Article courtesy of humanesociety.org on December 29, 2009.

Dogfighting survivor touched many hearts

Today is a sad day for everyone who has been touched by Fay, one of the dogs saved from the horrors of dogfighting during this summer’s massive multi-state rescue operation.

Fay had been seriously injured and required extensive medical treatment. We are saddened to learn that she passed away yesterday after her surgery, which The HSUS had funded.

Fay began her life in a cycle of pain and cruelty. She spent her last few months in comfort and surrounded by love under the care of her foster mother Gale Frey and the people of the rescue group Mutts-n-Stuff in Missouri. Gale made Fay’s first real Christmas a celebration of her survival, showering her with gifts and affection.

We are heartened to know that Fay died not at the cruel hands of dogfighters who staged fights for entertainment and gambling profits, but after experiencing the best that people can offer to our fellow creatures—a loving touch, a soft voice, and every effort to extend her life.

Fay was highlighted in our recent “Animal Survivors” campaign, along with other animals who survived cruelties in 2009. Although she has passed away, her life will continue to inspire us in our campaigns to end dogfighting and fight other large-scale abuses inflicted on animals.

We express our deepest condolences to Gale Frey and to everyone who worked so hard to save Fay, and we redouble our efforts to save animals like Fay in 2010 from anyone who would do them harm.

Rest In Peace Fay. Your unique smile will be missed.

1. Sign up to be a volunteer dog walker.

2. Attend fund-raising events to provide much needed financial support.

Volunteer Andy and Emmy at It's The Pits Spooktacular Awareness Day

3. Start your own fundraiser. I recently held a canned food drive in my housing complex and a tennis round robin to benefit my shelter (or rescue group).
4. Educate people about the importance of spaying and neutering dogs.

3 Volunteers giving Brie some love at It's The Pits Spooktacular Awareness Day

5. Donate goods and services for shelter (and/or rescue group) events.

6. Write letters to legislators and sign petitions in support of strengthening animal cruelty laws and mandating animal abuse education in public schools.
7. Join groups and raise awareness about puppy mills, breeders, and pet stores and encourage people to rescue animals from shelters (and rescue groups).

Volunteer Melina and Brie hanging out at It's The Pits' Spooktacular Awareness Day

8. Remind people that dogs must remain on leashes – it’s the law and it could save lives.
9. Donate food, blankets, toys, detergent, and other items that your shelter (and/or rescue) needs.
10.Share photos and videos of dogs in the shelter (and/or rescue) to help find them homes.

A very goofy picture of the handsome Duckie. I don't know if this will help his chances of getting adopted though!

Sometimes lending a helping hand doesn’t require much effort or time. Sometimes solving a problem is much easier than it appears. I help because I hear the dogs crying when I go to sleep at night. I think about them sitting alone in their cages and it breaks my heart. I help because I see the dogs’ tails wag uncontrollably when someone rescues them. I help because I know we can solve this problem. I hope you will consider helping too.

“I’ve been volunteering with ITP for almost a year and a half. I love the people, love the dogs and consider volunteering my minor addiction. I’ve met some of my best friends through volunteering and have had some of the best times of my life at the adoption events and walking the dogs. Each person and each dog has changed my life and I could never thank everyone in ITP enough for everything they have given me. Volunteering is a true gift and labor of love. I can never tell if each dog is taking a piece of my heart with them or giving it back. All I know is that my heart belongs to ITP and I hope that never changes.” -Melina It’s The Pits Volunteer

Melina getting some love from her favorite rescue Angel who has since been adopted.

Please search online for your local animal shelter (and/or rescue) and consider getting involved. If you’re already involved, feel free to share this call to action with your friends. Thank you.

By: Andrew Kirschner
Tri County Humane Society Volunteer

The post I wrote a few days ago recounting the Christmas when I got my childhood dog Charley must have done a number on my husband.  As of yesterday, we are now the proud owners of a rescue dog named Rocky – a mix of Plott hound and Collie.  Despite his towering height, he is a sweet, gentle and playful soul, a little over one year old and perfect for our family.

Here he is – His Sweetness!  My head is still spinning around in circles trying to get used to being a dog owner again for the first time since I was in high school.  Here’s how it happened:

A month or two ago, I decided that since Em could not have a dog of her own (re: Phil’s allergy), it might be fun for her to go to the day camp offered by the Boulder Humane Society over the break.  There she could assist in caring for the animals, learn about the great work that shelters do and perhaps be inspired to volunteer more regularly.  As the date got closer, however, I started feeling sick to my stomach.  I knew how difficult it was going to be for me to pick her up, see the animals, and not be able to bring one home.  In fact, the night before her first day of camp, Phil said to me, “Do NOT bring home a dog.”

Of course I wouldn’t.  I could never make that decision.  However much I yearned for a dog, my husband is much more important, right?  Right??? Yes, of course!

So Phil dropped Em off at the camp.  He called me a half hour before I was to go pick her up and said he was having a slow day at work and would get her himself.  An hour later, he emailed this photo to me with “Call Me” in the subject line.  I called and said, “You better not be calling unless you plan to bring that dog home with you.”

Turns out he’d gone onto the Humane Society’s website, found Rocky (previously called Jerry), and fell in love.  After a half hour of playing with him at the shelter, he wasn’t having much allergic reaction.  He filled out the adoption papers and brought him home.  He’s sneezed a few times, but that’s it, which is pretty much a miracle considering other dogs will often cause his eyes to water and swell and his nose to stuff up to perpetuity.  Seems as if it was meant to be.

I’m trying to restrain myself from falling in love too hard too soon.  There is still a chance that Phil won’t be able to handle the regular exposure and we’ll have to take him back.  I’m am trying.  But right now he is curled up at my feet as I write this, and it’s hard to imagine him ever not being part of our family.  We’ll take one day at a time – which hopefully turns out to be his lifetime.

Now, in addition to buckling down on my writing, I’ll be crate-training, potty-training, and command-training Rocky.  He is nowhere near under voice and sight control.  I fantasize about being able to run and hike with him, but right now he runs me instead of the other way around.  Any of you dog lovers out there have some good advice for us?  Wish us luck!

Name: Little Kitten
Gender: Female
Age: 5 years, 2 months
Species: Cat
Breed: Domestic Shorthair
Orphaned Since: 10/2/2009

Little Kitten has been waiting almost three moths to find the love of her life after her owner passed away in October. She’s got gorgeous green eyes and soft silver fur that make cuddling a must for every day that ends in ‘y’.

Name: Muffin
Gender: Female
Age: 5 years
Species: Dog
Breed: Yorkshire Terrier
Orphaned Since: 12/4/2009

Muffin came to the SPCA at the beginning of December after transferring from a rescue in Tennessee. She has no use of her back legs, but she could run races in her cart! She’s very sweet and very special. All this little lady needs is extra TLC, and she’s sure to make you happy this New Year. Open your heart and home to her today.

Visit us at the SPCA

Adoption Center open Mon – Sat, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

5850 Brannen Rd S in Lakeland

Call 646-7722

www.lovemyspca.com 

Name: Little Kitten

Gender: Female

Age: 5 years, 2 months

Species: Cat

Breed: Domestic Shorthair

Orphaned Since: 10/2/2009

Little Kitten has been waiting almost three moths to find the love of her life after her owner passed away in October. She’s got gorgeous green eyes and soft silver fur that make cuddling a must for every day that ends in ‘y’.

Name: Muffin

Gender: Female

Age: 5 years

Species: Dog

Breed: Yorkshire Terrier

Orphaned Since: 12/4/2009

Muffin came to the SPCA at the beginning of December after transferring from a rescue in Tennessee. She has no use of her back legs, but she could run races in her cart! She’s very sweet and very special. All this little lady needs is extra TLC, and she’s sure to make you happy this New Year. Open your heart and home to her today.

Visit us and the rest of the animals in our care at the SPCA Campus of Kindness

Adoption Center open Mon – Sat, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

5850 Brannen Rd S in Lakeland

Call 646-7722 or visit us online at www.lovemyspca.com

Izzy

Izzy weighed in at only 53 pounds when her owner was reported to a local humane society.

Izzy DID  Find a Loving Home

Today, Izzy is thriving in her loving new home, where her devoted owners hand-feed her yogurt to aid her digestion.

Izzy had been cruelly barricaded in a filthy garage. The floor was covered in trash and dark, runny feces – a sign of malnutrition. There were no windows or ventilation of any kind… and no food or water dishes.

Izzy was barely alive. As soon as Lisa (a humane officer and president of the local humane society) opened the garage door, the emaciated dog staggered out and collapsed. Her gums were white, her eyes were sunken, and her bony body was covered in fleas and ants.

Please support the Humane Society and the ASPCA and even more important be pro-active against all abuse and neglect, whether against animals, children the elderly or anyone.  It is not okay to look the other way if you see, suspect or are aware of abuse in any form.  We are all God’s Creatures and the concept of owning a living creature does not supersede the natural laws of helping and standing up for one another!!

Changes need to be lobbied for and enacted for much tougher laws and stricter enforcement against animal abuse and neglect.  If you are an animal lover, please make that crusade a part of your New Year’s goal~

Abuse is everywhere.  And if you aren’t part of the solution… you are part of the problem!!

Related:

And the Verdict is Guilty… YES!

Lately the kids have really been after me to get some sort of pet. We lost our little dog Rolly almost a year ago but I don’t feel ready to have another dog. It’s been nice to not be tied down with a dog and Rolly was old- 16- and very needy and tempermental.
I have never gone this long without a pet, so we talked about having a cat.
Well, it ended up being two cats and we adopted them from the “Friends of Manchester Animal Shelter”.

Richie and Fontana

My daughter went by the FMAS (shelter) and of course wanted every animal there – mostly they had cats, but she settled on “Richie” because he was so friendly. Then my son wanted one too and I thought, what’s the difference as long as they get along.
So we put Richie and Fontana (their shelter names) in a closed room together and they didn’t fight so we thought they would be fine together and it has worked out very well. They sleep together on the front window ledge, eat side by side, and have recently begun to roughhouse play together too.

Watching the Squirrels

For $75 we got two nice cats who are spayed and neutered and have had all their shots. A friend of ours recently found a stray kitten and after taking it to the vet – one cat- the cost was over $200.
So Fontana and Richie have a new home and I think they are pretty happy.

Their Favorite Spot to Rest

By Cheryl Wittenauer Associated Press

Dozens of American pit bull terriers netted in the largest dogfighting raid in U.S. history are finding homes despite nay-sayers who predicted aggression or trauma would make them unsuitable as pets.

More than 120 of the animals have been placed in foster homes or are headed there this week through the efforts of pit bull rescue groups throughout the U.S. An additional 117, like the scarred but smiling Tulip, await their turn.

“They are not a vicious animal. They are the victims of abuse,” said Debbie Hill, vice president of operations for the Humane Society of Missouri. “That face and their eyes tell the story. They only want to be in someone’s home, on a couch, or sleeping at someone’s feet, maybe chew up a rug or two for entertainment. They’re learning for the first time how to be a dog.”

In the days leading up to the July 8 raid, the Humane Society secured a cavernous industrial warehouse in St. Louis that it transformed into an emergency shelter for the hundreds of dogs seized in Missouri and Illinois. About 100 dogs seized in other states were taken by rescue groups elsewhere.

Once at the Missouri shelter, dogs were tested by a national team of certified animal behaviorists, taken on walks, and allowed to chew on bowling balls stuffed with peanut butter. Some finicky eaters were treated to home-cooked chicken breasts to supplement meals of dog food.

The Human Society offered The Associated Press first access to the site Tuesday. During the tour, puppies born since the raid took turns playing tug of war with a chew toy in a play room. Humane Society staff members pulled a catering cart down a long row of dog cages, calling animals by name as they slid them bowls of food.

Some, like Pacific, were shy, their hind ends quivering in fear of new visitors. Others were extroverts, springing on hind legs to say hello.

The foster homes will acclimate the dogs to the noises and rules of a household, and teach them basic manners.

Animal behaviorist Pamela Reid, who was part of the team that evaluated the dogs, said a surprising two-thirds tested well for nonaggression and adoptability. She’s fostering one puppy, although one her favorite dogs had to be euthanized because he showed aggression toward men.

Hill said 160 dogs were put down because of injuries, illness or behavior. None of the puppies showed aggression, Reid said.

Tim Rickey, who heads the Humane Society’s anticruelty task force, said the raids proved the underground dogfighting industry is pervasive.

“We scratched the surface,” Rickey said. “We could have done several of these (raids) in Missouri alone.”

Two of my favorite things – pets and fashion shows! – are featured in the Seattle Humane Society’s biggest fundraiser of the year Tuxes & Tails Celebrity and Pet Fashion Show and Auction.  Tuxes & Tails truly is the “it” event of the year with gourmet dinner, silent and live auctions,  and a celebrity and pet fashion show.  Last year’s event raised over $600,000!  So save the date, Saturday April 24, 2010 for the next Tuxes & Tails!!!

Yes, I do realize it is still 2009.  Why am I hounding you about it now?  Procurement for the auction is well under way.  One of the amazing live auction items is the Instant Wine Cellar.  The title is pretty self explanatory – we are asking for donations  of wine to include in the collection and the lucky winner will go home with ALL OF IT.

This is such a simple way to help.

• Bring a bottle of wine Seattle Humane.  Or drop off with me and I’ll bring over.  (I pinky swear I won’t drink it.)
• Donate $10 to Seattle Humane to have wine purchased.  Be sure to stipulate the money is for the wine auction.
• Head over or call The Wine Shoppe at Redmond Ridge and order a bottle to add to the auction item.   The Wine Shoppe is also giving back a percentage of the proceeds to Seattle Humane.  The Wine Shoppe rocks!

Don’t we all have a bottle of wine that was a gift and not to our liking?  Or had a party and purchased too much wine?  Or maybe, just maybe, you’re generous of heart and merely want to donate a bottle?  Donate it to help the animals!

Many know about the benefits and challenges of adopting pets. The time commitment, patience for training, the mental hardships that dog or cat has been through, money, and your current family status. Sometimes, people want to adopt but they just don’t have these things and simply cannot do it.

However, there is an alternative to adopting, foster. Fostering a pet is almost the same as fostering a child. Your local humane society can partner up with a local pet store and bring pets out that need a good home until they find a permanent one, instead of being kept in a kennel for months on end. This way, the pet has human interaction and a loving environment for a temporary time. Of course, if you end up loving the pet, you can always adopt them.

The pros of fostering:

• The humane society or pet store provides all the necessary items for the pet, such as crate, bed, and food.
• Shots and other vet necessities are already taken care of.
• You can test out different breeds, find out which one works best with your personality.
• You can return the dog or cat back to the humane society if it is too demanding on your current situation.
• You can personally find it a great home if you decide you cannot adopt it.
• And, of course, you are doing a wonderful deed for the animal community.

Cons of fostering:

• You don’t know where the dog or cat has been, it may have serious behavioral damage.
• You may fall in love with a particular dog or cat and are unable to keep it.
• Every week (depending on the schedule with the humane society) you need to bring the pet in to try and get it adopted.
• Training is recommended and encouraged.
• Having a pet is demanding, they should be treated like additions to the family, therefore, if you don’t have the time and effort for the pets, let another family who does have the time and effort take care of them.

Have you adopted or fostered? Do you like fostering or adopting? Please post your comment and let others see your story.

Check out your local humane society and see if they have fostering programs available.

This is Flash.  He is a five-year old border collie mix.  We’ve had him for almost three years.  My wife rescued him from the Humane Society.  He was scrawny, less than twenty pounds, his fur looked like he had mange and he had scars all over him.  He had been severely abused. 

When I got home after a four-month absence we had a dog.  So he’s really my wife’s dog.  If she is around, Flash sticks to her like glue.  Where ever she goes inside or outside the house he is by her side.  When we’re hiking, I have to let my wife go first, otherwise Flash keeps stopping on the trail waiting for her and getting under foot.  If my wife is gone, he’ll follow me around, but I’m definitely his second choice. 

Flash is obsessed with balls.  He’ll play fetch for hours.  We found that balls tend to get lost in the woods, but Flash is just as happy with a stick when we’re on the trail. 

Flash has a few quirks though.  The most annoying is that he doesn’t want me to get too close to my wife.  Whenever I get close to her he barks and tries to get between us, sometimes he brings me a ball (trying to distract me I guess) or he dives into his food with a vengeance (gets depressed and eats).  He also has an aversion to fly swatters or back scratchers, if you bring one out he disappears into the basement.  He does the same if you clip your nails or start doing almost anything to your feet, odd.

Flash still barks at me when I come in the door, he barks at everybody when they come into the house.  He barks at everyone, except the boys.  The boys don’t live with me.   They live with their mom in another state.  Flash doesn’t get to see them often, but when ever they arrive, he doesn’t bark.  I guess he knows they’re special, that they are family.  Just another reason he’s special.  He is the sweetest, mellowest, best behaved dog I’ve ever had.

We are glad to announce we have collected $60 from our fountain; and, with our match we have been able to donate $120 to the Waterville Humane Society. Thank you for all your support.

Here at Boundary Bay Brewery, we love supporting small local businesses.  It’s just fun for us to help keep this community strong and healthy…and to get to know our neighbors really, really well!  This Christmas, we’re very lucky to be selling glass ornaments made specifically for us by another Bellingham company: Glassworks Northwest.  You can pick up pint glass ornaments ($10 ea.)in a variety of beer shades…ranging from a nice light blonde to a deep, dark stout color.  Or, if you prefer your beer in bigger batches, grab one of the growler ornaments ($14 ea.) labeled with our various beers.  This fun ornament would make a great gift for any beer lover…or fan of Boundary Bay Brewery!  And, it’s locally made which, in our opinion, makes it even better!  The owner of Glassworks Northwest has loved glass for many years and makes lots of great ornaments, garden art and jewelry.  Go check out her Etsy shop…and when you purchase any of her products, a portion of that sale will be donated to the local Humane Society and no-kill shelters that help animals in need.  So, really, this is a total win-win situation…you can come here to your local craft brewery, purchase an ornament made by another Bellingham company, AND help animals in need by purchasing Glassworks Northwest art.  What better time than the holidays to spread that kind of love?!

Friday morning I made myself and Nick some instant oatmeal. I have had these Quaker Oats instant fruit packages in my cupboard FOREVER so I decided to give them a whirl. Nick had strawberry whiled I opted for peach with blueberry pecan granola stirred in. After the first bite I felt as if I was headed into a sugar coma! Man are these little packages loaded with sugar! I much rather my plain rolled oats where I can control the ingredients and sweetness levels. Luckily the package only made about a half cup. I decided to choke mine down since I did not have time to make a new bowl of oats. I was volunteering at the Humane Society Calumet Area this morning. In fact, I was running so behind I had to eat my breakfast on the bathroom sink while I was getting ready.

Sorry for the bad pic. Was taken on my phone. Side of apple juice to wash the oats down.

I was so excited to be at the Humane Society this morning. I was helping photograph the animals that wanted to come in and get their pictures taken with Santa. Owner just had to give a donation to the Humane Society to get a pic with Santa. I had so much fun with the animals and getting them to pose all pretty. Here are some of the shots I took…

Puppy love for Santa

Kisses for Santa

And for the best photo of the day!! Nick had brought my baby Miky to come get her photo taken with Santa. Now although she looks like a little angel I think she had some sucking up to do with Santa to get her off the naughty list.

Hi gang!

I wanted to make sure I posted today about a great local event being put on by the great peeps over at Mike’s Hard Lemonade:

Date: Thursday December 17th
Time: 6pm
Location: Sport Restaurant & Bar
140th 4th Ave. N. Suite 130
Seattle, WA 98109

Twitter#: #mikes or Hashtag:   #humaneholiday

What’s happening: For every guest, mike’s hard lemonade® will donate $5.00 to the Seattle Humane Society.
A rep from the Humane Society will talk about the good things they are doing in the community.  The Seattle social media community will announce a revamped seattle.socialcentral.net site.

Wanna go?!?!?!! Of course you do!

Here’s the Tweetvite: http://tweetvite.com/event/mikes

Of course, there’s drink specials, and all the proceeds from guest entry go to our furry friends! So, go, drink, enjoy, help! (as long as you’re over 21, of course!)

UPDATE!  THE PUG WAS FOUND!  THANKS!!

My dear friend Jenny lost her little black pug this morning in Herndon VA.  If you live in the area or have any contacts there please forward this on to them to be on the lookout.  She is a TINY little girl and is very active.  She wiggled out of her leash and harness this morning and took off.  She has only lived in this area since Spring and Jenny fears she got disoriented and is hiding and scared somewhere.  So if you can help in anyway please contact Jenny.  Below is info from her website

WE LOST OUR PUG!!

If you live in the Herdon, Reston, Fairfax areas or surrounding areas –

please forward this link to anyone you might know.

Reward:$500.00

Black Pug – friendly! Shiny Coat. Small.

Lost today (December 17) at 6am

If found please call:

703.939.0344 or 703.964.6194

or Email us: TugboatJenny@hotmail.com

NO identifying tags / dog came out of harness & leash.

Looking to adopt some cuddly new friends for the holidays? You’re in luck!

You can pick up these two cuties from the Humane Society today!

Meal’s best friend,

-Shady

*Courtesy of Stillwater Chamber of Commerce*

Salvation Army:Volunteers are needed to ring bells at the donation kettles and also to help distribute gifts from the Angel Trees.  To volunteer, contact Sgt. Rob Daniels at 372-1554. Donations can be made by giving a gift from the Angel Trees located in both Wal-Marts, Belk, Atwoods, IBC Bank, SpiritBank, Carl’s Jr., and Sirloin Stockade. 

Judith Karman Hospice: Christmas ornaments may be purchased at their office.  Donations to their resale shop are always appreciated.

Humane Society: Volunteers are needed to help come by and socialize with dogs and cats.  Also need donations of cat litter, dish soap, and training treats for dogs.  The Humane Society can also utilize used washcloths & hand towels for cleaning cages and used blankets for the dogs to sleep on.

 Community Christmas Dinner: Volunteers are needed on Christmas Day from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.  Call Charles Kaupke at 377-8184.  Donations of cakes are also needed, call Nancy Patton at 372-0885.

Here’s this week’s most recent rescue dogs from the Brevard, NC area.  Please pass this along to anyone you know who can help and please re-posts these notices so we get the word out to as many people as possible. If you, or someone you know is affiliated with any breed rescue groups, we’d love to hear from you!

Thanks as always for caring about our 4-legged friends.

Dunbar

Husky. Probably about a year old. Needs housebreaking and neutering. Available now.

Indiana

Stray Brindle Pitt (12-15) male 40 pounds unneutered friendly, does NOT like leash, Pine Crest Apartments. Available Monday December 21.

Hannah

Harold

Stray male black lab (December 11) Maybe 6 months old, 50 pounds found on Daimond’s Creek. Available Wednesday December 16.

Helena

Stray female Retriever(?) mix (December 11) found on Ross Road near the shelter

Available Wednesday December 16

India

Stray mix female (12-14),less than a year old, 15-20 pounds, very underweight (Pet of the week) Available Monday, December 20.

Isaac

Stray Plott, young male,found on Diamond’s Creek, about 45 pounds, 2-3 years old, friendly. Plotts are the state dog of North Carolina.   Available Monday December 20

“Having Awareness as a corporate partner for Special Olympics makes sense. They have opportunities and resources for our supporters that make the relationship a win-win for both the Special Olympics and our supporters.”
–Development Manager, Special Olympics Michigan

Trust is a word that conveys reliability and strength of character.  Yet it is also a concept with great fragility and a trait that must be carefully tended.  Awareness Home Funding views our past successes with great appreciation.  The recommendations of our partners reflect our responsibility to organizations and clients alike, but also drive us to perform at a higher standard.  When you succeed, we succeed.  Working together the communities we serve ultimately succeed.

As a partner, we have communication methods that will work with you however you connect with your supporters.  Our program is easy to implement and incorporate into your current fund raising efforts.  Changing your mode of operation just does not make sense.  We respect your hard work too much to not value the trust placed in us.  It is what a partner does.

Contact us today and let our passion further yours.

“I wholeheartedly recommend Awareness Home Funding to other charitable organizations, they’re for real.”                                         –Director, Humane Society of Kent County

Article courtesy of www.stltoday.com by Elizabeth Holland on 10/15/2009.

Just a few years ago, dogs such as Fay, Junior and Jakob — pit bulls seized as part of a massive dogfighting raid and rescue — probably wouldn’t have had a second chance.

Oct. 14, 2009 - Jakob gets a kiss from cruelty investigator Kyle Held at the Humane Society of Missouri headquarters in St. Louis. Jake and five others seized during the raids will soon leave the Humane Society's emergency shelter in St. Louis for new homes. Jake is headed to Los Gatos, Calif., for a new career as a therapy dog.

On Wednesday, though, the Humane Society of Missouri placed them and three other seized American pit bull terriers with rescue groups that have found, or are determined to find, homes for the dogs.

“These are the first of many that will go to rescue groups and homes,” Humane Society spokeswoman Jeane Jae said.

The six are among the 407 dogs seized July 8 in raids across Missouri and Illinois as part of what was called the largest dogfighting raid and rescue in the U.S. Twenty-one of the dogs were pregnant and have since given birth to some 100 puppies.

Four or five years ago, dogs with such violent histories would have been euthanized after a raid, said Debbie Hill, vice president of operations for the Humane Society of Missouri. But the thinking regarding rehabilitation of fighting dogs is shifting, she said.

Still, experts have told the organization that while many of the dogs have the potential to be rehabilitated, it should prepare for the possibility that only 5 percent to 10 percent of them will be, Hill said.

But Hill said she expects far more to survive. “These are not horrible killers,” she said. “A good number of them can be rehabilitated.”

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Hill said the Humane Society doesn't know the status of all 407 dogs and their offspring because the organization doesn't have custody of all of the dogs.

The dogs have been held at an undisclosed facility here.

In the meantime, more than two dozen people in Missouri, Illinois and six other states have been charged as a result of the raids. Last month, four of them pleaded guilty in federal court in St. Louis to dogfighting-related charges. In doing so, they agreed to forfeit the dogs, training equipment and any weapons found by authorities.
Regarding the dogs deemed too violent or injured to save, Hill said there is at least the knowledge that the dogs were plucked from hellish conditions and finally treated well, if only for a short time.

"Their entire lives they've been tortured ... and that will never happen again," she said. "It does help me to know that they've had that love and compassion that they'd never had before."

Fay, Junior, Jakob, Eli, Kali and Carlos appeared Wednesday at the Humane Society's headquarters to have received a healthy dose of that love and compassion. The dogs, and the young puppies of another rescued dog, were doted on by representatives of the organization and the rescue groups intent on finding them homes.

Junior, 11, already has a new address in the works, said Tiffany McBee of Broken Hearts, Mended Souls Rescue in Fulton, Mo. The group has agreed to help find proper homes for 25 pit bulls seized in the raids, she said.

Junior's face is graying and scarred, and his ears look nothing like the pair he was born with. He has what's called a "battle crop" — ears that were intentionally severed at some point in his likely fighting career.

Kyle Held, Humane Society of Missouri animal cruelty investigator pets Junior.

“He’s old and he deserves a chance — he made it this far,” said McBee while petting the calm, appreciative dog. Fay, the dog whose badly disfigured face may be most associated with the dogfighting raids, also deserves a chance, said Gale Frey of the St. Louis rescue group Mutts-n-Stuff.

Fay, 5, has no lips and is missing part of her nose.

“For five years, she lived a life of hell … a life of cruelty,” Frey said as a Humane Society employee rubbed Fay under her pink plaid collar. “She is one of the ones that we know is going to need a little work and extra socialization.”

That will include obedience training and even training to certify Fay as a therapy dog, Frey said. “Just to see she made it could inspire,” Frey said.

Specialists have evaluated the dogs and were to prepare a report detailing which dogs must be euthanized and which face other outcomes.

The Humane Society asks that qualified rescue groups or experienced individuals interested in fostering or giving permanent homes to the dogs call the organization at 314-802-5712.

A law change to toughen animal cruelty laws may be in the works as a response to the rescue of the 84 horses in Tennessee last week.

The Humane Society of the United States assisted in the seizure of the neglected horses ordered by the Cannon County Sheriff’s Department. Presently, the horses are said to be gaining strength at their new location; The Tennessee State Fairgrounds.

In the wake of this heinous instance of animal abuse, Tennessee state representative Janis Sontany has announced that she plans to draft a bill designed to include starvation of any animal in the felony penalty statutes. Currently, only dogs and cats are included in the felony statute for starvation.

Meanwhile, the humane society said it was grateful for the outpouring of support from the community to help the horses. FarmVet has donated $500 worth of product to the rescued horses.

To donate money, log onto www.HSUS.org and click the donate button. 

Anyone interested in adopting or fostering one of the horses can contact the following email address: tnhorserescue@hsus.org. The Humane Society of the United States will foster the horses through a rescue closest to the potential adopters.

To send your gift by U.S. Mail, please make your check payable to The HSUS and mail it to HSUS, 2100 L Street, NW, Washington, DC 20037.

City Council will be holding a special meeting on the fate of the Muncie Animal Shelter, Monday December 14th at 5:30 PM City Hall Auditorium.

I hope the people attending will direct the comments to the people who are responsible for the closing of the shelter. It is the fiscal body of our city, none other than the City Council. You can blame the mayor and that is fine if it makes you feel better. But the mayor has her hands tied on this one. She can do nothing. The city council MUST rescind the cut.  Please address your concerns to the only people who can rectify the situation.  Other than that, it will turn out to be an exercise in futility.

See, Mr. Sam Marshall announced the cuts, And it just so happened he and other unknown people, chose to cut from the animal shelter budget. The position which was cut was a union position, and surely Marshall and the City Council knew that cutting this position would result in the lay-offs of 4 part-time attendants. If not, then they have no business governing our city. If you will recall, when the mayor had to lay-off five police officers the reserves had to go. The city council should have learned from the mayor’s mistake and not committed it themselves.

The cut of a little over $40,000 was enough to cripple the Muncie Animal Shelter to the point it had no other options but to close. They City Council was hoping this would evoke a heated response, and it has. They are also hoping to slide through this without taking any responsibility.

Yet, as the fiscal body, they WERE the ones which made this and other senseless cuts. The mayor warned the council the cut would probably close the shelter, and they didn’t care. Her written response is available on this blog. Please take the time to read it.

Now, we have to get down to business. The City Council created a Rainy Day fund which has over $300,000.00. We believe, based upon state law, the fiscal body is not allowed to add to the budget only make cuts. Creating this fund is illegal.

All it takes to keep the shelter open is $40,000.00. Before they made the cut, the City Council should have looked at all the ramifications and used the “rainy day fund” to keep it operable. They did not.

Muncie also had a wonderful opportunity to partner with the Humane Society. This would have allowed for not only animal control, but animal care. We would have finally seen a return on our investment. A better shelter at a lesser cost. County Council voted it down. Why?

Since the Humane Society and Muncie Animal shelter was no longer an option, the next possibility would be to update the ordinances to reflect fees that are more current and generate revenue.  I believe the city council was afraid the Muncie Animal Shelter may have become self-sustaining within a year or two, very similar to what we saw with Prairie Creek. Certainly, we could not have that, could we?

The animal shelter has been a thorn in many people’s side for years. How long does it take to have a working and efficient shelter anyway? In Muncie it is about 25 years.

Muncie was facing a 4 million dollar budget shortfall. The mayor has found 2.5 million dollars. City Council called an impromptu press conference when the elected officials found they may not get the glory. Because the mayor did not act as fast as they wanted, the city council took it upon themselves to find the 1.5 million dollars.

This is what they came up with. Closing the animal shelter, no street lights, less fuel for police, removing key personnel and removing the water hydrant maintenance budget without any source of revenue.

I shudder to think what would have happened had the city council tasked themselves to find the 4 million.  In some respects, the finance committee, headed up by Vice President Mike King, did us a favor by not having any meetings with the committee in 18 months span.

 If anybody doubts the validity of this, one only needs to read the minutes of the city council meeting from April ‘09.  Clearly, Mr. King deceived the people, and clearly Quirk or King never made good on the promise…meeting with department heads within 30 days.  In fact, if anybody should get a hold of the transcripts from the pre-election forums, you will find neither King or Quirk have lived up to their campaign promises.  Let’s make this their last term.

Nobody was able to answer any questions on the budget cuts. How they were determined or the reasons behind it. No thought was given to cutting the 911 Communications Center budget (Muncie City pays for about 85%). I believe it is because the center is now completely controlled by Dunnuck, Donati and Bledsoe. The city council would not dare touch that line item. Care to guess why?

“You’re a mean one, Mr. Grinch.”