Tuesday, June 29, 2010

When Tom Met Sara

Tom Mylar was a man in need of a senior dog. Some may wonder why anyone would “need” a senior dog, but for Tom, it was all about balance. He’d just lost Dawson, the senior dog he’d adopted a few years ago from the St. Louis Senior Dog Project. Now he was down to his two younger dogs, and things just didn’t feel right.

“There was a void in my household with just the two younger dogs. I needed an older dog to provide some balance.” Tom explains what he means by “balance” in this context. “Perhaps it’s a sense of maturity, of greater contentment, of wisdom even – hard to say.”

Tom also has a soft spot for senior dogs and figures he always has room for at least one. He’d already loved and lost two senior dogs from the St. Louis Senior Dog Project. Now he was back to look for another.

Sara was a plain black dog with a grey muzzle. She’d spent most of her nine years at the end of a chain with only a shed for shelter. Now she was safe in a foster home, learning about a new way of life, a life of comfort and love. Sara had survived her past; now she needed a future.

We brought Sara to her first adoption event not expecting much. We just hoped the situation wouldn’t be too stressful for her.

Then Tom met Sara.

As for the balance Tom wanted, he says, “Sara provides it. Having come from a situation where she was forced to find comfort sleeping within a woodshed at night, Sara seems to really appreciate where she is now. She wags her tail a LOT. She is quite content and happy. And thanks to Sara, so am I.”

Ellen Ellick
St. Louis, MO

Thursday, June 24, 2010

PA: Ban the Gassing of Animals!‏


Dear Pennsylvania Advocates,

Pennsylvania Senate Bill 672, legislation that was introduced to outlaw the use of gas chambers on animals, passed the Senate Agriculture Committee in April but has not advanced since then. We now need your help to ensure passage of this important humane legislation in the Senate.

Gassing is an inhumane, prolonged process that can take as long as 30 minutes to work. Many animals panic during the procedure, and first attempts occasionally are unsuccessful.

What You Can Do

Please be the animals' voice and contact your state senator to ask him or her to support SB 672. Visit the ASPCA Advocacy Center today to email your state senator on behalf of this bill.

In addition to sending this important email, please consider calling your senator about SB 672. You can look up your legislator's phone number on our website, ASPCA.

Thank you, Pennsylvania advocates—your support is invaluable!

Monday, June 14, 2010

Winston gets a 2nd chance!


Winston was just 2 years old when we removed him from another place where he had been dumped by his previous owner, one of many. He was terribly underweight (not fed with regularity and then sometimes only with bread) and rarely, if ever walked. He suffered from severe depression for the first 18 months that we had him, until we believe that he understood that this would be his forever home. We now have a happy, VERY HEALTHY 10 year old Golden that has changed our lives. We can't imagine not ever having him.

He's a beautiful, funny, goofy, lovable pet.

Janice Gibson
Hillsburgh, ON, Canada

Saturday, June 5, 2010

Bella makes two!

We rescued our black lab mix 2 yrs ago and named her Riley. She has been the best dog we ever had. She is so sweet, loving, and we laugh at how she talks to us. In my attempts to find a playmate for Riley, we started fostering. Riley has been great with all the dogs we have fostered. One day I received an email about White Shep/Lab mix puppy that needed a foster. I brought her (Bella) home only to find she has trust issues. Because she is scared she tends to snap at people and other dogs. I worked with her over the next couple months trying to socialize her in hopes to find her a forever home. Bella was such a challenge but I was certain we could make her feel safe.

She loved my husband and our pup Riley so much that she would follow them everywhere. I came home one day certain I found the perfect home for Bella. But, my husband said "I want to adopt her I can't let her go." We decided with all her trust issues she would probably be dumped again. We decided we coudln't let that happen so we adopted her. Bella has come a long way but still needs work. For Bella I think whe knew she found her forever home, with us.


Wendy Fujita
Mertztown, PA