I hope that if you are looking for a pet you know to go to your local animal shelter. Our shelter here in Clovis holds animals for just a few days before gassing them. Thousands of animals are killed there each year, which is pretty terrible for a town of just 32,000. There isn't a viable spay/neuter program here, and a newly formed committee is just now looking into the idea of lethal injection as a hopefully more humane way of putting the animals down. For some reason, possibly because some people have such low incomes, spaying and neutering just don't happen here very much. We see animals running loose all the time.Hopefully your town is a little more enlightened than Clovis in this respect. When I lived in New Hampshire, there was a shortage of adoptable dogs because the public had been so well educated with regard to spaying and neutering. Dogs were brought in from kill shelters in other states.
Our beloved Leny was first an "unclaimed stray" in Ohio, then she was housed in a kill shelter there, then she was rescued and transported to the wonderful shelter in Stratham, NH where we found her. Our little Weetzie came from the kill shelter in Clovis, rescued on the day before her scheduled execution. They have brought so much love and enjoyment to our lives, and are truly members of the family. You can read their full (and somewhat fanciful) biographies and see more photos on Beez's blog, Pirate Dogs and Pilgrims.
Sometimes the dogs who are available in shelters have special needs and that is why I would like to recommend this wonderful blog, Blind Dog Running, to you and to anyone you know who might be interested. It's about "a great dog who just happens to be blind." The author, Velvet Sacks, has done a real service here for dogs with handicaps, because you can read the wonderful story of what living with a "challenged" dog is like and realize that you might like to welcome such an animal into your home and your life. On the blog, you will find sections about making life easier for you and your blind dog, as well as links to pet medical information and other blind dog sites.
Thank you, Velvet, for your blog. I believe that it will give a second chance to a great many deserving animals.
5 comments:
Wait, who's velvet and did I miss the link to her blog?
The link to the blog, Blind Dog Running, is in the next to the last paragraph. With my blog's new layout, links are in green--maybe a bit hard to see?
There, I've just changed some of the font colors. I hope they are easier to see now.
We recently adopted a wonderful pup named Chili Verde(she came with the name) from Watermelon Mountain Ranch, here in Rio Rancho.
She was brought in from ABQ animal control as a stray. She is one of the lucky ones, as WMR is a no-kill rescue. She is a shepherd mix about a yr. old, knows no strangers, excellent with kids and loves to play with my cat, Tigger.
Its so sad to go to a shelter and see all the homeless animals. After we move to Grants next year, we plan to adopt another dog or two. Wish could do it now, but its not feasible in a rental house.
Thank you so much for linking to Blind Dog Running. I hope the story of my delightful pooch, Butch, will alleviate any concerns others might have about adopting or living with a blind dog. Being around Butch has been an amazing experience for us, and I wouldn't hesitate to adopt another blind dog in the future.
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