Proof that Shelter Dogs Rule

Here I am, sitting in front of my computer researching. Researching any possible opportunity for my shelter foster dog, Raleigh. She’s a wonderful house dog and fun companion—that is until you introduce a cat, go on a walk or see a squirrel. Then she becomes a tornadic terror. Yeah, she has an issue or two. But one on one—what a great dog.

So I’m belaboring this problem and the possible solutions and I came across this wonderful story about shelter dogs and people dedicated to them. I think I’ll stop bitching about Raleigh for a while.

Mortgage Mess Reaches Pets

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.

Before You Jump in the Ron Paul Bandwagon…

Read a bit about where he stands and how he’s voted on animal-related issues. While I appreciate his anti-war stance and am impressed by his campaign’s guerrilla marketing tactics, his record with animals is deplorable.

All I’m sayin’ is know where your candidate stands on *all* issues before you vote.

Not Just Rescuing Dogs This Week

It was getting close to bedtime last Thursday and I heard a knock at the door. I peeked out the window and saw Shea, the homeless woman who has lived in the park near my house with her two dogs for the last two years. She was holding some kind of fur ball.

She explained that this tiny, dirty, bag of bones kitten keeps hanging around her and her dogs and she was concerned about it and she knew I could help. (She brought me an injured pigeon once, too.) Being the complete sucker, er, I mean animal lover that I am, I took the kitty in. I set her up in the bathroom, cleaned her ears and wiped her down a bit. I showed her a litterbox and gave her food and water.

When I checked on her in the morning, all was well. She’d even used the litterbox and not the floor, which is good. (Cats are just smart that way.) That evening after work, I ran her over to a discount veterinarian for a once-over and vaccinations. She purred the entire time–even while getting the shots. He estimated her age at 12 weeks.

She’s a cute long-haired yellow, white, and brown calico. I call her Butter because I’m not very creative when it comes to pet names. I hope to get her into the HOPE foster program ASAP. She gets spayed in a couple of days. I’d love another cat, but our current cat–my husband’s cat–is a one cat-cat.

This is butter.

Where should I begin?

I spent most of the day trying to decide if this whole blog thang is for me. I mean, who gives a crap what I might have to say? Will this be like so many other blogs–they start with a bang, then maybe a post or two every six months, if that? I think the turning point in my decision happened after I read the latest on Animal Attraction, Lisa Foronda’s old blog.

The post was bad news–BARC (Bureau of Animal Regulation & Care, Houston’s city pound) is packed to the gills with dogs needing homes. What was so disappointing is that huge amounts of info was missing from the article–Like where’s BARC? How can I contact them? What is the cost of adoptions? Where can I see photos of these animals? Who should I contact about sponsoring or fostering a dog? This blog is on a news web site which I assume is managed by journalists. Leaving out such important facts is just bad journalism. You can see by the comments to that post that there are people who want to help, but have a lot of questions.

I guess that’s where I think I should come in. I’m an animal lover and advocate. I give money to and volunteer with animal welfare organizations. I’ve just started volunteering with BARC. BARC, like most shelters, needs help in so many ways. Maybe I can provide some of the info people need to give shelter pets a second chance and to keep from having pets end up in shelters.

We’ll see how it goes.