Sad - human nature....

On January 6th, Big Momma brought 9 innocent puppy lives into this world with over 12 hours of long, hard labor... I and my family were up at 4AM and we stayed with her throughout the day into the evening, helping her to deliver 9 gorgeous and healthy pups....

For the next 8 weeks, we fed, cleaned up after, cuddled, socialized and simply just loved the pups and their mom... It was a rescue effort, with all of the TLC volunteers stepping in to insure the quality of their lives... A foster mom took over at 4 weeks and the pups learned how to run outside in the grass, explore the whole new world in front of them and be prepared for just about whatever would come their way...

When the time came for them to be spayed and neutered, microchipped and then go up for adoption, all of the volunteers carefully screened interested adoption applicants to be assured we found the very best possible FOREVER homes for these 9 puppies... Those folks interested in adopting one of the puppies were required to put down a $200 nonrefundable deposit to hold the puppy of their choice until the puppies were ready to be adopted. 

Once the puppies were ready to go to their new furever homes, an adoption agreement was signed with all of the accompanying adoption information, free baby well check, food, etc.  We thought we had done a great job insuring these futures in great homes. 

On March 2nd, Sorbet went home with her new family and from outside appearances, it looked like we had done our job well, right?....

Well, as they say, appearances are deceiving...  And the same reason I don't hold much water to home checks, adoption applications, best intentions, "Oh, I promise to take such GOOD care of this dog (puppy) - I promise you" kind of comments, etc...Ten days later one of our volunteers spotted a CraigsList ad on a Boxer Mix puppy that looked VERY much like our dear Sorbet...

Upon investigation, it sure did look like our Sorbet and a call was put into the new adopters, leaving a message...

Husband called back first...

"I just don't understand it.  My son has been around animals ALL his life and we never had any problems but since we got the puppy, he's been sneezing."

"So why didn't you simply return the puppy to us?"

"Your agreement says the dog is not returnable."

"The agreement says the adoption donation is non-refundable.  It does NOT say the puppy is non-returnable.  We do that because we take your adoption donation and immediately go save another dog with it."

"Oh.... Well, I wanted to get some of my investment back." 

BINGO~!!!...

What a beautiful appearance was given in the ad.... "Roxy needs to find a forever home with a loving family".... Thought that is what this family protrayed to us when they filled out and submitted the adoption application... What part about less than 10 days is not FOREVER?????...

I really need to get a new dictionary because that's not the definition of 'forever' in mine... Gotta add that to my next shopping list... 

Oh yeah... And BTW, my family and I, plus all of our volunteers would like to get part of our last 3 months back, saving the mom from death when she was pregnant, going through the birth, keeping these puppies healthy, getting them highly socialized and all the other TLC we put into mom and her litter... Oh yeah, right... I forgot - that part is priceless and we are just rescuers...

"OK, fine.  I am calling about your CraigsList ad and I want to buy the puppy you are advertising."

"Uh... uh..."

"I want to buy the puppy you are advertising for $200 on CraigsList.  I'll come get her right now with a check."

"Uh... uh... Well, I didn't put the ad on CraigsList - my wife did.  I need to call her first." 

Could it have been the price was much lower than he expected??  Still a heck of a deal for someone buying a healthy puppy who has been spayed, had all of the puppy series vaccines and micro-chipped to boot....

"Fine.  Have her call me right away.  Thank you."

Five minutes later, the wife calls us. 

"I didn't want it to come to this."  

Then why did you put an ad on CraigsList... Ever heard of the word 'bunchers'?  Folks licensed by the FDA to supply healthy puppies to labs for research... they commonly troll CraigsList and Sorbet is a real find for them --- all of the hard work is done for them and they'll get top dollar for her at lab!  You'd have rather had her taken by a buncher than returned to the rescue that had her and her mother at birth, raised her for 8 weeks...?

"Well, it has so I'd like to come get her now with our check.  I'll be there in about 5 minutes."

When I arrived at their home 15 minutes later, mom was walking the two boys home from school.  The house inside was immaculate and another reason home checks don't mean much - they would have passed.  The backyard was immaculate and manicured as well.

"I have her out back.  The day was beautiful today." 

It is 93 degrees outside and we have halted volunteer dog walkers at the rescue shop because of the heat and its effect on the dogs.

As I looked through the house into the backyard, I see the woman go out to a stake in the yard.  To this tie out stake, I see Sorbet attached, laying in the small amount of shade afforded by the kids' sliding board.  Not really very much like the photo shown in the ad, huh?

Yeah, right... A 9-week old puppy who has been allowed to run and play with abandon hasn't a clue about being tied to a cable and staked in the hot sun with minimal shade... at least she had water, right?

Any reason why we rescuers shouldn't be jaded about Joe Q. Citizen and the sides we see of them, day in and day out?

Update on Jezebelle and her fosters...

Her puppies are now 10 days old and her foster 8... Keeping paws crossed here... So far, so good!

Yucca Valley hoarding situation...

"Hoarder" is a dirty word in society and not a term we use lightly in TLC... My philosophy has always been it is not the number of animals you have, but the quality of care (physically, mentally, spiritually and emotionally) you render towards your pets. 

And if you are doing what you should be doing, they will all get along with serene energy shared among all in the home (humans and animals alike)... 

There are some people who have 5 big dogs and the dogs get as much care as a human child does -- and then I've known people with 1 small dog that seldom got enough of anything (and IMHO, that person shouldn't have had any animals at all).

Having said this, the situation in Yucca Valley is being referred to as a hoarding situation - their term - not mine... So we will have to go with it.

An owner had just a few Chihuahuas many years ago and did not believe in spaying and neutering his dogs... Let's call him "Mr. Smith"...  Mr. Smith started out with 4 or 5 dogs and about 10 years later, ended up with over 200... 

His original Chihuahuas bred with Beagles and Doxies until the end result is a hodge podge -- almost a science experiment with cousins and uncles who look remarkably alike.

When the amount of dogs could no longer fit into his mobile (camper) home, Mr. Smith began to house them in an empty cabin in Yucca Valley. 

With no running water or heat, moms (pregnant and/or with litters) began to suffer first, trying to give birth and/or keep their pups warm in the cold, high desert nights.

Not to say that Mr. Smith didn't take good care otherwise of his dogs... Every morning he fed them kibble and rice, waited until they ate, then cleaned up after them... In the afternoons, he repeated the process...

Local rescue organizations and Animal Control repeatedly did their best to convince Mr. Smith to lower the number of dogs he had for years...

Finally it came to a head and he was ordered to court to license his dogs... 11th Hour Rescue group sprung into action and got the moms with pups out first...

Other rescue groups came in and took one or two of the dogs... 11th Hour Rescue and others was successful in getting about 150+ of the dogs and putting them into foster homes.

Right before his court date, Mr. Smith finally realized that Animal Control meant business and because of his pathway in life, he stood a very good chance of losing all of his dogs.

None of the local animal shelters could take on 200+ dogs so we all knew when this came to head, there were going to be a LOT of dogs dying needlessly regardless how many of the local rescues worked beyond their means to save the dogs.

On February 18th, TLC took 12 of the dogs and 10 days later, took another 17.

Another rescue (S.T.A.R.T.) funded the spay & neuter costs while TLC bought second-hand stainless steel veterinary cages and built out an intake unit at the rescue shop, beginning the rehabilitation process and on into the adoption process, funding the rest of the monies needed.

Twelve days later, 28 of the 29 dogs have been either spayed or neutered (one is pregnant, ready to deliver soon), brought up to date on their vaccines and microchipped. 

Prior to adoption, they will also receive their Ventura County license if the adopter lives here.

Two of the dogs have been deemed by me to be fear biters and until we can remove this unwanted behavior from their personality, they are my husband's "project" to rehab (Houdini and Nemo).  That could take weeks or months.

Of the remaining 26 dogs, several are already making remarkable progress to becoming socialized. 

The trick with hoarder dogs is to give them time, and time to come to you.  There are some that are very food-oriented, so treats of boiled chicken, vienna sausage bits, cheese pieces or Natural Balance logs are a great source of getting them to come around.

Thankfully, these dogs were healthy and of good weight -- not skin and bones like most hoarding situations are. 

Other than being dirty and long nails needing to be clipped, the Yucca Valley hoarding dogs are in pretty good shape overall.

Hoarder dogs are simply scared... Human touch is foreign to them... They don't know what playing with toys is like --- or cuddling up in a warm cushy bed...

Most of them had to fight for food in the hoarding situation so you end up with either dogs who have lost their self esteem and highly submissive, or dogs that will respond to a sudden noise by fleeing...

Others will plaster themselves to the ground when unexpectedly frightened...

Each dog is different, but one thing they all share in common?  They will all blossom into great dogs given the chance and time by their adopter.

Our volunteers have made a diligent effort to continue the rehab and socialization process... It is a time extensive process at best... 

With TLC, time, patience and compassion, these dogs will go from a very bad situation to a great adoptive one.

Shortly, these dogs will go up for adoption. 

What are we asking for you as the general public?

First of all, if you have it in your heart and have the time to give to a deserving little guy (they go from 3 pounds up to 17 pounds, so we have every size and color... smile), think about adopting one of these Yucca Valley hoarder dogs.

If you aren't able to adopt, think about being able to foster one in your home.  They need to learn all the normal things most dogs do - that a TV and its noise is not going to hurt them...

That people aren't enemies...

That good things and treats come from humans... And the list goes on...

If you have a well balanced dog already, this process will be much easier to achieve with a hoarder dog... They see your dog responding and play 'follow the leader', willing to try and trust because they watch and observe a LOT!

It also requires slow movements and calm energy as well... Highly active lifestyles and very energetic children just push these guys further into their fear-based mindsets.

If you aren't able to adopt or foster, but have an extra hour in the evenings once a week to give, try coming in at 7PM to the rescue shop for the 'socialization hour' we have set aside for these guys.

Once the majority of the closing down work is done in the rescue shop, two of these dogs will be put in the speedway with a socializer and goodies. 

The goal is to show the dogs that you are the source of good things without having to fight or hurt.  It requires a serene and calm manner along with patience and TONS OF REPETITION to achieve success.

TLC will supply the goodies and a low stool... the closer you are to ground level, the less threatening you are to these kinds of dogs with this kind of background...

If you cannot adopt, foster or be a socializer, this process is long, drawn-out one for the rescue... It will require months of food and housing for some of these dogs to get to adoptable standards...

All of these things are expensive to a rescue which operates on a very thin profit margin at the best of times...

Think about sponsoring a particular dog for a month (or several months until they get adopted by their furever parents)...

You can do this via check, cash or credit card online...

You can even set up a monthly donation that will automatically be placed on your credit card using our donation page at the website... 

HERE is that webpage and if you scroll down past the gray Chihuahua standing upright, you will see a drop down menu that will allow you to donate anywhere from $10 a month to $100 month...

But trust me, EVERY nickle and dime helps...

It takes a lot each month to feed, house, bathe and take care of these dogs until someone falls in love with them!  Our $1,000+ electricity bill comes every month, courtesy of Edison, and they don't really care about what we doe as a rescue, sad to say.


A big shout out goes to the 11th Hour Rescue, S.T.A.R.T. and the volunteers of TLC who have made it possible for these 29 dogs to get a second chance at life! 

And an even bigger shout out (and thank-you) goes out to the members of the general public who adopt, foster, sponsor or donate towards this huge effort to save 29 small dog lives!

 

Too expensive!

On occasion, we hear the adoption donations for our puppies are too expensive at the rescue shop.  Facts are, everyone wants puppies and not as many people are interested in adopting an older dog.  It is terrible the way human nature is... when it is new and shiny like a bright copper penny, it has greater desire, but the older and more 'tarnished' that penny becomes, the less value it has for the adopting public.

When other rescue organizations leave these old timers behind because of decreased adoptability, I don't fault them... each rescue needs to run based upon a dream or passion.  I clearly understand the philosophy of faster adoptions, quicker turn around in limited amounts of funds, etc.  "We can save MORE dogs if we don't pull the older dogs, the sick ones or the dogs that need long term rehabilitation or socialization, Linda!"  And that's OK with me... Ya gotta do what you feel you need to do, ya know?

At TLC, we don't save our dogs on the basis of age, health or behavior.  I used to say it was because I am 'older than dirt' and I feel for the old timers... that's why we had older dogs that took longer to get adopted.  All of the volunteers I work with at the rescue shop are at least 30 or 35 years YOUNGER than me, so I have found I can no longer substantiate this position.  The next generation of rescuers are just as committed (if not more so) than I am to saving ALL dogs that are going to die, regardless of their age.

And I understand the public's comment of "I don't want to adopt someone else's headache, so I ONLY want a puppy".  There are times my daughter was damned inconvenient to be around as she grew up (especially in that "I know it all" stage).  She'd come home from school with some pretty odd ideas taught to her by a teacher, and I'd scratch my head, wondering what in the world that teacher had in mind when she planted that thought process into Desiree's head!  Didn't change how much (or how less) I loved her, nor did her "I know it all and you don't know nuthin" stage force me to ship her off to some other relative!  (smile)

There is something these old timers have that takes years to produce in a puppy... that calm, "I just want to look at you and love you" persona not found in most puppies.  Such is the case with Mr. Bill who is currently at the rescue shop and available for adoption.

He has had years of an untreated medical condition that destroyed his coat, grew fat and puddgey, then dumped at a high kill shelter by his owner.  One of our soft-hearted volunteers opted to bail him out before he was killed and he arrived on our TLC doorstep.  

Now, Mr. Bill is on a specific diet with a host of supplements to reverse the damage to his coat.  Little by little, he has started losing weight... but that little stinker does not care for the supplements we have to add.   So the TLC volunteers go through all kinds of hijinks to outwit him... We all share in our efforts to find the perfect and fail safe way of getting the needed stuff down him once a day!

Originally we were told he was blind, but I think we need to get those folks glasses of their own!  On Saturday, I had Mr. Bill bebooping around the back room as we waited for him to eat his breakfast.  Every time I turned around, there he was behind me, watching what I was doing and I think when I carried the third basket of laundry from the washer to the dryer, he thought I was working just too hard - either that or he was tired of following me around!

He figured out if he stayed in the apex of the activity going on, he'd see me coming and going.  And that if he looked up at me so darn endearing,  I'd cave in and give him another goodie!  Mr. Bill now has no teeth because they were in such bad shape upon his arrival, they needed to all be pulled.  I don't think he is sad they are gone either... he's just a happy, happy camper now and toodles around like nobody's business!  

He has come such a LONG way from the state we found him in...  Is it cheap to do this?  No... that's where those 'too expensive adoption donations' go... Certainly not in my pocket because I don't get a pay check and I work six days at the rescue shop (usually at least 10-12 hours most days).  

But for those that say, "He's just an old dog and who wants that?", I ask you to come in and sit with Mr. Bill in the meet & greet for half an hour.  Then you tell me he didn't deserve to live, get healthy and now be on the look out for his furever home!  He's healthier now, his mouth has been taken care of, and he appreciates the finer things in life that a puppy does not - calm times spent loving us, being potty trained, having an 'attitude for gratitude' having seen hard times, etc.

If you GOTTA have puppy poop to pick up throughout the day, widdle to clean off your carpets, that's OK by us - we always have puppies for some odd reason.  But we also offer you great dogs like Mr. Bill, who have hearts brimming with love, are guaranteed to make you giggle several times a day and unconditional, consistent furever love!

As Always,
Linda

Spotlight on TLC's Alfie!

Welcome to TLC's Spotlight!  We would like to share some of our longer term fosters and harder cases in the hope that these babies will FINALLY be seen for the amazing pups they are and find loving homes at long last.

This is our longest term resident - Alfie.  Alfie has been with TLC for almost 2 years now.  He has had some adoption interest, but unfortunately, a flare up of his skin condition prevented anyone from welcoming him unconditionally to their family.  As you can see, Alfie has suffered from a non-contagious skin condition called demodex mange.  It is caused by normal mites on the skin that get out of control, usually during extreme stress, which results in the dog losing their hair.  When Alfie was pulled from the shelter, he was pretty much naked and then made great progress under some good TLC in foster care.  We thought he would get adopted right away...

But Alfie had a minor setback and his condition flared up again.  So, we continued to treat him with medicated baths and pills and he got better, but he will probably always have a thinner coat.  It is not difficult to treat demodex, but it does take time and low stress is best for these sensitive babies.  As you can see from these photos, Alfie is a sweetheart who just wants a family of his very own.

Alfie gets along famously with other dogs and has been nicknamed by the TLC Director as, "Uncle Alfie", because he takes on that role with the other little furbuds and budettes.  He is very mellow and sweet and attitude wise, he is a low maintenance kind of guy (who looks cute in pink and yellow, don't you think)!

The most outstanding physical feature of Alfie's is his deer-like eyes.  They speak volumes.  This look just tugs at the heartstrings and although he's not a sad boy, we are amazed that he hasn't been snatched up sooner, especially when he gives the 'Alfie-look'.  He's a total lovebug!

Alfie spends some time in foster care and some time at the rescue shop.  At the shop, he enjoys the companionship of other buddies and gets his baths more easily.  All the handling he has received during his time at TLC has made him very laid back and easy going, although we can't take much credit for his great personality - he has been a doll baby since the day he was pulled off the kill list at a local shelter.

Alfie only weighs about 5 or 6 pounds, so he's a little man and he loves all kinds of people, including respectful children.  We think he's only about 3 years old, so still very young with his whole life ahead of him. 

Alfie has spent two holidays in foster care with TLC and we hope that 2013 is his year to be 'home' for the holidays with a loving family.  He has waited long enough.  Isn't he cute as a little elf?

Alfie's video can be seen here: Alfie

The family that adopts Alfie is truly giving and receiving a gift - showing Alfie that he can be loved no matter if he has a full, thick coat, or if it's sparse.  He is absolutely perfect in every way that counts.  Unconditional love is what he will give to his family and that is what he deserves, as well.

Is Alfie the special sweetheart that you've been waiting for?  Please share Alfie's story and help us find him a loving furever home!  To view his full profile, click here.

~ Jen



Bathing Brigade time & Momma...

Kathryn is one of the members of TLC's Bathing Brigade... Volunteers who give up one day of their week each week, come into the rescue shop, and bathe dogs... This insures that all of our dogs get a bath at least once a week... 

We have a grooming station set up at the rescue shop... It has a large grooming sink that normally has a step-up inside and then a shelf on top of that which covers the entire width and depth of the sink... Makes it much easier on your back to bathe dogs (or wash dishes)....

I digress here for a few lines... Everyone at the rescue shop has fallen deeply in love with Momma, and she's loving life with us...  Everyone who comes into volunteer at the rescue shop has to give the password with the 'gatekeeper' (Momma)... Password?... "Give me some love, attention and affection - THEN I will let you pass forward"... (smile)... 

Momma is such a happy, happy girl so it is just natural that all of us want to do things for her, spoil her, play with her throughout the day, hug up on her, walk her through her tricks or just plain walk her!... 


So (back on topic), when we need to bathe big dogs, we pull out the step-up and usually one of the guys will lift the dog into the sink... Such is the case with Momma, who Kathryn has been wanting to bathe for a few weeks...And yesterday with the day!

Thankfully Ruben was at the shop and able to lift Momma's 65 pounds into the bathing sink for Kathryn to do her magic and spa treatment!

I don't think Momma was as happy about the bath as Kathryn was!

But the nicest thing about getting a bath at TLC's rescue shop?  The sweet kisses and cuddles that come along with the baths!  I mean, how can you resist these sweet puddles of love???

Update on Jezebelle and her new fosters....

I managed to snap these photos last night during the final checking and bedding down... All six puppies were lined up like little piglets!

And Jezebelle was fast asleep as she was nursing them!

This morning, they were the first ones I checked on and all of the orphans made it through the night.  Jezebelle's loaded up on milk now and it seems like so far, so good!