Wordless Wednesday

Tuesday True Stories -- Faith Walks

This is just absolutely too awesome for words!  Just watching this happy hound makes me happy.  For all of us who like to roll in our own misery, I recommend watching these videos.  Shame on us if a dog can out do us in the happiness area and can overcome massive adversity with a cheerful attitude!  Please watch these incredible videos.  You will be amazed.

Thursday's issues -- service dog training

Dogs Help Wounded Soldiers Heal

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have left many of our soldiers with wounds, both visible and invisible.  But now, service dogs are working to help our men and women in uniform overcome their injuries.  And, in turn, wounded soldiers are training the dogs for future service people returning from battle.  Trained dogs are able to aid the injured in numerous ways.

"They can open refrigerator doors, pick up fallen items unreachable by wheelchair-bound humans and even create hedges of protection around handlers who struggle with anxiety in public places or are easily startled because of symptoms associated with post- traumatic stress disorder.

Some dogs can even read.

And by age 2, they have mastered between 90 and 130 different verbal commands."

The pilot program at Fort Stewart in Georgia is producing "phenomenal" results, according to participants, helping amputees, those afflicted with PTSD, and other disorders.

This article is from Dog News Daily.   This is a great site to find articles about dogs in the news and to research ongoing issues for dogs around the world.  Join them when you are there, won't you?

Wordless Wednesday

Tuesday True Stories -- Dog survives desert ordeal

Dog survives desert ordeal

A small dog lost in the desert for nearly six weeks is back home again, a little skinnier for the experience but otherwise healthy.

Tamara Martin of Beaver Dam said TJ, a rat terrier/chihuahua mix belonging to her extended family, ran away from the veterinarian’s kennel in Mesquite on May 7. The dog had been let out into an enclosed yard for exercise, but managed to get through the fence.


“We forgot to tell them TJ is an escape artist,” said Barbara Lefler, Tamara’s grandmother who cares for the dog. “He just took off.”

The veterinarian’s staff hunted for hours for the dog, than called the family the next morning. The family and friends began searching, but they too were unsuccessful.

“We kept looking, put up posters, asked people to look,” Tamara said.

She did get calls that TJ had been spotted, but no one was able to get near the little dog.
“At first he was hanging out by the new houses they’re building on Hardy Way,” said Tamara.
Then for a while, she received no reports about the missing dog.

“After a couple of weeks, people said, ‘You might as well give up,’” she said. “It was hot, over 100 degrees, and there’s no water out there. And then there’s the foxes and the coyotes.”

But she said the family didn’t want to give up.

“We would still drive up there looking for him,” she said. “He’s been part of our family for four years. My aunt, Julie (Lefler) took a lot of time off to go looking for him.”

Barbara said another family dog, Chiquito, clearly missed TJ.

“He’d be sitting on the arm of my chair looking out the window,” she said. “When he heard other dogs bark, he’d go crazy, thinking it was TJ.”

The loss of the dog was especially difficult for Tamara’s daughter, Chyanne, 11, who was close to TJ [...read more...]

Here's an email I received that I felt was important ---

Sweet little Cassidy's owner never really cared. He turned his back on this wonderful little dog that was already at a disadvantage. He left him in a Georgia kill shelter where Cassidy really didn't stand much of a chance because of a birth defect that left him without a right front paw. But even in this hellish Southern shelter, a Bideawee Volunteer learned of Cassidy's plight and came to his rescue. Cassidy's defect isn't painful, just challenging. It causes him to walk slowly and with a noticeable hop. He also suffers from a permanently collapsing trachea, which results in excessive coughing when he's excited or over exerted. But this sweet little dog was definitely worth saving. When Cassidy was rescued and brought into Bideawee's caring hands, our veterinarians found that he was also suffering from a host of other ailments, including a bad case of fleas, ear mites and bouts of vomiting and diarrhea. Our staff acted quickly and Cassidy soon started feeling and looking better. His missing front paw plus his other health issue make this wonderful pet very difficult to place. Still, Bideawee is committed to doing what it takes to spiff him up and find someone who sees past his missing paw and makes Cassidy a permanent part of their family. While it may take Cassidy longer to find his new home, Bideawee will give him the loving care, attention and medical assistance he so deserves despite the high cost. But we need your help to make this possible. Your generous donations will keep Cassidy happy and healthy during his stay at Bideawee...and it will help find him a new family. Regardless of all Cassidy has been through he continues to display a loving nature toward other dogs, cats, and kids. He's a friendly, well behaved and kennel trained guy that just loves a warm lap to sit on. Please help us care for Cassidy as we search for his new forever home. Please donate now to enable Bideawee to care for Cassidy and all of the hard-to-adopt wonderful pets we have in our care. No matter what they may look like on the outside - Bideawee helps all pets with loving and expert care. Please donate today.

To contact us, please send us an email: Bideawee@bideawee.org.

Bideawee is funded 100% by private contributions. To help us continue our vital work to help animals, please donate today.

'Every dog has his day' at Snout by Snoutwest

Here's a little news from my area.  Austin is well known as an animal-friendly place, but now the city is getting into the rescue business.  I just love when things like this happen, don't you?

By: News 8 Austin Staff

Snout by Snoutwest featured contests, a doggy water park, free K9 snacks and pet services, all for man's best friend.All the proceeds from Snout by Snoutwest went to the Town Lake Animal Shelter and the Austin Humane Society. The event took place at the Dell Jewish Community Campus in northwest Austin.
There was even a contest to see who looked the most like their pet.
Those who didn't have a puppy to spoil could find one there. Several rescue groups brought out some pooches that were looking for permanent homes.
"We hope that some people will go home with a new dog, a new family friend and adopt a dog. But we also hope they will learn something about pets--how to care for them, how to advocate for pets, and dogs. And also get familiar with our campus as a resource for the general community," Shelly Prant, with the Dell Jewish Community Center, said.