Submitted By: Terri Crisp - Noah's Wish Director

· Update: August 30, 2005 - 12:00 a.m. Louisiana Time

The 10 member Noah's Wish initial team is now in the outlying areas of the disaster area. Since our arrival earlier today we have been:

· gathering supplies we will need and will be unable to find once we get into disaster area.

· determining what the road conditions are, where the closures are, and the best route to take when we head into some of the worst hit areas tomorrow.

· listening to reports on where it is flooding.

· completing rescue requests.

· networking with other animal organizations to determine where the greatest needs are.

At this stage of a disaster there is a great deal of information gathering that needs to be done quickly. Noah's Wish always makes a serious effort to ensure we are getting correct information to pass along. In the early days there can be a lot of incorrect information exchanged and we try very hard not to contribute to the confusion. One of the many things that makes this challenging is the information continues to change and the normal methods of communication are not always available. We have already found that our cell phones will not be a reliable means of communication until damaged equipment can be repaired or replaced by the phone companies.

Tomorrow we will be starting the work we came down here to do for the animals. During the next couple of days it may be difficult to get to a phone that works and to find electricity so we can use our computers. We will make every effort to get an updated posted tomorrow night as I know people are waiting to learn of how the animals have been impacted by this hurricane but the next one may not be until Thursday.

It is important to let everyone who has contacted us in the last two days to request assistance in locating a missing animal, that we still have your information. Just as soon as we can get access to the areas where these animals are located we will. At this time though we cannot say for sure when that will be as the danger is still extremely high and for this reason the authorities are restricting access.

We definitely understand how difficult it is to be separated from an animal and the worrying is horrible. Knowing how this feels, is what makes us even that much more determined to get ourselves in a position to get to these animals so the reunions we all want to see do happen. We have received word today from a growing number of people who we have talked to who were frantic to find a missing animals that their animals have been found, safe. Nothing could please us more!

Reunion Video: CeCe Goes Home

Thank you Mindy for tracking down CeCe at the SPCA of Monterey County (CA).
CeCe is now back with her owner in New Orleans.

And THANK YOU to the wonderful director and staff of the SPCA of Monterey County for not only actively (and pro-actively) searching for the owners of the 31 dogs you took in after katrina, but for doing the right thing with the right attitude for the dogs and their owners who love them and had to evacuate without them.

This is what it's all about.

Thank you people who dumped my dogs at the shelters

From Craig's List

---

I wanted to say "thank you" to the people who dumped my dogs at the shelters. I read the behavioral notes, I heard what the staff said about what YOU said to them, when you dumped these two dogs. And all I can say is -- thank you. Because of you, I have been blessed.

Dog #1:

Almost seven years ago, I went to the shelter and saw a dog on his last day. According to the notes, he was an owner turn-in because she was pregnant and they "didn't have enough time for the dog". The notes also mentioned you guys were afraid that the dog, a whopping 50 pounds, might hurt a newborn, even though I don't think I've ever heard of Border Collies doing that. (Maybe you misheard... Perhaps they said "herding", not "hurting"?)

THANK YOU SO MUCH. I took him home and found him to be the politest dog I've ever met, and having had dogs all my life, that's saying a LOT. He was housebroken, he was gentle, he learned to heel off-lead, sit, stay, down-stay (timed him at half an hour, unmonitored, on three seperate occasions). I can tell him to get into the tub and bathe him without needing to drag him, restrain him, or wrestle him -- no collar, no lead! When we go hiking, parents stop and tell me my dog is better behaved than their kids. (Are you ever going to walk by with your six-year old, who will probably want to pet this gentleman, and think -- "Hmmm, that looks an awful lot like my old dog?") This dog is so striking in looks and obedient in manner that I've had a Nutro rep tell me he should be their poster dog.

And he CAME this way -- I didn't have the puppy phase, the teething, the housebreaking, the gawky phase. He's always been this graceful, polite, amazing dog who gets along with dogs, cats, kids (he would have been great with your kid). Thank you SO MUCH for giving him up!

Dog #2:

After a few years, I started looking to add another furkid to my family, since I have the room and the love. After seeing a purebred languishing in a shelter for weeks, and calling, and the shelter staff told me NO ONE had come out to see her (because she wasn't a puppy?), I checked her out. According to the notes, and to the shelter staff who were there when you dumped her off, you didn't want her anymore because she "didn't get along with your other dogs." I'm not sure what that means, because I took ten minutes to watch her, and she seemed terrified of everyone, people AND dogs AND cats.

And to you, I say THANK YOU. I brought her home and she perked up when she met my other dog. My cats told her that she wasn't going to boss them around, and boy did she pay attention. It was a wonderful treat to find out she was housebroken, that she didn't destroy a dang thing (I do so like these older dogs!), she was calm, and snuggly, and played with my dog, and my friend's dog, and she smiles and wags her entire body when I come home. At night, she curls up next to my other dog. She dances for me when she sees the leash, and she's turning out to be an awesome walking and running partner. When she's not excited about going out, she's a complete and utter couch potato, and I feel like I have the best of both worlds.

In fact, I think I have the best dogs I could possibly have -- and all without housebreaking, potty training, chewing, digging, puppy obedience classes, and the rest. All I did was come pick them up when you dropped them off, and pay a pittance of a fee (how much are Maltipoos and Cockapoos and Labradoodles nowadays?)

So thank you, people who dumped my dogs at the shelters. You'll never know what you gave me -- because you probably had no clue what you were giving up. But the dogs are home now, and safe, and loved, and will be, for the rest of their days. I think if they could, they would pass along their thanks, too.

Lobbying 101 from the ASPCA

The website of the ASPCA has lots of good and helpful information about pets. If you click here and type in your zip code, you'll get the names and complete contact information for your elected officials in your state as well as the prez and his peeps.

UPDATE: RALLY FOR THE DOGS IS A HOWLING SUCCESS!

On May 12, ASPCA staff, together with animal lovers from all over and representatives from Mainline Animal Rescue, Puppymill Awareness Day and Keystone Golden Retriever Rescue, convened in Harrisburg, PA, for the Rally for the Dogs. More than 100 animal advocates showed up on this Friday afternoon to thank Governor Rendell for his recent commitment to protect dogs in Pennsylvania and to raise awareness about puppy mills. The governor has already shown a willingness to initiate change—he recently dismissed the Dog Law Advisory Board, which he deemed ineffective—and we are grateful and excited for any and all action he continues to take.

If you weren’t able to attend the rally, you can still get involved by sending Governor Rendell a message of thanks for taking an important first step, and for recognizing the need to transform this industry.

ATTENTION DOG PEOPLE IN DELAWARE, SE PA AND SOUTH JERSEY: We're planning protests this summer at Lancaster's infamous puppy mills. Please contact me if interested in getting involved and/or being added to the mailing list - noanimalleftbehind@gmail.com and be sure to write puppy mills in the subject line to avoid being added to the spaminator.

Animal Videos

Katrina Rescues and Reunions from a NJ Public TV show

Oily Dog Video (Katrina)

This was filmed by the Dallas Morning News and shows Oily Dog in the middle of the massive oil spill at Murphy Oil in Chalmette in early Sept. If you watch the entire video, there is something out of place at the end. Do you know what it is?

Very happy dog rescued 29 days after Katrina

This is not one of those videos that will make you cry; instead it will make you feel grateful to the rescuers who went down there and saved animals. And this group of rescuers did not steal the pets they rescued; they worked with us to find owners and reunite. Thank you guys!

Spay it Forward

(not the name of this video, but my term for why and how we all have do to educate and help create low-cost spay/neuter programs in our local communites).

Animal Cruelty/Hoarding found in Maryland on May12th

The Fate of a Shelter Dog

HSUS Investigated by Louisiana AG's Office

Monday, April 17, 2006 News Updates Louisiana Opens More Katrina Investigations By Mark Hrywna The American Red Cross isn’t the only charity being scrutinized about its efforts after last summer’s Gulf Coast hurricanes. The Louisiana Attorney General’s Office is looking to The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) after complaints about pet/owner reunions. The office asked HSUS for an accounting of all money raised for pet rescue and reunion with pet owners in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita last summer. The office received complaints from pet owners about problems finding their pets following the hurricanes. In some cases, pet owners claim that those currently caring for the displaced pets are refusing to reunite the pets with proper owners. Kris Wartelle, a spokeswoman for Louisiana Attorney General Charles C. Foti Jr., said an official Civil Investigative Demand letter was sent to the Humane Society, which is issued on information and the belief that some act of consumer law has been violated. Asked how many complaints the attorney general’s office received, Wartelle replied, “Dozens, not hundreds,” including a couple from other agencies. Wayne Pacelle, president of The Humane Society of the United States, said a response to the inquiry was sent within days of the letter. “The reality was, we were working under the incident command structure of the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry,” he said, which had originally set an Oct. 15 date to begin allowing adoptions of rescued pets. “As things were unfolding, we realized there would be many successful reunions post-October 15,” he said. The HSUS then lobbied the state to extend that date another month before getting local shelters to voluntarily agree to not adopt out animals until December. “We were really boxed in in a lot of ways,” Pacelle said. A temporary shelter in Gonzalez, La., about an hour from New Orleans, served as a staging area and emergency shelter for 1,300 animals. But those had to be moved to make room for the 300 animals rescued per day, he said, adding that the property owner was “quite hostile” and charged the HSUS $6,000 a day. On top of that, animals had to be evacuated again once Hurricane Rita was found to be heading for the area. “Frankly, I think this is the attorney general not understanding the degree of difficulty facilitating reunions,” he said. “It involves a lot of logistics.” The bulk of animals rescued were not spayed or neutered, and lacked proper identification, he said, and in some cases, animals were left to fend for themselves. “There were a lot of problems.” About $5 million in contributions were specifically earmarked for Gulf Coast disasters, according to Pacelle, with about a half-million coming from Louisiana specifically. The society has spent nearly all of the money it raised during the last six months on the Gulf Coast, he said, but also about $500,000 on other disasters, including Hurricane Wilma in Florida, the Pakistan earthquake and a cyclone in India. Pacelle said the reunion rate during disasters is usually 10 to 15 percent, but in the Gulf Coast hurricanes it was 23 percent. More than 10,000 animals were rescued and about 2,300 pets were reunited, with the humane society picking up the tab for transportation in most cases. Pacelle said it comes down to how one measures success. “For us, it was a very clear issue,” he said. “Local shelters played indispensable roles in taking in animals that were rescued…and they could not indefinitely hold these animals.” If a large facility has a capacity for 300 or 400 animals, it cannot hold 75 Katrina animals for six or seven months, he said. “That would be inhumane to be in a kennel that long. Fortunately, there were thousands of people across the country willing to adopt these animals.” “It’s a little bit galling” that the attorney general’s office is examining the Humane Society, Pacelle said. There were dozens of animal groups aiding in the Gulf Coast disaster and participating in getting animals’ photos onto www.petfinder.com. “We just happened to the most effective. “We have not misused any funds. We are beyond scrupulous in allocating these resources,” he said. The HSUS has spent or pledged more than $25 million to the Gulf Coast region. “We’re going to spend all of it on all these programs and activities. We’re very confident once (the attorney general’s) office looks at this, they’ll understand we’re doing precisely what donors asked. “We’ve been transparent throughout the process. Our response to the crisis has been very focused and thorough. It’s not just doing pet reunions; that wasn’t the entire purpose of the exercise,” Pacelle said. In addition to pet reunions, the agency has made commitments to reconstructing shelters, conducting spay and neuter programs, ongoing field projects and aiding other agencies. Copyright © 2005 The NonProfit Times.

Is this your ShihTzu or Lhasa mix?

This dog went from Lamar Dixon to the NW Louisiana Humane Society in Shreveport but was never posted on Petfinder. I don't know if this is a male or female, but it is very likely that it was rescued from or picked up in St. Bernard Parish. I'm also not sure of the breed, so if someone has a better idea, please let me know. If you think you recognize this dog, please contact me: noanimalleftbehind@gmail.com

In Memory of Mercy

Reward Now Stands At $10,000

POSTED: 1:17 am CDT April 24, 2006

UPDATED: 11:31 am CDT April 24, 2006

DALLAS -- Mercy, the 10-month-old puppy who was doused with gasoline and set on fire, died Sunday at about 9:30 p.m. at the veterinary clinic where she was being treated.Doctors said Mercy showed some improvement Saturday, but her condition started to deteriorate Sunday afternoon. She was given a plasma transfusion, but shortly afterward her heart -- weakened by burns over 60 percent of her body -- stopped beating.The young pit-bull mix was rescued Friday, April 14, by a Dallas man who saw her in the wooded area behind the Rock Creek Apartments at Preston and Belt Line in Far North Dallas. He took the dog to Operation Kindness Animal Shelter in Carrolton, where she was given immediate veterinary care.Mercy was transferred to the Dallas Veterinary Surgical Center last Monday. She had surgery the following day to remove most of her burned ears and begin the painful debridement treatment. Doctors cautioned that, because of the severity and extent of her injuries -- which also included stab wounds and cuts -- her prognosis was guarded."All of us at Operation Kindness, as well as thousands of people who have been moved by her plight, are grieving for Mercy," said Jonnie England, executive director at Operation Kindness. "We were so hopeful that this beautiful, gentle dog, who had suffered and endured unbearable pain, would pull through in the end. It's more important than ever that the person who brutalized her be caught and brought to justice, for Mercy's sake."The reward now stands at $10,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for torturing and, ultimately, killing Mercy.The case is being investigated by Dallas Animal Services' Cruelty Division and the Dallas Police Department. Anyone with information should call 311 or Dallas Animal Services at (214) 671-0246.

Animated Flashback of Hurricane Katrina

Video of a Maryland animal disaster discovered on Friday

Harford County (MD) sheriff's deputies have an arrest warrant for a woman accused in what's being described as one of the "most horrific" animal cruelty cases in the county's history. Donna Bell runs "Furry Companions," an animal rescue operation and has supposidly found homes for hundreds of animals. This organization does not appear to be a recognized 501c3.

A total of 118 dogs and cats -- 44 of which were dead -- were recovered from two homes in the Whiteford area last night.

The Humane Society of Harford County is accepting donations to help with medical expenses for the surviving animals. Click here to go to their website.

Watch Video

Good (legal) news for Katrina pet owners

BELINDA SUMRALL NUMBER: 105-768

VS. 34^th JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT

KIM DESERIO, CLAIRE B.M. ST. BERNARD PARISH

PROFFITT, CINDY WILSON,

DAWN WILCOX, MONTGOMERY STATE OF LOUISIANA

COUNTY SPCA, INC., a Maryland

Corporation, and JANE DOE

CORRECTED TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDER

To: KIM DESERIO, CLAIRE B.M. PROFFITT, CINDY WILSON, DAWN WILCOX, MONTGOMERY COUNTY SPCA, INC., AND JANE DOE

This matter is before this Court upon plaintiff’s verified petition and supporting memorandum and accompanying exhibits, and finding that the two pet dogs therein described are Plaintiff’s pet dogs that were taken in the aftermath of the Hurricane Katrina,

YOU ARE HEREBY ORDERED, RESTRAINED, ENJOINED AND PROHIBITED in the name of the State of Louisiana and this Honorable Court from further concealing and from refusing to return to Plaintiff, Belinda Sumrall, and any agent she may designate, her two pet dogs, Sandy Marie and Coco Lee, who were taken from St. Bernard Parish, State of Louisiana, in the aftermath of Katrina, and who are depicted on that certain found pet report PF 52946 uploaded to www.petfinder.com on or about October 14, 2005, and also depicted in Exhibits 1 and 4 of the verified petition, and shall provide to Plaintiff the identify of, and address of the person who has custody of these two pet dogs;

YOU ARE HEREBY ORDERED, RESTRAINED, ENJOINED AND PROHIBITED in the name of the State of Louisiana and this Honorable Court from permitting any person or persons from interfering with the return of the two pet dogs, Sandy Marie and Coco Lee to Plaintiff, Belinda Sumrall, and any agent she may designate;

YOU ARE HEREBY ORDERED AND DIRECTED to return the two pet dogs, Sandy Marie and Coco Lee to Plaintiff, Belinda Sumrall, and any agent she may designate, within five (5) days after this order is served;

IT IS FURTHER HEREBY ORDERED that you each shall be sanctioned in the sum of $1,000.00 per day for each day that you fail to comply with this order, which sanctions shall commence five (5) days from the date this order is served;

Can we all try really really hard to find this one-eyed Golden Reviever?

How hard can this be? Someone has Athena and whoever that person is, it is NOT her owner from New Orleans. Please everyone - let's find her and get her home.

She is 7 1/2 years old and spayed. She is light brindle colored with white, and weighed 50 pounds when she was lost. She is missing her right eye. She has a thyroid cndition and allergies. One of her canine teeth is chipped.

Please pass Athena's picture to everyone you know; please print and post this at animal hospitals, vets offices, pet stores, dog parks. Post it at all the spring and summer doggie events in your area. Email this to all your dog friends.

Athena should not be this hard to find !

Hurricane Katrina Rottweiler Saves Her Family

(by Lew Olson; reprinted from American Rottwieler Club website)

Hurricane Katrina resulted in many tragedies, including thousands of homeless dogs. Sometimes though, good things can result from even the worst misfortune. One of these dogs, Zoey, a Rottweiler, made her way from a shelter to the Friends of the American Rottweiler Club on September 26th. Zoey is approximately 18 months old and had recently lost a litter of puppies through a miscarriage. Both of her eyes were severely infected and she appeared to have damage to her face from being struck on the head. She was transported to a foster home with

Helen Garcia and nursed back to health and spayed. On November 19th, Zoey's luck turned around and she was adopted by Traci Colvin and her two children, in Seguin, Texas.

On the evening of December 10th, Traci's son Cory was ill with a respiratory infection. She had spent many hours trying to keep him comfortable and finally at 3 AM he fell into a restful sleep. Traci was grateful to finally be able to crawl into bed herself. At 5AM, Zoey began barking at Traci's bedside and would not stop when commanded. Traci wearily got up and assumed Zoey needed to go outside. When Zoey was let out, she just stood there and stared at Traci. Traci was more than annoyed and scolded Zoey and let her back into the house. Zoey ran barking down the hall and stood by the wall and continued to bark. When Traci went to see what was going on, she found the breaker box was smoking, and the cord running to the wall was smoldering and starting to melt. Traci quickly called for help and when help arrived was told that her mobile home could have quickly gone up into flames in a few more minutes.

Sometimes a good turn deserves payback, and good luck was brought to both Zoey and Traci Colvin's family. Traci reports Zoey has a home with her for life and she is very grateful that they found each other. The Friends of the American Rottweiler Club thank Traci for adopting this wonderful dog, and they also thank Zoey for being so persistent in awakening Traci to alert her to the danger.

Take the designer dog quiz

This is a great site and I totally agree with what Andrew and Diana are saying here. Every time I'm at the dog park and see a dog of indeterminate genetics, I ask the owner what it is. One day there were four lab/goldendoodles and their owners were discussing where they got their dogs from. What I overheard was that they were all shipped from overseas! Wow - this really flipped me out, since I had just left the shelter feeling depressed as always because of all the great, beautiful dogs there. Those dogs cost more than my first car which also came from overseas.

My Name is Sam

After I was discharged from the Navy, Jim and I moved back to Detroit to use our GI bill benefits to get some schooling. Jim was going for a degree in Electronics and I, after much debating, decided to get mine in Computer Science.

One of the classes that was a requirement was Speech. Like many people, I had no fondness for getting up in front of people for any reason, let alone to be the center of attention as I stuttered my way through some unfamiliar subject. But I couldn't get out of the requirement, and so I found myself in my last semester before graduation with Speech as one of my classes.

On the first day of class our professor explained to us that he was going to leave the subject matter of our talks up to us, but he was going to provide the motivation of the speech. We would be responsible for six speeches, each with a different motivation. For instance, our first speech's purpose was to inform. He advised us to pick subjects that we were interested in and knowledgeable about. I decided to center my six speeches around animals, especially dogs.

For my first speech to inform, I talked about the equestrian art of dressage. For my speech to demonstrate, I brought my German Shepherd, Bodger, to class and demonstrated obedience commands. Finally the semester was almost over and I had but one more speech to give. This speech was to take the place of a written final exam and was to count for fifty percent of our grade. The speeches motivation was to persuade.After agonizing over a subject matter, and keeping with my animal theme, I decided on the topic of spaying and neutering pets. My goal was to try to persuade my classmates to neuter their pets, so I started researching the topic. There was plenty of material, articles that told of the millions of dogs and cats that were euthanized every year; of supposedly beloved pets that were turned in to various animal control facilities for thelamest of reasons, or worse, dropped off far from home, bewildered and scared. Death was usually a blessing. The final speech was looming closer, but I felt well prepared. Mynotes were full of facts and statistics that I felt sure would motivate even the most naive of pet owners to succumb to my plea.

A couple of days before our speeches were due, I had the bright idea of going to the local branch of the Humane Society and borrowing a puppy to use as a sort of a visual aid. I called the Humane Society and explained what I wanted. They were very happy to accommodate me. I made arrangements to pick up a puppy the day before my speech. The day before my speech, I went to pick up the puppy. I was feeling very confident. I could quote all the statistics and numbers without ever looking at my notes. The puppy, I felt, would add the final emotional touch. When I arrived at the Humane Society I was met by a young guy named Ron. He explained that he was the public relations person for the Humane Society. He was very excited about my speech and asked if I would like a tour of the facilities before I picked up the puppy. I enthusiastically agreed. We started out in the reception area, which was the general public's initial encounter with the Humane Society. The lobby was full, mostly with people dropping off various animals that they no longer wanted Ron explained to me that this branch of the Humane Society took in about fifty animals a day and adopted out twenty.

As we stood there I heard snatches of conversation: "I can't keep him, he digs holes in my garden." "They are such cute puppies, I know you will have no trouble finding homes for them." "She is wild, I can't control her." I heard one of Humane Society's volunteer explain to the lady with the litter of puppies that the Society was filled with puppies and that these puppies, being black, would immediately be put to sleep. Black puppies, sheexplained, had little chance of being adopted. The woman who brought the puppies in just shrugged, "I can't help it," she whined. "They are getting too big. I don't have room for them."

We left the reception area. Ron led me into the staging area where all the incoming animals were evaluated for adoptability. Over half never even made it to the adoption center. There were just too many. Not only were people bringing in their own animals, but strays were also dropped off. By law the Humane Society had to hold a stray for three days. If the animal was not claimed by then, it was euthanized, since there was no background information on the animal. There were already too many animals that had a known history eagerly provided by their soon to be ex-owners. As we went through the different areas, I felt more and more depressed. No amount of statistics, could take the place of seeing the reality of what this throw-away attitude did to the living, breathing animal. It was over overwhelming.

Finally Ron stopped in front of a closed door. "That's it," he said, "except for this." I read the sign on the door. "Euthanization Area." "Do you want to see one?" he asked.

Before I could decline, he interjected, "You really should. You can't tell the whole story unless you experience the end." I reluctantly agreed. "Good." He said " I already cleared it and Peggy is expecting you." He knocked firmly on the door. It was opened immediately by a middle aged woman in a white lab coat. "Here's the girl I was telling you about,"Ron explained. Peggy looked me over. "Well I'll leave you here with Peggy and meet you in the reception area in about fifteen minutes. I'll have the puppy ready." With that Ron departed, leaving me standing in front of the stern-looking Peggy.

Peggy motioned me in. As I walked into the room, I gave an audible gasp. The room was small and spartan. There were a couple of cages on the wall and a cabinet with syringes and vials of a clear liquid. In the middle of the room was an examining table with a rubber mat on top. There were two doors other than the one I had entered. Both were closed. One said to incinerator room, and the other had no sign, but I could hear various animals noises coming from behind the closed door. In the back of the room, near thedoor that was marked incinerator were the objects that caused my distress: twowheelbarrows, filled with the bodies of dead kittens and puppies. I stared in horror. Nothing had prepared me for this. I felt my legs grow weak and my breathing become rapid and shallow. I wanted to run from that room, screaming.

Peggy seemed not to notice my state of shock. She started talking about the euthanization process, but I wasn't hearing her. I could not tear my gaze away from the wheelbarrows and those dozens of pathetic little bodies. Finally, Peggy seemed to notice that I was not paying attention to her. "Are you listening?" she asked irritably. "I'm only going to go through this once." I tore my gaze from the back of the room and looked at her. I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing would come out, so I nodded. She told me that behind the unmarked door were the animals that were scheduled for euthanasia that day. She picked up a chart that was hanging from the wall. "One fifty three is next," she said as she looked at the chart. "I'll go get him." She laid down the chart on the examining table and started for the unmarked door. Before she got to the door she stopped and turned around. "You aren't going to get hysterical, are you?" she asked, "Because that will only upset the animals." I shook my head. I had not said a word since I walked into that room. I still felt unsure if I would be able to without breaking down into tears.

As Peggy opened the unmarked door I peered into the room beyond. It was a small room, but the walls were lined and stacked with cages. It looked like they were all occupied. Peggy opened the door of one of the lower cages and removed the occupant. From what I could see it looked like a medium-sized dog. She attached a leash and ushered the dog into the room in which I stood.

As Peggy brought the dog into the room I could see that the dog was no more than a puppy, maybe five or six months old. The pup looked to be across between a Lab and a German shepherd. He was mostly black, with a small amount of tan above his eyes and on his feet. He was very excited and bouncing up and down, trying to sniff everything in this new environment. Peggy lifted the pup onto the table. She had a card in her hand, which she laid on the table next to me. I read the card. It said that number one fifty three was a mixed Shepherd, six months old. He was surrendered two days ago by a family. Reason of surrender was given as "jumps on children." At the bottom was a note that said "Name: Sam."

Peggy was quick and efficient, from lots of practice, I guessed. She laid one fifty three down on his side and tied a rubber tourniquet around his front leg. She turned to fill the syringe from the vial of clear liquid. All this time I was standing at the head of the table. I could see the moment that one fifty three went from a curious puppy to a terrifiedpuppy. He did not like being held down and he started to struggle.

It was then that I finally found my voice. I bent over the struggling puppy and whispered "Sam. Your name is Sam." At the sound of his name Sam quit struggling. He wagged his tail tentatively and his soft pink tongue darted out and licked my hand. And that is how he spent his last moment. I watched his eyes fade from hopefulness to nothingness. It was over very quickly. I had never even seen Peggy give the lethal shot. The tears could not be contained any longer. I kept my head down so as not to embarrass myself in front of the stoic Peggy. My tears fell onto the still body on the table.

"Now you know," Peggy said softly. Then she turned away. "Ron will be waiting for you."I left the room. Although it seemed like it had been hours, only fifteen minutes had gone by since Ron had left me at the door. I made my way back to the reception area. True to his word, Ron had the puppy all ready to go.

After giving me some instructions about what to feed the puppy, he handed the carrying cage over to me and wished me good luck on my speech.

-Author Unknown

Dogs can be so disgusting

My dog threw up a big pile of grass and whatever, and before I could find it and clean it up, the other dog ate it.

I guess this could go on indefinately and I'll never have to clean it up.

Another Reunion!! PeeWee is Home

PeeWee, a JRT from Chalmette was reunited with his family this morning at the St. Bernard Parish Animal Control. PeeWee has been loved and fostered by Robin of ARNO for many months, and we finally located his family yesterday.

This is an especially joyful reunion because his family was told that he had died.

More about the story of PeeWee and the family's other two dogs will be posted here soon. I just opened the email from Ceily with the reunion photos and wanted to share them.