Craigslist's best "missed connection" ever

You can find just about anything on Craigslist these days.  You could even reunite with a dog that you had to give up years ago--though maybe not on the "missed connections" section.  That is just what happened to Sandra Castillo and her dog, Milady.  Four years ago Sandra suffered from severe health problems and a six month hospitalization associated with her pregnancy and was forced to re-home her two dogs.  She was able to stay in touch with one of the new owners, but lost contact with Milady's new owner.  She would occasionally post messages on Craigslist looking to connect with them.  She never received a response.  Until a few weeks ago.

Sandra made a last ditch effort and decided to make one more post on Craigslist.  It turns out that the local rescue group, Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA), had recently sent out an email to supporters detailing the case of a cocker spaniel named Milady who was in terrible shape and desperately needed some TLC. Milady showed up with fur matted so bad around her ears that it was completely sealed and infected, and her nails were severely overgrown.  As you can see in the picture here--despite her painful mats, Milady still had a smile on her face (click here to see Milady post-shaving).  According to Jean Weber, the MSPCA’s director of animal protection, “Her personality is amazing and she has taught many of us about the benefits of perseverance.”  Sounds like she learned something from Saundra, who did not give up when she felt like Milady disappeared. Within just 20 minutes of her last Craigslist post, Sandra found her dog again.  Sandra was approved to re-adopt Milady, and the two have been reunited.

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Big hearts for Gulf Coast dogs

Shelters along the Gulf Coast have been inundated with animals from families that can no longer afford to care for them. St. Bernard Parish Shelter took in 170 animals in June alone.  NBC Nightly News did a story about the shelter, and now they are inundated with calls from new families! Even the 130 pound Benny now has a 10-person waiting list!  Read more about the available animals, or donate to a new program that will help other animals stay in their homes, visit the St. Bernard Parish Shelter website.  

You can watch the original story with some adorable footage of dogs in need, which caused hundreds to spring to action to help out.  Last night, NBC Nightly News did a follow up story about all the people around the country with big hearts reaching out to the animals in need.  The follow up story, part of their Making a Difference series, is below: 

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

What is fostering all about?

I got a rough start on the streets of North Carolina, but I was lucky enough to land in a foster home on my way to finding my forever home.  Having a foster home meant that I could live in a home instead of a shelter, where I could get used to things like people, doorbells, stairs, peeing outside, peanut butter, toys, and all the other comforts of a real home.  

Some dogs could use foster homes because they really need the TLC that would come with living full time with a caring person.  Cash strapped shelters with dozens, or even hundreds of dogs, just don't have the resources that some dogs need.  Alvin, for example, was not looking so great when he landed a temporary home with Jane, a volunteer with Waggytime Rescue in New York CIty.  Jane knew there was a great dog under the dirty matted coat, and she wanted to help Alvin shine.  Posted here are the before and after pictures of Alvin-look at that smile and bright eyes, a face full of expression, that you just couldn't see before. I bet feeling clean and cared for has a lot to do with the smile you see in that picture.  Jane really has done a fantastic job helping Alvin put his best paw forward as he looks for his forever home.  You can see more pictures of Alvin here on his petfinder page. According to his profile, "He loves sitting on laps, flopping over on a comfy couch and "dancing" for chicken treats."  Seems like life has really turned around for ALvin since landing in foster care.  And YES, he is still looking for you!

If you are thinking about fostering, you should know that there are all kinds of dogs out there that could use your help.  Some need some help coming out of their shell, some need a bath, and some just need a warm place to crash on their way to their forever home.  I love my home now, but I know that if it were not for the several foster parents I had through Homeward Trails Animal Rescue, I would not have the good life I have now.  

Viagra for Ingrid

Ingrid (pictured here) is a cheery pit bull terrier that landed in the Little Shelter Animal Rescue and Adoption Shelter two years ago with a severe heart condition and a variety of other ailments.  The good folks at Little Shelter were going to do whatever it took to get this sweet girl back in good health, even if it meant giving her Viagra. Wait, WHAT?

Yes, vets say that Viagra increases the blood flow and keeps Ingrid's heart healthy.  Viagra, at $10/day, is not a cheap medication for any cash-strapped shelter.  Little shelter is now asking for charitable folks to come forward with some spare pills from their last prescription.  According to LA Times Unleashed, "One woman donated her husband's stash to the dog because she suspected he was having an affair." Hey, whatever works.  According to the NY Daily News, Ingrid came to their shelter two years ago, and they launched a very successful Viagra collection, but that supply has been almost completely depleted.

Ingrid is still looking for a home that can support her Viagra needs.  With a daily little blue pill, she is expected to live a long normal life.  Contact Little Shelter in Long Island if you have some spare pills, or room for a sweet bully.  NY Daily News has another beautiful picture of her here.

While the treatment isn't yet mainstream for dogs, who'd have thought that female dogs like Ingrid would get their paws on Viagra before human women? FDA is currently considering extending Viagra availability to women, in fact, the Reproductive Health Drugs Advisory Committee meets today to discuss the "little pink pill."

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Cats are OK too

Being a dog, I like to focus on dogs in the news, but June is Adopt-A-Shelter-Cat month, so I figured I should lend a paw to promote the cause.  Like dogs, too many cats end up in shelters by no fault of their own, so please consider adopting if you are looking to bring any pet--cat, dog, ferret, parakeet--into your home.  Petfinder has over 125,000 cats available for adoption on their site--so I am sure you could find just the guy you are looking for!

Petfinder is promoting Adopt-A-Shelter-Cat month though their Whiskers photo contest.   They have lots of categories, including "Best Duo"--and I hope an adoptable cat-dog pair wins that one to spread the word that sometimes dogs and cats CAN get along--like Smiles & Amie who were seeking to land a home together.  Or the boston terrier and cat cuddle action in this youtube video below.

If you can't adopt, but are looking for your cat fix, check out YourDailyCute.com for mostly cat-related cuteness.  Pimp the former shelter cat is the inspiration behind YourDailyCute, and he is pictured above demonstrating how to achieve ultimate cuteness with the classic "outstretched paw" move.

Fit feds and DC's shelter dogs

The Obama administration is teaming up with the Washington Humane Society to promote a fun way to get exercise while giving back to the community.  Through the "Feds Get Fit" program, the Department of Labor is encouraging employees to get some exercise while lending a hand to local homeless dogs.  But since pairing up with a four legged partner is known to increase an individual's commitment to an exercise plan, federal employees are encouraged to run or walk on the National Mall with a four legged partner that is in need of extra love.  Dogs living at the Washington Humane Society are busy looking for their forever home, but could use a little extra exercise in the meantime.   According to FIDO Friendly Magazine, WHS's PACK program "pairs volunteers with adoptable shelter dogs for regular jogs at local parks.  Currently there are more than 100 runners who participate in the bi-weekly jogs."

President Obama has declared May to be National Physical Fitness and Sports Month, and this is a great way to kick off the first year.  He and the First Lady Michelle Obama are pictured here being fit on a private hike while on vacation in Blue Ridge Parkway outside of Asheville, N.C., where they ran into one lucky dog and his people! [Photo Credit: Pete Souza]

If you live in the Washington, DC area and are interested in joining the PACK, visit WHS's website to learn how to sign up.  If you live somewhere else--remember that dogs (and people) everywhere are looking for exercise partners.  Call your local shelter to check their hours--you probably just need to sign a release, but otherwise it is easy to get a part time exercise partner if you don't have time to adopt.  These dogs need you, and they will help you out by keeping you to your exercise plan!

Prosthetic paw has Sully running again

Sully was sure down on his luck. The Great Pyrenees was walking down the side of the road as best he could missing one of his rear paws. It had been amputated by his previous owner, but it appeared he had been living on his own for a bit, as he was underweight.

A good samaritan came his way and helped Sully link up with the Great Pyrenees Rescue Society right there in Texas. The rescue group immediately sprang into action and got this big guy over to the Texas A&M Vet School. The vets worked with Ortho Pets Inc in Colorado to set Sully up with a custom-fit prosthetic paw! Sully can not only walk again, but even run! Check out the video from KBTX.

Things get even better--While Sully was in the excellent foster care of a veterinary student, he found a forever home! His new family is out in Connecticut....where I bet he will go on to live a great life. What a great story about people from all over the county coming together to help out one dog down on his luck.

While Sully has a home now, Blue, pictured here does not. Contact the Great Pyrenees Rescue Society to learn more about him and other available dogs.

Stamps to the Rescue

Animal Rescue has another big advocate this week: the United States Post Office! They just announced their "Stamps to the Rescue" campaign. The postal stamps feature adorable pictures of 10 dogs and cats that found their forever homes by way of a shelter. Through the campaign, they hope to raise awareness about pet adoption. They have some big names promoting the campaign---including Ellen Degeneres, the Humane Society of the United States, Petfinder, and several others. During the Campaign, Halo pet food will be donating one million meals to shelter pets around the country.

Ellen described how you can help: "The first thing you can do is adopt a shelter pet, just like it says on the stamp. That's one less mouth to feed for these under-funded animal shelters across the country. More importantly, you'll give an abandoned pet a true home -- and change your own life in the process."

If your house is already full of four legged family members, you can help out by buying a book of stamps for $8.80 to support the campaign. If you want other merchandise from the campaign, check out the USPS store online.

The big "O" for Best Friends

Some big news for one of my favorite charities, Best Friends Animal Society--They were selected to be featured in O magazine as one of Oprah's top ten charities. This is basically the equivalent of being selected as one of Oprah's "favorite things" but for charities.

In celebration of the magazine's ten year anniversary, the are doing a "Live Your Best Life" fundraising walk in NYC over mother's day weekend. Some walks are targeted to just one cause, but this is targeted to ten, allowing more people to participate to help charities that may not have the resources to organize something like this one their own. Even if you can't walk, you can still help fundraise of course. Oprah is planning some exciting prizes for the top fundraisers, and Best Friends is offering some very cool incentives too.

If you needed a reason to participate, or to give, you should read about all the great work that Best Friends does on their website. If you already know and love Best Friends, like me, you will enjoy this adorable video of nine puppies that recently landed at their sanctuary in Kanab, UT. Sure, the video is super cute (especially the synchronized head tilting at the end), but the best part is knowing that all of these puppies will find great forever homes because of the angels working on their behalf.

Champ needs his own hero now

Four year old german shepherd, Champ, lived up to his name when protecting his family from burglars. This dog took five bullets to protect his family. Amazingly he survived, but with some serious injuries. His family could not afford his treatment, and decided to euthanize him. Well, Coastal German Shepherd Rescue of Southern California stepped in to make sure Champ got another chance at life.

Veterinarians say that Champ was lucky that all the bullets exited his body, and he is not expected to suffer from any long term troubles once he recovers. His treatment and recovery is not cheap, and the rescue that currently has custody of him is seeking donations. His last challenge in his recovery will be finding a new forever home....but I have a feeling that there will be lots of folks wanting this real, live, dog-hero in their house.

Hunting for forever homes

Some hunters take great care of their dogs, while some consider them disposable. The latter was the case with pack of four beagles left behind in Long Island. As some out of town hunters do--the dogs were probably left behind after they didn't return immediately after a hunting trip.

The pack was looking to local humans for help, but some were understandably a little intimidated by the four dogs approaching! Luckily, they were eventually picked up by the Southold Animal Shelter. The dogs garnered some media attention, in part because of community concerns about the problem of abandoned hunting dogs in the North Fork area. Thanks to the news coverage, Southold Animal Shelter was flooded with adoption requests for member of this pack. Two of them already have new homes--forever homes this time around.

A paw in the door

A good headshot can get you in the door in LA. A bad one can keep you out. If you spend time browsing Petfinder like me, you know that some of the dogs looking for homes have photos that don't seem to capture their best side. It is understandable, not every homeless dog has the help of a professional photographer. Well, that is where Seth Casteel comes in. Seth is a professional pet photographer who volunteers in the LA area to help make sure more dogs have great headshots to get the attention necessary to find the forever homes they desperately need. Check out Seth's before and after shots that helped these dogs find homes:

If you are a professional photographer that has a way with pets, think about volunteering your skills to help a shelter near you!

A big wag to my friend Surf Dog Ricochet for the tip, and congratulations are meeting your $10,000 goal on your latest fundraising campaign!

Rolling Dog Ranch

Rolling Dog Ranch is this amazing sanctuary in Blackfoot River Valley of western Montana. It is the one and only animal sanctuary of its kind--they cater to disabled pets. They have 60 animals right now, and 40 of them are blind. The couple that started Rolling Dog Ranch knew that animals with disabilities deserve a second chance too. Steve Smith, the cofounder, puts it this way: "They don't feel sorry for themselves. They don't want you to feel sorry for them. They just want a chance to get on with life and enjoy themselves."

Sarah Ause, the staff photographer at Best Friends Animal Society recently made a visit up there and documented their work. Don't miss the amazing slideshow of her visit here. Be sure to read Sarah's full story that accompanies the slide show to learn more about pet blindness and the amazing hearts of the founders of Rolling Dog Ranch.

You can also read more about Rolling Dog Ranch, and offer your support, by visiting their website.

Using the internet to find forever homes

Ranger was found last summer as a stray in Kansas, and won over the hearts of the shelter workers that he too came to love. But for no obvious reason, they had trouble placing him in a forever home locally. The clever folks at the shelter turned to facebook to help Ranger find a home. Kelli Cameron of St. Charles, Illinois came across the facebook update and knew she had to do something.

Kelli already did some volunteer work with her local shelter, but something about Ranger made her feel like she needed to do more. She was trying to place Ranger through people that she knew, and gave regular updates to her husband about this far-away dog in need. Then he offered up a novel solution--that they bring Ranger into their family!

The action that followed would have been impossible without the availability of internet networking. A muti-state web of dedicated dog lovers coordinated a flight though Pilots-n-Paws from Kansas, to Missouri, to Iowa, to Illinois. A sweet, sweet landing for Ranger was at the end of it all--with his new family and forever home.

This inseparable dog-cat duo needs a home!

Smiles was pretty upset after losing her buddy in a train accident. She had an injured paw, but did not want to come in for help because it meant leaving her buddy for good. Once she came in to the vet in southern Virginia, they fixed her up and put her in the quieter part of the shelter--the cat room--so she could rest. She was still depressed over the loss of her friend, but one of the cats came by to cheer her up. Amie, a cat that was abandoned at the shelter, started cuddling with Smiles constantly.

Homeward Trails Animal Rescue heard of their story and offered to bring them into their rescue program in Arlington, VA, and promised to find them a home together. In describing the pair, founder Sue Bell said, "It was as if they'd been looking for each other forever." Hopefully the publicity that they recently got in PeoplePets.com will help them find a forever home soon. In the meantime, I know that the folks at Homeward Trails are taking excellent care of them--because Sue and the good people at Homeward Trails took care of me for 6 months before I found my forever home! Homeward Trails just celebrated their 8th year, and 7,000th adoption--hopefully Smiles and Amie will be 7,001 and 7,002.

If you are interested in adopting this one of a kind pair, email their Homeward Trails adoption coordinator, Maria, at maria.glezos@verizon.net.

Bahama Potcakes

This lucky dog just got back from a vacation in The Bahamas! It may be paradise, but there are still lots of homeless dogs there. I spent one morning with two of my human friends doing a little volunteering at the Grand Bahama Humane Society. The workers were sure happy to have the help--they have over 300 dogs to take care of! They have 112 kennels to clean and 200 adult dogs to walk every day--and they go through 100 pounds of food a day. The shelter was overcrowded, with 2-3 dogs per indoor kennel, and half of them in semi-covered outdoor kennels. They spend $1,500/ month just on cleaning supplies, and run 25 loads of laundry a day. You can learn more about their challenges and hard work in this youtube video. Most of the dogs there were from the street, so they were not used to being around humans, let alone on leashes, but were still friendly and grateful for the attention. They all looked like mutts, but down there they call them "potcakes," which I love!

Between the three of us, we walked 15 dogs that morning. Of course, we set aside a little time to play with the puppies--who were in need of some human socialization. It was a lot of fun, and felt great to help out, even just a little. After we got off of our sailboat later in the day and came across an very skinny injured stray on the beach, I found comfort in knowing I was able to help out other dogs that came from that kind of tough life. Think about looking up the local animal shelter next time you travel, a little more volun-tourism can go a long way in communities struggling to help their homeless dogs. Here a few pics from the day:

LA's chihuahua surplus

Chihuahuas are in-then-out, in Los Angeles. They are the most popular breed in LA, but there are also the most abandoned. Lots of folks see celebrities like Paris Hilton with one of these little dogs, and try to imitate the latest trend. The movie Beverly Hills Chihuahua didn't help the situation either. The problem is that dogs, especially small dogs, live longer than most trends. Also, chihuahuas can fetch high vet bills because of their fragile frames. Just because they are small does not mean they are always well behaved. So some of these mini pups may grow up to be a little too unruly for owners looking for a purse, not a dog a dog that needs some training. Shelters, in turn, are overflowing with these little guys by no fault of their own.

The silver lining of the story is that other shelters in the country have a shortage of small dogs and are trying to help pick up the slack. The ASPCA in New York City even says that they do not have enough chihuahuas to meet the demand of folks looking to adopt. The rescue community in LA is working hard to place these pups in shelters that have room. Oakland Animal Services alone has placed over 100 chihuahuas in Washington, Oregon and Arizona. The biggest hurdle is the transportation costs to get these little guys to other areas where homes are available.

If you are interested in helping, check out the following links:

Oakland Animal Services

SPCA of Los Angeles

[Image courtesy of Getty Images]

Christmas Shopping? Don't get a puppy.

Giving a puppy as a gift is not always a good idea. Bringing a dog into your home is a major commitment and the whole family should discuss the expectations and responsibilities. But people still give puppies as gifts for Christmas. After just a few days of picking up puppy poop that they didn't ask for, many of these dogs end up in shelters.

This is such a problem that one of the major dog rescue organizations in London is not allowing any new adoptions between December 20 and January 2. The Dog Trust hopes that this policy will minimize the number of pups showing up at their shelters after the holidays. During this time, you can go to the shelter and pick out a puppy, but will have to wait until after January 2 to take your new family member home.

This is part of the 30+ year effort to reduce the dog-as-gift problem in England. In 1978, one fifth of all dogs in the country were gifted. Now that is down under two percent--but that is still over 100,000 puppies every year going into homes that did not think through this major life decision.

Not sure if your ready for the full commitment of dog ownership, but want to try it over the holidays? Shelters all across the United States are participating in a program called "Foster a Lonely Pet for the Holidays." Shelters are joining together on Petfinder.com to get lonely shelter dogs a warm place to rest their heads during Christmas time.

If you haven't even started the conversation in your home, you might want to stick with the Zhu Zhu robotic hamster, which if you have not heard, is one of the hottest gifts for the 2009 holiday season.

Puppies help with finals, but these students need another lesson

Final exams are one thing that I am glad dogs don't have to deal with. But did you know that dogs can make finals easier on humans? Chapman University did more than offer midnight snacks and free coffee this year. They held an event called "Furry Friends for Finals." According to the student organizer, Jennifer Heinz, "It has been proven that having a dog helps relieve stress, so we thought it would be a cute idea if we brought some furry friends on campus." It sounds like a great idea!

I could have ended the story there, but when I find a neat event like this I usually like to profile the participating animal rescue organization. Well, through my investigative journalism skills, I learned that instead of picking up some homeless pups from a local shelter to share the stress relief with dogs in need, the student group rented, (yes, rented!) puppies from company that leases puppies from breeders for "puppy parties." The company charges $200 for 90 minutes of puppy party play time and $500 for 5 hours. Sorry, I am not going to be providing a link to this business.

The students should have reached out to their local shelter for some more meaningful playtime, while giving homeless pets some valuable socialization and cuddle time. Not only would that have been free, it would have been the right thing to do. If the student organizers from Chapman University are interested in doing this at the end of next semester, they should check out this list I compiled on Petfinder.com on all the animal rescue groups near the school. These students are onto something, but need another lesson.

Foster a Lonely Pet for the Holidays

The great folks at Petfinder.com are partnering with Hallmark this holiday season to promote fostering. The program is called "Foster a Lonely Pet for the Holidays." Hallmark is showing the special "A Dog Named Christmas" during the holiday season to help raise awareness about homeless pets. Petfinder.com has partnered with over 2,000 shelters around the country to help find temporary homes for pets between Christmas Eve and New Years Day.

Hopefully some of these folks will realize the joys of fostering and help lots more homeless pets out by providing a loving place to stay while they find their forever home. I was lucky enough to be in a safe warm foster home for the 6 months that it took me to get from the streets to my forever home. If you have some extra space in your warm home this holiday season, you can find a local participating organization at Petfinder.com.