DogTales

A litter of Australian Cattle Dogs/heelers were recently dumped in a Houston park and were taken to BARC. Three of the litter of six are still at BARC awaiting adoption. Pups do not do well in shelters. They get sick and die. Sad, but true.

Adopt one of these abandoned pups

These guys have had a rough start that they did not deserve. You can help by adopting or fostering one of these cuties. Or even passing the word to your friends can help. Let’s get them out of the shelter this weekend. Here’s BARC’s info:

BARC (Bureau of Animal Regulation and Care–Houston animal control)
3200 Carr
Houston, TX 77026
M - F 11:30am - 5:30pm
S & S noon - 4:00pm

Mel the Australian Cattle Dog is Looking for a Home

A couple of months ago I wrote about 2 Australian Cattle Dogs I was trying to get out of Houston Animal Control. The female was adopted. I lined up the male to be transported to a humane society in Canada for adoption. I went to BARC to pick him up and realized he’d never been tested for heartworms. The vet tech said testing had been attempted several times but the dog always resisted. I figured they were probably man-handling him plus the stress of the shelter situation. Anyway, the vet tech tells me since the dog has issues with restraint he’s unadoptable and would be euthanized and I couldn’t pull him. Luckily, the volunteer coordinator stepped in and I was able to take him.

So I loaded the dog in the car and asked myself–”What now?!” I called my vet as I drove and told them the situation. He was so stressed that they did have to sedate him to do the heartworm test. He tested high positive for heartworms. While he was knocked out, I asked my vet to neuter him. For the second time within about an hour I asked myself “What now?!” And to top it off, I was about to leave town for several days.

I call him Melbourne, Mel for short. I kenneled him at my vet until I came back. I then lined up a longer term kennel that frequently helps BARC rescues. I started his heartworm treatment at PetCare Express. He needed three shots–#1 followed by 30 days of rest then shot #2. Shot #3 came 24 hours later followed by another 30 days of rest. Mel was a trooper and did really well. He just finished up his 60 days of rest.

I’d still like to try to get him into breed rescue, but there isn’t one in Texas. I have him listed on an ACD forum that has been very helpful. I’ll keep trying. I have him posted on Petfinder and on his own site, AdoptThatDog.com where you can read more about him. He’s such an awesome dog.

…or they will be euthanized.

We’ve got seven dogs at BARC whose time is up–they’ve been at the shelter for 90 days. All of these dogs have until 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 27. Please take a look. These dogs have been vaccinated and microchipped and the adoption fee is only $55. There are some that are low heartworm positive, but that can typically be treated with regular doses of heartworm preventative which is what a responsible owner would give their dogs anyway.

1.) UPDATE: ADOPTED! 4/21/08 A879141 Cary Grant: Time up 4/23. He’s a 6 month old shepherd mix; just a sweet young pup. 

3.) A879286 Thelma: Time up 4/25. Female lab mix, 6 months old. You might guess that there was a “Louise” who was a chocolate girl so she’s been adopted but the poor sweet black labs always get left.

 

5.) A879234 General: Time up 4/25. He’s a Shar Pei mix, 1 year old, and low heartworm positive. Really good looking dog with a very Shar Pei face, not aggressive.

 

 

Friends of BARC is holding a pet adoption event in the Bed Bath & Beyond parking lot at 3102 Kirby at West Alabama on Saturday, March 29 from 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. This is a great opportunity to see some of the great dogs and cats available from BARC. Download the flyer.

Can’t make it to this event? Visit the BARC shelter. You’re sure to find a furry friend while savings a wonderful animal in need!

I’ve spent countless weekends at adoption events with my black Lab mix foster dog, Wrigley, only to have people pass right by.

Unfortunately, “black dog syndrome” is a reality. It doesn’t matter what kind of colorful bedding Wrigley is sitting on or what type of cute bandana he’s wearing–he’s still a black dog.

People! Open your minds and judge dogs on their personality and not the color of their fur!

I was so happy to read more about the outcome of some of Michael Vick’s pit bulls. I am partial to pit bulls because I think they, and other power breeds, are misunderstood. People take advantage of their strength and their loyal nature. I fostered a pit almost two years ago and he was an absolutely perfect boy.

Anyway, it looks like there may be some happy endings for these pups in the SF Bay Area at BAD RAP as well as some at Best Friends Animal Society in Utah. Best Friends call them Vicktory dogs.

I just ran across this story on msnbc.com about pets falling victim to the mortgage crisis. The story is out of California. The story discusses that a large number of pets are being turned over to shelters because their owners face foreclosure and must move. Unfortunate for the people and very sad for the pets that have no control over the situation.

The reporter mentions that some people have been forced to move into apartment complexes that ban certain breeds. My assumption is that this is probably insurance/liability related. When I was shopping around for a better homeowners rate a few years ago, I discovered some insurance companies target certain dog breeds. A couple of companies I spoke to required a rider to cover my Rottweiler.

Choosing to bring a pet into your life shouldn’t be taken lightly. It shouldn’t be an impulse decision. While pets can be great fun and rewarding, they can also be difficult and expensive. When people are in financial straits, it’s often the pet that will suffer. Based on info from the ASPCA, the cost to own a large dog for its lifetime is $22,120. Sounds low to me. One day, I’ll calculate my pets’ annual expenses. It’s more than a $30 bag of dog food every couple of weeks. Consider financial stuff before you bring a pet into your life.

There’s still time bring a BARC shelter pet home for the holidays! Visit the old Gap store in Houston’s Highland Village where you’ll find BARC dogs and cats available for adoption.

Find out more about the Highland Village Adopt-A-Thon and see some of the available dogs in this video clip.

BARC animals will be available for adoption at the Highland Village shopping center in Houston, December 14-16 and 21-23 from 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. (until 9 p.m. December 22!). If you can’t adopt, open up your wallets–donations large and small help save animals! Here are the details:

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS PET ADOPT-A-THON
AT HIGHLAND VILLAGE

Highland Village Hosts The 1st Annual
Home For The Holidays
Pet Adoption Event Benefiting Saving Animals/FIX HOUSTON

Friday, Saturday & Sunday
December 7, 8 & 9
December 14, 15 & 16
December 21, 22 & 23
10-6pm (until 9 pm December 22!)

HIGHLAND VILLAGE
4010 WESTHEIMER ROAD
THE GAP SPACE

For more information, call Savings Animals at 713-527-4490

*ADOPT A FURRY FRIEND FOR LIFE*

Puppies and shelters are a bad combination. They have no immunity to the germs and diseases often found in shelters and are often too young to be given vaccinations. Getting puppies out of shelters as quickly as possible is a good thing.

Here’s a way to do just that–and anyone can help. This excerpt is from a recent BARC email:

As some of you might know we were invited to be a part of the North Shore Animal League puppy transport. Yep, they want BARC puppies in NY! Can you believe there is a “shortage” of puppies in the NE? Now, once a month they are transporting a van full of puppies from New Orleans to NSAL in NY. This is to deter people from buying a puppy from backyard breeders and pet stores. We tell you all of this to announce that the first 12 BARC puppies were loaded up last night headed to New Orleans. It was a tight fit, but they were all ready for the adventure! To think they will be playing in the snow in less than 24 hours is crazy! Thanks to the 3 fosters that raised these puppies with love and care! It’s not easy letting your baby travel across the country, but they will make a new family very happy. If you would be interested in fostering puppies for BARC or for the transport please contact Tammie our puppy lifeline coordinator. Or if you would like to sponsor a puppy for the next transport contact Julie. These ladies can fill you in on all the details. If you haven’t heard about NSAL check them out.

Puppies are fostered out of BARC, then transported to New Orleans where they and other shelter puppies make the trip to New York. I’m sure it’s quite an undertaking.

The sponsor transport cost is only $35 per pup and it’s tax deductible! (If you want a tax receipt you can send the money to Friends of BARC and specify the transport.) The next transport should be around Christmas.

Since I’m not in the position to foster or adopt, this, for me, was an easy way to help several dogs in a short amount of time. I sponsored 10 puppies–well worth the money, IMO, to help get these dogs into loving homes.