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My BBD Rescued Me

June 25th, 2010

Emma

Last week’s post was on Big Black Dog Syndrome. When I was writing that post, I reminded myself that I have my own tale of how our Big Black Dog, Emma, literally rescued me:

Looking back, it’s fitting the first time I saw Emma, I was driving out of our suburban neighborhood on my way to our leased land to feed our horses.

Emma was coming out of a pond, walking up a hill, soaking wet.

I saw her again on another blistering hot day a few days later. She had made her way back to our neighborhood. I opened the back gate. She came to the back porch, lapped water and eagerly ate the only dog food I had – senior small dog bites.

Our first rescue, a black and brown miniature Dachshund named Hershey, was in her golden years and she was an only dog-child because she didn’t like kids or other dogs. We didn’t want to upset the end of her life and I didn’t know how Emma would get along with our two cats.

However, Emma didn’t leave and no one responded to my “Found Dog” ads in the local newspapers. Of course, the no-kill shelter was full.

A day later, I finally let Emma in the house. Hershey, wasn’t upset by Emma’s presence; she paid Emma no mind at all. Emma also ignored the cats.

My elderly mother had been afraid of big dogs since being bitten as a child, but she took Emma’s face in her hands and they met each other’s eyes. Emma was definitely “Grammy’s” girl.

Hershey, Emma and I would go to the barn each day. Emma would jump from the truck and run the land, leaping on top of 1,500-pound hay bales, swimming in the pond and chasing wildlife (she never caught any).

I usually didn’t see much of her until it was time to leave.

On December 1, we got out of the truck and Emma took off to play and run. I had two senior horses, but fed Santana, the younger one, to keep her from bothering the two seniors.

As I sat the last bucket down, I heard the unmistakable roar of hooves coming at me. By the time I spun around, the only thing I saw was a very large, open mouth clamping down on my upper left chest. When Santana locked her jaw, she flung me backwards.

I was lying on the ground, staring straight up. I heard that roar of a galloping horse coming toward me again, Santana was in a fury and directing it right at me. Dazed and in shock, I couldn’t move.

Suddenly, Emma appeared, barking and biting at Santana’s legs. She not only stopped a 1,000 + pound animal several times her size, but backed Santana into the corner of the corral, giving me time to get to my feet.

The dog no one wanted the summer before had managed to literally save me from being stomped to death.

Now a senior, Emma is still spry and always ready to go for a run or swim on our rural property with her pittie sister, Sade. Emma can no longer jump up on 4 foot high hay bales – we have to help her get in the truck now days – but I have no doubt that if anything charged at me even today she would get between us and put up the fight of her life.

I don’t consider Emma finding us on that hot day 9 years ago the day we saved Emma; I consider it the day that led her to rescue me.

Do you have a story of when a pet you rescued literally saved your life?

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Tags: BBDs, Big Black Dog Syndrome, Emma, My BBD Rescued Me, Rescue Me
Posted in K9 Rescue | 15 Comments »

Big Black Dog Syndrome

June 18th, 2010

One of the BBD's at the shelter this week

I began volunteering this week with a network of people who are helping rescue dogs from a very high kill, “heart stick” shelter that doesn’t have public adoptions in the city nearest our rural home.

I learned something this week about “euthanasia” in our municipal shelters and was also reminded of a syndrome affecting black dogs in those shelters.

Contrary to the belief that every shelter kills unwanted animals humanely by administering a shot, many shelters still use the gas chamber and others use the heart stick method. This has been described as an agonizing death in which the pets are stuck directly in the heart with a deadly cocktail (heart stick).

The flurry of activity by the network of animal lovers and rescuers was all consuming the night before the appointed rescue was to go and pull the lucky ones from the facility on Tuesday morning. We raised over $1,600 and the rescue was able to pull 17 of the 23 dogs at the shelter.

Great for the 17, but the odds for the six that remained dwindled to nearly 0%.

When I heard from the director of the rescue that pulled the dogs that all that were left behind were BBDs, or Big Black Dogs (mostly black and chocolate labs or lab mixes), I was reminded of the story my friend, Deb Hipp, wrote for The Bark magazine back in 2006, which I believe was the first time I heard of Big Black Dog Syndrome.

The syndrome is all too familiar to rescues and shelters, many of which try in vain to find homes for the numerous Big Black Dogs that sit waiting for their forever homes for weeks, months and in some rescues, even years.

As Deb wrote in her article, “One shelter’s website just came right out with the grim truth: The general public is not aware of how doomed black dogs are when they are brought to a pound.”

Animal experts and those who rescue have long theorized why Big Black Dogs have such a hard time finding homes. The reasons they’ve cited include:

• Superstition surrounding black dogs. Much like black cats, some people feel black dogs are bad luck or “evil.” Some also fear BBDs, thinking black dogs look more menacing or are more aggressive. There has never been any proof that this is true.
• BBD’s tend not to photograph well in dimly lit shelters, making them less attractive on Internet websites.
• Big dogs in general are just harder to place in most areas of the country.

Tamara Delaney launched Black Pearl Dogs back in 2005 as a way to help educate the public. Take a look at the site, there’s a lot of good information on Big Black Dogs.

Did you know the death rate for Big Black Dogs in shelters is much higher than that of other dogs? What do you think can be done to change the public perception?

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Tags: Big Black Dog Syndrome, Black Pearl Dogs, Debb Hipp, The Bark
Posted in K9 Rescue | 17 Comments »

Creatives Unite with Animal Welfare Orgs

June 11th, 2010

Are you an animal welfare group in need of a web or graphic designer, or how about a writer for a press release?

Are you a creative who loves animals who also wants to help give back to animals?

Linda Formichelli’s Creative Professionals for Animal Welfare (Creative PAW) is just the place for all of you. The service pairs animal loving creative volunteers with animal welfare organizations that need a 1- time creative professional to complete a task such as updating a website, creating a graphic for a fund raiser, writing a press release, editing a newsletter or other creative jobs.

Linda developed the database of creatives to help animal welfare organizations over two years ago.

“I was walking with my husband and I told him I knew I wanted to do more with animal welfare,” says Linda, who is a freelance writer and author. “I somehow wanted to use my creative ability.”
Linda knew by volunteering with shelters and at feral feline clinics that most shelters and rescue organizations don’t have the resources necessary to have good marketing campaigns.

“The creative marketing just kind of falls by the wayside,” says Linda.

Originally, Creative Professionals for Animal Welfare was a database that allowed animal welfare organizations to search for the creative talent they needed.

However, the process has recently changed. Now the animal welfare organization fills out a request and Linda forwards the request to a list serve of about 100 creative professionals. If a professional can help, they will contact the animal welfare organization.

Linda doesn’t know how many organizations have been helped as it is up to the rescues and shelters to follow up. “I’ve heard from about 20 of them,” says Linda.

One of those, the Friends of Cullman Animal Shelter, had one of the Creative PAW create a t-shirt logo (pictured). A representative of the organization wrote Linda to say the run of 100 shirts were all sold and the money helped save 40 cats.

If you’re a Creative

Before Linda recently changed the database to a listserve, she had about 2,000 volunteers and that number dwindled to 100 when she changed the procedure. Creative P.A.W.s can always use volunteers. Simply go to the registration page and fill it out. You’ll start receiving emails about on a weekly basis with volunteer opportunities listed. You can then contact the organization directly to offer your volunteer services.

If you’re an animal welfare organization, rescue or shelter

You must be a legitimate 501 (c)3 non profit organization in need of a 1-time project (for example, you can’t hire a writer to editor to write/edit an ongoing project such as a monthly newsletter). “This is not an unpaid part time job,” says Linda. “We want to make sure the organizations aren’t just trying to get free work.” If you need a volunteer, go to this page and fill out the form. Once you receive responses, Linda says it is the job of the organization to make sure the professional is right for your project. When the job is done, follow up with Linda. Success stories make her day!

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Tags: Creative Professionals for Animal Welfare, Creatives Unite with Animal Welfare Orgs, volunteering for animal welfare organizations
Posted in K9 Rescue | 3 Comments »

Onerous Adoption Requirements and the Rescue Movement

June 4th, 2010

Emma, our BBD

Many people have always told us that any of our rescues that ended up with us have the life.

We’ve spent enough on premium diets, veterinary care, pet nannies, treats and toys over the years to fund a decent retirement account. Our lives revolve around our dogs and they are loved unconditionally. We’re not perfect pet parents, but I think we do a pretty good job.

Still, some rescues would deny us the chance to adopt from them. The biggest issue that doesn’t make our home adequate is that our 10 acres in our very rural, mountainous area is not fenced. Ideal? No, but Sade, our pittie, and Emma, our BBD (Big Black Dog),  didn’t end up in our municipal shelter. That’s important because our shelter where we lived in the city had a pit bull ban and an 80% kill rate. Emma and Sade get plenty of exercise and for the most part, stay around our home when they’re out.

Our Pittie, Sweet Sade Sue

I understand the reasoning behind the adoption rules. Rescues want the safest possible environment for their charges, these animals have had a rough go of it, and rescues do not want to put them back in bad situations. They also do not want them returned.

However, is the rescue movement hurting itself when it is seeking the ideal situation and doesn’t look at the whole picture in an application? If the rules are too egregious, are rescues forcing people to seek backyard breeders or puppy mills?
Here are some examples of people who have actually been denied adopting from a rescue:

• My friend has always had Airedale Terriers. Like her parents before, she always bought them from breeders she found in the newspaper. She did rescue one, a dog that simply existed in a fenced backyard without any companionship and hardly adequate food, water and shelter. When she wanted a second dog, I finally talked her into seeking another homeless dog from her local Airedale rescue. Although she had 50+ years of experience with the breed and had the one rescue at home already, she was denied because her rural five acres was not fenced. Ironic, given the situation her one rescue was in before she brought him home. She sought a backyard breeder in the newspaper and vowed to me she would never be made to feel she “wasn’t good enough to have a dog again.”
• Many rescues will not adopt to people over a certain age. We recently adopted our foster boy, Buddy, to an active, healthy 83-year-old. Our vet said Buddy couldn’t have found a better home (and by all accounts, it has worked out wonderfully). We did stipulate that should anything happen to him, Buddy is to be returned.
• One large breed rescue I heard about will not adopt any of their dogs to people who don’t have large breed experience.
• One rescue wouldn’t adopt to a couple because the dog wouldn’t be allowed to sleep in their bed.
• One potential adopter never did learn why she was rejected; she was just told she was denied. She lost a dog she fell in love with, but did find another rescue that did adopt to her.
• When this report came out a month ago about the effects of second hand smoke on pets, a rescue commented on Facebook, “I won’t adopt to a smoker.” A rescue would turn down an otherwise potentially perfect pet home because there’s a smoker in the home? This report also suggests pet lovers will go outside to smoke – or even quit – when they know the possible side effects of second hand smoke on their pets. Why not educate them and hope for the best?

In all of these instances, there was no give or leeway for special circumstances (for example, most rural homes with acreage are not fenced, but other precautions can be taken). No helping the potential adopter meet the requirements or a questionnaire that digs deeper, focusing on people’s experience, attitudes toward animals and their intentions toward them.

Is it better to have a lower return rate or a higher rate of people being turned off rescue by being rejected? How many more animals could be pulled from kill facilities if there was more room in rescues and no kill facilities due to fewer rejected applications?

Your thoughts? I would love to hear from pet lovers and rescues. Let’s start a productive conversation.

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Tags: BBDs, Big Black Dogs, Onerous Adoption Requirements and the Rescue Movement, pet adoption requirements, pit bulls
Posted in K9 Rescue | 56 Comments »