Yet more puppies

More puppies were dumped at the beach yesterday.

Already home!

In one of the quickest turnarounds from landing in the states to a wonderful home, Rex went to his new home today after arriving only 2 days ago! Barbara and Wheldon had been waiting for him for TWO MONTHS but the flights kept getting canceled or there wasn't enough money to pay for the flight. They had just about given up when all the planets aligned and Rex made it safely to Florida. He stayed in boarding for 2 days then his new mom and dad met him there and they all fell in love instantly! Rex now has a big backyard to romp in and two people who already adore him. Thank you to everyone - Sandra, Barbara, Kerry, Mary, Bob and Carolyn and Jessica - for making this happen.

Help our vets help our dogs!

Economic hard times are hitting everyone, I know, but we are about $2,200 in debt to two of our vets (one in Puerto Rico and one in Florida). They have been so gracious in letting me pay bits at a time but both are now asking for as much of the bill to be taken care of as soon as possible. Any donations to help me clear up our debt and help out our vets would be graciously accepted.

New puppies

The two little white ones plus a litter of 7 puppies showed up in the puppy room yesterday. We're working to get them off the beach ASAP.

Rex finally arrives!!!

Beautiful Rex is finally here! He had been in foster care for nearly a year and finally landed in Florida today. He is at The Contented Canine having a BLAST and his potential adoptive family will meet him tomorrow so keep your fingers crossed! (Thanks Kerry for the pictures)

Fifteen happy pups arrive in Florida!

They're here!!! Fifteen dogs - including 6 from the beach - arrived safely and happily today and are already in the process of adoption! Phoebe, Peggy, Jill, Amy, and Adriana, our beach girls, along with 9 dogs from other rescuers, are at the Humane Society of the Treasure Coast in Palm City, Florida and will be going up for adoption soon. Rex, the gorgeous rottweiler, is in foster care with Kerry at The Contented Canine in Palm City - he has a potential adoptive family that will meet him tomorrow morning - they have been waiting 2 months for Rex to get here!

Thank you so much to Mary, Dorene, Susy, Barbara, Gina, Sabine, Marilu, Giselle, and Will for sending such beautiful dogs and also BIG thanks for Bob and Carolyn from Miami for doing the trip (they picked the dogs up in Miami from the airport and brought them 100 miles north to the shelter).

UPDATE: Check out their profiles at Treasure Coast! They're already up for adoption!

Beautiful girls still looking for a home

Look at these pretty girls! Christy and Pitusa were rescued last year by Michelle and Maritza from near a factory in Bayamon. Christy had a litter of 11 puppies! Pitusa was the aunt and helped Christy take care of the babies. Two of the puppies died before they could be rescued but the rest were healthy and gorgeous and were all adopted. Momma and auntie flew to North Carolina for foster care with Rebecca. They have been doing terrific but both are still in need of good homes. See the info below from Rebecca and let me know if you can add a couple of wonderful girls into your life!

Personality wise, you couldn't ask for nicer dogs. Christy is the more dominant. Pitusa can be a little shy but warms up quickly. Both of them are full of life and very loving - they both curl up with me on the sofa at every chance. Pitusa is so sweet that when I feed them, she will not even eat if she can get attention instead - Christy, however, doesn't miss a beat. I had to feed them separately for the first few months because Christy would take all the food and Pitusa would let her. Now they do fine together with the food - but both are picky. Most days, they leave part of the dry food. Not bad for dogs that were starving! Both of them take treats like little ladies. They do ok with a couple of my dogs but there are still some dominant female issues with others. Fortunately, I have extra rooms and fences, so it's not a problem. They chase the cats, however, so they should not be with cats at all. My cats stay in the sunroom because I have another dog that just goes crazy over them. Both of them love to play fetch (they don't return it too well) and tug-of-war. Christy can jump a good 4 feet so she would need to be with someone with a secure fence. I'd love to see them stay together. Both of them are good companion dogs, good both inside and outside. Pitusa won't even try to escape. Christy has to be kept on a leash going between the fence and the house. Neither shows any aggression with any people and are accepting of my 3-year old grandson. All of the dogs that have come from Puerto Rico just want to be loved and every one of them have made good pets.

HTML kitty

In case anyone is wondering why it takes me so long to answer emails ...........

Amy and babies

Amy (now called Princessa) and her babies - plus Jill and her babies - will be flying to St. Hubert's Animal Welfare Center in Madison, New Jersey this week! Thanks so much to Will Cassius and Amigos de los Animales for this rescue!

Paris Hilton a.k.a Punkin a.k.a. Doodle

The oh-so-adorable Paris found the most wonderful home she could have ever dreamed of! Christine from Amigos de los Animales found this terrific couple and they absolutely ADORE her, neuro tics and all!

This weekend's trash

Sandra says the first two - the mangey boy and the Chihuahua mix - are very sweet and the other two are sweet but more timid. I asked Sandra to get the mangey dog off as soon as possible as well. He is another case of outright abuse. Playa Lucia in Yabucoa, Puerto Rico is a snapshot of the shame of an entire island.

This is absolute animal cruelty

This little guy was dumped at the beach this weekend. Sandra says he is very sweet which is shocking given his physical condition. There is NO EXCUSE for ANYONE letting an animal get to this condition. Make no mistake - neglect is abuse. And even a person who even SAW this dog in this condition and did nothing is guilty of abuse. It is absolutely outrageous and makes my blood boil. I told Sandra she could get him off the beach ASAP and at least get him shaved - he has to be miserable!

Muchas muchas gracias

I want to thank Barb, the owner of Aristacat Pet Sitting in Port St. Lucie, Florida. She has taken me on as a pet sitter while I get my professional career back on track (I was laid off at the beginning of the month). Barb is a great person and even adopted one of our little loves, Frida (now called Sammy). She's even got a link on her page for our rescues.

Next crew off the beach

Tanya, Karen, Stephanie, Tyler, Luna, Gina, Dalmatian mom, and Becky are the next bunch we're trying to get off the beach. We need donations to cover their rescues. Some of these babies have been at the beach for a very long time and it's their turn to get a shot at the wonderful life they deserve.

More heroes!

Liz from Amigos de los Animales made the mistake of taking her heart with her on a trip to the beach yesterday. She ended up taking the two black pups, a tiny baby who is the only pup of a dalmatian at the beach, and the poodle, which is apparently a SCHnoodle. The dogs are named Victor, Genevieve, Nora, and Madelaine. Poor Madelaine was so matted that her hair was pulling away from her skin! All the dogs are safe at Dr. Ramos - you can get the full "run down" on the day at Liz' blog. And donations are more than welcome at the Amigos de los Animales website. (photos courtesy of Liz Kracht and Sandra Cintron)

It's a comin'....

I've been working on the calendar and even have a printer who is willing to do it at cost! Hopefully it will be to the printer by the end of the month and available for purchase soon!

Just an average day a mi casa

Here are some videos from August when a total of 12 dogs were at my house for adoption!!! You can see Dennise, Ellie, Vicky, Maggie, Nutter Butter, Barney, Natalie, Rosalie, and Jillian arrived on the flight - Maggie, Vicky and Nutter Butter went to the Humane Society of the Treasure Coast in Palm City and Dennise, Ellie, Barney and Rosalie were adopted from my home. Jillian was a rescue of Yolanda's and she already had a home when she arrived. Pinky, Laila, and Traer were already with me - Pinky was later adopted and Laila and Traer went to Smiling Dog Farms Sanctuary in Wharton, Texas.

Videos from the beach

I just came across these old videos yesterday. They were taken from the beach in July when we went for a rescue trip. Kerr, Alyssa, Dennis and Darcy were all rescued on that trip.

Pups to fly

All these babies, plus more, are getting all spiffed up and ready to fly to come to Florida for adoption. They are Rex, Phoebe and Peggy, Gaby, Adriana and two girls (Sofia and Cristina) from another rescuer. All will be going to the Humane Society of the Treasure Coast in Palm City, Florida except for Rex who will go into boarding as he has a potential adopter.

Mom's and pups are safe!

Thanks to Will and Amigos de los Animales, all of these angels are safe now. Jill and her puppies and Amy and her puppies have all been rescued. Sadly, one of the puppies didn't make it but 7 are with Mary in Salinas and are doing well and Amy and Jill are with Barbara in Carolina. Amy and Jill need another 10 days of foster care and then they will come to the states for adoption. The puppies will stay with Mary for at least 3 weeks. The average cost of a dog from beach to adoption is $250, especially for the pups who need extended care. If you'd like to help with these little ones, visit the Amigos de los Animales website to donate.

It never ends

These two little ones were dumped off yesterday.

Cute new pup at the beach

Isn't he adorable! Sandra says he's young and sweet. We're working on getting him off the beach - and a good haircut!

Phoebe and Peggy are safe!

Peggy and Phoebe had been at the beach for about a month! But we finally managed to get them rescued and they are safely in foster care with Susy in Caguas. Thank you Sandra and Susy!

And they're off!

Terrific news on 12 of the puppies from the beach! Sandy Soroka and Island Dog sponsored these little angels to fly to the Heart and Soul Animal Sanctuary in Santa Fe, New Mexico to a shelter for adoption! Here they are all lined up and ready to fly! And there's little Gidget snuggling with Sandy's dog, Frida, at Sandy's home before the flight. Donations are still gladly accepted for the over $2,000 in vet and shipping costs - please go to Island Dog to donate. Thank you so much for rescuing these angels!!

Saying goodbye to Jake

This is very sad news of our beloved Jake. His mom, Sandy, sent me this email over the weekend. Jake was an old boy who was originally picked up from the beach by animal control and would have been euthanized had we not rescued him. He came here for adoption and I thought "who's going to adopt a 10-year-old dog who's blind in one eye and has medical issues?". But his picture and story in my local paper was all that was needed for a wonderful woman in Ft. Pierce to fall in love with him. Jake was adopted to Sandy in August 2008 and had a wonderful life before he died.

I am so grief stricken it has taken me a while to notify you. My beloved Pancho (aka "Old Man Jake") has passed away. He died peacefully in his sleep as he and I were taking a nap together on a lazy Saturday afternoon. It was a surprising and sudden event. It was 2 days before he was scheduled to have extensive blood work done for a myriad of age related problems. His home visiting vet, the wonderful Dr. Kattis Stengard of Vero Beach, concluded that he may have had an undiagnosed cancer or cardiac problem. She figured that he was closer to 14 years of age than the 9-10 we all assumed.

Pancho is buried under a leaning pine tree (we now call it the Pancho tree) overlooking the ocean. My friends all tell me he had a happy restful retirement home and was ready to go back to the beach where he could hear the ocean and sleep in peace. This only makes me sad because I miss him so much. He was such a loving, gentle, undemanding creature. He never asked for much except a satisfied tummy and a leisurely stroll.

I would love to adopt a senior pet again, but I am not yet ready. I am attaching the photo you had of Pancho on the beach in Puerto Rico and one of his last pics at home on the sofa. It would be great if you would include him in your upcoming calendar.

Calling all chefs!

I'm FINALLY starting to work on the cookbook fundraiser and am going to need lots of help with it. Mainly I need recipes for the book. It will be a vegetarian cookbook (that means, obviously, no animal products including fish, gelatin, etc..) and the theme will be Puerto Rican cuisine. There will be photos and stories of rescues throughout the book - only the good stories, of course - it's got to be appetizing! So please send me your recipes! Put the name of the dish as the subject and make sure you include your name and your contact information (address, phone, email). And if you have a Puerto Rico rescue you want to shout about, include a good high-quality photo and a brief story about how the dog was rescued and what it's life is like now. Here's the link for the fundraiser cookbook company I'm planning to use - you can look through the website and I'm ALL EARS for any ideas!

Morris Cookbooks

Harmony, Florida

It does sound a bit "Stepford Wives" but also really awesome! This is the sort of thing I want to do but have it be a real "dog town". It wouldn't be a housing community - no homes - for people, that is. But the idea is a pet-centric town center with for-profit businesses supporting the rescue/shelter.

When we found our new home, we found a place of neighbors. A relaxed yet tight-knit community of friendly people, living side-by-side with pristine Florida nature and wildlife. A pet-inspired town that captures the beauty of Old Florida while offering the strong cultural foundation to live harmoniously and securely in the 21st century.

Today we live in an environmentally intelligent community – in ENERGY STAR® efficient homes, surrounded by charming walkable parks and 7,700 acres of designated open space. We learn, eat and play within easy walking distance of our homes. We enjoy afternoons golfing on Central Florida’s only Johnny-Miller-designed championship golf preserve, a challenging course rated 4 ½ stars by Golf Digest magazine. We fish and canoe in the unbroken peace of nearly 1,000 acres of protected private lakes, and we chat with our neighbors at the dog park or from our porches each morning before we begin working from our home office.

Our children can conveniently walk to school from kindergarten through their senior year in high school, all while enjoying the benefits of a well-rounded education. And at night, we enjoy peaceful strolls down quiet streets under a clear starry sky, stunningly free of light pollution from the city.

When we found our new home, we found more than simply a great place to live. We found an investment in today and the future, a wonderful place to grow up and spend our golden years, a planned community to truly love and believe in.

Harmony, Florida

Ellie-pup update

Ellie is the very shy little girl who was rescued from the beach last July - she had a fish hook through her lip when Sandra first met her. Well, she's not shy anymore! Here's a recent picture and note from her new home. These are the messages that make all of the heartache seem worthwhile:

Well here is a current picture of the hyper ventilating, tail tucking, ears pinned back dog that you once knew. As you can tell by the picture, she is well into feeling right at home! Her favorite thing in the whole world is running and wrestling with the other dogs at the dog park. She is the instigator while she is there and never wants to leave.

Another hero steps up!

The wonderful Sandy Soroka swooped down to the beach today and took TWELVE pups to safety!!! Here they all are in the kennels on their way to the vet. Sandy has contacts in Albuquerque, NM and the pups will be heading there on Saturday and off to their new lives! If anyone would like to make a donation to Sandy to help with the vet bills and shipping, you can contact her at vailkid99@aol.com but make the donations through Island Dog. So now, only Phoebe and Peggy are left at the beach and they will be going to their foster home on Saturday as well. Hopefully we'll have a little respite before the beach gets full again.

How am I 'posed to get any work done with this Ellie girl!!??

Come dream with me...

I want to tell you all my dream. I'm telling you because I really believe this can work but I have no idea how to go about getting something like this off the ground. Tell me what you think:

People of the world, I present to you DOG TOWN! Yeah, I need a better name, but just go with it for now. The basic concept is a rescue/sanctuary/adoption center supported by animal-oriented businesses. Picture a quaint little "Main Street" with shade trees and doggie watering spots - and some fake fire hydrants! - and shops along the street. A veterinarian offering full-services, including low-cost spay/neuter. A grooming salon, doggie boutique and "bark"-ery, state-of-the-art boarding facility, training facility (obedience, agility, etc..) ... And a big 20-acre dog park with winding trails and agility courses and watering spots and ponds and off-leash areas and picnic tables and ???? People would come from MILES to go shopping in a beautiful dog-friendly "town" where they can get all their doggie needs met. AND support the sanctuary!

Can you picture this? Am I crazy? (okay, don't answer that) But those "for profit" businesses would support the sanctuary/rescue. And it wouldn't be just dogs, of course - there'd be a big indoor/outdoor "suburb" for FIV+ cats and stables for horses and sheep and big enclosures for bunnies and chickens.... It's sort of a "Best Friends Animal Sanctuary" on steroids.

Whew, that feels much better getting it all out. Does anyone have any idea how one would get something like this into motion? I am VERY serious about this. Please let me know your thoughts.

Check out our new ride!

Dave Jackson, volunteer extraordinaire, donated this vehicle to us! Dave lives in Ft. Lauderdale and is the trooper who makes the early morning runs to Miami to pick dogs up from the airport and deliver them to shelters or foster homes in my area. He's been so amazingly helpful with that then to top it all off, he donated this 2001 Ford Explorer to us to use for events! I have a little Toyota Echo which barely holds me and a small crate - so this will be so useful for carting dogs, kennels, boxes and tables to and from events so I don't have to rent a van. Thank you so much Dave!

Rachel

Rachel hasn't been seen at the beach in over a week and Sandra believes she has died. Rachel had been at the beach for over 8 years hanging with the "pack" of Dana, Danya, Darlene, and Harley. Rachel was one of the dogs taken in during a TNR (trap, neuter, release) event we had at the beach 3 years ago. She had been looking pretty sick lately (first picture) but she was just too feral to be caught without a mass effort. Sandra hasn't found her body yet but expects that she will stumble on it sometime soon. Poor, beautiful Rachel.

More great people!

Some wonderful visitors from New York saw the horrific conditions at the beach and took Jill and her 4 puppies and Amy and her 5 puppies! The puppies are in care at Dr. Vasquez' office and Amy and Jill are staying with Barbara in Carolina while they get ready for adoption. Another great story!!!

Hurray for Island Dog!

Katie from Island Dog came in an took these 8 beauties to get healthy and take to Maryland for adoption: Julie, Gretchen, Sabrina, Leslie, Lannie, Freddie, Heidi, and Tito. Julie, Sabrina and Tito are already in Baltimore. Freddy is at Dr. Ramos' office getting his skin clear so he too can go up for adoption. Thank you Katie!!!

Why do cats do this???

Delia has the whoolllleee big bed but she just has to be on that one tiny little item, a dish cloth, that didn't get put away from the laundry. They ALWAYS do that! It's like they're claiming that one little piece of "property" as their own. I bet if they could stick a flag with a kitty face on it they would!

Photos from the reunion

I realized that I never posted the pics from the reunion that were taken by Sherry at Santino Photography! Go HERE to see them.

Update on Wilson

Look at this scrubby-clean little doll! Wilson was rescued from Dead Dog Beach by Adri with Amigos de los Animales. He was adopted by the man who had adopted Bruce about a year ago. Unfortunately Bruce had some serious medical issues that couldn't be fixed and had to be euthanized. Bruce's owner has never gotten over the loss of that beautiful boy but he now has the beautiful and precious Wilson to fill much of the hole in his heart. Congratulations to Wilson!!!

Pretty Alyssa

This is Alyssa's new favorite hiding spot at boarding. She's been at The Contented Canine in Palm City for about 2 months. The owner, Kerry, says she gets along great with all the dogs and is just a sweet little girl. Alyssa is looking for her forever home. Check out her PETFINDER PROFILE.

Two beautiful P.R. cats need homes

A woman in Puerto Rico who has helped out a lot with rescues is in a predicament right now and needs to place her two cats:

I have two cats and was just diagnosed with asthma and can't keep them. The thought of giving them up kills me but not breathing will kill me faster! They were both strays. The girl was found by a friend of mine in her backyard, she must have been about three weeks old, and so I took her home. I made an appointment to have her spayed but unfortunately just before her appointment she got out and pregnant. She had three kittens. One died, I kept one, Max, and the other I gave it to a friend of mine.

Shaddy: She is almost five years old and is a calico, tricolor cat. She is very independent, likes to go out and only goes over to you when she wants food or a little love. She is very docile and sweet. She is use to being indoors and does not wonder far from her home. She likes to be in high places so she will climb everywhere, she is a master at it.

Max is Shaddy’s son he is four years old. He is the young one and like it, he is very demanding and spoiled. He is very vocal, letting you know when he wants food, to go out or come back in. He will have the hardest time adapting to a new environment and will probably hiss and fuzz until he gets use to his new owner. Once he adapts you will be able to pet him and pick him up and he will respond by jumping on your lap and lying next to you.

They are both used to being together, but I don’t think they will have a problem being separated. Shaddy will be fine anywhere and will not have a problem with other cats and dogs.

Max on the other hand, I think, will be better on his own. I have a dog, However Max does not like the dog and still now, two years later, he will growl and hiss at the dog from time to time. I guess you will have to test him with other animals.

Like any animal it is hard to predict how they will react to a new environment. I had them from the moment they were born and they have never been with anyone else but me. They are both spayed and neuter and have their shot up to date. They use the litter box and I trim their nails so they won’t ruin the furniture. I recommend the new owner does the same. I have never had any problems with them, they are good pets and I just hope they find someone who will love them as much as I do. Shaddy will be fine anywhere she goes. However I’m a little concern with Max. I know that he will get use to changes, but I’m sure it will take him a while to get use to them.

Please contact Viviana at viv929@yahoo.com if you are interested in taking them.