Dog Rescue Dilemna

    Dog rescue is a very rewarding experience. I am amazed and humbled by the resilient, forgiving nature of dogs who have been abused, tortured, starved, abandoned, turned in by families they thought were their own.   The feeling you get when you see a dog thrive in it’s new home, truly enjoying a good life because of your efforts is just priceless. 
  Dog rescue can also be very frustrating.  Example – We are a Connecticut group. We’d love to help Connecticut Dogs. There are plenty in our pounds, and while the “kill” rate isn’t as high as down south, it’s still a possibility in some of our shelters.  So we reach out to CT pounds and ask if they’d like to participate in our adoption events… at no cost to them.  They just have to show up with their dog!… no fee, they keep whatever their adoption fee is.  Our adoption rate at events is fantastic, so you’d think it’s a no-brainer, right?    
   And yet, very few are willing to come.  Reason?  There are several …. no one at the pound willing to spend their day volunteering to bring the dog to the event. Apparently the towns or state won’t pay employees to bring a dog to a Saturday event.   Hey.. we are ALL VOLUNTEER… is there really no one who is willing to help?   And.. after hearing this – we’ve offered to bring the dogs ourselves.  To which we hear.. oh, liability, so.. no.      OR.. they don’t like that we also help southern dogs find homes.  Personally, we don’t believe in borders.  A dog in need is a dog in need, and down south the situation is horrible. Many many dogs die daily.    Now if we could get more Connecticut pounds to participate?  We’d probably become an ALL Connecticut adoption event group.  Can’t have one without cooperation from the other. 
Sad deal.  
Anyway.. here are a few happy faces coming to our next mini adoption event to be held at Pet Valu in Guilford, CT –  If you have a Pet Valu near you, support them. What an awesome organization. They do not sell animals in their store.. they DO NOT SUPPORT PUPPY MILLS.  They DO support shelter dogs by letting us hold fundraisers in their stores,.. and letting us hold mini adoption events as well.  It’s a beautiful thing.   
THANK YOU PET VALU CORPORATION. You totally ROCK!

 We’ve got a mini adoption event this coming Saturday at Pet value, flyer below..
   And a fundraiser  in April too!… 
 If you’re local, come meet the pups.. or have your pets picture taken with the Easter Bunny – Just $5. and all proceeds go to Homeward Bound CT.    Visit our website for more information…
www.homewardboundadoptionevents.jimdo.com  or like us on FB – Homeward Bound CT

Some Happy “tails”

  My daughter is now happily residing in her new apartment.  Since we are her landlord, she gets to have a pet. Holding down two jobs and taking care of her horse leave not a heck of a lot of time spent at “home” during the week, so having a dog in the apartment really wouldn’t be fair to the dog.  Or the neighbors.  We contemplated letting her take our little doxie Rudy with her because he sleeps in her bed at night and loves her way more than me nowadays, since I relegate him to the crate due to his pisspot tendencies i.e. marking of good furniture.  Again and again and again.    *ahem.  Rudy also howls when we leave home.  LOUDLY. So.. no apartment dwelling for Rudy, he’s stuck with us. 
  Anyway…. we went to the local cat rescue last weekend – Forgotten Felines on the shoreline… and there were about 100 cats in need of a home.  At least.  Those folks are amazing in their good care of the cats – basically an entire house is dedicated to the care and keeping of those 100 or so cats. There are cat beds and cat scratch posts and cat sky scrapers and cat jungle gyms all over the place. Indoor and outdoor rooms as well, all secure from predators or escape artists.   One long haired calico girl sat quietly in a corner.  K went over to her, petted her, then picked her up and put her on her lap.  It was love at first Purr. 
 We did go around to meet the others, but came right back around to Ms. Purdy. (Now Phoebe).  Phoebe was found on a construction site, locked in a closet with her kitten, emaciated.  She’s looking much better after the care she’s been given.  It took several days for them to approve our application, but she just received word that she can pick Phoebe up on Thursday evening.  
  It was weird being on the other end of an adoption interview and inquiry into my references.  Usually I do that sort of thing to determine whether we will approve a family for whatever dog it is they are interested in.  What is sometimes difficult is when people have to be told their adoption application has been turned down for whatever reason.  It’s not meant as a put-down.. merely an attempt to find the best possible situation for the dog or cat who has already been through so much.   We don’t like to adopt dogs out to people who are beyond our home-visit range… about an hour or so. If you have trouble, we want to be able to come to you and help, or take back the dog.  Sometimes the children in the house are too young and rough when handling the dog and we know it will be a stressful situation for that particular dog.  It’s not that the people are “bad people”.   Inevitably, we piss a few off, never our intention, but the welfare of the animal should come first. 
 ANYWAY… I look forward to Phoebe’s arrival at daughters apartment.  I already dropped off a present.. a cat tier and scratching post so she can scratch to her hearts content and lie on the tier in the window full of sun.  
 We’ve got another small adoption event coming up… Flyer below..
In order to fund these adoption events, we hold fun nights like these two below…
if you’re local, come on down!
 
Here are a few of the faces that will be attending our event 
to find their forever homes…
 Isn’t Cosmo a charmer?  12 years young, takes life at a walking pace,
loves people and dogs and slow walks. 

A Big Thank You to Pet Valu!

  We had another Day for the Dogs yesterday at a Pet Valu in Cromwell, CT.  Do you have a Pet Valu franchise near you?  They are popping up all over CT and I have to say, I love them.  They are very open to letting rescues hold small  Adoption Events at their store locations, couldn’t have received a warmer embrace.  They also have these really cool dog bath stations.. you bring your dog and shampoo and for $10. you can give your dog a bath in luxurious style.  Perfect for those medium and big dogs that don’t fit in your sink or protecting your tub from scratches.  THANK YOU, PET VALU… for all you help us accomplish for shelter dogs.

Two of our three remaining fosters found homes yesterday and we invited another Connecticut rescue to attend with her three as well.  Two of her three also found homes.  It’s a beautiful thing.

Hey Hilary Cooper Kenny of Crazy as A Loom-  we sold both of your donated rugs to very happy customers yesterday, so thank you so very much for your contribution to Homeward Bound CT! 

We put these bandanas on our dogs so that they are easily recognizable as 
available for adoption as we walk them around the store and grounds. 

Beautiful Sadie.. still looking for her forever home…
If I didn’t have four and a husband to set a limit, I’d take her immediately.
Awesome dog.

Clara, the dog who lost all her hair because of stress when in the kill shelter,
came for a visit with her new mom.. they became a family at our previous event.
As you can see… all is well.  Her hair is growing back in and her mom loves her so. 
 

Eddie getting a rid in a cart – he found a home at the end of the day –
Happy life, Eddie! 

 A customer at one of the wash stations, beautiful dog!

 Hopper is still looking for his forever home.. but for now
 he lives with these two girls and their mom, who is fostering him.

 Wendy went home!
 
This young man and his dad brought their two shep puppies in for a bath. 

Dingo getting hugs from Sue… 

This is a better picture of beautiful Sadie… 

The awesome crew at Pet Valu with Sue and Dingo – 
The young man second from left adopted Timmy from our previous event.

It looks like fun, but there’s a lot of paperwork involved. 
Interviews and reference checks are conducted, as well as home visits after. 
 

 Mr. Fantastic.. now Foster.. has a spiffy wardrobe already.

Lucy went home!
 

 It’s ALLLL Good. 🙂 

You can’t make this stuff up

   So about this shelter dog Adoption event stuff… it takes a lot of organization, some trials and tribulations, a mix of ever-giving volunteers, each with talents they bring to the table.  And of course.. those selfless rescues who pulled the dogs from kill shelters initially, some in horrible shape.. brought them to their veterinarians, drained their own finances and turn their homes into kennels to save these dogs.  Without them, we couldn’t do what we do to rehome those unfortunate dogs.

 Regarding adopters… well, that’s where it can get tricky.  First, there is the adoption fee. We don’t take a penny from rescues or adopters. We raise funds to hold the events before hand and our services are free.  The  adoption fee at our events is $385.  Some potential adopters bawk at that price. They say “I can get a dog at the pound for $50!.  Why am I paying YOU $385??     The answer is very simple. Our rescues have to pull and quarantine the dogs for 30 days and evaluate their behavior. They must neuter or spay them, innoculate them, de-worm them and test for things like heartworm before they can come to our event.  Their cost at this point is approximately $300, if not more.  Then there is the transport.. our southern folks drive 30 hours (that’s alot of gas) to get here.  They’re lucky if they break even at the end.     Your pound dog?  Is only required to have a rabies shot and you might get lucky and have a healthy spayed/neutered dog that behaves well once he leaves the pound, but it’s a crap shoot.

Now, to be fair, I’m still all for adopting from your local pound. Just had to explain the reason for the fee.   AND… adopting a shelter dog from our events is also a crap shoot in certain ways.  These dogs haven’t lived in the kill shelter for atleast a month, but they are still living in kennel conditions, even in a home atmosphere, unless we’ve brought them from foster homes.  So, their exact behavior in your home might be somewhat different, at least at first,  then where they came from.  Our rescue folks try to know them as best they can, and they are fully vetted.  All of this is explained to potential adopters, and then it is up to them to help the dog adjust.  We are always available after adoption to help.

One of the biggest mistakes new adopters make is letting Scruffy off leash immediately after bringing him home.  While he may be friendly and lovey and so happy to be with you… he doesn’t really know you yet, or your yard as “home”.  He probably doesn’t even know his name.   I wouldn’t trust your new dog for months off leash and expect that they will stay right with you or return home if they get away from you.  Yet, so many people lose their new adoptee and out goes the search squad, not always with great results.

Another issue we sometimes deal with is new adopters not having the patience to allow their new charge to get accustomed to the new home and family, or not understanding the dogs language.   Case in point… three days ago we got a call from “Jenny’s” new family saying she was not adjusting well to their home, was unhappy with her tail between her legs all the time and ate ravenously and with aggression.   Jenny is a young puppy.   We were perplexed… that was not her demeanor at our event or with rescue before.  They wanted her picked up  – before the kids got home. –     We took her back immediately.  Jenny went to foster for just two days where her behavior was monitored.  No food aggression, and she was fed with the other dogs to test that theory.  She was just hungry.  She was also bouncy and happy, tail wagging with none of the signs the family had mentioned.    Here’s what really happened… they have electric fence in their yard.  They tried to show her how to use it, and zapped her in the process.. she’s about 14 weeks old and was brand new to her environment. They scared the hell out of her and we don’t know what else.. perhaps the mom and dad just didn’t want to deal with puppy training.

Jenny was rehomed yesterday with a lovely couple who adore her. No signs of poor behavior, just a happy puppy in the  right environment.  The heartbreak?   The E-mail we received the day after Jenny was taken from the family… from their young daughter.   “You took Jenny from us! How very unfair!.. she was just getting used to us and her new home, we would have been the very best family for her ever!  I hope you will give her the very best home, because we were it!!

Now, let me tell you what I think of that.  Her parents threw us under the bus when they decided the puppy was too much work for them, that’s what I think.  They should have let their kids say goodbye and explained why they felt Jenny was not well suited as an addition to their family. Instead they came home to no more Jenny and an explanation that wasn’t truth. It broke the girls heart even more to think we felt they weren’t suitable so we took the dog back.  We wrote her back saying we knew she had every intention of giving Jenny a wonderful home and perhaps talking with her parents about why they decided to return her would help her to understand their decision.

As for the stuff you can’t make up…

  Now and then a potential adopter shows up that we just have to say no to.  You know, you get a feeling, you see interaction that isn’t cool.. their references don’t pan out for whatever reason. (we insist on solid references, including vet)  One couple wanted a small dog for their daughter. They found one they liked, but didn’t want to commit.  Someone else came along, a lovely woman with MS or parkinsons, who clearly adored the dog, had great references,  and she adopted. The family who put the dog aside came back and was annoyed that we let someone else take her, even though they didn’t want to commit.    They shopped around again…  and finally settled on a little chihuahua girl named Flower. We had them talk with our trainer and walk around with the dog to see if it was a good fit.  They all looked happy except for the Dad.

They did a family huddle…

 then came back to us and said…”Well, we really like Flower.. but.. what’s that thing in the back”. 

 That thing in the back?….. 

we looked. 

“You mean her genitals?”…..

 “Oh is that what that is? Well, we’re thinking then that her Vagina is too big”.  

Blank stares all around… (hysterical laughter later)….. but we said……

“I’m sorry… we probably don’t have a dog here that we would feel comfortable adopting out to you.”  

And we took Flower back in the barn.    Really folks, Flower has a very normal looking female genitalia region.  And if they didn’t know what it WAS, and held it against her regardless, they aren’t the kind of people we want to adopt to anyway.  That didn’t stop them from displaying their anger at our decision by standing at the bottom of the hill and glaring up at us in the barn for a good half hour, as if we would change our minds about adopting to them.  Then, they finally left.

We are somewhat choosey because these dogs have already been through so much. We want to place them where they have the best chance of having the kind of life they deserve.  It’s as simple as that.  And if you’ve read all the way through this post today, here’s your reward.. Jenny in her new home.. where she has definitely hit the good home jackpot! 

It’s a beautiful thing….

  

Hello all!

First I’d like to thank each of you who have inquired – where the heck are ya?   It’s such a good feeling to know there are people who give a darn, you know? 

The great news is I’ve been really busy with Homeward Bound CT’s first shelter dog adoption event!  It was AWESOME!!!..and so much work. I’m headed to the Physical therapist today for a back/shoulder adjustment..lol.

The second annoying thing is I have not been able to post on Internet Explorer for the past week! … just figured out now I can post to my blog on firefox (Foxfire?.. whatever)… and it works.  Not sure what’s going on there, but it is what it is.

SO.. I’m just going to post a few pics here and you’ll get the jist of last weekend… and again, thanks so much for caring.. all of you 🙂 

 Our core group…

….and so many awesome volunteers and adopters!  40 dogs home out of 53, 7 in foster homes, the rest went back home with their rescues.   It’s a beautiful thing.

The blue eyed dog on the right was adopted two years ago…
the returned for Brandy on the left. 

Ivy below get a lovely home… 

This is dogs with volunteers waiting to be checked by the vet prior to adoption.
 
Stanley is a big love and got a wonderful home where he will enjoy lakeside living. 
 

 It’s all about the dogs! 
Find us on FB and give us a “like”… check out our album for more success stories and for upcoming events and how you can help if you so choose. 
Homeward Bound CT
 

Oh heck, what’s one more….

 
  The hardest part of participating in shelter dog rescue and adoption events is -not- taking one home.  I always fall in love with atleast one face or two… you can see why.   All of these dogs and puppies were headed to death row on the fast track… All were saved because of caring individuals who are doing what they can to save as many as possible.  These dogs will be available at our adoption event here in CT Nov. 8th & 9th along with 40 others.  
 
  Look at these faces… all worth the life they were given. Blizzard would be my choice if I could have a fifth dog.  (ha ha… divorce court might be my next event if I attempted it).  
 
 
 

 Happy to report Alvin has put on weight since this picture and is now in good health.

 
 
 
Look for and “Like Us” on Facebook –  Homeward Bound CT
visit our website for more information..
 
Our dogs are listed on Adopt a Pet too..
Link HERE
 
 
 

It’s All About The Dogs

   Just weeks ago a bunch of us got together and said.. “hey, what more can we do for all those dogs out there who are sitting in shelters by the thousands?”   Well.. we can’t save them all, but no effort is wasted when you’re doing something good, so we banded together and having experience with it already, the first adoption event is shaping up in record time.  The site for the event was donated (a Christmas tree farm with a large barn – perfect!)  and we’re raising funds for the other expenses.  The rescues have pulled the dogs from kill shelters and they are now in quarantine, vetted, spayed or neutered if they weren’t already, being temperament tested and kid approved.

Some of the faces who will be attending the event, looking for their forever home….

 
 
 
This is our FB “face”…. if you are on FB and want to support our efforts,
like us  – Homeward Bound CT..

If you want to do even more, our t-shirts and mugs are now available
simply send us a message on FB with your request or e-mail itsallaboutthedogs2014@gmail.com
… all proceeds go to the dogs you see above plus about 40 more… and the efforts
to get them home.  Local people interested in adopting a dog can attend the Homeward Bound innaugural adoption event posted on the page – November  8th & 9th  at Hale Hill Tree Farm in Portland, CT.


 
 

Lets save 100 more

  We’ve got another adoption event planned and if you’re local and looking for your newest family member,  I cannot express the cuteness in this particular crew.  Well yes I can … just look at these faces right here…

THOR – a great little dog – corgi lab mix who’s owner got into a new relationship and apparently a dog wasn’t acceptable to new person.   I say the new person wasn’t acceptable, but that’s me.  If I didn’t have four, Thor would be coming home with me.

 
 
 
 
FRANCES – young girl pulled from a kill shelter down south – beautiful Aussie mix. Great with dogs, kids, people.  Just under a year old, needs good food and love.

 
 
 
 
CHARLIE –  Adorable happy boy, who could dump a little guy like this? 
 
 
 
 
Details below…
 

 

 
And if you are NOT interested in adding a new family member, come join us for a fun night at the Madison Beach Hotel in Madison, CT.  The concert is free, but donations in any amount will be accepted.  Dog Days takes no money from the rescues who bring their dogs to our events. The only way we can hold these events is by serious volunteer effort and donations. 
 
 

 
 


HOORAY FOR THE UNDERDOG!!!!
 
 
 
 
 


Goin to the Dogs

    Heeeeeey, Moooom…..you lied to me.  That’s the grooming truck!.. you said we were going for a walk.  ( -drool commences – not kidding,  see towel?  )

This lady is a great friend of mine.  We met through Dog Days Adoption Events.  She was the volunteer I went searching around with in the neighborhood where  Frasier was dumped by his original adopter.   A fearless and tireless defender of animals and volunteer for shelter dogs, she’s on her way out west this weekend to care for dogs and horses at an animal sanctuary…  

Lillian has a mobile dog grooming business and you couldn’t ask for a kinder approach. She has mega patience with neurotic Frasier, who seems to believe the clippers want to pull his toenails out.  If you live in the shoreline area and like the idea of a mobile dog groomer for your dogs grooming needs, her rates are very reasonable and the service is so convenient.  She can be reached at 203-481-3994.

 
 

Happy tails

 
 
 But first, let me thank every one of you for your kind words,  advice, commiseration and understanding yesterday. I hesitated to put it out there, the emotional battle and anger  I still wage with myself  on that particular subject.  Just when you think you’ve got it all figured out and sorted, it unravels again.  However!… I have taken heed of some of your advice, and today is a new day.  As a matter of fact, today I take that person for cataract surgery, with a positive attitude and good will in my heart.  And so it shall be.
 
 Now, on to the happy tails!
 
 I conducted two home visits yesterday here in my own town, LOVE when dogs are adopted by locals.. I get to see them again in their happy homes or out and about locally.   Once I walked into a store about 10 miles from  here and behind the counter looking out at me was a little Jack Russell face I recognized.   He went to work daily with his new dad, the owner of the store!  Great to see.  
 
 
 Here is Roger (now Tanner) with his new mom…
 
 
 
seen below when they first met at our adoption event…
She walked into Tractor Supply and Roger just crawled into her lap.
Just like that..and right there the decision was made.
 
 
 
 
And here is Odie…formally known as Reggie.. with his new Dad at home.
He is LOVED.
 
 
 
This was Odie at our event, getting to know his new mom!

 
See the look on his face?  Are YOU the one?
She certainly was.
 
 Hooray for the Underdog!
If you would like to support what we are doing, we need all the help we can get.
Every dollar helps us get another dog out of the kill shelter
and into the arms of a loving family.  There is a safe to use DONATE button
on the website… Please visit..