Fay Has Died

Fay, a victim of dog fighting and literally the face of the Humane Society of Missouri's ongoing struggle against the savage "sport" has passed away.

She had recently undergone surgery to repair her lips - ripped off during her fighting days - and following the surgery she went into cardiac arrest.

The complete story can be found here.

This poor girl personified the horrors of dog fighting and was on the road to recovery. Unfortunately, Fay didn't complete her journey. But this sweet dog did get to know what life with caring, loving people could be like, and we should be thankful for that.

My heart goes out to the people at HSMO and MuttsNStuff for their loss.

(Picture from MuttsNStuff The Mutts Blog.)

The ASPCA Recommends Against BSL!

YAY ASPCA!

The ASPCA has released clear and specific recommendations in a position statement in which they oppose breed bans.

Putting forth a well-constructed argument, supported by - gulp - research and facts, the ASPCA has done an excellent job of developing a statement that applies to individual dogs and their owners/guardians, and NOT to specific breeds.

"...the ASPCA is not aware of credible evidence that breed-specific laws make communities safer either for people or other companion animals. There is, however, evidence that such laws unfairly target responsible pet guardians and their well-socialized dogs, are inhumane and impede community safety and humane sheltering efforts (Sacks et al., 2000; Wapner, 2000; Taylor, 2004). Although multiple communities have been studied where breed-specific legislation has been enacted, no convincing data indicate this strategy has succeeded anywhere to date (Klaassen et al., 1996; Ott et al., 2007; Rosado, 2007). Conversely, studies can be referenced that evidence clear, positive effects of carefully crafted, breed-neutral laws (Bradley, 2006)."

By including a combination of laws such as the mandatory sterilization of shelter animals, leash laws, tethering/chaining laws, and holding dog guardians financially accountable for a dog's actions, this position statement could be the foundation we've been searching for for so long.

Santa? Is that you?

Santa? Is that you?

Great. Caught me on the sofa. Coal again this year.

Oh, well, Merry Christmas everyone!

Twelve - It's not just for Days of Christmas

Christmas is only a couple of days away, and it marks Trouper's unofficial birthday. Unofficial because we really don't know what his real birthday is; I only know that we rescued him in 1999 and he was about a year old. Since he's such a happy and jolly fella, we decided that December 25th would be an appropriate day to celebrate his birthday.

What hit me like a load of bricks was that this will be his 12th birthday. Not only that, but in the next few months, two more of my dogs will be turning twelve. YIKES! WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN?? When did twelve years fly by? (And why don't they act their age, doggonnit?!)

We rescued Trouper from New England Border Collie Rescue. He was almost perfect from Day One. Except for the time he jumped on the island in the kitchen the first week we had him. I guess we weren't paying enough attention to him - it's so easy to ignore the big black and white hairy thing under your feet, and following you everywhere. But it was just that one time; you know how quick Border Collies are to learn and all that...

He never had a stitch of the herding instinct in him, never cared about agility, and (as you can see in the picture) always liked lobbing about, just taking in as much love as he possibly could. It's how he earned the nickname Casanova. People, dogs, lizards, the remote control; you name it, he loves it. He'd lick your face off if you let him. (Good to know: he often eats poop.)

Buster is the next to hit the big 1-2, in February. Even though he's a rescue, we know his birthdate because we have his papers.

He was given up twice before he was nine months old. The second time, he was tied to the rescue's railing and left there. Nine months old! He's just a little, teeny Parson Russell, for heavens sake (who could take down a Grizzly) he wouldn't hurt a fly.

When we picked him up at his foster home, he was very excited (standing on the kitchen counter and all). He obviously couldn't wait to go to a "normal" home. In his previous home, he had been given a haircut (a chop job) by an 8-year-old and was wearing green sparkle nail polish. Poor dog. And who lets an eight-year-old play with a dog AND scissors?

His story is great. The woman who had Buster also had a two-year-old Parson. She wanted to - get this - "switch to Poodles." Well, guess what? I'd like to switch to blonde, but IT'S A DOG, not a haircolor you ignorant piece of crap. Good for Buster. Now he knows what real love is.

A couple of years ago, he was diagnosed with osteosarcoma. We found a lump on his ribcage, an odd place for it to pop up. Usually this bone cancer appears in limbs, and, usually, it's found in larger breed dogs. His surgery involved removing the affected rib, plus clear margins which meant pieces of the surrounding ribs. The surgery was fairly involved, but he pulled through with flying colors. He then when through some pretty tough chemotherapy, lost his hair (which grew back a sort of apricot color; this pic is pre-op/pre-chemo) and is still biting the ankles of anyone who will get close enough. Only kidding. Sort of. (Good to know: when meeting Buster for the first time, throw him an ice cube. Friends for life, guaranteed.)

Lucy, my little girl, will turn twelve in April. She's a mini-Aussie and she's an R-U-N-T from a breeder. Please don't say the "R" word out loud in front of her. In my eyes, she's THE most perfect dog to walk the face of the Earth. Ever. Don't even try to dispute this.

Anyway. This is the Velcro dog that follows me everywhere. SHE has the herding instinct and uses it every day. Charlie thinks she's the boss; Lucy knows she's the boss.

We tried agility with Lucy; she started through the tunnel. And stopped. Halfway through. Just stopped. And sat down. She wasn't putting on a show for anyone, no-ho-ho. So we stopped agility and went home. She continued herding the boys and is quite content with that as her sport, although the boys might disagree to this very day. (Good to know: Lucy is MY dog; hands off, not kidding.)

So those are my soon-to-be twelve-year-olds. I still don't know where the time went. Or why they still act like puppies!

And this is what Charlie has to say about all of this:

I know I'm not supposed to have favorites...

But one of my favorite dogs at our shelter has found a home!

One of our volunteers lost her beloved Pit Bull a few months back and felt that she needed a big red dog lumbering around her house. Who could blame her? Slinky is the best, most loving dog in the world.

He was pulled from a local AC facility about 1 1/2 years ago. He was a mess when he first arrived at our shelter. Skinny. Dull coat. Scabs. Scars. Scared - extremely afraid. He would slink into a corner and stay there. But he would never hurt a fly. Not a nip, not a curled lip. Nothing. You could see the fear in his eyes, but you could also see that he really, truly wanted to believe that you meant no harm. He wanted to trust someone.

Needless to say, it took months for Slinky to come out of his shell and learn that we weren't going to hurt him. That we were going to love him, give him food, medical care, shelter, and help him build his confidence - that was the important element. And, once we gained his trust, we discovered a playful, silly fellow under that sad outer shell. Now, Slinky stands tall and proud. He plays and walks with confidence and greets people as if they were old friends.

Slinky, I'm soooooo happy for you! 

Worth Repeating:

KC Dog Blog is asking an important question.


I, too, received an e-mail from HSUS asking for a donation. No surprise; I get e-mails from them almost weekly. The kicker is that they're closely associating themselves with the Humane Society of Missouri (not affiliated with HSUS) and they're appearing to take some credit for the dog-fighting bust that resulting in the rescue of some 500 dogs last summer. They're certainly asking for donations for support of these dogs, which don't even appear to be in their care. Please read KC Dog Blog's story which raises questions and concerns that need to be discussed!