Posts Tagged ‘Pit bull’

Wednesday Morning

Saturday, July 23rd, 2011

Its 6:37am and I am on my way to our Freeport location, on time (for once!) to pick up a dog to be spayed. I have to bring her back to Queens where she was found so she can be spayed at the clinic. There is no traffic! It seems like its a good morning.

My phone rings and one of my employees, Tara’s, name pops up. I think she is calling to make sure I am coming for Yolanda, the dog, so she doesn’t feed her… or maybe, at worst, there is another litter of kittens in a box by the door…(someone dropped off kittens in the middle of the night last week)

“Are you coming here?” She asks. “yeah…” I said suspicion rising in my voice.

“Ok good because there is a dog that was tied to the fence but he ate threw the leash and now he is hiding in the bushes… actually there are two leashes so there is probably another dog somewhere…”

She pauses and before I can say anything she says a little more stressed, “Actually he is running down the street…”

“Ok if he is scared, see if you can corner him somewhere or get him in the yard. If he is running towards Mill, don’t chase him because I dont want him to run into traffic. Ill be there in ten minutes”

As I speed down the southern state my mind is racing. I forgot to tell her to watch her body language, I forgot to tell her to avoid eye contact, I forgot to tell her so many things… I know Tara is capable and has probably caught many dogs running in front of the shelter, but I also know one little mistake and the dog can be gone. All of the dogs we have rescued come flashing back in my mind… most memorable Sadie, Sonny, Baisley, Frances….and all the drama that happened with their rescues…

As I turn onto Rider Place, I see Tara at the end of the street. There is an alley way between the industrial buildings with lots of trees, bushes, dumpsters, trash… a good hide out for a dog… I try to be quiet as I approach as I don’t want to scare the dog but accidentally run over the food bowls she left out… oops… there goes that plan…

She is kneeling towards the end of the alley way and is facing sideways… non-threatening… I creep quietly along the wall. She is doing everything right. I don’t see the dog though. She is facing tons of trees and bushes with a fence behind it. Its possible she has him semi cornered. I see the branches move and hear the leaves rustling.

“They are both back there,” she tells me.

“Anyway out?”

“there’s an opening in the fence.. one ran out the other side but now came back in.”

I told her I would go around the building and come from the other side of the fence in case they tried to run out that way. The opening is only a gate that was left open. How lucky did we get? I tied it shut so there is no way for them to get out if we can just corner them in that area.

Brian, another worker, shows up, thank god.  We slowly start enclosing… I have to break branches and crawl on my hands and knees to get through the thick growth. I focus on one dog and Tara and Brian go for the one closer to the fence.

When I see her, my heart breaks. She has almost no fur and her paws are swollen. She is lying down curled up in a ball, scared out of her mind. She is backed up against a wall and a tree. She starts to try and back up more… I immediately but slowly drop to the ground on my stomach to show her I am no threat. She relaxes a bit but still looks unsure.. I am about to roll over on my back like a dog, but as I slowly reach my hand out she sniffs it calmly and licks it. She is still wearing part of the leash she chewed off. Avoiding direct eye contact, I take that leash off and put the leash Tara gave me on her. I think the hard part is over…but I was wrong.

Most dogs once they are leashed, may fight a bit but then get up and walk with you. Most. Not all. Some just get up and walk right away. But this dog just refused to budge. I know it sounds mean to pull them but sometimes you have to. But the collar she was wearing was weak and could slip over her head or snap. I ask Tara to hold the leash and I run to the car to get a slip leash and put it over her head. We manage to pull her out from behind the tree. Tara holds the dogs head straight (so she won’t turn and bite with me) with the slip leash and I pick her up. She is not aggressive at all, just terrified. I carry her to my car. She smells horrible. She is so scared she curls up in a ball in my back seat…

Then I go back to help Brian and Tara with the male. They got the leash around his neck but he is biting the leash and not letting go. We put a second leash around his neck and between the two of us we are able to walk him out to where the cars are. He every so often flips out and tries to back out of the leashes. He isn’t aggressive, but not as docile as the female. I am uncertain about lifting him into my car with the female in there so I drive her back to the shelter and Tara and Brian walk the male one block to the shelter with two leashes….

I have to carry the female from my car to the yard. Then I go back to help Brian and Tara but they have it under control… Taking a closer look at the male we see his eyes are blood red and his mouth is bleeding, probably from biting the fence all night trying to escape. He has more fur (slightly) than the female but he is way more swollen… I am already thinking about how I am going to get these to the vet, how much pain these two must be in and how terrified they are…

When we put the male in the yard, he won’t move. Just stays there like a statue… with his head down… and then slowly, slowly, slowly… he lowers himself to the ground and lies down… not moving… too scared to move a muscle…

“let them be for awhile, let them relax,” I tell Tara and Brian. They are scared out of their minds and need time. the best thing to do sometimes is just to let them acclimate.

I am late for getting Yolanda to her spay appointment and she HAS to go today because she is getting adopted. After I take Yolanda, I have to take Molly, another chi to a different vet to have a mass removed from her head. Molly is also getting adopted today. Our vet doesn’t come till Friday but I am sure these two will have to go into the clinic for dips and tests… I will need help getting them there… they can’t even walk on a leash… Before I get overwhelmed I tell myself to focus on getting Yolanda and Molly where they need to be and I will deal with the pitties when I get back. They are safe at the shelter now. One thing at a time, one thing at a time.

I take Yolanda out of her cage and walk her and put her in my car. She wants to sit on my lap which is fine with me so I can keep an eye on her to make sure she doesn’t chew my car. As I pull out of the parking lot, I take a deep breath. We got the dogs. they are safe. I’m going to make my appointments… everything is okay. Then the phone rings… Its Melissa… someone left six cats (one adult and five kittens) in a carrier in front of another one of our locations.

And this is how the day goes.

The two pitties after their rescue

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Posted in Rescue Stories, Shelter Stories | No Comments »

“What have I done?”

Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010

 

When it comes to homeless dogs and cats in NYC, the supply often outweighs the demand especially with cats and certain types of dogs such as pit bull types.  We are often overwhelmed with all the emails and phonecalls we get asking for help with strays or with pets that families no longer want. This is why we are in desperate need of foster homes.

 

I have already adopted two pit bulls that while they are loves of my life, they both had zero training when I adopted them. They were both fosters that I ended up keeping. They have great temperaments but needed to learn manners, housebreaking and were both very high energy. My female pit bull, Lucky Charm, still is picky about what other dogs she will socialize with so I have to be very careful with her. My male pit bull, Horatio gets along with all other dogs which is probably how I ended up adopting him. He was a foster that completely won Lucky over so he ended up staying =)

 

After I adopted Horatio, I stopped fostering for awhile. Learning to walk Lucky and Horatio together, getting them used to riding in the car together and greeting visters were all things that took time and patience. I have had Horatio for almost two years not. Not long ago I started fostering again. In DecmeberI took in an Old English Sheepdog, Billy.  Horatio, was of course very friendly and welcoming but Billy was too nervous to pay him much attention. Lucky, of course, did not like Billy at all when she met him. I expected this. It usually takes her some time to get used to new dogs. So I kept Billy seperated while I had him. It was work walking Lucky and Horatio for an hour and then walking Billy for an hour. I rotated them in the living room so they would all have time with me. When Billy wasn’t with us, he was in a crate in my office or just free in the office. He liked the crate and actually went right to it when he saw it. He was a great dog, completely housebroken and walked well on a leash. Social with everyone.  After three days he was adopted.  There are two moments when you foster a dog where you say to yourself, “Oh God, what have I done?” It happens when you first bring the dog home and for a moment you realize how easy things were BEFORE you brought the guest home and then when you adopt him out and your heart breaks because you love him so much and you wonder if you should have kept him? Billy was no exception but after seeing the wonderful hous he was adopted to and how happy he was there, I knew it was the right thing.

 

Since then I hadn’t had another foster till last week when a man emailed us saying he had a three month old pit bull puppy he didn’t want anymore. We were full at our Vetport and Atlas shelters (and puppies really need to be in a home environment if possible) so I, of course, emailed back “I will foster him!”

Then I thought, What have I done? But then I thought, I can do this! I went to the Vetport that night to meet the man and pick up the puppy. He actually left before I got there  but there was the pup. A three month old brindle male that I named Rockaway.

 

I scooped him up in my arms and took him to my car. I had already set up a crate in my bedroom. I wanted the puppy to sleep in the same room so I can listen for him and makes sure he was okay. Also I wanted Lucky to be able to smell him and get used to him.

 

On the way home, Rockaway fell asleep on my lap when I was driving and I was instantly in love.  I let him go to the bathroom outside once we were home and then carried him into my house. Lucky didn’t seem to notice I was holding a puppy and Horatio was just super excited, as always. (Please note the proper way to introduce a new dog is to walk them all together on neutral territory- not to just barge into the house with a new dog like I did =) I walked right into the bedroom and put Rockaway in his crate. He sniffed his surroundings, a new plush bed, some new chew toys. Lucky marched right up to the crate and sniffed him through the bars. Her tail was down and wagging lowly and she seemed calm. Good sign. 

 

It was 10pm and I was tired. I let Lucky and Horatio out and then we all went to bed. Rockaway cried and whined at first as I tried to go to sleep. I surprisingly didn’t have a “What did I do moment?”  For some reason I felt confident and knew he would be okay. I just had to stay calm and wait it out. In a matter of minutes he stopped and fell asleep. He slept all through the night.

 

The next morning I let Lucky and Horatio out first and then brought Lucky inside and brought Rockaway out to the yard with Horato. Horatio was super excited and ran up to a terrifed Rockaway. (Again, the nice thing to do would be to walk them together) But Horatio has a way of getting dogs to feel comfortable and come out of their shell. It wasn’t long before Rockaway was following Horatio around like a shadow.

 

I introduced Lucky slowly to Rockaway. She was very interested in him at first, but not aggressive. I had to watch her at all times. The first time I let Rockaway and her interact I was not nervous. Usually I am, I admit. Lucky sniffed him, followed him around. She tried to hump him several times but listened to me when I told her “no.” Within a matter of days she was playing with Rockaway the same as Horatio was! Now I can let them play in the living room while I am on the computer. I keep an ear out but I don’t have to contstantly be watching every move.

 

Its funny the first time I let all three of them play together in the other room, Horatio and Lucky suddenly appreared at my side and sat there staring at me. It took me a minute to realize something was up.  Where was the puppy? I went to the living room and saw Rockaway on his dog bed with my shoe! Ha! It was like Lucky and Horatio knew he was doing something wrong and wanted to let me know he was and also that they had no part of it!

 

As the days passed Horatio and Rockaway played and played like I knew they would. I thought Lucky would run around for awhile but then come back and lie down with a toy like she usually does. But today Lucky and Rockaway had a very long play sesssion where they play nipped at the neck and rolled over for each other. Then Lucky picked up a toy and teased Rockaway with it till Rockaway chased her around the living room in circles. When they were tired, they came into the office and lay down on the loveseat together. I knew Lucky would get along with the puppy eventually but I never thought she would like him this much. I was thrilled!

 

Even though all three dogs are getting along better than expected fostering Rockaway is still work. He isn’t housebroken yet. He still likes to carry my shoes to his bed if I leave them where he can find him. I haven’t yet mastered walking all three of them together. Horatio can still be a little pully and Lucky a little fiesty when she sees other dogs on the street. Rockaway walks beautifully and I don’t want him to pick up bad habits!  He is overall, a very good puppy. I accidentally got locked out of my apartment the first morning I had him and we walked to the coffee shop around the corner (that welcomes dogs) and we sat there for two hours on a bar stool (him asleep on my lap) while I waited for my boyfriend to come bring me the extra keys.  He was a dream to have at the vet when I took him to get his first puppy shots and exam. He did get car sick twice but I didn’t mind too much. My car went to the dogs a long time ago! When I took Rockaway to an event this weekend, he was a star- great with everyone.

 

When I took him to his first training class at Pawsative last week, one of the trainers, John, came over to meet Rockaway.  Rockaway immediately sat and looked up at him with big adoring eyes.

“This is a nice dog,” John said.  I nodded.  Then he asked the million dollar question. “Are you keeping him?”

 

“No,” I said quickly as if I was so sure about it, as if I wasn’t thinking about it constantly. “I already have two and my apartment really isn’t big enough…”

I trailed off.

 

“He’s a good dog,” he said and that was just it. Not that Lucky and Horatio aren’t good dogs. They are perfect now but they were considered more dificult adoptions at the time. Rockaway is a great puppy. He is social, smart and adorable. He is very adoptable. Why keep this dog when I already have two and this dog could have a wonderful home of his own… I work a lot, Lucky and Horatio take up a lot of my time… and yet Rockaway fits in so beautifully with them.  Its a delimma a lot of fosters face… Its one I thought about with each and every foster I had…

 

Right now its ten o’clock at night and Rockaway is sleeping peacefully on the loveseat curled up into a little brindle ball.  We haven’t gotten any inquiries yet for Rockaway. I guess I will have to cross that bridge when we come to it.

Rockaway asleep after a long day of playing

Rockaway asleep after a long day of playing

Rockaway and Lucky on the love seat

Rockaway and Lucky on the love seat

Horatio, Lucky and Rockaway. What good dogs!

Horatio, Lucky and Rockaway. What good dogs!

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Posted in How To Help, Rescue Stories | 6 Comments »

The Hourglass

Tuesday, February 9th, 2010

We get tons of inquiries a day. People found dogs and don’t want to bring them to the kill shelter, people can’t keep their dogs and don’t want to bring them to the kill shelter, people don’t want to keep their dogs and threaten us to take them to the kill shelter if we don’t take them.

But the reality is, we just don’ t have the space to take them all in at once. Right now we have a waiting list that is growing daily. I am grateful for the people who are holding the animals they found till we have space. Sometimes we are lucky to adopt them out right from the founders home and the dog never has to see the inside of a shelter. But these cases are far and few between.

Just recently a wonderful family found a sad pit mix wandering around their neighborhood. Though he looked healthy and taken care of, he wore no collar and no tags. He had no microchip. Not wanting to leave him out shivering in the cold they took him in. Unfortunately the dog and their dog didn’t get along when they introduced them so they seperated them.  The wife, Maria, emailed me a photo and description of the dog that she had started to call Rudy and asked if we could take him in. She described Rudy as being shy but very affectionate, housebroken and extremely well behaved. I explained the situation to her and told her I would put Rudy on a waiting list and in the meantime advertise him to see if we could find a foster.

A week went by and no one responded to my ads. Maria emailed me and said she was scheduled to go away on Sunday and couldn’t hold Rudy longer than that. It was now Monday. I immediately reposted Rudy’s ad making them as urgent as possible.

Amazingly that night we found a foster for Rudy. Andres responded to the ad and emailed an application. He was eager to meet Rudy and help him out. After checking his references, Maria set up a time for Andres to come to her house to meet Rudy. She called me that day sounding a little worried, asking me a lot of questions about the fostering process. I assured her that if she wasn’t comfortable with Andres that we wouldn’t give him the dog.  What we would do if we had no other foster was uncertain but it was clear Maria cared very much for Rudy and didn’t want anything to happen to him.

I waited by the phone that night to see how the meeting went. When she called, I held my breath but Maria was so happy and couldn’t believe how well everything went! She said Andres was a very nice man and he handled Rudy very well. Rudy was shy but Andres let Rudy come to him and they seemed to have a conncetion. By the end of the meeting, it was clear the two were already forming a bond. When I spoke to Andres he expressed simillar sentiments. He was very happy and couldn’t wait to take Rudy into foster.

We scheduled a vet appointment the very next day to have Rudy vaccinated and neutered. Maria generously offered to make a donation to cover the costs. We agreed that I would take Rudy to his foster home in NJ on Sunday. We perform a home visit for everyone who adopts or fosters. I would always bring a crate, bed, toys and leash for Rudy.  Maria and Andres set up a meeting on Satruday as well so Andres could spend some more time with Rudy to get to know him before he took him home.

Everything seemed to be perfect and I was so happy that we had a safe place for Rudy to go. I actually couldn’t have dreamed up a better outcome.

Maria and I spoke on the phone not too long ago clearing up last minute details. “I feel happy for the first time since I found Rudy,” she said,”because I know he is going to be okay now. I was so worried about what would happen to him.”  Maria asked if she could come on the home visit and I agreed that would be fine. She seemd to want to spend as much time with Rudy before he went and cared very much about his well being.  “This whole process has really opened up my eyes to how much is involved in rescue work,” she said. “You guys do such wonderful work and put so much into each and every animal.” Her comments really brightened my day and warmed my heart. Rescue work is not easy and is often heartbreaking as we are unable to help all the animals in need.  Many end up being euthanized in our city shelters everyday but when we are able to help just one animal like Rudy, it makes it all worth it and gives us strength to continue.

Within about ten minutes of hanging up the phone I checked my email and saw Maria had just emailed me.

“Andres called and received a job offer in Florida. He cannot foster Rudy. We are back to square one.”

I was so surprised. After everything seemed to fall into place, I didnt expect this at all. I really felt crushed. Heartbroken. I just stared at the screen. This has got to be a joke, I thought.  I couldn’t believe it. Just when you think everything is going to work out… that you managed to save one dog that otherwise didn’t have much of a chance… it all can fall apart in an instant.

But we have come this far and I refuse to give up. I immediately reposted Rudy’s material in as many places as possible. Sent out an email to all my contacts, pleading for a temporary home for Rudy.

Its Thursday night.  I have two and half more days at best. I know there has to be someone out there for Rudy.  Rescue work has enormous highs (when you are able to help an animal) and devastating lows (when you can’t help one that you are trying so desperately to help) and the rest of the time you are walking a thin line between them.

When its like this, the only thing I can do is keeping going, keep trying. There are no formulas, no magic words to say, no special skill. Its a game of persistance and luck but a game with a timer that always clicks loudly in your ear. Its as if the hour glass has been turned over again. The clock is ticking. 

Will a home for Rudy be found in time? Time will only tell. 

rudy

Rudy at Maria's house

UPDATE!!!!

There is a happy ending for Rudy!!  Maria sent out an email plea that was sent out to her coworkers and forwarded from there. It reached a nice family who live in Long Island that came out to see Rudy that night and fell in love! Rudy seemed to bond especially with their ten year old grandaughter. They took Rudy home that night where he met their other dog and they became friends. They all slept in bed together =) They report Rudy is doing great!

Big thanks to Maria and her family for saving Rudy and fostering him and refusing to give up hope.  You guys inspire me! Its happy endings like these that give us strength to keep going. 

Below is Rudy and the grandaughter, Daisy.  The flash did a number on Rudy’s eyes but we know he is happy and safe  in his new home!

rudy-adopted

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Posted in Rescue Stories | 5 Comments »

Greetings from Brooklyn!

Tuesday, January 26th, 2010
 
Hello everyone!  I would like to share a holiday greeting from one of our alumni – a dog named Brooklyn.  She was saved from the city shelter and is living the good life with her loving new family.  It’s the stories that adopters share which give us the strength to continue.  The hope that one day we can do this for all the homeless dogs and cats and there will be none left without a warm loving home… Thank you Anna for writing this wonderful history of your life with Brooklyn! 
Love, “Aunty Sandy”
(as Brooklyn now likes to call me!)
 

MERRY CHRISTMAS BOBBI AND SANDY!

Love Brooklyn (and my parents Anna and Jay)

 

I started off my new life when Bobbi saved me from the bad place. I was taken to a new half-way home where people looked after me and promised they would find me a furever home… I hoped it would be soon

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One night two people came to see me, they had met a couple of my other friends first and were saving me for last. I was just excited that I got another chance to get outside and run around! Little did I know that my little toilet break would be the night I met my new mom and dad!!

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On Easter Saturday it was my birthday.. mom and dad came to collect me and take me to my new home in Queens! My very own home! Boy was this going to be fun! 

 

I arrived at  my new apartment and I couldn’t believe my eyes, I had a brand new bed that was all mine! There were also toys and LOTS of new smells and food and water in my own place in the kitchen!

3My new bed!!

 Unfortunately it wasn’t going to be all fun and games, you see I had gotten sick over the past few weeks. What we initially thought was just kennel cough developed into pneumonia and I was a very sick girl indeed. I didn’t eat, I threw up a lot, I couldn’t breathe and I barely stood up.. it was very scary. At least I was warm and safe.

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 Mommy and Daddy made me a bed on the floor and mommy slept with me most nights to wipe my nose and make sure I could breathe okay.

 

 I needn’t have worried, my guardian angel, Bobbi, stepped in once again and made sure that my new mom and dad were able to get me better at a couple of different vets offices and with lots of different antibiotics. I lost a lot of weight (yep, I actually dropped into the mid 30 pound range – I’m a pitbull for goodness sake I’m not meant to be that skinny!) but slowly I started to feel better, I really didn’t like those pills everyday, yuck!

 

 My aunty Sandy was really nice through all of it, I heard mom on the phone every night talking to her about me and how I was going. I knew I was in safe hands.

 

 My life has been a blur of funness ever since I beat my sickness.

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Mom bought me a raincoat (though I still shake myself when my feet get wet even though I am actually dry, mom thinks this is very funny!)

 

 I love to go camping, mommy and daddy take me to the Poconos in the summertime.

 

It’s great, I chase chipmunks and smell lots of stuff and I don’t have to wear that silly leash all the time!

 

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My grandparents came to visit from Australia, my grandma knitted me my very own winter sweater! 

 

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I have new boots now for next year at the Poconos, it turns out that I ignore that I am hurting my feet running around all the time until they are very very sore. So mom bought me some outdoor shoes! I’m not super used to them yet, but it sure beats gravel between the toes! J

 

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Since I came to my furever home I have been so happy!

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I am so grateful to Bobbi and her team. If it weren’t for them I never would have found a furever home or my mom and dad.

 

 I now weigh in at close to 50 pounds, mom says I am a little piglet, and I think she might be right!

 

 I have learned so many new tricks I can now sit, stay, high five with right and left paw separately, roll over and play dead. My dad is so proud, he shows me off to all of our friends. I just like the treats, but don’t tell mom and dad that!!

 Thank you Bobbi and Sandy, and all the other helpers, who played such a big part in making sure I was given a second chance in life!  

Merry Christmas! 

Love Brooklyn

(Oh and Anna and Jay too!)

Xoxo

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Posted in Happy Tails | 3 Comments »

Prayers for Eba and Taylor

Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009

One of the hardest parts about being involved with shelters and shelter animals is finding out one of them is sick or injured. Your heart just hurts for them.   This week we have two very sick dogs from our vetport shelter in the hospital.

It was late last night they noticed that Eba was limping slightly. Her front paw seemed to be bothering her.  This morning, Diana, one of our dedicated volunteers took Eba to the vet. She found out Eba has a torn ligament in her front leg that is causing her lots of pain. The Dr sent Eba back to the shelter with pain medication for six days and instructions on keeping Eba very comfortable with little walking. If her leg isn’t feeling beter in six days, Eba will need surgery.

But before the exam was finished they found a lump on Eba’s breast which the vet said was a mammary tumor.  Eba will need x-rays and then possibly surgery on that as well.  How much can a dog go through?

Eba was originally surrendered to our shelter when her owner passed away. The person that was left in charge of Eba couldn’t take care of her. Eba is the type of dog who is extremely loyal and devoted to her person. Its easy to see that she was devastated from her loss. 

Though Eba can be aloof when she first meets you, she warms up to you quickly and will be frolicing across the grass or flopping over for belly rubs in no time.  She will follow her people around with dedication and love.  Its hard for her to be sick and have to be stuck in a cage. We are desperately seeking a foster home that will give Eba a warm, comfortable place to stay while she recovers.  If you are interested please email Adopt@bobbicares.org 

Here is a photo of Eba we took at the shelter when she was feeling better. Isn’t she gorgeous?

 

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The second dog we had to take to the vet is Taylor. We pulled Taylor off the euth list at the city shelter. She is a 9 month old pit bull/hound mix that arrived at the city shelter only three days before severly emaciated.  When I went to pick her up from the city shelter, she was all curled up in the back of the cage. She didn’t even lift her head. It was like she didn’t believe that anyone was coming for her anymore and had given up hope. It was like she knew that she was supposed to be euthanized that day.

However when I took her outside, Taylor perked up immediately! Her tail was wagging andwhen I leaned down, she covered my whole face with kisses. She hopped her way down to the street to my car. When we got to my car, she didnt quite know what to do when I opened the door and I had to pick her up and lift her in the back seat.

The whole car ride from Harlem to our shelter in Queens, she was an angel. She was curled up comfortably on my back seat. I stopped to get her some food before going to the shelter. I got her special high calorie food to help her put on some weight and a light green collar with tiny rhinestones on it. She actually wagged her tail when I put it on her, as if she knew I had picked out something pretty just for her.

A couple of days later at the shelter, the staff noticed that Taylor wasn’t feeling well. She was vomitting and had diarrhea. She was also lethargic. Jose, one of our morning workers, rushed her to the vet. Taylor was extremely dehydrated and had to be hooked up to IV. They are still running test to find out what is wrong with this sweet girl.

Once Taylor is released from the vet, we are looking for a foster home for her. She was absolutley a joy to have around when I picked her up from the city shelter and my heart just broke having to put her in another cage. Please if you can open your heart and home to Taylor, email Adopt@bobbicares.org. She is a smaller dog, weighing only 30 lbs right now.

Below is a photo of the beautiful Taylor.

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Being sick is hard enough, but not feeling well and having to be in a shelter is even worse.  If you can’t foster, please say a prayer or hold a good thought for these two wonderful doggies that they feel better soon.

For more information on Fostering – please click here.

Thank you!

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Posted in Rescue Stories | 2 Comments »

Sadie’s Amazing Rescue

Tuesday, September 1st, 2009

Its the call I never want to get.

“I saw a dog on the side of the highway and no one else we called will help us,” the girl on the line said. “I think she just had puppies too!”

Rescuing a dog from the side of the highway can be scary.  My stomach drops just thinking about it. The last thing anyone wants to see is a dog get hit by a car. Yet if the dog is in flight mode, just seeing a rescuer may make it sprint into traffic. Rescuing a dog off the highway requires nerves of steel. And I must admit, these days I don’t always have them. The fact that there may be puppies just made the situation worse.

So when I got the call, I decided to first go out and take a look at the dog. Get a feel for the situation. There was a chance that the dog would be okay and come right to me. Though I knew this was rare. I still had hope.

A co-worker of the girl who called me took me out to see the dog.  His name was Joe. We drove on the Belt Parkway East till right before exit 25b. We parked on the side of the highway and started to backtrack a little bit along the shoulder inside the guardrail.

Then a little white pit mix with cropped ears and a patch over her eye came charging out of the woods at us, barking ferociously. I took several steps back stunned. The dog stopped and kept barking. There were trays of foods and cartons of water. Joe had been feeding her a couple of days to try and gain the dogs trust.

“See? Doesn’t she look like she is nursing?” he said.

I couldn’t tell for sure, but it looked more like the dog was pregnant to me. “We’ll find out once we get her.” I said

But we couldn’t get her. We stayed on the side of the highway for an hour. We didn’t approach her too much. We didn’t make direct eye contact but stayed and put out food and acted natural, talking and hoping that she would come to us. She came a bit closer when we tossed her tasty dried chicken treats but not close enough to leash her or pet her. If we tried to get closer to her, she would come at us barking aggressively. If we ignored her, she would retreat into a thorny bush which was where I guess she was living. Also if there were puppies they probably were in there but we couldn’t get close enough to tell. I could see a dirty swampy streams beyond the trees where she drank some water. I cringed thinking of parasites. This dog needed to get out of here fast.

The good thing was that she was afraid of the cars and never ventured too close to the highway and always stayed inside the guardrail.  So when it started to get dark I felt as comfortable as one could possibly leaving a dog on the side of the highway till tomorrow morning when I could either come back with a trap or someone to help me.

When I got back to the shelter that night I was telling the staff and volunteers about the dog and one volunteer, a dog trainer named Dennis, didn’t hesitate to volunteer to come with me tomorrow to try and get the dog off the highway. I couldn’t have chosen a better rescue partner!

Dennis is calm, assertive and has experience getting dogs on the street to come to him. On the way there the next day, he said this would be his first highway rescue, yet he seemed ready for it. I was already nervous, my heart pounding. I had seen a dog get hit by a car more than once and the images have never left me.

I told Dennis everything I knew about the dog. She was either pregnant or nursing and she came charging out at you when you approach her hiding spot on the highway. We were as prepared as we could have been. At least that is what I thought.

But when we got there, the dog didn’t come charging at us. It was eerily quiet and I began to worry that something happened to her. We ventured closer to the bush I saw her run into yesterday and that’s when I saw her. She was lying on her side, her eyes closed. My heart dropped. I should have come back sooner, I thought.

“I think she’s dead,” I whispered.

But dead she was not. As soon as I said it, she sprang to her feet and came charging full speed at us, barking loudly and she came even closer than yesterday, even more aggressive.  We took a couple of steps back and then the games began.

We were on the highway three hours trying to get the dog. We started out by not making eye contact and just acting natural. We didn’t wanted to remove the idea that we were a threat. Ha, not so easy!

If the dog retreated and we took a step, she would come charging again. Then Dennis had the idea to be bolder and walk towards the dog. She backed up into her bush which as we got closer we discovered was a thorn bush.  As we got closer to the dog, we saw scratches all over her body.

She let Dennis get closer than she would let me. I have to admit, he was certainly much braver than I was! I began wishing we had rented a humane trap to get her. It was about two hours later, the heat was starting to take its toll on me. We were in the woods now, on the other side of the thorn bush and the dog had taken some treats from Dennis. As soon as we thought we were making progress she would become aggressive again. I was afraid to make any sudden movements.

Dennis was trying to get a lasso leash around her neck when a tow truck came and tried to tow his car. We ran out of the woods to prevent another rescue from happening- someone having to come rescue us from being stranded on the side of the highway.

As we ran towards the car and away from the dog, I glanced over my shoulder and saw her staring at us longingly from the side of the road. She thought we were abandoning the mission… and she looked really sad. Forlorn.

When we told the tow truck driver what we were up to, he got a big smile on his face.  “That is really a great thing!” he said. He told us how he tried to get a dog off the highway once and how its great to see people who care about the animals.  He told us good luck. He gave us a card to put in the window of the car so other trucks would know to leave the car. It was a much needed morale boost as I was starting to feel drained and I wasn’t even doing the majority of the work!

We sat down on the guard rail for a moment. “Do you think we should come back when we are more prepared?” I asked Dennis.

“What do you mean?”

“Maybe we should just get a humane trap and come back later today.”

“I can’t leave her here,” Dennis said. He was persistant. He didn’t want to give up.

“What about when we get her on a leash? There is a chance she will be okay but what if she is still aggressive? How are we going to put her in the car and drive?”

We couldn’t think of an answer for that. The dog didn’t even have a collar on. She could slip out of a lasso type leash if it loosened. If she was aggressive there was nothing to stop her from coming at us in the front seat. I was worried but Dennis remained calm. He went back to the thorn bush where the dog wa s hiding. Dennis seemed more determined than ever and the dog seemed more determined not to be caught than ever.

Then it happened. We were standing in the cakey mud, bitten all over by mosquitos, covered in sweat and dirt, exhausted and somehow Dennis managed to get close enough to the dog and before she charged, he slipped the leash over her head and pulled it taut in an instant!

The dog tried desperately to escape at first but then settled down when she realized it was useless. She didn’t charge at Dennis, she wasn’t aggressive. She seemed more scared than anything now. Her tail was between her legs.

I felt like running up and giving Dennis a big hug but it wasn’t over yet. I felt a little bit relieved but I knew we still had to get her in the car and back to the shelter. This could be equally as challenging!

He slowly tried to bring the dog over to the car. The dog was resisting being led on the leash a lot. She just dug her paws into the ground and was hard to move. Once she got to the car, she made no indication that she would like to get inside. Not even for food or treats.  She was letting Dennis pet her head but he was hesitant to pick her up. She kept looking back at the thorn bush.

“Do you think she is looking back for her puppies?” Dennis asked.

I thought we would have seen puppies by now if there were some. We were out there for hours. We both thought she looked pregnant but I went back to the thorn bush and looked thoroughly around the area while he held the dog by the car.

When I returned he still hadn’t been able to interest the dog into getting in the car. I called the shelter and asked if we could borrow a crate from the vet and told them we needed someone to bring it out to us on the highway.  They were all excited we got the dog and said Mike, one of our staff, would be on his way.

We waited on the side of the road. Another two truck slowed down. We told him we just rescued the dog and he gave us the thumbs up sign and smiled. A policeman stopped and asked if we needed help. We told him the story and how we were just waiting for a crate to bring her back to the shelter. He smiled and told us to wait on the other side of the car to be safe. I was happy and surprised at how everyone was supporting our efforts! It was a good feeling.

I was still a little nervous sitting there on the side of the highway with the dog only in a slip leash. But it wasn’t long before Mike arrived with the crate.  She accepted his presence without any commotion. He set the crate down by the dog. She didn’t want to go in the crate at first but she allowed Dennis to gently lead her in. We put some treats in her and then double checked it was locked correctly. We lifted the crate in the back of Dennis’ car and shut the door. The dog seemed more relaxed than ever.

That is when I truly began to relax! She was truly safe now! Whew! I felt like the weight of the world was lifted off my shoulders.

The ride back to the shelter was like floating on a cloud. When we got there, the rest of the staff came out to greet us and meet the dog. She was a little shy when we took her out of the crate but never aggressive. She was gentle, allowed everyone to pet her.

“What are we going to name her?” I asked Dennis.

“How about Sadie?” And then Sadie it was! 

Denise, one of the staff, made a cozy bed for Sadie in one of the cages. We all agreed she was pregnant. I would take her to the vet in the morning for a check up.

When Sadie was led to her cage she immediately got on her bed and crawled up. She looked so relieved! It was the greatest feeling in the world to see her so comfortable and relaxed, especially after seeing the mucky swampy thorn bush she was living in only an hour before!

Sadie safe in her bad at the shelter

Sadie safe in her bed at the shelter

The next day Sadie met the rest of the staff and she was sweet and gentle with them all. She gave us no problems with other dogs. She just seemed grateful to be rescued. The staff gave her a bath. I took her to the vet who told me she would give birth in a week or two.

Sure enough, one week later she had six beautiful puppies! There is one male and five females and they all look like mini Sadies! I must say Sadie is a very good mommy. She is always focused onher puppies. When she leaves the cage to go to the bathroom she doesn’t want to stay out, she wants to go right back to her puppies.

I am so grateful to everyone who helped rescue Sadie and her puppies. If we weren’t able to get her off the highway she would have had her puppies there. I hate to even think about what would happen to them.  Sadies rescue was made possible by a group of caring individuals. From Joe who first spotted her and fed her, to his co-worker who got in touch with us, to Mike who brought the crate and Denise and the rest of the staff who welcomed Sadie and take  such good care of her and the pups on a daily basis and most of all to Dennis who simply would not give up till Sadie was safe and sound.  Thank you!

Sadie's puppies, only a couple of days old

Sadie's puppies, only a couple of days old

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The Nightly Heartbreak

Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009

June 4th,  I received the Euth list from the ACC.  The list was full of beautiful, friendly, adoptable dogs that only landed on the dreaded list because of space or because they had come down a cold. Yes, a simple cold can land a dog on the euth list these days. This was the reason that Lacey, a beautiful chocolate brown pit mix was to be euthanized the next day.  She was only 30 lbs. From her photo she looks very underweight. I could see her ribs. Her tail was tucked so far underneath her body, you culd barely tell she had a tail at all.  An animal control volunteer wrote she was friendly with people, other animals, no aggression noted… However our shelter was full. I had a waiting list a mile long of dogs that needed to come in. Where was I going to put Lacey?

I tried to put her out of my mind… but sometimes there are dogs that just won’t leave. They haunt me. There was another dog named Lucy that I had wanted to save off the euth list awhile back but I had already pulled another dog… and I had no space, yet something about Lucy just grabbed me. “You can’t save them all,” I told myself as I went to sleep with an uneasy feeling in my chest…  I never forgot Lucy. For some reason she stands out in my mind. I know if we don’t have space and I can’t find a foster there isn’t much I can do. I had already pulled another dog that I really didn’t have room for and was going to foster myself…  Yet I felt personally responsible for her death even though I had nothing to do with Lucy being in Animal Control in the first place. Once you make that connection, its hard to forget.  This is just one example of what goes on for many rescuers in our city. This nightly heartbreak that the euth list brings…  It hurt to know Lacey would join Lucy and the rest of the dead that live on in the back of my mind…

Then on June 6th we had a very successful adoption event. Two dogs ended up going home and we had some great applications for some others. In addition to that, another dog went to foster in the morning. In my mind I am always trying to figure out a way to “make room” at the shelter and once I had mentally filled the empty cages and potentially empty cages with the waiting list dogs it looked like there still may be room. I had a beautiful Rottweiler that had been thrown out on the street by his owner coming in on Monday ( a kind neighbor was holding the dog for us) and two pit bulls abandoned by their owners coming in later in the week.  By miracle another dog on the intake list had been reunited with his owner… It looked like there may be some room now… some pressure was lifting…

I am hardly ever delighted to see an animal on the Euth list but that night on June 6th when I saw Lacey back on the list, I was ecstatic. For some reason or another, they hadn’t euthanized her two nights ago but here she was again. I immediately picked up the phone to call the hotline to pull her off the list. In my message I told them I would pick her up Monday morning.

I hung up the phone and looked at my own dog, Horatio who was lying in bed looking at me. Horatio was also on the Euth list twice before I was able to save him. The first time, a volunteer pulled him off in hopes that rescue would take him. No one did and he ended up back on the list a couple of days later. He was only six months old at the time. We just had a dog adopted that day and I was able to pull him. It was the best decision I ever made.

Horatio was staring at me with his dark eyes. “This one was for you,” I told him. I can’t imagine my life without Horatio. He brings me so much happiness everyday. He is loyal, devoted and affectionate. He is so full of life, loves to run and play and inspires me everyday. I knew that Lacey could also bring this to someone’s life.  Its easy to just say, “Oh another pit bull on the list” but if you know a dog that has survived the euth list… know their personalities and look into their eyes… you can’t imagine that they almost lost their lives because they are so beautiful, so alive, and you can’t imagine that there are ones just like them about to be put to sleep right now… yet tragically,  there are. Beautiful dogs that could be someone’s pet, someone’s best friend are being put to sleep everyday in NYC.

I felt ecstatic that I was able to save Lacey. I love the feeling of picking the dogs up from Animal Control and telling them they are safe now.  I love when they hop into the car and stick their noses out the window and sniff the fresh air…  Its a wonderful feeling to be able to rescue a dog!

Then I open my email the next night… and as there is everynight, there a euth list there, full of dogs waiting for rescuers to come get them… and my heart sinks as I look at the photos… where can I make room…? Where can I make room? If only I had a huge shelter or a waiting list of foster homes just waiting to help rescue a dog off the euth list… or even an extra room in this apartment…  All of these things swirl through my mind…

While I am grateful they give us a chance to save these dogs, I can’t wait for the day when there are no euth lists. It will take more than rescues pulling dogs for this to happen (spay/neuter, humane education, the closing of puppy mills etc) but we can’t stop pulling the dogs, rescuing them one at time.  It may not seem to make a dent but for the ones who survive it means everything.

Here is Lacey’s ACC photo.

lacey

For more information of adopting and fostering please visit our website www.bobbiandthestrays.org

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The Life You Can Save

Tuesday, May 26th, 2009

The New York City shelters are full of pit bulls and pit mixes. Often it seems no matter how many we rescue or adopt out, they are just drops in the ocean. Rescues never seem to make  a dent.

Recently I heard of dogs being pulled off the euth list (which is always full of pit bulls and pit mixes) by rescues and then the rescue backing out because the dogs look “too pitty.” This breaks my heart. The animal’s last hope walked away because of how he looks, something the animal cannot help.

That is why for us, its not about the breed. We are an all breed rescue. We believe they are all entitled to a happy, healthy life in a loving, responsible home. Senior animals, anmals that need surgeries, newborn kittens that need to be bottle fed, animals that need rehabilitation, small dogs, big dogs- if they need help, we will do our best to help them. For us, its about nothing more than the life we can save.

Recently one of our volunteers received a phonecall about a dog abandoned in an apartment building in Queens. The dog was taken to Animal Control by the police. I received the dog’s Animal Control ID number and looked him up on the website. I found a blurry photo of a white and brown pit bull huddled in the corner, staring at the camera like a deer in headlights.

There was nothing about the photo that would attract an adopter. This is why when I went to pick the dog up from Animal Control the next days I was so surprised. Here was this absolutley gorgeous animal with the softest white fur, beautiful reddish-tan markings including an adorable patch over one eye. He was around 55 lbs with a big block head and stunning hazel eyes.

I was handed his leash and took him outside for a walk. He seemed a little nervous, anxious, uncertain of his circumstances. He sniffed here and there and then did his business. When we put him in the car, he climbed gracefully into the backseat and curled up in the corner, resting his head on the cushion with a sigh.

How easy, I thought, it would have been for this dog to slip through the cracks of the city’s animal sheltering system. He was one of many, many, many beautiful pit bulls in need. If someone hadn’t called us to let us know about him, this dog’s chances of making it out of Animal Control alive would have been very slim.

 When we arrived at the Bobbi and the Strays shelter, we took the dog, now named Scotch, out for a long walk around the area. Scotch took his time sniffing and exploring, putting each paw gingerly down on the soft freshly cut grass.  He was a little nervous still, as most new dogs are when we bring them to our shelter. They don’t know where they are, why they are there and I think most of them wonder, especially the ones coming out of Animal Control, if they are truly safe now.

We fixed his cage up with a soft comforter, some food and fresh water.  Scotch was very skinny so we would have to feed him extra till he reached a healthy weight. He also had missing fur on his neck and chest as if someone had a harness on him that was too tight. I scheduled him for a vet appointment to make sure.

I sat petting Scotch for a long time till it was time to leave the shelter for the night. When I closed the cage door, he cried, staring up at me with big hazel eyes. I couldn’t resist and went to pet him again. Not only did his tail wag back and forth in delight, but his whole body did a happy dance. “What a nice dog,” I thought. Thinking of how he would have been overlooked if we didn’t receive the phone call made me shake my head. There has to be a better way to educate the public about all the great dogs that are dying in our city shelters, all the great dogs like Scotch that just need someone to give them a chance.

I felt extremely happy that were able to help Scotch. Though he has a way to go still. His rescue journey isn’t over yet.  There will be many photos and videos taken, vet visits, adoption visits from prospective families and then once a match is made, there will be a home check and reference check, lots of follow ups to make sure everything is going smoothly. A lot of work has to be done still before Scotch is truly home.  I looked over my shoulder at him one more time before I left. His tail was still wagging.

It will be worth it. There is no doubt.

It may not have seemed like we have done a lot. Saving this one big headed pit bull among hundreds of others.  But we saved a life. And you can’t look into Scotch’s eyes and say that it does not matter. His whole world has changed. The world of the family that is lucky enough to adopt him will change too. And once he is adopted, it will open up the space to save one more from euthanasia at our city shelters.

I close my eyes and think about all the animals we have adopted out and how we get  updates of the animals lying in beds, playing in the yard or at the park from the wonderful people who adopted them. I imagine getting an update about Scotch, a photo of him lying in the grass, chewing on his favorite bone, all the worries and weight that he carried in these times of uncertainty are long gone.

Each life matters. It is as simple as that.

Adopt a stray, save a life.

img_1690

To adopt or foster Scotch please email Adopt@bobbicares.org

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How Fostering Helps!

Tuesday, April 14th, 2009

It was only two weeks ago that I picked up Ashley from Animal Care and Control Manhattan. She was there five days, a scared grayish pit bull, only 30 lbs.

On the day I picked her up, they had found her owner. When they called them, they said they didn’t even know she was missing! And no, they did not want her back.
 
It was apparent they did not take good care of Ashley when they did have her. Her fur was sparse in many places, she had many cuts and scrapes, her nails were overgrown and she was underweight. But was most disturbing about Ashley was her mental condition. She was terrified. She wouldn’t even leave the cage at Animal Control because she was so scared. Her tail was tucked all the way under her body and she was shaking like a leaf. After trying to coax her out for fifteen minutes, I had to pick her up and carry her out to the car. She sat curled up in the seat, tense, on and off shaking. It was only after sitting in over an hour of traffic did she relax a little. But she still didn’t dare move. When we got to the Bobbi and the Strays shelter, I again had to pick her up and carry her inside.
 
It took us two days to get Ashley to walk with us at the shelter. Like at Animal Control she would not come out of her cage.  I had to pull her out gently and carry her oustide to the outside runs. It was very heartbreaking. When we were finally able to walk Ashley at our shelter, it was a strange sight. She had certainly never been on a leash before and it was like she had never seen grass before either! She walked funny… lifting her legs up really high and plopping them down… as if she had just discovered she had legs. Then she would begin to get playful and run and hop for a second and then she would almost scare herself and stop suddenly and cower for no reason. One can only imagine what her former life was like.
 
Getting Ashley into a foster was a priority. There is only so much socialization you can do in a shelter no matter how hard you try. Ashley needed a loving home. Finding fosters is always a challenge. Sometimes we post for months before we find a foster. However a miracle seemed to happen for Ashley. One of our great former foster parents stepped up and took Ashely home!
 
After seeing a dog so afraid like that, it was the greatest pleasure getting updated photos of Ashely in an email yesterday. Her foster mom reports that Ashely is slowly coming out of her shell and has been playing with the other dogs! She is still working on her skills with humans but Ashley is taking some small steps. She is never aggressive, just very timid. Her foster mom is optimistic that Ashley will continue to do well and learn to enjoy life the way it was meant to be!
  
Here is a photo of Ashley in the car on the way to the Bobbi and the Strays shelter

And here is Ashely happily playing in the yard of her foster home!

 
She hardly looks like the same dog! I am eternally grateful to Ashley’s foster mom for taking Ashley in and working with her, for giving Ashley the well deserved second chance she needed! If you would like to become a foster parent for one of our dogs please visit the foster page of our website HERE.

Thank you!

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