Push Button Dogs

Just the term - 'push button dogs' - seems to be quite humorous, doesn't it?  I won't take credit for it... One of the TLC volunteers, Carol K. mentioned it and as I mulled over it?... It struck me as to how many folks expect dogs to be 'push button'... 

TLC does not rescue nor place in adoption 'push-button dogs'

At least on a daily basis, I get 5-10 requests for dogs that are potty-trained, don't ever bark, etc. in our rescue's email... And every week at our adoption events, my volunteers and I hand out hours of free education (to those willing to listen to it) on the handling and care of dogs...

The two biggest errors I see in dog owners that fail with their pets is 1) failure to be consistent and 2) lack of observation... NONE of us have all the answers to ALL of the questions, comments and issues with dogs... The very best any of us can do is to constantly try new things and hopefully find solutions for pet issues... But if you, as an owner, are not committed to being consistent with your dog and willing to be an observant dog owner, you are setting yourself up to fail eventually.... 

Take for example, the big "P" problem - be it :poop: or pee... No matter how cold it is, or rainy, or windy, every morning I go outside with my dogs... I am consistent and I am observant... They know I am going to stand outside there and watch what is going on (even in my pajamas and freezing my tuckus off!)... I want to make sure they are doing what I expect them to do, and this also gives me an opportunity to see if anyone is sick, having problems pooping or the poop is not quite 'right'... You veteran dog owners know what I am talking about here... Even the oldest dog can be potty-trained... Unless there is a medical condition (i.e. bladder infection, etc.), dogs do not want to pee and poop where they sleep and eat... It is just not in their nature... So if your pet is doing his business inside the house, you need to look at how consistent you are about keeping set hours at getting him outside... 

At my house, throughout the day, they have a doggie door they use... If a new foster does not know how to use a doggie door, the other dogs will show him quickly... But if I see the dog is unwilling to follow the other dogs?  Hot dogs work great at encouraging the dog to go through the flap... However, if you work and you are gone 9-11 hours a day, you do best to confine your dog to a section of your home or apartment that has somewhere for him to relieve himself if needed... If you leave your dog free-roam and you get hung up at work, you can only expect him to find a spot on the carpet when you don't come home at the normal time... 

I pretty much go to bed at the same time every night... My dogs and fosters will come around about 15-20 minutes before that time and watch me... Observing me to see how close I am to going to bed... They can't read a clock nor have a wristwatch, but they know... They absolutely know what time it is... My dogs are all kenneled at night for two reasons: 1) I used to let them sleep with me and eventually figured out I don't sleep as well with them in my bed and 2) after a near miss at evacuation for a wildfire heading in our direction, we could not find one of our dogs... Afraid of the smell, the dog hid somewhere we did not think of and that was enough of a scare for me... If I have to evacuate in the middle of the night, I want to be able to QUICKLY grab my important papers and our dogs.

I use the command "Kennel Up" because it is my habit... I too am a creature of habit just like dogs... Our dogs quickly beat us to their kennel at night because they know they will also get a Greenie once in their kennel... SO easy to teach a dog to do this, and even with a new foster, I don't have to worry about finding a puddle or a present somewhere... 

But I am consistent... Over and over and OVER again... If my husband uses a different command, I let him know (and/or show him) how to get the same responses I do when using the same command I do... I'm not being mean - it is for the dog's best interests that ALL family members use the same terms and commands... Dogs LOVE consistency... But they are not 'push-button dogs'... 

The better I am at being consistent in something, the more responsive they are going to be when responding... 

If your life is helter skelter, your work schedules vary, your social life is heavy and being consistent is not going to work?.... Then maybe your life is not really good for having a dog... If you still need a doggie-fix, any rescue or shelter will GLADLY appreciate your help - trust me on this!... 

The other area that comes up with people wanting to adopt 'push-button dogs' is the wrong person is making the selection when adopting... We have parents come in all the time and want to adopt a dog for their children... Let's face reality here... Your child will grow up, go through high school and maybe into college before the puppy you adopt from us today is old... No matter how smart or committed your child is, YOU are going to be the one to be the caretaker of this puppy through its normal lifespan, so if YOU don't like the dog or don't want to take on the role of the major caretaker, don't adopt a puppy... If this is just a temporary measure for a few years, adopt an older, bigger dog breed... The bigger the dog is size, the shorter the life span... 

And?... Dogs don't teach children responsibility... We as parents do... If we are not consistent in our role modeling, our kids won't be either... If you are too tired to get up and take that dog out at 6AM on Saturday mornings when the dog has been going out at that time Monday through Friday, the dog is going to have an accident in the house because your child is not going to do anything they don't see you do... 

Barking?... Well, that is not really something that is 100% genetically programmed in dogs... Dogs in the wild don't even bark - we humans taught domesticated dogs to bark... The only real difference between dog barks and breeds is the size of their lungs and how deep in volume a bark is going to be... But if barking is tolerated (or even encouraged as puppies), your adult dog is going to bark when they are bored, if they are still intact (not spayed or neutered) or hear a strange noise... I don't 'untrain' dogs in regards to the door bell, but otherwise?... I don't like barking dogs... Consistency and a water spray bottle works wonders, but only if you get up and use it IMMEDIATELY over and over again until you have broken the habit in the dog... Hollering out the window to 'SHUT UP' only causes your neighbors to hate you more than your barking dog!

Your dog is NOT going to like each and every one of your friends... Face it... Do you?... Of course not!... Some dogs seem to have a much higher level of tolerating all kinds of smells... Maybe they were introduced to a lot of smells as puppies and aren't surprised by some of these outlandish aftershaves and perfumes... If one of your friends 'smells funny' to your dog and acts nervous around your dog, your furbaby is simply NOT going to like them... Nothing personal... Just not your dog's cup of tea... So when that friend comes over?... Let Spot take a nap in the bedroom... Easy to fix... 

A car gets older, it seems to need more mechanical work... We get older, we take more trips to the doctor's... Same goes for your dog... The older they get (and especially if you've fed them junk dog food all this time and didn't do dentals every few years), the more your dog is going to need to see a vet... With a car we intend to keep, we are much more diligent about the maintenance of it... But dogs aren't leased - once no longer cute and a puppy - and maybe with bad habits you've taught them or allowed them to learn - surrendering to a rescue or a shelter is not a good thing... 

But if you HAVE to surrender your dog, the MOST and HONEST information you can give at time of surrender will be more insurance that your pet finds a good, furever home... There are people that will adopt a dog that bites children - but don't neglect to give the shelter or rescue this kind of information... If your dog lifts his leg in the house all the time, this can be fixed (neutering is the first step, installing a cat scratch tree right outside the doggie door and applying chemicals is another quick fix)... As long as we know what the issues are, we can quickly either re-train or advise an adopter of what still needs work... 

NONE of us knows what the future will bring... When you brought that cute puppy home, you might not have known your new husband is a wife-beater and you can't stay married to them... Moving is something we ALL know about ahead of time, so that is not a good reason to surrender a dog (IMHO)... Just about any other reason, any reputable rescue (if they have room) should not make you feel guilty about surrendering your dog... And most will try and give you proven suggestions and tips that we use...  I always ask, "Do you REALLY want to keep this dog?" and if a pet owner does, I really try to help...

Most good shelters have pet retention programs in place now, so if you have issues you need help with, why  not contact your local shelter, be HONEST with them about what is going on and there is a good possibility that you don't have to give up your dog... But only if YOU made the right decision at the beginning and did not expect your pet to be a 'push button dog'...

We as humans, are genetically programmed to respond to respond to cute, wiggling puppies and sweet babies... If you are totally not affected by one or both, you've learned to ignore the heart tug... But if you adopt based upon what you believe a breed WILL BE LIKE, or because you had that breed as a child instead of how that dog is acting after 10 days in your life with your lifestyle, you are simply going to find there are no 'push button dogs'...

Throw out your misconceptions of what is old (dogs do NOT age seven years to every one human - it all depends upon their size), which dog breeds are naturally aggressive, sex determines temperament and/or automatic bad habits along with the idea that rescue or shelter dogs are 'broken', 'less than', 'someone else's nightmare', etc... Dogs are no more 'push button' than we as humans are... 

Think outside the box (and the button)... There are a wealth of homeless dogs and cats that need a home and yours just might be the best ever!

How much is that doggie in the window?

I, as the Director of TLC, generally work the email box for the rescue... Out of every 5 emails, at least one will be "How much is your adoption fee?"... Usually the person is inquiring after the cutest and most highly sought-after puppy that just arrived on our website, finally available for adoption... And on occasion, I do get a reply back that either a) "Why aren't your dogs free?" or b) "Too expensive - I'll find one elsewhere"...

For years, we defended our adoption donation rates - we are not in the business of 'selling dogs or puppies' but in saving them... And saving a shelter dog is not cheap... A few months back, one of our volunteers 'shopped' the local vets to see if we could lower the cost of our spays and neuters... The lowest cost was $300 and the highest (for a 60 pound large breed) was $700... Currently we use Best Friends in Mission Hills and we pay the same rate that the general public does ($114)... It is hard to get an appointment and 'spay day' means you are up at 5:30AM, there by 6:30AM and don't leave until about an hour later... Then the process is repeated in the reverse in the afternoon, you'll hit the rush hour traffic coming home and if you live in Simi Valley, the pick-up process can easily take you two hours to complete....

Our adoption donations are pretty standard - $500 for any puppy under 6 months old and over 6 months old, it drops to $350... We no longer take checks because of the incidents with the general public who adopted from us, and then called the bank and stopped payment on their checks... Some people will do everything they can to get a free puppy or dog, so that is on them... We changed our policy now - credit card or cash only now.... 

Because we are No-Kill, we will keep any dog we pull and commit to, regardless of how long, until we can find that great furever home... This little guy (Jack-Jack) is our record in the rescue... We pulled him in 2010 and we still had him in 2013 until he was adopted... In between those times, we feed him, he had numerous vet visits and bills, got his booster shots and rabies, etc.   And TLC does not feed its dogs and puppies crap... The average daily food cost is about $2.00 a day... Multiply that cost by three years and you get a partial representation of just how much it costs  AFTER you have gotten a shelter dog up to adoption standards...

Also, because we are No-Kill, WHENEVER possible we will take back one of our adopted dogs if the adopter can no longer keep them... And this happens more than anyone can imagine... We cannot always do this, but we jump through hurdles and obstacles to make sure that our dogs do not go back through the shelter systems... We are foster-based now, so we are ALWAYS in desperate need of foster homes - and the number of foster homes is in DIRECT relationship to the number of dogs and puppies we can save each year... 

One of our small dogs was adopted out twice and returned twice... He recently got adopted and his new adoptive mom has emailed us, saying "He is the PERFECT dog.  We have been looking for months to find just the right dog.  I cannot believe (XXXXX) has been adopted twice and returned.  He was meant to be MY dog - that is the only reason I can think of to explain his history!"...

So back to the topic - "How much is that doggie in the window?"... 

In TLC, we do NOT believe in spay abortions... This goes against the grain and mindset of most of the humane organizations, shelters, etc... It is legal in our state (California) to euthanize any animal that cannot be adopted... Because unborn puppies cannot be spayed or neutered --- or must stay at the shelter or organization until they are at least 8 weeks old and two pounds --- pregnant moms are generally euthanized, and if cute and adoptable, space is at a premium and the shelter does not want to release the mom and pups to a rescue, the puppies are euthanized so the mom can be moved onto an adoptable situation after she is spayed...

But in TLC, we have found after MANY years of doing this, pregnant moms who get a spay abortion (especially when close to delivery) usually become incontinent later on in life... The only reason for this (we believe) is that when you disturb the natural progression of things, the hormone production is interrupted, the internal organs do not naturally go back into place, etc...

We also believe (and again, going against the grain of the humane community's mindset), if we always have spayed or neutered puppies available to be adopted, the general public just might adopt instead of buying an INTACT puppy from a back-yard breeder or off the Internet... Our puppies do not contribute to the epidemic of unwanted, homeless animals that flood our shelter systems in this country... And if you decide to buy and not adopt, take a few minutes to review your purchase agreement regarding your new puppy... Does the breeder take back their puppies until the natural old age time?... Does the back-yard breeder also participate heavily in rescue of their chosen breed they do for profit?... Just something to think about if you are determined to buy and not adopt... 

So why the $500 adoption donation for puppies under 6 months old?... 

Simply put?  Supply and demand.

We want to rescue the dogs that are left behind in the shelters to die or be euthanized... Usually they are older than 5 years (when they are no longer considered 'adoptable' by the general public), and the smaller the breed, the longer the lifespan of the dog... A cared-for Chihuahua can live 15 to 20 years... But if they are over 5 years in a shelter situation?... People are passing them by and not adopting...

Recently we pulled a 10-year old TEENY Chihuahua out of the shelter system... Very sweet little pup about 3.5 pounds... Potty-trained, the foster mom reported she got along very well with her dogs, was no problem to foster and just a little cuddle-bunny who was a sweetheart... Older than 6 months, for us she would be a $350 adoption donation... Once Tuni went in to see our vet (who was VERY generous with what he charged us as a rescue), her dental bill was $335 and some change... 

As a rescue committed to this dog until we find her a furever home, that does not leave us very much 'wiggle room' to keep this dog and keep her healthy... This is WHY our puppy adoption donations are $500 - to provide a few extra dollars to take care of the dogs that are not going to be adopted and out the door right away...

Regardless - all TLC dogs and puppies are going to be adopted to you with these items:

• Spayed or neutered
• Micro-chipped - lifetime activation with no additional charges for changes
• Be current on their vaccines (dependent upon the time they arrived in our hands and rescued) - puppies require three series of vaccines (bordetella, plus the core "5" - distemper, parvo, etc.).  If they are born in our rescue, they generally have the time to get all three series prior to adoption - we start at 4 weeks old, do them every 2 weeks and by 8 weeks, they have had all three series.
• If they are over 4 months old, they generally also have their rabies vaccine
• Complimentary vet visit at our vet within 5 days of adoption
• 10% off coupon at Theresa's for all supplies bought within 5 days of adoption (with the exception of food)
• Large coupon booklet from Petco valued at over $650
• Even LARGER coupon booklet from PetSmart
• Complimentary groom from Indiana Bones' House of Groom
• Post adoption support from TLC

And your adoption donation is tax deductible to the extent of your IRS status... plus once you adopt from TLC, we go right back out and save a dog's or puppy's life... You are actually saving two dogs in reality - this one you are adopting and the next one we now have room for in our foster base.

So, how much is that doggie in the window?... You tell me - it all depends upon your perception of things... Recently I complimented someone on something they had, and their response was, "Oh, thank-you!  It really was not that expensive... I only paid $150 for it at (XXXXX)"... I gulped internally, smiled and replied it was really nice, but in my head I am thinking to myself, "I have NEVER sent more than $20 in my lifetime for one of those.  OMG!!"

Saving a dog or puppy's life in your lifetime?  Priceless is my answer.

With many doggie hugs,
Linda
TLC Director

P.S. If you would like to read more on this topic, here is another website to read through - it is from 2010 but the majority of it still applies today - "How Much is that Doggie in the Shelter?"

If you adopted a puppy from us at TLC, these photos might be hard to look at... But on Giving Tuesday, we thought you might like to see where it begins and why we work so hard throughout the year in TLC... 

Dedicated to No-Kill in Ventura County, we pull from Ventura County Animal Services (VCAS) and fill every available foster slot we have... A dog gets adopted?... We go right back in and save another dog's life... If they have a pregnant mom or mom with pups, we always take them despite the difficulty and much greater expense to save this kind of rescue...

But we also have a commitment with another shelter that if we have room,  and they have a pregnant female or a nursing mom with pups, we will do our best to save both the mom and pups... We do not pull dogs older than 6 months from this shelter, always giving priority first to VCAS in an effort to support No-Kill in our county... From this shelter, my dear Momma came almost 4 years ago and I could not have asked for a better dog... She too came VERY pregnant to us and delivered 9 pups in my home office shortly after arriving into our hands... 

If you adopted a puppy from us in the past four years, it is very likely it came from Delano, the same shelter we got Momma from... 

Footnote: The mindset in the humane community is to spay and neuter, and if the mom is pregnant to spay/abort the puppies... TLC has never believed in this practice... We have also felt that if we had spayed/neutered puppies available for adoption, the general public is more likely to adopt instead of going to the Internet or to a backyard breeder to buy an intact puppy...  As all of our puppies are spayed or neutered prior to adoption, we know our puppies are not contributing to the epidemic of homeless, unwanted pets flooding into shelter by unwanted pregnancies... 

I am not saying our way of thinking is common and/or the norm... Most rescues do not want to take in pregnant moms or moms with nursing litters... They usually take the puppies and leave the mom behind... 

The mortality rate of the puppies is high because the mom might have gotten pregnant in poor health, and may not have good nutritional standards while being pregnant... Litters of puppies are fragile and it takes a great deal of care to insure all of them will make it... 

But when you see (as we have for the past 3-4 years), where these moms are coming from and the dire circumstances they are in, it is very hard for us in TLC to say "No" when asked by this shelter to save a mom and her pups... 

If a mom comes into this shelter and she's pregnant, she's going to be in an open kennel run with other dogs... 

This is the high desert and it gets COLD at night... With limited funds and virtually no walk-in traffic, these dogs have a hard time getting adopted, but a pregnant mom?... It is highly likely she is going to have to deliver her pups in an open kennel run -- then attempt to keep them warm and fed under some almost impossible situations... 

So this is where your donations go when you donate to TLC... We save these moms with their pups, give them warm, dry, loving homes to grow up in and with good nutritional needs being met.... When they are old enough, we start their puppy shots and at 8 weeks, we spay or neuter both mom and the pups... 

These moms are not delivering in a puddle of water or having to protect their pups from other dogs walking about, thanks to your support of our efforts in TLC... We, as a small rescue without taxpayer dollars cannot afford to do this kind of rescue without the community's support and donations... Last year's vet bills were over $100,000 and we are always behind the eight ball, trying to do a lot with very little...

So on this Giving Tuesday, we ask you to dig deep and donate to TLC so we can continue the kind of rescue work we do... 

Donations can be done online at our website - http://www.tinylovingcanines.org/donate.html

or you can donate through our Wall of Love on our Facebook page.

With your help, you insure puppies survive, thrive and find their own furever homes!  Thank you!

Linda, Director, TLC

Another "+" for a Pitty!

Pit Bulls get such a bad rap that I try and point out good things that happen with this breed... At the end of 2012 (the day after Christmas), TLC rescued a VERY pregnant Pit Bull with her 6 month old daughter... The report came into

Delano Animal Services that there was a 'mean and vicious set of Pit Bulls in the lemon grove by my house'... A TLC volunteer drove to Delano and saved these two - the mom was originally named "Lemoncello" because of the grove... Her daughter got adopted out almost as soon as we got her spayed and up to date on shots... 

Lemoncello (to be renamed "Momma") had her 9 puppies two weeks later in the VERY small office in my home... It was a 14 hour effort with all family members chipping in to keep the whelping area dry and clean as Momma delivered her pups... One pup we almost lost and were it not for my husband's efforts with resuscitation and care, she would not be a healthy Pitty today... 

Momma's puppies all became adopted right away and my volunteers kept turning down each adoption application we got on her... They wanted her to become a 'shop dog' and eventually she started coming home with me each night from the rescue shop... She's smart... REALLY smart... Each challenge I throw at her, she achieves and exceeds my expectations... 

Now that you have her back story, let me share some more with you... 

Not only has Momma traveled to Vegas to attend a Best Friends rescue conference, she has been an ambassador of the breed to MANY young children and folks afraid of this breed... She'll lick you to death given half a chance... A few of the TLC volunteers she absolutely LOVES, and spotting them from way off, she will get totally nuts with excitement and overjoyed with the anticipation of lovin' up on them... 

We called on Momma to save a little puppy's life who needed blood transfusions.... I rushed this pup to our vet's office, convinced he would die before I got there with him and Momma... 

I put Momma in a 'sit-stay' and she stood while they pulled blood from her artery in the neck and transfused the pup... As God is my witness, that pup was prostrate and near death... But in less than 10 minutes, he was up and howling, jumping around like all puppies do... The vet techs could not believe they did not need to muzzle Momma to get the blood drawn and then even more surprised with Momma's blood saved this pup from dying... 

Now, let me share the fourth 'save' Momma has done... This 'mean, vicious Pit Bull' that she is... (being sarcastic here as I truly believe Momma knows she is helping other canines and people get over the bad rap Pitties get)... 

A little over a week ago on Saturday, August 27th, one of the TLC volunteers let us know that her dear Fredo had been admitted to Conejo Valley Animal Hospital in severe straits... 

He had some red blood-like bruises on his belly and blood tests confirmed that he has very low counts on platelets (14... and they admit dogs with under 70,000 for ER care)... Fredo was actually bleeding out internally... 

At the time, they did not really know what was wrong with Fredo and were doing everything they could to save his life... They were treating it very aggressively and he continued to deteriorate... 

Getting no better, the next day I suggested that Momma could donate blood to Fredo on the hope it would help... Eventually on Tuesday, August 30th, a blood transfusion became literally his last hope and we rushed Momma over for the donation of blood... Again, she was great and well-behaved... I truly do think she knows she is doing something good for other dogs...  I really do... 

And Fredo is a SWEET Schnauzer mix... Full of love and young - he's only 4 years old!... Very much loved by his fur-parents and has always received the best of care... 

That afternoon they transfused only half of what was drawn from Momma and Fredo started perking up... He ate the fresh chicken his mom had brought for him... 

Diagnosis? (per his mom)

Fredo has an autoimmune disorder that causes Thrombocytopenia which causes his own body to destroy his platelets. There is no known cause. It usually goes undetected until it becomes life threatening. Usually in younger dogs it's hard to find because they don't get blood work done as often. They admit dogs with low platlets at 70,000 and he had 0. He's really lucky to be alive. He has bleeding in his GI tract because of Meds or that the platlets can't clot the bleeding. Once in remission, he can start to be weaned off the Meds slowly and monitored closely within 6mo-year. It might come back "with a vengeance " but we are not going there yet. 

Two days later on September 1st, according to his mom -

"Fredo has improved significantly!!!! The vet said they are having a celebration in the lab because he has 104,000 NEW PLATLETS!!!! Thanks to Momma for buying him some time and new medications he might be able to come home tomorrow! He's not out of the woods yet, but this is the best news we've had in 5 days. Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers.

And on September 2nd, Fredo was well enough to come home... He's on tons of meds and needs to take it easy of course... Even just moving around slightly,

our muscles do these little mini-tears, causing micro bleeding and if you don't have platelets or your body is not making them, the body's natural system cannot clot this mini-tears.

I have now joking referred to Fredo as being a 'Schn-itty' having been infused with Momma's blood (her mom was a American Staffordshire and dad was a Bull Terrier, according to the DNA we ran)... 

We continue to pray and wish for good thoughts for Fredo... 

BTW, Fredo's mom 'gives back' by doing all of the gorgeous photos of the dogs and puppies we rescue these past several years... And the TLC volunteer group is very much a family, extended and large, but all of us pull together when one member or their furbabies are in danger... I am grateful Momma has such strong, rich blood and she readily is willing and able to donate blood to other canines in need... 

So the next time you see a Pit Bull, and immediately think bad thoughts of the breed, consider how many of these noble dogs are giving back ~~ and in BIG ways ~~ to others and the community... 

I know Momma 'gives back' to me every night as she listens to my day and gets her pats and cuddles... 76 pounds, but tons and tons of heart and love for everyone she meets... I wish everyone would get these 'Momma blessings' that I do!

Love ya, Momma!  ♥♥♥ Thanks for saving another dog's life! ♥♥♥

Not in my neighborhood

TLC has always struggled to find space to save animal lives since we went from a foster-based rescue to what is called a 'brick and mortar' organization... 

Having the ability to save animal lives and be open 7 days a week for the general public to view, interact with and hopefully adopt is what we believe is an essential part of No-Kill and keeping this county at the No-Kill status... 

For those not familiar with the definition of No-Kill, basically it means that no healthy, adoptable animal is killed and to achieve No-Kill status, 90% or more entering your shelter must live... 

At one time in our county when I first got involved out here in California in rescue, for every 10 animals that entered the shelter system, only one came out alive... Five years ago, our county had a kill rate of 60%... For every 10 animals that went into the shelter system, only four came out alive... 

TLC has actively pursued the goal that no healthy, adoptable animal needs to die in our county since its beginning on June 9th of 2009... Yes, today is our 7th year anniversary and in 2,557 days, TLC has managed to save 2,723 animal lives - more than one day... 

On a day we should be celebrating our victories and continuing to achieve our goals, we are being evicted by a landlord that does not want to lease to a dog rescue... Not that we don't pay our almost $5,000 a month rent... But because he does not want to lease to a rescue and it is a 'bad fit'.... 

On Monday, June 6th, we lost in court fighting the eviction and are currently waiting for the sheriff to post the notice on our door that we have 5 days to vacate the four spaces we have gutted, built out, created a rescue center in and have operated a full-time, volunteer-run organization in... 

We find it incredible that there is currently 43 empty commercial properties in Simi Valley and not one of the landlords or owners are willing to lease space to a nonprofit rescue that provides such a valuable service to this community... 

Even more ironic is that our county's shelter currently has more than 600 homeless animals - an all time high in their history - and they continue to struggle to keep the No-Kill status they fought so hard for in the summer of 2012... They have stopped owner surrenders for the past week, while we can offer no relief because we ourselves are being kicked out of our rental space!

The 'not in my neighborhood' or 'in my property' prevails... And it makes you wonder about things... 

Simi Valley's citizens have long protested the huge number of massage parlors in our city - to the point we were referred to as 'Slimy Valley'... At last count there were 34, but these businesses don't seem to have a problem finding property to lease... To the point that in January of last year, our city council adopted a 45-day moratorium on the issuance of licenses for massage parlors... Something Mayor Huber spoke out about over 5 years ago... And something our police department has an additional workload to enter and inspect... We, as a city, struggle with the drug problem here as well... Two areas that attract the criminal element - both areas TLC volunteers have observed from the center and reported to the local police department as any good citizen would... 

But to lease to us?... "Nah, not in my neighborhood"... Makes you wonder how many of these commercial landlords and owners actually live in our city...

In the meantime, TLC has no where to go and 57 dogs and puppies in our rescue... And five days to move.

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?

Sense of community responsibility

All of us have suffered the past years through the economic depression this country, state and county has gone through... For each sad story I have heard from a friend who has lost their job or home, it just adds one more 'burr under my saddle' about the REAL reason our friends and family suffer --- a lack of community responsibility.

At one time in this country, you grew up, lived close to your family and friends, probably bought a home not far from where you grew up and although we did not know it at the time, created and built the building blocks of a strong economy... We did business and socialized with those we knew... We patronized local businesses... We supported local causes and if a member of the community suffered a tragedy or major set-back, there were many in the community that jumped to help out... 

And with a strong sense of community responsibility, the local business economy flourished... 

As this mindset changed, so did the strength of the local business economy... So when the economy took a major hit, so did the now-fragile local community... Mom-and-pops went out of business, replaced by larger corporate-owned businesses that had headquarters out of state...

And in the humane community?  This impacted us just as hard, if not harder... People felt no sense of betrayal to their community when they walked into a pet shop and purchased a puppy birthed in Missouri, Oklahoma, Iowa, etc... It didn't matter to the buyer that their hard earned dollars did not stay in the local community, but in fact, was supplying income to communities located out of state...

In particular, the Greater Los Angeles area is the third largest market of puppymill puppies... And because of the HUGE business of the puppymill industry, our hard earned (and highly taxed) dollars flood into other states while our own state suffers to make its budget each year... The puppymill industry is a multi-BILLION dollar industry... That's right - billion, not million...

Between the backyard breeders (who do NOT pay income tax on the sales of their puppies) and the puppymill puppies being sold in pet shops, we ourselves have created the drain on our own local economies, communities and businesses... So when community services are cut --- or that pothole that annoys you so much does not get repaired --- we have no one but ourselves to blame...

Same problem holds true for the shelter and rescue community... Although those cute, adorable puppies were not born here in our state, many of those puppies grow into adults who are then dumped into this state's sheltering system... Someone sent their money out of state, then dumped their adult dog into a shelter for every California tax payer to shoulder the burden of taking care of and/or eventually killing that 'cute, adorable' puppy... It is like a broken water main that gushes money, sending it to everywhere but where it should be - in our own local communities!

This morning I looked at Ventura County Animal Services' website... There are 190 dogs at our local community's shelter right now that are homeless... VCAS' capacity is 200 dogs... So, once again, they are bumping at almost-capacity...

Some of these dogs have been at VCAS since November for goodness sakes!

And for all of us that protested for years at the high-kill rates at VCAS, this is offensive to me... Now that VCAS has committed itself to No-Kill, we as a community have to 'put our money where our mouth is'... If we want this county to go No-Kill, we have to adopt locally as well as stop buying from out of county and/or out of state...

Same, same holds true for the rescues in our county... Rescues that go out of county to save 10-20 dogs or puppies are doing a disservice to their own county... If your local rescue is not saving dogs in our own community, you should be asking "Why not?"... You, as an adopter or as a buyer, have every legal right to ask where that puppy or dog came from... And if the rescue tells you Devore, Bakersfield, Kern County, San Bernadino, etc. you should be asking why they are not supporting their own local community first...

We cannot continue to save dogs from other counties when our own county's pets are dying... That makes no logical sense, and certainly no economic sense... We Ventura County residents and taxpayers have a moral obligation to adopt FIRST from within our own county and help VCAS get to a No-Kill status (90%)... Without our own personal support of the cause for No-Kill, Ventura County will never get to this goal... It takes EVERYONE'S efforts as a team to get to No-Kill status - the adopter, the rescue, the community, the county residents!

Now that you have read this far, I hope I have instilled a sense of community responsibility... Or at least made you aware of why our county is having such a hard time going No-Kill... Just as the 'Shop Simi First' program is designed to keep our own local economic community sound and thriving, we need to bring about an 'Adopt Ventura County First' grassroots movement...

I'm game... How about you?
Linda, Director, TLC

It is the owner... not the breed...

As the end of 2013 rolls around and the new year begins, I want to remind people again that it is not the breed that kills, but the owners... Our county still has an incredible amount of Pitties that die each week at the shelter... Litters bred without any forethought as to where the puppies will end up at, nor a pregnant momma...  Male dogs are left intact because of some mistaken belief a male with testicles is somehow a better, "tough" dog...  Instead, the males end up earlier with testicular cancer and aggression that is misdirected and not channeled... Children are bitten needlessly and there is no logical reason for we humans to keep breeding dogs and having puppies that either have no home to go to or are killed because of a glut of them on the market... 

It is the owner that allows the dogs to stay intact and breed... Not the dogs themselves... 

This week TLC adopted the second (pregnant) momma Pitty we saved in 2013... It was NOT an easy adoption despite having trainers come in and work with her... It was not the breed, it was the original owner that allowed Snow to have no canine manners or training early in life... It was the owner that kept her intact, allowed her to come into heat and become impregnated... I am positive Snow did not sign onto 'Match.com' and go out looking for a mate... All of the conscious choices made along the way were made by humans and Snow (and her 7 puppies) almost paid the price by her life...

We have another Boxer/Pitty in the rescue - her name is "Momma" and I adopted her in May of this year... After her 9 puppies were all adopted, she and I began an intense course of training and work to insure she had a job and was a viable member of the TLC team...  Shortly afterwards I had her certified for therapy and then the CGC (Canine Good Citizen program done by the AKC)... Momma has a job - her job is to be a good ambassador of these two breeds, and as a rescued dog, show to the general public just how great these big, powerful dogs can be if the owner shows due diligence and trains them properly... 

Momma comes with me to the shop and at night, she comes home with me... In fact, she sleeps in my bed!... Momma has been trained to get along well with my other dogs (3 pound Chihuahuas), but even so, I am always on vigilance to insure she doesn't hurt the little ones and each day, I re-enforce the training I have put into her... It is not a 'lick and whistle' kind of commitment - it is an every day commitment that is organic, changing and evolving as the need arises... 

One of Momma's jobs is to show young children that Pitties can be nice, calm and responsive dogs instead of something to be afraid of... Once someone has asked our permission to pet Momma (the proper way to do it for any dog you do not know), she willing sits and allows herself to be petted over and over again by strangers... 

Momma weighs 65 pounds and if she wanted to, she could easily hurt one of the little dogs we rescue through sheer weight alone... While I would not leave her and another Pitty alone, I can leave her walk around the back of the rescue shop with any of the dogs once they have been properly introduced...   And although she looks small in these photos, there is a TREMENDOUS amount of power in those jaws and in the body once she starts moving... 

We could have let her die along with her daughter and those 9 puppies in her belly when we found her in a shelter, but we chose not to... When we took Momma on as a rescue, we knew we were getting into a TON of commitment... One that began with her and continued onto how ever many puppies she produced... While we had nothing to do with her being intact or getting pregnant, it was our responsibility as humane citizens to see our responsibility through until her natural death - not one because of her breed or that a shelter had filled up, running out of space... 

While Momma's story has a happy ending, few Pitty stories end well... If they arrive in a shelter, they usually go out paws facing the sky in a rendering company's steel drums...

Am I looking for shame and guilt here?  You bet I am... Even if you yourself are not breeding Pittys, or allowing them to stay intact and get pregnant, any time you have a neighbor with one that has not been spayed and neutered, you are harming the dog indirectly... Should circumstances change tomorrow, that dog may be homeless and with little chance of living a long, natural life... If we as human beings don't speak up and make the effort to get these dogs spayed or neutered, we ourselves might as well be the ones pulling the trigger (or in this case, injecting the needle)... 

Remember, it is not the breed, but the owners causing this huge overpopulation of unwanted pets in our nation's shelters!