Pets for Life: Smooches- An urgent girl that breaks and fills my heart- all at the same time!

Pets for Life: Smooches- An urgent girl that breaks and fills my heart- all at the same time!

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Smooches- An urgent girl that breaks and fills my heart- all at the same time!

Smooches- An urgent girl that breaks and fills my heart- all at the same time!

by Stubbs Mac Crossposting on Monday, September 26, 2011 at 4:01am

Smooches is no ordinary brindle girl.  She is a petite lady and has clearly been through past trauma with a partially amputated back foot. She clearly has had pups and was dumped by her owner at a shelter that euthanizes when the shelter has no other option.

She first caught my eye because she is in the back kennels that are seldom visited by shelter guests.  Then I noticed that where there should have been a back foot, there was nothing.  And a bad amputation at that.  Home-done?  Trap? Who knows?  Anyway, it must have been excrutiating.  Then to have had pups and dumped at a kill shelter should have been the last straw for this girl.  It sure would have put me in a hateful mood.
~~~
BUT the amazing thing about Smooches is that she is one of the most sweet, trusting, and loving dogs I have seen in a long time. SHE doesn't know she has a handicap either.  When I walked into her kennel and knelt down to greet her, I was showered with doggie kisses for at least 3-5 minutes.  Her whole body was wiggling with joy. She was so happy to have some attention an someone to love on her. When I took her out of the kennel, probably for the first time since she was put in (except to clean it) she immediately took the opportunity to relieve herself in the grass. She so enjoyed the smell of the grasses and the fresh sweet air.  She walks with a slight limp, but it doesn't affect her in a functional way.  I had the great idea of seeing how the foot affected her running.  She and I did a couple of laps up and down the fence perimeter.  She had no idea she couldn't run, but she shortly made me realize that I couldn't!

There was no aggression towards people or other dogs.  This sweet baby has the heart and soul of a lioness!  She is very loving, brave, and deserves a home that will love her as much as she will love you back. She loves kids and gave as many kisses to my 5 year old daughter as she did to me!

~~~~
I DO consider her urgent.  In the back, she will be overlooked.  Some will discriminate because of her "handicap", some will discriminate because she shows the temporary "anatomical signs" of being a recent mother, and some will discriminate because of the breed mix, but if they do, they will be missing one helluvadog! She can do anything that other dogs can do, even play in the pool!
~~~~
I am BEGGING someone to give this disguised angel on earth a good and loving home before it is too late for her.
She is located at the Montgomery County Animal Shelter in Conroe, Texas (just North of Houston).

Adoption and UNREALISTIC EXPECTATIONS can lead to death

I will start off by saying that I DO believe that most people who adopt a shelter dog do so with good intentions.  However, many of these people also do so while wearing rose colored glasses.  I make this statement due to the number of dogs, especially, that I have seen lately returned to the kill shelter (pound) after they have been in their new home for only one or two days.  If a dog is returned, there is an automatic assumption that something must be wrong with it, otherwise everything would have been just wonderful.  It is not the dog 99% of the time, it is those unrealistic expectations-and unbeknownst to you, you have inadvertently given that dog the kiss of death.. 

So, folks, I am asking everyone to take off those rose colored glasses and look at the reality of adopting a shelter pet or a pet from any source for that matter.

IF YOU REMEMBER NOTHING ELSE FROM THIS BLOG, REMEMBER THIS- THE PET YOU ARE ADOPTING IS TERRIFIED.  IT HAS BEEN LIVING IN A CAGE OR CRATE, HAS BEEN THROUGH AN UNKNOWN HISTORY, OR WAS BOOTED OUT BY A FAMILY IT TRUSTED AND THOUGHT LOVED IT.  TRUST IS SHATTERED, HOPE IS OFTEN SHATTERED, AND CONFIDENCE IS SHATTERED.  THIS MAY CAUSE ISSUES RELATED TO BEHAVIOR THAT YOU, THE ADOPTER, WILL NEED TO LOVINGLY WORK THROUGH.

So, here are some things to think about BEFORE you adopt:

If you RENT, make sure that your landlord will allow you to have a pet and if there are any breed/size limitations or limitations on the number of pets you can have.

If you do NOT have a fenced in yard or a secure place for the dog to relieve itself, you may not have a successful adoption unless you are committed to walking the dog on a daily basis.

Realize that if you get a young puppy- it will DEFINITELY not be housebroken. If you adopt a shelter dog, even an older one may not be housebroken.  Shelters often do not know the history unless the dog is an owner turn-in.  Be prepared to housebreak in a humane manner and understand that it can take weeks or months to successfully housebreak a dog. If you don't have time to housebreak, you may want to adopt an owner turn-in dog or a more senior dog where the history of house breaking is known.  Even then, be prepared for accidents as your new pet will likely be terrified and will not know the "law of it's new land".  Enzyme cleaner and a rug shampooer will be your best friends for the first month!

PLEASE, PLEASE understand that your new animal will be scared, very scared.  AND, over-whelmed. New people, new smells, new pets who have already established turf and may not be welcoming, new rules, new feeding times, new expectations about where they can and cannot be, new standards for where and when they go potty, new expectations and rules.  They cannot adapt and learn this all in a few days- it will be closer to a few months. Read books on training before you adopt and learn how to train in a humane manner with love and patience.

It takes AT LEAST a month, and sometimes longer for the new pet (and you) to work through the many issues related to owning a new pet. Commitment to make it work is key.  You may have to deal with "accidents", chewing, scratching, jumping, digging, unenthusiastic resident pets, training, etc.  Commitment to an animal means that you commit to working through these issues and do so lovingly and with patience.  I have many links on this blog site about dealing with various issues when adopting a pet.  Please use them to help you keep your new friend.

Here is the story of Stubb's adoption experience, from the persepective of a shelter dog:

I was sitting in my cage at Houston BARC when a lady pulled my out of that cage and took me home to the coast of Texas.  I had no idea she was a foster who had just pulled me off death row in the nick of time.  Life at her place was pretty cool.  I had two other bully dogs who liked to play like I did- kinda rough and tumble, and I could actually pee and poop on her porch!  Didn't have to step in wet grass or anything!  She let me sleep on furniture or any place I wanted.  DOG HEAVEN! 

THEN, my new family adopted me.  I could tell they loved me and they gave my lots of affection, but boy was it a different house.  It was a lot bigger and I had no bully buddies to play with- only a resident cranky dog who didn't want me there and nipped at me if my new mom tried to play with me or pet me. She played with him too, but he was quite happy being the only dog.  We had a few minor battles (always HIS fault), but gradually those became less.  We now, after 8 months, have a peaceable truce most of the time. He still tries to nip me once in a blue moon, but he gets in trouble for it (ha, ha Alex!). We bark at the door together, run in the yard together, and gang up on the cats together, but he STILL won't play with me!  Mom and my sis have to do that!

Speaking of CATS, soon after I arrived I got in trouble with the cats.  I'm sorry, but those critters still look like snacks to me.  Mom separated us, but I was pretty sneaky and determined to taste one of those things. I kept racing out into the garage where Mom hid the cats, but mom would grab my collar.  Since I am so strong, I drug her under the Ford Expedition three times before she could wrestle me back in the house. But, I AM persistent and managed to get that orange one twice. The second time Mom had to pull the orange CAT (not to be confused with SNACK, says Mom) out of my mouth, I found myself shipped off to doggie boot camp for two weeks.  Yup, back in a kennel again and had a professional trainer teach me some manners and how to walk on a leash!

My next drama was where to sleep.  I of course, being the great and powerful Stubbs, thought my rightful place was any where I wanted to sleep.  My foster didn't mind.  But certain members of my new family had other ideas (not naming names!).  I had to sleep on a dog bed on the sofa at the foot of the bed.  Not ON the bed, not ON all the other sofas- just that one.  I still am not liking that rule so much, but I'm used to it now.

Then came drama with my heartworm treatment.  Mom was trying the slow kill method, but freaked out the day I coughed up a teeny bit of blood (personally I thought that was less of a deal than the big poops on the carpet, but hey, I'm just a dog).  Mom got me into the vet within two days to do the real fast kill.  What this meant to me was two days at the vets office (they kept me in the reception area with them when I tried to bust out), shaved back, and shots.  And, oh yeah, for some reason it was VERY IMPORTANT that I be QUIET!  Hmmmm.  For a pooch like myself, that posed a problem, and since I couldn't be kept in a crate, the vet and Mom decided that super doggie tranquilizers were the answer.  Yep, I spent the next 6 weeks totally stoned.  Best six weeks of my life!

So, my new family had to deal with housebreaking, training, HW treatment, teaching me the house rules, teaching me how to interact with the resident pets, and not to scratch up and ruin doors and moulding in an attempt to escape (which was how I spent my first three days of terror in the "new house").  I get a hold of Mom's shoes now and then (3 pairs down so far), but I just like the smell (dogs like stinky things) and it's fun to get her to chase me! 

I'm used to my new place now.  I have lots of toys, get lots of love, tolerate my brother, have a new sis to play with (gently, says mom, or we get separated), a soft bed, two squares a day plus snacks when Alex and I put on our Mooching Faces, a yard to run and do my business in, and the run of the house.  Still don't know why I can't eat those blasted CATS though.  They even have their own room in the house now, but I'm not allowed in.  No fair.  But it sure beats a cage at Houston BARC in the Euth line!!!!

I'm lucky that I got a family who was so committed to making it work.  If I had gone back to the shelter, I know that I would not be here today.  Please, if you adopt a dog, try your absolute best to make it work.  Give us some time, understanding, love, and patience and we will be your BFF !

In Your Life, by PitBill Ziegler and Pit Crew Rescue

In your life, people will come, people will go.

In your life, people will love ...you, people will hate you.

In your life, people will help you, people will hurt you.

In your life, people will be your friend, people will be your foe.

In your life your Dog will ALWAYS, be there, love you, help you & be your BEST friend!

**RESCUE YOUR BEST FRIEND, YOU WILL CHERISH THIS UNCONDITIONAL LOVE & FRIENDSHIP FOR LIFE!

-PitBill Ziegler,PitBill Ziegler II,Pit Crew Rescue

The Child on the Chain

WARNING: This post will be disturbing on many levels.  I wrestled with whether to write it at all, but I feel it is important to drive the point home.  Here is a link to read after the post for more information on chaining.
http://www.unchainyourdog.org/FactsPhotos.htm

Billy was once very loved.  When he was small, young, and "cute".  His parents were, in the beginning, loving and kind. Then Billy got a little older.  When he reached the age of three, he was not as "controllable" anymore.  He ran around the house, knocked over tables with precious antiques, and got into cabinets he wasn't supposed to.  His parents were not patient, nor did they attempt to educate him in basic skills of behavior and manners.  They became more and more frustrated, but instead of trying to teach Billy, they decided to replace him.

One day, Billy's parents came home with a lovely puppy with long floppy ears and a long waggly tail.  Billy was fascinated with the puppy, but his parents would not let him near it as they were afraid that "uncontrollable Billy" would hurt it.  They didn't bother to try to teach Billy how to interact with the new puppy.  The puppy soon received all the attention.  Billy was left alone most of the time, except for meals.  Billy did everything he could think of to get his parents attention- he cried, jumped up and down on the beds, hid their shoes, and ran around and around the house thinking, "surely they will notice me now!"  They DID notice, but it did not have the effect Billy wanted- instead he got hit with switches and rolled up newspapers as punishment for his behavior.

Then one fatal day, Billy was left alone with the puppy.  Having never been taught how to interact with the puppy, Billy pulled one of her big floppy ears.  HARD.  The dog screamed in pain.  Billy's parents came running into the room, saw Billy pulling the puppy's ear, and immediately grabbed Billy.  "How dare you hurt the baby!" his parents screamed. One parent kicked him in the ribs and he fell to the ground in pain. Then they threw Billy out into the backyard and locked him out of the house.  Billy wandered the yard, watching his parents play with and comfort the baby.  Tears rolled down his face as he remembered that once HE was the baby.  He beat on the door, screamed and cried, but there was no response to his pleas. 

Billy looked at the fence then noticed the gate.  He had never opened a gate before, but he was sure that this was the way out of captivity.  Since he could not dig under the fence, that gate held the key to his freedom.  After hours of working on the latch, it popped.  He was FREE!  Billy wandered through the neighborhood, looking for a home with people who would love him.  After several hours, he was seen by a well-meaning but uninformed neighbor who knew him and was returned to his parents.  Since Billy was young and could not communicate well, he could not make the neighbor understand what was happening to him.

His parents were furious that Billy had dared to escape.  They locked Billy in the laundry room, and he could only hear activity in the back yard that went on for several hours.  Billy sat in the corner, clinging to himself in fear with tears running down his cheeks.  "What did I do to make them stop loving me?"  He had no idea how he had been THAT bad.

Then he heard stomping through the house.  The parents burst into the room with fury in their eyes.  Billy cowered against the wall.  One of them held him down while the other wrapped a thick, heavy chain around his neck- tightly.  The 12 foot chain weighed almost as much as Billy did.  He wailed and cried, but all that earned him was another kick in the ribs.  Billy doubled over in pain as his parents drug him with the chain into the backyard and affixed it to a tree.  When Billy was able to breathe again, he sat up and noticed a shack beside the tree with three or four of his old baby blankets carelessly tossed into it.

That night, he was brought some table scraps and water in metal bowls. He crawled into his shack with the hated chain tightly around his neck.  He made himself as comfortable as possible in the pile of thin baby blankets that had been tossed into the shack.  He curled himself into a fetal position as insects bit him and the heavy chain hindered his ability to move.  The next day, he ventured out of the shack and curled up in the grass under the tree, crying miserably and wondering what he had done to deserve such a fate.  This became Billy's life day in and day out.  He howled, cried, and yelled but to no avail.  No savior came for him. His parents still ignored him except to tell him he was "bad" and to toss him scraps of food and change his water every few days. Billy became filthy, his clothing torn and smelly.  His thin blankets became infested with fleas and lice.  Billy was miserable and wondered when his punishment would end.  He soon learned it was only to worsen.

Neighborhood bullies noticed that Billy was chained to a tree.  They gathered outside the fence and threw stones and sticks at him.  He tried to dodge the best he could, but the ponderous chain held him back.  With many bruises and cuts, Billy slinked into his shack, curling up in fear.  Being eaten by parasites and full of worms was bad enough, but now he was battered and bruised from the attack.  He curled up into a fetal position and cried for hours.  Slowly he ventured back out.  The bullies were gone for the day, but they returned every so often to torment Billy. His parents did nothing to stop them.  One day after Billy had been dodging stones, his chain cut deep into his neck and blood ran down his body.  He had been growing, despite the mal-treatment, but no one had bothered to adjust the chain. Despite the blood, no one noticed or cared. The pain was excruciating, but still Billy survived.

Through the winter, Billy managed to survive as infection set in and freezing temperatures almost took his life.  He could not eat much any more, and his water often froze, but he drank as he could and tried to use the tattered baby blankets to keep warm.

Summer came. It was miserably hot that year.  Billy could still see through the windows his parents playing with the cute young dog while he languished on the chain.  He was unable to eat, barely able to drink, and becoming more and more ematiated by the day. The parasites, worms, dehydration, lack of food, and infection was taking it's toll on Billy. He realized he would never be loved again.  The heat was causing the infection from the embedded chain to spread through his poor body.  Billy began going into septic shock.  Using his last bit of energy, Billy retrieved his favorite baby blanket from the shack, laid down under the tree, and put the blanket under his head.  He closed his eyes for the last time, desperately trying to remember and to dream of a time when he once was loved.  Billy's spirit left his tortured body that day and crossed over the rainbow bridge.  He had not even reached his 5th birthday.  Billy was now free of the tortuous chain and could run, jump, and play with the spirits who had gone before.  He never got the answer to what he had done wrong, but now he was free.

Would someone actually do this to their child? Unlikely, but it is done to dogs all the time. So, because it is a dog and not a child, does this make it any more acceptable?  My answer is a resounding "HELL NO".

Dogs are social animals- they are smart, loving, loyal, and learn quickly.  However, they must be taught how to assimilate into their new pack- YOUR family. They are pack animals and cannot and should never be kept in isolation.  It breaks their spirits, bodies, and can make them aggressive since they never learn socialization. Dogs are perfect family pets, but they require humane training, patience, love and supervision to learn the ways of their new pack.

Remember these things:

• Dogs are sentient beings.  This means that they feel pain and emotion just the way we do.
• Dogs are social animals.  When you commit to a dog, you must commit to bringing them into your home and family and making them an active and loved member of the "pack"
• Dogs are loyal to a fault.  If they are shown kindness and love, they will stick with you through thick and thin and become the family protector- yes, even of the baby!
• Treating a dog poorly is abuse- pure and simple. Neglect is abuse, putting a dog at risk is abuse.  If you are doing these things.  YOU are an ABUSER.
• Dogs kept on chains or tied up in the backyard are not socialized properly.  Don't blame the dog if it digs, barks, jumps, bites, has no manners, or howls.  It isn't the dog's fault.  It is YOUR FAULT.
• Chained or tied dogs are vulnerable to the elements, parasites, and predators- both human and animal.
• If you think it is OK to chain or tie up a dog in your backyard, DON'T GET A DOG.  You don't deserve the privilege of owning one of these magnificent creatures.

You wouldn't do it to a child, don't to it to a dog!!!!

Rollie- the pit bull who died a hero

Stubbs Mac Crossposting:
Rollie is a pit bull who died a hero.  This is a real-life situation about how a dog saved a child's life.  The credit for the photo and the story go to Pitbull Ziegler who is a pit bull advocate on facebook and one of my friends.  We want everyone to know that pit bulls are not bad dogs.  They are not mean, aggressive, or dangerous unless they are FORCED to be that way by owners who abuse them.  They are protective, energetic, and enthusiastic and require a loving but firm hand to control all that enthusiasm, but they were the favorite breed in the early through the mid 20th century and were known as "Nanny dogs" for their protectiveness of children.  Then criminals and media alarmists ruined the reputation of the breed. 
Here is what Rollie did.  Now judge for yourself if this dog was a dangerous animal in need of banning or extermination or an angel sent to save this child:

Rollie passed away the other day after protecting a child from being bitten by a Blue Diamond Back Rattle Snake.

She was bit in the lip & given 7 viles of anti venom at $1500 a pop but wasn't enough to save her. She SAVED a child's life!

RIP Rollie- you were a true hero.

Now we need to save others (pit bulls) so they can be seen for the TRUE HEROS they were born to be!

~Pitbull Ziegler

THEY Choose YOU

To understand this article, you first need to understand my spiritual inclinations.  I do not subscribe to any one particular religion, but have a very spiritual nature and believe that every creature in this world is a miracle unto itself.  Even the not so lovable ones have a purpose.  Although I do have to keep reminding myself of that with human beings, I seldom have to remind myself of that with members of the animal kingdom.  I also believe that animals, as sentient, cognizant beings, have souls.  The other belief I have is that souls attract souls- for a purpose although we may not be able to identify the purpose at any given time. 

I am teaching my five year old daughter to honor and respect life, even down to the reptilian and insect world. I do not allow her to engage in typical 5 year old pursuits such as ant stomping and bug de-winging, nor does she get to singe bugs with a magnifying glass!  None of this was taught to me.  I was an ant stomper, I sadly must admit.  As I became wiser, I realized that if God created these creatures, and they had a right to be here as much as I did.  I was doing myself no favors by intentionally inflicting harm.  Although the one prejudice I CANNOT get past is cockroaches--- I will still do one of them in if it is in my house!

Stay with me on this, I AM going to eventually make a point after the waffling...

The other day, poolside in our back yard, there was a lovely, small, delicate blue dragonfly flitting around the side of the pool.  I love dragonflies and have always been fascinated by them.  So is my daughter- to their misfortune.  She relentlessly chased this dragonfly around trying to capture it in her hand.  I explained to her that it was better to use her eyes to admire it than her hands to catch it.  I pointed out that it was so small and delicate that it could easily be crushed if she tried to grab it.  The dragonfly and my daughter played a game of chase for about 15 minutes before I asked her again to stop because if it became fatigued and landed in the pool, it would drown because it's wings would get wet and too heavy to fly out.  I took her hand, placed it about a foot away from where the dragonfly had lit down again on the side of the pool and told her to be calm, gentle, and patient.  I said, "If it is his choice, the dragon fly will choose YOU- you cannot choose him". Within 5 seconds the dragonfly lit down on my childs hand and she laughed with delight.  I smiled at her and said, "See, he DID choose you once you stopped chasing.  You have been blessed."  The dragonfly landed on her hand a few more times within the next few minutes and then flew away.  My daughter smiled.

I think the same is true with companion animals.  My entire life, every animal I ever owned was a stray, and I can remember the name of each of them and difficult times they got me through in my life.  A few months ago, I was desperately working on saving a dog from a Georgia shelter and had contributed $400 so a rescue would take him.  The adoption coordinator said that he was her kind of dog too, but why would a person put so much money down on ONE dog when there were so many others in need. I could give her no answer except to say that something in that middle aged, scruffy dog touched my heart. He wasn't coming to me, but I knew that I was being called to save him.  For what, I had no idea, but I irritated my entire friend and group list for at least 6 weeks trying to save him as did a few others that jumped on the "save Truman" wagon. My husband would have throttled me if he had known about the money, so I had to sneak it away, but this dog HAD to be saved.  And he was.  Some wonderful Georgia folks coordinated his rescue and he went to foster for heartworm treatment.  When I inquired about him last week, I found out he was adopted, and was very loved.  He was just a plain brown doggy dog, and although his purpose was not to enhance my life, I believe it was to enhance someone else's.

With the two dogs I have now, both were adopted through rescue organizations and had been pulled from shelters.  As soon as I saw Alex and Stubbs, 6 years apart, both of them spoke to me and I knew immediately that they had chosen me.  My life is better because of them.  Alex has given me comfort for years through good times and some very bad ones.  He is a shoulder to cry on and is always by my side.  Stubbs, the big lug, follows me everywhere too.  He is my funny boy who makes me laugh and was the motivator for me to start this blog and my facebook page to save shelter animals and to promote responsible pet ownership and to help people love, keep, and enjoy their companion animals for life.

You don't choose them. Whether you know it or not, THEY choose you.  You have been blessed to have been chosen.  Now honor that blessing.