Iams' Home for the Holidays Adoption program is a REALLY bad idea.

It sounds so nice and since 1999, a bazillion animals have gotten adopted thru this cosponsored program. It even made the opening bell of the Stock Exchange this week, making folks feel all warm and fuzzy. I'm betting they haven't documented the number of returns of these pets in the days following the holidays. I worry much more about the animals that aren't returned, but thrown outside, given away or just abandoned.
Ironically here in Houston on the same day as the seven dogs were posed at the Stock Exchange, the TV news had a story from a shelter, showing all the empty cages and saying "Sadly, many of these pets will be returned"
The pet industry needs to work in tandem on this issue. Pets are NOT for holidays
or birthdays. The concept of promoting pets at Christmas to deflect puppy mills
makes no sense to me, as many of the puppy mill buyers want the tiny and small dogs which are in the minority at shelters.
If Iams wants to save a really large number of pets, they should organize a "Get Your
Christmas Pet in July" promotion. The number of puppies and kittens killed in Houston Texas in the summer months is staggering, yet in December shelters run out.
Let's balance this supply/demand cycle folks! It's so much better for the animal to enter a new environment free of holiday stresses, they have enough with which to contend already. Granted, it's not quite as exciting, but the pictures of crates
full of kittens should be an exciting concept when the tide can be turned for many more of those precious faces.

Since this was supposed to be my business blog-cont'd

Now I'm creeping down the edge of the road at about 12 miles an hour and kennel and kitty fly off again.....This time no one stops to help and did I mention it's getting much colder? This time the crate door pops open but I get it closed before the cat realizes it. By a miracle, he is not injured either time...
Then it's time for me to take a wrong turn and get miserably lost. Turning around was a challenge in itself! Then a long way home, right past the last liquor store on a Saturday night
when I could have used a small bourbon toddy!
The only warm place I had for kitty is on my dog room, so he is not amused! I can't even get near him, have a blankie over his crate and he will chill for a while. He has a blankie, food and litter box and I'm leaving him alone!
Incredibly, the kennel had only one small skid mark, no damage at all.
Whoever buys it is going to have to listen to this story!
This adventure took about 3 hours longer than planned...and was all part of being a small business owner.

Since this was supposed to be my business blog....

I'm going to write more about Pet Stuff Resale! I'll give a little history later, but
have to share the adventure I had yesterday.
I went to buy a small outdoor chain link kennel, supposedly less than 20 miles away.
I ended up running late, not quite sure where I was going and the clients didn't know the directions to their place from where I was. It was close to dark by the time I figured it out, no problem, got the kennel loaded, assembled, onto my small truck. I brought rope and bungies as it is bulky but lightweight and no wind problem
and it's chainlink.Ha! The wind picked up mightily as I was leaving, so I stayed at about 25 miles an hour....ugh...
This journey was complicated by the cat who joined me-the client casually mentioned
that she was having to leave several behind as she was moving in a hurry. There were quite a few already loose in the neighborhood;I'm assuming she hoped these would get fed. I immediately said I'd take the three, except only one could be caught and
all she had was a big crate, so he couldn't go inside the truck. In the cold, this
scared flame point cat had to ride, with no blankie,perched on the kennel, which was leaning sideways in the truckbed.
cont'd

Frankie a special guest at the CAP gala

Last Saturday, for the first time since his legs were broken on Sept 20th by a hit and run driver,
Frankie walked unaided, at the Citizens for Animal Protection gala. Escorted by the 2vets who "wired" him back together, he actually pranced down the runway!
He has made such great progress that Dr Chalkley has discontinued his hydrotherapy, which he hated, and we are now on to controlled walks.
Frankie will be available for adoption after the holidays to a family with a buddy dog, so please keep an eye out for the perfect home for him.
On this Thanksgiving Day I am particularly grateful for all the many people who donated money for his surgery, taken such an interest in his progress and to Westbury Animal Hospital which has done so much for me over the years.

Frankie pulls another cast off!

He's really feeling good and probably does it for all the attention he gets at Westbury Animal Hospital as well. Everyone there is so solicitious of him and anxious for him to recover well.
Back we went on Friday and got a dark green bandage with Dr Flores usual creative artwork on it. He's mulling what color to wear for the gala. Aaaacckk, I haven't found a dress yet!
Dr Chalkley told me that Frankie really needs to keep the bandage on and I replied
"Talk to the paw", so he gave Frankie a stern look and Frankie licked him....

Good news from Frankies vet!

Frankie pulled his turquoise cast off Sunday night so off we went Monday morning to get a new one,royal blue this time. (Thanks to my buds who have donated gas money
to the cause.)
For the first time Dr Chalkley has been openly optimistic about Frankie rather than guarded. He took more xrays and said he is healing nicely. I am so pleased.
Frankie is becoming a little rambunctious with the cooler weather and it's so good to see him feeling better, even though I have to be the bad guy and keep him curtailed.

Frankie prepares for the CAP gala!

Frankie will be an honored guest at the Citizens for Animal Protection gala on November 17th. He's mostly preparing by resting up and today went to CAP to have his picture made for the program. He is secure enough in his neutered masculinity to be able to wear turquoise Vet Wrap!

His primary care vet, Dr. Chalkley and his wife and Dr Jonathan Cooper have received special invitations to the gala also. Check out the CAP website, cap4pets.org for all the gala info.

Frankie recuperating well after tibia break

This week he is sporting a bright yellow bandage. Dr Chalkley cut out the word "BOO" in black VetWrap and it looked so cute down his cast, but Frankie demolished it on the way home before I could even get a picture.

An Italian greyhound I am fostering broke her radius and ulna last Tuesday while playing with her son; the cool weather being the culprit, so there are now 3 orthopedic cases under my care!

Frankie doing well after latest surgery today

Dr Chalkley was able to remove the pin that had migrated and decided not to try and pin the new break but let it heal on its own. I will pick him up Saturday afternoon and he will be back on crate rest for another two weeks with bandage changes twice a week again. It's a 100 mile trip each time but Frankie likes to ride and can see out nicely due to a HUGE pillow that was donated for him.

Frankie suffers yet another break

I can barely type this; I take him into Petsmart in a buggy on his huge pillow with a leash on so he doesn't try to jump out, yet he did today and broke the tibia in his already mangled leg. I was standing by him and still couldn't reach him fast enough as he went over the opposite side of the buggy.
Kim from CAP immediately drove in from Sugarland on her day off to Fry Road and rushed him back to Dr Chalkley at Westbury.I just happened to have doggie pain meds in my truck so that helped. Initials xrays aren't great, they will do some more diagnostic work on Friday and see if they can still try to save the leg.
Dr C was nice enough to worry about the extension of my time involved with doing the rehab, but I told him that was not a problem.
Except for horrendous pain at first, Frankie was wagging his tail and licking everyones hands at the clinic, what a great dog he is.
I feel so badly about this.

Frankie's Suitemate Monte

This is the one year old Jack Russell turned in for being too active. She also has an unexplained leg fracture so has to be crated for a month, hence her association to Frankie in the "orthopedic wing".
She is being very good even though wanting to play as badly as Frankie does.
Monte is now spayed and will make a wonderful pet in a home that understands this active breed. She will also need a buddy dog.
For some reason I cannot get her photo to upload, will keep trying.

Frankie is REALLY tired of resting up!

He wants to play and snuggle, poor baby.
He is being very good and is not fighting being in the crate. Today is the first time I have left him for any length of time; I do have other foster dogs that need some attention also.....
Today I am at CAP with a beautiful black cocker spaniel named Lady and Frankie's suitemate, Monte, the Jack Russell.

Yet another setback for Frankie

When Dr Chalkley took xrays to repair the pin migration on Tuesday, the bones hadn't healed enough for him to operate safely, so Frankie has 2 more weeks of crate rest, then we'll try again.
The good news is that he got neutered!

I am so grateful for the generosity of Houstonians who have helped Frankie and are keeping in touch.

Megan looking for a home at age 8 due to an overseas move

What a nice dog; she is calm not because she is older, she just has a gentle personality. I'm not even sure what she is, but weighs maybe 35 lbs and those ears
fold so nicely!
She is spayed, heartworm negative,housebroken and ready to go to a new home. Imagine
uprooting a dog at age 8...
I had her in the cat room with no reaction at all.
I forgot to get her incoming number at Citizens For Animal Protection but her description should be enough to find her.

2 Shih Tzus get adopted today!

Casey and Tarquin both went to wonderful homes today and I couldn't be happier.
Casey's great new dad came to me as a referral from Meyerland Animal Hospital, thanks
to Lisa for connecting us.
Tarquin got lucky via Petsmart Fry Road. I'm often there on Thursdays with foster dogs and decided to take him at the last minute this week. His new family got a
great reference from one of my favorite vets, Dr Kathy Sutton, so thanks for her
help in placing him in such a good home.
Casey is on the right after his grooming, Tarquin is on the left after my hacking
much of the horrible mats out, but before grooming. They both came in in horrible condition.

Frankie gets a suitemate!

A precious tiny Jack Russell female with orthopedic problems somehow got into my truck today. She has an undiagnosed knee problem so will be going to see Dr Chalkley
also, um which he doesn't know about yet....
I won't be asking for any donations for her, I'll do what I can on my own.
Some crate rest is definitely in order initially.
She is only a year old and was turned in for being too active, yet the owners said she was left alone for 12 hours..what did they expect?
sigh...
She also had a horrible name so is now Monte.
I have her in isolation for several days to protect Frankie, then will be crated next to him. I'll have pictures as soon as possible

Oh no, Frankie suffers a setback!

The pin in the really bad leg has slipped so Dr Chalkley has to go back in next Tuesday and do some corrective work. I'm so disappointed, Frankie is feeling really well and wants to move around. This was not a total surprise due to the bone damage,
but creates more problems since it now delays his rehab even more and lessens his
percentage of muscle recovery.
I'm pretty down today about it. He is such a precious boy.

Thanks to foster homes a few older dogs find forever homes thru CAP

Citizens for Animal Protection is able to adopt out a few older and less adoptable dogs and cats thanks to an extensive foster home system. Due to the overwhelmingly numbers, shelters are usually

not able to have these babies take up cage space since they take longer to get adopted.These "older dog" foster homes shoulder the responsibility of finding homes often thru their networking and the shelter website and screen homes for suitability. They frequently take on the financial side also.

These are 3 lucky dogs that the 2 foster homes kept for over a year until the right adopter came along. Gomez, the black chihuahua, went with a wonderful lady who prefers older dogs and has adopted from CAP before.

Baby, the blonde, went to a man who has privately rescued a chihuahua before and already had a chihuahua from the SPCA. Baby has been known to shop on Ebay and sneaks in with her owner to places where dogs are not supposed to go! She is so charming that people look forward to her visits.

2Bits, a precious little 2 pounder when he was found is now 3 lbs and awaiting surgery to fix a knee. I raised funds for him by charging people .25 to pet him.
Of course most people gave quite a bit more! He is now in a wonderful home with several other older dogs including Rocky, another older chihuahua adopted from CAP
a couple of years ago.
These are rare success stories and all 3 of these homes feel blessed to have their older babies. Please consider adopting an older dog or cat.

Another good check up today for Frankie

and yet another new bandage! He is so good during all that has to be done to him, either licking or wagging his tale much of the time.

He is trying to use the back leg every once in a while and is using the front leg very well. I no longer have to hold him up while he's outside, YEA!!! He is not yet allowed to walk much, but he really wants to badly....

Dr Chalkley is hoping the soft cast can be eliminated on Friday.

Thanks to Dr Flores for the artwork on his cast!

Frankie has a great checkup!

On Friday he got his sutures out and the front leg looks very good. He is now supposed to exercise it a little except the back leg is not ready for exercise yet! He had that cast changed and the leg looks pretty good; the muscles are contracting and need physical therapy except he needs the cast on for a while longer so we can't get started yet. Dr Chalkley at Westbury Animal Hospital took more xrays to make sure
of his progress. He also removed the sutures on that leg.
We go back on Tuesday for another evaluation.
The Chronicle ran an expanded article on Frankie on Friday and more donations have started coming in. There is currently about 1800.00 of the 3000.00 needed in Frankies Fund at CAP.

Frankie gets a check up today at the vet

He had his bandage changed and a new medicine added to the two he's already taking.
Dr Chalkley is pleased with his progress. We are watching closely for infection
in the more severely injured leg.
Many thanks to those who have asked about him and so graciously brought donations to
CAP.

17 lb dog survives hit and run; left with 2 broken legs

Last Friday, this precious baby was hit and left. People drove right by him. Thank
God a good samaritan finally stopped and took him to Citizens for Animal Protection.
More goodness ensued as an employee came to work early and so could take him in. He was rushed to a vet for triage; shelters cannnot usually pay the kind of vet bill
his injuries entailed so have to keep the pet as comfortable hoping for an owner to show up. (He had no id, nor was he neutered).

By the time he sat at the shelter all weekend he tugged at everyones' heartstrings,
including mine, so I decided to try to raise funds to fix his broken legs. In fact
I took a big gamble and arranged for the surgery before even getting a chance to
raise any money!

Westbury Animal Hospital has been helping me do rescue since 1991 and Dr Jeff Chalkley did a tremendous job in this orthopedic repair. He started at 2:30 and with the help of Dr Jonathan Cooper and head honcho Dr L D Eckerman finally finished
at 6 pm on Tuesday. It was so extensive they were not able to neuter him so will do it later.
Frankie is still not out of the woods; if infection sets he, he may still lose one leg. We will be going back twice a week for check ups and are looking at a several month rehabilitation period. I'll be posting updates and pictures as often as possible.

Joey the cat got adopted!

Wow! After 7 months Joey was adopted,(see August 17th post) along with a boxer and is now in his permanent home..Thanks to his new owner who wanted an adult cat.

Leona's dog wasn't born a biter!

She encouraged Trouble's inappropriate behavior, which is discouraging to trainers, breeders and rescue people alike. By allowing (and from reports, encouraging) the dog to be aggressive she set up situations for biting.


Many, many people do so accidentally as well. As blasphemous as it sounds, allowing your pet to sleep in bed with you encourages the same type of behavior. I hear from dog owners that their dog has never been aggressive and I understand that, but it does occur often. When one doesn't have 12 million dollars for doggy care and something happens to the owner, the dog is often euthanized. Either the designated caregiver won't put up with the undesirable behavior or if the dog is taken to a shelter, the staff can't get near the dog.

There are simple ways to retrain a dog that a human has allowed to run its environment. The easiest way is to not let it happen in the first place. Check out dog training websites; you may be surprised at how dogs need to know their place in the pack. Dog trainers are worth every penny!

Joey the cat says "Get me outta this cage! I've been here 6 months!

Joey was abandoned at an apartment complex by his owner. Luckily a vet clinic employee lived there also and took him in long enough to get him neutered and ready for adoption.

He has been at Citizens for Animal Protection since February; as an adult male tabby he has lots of competition with similiarly marked cats and he also has this minor problem of playbiting at first! He is unusual in that he is a ticked tabby which one doesn't notice at first, but it's quite striking when he shows it off!

He has had one break at my house where he was a perfect gentlemen with other cats and even small dogs. He was quiet and mannerly and the playbiting disappeared. He is fine with dry food only.

Joey deserves to be in a forever home. At 2 1/2 years old, he will provide wonderful companionship for many years.

Please spread the word about Joey. CAP is at 11925 Katy Freeway here in Houston-281-497-0591.

Texas Twisters Flyball Club

in The Woodlands is a fun group for both you and your dog! Newbies are welcome, members were all new at one time and happy to show you the ropes of flyball! All breeds of dogs and humans are welcomed.
For more information call Mike Smith at 281-658-9359

Chihuahua mom and puppies have happy ending!

One of the toughtest parts of rescue is dealing with indifferent owners. Several months ago a backyard breeder dumped 2 males and a female at Harris County Animal Control. The female was just days away from whelping so the stress of birthing was added to her stress at being in a strange place and abandoned.
A wonderful vet housed momma dog to make sure she was able to birth naturally and if not, do a C-section to save all their lives. The dog repaid this kindness by going into labor on her new sofa!
Due to LOTS of hours of work on a volunteers part, these babies are now thriving and
2 have been adopted.
The momma dog unfortunately has heartworms, some tumors and her head tilts from some as yet undiagnosed reason. We will do what we can for her, she is a very placid chihuahua and deserves a chance.
This is another example of all the hard work required to attempt to reverse damage done by irresponsible owners.

Why give your holiday pet rescue donation NOW?

Between Thanksgiving and New Years shelters and rescue groups have their lowest number of pets for several reasons. The birth rate is lower in the winter, so there are very few puppies and kittens compared to the summer months. Pets are also often given as gifts, which sounds great but is actually not a good idea.(More on that when we get closer to holiday time.)

Now is when your gift to shelters and rescue groups is most needed. Whether
its money or food, both run low in the summer months. Please spread the word on this and also suggest for people who still have to give at the holidays for that wonderful warm fuzzy feeling(and that's understandable!), consider a gift card. Space is so limited it's difficult to store large quantities of food and gift cards can be used as needed. Gift cards don't even need to be to pet stores; grocery store gift cards can be used as items such as bleach and paper towels are always needed and take up lots of space. The grocery store cards can be a double benefit also if your designated charity on the card is already a shelter!

One dog owners' neglect took 16 people to repair.

A horribly matted, 2 year old schnauzer mix came into Citizens for Animal Protection
recently. Unfortunately he also had contagious mange and heartworms and hadn't been neutered. With a minimum of 6 weeks required to fix all those problems and many other dogs needing help, shelters can't save every dog. Pauli got lucky.
Someone found him, an employee checked him in, someone gave him shots, someone walked and fed him and I decided to foster him. A vet and a tech neutered him. I risked getting mange while treating him for his. Two friends of mine and a woman I've never met paid for his heartworm treatment. Two groomers from Petsmart donated his cute grooming. Someone took his picture and someone else put him on 2 adoption websites. All these people worked to save his life and get him ready for a new home. People involved in rescue do things like this every day, basically cleaning up after owners who choose not to care for their pet.
Pauli would like a home with no cats and children over 8 years old.He is crate trained and used to dry food only.
The adoption fee is 89.00. My fosters live with me until adoption, so he won't be at the shelter; I make appointments to meet potential adopters there to see Pauli.

You Lucky Dog is a perfect name for this SW Houston Business!

You Lucky Dog is a brand new(opened June 1st) boarding/doggie day care/training facility near 610 on N Braeswood that I toured yesterday. From the gracious, certified staff to the gleaming
facilities, it's a place you'd want to go if you were a dog. It's large enough to be spacious, yet small enough to ensure plenty of human attention.

The only thing I would like to see different is more of a wall barrier between the dogs that are in the boarding area.

Of course there's a flat screen tv in the doggie day care area!

Your dog will go "bow wow" for the homey, welcoming atmosphere.

Note: I have no connection to this business, had never met them before and they don't even know I'm giving them a very good review.

paws-for-a-moment.com

Pet Microchipping doesn't work

if you don't actually register the pet in your name. It is not uncommon for dogs and cats to come into shelters and the employees are excited when they scan it and find a chip,
then get so disappointed when the chip has not been registered or the number is no longer valid.
Puppies from puppy mills are not often updated to reflect the purchaser either.

It is now a Texas state law that all animals adopted from shelters are microchipped prior to
being released to an adopter. This is a welcomed tool to reunite pets with their owners and
reduce the terribly high euthanasia rate. Do your part, make sure the information is current.

Tomball Pet Fair May 12th

Please bring your dog and join me at the Capital One Bank 14319 FM 2920 in Tomball tomorrow for a day of furry fun!
There will be pet businesses, rescue groups, free food and drinks from 10-2.
Pet Stuff Resale will have a covered booth and I'm bringing Nicolas, a precious 1 year old Italian Greyhound, who is up for adoption with his mom, 5 year old Noelle. (She's staying home to get a break from her active baby!)

Jobs at Rover Oaks Pet Resort-Katy area

Your youngster looking for a summer job? Rover Oaks in Katy is looking for kennel help and dog play time attendants. Check out their website at roveroaks.com then email Jobs@roveroaks.com.

Basset Buddies fundraiser this Saturday

Please join me at Tony's Bar, 12779 Jones Road,(281-303-5496) from 2-? this Saturday May 5th, to support Basset rescue and see some dogs available for adoption. Ok, you can also see Luke, my basset mix foster dog who is precious and looking for a permanent home. When I figure out how to post photos here, he'll show up. For now you'll have to look at petstuffresale.com-Luke is Modeling a raised dog bed.
At Tony's there will be fun and games and refreshments also..

Welcome to Petstuffresale blog

OK, so I'm a dinosaur finally waking up to having a blog! Given that my business is pet related and my volunteer work is pet related, this is what I know best. In 21 years of doing rescue, many, many people have helped me and it makes sense to pass on their information as I learn it myself. My animal passions are sighthounds, geriatric chihuahuas, heartworm positive dogs and parrots.
I also feel for feral cats and biter dogs, none of them were born that way..humans were involved somewhere.
In my business, Pet Stuff Resale, I try to give judicious help to pet owners and prospective pet owners. If someone who works 12 hours a day wants a puppy and I can steer them elsewhere,I don't mind losing a crate sale.
I hope to hear from some of my adopters and customers on this blog.
Janet Huey
petstuffresale.com