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The Boss
Boss, my golden/lab mix had such an exciting personality.During the 17 years of her life she was my best friend in the world. Her favorite pastimes included chasing the tennis ball, swimming, taking me for walks and chasing the tennis ball. When she was just 12 weeks old she learned to swim and chase the tennis ball at the same time. She also had a game called 2 toys, where she’d manage to fit 2 tennis balls in her mouth at one time. The thing I miss most about Boss is her greeting parade she did when people came to visit. It included carrying one of her bunnies and circling thru the kitchen, dining and living rooms. Everybody loved Boss. She was a huge part of the extended family – Debbie, Boston, Mass.
Herb: (Named after my dad)
He was a unique ferret. He was extremely affectionate and loved to kiss people. When I was down, he seemed to know it. He would walk over, look up at me, and when I picked him up he’d put his arms around my neck and kiss me. He had a mate named Bessie. He would always snuggle next to her, with his arms around her, whenever he went to sleep. He had a huge impact on my life and I’ll always remember his smile and kisses. He also had a stuffed monkey, given to me by my dad, that he liked to play with and hug. He is missed everyday!! Paige Sarasota, Fl
Bessie: (Named after my grandmother)
Bessie has an adventurous soul. She would never stop until her mission was accomplished. She was also a very strong willed girl. She almost died at the age of 3 and came back. Then she got 3 different cancers and an ulcer. She fought all of that for about 3 years, until her little body could not take anymore. She is now at peace with Herb, her mate for life. I know the two of them are happy being together again. They will be missed more than they will ever know!!!
Love, Mom (Paige, Sarasota Florida)
Herb & Bessie Together
Flash the fennec fox Flash was the mascot of Critter Camp Exotic Pet Sanctuary for years, and he was the most beloved pet one could imagine! We had been operating the sanctuary for a few years, taking in dozens of abandoned abused exotic pets when my son who has special needs (high functioning autism)expressed hope that someday we would take in a fennec fox. I told him I did not expect to as they are fairly rare here in the US as pets yet. They are unique to care for and expensive as well. My son had been through some very traumatic events at that time, even a near death resulting from one and he was still emotionally healing from it all, as we all were. I wished that a fennec would come our way for his sake. Amazingly enough we heard of a fennec that was older and had severe aggression issues needing a home. The person who took him in to save him from euthanasia could not keep him with her own fennec and was looking for somewhere safe for him to go. After months of discussion between us she brought him here where he settled in immediately. Once he was comfortable in his new surroundings and had plenty of food (an issue of stress for him previously) he became the most docile and friendly little fellow. He had free range here and would sleep on the couch with dogs and cats when he wasn’t under my son’s computer table at his feet. Talk about healing power for them both! Flash lived out the rest of his life here, safe & happy. While we saved his life he also saved ours as well. We miss him every day. Beth
My dog Millie I have had 3 dogs.. and they of course are important members of my family. All three are rescue critters and very interesting mixes.. but this short story is about “Millie”.. she was a combo of Aussie Shepherd..Pomeranian.. and Nova Scotia Duck Toller! Yup.. really a cool dog! A couple months ago at age 5 1/2 she had a seizure.. then 4 more in one day. I took her to several vets in town with no clear diagnosis.. then she went into a coma and I rushed her three hours to a neurological vet clinic in Tucson.. They gave me an estimate of $4000 just to diagnose what they believed would not be curable . I lost this wonderful dog.. it hit me harder than anything I can remember, and I am tearing up as I write this.. I still have two wonderful dogs but the loss of Millie has made me feel more lonely than I have ever felt. It may be hard for some to realize just how important animals can be in our lives.. and how important we are to them as well. There is no way Millie can ever be replaced.. and no way that I will even try. But I am sooooo lucky to have had this special dog.. but she left much to early in her life. I miss her so much, and so do my other two dogs.
Helping the homeless Sites like Petfinder.com have become instrumental in helping local humane societies and animal shelters find homes for their furry charges but unfortunately, many organizations don’t realize the power of a strong photograph to help market their animals. I devote my efforts to providing beautiful portraits of the adoptable animals so that potential adopters can see the beautiful personalities shine through. Ultimately, I would like to inspire other professional photographers to do the same at their local shelters. Mike
Re: Your Monkey Blog Did you ever wish your dog had a friend like this?
Truly Retired
My boy Scoob is an 11yr old greyhound, retired after 3+yrs of racing and the best k9 companion I’ve ever had! He’s been a wonderful ambassador for the Racing Dog Rescue Project and a Pet Therapy dog for the Humane Society of Sarasota County. The picture pretty much says it all, now, he’s truly a retired greyhound and loving his life. I do love my boy.
All Better When I feel down & out, my puppies make it all better.
Gentle Dylan
Dylan, an Oz Shepherd-Dalmatian mix, was rescued by an observant witness to the insane cruelty inflicted upon this docile creature by a sad and unconscionably brutal man.Dylan is incapable of violence. However, woe betide any person whom he may have perceived a possible foe with a wish to inflict harm on those whom Dylan had chosen to guard.I will always wonder what compelled him do that which was decidedly against his character. There are breeds and individuals who are more than happy to oblige with a full show of teeth and temper, accentuated by a loud barking cacophony, even menacing snarls. Something that Dylan found so unnecessary. When he thought his charge(s) may have been threatened either by its own stupidity or by a possible foe, Dylan silently placed himself between the two parties and smiled at the Other. His smile showed pretty much most of his big and healthy teeth. Could it be that his good-natured grin was misconstrued as a silent threat?
Dylan’s first owner was cheap. There would be no wasteful spending of hard-earned dollars on dog food in that household! The man’s habit was to release Dylan from his short restraint and push him out onto the street to forage for food. The nearest restaurant was a few miles away, but I don’t expect Dylan cared. He had just spent the entire day tethered by a short chain to the stairs. Where was the logic in the latter, I wonder: how was Dylan supposed to do any ‘guarding’ within such a short perimeter? I guess that’s why the word idiot had to be invented. The patrons of the restaurant quickly noticed the quiet black and white creature grateful for every morsel that he was offered. Dylan soon learned how to extract the contents from many-a doggie bag. His most effective trick was to stop the patrons leaving the restaurant by sitting down at a respectful and unthreatening distance away from the door. His huge eyes moved in a clearly understood way: from the exiting person to the bag in the patron’s hand. He seldom failed to score. Following the feast, he always returned to what he perceived to be his home. Word had spread in the tiny community that Dylan’s owner was a man with a nasty temper who, rather than stand up for himself, took out his frustrations on an animal determined to stand by his owner. In time, the decision was made. The rescuers carefully chose their moment. One day Dylan was captured on his way ‘home’ and taken to a private shelter ran by a caring woman who put Dylan through an intensive course of TLC. Dylan’s favourite treat was to be allowed on the leather sofa. I often wondered why he thought the privilege such a luxury… I found his mug on the shelter’s website. After some careful vetting, Dylan was entrusted into my care. Following the initial, more than quadruple paws-length of measuring and assessing, the cats accepted Dylan unconditionally. Dylan’s love for the cats was unconditional, too, but he preferred that they kept to themselves. The fact the Radja likes to cuddle up was sometimes tolerated. More often that not, however, Dylan was more than happy to leave his personal huge cushion to Radja, and lie down on the floor nearby. At first, Dylan had a seemingly insurmountable problem adapting to the incomprehensible idea of inside-for-the-night regime. I had no option other than to leave the door to the garden ajar, so that he could leave and enter at his leisure. Within a couple of weeks the weather changed to very cold and very wet. The only sensible thing to do was to stay indoors, where a large comfy overstuffed cushion was placed on the dry side of the sliding door. A short time later, Dylan decided to make the big move and followed the rest of the domestics upstairs for the night and wouldn’t have had it any other way from then on. I was relieved to be able, once again, to lock the ALL the doors for the night. When MiouMiou gave birth to her first and last family, Dylan was beside himself with excitement. Ever so gently, he picked the tiny newborns out of their lair in the far corner of the closet hidden by the fashion statements. He peered at the wee ones as they lay between his paws, directly under his powerful jaw. The look in his eyes, wandering from MamaMiou, to me, to the babies was a sight to behold. Oh, to have been able to know what was going thru his head… He may have been casually ok with the other, grown cats, but the newborns became a fascination and obsession. As they grew up and out of their nursery, the wee ones accepted Dylan’s attention as perfectly normal and due them. One day, at the ripe old age of three months, they decided to climb up to the top of a fully grown blue spruce, Dylan parked himself at the foot of the tree and did not let the little ones out of his sight. Did a silent exchange ensue following the harrowing two hours he had spent waiting for them to come down? I’ll never know, but the wee ones never did it again. Never to those heights, that is. Dylan was with us for seven wonderful years. The abuse he had suffered cut his life short. I have no doubt that he was cheated out of at least three, maybe five years. I hope that the Man-Idiot will soon come to understand that the manner in which we treat the world of plants and animals around us is a reflection of our own humanity. Or lack of it. Our own survival depends on knowing the difference.
Miss Sarah
11 years ago, my life was blessed when Sarah walked in to it. I bought her and her sister Kaitlin from a breeder in Reno, NV. I named Sarah after the Duchess of York. The similarity? Large presence, big personality. When she walked in to the room, you knew Sarah was there. Very loud, animated, friendly, expressive. Sarah was definitely the alpha, but she was also very sensitive, and could read your mood. She wanted nothing more than to make you happy and smile. And wherever she went, she accomplished that goal. People who met her never forgot her. She believed everyone was her friend, and especially loved tall, dark haired men. They could be two blocks away, and she would start announcing to us who was approaching, and how she needed to go visit them. Two years ago, she had an exam and it was determined she had cancer. Immediately, we started having chemotherapy, and within seven treatments, the cancer was cleared (Thank You God)! About six months ago, something just didn’t seem right with Sarah, so I took her back in, and not only had her cancer flaired up again, but now she had a kidney tumor. If we treated the cancer, it would shut down her kidneys. The only alternative was to focus on the kidneys. Every other day, I took her in to have fluids pumped in to flush her system of toxins. The moment we got out of the car, she would start backing. All the clerks in the clinic knew her voice, and as soon as we walked in to the lobby, everyone said, “Hi Sarah! We heard you outside!” You could see the smile on Sarah’s face. Sarah traveled to the Rainbow Bridge two weeks ago Thursday. Her sister Kaitlin, her brother Sean, and her kitty sister Claire miss her terribly. I have never had a fur child who was so much like a person. Her presence is so sorely missed in this house. We all love you Sarah Lee! I know you are here in spirit. We hope you are having fun chasing squirrels, and flirting with all the handsome men up there!! I hope Camie and Scottie greeted you when you got there! Give everyone kisses Missus!
My Sadie
Sadie entered my life while I was working for the local Animal Control office. She’d been hit by a car and left laying alongside the road for 10-12 hours on a cold Northern Illinois December day. I checked on her daily, luckily she had no broken bones, but lots of bruising, swelling and some nerve damage. After a few days she would try to get up and move. We decided she needed a little physical therapy so she came up to stay in my office. Needless to say she then adopted me. She came home to live with me on Christmas day 4 years ago. She started having seizures about 8 months ago and we thought we had them under control with phenobarbitol. Last Friday she started seizuring and kept going from one right into another. Sadly she had to be euthanized to stop the suffering. She was a wonderful companion and is greatly missed. Rockford, IL
Rescue Horse Story I retired from the field of advertising to open a little Dude Ranch in Murieta. It was not in my business plan to be a horse rescue but it happened and this video tells how! heres the link if the video doesn’t attach. http://www.dudetteranch.com/rescue_video.html Story title: Fay’s Story Story: It came with great, great sadness today to learn that Fay, the rescued Pitbull from a dog fighting ring in Missouri lost her battle for a new life on Monday night (Dec. 28th) through complications of her former wounds.For those of you not familiar with Fay’s story. Fay was a fight bust dog who had her lips sliced off by a worthless scum dog-fighter. She was the topic of much discussion not only for her horrific man-inflicted injuries but also because she was the centerpiece of a HSUS fund-raising pitch to raise a million bucks for dogs “like” her, even though the national organization wasn’t paying a dime to care for her until bloggers pitched a bloody fit (more on this further down).Fay along with 400 other fighting dogs were all rescued in a massive effort led by the wonderful staff and many volunteers of Humane Society of Missouri*. It was the largest ever raid in history on underground dog fighting. Pictures of Fay and this story spread far and wide and were even featured in Time Magazine: http://tinyurl.com/ya7ahjs(*Not affliated with the HSUS)I know Fay is in a much better place, free of pain and fear, and I am so happy she knew so much love and caring before she died. I cannot say enough about good people like Gale (founder of MuttsnStuff) her foster mum, and others who give so much of their time, money and heart to care for and heal all the broken animals among us, especially those like Fay who are victims of such horrific abuse. For those that wish to send a THANK YOU note to Gale – her email is mrhydewoman@yahoo.com Fay (incorrectly named ‘Faye’) was later used in a print and video advertising campaign by the HSUS to collect donations, but their words were very misleading as people believed that if they gave to HSUS they were actually helping Fay. When the internet world united, calling out the HSUS on this scandal, they eventually contacted Gale, apologized and sent a check for a mere $5,000 to cover Fay’s medical needs. Never have they publically apologized for this – though they have garnished more than $2 million dollars since this campaign. Read more about this story here: http://www.nathanwinograd.com/?p=2318 After believing that this issue was resolved and Fay was no longer being used, the internet settled down, yet the HSUS sent out another revised request with Fay’s picture again… I personally sent an email to the HSUS about this and the response I received from HSUS’s Sarah Barnett was: “We spend thousands of dollars assisting in those raids, and had staff at those locations as well. As for what we do for animals – without the laws we passed Fay would still be in the cruel dog fighting life that she had before. I’m sure you do a lot for animals, as do I, we don’t need to get into what each of us does and who does more. I’m sorry you’re upset about the situation, we admitted we made a mistake, and are doing our part to make it right…” Never have the HSUS publically admitted making a mistake. I just can’t believe that this has happened in the same month that Michael Vick has been awarded the Ed Block Courage Award, voted on by his teammates on the Philadelphia Eagles, after the once-disgraced star quarterback returned to the league after spending 18 months in a federal prison for his own role in a dogfighting ring. I am beginning to lose my faith in humans….. Rest In Peace sweet, sweet, Fay x For those that wish to donate money in Fay memory, Mutts-n-Stuff are setting up a memorial fund to help other victims of rescue through Fay’s Phoenix House a halfway home for the victims of dog fighting. Links to this can be found here: http://muttsandstuff.com/muttsshirts.php (From Gale): “Right now….we are using our donate button on the front of our website. I been too upset to create something official…but want people to note it is in memory of Fay.” http://www.muttsandstuff.com/ “Phoenix was from the Stoddard County bust that was the prelude to the Big MO Bust. He is a blind victim that was fought for many years. He is blind from detached retinas, jaw broken in four places, and still a love bug with all humans. When Phoenix was released by the courts, I took on Phoenix. He is one of my eight dogs. Phoenix was my inspiration to take on Fay. Now that Fay is gone….I will take on another special needs pit from the bust” Please sign this petition against the Ed Block “Courage” Award presented to Michael Vick – http://www.change.org/actions/view/petition_against_awarding_michael_vick_the_ed_block_courage_award
Story title: Gracie, our Aussie mix Story: Woof! We have an Aussie mix and her name is Gracie. She is half Aussie and half Lab, but her Aussie traits definitely prevail! Gracie has turned our lives upside down, sideways and right side up again. She continues to bring so much joy into our lives. We don’t know what we would do without her. She is extremely energetic, hard-headed and a sweetheart! I have no doubt in my mind that she would lay her life on the line for us. Gracie challenges us every day and keeps us guessing. Because she has touched our lives in so many ways, we created a bark blog called Gracie’s Bark (www.graciesbark.com). We wanted to be able to share our wonderful dog stories and have other dog owners share their dog stories with us. Tammi Jacobsen & Rob Oliveira Dog Bloggers www.GraciesBark.com
Story title: Mr. Hissy Meanest Cat on the Block Story: Hissy was well known in the apartment complex and adjoining neighborhood in Pleasant Hill, CA. He was known to fight anything or anyone who got near. And if was usually an ambush. I once saw him hissing and chasing a group of terrified first graders who were walking down the path toward home. They had done nothing to harm the cat, he just burst through the bushes snarling and hissing. Hissy, then known as that damn cat, terrified all animals in the complex, even the raccoons. Just such a grumpy animal. Everyone talked of catching him and taking him to the shelter, but everyone was afraid he’d attack them. One day, my once stray cat, Mookie came tearing across the patio railing a look of shear terror in his eyes. I happened to be standing at the door in time to let him in…Hissy was right behind. I was in the perfect position to catch him by the scruf of the neck, hold him up (he was so startled he just looked at me as he hung like a kitten in mama’s mouth) and said in a loud and firm voice, “STOP IT”. Then I dropped him to the patio where he looked at me with a look that said, “I can’t believe that just happened!” The next day I was eating my breakfast on the patio when Hissy lept over the railing and started toward me. I feared the worst. I stayed where I was, he walked right up to me, gave me a long look (I was gulping as I figured this was it, I was going to be a scratched and bloodied mess) and jumped into my lap and started purring. I was amazed! My cats who, seeing Hissy jump over the rail, had gone inside the doorway, were appalled! Over the next few days Hissy and i visited. One day I invited him in to the absolute horror of especially Mookie. Hissy hissed at everyone, and I picked him up by the scruf, said NO and put him back down. He calmly walked past everyone, jumped in the rocking chair and fell fast asleep. He was neutered and began the impossible task at times of learning to live with the other cats. When I moved from CA to Idaho a friend took two of my cats in one UHaul and I took Mookie and Hissy with me. They still did not get along, but because they were harder to handle they had no choice but to go together. I had them sedated so the trip wouldn’t be so miserable for them. They kept their distance, eventually a very mellowed out Hissy went behind the seat and fell asleep. Mookie staggered up behind my head and drifted off. It wasn’t long before Mookie kept twitching. I couldn’t figure out why until I pulled over and peered over the seat. Mookie, still pleasantly under the influence was dangling a paw over the back of the seat, Hissy, also drifting on a cloud of calm, was lazily batting at the paw…purring away. When I got to my apt., the boys, still partially zoned out, were put in the closet while the movers brought things in. I didn’t know how that would work, but to my amazement Mookie and Hissy came out of their big move and closet adventure the best of friends. Always together. Sadly, on Dec 30 Hissy lost his battle with feline diabetes. Mookie still looks for him and we all miss him dearly. The meanest cat on the block had become one of the most loving, wonderful animals I’ve ever had…my dog Robin and the neighborhood squirrels disagree, but to his kitty family and me we miss him every single day. His story is a lesson to all, that given a chance and a little love, even the meanest cat on the block can change.
Story title: Kiddo’s remarkable power
Story: While working at a local skilled nursing facility, I sometimes brought my dog Kiddo, a 4 year old Shih Tzu, in to visit with the residents. On one of those days, Kiddo was sitting on my desk. A relative of one of the residents asked if I would bring Kiddo in to visit with his Mother who was nearing death. He said that his Mother had loved dogs. As I did not know how Kiddo would behave, I asked permission to accompany them. As we entered the room, this lady was ashen gray in her face, lying in bed in a fetal position. I put Kiddo down on the bed, hanging onto his leash just to be certain (he was only 2 at the time). Kiddo approached her face, licked it, and settled down next to her, as if sensing that she was very ill.
Within days this lady bounded back and Kiddo would often visit her on subsequent days. I would like to think that Kiddo is the one (more than medical care) that brought her back.
Story title: My Little Angel…MitziStory: Mitzi came to me approx 2 wks after my Brittany girl passed over the rainbow bridge. I was so devastated over losing Brittany I could hardly stand to enter the front door of my home…..I had promised her I would always go back and rescue another little cocker spaniel like her…..Apparently she listened and in her transition helped to bring Mitzi and me together. Mitzi had a smile that lit up the room and everyone no matter what kind of mood they were in would leave with a smile. She was born with juvenile cataract in her rt eye BUT nothing ever got past her left eye…….literally nothing…LOL…..My little one transversed the rainbow bridge in July of 2008. She fought bravely for about 2 yrs with a terrible skin infection that most likely was caused by an inherent auto immune disease…..She loved to steal my socks. I would find them in the couch, the chair, under the bed , in her bed outside….I did not care, I would just go out and buy more…She was my little “pawty” girl….No one was a stranger. After she passed I kept finding my socks in various places for days on end….I still miss her but I know she is in a better place..My life became richer having this little ball of fur in my life even if only for 7 short years…..She was 3.5 yrs old when she found me…. I have hanging on wall behind my desk the saying “If tears could build a stairway and Memories a Lane, I’d walk right up to Heaven and Bring you home again.” I do not remember the author name…
Story title: Cindy’s StoryStory: Cindy is plagued with painful ear infections and needs two inner-ear ablations (removal of the inner ear). This procedure is very costly, about $1800, and can only be done by a specialist. Cindy is seeking very special Guardian Angels to pay for her operation. Cindy resides at Cat Depot while awaiting for the perfect family to adopt her! Cat Depot is a non-profit, no-kill feline rescue, adoption, education and resource center in Sarasota, FL.
Story title: AmandaStory: In June of 2007 we went to meet a Yorkie that we were considering adopting. The dog was nice but didn’t really take to us. Then they brought out her sister. I was sitting on the floor and Amanda ran straight to me jumped into my lap and began licking my face. We didn’t choose Amanda she chose us, and she loved us unquestioningly from that moment on.
At bedtime the night we brought her home she curled up in a chair and was ready to sleep there, when she found out she was invited to come up stairs and sleep, in the bed, with us you should have seen that little tail wag, she knew then she’d made the right choice.
Before coming to live with us Amanda had lived with many other yorkies in a very nice house, but she never got out and about. Her life with us was very different and she loved it.
She didn’t care where we were going or what we were going to do, as long as she was with us she was happy. She had unyielding faith in us and trusted us completely. The first time we took her out of town, to my parents, I came out of the bedroom dressed up to go out. She looked up at me, over at my Mom sitting on the couch, came over gave me a kiss and went over to curl up next to my Mom. She knew I’d be back and that I was leaving her in good care.
Amanda was the inspiration and the drive behind Fido’s City Guide. She struggled with her weight everyday, so finding dog parks and places to walk and run, were a must. She loved meeting new people and would hold royal court on the tables at the dog parks after her walk. Attracting attention and letting people know about Fido’s City Guide was not her job, it was her life. She enjoyed meeting people and wanted them all to pet her and hold her.
In July of 2009, we found a very frightened dog hiding under a car in front of the house. Amanda stepped off the curb and talked the frightened little Chihuahua-terrier mix out. Lady quickly became Amanda’s best friend and protector. No matter how many dogs there were to run with at the park Lady would check on Amanda every few minutes, to make sure the other dogs weren’t bothering her little ’sister’.
Amanda never had a lot of interest in other dogs, she didn’t dislike them she just preferred people. The other dogs loved Amanda. As soon as she entered a dog park, the other dogs were there to greet her, or maybe they just wanted too make sure she was really a dog. At only 6.5lbs she was almost always the smallest dog in the park.
Amanda enjoyed her life with us to the fullest, and we promise to dedicate Fido’s City Guide to help other dogs (and their life partners) to enjoy their time together as much as Amanda did.
Amanda passed away on January 9, 2010 from a brain tumor, everyone who ever met her loved her and will miss her dearly, as we will. Please help us celebrate her life with a donation, in her name, to one of the rescue/adoption services in your area. Amanda and everyone at Fido’s thanks you. www.fidoscityguide.com
Mandy we love you and miss you so much.
