National Dog Day is Coming Soon!

A Great Excuse to Help a Rescue!

If you ask us, we'll tell you that every day is dog day (of course!), but we're wagging our tails that since 2004, dogs and dog rescues have had a designated day to be honored! So, what's National Dog Day all about? It's about raising awareness about adoption and dog rescue and thanking those who have spent countless hours for the cause.

What can you do? First and foremost, on August 26th, give your furry friends big hugs and special treats (maybe an especially long walk to a favorite spot?). When you're done, go help a rescue or shelter! Walk some less fortunate dogs, help with an adoption event, or just go to a rescue event and say "thank you" to the volunteers. Kind words go a long way to reinvigorating that rescue fire!

Educate Yourself

The best weapon against cruelty is knowledge, especially when we share our knowledge with others to help them make good choices about pet acquisition and care. The following links contain materials to help you be a champion in the fight:

Fetching Fido...a booklet about how to locate a rescue or breeder and avoid puppy mill pitfalls.

Mill Dog Manifesto...a first-hand account of dog rescue and puppy mills.

Animal Welfare Handouts (PDFs)...to print and distribute.

Road to Rescue: Dog Rescue Best Practices Manual ...to help you be the best rescuer you can be!


Reprinted from Up For Pups Web Site.

Love, compassion and kindness can right even the most egregious wrong

Hope rewarded: Tortured Texas dog adopted
By Dylan Stableford, Yahoo! News - The Lookout

Hope, the dog found brutally tortured in Texas last week, has a new home. According to the Parker County Sheriff's Office, the pug mix has been adopted by the family whose ranch she was first spotted wandering on. 
 
Charlie and Kit Moncrief have agreed to adopt Hope, who continues to recover from what the Dallas Morning News described as "one of the worst cases of animal cruelty ever reported in the county." Hope was found dehydrated, her mouth sealed shut with electrical tape and her tongue protruding. She had five large cuts that took more than 100 stitches to close.

"I have known the Moncrief family for many, many years," Parker County Sheriff Larry Fowler said in an emailed statement to Yahoo News. "I can't think of a better family for Hope to belong to. She will think she is in heaven at her new home with her new family."

Veterinarians at Bowie Drive Animal Hospital say that Hope, who is estimated to be between 3 and 4 years old, will make a full recovery, though she may need part of her tongue removed.

Fowler said they have investigated several leads but are still seeking the suspect or suspects involved.

"This is the bottom line," Fowler added. "If they will torture a defenseless creature, what else are they capable of? We need to find the person(s) responsible for this."

Rescues - no matter where they come from - are the best

My best friend

I found Chula at the Humane Society of Indianapolis while going through a tough time in my life. Choosing her has been one of the best decision I have made in my life!

Chula is sweet, playful, loving, loyal, grateful and above all, my best friend! Rescued dogs rock!!!

Ana
Rockville, MD

 
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Our Walgreens Yorkies!

My husband and I rescued these two little Yorkie girls from a homeless woman we met at Walgreens! She kept these darling little girls in a little Sherpa bag. They were dirty and matted, needed a really good bath and grooming. We gave the woman the money she wanted and took them home. There was no way we could leave them.

The littlest one, Tina Marie, could barely walk because of being in the back of the bag. Lacey Louise was outgoing and definitely looked for affection. It took Tina Marie time - but now she is running the house and Lacey Louise is just a happy little girl.

We brought them home on Feburary 18th of this year and today, they are running and playing with our Italian Greyhounds, happy and healthy. We are so thrilled they came into our lives.

Cheryl and Herman

Port Charlotte, FL

From Deep in a Well to a Mile High

The very day that we had to euthanize our first dog, a racing greyhound named Pronto, thousands of miles away five galgos (Spanish greyhounds) were pulled from a 100 foot well in the Spanish countryside. It was the end of the rabbit hunting season and the galgos had been thrown down the well to kill them. This is one of the terrible ways that the galgueros (hunters) dispose of their dogs. Miraculously, a passerby who had stopped his car in the countryside heard their barking and alerted a local shelter, Scooby Refuge.

I followed the story of their dramatic rescue and recovery and, incredibly, a little black and white girl rescued from the well joined our family in Denver, Colorado, a year and a half later. We adopted Prisa through Galgo Rescue International Rescue. It took time for Prisa to acclimate to life as a treasured family member from her near-feral state. But now, after six years with us, she is content and secure, loves to hike with us, has a great sense of humor and enjoys the comforts and love we shower upon her!


Judy Greenfield
Denver, CO

Father's Day is Sunday, June 17th

Who's your Daddy?

Most of the animals in our adoption centers would have no idea how to answer that question. They are the unwanted offspring of un-spayed mothers and un-neutered fathers, contributing to the huge pet overpopulation problem that we struggle to address year after year.

This Father’s Day, won’t you make a contribution to our Shalit-Glazer spay/neuter .

We’ll send him a special Father’s Day eCard to announce your gift. You'll be showing him you care and making a difference for something you believe in- and isn't that just what your dad taught you to do?

Pit Bull rescues owner from train’s path

FOX 25 / MyFoxBoston.com – An 8-year-old pit bull named Lilly is being hailed a hero after frantically pulling her unconscious owner from train tracks moments before a freight train barreled through.

The engineer who stopped the train and called first responders saw the dog named Lilly pulling her owner, Christine Spain, away from the tracks around midnight on May 4 in Shirley. The engineer attempted to stop, but couldn't avoid hitting Lilly.

Spain was not injured, but Lilly suffered a complete "de-gloving" of her right foot: all of the muscle and skin were gone. Her pelvis was fractured in multiple locations and she suffered other internal injuries. But even as first police and firefighters arrived at the scene, Lilly stayed by her owner's side.

Lilly was taken to an emergency animal hospital in Acton, where Boston Police Officer David Lanteigne, who'd rescued Lilly three years prior as a therapy dog for his mother who has suffered from alcoholism for nearly her entire life, picked her up and then brought her to Angell Animal Medical Center in Boston, where emergency veterinarians examined Lilly.

Lilly's right front leg could not be saved and had to be amputated, and because of her age, doctors decided not to operate on her pelvis until she had time to recover from the amputation.

She had the second surgery Sunday and is now recovering in Angell's Emergency and Critical Care unit in a kennel adorned with pictures, notes and get-well cards brought by her family, friends and neighbors.

Lilly's medical care will likely run into the thousands of dollars. A fund has been set up to help offset her care. You can donate to the fund by visiting www.mspca.org/helplilly .

Update on Sophie

I received this email from Sophie's Foster parents and thought I'd share it with you all.  A very heartwarming story of human kindness and one beautiful dog's courage and determination to someday run and play...
Enjoy!
A couple of weeks ago you posted the video of Sophie taking her first steps.My wife and I are Sophie’s fosters and we wanted to share her new video with you about her progress.We were hoping that you can post the new video also.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKYi-H0GFx4&feature=youtu.be

Thank you for supporting Sophie!

More on Sophie...

5-month-old Sophie, our miracle girl, after 3 weeks of physical therapy, is supporting her own weight, and beginning to walk on her own!
http://sheprescue.org/

http://facebook.com/WGSRescue

Donate to Sophie's rehab fund here: 

http://tinyurl.com/7urq5nk

Watch Sophie's other videos:

Sophie's First Steps:
http://youtu.be/u2gm_HlvktQ

Sophie and her Big Brothers:
http://youtu.be/0QCaZI1kJhY

Bob Delava