We were only sad that Blackie didn’t have Margarita with him, but the search for her is on back in Athens, with posters up and all the Nine Lives feeders alerted to look out for her. We really hope she’ll be on our passenger list next month.

Handing Blackie over to Sheila — as we pulled in, he dived back into his igloo!

Blackie is so black that courier M has to double-check he’s really in there!

Meanwhile, Zippy and Georgie have given up planning their escape for the time being. They’ve decided to settle down for a nap instead and reconvene later!

In an unprecedented occasion the Shelter has received a much lower than average number of dog’s coming in, including puppies.  While we don’t really know why it is a pleasant break.  The few that do come in seem to be adopted before the date that I go in to do the adoption sessions.  But there is an exception.

Meet Kenny.  He is a loveable dog who has spent to much time waiting for his forever home.  {Since February}.

In foster he’s managed to learn so much including agility.  He is an older dog, but one with a big heart.  As a senior dog he’s out of the puppy stages of learning commands, going to bathroom outdoors and is not a chewer.  He is very sweet.  So if you’re considering adoption soon, have a look at Kenny.

Kenny is available for adoption

Happy Sunny Days Everyone!

Linda Bergman-Althouse
Author of “Save them All“

While all of the animals who went to the NKLA weekend were either adopted or taken by rescue, what we of course look for is adopted! I was thrilled to get these photos from the volunteer from Baldwin Park, of the two cats I visited with. Both were adopted!

May 3 2013

Updates!

Even though it was super hot, I didn’t regret for a second being involved in this year’s event. When I first walked up to the tar pits, with the white tents popped up all across the lawn, I have to admit I got a little choked up! The idea of so many rescues coming together with LA Animal Services to help hundreds of dogs and cats, and the way Best Friends leads with positivity and thoroughness is really inspiring. It can get pretty dark in rescue, and events like this are definitely a ray of sunshine.

NKLA Super Adoption La Brea Tar Pits

My first assignment as a volunteer was with Border Collies in Need. I started by taking a few for a spin around the event to give them a little exercise, because they seemed anxious in their crates. Darby was one of my favorites because of her energy and good nature.

She is probably mixed with a little Lab and will definitely need someone athletic!

Darby from Border Collies in Need

Next I visited with some of the LA Animal Services dogs, and helped people looking there. I have to admit I was a little disappointed in the criterion some people had for a dog. Instead of considering energy level and temperament they seemed more concerned about phsyical look and boy vs girl! Let me tell you those things matter the LEAST to the level of satisfaction you will get from your dog!

Cricket the Chihuahua Mix from Los Angeles Animal Services

Finally I spent some time with the kitties, who are a larger demographic in the shelters, but seem to get a lot less support. That’s doubly troubling considering the number of cats in shelters that aren’t adoptable at all and should be Trapped Neutered and Released (in rescue parlance “TNR”) back to their communities.

Monkey the Orange Tabby from Baldwin Park

Overall I was really pleased with the event. In two hours 14 dogs and 10 cats had already been adopted! A BFAS and NKLA win for sure.

NKLA Adoption Photo Booth

May 1 2013

I am excited to be volunteering at the NKLA Adoption Weekend  at the La Brea Tar Pits this Friday! I don’t know yet which rescue I will be helping (there are over 50 participating) , but I picked the early morning shift in “dogs” – 7:30 am! – to get some volunteering done just in case something comes up later in the day (as is the life of an actor, for better or for worse). There’s something magical about early morning activities too, the day is so fresh and possible, no neck tension yet. Especially for an event like this, which is basically like a school carnival but all about getting some homes for deserving dogs and cats. Best Friends has a goal of 500 animals going to their forever homes that weekend, and just the thought of that is amazing to me. Many of them will have woken up in shelters and boarding kennels, but they will go to sleep in a home.

Oliver’s passport had run out of space for recording parasite treatments, so the Greek vet had made the entry elsewhere in the document. We felt that probably wouldn’t do at Calais, so Maira made Oliver a new passport — better safe than sorry.

Co-operative Archie sits down on the scales

What’s caught Oliver’s attention? He doesn’t normally stand still for a moment!

Oliver had spotted this cat, one of a group of feral cats that Maira feeds outside her surgery’s back door

Oliver showing off his splendid ears

Oliver not at all sure he likes worming pills!

Maira making up Oliver’s new passport

We need another and a wiser and a perhaps more mystical concept of animals… We patronize them for their incompleteness, for their tragic fate of having taken form so far below ourselves. And therein we err and err greatly. For the animal shall not be measured by man. In a world older and more complete than ours, they move finished and complete, gifted with extensions of the senses we have lost or never attained, living by voices we shall never hear. They are not brethren; they are not underlings; they are other nations, caught with ourselves in the net of life and time, fellow prisoners of the splendor and travail of the earth

Henry Beston

Quoted from “One at a Time” by Diane Leigh and Marilee Geyer, a 2003 book detailing the individual stories of animals in one week at a Southern California animal shelter. I would agree with this quote, but not the overall impression left by the book, which is ironically that the shelter has no other choice but to kill a third of the animals that come through. They would do well to consider the words they’ve quoted and whether or not we have a right to kill them in the first place (I’m sure you know where I stand with this.)

Let’s ignore, first of all, that the book refers to “no kill” shelters as only closed admission shelters, which is not true. So to hear them talk, this shelter is the best that an open admission shelter can be. Which yes, for a kill shelter, I guess it is. Where even without comprehensivly striving for no-kill, they seem to have a small foster program for animals needing a respite from the shelter, but when a dog was deemed only good in the foster home but not one that would do well in the shelter again, it was killed rather than being returned to foster to be adopted through other means. Where pleas are made to the community for a dog needing surgery, but not the depressed one who was formerly trained as a visual-aid therapy dog. Where workers put off killing (still referred to as euthanasia throughout the book, even when referring to killing healthy pets) a favored cat, in hopes he would find a home the next day, with the only outreach on his behalf being the personality cards put on the front of his cage. And where we are assured that the shelter workers are good people as they coo sweetly to the animal they are killing.

I feel deeply sorry for the people that work in shelters. We are complicit in their defeat through the leadership we appoint for them. But I am clearly not interested in these kinds of apologies, or the thesis of the book that it is the sole responsibility of the community to stop the killing by ensuring animals don’t end up there, that only low impound numbers will cleanse us. And that’s not to say low impound numbers aren’t huge. They are! We should absolutely teach adoption, pet retention, lost/found and identification techniques and most importantly comprehensive spay and neuter. Big time. As a spokesperson for SpayFirst! that is huge to me. But that’s only half the battle. There will always be lost and displaced pets. We will always have to be creative, because as save rates increase, the community will start to take it forgranted. It will be forever on the shelter, for many cats and dogs the end of the line, to live up to its name and become just a stop along the way. I believe “I was only following orders.” has been deemed unacceptable in more situations than not. Let’s not imply that it is ever okay to pass off responsibility, when we are so mad at the people who do it first, by surrendering the animals to an organization which is, after all, called a shelter. In the book’s own words it is said best:

“From the staff journal in the shelter euthanasia room: “And after all this, who is made to take any responsibility? No one.”

No one indeed.

I have a story to tell

To help rescue pups

Haiku Heights #246: Story

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I donate to the Best Friends Animal Society in Denver, but you can choose from hundreds of great causes.

Starring Penny (for 2 seconds because she was being a bad stinky)

Pierre with his sweet little smooshed face

& Piper who I think stole the show as she smacked her grass eating piggy lips together right in the camera! LOL

We had more time than usual in Igoumenitsa and were able to explore the area as well as take the dogs for a good walk on the beach. There are salt lagoons and marshes near the town, with plenty of birdlife including egrets and many other species we’ll have to look up when we get home. Most surprisingly, there was a pelican fishing — unfortunately we couldn’t get close enough for a photo. And perched on a small hillock are the remains of a fortress from the 4th century BC, which just goes to show how long Igoumenitsa has been an important port.

Pepito looking especially handsome

Meet Oliver, who belongs to Theo — Oliver joined us in Thessalonika and is travelling with us to Walsall in England

A very relaxed-looking cow watched us from the other side of the road while we walked on the beach

Izzy plays with Max and Molly beautifully.  It’s easy to tell from his big smile how much Max is enjoying the extra company and Molly loves the family, especially if she can have the occasional break from the puppy.

When I get home in the afternoon, one of the first things I do is feed them.  I put all of their bowls in different places, so they wouldn’t feel territorial when someone else wanted to eat. Not a problem.  They will all line up at a dog bowl and take turns eating.  Yep, that includes the cat.  Izzy and Max would rather share than eat in two different rooms.  They will empty one bowl and then migrate to the next if they’re still hungry.

I am so fortunate to have such a terrific fuzzy family.

Big thanks to Suzann for sending this.

From the WTHI-TV website.

A dog with a special talent

Updated: Tuesday, 22 Jan 2013, 4:58 PM EST
Published : Wednesday, 07 Nov 2012, 6:46 PM EST

• Mark Allen

CLAY COUNTY, Ind. (WTHI) – Finding a dog that can fetch is hardly news.

We’ve found a dog that can fetch; that we think is worth a news story.

If your pooch is nearby, bring them near the computer, they’re going to want to see this.

Chica is a happy border collie that lives on the Knox Farm, in Clay County.

When we find her, she darts from the back door of the barn and weaves through the chicken and cattle.

Chica’s favorite pastime is playing fetch with her owners Martha and Buddy Knox.

It’s a sight to see, but it’s a sight Chica can’t see.

Chica has no eyes.

Her eyes were surgically removed when she was a mere pup.

So, how does a dog with no eyes see a moving ball, and bring it back to the feet of Martha?

This is something Martha wonders as well, and so do the experts at Purdue University.

Whatever it is, here is a hound that lives its life in the dark, but seemingly is seeing everything.

Now watch this and be both humbled and amazed.

Something wonderful we can learn from Chica.  Accept our limitations, because we all have them, and “see with our heart”.

Thank you so much, Su, for sharing that.

We hit a milestone in our house the other day.  We took in our 50^th foster.  Back when we started fostering in October 2011 I never suspected we’d be getting ready to welcome our 51^st foster dog into the house. 

As I look back over these past 19 months I can’t help but take a moment to remember each of those little fur babies who still have piece of my heart.  The dogs have brought us joy and love and at times irritation and every so often a tear or ten.  But I wouldn’t trade any of it for the world.

We’ve fostered everything from a litter of five 6 week old puppies dumped in a cardboard box at the door of the pound to a 12 yr old senior Aussie recovering from cancer.  Size wise we’ve had 4 lb Penny to 85 lb Rex and everything in between.

We’ve learned a lot about dog care and dog behavior, and we’ve even learned a little about human behavior  — not all of it good. 

We’ve had some funny times – Hercules’ pulling me flat on my stomach across the front yard doing his best Marmaduke imitation is the latest. 

 (Hercules foster no. 49)

Some irritating times – Rex helping himself to our ham  dinner from the slow cooker and killing the slow cooker comes to mind.

  Rex & Jonah (fosters 41 & 43)

Some utterly joyous moments – 12 yr old Jonah finally getting a clean bill of health from both cancer and Ecoli and the vet saying “he’s healthy, happy and ready for a new home” is definitely one of the highlights of the past year.

Some sad times – the day a foster dog figured out how to access the guinea pig cage and accidentally killed my daughter’s 6 yr old guinea pig was a definite low point – no blood involved I think the guinea pig had a heart attack. 

  Spike (foster no. 15)

Some heartwarming moments – the  evening Penny first came into our house, 4 lbs, scared, fresh from the pound having just had all of her teeth removed and darling daughter gently picked her up and removed the bandage from her IV location and Penny sighed and cuddled into her is a moment I will remember always.

 Penny (foster no. 11)

But all in all what I remember most is the happiness and sense of fulfillment I’ve had watching each of our fosters walk off with their forever families loved and much wanted.  And the even better feeling of getting an email weeks or months later from the family telling me what the dog is doing today, and including a picture of a happy and healthy dog that is alive today because we and our agency took the time to find him/her their new family.

 Christine & Carrie (fosters no. 31 & 32)

So as we get ready to embark on our next 50 fosters I look forward with anticipation and excitement of what tomorrow and the next foster will bring.

 Cosmo (foster no. 10)

 Appropriately named Cutey (foster no. 22)

 Spike (foster no. 3 one of the puppies abandoned in box)

Gir Forest female and cub. (Photo-Kishore Kotecha)

The Asiatic lion was once found across large parts of central and northern India. But centuries of colonization and large-scale trophy hunting decimated the population. By the late 19th century the Asiatic lion was reduced to less than two dozen animals in the Gir Forest, in the Indian state of Gujarat.

Saved by a Prince.

After India received its independence in 1947, the district’s ruling prince placed strict restrictions on hunting the Gir lions and set up lion reserves on the southern tip of the Kathiawar Peninsula which became known as the Gir Conservation Area.

Today, the 560-square-mile Gir National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary, just a few kilometers from the Arabian Sea, holds the world’s last population of Asian (Gir) lions–around 400 animals.

Boxed in

by more than 100,000 people in villages surrounding the forest, the lions’ interactions with humans have become tenuous. With territory in short supply, the big cats have established satellite populations in wooded areas outside the park and human interaction is taking a toll.

India’s leading wildlife experts made the case that, being confined to a single location the lions were subject to extinction from an epidemic or forest fire, and the need to find a second home for the lions was flagged as a priority by the national wildlife action plan.

Researchers at the Wildlife Institute of India identified the Kuno-Palpur Wildlife Sanctuary in the central part of the country as the most promising location. It had space and, most important, potential for a large enough population of animals for the lions to feed on.

Gir forest lion. (Photo: AFP)

Unwilling to Cooperate.

Attached to the lions for social and political reasons, the state government of Gujarat has been unwilling to cooperate. Narendra Modi, the chief minister of Gujarat, made a public promise to his constituency that “Gujarat’s lions will not leave the state”. Many in Gujarat fear that Madya Pradesh, which has an extremely poor record of protecting its tigers, will not adequately protect the cats.

The Supreme Court’s judgment,

issued on April 15, concluded that Kuno had a sufficient density of prey to sustain lions, and that the state of MP had made the necessary preparations on the ground (24 villages were relocated). It therefore ordered the ministry of environment and forests “to take urgent steps for re-introduction of Asiatic lion[s] from Gir forests to Kuno”. The court asked that their order “be carried out in its letter and spirit and within a period of 6 months from today”. it added that there was a need to take urgent steps as “no species can survive on the brink of extinction indefinitely and the probabilities associated with a critically endangered species make their extinction a matter of time”.

Gujarati non-governmental organizations are mobilizing to stop any attempt at taking animals away from Gir and are preparing to file a review petition to prevent the transfer of the first lot of lions from Gir to Palpur Kuno.