As much as I love writing about animals, helping animals is an underlying reason for AnimalsOurEVERYTHING!, the blog.
Here’s an easy way we can all help animals waiting for forever homes. Today, March 15, animal lovers everywhere are uniting to spread the word about how good it is to think “adopt” or “rescue” when searching for a new pet companion. It’s good for the pets, and it’s good for our souls.
I am always staggered at the incomprehensible number of homeless critters: Petfinder, alone, has a database of 320,000 in-need animals. Many followers of AnimalsOurEVERYTHING! have pooches and kitties brought to them through some form of pet adoption.
We (husband, son and I) currently have two re-homed Labrador retrievers and a cat that adopted us when she was abandoned and pregnant.
Please consider e-mailing and tweeting friends and posting on Facebook and blogs about this Adopt the Internet Campaign.
But first, I hope you’ll take a look at the blog post written by Dr. Nancy Kay, a friend, a vet — and one of the smartest, kindest women I know, about Adopt the Internet. She offers great perspective and first-person accounts of dog adoption.
http://speakingforspot.com/blog/.
(Check out Dr. Kay’s book, “Speaking for Spot: Be the Advocate Your Dog Needs to Live a Happy, Healthy, Longer Life,” while you’re on her blog. Visits to your vet will never be the same — they’ll be better.)
Thanks and bowwow meow!
—————————————————–
*What It’s All About*
In honor of our 15th birthday <http://www.petfinder.com/info/birthday>,
Petfinder is asking people everywhere to pledge to spread the word online
about adoptable pets on March 15, 2011.
Adopt the Internet
By Nancy Kay, DVM
Please, will you join the “Help Petfinder Adopt the Internet Day” effort on March 15th? Email your dog loving friends and relatives. Feel free to share this blog post with them. Heck, write a blog post of your own! Together we will increase awareness about adopting homeless pets and hopefully create the kinds of happy endings that Quinn and my family have enjoyed.
Do you have your own story about adopting a homeless pet? We’d love to hear it. Know of an animal who needs a home? On March 15th, please post a photo along with adoption contact information on Dr. Kay’s Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/speakingforspot).
Nancy Kay, DVM
Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine
Author of Speaking for Spot: Be the Advocate Your Dog Needs to Live a Happy, Healthy, Longer Life
Recipient, American Animal Hospital Association Animal Welfare and Humane Ethics Award
Recipient, Dog Writers Association of America Award for Best Blog
Recipient, Eukanuba Canine Health Award
Recipient, AKC Club Publication Excellence Award
Become a Fan of Speaking for Spot on Facebook
Done!
Oops, I missed this, but I always ask people to look out for animals. I contribute daily to The Animal Rescue site by clicking.
My husband and I found a homeless Shih Tzu who was dying. We took her to the vet and paid the $1000 to get her fixed up. He took five bladder stones from her bladder ranging in size from a large agate marble to a pea, with lots of sludge and sand in there as well. It must have been excruciating for her. We figured she had been used as a puppy mill breeder from the look of her teats and belly.
We named her Tilly Tot and she has been another joy in our lives, along with our two other Shih Tzus. They are all pretty good friends now too.
By the way, Janet, I have awarded you a blog award called the Memetastic Award. Come on over to my page to have a look.
We currently have two adopted dogs that came to us as adults with “baggage”. While they express their gratitude in very different ways, it is clear that they are so glad to have their own home.
Some re-homed pets may offer challenges (though certainly not all: my husband and I agree that the friendliest, best house-trained dog either of us ever had was one we found at a shelter) but the reward of working with them and then seeing them relax and assimilate into our family outweigh any initial issues.
Thanks Janet for featuring these great dogs, and their need for a good home.
When my husband and I first moved into our new house (and lives) together, we found the house was missing something: animals. Our first stop was a local no-kill organization called HALT (Help Animals Lives Today!). It turned out to be the only stop we needed.
On their site was a Golden Retriever/Australian Shepherd mix they called “Helen.” She was a hard luck case from an abusive home. When they found her, she was 25 pounds…she should have been around 40. They said she was virtually unadoptable. We went anyway. Dogs love my husband. There has seriously never been a dog who didn’t take to him. He must just have that aura about him.
“Helen” (now “River”), was no different. She took to my husband…and didn’t mind me either. Six years later, she’s a happy, healthy, well-adjusted dog with two cats to play with.
We donate to HALT when we can as well as giving old books, furniture, clothing, etc, to the local Humane Society (who my mother in law volunteers for) for their fund raising yard sales. We also put up posters for a low-cost spay & neuter program in the hopes of decreasing the population of unwanted dogs & cats. It’s heartbreaking how many there are.
Thank you for your site & for doing what you can. We are their voice.
~Stephanie