First step for NO-KILL in Ventura County

These are the times I am so very proud of the humane community... The first real step towards 'NO KILL' has occurred here in Ventura County with the opening of SPARC - Santa Paula Animal Rescue Center.

On November 18th, Santa Paula city council considered a partnership with a nonprofit organization (SPARC) to create the first no-kill facility in Ventura County (news article here from the Santa Paula Times).

And on December 9th, the following article appeared in the Santa Paula Times:

Men and dogs...

One of the biggest hurdles we have to overcome in rehabilitating rescue dogs is their fear of men.  Not all rescue dogs have this fear, but were I to make a list of the items we work on the hardest, I would say this is at the top of our list (and then potty training, canine manners, etc.).

The majority of the humans in dog rescue are women.  Dunno why that is, but I am sure Freud followers could explain it to us intellectually.  I just know that is it, and not why.  And I believe most of us rescuers 'drag' our hubbies into our passion (some totally unwilling to be a part of the experience).

So when we find our husbands, partners, BFFs, etc. willing, it is like icing on the cake of life for us.  I 'assign' certain saves to my husband, Paul, from the moment I get the dog out of the shelter.  I will bathe them, feed them, take care of them --- but I don't cuddle, work with them, give them treats or goodies, etc.  Everything GOOD to GREAT in their lives will come from Paul, and that is the only way I have found we can begin the process of overcoming a fear of men.

I myself am blessed (and I know it) - once Paul realized only HE could do what WE were attempting, he jumped into it head first and has done some very good saves.  Dogs that would hide in a corner or slink away from the very sight of him eventually ended up spending their evenings in his lap watching TV until they found their furever home.

It doesn't happen overnight, and I wonder if that is why some male counterparts of rescue families get irritated over the passion.  There is no instant gratification to be had, for it takes time to establish that trust and a dog to overcome the fear.

Maybe part of this generation's downfall is that we all grew up watching Lassie on TV.  She was ALWAYS the best of the best, and we all wanted a dog like Timmy had, ya know?  At least what we saw on TV as we laid on our bellies in front of it, engrossed in the weekly adventures of Lassie and her family.  So in our heads now, we see "dog" and 'think' Lassie.  Sadly, it does not always work out that way.


TLC is very lucky in that most of our husbands support what we do, and many actively engage in rehabilitating hard cases, or adding 'added value' with extra socialization of dogs... some even work as hard as we women do to create an adoptable dog from one that was destined to be euthanized because they were not perfect - or a Lassie.


One such great guy is Rob, DeAnna's husband.  Rob, like Paul, goes out of his way to work harder on the dogs that have men-fear based issues.  I can't say if Rob got to the realization like Paul did --- that only HE can affect this change, but Rob certainly has had some major success stories already.


As you can see from a recent photo, football watching does have its perks - lots of belly warmers, lap warmers, companions to pick from, huh?

And rescue is not just for women, guys.  In TLC, we have three men that come every weekend, foster dogs and work just as hard as we women do!  Joe Sr. and Joseph (father and son team) along with Gherry (who is currently fostering our two blind puppies - Peanut and Butter) are all valued members of the TLC volunteer team.  



We could not do this without all of the volunteers and fosters in TLC - men and women alike - so allow me to say thank you to those who support what we do!


As always, 
Linda


P.S. For more on the topic of rescue dogs and the fear of men:

• Conquering your dog's fear of men
• Why dogs are more afraid of men - there's a study involving points of light in the gait of men versus women (could be why sitting down is a critical aspect of the rehabilitation being done by men in TLC also)
• Adopting a shelter dog
• Puppy socialization tips - briefly discusses this fear and how to overcome it (pdf file)

This free book guides you through the first seven days of Adopting a Shelter Dog. With seven simple lessons, the book helps you ease the transition from shelter life to home life for you and your pup. You can download your copy here.

You can't replace one dog with another......

Everyone in our area has become aware of the little munchkin "Minnie" who was lost on October 9th.  Each and EVERY dog or puppy is just so special and unique - it is just simply impossible to replace a lost, missing or deceased loved one - canine, feline, human, whatever. And all of the TLC volunteers and fosters who go into the local shelters or watch the websites have been diligently on the lookout for little Minnie, to no avail. 

For the past few weeks, every time I saw a missing Minnie poster, I would think to myself, "What would I do should I lose one of my girls?  What an incredible amount of sadness I would feel - would I be able to overcome it were I forced to walk in these folks' moccasins?"  And it seemed that every time I was outside my home, I would see a Minnie poster and the thought process would start all over again.


There is quite a bit of difference when your canine BFF is growing older and you start to slowly accept the realization that one day they will be gone over the Rainbow Bridge waiting for you.  Or if your loved pet becomes ill and shows no hope of recovery.  But a sudden and unexpected loss seems to strike our psyche harder because we had no time to prepare ourselves for it.  The loss becomes profound and one way of dealing with the grief is to 'let no stone unturned' until we drive ourselves into exhaustion in the hopes we have done everything possible that could (or should - or would) be done.

These are all thoughts that have percolated inside my pea brain for about six weeks now.  

As a side note to all of this?  In rescue, the warning bells go off inside our head when we meet up with someone still in major grief, and seeing one of our dogs up for adoption, immediately wants to adopt it "because it looks just like our dear, sweet Molly who we lost recently". We humans are visual creatures and fall in love based upon a dog's appearance much faster than we do their personality, and I think I worry more about a placement when it is based upon someone trying to replace their lost dog with another that looks like them.  For us in TLC, it is all about the dog and people should fall in love with a dog or puppy from the inside out for it to be as successful as possible.


Yesterday the owners of Minnie came to our adoptions event and brought us one of her photos.  We seem to become 'the place' for Chihuahuas, so it was only natural that we be contacted.  My heart had long ago gone out to Bill and Penny, although I had never met them in person before, but I could SO relate to what they had been going through for the past 2 months. I felt like I already knew them as odd as that might sound.

They spent quite some time with us yesterday at adoptions and each time I looked at Penny, I would see puppies chewing on her hair, her hands surrounded by little ones as she leaned into an Xpen or if she was sitting, one of our dear TLC dogs or puppies in her arms.  This is the kind of medicine you can't bottle up and sell, ya know?  There is something about puppies and dogs that reach inside of us on a level that is indescrible, so I won't even try.

I do know that dogs sense it within us on a certain level and despite the naysayers who say dogs can't "feel", I know they are wrong - dogs DO feel and WILL try to comfort, the same as a momma will do to her pups.  Granted some dogs do it better than others, but all dogs have the potential to feel our feelings.

And one of our baby foster mommas (Susan) has the unique knack of instilling unconditional love and kindness in all of her fosters.  It is a gift and not everyone has this, but Susan has a PhD in unconditional love.  As I watched Penny interact with the puppies in our adoption Xpen, my thoughts turned to one particular puppy who was a show stopper and very unique little munchkin - Lexy.

Not just in appearances, but in personality, Lexy has caught my eye at the past two adoption events.  She has a distinct knowledge at an early age of who she is and what her place in this world should be (or will be if she has anything to do with it!).

You can almost spot this in some of these little ones at a very early age - they don't have a clue how little they are but they have the heart of a lion and the love that is unlimited for those they have picked to be their 'very own'... this is our dear, sweet Lexy.

Taking a risk, and not wanting to hurt, I put Lexy in Penny's arms at adoptions.  If nothing else, her small size and loving nature could do nothing worse than to be comforting to Penny.  You absolutely cannot replace one dog with another, but you can refocus yourself onto another dog even if you have lost the love of your life, ya know?  In dog training, we use this practice all the time - rechannel and exchange... give a puppy a toy and he'll drop your favorite pair of shoes without the need for a scolding or harsh tones.

It was a good feeling to see Lexy immediately start working her magic.  Cuddling up, she reached upwards and place a puppy kiss on Penny's chin.


Later on, one of our volunteers caught this beautiful photo of Lexy sitting on Bill's lap... almost as if Lexy was listening to the pearls of wisdom Bill was sharing with her!

This is the 'juice' that keeps us rescuers going... and through all the hard times when we think that we haven't made a dent in the huge number of adoptable pets that show up in shelters and will be put to death if they can't be adopted in a certain time frame.

Each successful 'furever' home is another building block in our determination to make a difference.  And there are times our efforts seem futile, without reasoning and apathy would be the easier road to travel... turning away so you don't have to know or feel.  I believe each TLC volunteer yesterday felt rejuvenated as they watched Bill and Penny interact with many of the puppies and dogs at adoptions (and we had 62 dogs and puppies there, waiting for their furever homes, so there was a LOT of that good positive energy and magic going on!).

There is not replacement on this side of the Rainbow Bridge for sweet little Minnie, but it was with a great deal of internal good feelings when I was told Penny and Bill were going to adopt our sweet little Lexy.  They vow to never give up looking for Minnie, but they will have the love of Lexy along this journey now.


For you see?  Lexy is truly a unique little one that might have had a calling beyond even her own knowledge... in Lexy's case, she does not 'wear her heart on her sleeve' but on her side for the world to see.  And if I know Lexy?  She will do her utmost best to give Bill and Penny all of the unconditional love and kindness at her command, plus her internal strength and character to be sweet, funny and special - all wrapped up in one!

Season's Greetings to one and all!
Congratulations to Lexy, Bill and Penny!

As always, Linda and the TLC volunteers

P.S.  Please help Bill and Penny in their quest to find Minnie:

http://www.vcstar.com/news/2011/oct/19/couple-searches-for-lost-dog/?print=1


http://www.classifiedads.com/pet_lost_and_found-ad8096128.htm

Meet our newest - Tammy

Tammy is a sweet little girl that recently joined us in TLC.  About 4 pounds, photos don't do justice to those huge eyes you can practically fall in love with!  She's a bit camera shy, but ya gotta see this one in person.

About 10 months old, she's beyond the puppy stage of chewing, needing potty training, etc. and now looking for her own furever home!

Dogs & Puppies available for adoption (12/10/11)

Dog	Location
Albert	PETCO in Moorpark
Alfie	PETCO in Moorpark
Alice	PETCO in Moorpark
Ava	PETCO in Moorpark
Babe	Pets Hope, Simi Valley
BabyGirl	PETCO in Moorpark
Bardot	PETCO in Moorpark
Bartholomew	PETCO in Moorpark
Benny	Pets Hope, Simi Valley
Billy	PETCO in Moorpark
Blondie	PETCO in Moorpark
BlueBelle	PETCO in Moorpark
Bogart	PETCO in Moorpark
Bonnie (Clyde)	PETCO in Moorpark
Boots	Pets Hope, Simi Valley
Brady	PETCO in Moorpark
Bronson	PETCO in Moorpark
Butter	PETCO in Moorpark
Carmella	PETCO in Moorpark
Clyde (Bonnie)	PETCO in Moorpark
CookieBear	PETCO in Moorpark
Cosmo	Pets Hope, Simi Valley
Dale	PETCO in Moorpark
DeNiro	PETCO in Moorpark
Diamond (Luna)	PETCO in Moorpark
Dodger	PETCO in Moorpark
Domino	PETCO in Moorpark
Dudley	PETCO in Moorpark
Dulcie	PETCO in Moorpark
Eli	PETCO in Moorpark
Emerald (Luna)	PETCO in Moorpark
Erin	PETCO in Moorpark
Evita	PETCO in Moorpark
Fanny	PETCO in Moorpark
Felicia	PETCO in Moorpark
Felix	PETCO in Moorpark
Fudge	PETCO in Moorpark
Garbo	PETCO in Moorpark
Gigi (Jewel)	PETCO in Moorpark
Glory	PETCO in Moorpark
Hero	PETCO in Moorpark
HoneyBear	PETCO in Moorpark
Honor	PETCO in Moorpark
Italia	PETCO in Moorpark
Jack	PETCO in Moorpark
Jewel	PETCO in Moorpark
Joey	PETCO in Moorpark
Kiwi	PETCO in Moorpark
Lemon Drop	PETCO in Moorpark
Lexy (Jewel)	PETCO in Moorpark
Luna	PETCO in Moorpark
Maddy	PETCO in Moorpark
Margarita	Pets Hope, Simi Valley
Mela	PETCO in Moorpark
MinnieMoo	PETCO in Moorpark
Mojito	Pets Hope, Simi Valley
Nacho	PETCO in Moorpark
Noodles	PETCO in Moorpark
Peanut	PETCO in Moorpark
Pearl	PETCO in Moorpark
Peyton	PETCO in Moorpark
Phillip	PETCO in Moorpark
Rachel	PETCO in Moorpark
ReddyFreddy	PETCO in Moorpark
Robby	Pets Hope, Simi Valley
Roma	Pets Hope, Simi Valley
Ruby (Luna)	PETCO in Moorpark
Ruth	Pets Hope, Simi Valley
Samson	PETCO in Moorpark
Scarlet	PETCO in Moorpark
Shadow	PETCO in Moorpark
Shady	PETCO in Moorpark
Sheldon	PETCO in Moorpark
Shotzi	PETCO in Moorpark
Sienna	PETCO in Moorpark
Skipper	PETCO in Moorpark
Smokey	PETCO in Moorpark
Sparky	PETCO in Moorpark
Stefan	PETCO in Moorpark
Storm	PETCO in Moorpark
Stretch	PETCO in Moorpark
Tahiti	PETCO in Moorpark
Tammy	PETCO in Moorpark
Tanner	PETCO in Moorpark
Tommy	PETCO in Moorpark
Velvet	PETCO in Moorpark
Vienna	PETCO in Moorpark
Vinny	Pets Hope, Simi Valley
WhoDat	PETCO in Moorpark
Wiggles	PETCO in Moorpark
Wilson	PETCO in Moorpark
Winnie	PETCO in Moorpark

SPARKY
Sometimes as a foster mom, your fosters can be a continual source of humor as you watch them.  I watched Sparky catch wind of a Greenie in a crate that was 'just' at his stretched out height when standing up.  He circled back around, stood up and first used his paw to see if he could reach in and snag it.  When that didn't work, he stuck out his tongue as farrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr as it could stretch and from my vantage point, I could see he was just about 1/2" short... (smile)...

He then gave up disgusted and went away... About 5 minutes later, he comes back and starts pawing on the blanket inside the crate until he managed to get a full corner out of it through the crate bars... Sparky grabs ahold of the blankee with his mouth and shakes the devil out of it... Stops, checks to see how much closer he got the Greenie within reach, and readjusts all over again...

This goes on for about a good 10 minutes and he is bound and determined that that Greenie is his!  But with no success! He alternates between shaking the blankee, pulling more of it out of the side of the crate and pawing what is now hanging over the side at this point.  As he pulls, the Greenie continues to be pushed backwards into the crate, unable to go underneath that bar holding the blankee in...

All of a sudden without any warning, he's pulled SO hard on the blankee and gotten so much out of it, the part left in the crate lifts the door latch out its hook and it bursts open!  If he had been a human, he'd have landed on his butt, but his reaction was a dog's.  The door pops, swings forward, almost hits him in the face but the Greenie comes flying out and he catches it!

SCORE!

Dogs & Puppies available for adoption (12/3)

These are the dogs and puppies up for adoption this week at the three locations:
PETCO, 742 E Los Angeles Dr., Moorpark (noon to 4PM)
Pets Hope, 1555 Simi Towne Center, Simi Valley (M to Sat 10AM-8PM, Sun 11AM-6PM)
Unleashed, 2643 Tapo Canyon Rd, Simi Valley (noon to 4PM):

Dog	Location
Alfie	PETCO - Moorpark
Alice	PETCO - Moorpark
Ava	Unleashed - Simi Valley
Babe	Pets Hope - Simi Valley
BabyGirl	PETCO - Moorpark
Bardot	PETCO - Moorpark
Bartholomew	Unleashed - Simi Valley
Benny	Pets Hope - Simi Valley
Billy	PETCO - Moorpark
BlueBelle	Unleashed - Simi Valley
Bogart	PETCO - Moorpark
Boots	Pets Hope - Simi Valley
Brady	PETCO - Moorpark
Bronson	PETCO - Moorpark
Butter	Unleashed - Simi Valley
Carmella	Unleashed - Simi Valley
Cosmo	Pets Hope - Simi Valley
Dale	PETCO - Moorpark
DeNiro	PETCO - Moorpark
Diamond (Luna)	PETCO - Moorpark
Dodger	Unleashed - Simi Valley
Domino	PETCO - Moorpark
Dulcie	PETCO - Moorpark
Eli	PETCO - Moorpark
Emerald (Luna)	PETCO - Moorpark
Erin	PETCO - Moorpark
Evita	PETCO - Moorpark
Fanny	PETCO - Moorpark
Felicia	PETCO - Moorpark
Felix	Unleashed - Simi Valley
Fudge	PETCO - Moorpark
Garbo	PETCO - Moorpark
Gigi (Jewel)	PETCO - Moorpark
Glory	PETCO - Moorpark
Hero	PETCO - Moorpark
HoneyBear	PETCO - Moorpark
Honor	PETCO - Moorpark
Italia	Unleashed - Simi Valley
Joey	PETCO - Moorpark
Kiwi	PETCO - Moorpark
Lexy (Jewel)	PETCO - Moorpark
Lobo	PETCO - Moorpark
Luna	PETCO - Moorpark
Maddy	PETCO - Moorpark
Margarita	Pets Hope - Simi Valley
Mela	PETCO - Moorpark
Melvin	PETCO - Moorpark
Mojito	Pets Hope - Simi Valley
Nacho	Unleashed - Simi Valley
Peanut	Unleashed - Simi Valley
Pearl	PETCO - Moorpark
Peyton	PETCO - Moorpark
Phillip	PETCO - Moorpark
Pisa	Pets Hope - Simi Valley
Rachel	Unleashed - Simi Valley
ReddyFreddy	PETCO - Moorpark
Robby	Pets Hope - Simi Valley
Roma	Pets Hope - Simi Valley
Ruby (Luna)	PETCO - Moorpark
Ruth	Pets Hope - Simi Valley
Scarlet	PETCO - Moorpark
Shadow	PETCO - Moorpark
Shady	PETCO - Moorpark
Sheldon	PETCO - Moorpark
Sienna	PETCO - Moorpark
Skipper	PETCO - Moorpark
Smokey	PETCO - Moorpark
Sparky	PETCO - Moorpark
Stefan	PETCO - Moorpark
Stretch	PETCO - Moorpark
Tahiti	PETCO - Moorpark
Tammy	PETCO - Moorpark
Tanner	Unleashed - Simi Valley
Tommy	PETCO - Moorpark
Velvet	PETCO - Moorpark
Verona	Pets Hope - Simi Valley
Veronica	PETCO - Moorpark
Vienna	PETCO - Moorpark
WhoDat	PETCO - Moorpark
Wiggles	PETCO - Moorpark
Wilson	PETCO - Moorpark