Tag: Dogs

Greg is HOME!!!

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It’s been a long while since I’ve written anything and the last time I did, it was to share Gregory, a foster dog with Barrhead Animal Rescue Society (BARS), that had gone missing. Well, I am super stoked to announce that after SIX long months, Gregory was finally captured on July 13, 2017! He is now currently being cared for at Waggytails Dog Daycare. So I get to see him everyday while I am at work. He’s doing really well. Loves the other dogs. His main obstacle is trusting humans, but he is slowly starting to trust his daycare “aunties.” It’s been such a huge relief to have this boy back!

Rescue can be bittersweet, sad, frustrating, enraging, and downright soul-crushing. But it’s stories like Greg’s that give me hope. I had almost given up hope of BARS getting him back. But then, a miracle happened and Greg was found and is back in care. And the best part? He seems to be okay! Someone or a few someones out their must have been feeding him. Greg’s a survivor and gives me hope for all the lost pets out there.

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MISSING DOG!!

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Gregory is missing! He is a foster dog with Barrhead Animal Rescue Society, a rescue organization that I volunteer with. Gregory was originally brought to BARS from the Northwest Territories from a horrible hoarding situation. He was then brought to Waggytails Dog Daycare in Edmonton to start his rehabilitation under the care of Leah Walsh and her staff and trainers. Gregory made huge progress while at Waggytails and was able to move on to a foster home to further his rehab.

On February 27, 2017 while out for a walk with is family out in Morinville, Gregory managed to slip out of his harness. This was in the vicinity of the Morinville fire station. Gregory is an EXTREMELY timid dog. He will run if called or chased. On behalf of BARS, I am asking you to please keep your eyes open for any sightings of Gregory. If you see him, please contact BARS at 780.307.6590. We need to get Gregory home.

His story is close to my heart. As a trainer and staff member at Waggytails, I got to know Gregory and see his transformation from a shut-down, terrified dog to a shy, curious, and sweet boy. While Gregory has come along way in his rehabilitation, he has a long way to go in learning to trust humans. He needs to come home to those that love him.

greg

Five Months…

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My Kolby. My sweet, sweet Kolby girl. It’s been five months since you left this world. Five months since a part of my heart left with you when you journeyed to the Rainbow Bridge. It feels like just yesterday that I brought you home. You entered into my life like a whirlwind. You brought your goofy smile and demanding bark into my house, and left paw prints all over place.

Losing you was one of the most devastating things that has ever happened to me. Making the decision to free you from pain was both easy and difficult. Easy because I saw that you were starting to suffer, and that is the last thing that I ever wanted for you. Difficult because I knew that choice would mean that I would never see you, hold you, or kiss you again. It hurt my heart and soul to lose you. You brought so much joy into my life even though you were only with me for a way too short period of time. Landon loved you so much. You helped him gain confidence. You two were partners in crime. Always side by side. The way you two played made me smile. You would definitely put Landon in his place, and he never seemed to mind.

I miss you so very much. I can’t put into words how much you mean to me. I say mean, because you will always be with me. I just wish I could hold you one more time. Even if only for a moment.I love you so much. You will forever be my pretty, pretty princess.

Kolby

Buddy

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This is for a dog named Buddy.

Driving home from work today, I saw you. You were alone darting across a busy road. I pulled over to see if I could catch you. You had on a collar with one tag. But you didn’t want to be caught. You wanted to play. You’re a big boy, a mastiff mix or maybe a boxer. A beautiful dark brown brindle boy. A friendly boy. And fast! You kept getting away from me. When you darted across the road and got clipped by a car, I was worried but you flounced on. When you darted across the road a second time, my heart sank. You were hit by a school bus! Thankfully, you were able to walk, and came straight to me. I was able to call the number on your tags and get your owner’s information to contact them. I had to leave a message because they didn’t answer. I then helped you to my car, and sped you as fast as I could to an emergency vet clinic close by.

Sweet boy, you have me so concerned about you. Your sweet face was so swollen on the right side, and you whimpered during the car ride. When we got to the vet, they took you in right away as I filled out some paperwork. You must have been scared because you bounded back out to the waiting right into my arms. And as much as I wanted to hold you, I knew you needed medical attention and had to place my trust in the clinic’s staff. So we led you back into the medical area and I had to leave.

I did call the clinic a bit later to check and see if they found your owner. I knew they wouldn’t release any info on your condition to me, but they did tell me they found your people. I’m so glad they did.

My only hope now is that you are comfortable and are getting the treatment you need to heal. I’m sending you lots of love and hugs sweet boy. We may not have known each other for long, but I love you and hope you are going to be okay.

Shame on you Russia!

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http://www.foxnews.com/world/2014/02/03/sochi-officials-order-stray-dogs-killed-ahead-olympics/

This is so ridiculous! I don’t understand what killing stray dogs has to do with the Olympics? Because people will find them dirty, or irritating, or whatever? Have the Russian officials thought that there are stray dogs in every country? People from around the world are used to stray dogs. Sadly, the death of millions happens every day around the world. The problem isn’t the dogs, it’s the people who owned them that decided that they didn’t want them anymore and let them loose. Or those that didn’t spay/neuter their pets and bred puppies who in turn ended up unwanted. Then are the natural wild dog packs that exist in nature. Yes, they do end up in cities. They migrate, it’s what they do when they are looking for food.

Humans are the reason for stray dogs. So what do we do? Murder, maim and torture them to control the population that we let get so out of control. Shame on us! Shame on Russia for deciding this is the way to go. Shame on everyone who turns a blind eye to this. We’re the problem. How much money goes into the production of the Olympics? How much of those funds could be used to help solve the real issues at hand? It’s so sad that this is what we resort to when there are other, more humane ways. Makes be ashamed to be human.

Dog Bite!

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I was bit by a dog yesterday. And bit but good. There’s a deep puncture wound in the left hand thumb muscle and a puncture on my wrist. What happened? Well, it started when a friend of mine found a gorgeous red nosed pit bull peeking around the corner of her garage. Not really knowing what to do, she called me and I told her to bring the dog over. Since I’ve dealt with strays before, I definitely wanted to help. The minute she was let out of my friend’s van, this beautiful girl bounded up to me like I hadn’t seen her in years. She was so affectionate and sweet. I noticed that she had very stretched out teats that were full of milk, so she must have given birth not that long ago. (Unfortunately, no puppies were found after inspection of the garage and surrounding neighbourhood.) I started calling her “Baby Girl” as she had no collar or tags. Baby Girl was so very dehydrated and cleaned out the water dish I filled for her. She was also emaciated but wouldn’t eat. I think she was just excited to be somewhere warm and have some affection bestowed upon her. I called animal control and was waiting for them to call me back to let me know when they would be coming to get her. At first, Baby Girl and my pup Landon were okay with each other, but keeping them separate was needed as Landon wanted to play with her but she wasn’t interested. He kept trying to engage her and she was having none of that. She’d snap at him and he’d back off for a moment and then be right back in her face. It got to the point where they were fighting over a ball and it got extremely escalated. Not wanting either dog to get hurt, I stepped in to separate them. That’s when I got bit. I can’t say that I was scared of either of them when I stepped in as I know both were just defending themselves and neither was interested in me. I just really didn’t want either dog to get injured as I know Baby Girl must be still recovering from giving birth and I didn’t know if she had any outstanding conditions. And of course, I didn’t want Landon to get hurt as he’s MY baby and if she had any transmittable disease, I didn’t want him to get infected. The fight was awful and my mom literally had to hose both of them down to get them to stop. After I rinsed my hand and wrapped it up to stop the bleeding, we called animal control again as they hadn’t called back by this point. We had the dogs separated with Landon in the house and Baby Girl in the patio, both whining to get out.

I didn’t cry when I was bit (although I channelled my inner sailor and swore a ton), but I cried when Baby Girl was whining to get out of the patio. She must have been terrified not knowing what was going on. She didn’t have her puppies, she was hungry and thirsty, and was locked up, as I imagine that is how she spent most of her life.I have a feeling that she was used for breeding given the size of her stretched out teats. I just don’t understand how anyone can do that to an animal. I sincerely hope that I am wrong about her living a hard life, but I know deep down that I’m not.

It’s funny because I could understand how an event like this could make someone afraid of dogs, pit bulls in particular, but I am not. I love Landon with all my heart and I wish I knew how Baby Girl is doing. The thing is, I don’t know which one bit me, so I find it hard to place blame on either dog. Both were just defending themselves.

I think Pit Bulls are a beautiful, loving, loyal, and trust-worthy breed of dog. I also think that they are completely misunderstood by humans and have been wrongly punished and abused at the hands of humans. A favourite saying among animal rescue groups is “punished the deed, not the breed.” I whole-heartedly agree. Not all dogs are going to get along just like not all humans get along. And I can say confidently for a fact, that I would do exactly the same thing today as I did yesterday to prevent injuries if something like this should it happen again. Would I have a pit bull as a pet? Absolutely. Of course my dog and any potential new pet would have to meet and get along. Wouldn’t matter if the new dog was a poodle or pit. I encourage everyone to just try and understand that not all pit bulls are vicious. Just as not all golden retrievers are docile. It’s all in the upbringing of the dog and the circumstance at the time.

Baby Girl, wherever you are, I hope you know that you are loved by me and that I will never forget your sweet face. I wish you all the best and hope that your future is a happy one.

Meant to Do

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I found a dog while I was out walking Landon today. He was a scruffy little white guy with curly fur that was dirty and had ice chunks all over him. He had a chain collar but no identifying tags nor did he have any tattoos or marks. I took him home with me so that he could warm up and so that I could call animal control. Turns out, they’d gotten a call about about this little guy and had been trying to catch him for a few hours but no one was able to catch him. Except for me and Landon. Guess we’ve got a magic touch or something as this isn’t the first dog that we’ve come across. Although he was only with us for an hour or so, I miss the little guy. He was so cuddly and sweet! I sure hope that he has found his family and is well taken care of.

I think I have figured out what I want to do with my life. Or rather, what I am meant to do. Animal care and rescue. If I can make a difference for a few animals, that makes me happy. I wish I could save them all and keep them all with me. I know I can’t but even if I keep that hope in my heart, I know that I can make a difference.