Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Christmas Eve musings....

While much of the world is still rushing around trying to do their last bit of Christmas shopping, at the rescue shop we have been busy with last minute adoptions today...  And there is always that air of anticipation on the small children's faces 'cause they KNOW who comes tonight... The day was always the LONGEST day for me as a kid... And worrying if I'd really been as good this year as I had told Santa!

I am sure that TLC made it onto Santa's 'nice' list... As of December 24th, we adopted 29 dogs and puppies this month alone, but we went back into the shelters and saved another 24... This year, the TLC volunteers have exceeded last year's numbers by 24 lives... So it seems fitting to blog about this on the 24th day of the month... 



With that mom and her two pups saved on Sunday, TLC has now saved a total of 2,059 canine lives, plus one kitten... And we do this one day at a time, one dog at a time... 

We have had some saddest this year when we did all that we could but we could not save a shelter animal's life... Some still weigh heavily on our hearts like Marvin, LoveBug, Pixie and little Atom2... But none died unloved or cared for... 

As the end of the year winds down and we look forward to 2015, we are reminded that next year's fate of TLC hangs in limbo... 

With Simi Valley Town Center in the midst of redevelopment and remodeling, the rescue shop will be forced to relocate --- which is expensive and not something we have in our bank account to do... 

Should we be able to acquire enough funding to relocate, we have a dream of a much larger footprint - not to expand the size of TLC but to create a rescue center versus shop... Where ALL rescues saving Ventura County animals can come and showcase their saved animals... Be it a cat, a dog, a bird - just a homeless Ventura County animal... 

We envision a rescue center that allows space for owners rehoming their animals to come and meet prospective adopters in the hopes their pets don't become homeless and end up in the shelter system as well... 

We need the space to hold free workshops on pet retention, training, resocialization classes and senior citizen/canine citizen therapy sessions... Space to hold low cost shots clinics and microchipping... Space to stage multiple-rescue transports... 

And all of this will cost money... Money to buy an industrial washer and dryer second-hand, get it plumbed out and hooked up... Money to install an air purification system on the roof so we can limit the smell we battle so greatly against... Building out a new location is going to be expensive as well - just moving all of the current fixtures alone is going to be back breaking as well as costly... We anticipate the costs to be between $20K and $25K to do all of this... 

So at the end of 2014, we come to the community with proof of what we have done the past five years and ask for financial support to continue the cause of No-Kill in Ventura County - not just for TLC but for all rescues that can unite to create an even greater change... Your donations are tax deductible and will be used to create a legacy of the No-Kill movement here in Simi Valley for this generation and the next one forth!


Friday, December 19, 2014

Everyone deserves a furever home....

At this time of the year, us rescue folks get a bit sad... Right before the holidays, the general folks start dumping their senior pets into the shelter systems... And right after Christmas, the puppies that were given as gifts start flowing in... sigh... So I want to share a beautiful story with you that made all of us at TLC a bit emotional... Especially at this time of the year... 


In the summer of 2010, I pulled a 10-year old black Tricolor Chihuahua male out of one of the local shelters... 

Many of the other rescues look at me like I've slid off my cracker because I just don't believe old timers should have to die... If they are healthy, they deserve a second chance just as much as any other dog that has been abandoned... 

We named him "CookieBear" and he became my husband's best bud quickly - watching sports on TV with their eyes closed... Hanging out in the family room on the couch... Sunbathing in the back yard... CookieBear got along with the other fosters and unless you woke him up from a sound sleep, he was not a problem to foster... 


Right after we pulled him out of the shelter, my husband noticed a lump at the back of his neck... Off to the vets we went and there was a mass exploding underneath the rabies injection site...

Not common but according to Dr. Novy, life threatening... We had no choice - he had to have surgery and that mass removed ASAP... 

And through no fault of his own, he was an older dog, homeless and now an expensive $620 surgery later, the rescue is deeply 'in the red' to get him healthy again...  Plus he's a blackish dog and is going to be one of the last to get adopted because of the Black Dog Syndrome... 


I bring this topic up because many of the general public believe rescues get huge discounts and make money doing what we do... 

Facts are, we are NEVER 'in the black' (and especially if you are doing rescue the right way)...

TLC's mission statement is that 'We will do whatever it takes within our means to save the life of a dog unless it is illegal or immoral' and we consistently take one hard case for every four dogs we save... 

Once we got CookieBear healthy, we brought him to every mobile adoption, but there never was a lot of interest in him... He got along fine with the other dogs and didn't mark in the house, learned the doggie door immediately and really?... He was an easy dog to foster... Sometimes the very most you need is a warm bed and decent food - you would be amazed how easy it is to fall in love and adopt a senior dog - they are my absolute favorites (and I do a LOT of fostering of pregnant moms and puppies)... 


We tried all kinds of different ways to improve CookieBear's 'curbside appeal'... We'd dress him up, take different photos of him, talk to potential adopters... 

People would hear his age and immediately move onto another dog... We'd scratch our head and wonder why he was still with us... 

With people's lives being so busy, and folks surrendering dogs that were high maintenance or with behavior problems, we just couldn't understand why CookieBear wasn't getting adopted... 


So CookieBear continued to be my foster and each week, we'd go to adoptions and I'd bring him back home for another week... He'd curl up with my husband on the couch and continue to be a bud, watching TV with his eyes closed... 

One night, another foster decided to pick a fight over a specific place on the couch and CookieBear got the worst of it... 

One of those late night flights to the vets, but again - we had no choice - CookieBear's eye looked horrible... There goes another vet bill... sigh.... He's now a $1,000 eleven-year old black dog with no prospects... 


But you know?  Here's the thing... If we humans gave up on every 40-year old human and said they had no right to live, what kind of a society would we be, ya know?  The smaller the dog, the longer the lifespan... 

So an 11-year old Chi mix is about the same age as a 40-year old human... Still young, vibrant and full of life... Could you just imagine if we started discarding 40-year old humans like yesterday's newspapers?

CookieBear stayed in the TLC rescue for 653 days - he is our record as a matter of fact... 

It is what you do... You just don't give up on a dog unless their quality of life is not what it should be... That is what No-Kill is all about... 

And in April of 2012, CookieBear got the million dollar lottery ticket... Two very nice folks drove in from Los Angeles to meet CookieBear in person... and went home with him that day!  He could not have a better home and we stopped the clock from ticking - giving him enough time to find the folks who would love him to infinity and beyond... I mean, how great is that?  

CookieBear's furparents continue to use one of the TLC volunteers to pet sit for them when they have to go out of town because they don't want to kennel him... And the TLC volunteer just sent me a photo of CookieBear at her house... Beautiful, healthy and VERY MUCH loved...  

Merry Christmas, CookieBear!  We know you got all of your Santa wishes answered in 2012 by having such great folks adopt you and love you just as you are!




P.S. Get out there adopt the older dogs, folks... They all have an attitude for gratitude because they KNOW how bad things CAN be and recognize when they find a GREAT furever home!






Thursday, November 27, 2014

9 Precious lives - No-Kill style

Eight beautiful puppies have their very lives today on this Thanksgiving Day due to the commitment to No-Kill in our county... 

According to California law, no intact animal can be adopted out to the general public unless they are spayed or neutered... And accordingly, any shelter has the LEGAL right under California laws to euthanize a pregnant mom who comes into their facility or a nursing mom with pups...  Folks believe that 'puppies will always get adopted - let's just take them into the pound and they'll find a home' (also the basis for their justification as to why their female is not spayed)... 

Facts are, our shelter systems were not built out to house the huge amount of incoming animals - nor do we fund the shelter systems to take on these kinds of animals... And raising a litter from birth to 8 weeks is a time-consuming, energy-depleting and expensive undertaking - something the shelters are not equipped to do... 

So today on this Thanksgiving Day, let us all give thanks to the employees of Ventura County Animal Services (VCAS) who made the commitment to No-Kill in the summer of 2012... By committing themselves to this mindset, you do whatever it takes to save the life of an animal... And in VCAS' case, they immediately alert their rescue partners as to the arrival of a pregnant mom into their facility... 

Today, Noelle (now renamed "Molly" by her foster mom) gave birth to eight beautiful little German Pinscher pups... So beyond just these lives, the commitment to No-Kill also saved Molly's life... It is a lot to be thankful for indeed!



People ask me why we work so hard to save the old, sick, preggers, etc. but also another fact of human nature is that everyone does love puppies... Not everyone is really prepared for the amount of extreme effort and expense that goes into a puppy's first year... But there are some folks that will go shop the Internet and buy a puppymill puppy if they cannot adopt one... Or they will buy a puppy out of the back of a person's car in a parking lot... 

We, at TLC, believe if we can invest the 8 weeks, the time, the energy and the love into these moms and their pups, we can stem the tide of people buying puppymill puppies shipped into our state from the 11 puppymill states... Where breeding for greed is a profitable business regardless of the horrific health and conditions these dogs live in, breed in and suffer through until they are no longer producing anything profitable.

There are some folks who will come in to adopt a pup, realize how much work it will be and in turn, adopt an older pup or adult, glad to be beyond the puppy chewing and pooping stage... And we in turn, go out and pull another dog from our shelter, saving their life... 




Molly did not have her litter in a cold cage where legally she just had to be able to stand up and lay down in (legal puppymill regulations)... Instead, she gave birth this morning in her foster mom's office and willingly laid with her pups, keeping them warm and loving them like a canine mom should be able to... 

This is how we SHOULD be conducting ourselves as a humane society... Not killing healthy, adoptable animals, but putting the brakes on the puppymill puppies and the sale of puppymill puppies in pet shops not only here in Ventura County, but around this country... Home grown and loved with TLC... 




No-Kill is not a sprint but a marathon with ALL of us doing our part... 
Just SAY NO TO PUPPYMILL PUPPIES
Say YES to adopting locally


Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Rescue Juice - Garth!

We LOVE to include the successful adoption stories - it is what we TLC volunteers call the 'rescue juice'... It's the stuff that keeps us going when things get really tough or hard, and we question why we are still trying to stem the tide of killing adoptable dogs... 

So here is your rescue juice dose of the day from one of adoptions recently:

Garth with his new BFF, Norma!
"Here is a picture of Garth with his new and exclusive human, my 93 year old mother, Norma.  (I'm on the right with my 15 year old doxie, Doodlebug). 

"Garth immediately attached to mom and adopted Doodlebug as his BFF.  He allowed me to clip him, removing the goatee and trimming all but his legs, ears, eyebrows and handsome mustache.  

"Norma has always had a dog during her life.  Garth is the FIRST to be allowed to sleep on her bed!  

"Garth has trimmed down and muscled up - loves racing around full speed.  He now lives on a ranch property, so he can race at will and not be endangered by cars, bicycles or whatever.  

"Thanks to TLC for the perfect addition to our family!

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Musings from a rescue director....

Last night, I laid in my bed with my cuddler, Momma... She's a good cuddler and she'll even cuddle with an OMG Chihuahua.........!



There is something very relaxing about this nightly ritual... Gives me time to rethink my day and then think about what I need to get done tomorrow, the next day, etc... I'm sure some therapist could have a field day with this ritual... Momma stretches when you stop petting her or scratching... And it nudges you to start again - especially if you are deep in thought about things from the day... 

I digress... Last night, I was thinking about where I have been, where I am right now and where I want to be in the future... When I reflect back on some of my past work, I can get myself overwhelmed 'cause I never expected to accomplish some of the things I have... And as I journeyed around the mental hallways of my mind, I thought just how downright happy I am in SO many ways... 

I'm not wealthy... We are like most folks - we struggle every month... And with running a nonprofit small dog rescue for the past almost six years, even when there is a bit extra in our bank account, I can usually feel that a dog needs this or that much more than I personally need a few extra dollars... I know a few people who I consider 'wealthy' and sometimes?... I'm not so sure they are ever really, really happy... 

Yesterday, our rescue took in four 4-week old pups that had been thrown into the garbage (really)... The pups are now safe, clean and will go on to live furever lives... I thought about that person's soul who felt it was 'OK' to throw four lives away like that... What kind of home life did they have growing up to treat life so casually like that?... You can throw out yesterday's newspaper (actually, recycle it), but you just don't throw away life/living into the garbage... If you do, there is something wrong with you... And I felt sad as I thought about that person, but happy that when I had tough decisions to make in my lifetime, the majority of them were good ones... 



I had been contacted by someone wanting to surrender their dog 'because we are moving and the new place does not allow dogs'... And as I thought about that email last night, I was reminded of a conversation that I had had with one of my volunteers... 

She and her husband always favored BIG dogs and rented... And although she admitted it was not always easy to find someplace to rent that would allow her to have her furbabies, she always did... As I thought through this aspect last night, I thought to myself how many folks I interact with that have my highest respect for their level of integrity and for doing the next best right thing instead of taking the easy way out... 

My mother used to always say that saying - "Tell me the kinds of friends you have and I'll tell you the kind of person you've become"... And it is true - if you surround yourself with people of integrity and those you truly respect, life is just SO good and grand... If you can push out the negative people and energy, life is just so much easier to live each day... Last night I could not think of one person in my life (that I am close to and consider a friend) that I am not proud of, respect and consider a positive force in my life... I mean, just how cool is that?...

Maybe it is just being able to cuddle with a rescued dog that was set to die because her owner did not spay her and she was pregnant that can spawn happiness as I drifted into sleep... 

Maybe the positive force of saving a dog's life is such that it can bring you real happiness as you reflect upon the day's problems, solutions and joys... 

This is REALLY something to consider when you next look for happiness and are trying to decide if you yourself are really happy, ya know?

Monday, October 13, 2014

Needs a guardian angel...............

We were contacted about this dog because of our past work with this breed, but this is just not a dog we can take on right now for a number of reasons.  I will share his story and photos in the hopes someone has the knowledge and heart to save this boy.

According to officials with Riverside County Animal Services, the black and white male Labrador-shepherd mix was found roaming as a stray in the Sky Valley area on Thursday, September 19th. A concerned resident reported the strange sight and two officers showed up to assist the pooch.

The officers saw the dog's head was stuck inside a large, cylindrical plastic jug. You may have seen a similar container at the grocery store filled with snack items like pretzels or cheese balls.

"Plastic containers, especially ones that used to have food in them, are curiosity magnets for critters," said Riverside County Animal Services Commander Rita Gutierrez. "This is another major reason why people shouldn't litter, and of course, why people shouldn't let their pets roam freely."

Lt. Luis Rosa and Officer Gerald Duchene cuaght up with the dog along Lyons Boulevard. According to the release, Lt. Rosa was forced to use a tranquilizer dart because the dog would scurry away every time they would approach him. Once he was sedated, officers were able to safely remove the jug from his head.

Veterinarians at the Coachella Valley Animal Hospital in Thousand Palms examined the dog and he appeared healthy, despite having his head stuck in a plastic jug in temperatures that reached 105 degrees. Animal Control said he wouldn't have lasted much longer in the heat, and obviously wouldn't have been able to eat or drink anything if they weren't alerted to the situation.

"We do not know how long he had that thing on his head, but it couldn't have been a comfortable situation in this terrible heat," Lt. Rosa said. "We were very happy to be able to help him out of a jam."

Commander Rita Gutierrez said she once had to pull a child's toy teapot off a skunk's head. "Not only is littering terrible for the environment, but our pets and wildlife get curious and sometimes that curiosity can lead to serious injuries, or even death, all because of the trash people discard.


According to officials with the Coachella Valley Animal Campus, he is extremely fearful and needs a experienced rescue or dog owner.  


This boy is at the Coachella Riverside shelter - RCDAS.ORG 

His impound number is A1142708 and he can be found online HERE.  Their phone number is (760) 343-3644.  Address is 72050 Petland Place, Thousand Palms, CA.
=============================
According to a fellow rescuer, this dog is back in isolation again because he is so fearful.  The shelter staff have been working with him, but he really needs a miracle (or a guardian angel).  


Monday, September 29, 2014

$1,500+ Chihuahua

Wanna meet a $1,500+ Chihuahua?  And yes, you could own (i.e. adopt) one without being Paris Hilton!

Meet Barnie... He's a cute little munchkin of about 4 pounds... Just as cute as cute can be... Isn't he just darling?

That's what we thought too when we pulled him out of Camarillo about 10 days ago... 

Barnie looked like he needed to gain a few ounces, was a tad bit grumpy, but otherwise a highly adoptable little Chi that folks go for... Probably a purebred from his conformation and picked up as a stray from Oxnard, he was just not reclaimed by his owners... 

Holding him, we knew we'd need to get him neutered, micro-chipped, etc... Just part of what we do normally as a rescue... Back at the rescue shop, he arrived and promptly threw-up... Then trying to poop, we noticed a huge mass underneath his skin at his bum while he strained and strained to no avail... 

One of volunteer vet techs came in and looked at him... "Linda, this dog has to be seen by a vet - NOW".... So off to Conejo Valley Animal Hospital we went and they were gracious enough to get Barnie in as an emergency case... 

Upon being examined, blood tests, the vet thought we were looking at immediate surgery, but for the night, she got him comfortable...   $356.70 ...  

Three hours later, Barnie leaves with us halfway stoned out of his mind (the pain in his rear end was that severe)...  

And off to another volunteer's home (Nurse Kathryn) who agreed to overnight him, then off to see our vet at Caring Hands the next morning... 

Unable to do a lot with Barnie awake and in such great pain, Dr. Betty did the best she could until he was given a sedative... The decision was then reached to do anesthesia and exploratory examination... She felt that we were dealing with compacted fecal matter in his lower intestine... In the meantime, Barnie lost his very bad teeth in the mouth - it is all nice and healthy now and comes with a cute pink tongue that hangs to one side for the camera (free of charge!)... $325.01 ...

So here Barnie is, still seeing purple elephants from that surgical procedure... Noticed the glazed look in his eyes?... Still cute as cute can be, huh?

Final diagnosis was that Bernie's hernie needed to be repaired... A long surgery, Dr. Koss undertook it on Tuesday, September 23rd... Five days after getting his mouth squared away from all of the rotten teeth... Now his mouth is still sore, he can't strain to poop and his bum is just as sore as sore can be... $613.12...

Poor little guy... 

He's probably had this condition all of his life and Nurse Kathryn has been diligently taking him back and forth to Caring Hands as needed during his recovery period of time... 

But because of the stitches and repairing the intestine (plus being neutered), this little guy should be as grumpy as grumpy can be - he's not, surprisingly so... His recovery period will be two weeks and he is making great progress... 

He's got a great nurse, for sure... 

And that hair will grow back in and the bum will not be nearly as swollen as it was right after surgery... Facts are, Barnie's tail was facing one way and his bum was facing another... Can you imagine how much pain this little one has been in probably all his life?

But just as important is that we don't walk away from the medically hard case, even if we don't know them going on... You don't see that in an adoption donation when you adopt... We don't put a price tag on the dog because of what we have invested in them... 

Barnie's vet bills and after care is just about over $1,500 now and it has bought him a healthy life and vet care he should have had LONG ago that the previous owner did not give him... The $200 tax deductible adoption donation won't even come close to what was needed to get him healthy and ready to be adopted... But that is what we do, and where your donations go... 

He will be coming up shortly for adoption, and we want to make sure the right person adopts Barnie 'cause he's extra special and very much loved... Are you the right person to adopt Barnie?  If so, please fill out an adoption application at our website!

If you would like to donate towards Barnie's medical bills, you can do that on our website as well HERE... We can always use donations and they go right out on the next dog's life we are trying to save!

Barnie sends you his love and thanks the TLC volunteers and nurses who have seen him through this difficult part of his life!




Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Compassionate plea for the citizens of Weeds, CA

At the age of 10, my world existed as I knew it... I knew nothing of politics or the vast world outside my own little bubble of life... I went to school, worried about tests, wondered what was for dinner that night and dealt with the small little dramas of who didn't like me (that day) and who was going to be my best friend (tomorrow)...

The past few days I went back in time, thinking about those memories as one of my volunteers (Bryanna) shared with us that her sister-in-law lives in Weeds, California... 


And on Monday, the Boles wildfire swept through that town as people grabbed their kids and simply ran... 


Devastation in the city of Weeds, CA from Calfires website

During the various conversations back and forth, Bryanna mentioned it was 'devastating' and I simply said, "Yes, as a kid we had a fire so I know what you mean when you say it is devastating...."

I beg your indulgence here, but allow me to share what it feels like as a young child... 


Nothing strange or ordinary that day... I went to school and it was a normal day... As the school bus left me off at the stop, a fire engine whizzed by followed by a second one... I am now 56 years old and I can remember this as vividly now as that day... I remember thinking to myself, "I wonder what it looks like to see a fire up close" for my mother despised 'gawkers' as she called them... Folks that rushed to see fires, traffic accidents, etc. and it was forbidden in my house to do such 'low life' stuff...

As I walked home and came around the bend out of the trees which lined both sides of the dirt and graveled road, I became acutely aware of the smell of smoke and hearing crackling of some intensity... Maybe my steps slowed, but if they did not, it felt like they did... We lived in a mobile home at the time and my 'home' was being sprayed by that same fire engine that had whizzed by me just 15 minutes or more before...

As a youngster, my first thoughts were probably shock, but as an old person, I still can mentally feel that feeling of guilt - like somehow, some way I had caused that fire by that idle thought that had passed through my head in a random fashion... The front of the mobile home had all of the windows busted out (or broken out) by the fire, and there were bright yellow and flames still to be seen inside... People were running around our yard and the next few yards... To one side, my mother stood alone and was sobbing those deep, hard, can't stop hiccuping cries... 


My feet found their way eventually to her side, and I was SO afraid she'd look into my face and see that I was the reason this horrible thing was going on in my family... I kept my eyes down to the ground and just prayed my guilt was not written all over my face... 

That night we spent it in some stranger's place, rolled up in blankets that did not smell nice nor like ours... The floor was hard, but it was somewhere to sleep... The next day we 'moved' into a strange apartment over top of a store and it too did not smell like home... I remember the place had roaches and weeks later, I would wake up in fear that they were crawling over me in my sleep (and usually were)... 

The next few weeks were a blur in my mind... I do remember countless trips to our old home and the smell is still the strongest... We'd take our trash cans and dig through the mess, trying to find anything of value to salvage... My mother had just cleaned all of the paneling in the mobile home with Liquid Gold in anticipation of the upcoming Christmas holiday - but the heat inside the mobile home had caused all of that to mix into the smoke... Everything just stank of burnt, burnt, burnt.... 

The front of the mobile home was gutted - apparently the water heater had exploded as I later learned... My mother had cooked dinner and realized she was missing something for the soup, got into the car and left... Then worried if she had turned off the soup pot and gone back, rechecked the stove and assured she was just being a worry wart, locked the door and went onto to the store... Shortly after she left, the tank had exploded and the firemen were there when she got back and I got home from school... Luckily for her, she was not there when it exploded... I am reminded of this any time I am cooking and realize I am missing a spice or something... 

From midway to the end of the mobile home, it was just all smoke damage... I can still see opening a drawer and where something was on the top, it was laden with a brownish, sticky film... Anything below it was the original color, unless a shoulder or cuff was sticking out... With our garbage cans, we hauled everything we owned to the laundromat and did countless loads of laundry, for the discoloration and stickiness did not readily come off in the first washing... 

I was a book reader as a kid - any book of mine was covered in this brownish coloring, the pages were stained brown... And even if you could open the book then get engrossed in the story, the smell would float up from the book and you would relive the fire day all over again... Anything I had that could not be washed and/or cleaned was thrown away... Gone were my cherished Barbie dolls and their clothes... I didn't have a lot of anything because we weren't wealthy or even comfortable, but every little bit of loss felt large and great to me... 

I remember sitting for hours at a trash can with a toothbrush... My mother's china set was delicate and with lots of nooks and crannies... Some nasty cleaners were poured into the trash can with the caustic smell of bleach flooding your nose... Grab a coffee cup - scrub that handle really well and remove the brown yuck... Rinse it in the bucket and examine it... No?  You didn't get all that brown yuck off?.. Dip your toothbrush and work at it again... I wasn't allowed to touch that china on a usual day and we only pulled it out at the holidays to use, but as a child, they found something to keep my busy and out of their way as they dealt with the catastrophic effects of the fire... 

Endless trips to the laundromat... Trips back to our home that was black and in pieces... And at night?  Those damned roaches that gave me nightmares... Our move had put me on a new bus route and the teasing of new kids were brutal... They would tell the bus driver that I smelled and refused to sit aside of me... I am sure I did smell - everything that we did manage to save from our home had an odd smell for months afterwards... 

At the time, my mother wore what was called a 'car coat'... I don't even know if they still make them or they are fashionable... It had been to the cleaners several times and she really liked that coat... Always said it was the only comfortable coat to own and wear, especially when climbing in and out of the car running errands... I never really understood the attachment she had to it, but even a year or two later, if she wore it and there was a bit of dampness to the air, the coat would have an odd odor to it... 

My mother was a major crafter... The day of the fire she had just finished knitting the second sleeve of a lavender-colored sweater for herself... It had taken her months to make it for it had cables down the front of both sides... Up the front on each edge and around the collar, there was white Angora wool... Small needles and as I watched her work on it, I thought she'd never get it done!... Tedious and time consuming... Later she told me she had indeed finished the sleeve that morning and had sewn it all together, then started dinner.  She had draped it on the back of one of the kitchen chairs, intending to wash and block it after dinner... 

After the fire, it was a wreck... Some pieces had flown into the wool (hot metal pieces?) and burnt holes in a random fashion... The white Angoura was a dirty, muddy color... Water from putting out the fire had been sprayed onto it and one side was pulled out of shape... To this day, I remember my mother crying all over again when she saw it... Put it out on a lawn chair to dry and later in the fire clean-up, carefully packed it in a zip lock bag... She kept that bag for years until one day threw it away...  And never, ever knitted again... Still crocheted and did other crafts like crazy, but never knitted again... 

These are the memories of a kid whose home was pretty much destroyed... Over 45 years later, it does not take much for me to remember the sights, sounds and smells... And if you have read this far, you have the ability now to see what the folks of Weeds will go through, especially the kids... One day their lives are normal, and the next day?  Everything is turned upside down and never to be the same again.

This is what remains of the home of Bryanna's sister-in-law in Weeds, CA... Everything is gone, they had no insurance... The home they were raised in and then later lived in for over 30 years is a pile of ashes... Bryanna has a 2 1/2 year old nephew now living with his family in an evacuation center... They have not found their pet cats yet - the fire struck so hard and so fast, they left the doors open and just prayed the cats got out... 




The shelters in that area are begging for relief supplies and at TLC, we have started gathering donations not only for pets but for humans as well... 

On Saturday afternoon/evening (9/20/14), Bryanna is going to make the drive to Weeds in a rented cargo van or truck with whatever we have gathered... Donations are being accepted right now at the rescue shop (1555 Simi Valley Town Center, #587) through Saturday at noon.

There is GoFundMe website up to fund the cargo van rental - anything extra will go directly to these folks as well.  We have also started gathering pet supplies needed by the shelters and sanctuaries that are housing the pets that are coming in.

Red Cross is only accepting cash donations for the families, but as I heard this, I wondered if you lost your car in the fire, how are you even going to get to the stores (if not burned) to start replacing the things you and your children need?  

Last night, I sat and looked around in my life to see what would give the most joy and comfort to these folks at this time in their life... This is what I came up with and I am sure there are other things you can think of:


  • Gift cards for Taco Bell, Subway and McDonald's - the nationwide chains I found online that have locations in Weeds
  • Teddy bears, puzzles, books, games and toys for the kids
  • "Comfort" blankees for the little ones
  • Toiletry items for both men and women
  • The Catholic church burned to the ground in Weeds and in times like this, I am sure folks will find comfort in spiritual items

I am absolutely sure anything you can donate would be greatly appreciated by the citizens of Weeds.  Feel free to contact me directly at tinylovingcanine@aol.com if you have any questions or suggestions.

Sending prayers to the citizens of Weed,
Sincerely,
Linda Nelson, Director, TLC
============================

Other resources on this tragedy:



Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Saturday, September 6, 2014

Success Story: Alfee

Celebrate with us the adoption of Alfee, another success story at TLC... We believe in No-Kill, and that every healthy, adoptable dog deserves a second chance at a furever life... We make a point of saving one 'hard case' for every four dogs we save... And Alfee was a save when the medical ward at Ventura County Animal Services had gotten a bit too full to keep taking in more dogs needing extra medical care... This is how we found Alfee in the shelter as an owner surrender... 




Besides needing a lot of grooming and bathing, Alfee had an enormous mass inside of his mouth that was pushing his lower jaw out of alignment with his upper jaw... That is NOT his tongue you see, but the mass inside of his mouth!... Can you imagine trying to eat with that inside?... 



Surgery and expensive vet bills later, our vet declared the surgery a success, and for sure, Alfee felt MUCH better after it was all done!  One of our TLC volunteers is a professional dog groomer and she comes in once a week and gives at least 8 hours of her talent to our dogs that need the full-on 'glam' treatment of grooming... Every TLC volunteer has different talents they bring to the table, and we appreciate each and every one of them... Once Desiree worked her creative magic, this is the new and beautiful Alfee!... 




We discovered that Alfee could be a playful sort of chap despite his senior status... 







And it is also our belief that we 'stop the clock and freeze time' for these dogs that take longer to find that extra special BFF of their own... We felt the right person would come along who would absolutely fall in love with Alfee like we did... 

Alfee came a LONG way with just a bit of TLC, the desire to say, "No, we're not going to allow this dog to be killed on our watch"...



This week, six months after we saved his life, Alfee found his new BFF... Yes, we were all SO happy for him - another success story that is certainly deserved for this munchkin!  Congratulations, Alfee!

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Event: CPK Day! August 21st

NOTE: you must bring in a copy of the flyer for TLC to receive your donation of 20%



Event: TLC Thrift Shop


Event: Spaw Day 8/16/14 - Noon until 4PM


Thursday, August 7, 2014

Update: Carlee

On July 29th, another TLC guardian angel foster mom (Roxanne) took Carlee on because we had a few pregnant mommies come in... And now Roxanne is going away for the weekend for her birthday, so I have Carlee for the weekend... 

Carlee watching a Simi sunset
Ten days makes a LOT of difference in the life of one of these little ones, especially one with the issues Carlee has (her back story is HERE)... And as foster moms, on a day-to-day basis you really don't see the progress... But as someone who has not seen Carlee in ten days, I am absolutely blown away by her progress...

First of all, the subtle signs you might not notice right away... Carlee is acting more like a normal dog now... She is exploring her world with her nose... Smell is the most important sense with a dog and she is consistently lifting that head and 'tuning in' with her nose... And she will continue to hold that head up and zero in on what she wants to smell more of... This was a major shocker to me the first time I saw it, and I had to keep looking to make sure I really did see it... She's done it many times this evening and I am just 'gob-smacked' as another TLC volunteer would say... 

The next thing I noticed?... Carlee has learned to be affectionate... Not only to lift her head and hold it, but to give you kisses... Not as accidental ones... But ones ON PURPOSE... She knows where she wants to go and reaches out to reach your chin or cheek, then proceeds to really give you solid and sweet kisses... 

Probably more apparent to those who don't interact with Carlee often, but she is now REALLY pumping those back legs in her wheelie... She is picking them up and you can see her deliberateness when she plants them back down... She now has muscle tone in those hind legs that she did not have before and she stretches out those toes and digs in... Before, her leg had one bend in it (at the hock) and now there is an actual "ankle" above her toes... Instead of half sitting down, there is definition now that she did not have before... 

She has not learned to back up in her wheelie, but she went up and down my long hallway this evening... And if she got the end, she'd struggle to turn herself... Only if she could not did she cry for help... Otherwise, she is a real motor-scooter and this is directly to all the hard work Roxanne has done the past 10 days!  BRAVO!

Amazing stuff, ya know?... 

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Once again, TLC steps up...

Last week I was told that few folks know what TLC does because we don't 'beat the drum and blow the horn' every time we do something other rescues don't (or won't)... I promised them I would try and do better in this regard, so here goes  --- begrudgingly because I truly do believe good works depreciate in value if you are the one having to brag about them... 

Yesterday, Camarillo Shelter contacted us about a little girl found as a stray... "She looks bad, Linda" and without even seeing this little one, I said "Yes, we'll take her." ... This is what TLC does... It is ALL about the dogs and unless we are full to the max, we seldom (if ever) turn away a dog in need... 

I was not, however, prepared as to just how 'bad' is bad... Once I got the photo, I was ill... We have taken on some really hard cases in five years, but nothing like this... 

We named her "LoveBug" because she's going to need a lot of cuddles, care and love if she is to pull through this... But as bad as she looks, I heard she gave the bather some tail wags... sigh... The forgiveness of dogs and their situational look upon the world, ya know?...

Once she arrived at the rescue shop, she was weighed... Five pounds... Looking at her bone structure, I'm guessing (healthy) LoveBug should be around twice that... 

She was found wandering around the water treatment plant and if the size of those nails are any clue, she's been wandering around for some time on her own... I am SO amazed she was not some coyote's or bobcat's lunch... 

On bather on shift (Nikki) gently bathed LoveBug and as fragile as she is, LoveBug was smeared with feces and some kind of 'tarry' kind of substance as well... Bathed and wrapped in a warm towel, you can almost see immediate gratitude in her precious little face... 

Then off to find a sweater to keep her fragile bones warm... We had a hard time finding one small enough for her but yet large enough for her chest... LoveBug doesn't care it is a Christmas sweater - she is clean, it is nice and warm and she's in good hands now... 

Other volunteers got her bedding set up - it has to be nice and cushioned because she has no extra meat on those bones... 

While others hand fed LoveBug... We're a team effort when it comes to dogs in need... And everyone was SO happy when she actually stood up to drink water... It was heartwarming indeed... 

We are not quite sure exactly what is wrong with her... Was she just out on the streets too long and starving?... Is she ill and someone dumped her off?... No telling, but she's to be seen by our vet as well... We do know there is a mass on her leg that needs attending to... 

LoveBug also has patches all over her body are sores (?), bite marks (?), alopecia (?)... Dunno, but we are going to find out... And figure the best plan of action to get her healthy again or humanely euthanized if that is not possible at all...

But one way or another, LoveBug is going to be loved and not left to wander the streets again... It is a gosh darned shame some human did not get her the medical care she needed and deserved... No animal should be left in this kind of shape... 

This month it will be 33 years since I started volunteering in rescue... 

And just when you think you've 'seen it all,' God has a way of showing you that you have not... 

Some times I think it is His way of reconfirming your compassionate level inside of you... If He did not give you a test every once in a while, how would you really know how committed you are to No-Kill and helping every healthy, adoptable animal to find their furever home, huh??...

Stay tuned into the blog and our FaceBook page for updates on LoveBug... And know that no matter how little you hear about the TLC volunteers and the good work the rescue does, it goes on... Seven days a week, 24 hours a day... 

And now I close this blog entry with a gratitude look of love from LoveBug!



P.S. We are always in need of financial support and donations so that we do not have to turn away these munchkins when they arrive in our lap... Whether or not we have the funds, we find a way to get them the care they need and figure it out later!

Pet Facts: Owning a pet

Many folks come into the rescue shop and are captivated by the puppies up for adoption... As the TLC volunteers start discussing the pros and cons of having a puppy versus an older puppy or adult, some folks start realizing they just don't have the time and money to take on a young puppy versus an older puppy or adult... 

It is believe that if a dog is in rescue or at a shelter, somehow there must be something wrong with the dog... Many times it has nothing at all to do with the dog or puppy - it is the human... Puppy was cute, it was an impulse buy, now it is tearing up their house as they work all day long and they are tired of coming home to clean up poop, piddle and destruction... Someone gave them the puppy and they weren't really thinking about getting a pet, but a free deal is a sweet deal to most folk... Next thing you know, they were not mentally prepared for the amount of time a pet requires, nor the sacrifice and the pet becomes a problem to be gotten rid of... People get divorced and during this transition, the dog has to go... Folks get older and don't outlive their pets - with no pre-planning done, generally the kids don't want their parents' pet and into the shelter system it goes... 

This is life and this is what happens day in and day out... 

Then you have the economy kicking in... Having a pet is not an expense to take lightly... They get sick, they need care, they require annual vaccinations... 


But as you can see, the majority of folks do find pets add to their overall well-being and quality of life, even in hard economic times... Senior citizens especially benefit with having a pet in their lives - it keeps us active, provides companionship, has proven to lower blood pressure and there is something debilitating in the human spirit to not have something to love... In the case of a pet, they love you back unconditionally and don't really care what you look like, how much money you have or if you are having a bad day... 

They say you can't buy love, but at TLC our response is that you can adopt happiness in this lifetime... Maybe a dog and its associated expenses are out of your budget, but there are many other homeless animals that need you... And depending on your lifestyle, one might be better suited... Our local shelter - VCAS - has all of these pet types and all of them need quality, loving homes!  So, go and adopt some happiness today!


Success Story: Paulie (now renamed Jack again)

These are the stories we love to hear when we follow-up on our adoptions!  It is the 'rescue juice' that keeps us rescuers doing what we do!

Click on the photo to read his new furmommy's comment!



Saturday, August 2, 2014

Success story: Quincy (now Toby)

From Toby's furmomma:

We are SOOO in love with our little Toby!  He's fit in with our family beautifully!  He's learned not to bother our 14 year old puppy, and has become best friends with his look-a-like sister, 7 year old Mimi.  They play tug-o-war with their toys, growling at each other while they pull, and Mimi plays so gently with him, it's heartwarming!  

Outside, they chase each other all over the backyard, which is one of the reasons we wanted Toby, to get Mimi on her feet (the older puppy didn't provide much exercise for her).  I have a video of them chasing, and another of them playing tug-o-war, but can't send it. 

I'm attaching a picture I took last night of Toby coming out from under the couch cover with his new toy.  He loves to burrow! He hasn't changed much, gaining one pound, but even though his one ear stayed up, the other doesn't seem to want to, so it's always flopped over.  Too cute!

We can't thank you enough for taking such good care of him.  He checked out beautifully with the vet - healthy and alert with a wonderful disposition.  And he's so smart!  Training so easily (anything for a bit of organic turkey!)  We are so grateful!

I've liked you on FB and occasionally share pics of adoptables for my friends. If we lived closer (we're in Valencia) my sons would volunteer.

This first month has been a joy.  Thank you all again for what you do!

Julie