To My Animal Companions On Mother’s Day

Though I’ve never had my own children, you are my children.
Though you didn’t come through me, you came to me.
Though you were all grown when you entered my life,
you still needed me as a child needs a mother.

And I needed you.

I fed you, and comforted you when you were scared.
I laid with you in kennels and on floors when you were sick.
We played with toys, and ran through the grass, splashed in the ocean,
took walks and long car rides,
flew on airplanes and visited far-away places together.

You are my constant companions.

I’ve never liked going away for long without you;
what mother wants to leave their children behind?
On vacations I count the days until we’ll be together again.
Each day at work, I count the hours.

We are inseparable.

I’ve watched you chase birds and squirrels,
lay with each other on cold winter nights,
bark at the mailman and gardener and any stranger who stepped within eyesight,
doing your job to protect me and our home from harm.

You are my guardian angels.

You lick away my tears when I am sad,
lay by my side when I am lonely.
You greet me each day when I come through the door,
with more happiness than any human being could ever muster.

You are my joy.

With some of you, I’ve had to make decisions on your behalf
that no mother should ever have to make for a child.
And with others, I watched you make that decision on your own.
I held you all as you took your last breaths, I watched your eyes go dark
and your souls leave this world.

I was your usher.

Though you are an animal and I am human,
I couldn’t love you any more if you were my own flesh and blood.
Your welfare is my primary concern,
your life is what I live to protect every day.

You are my world.

I am your mother.

And on this day and every day, I love you more than words can say.

Lisa Goich-Andreadis
2011

Jogger Fatally Struck Trying To Save Stray Dog

If you’re an animal lover, you’ve done it not once, not twice, but probably at least a dozen times in your life. You’ve spotted a stray dog running in traffic, your heart got stuck in your throat, you pulled over your car, ran out into the street without a thought for your own life, all to save a dog you don’t even know.

Well today, Mara Steves did what came naturally to any animal lover. While jogging with her son in Laguna Niguel, she spotted a dog running into traffic. She knelt down to take control of the dog, an SUV ran a red light, slammed into another SUV making a turn at the intersection, the one SUV that was hit jumped the curb and hit Steves. She died instantly at the scene. Her son was unharmed. Late reports say that the dog is now safe, and immediately ran home.

My heart breaks for her family, and especially for her son who was witness to this tragedy. God bless her for her final heroic act in life. There is a special place in Heaven for Mara Steves. And tonight she is in my prayers.

Read the full story here.

Shout-Out to Strangest Angels Animal Rescue

Bugsy, the little Chihuahua from East Valley we featured earlier in the week was rescued by Strangest Angels. And for that we say THANK YOU!! They’re a great rescue located in Los Angeles and do so much good for the unwanted and stray animals in our community. I felt they deserved a shout-out and wanted to feature a video of Elle – the founder – and two of her special babies.

Please visit their website at www.strangestangels.org. And donate if you can! They work tirelessly year-round and certainly can use the funds.

Thank you!

Sled Dog Slaughter Stirs Animal Advocates to Action

Sled Dogs

I’ve never been a big fan of sled dog racing. Dogs living their entire lives outside in the cold, pulling humans around in horrible conditions – it always reeked of abuse to me. Like Greyhound racing, I saw it as the dog equivalent of bullfighting. But the Cesar Millan angel on my shoulder would always pop up and say, “But dogs LOVE to walk miles! It’s what they were born to do!” Even so, the whipping and snow and overall poor treatment of these dogs, raised a red flag long before I read this article posted by the AP today.

The Vancouver Humane Society is calling for a ban on dog sled tour business after a Whistler company called Howling Dog Tours Whistler Inc., shot and slit the throats of 100 sled dogs after business slipped and the dogs were no longer needed. The worker who slaughtered the dogs, applied for worker’s compensation saying he suffered post-traumatic stress after the incident. The company is disputing the reasons behind the killings, but advocates, nonetheless, are crying foul.

Of course it’s not just this incident of slaughter that has organizations like PETA up in arms, it’s also the treatment of these dogs after they have served their “purpose” in the sledding industry. Adopting the older dogs out after their retirement isn’t easy. The dogs continuously walk in circles because they’ve been chained their whole lives. They have to be taught how to walk on a leash, live in a house, climb stairs, walk across flooring like linoleum without falling and ride in a car without vomiting. House training is also tricky, because these are dogs who have lived outdoors since they were puppies.

So short of shutting down an entire industry, what should be done to make sure that these dogs are being treated fairly and humanely? Groups like the Alaska-based group called Mush for PRIDE (which stands for Providing Responsible Information on Dogs in their Environment) work to ensure standards for things like food, water, kennel size and exercise. But the fact that the slaughterer who worked for Howling Dog Tours was a BOARD MEMBER of PRIDE makes me wonder how closely they monitor their own industry and members.

You can read the full story here, and form your own opinion. I’d like to hear what you think about sled dog racing, in general, and what you think can or should be done to make it a more humane sport.

Lost Dog Duke Back With Family After 2 Week Search

Duke Home & Cozy With His Family

Duke, a 3-year-old Lab from Reading, PA, has found his way back home after a two-week search.

On January 23, Duke – who was being sized for a collar in a local Petco – was spooked by a stranger and darted out of the store. He headed for an open field where family members searched for him, to no avail. There were a couple of “Duke Sightings,” but no one could pin the dog down.

The family even tried to attract Duke by bringing their other dog Hope to the site where he ran, but Duke didn’t take the bait. It was a group of animal advocates who finally lured Duke into a trap Sunday with a generous helping of dog food, wet and dry. Most of the searchers didn’t know Duke or his family. The strangers just came together for their love of dogs.

Duke made it home just in time for his 3rd birthday, which is today. A happy ending, indeed!

A good moral to be taken away from this story is that “dogs will be dogs.” The family had stated in the article that Duke “had never done that before.” Which is a story I have heard over and over again while working in dog rescue. Whether it was an off-leash dog who darted across the street to chase a squirrel, or a dog who escaped out of an open front door to chase a kid on a bicycle. Instinct trumps obedience every time. And you never know what will spook or attract your dog when least expected. So keep your pets safe at all times. Use caution and common sense, and hopefully, you can avoid an incident like the one Duke went through.

For the full story, click here.

Dog Takes Bullet To Save His Person

Max Takes Bullet To Save Guardian

Sure, your dog keeps the letter wielding postman from attacking, but would he take a bullet on your behalf?

Dog owner Osmar Persisco of Garibaldi, Brazil, knows the answer is “yes” after his pet Max leapt to defend him from armed robbers, taking three bullets along the way.

Persisco was parking his truck near Max’s favourite field when two armed robbers approached him and demanded the keys to his vehicle.

Persisco resisted and the thieves opened fire, drawing blood after grazing the 47-year-old’s forehead with a bullet.

That’s when Max lost his cool.

“He saw the blood and was furious,” Persisco told Brazilian newspaper Globo. “He left like a rocket to attack the thieves. One of them ran away, but Max dominated the other one. To defend himself, the thief ended up shooting the dog. Max thwarted the assault and saved my life.”

Max was hit twice in his chest and once in his leg, but by then he had scared off the potential thieves.

Persisco rushed the heroic pet he had adopted three years earlier to his local vet. Max is expected to make a full recovery.

“If I didn’t have my dog around, they would have killed me,” Persisco told the paper. “He’s my hero.”

From TheStar.com

Stray Pitbull Saves Woman & Child From Attacker

A Real Guardian Angel

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. — The wandering 65-pound Pit Bull mix might have seemed menacing to some passerby, but one woman will always remember him as her “guardian angel.”

The dog, which authorities think is lost and not a stray, successfully thwarted a robbery attack on a mother and her 2-year-old son, who were held at knifepoint Monday afternoon.

The Florida woman, who has been identified by authorities simply as “Angela,” was leaving a playground with her toddler son in Port Charlotte when a man approached her in the parking lot with a knife and told her not to make any noise or sudden movements.

Angela didn’t have to do either to protect herself and her child — a dog mysteriously ran to the scene and charged the man, who quickly fled.

“I don’t think the dog physically attacked the man, but he went at him and was showing signs of aggression, just baring his teeth and growling and barking. It was clear he was trying to defend this woman,” Animal Control Lt. Brian Jones told Pet Pulse.

“I don’t know what this man’s intentions were, but it is very possible this dog saved her life.”

The exceptional part of the story, Jones said, is that the dog had never met or even seen the people it quickly jumped to defend.

“You hear about family dogs protecting their owners, but this dog had nothing to do with this woman or her kid,” Jones said. “He was like her guardian angel.”

After the alleged thief ran away, Angela quickly placed her son, Jordan, in the car and tried to drive off. Before she could, though, the dog jumped into her backseat, waiting with her for the police and animal control officers to arrive at the scene.

The dog was transported to a local shelter and if his owners don’t step forward within five days, Jones said, Angela and her family plan to adopt the savior she named “Angel.”

Animal control officers and shelter workers believe Angel is lost, and not a stray, because of his good health, sturdy weight and mild temperament.

“It’s funny, that someone’s irresponsibility could have saved someone’s life,” Jones said of Angel’s possible owners.

For Angela, it doesn’t matter where the dog came from, just that he was there when she needed him most.

“I don’t know what his [the thief’s] intentions were — I don’t know why he did it, but I’m glad that — we call him Angel — I’m glad that Angel showed up because I don’t know what would have happened,” Angela told NBC2 News.

Yorkie Mix Found in Whitewater, CA

Yorkie Found in Whitewater, CA - 2.5.11

This cute little female Yorkie Mix was found in Whitewater, CA — about 20 miles from Palm Desert by a relative of a friend of mine. He is going to have the dog scanned for a microchip on Monday. But until then, if anyone lives in the Whitewater area – or even Palm Desert – please post this on your Facebook wall. You never know who knows who, who might be the person who lost this sweet little girl.

If you have any info or leads, contact me: goichtotherescue@gmail.com and I will forward any information to the person who found him.

Thank you!

Sweet Little Lost Yorkie - Whitewater, CA - 2.5.11

Lost Shiba Inu – Crafton, PA – Please Forward

Lost Dog - Allegheney County, PA

LOST DOG – PLEASE FORWARD!
Lis went to visit a sick friend & took her Shiba Inu named Kaiser with her, he ran off at the friend’s house. Kaiser is skittish so please call if you see him, 609-610-7754 (Lis) or 267-229-4536 (Deette). Lis is not from there and needs people to help her look for Kaiser, if you can help please call her.

Kaiser
Shibu Inu
Male-Neutered
25 lbs
Adult
Wearing red & blue collar with tags
Lost at:
45 Walnut St (near Dinsmore Ave & Bradford St)
Crafton, PA (Allegheny County)

Lost Dog Finds Way Home After 6 Months Away

After 6 months, Noel the 10-year-old Lab finds his way back home to his family and best dog friend, Toby. This is the happiest dog story EVER!

Noel resting peacefully at home after 6 months away.

Read the full story here.