Susan Soltero of Univision has been an ardent supporter of animal welfare in Puerto Rico. She has interviewed Yolanda, Sandra, me, and other rescuers to get our viewpoints concerning animal cruelty on the island. She has a radio program airs at noon on weekdays but you can watch and listen to the show at www.waloradio.com/portal (WALO TV). Her program is called "A Ciencia Cierta".
I received this request from Katie at Island Dog. If you can help, please email her at KT4266@aol.com.
Island Dog is trying to get Tom Tom off the island. He has a new home in Baltimore!!! However, he was supposed to fly American with a flyer but he is too big. They only take kennels up to 27 inches in height. Delta or Continental will take him. I will drive to the surrounding states to pick him up from the Airport, ie, Philly, Washington DC, Virginia, New Jersey etc. Spread the word!!
This young dog (less than a year old) is very friendly and sweet. She was abandoned near a security booth and someone brought her to Dr. Reyes' clinic. He wants to spay her and find a good home for her. If anyone is interested or knows someone who could be, please call 787-850-2342.
These pups were rescued today. The first 2 are the products of Natsumi and Kerr. The others are Vanessa's but we don't know who the dad is. They need foster homes for 3-4 weeks before they can leave P. R. for adoption.
Pinturo is safe at Dr. Reyes office! He is a healthy and very sweet boy but unfortunately he is heartworm positive. We are going to start the heartworm treatment immediately but he will need to stay in Puerto Rico for about 6 weeks to complete the treatment so we'll need a foster home for him during that time.
I just had to make one of those calls that breaks my heart. We had to have Ruby euthanized because of her broken back. The vet tried steroids overnight and there was no change in her condition. It is ultimately the right thing to do but that doesn't make it hurt any less. Ruby was at the beach for over a year. Last year at a spay/neuter event had to drug her food with a sedative then follow her around for 2 hours before she would allow us to catch her. She was taken in for spay and a general health check and then had to be returned to the beach because she was not adoptable at that point. Ruby never got to be a cuddly, snuggly dog but eventually allowed Sandra and Jessica to get closer to her and pet her and had become a sweet and adoptable dog. And then she was apparently hit by a car (that of course did not stop to help her) which broke her back (at T-4) and she was paralyzed. Her long-term prognosis was not a positive one and the gut-wrenching decision was made. She will be very missed and will be another one of those dogs that we will forever feel that we let down by not rescuing her in time. We are all sorry Ruby.
These three pups are still up for adoption - Sophia, Jackson, and Bianca. They arrived Friday with the adopt-a-thon crew and are anxiously awaiting their new families! (well, Bianca doesn't look too stressed about it!)
The adopt-a-thon was a great success! Three puppies went home on Friday evening and another three yesterday at the event! And we received $220 in donations and a lot of really positive comments from people there. Jasmin, Melissa, Cinnabun, Maya, Pecos, and Condi are all in their new homes and I've already checked in with their families and they're doing great! I forgot my camera (grrrrr) for the event but another woman took photos for us and I'll post them when I get them. In the meantime, here are Melissa, Pecos, and Condi's happy beginnings photos!
Tucker was picked up in the beach sweeps last week and we just found out about it on Friday. I am going to call tomorrow morning to hopefully be able to get him back.
This is Maya, who was rescued over a year ago. Her family has kept in touch sending pictures of her as she grows. Click here to see her online photo album. Isn't she gorgeous!?
Sandra was worried because she hadn't seen Ruby in a few days. When she saw the animal control van there the other day, she asked if they had picked her up and described her to them. They hadn't picked her up but said they had seen a little red dog dragging her legs. Sandra looked for a long time but couldn't find her. She finally found her yesterday afternoon. She says Ruby can prop herself up but cannot use her back legs. We don't know what happened but no one is open today so she's taking her in to Dr. Reyes tomorrow. Ruby has been at the beach or about a year and is one that we spayed and returned there. She's always been a bit too fearful for adoption.
We called him Sherman but his new mommy named him Jordan. He is a happy happy boy in his south Florida home where he's been since September! I had him at my house for about a week when he first got here and absolutely loved him. He's the only dog I ever met that actually smiled! Whenever I would come home from work or see him for the first time in the morning, he would get so excited and literally show an ear-to-ear smile with those little white choppers! And he did some "landscaping" in my yard which remains to this day as Sherman's Hole! Here's what his mom had to say about him:
Jordan greets me with a smile whenever I walk in the door. He has fit right in here. Definitely a ball of energy. He has a lot of terrier in him as he loves to dig and chase squirrels. His house manners are pretty good, so I am thinking someone had dumped him. He only peed in the house once or twice right after we got him, he sleeps on the bed, walks on the lease good etc. He does not like the camera! It is hard to get a good picture of him as he shy's away as soon as he sees it or hears it.
This poor guy needs someone to sponsor his vetting for rescue. He has mange and someone even spray painted him! If anyone can help with his rescue costs, please let me know and I will have Michelle take him in.
These 3 loves are safe in foster homes or the vet now. Murray is at Dr. Reyes office for a few days to get neutered and all the good stuff. Kaiser, who was originally picked up in the beach sweep 2 weeks ago, is now being fostered by Gina's dad, Kike, in Rio Grande. Janine is in foster care with Dorene in Luquillo. Murray and Janine will come here once they are ready for adoption. We're trying to get Kaiser into a German shepherd rescue but if we can't work that out, he'll come here as well.
All these little bundles of joy are on their way to Florida for our Adopt-A-Thon in norhtern West Palm Beach on Saturday, February 23. We're doing this in conjunction with the Adopt-A-Cat Foundation. They will be available for adoption at Pets Supplies Plus on Northlake Blvd. (in West Palm Beach off I-95) in the K-Mart shopping plaza. We'll be there from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. The adoption fee is $95 plus a $150 sterilization deposit (a personal check is fine) that will be returned once proof of spay/neuter is provided. All the puppies have their 1st and 2nd DHLPP vaccination, bordetella, and rabies shots and are free of intestinal parasites and very healthy. We will also be selling raffle tickets for $2 each to win a beautiful gift basket valued at $100. Please bring a carrier to take your puppy home in.
Murray was rescued today. At first Sandra thought it was a new dog because she didn't recognize him but then she realized it was Dennis! He had been on the beach for a couple of days and then disappeared the same day as the the others that are still missing. Sandra didn't recognize him because apparently another dog had attacked him and he was dirty, but it's him. We renamed him "Murray"because he has been "adopted" by Murray Middle School in Stuart, Florida. The school asked to sponsor a rescue from the beach and they will be raising funds to pay for his vetting, fostering and transport to Florida for adoption. Once he's all healthy and ready to adopt, I'll take him to the school for the kids to meet him. Murray is young, sweet and playful and is going to be a terrific pet.
Look at our boy Joe! He was rescued from the beach a few months ago and was adopted from the Humane Society of the Treasure Coast in Palm City. I received an email last week from the man who had adopted Joe and he sent pictures and told me how much they love Joe! I'm so excited and I'm going to go visit him soon!
Michelle and Maritza rescued Christy and her puppies as well as Christy's sister, Pitusa, from a parking lot at a factory in Bayamon. There are 9 puppies total - she actually had 11 but 2 died! As soon as all the puppies have all their vaccinations, they will be coming here for adoption. Tell me that's not a passle o' cute puppies!!!!
Viviana Daubon, a teacher at TASIS Dorado school in Puerto Rico, contacted me about the "Pet Care Awareness" week the school is sponsoring for this week. Between the two of us, we arranged that the kids at the school would collect money to go towards the rescue of a dog from Dead Dog Beach. The kids are working very hard at collecting money and they are learning a lot about responsible pet ownership. Remember, all the grandpa's out there already have their beliefs formed about the treatment of animals - it's the little ones that we need to really reach out to in order to achieve a brighter future for the animals. (Below is the letter Viviana sent out to the parents of the children.)
The dog that they rescued is Jasmin. She is at the vet right now getting all spiffed up for foster care. And Viviana will be picking her up today to foster her for the three week period necessary before Jasmin comes to the U.S. for adoption. The kids will get to meet her and hear all about the work it takes to save even one dog.
Programs such as this are critical to changing the future for the animals in Puerto Rico. I applaud Viviana and the school and the wonderful children who are working so hard to help Jasmin and other animals.
Dear TASIS Dorado Community:
Community Service Week is from February 11-15 and the Pre-K class has chosen a “Pet Care Awareness” theme.This year we have decided to take on the spectacular task of helping two organizations since your display of generosity was so unbelievable last year!We have chosen the Humane Society in Guaynabo and Manos Por Patas (Hands for Paws) which are both wonderful non-profit organizations.
Beginning on Monday morning, there will be a table set up outside the Pre-K classroom to receive donations for the Humane Society.On the back of this letter you will find a list of supplies that are needed, or you can visit www.hspr.org/wishlist.html to find the list as well as read more about their organization.Representatives from the Humane Society will be visiting our school on Friday, February 15 at 3:30 in the afternoon to hand out information about the services they provide.If you have any questions, they will be here to help.If you are planning to bring a donation, please do so by then so that they may take the donations back with them when they leave Friday afternoon.
We are very excited because with the help of the Manos Por Patas (Hands for Paws) organization, we will be rescuing a dog named Jasmin from “DeadDogBeach” in Yabucoa.This is a beach where people discard their unwanted dogs.Unfortunately, these dogs are in desperate need of medical attention, food, water and loving families.Some of these dogs have been at the beach for more than two years.Many of these dogs are neither spayed nor neutered, so they continue mating and the suffering persists for another generation.At this moment, close to 40 dogs are awaiting transfer to the U.S., but unfortunately another 22 dogs were dropped off at the beach in the last two weeks.In order to raise enough money to rescue Jasmin, Pre-K will be in the front and back of school in the morning with a jar collecting any spare change that you might have.The jars will remain in both offices for the duration of the day where you can drop your donation, or feel free to stop by the Pre-K classroom and drop it off there.This money will be used for vaccinations, spaying and any other medical expenses for Jasmin.We are also looking for a loving family to volunteer to give Jasmin a home for about a week after her rescue and visit to the vet until we find her a permanent loving home.Please let us know if you would be willing to do this.Also, please visit www.manosporpatas.org to read more about this caring organization and their mission.
If you can find it in your heart to help, even the smallest amount of change will make a difference to Jasmin. All the “satos” in Puerto Rico will surely appreciate your love, affection and help for their cause.Thank you in advance for all your help and cooperation toward helping the “satos” of Puerto Rico!
Honorable Ángel S. García De Jesús Mayor P.O. Box 97 Yabucoa, P.R. 00767
Dear Honorable Mayor Garcia,
The organization Manos por Patas makes an urgent plea for your office to contact us or any other animal rescue organization working in your area as soon as possible. Manos por Patas is extremely concerned about recent occurrences at Playa Lucia and the adoption of the beach by the Municipality of Yabucoa. Our immediate concern is what will happen with the dogs that currently live around the beach area, once the beach clean-up begins. Fishermen and rescue workers have reported that several dogs have already been picked up and taken away. We have identified at least three Playa Lucia dogs that are currently at the Humacao shelter and Manos por Patas is working with the shelter to adopt the dogs and place them into foster care while they wait for permanent adoption. One of the animals taken had already been spayed and completely vaccinated by our organization, and we were in the process of finalizing her permanent adoption. However, because she was swept off the beach, the process could not be finalized.
Manos por Patas is very surprised by the comments you made on the radio last Friday, February 8th, 2008, in which you stated that you had never heard back from our organization with regards to reaching a collaborative agreement and the organization had lost contact with you over two years ago. We are sure this is simply a misunderstanding since you were present at the March 2007 meeting between Manos por Patas, other rescue organizations, and hotel owners Juan Lopez and Jeannette Pollard. At that meeting you offered $1,000 per month in financial assistance in order to acquire a transitional shelter for animals while in the adoption process. Following this meeting, Manos por Patas spent several months in the process of trying to find an appropriate facility. Unfortunately, none of the property owners we contacted were willing to rent their property for the purpose of establishing an animal shelter. We were working with Gilberto Torres at your office and he was helping us identify a facility that would agree to rent to us.
Manos por Patas is working energetically on raising funds to spay, neuter, and vaccinate Playa Lucia’s dogs so that they can be given for adoption and taken off the beach. Many hours and dollars have been dedicated by members of your constituent in order to rescue Playa Lucia’s dogs. Our accountant calculated over $20,000 spent on the Playa Lucia rescue operations in 2007. This amount only demonstrates funds spent by Manos por Patas and not funds spent by other groups and individuals who are also working diligently and selflessly to the Municipality of Yabucoa with the Playa Lucia animal situation.
Once again, Manos por Patas expresses our commitment to helping your administration resolve this situation but most importantly we would like to help you with the Playa Lucia "clean up" since we already know many of the animals in the area and they trust our rescuers. Additionally, the Municipality will save the money that otherwise would be spent paying an animal removal company and the funds could be used to rescue, rehabilitate, and adoption process for these animals. Our organization has an excellent rescue network and would be able to help you with removing the dogs from the beach. Ultimately, we all have the same goal and we can reach a working agreement which would set Yabucoa as an example of a proactive and humane animal control system for the rest of Puerto Rico. In conversation with Susan Soltero of Univision, she has agreed to run a piece of how the Municipality of Yabucoa is at the forefront of this issue; this will be extremely positive exposure for Yabucoa.
Please contact Manos por Patas as soon as possible in order to draft a work plan to move us forward. Manos por Patas and many other organizations are at your service immediately. We hope to hear from you as soon as possible.
Due to all the hullabaloo at the beach lately, we have a number of dogs that we need to find foster care for. They will need to stay in Puerto Rico for 3 weeks while getting all their vetting done. If you can help with any at all - fostering or helping with expenses - please let me know. And forward this to others who may be able to help. The dogs pictured are Kaiser, Kristy's puppies, Laika, Ted, Bailey, Charlie, Roxanne, Marlon, Vanessa, Vanessa's puppies. We have most of these at vet's offices but there Kristy's puppies and Vanessa and her puppies are still at the beach and are in serious danger of being picked up by animal control.
We have confirmation that Kaiser, Charlie, and Roxanne were collected in the beach sweeps from last week and are now at the shelter in Humacao. Sandra went this morning to identify any of the Yabucoa dogs she could and found these three. There are still other dogs, such as Bailey, Ted, and Julian, that have been missing since Thursday but were not at the shelter. Dr. Serrano, the director of the facility, is working with us on making sure the dogs are not euthanized and we will remove them from the shelter later in the week after they have been vaccinated and sterilized. We know this will probably become a regular event for Sandra and other rescuers as the City of Yabucoa has contracted with the shelter to remove the dogs from the beach. I am going to be calling Mayor Garcia tomorrow to discuss the possibility of trying to work together on the issue, as we had thought was going to be happening all along.
You know, these things make us really sad, sick to our stomachs, when we read our emails or see the photos. But some of us are lucky enough to be physically removed from the nightmare. But not Sandra. Sandra is an amazing woman and I have so much respect for her. But she's just continually confronted with the nightmare down there. Here's the lastest post from her blog:
No, it's not a movie, it's the real thing (Freddy, just crawl away and weep!) I'm sad, frustrated and angry because some of the dogs in our rescue list were taken away by employees of the Municipality of Yabucoa. It's not just the fact that we love them, but we have invested time and money to get them healthy--and suddenly something like this happens. Several rescue groups were working on getting help from the Municipality of Yabucoa, Tourism Company and the Hoteliers Association (sorry, I forgot the real name), so the process of savings pets would be better for all of us--but they weren't faithful to their own word. They agreed in a meeting last December not just to sweep dogs off the beaches, they compromised themselves to work with rescue groups for the well-being of the abandoned pets and to work on education and surveillance to prevent this cruel practice of pet-dumping. But what they did instead? They took the dogswithout counting with any rescue group and all was done in secrecy! That, for me is a total betrayal. You can't trust them--they have no word at all. The only things that matter to them are appearances and money.
I try to keep abreast of where Dead Dog Beach is mentioned on the internet so I have a setting for google to send me emails whenever it appears on a page. I got a notice Friday that it had been mentioned and clicked on the link, which took me to a Transformers fan site (sorry, guys, I hope that's what you call it). A woman from the site posted a message that her family had adopted a dog from Dead Dog Beach. I didn't recognize the dog in the photo so replied to her for more info. It turns out she adopted the dog from Rebecca Rogers who lives in North Carolina. Rebecca works for a company that has offices in Puerto Rico and she travels there regularly for work. She contacted me to find out if she could help us with the dogs and we worked it out that she would bring some of our rescues back with her when she returned to the states and she would adopt them out. You tell me THAT ain't a small world!
Well, the good news is that we know for sure these 3 dogs, Baily, Ted, and the German shepherd from the hotels area, are safe at the Humacao shelter. There are about 5 other Dead Dog Beach dogs at the shelter. On Monday morning, I am going to talk to Dr. Serrano, the director of the shelter, about us being able to claim the dogs and then we'll get them into foster care and up for adoption. Also, Sandra, Keishya, and Jessica are going on Monday to the beach to pick up as many dogs as they can and take to vets and foster homes. They're going to have to keep doing that so the dogs don't get hauled away to the shelter and eventually euthanized. We have learned that the City of Yabucoa does have a contract with the Humacao shelter to remove dogs from the beach so all dogs there now and in the future are in danger. We are all going to be seriously stretched for time, energy, and money but it has to be done. I'm going to make an attempt to talk with the Mayor's office on Monday as well, to talk about any possibilities that he would be willing to work with us. Go ahead, call me Pollyanna.
The press conference at Yabucoa this morning was relatively uneventful. Per Sandra, there was virtually no press there and the session was short, involving mainly the signing of the "adoption" papers. But the really sad part happened later in the day. Susan Soltero of Univision conducted an interview on the radio with Mayor Garcia and Yolanda Torres. And, to put it honestly and bluntly, the mayor LIED! He actually said that since he hadn't heard from Manos por Patas, or any other rescue groups, in over 2 years, that he decided to go forward with the proposal from the hoteliers with the beach adoption. TWO YEARS?!?! We had a meeting with him in March 2007! At that meeting, he offered us $1,000/month to help cover expenses for a temporary shelter for the dogs. Did I dream this whole thing up? We - Christine, Liz, Yolanda, Sandra, Danielle, and others - 10 months ago. Two years? He lied. Not only that, but he said that after he offered us the monthly financial assistance, we never took him up on the offer. The truth is that we worked very hard trying to find an adequate place to house the dogs. However, calling a person who has a house for rent and saying "Oh, and by the way, is it okay for us to have 20 dogs in your house that we will be renting from you?" never seemed to go over very well. I called the mayor's office, speaking with Gilberto Torres, the mayor's personal consultant, and Eddie Carlos Rivera, the Public Relations manager for the city. I asked for their help to find a property that would be feasible and to help us get the permits to rent or purchase the place. They said they were working on it. I never received return phone calls and my calls rarely were accepted by Gilberto. Then in October 2007, I received notice that the city was sponsoring a spay/neuter clinic for its residents. I recognized this as a great step for the city and sent a letter to the mayor telling him this and thanking him for being proactive on the issue. Two years??!!!
I have left a message for Susan as she said she wants to do a follow-up interview. I am so flabbergasted - but not shocked - by what the mayor said that I can barely contain myself. We gave them every opportunity to work with us to help not just the animals, but their city. But the only people they finally decided to work with are the hoteliers who proposed the beach adoption. I want to say that I think it's a great thing to get that beach cleaned up and make it a nice destination for tourists as well as residents. It's a beautiful stretch of land and it's a shame that it has been so misused for so long. But the backlash that will occur for the dogs is unacceptable. Aside from that, just because the dogs are removed from Playa Lucia and restrictions are put in place to fine anyone from dumping more animals there, does not mean the problem is solved! Unless the residents are educated in responsible pet ownership, we will soon have the same problem in a new place! The city is not doing itself any favors by ignoring the issue. The city needs to be actively involved in educating its residents about the laws of animal ownership as well as the critical need for spaying and neutering pets, and also to provide low-cost - or even temporarily free - spaying and neutering for the pets of residents. THIS IS WHAT WE'VE BEEN SAYING ALL ALONG but it has all fallen on deaf ears.
In the meantime, we have confirmation from the shelter in Humacao that the city does have a contract with them to pick dogs up from the beach and that they were at the beach yesterday to pick dogs up. We believe Roxanne, Albert, and Julien, along with others, were picked up yesterday. Hopefully they have not been killed yet. I will call the shelter first thing in the morning and find out how to get them back - and we will have to pay for them, I'm sure.
Look at this little girl! This is Star, formerly known as Keri. She was adopted by a great couple in Tampa, Florida. This little girl struck gold and has a really terrific home - that she deserves! Her new mom wrote this:
"We renamed Keri "Star" as in one of the pictures you can see a little white star on her chest! She is amazing! She has a great little personality of her own and is crazy about people. She has put on about 7 pounds and is growing fast. The vet says that she has no terrier in her but a Schnauzer mix instead! Shes a great puppy that plays hard and sleeps even harder! She is now all potty trained, and knows what I am saying when I ask her if she "needs to go potty?", we are still working on NO and SIT! Other than that we changed her food to IAMS for puppies and she seems to love it! Thanks again for everything you did for us."
The good news is that the City and Municipality are involved in a program to clean up Playa Lucia (Dead Dog Beach). This will, hopefully, encourage tourists and residents to treat this area with respect, not as a trash dump for all their refuse - refrigerators, garbage, and DOGS. The bad news - and it is bad news - is that in order for the beach to look pretty and inviting to tourists, there can't be any mangey, scrawny dogs wandering around the place. And the sweeps have begun. Just yesterday, Roxanne was taken away. We are told they are being taken to the Humacao shelter but we all know what that means. There is a press conference being held at the beach today - right next to the Palmas de Lucia, one of the hotels suspected of poisoning dogs. I've sent requests out to members of the press to ask what is going to happen to the dogs that are at the beach now. We need to propose a viable program to the Yabucoa municipality that we will properly remove the dogs from the beach but we need some financial help and time. I am stuck here in Florida and it's killing me.
AVISO PARA CALENDARIO
Viernes 8 de febrero de 2008
10:00 a.m.
El secretario del Departamento de Recursos Naturales y Ambientales (DRNA), Javier Vélez Arocho, el alcalde de Yabucoa, Angel S. García de Jesús, y la directora ejecutiva de la Compañía de Turismo, Terestella González Denton, se unen para anunciar al primer municipio que adopta una playa.
Bajo el programa del DRNA de “Adopte una Playa”, el municipio de Yabucoa se va a hacer cargo del mantenimiento de la Playa Lucía.
El anuncio se va a hacer en la misma Playa Lucía, justo al lado del Parador Palmas de Lucía en Yabucoa, en donde culminará la actividad.
BAYAMON, Puerto Rico (AP) - A judge on Wednesday ordered the owner of an animal control company and two of his employees to stand trial for animal cruelty charges for the massacre in October of about 80 seized pets that were hurled off a bridge.
Following several days of hearings, Superior Court Judge Nelson Canabal ruled there was sufficient evidence for Julio Diaz, owner of Animal Control Solutions, and the two employees to stand trial.
The killings of pets seized from housing projects brought revulsion around the world and triggered calls for tourist boycotts of this U.S. Caribbean territory.
"At last we are going to see justice in these killings," said Alma Febus, who investigated the case for the territorial government.
Diaz's attorney, Manuel Reyes, said he would appeal the judge's decision.
After the hearing, Diaz blamed the municipality of Barceloneta for seizing the animals and said he didn't know who threw them from the bridge. Only a half-dozen survived the 50-foot (15-meter) fall, some with serious injuries.
"I will no longer do any animal-related business in Puerto Rico ," he said. "We are the only ones who have been blamed. We are innocent."
Municipal officials in Barceloneta, a town along Puerto Rico 's north-central coast, said they hired Animal Control Solutions to remove pets from housing projects, believing that regulations banned them. Municipal officials said they understood that the company, which drove off with the animals in vans, would take them to shelters.
Instead, they wound up at the bottom of a bridge along a highway that runs between Barceloneta and San Juan .
During Wednesday's hearing, Angel Rafael Sierra recalled rushing home with his young daughters after learning that people were seizing pets at the complex. They found their beloved dog "Tuti" was gone.
Sierra testified that he got in his car and followed a white van, which stopped at a municipality building in Barceloneta. He said he could hear dogs barking but was prevented from seeing if Tuti was inside.
The next day, he discovered Tuti's body beneath the bridge.
"My daughters saw too," Sierra said. "They started crying."
An investigation by The Associated Press has showed that such brutal methods have been routinely used in the killing of thousands of pets and stray animals on this island.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
Tami's new name is Sofi and I think it fits her perfectly. Her new family loves her and they've made amazing progress with her! I'm thinking of hiring them out to work with ALL my chicken-butt dogs! Sofi went home to them on Sunday and take a look at the video below, taken 3 days later! It's just amazing. And I love the picture of her sacked out and exhausted after a day of being adorable!
Laika got lucky this week! We received a request from a teacher in Dorado that her school children wanted to do an animal awareness week and contacted me to see if they could help us. Heck yeah! We arranged to rescue a dog from the beach - we picked Laika - and have the school kids sponsor her for adoption. The kids will help raise money for her medical and vet costs and the teacher, Viviana, is going to foster Laika at her home for the week so the kids will get to meet the dog they are helping! Giselle Colon is going to visit the school on Friday to talk to the kids about responsible pet ownership and how they can help animals in the future.
Remember Tino, the little guy who was found by tourists just before New Year's day? They thought his back legs were broken but it turns out he'd been struck by a car and had a spinal injury (last photo is of him the day he was rescued). Well, Amber and Rob, the couple who found him, rescued him and got him the medical attention he needed - and he went to his new home with them yesterday!!! He flew from San Juan to Newark and was picked up by a very anxious and excited new mom. He's doing great at his new house and I know he will be giving kisses forever to Rob and Amber for saving his life. I love these stories!
Look at Tami! She's one of the terrified pups that we rescued from the SPCA a few weeks ago. She went home with a wonderful couple who is prepared to deal with her timidity. Here's the email I received this evening:
Hi Ginny,
It was great to hear from you this morning. I'm so glad that you really care about your adoptees and their life after Hands For Paws!
We had the little girl at the vet today for her check up. We went to the same veterinarian, All Creatures and I am so glad that you recommended them. They were amazing!! She was an absolute celebrity there. Everyone knew her and she seemed so at ease with them all. She would tremble for the first minute or two that someone entered the room or approached her, then she would settle and be calm and cool as can be! Even from behind the closed doors of the exam room I could hear everyone talking about her and telling each other what they had learned about her new family... 'Tami is here. She has another dog in her family'... 'Tami is going to be a big traveler'... She was such a star, everyone there really cares about her and I love that! They totally helped it feel like a comfortable, 'family style' experience for her as opposed to a clinical experience that would be frightening.
After I spoke to you today I was very anxious to get home from work because today was her first day being left home alone with O'neill. (We decided in the beginning that until she is entirely confident in us and ready we won't add further trauma by taking her to work with the horses and other dogs and people and comotion but instead to let her get comfortable with her home and her surroundings.) Yesterday O'neill came to work and she stayed home alone in order to really get to sniff around and check out whatever she wanted. but she was still quite scared at that point and when we came home she was hiding under the bed. After the amount of progress that was made last night we decided to leave O'neill home with her today in order to make her feel more at ease. So.... the drive home was exciting because I was anxious to see if O'neill helped her come out of her shell. We rushed to the back door and opened it to find her sprawled accross our entire bed with every single toy she owns surrounding her on the bed with her. Some of the toys were heavy and she must have made many trips to gather them all up!! What a ham!!
The little girly got some more new toys today. She has quite the little box of toys going! I figure that until she is confident enough to go outside and play and walk and exercise then she needs lots to play with in the house. She is coming out of her shell so much that she is now playing with us with her toys. In fact I had to stop that last sentence mid way through to play tug of war with her and her nylabone!!
Well I suppose I just wanted to send you a brief memo to update you on her progress since I didn't have a lot of time to talk this morning when I wasn't busy working with a horse, but I'm sure there will be many more updates this week since she does so many fun and zaney things that I would have to start a list in order to remember them all to include in the same e-mail!!
Before I leave you with a few of her pictures I just remembered to tell you that she is a real houdini!! Today she managed to stand up with her paws on the counter and stretch WAY WAY up and reached a plastic container that was on top of the microwave!! I knew she was tall and gangly but wow!! Maybe I should borrow Kayshon... with his height he could probably clean above the cabinets for me!! hehehe
So I'll add some pictures and send you another message soon! Talk to you soon.
The wonderful Carol Janus of A Cat's Last Resort graciously took Katrina and her little ones in. They are safe and sound now and will have the best of care. Carol is also fostering Taina and her puppies as well. It's one big maternity ward at her house!
Sandra and Jessica were finally able to catch Giselle, Katya and Karyn and they are safe now! It appears Giselle is pregnant so I'm awaiting word about that. Cross your fingers she's just fat!
These three showed up at the beach over the weekend. The white dog is a bit skittish but the puppies are very friendly. They would be easily adoptable if anyone would like to sponsor them.
Mama kitty Katrina gave birth yesterday. So far Sandra has seen 7 kittens but she thinks there may be some more in that big belly. We are still searching for sponsors. I've found a place that will take them in but we need funds to support her.
This sweet kitty has been at the beach for a few days and is very pregnant. No doubt her owners, who were irresponsible and didn't spay her, decided they didn't want to deal with kittens so they threw the mama away at the beach. It will be very dangerous for her babies at the beach so if anyone can help with funds and/or finding a foster home for them, please let us know.
These puppies were born near a factory in Bayamon. Maritza and Michelle have been caring for them at the site but the puppies just started walking around and are going to get hit by a car or hurt by someone so they are now safely at a vet's office. The puppies are fine but the mom and sister some problems that need to be attended to. We have found a foster home for all of them but will need funds to help her as well as to pay the vet bills. This is a sweet family that has been rescued and we're so happy for that! The mom's sister has been taking care of the puppies when the mom is away getting food! Please help with donations if you can.
Look at beautiful Belle! She went to a fantastic new home today complete with 2 acres of land, a chicken coop WITH chickens!, and a buddy named Scout! Belle was adopted by Amy and I know Belle will have a wonderful life with her. You can see the big backyard she has to patrol and she very quickly made herself at home chewing on a rawhide on the kitchen floor. I'm so happy this girl has a home she deserves! Thank you Amy!
I finally decided to invite the little chicken dogs inside to see if they may feel more comfortable and settle in a bit. I opened the sliding glass door and I'm telling you they stood at that threshold for an hour sticking on paw in then our, craning a neck around to find me but not moving a toe. And then finally, they broke through. They've made themselves quite happy in the home and are coming out of their shells, basically one dog at a time. Tami, the merle female was first and Kayshon (on the right) second. Jason will take a little more time. But they are all just doing great.
This made me cry. Sabrina is a beautiful girl who was rescued from Dead Dog Beach a few months ago. She came to my home for a few days and I noticed she looked a little, shall we say "thick around the middle". Low and behold, not only was she pregnant but she was VERY pregnant - and had about 9 or 10 puppies in that belly! As I had no clue how to whelp or wean or whatever it is one does to puppies, I sent out the alarm call. Donna at Tri-County Humane Society in Boca Raton saved the day. Sabrina went to the shelter and was set up in a lovely private maternity room complete with a t.v. and multiple walks every day! About 10 days later she gave birth to 9 little darlings, all but one with no tail. Just recently, with the babies all weaned and her figure back, Sabrina went up for adoption. And it didn't take long. She is in a terrific new home and I know there will be much joy in her heart - as well as her new mom's. Here is what her new mom wrote to the shelter:
I wanted to give you all a brief update on how Sabrina is doing. The first picture below was taken at one of our many stops on the way home. Sabrina took the opportunity to jump to the front seat every time to give kisses to her new mommy. She successfully turned a 40min drive into a 60min drive. As of Wednesday evening she now has a special seat belt harness to keep her safe on the road and seems to enjoy wearing it. She doesn’t respond to her name but she does respond to Bri. I think she holds Sabrina as a special name that only the folks at Tri-County can call her. So since she seems to like Bri, I guess I will just have to call her that from now on. Sabrina has designated the red plaid blanket to be hers and she’s earned it. We take our lunch time walks on the beach. She really enjoys the sand. Bri learned the hard way that sand is not meant for you to bury your snout in…it sticks. She doesn’t seem to like walking with the collar on but I bought her a walking harness and she seems to like it. Sometimes she walks, sometimes I think she’s pretending to be a bucking bronco…hopefully I can catch that on camera sometime, it’s very funny! Her other little quirks are; she loves to chew on hands, not bite though. I’ve never had a dog that does this so I guess I will be enrolling us in doggy training sometime in the future. She also loves to tear the covers off paper back books and is very good a pretending that there must be another dog in the room. Very cute to watch her go searching, of course I have to try hard not laugh and keep a serious face.
We have a special girl that needs a home very soon. Her name is Traer and she is the little stinker that dug out under her foster's fence the night she arrived in Orlando and was missing for over 3 weeks! She was finally caught - they had to set a trap for her! But now we don't know what to do with her. She is at a vet's office in Orlando for now but she shouldn't stay there for very long. She needs to go to a house that can keep her indoors while they are working on socializing her and let her out in a restricted area for potty and exercise. But if she's left alone in a yard for too long, she'll dig her way out again and be gone. She needs to bond to the person before she has the ability to escape. We think once she's bonded and more socialized, she'll stick around - but will be a dog who needs room to run because she will probably always be a bit feral. She's a beautiful girl about 14 months old, 30 lbs, spayed and all up on shots. She is a rescue from Dead Dog Beach. She needs someone who wants to rescue a special dog and it will take time and dedication from that person but the rewards in the end are immeasurable.
