A note from Bill ...

Print newsletter going to press tomorrow, Monday (8.28.00). It should be in the mail by the end of the week.

Pat's log picks up on May 27, 2000 and goes till August 12, 2000, just two weeks ago. I've been working on the print newsletter for two weeks solid during my vacation from my regular job. We're going to try very hard to get a shorter newsletter to you more often. This one's another 64-page "magazine." We hope you enjoy it and would be pleased to know what you think about it.

Sorry I didn't have time to get more photos prepared and on this week's update.

Excerpts from Pat's Daily Dog Log . . .

SUNDAY AUGUST 20 2000 Raven meets Danny Boy; Mary's a no-show, so we interview Juan's wife, Lisa, to replace Mary

Raven meets Danny

Early this morning we introduced Danny Boy to Raven. Now that Raven has just about completed the two-week quiet time, suggested by our vet, she will be ready for a calm dog companion in a few days, and the perfect fellow would be Danny Boy.

(Raven cannot yet join us on adoption day because the clinic cannot turn over complete custody of Raven to us until they know more about the certified letter they've sent to Raven's owner, who had left Raven at the clinic, abandoning her for these last 9 weeks.)

We took Danny Boy and Raven to the big play yard for the introduction, and they got along great!

We want the dogs to have a happy life while they are with us, until they are adopted, and it is good for the dogs to all have a compatible companion dog for their kennel mate, so in a few more days we will move Raven into Danny's kennel to become his full-time companion (until they are adopted), and little Lisa-Lisa (Danny's current companion) will move in with her friend, Bishop (whom she goes to visit every morning to keep him company), and Lisa-Lisa will become Bishop's full time companion.

Lisa (person) comes for doggie interview (a tough test to pass)

Being interviewed by 51 dogs could make a person a bit nervous you'd think, but Lisa did just great. All the dogs love her! And it's the dogs who make the decision of who their caretakers will be. Lisa passed the doggie interview with flying colors!

MONDAY AUGUST 21 2000 Champ goes in to be neutered; Lisa (person) starts work

Several hours after leaving Champ at the clinic to be neutered I called to see how he was doing. "Just fine," was the answer. "He's ready to go home. Can you please come to get him now?!" In the past I've always left the dogs who have been spayed or neutered at the clinic for 24 hours, and I wondered why they wanted me to pick Champ up, just a few hours after his neuter "operation." The technician went on to say that this fellow did not like being at the clinic, and was barking up a storm. (I could hear his loud barks and howling in the background while talking to the technician. No doubt, that was Champ!)

Going back to the clinic this morning really messed up my plans for getting other dog projects done here, but hearing Champ's unhappy howl over the phone won me over, and I got him back home within the hour.

Lisa starts work today

The 4-hour interview went well yesterday, and today Lisa proved she could do the job. The dogs all love Lisa.

Our daughter Erin rescues a stray dog while visiting New Mexico

We just got the letter with photos of Erin's new dog (a stray she just rescued) named Rosie. Even though Erin hadn't adopted one of our dogs (because she knew they were safe and well cared for here), her heart went out to this helpless stray she found wandering the streets of Taos. Bill and I are much happier she took in Rosie rather than adopting one of our dogs, because the dogs here at Straydog are already being well cared for and will continue to be well cared for until we find them good individual homes. The dog Erin found was homeless and had no one to care for her and needed help.

We will take care of the dogs here, for as long as necessary, until we hopefully someday adopt them all out. This is our philosophy. This is our feeling about all the dogs in our shelter. They are going to be provided for, protected securely and adopted out as carefully as if they were children.

We've already published our vow: "Our Vow to all dogs we rescue is that they shall never suffer again!"

We cannot judge the value of how any group or individual helps the homeless animal problem. Whether you take just one or two (or several) of the homeless into your own home, or build a shelter to kennel 50, adopting them out very carefully to insure they each go to a good home, or you build a cage-shelter for 500 and adopt out 50 a week, who can judge whether one method is a higher moral choice than any other method?

The Grand Plan is simple:

(1) If everyone takes in at least one dog or cat and has it spayed or neutered, the companion animal overpopulation problem will be solved.

(2) If every 50th person takes in 50 dogs and/or cats and has them all spayed and neutered and adopts them each out carefully, the problem will be solved.

(3) If every 500th person takes in 500 dogs and/or cats and has them all spayed and neutered and adops them out as fast as possible, the problem will be solved.

(4) When we all collectively decide to use spay and neuter as our method of companion animal population control rather than euthanasia, the problem will be solved.

I talked with Blackie Blue Eyes' new mom--Everything is Great!

"Everything is just so perfect! " Theresa said this evening when I talked with her by phone about how Blackie is doing. She loves to have Blackie curled up on the bed to sleep with her at night and it was cute to hear Theresa describe Blackie's trips outside to "take care of business." When Blackie goes potty, Theresa said, she praises her a lot and tells her what a good girl she is, Blackie enjoys the praise so much she goes again, more praise, and more potty! There have been no accidents in the house.

Before Theresa adopted Blackie, she had many pictures of Blackie hanging at her place of work, telling everyone about the dog she would be soon adopting, and after Blackie's adoption Theresa was surprised with doggie gifts from her friends, for her new companion animal. Theresa also added that Blackie is very happy at her new home, and so is Theresa!

TUESDAY AUGUST 22 2000 - Raven has moved in with Danny, Lisa-Lisa (dog) has moved in with Bishop, Tommy and Dixie have moved into the kennel close to house, Champ is back in with Trixie and the volunteer dog trainer comes to see Jake and Champ. What a busy day!

Dog Trainer, Nan Austin, comes to see Jake and Champ

Jake's second dog obedience lesson went very well today, Nan said, and since we all thought bouncy young Champ would benefit from a little obedience training too, Nan worked with him for a while.

Once again we thank Nan, very much, for volunteering her time and talents to train some of the dogs at our Happy Home for Strays.

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 23 2000 Angry Neighbor Strikes Again! (No dogs are hurt)

This time he is angry with the neighbor who lives at the top of our hill and at the neighbor's two dogs.

I heard two sickening loud gunshots as I was loading the trash on the top of the car to take to the bin at the bottom of our hill. I sped down the hill knowing exactly where the gunshots were coming from, and I was hoping I was not to late to save the life of the dog or dogs that Angry Neighbor most likely was trying to kill.

As I got to the bottom of the hill, I saw a truck speed away from Angry Neighbor's house and turn down the little side road that runs along the east side of our shelter property. (The Angry Neighbor was no where in sight.) The truck went by so fast I didn't recognize the person who was driving. Although I was really puzzled as to why the truck was speeding away from the Angry Neighbor's house right after the sound of gunshots, I was more concerned about looking for a possibly wounded dog. I drove slowly up the highway looking for a possible stray dog running in the area or a hurt dog along the roadside.

I found no sign of any stray or hurt animal so I returned home. Just as I got back in the house I got a call from the nice neighbor who lives at the top of our hill. She said that Angry Neighbor had just come and told her that their two dogs had been in his yard killing his chickens and that he would kill the dogs if they showed up again. The nice neighbor was very puzzled at what to do since her dogs do roam. The only thing I could suggest is that she keep her dogs at home--which is what everyone should do!

Stevie and Pete's dad, Mike, came for another visit

All went well. Mike had a good visit with "his boys," Blind Dog Stevie and little Pete, as he walked around with them in the big play yard and handed out lots of "cookies."

Mike told us about the new home they are in the process of moving into, and all about their plans for getting Steve and Pete accustomed to becoming house pets. (Becoming used to living in a house will be no problem for little Pete and just a little extra special care for Stevie since Steve is totally blind, and Mike and Ann have everything very carefully planned for easing Steve gradually through this transition.) Stevie and Pete are soon to become two more happily adopted, pampered pooches!

Mike and Ann are two very wonderful, kind hearted people!

Hopefully, soon, we will find loving people to adopt our other special dogs with special needs, such as Danny Boy, Buffy, Fritz and Bishop, to name just a few.

SATURDAY AUGUST 26 2000 Adoption Day, Jake is Adopted!

This was to be Jake's big day. Meredith and I had set up a time which was good for her to bring her dog, Sabrina, a beautiful Husky mix, to Petsmart to introduce Sabrina to Jake. (Meredith had been to last Saturday's adoption day and had fallen in love with Jake and felt that Jake would be the perfect companion for her bouncy, happy-go-lucky dog, Sabrina.) Today was the day for the introduction, then possible adoption for Jake . . .

Well, Jake almost blew it! Meredith and I walked the dogs outside the front of the store on their leases for the introduction and Jake was so excited to meet this friendly dog he became a bit overly enthusiastic with his greeting! He wanted to play, right away, jumping at Sabrina and barking loudly, and pretty Sabrina wanted to take her time to get to know him. The quieter Sabrina became the more rambunctious Jake became, and the louder Jake barked, the quieter Sabrina grew.

After a good fifteen minutes of walking the dogs outside, Jake began to calm down a little, and we decided it would be good to make the home visit putting the dogs together in Sabrina's fenced yard to see how things would go. We could tell that the dogs liked each other.

All goes well and Jake is adopted!

John made the home visit with Jake, while I stayed at Petsmart to talk with the family who had been thinking of adopting Molly.

"Everything went just fine," was the report from John when he returned. The dogs got along beautifully in Sabrina's yard, and there were no problems. How wonderful!

Meredith will be leaving Jake with us for this next week, because of previous plans she had made, and then will be taking Jake home right after Labor Day.

Jake has become another success story which you (our contributors) have helped make possible.

Jake went from the hard, rough life of an abandoned dog roaming the streets of Dallas, scavenging for food and enduring dog fights to survive, to being rescued, having his wounds treated, returning to good health again, and now finding a wonderful home.

We thank you all for making the life of Jake another one of many success stories of the dogs at your Happy Home for Strays.