A day in the life

Last week was a tough week for me in what I call the "dog world". Got a call from an animal shelter who needed food, not to mention someone to save dogs and cats from death, low and behold, it was my shelter, that of the county I live in. I thought, oh, no, that does not happen here in Fayette, that is in more rural towns, blah, blah, blah. Well ALL the runs were full on Friday when we got there with the food. We took pictures of some of the doggies and kitties, posted on my Facebook Wall thinking surely someone would come forward. Disappointed again, nothing was adopted from there yesterday. I know in my heart we can only save one dog or cat at a time, but, it is those of us that go in there and have to look them in the eyes and know because one has a skin issue, attitude problem or whatever else comes up they will die. AND, they did not ask to be here. Well after that, on Saturday we drove to adoptions and it was hot out. We did not adopt one little kitten not to mention a precious pup, no, we had more people coming to us to drop off their dogs just throw out due to various reasons. My sadness runs deep, almost wondering if there is counseling available for those of us who see this everyday..........on the way home I had a good cry, came in the door to all my furbabies (yes, rescues) kissing me and crawling all over me. It was wonderful, they are the reasons I do this. The moral to my ramblings, because, as you all know, I am NO writer this is a plea for help either your local shelter, or your local humane society or if nothing else~donate dollars to your favorite, after all money is tight in rescue. I guess it is true. Tomorrow is another day, well for me and my furbabies not those in the shelter that their time is truly UP.

All of the pictures I have posted on my blog are of those I have fostered. There is nothing like the love you get from these babies.

Libby

In March of 2010, I met Libby. She was a plump white and gray tabby with stunning green eyes who was laid back and sweet. I assumed she was another rescue from a high kill shelter or perhaps an owner found themselves struggling and had to surrender her. I was wrong. I soon learned that Libby and her two friends wound up at a vet clinic in Newnan, GA where their owner had decided she wanted them euthanized. For what reason? She didn't want to care for them anymore. Well, when you want to euthanize a healthy and adoptable pet it isn't euthanasia---it's killing. The vet was shocked and contacted us about rescuing this gang of three. When I first heard this story, my jaw dropped. If you aren't prepared to take care of a living breathing creature for the duration of their life, then don't get one. There are millions of Libby's out there that aren't lucky enough to be rescued. They wind up in an animal control and then most of them end up being killed. Their lives snuffed out prematurely, because we as a society have failed them. I was grateful that the vet refused to kill them and contacted us to help give them another chance at finding the home that they deserved.

Libby and her friend Gabe went up to our adoption center straight from the vet. We estimated Libby to be about 2 and Gabe to be about 5. Gabe was a huge black cat that had been declawed and he was adopted quickly. The third member of the trio, Cleo, was a 13-14 year old senior! Upon rescue, Michelle (GHS President) decided that she would be what we call a "sanctuary" cat so Donna took her in. We simply didn't feel right about putting this old girl in our adoption center. It's stressful! Being abandoned by your family only to be placed in a new and strange situation with tons of other unfamiliar animals is stressful (especially for a senior pet!) We didn't want to do that to her. She went immediately to Donna's where she is living the good life. Donna says all she wants to do is eat and sleep and cuddle!

So with two of the three happy and content, this left Libby. She just happened to arrive at the start of kitten season and anyone that looked at her left with a kitten. Libby spent the summer hanging out with me at the adoption center. She ignored the kittens, would occasionally interact with the other cats, but for the most part just wanted to jump up and down on the cat tree and stretch her legs. She bonded with a few of the other female cats, but soon enough they got adopted. I've seen hundreds of cats go through our center, but Libby was the only one who would take walks with me. You can see in the picture on the left she is waiting for me to get with the program and let her out. As soon as I would open the center door, Libby would walk with me and carelessly meander up and down the aisles. She'd walk by huge barking dogs, excited kids, and dumbfounded people. I think it speaks immensely about her personality that she can just casually walk up and down the aisles of Petsmart. Being so plump, this is good exercise too!

By the end of the summer and with no applications on Libby, we decided to give her a break. She went to foster care where she spent 8 months lounging around. Donna often updated me on Libby's antics of pawing the dogs when they got too close, or jumping up on her counter to see what she was cooking. Well, we finally had room at the center so this month she returned to the Petsmart on Howell Mill Road. This time, I know Libby's family is out there looking for her. She deserves the BEST home.

The home I picture for Libby is with a loving family that will let her spend her days lounging around. Libby is pretty independent and would be fine as a solo pet or with others. She gets along fine with dogs and cats as long as they don't bother her. One of our adoption center volunteers, Mary Courtney, wrote this about Libby:

"Libby is such a sweet girl and you can tell that she's been betrayed in the past. But she is ready to open up her heart to you. You will be able to see it when you look into her beautiful green eyes, and see her looking meaningfully back at you. She's my favorite kitty in the adoption center, someone please help give Libby the life she deserves!"

I just want Libby to have her happy ending. Take one look into her beautiful green eyes and I guarantee you will be sold. For more information on adopting Libby please click here. And remember, your pets depend on you for love and care. There are too many pets being killed in our shelters for people to just abandon them.

4 Days With Sissy

A few weeks ago, Michelle (GHS President) rescued two special needs pets that need lots of TLC. One was Sissy, a ~5 month old medium hair Calico, who is missing a foot. Fulton County Animal Services called us about this kitty, and asked us to step in. How could we say no? After some x-rays and a trip to our special vet, we learned that Sissy's foot was probably stuck in some sort of trap and her foot came off in an effort to free herself. She also has a scar on her tummy to corroborate this story, in addition to a Luxating Patella which means her kneecap is out of place. Michelle updated me often as she was personally fostering Sissy. She said she was super sweet and loved to talk, but shy. We were worried she needed someplace quiet to relax and come out of her shell. So, we made arrangements for me to come down from NC and take her. I'm moving back to Atlanta in 8 weeks so it seemed like the perfect amount of time for her to finish rehabilitation before being put up for adoption.

The past four days with Sissy have been one for the story books and I wanted to share them with all our supporters:

DAY 1 (Monday 3/28): It's a six hour drive from Atlanta to Durham, NC and during that time I had the kennel door open and my hand resting lightly at the entrance. After 45 minutes on the road, I soon felt my hand being nuzzled and her purring. That night, I set up Sissy's food/water/litterbox and some private comfy areas for her in my room. I let her out since she had been cooped up all day, and she immediately hid. I made the mistake of trying to coax her out from underneath my bed. At one point, I had her cornered underneath a chair and I was talking softly to her with treats in my hand. I made the mistake of reaching out for her and she cowered and screamed. I became worried---My Husky Smokey (may he rest in peace!) cowered the same way when I first got him (he had been abused.) It was pretty much the same reaction. It became obvious that someone somewhere at some point in time had not been nice to this kitten and she was seriously afraid of me!

DAY 2 (Tuesday 3/29): I was determined to be patient this time and let her come to me. Sometime during the night she jumped up on my bed and cuddled between my legs. Still, she was hiding under my bed whenever I was awake. To gain her trust, I slowly inched my hand toward her underneath the bed (over a period of probably 20 minutes) until she could sniff it. She didn't flinch so I just left my hand there. I laughed thinking that Michelle and Lisa would probably love to be flies on the wall! Here I am, laying flat on the floor, with my arm fully outstretched underneath my bed as far as I can manage it. After a minutes of patience, she nuzzled my hand. Success! I was able to do this for the rest of the day. I would call her name, lay down, outstretch my hand under the bed, and she would come to it and cuddle.

DAY 3 (Wednesday 3/30): She slowly made her way from the depths below my bed to the outskirts and would sometimes dart out around the room. I took the same position laying flat on the floor, with an outstretched hand. Each time, she would meet my hand and soon she was nuzzling my hand immediately after I outstretched it. At the end of the day, she finally came out to play with me and was comfortable walking around the room! I was even able to stand up and walk away without her running and hiding!

DAY 4 (Thursday 3/31): Sissy is officially a different kitten than the one I first met. I woke up this morning to her kissing my face. She has meowed all day today whenever she wants attention and will come running when I call her. She is currently laying on my right arm kneading it intensely and purring! Sissy has made herself at home ON TOP of my bed and snuggles non-stop. I think she might be the most snuggly/cuddly kitten I have ever fostered. Seriously! Anytime she wants attention she will literally lay herself on top of my arm and roll around. She also has become very vocal and loves making eye contact. Today, for the first time, she didn't hide when I came into the room. I am still trying to avoid sudden movements, but she has gotten used to me walking around.

Cats are very sensitive creatures, and each one takes a different amount of time to warm up to new people. Sissy's unknown but traumatic past, coupled with the scariness of the shelter, made it so she was very careful before bestowing her trust in me. I had to make it perfectly clear that I was in no way shape or form going to hurt her. She had to get used to my eyes, the sound of my voice, and my movements. In exchange for my patience, I have discovered the most loving little ball of fluff. She has a long way to go before she is confident in herself and in people. Her foot doesn't seem to bother her. Sometimes she even puts pressure on it when she walks causing her to wobble a little! I am SO thankful for Fulton County for contacting us, Michelle for dropping everything to get her, the GHS fans for donating for her medical expenses, and for my parents for not kicking me out of the house when I brought home another kitten!

Thank you to the following people who donated for her care: Linda L. (2x)~Karen A.~Nancy C.~Tonia P.~Marla C. (2x)~Valerie P.~Kimberlee E.~Jesse S.~Tonya S.~Wendy B.~Melanie V.~Nick L.~Wesley and Lindsay F.~Jessica W.~Ed D.~Maria M.~Kate T.~and Best Fit Pet Services!

GHS Love,

Mary & Sissy

Meet Chris!

For the past year, we have been lucky enough to have Chris on our team fostering for us. He's always willing to help us with odd jobs, run errands, and pretty much anything we need. Chris is also a Marine! He was in Ramadi, Iraq from 2006-2007 and on the Syrian border of Iraq from 2007-2008. He did two deployments of 8 months each as an infantry squad leader in the 3rd battalion 2nd Marines. He's our hero!!! Currently, Chris is working on a degree in Graphic Design and a graphic designer at Collins Digital Imaging. We are so glad to have someone like Chris helping us rescue and foster homeless pets. We are truly grateful for everything he does!

Name: Chris Collins

Location: Atlanta GA (midtown)

How long have you been fostering? Feb. 2010

Why do you foster? I foster because it fills the house with something special, like not only do I get to have dogs, but I get to know im helping them at the same time.

Do you tend to foster any animal or breed? I like all types of dogs, from huskies to chihuahuas I tend to go for the bigger dogs because they need a place sometimes more than the smaller ones.

Who was your favorite/most memorable foster pet and why? The most memorable foster was definitely Rosie the pug. She was hilarious and snored sooo loud I did not think I was ever going to sleep....eventually it became like a noise machine for me.

What have you learned by fostering? I have learned that people really have no clue how bad the homeless animal situation is and some people are virtually impossible to even educate.

Favorite quote/saying? "One original thought is worth a thousand mindless quotings." - Diogenes (greek Philosopher)

Chris with his two current fosters---Garrett and Suze.

Meet Laura!

People often ask us what it means to be a foster based rescue. Basically, our rescues live in volunteer's homes until they are adopted. This means that the cats and dogs go from the stressors of being abandoned or neglected to a stable home environment. They get used to home life, kids, cats, dogs, and learn basic obedience as well as house/crate training. When they are adopted, they are already used to being in a home!

We're lucky enough to have some great volunteers and foster parents. We can't say thank you to them enough, and we love showing them off to all our fans! Today our spotlight falls on Laura who is an avid rescuer and mother of two! Laura owns Baby Steps which helps women and families through pregnancy and birth. In her spare time, she volunteers with us by fostering dogs rescued from high kill shelters. Her two daughters, Maddie and Grace, are our youngest volunteers who make sure their foster dogs are knowledgeable on how to play and cuddle!

Name: Laura Fields
Location: Powder Springs, GA

How long have you been fostering? My husband, Chad, and I started fostering when we bought our house in 2001. We took a break for a couple of years when we had our daughters (fostering only the random stray, which happened a few times), and started back last year with Georgia Humane Society.

Why do you foster? I foster because I can't stand not to. I have a great fenced yard, a dog who loves to play with other dogs, and kids who really enjoy fostering. I look at the shelter websites with pictures of all the dogs who will probably be put to sleep because nobody wants them, and I just can't NOT foster at least one of them.

Do you tend to foster any animal or breed? I started out fostering shelties, broadened my focus to herding dogs in general, then narrowed it again to Catahoula Leopard Dogs. I still have a very hard time turning away any Catahoula, but since I've been back in rescue I've just been wandering the local shelter with my girls whenever we have foster space. Then we choose a dog together that we all connect with.

Who was your favorite/most memorable foster pet and why? There have been so many, and for different reasons, it's hard to narrow down. My 2nd foster ever was Rusty, a sheltie. I was so in love with him, that I almost decided to keep him and stop fostering. He ended up in a really perfect home, but he was by far the hardest to let go. It was with him that I learned how to love them then let them leave so I could rescue another. We lost one foster to heartworm treatment, and another to cancer. The ones who don't make it always stay with you. Sometimes the new owners stay in touch, and being able to see into your foster dog's new life keeps the bond going. The best example of this for me is my Australian Cattle Dog foster from last year, Topher. His adoption felt fated it was so perfect, and he's well on his way to being a therapy dog. There's nothing better than combining helping dogs with helping people!

What have you learned by fostering? I've learned that love really can change everything. I've had dogs who have been through hell, who had been abused or neglected, but who still had it in them to love people. And I've seen dogs who seemed beyond help either physically or emotionally who have been brought back through the love of a foster mom or dad who was willing to invest the time and patience in them. They're all worth saving, if only enough people would open up their hearts and take them in.

If you could tell the world one thing about animal welfare and rescue what would it be? Please be a responsible pet owner. This means spaying or neutering, making your pet a permanent part of the family, and keeping them safe.

Favorite quote/saying? "He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion." - Unknown

The Story of Diggs - Our Digg Dog

It was September 2005, right after hurricane Katrina, and I had just returned from spending a week rescuing animals in New Orleans. When I arrived home I announced to Buddy (my husband)that we needed to adopt another dog to make room for the homeless pets filling the shelters all over the south. He reluctantly agreed but was soon excited about adding another family member. I had always wanted a Golden and when we adopted our last dog we had intended to adopt one, but fell in love with Dino a Lab/Golden mix. This time I was determined that we were getting a Golden! We set out on a Sunday afternoon to Golden Retriever Rescue of Atlanta adoption day where we had adopted our Dino. There were what seemed like dozens of dogs, some young, some older and some already had adopters. We walked around looking at the different dogs and all of the sudden there he was: flattened out on the floor like a Seal! It was this 6 month old Chocolate Lab/Mutt dog. I got down on the floor and he started giving me kisses and trying to get in my lap. Buddy and I looked at each other and immediately knew he was going home with us. We talked with the foster mom for a while and she invited us to come to her house so we could see him interact with her dogs and complete the adoption paperwork. She warned us over and over that he had a lot of energy and that he was stubborn, but still very sweet. She knew Diggs needed just the right home or he would be coming back to her. We would soon learn why!

Our other two dogs were initially not happy with our choice! But, within a few days Dino was dragging Diggs around the house with a toy in his mouth. It was very cute! Diggs was into everything and the first week he jumped off the back deck and slightly tore his ACL. We took him to the vet where they quoted us $3000 to fix it or we could just rest him and see if it healed on it's own. We took option two and he healed within a few weeks. Diggs was more like a goat than a dog. He would eat anything that didn't eat him first.... money, remotes, anything too close to the edge of the counter, sticks, rocks, flowers, if you can name it I'm sure Diggs has eaten it. His favorite thing was Papaya and we never got to eat a whole one if he was in the room when we were cutting it. The minute you turned your back he would grab it and out the door he went. It was good for him so we would just laugh and realize it was our fault for not watching him.

So, you can only imagine how he got his name! It was originally Hudson, but it didn't seem to fit his personality. We spent a couple of days trying to decide what to name him and one morning I looked out on the back deck and all of the flower pots had been dug up---I mean all of them! So, it was settled, he was Diggs. Even with all of the destruction and antics, we still loved him and we knew he would eventually grow out of the puppy stage. And no...he never did!

After Katrina, I founded Georgia Humane Society and we started fostering dogs. This was great for Diggs because he loved all other animals. He would play with them no matter their size and he was always gentle even though he was over 100 lbs. He would teach them how to belong to a pack and how to get over being abused with love and kindness. There were many fosters that came through our house in the 5 1/2 years that Diggs was with us and he never failed to welcome each one of them as if they belonged here forever. We will always be grateful for the kindness and patience he showed to other animals no matter what they had been through before coming to our home.

It was late in the evening in October last year and Diggs came in the house limping. We could tell he was in pain and suspected he had torn his ACL again. I would call our vet the next morning and take him in to confirm it. We arrived at the vet and they confirmed that it was his knee so they referred us to a specialist to get x-rays and decide on surgery. We really didn't want Diggs to go through such an invasive procedure and it was going to be a major challenge to keep him down for two months to recover. We had a lot going on at the time and needed to plan for something this major. We have stairs in our house and going down to the back yard. Diggs is not a leash walker, he will drag you down the street, even with one leg not functioning. We decided to move him to the first floor of the house and gate off all of the stairs. We put him on anti-inflammatory medication and started resting him in hopes that it would heal on it's own or at least buy us time while we made a plan for his surgery and recovery. He seemed to get better as the weeks passed but in late January he began to not use his leg at all, it was time to see the specialist. We weren't going to avoid surgery.

We found a vet in Calhoun, GA that could do the surgery and even though it was a 2 1/2 hour drive it was worth the savings. The vet had done this surgery for 25 years so we knew we were in good hands. On February 3rd, me and Diggs drove to Calhoun and I checked him in at the clinic. I would spend the night in a hotel and take him home the next day. I waited by the phone for the call that he was out of surgery and recovering. The call came and it was not what I expected...Diggs had cancer. I couldn't believe what I was hearing and that my 6 year old boy had terminal cancer. The vet asked me to come to the clinic so I could look at the x-rays. I was there in 10 minutes and it was soon obvious that it was true. I asked the vet how long we had and he said 6 months to 1 year. Now, I had to break it to Buddy that our beautiful Diggs was dying. He immediately started researching on the internet for natural and nutritional cures for cancer. We tried everything but nothing was going to save him. I'm glad we didn't know in October, because we were able to enjoy those last few months with him. If we had known then we would have grieved for all of those months. Diggs was like velcro with me everyday after we returned from Calhoun. I was his caretaker and made sure he got his pain meds and was eating what he needed. I could see he was going down hill really fast and I told Buddy to start preparing. On Friday, February 25th we spent our last day with Diggs. I knew he was in severe pain and he stayed under Buddy's desk for most of the day. I kept checking on him to see if he was improving but he wasn't so I called the vet to bring him in. We suspected he might have bloat so they told us to come right away. They took x-rays and within 5 minutes called us in to see what they had found. The cancer was taking over his lungs and there was nothing more we could do for him. He was starting to suffer and we had agreed in the beginning to not allow him to suffer. We made the painful decision to let him go even though we weren't ready. Diggs had always lived his life on his terms and we had to honor him by letting him leave us and have peace. He will always be a huge part of our lives and we will miss him everyday.

Diggs ~ Feb. 2005 - Feb. 2011

Puppies

Got a call from Michelle and heard that terrible word "hoarder", then puppies, a couple sick with parvo one dead. OK, got the room ready for six week old pups and then off to meet Michelle to pick up my little pups.....oh to my surprise when I saw just how tiny they were. NO WAY these babies are six weeks, they looked to be 3-4 weeks tops. I took a deep breath and was determined I could do this.........well, because these babies are so very strong after two scary weeks I am taking a deep breath because we all made it. They are functioning like 6 week old puppies now free of worms and eating good food. And, I must mention their poop looks really good!

As I sit here with the house quiet and the puppies sleeping in the doggie bed next to me, I think about how dependent on me they are for everything, including picking them the BEST forever home. People always ask me how I can foster and "not keep them all". I usually just say well we find perfect homes, failing to mention all the people we have to weed out because they want to leave them outside, in the dog house of course, or they have a nice little pen and 10 children, 3 dogs and 6 cats. All animals deserve the best, unfortunately, we have failed as a society due mostly to greed to give them that. SAD

Check back with me, I am going to become a real blogger in all my spare time!