Sunshine!

Sunshine is taking a trip to the Keys! As I am writing, her wonderful foster mom Kathi is taking her down to Florida to meet her new potential family. A vet from a small practice in far south florida somewhere between Small Key and some other place I can't remember was surfing petfinder and found our girl. Completely by accident she used her old NC zip code and it was love at first sight. So off they went after all the i's were dotted. Her foster mom is going to spend a few days down there soaking up the sun while Sunshine gets to meet and spend a little time with the new family. Here's hoping that it all works out and Sunshine will be in the Sunshine STATE!

Frank

Frank is now in a foster to adopt home. He's really improved and his potential family has taken him home (actually they took him home over a week ago, I'm just tardy). So far he is doing well. He has almost finished all of his meds for his skin and his ataxia seems to be improving a lot. Maybe it's just building strength or there could have been some underlying health issue that we never figured out. At any rate, when he's done with his meds we will take one last look and either put him on more or go ahead and give the adoption the green light. He's a great boy. We are so happy we've found a good match for him.

Lost Dog?

What to do if your dog is missing
1. Take out "lost" ads in local newspapers...they're free. List when and where you lost the dog. For example, "LOST pit bull, male, black, white spot on chest, vic. Main & 4th, Jul 4, (909) 123-4567" This describes what, where, when and who to contact.

2. Visit your local animal shelters every 3 days, DON'T just call. Leave a description of your dog in the shelter's lost/found book.

3. Hang and distribute flyers where you last saw your dog. Place bold, easy to read posters on busy streets and in the windows of local grocery stores and convenience markets, if they'll let you. Distribute flyers to your mail carrier, veterinarians, groomers, and the local shelter. Include a picture, if possible and offer a reward.

4. Don't give up hope. Some dogs are located months after their disappearance.

Microchips

Most animal shelters scan animals upon impound for microchips. If a dog or cat has a microchip, the transponder's number will appear when the scanner is moved over the animal. Microchip companies maintain databases of registered microchips. These transponders are the size of a grain of rice and are implanted between the shoulder blades of dogs and cats. If your pet is not already microchipped, talk to your veterinarian about having it done today! This ermanent form of ID just may save your dog.

If your dog is microchipped, you might check with implant company to make sure the chip is registered to you and that they have your current information.

AVID/Pettrac - 1-800-336-AVID
Home Again - 1-866-738-4324
InfoPet - 1-800-INFO-PET

Pet-search resources to search for on the net:
AWOLpet.com
Sherlock Bones
FidoFinder.com
Find Toto
LostPetSOS.org
Lost Pet Resources
SABER Alert program - for residents of Massachusetts, contact Animal Control
Pet FBI - for residents of Ohio

Additional resources:
How to Find a Lost Cat or Dog: http://www.petrescue.com/library/find-pet.htm

Nationwide animal shelter listings: www.PetHarbor.com

Updated website

Finally done updating the website. All I see now are a few minor corrections but no major formatting disasters. All I have to do now is get our tax forms arranged and I will be done with the "business" side. Should be pretty simple since we are practically penniliess. I only have two browsers to check it out so if anyone sees problems, please comment. I've added our facebook and myspace links to the website in an effort to increase marketing. This is a tight time for everyone. We are all feeling the pinch personally and professionally and in the rescue world.

Problems with the Website?

I've recently upgraded to a MAC. Well, actually last year but.... procrastination. I have Firefox and Safari browsers and haven't found a decent website building program yet. I have looked at the ASCPBR website using IE and found a whole lot of errors that I don't find with Safari or Firefox. If you are cruising the site and see mistakes. PLEASE email me, it's just embarassing to see so many mistakes and formatting errors. Please be patient as I am trying to get my act together.

Riley Journal #1

Hello!  My name is Riley. I am a 5 year old mixed breed dog. If I do say so myself, I am AMAZING!!! or that's what they (foster mom) tell me.  I am a fun loving sweetie pie if I don't say so myself. I listen and can follow directions....mostly, I try really hard though.  I like walking on a leash and I'm pretty proud to say I don't pull too much.  I love being outside and having outside activities including roller blades!!! They are awesome! I love pulling someone on roller blades behind me, makes me feel like a god.  Feels good with the wind in my ears and my tongue hanging out.  

I love to cuddle and my foster mom is happy to have me around all of the time to warm up her toes when it's chilly at night..  I'm dealing with a little bit of hairloss and don't have a full coat. I've tried just about everything but Rogaine.  My foster mom has seen some improvement already with a good diet, loving care, routine and EXERCISE.  I am a wonderful boy that deserves a loving home that will cherish my silliness.

Riley the lovable pit bull

We are so glad to have Riley Roo back in rescue.  We've worried about him for a while now and are really happy that we had a place in foster care this time around.  He's a loving sweet dog who despite being let down by almost every human in his life - he still loves everyone.  He has more faith in the human race than I do on most days.  He is one resilient fella.

He's so smart and trainable. We would love to see him go to a home that would take him through obedience or even give him a hand at agility. He is as graceful as a gazelle.  He's got great eye contact and is always looking for direction and something to do.  He's very in tune and sensitive to moods.  He's a really soft sweet boy.  

He has a little separation anxiety in that he cries when his person leaves his sight. He's crate trained though and happily stays in his crate when home alone. He's one of those dogs that prefers the safety of his crate to the whole house to manage - too much stimulation and things to do.  He likes to have his area limited when his leader isn't around. He craves leadership and will do just about anything to please his alpha.  Who can blame him for being a little nervous about being alone when everyone in his life has let him down...repeatedly.

We can't say enough good things about him but we are certainly biased.  We have had our minds on little Riley Roo since he changed hands in 2007.  We know he has his flaws but he's so damn cute, sweet, loving and and absolutely adorable.  We've never met a dog that bonds as hard or as fast as this guy.  He's just a wonderful boy and we are glad to be in the position of picking his home this time.  It's an honor and a privilege and we are glad to be a part of his life.

He's naked, or nearly so.  He's got some hairloss that has never been officially explained though we have run a bazillion tests. He starts to grow it back and then gets stressed and looses it like a cartoon character.  We've started him on the raw diet and some tea tree oil and jojoba body spray and so far the results are great.  We are trying to get him back to a natural diet and see if that takes care of it.  He doesn't mind wearing clothes to protect him from the sun, in fact he maybe a little fashionista.

STay tuned for Riley's own blog entries coming soon.