Pam just emailed these photos to us Monday morning: This is Bear, the only golf course dog rescued so far, and he's being detained at the pound for the mandatory 72 hours, tho we're trying to get him released as soon as possible.
(4) Boomer and Brigitte get together in the park
(5) Boomer and Brigitte start playing and seem compatible
(6) Buddy and Brigitte are introduced
(7) Blind Chubs and Sister Cassie get another leash lesson
(8) Betsy's back home from the clinic staying in the kitchen kennel
(9) Betsy goes out on a potty break
(10) Betsy's outing in the park
(11) Betsy and Snowflake wake Pat in the middle of a cold, rainy night
Straydog, our Happy Home for Strays
(The hexagon is the "Big Play Yard," which we usually refer to as "the park")Straydog is a "lifeboat" for rescued dogs. A vacant kennel spot is an empty seat in our "lifeboat," so please, if you're interested in adopting a dog, see our dogs for adoption links below. Please continue to support us. We will continue to row this "lifeboat" to shore, dropping off rescued dogs into the arms of good adopters, and we will continue to fill the space left vacant by each adopted dog with another desperate homeless dog for as long as we can hold on. We believe our example (and the example of all other no-kill shelters) must be publicized in order to wake people up and make them aware of the necessity to SPAY and NEUTER their pets so that homeless dog rescue "lifeboats" will no longer be necessary. (Ditto for cats!)
Pat Arnold's Daily Dog Log
SUNDAY FEBRUARY 23 2003
Final plans have been made to take Justin for his home visit this Wednesday
Justin's new mom and dad are so excited about having seven-month-old Puppy Justin join their family that they were hoping we could make the home visit this Wednesday with Justin (since we were too short-handed to make the home visit Saturday as originally planned along with Adoption Day).
So, the plans are that we will be taking Justin to his tentative new home this Wednesday morning, and if all goes well with their five-year-old dog (and their cat), Justin will be officially adopted by his new mom and dad! We're just as excited about this adoption as Justin's new parents are, because we know what a wonderful life Justin will have with Shari and her husband, Chaz. Shari has helped us on several of our Adoption Days, and it was during a recent Adoption Day that she and Chaz fell in love with this adorable little fellow.
Traffic Jam at the big play yard!
Sometimes it just simply happens that one or another of us gets a little bit behind in our dog care duties, and even being just five minutes behind can cause little bits of problems further on down the line during the day. Such was the case this afternoon, when there was a "Traffic Jam" going to the big play yard. (It was more like airplanes being stacked up waiting to land at an airport rather than an automobile traffic jam.)
I had been working on the computer when I heard a "scuffle" sound coming from Betsy's kennel just several feet away from me in the kitchen, and I looked over and saw her standing, which meant she wanted to go outside to go potty. (Betsy is in one of our kitchen recovery kennels recovering from a broken leg.) It's been difficult for her to go outside because it hurts her when she initially stands up, and she doesn't like walking down the ramp, so to have her stand in her kennel ready "to go" meant I needed to take her right away.
I made sure Toby and Blackie were both in the bedroom, out of way of getting Betsy from her kennel to the kitchen door, and out she and I went on our way to the play yard and into the "Traffic Jam!" As soon I neared the park with Betsy, heading toward the side play yard gate, I saw Caregiver Danielle rounding the other corner of our trailer house walking Frosty to the front entrance gate of the park, and then we both suddenly saw that Caregiver Joel was already in the park with Snowflake. At the same moment Caregiver Michael was entering Davey and Heather's kennel across the park at the west kennels to leash them up to take them for their afternoon turn in the park too. Whoa!
Betsy has the "right of way"
Since Betsy has the most difficulty getting around and is taken outside only when she lets us know she has to go, she has priority over all other special-needs dogs. This was the first time we ever had five of us with dogs attempting to use the park all at the very same time (due to some of us getting behind in our schedule, which sometimes happens around here, usually for good reasons). But these problems are pretty easily solved: I had Danielle walk Frosty back to her kennel to give her some quality fur-brushing time while waiting for her turn; Michael moved on to visit with another pair of dogs until the park was freed up for him to take Davey and Heather; Joel picked up granny Snowflake and carried her outside the park to walk around just outside the park while waiting to take Snow back in again, and Betsy and I went to the park so she could take care of business.
Then all the caregivers juggled their doggie duties around and finally things were running on time again, and all the dogs who had had to wait for Betsy got their turn to play in the park too.
Old Sassy Katie has a grand time running and playing with Caregiver Joel
Katie must be 12+ years old now, and she is a "single" dog in her kennel by her choice (just one of the reasons she got the nickname "sassy"), so she gets many outings to the play yard to make up for not having a kennel companion to play with. Katie has arthritis, minor heart problems, a few other health problems, and is totally deaf, but this precious dog absolutely loves going to the park to run, sniff and play, and this keeps her very active, healthy and extremely happy!
Today when Joel took her to the park for her forth visit of the day, Katie was in a very playful mood, and she had a great time running all over the big play yard chasing Joel, and the next thing you'd see would be Joel running after Katie. She had a great time!
Yesterday
...
Straydog UPDATE posted SATURDAY 2/22/03 at ~9:47 p.m. CT
Pat Arnold's Daily Dog Log
SATURDAY FEBRUARY 22 2003
No dogs adopted today from our shelter
We are really sorry we had to cancel our Adoption Day in Dallas today, but when we are short-handed, we need all the help we have at our shelter just to keep our daily operations running smoothly for the dogs. Our daily schedule stays the same, every single day, seven days a week, which schedule includes feeding the dogs and puppies two times a day (or more if need be for anyone needing special care such as motherless pups), walking each set of dogs from their kennel to the big play yard for a play period and then walking them back to their kennel again, which takes from 7:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. While "dog walks" are in progress the kennel team members go from kennel to kennel, cleaning each kennel, which includes picking up poop, filling holes, dumping and scrubbing water buckets, etc., and then from 1:00 p.m. till 6:00 p.m. caregivers go to each and every kennel giving hands-on care to each and every dog. The special-needs dogs need much more attention, so everyone here is busy every single second of the day. To be short-handed makes it rough to keep to the schedule, but we managed.
Update on the golf course strays
Many people continue to email about the golf course stray dog family, and the update so far, at 6:00 p.m. this Saturday evening, is that only the one pup has been rescued, and he is being held by Animal Control.
Dallas Animal Control Continues with the rescue mission
It appears that many people from the Dallas Animal Control department have also taken a lot of interest in this family of strays, and they have been very helpful in the ongoing rescue of the dogs.
The remaining three dogs are seen back at golf course
Pam met with several women from Animal Control at the golf course this morning to show them the dogs, who fortunately were back in their usual spot, and the women with Animal Control saw for themselves that the dogs are nice dogs, just fearful of the people trying to "catch" them. Because the golf course has so many people walking around it (playing golf) Saturdays, Animal Control had to call off their rescue mission with the sedative dart guns until this coming Monday. (They will, however, be leaving the traps.) Animal Control assured Pam that they will continue with their rescue efforts.
Because the weather will be getting colder and more rain is a possibility, the women from Animal Control covered the traps with tarps to protect the dogs from the bad weather, just in case the dogs do happen to go in the traps after the food left inside.
We thank Animal Control
We thank everyone from the Animal Control department who has helped with this rescue mission. We know "this is their job," and we also know that it can be very difficult, and I'm sure oftentimes very heartbreaking.
We are just grateful that they care about the well-being of every dog or pup that they receives calls about.
We have been assured that when dogs and pups are captured and taken to the pound, they are given humane treatment while waiting in fear 72 hours for their "lost" guardian/owners to come and "save" them.
Pam goes to visit Bear at the pound
Pam went to the pound to visit with Bear, and she said that he was so scared he was shaking. We've now been told that the law requiring the pound to keep the dogs for the 72-hour-waiting period is to allow time for the guardian/owners of "lost" animals to come and get their pets--not to see if a dog might come down with rabies as we earlier reported.
I will call Animal Control first thing Monday
I will call Dallas Animal Control first thing Monday morning to ask them to please release this frightened young pup to our Straydog shelter, so that the pup won't have to endure further traumatizing by having to live in fear for four more days at the pound. We want to give him the love and immediate medical attention he needs.
Bear is known to be homeless, as are his parents and siblings, and everyone at the golf course can attest to this. He has never had an owner/guardian, and Bill and I would like nothing more than to bring this frightened little fellow to our Happy Home for Strays right now.
It's heartbreaking (and very depressing) that we can't bring them all to our shelter.
*Pat Arnold's Daily Dog Log
LAST WEEK:
*Photo Pages and Videos
LAST WEEK:
(1) Heather meets Jeff in our effort to find her a kennel mate
(3) Boomer and Heather meet in the park (2/17/03)
(4) Boomer and Brigitte get together in the park
(5) Boomer and Brigitte start playing and seem compatible
(6) Buddy and Brigitte are introduced
(7) Blind Chubs and Sister Cassie get another leash lesson
(8) Betsy's back home from the clinic staying in the kitchen kennel
(9) Betsy goes out on a potty break
(10) Betsy's outing in the park
(11) Betsy and Snowflake wake Pat in the middle of a cold, rainy night
WEEK BEFORE LAST:
(1) Julie visits the veterinary eye specialist
(2) Julie at the eye specialist, continued.
(3) Chubs and Cassie, a long shot of Billy, and Rhonda scratches Johnny's back
(4) Blind Puppy Chubs attacks the cameraman
(5) New Brigitte and Gidget before and after photos
(6) Pixie's home visit, after which she was officially adopted
(7) Pixie's home visit and adoption, continued
(8) Pixie's home visit and adoption, continued and concluded
*Our Dogs for Adoption - Volunteer Shannon's page
*Our Dogs for Adoption listed on Petfinder.org
*Our Mission & How We Got Started
*"Goodbye, Danny Boy." - An example of the only acceptable use of euthanasia
Special-needs
dogs (including puppies) continue to increase our vet bill!
If you would like to help directly with the vet expenses, you may send your tax deductible donations directly to:
Morton Small Animal Clinic
1404 E. Tyler Street
Athens, Tx. 75751
and please make a note on your check that the donation is for Straydog Inc. so they'll be sure to apply your donation to our Straydog account. (Or you may send a donation directly to Straydog Inc., P.O. Box 1465, Gun Barrel City, Texas 75147.)
As always we thank you, very, very much, for your help.
List of some
of the items we're in need of:
One of our supporters emailed us recently suggesting that we post a "wish list" on our website, and here it is:
We Always Need:
Postage Stamps, paper towels, bleach, dish soap, X-large Rubber Gloves, a few Pointed Shovels and Garden Rakes, Dog Leashes, various sizes of Snap-On Dog Collars (not the buckle collars) and various sizes of Dog Harnesses ... plus a lot of other stuff that (unfortunately) costs a lot of money.