HoundsGood: Chronicles of a Virtual Volunteer

A little over a year ago, I wrote about a man named Al.   By reader request, I am reprinting the story here.  Unfortunately, due to upheaval in my own life, I lost track of Al and most likely will never see him again.  If you see someone like him in your town, lend an ear.  Maybe there is something you can do to help them, in honor of Al.

 ———

I have a story to tell. In fact, it is not really a “story” at all, but something going on in “real life.” Since I frequently discuss charitable causes, and am pretty reflexive with the knowledge of different programs, you would think that the answer would be obvious to me, but it just isn’t.

Without further delay, on with the story:

The whole story started one day when I was sitting at a table outside of one of the local eateries. Al was a striking figure, not because he was particularly handsome, but because his appearance just struck you. He carried several rigged up clear pouches around his waist containing a few all purpose spices and handwipes. He wore a few layers of ringer t shirts and a pair of sweatpants. Underneath the shirts, he had some sort of rayon or polyester shirt or garment that came out over his hips. From the distance, it looked like he was wearing a skirt, but it really had sleeves and was tied around his waist. On his feet, are dollar store flip flops.

When you talk to Al, it was clear that he was a kind man who seems like an interesting man who has really lived and done some interesting things in his life, and had a depth of knowledge that you knew that he actually did them, no matter how peculiar it seemed. There was always a deal breaker, however, that after thirty minutes or an hour into his tales, you would hear something that would make some people walk away in disbelief as something didn’t add up.

One day, many years ago, Al decided that he had a calling to travel. He hitchhiked his way across the United States well passed the days when it was something considered safe. He didn’t always hitchhike, sometimes he took a bus, or found someone that he preplanned to travel with for a distance. Either way, he made it to just about every state. He survived in Hawaii by eating peanut M&M’s because the food prices were high, and besides, that was all the protein you need, so he said. He talked about his daughters. He has six of them.

I saw him in a parking lot one day, trimming the bushes, and a friend of mine asked if he could use a meal. I admit there was a little trepidation on all of our parts. Al didn’t know what hit him. We learned a little more about Al. He didn’t see his family because he was “on a mission” that they didn’t understand and hasn’t spoken to them in years. Not sure quite what that mission is about, but he says it is about walking around and talking to people.

We couldn’t decide if he was really a down and out person or was he eccentric, as he did rent a small place nearby. Apparently, he just parked his “stuff” there. He collected things he could “use” like recyclable cans and old boxes, for I know not what. In addition to the tiny efficiency, he had a storage unit as well. Yet, he carries around a mattress. What doesn’t add up is that we definitely know he keeps his things somewhere, and also he keeps talking about his mission and that he has been traveling around constantly for the past twenty years, but yet has said he has lived in our town for at least five.

Part of me wants to talk to the VA and see if there is anything they can do for him, even though he says he went there for a procedure so “they must know about him.” Part of me says that if I am noticing his situation, then that someone who has to do something is me. That half wants to contact his daughter. I know her first name, and the major city she lives in. I want to put an ad on craigslist in hopes of someone knowing her, and to tell her that her father is here, and that he needs some help. Maybe, perhaps, she knows full well where he is and good riddance, rather than what I imagine her thinking. My uncle was also a VietNam Vet. Actually, I never met him. He died before I was born, and didn’t last the year after coming home due to scars in his heart from coming home spit at. That is why I think I have a heart to help vets who don’t seem whole.

For now, there has been no adopted a stray dog, or a child, but a VietNam Vet. We are watching out for him and are looking for him every time we are out and about, and we try to just talk to him to brighten his day and see if there is anything he needs. Somehow, he is provided for. He talks about a lady at the grocery store who will give him sometimes a can of something that had been dented, etcetera. Whatever he gets he just loads it with the spices that he carries with him to make it palatable if it is not something you would normally eat plain.

We have not seen Al in a few weeks, and wonder how he has been doing with the weather. There is no way to call him, as he doesn’t have a phone.  As soon as I can get behind the wheel to drive that far, we’ll ask around about him.

Definitely, it would be something O. Henry wrote about if it turned out he really was an eccentric zillionaire, as we are so broke but worried about the person who really has it all. But, when you think about it, with 6 daughters estranged, it would never be “all.”

Most of the time, I already know in my heart what to do if only if I will sit and listen (it usually is my first gut instinct), but I benefit from the wisdom of others when I am delving into new territory.

The end of the summer is coming soon, and another patriotic holiday is coming up.  Labor Day is not as significant as Independence Day, but sometimes individuals use it as the last opportunity of summer to adorn their boats and porches with flags.   There is common knowledge and some myths about how you should care for your flag.   I learned something new about the American flag at American-Flag.com. It is widely believed that if a flag touches the ground, it needs to be burned out of respect.  This isn’t true. According to the site:

Despite the common myth, flags that touch the ground do not need to be destroyed. If your flag does touch the ground, and it gets dirty, simply wash it. Allowing a flag to touch the ground is disrespectful to the flag, but of course accidents do happen. Just try to prevent it from happening again.

While cleanliness is something not everyone is clear about, it is common knowledge that when an American flag is tattered beyond repair, it should be retired.  The most common method is respectfully burning it.  In fact, the Boy Scouts of America, the Girl Scouts, and The American Legion all take flags and perform a flag retirement ceremony.  However, the exception is for nylon flags.  When nylon is burned, it can let off a toxic gas.  When you turn in a nylon flag, please mark it “recycle,” and they will recycle it or bury it in a box.

Every time I look at getting a flag, I am very disheartened to see a Made In China sticker on it.  Granted, I find that the smaller the flag, the more likely it is made in a foreign land, but it really is the principle of the thing.  Finally I have that Valley Forge Flags are made in the good old USA. You may have to order them online versus find them at your local store, but it is worth it.  As far as POW Flags, you will find that the larger sizes are available from American manufacturers, you just need to keep a close eye when looking at the small ones.

Have a safe August, and Labor Day Weekend, no matter what your plans may be.

This is the one in a series addressing the top reasons why individuals give up a dog. Sometimes a dog is just behaving like a dog and it is us who are not fufilling our role as caretakers of our pets. There are little things we can do that make a big difference.

There are a lot of situations where a dog has bitten a repairperson, a landlord, or anyone else who could unexpected come into an apartment or home.

You might be expecting them, but your dog isn’t. Remember, to your dog this is like a “break in.” Sometimes, even if you are are present, the dog reacts very differently than if you were receiving a “guest”. Part of it may be your body language. Usually, even though you don’t feel threatened in any way, you are not 100% “at ease.” One also doesn’t go through the same ritual as when greeting someone known to you, so your dog might not get the “all safe” signal. Thirdly, the repair person, technician, or inspector might be walking into and touching areas of the house a regular guest wouldn’t…crawling on the floor, ducking behind a desk, etc.

What is often NOT talked about is not the danger that your dog can be to a person coming into your home, but also vice versa. Some dogs are less dominant and would kiss a burglar rather than defend your home, but they are still at risk. Some repair folks carry a can of dog spray, and do not let their hand stray from it. I am not saying ALL folks do but enough. If your dog went toward them quickly, even if it was in a friendly way, they could potentially squirt them and ask questions later. We had a repair person come recently, and even though I was holding a dog in my arms, he still had his finger on it. Sprays can cause great discomfort to a dogs eyes and nose and can potentially burn or blind in some cases.

There are several ways to avoid a potential situation, from preventing a normally well behaved dog from having to spend time at the pound on bite hold, to preventing a dog from harm from a spray can or a foot.

The first is, arrange for you or someone who knows the dog(s) well to be present during repairs. Otherwise, the apartment or home is off limits.

If you have an apartment, a landlord does NOT have the right to come in at any time without proper notice. Even if they are selling the building and bringing someone through to see it, they must tell you ahead of time. The exceptions are in the case of fire, roof leak, or other major safety situations. Being as it may, when you are not home it is best to get a baby gate and keep your pet restricted to a particular area of the apartment or home when you are not home.

Whether you own a home or rent, crate training is also an excellent idea. This way, when you are home with the dog, he/she feels “safe” when put inside his/her carrier or crate when an expected stranger comes to your home. Or when you are not home for a little while, your dog is protected from a potential situation.

Call to action:

Tell friends and family.
Send a link to this article to a friend or post a link on a bulletin board.
Print up a flier about the benefits of crate training and post it in your apartment building and vet office.

This article that I wrote in March 08 is being reprinted here by reader request.

(At left, Gabriel, happy cattle dog mix who was surrendered to the shelter because his human guardian didn’t have enough for both drugs and to spring him out and chose drugs.  Luckily, Saving Shelter Pets saved him in 08)

I have received angry letters in my inbox. I have seen angry postings on bulletin boards and ad sites across the internet where you can remain anonymous. The cry is that shelter workers are monsters for destroying beautiful dogs and cats and they should be ashamed of themselves.

- Did you know that in most county pounds, the people that clean up the dog poo, clean the cages, etc, are inmates? They are on a work program. If you go to the shelter, you will see them clearly marked in their usually striped clothing. They could wear normal clothing, but the county wants the public to know who they are to prevent any liability. They have no choice where they work.

- Did you know that in some cases, an inmate was led to the feelings of humility and respect of life from working at a dog shelter.

I remember a chow mix who was a timid fellow and in danger of being euthanized. I did not go to this shelter, but was trying to help email rescues about him. He had too strikes against him at the shelter. He had never been properly socialized by his proper owners. He was scared to death in the shelter. And he had a black/blue tongue and lots of people think they don’t want chows. In the dog’s time there, an inmate had taught the dog to walk on a leash and some basic commands. When the dog’s “time was up”, the inmate caught the attention of a rescue worker and with tears in his eyes pleaded for her to save “his” dog. The emails went out about the dog known as “Inmate’s Favorite.”  The dog hadn’t even been up on any website, feeling that he was unadoptable.

The dog did have a happy ending.

Not everything, of course, is the fodder for a children’s book. There are some inmates who don’t work out at the shelter and are reprimanded and given extended sentences and more because of their conduct around the animals.

The point is, not everyone is lining up and jumping for joy about working at a county pound that is essentially a sorting facility.

- Secondly, do you know that many people go to work or volunteer at the pound thinking they can “SAVE THEM ALL,” and after awhile, they just feel overwhelmed. They feel like they are pushing water up the hill with a fork. They may be subject to listening to others that were once gung ho and have gotten jaded too with every passing day. And it is hard to pick up the phone with someone on the other end cussing you out and calling you an animal killer. Some of these people are just collecting a paycheck, but some of these folks were there to change the world once but got burdened and lost in the day to day grind when nothing seemed to change. I am not saying that 100% of these individuals are commendable, but understand why your phone call ‘telling them to stop euthanizing dogs’ like they here every day doesn’t have the impact you think it does and doesn’t do anything to help.

So, what can we do to stop the death? It is not always as simple as getting rid of that “one big bad person” at animal control.
That big bad person is US. And that is who we have the most immediate control over.

• If citizens of an area spayed and neutered their dogs and cats, they wouldn’t be wandering away from home so much to be called in as a stray or nuisance.
• If citizens of an area spayed and neutered their dogs, the puppy they give away for free to a family that in turn got “too big” wouldn’t end up dumped at the shelter
• If citizens of an area spayed and neutered their dogs, a puppy wouldn’t take the spot in someone’s home away from an equally as sweet and even purebred (nothing wrong with mutts, but some folks are looking for a specific type) dog or pup sitting at the shelter in desperate need.
• If citizens of an area spayed and neutered their dogs and cats, they wouldn’t have bit the child for walking between them and a female in heat, even if the female was a football field away.
• If citizens of an area always kept a collar and an id on their dog, a neighbor or other Good Samaritan may have approached the dog and called the owners before the dog was taken to the pound
• If citizens of an area microchipped their dogs and cats, they would have a ticket home.
• If citizens of an area let their dogs live in the house with the family, they would be less likely to be bored and dig under the fence.
• If citizens in the area changed their mindset that their dog “would surely find a home because he’s a good dog” at the shelter, they may rethink their decision to dump their dog. They may make extra effort to check with other family and friends who adore the dog, or perhaps get a courtesy listing with a local rescue to find the dog a good home.

If we did this, animal control could do their job of quarantining dogs who bit someone and returning them to their families, or dealing with animals that are truly a public threat/rabid. They would still be picking up the few dogs or cats out there that are lost, but there would be far fewer, and there would be much more time to reunite them with their owners. They are not an “adoption center.” But if we did our job, then the rescues who want to save them would not be faced with not being able to save them all.

It is easy to talk about “that awful shelter in____ (insert name of state), where they don’t get it.” It is easy to say that it is our neighbors, but when it really is all of us.

What can you do?

If you have looked at the list I presented above and you have already spayed all the cats, dogs, and rabbits in your care, your dog lives inside with the family, you have put id on your dog and possibly microchipped:

• When you see your neighbor’s dog without a collar, tell them that you care about your dog and would hate for them to get lost. Offer to buy an id tag for the dog.
• If a neighbor expresses belief in spay or neuter, and they say they just don’t have the time, offer to drive or pick up their dog from the spay/neuter appointment.
• If a person leaves their dog out in the yard all day long and expresses to you that they do so because they work long hours and don’t want accidents - depending on the circumstance, educate them about dogsitters, offer to let the dog out during the day yourself.

I know you may say “I have heard it all before,” and “it is so simple.” So simple that it is just not being done.
Online there are many ways to help:

Be an educated and kind voice to your online friends. Give your money and time to spaymobiles and low cost certificate programs so that those having the desire and not the resources to spay and neuter can. Also, if someone is writing to you telling you they are thinking about getting a pet, make sure they kindly know what kind of time commitment is involved and to carefully consider the individual dogs or cats so they make a good match the first time so they can commit to their dog or cat or rabbit forever.

She was a hound like many of the other countless numbers in Georgia.  She either became nose blind following a squirrel and the trail home went cold, rending her irretrievably lost.  Or she was lost on purpose.  Too old to hunt.  Too unfocused to hunt.  Or just plain was skipped over when the scent hound gene was handed out.  In any case, the result was the same.  Her collar was unbuckled or unsnapped and the person she trusted drove away, or counted on the fact that she would soon get lost on her own.  Afterall, she was just a hound and with all the money spent, she wasn’t making a return.  Kept in a steel crate in the open back of a pick up in the rain, giving out a yodel or pressing her nose up between the home made, flat, rectangular bars just hungry for affection, she was taking up space where a dog earning his/her keep should be.

Like most large hounds in the state of Georgia who find themselves in her position, she found herself at a county pound.  Her number was up.  Large hounds just don’t get adopted, nor does anyone else.  Her card was turned over just as she was settling in.  As most large hounds do, she probably even wagged her tail hopefully as she leaned in to accept the slip lead that would lead her on her very last walk.   Was this a strange looking dog crate they were putting her in?  But there were other dogs in there.  She could hardly moved, even though many of them were sedated or just frozen with fear.  The switch was pulled and the air got thick.

Through some miracle, when the door was opened, she was somehow still alive.  How could it be possible?  There are always stories of infants surviving a fire or young people in Auschwitz, alive through an air pocket under the dozens of bodies that kept them from succumbing.

The staff at Liberty County Animal Control  called her “Amazing Grace,” and believed that she deserved to live after surviving the gas chamber, which had been illegally installed in 2002.   The day a tricolor hound named Grace came out alive, the chamber was never started in the county, ironically named Liberty, ever again.  Bill 1060 started right there. It was nicknamed “Grace’s Law.”

In 1990, the gas chamber was banned from use in the state of Georgia.  To satisfy the bean counters, there was a loophole, exempting from cities and counties with populations less than 25,000 residents from the ban.   They could not purchase a replacement chamber in the future,  but they could continue to operate their current unit for as long as it would run or could be patched up.   One theory is that it prevented a small tax base from necessitating a renovation to their shelter.   However, there couldn’t possibly be fifteen counties and towns, the number which have been grandfathered in, that small running a shelter.  Their aren’t.  The rest have been grandfathered in by the other loophole that if the chamber was in operation prior to 1990, they could also continue on.    Grace’s Law would close the loopholes and stop the chambers altogether.

Through my own independent research, the cost of silencing a gas chamber is less than five calories, the energy an adult in reasonable physical fitness expended to turn a knob, permanently snuff out a pilot light or take the first swing with a hammer.

The shelters operating gas chambers (graciously supplied by Georgia Voters for Animal Welfare). This does not include shelters that have a gas chamber on their facility that are not in use but still physically present.

Ashburn, City of (in Turner County; no county facility; chamber housed in City of Ashburn.)
Barnesville, (City of) Animal Shelter (In Lamar County; no county facility; chamber housed in City of Barnesville.)
Butts County Animal Control
Cobb County Animal Control (After court order in 2006 to cease using chamber)
Cordele, City of (In Crisp County)
Cuthbert, City of (In Randolph County; no county facility; chamber housed in City of Cuthbert.)
Haralson County Animal Shelter
Hawkinsville, City of (In Pulaski County; no county facility.
Henry County Animal Control
Lakeland, City of (In Lanier County; no county facility.)
Macon, City of (In Bibb County; no county facility; chamber operated in City of Macon, under the jurisdiction of Macon Police Animal Control. Macon City Council voted unanimously June 2008 to cease using chamber by July 1, 2009.)
Mitchell County Animal Control
Spalding County Animal Shelter
Vienna, City of Animal Shelter (in Dooly County; no county facility)
Warner Robins (In Houston County; no county facility)

One small Georgia shelter currently has a gas chamber, but it has been long silenced.  The top of the chamber is now used to pile up supplies and the inside is used for storage. The local magistrates hate that their past includes that chamber, and have promised that the sleeping beast will never be roused.  It would be a poor reflection on their humane administration, they reason.   There are not enough blankets, towels, and bags of dog food in the entire state, however, to hide the elephant in the room.   That may be the way it is now, but at election time, I admit that I wake up in the middle of the night a little apprehensive about a new regime that feels differently.

HB 1060 was heard in the Georgia Assembly only briefly, as perhaps it is not deemed that important.

If you are in Georgia, GVAW encourages you to turn out February 26th.  According to a mailing I received:

The Gathering for Grace will be held next Thursday, February 26th, at the Washington Street entrance of the Georgia State Capitol, from 9:30 A.M. until 2:30 P.M.

Please do it for your “best friends.”

The ads on the ‘net are all the same and today is no different

I am in the area for a week and I am looking for a teacup male shih tzu 1 year old or older 5 lbs and under. please email if you have on one …thank you

There is no such thing as a “Teacup” Poodle, Yorkie, Shih Tzu, Chihuahua etc. Unscrupulous breeders breed runts to runts to produce a tinier and tinier dog. Oftentimes, the mother dog must have a C-section. Firstly, the dog is so tiny to begin with, but if the male dog is tiny but passes the gene for a slightly bigger version down, the puppies heads could be too large for her to deliver. But to these folks, money is worth more than their dog’s life. When the puppies are born, if they survive and thrive, which not all will considering they were bred from the two perhaps unhealthiest puppies in their parents’ litters, they may experience other complications as the grow up. It is not uncommon for these very tiny 1-3 lb dogs to have seizures, an enlarged heart, a soft spot that doesn’t close, or dwarfism. Also, it is a common idea that all tiny dogs “shiver,” and that’s normal. Untrue. I am not speaking from reading articles, but from the personal experience of seeing these dogs come through shelters, and having known people who have these tiny ones and the heartache they go through.

So please, resist the temptation to answer an add offering “Teacup” anything unless it is porcelain and comes with a crumpet or lemon wedge. Or buy a stuffed animal like the one at left. Rescue instead. Please take the time to educate people that there are plenty of tiny dogs in rescue. They may not have one at that very second, but if you let them check your references ahead of time, they will keep you in mind should a dog come up, or they may be able to rescue one more knowing you have a home for one.

Also, if you want to go one further, try to educate the people offering these dogs if you can. Some may treat you nasty and may just be out for the money, but you might find someone after your 50th try who didn’t listen to the spay and neutering message and are assume their dog’s tiny pups must be “teacups” as marketing to find them homes. Maybe that person is ready to listen.

I have received angry letters in my inbox. I have seen angry postings on bulletin boards and ad sites across the internet where you can remain anonymous. The cry is that shelter workers are monsters for destroying beautiful dogs and cats and they should be ashamed of themselves.

- Did you know that in most county pounds, the people that clean up the dog poo, clean the cages, etc, are inmates? They are on a work program. If you go to the shelter, you will see them clearly marked in their usually striped clothing. They could wear normal clothing, but the county wants the public to know who they are to prevent any liability. They have no choice where they work.

- Did you know that in some cases, an inmate was led to the feelings of humility and respect of life from working at a dog shelter.

I remember a chow mix who was a timid fellow and in danger of being euthanized. I did not go to this shelter, but was trying to help email rescues about him. He had too strikes against him at the shelter. He had never been properly socialized by his proper owners. He was scared to death in the shelter. And he had a black/blue tongue and lots of people think they don’t want chows. In the dog’s time there, an inmate had taught the dog to walk on a leash and some basic commands. When the dog’s “time was up”, the inmate caught the attention of a rescue worker and with tears in his eyes pleaded for her to save “his” dog. The emails went out about the dog knowns as “Inmate’s Favorite.”

The dog did have a happy ending.

Not everything, of course, is the fodder for a children’s book. There are some inmates who don’t work out at the shelter and are reprimanded and given extended sentences and more because of their conduct around the animals.

The point is, not everyone is lining up and jumping for joy about working at a county pound that is essentially a sorting facility.

- Secondly, do you know that many people go to work or volunteer at the pound thinking they can “SAVE THEM ALL,” and after awhile, they just feel overwhelmed. They feel like they are pushing water up the hill with a fork. They may be subject to listening to others that were once gung ho and have gotten jaded too with every passing day. And it is hard to pick up the phone with someone on the other end cussing you out and calling you an animal killer. Some of these people are just collecting a paycheck, but some of these folks were there to change the world once but got burdened and lost in the day to day grind when nothing seemed to change. I am not saying that 100% of these individuals are commendable, but understand why your phone call ‘telling them to stop euthanizing dogs’ like they here every day doesn’t have the impact you think it does and doesn’t do anything to help.

So, what can we do to stop the death? It is not always as simple as getting rid of that “one big bad person” at animal control.
That big bad person is US. And that is who we have the most immediate control over.

• If citizens of an area spayed and neutered their dogs and cats, they wouldn’t be wandering away from home so much to be called in as a stray or nuisance.
• If citizens of an area spayed and neutered their dogs, the puppy they give away for free to a family that in turn got “too big” wouldn’t end up dumped at the shelter
• If citizens of an area spayed and neutered their dogs, a puppy wouldn’t take the spot in someone’s home away from an equally as sweet and even purebred (nothing wrong with mutts, but some folks are looking for a specific type) dog or pup sitting at the shelter in desperate need.
• If citizens of an area spayed and neutered their dogs and cats, they wouldn’t have bit the child for walking between them and a female in heat, even if the female was a football field away.
• If citizens of an area always kept a collar and an id on their dog, a neighbor or other Good Samaritan may have approached the dog and called the owners before the dog was taken to the pound
• If citizens of an area microchipped their dogs and cats, they would have a ticket home.
• If citizens of an area let their dogs live in the house with the family, they would be less likely to be bored and dig under the fence.
• If citizens in the area changed their mindset that their dog “would surely find a home because he’s a good dog” at the shelter, they may rethink their decision to dump their dog. They may make extra effort to check with other family and friends who adore the dog, or perhaps get a courtesy listing with a local rescue to find the dog a good home.

If we did this, animal control could do their job of quarantining dogs who bit someone and returning them to their families, or dealing with animals that are truly a public threat/rabid. They would still be picking up the few dogs or cats out there that are lost, but there would be far fewer, and there would be much more time to reunite them with their owners. They are not an “adoption center.” But if we did our job, then the rescues who want to save them would not be faced with not being able to save them all.

It is easy to talk about “that awful shelter in____ (insert name of state), where they don’t get it.” It is easy to say that it is our neighbors, but when it really is all of us.

What can you do?

If you have looked at the list I presented above and you have already spayed all the cats, dogs, and rabbits in your car, your dog lives inside with the family, you have put id on your dog and possibly microchipped:

• When you see your neighbor’s dog without a collar, tell them that you care about your dog and would hate for them to get lost. Offer to buy an id tag for the dog.
• If a neighbor expresses belief in spay or neuter, and they say they just don’t have the time, offer to drive or pick up their dog from the spay/neuter appointment.
• If a person leaves their dog out in the yard all day long and expresses to you that they do so because they work long hours and don’t want accidents - depending on the circumstance, educate them about dogsitters, offer to let the dog out during the day yourself.

I know you may say “I have heard it all before,” and “it is so simple.” So simple that it is just not being done.
Online there are many ways to help:

Be an educated and kind voice to your online friends. Give your money and time to spaymobiles and low cost certificate programs so that those having the desire and not the resources to spay and neuter can. Also, if someone is writing to you telling you they are thinking about getting a pet, make sure they kindly know what kind of time commitment is involved and to carefully consider the individual dogs or cats so they make a good match the first time so they can commit to their dog or cat or rabbit forever.

Cat declawing is a bit of a controversial subject. At one time, the thinking was that a cat who is declawed won’t shred your furniture, thus making it happier or easier to take care of. Nowadays, declawing is viewed as cruel. Indeed, declawing doesn’t just involve “removing the nails,” but part of the bone as well. Across the board, most people in animal rescue do not recommend the procedure for several reasons. One reason is losing the claw as a tool. The the cat cannot defend his/herself, or easily recover from falling into a tight spot by getting a better grip. Also, however, aberrant littering habits were observed in declawed cats who are not able to perform some natural behaviors.

The second question which is a little more of a gray area for some people is: Would you declaw a cat to save the cat’s life? If the cat had gangrene or some type of cancer where physically removing a claw or claws would save a life. Then, in my opinion, absolutely. However, the kind of life saving that is an issue is removing the claws so the cat can find a home. With many cats dying everyday at shelters, or a family wishing to bring a fondling in, is it ethical? Or even not a question of ethics - does it help or harm the cat?

I am not implying that a cat is better off dead than declawed. However, when it comes to thinking about dogs, we recognize that a dog is not one size fits all. A couch potato would be counseled away from adopting a high energy herding dog that needs “a job.” There is little need to fit a square peg into a round hole. But with cats, unless it is a particular unusual cat, the view tends to be that “one size fits all.” People strive to force an unsocial cat to sit in a lap, or otherwise try to change a cat rather than having the mindset that not all cats are a fit for all people or vice versa. They have different personalities and characteristics like dogs do, though they don’t have nearly as much physical diversity.

That brings me to declawing. Not adopting an already declawed cat, but setting out to get a cat declawed. A natural characteristic of a cat is to stretch one’s claws and not being able to do so is frustrating. Could it be that people that are deadset on getting a cat and declawing it, just not the “right fit” for a particular cat? If the tables were turned, what would we think about someone taking a shelter dog and docking its tail and ears? We would not look at it favorably. To take it one further, I have heard many stories of folks adopting neighborhood strays and the only way perhaps that they could justify it is declawing the cat. With dogs, we can easily identify if a rescue dog’s temperment and breed doesn’t fit into the family and we find a good home for them when we help those dogs out. So why do we think a cat is a cat and don’t recognize the same?

There is some informationthat I think you should read if you are thinking about declawing. It may make you see things in a different light.

Maybe I have no room to talk, necessitating my focus for hands on matters on other species because of severe allergies, but I don’t think that because there are so many, many cats that need rescue does it excuse us to change them in that way to save them. It just may take more education to convince people to the contrary, but it is definitely worth the effort.

Last time, I spoke about people who thought there were just no good dogs at the shelters. The second misconception people have is that there are no small dogs to adopt at the shelters. They either claim that no one gets rid of small dogs, or rescue groups can get them before the public does. Not true. And not true.

At most shelters, rescues cannot rescue a dog until a certain amount of days go by. The exception is that if the dog is pregnant, is of advanced age, or has a medical condition or injury that does not make them desirable for adoption. Really, though, if a shelter only holds a dog for three days before euthanizing, I would hope a rescue would be able to get as many as they could take because there are just not enough adopters for every dog, or at least enough adopters who would be willing to try their local dog pound. It is not because the adopters are cruel people. Some people cannot get to the city pound with its very limited hours, or just does not have the experience assessing which dog is right for them and is better adopting a dog in foster care.

Please note: I am not implying that there is anything wrong with large dogs - they are wonderful, but sometimes someone is truly looking for a smaller dog for various reasons and my hope is for them to not write off a shelter and even check back a few times too.

Here are a few little guys that are in desperate need of a home.

This very laid back boy is Dachshund and Bassett.

He is about 15-20 lbs. He is at Heard County Animal Control in Franklin, Georgia., which is about 1 1/2 hours west of Atlanta and is a very adopter and rescue friendly shelter.  They adopt out of the area, but the dog must be neutered before he leaves. You can call the shelter at 706-675-3570

This tiny girl is under 20 lbs and is at Murray County Animal Control in Chatsworth, Georgia. p:706-695-8003 f:706-695-8069, She is very friendly with dogs and people.  This shelter is in Northern Georgia, closer to South Carolina and Tennessee

When some folks think about Beagles, they think about Snoopy or a lovable family dog and who could not love them?

Little do they know what a hard time Beagles have at shelters, especially in rural areas. Sadly many Beagles, and other scent hounds for that matter, never experience the feeling of sleeping at the foot of their master’s or mistress’ bed, or experience sleeping in their crate with lots of fluffy blankets, their ear ready to detect the moment the children come bounding down the stairs in the morning, happy to see their four legged pal. On the contrary, sometimes hounds and currs sit behind a grate in an open truck while their owners dine inside a restaurant. Or while a poodle, or the family’s “inside dog” sits on a lap in the parlor, the Beagles sit outside in a pen as the “outside dogs.” craving to be “velcro dogs” to their owner’s side. There are some people who don’t understand that a dog belongs in the house with their people, but what boggles my mind even more so are the folks who keep their dogs as the “haves” and “have nots” and take proper care of the lap dog, and leave their others out in the rain and explain that the outdoor dogs are their yard dogs.

I am not saying that enjoying tracking activities with your dog is a negative thing, but house dog and working dog are not mutually exclusive!

Another thing sometimes happens to Beagles. Research labs breed them or take them from pounds and do medical research on them. There are laws passed in many states where labs cannot take dogs from shelters or from private individuals unknowingly. But there are some states where if a person surrenders them to a shelter, they can sign their permission to ALLOW a research lab to take them!

One may ask “Why don’t rescues scoop up all the Beagles?”

Well, just like any other dog, one cannot save them all. There is a proliferation of Beagles in some areas that unlike other smaller dogs, they do not incite a flurry of interest from adopters, etc, at a pound because there are so, so many in some areas. Beagles, like other scent hounds become “nose blind” and can easily lose their way back home if they are lost and that accounts for part of the reason Beagles end up in shelters so frequently. Neutering and spaying keeps them closer to home for sure, but they still need supervision and involvement of a loving owner.

A worker I know at a lowkill shelter stated that they don’t take Beagles as transfers from kill shelters because they are “a dime a dozen” there.

Every dog is different. Some are very active, some are mellow. Please consider adopting a shelter Beagle to keep you on your toes.

IN PHOTO ABOVE: Male Beagle at Heard County Animal Control who needs a home. Friendly, but a little skinny. Dog # 4708. Call 706-675-3570

Gonzo at NorthEast Georgia Animal Shelter
Beagle/Bassett - 1/2 years old and VERY URGENT
Great disposition
They adopt out of the area
(706) 356-5363

Gene is an 8 year old girl. She is at the Humane Society at Gennessee County, MI
Her id is 7441. Phone Number : 810-744-0511

This post is dedicated to Laura, the original Beaglesgirl, and her singing Beagles, who has always said “Everybody Needs a Beagle.”