Easy way to help cats and kittens at BARC in Houston

BARC(animal control) is in dire need of disposable litter boxes and newspapers; they are using paper plates
temporarily for litter pans. The cardboard bottoms of canned pet food are perfect for litter boxes, small and
disposable, so keep an eye out at pet stores. If you can snag any from grocery stores before they are crushed, that would be great. Of course, not just pet food ones there, any cardboard base/tray will work:)
(Don't get me started on why permanent litter boxes are not used.)

BARC is also in need of newspapers so please save those as well.

I will be happy to be  a drop off point; since I sell in front of the Greater Good every weekend 12-4, you
can bring there or email me for alternative connecting.

I like projects like this where we can make a difference and not open our checkbooks!

Kitten in a ferret cage, chihuahua in an aquarium?

Stephen Lee(named after the vet who saved his life) came to me as a rescue kitten weighing a whopping 8 oz. Housing for him proved difficult as he
was so tiny he could slip thru a wire cage and to be living in full time
a plastic one was too confining. A friend had just given me a rectangular
bird cage that was perfect, tiny bar spacing and a big enough opening
for a small litter box. (I used a metal Twinings Tea tin!). I used a waffle cloth towel so he wouldn't get his claws caught in the loops of a regular towel. He now weighs 16 oz and too big for that cage so today I moved him to a tall ferret cage and wrapped the ladder with a washcloth so he wouldn't get caught on the rails. He LOVES the increased climbing possibilities and is a tiny bit more coordinated to handle the height. I should have taken pictures.

Last Christmas I was selling during an Open House and it was quite chilly,
so I put my foster chihuahua in the aquarium shown. It was perfect, as it kept the wind off of him and people could still see him. Of course the sweater he had on was for sale:)He was a great "hook" to my booth.

This is yet another fun part of my job; finding alternative pet housing for clients needs. Pet Stuff Resale can help you with any unusual request
or a situation where traditional housing is not working for your pet.

Wire top crate at Pet Stuff Resale almost HALF of new price!

This is an unretouched picture of a crate just posted on petstuffresale.com. Retail shows it is 41.00. At Pet Stuff Resale, it is only 23.00, disinfected. It is 12x14x23 and especially great for cats who are scared; they can be lifted right out the top safely. It is also good for small dogs, ferrets and some birds.
Not all price differences are so dramatic, but some are more. Pet Stuff Resale also provides education to new pet owners as well as comparisons between crate types, for example.
Save money and recycle at Pet Stuff Resale!

Romeo poses with the afghan that will help pay for his jaw surgery

As I posted last week, Romeo was turned into a shelter BY HIS OWNERS in this horrible condition; mange so bad he had no fur, secondary infection from scratching, heartworms and a permanent
limp. Of course he wasn't altered because they were breeding him. The biggest obstacle he
faced was the broken jaw. He can eat alright but the jaw will deteriorate without surgery soon; he has been in foster care for over a year being rehabbed.
Pet Stuff Resale is sponsoring the 1.00 raffle for the Queen sized afghan displayed at the Citizens for Animal Protection Thrift store annex. The address is 11925 Katy Freeway, Houston, 77079. Please stop in and visit. Romeo
won't be there; he was a little barky last Saturday even though he is perfect at home.

Pet Stuff Resale does personal shopping for clients.

This is Linda, whom I met when she and her husband Allen adopted a senior chihuahua, Ricky, from me.

We immediately became buds and she has become one of my best customers as well as a repeat

adopter of another senior chi, Ricky!

I have mentioned Linda in a previous post as me being her personal shopper. Her dog Micah has his own toddler bed from Pet Stuff Resale. Having been to their home I know their tastes and all of their dogs (and turtles and chickens). That makes it great fun when I am roaming thru my inventory haunts and something jumps out at me that would be perfect for their brood.

About once a quarter we meet and she goes thru my truck bed and picks out what she likes,

which is about 95% of what I bring. She insists on buying lunch EVERY time and we each think we have the better end of this great relationship.

I could be your personal shopper too and you don't have to buy my lunch!

1$ raffle benefits Romeo the poodles' cracked jaw

This precious 3 year old came into a shelter over a year ago. He would have been immediately euthanized at most shelters due to his medical needs. He had absolutely
no hair due to sarcptic mange and deep skin infection from scratching, was horribly emaciated, limping from a permanent leg injury, a cracked jaw and of course heavily loaded with heartworms. Not surprisingly, he also had a serious distrust of humans.

Due to dedicated, unwavering care by Rebecca the Poodle Queen, Romeo now has hair!
He has been treated for heartworms.
He is learning how to play like a dog should and to relate to humans.
He has picked up weight and does not appear to have problems eating.
Our wonderful vet at Westbury, Dr Chalkley, examined his jaw and said wiring it is possible and he shouldn't have any major problems after that it done. The jaw will deteriorate if it is not fixed fairly soon.

Here's where you can help inexpensively. Pet Stuff Resale is raffling off a gorgeous Queen afghan in shades of green, mauve and cream for 1.00 a ticket. It will be displayed in the Annex part of the Citizens for Animal Protection Thrift store, which is just to the left of the Greater Good. There will be a big bowl(which will move around, so I can't say it is in a certain place!) Just put your name and a phone number on any white 3x5card(to keep all cards equal). Ask anyone you can to enter. The winner will be announced on Sunday Dec 13th at the CAP Holiday Open House.
It also looks much better "in person".
Unlike other raffles, you will not be solicited to buy a timeshare or scuba lessons
for entering!

I will have pictures of Romeo in a future post.

A second beneficiary of the raffle will be some of the many dogs coming in with heartworms.

Some of you may remember when I let people pet a crippled chihuahua for .25 to raise funds for his orthopedic surgery. Two Bits now Ricky, raised close to 1500.00!


Thank you for helping to spread the word.

Shopping at both rooms of the Thrift Store benefits the animals at the shelter and is particularly fun the last quarter of the year because so many donations come in for end of the year tax write offs!

These dogs are alive because of Houston veterinarians and foster families.

These 5 precious furkids are all very lucky for several reasons. They all came into a shelter with heartworms,which prevents their adoption(dogs should never be adopted out with heartworms). The number of heartworm positive dogs in Houston is horrendous and many cannot be saved. In these cases foster families were found to house them for the 8-10 weeks and vets were kind enough to donate or discount their expensive treatment.

As a veteran rescue person, it bothers me that so many pet owners do not have their dogs on heartworm prevention when they can find money for other things. The treatment is not only expensive, it is time consuming for the shelter or rescue group and very painful for the dog.

I wish owners had to witness the shots.

Adoption chihuahuas model camo jacket at Pet Stuff Resale

Cricket on the right and Meerkat below are modeling
this darling Size 1 camo jacket. They are actually hoping to get some media attention so they can get adopted as they are currently my fosters.

I purposely posed a male and a female in it because
it has a pink lining,which I have never seen paired
with camo, so it can be considered unisex! It is 4.00 at Pet Stuff Resale.

Cricket has been featured on this blog before; he was found wandering with a broken leg and had to
have a metal plate inserted, so he will have to be hand scanned at the airport for life. He is 3 years
old and needs an all adult home. He would like to have a play buddy.

Meerkat and her heartworms were turned into an animal shelter last year. She is 7 years old and has been successfully treated for them. She would be fine with other dogs or as
a solo dog in an all adult home.

Where does Pet Stuff Resale get inventory?

This is one of the most frequent questions I get, so decided to show one of my sources.
This is a flea market outside of College Station that is full to the road on Sundays; I was there on a Saturday(ok, I was up there visiting a vet also!) when the place is almost deserted.
(I sometimes drive up on Sunday before driving back to sell in front of the Greater Good near I 10 and Dairy Ashford.

Finding things for clients really makes my job fun and I actually found an aquarium set up at one of the maybe 5 tables that were there. That struck me as so funny that I had to take a picture to post here.

The answer to the inventory question is I buy anywhere I can, often from previous
customers, vets, groomers, Craigslist, inquiries from my truck signs, thrift stores, even deserted flea markets
and some places I accidentally run into.

Yorkie gets Tailgate pet exam at Kinglsand Blvd Vet Clinic

Scotty was allegedly left at someones house by his owner who never came back. Several months later he was dropped off at an animal shelter in dire need of a dental and actually a bath also, as well as flea meds...

He began hacking a little and needed to see a vet to determine if what he had was normal "Yorkie Snort" or collapsing trachea or was really sick. I try not to spread upper respiratory into a vet clinic, so usually vets are kind enough to come outside for a tailgate exam! Dr Shows had just come out of surgery so was glad for the break and it was beautiful outside anyway.

He pronounced him healthy enough to go for his dental surgery.

Scotty is 8 years old and neutered, as well as heartworm negative. He weighs a whopping 4.6 lbs. He will be looking for an all adult home when his hair grows back in.

Vets pick up the slack for owner neglect.

This is Dawson. He came into a shelter not only being 9 years old, but with horrendous teeth, emaciated, testicular cancer and of course, heartworms. In the best of economies he would not be considered for fostering and medical care due to his age and extent of medical problems. He is only alive because I thought it would be good practice for a new vet at Westbury Animal Hospital and they agreed. He is named after her. Dr. Dawson ended up not being available and so my regular vet saint Dr. Jeff Chalkley got him fixed right up anyway. Now Dawson is undergoing the very painful heartworm treatment and not doing very well. Dr. Chalkley will be inducted as the new President of the Harris County Veterinary Medical Association next month. I am so blessed to have him helping in rescue! There are not adequate words for the former owner.