Brownie - who is now named Strike - is doing great in foster care! He was rescued from a factory in Bayamon and came through his vetting just great - no heartworm or any serious issues! He's neutered now and has all his shots. He should remain in foster care for another week just to get him all "up to date" but he is a beautiful and sweet boy. Anyone interested in a gorgeous German shepherd, Strike may be your boy!
Can you believe how beautiful they look?! These are the 3 puppies that Sandra found at the beach almost 2 months ago when they were only about 8 days old. She has taken great care of them and they are so beautiful and healthy and sweet! They will be getting their 2nd vaccination later this week and will then soon be ready to fly to the states for adoption.
Beautiful Nadja needs help immediately. She was sent to a shelter in New Jersey where she didn't pass her temperment (food aggression) test. She was temperment tested by an experienced person before she left Puerto Rico and she had been no trouble for her foster who had her for over 2 months. The shelter she was sent to is very strict with their temperment rules and it's totally understandable. But Nadja is now stuck there and cannot be adopted out. If I leave her there she will be euthanized since the shelter can't adopt her out. Right now my only option is to fly her back to Puerto Rico and put her back into foster care - obviously an expensive option and would set Nadja back to square one. I believe she will be a fine companion for an experienced adopter and am not willing to "count her out" - but we need to find at least temporary placement for her ASAP - I do not want the shelter to have to deal with a dog they are uncomfortable with. Again, I would never adopt out a knowingly aggressive dog and I believe Nadja will be fine - she's just not up to the strict standards of the shelter. Please take a look at her petfinder profile and let me know if you have anyone in the New Jersey area who could help.
Many of you know that film student, Matthew Szechenyi, visited Puerto Rico last spring to shoot footage for a documentary project. He visited a lot of the dumping sites and interviewed many of the rescuers, including Mary, Edi, and Leilani. Please see the short version of "Saving Man's Best Friend". As soon as the entire movie is available I will post info on how to get it. Thank you Twig for sending this to me and to Matthew for his excellent work.
A wonderful woman named Alison has learned about the plight of the dogs in Puerto Rico and jumped right into fundraising to help the rescuers there! She said once she knew about the horrible conditions the dogs were subject to she just had to do something. She's gathered a committee of people together to throw a fundraiser! She says she's shooting for $5,000!
Dead Dog Beach Bash Free Munchies Dancing Giveaways Cash Bar Saturday, November 29, 2008 at 6:00 p.m. Rifici's Ristorante 308 Whitehorse Pike Absecon, New Jersey
Call Alison for tickets - 609-795-4292 Donation $15 ($20 at the door)
This is Spot. He was rescued by Jessica as he was standing on a median between 4 crowded lanes of highway. He was terrified and desperate for a way across the highway. Luckily for him, Jessica saw him and was able to entice him into her car with leftovers from dinner. He has horrible cuts around his neck from being chained tightly, a far too common occurrence for dogs on the island. Jessica is taking care of him but needs to find placement for him in at least a foster home if not permanent situation. If you can help by taking this gorgeous boy in, please email Jessica at jessica.baretty@gmail.com.
These three big boys are really in need of homes. Rex has been in foster care in Puerto Rico for over 4 months. He is a gorgeous and sweet rottweiler and it would be perfect for him to go to a rotti rescue who would know how to properly place him. I have had the other two gorgeous boys here with me for about 3 weeks. I love them both - they are terrific dogs - but they don't love each other. That means I can only have one at my house at a time. Right now Drake is with me and Kerr is in boarding. That's all fine but it's not cheap to keep them in a good boarding facility and truthfully they really need to go to their forever homes soon so they don't get attached and have to be uprooted again. Kerr is 60lbs and about 2 years old and he is very smart. He is gorgeous and sweet though he does have problems with some male dogs and I don't trust him with cats. Drake is 45lbs and 2-3 years old. He is just the sweetest most loveable dog every. He loves being outside but would sit next to you on the couch forever if he could. He's been great with all dogs other than Kerr and he's even okay with my cats (though I would never leave them alone together). If you are looking for a big boy to add to your family, I can hook you up!
Thank you so much to the Mid-Atlantic German Shepherd Rescue for taking in our beautiful boy, Kaiser, and for finding him a wonderful home! You can find out more about Kaiser's new family on his very own blog!
This is Brownie but we should call him "bano" because the poor guy has basically been living in a bathroom at a factory in Bayamon for nearly 2 months! We've been trying to find someone who could get him to the vet but it's finally happened and he is safe and sound. And gorgeous! He tested negative for heartworms which is HUGE! He was neutered this morning and has received all his vaccinations. Thank you so much to Michelle for taking care of him while awaiting his transportation and to Giselle for getting him to the vet. And dear Sabine has offered to foster him until we can get him to the states. Hurray for a great collaborative efforts!
The first picture is of this little girl about 3 weeks ago right after she showed up at the beach. And now, looks like she is preggers, which is probably why she was dumped. We just took in 8 puppies from the beach plus the others we have in vet/foster care so we need donations to get her in. Hopefully she's early enough for spay but I don't like doing it if it's after 4 weeks gestation.
Alyssa was rescued at the spay/neuter effort in July. She was newly pregnant but seemed in really great health. A few weeks later she began vaginal bleeding and it was determined that she had a transmissible venereal tumor which is basically a doggie STD. It is treated with great success using chemotherapy. She received her first treatment on Tuesday and is doing very well. She'll have to have 3-4 more treatments before the tumors and condition will be considered in remission.
Our little Nadja is heading off to the big world tomorrow! She will be on her way to St. Hubert's Animal Welfare Center in New Jersey bright and early tomorrow morning. Nadja was rescued with her two puppies, Alexis and Alanis. Unfortunately the babies didn't make it but Miss Nadja is a little pistol and will make a fantastic pet for a lucky person!
I received this update from Alicia at Second Chance Rescue Animal Rescue in Villalba, Puerto Rico concerning their rescue, Destiny, and a Dead Dog Beach girl, Ginger who was rescued by Amigos de los Animales:
Hello it's Alicia from Second Chance. I wanted to let you know how our Destiny is doing. She has had to undergo yet another surgery, but is getting there. She sure has an unbelievable will! The pic I am sending still shows just how thin she is, but again she is getting there. She is able to move around and is getting stronger compared to the how she was when we first got her in. Bonnie changes her bandages at least 3X a day because the stronger she gets the more she has been moving around and the bandage slips. The way it looks right now and assuming there are no complications she will be coming back to Illinois with me in the begining of December.
I also wanted to let you know that this passed weekend Ginger came to Chicago. She is adjusting wonderfully and I can honestly say she is as close to a perfect dog anyone can ask for! Hopefully we can get her in a forever home soon!
Sandra took six puppies in to the vet on Tuesday. Unfortunately one of them, poor little Nelly, didn't make it through the night. And Elsie is still fighting diarrhea. But the rest seem to be doing well. Keep your fingers crossed for them to all get healthy and into foster and adoptive homes soon!
Thank you to all you wonderful and compassionate people who sent donations in for the puppies at the beach! Sami and Sally were rescued on Friday and Sandra took another 6 off yesterday! I will get the update on everyone's condition today and will let you know. I know Sandra was concerned about Elsie and Nelly so keep your thoughts up for those two especially.
And many have been asking about the poor little dog that was dumped near death at the beach on Sunday. I'm actually happy to say he died before Sandra arrived back there on Monday morning - I can only hope that his passing was quick and that he did not suffer all night. Sandra couldn't tell what it seemed killed him but she said she notice several small infected wounds on him and he had a needle imbedded in one of his front paws. He was around 8 months old at weighed about 30 pounds.
Thanks to the donations of some kind souls, Sami and Sally are now at the vet and seem to be in decent condition. They have big bloated bellies so we're keeping a close eye on them but at least they are getting the help they need. But there are still 6 more puppies in the puppy room at the beach (that is a concrete room in the abandoned boathouse where Sandra puts the little ones - she props up an old piece of corrugated metal against the door to keep them from escaping.) and there is a huge storm already over the island and the whole place is soaked. We need to get those little ones off the beach as soon as possible but need donations for sponsorship.
This sweetheart has been living at the Walgreens parking lot in Yabucoa for a couple of months. She was originally at the beach but then Sandra saw her at Walgreens and she's stayed there since then. I was in Yabucoa in July and this super sweet girl came running up to me for loving (okay, and probably food) and come to find out that was Gina! She was pregnant at the time but we had nowhere to take her to have her puppies safely. Sandra hadn't seen her for a few weeks until yesterday when she showed up - still at Walgreens - but with no puppies. Gina was with another female but Sandra couldn't find the puppies anywhere.
This poor dog was dumped at the beach near death in the pouring rain. Sandra found him this morning and there are no vets in the area openon Sundays. Sandra could only move him inside the building out of the rain and onto dry papers. I told her that if he is still alive in the morning to take him to the vet and have him euthanized. I'm trying to get someone now who will go to the beach and get him and take him to an open vet in San Juan.
I received a donation today from a wonderful supporter and she asked that it go towards rescuing Sally from the beach. I went to pull Sally's picture to post her on the blog and I saw the face of her sister, Sami, and I couldn't leave her there so I told Sandra to go ahead and get her, too. Then I saw the little terriers Dexter and Derek and thought "well they have to come off, too" so I told Sandra to get them as well. Then I saw Nelly and Elsie and it takes everything out of me to not have her get them as well. And there are so many others. How can I leave them there at the beach to die??? But how can I afford to take them all? It's at least $200 PER DOG to get them all vetted and fostered for the time needed before they are then sent to the states (and that's more money) - and that's if there are no health problems. Then there's the issue of where to put them while they are getting all of their shots. We can't leave them at the vet for 3+ weeks - it's too expensive and puppies are too susceptible to all the disease passing through vet offices plus they don't get much socialization at all. But there are just never enough foster homes to take them in. We are not the only ones out there rescuing dogs from the streets or beaches and there are too few homes where we can put them for the period needed until they come to the states. What are we to do? My heart is so sick every day thinking of each of those precious little animals there alone and hungry and sick just waiting for someone to help them. And it's just not possible to help them all. But how am I supposed to choose which one lives and which one dies? And WHY DO I - AND SANDRA AND ALL THE OTHER PEOPLE WHO HAVE HEARTS - HAVE TO BE THE ONES TO MAKE THESE HORRIBLE DECISIONS??? It's okay that the world isn't fair to me, I'm a human and I can take it - but it's NOT okay that it isn't fair to Sally. And Sami. And Dexter and Derek and Elsie and Nelly and Tammi and Stephanie and and and.....
Look at little Dot's new home!!! She was adopted from our adoption event at Petsmart last weekend. Her mom, Leslie, just adores her and says Dot's a happy happy girl!
This little beauty was rescued by a kind woman in Puerto Rico. The dog, who is blind, was wandering the streets and would certainly not have made it much longer without help. Lucero is a very sweet little girl though shy at first - she trembles when first touched but quickly settles down. She is 2-3 years old and only 10 lbs. She needs a special home with someone who would be prepared to deal with a dog with her disability. She is completely blind in one eye but the vet believes she can at least see shadows from the other. If you are interested in adopting Lucero, please contact Ingrid at ingridingridcaribenet8@gmail.com.
Remember Patrice, the beautiful blind kitty that was trapped behind the wall at Peggy's house for 10 days? Well she's happy and sassy and having a gala benefit on October 12.
We are now set up with Trilogy International to get a percentage of pet food sales made under our name! The Trilogy foods, called "Life's Abundance", are premium pet foods and are made in Palm City, Florida, about 2 miles from where I work. Yes, the food seems pricey but it is soooooo much better than the "over the counter" stuff. And in the long run, better nutrition for your pets means fewer visits to the vet and a healthier and longer life for them. The company has an auto-ship program and you can set up to receive the food every 2 week, 2 months, or whatever works for you. In order for Hands for Paws to get credit for your purchase, please go to our site at HANDS FOR PAWS - TRILOGY to order. To find out more about the foods sold by Trilogy, see the information below and check out the videos.
"Although you may think all pet food manufacturers have your pet’s best interests in mind, this is not always the case. Current pet food regulations allow manufacturers to use ingredients that you would never knowingly give to your pet. In fact, you may be shocked to learn what some brands of pet food really contain. Watch this short presentation before you commit to a brand of food for your loving companion."
Our web geniuses Allison and Scottie have figured out how to allow for monthly donations to be taken out automatically! People have been asking for this a lot in the past and this will help so much with those who want to send a donation every month and not have to worry about all the hassle of stamps and envelopes and remembering to do it! You can pledge $5, $10, or $20 a month. Just go to the DONATE page!
I guess it was a good day for little black puppies!!! Jaina, Dot, and Gretel all got adopted and are in wonderful homes now! You can see Jaina's big sister, Emily, has her all wrapped up in a blanket treating her like a baby! And Jaina was FINE with it all! Take a look at the video! Dot is destined for a fantastic home with her new mom Leslie. Leslie came all the way from Jacksonville to adopt Dot and I think it's going to be a beautiful relationship! Miss Gretel one the hearts of her new mom and dad over by just looking up with them with those pitiful eyes! She now has a home with a big brother, a Chihuahua named Pooch, and adjusted very quickly to her new surroundings. Thanks to all the awesome volunteers - Sam, Lisa, Courtney, Angel, Lyndsay, Casey and Ivy, everything went smoothly and efficiently. So we had a very successful day and hope for many more in the future.
Remember precious little Beth who was adopted out in April? Well yesterday at our adoption event at Petsmart, this cute little dog comes prancing through the doors. I thought she looked familiar but then I looked at the couple with her and recognized them as Beth's adopters! Look at how gorgeous she is with her mom and dad and big brother Bisha! She's all grown up and so sweet!
We were all so nervous about Hurricane Ike that was heading right towards Smiling Dog Farms where Laila and Traer were recently sent. But it seems they dodged the bullet and there was no harm done to the property or the dogs. Hurray! See below from Jay at the sanctuary:
I am writing this a little early in the day because I am looking out the home-office window at the sun, as it is setting in the western sky! It seems impossible that a day ago we were anticipating the worst as Hurricane Ike hurtled across the Gulf toward us.
I wrote last night that it seemed like we had dodged the bullet. Today I can confirm that!
Everyone here at the farm is celebrating that the storm missed us. Jacqueline decided to dress up in her pink summer sun dress, wearing the strap provocatively low on her shoulder!
As the night passed and the hurricane relentlessly pressed across Galveston Island and then up into Houston, we were fortunate to have only a few mild rain showers, and an occasional wind gust. We lost our power very briefly around 2:00 AM -- but the generator turned itself on and in less than half an hour, we were back on the power grid. So we never skipped a beat.
This morning, the extent of the damage to the farm consisted of one tree completely knocked down and one tree with a major limb torn off. Other than leaves and twigs scattered across the property, that was the only damage!
The day dawned clear and dry. Clarence, our team leader, came in early on his day off and did a quick tour of the property. All was well everywhere. For the animals, it was an uneventful night like any other.
We are very grateful that we were spared. We realize that many of our friends in Houston and Galveston and other parts of the state did not fare as well as we did. Our hearts go out to those whose homes were damaged or destroyed, or who will live without electricity for several weeks as the massive damage from Hurricane Ike is repaired.
By Carlos Martinez Rivera, Associated Press Writer
BAYAMON, Puerto Rico — A Puerto Rican judge on Wednesday found a contractor and two of his workers not guilty of animal cruelty in a highly publicized massacre of dogs and cats seized from a housing project and hurled off a bridge last year.
Following weeks of testimony, Superior Court Judge Miguel Fabre ruled prosecutors did not show sufficient evidence to make a finding of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, telling the court that investigators had no witnesses linking the trio to the pets' deaths in October.
A visibly relieved Julio Diaz, owner of Animal Control Solutions, and workers Lucas Montano Rivera and Roberto Rodriguez Ceballo shook hands with supporters outside the courtroom.
"This process has been a disgrace and justice was achieved. The only thing I have done is protect animals," said Diaz, who had repeatedly denied responsibility for the pets' deaths in press and court statements.
The three had faced animal-cruelty charges that carry maximum prison terms of nine years.
The killings of roughly 80 pets seized from a housing project in Barceloneta, a town along Puerto Rico's north-central coast, brought revulsion around the world and triggered calls for tourist boycotts of the tropical U.S. territory.
After Fabre's ruling, defense attorney Manuel Reyes Davila blasted the nearly yearlong investigation into Diaz and his company, calling it "shortsighted and biased."
Nearby, a few animal activists decried the ruling.
"This is a cruelty!" shouted Mery Donate Branches, bursting into tears.
Diaz and his two employees had earlier waived their right to a jury, saying finding impartial jurors would be impossible due to the heavy publicity surrounding the case.
The contractor has blamed the municipality of Barceloneta for seizing the animals and said he didn't know who threw them from the bridge along a highway that runs between Barceloneta and San Juan. Only a half-dozen survived the 50-foot fall, some with serious injuries.
Municipal officials in Barceloneta said they hired Animal Control Solutions to remove pets from housing projects, believing that regulations banned them.
Public prosecutor Zulma Delgado told reporters she did not intend to appeal Fabre's ruling.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
There are lots of things going on but nothing really exciting to report. We have an adoption event at Petsmart tomorrow but aren't going to have all the puppies we were planning on having because Amerijet has booked hazardous cargo on board so that means the dogs can't fly.
I'm actually sending Dot and the 3 black puppies Jaina, Jan, and Jamie (Jazz was adopted by her foster mom) via American Airline cargo tonight because I have to have Dot here for an adopter who's been waiting for her - it will cost over $500 to get the 4 of them here but it is what it is!
Keep Smiling Dog Farms in your thoughts and prayers because they are directly in the path of Hurricane Ike. They have over 400 dogs there so it's not feasible for them to evacuate. Our darling Laila and Traer are there and I am worried sick about them.
We're still working on getting Dano, the gorgeous German shepherd, to the vet and all checked up and healthy. He's been living in Michelle's bathroom for over a month but we've been waiting for enough money to take care of his vet bills. The money is here now but we have to get him to the vet. Hopefully that will be done today.
Poor Alyssa, who was rescued in July at the spay/neuter event, has been diagnosed with transmissible venereal tumor (tvt) which is basically cancer. She will be starting her chemotherapy next week which will take a treatment a week for 4-5 treatments. She will also have to be kept separate from other dogs during that time because the cancer can be spread to other dogs. If you remember, Drake had the same thing but he was treated and is a fine and happy boy now.
I have Kerr and Drake here and they are just awesome boys! Unfortunately they HATE each other so I can't have both at my home. Right now I have Kerr at home and Drake in boarding and I'll keep switching until one or both is adopted.
We are also still working on getting Quijote to his new home in Virginia. It's been a saga to end all sagas! Quijote was rescued by Jessica Baretty and he was a horrible mess with a badly broken leg. He's all fixed up and GORGEOUS now but everything possible has gone wrong with the transfer of him from Jessica to Norma, his new mom.
Beautiful Shilah arrived at the beach with her puppy, Sheryl. The puppy disappeared a couple of days later and has not been seen again. And Shilah all of the sudden appeared with horrible wounds on her body that weren't there when she first arrived at the beach. It appears she was the victim of the cruel pastime of spraying dogs with battery acid. Yes, I said battery acid. You can see the horrible chemical burns on her body. They are healing well now but it is a sick reminder of how horrible humans can be. But lucky Shilah found one of the good ones yesterday at our first Petsmart adoption event. She now has a big sister, Lava, who is a retired racing greyhound. Shilah looks just like a mini-Lava! Shilah will have lots of room to run and play with her new big sis and has a new mom and dad that love her so much already.
We had our first adoption event since being accepted as a Petsmart charity! We took Drake, Shilah, and Peanut Butter and things went great! Shilah was adopted and is going to her new home today! And it was a great time for Drake to get "out and about" and meet people. He's such a sweet sweet boy but hasn't ever really been on a leash or around lots of people - he did so well! Thank you so much to David and Petsmart for letting us take over their lobby! And thank you to Sam, Courtney, Angel, and Cat for spending their Saturday with me and the pooches! Oh, and the famous Cooper made an appearance! His mom brought him by for a visit!
Take a look at these little darlings! These are Yadira's puppies who were dumped at the beach at only about 9-10 days old. Sandra has been taking great care of them and they are now ready to start eating on their own and will be ready for foster care soon.
Take a look at this lucky girl! She was rescued with her 3 siblings and found a home in less than 24 hours of landing! She is a little darling with lots of energy and now she has 3 acres and 3 kids! I have a feeling she slept VERY well last night!
I have to consider myself one of the luckiest people on this planet! A looooong time ago there were two beautiful but shy girls who were abandoned at Dead Dog Beach. They were pointer mixes so I naturally named them "The Pointer Sisters" and named one Ruth and the other June. They were so shy at first that the best picture Sandra could get of them barely showed their eyes they were so far away! But with love and patience, they slowly came around and were part of the pack that greeted Sandra every day for food and love. Fast-forward to Katie Block of Island Dog taking on their case and voila, they are rescued and safe! We brought them to the Humane Society of the Treasure Coast in Palm City, Florida. Both girls had heartworm and TCHS has a program called Tracey's Rangers that treats heartworm-positive dogs. The girls were TERRIFIED during their stay at the shelter - they had never been separated, which they had to be as on June had kennel cough - and the shelter was a loud and scary place for girls used to roaming freely on the beach. But soon they were put into foster homes for their care and rehabilitation and the lucky lucky girls were adopted! But when they were adopted the new parents new nothing of the other sister since the girls had been separated. Fast-forward once again and one foster parent heard of the Pointer Sisters and realized her little angel had a sister! Soon afterwards the girls were reunited for a play date and to everyone's excitement - and tears - they recognized each other IMMEDIATELY!!! Both families now get together for play dates often and the girls are just joyful little angels. They were terrified for weeks at their new homes but I know from experience (i.e. Cooper) that getting a fearful dog to lick your face or not scatter when you sneeze is one of the most rewarding works ever. And all three parents, Phil and Ronnie who have June (now named Miles) and Terry who had Ruth (now named Bug) have been able to reap the joys of those experiences. And I was lucky enough to be invited into the "fold" last weekend (and got a fantastic home-cooked meal out of it!) to join in the celebration of Ruth and June's fabulous journey. I am so thankful to TCHS for giving these girls the care they needed and finding such fabulous homes for them - and for Katie and Island Dog for their work in getting the girls safe and vetted - and to Ronnie, Phil, and Terry for giving them the best homes they could possibly ask for.
Pretty Sadie was adopted out last February as a tiny little girl but came back to me about a month ago as her family was just not prepared to have such an energetic pup! Sadie found a new home quickly and despite a rough first introduction to Ringo, the resident boss dog of the household, they are now best of friends! Sadie has a big backyard to romp in and a buddy to wrestle with to get out all that crazy puppiness!
Brownie - who is now named Strike - is doing great in foster care! He was rescued from a factory in Bayamon and came through his vetting just great - no heartworm or any serious issues! He's neutered now and has all his shots. He should remain in foster care for another week just to get him all "up to date" but he is a beautiful and sweet boy. Anyone interested in a gorgeous German shepherd, Strike may be your boy!
