Sweet Pinky has been with me for about 2 months and has not found her forever home. I found a wonderful foster home for her and she is livin' it up with her new foster mommy and furry sister, Val. She gets to go for long walks and wear pretty bandanas and wrestle with Val. Thank you so much to Leah for taking Pinky in while she's finding the right family!
Rocco is finally in his forever home! This boy is one of the most wonderful dogs I've ever met and it's so unbelievable that it took so long for him to find a home. We tried it once but the couple thought he missed me too much (we had bonded, that's for sure) and returned him after a few days. It took almost 2 months (which tells you how super slow adoptions are going right now!) but it looks like he finally made the right choice! His family loves him and he's got a wonderful new furry sister to play with. He's a little down right now because of the transition but will perk up soon once he realizes how good he's got it. Yeah Rocco boy!
Maggie was found on Saturday and Sandra felt she'd given birth relatively recently. Then little Jade was found yesterday and is Maggie's puppy. We need sponsors for these two because our funds are so very low and we have the big spay/neuter event coming up next week that will clear the account out and more. We estimate between $200-250 per dog from beach to adoption-ready status. If you can help, please donate - they are not safe at the beach.
These two little ones were abandoned at the beach this weekend. A man at the beach decided to take the little cocker spaniel mix with him and hopefully that will be a wonderful forever home for him. The other one, Maggie, is a sweet little girl we'll hopefully take from the beach soon.
Hidden Oaks Elementary raises money for the satos!
Hidden Oaks Elementary School in Lake Worth, Florida raised over $500 for the dogs at Dead Dog Beach! It came "out of the blue" when student council member Christine emailed me saying they were sending us a donation. They raised the money in various ways. Here's the email I received from Christine about their activities:
" Again, YOU ARE SO WELCOME!!! Hidden Oaks Student Council was involved in many community activities. The entire school participated in the "Food For Families" drive where we had tons of donations of food and other items that we donated to families in need. We also started up a project called "Operation Hidden Oaks". The Hidden Oaks families and teachers donated and purchased so many items that were needed by the soldiers in Iraq. A former teacher of Hidden Oaks was deployed so we wanted to make her, as well as all of her other soldiers, have a HAPPY and BLESSED Valentine's Day.
Those were just a few of the things the Student Council Committee did. How we raised the money to donate to Hands for Paws was through small in-house fundraisers. We had candy grams for each holiday (Halloween, Thanksgiving, Winter, Valentines Day, St. Patrick's Day) that had a note to send to a favorite teacher or student with candy attached. We also raised money through the sale of Field Day T-Shirts."
This is such a wonderful thing to do to get the school and community involved in what we all know if a great cause. So thanks again to Hidden Oaks for their wonderful hearts!!!
Sid got us a "gig" on a blues show on WMNF 88.5 FM out of Tampa, Florida. (just so happens I LOVE that station and listened religiously when I lived there one summer) Soulman let us talk about the animal situation in Puerto Rico and what all the great rescuers are doing to get the animals into safe and loving homes. Thanks to Sid for setting it up and to Soulman for letting us talk!
Nadja, Vicky and Denise need foster homes. Vicky and Denise are both around 7 months old, less than 20 lbs(Vicky is the smaller of the two), very playful, and, to quote Sandra, "sweet as honey". Nadja is a lab/dobie-mix and is very sweet. Sandra has no problems handling her even when she had her puppies. Nadja is about 30-35 pounds. All girls are spayed and up-to-date on their shots.
I'm still desperately trying to find placement for poor Jake. He is so so sweet but it's a nightmare at my house with the cats. It's not that he wants to hurt them, he wants to play with them but they want nothing to do with him - then the other dogs get involved and make it a big mess.
I have not only Jake but Rocco, Pinky, Laila, and Traer and I have a big problem with the city animal control office. Residents in my city are only allowed to have 5 domestic animals in their home. I have 4 cats so that leaves room for only one foster. The only reason animal control knows about it is from the incident in April where they dug out from the fence and officers were called. They are working with me because of what I do but basically I have 30 days as of yesterday to get rid of 4 dogs! I really need help.
Rocco is a perfect dog and it's amazing to me he's not already adopted. Pinky is wonderful but she has some issues with men upon first meeting and needs a home that can deal with that. Jake, of course, is 9-10 years old, blind in one eye, has arthritis and digestive problems and will need to be on Dasuquin and special food for life. Traer and Laila are getting so much better, especially Traer since Lisa has been working with her. But Laila in particular is still painfully shy at first. And both these girls, actually Pinky as well, need a home with a buddy. So please send this to anyone you know who may be interested in adopting one of these little loves. You can see all of their profiles on our Petfinder page.
Time is quickly approaching and it's time to get all our ducks in a row. Please check out the questions below and send me an email with the answers (and please include your cell number) so I can start getting things in order. Here is the schedule:
Thursday (7/10) and Friday (7/11) will be catch days - we'll be at the beach "stalking our prey" so we'll need people at the beach to work on catching the dogs and those who will transport to the vets.
Saturday (7/12), the male dogs will be returned to the beach as long as their incision sites look okay;
Monday (7/14) and Tuesday (7/15) females will be returned - we'll need people available those days to take dogs back to the beach.
I will be in town starting on July 6th but will be working through the 11th. There will be others who will be running the first day of catching. And I will be leaving on Saturday afternoon so again, others will be coordinating the Monday and Tuesday efforts.
What days are you available? What city/area are you coming from? How many hours can you stay? How many kennels can you fit in your vehicle? Do you have any traps or catchpoles you can bring? Can you bring kennels to loan? Can you come back on Monday and/or Tuesday to help transport dogs from vets to beach or foster care? Can you foster any dogs? How many? For how long?
DONATIONS/LOANS: kennels catchpoles traps sturdy food/water bowls lots and lots of hot dogs! gallons of water coolers for ice, water, hot dogs... snacks for volunteers
I am certain I'll be adding to this posting as time gets closer so please check it every few days to see if there is updated information.
Sonia found a little puppy at the beach and it appears to be Natalie's sister. And the fishermen around the beach said there has been a black mom dog with 3 puppies so we're thinking Natalie and Rosalie are 2 of them and looking for the third.
This is Oli! He was named Pinto when he was adopted from the school carnival in April. He is certainly having a great life! Thank you so much to William for rescuing him!
We're gearing up for a 2-day spay/neuter event and will need all kinds of help. The plan is to catch as many dogs as we can during those two days and take them in to be spayed/neutered and given rabies shots. If they are adoptable, we will keep them and begin their process for adoption. If they are too wild for adoption, they will be sterilized, given their rabies shot, and returned to the beach. It's not what we want to do but there are ferals who have been there for a while that are now creating little families of more and more dogs. We know having to live their lives at the beach is less than ideal but we have to at least stop the population growth occurring there. Dogs like Kaly, who has been there for 2+ years, are having litters which are having litters and they are all too wild to be adopted. Kristy's puppies are all precious but want nothing to do with humans. So we'll go try to at least halt the population problem. And the rabies shot is for a public health issue, to provide the local citizens one less reason to be fearful of the dogs.
So we are going to need people, cars, kennels, water, and lots and lots of hot dogs (what dog can resist those)! And we'll of course have to pay for the sterilizations. We want the females to stay with the vet through the weekend but males only need to stay 1-2 nights as long as their incisions look good. The cost for each female including boarding is $90, for each male is $70. We're looking at 10+ dogs to go through this. Plus Byron, Hans, Kerr, Alyssa, and Ellie are all friendly dogs there and we want to catch them and get them through the adoption process which costs more like $200+ per dog. So if you can come out to the beach on those days, we will need help catching the dogs as well as transporting them to/from the vet. We'll also need kennels to borrow for the event. And anyone who would have catchpoles or traps, those would definitely expedite the process.
We are desperately seeking a flyers into Baltimore, MD. We 2 German shepherds that have been accepted into the Mid-Atlantic German Shepherd Rescue program but it will cost almost $800 to send them via cargo. It would only be $150 each for them to be checked as baggage with someone flying there. If you are flying into BWI on Continental, American, or Delta in the near future and would like to help, please contact us. We will take care of all the arrangements and fees.
Don't bother trying 'cause it's not possible! These are some more pictures of Natalie, the new little girl rescued earlier this week. She's fostered by Yolanda at Puppy Land.
This is Ellie and she's got a hook stuck through her bottom lip! Sandra tried to rescue her today when she picked up Denise and Vicky but Ellie was too nervous. Ellie is very sweet but shy so Sandra will keep working on her.
Rex, Bradley, Mia and Maia, Drake, Nadja and her puppies (Alanis and Alexis), and Gretel are all fully vetted and ready for adoption. Rex, Bradley, Drake and Nadja are spayed, the puppies are not. They are all in Puerto Rico but "you want 'em, we ship 'em"!
Here are Angora (rescued by Keishya) and Blacky (rescued by Alma). Angora is just a little thing at 4 months old and 7 pounds. Blacky is about 1 1/2 years old and 30 lbs.
This pretty girl is new to the beach and very sweet. We're hoping to get her, along with Denise, Ellie, Sam, Hans and Vicky as soon as we can move the other rescues from the vet and foster homes.
Mookie and Jason were sent to this sanctuary in Indiana and they need financial help. The property is in foreclosure, as so many are right now, and the safety of the dogs is seriously at risk. This is sort of a "last call" for help for Catherine and the dogs. Please visit her Save That Dog website and donate anything you can to help. Even if someone could arrange for a pet food company to assist with food donations for the dogs, that would be an incredible help. June MAYDAY!
I am overdrawn at my bank. Again. I am running out of time to fight the foreclosure of the animal sanctuary. A lesser mortal would be a basket case but complaining or whining is counterproductive. I've got to keep moving, especially as I seem to be in Hell, from where I wish never to return.
Here's what I need NOW: a benefactor to pay off my mortgage; then allow me to pay them monthly instead of the animal hating bureaucratic banker. As a non-profit charitable organization, any concessions made by our benefactor to Save that Dog Sanctuary are TAX DEDUCTIBLE! As my writing takes off, my website gains recognition and the public support for abandoned animals giving back to abandoned foster girls mounts, I feel confident that our sanctuary will finally be able to sustain itself.
But right here, right now we need some donations! With the help of some incredibly astute volunteers, we're planning a few fundraisers but that doesn't help the dogs or their foster kids right now. It certainly doesn't help me feed my pack; I can't even buy a load of dog food today. Purina still hasn't gotten back to me about donating some chow...why is it taking so long for everything to pan out?
The only thing that makes me maintain a modicum of sanity are these beautiful, loving, prankster canines. Unfortunately, due to the lack of financial support from the community, euthanasia for a few of my dogs seems to be inevitable. Do you know how much I HATE this part of my work? Each and every dog that I've had to euthanize has taken a piece of my heart with them. Most people can relate to putting one dog down. Imagine having to put TEN down at one time...it causes a crushing heartache that feels like my soul is suffocating.
The dogs and I are drowning; I see no life preservers. Isn't anyone going to help?
I took the text below from the petition created by Sharon Carlaine. There are two petitions currently collecting signatures - you can sign them both below.
"Puerto Rico is planning another of their infamous "removals", this time of the cat colonies of Old San Juan. With animal rights organizations like Save a Gato dramatically decreasing the number of strays in the area, and vastly improving the lives and health of the strays that exist, the stray cat problem has diminished in the past few years. Even the most notorious colony area is down to less than 100 cats.
Instead of being grateful for the volunteer efforts of the citizens of this very community-based city, the State Veterinarian Carlos Carazo Gilot names these organizations "part of the problem" in the June 4th, 2008 edition of the San Juan Star, announcing that it is his decision that the removal of these cats is legitimate due to the risk of public health problems, such as fleas, ticks, fungi and itch mites.
This little cutie, Ginger, was rescued by Four Paws at a Time when she was found wandering around the Punta Santiago beach/dock area very very pregnant. They were going to sterilize her but she was so close to term, the volunteer who was going to foster her offered to go through the birthing and to foster the pups for adoption. Puppies for Ginger was not meant to be, however, as just a few days later she gave birth to a small litter of stillborn premature hairless little pups. Since that time Ginger has been fully vetted her and sterilized. She is in foster care and ready for adoption. She is 30 pounds, between 1-2 years old and soooo sweet.
This is Vanya! She was adopted by a wonderful couple and has been seriously living the high life! They renamed her Mandy and she is the apple of their eyes!
Meet Hans, Ellie, Vicky, Sam, and Denise. They are all new-comers at the beach. We have too many dogs at the vet right now so we can't take these guys in but as soon as we get those moved into foster care we'll get these little dolls off the beach.
Okay, here's the story. I had a couple of dogs fostering that loved to dig. They dug a very big hole that was like a cave. It was pretty deep so I kept saying "gee, I should seal that up". So today I decided to do just that. I stuck a broom handle down in it to make sure nothing was in there and then started pushing all the sand back into the hole. I thought I would leave a little airhole at the top, maybe a couple inches wide, in case there was something in it like possibly a gopher tortoise (yeah, the hole is that big!). And about 3 hours later I had a bad feeling so I went out there just to do a head-count on the dogs - 1, 2, 3, 4, ......, Pinky, Kelly, Traer, Jake ..... where's Laila? I looked all over for her in all of her hiding places - twice - got the treats bag and shook it, jiggled around the dry food in the metal bowl, got the squeaky toy out and squeak squeak squeak - no Laila. And yes, you guessed it, I HAD BURIED LAILA IN THE HOLE!! (obviously this turns out okay or this message would have a very different tone!) So I threw myself at the hole and frantically started digging, digging, digging, pulling out handfuls of sand like a dog. I laid down on my belly and reached my hand as far as I could but still didn't feel the end of the cave. I got a broom and stuck that way way back and all of the sudden hit something that had "give" to it. My heart sunk past my stomach and into my feet. I really did get flushed and panicked and didn't know what to do. I finally got my camera out and stuck it back as far as I could in the hole and snapped a picture. And there was Laila, laying there as happy as she could be, happy and resting in her doggie cave!!!! L am STILL flabbergasted that a) that bloody hole is so big and b) that I didn't kill that poor little sweet girl!!! It turned out fine but here are pictures of her in the hole and a little video to get perspective. Look at how big the cave is! Laila is a 30-ish pound hound mix and there's room for a few more in there!
I have to go take another Xanax now.
Oh, and yes, I'm going to fill it in again - AFTER I do a dog head-count!!!!!!
I love these emails! I just got this one today from Pati at Miami Dalmatian Rescue who took in Quijote just last Friday.
Quijote and his new best friend Seth found their forever home together today!!!! Here they are with their big sister Kelly. Quijote seems to like his new yard and even has a big pool to swim in. The family is a wonderful loving family whose Dal of 15 years passed away not long after their German Sheperd. The family was lonely and dogless unti they found Seth and Quijote. Seth and Quijote will be very loved. Momma Cindy stays home and will give them a lot of love and attention.
Thanks Linnette for helping Quijote get here to find his new home. You did a great job raising him to be the kind gentleman this family was looking for!
