Rescue dogs, so many to choose from!

 My daughter has lost two of her dogs this last year and it was heartbreaking.  One was an older rat terrier and he was grumpy but loveable.  The other was a mixed breed rescue dog that came from a terrible hoarding situation and had many issues because of it.

We loved these two very much and miss them to this day; but I think my daughter is finally ready to get another dog or two and has been viewing rescues, shelters, and the pounds on the internet looking for just the right one.

I have been appalled at the sheer number of dogs that are currently looking for homes just in our area of this state.  It breaks my heart that so many dogs need a forever home.  These are all good dogs, but do not have pedigrees so they are viewed as less-than worthy.  

I have always had rescue dogs my whole life.  I currently have two; they are getting up there in years and I worry about losing them but for now they are mine and I love them so much.  I cannot tell you how much love and entertainment you get from a dog.  It seems that rescue dogs, unlike pedigree dogs, seem to realize how lucky they are when they find a forever home and they give back in large amounts of love.

In this current time, there just is no reason for so many dogs, cats, and other animals to be waiting for homes.  If people would just spay and neuter their pets, we could completely erase this problem.  However, for some reason, there are so many people who refuse to spay or neuter their pets.  

Maybe it is a money thing; but if so there are numerous low and no cost spay/neuter clinics around. Maybe they are misinformed about the overburdened pet population in our country and don't see the issue of having puppies all the time.  If so, there are so many ways to learn about how to be a responsible pet owner that you wonder why they don't already know this.

I firmly believe that we need to become a "No Kill" country and with a concerted effort by us all we could make that happen.  No Kill supports shelters and rescues in spay and neuter for their animals.  Trap-Neuter-Return programs catch feral cats and spay or neuter them then return them to their home communities to live out the rest of their lives without offspring.  

It is doable sometime in the future that we could have a No Kill country.  That is my prayer and hope.

Pit bull puppy saves Air Force veteran from committing suicide

The benefit of having a pet is terribly underrated in our society.  Pets are helpers, companions, family, and even life-lines at times.  Pets keep us grounded in the "here and now" because that is where they live.  Pets can teach responsibility, unconditional love, and how to have fun.  Pets enrich our lives simply by being there.

Here is an article I found in the NY Daily News that reinforces my view on pets.  I hope you read this and take the message to heart.  Get a pet if you don't have one, if you do, go love on your pet and thank God daily that you are allowed to share the life of these wonderful souls.



__________________________________________________________________________________

BY Gabriela Resto-Montero
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Wednesday, July 27th 2011, 4:00 AM

CBS News

Air Force veteran David Sharpe credits his pit bull, Cheyenne, with saving his life when he was on the brink of suicide.
 

Air Force veteran Dave Sharpe survived two near-death experiences serving in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia - but it was his six-month-old pit bull puppy that saved his life.

His dog, Cheyenne, licked his ear and brought a suicidal Sharpe back from the brink when he had put his service pistol in his mouth, CBS reported.

"She came up behind me and she licked my ear," Sharpe told the network of the low point he hit after returning. "And she gave me this look of, 'What are you doing man, who's going to let me sleep in your bed? Listen, if you take care of me, I'll take care of you'," Sharpe said.

Cheyenne's divine intervention inspired Sharpe to reach out to other veterans suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder through the P2V (Pets to Vets) organization.

The non-profit matches vets with shelter dogs and cats in an effort to provide companionship.

Sharpe's turnaround serves as the group's prime example of the power of man's best friend.

"Before I met her, I was a wreck," he said of Cheyenne. "I was out of control, I would start fights for no reason."

Related articles

• War veterans find peace of mind with pets (cbsnews.com)
• Why dogs heal PTSD (psychologytoday.com)
• Veteran Prescribes Pets To Cure Combat Stress, Gus The English Bulldog Takes Pool In The House Because It Is Too Hot! (annem040359.wordpress.com)

Making a recycled dog sweater from thrift store finds

Here's a nice tutorial I found a while ago for making a dog sweater out of an old thrift store sweater.

I know that summer is upon us, so this might not seem appropriate; but when I had a chihuahua, he always was cold and wore sweaters or shirts year round.  So, for those little babies, I have decided to go ahead and post this now.  I found this tutorial on Craftstylish.com and if you make this please tell them about it.  I may try this out for Satchmo come fall, but he really hates sweaters!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Refashioning old or thrifted sweaters into dog sweaters is easy and fun. You'll be amazed at how even the ugliest sweater can take on a whole new look as canine couture! Case in point: this vest. I picked it up at the thrift store because the details in the knit are adorable, but this style would flatter no human! My little Gertie, on the other hand, will look smashing in it.

1. Start by measuring the pooch you intend to make it for. You'll need the following:

(A) neck circumference + 1 inch
(B) chest circumference (right behind the front legs) + 1 inch
(C) length from collar to tail + 1/2 inch
(D) underside length from collar to (just short of) the business end + 1 inch
(E) distance from collar down to front leg
(F) front leg circumference x 1/2

2. Now we can cut out our pieces. Utilizing the bottom rib, if your sweater has it, or the finished bottom edge, as the neckline, cut a rectangle that measures (A) wide (along the rib) by (C) long. Find the difference between (B) and (A) and add 1 inch to it. In my case, (B) – (A) was 3 inches, so adding 1 inch gave me 4 inches. From another piece of the sweater, cut a triangle this wide by (D) long. This will be the underside piece. Finally, cut off the neck or cuff rib of the original, to be used to finish the back edge. This is optional; it can also be hemmed or even left raw if the sweater is felted.

3. Stitching time! Pin the triangle piece to the main body piece, with right sides together, so that the point of the triangle is lined up with the beginning of the neck rib. If you don't have neck rib, pin it an inch or so down from the neck edge. The back edges won't match up because the underside of the sweater needs to be shorter than the top (especially for male dogs). Place one pin at (E) and another at (F), measured from (E). These will indicate the leg opening.

Now sew the seam with a 1/2-inch seam allowance. Use a stretch stitch or small zigzag (I used 2mm by 2mm). Begin at the point of the triangle, backstitch, then proceed to the beginning of the leg opening and backstitch again. Skip past the leg opening and repeat for the other half of the seam. Then pin the triangle to the other side of the sweater and sew in the same manner. This time you will begin sewing all the way up at the top of the neck edge.

4. Next, we'll finish the leg opening edges. From the wrong side of the sweater, use a wide zigzag to stitch one side of the seam allowance down to the body, catching the raw edge in the zigzag. Continue right past the leg opening, and you will hem it in the process. This reinforces the seam and keeps the edges from fraying. Do this for the remaining three seam allowances.

5. Lastly, finish the back edge. Trim the corners so they are rounded and blend in with the underside edge.

Now you can either hem the edge or sew on some ribbing. I used some extra rib trim I cut from my sweater. Gertie's torso, like many dogs, gets much smaller at the waist, so the rib helps gather in the back to fit better. I cut my rib about three-quarters the length of the back edge, but you might cut it the same length if your dog is shaped differently.

 Seam the short ends of the rib, and pin it to the edge of the sweater, right sides facing, stretching the rib to fit. Sew a 1/4-inch stretchable seam.

That's all there is to it!  
Isn't that a wonderful tutorial?  I really think she did a great job making each step easy.

Animal Rescue Organizations

I regularly receive emails from various rescue organizations.  I thought I would post some of those now for you to see the desperate need of these animals.  Please help if you can.  You can make all the difference for a small soul just by helping out.
___________________________________________________________________________________

Just look into Chloe's eyes. The pain and sadness are obvious. But there is also a glimmer of hope. Donate Today! Can you see it? In spite of the horror that this sweet kitten has suffered,you can tell in her eyes that all the good that's happened to her since arriving at Bideawee - the tender loving care...the nutritious food... the warm bed - have given her the hope she needs to keep going. Donate Today! Now I hope you'll look into your heart and make a generous tax- deductible donation to Bideawee today to help us give innocent, abandoned kittens like Chloe a second chance at life. You are the reason for her hope. Chloe was found taped inside a box outside an apartment building in New York City and left to die. Thankfully, a kind soul heard her weak cries and immediately brought her to Bideawee and asked if we could care for her. Chloe was emaciated, had diarrhea, and a horrible respiratory infection. Of course, we couldn't...we wouldn't turn our backs on a helpless pet. Would you? Chloe is now healing, adding weight slowly, and each day growing more comfortable in our adoption center. Soon we know that we will find a new home for  Chloe...a family that will care for her and love her forever. Frankly, Chloe is one of the lucky ones. Thanks to the kindness of a stranger she is now receiving the care she deserves. But there are hundreds of other kittens abandoned on the streets of our city right now. Pets that need us. Pets that need you. Right now, please make as generous a contribution as you can afford to help Bideawee help Chloe, and hundreds more like her who, without us, will die on the streets of our city. A gift today will make a real difference and we thank you for whatever you can do. Gratefully, Nancy Taylor President & CEO P.S. Chloe is safe now. But you and I both know that we must do more to help abandoned pets, especially with cold weather right around the corner. With your support, we can and we will. Please, donate now.

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.

Related articles

• Art Lovers Help New York's Homeless Animals (newyork.cbslocal.com)
• Grab your Leashes! 'Adoptapalooza' is Back! (newyork.cbslocal.com)
• Economy leaves many animals homeless (usatoday.com)
• Animal Rescue Resource Center (socialactions.net)
• Wayne Pacelle: Special Delivery: 1,800 Miles with 18 Rescued Dogs (huffingtonpost.com)
• Anderson rescues strays in New Orleans (hollywood.com)