Doing The Right Thing - Pittie Pups Need a Home!

Anyone who knows me knows that I believe there are very few reasons to ever give your pet up.  In fact, I think the majority of pets given up by their owners are dumped there for really lousy reasons:

• "I'm moving and can't take him/her with me."
• "I got a new job and don't have the time to spend with my dog."
• "We just had a baby."
• "We just got a puppy."
• Or worst of all (and I've actually seen it) "He's just too old."

There are hundreds of thousands of pet parents around the world who have all been in these exact same situations yet they never considered dumping their pet.  It's all about love and commitment.  When you take a pet into your family you are committing to love it and take care of it for the rest of it's life.  Sometimes it's harder than others.  Sometimes it takes a lot of work.  And sometimes it can be just plain heartbreaking.  There are situations when rehoming or relinquishing a pet are the kindest, most loving things to do.

If you love your pet, you will do what's absolutely best for it, not what's best or easiest for you.  Love and commitment is what drove a California man to recently give up three beautiful Pit Bull puppies to BADRAP, a California based animal welfare, rights, protection and rescue group. The man (who has not been identified) has long taken care of himself and his dogs by collecting bottles and cans.  When BADRAP spayed the mother of the puppies over the weekend, the man asked if they would be willing to take the puppies to give them a better life.  As much as he loved them and was doing his absolute best to take care of them, he knew he had to give them up so they could have the life they deserved.

These three adorable puppies are available for adoption through BADRAP.  There are two little girls and one little boy.  If you live in the San Francisco Bay area and have thought about adding a puppy to your family, why don't you consider one of these little darlings?  Not only are you giving a puppy a wonderful new home, but you're helping BADRAP save another life by opening a spot for another dog in need!

Please visit BADRAP'S website and Facebook page to learn more about them and these sweet little puppies.

To the man who gave up these beautiful puppies - I know it must have been heartbreaking to give these little guys away.  Your selfless deed will not only give these puppies a wonderful life, but it will undoubtedly bring happiness and joy to the lucky families who adopt them. I wish you every blessing and happiness in the world!

Chiwi Needs a Furever Home!

Chiwi is a very special little Dachshund/Chihuahua mix with a sweet personality available for adoption through the Furever Dachshund Rescue.  Chiwi is currently being fostered.

At three years of age, Chiwi has grown out of those destructive puppy years.  She is a happy, outgoing, friendly little dog and never meets a stranger - only a friend she doesn't know yet!  She loves to play, especially fetch with a ball or stuffed toy.  According to her foster mom, Chiwi will play fetch for hours.  She has lots of energy and would be great for an active family.  She also gets along well with other dogs and even cats.

At only 10 pounds Chiwi is small little girl, but she loves mealtime! She is completely housebroken, microchipped, spayed and up to date on her vaccinations.  If you'd like to know more about Chiwi, please click here to visit her webpage.

If you are interested in giving Chiwi the furever home she deserves, please contact the Furever Dachshund Rescue.  They encourage adoptions from all over the United States and can help arrange transportation if needed.  Please see their website for details.

The Purpose

Those of us involved with animal advocacy or rescue in any capacity understand the importance of networking. Networking animals who are running out of time can truly help save lives. All it takes is one click - one person to see a dog or cat that they fall in love with, and suddenly that dog or cat's life is changed. Rather than facing the euthanasia room, the pet can look forward to going home with a new family to care for it and give it all the love it's been longing for. We have to utilize every tool possible to get these beautiful animals' photos and stories out in front of people. With websites, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest, we've never had so many tools to help. But, it still isn't enough. Between 2-3 million pets are being killed inside shelters every year in the United States.

Clearly we all need to do more. By that I don't mean the people already involved in rescue who are usually running on fumes, maxing out their own credit cards to pay for foster animals and vet care. The general public must do more. You must spay and neuter your pet to help decrease the number of animals born every year. There simply aren't enough homes for them all. Spaying and neutering your pet is the kindest, most responsible thing you can do if you really love animals. If fewer animals are born, then fewer animals will be killed in shelters due to overcrowding.

Secondly, everyone must realize that pets are not disposable. They are living creatures with feelings. We must be responsible when considering adopting a pet into our families. That cute little puppy you fell in love with will grow larger (usually much larger depending on the breed) in the next 6-8 months. Puppies are a lot of work. We must realize that when we adopt an animal, it is for life. A dog is not like a handbag you decide you don't like anymore. You can't (or rather you shouldn't) just take it back so you don't have to look at it anymore.

Walking down the rows of kennels at our local humane society, the reasons why these precious animals ended up in their current situation are always the same: don't have enough time, got a new job, moving, got a new puppy, having a baby. None of these excuses are a good enough reason to dump an animal that loves you unconditionally. In your life, you have family, friends, co-workers and neighbors. Your pets have you. To them, you are their world. Dumping them at a shelter is the ultimate betrayal. Believe me when I tell you that they suffer and miss you till the very end.

Our fur friends deserve so much more from humans than they are getting right now.  We must do better.  The purpose of this blog is my little contribution to helping animals.  I am tired of seeing the precious faces of innocent cats and dogs on death row every day.  The didn't commit any crime yet they will pay for the ignorance and stupidity of the human race.  We have done this to them and it is up to us to put an end to it.

I hope to help educate people about the plight of animals, especially animals in our shelter systems and to hopefully help save some lives.  If I can convince just one person to rethink dumping a dog or cat in a shelter or help them to see an animal as more than just a temporary plaything, then the work I put into this blog will be worth it.