Welcome Back, Lillian

Lillian (right) is 7 months old, and delightful.

Sometimes even the most promising adoptions don't work out. Lil is a case in point. She was adopted by a great family as a young pup, but she never could stand to take orders from the resident bossy small dog. After much heartache, her adopters decided that for safety's sake they needed to return her. We're always sad when an adoption doesn't work out, but we are really not kidding when we say that our fosters all come with a lifetime return policy.

This week we welcomed Lil back into our family. We're happy to report that she is a non-stop cuddler and just loves "universal sister" Beatrice. Lil has even learned that that the cat is sharp and to be avoided. Good girl.

If you would like to adopt Lil, please stay tuned to http://www.cbbr.org/ for adoption information. For now, we'll enjoy having this little redhead around the house.

Michee loses a leg, gains a future.

Those of us in rescue see and hear about a lot of pretty hideous acts of  animal cruelty. But it never gets any easier to take. CBBR has just taken in a young pittie pup whose whole short life has been filled with suffering. Michee was "rescued" by some boneheads who told us that they took her from an abusive owner who kicked her repeatedly. These boneheads then allowed Michee to run into the street, where, of course, she was hit by a car. She suffered a severe compound fracture to a front leg. Said boneheads managed to take poor Michee to the vet, but refused to pay for her treatment. Instead, they took her home and wrapped her hideously broken leg in bandages and splinted it with used popsicle sticks and posted on Craigslist that they had a puppy who needed help. Meanwhile, the puppy was in such agony that she attempted to chew off her own leg, which had become infested with maggots.

12 week old Michee before her amputation. :(

WHAT KIND OF PERSON CAN EAT OR SLEEP WHILE A CREATURE SUFFERS THAT WAY IN THEIR CARE? I guess I already know the answer to that.

Fortunately, a CBBR volunteer had a nagging gut feeling that she had better check the terrifying "pets" page of Craigslist. Thank god. Michee is now in the loving care of this awesome volunteer who has plenty of experience rehabilitating forsaken pups like Michee. Michee has lost her leg, but she has gained a second chance at a wonderful life. Please consider making a donation to CBBR to help cover the costs of Michee's surgery and rehabilitation. We're running a tab at every vet out there, but sometimes you just have to do the right thing and trust that the money will come. Click here if you can help.

Four-Legged Family

Pets are family. I'm guessing that, since you read my blog, that's not news to you. But after a lovely visit from my sister, her boyfriend, and their huge, wiggly pit bull named Sophie, I thought I'd take a moment to celebrate our inter-species families. Here's to all the families made up of critters and humans. What a beautiful part of being a person.

 

No Friend like an Old Friend

Caring for Falcon is a joy that
reminds me I'm the same girl
I always was.

Ask any animal rescuer and they'll tell you the same thing: There's nothing sadder than an abandoned senior pet. The white-muzzled dog trembling in the back of his kennel wishing for his family to come back, the lonely old cat in her cold cage, or--maybe worst of all--the lame, skinny horse who was once a little girl's dream and is now on his way to the meat auction. It all really does happen. Every day.

Let's face it. Everyone loves a puppy or a kitten. (Well, people with souls, anyway.) But it can take real love to be there for your pet forever. That's forever, as in no matter what.  All any domestic animal has to its name is you, and when you give it up you leave it with no protection, no love, and no voice to tell who it is and has been over the years. The reality is that older pets tend not to get adopted, and many pounds euthanize them first because they assume they are unadoptable. So, here's the right thing to do:





The little old man looking pretty
athletic for his age.


•  Never, ever dump your pet at a pound or shelter, period. Especially not if she's older.
• If your senior pet is so ill that you cannot afford to care for him, ask for help. Contact friends and family. Swallow your pride and make a plea online. If none of this works, consider whether it is kinder in the end to euthanize your pet than to let him live his last days terrified at a pound.
• ADOPT OR FOSTER AN OLDER PET! Why have you never thought of this? Oldies are wonderful--past the chewy stage, calmer, and often very grateful just for a peaceful place to lie in the sun. If you've never known an old horse, you have never known real wisdom.

So, to that end, I am sharing a couple photos of my favorite senior. 25-year-old Arduns Falcon was indeed a little girl's wildest dream and winner of dozens of blue ribbons. He is now a wise, gentle friend. He is out to pasture--in the very best sense--on the organic pastures of Harvet Hills Farm in Hanover, IL. His "little girl" visits him monthly.  (PS: Harvest hills does not board horses. Sorry.)

Falcon takes my mom for safe ride (right.)

Teeny Pit Bull, Big Miracle



Clover about 3 weeks after rescue--with
his "Dumpty"



Hello, readers. It's Tuesday, and you need to hear something good. Pictured here is Clover, a 6ish-month-old Pit Bull who has made a rather amazing recovery in the last month. When CBBR volunteers visited Anti-Cruelty Society in Chicago to check out a litter of 9 orphaned puppies, the wonderful volunteers made sure we also met Clover. He weighed in at just 25 lbs, and was covered with scratches and what appeared to be bite wounds. He was almost catatonic. The volunteers were taking turns holding him like a baby and carrying with them as they worked. He was so frightened of the loud dog aisle that they moved him into the cat and bunny room. Clover had been brought to ACS with his friend or sister--who was already dead. The people who dumped them literally dragged her lifeless body into the shelter. We couldn't leave Clover behind.



Clover before.



Enter Ruth, a dedicated animal rescuer who usually rehabilitates kitties with Hyde Park Cats. She happened to have an empty house for the month and agreed to take this broken hearted little guy and see what she could do. Clover has bloomed in Ruth's patient care. Rather than force Clover into a scary routine, Ruth dedicated herself to watching Clover's behavior in order to learn what he needed. He was timid and quiet at first, retreating to his kennel often.

Clover had clearly been mistreated by humans. Though he has never been aggressive, he was very fearful, and it took some time before he realized that he was somehow now in the presence of only kind people. He has proven himself calm and trusting when he meets new people, and he even likes kids. He also LOVES the big friendly cat in his foster home. He wags at him and tries to get him to play. This got us to thinking that maybe he'd like to have a dog friend, but we wondered if his bad experiences might make this too stressful for him. This was a job for Beatrice--our resident dog with a major gift for helping depressed dogs find joy again. Long story short, it's pretty clear that Clover loves dogs, too. (See the video for the hilarious proof.)

We're happy to report that this little micro pittie is ready for a foster or adoptive home. He's quiet, polite, friendly, intelligent, and adorable. His perfect home has responsible, loving humans and at least one cat and one friendly dog. Cheers to the ACS Volunteers who kept Clover's body and soul alive long enough to find safety, and HUGE cheers to Ruth who made this miracle happen. If you'd like to open your home to Clover click here.

It's Monday

You know what's not a good way to start the week? Hearing that a local pound--which shall remain nameless--euthanized HUNDREDS of animals over the weekend due to overcrowding. That's dozens upon dozens of people's pets. Animals who, if they were lucky, were once loved and cared for. Animals who trusted people and looked to them for protection. Animals whose only crime was having an irresponsible human as their guardian. As usual, the majority of the dogs killed were pit bulls and pittie-looking mixes. Tell me again who the monsters are? The dogs or the people who treat them like trash or worse?

So here is my question to you, readers. What are you going to do this week in honor of the creatures who died over the weekend? Here is a list of ideas:





CBBR's Lola is very much alive and well, but she was once
moments from being killed at an area pound. BTW, she is
adoptable and pretty much perfect.


• Next time you see a person with an unaltered (not "fixed") pet, explain to them why they should have that animal altered and where to have it done inexpensively. Both PAWS and Anti-Cruelty Society have low cost spay/neuter clinics. Be nice, but insist. Offer to make the appointment and drive them there.
• Educate a friend who is about to buy a dog from a breeder. Some people really don't know that there is literally a rescue group for every possible purebred out there. Urge them to check out animal control and other high-kill shelters first. They will be shocked at the gorgeous, well tempered dogs sitting on death row.
• FOSTER! (See my last 10 blogs for all the reasons why you should.)
• Donate to a local rescue group who pulls animals from high-kill pounds. They all desperately want to do more, but their work relies on donations to fund vet bills and other basic costs.
• Maybe it goes without saying to my readers, but don't give up your pet. If you have a problem pet--a cat who pees inside when she's mad, a dog who barks too much, etc.--get some help! Contact a trainer, and if that trainer can't help you, keep trying until you find someone who can! Almost every pet problem is correctable or manageable with the right knowledge. You are all your pet has in this world. Be worthy of his or her admiration.
• Consider adding a rescued pet to your life. Do some reading. Talk to knowledgable friends. Is pet ownership a possibility for you? Do you have room for one more? (A quick note on this. "I have cats" is not a reason why you can't have a dog! Ask me.)
• Do you know a landlord? Talk to them about their pet policy. Urge them to allow cats and dogs and not to discriminate against any breeds. Tell them to screen pet owners by checking vet references and requiring up to date vaccination records and a city dog license instead of banning pets.
• Write your state congresspeople and tell them that you want tighter regulations on animal breeders and/or mandatory spay/neuter laws for pets. Tell them that we need greater access to and education about spaying and neutering--particularly in lower income areas of the state where the rates of animal impoundment are especially high.
• Share this blog with friends.
• Look at your pet(s). Remind yourself that the only difference between them and the animals who were killed in Chicago this weekend is that they have you.

Top 10 Reasons to Foster an Animal: #1

And the #1 reason to foster an animal is...

 Because fostering changes the world. I know. You're thinking that I'm confusing this bold assertion with another rescue slogan: "Rescuing a dog may not change the world but it changes the world for that one dog." Friends, I'd like to argue that both are true. When I am not blogging about or otherwise occupied with animals, I am doing my day job as a social scientist. If you'll forgive me a moment of nerdiness, I'll explain.

Most people tend to think about the world like it's two separate places: Our own individual lives that are populated by our friends and family, and the big world with all its wonders and injustices that's somehow "out there" and not under our control. But here's the thing. "The world" is more or less just the sum total of all of our little, local human activities. That's it. Cruelty, injustice, misery, discrimination, opportunity, hope, and change--those things that feel like they are "out there"--those are all really just patterns of little, local, personal actions that we're doing every day. Do you pull the car over and help the dog on the side of the road? Do you take the extra moment to educate a friend about rescue? Do you sacrifice your carpet for a litter of unwanted puppies? These are small choices that we can each make. But in the aggregate, we absolutely change the world, not only for the dog or cat we rescue but for all domestic animals in our society. Over time and by sharing our work with others we reduce euthanasia rates. We lessen suffering. We educate and enable communities to be better guardians of animals.

When you change the world for a needy animal you also change the world. And that, my friends, is a great reason to foster. If you want to know more about fostering, contact a rescue group in your area. Believe me, they'll be happy to take that call. If you can't foster you can still help, and they can tell you how.

Pictured: (Above) 3 month old Irene, whose world changed from solitary confinement inside of a sweltering garage to a family of her own in one short week. And (at left) Falina. A gorgeous 10 month old pittie who was abandoned and hit by a car before being taken in by a local veterinarian. Falina, incidentally, is very urgently in need of a foster home. Contact CBBR for more information.