Bill Arnold's Daily Straydog Log

SUNDAY DECEMBER 28 2003

Rainy and chilly all day, and neither man nor dog liked it

     But as I continue to reiterate, the routine went on as usual.

     I didn't even think to take any photos today as it was so gray outside. Photos taken on bright sunny days are far superior to photos taken on dimly lit days, but I should have taken at least one.

     I was just thinking about how on cold rainy days like today I used to cry in awe of Pat's dedication sometimes watching her through the window over the washing machine in what we now refer to as the kennel office (originally our home), when Pat would be finishing her day (while I was preparing dinner) as Pat worked with the dogs in the cold rain. That was during the winters of 1994, '95, '96 and '97, before we had employees. During those early years Pat, herself, did almost all the outside work with the dogs, and I worked my regular job in Dallas, trying to make enough money to pay for everything, which we somehow did for several years, until our shelter population reached 24 dogs. At that point in time The Dallas Morning News published their first article about Straydog, and we received a lot of donations, and our shelter grew and grew and grew. In the months before Pat's death she often said that she wished she could take the remaining, nine-plus-year-old original Straydog dogs and move to a new place, with Pat, herself, having only the responsibility of having to take care of those 10 or 12 sanctuary dogs, which one person can manage alone.

     But Pat created a system that can take good care of 75 or 80 dogs on a low budget, and, thank goodness, people who cannot take in 10 or 12 sanctuary dogs want to donate to the no-kill shelters who are taking in the bunch of dogs that the contributors themselves, for whatever reason, cannot take in. So, we continue our mission.

Another email from the lady who rescued the dog with the broken jaw

Erin,

Dog is alert, can eat & drink. Fracture may not require surgery. Will board for the weekend. Call me at #xxxxxxxxxx to discuss. My e-mail address is: xxxxxxxxx@yahoo.com.

Thanks for your help.
Marsha D.

Erin needed a full day off, and I refuse to bother her. She needs a day off. She will report on her conversations and correspondence with Marsha tomorrow ...

www.Straydog.org UPDATE posted SATURDAY 12/27/03 at ~8:30 p.m. ct usa

Bill Arnold's Daily Straydog Log

SATURDAY DECEMBER 27 2003

No adoptions today at PetsMart, but Sasha goes to spend a week with the trainer    

     Some people had asked via email that we bring Big Rott Colby, but then they couldn't make it to PetsMart to get a close-up look at him.

     Sasha, the very young, rambunctious Golden Retriever, went home with the PetsMart dog trainer this evening and will spend the week at the trainer's house to see if some progress can be made with the beautiful dog. (The trainer is volunteering to do this.) Sasha, you'll remember, was adopted a few weeks ago but was returned to Straydog a week or so later because she was incorrigible. We're all hoping this sweet doggie can learn to act like the docile dog she was bred to be.

An email to Erin from the woman (whose name is Marsha) who rescued the dog who had been hit by a car (see yesterday's update)

Erin,

I got pictures of the pup I spoke to you about but am having trouble transmitting them to you. The pup is stable and has not had any seizures. Good news: the vet does not think that she will have any seizures in the future. So the only medical problem now is the fractured jaw. He estimates the cost of surgery to approach $1000, but I have not actually talked to the specialist. He would normally refer this type of injury to Dr. Bruce Wiggs at the Dallas Dental Service but would be willing to refer the dog to Dallas Veterinary
Surgical Center if you prefer. I simply cannot afford this surgery and would appreciate the help of your organization. I will take care of any costs at my vet that may have already been incurred. My friend and I will foster the dog thru recovery and adoption. Please let me know if we can get this done.

Marsha D.

At Straydog we're all trying to figure out just how much we can help in this situation

     We get these kinds of requests occasionally, and we don't know what to do or how much we can do. One time a rescuer asked that if he would do all else for a recently rescued dog, would we at least pay for the heartworm treatment if the dog tested positive. I said okay, and luckily the dog was negative, and it didn't cost Straydog anything, and the dog's rescue was a success.

     Unfortunately we are constantly trying to raise money just to pay all our own Straydog expenses. The first thing we can do, however, is ask you, our contributors, if any of you would like to earmark some donations to go directly toward helping Marsha get this poor dog's jaw repaired. The good thing is that Marsha is able to pay all the other expenses for the dog and foster care the dog until the dog is adopted.

     More as the story develops.

FRIDAY December 26 2003:

* A dog who was hit by a car needs help;

* Ojay gets his stitches taken out by our local vet [PHOTOS]

     Special thanks to those who have called in and/or emailed in credit card donations. All we have to have is the card number, the name on the card, the expiration date and the billing address. It is really simple, and we don't pay a very high fee for this Internet credit card service. After going to the credit card service website, I type in my organization name and password, and once in, I plug in the information the contributor has given to me, and the Internet credit card people transfer the donation instantaneously into Straydog's bank account, which is Straydog's operating fund, which is Straydog's only fund. Thanks to everyone who is helping us!

*Bill Arnold's Daily Straydog Log

CURRENT WEEK

SUNDAY December 21 2003:

* Weather has been great today, and tonight it's going to be in the 50s;

* Sasha tears up the bottom of her kennel fence and gets loose--for a minute;

* Ojay and Jeannie spend their nights in their "hospital kennel," in the same ward with Tom the feral cat, and the two dogs spend nice days out in the little puppy kennel [PHOTOS].

MONDAY December 22 2003:

* The cyst in Rover's ear will have to be removed, says Dr. Morton [PHOTOS TO COME];

* Teddy Bear (like Rover) is another one of Pat's original rescues, and Teddy was feeling great today;

* Teddy's probably going to be a sanctuary dog for the duration [PHOTOS TO COME].

TUESDAY December 23 2003:

* Rover had his surgery about noon today, and we picked him up at 5:30 p.m. [PHOTOS TO COME];

* Randy Hopkins, the overnight man, reports at 8:40 p.m. that Rover's waking up;

* Long-time supporters, Tom and Rhonda Grisak, and their son, Jason, came to visit today, bringing a big box of goodies for the dogs [PHOTOS TO COME].

WEDNESDAY December 24 2003:

* Rover's doing great today [LOTS OF PHOTOS];

THURSDAY December 25 2003, CHRISTMAS:

* Everything is okay here at Straydog, but it was a difficult day for me.

FRIDAY December 26 2003:

* A dog who was hit by a car needs help;

* Ojay gets his stitches taken out by our local vet [PHOTOS]

 

LAST WEEK

SUNDAY December 14 2003:

Erin's Report on yesterday's Adoption Day:

* Kelsey finds a wonderful home! [PHOTOS]

* Sunday started off very cold (about 30 degrees) but wormed up into the 50s [PHOTO].

MONDAY December 15 2003:

* Beautiful weather again today, maybe a little too warm for the dogs;

Erin Reports ...

* Tomorrow's vet visits, Star Kitty, and thanks to our wonderful contributors!

* Kelsey's new dad, Jeff, emails us today.

TUESDAY December 16 2003:

* Woman wants to drop off two pugs, and two of our employees want to adopt them [PHOTOS].

WEDNESDAY December 17 2003:

* Erin's late report on Tuesday vet visits to both Dr. Morton and Dr. Reeves ...

* Old Pup is doing fine;

* Our visit to Dr. Reeves in Tyler: Big Boy, Champ and Fritz;

* Dr. Reeves gives us a nice discount!

* Going home.

THURSDAY December 18 2003:

* Ofelia volunteers to help us address thank-you letters;

* Macky has been adopted by Randy Hopkins, one of our two alternating overnight men [PHOTOS].

FRIDAY December 19 2003:

* Mary Anne came to volunteer today [PHOTOS].

* Erin's report on the feral cat one of our caregivers trapped at Straydog [PHOTOS].

SATURDAY December 20 2003:

* Erin Arnold Johnson's Adoption Day report [PHOTOS, including volunteer Highland Park High School students, Malia and Townsend Majors].

 

WEEK BEFORE LAST

SUNDAY December 7 2003:

* Old Pup is on the mend [PHOTOS TO COME];

* Working on the mailer;

* Kerry meets and moves in with Boomer.

MONDAY December 8 2003:

* A couple offers to pay for Ojay's ear operation(s)!

* Ojay's visit to the eye specialist brings good news [PHOTO];

* Old Pup's bowel problems are much better, but the extensive blood tests show a possible serious problem with his adrenal and/or pituitary glands, possibly caused by a tumor;

* Ofelia volunteered the whole day again, and we got all the newsletters in the mail;

* Tomorrow I plan to work on photos.

TUESDAY December 9 2003:

* Buffy again won't eat, so we take him back to the vet;

* Dr. Morton wants to see Old Pup again Thursday or Friday for more blood tests after the antibiotics are completely out of Old Pup's system;

* If Dr. Morton can't arrive at good diagnoses on Buffy, Old Pup and Fritz, who's still not breathing right, he wants to send us to the Veterinary Diagnostic Center in Dallas with all three dogs;

* Now I'm going to work on photos till bedtime, which is going to be very early tonight as I have to leave here by six a.m. to be at Dallas Veterinary Surgical Center with Ojay by 7:30 tomorrow morning.

WEDNESDAY December 10 2003:

* Ojay and I arrive at Dallas Veterinary Surgery Center at 7:30 a.m.;

* Buffy to stay at the vet clinic another night;

* Old Pup is doing very well today; tomorrow he goes in for more blood tests;

* Jeannie's heartworm test results come back: POSITIVE.

THURSDAY December 11 2003:

* Ojay has some inflammation after the operation;

* Old Pup spends the day at the clinic for periodic blood sampling;

* 5:15 p.m. - Buffy is still at the clinic;

* 6:45 p.m. - Juany's back with Old Pup and some bad news about Buffy [PHOTO].

FRIDAY December 12 2003:

* Buffy is with Pat this evening [PHOTOS OF BUFFY BEFORE AND DURING SURGERY];

* Ojay came home from DVSC this evening.

SATURDAY December 13 2003:

* Kelsey is adopted (See tomorrow's update for the story.) [PHOTO];

* Condolences from friends about the loss of Buffy.

 

3 WEEKS AGO

SUNDAY November 30 2003:

* Three new arrivals force us to board one dog and move Henry, who's now cured of mange and whose abscessed jaw is now completely healed, back into one of our hospital kennels till we can find him outside kennel space again;

* Why we couldn't say no this time [PHOTOS OF THE 3 NEW ARRIVALS];

MONDAY December 1 2003:

* I just finished composing the newsletter, uploaded it onto our website and asked my friends at the printing company I used to work for to pull the file off our website and print it.

TUESDAY December 2 2003:

* Lots of technical problems getting the PDF file of the 4-pager to the printer;

* We have to take Ojay to Dallas Veterinary Surgical Center tomorrow morning to talk with a surgeon;

* Henry finds a kennel mate: Tipper [PHOTOS TO COME];

* Kerry comes home to Straydog and goes in with Colby [PHOTOS TO COME].

WEDNESDAY December 3 2003:

* Ojay does need surgery, and we've scheduled it for next Wednesday [PHOTO]

* We picked up the printed newsletters at my old printing company after the doctor visit;

* We thank recent contributors and phone-in credit card contributors.

THURSDAY December 4 2003:

* Last night and today we've spent stuffing envelopes with my four-pager;

* Many thanks to Ofelia Gipson for coming out today to volunteer to help us with our mailing.

FRIDAY December 5 2003:

* This morning Old Pup looked so sick that Juany took only Pup to the vet clinic;

* Buffy hasn't eaten at all today, and we think he didn't eat yesterday either;

* Dr. Morton wants to see Fritz also;

After Juany got back from the vets ...

* Old Pup is not doing too well;

* Both Fritz and Buffy should be okay [PHOTOS].

SATURDAY December 6 2003:

* Old Pup is doing better today;

* No adoptions today, but we thank all our volunteers!

* Buffy ate dinner;

* Sasha is returned to Straydog.

 

4 WEEKS AGO

SUNDAY November 23 2003:

* Weather is the story of the day;

MONDAY November 24 2003:

* You may not believe this, but it's true: I was just about to post, when the homepage file went blank.

TUESDAY November 25 2003:

* Another frozen morning [PHOTO];

* Sasha (now Star) was officially adopted, picked up by her new family and is on her way to her new home [PHOTOS].

WEDNESDAY November 26 2003:

* A new volunteer, Kerry Sullivan, spends the day with us [PHOTOS];

* We welcome anyone who might want to volunteer to come out to Straydog for a day;

* While Kerry was doing dog walks and caregiving, Tina (on the way back from taking Robbie to the vet for his final puppy shots) rescued a stray dog along the road feeding on carrion [PHOTOS].

THURSDAY November 27 2003:

* Rudy's spending Thanksgiving in our "hospital" with a bruised leg muscle [PHOTOS];

FRIDAY November 28 2003:

* Adoption Day tomorrow at PetsMart on Central at Parker in Plano (Texas) [PHOTO];

* Ofelia volunteered again today, and she finished up all the mailing labels;

* Labels are now printed out on label stock;

* Our December newsletter is almost ready to go to press.

SATURDAY November 29 2003:

* Adoption Day went very well: five dogs went, and two were adopted [PHOTOS].

 

5 WEEKS AGO

SUNDAY November 16 2003:

* A beautiful day in the low 70s after the fog cleared [PHOTOS].

MONDAY November 17 2003:

* Great news about Nikki: NO MORE HEARTWORMS! [PHOTO];

* Nikki's still a very timid dog;

* Nikki smiles now.

TUESDAY November 18 2003:

* Another roadside rescue by Erin: Sasha, a Golden Retriever [PHOTOS];

* Sasha goes to the vet;

* Stray dogs everywhere out in the country.

WEDNESDAY November 19 2003:

* Ofelia comes to volunteer for the day, and after dog walks we put her to work on the computer [PHOTOS];

* Sasha (the newly rescued Golden Retriever) comes home to Straydog [PHOTOS].

THURSDAY November 20 2003:

* Sasha proves to be quite a challenge [PHOTOS];

* Ofelia comes again to volunteer for the day and works on the computer [PHOTO].

FRIDAY November 21 2003:

* Sasha is behaving better [PHOTOS];

* Sasha meets Colby in the park [PHOTO].

SATURDAY November 22 2003:

* Three dogs went to Adoption Day, and we have three pending adoptions [LOTS OF PHOTOS];

 

6 WEEKS AGO

SUNDAY November 9 2003:

* Something new for the dogs with hip problems;

MONDAY November 10 2003:

* More shelter work, getting ready for winter;

* Excerpts from an October 27th email from Blind Chubs and Sister Cassie's new mom, Jana;

* Thank you for your well-wishes for Bill, who's slowly getting over the flu.

TUESDAY November 11 2003:

* A nice day today;

* Juany and Tamara brush and clip mats off Muffy, Fluffy and Fluffy [PHOTOS].

WEDNESDAY November 12 2003:

* I thought I was almost better, but I'm not;

* Feverish dreams tell me I have to rescue 75 more dogs in order to be able to sleep;

* Technical problems updating homepage.

THURSDAY November 13 2003:

* Today I've been feeling better but still not near 100%;

* Tonight temperatures are supposed to dip into the 30s, so the crew hurried to attach the balance of the shelter front panels, and we had 15 more bales of hay delivered (at $5 per bale) and stuffed all the dog houses with hay, fluffing up nature's simplest heater so the dogs could burrow in to form their beds [PHOTOS].

FRIDAY November 14 2003:

* Puppy Madison, Rosie and her two sons, Benny and Rudy are slated for Adoption Day;

* Juana rescues a pup along the road on her way to the vet clinic with two other dogs [PHOTOS].

* Now that the shelters have all been "winterized," the temperatures have gone back up and will stay in the 50s and 60s for a few days.

SATURDAY November 15 2003:

* No adoptions today! How sad! How depressing!

 

 

7 WEEKS AGO

SUNDAY November 2 2003:

* With Amigo adopted yesterday Rosie is once again alone, so we try Rosie with Colby, the gigantic Rottweiler we took from the closed-down foster home in Plano [PHOTOS];

MONDAY November 3 2003:

* Emily, who's pictured on Pat's lap in the photo above on the day Emily went in for surgery to repair the ACL of her right knee, has now hurt her other knee;

* Colby and Rosie get together once again in the park, on leash;

* Foxy Yatzee and Russell met yesterday and spent less than 24 hours together [PHOTOS].

TUESDAY November 4 2003:

* Emily's leg seems somewhat better today [PHOTO];

* Jacquielynn Floyd visited us today gathering information for a story to be published this Saturday in The Dallas Morning News [PHOTOS];

* Email from Amigo's new mom, Claire;

* No Adoption Day this Saturday.

WEDNESDAY November 5 2003:

* Juan Garcia, photographer for The Dallas Morning News, visited today [PHOTOS];

* Julie gets some exercise playing with Puppy Madison [PHOTOS].

THURSDAY November 6 2003:

* Dad is sick with the flu;

* Dogs were too excited today;

* Puppy Sadie is doing fine at her new home [PHOTO].

FRIDAY November 7 2003:

* I'm still too sick to write anything;

* Be sure to read Jacquielynn Floyd's Metro column tomorrow morning in The Dallas Morning News.

SATURDAY November 8 2003:

* Jacquielynn Floyd's column was really nice!

* We're grateful for offers to help!

* A quiet, damp, gray and cool day.

 

8 WEEKS AGO

SUNDAY October 26 2003:

* Cooler weather, and the dogs love it, and TONIGHT'S UPDATE LOST!

MONDAY October 27 2003:

* New dog Russell is having problems after his neuter surgery [PHOTOS];

* Big Boomer bites his kennel mate, Foxy Yatzee, in a rough skirmish [PHOTOS];

* Pleasant weather again today, just a little warmer than yesterday due to more sun;

* The change back to Standard Time leaves the dogs wondering where dinner is.

TUESDAY October 28 2003:

* Four dogs get together every morning in the park soon after sunrise [PHOTOS];

* New dog Russell is taken back to the clinic late this afternoon.

WEDNESDAY October 29 2003:

* Old Sassy Katie has a good day, prancing around the park like a young puppy dog [PHOTO];

* The kennel crew begins to put the shelter fronts on in preparation for winter [PHOTOS];

* Also in preparation for the coming winter we ordered 10 more bales of hay [PHOTOS].

THURSDAY October 30 2003:

* Russell comes home, and our Straydog hospital is overflowing [PHOTOS];

* Henry loves his new life here, tho he spends most of his time in his hospital kennel [PHOTO].

FRIDAY October 31 2003:

* Summer's back, and the dogs don't like it!

* The roster of dogs going to Saturday Adoption Day is still not decided, as Erin is still working on the roster of volunteers, at least one of which we have to have throughout our stay at PetsMart for each dog we take [PHOTOS]

SATURDAY November 1 2003:

* Erin's Adoption Day Report:

* Sadie's adoption [PHOTOS];

* Amigo's adoption;

* Puppy Madison's home visit--no adoption;

* Potential adopter comes to visit Jack and Jill;

* 7 pages of photos from Adoption Day

 

 

9 WEEKS AGO

SUNDAY October 19 2003:

* Erin emails to me a phone-in report from Chubs and Cassie's new dad, Charlie Harris [PHOTOS].

MONDAY October 20 2003:

* Foster home with 15 dogs in Plano must find new homes by Wednesday;

* Meanwhile our two new arrivals are on hold at the clinic [PHOTOS];

* Henry's on hold too until tomorrow;

* Tomorrow will be a big mix and match day;

* Jesse Juderman volunteers to groom our dogs [PHOTOS].

TUESDAY October 21 2003:

* The dogs from the foster home in Plano are coming Wednesday to see if any are compatible with any of our singles;

* Henry and Russell to stay another day at the clinic;

* Tomorrow's going to be some mix and match day!

WEDNESDAY October 22 2003:

* Straydog takes in six new dogs! [PHOTOS]

THURSDAY October 23 2003:

* How the new matchups are going

* Everybody barked at the new dogs today as they walked to the park;

* Henry and Russell are home [PHOTOS];

* Volunteer Jessica (and her mom, Judy) came today for a couple of hours [PHOTOS]

FRIDAY October 24 2003:

* Several people emailed offering to help out with fund raising after yesterday's big, bold, blue headlines, which were inspired by my own panic.

 

10 WEEKS AGO

SUNDAY October 12 2003:

* Amigo's all alone now with Freddy gone, so we try him with diabetic Julie [PHOTOS];

MONDAY October 13 2003:

* Two tiny pups found in a garbage bag inside a dumpster join us [PHOTO];

* Three other people called today wanting us to take dogs they had rescued.

TUESDAY October 14 2003:

* More calls today from people who are trying to place dogs they've rescued;

* Why we don't take 40 or 50 dogs to adoption days.

WEDNESDAY October 15 2003:

* Flash! - Late rescue of a dog named Henry;

* Puppies Madison and Sadie come in the house for a bath in the bathroom sink [PHOTOS];

THURSDAY October 16 2003:

* The rescue of Henry [PHOTOS];

* So now we've got two new dogs coming (both males);

* The golden-tan Pit/Lab mix will be dropped off at Morton Small Animal Clinic tomorrow; the other new dog, Henry, will probably be released to come home tomorrow.

FRIDAY October 17 2003:

* Henry does not have a broken jaw, but an abscess, which is draining while Henry stays at the clinic;

* A large, soft lump is discovered on Misty's belly, and Juany takes her to the vet [FILE PHOTOS].

* The new golden-tan Pit/Lab mix (we've named Russell after his rescuer) is at the clinic, and we'll pick him up Monday.

SATURDAY October 18 2003:

* No adoptions today, but Straydog receives $96 from the proceeds of a raffle [PHOTOS].

 

11 WEEKS AGO

SUNDAY October 5 2003:

* It's been raining all day with temperatures in the low 70s [PHOTOS];

* Newsletter is almost ready to stuff into envelopes.

MONDAY October 6 2003:

* First hundred newsletters make it to the post office in time tonight [PHOTOS];

* Diabetic Julie went to the vet clinic for her blood sugar test, and Big Boy went for another blood test too [PHOTO].

TUESDAY October 7 2003:

* Blind Chocolate Lab Chubs and his Black Lab sister, Cassie, are officially adopted and go to their new home today! [PHOTOS WITH MORE PHOTOS TO COME]

WEDNESDAY October 8 2003:

* An email to Erin from Jana (Chubs and Cassie's new mom);

* An email to Bill from Heather's new mom (from last week) [PHOTOS];

* Several hundred mailers go to the post office every day before the 4:30 p.m. pickup;

* Thanks to Ofelia for helping out for several hours on the mailer today;

* We got diabetic Julie one of those blood sugar reading machines.

THURSDAY October 9 2003:

* The newsletters are not all in the mail yet;

*Overcast, gray day with intermittent rain;

*Julie's new glucose level machine is working great.

FRIDAY October 10 2003:

* The balance of the newsletters are in the mail;

* Late yesterday evening we decided to bring Alice in for the night. Then today we had to bring Sally over to be with Alice in Chubs and Cassie's former kennel [PHOTOS].

SATURDAY October 11 2003:

* Daisy and Freddy are adopted together at Adoption Day at PetsMart [PHOTOS];

 

12 WEEKS AGO

SUNDAY September 28 2003:

* I spent the day working on the abbreviated newsletter;

* Sassy Old Katie has a very good day [PHOTOS].

MONDAY September 29 2003:

* Heather was adopted today!

* Julie is rushed to the vet clinic at a little after one p.m.

TUESDAY September 30 2003:

* Blind Chocolate Lab Chubs and his sister, Cassie, go on a special home visit [PHOTOS];

* Julie went for another blood test this morning: normal range!

WEDNESDAY October 1 2003:

* Sally and Alice escape from their kennel this morning [PHOTO];

* Old Pup and Angel chew up an air-conditioner filter [PHOTO];

* Heather's new mom called concerned because Heather hasn't eaten very much;

* We took in two newly rescued dogs today and immediately adopted one of them out [PHOTOS].

THURSDAY October 2 2003:

* I drove to Dallas this morning and picked up the printed and folded newsletter [PHOTO];

* Freddy comes home from the clinic after his new arrivals checkup and neuter surgery [PHOTOS];

* Old Pup and Angel resumed bowel movements;

* Employee Michael reports that his new Red Pit is doing fine at his house.

FRIDAY October 3 2003:

* After a long, barky night Freddy meets Amigo in the park and moves in with him early this morning [PHOTOS];

* Julie's blood sugar is high again;

SATURDAY October 4 2003:

* Chubs and Cassie go for their second home visit;

* Adoption Day in downtown Dallas.

 

 

PREVIOUS WEEKS (TABLE OF CONTENTS of Previous Updates)

*Adoption Day Saturday, January 3rd at PetsMart in Plano (Texas) on Central (U.S.75) at Parker.

*Our Dogs for Adoption listed on Petfinder.org, kept up to date by volunteer and member of our Board of Directors, Susan Southerland, Esq.

*Our Mission & How We Got Started

*"Goodbye, Danny Boy." - An example of the only acceptable use of euthanasia

*When a dog rescuer approaches Rainbow Bridge

  If you would like to help with our ever-growing vet bill, donations can be sent directly to:

*Article in newspapers across Canada on September 20, 2003 about the Montreal Alouettes' Neal Fort and his Great Dane, Helen, whom the Forts adopted from Straydog. (Links to the articles are working again.)

* The Neal Fort articles upped our readership! Every bit of media exposure gives us a boost!

     We really want to thank Neal a lot for getting Straydog and our website address mentioned. Every mention on broadcast TV and radio and every mention in print is a potentially big step and always increases our audience.

Email with photo of Helen and Winston sent by Darla Fort on October 21, 2003

Dear Bill,

Just wanted to share this picture with you (and the crew) of Helen and Winston. Their relationship is truly unique and beautiful to watch. It's getting very chilly here in Montreal and we are anxious to head back to Texas. The dogs have a brand new house and humongous backyard (fully fenced of course) waiting for them. We picked a lot with no trees in the back so Helen has an open field of grass to run freely. Hope all is well there; we think of you everyday.

Much love,

The Forts

A nice letter (accompanied by a nice donation) from Kurt Delloch in Canada

Dear Bill Arnold:

My wife and I enjoy and have often visited your website since first hearing of it while watching a TSN football game (Neal Fort Story) back in September. This sanctuary you and your wife created and you continue to devote yourself to is truly inspiring. It is at this time of year (Nov-Dec) that we normally scrape together some cash and make a small donation to our local SPCA, which is where we have always gone for our family pet. This year we have managed a donation for your shelter as well, as your efforts are too admirable to ignore. ... Peace.

Sincerely,

Kurt Delloch

We at Straydog thank Kurt and his wife very much for the letter and donation!

*Click here for continuation of our homepage with no changes to the continuation in several months.