September 2015 archive

Happily Ever Afters

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This is Lizzy and Tizzy! One night their owner took them on a car ride with their mom (Izzy) and brother (Dizzy). They probably thought they were just going for a nice long, normal car ride, as that is something dogs like to do. Not knowing what was in store for them, their owner abandoned them on the side of the road. The owner parked the car and let all four dogs out. The owner then fired gunshots to scare the dogs to prevent them from running after his car. Being shocked by the loud noises the dogs ran into hiding. When the noises stopped and they came back out they realized that both the car and their owner were gone. Luckily, a stranger found the dogs on the side of the road and contacted one of the nearby rescue organizations. Izzy and Dizzy were found loving homes while Lizzy and Tizzy were transferred to Helen Woodward Animal Center. They had no injuries and were in very good shape. Lizzy and Tizzy charmed whoever came to visit and they were adopted very shortly after their arrival. They never have to worry about finding another home again. They have found their forever family.

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This is Alfred! Alfred was apart of a huge litter of 13 puppies that needed help getting out of a shelter that was overburdened with too many puppies. These puppies were called the A litter because all 13 puppies had names starting with the letter “A”. The litter consisted of: Abbott, Armani, Aaron, Andes, Axel, Agnes, Akira, Adam, Alonso, Albert, Alvin, Andrew, and little Alfred. When they arrived to the new shelter the puppies were paired up and welcomed by their foster families. All was going well until the center got a concerning phone call from Alfred’s foster parents. They noticed that Alfred was limping on his right leg. They took him to the hospital and the vet discovered that Alfred’s elbow was swollen and he couldn’t fully extend one of his legs. His entire humerus was shattered and his leg bone appeared to be lytic. That means the bone was porous in nature because it was probably trying to heal, but couldn’t. The bone was not strong enough to go through surgery to fix the break so they decided to amputate it. The surgery went well but Alfred would still need to learn how to walk, move, play, and balance without that leg. He had to learn how to walk again even though he just learned how to do that for the first time not too long ago. After he recovered it didn’t take this sweet pup long to find his forever family. You can be the one to give a dog a happily ever after. Every dog deserves a loving family because they really do love you no matter what.

Negative Affects of Breeding

Have you ever seen a homeless dog and just wanted to take it home with you?

How could someone do such a thing?

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In the United States, nearly 62% of Americans have a pet and more than 70 billion dogs and cats are left homeless. Only around 6 to 8 million animals enter shelters each year out of these 70 million. These shelters are maxed out with dogs and are trying to function with limited space and funds. So many pets are looking for loving homes and yet only around 20% of Americans adopt their dogs from shelters. The other 74% is coming from breeders. Shelters are so packed with dogs that you can find any breed of animal, mixed or pure bred, in your local shelter. With that being said, Americans pay hundreds, sometimes thousands of dollars for dogs from a breeder. Consumers are willing to pay an exorbitant amount of money for a pure bred dog because they are told the puppy has been raised in a loving environment and that it will grow up to have fewer health problems. However there is really no way to tell because health is dependent on the individual dog. Many breeders try to avoid inbreeding, which often leads to significant health issues. There is no guarantee that these animals won’t suffer from behavioral or health problems now or in the future.

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This is Leo, an 8-week-old Airedale Terrier. During the summer my cousins decided to get their first dog. They had never had any previous experience owning a puppy and they decided to buy their dog from a breeder. My family wasn’t pleased with the fact that they were using a breeder when so many good dogs need homes. They finally brought Leo home when he was around 8 weeks old, which is normally when the breeder sells them. Two days later they heard Leo crying in his cage. When they went to see what the problem was they noticed Leo was not breathing. They were in shock because they had only had him for two days and it is not common for a puppy to just stop breathing. Leo ended up dying from an abnormality in his heart. This is an example of how breeding dogs can result in the dog having serious health problems.

 

Most of the time buyers don’t do their research before buying their new member of the family. As a result, some end up buying their dogs from cruel puppy mills. Most of the time even certified breeders subject their dogs to mill-like conditions. A lot of puppies who come from puppy mills, end up suffering from serious health problems due to reckless breeding practices. The New York Times did a story on a woman who purchased her puppy from an AKC breeder. Later, she discovered the puppy had suffered many abnormalities as a result of reckless breeding. Two months later the facility was raided and the dogs were moved to a safer location. Most breeding is cruel and abusive and because of that the puppies are left with serious health issues. It’s the same thing as drinking when you’re pregnant. As a result your newborn child is born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, which causes them to have serious birth defects. You have to live with the fact that you are the one responsible for it. Breeders know that what they are doing is wrong and that the outcome is producing a dog with serious abnormalities. It’s our civic duty to help save these innocent animals.

 

 

Lab Rescue of the LRCP

Look at these precious faces? How does this make you feel?

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We have all seen those heartbreaking commercials for dogs that have been abandoned or just in need of a loving home. These dogs are left on the side of the road to die because they are simply not wanted. There is a reason why dogs are often referred to as “man’s best friend.” Their loyalty, intelligence, devotion and affection are so strong that all they want is for someone to love them because they will love you unconditionally, no matter what. I have grown up with two dogs in my 17 years and they have made them the best 17 years of my life. My family and I adopted our two black labs from a lab rescue organization. Lab Rescue of the LRCP is a volunteer driven, non-profit organization. They rescue, foster, and place homeless, abused and/or abandoned Labrador Retrievers and they also provide a referral service for owners who are seeking to place their Labradors in new homes. When they first receive these labs, they are evaluated for temperament and then placed in a loving foster home where they are exercised and further evaluated as they await adoption. All of their dogs are brought up to date on their shots, they are each given a heartworm test and if needed they are spayed or neutered.

 

Kimber

 

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This is Kimber, she is five years old and she weighs 70 pounds. When she came to Lab Rescue she had a few health issues but they were glad to take care of them. She had two toes amputated but she will still able to run around and play. They have noticed how much better she is just because she is cared for and is given loving attention. She is currently in a foster home and has been doing very well. She recently had to have a toe removed on her right front paw because she had a tumor. It was very serious and horrible looking; Lab Rescue truly saved her life. They took her to Animal Medical Center and they took care of it right away. The doctors there were able to remove the tumor cleanly and they even took x-rays just in case to show that nothing had spread. Once her foot heals completely she should be able to walk and run with no problems. She is being very well taken care of by her foster parents. They’ve noticed Kimber is sleeping better and feeling better, especially because she loves her new doggy bed. Her life has changed dramatically and it couldn’t have happened without the help of Lab Rescue. How could you resist that sweet face? You can help save lives. By adopting a dog you are saving a life and giving a deserving animal a home. It feels great to help an innocent animal in need. They are so appreciative just to have someone love and care for them. Most rescue dogs are victims of a death in the family, illness, divorce or a move that didn’t involve them while some are just abused and left to die. You can make a difference and save a life instead of creating a new one. Next weeks post I will discuss my viewpoint on dog breeding and the negative affects it can have and why it should stop. Stay tuned!

 

Passion Blog Ideas

For my passion blog I am thinking about writing about the different scandals going on in todays sports world and the lengths some players are going in order to be the best. Some players would rather cheat or participate in illegal activity to win a game rather than to actually work hard and get better. Another topic I am thinking about is animal rescue and why people choose to buy dogs from a breeder instead of adopting or rescuing a dog that is in need of a home. Dogs just want a family and someone to love them and so many dogs get killed simply because they are not wanted and they are tossed aside like they are trash.