Rest In Peace Friend.............

I have often said that in Great Dane Rescue you don’t have to worry so much about the dogs as generally you can make things happen, but your worries come from those who consider you their competitor.  Sometimes the world of Dane rescue can become the most cut throat business around.  There seems to be a constant gaggle of this way is my way and if it isn’t your way it is wrong.  If you don’t agree with my way then automatically I don’t like you and am unwilling to see yours.  It is often said by many other rescue groups they are glad they don’t do Dane rescue for this very reason.  

We should face facts that not everyone will be alike.  There was no manual for rescue.  There were no guidelines with exception to those in which your board put forth.  There are no laws that make rescues stay in one certain line of operation.  At the end of the day it is a group of people who came together because they fell in love with a breed.  The very love that drives us to do this hard work is the same love that turns humans against one another.

We help our younger groups get started in Dane Rescue and we sing their praises as they grow and become a group in which makes us proud.  We stay with them and watch them as they grow, not because we don’t trust them, but because we want to see them soar.  We offer a hand to the rescues in need and yes frankly we stay away from some who are less than reputable--with reasons in which we each develop in our own minds.  Each person’s idea of reputable is different and no one opinion is the right one.  

Although I watch as the people turn against one another in rescue I as well watch amazing things come from their love for the breed.  The Great Dane Rescue Community has lost one of our own, Mr. John Sasser, may he rest in peace.  John was responsible for saving the lives of many Danes over the years and our community will have an empty spot missing that love without him in it.  John took on those dogs that no one else would.  He loved them back to life and found them forever homes in which agreed to keep them until their last breaths.  And though he will be sorely missed, the Rainbow Bridge was rocking as he walked that path.  There were many who waited to see him again.  And many who never knew a kind hand but his own.  I pray their journey was one of joyous peace in which all wagging tails joined John for that walk we all wait upon.

I watched those who had a love for Danes, not just John Sasser come together last night and make the plans for those animals in which needed them.  Last night was not about overblown egos, who was right, who wasn’t, who did it this way or that, no one cared what group they were from…..I watched Dane people come together to honor a man who was loved by many, in his death, for the dogs.  It is exactly as John would have wanted to see things happen i believe.  It was exactly as it should have been.  And it made me proud to be a Dane person as it seems those of us who are in it for the dogs came to the table with our feelings in our pockets and willingness to end the drama in which normally surrounds us all.

When Amy Mumpower and I started Dames for Danes we were $50 in the negative and had a very aggressive biting Fawn Female Dane.  We had no supporters, we had no money, and we had nothing.  We made calls to several rescues for help and were continually turned down.  One last call to John Sasser and he said YES.  He said yes I will help you.  I will never forget his kindness and nor will I forget the success he made out of that nasty biting Fawn Female.  Through his love she perfected.  And today she laid snuggly on the couch turning old and gray in her end, with people who love her completely.  

Rescues are a dying breed.  If you look around you see that rescues come and go on a daily basis.  The work is hard and the bad moments are heartless.   It is a 24/7 job in which never sleeps.  The backyard breeders who could care less, out number rescues 10-1.  It would only make sense for us to take a look deep inside and say to one another…can I help you?  Can I offer my thoughts even if you choose not to use them?  Can I share your application?  Can I send adopters your way?  How can we reach out to one another?  How can we end the madness in which envelopes us at times? 

In honor of the memory of John Sasser, we at Dames will reach out a little farther.  We will hold back a little less in being critical within our thinking.  We will honor the memory of a man who did what most other rescues can’t and won’t do……he took those in which no one else would take.  Who could argue that one?  I ask that since the Olive Branch has been extended and we come together for the sake of the dogs in one night despite all in which is different…..could we try to do this every day?  Could we view this as a joint effort rather than a competition?  It isn’t a competition in this rescue world……..it is about life and watching that life benefit from love of the heart.

My Love to every one of you who do Dane Rescue.  You are my brothers and sisters in this fight.  I realize that means sometimes brothers and sisters argue, they disagree, but overall they come together in unity because like it or not folks…we are a family.  One big family, with one big love for our breed.  We should honor that love.

Again……..Rest in Peace John Sasser.  Please give kisses to those who wait for me. 

I will see you all again one day……just not quite yet.

Special Dogs..............

It is a sad day in rescue when one rescue continually makes up detrimental lies about another to find self benefit in their own actions in which are less than stellar.  My heart hurts when the very ones speaking of high egos cannot let go of their own to see their true flaws.  When thinking of a special dog, one must know that there are experts in which have advised on a proper course of living for that special dog and an inexpert opinion wasn’t an option. Although thankful for the offer of a hand, it wasn’t needed as a game plan was in action as directed by the expert advising. The saddest part of all is that all in which have such an opinion, hope, thought etc, of the special dog, not one of them was jumping at a chance to give this dog a forever home or even to foster for an extended period of time. That would have been an option. 

Each rescue has opinions, policies, and experts whom deal with their issues and whom they go to for their advice.  And although each individual rescue feels they could do a better job, at the end of the day it all comes out the same color in the wash.  Good work stands in the records with the veterinarians who service these rescues.  Good work stands in the numbers.  You must have numbers to first take a look at what you are doing. 

It is as well a sad day in rescue when others buy into lies in which they could know the answer to if they simply asked.  And to allow continual battering of the character of a group who has been owned by Danes their entire life, rehomed hundreds, without asking is a bigger shame.  As well to buy into these lies in which could be discounted, by simply asking, makes one just as bad as the other.

Just the other night it was brought to someone’s attention for the millionth time about a group who was labeled as ‘dog killers’ for the death of a 12 week old puppy.  It was a horrific rumor which held no truth, no credit, and came from the mouth of someone who knew the truth but despite that truth could not go back on what she told.  The person who heard this rumor and was a part of spreading it met the 12 week old puppy who is no longer 12 weeks but closer to 12 months of age now.  Living, breathing, and happy. And knowing this sent an email to apologize for being part of that kind of ugliness.  It was so nice to see that someone sees a little clearer that the rumor was vicious and more than untrue.  It was as well good to see that the truth always comes to light.

Take Dames for Danes, although not perfect by any means we have an extremely low euthanasia rate.  Dogs are not put down for being old, heartworm positive, or for even making a mistake such as a nip on a child. Dames have had dogs who have stayed in foster care for as long as two years time, despite the outcry from those in which thought they took too much funding. 

We could take Blue for instance.  Blue bit a child in his forever home.  He was truly misplaced there as a senior with a large number of children, but a board member felt so strongly he should be moved it was rushed and the board allowed it to go through. (Total mistake by the Board to not have outvoted this)  Blue being a senior was not enamored with a child playing in his food bowl and bit the child terribly.  Policy generally dictates the bite of a child, the dog goes down.  That is a fairly common policy among rescues.  However one board member knew this dog and when he came back she looked into his eyes, watched his demeanor with the older children and could not put him down for his mistake.  It was truly a fight among the board that this dog should be put to sleep and we should not place him into foster care.  The board was upheld by this issue and one in particular fought terribly hard for this boy.  However a foster was located with no children, and there he was placed.  The board member felt strongly enough she would have taken him into her own home if she had too.  For almost two years his vet bills were paid via the rescue.  And at two years and two months, he was adopted to the perfect home.  Although a bitter subject among board members, it worked out and Blue is happy in his surroundings.

Or we could take Rosie.  Rosie seemed to always do well with children but received her forever home only to rush across a room many weeks later and bite a three year old on Christmas Eve.  It was a bite which did require some medical attention.  Rather than euthanize this dog, we found a suitable home for her in which did not have small children or access to them and today she is happy.

Another special boy named Andy who was bounced from home to home because he was extremely misunderstood.  There was a board member who felt he could not make it in a home life.  There were two who felt differently.  The end vote which included the silent voters of the board, won out and he was granted a chance at life yet again simply a matter of finding the right place.  And although I don’t think his foster parent intended on having him forever, the foster failed and this boy is so much loved and happy.  It didn’t come without a price for Andy……..he was bounced far more times than he should have been before he got there. However in the end ….. he got his perfect forever with the perfect person to love him.

You will ask me why there is a difference for some and not others.  There are some dogs out there that are simply not meant to be rehomed.  There are some dogs who will be a great risk to the general public and should not be trusted in any capacity.  There are many different levels of aggression or issues in which sometimes sadly cannot be fixed no matter how hard you try.  Aggression is not growling, pinning, snarling, or barking.  Although some will say it is aggressive behavior it isn’t.  So many humanize these dogs to a point where they feel aggression is a common term and should fit the above actions.  So many forget at the end of the day, dogs cannot talk like you or I, but depend on these actions to let another know they are unhappy.  Biting, tearing, unpredictable behaviors, blood, vet visits, hospital visits can be among those things in which can lead a rescue to find a dog is not safe. 

Most recently a dog came into a local shelter that injured a six year old child.  This wasn’t a nip.  It wasn’t one stitch.  It wasn’t a bruise.  This dog nearly mutilated this child.  The child had wounds in which were so horrific that he will live with them for a lifetime.  Many plastic surgeries, much pain, and no relief for many years to come of skin grafts, this child suffered.  He suffered for being across the street from a home he had never visited playing football with a friend.  The dog escaped the fencing and went directly for the child he had never met and dragged him while tearing into him, while an older child being injured too tried to save the six year old.  Funny enough someone at the shelter found he was a good dog and thought he should be saved.  They contacted Dames for this boy and we declined immediately.  The attack was brutal and was meant to kill the child.  Some place now this dog is out there because someone didn’t have the good sense to stop this dog from doing so.  I will say in my personal opinion this should have never happened.

Another female who appeared sweet in many moments would suddenly lunge and attack someone across the room that she lived with and loved.  Periodically she would charge and try to attack the children in the home. She brutally killed and ripped the throat out of the dog she snuggled with the night before.  In all appearances and a chance meeting this dog was sweet.  But the aftermath of the years of being nothing more than feral, she could not be trusted.  The rescue in which had her euthanized her for not only the safety of those around her but for her own. 

Another was a female who was deaf, blind for the most part, and had a separation anxiety in which could not be controlled.  She would dive through plate glass windows on a regular basis and one day started to attack the other dogs in her home brutally.  She killed a neighboring dog in one of the most brutal ways imaginable.  After medications, vet visits, and regular training on the part of a dedicated foster parent who loved her, it was decided by the rescue and the vet treating this dog that she would not be a candidate to be rehomed as she could not make it in a safe manner. 

So for the critics out there it is up to each one of us to deem what is and is not safe out there.  However when you are a non-profit rescue you have responsibilities to those around you, the dogs in your care, and to the public in general.  There are many things in which could be said and many opinions out there.  My opinion is that dangerous unpredictable dogs should not be on the streets.  I would not want them next door to my child, my dogs, or my person. 

All in all…..if you want to know you must ask.  It would be requested that if you have a proper alternative to please by all means share it.  It doesn’t mean your thoughts will go without proper thought and investigation, it simply might mean that’s not what our experts on the subject have suggested.  We have to trust in those we have spent many years working with and achieved good results.  Most of all if you want to quash an ugly rumor you can be part of doing just that.  And if you think it, speak it, and don’t know the truths then you are simply just as guilty, as the person who created that rumor. I find those who start rumors are usually those who themselves have a guilty conscience.  And this physical year to date....there have been no Danes euthanized with Dames for Danes GDR.

 

My Opinion

All week long I have tormented myself inside.  I kept reading over and over again the story about the Campbell County Animal Shelter.  I am so bothered inside myself about this situation.  And because I am bothered I keep trying to make sense of the whole horrific ordeal.  I can’t.  I am a rescuer and I work every day of my life in some way or another saving the lives of the animals that need me.  And to think that walking among those like me would be a woman who will forever now be dubbed “Bloody Betty”.

When working the shelter floors for those who are employees, and the rescuers who walk among those floors, beside them, though on somewhat different levels, we are all there because some place inside us there is a love for God’s innocent creatures.  There are those who are paid to walk those floors providing dignity and compassion to those animals, who many of are living their last days.  The rescuers are there trying with all of their strength to save those who are there because someone thought they couldn’t be saved.  The differing sides have different emotions on different subjects….but the bottom line is that those who are paid to walk those floors have a job in which can in no way be easy on their hearts.  As a rescuer it is a luxury to not have to live our days watching them die, but sending them home when they are ready.

Doing rescue for the largest portion of my life at this time I have seen many things come and go.  I started rescue on the shelter floor.  I looked each day at the eyes until I could take no more.  It is a rare occasion you will find me standing among the rows, as my heart no longer lets me look.  I am now a rescuer who has the luxury of not looking and being able to help what I know I can help or what I will die trying to help. I can focus on my small number and live in the satisfaction that yes today I changed a life.

Well this Betty………I expected that she had a responsibility too.  It was expected by me that she would allow the animals no one loved enough the common decency to die with a human telling them she loved them.  How hard would that have been? My God she was getting a paycheck while I at times have to do this shit for free!  How hard could it have been to pet them?  And when she knew she had become numb to it……..she needed to leave.  How do you sleep at night?  And the workers?  Her partners in crime?  How in God’s name did woman become so cruel?  Who are you women?  My God you turn my stomach. 

Rescue at the throat of Rescue.  That too is a change in which I have seen come over the years.  It was once every rescue had a common goal.  We all have thoughts opinions and are many times the strongest of personalities.  However our common goal was once to save lives.  I ask you all…..how many lives are we saving when we don’t work together?  How many lives are we losing over our petty bickering arguments and our self righteous needs to be the one who is right?  Get over ourselves how about it?  It is about the animals!  We have forgotten that.  And it makes me ashamed that we all aren’t seeing that.

I am sick and tired of hearing about overloaded rescuers.  Dogs going without shots?  Adoptions of too many unaltered dogs?  Back yard breeding rescues?  People really need to face it……when you see that ‘some life’ is not sometimes better than ‘no life’ there is something wrong. I know some of you will argue this……but if you can I ask that you provide yourself with ‘some life’ and see if it is really right. Please chain yourself to a tree or to the side of a house…..  If you are sending a dog from a chain to a chain…..that isn’t quality.  When you are sending a dog who has never been to a vet to a home who has no vet reference is it better.  Are you sending them some place you could see your dog?  If not what made your dog better? Why did you stop wanting more for your dogs?

Rarely will you hear me say bad things about another rescue.  Believe me though if you hear me say it and you hear me say another rescue is not good, it is because I believe it.  There are some things you don’t and never do.  You NEVER breed a rescued dog.  You never abuse a rescue dog.  You never put down more rescue dogs than you adopt out.  You never put a dog to sleep because you cannot find a foster home.  If you took that dog…that dog is your responsibility.  And that’s as long as it takes or you have done all in which you can do.  Period.  Those are simple rules.  Those among the most golden rules of rescue.  They are unwritten…unspoken ……but words to live in this rescue world by. 

It is long past time for us to come forth as educators.  It is long past time that our backbones stiffen and we pay a little more attention to our shelters, our shelter floors, and serve as support in the areas we can to make a terrible job some days maybe a bit easier.  It is time for us to quit trying to be politicians and thinking we are good at it…..while someone like Betty gets by with literal murder.  Why didn’t we know that?  Someone did.  And someone kept it quiet because they were afraid they would never get to pull another animal on the shelter floor.  Shut up! It is up to every one of us…..shelter worker or rescuer……to make a difference.  We are sucking wind.

If we spent a little less time worrying about the differences in each other, spend the time to teach one another to make infallible structures for our missions, talk to our older rescues, our younger ones, serve as backup systems, support systems, leaving the personal issues out of it, I think of the lives we could save together.  It is time for us to remember it is about the dogs and get back to work.  When there is a Betty among us we have failed all of the way around.  And the dogs lost lives because of it.  Think about that.  And think about why in some way you might have been a part of it.  And fix it.  Fix it before it is too late for more of the lives you say you care about.  Prove it.

It is about the dogs.  That’s all I want to do…..save dogs.  I don’t have to be the best or the greatest.  I don’t have to do much at all except be as responsible as I can be to what I agreed to take on.  And some days quite frankly it is a lot to take on.  There are mistakes made, things forgotten, people forgotten, missed phone calls, missed emails, people who are turned down, differences of opinions, sick dogs, well dogs, dogs who come back sometimes, heartbreaks, tears, joy, and an overwhelming need to give more than just a piece of yourself. 

Rescue never sleeps.  There is never a holiday.  There is never a shortage of help needed.  There is never a lack of love or hate.  There is simply a fine balance of doing what you know you can and that is all any of us can do.  Rescuers are not perfect, not angels, not Godly, not politicians, not heroes, not stars, but simply people who have a piece of themselves that can see the eyes and know the life is precious.  It in no way made us perfect…..yet made us exactly who we are inside.  It is your heart which does the saving……and your head just tries to keep up.  And just like the worker walking that shelter floor our jobs hurt too…..but that is no reason to allow your heart to become hard.

Agree with me or not?  It simply is my opinion.  I do stand by my opinion though.  I will not tolerate another Betty…..be that a Betty who could be working the shelter floor or a Betty rescuer walking that floor…..those of us who really came for the dogs will start today trying to make some kind of difference.  We better get to work and make sure these like Betty don’t hurt our dogs anymore.  We need to do the damage control and know who is around us.  We need to make sure those who are living wrong by these dogs don’t do it anymore.  That means even if it is a shelter worker, rescuer, grandfather, sister, child, policeman, doctor……it doesn’t matter…..report them.  Stand up for those who cannot stand up for themselves.  Do what you came here for.  Fix these situations and quit playing politics….they just aren’t worth playing if death is involved.

So that’s simply my opinion. 

 

What does it mean?

I must ask this question.  What does it mean when one saves the life of a dog?  Is it just as simple as making sure that dog has a place to go other than the shelter?  For me personally it means much more than that.  To save the life of a dog is something that cannot be done in a moment’s time or bought through the cash in ones pocket.  To save the life of a dog is more than a feeling of being able to say “I saved that dogs life”.  Saving a life does not mean a flea treatment, heartworm pill, a rabies shot or a pass from dying on the shelter floor.  Saving a dog cannot be done without a heart and a clear understanding of exactly what saving means.

There are very definitive opinions on rescue and what it means to do so.  Many years I spent working shelter floors and knew that it was important to clear those cages ensuring everyone savable in the terms of the cities I worked under got out and didn’t die in those buildings.  However as I aged I found fault in my way of thinking and there are many good reasons why for me this was no longer an avenue I could travel.  It was an avenue for me personally in which ate at my conscience inside and out.

I have received such satisfaction being part of an organized 501c3 rescue group.  I feel that within this realm I personally get to save a life to a standard in which lives well within my heart.  Each day I watch as broken souls enter our program only to regain life, hope, and good health.  I watch them through photos and personal touches grow, flourish, and become the dog that they were always meant to be.  I watch as they sit in the hands of foster parents I trust being held and cherished as they await their forever homes. 

Grant you while this whole first portion of the process is heartwarming, it gets even better.  I get to meet the adopters through photographs, handshakes, email correspondence, home visits, and applicant process.  By the time they receive the dog they have so long awaited many times I have made a friend in the process.  Someone I become somewhat bound too through the love of a dog. And the icing in which tops the cake? Being able to watch that dog go home forever!  A home where this dog will never again be tied, beaten, starved, maimed, or neglected in any form.   A home where love exists, nothing short of their forever.

With each dog having touched it or not I love them.  Every woman running this rescue loves each dog and every woman in this rescue loves that we do really make a difference one dog at a time for them and not for us.  There is satisfaction in knowing we have placed them in the right homes, with the right people, and sent those we cannot immediately help to the right places to help them.  So yes while to the average person our rules are strict, finding our policies are silly, we are so sorry, but to those who do what we do, they understand. 

Quality verses Quantity every day of the week.  Each dog gets to receive what we consider quality.  We are in no races to take on more dogs than another rescue.  We are in a race to do every one we can to the best of our capabilities with little to no mistakes.  Sadly yes there sometimes are mistakes that happen as we are only human.  To most there is little to their day other than their families, their dogs, their homes, and their jobs.  On top of those issues added to our own is generally 1-20 dogs who are waiting our help in one way or another on a daily basis. 

Long story at the bottom line, look hard and dig deep when you ask yourself what it means to save the life of a dog.  What will your answer be?  How will you view it in the morning? What can you do to better what you are doing no to aid this cause?  The series of questions I ask myself on a daily basis.  However I am only one in many who will make a difference this day.  Without an army of those on the ground working together in the proper ways we would never grow and learn.

There are highs and lows in rescue.....

As every day there are highs and lows within the rescue world.  There are the things that make your heart so happy it feels as if it could swell from your chest. And then there are the things that make your heart feels as if it has broken inside you.  In general these feelings come separately and at different times.  However there are times when they come together leaving one to know the true meaning of both joy and sorrow and reminding one that no matter how jaded you think you have become to rescue that you are not immune to the multitude of feelings.

Early this afternoon i met with a very young family who was forced into having to find their Great Dane a home due to living arrangements.  This family was forced to choose between their human children who needed housing and their Dane child who was unable to stay due to the regulations of their landlord.  It is a no brainer really folks.  As much as we love our four legged children, our two legged ones must take the priority.  I realize many of us say we would never part with our animals, but the truth is that we have no idea what we would do unless faced with this issue. 

 This young family came with their chests taking deep breaths as they knew this was the day when they would hand their beloved Great Dane over to a new family who was anxiously waiting to meet him.  They had raised this puppy since five weeks of age and given him all of their love for 16 months.  The Dane was stunningly beautiful.  Very well cared for in every sense of the word.  Loved beyond measure you could see in his shining fur and the liquid brown eyes he had for his father.  As moments went by i noted the Dane was taking the same types of breath the family was.  This Dane knew something was changing for him.  The Dane leaned deeply into his father the entire time i watched.  As the father cried the Dane started to vomit.  Again the things i notice that make my Danes so closest to human as i have ever found within the canine world.  They know their owners inside and out. 

A new family with excitement and shine in their eyes had arrived. Since the loss of their Dane, their home and heart had been empty and waiting for the time they would fill that hole with the obvious love they had in their hearts.  A couple of days of preparation had already started.  They were ready to welcome home the boy they had only seen within photographs.  Realizing this situation was painful for the family who had raised the Dane, the new adopters were so gracious to this young family. As much as they were gracious, it was obvious that they were grateful too.  A Dane to call their own once more and understanding the loss of a Dane even though it was different situations. 

 I promised myself i wasn’t going to cry today.  That i would do business and make sure that nothing touched my insides as it is a place i have visited too often without satisfaction for my soul. I stood back and allowed these two families to make friends and the promises between one another that everyone had the best interest for the Dane in mind.  I smiled inside as i watched a group of people who all loved one dog.  And even i started to have that familiar twitch of feelings inside.  I watched as there wasn’t a dry eye in the group....including my own.  Compassion........although it can be a bitch..........i am so glad i still feel it.  I am not too jaded.  I am not hardened to rescue and it's looking like after all of this time, i am still human inside.

The new family got the Dane into the car.  Again made promises to the young family while embracing them closely.  The new family realized this was going to be one of the most painful moments in the young family’s life.  The new family did not drive away without feeling this young family’s loss even through their own excitement.  Weeks of waiting for the new family made this moment one of the sweetest moments that perhaps they will feel in one time.  They gave a gift of love to a dog that had been loved dearly.  This making their ride home even more special.  They have become responsible for the life of one Dane in which they have promised to ride to the end.  My heart swelled with love and happiness for theirs.

The young family turned their backs as the car drove away.  I embraced the mother as she was uncontrollably sobbing.  I could hear the father behind me softly crying from the bottom of his heart.  The children cried and the little boy turned and went off a distance putting his hand on the shoulder of his much younger sister.  I turned to the father and told him that i promised....the life of this Dane he loved was in good hands.  The hands that Dames for Danes had personally chosen for this Dane boy. And he whispered to me that he saw everything he needed in the new family to be sure he felt right.  I held him as if i had known him for my lifetime and i realized in this i too made a bond.  A bond among a group of people.  And a moment i will never forget.  My heart was breaking inside and physically i hurt from it. 

The love for a dog spreads far and wide.  It joins many humans through those lessons in which we are all supposed to be taught.  The love among those who love their dogs is a love that cannot be matched.  And in my mind and my thoughts are that God has those like us here, to take joy in the people we are.  So yes the highs and lows.  Well today was both in one moment and i am pleased that a dog was the center of it. And i have to say to those who don’t understand why i give my time to this work, .....if you could only feel it in your heart...you would know.  There is nothing like it.  And there is nothing i would rather be known for.   

My Rescue Christmas Wish.......

Here we are at Christmas with our busy lives, our families, our jobs, and our homes. Each year it seems to come faster as i age and each Christmas seems to come and go without the meaning that it should hold. We each worry about the gifts and the tree with little thought to what Christmas truly is.

This year despite the fact that i am not working and looking with desperation for that job i am thankful for what this time of year truly means. I see what it means in so many ways. I am thankful to our Lord that my son is healthy and safe. I am thankful for the love of my friends, my family, and my incredible rescue family. I am so thankful for the gift in which lay at my side as i type this. My dog family.

I reflect often to when i became a rescuer and realized i never became one.....i was born one. I remember every dog who has come through my life much like it was yesterday. With alot of discussion recently about the Rainbow Bridge i am reminded that when i reach that stage of my life i will meet a stampede of those who i have lost along the way and those who wait for someone to claim them at the gates of the bridge. I am reminded that each one of those loved and lost and those yet to come are my future, my present and my past.

I have asked that each and every person reading this message for a favor. From one giant heart to another i am asking that you meet my challenge this Christmas. Please go out and rescue a life. Even if you are not able to take on another dog, dont have alot of money, dont have alot of time, i am asking you give a little to give alot. Even if you cannot keep this dog foster this poor soul. Feed it, get it well, retrain this dog to know that life with a human being is special and find that dog a home. I care little if it is a Dane or a Chihuahua.......i am simply asking that you find the one that needs you and change that dog's life forever.

It is a rewarding experience that many can say "I cannot do it because i get too attached" and i say to you....thats the point. You will be the stepping stone to the good life for this dog and you will let it go to make room for the next dog down the line who needs you to. This is an incredible gift not only for this dog but for yourself as a person. For your children who should learn what it means to give back. For your heart to become more full. There are no excuses folks.....there are no reasons this cannot happen.

If money is your reason give up your morning Starbucks, your trip to get your nails done, the blouse you may not need, all of those things could feed and vet this dog, this life for a months time while you work for the greater good. God gave us the gift of domestic animals and it is long past time we stop taking this beauty forgranted and give something back. It is time to show our appreciation for the beauty in life and show our Lord we have not forgotten.

At the very least folks if you have a dog who you are not treating as it should be treated change that. Get your dogs off their chains. Bring your dogs inside and out of the fence where they have become a fixture. Feed the dog next door whose owners havent done properly. Donate money to a vets office to allow someone without funding to vet an animal they could not otherwise. Find a rescue and sponsor a dog who is up for adoption and awaiting a home. If each one of you did just one thing we could be an army making a difference. I am asking that you join my Army and become my troops....i am asking you to make my Christmas whole as this is all i ask for. It is a small price to pay for the hearts we have been given inside to use for the greater good.

If you have done any of these things for Christmas please post them. Please share them on Facebook at the Dames forDanes Page. Please email me and let me share. And most of all please honor my Christmas wish....i ask not for myself but for the dogs who need your help. Make my Christmas bright. Please. It is my wish and my prayer.

Backyard Breeders and Such........

Everyday i come home and my inbox is loaded with yet another couple of Danes. Some days as of late it is more than five per day. I am honest when i say most of them are black,multicolored such as fawn Merle's, or there are health issues in which are genetic. The ever increasing cases of Cardio myopia, Addison's, Bad Backs, Bad Hips, Bad Spines, Wobbler's, are due to poor breeding. Our Danes have become lost to a group of people who are breeding from their yards, their said facilities, and not doing their homework all in the name of the dollar they can place into their pockets. I find this type of sale, of flesh ... stomach turning.

There are some rock solid breeders in which i believe in with a full and honest heart. Those are the breeders who are breeding for quality, life span, and are not making a dollar when their litters go home. They have obtained the appropriate dogs, done the appropriate blood testing, and don't make a dollar for their pocket when their pups go home at 12-14 weeks. The breeders i believe in are not breeding Fawn Merle's, Blue Merle's, Silver Merle's, White-Blind and Deaf Danes, Fawnequins, and the list goes on for the newest colors sloppy half assed breeders are throwing into this world. The breeders i believe in are breeding for quality and to ensure that the best possible spawn of their dogs is going out into the world looking at a long and healthy life with someone who loves them.

Should a true breeder have only one stud dog? Only one stud dog to their ten females? Should a true breeder have two litters of puppies on the ground all year long? Should a true breeder continue breeding the Fawn Merle, Fawnequin, white blind and deaf, Danes year after year without thought to the person who is going to purchase and love them? Without thought to the dog who will suffer the bad genetics passed forth? Hell no is the answer. And to hell if i will promote someone because they are nice......have a cool bunch of Danes living in their backyard.....or because the puppies are cute. I just love the breed more than that.

True enough if backyard breeders didn't exist there would be no need for rescue. Because good breeders send their dogs out on contracts and take back those in which they were responsible for allowing to create. Good breeders fully vet their puppies before they go to homes. They are confident in their product and many times offer a health guarantee their final squiqqly wiggly product.

If my Jessie Girl had come from a good breeder i would never have lost her before she was two years of age. And to whomever bred my Jessie Girl....thank you as i loved her more than you would ever imagine........but damn you all the same for breaking my heart with your final product. I hope that $500 bucks was worth it to you. You sold her to someone who chained her in the backyard and beat her. Whoever you are i pray i get to know about your special day in hell. I am sorry you didn't care more about those puppies in which you made in your backyard without taking the proper steps.

Breeding is not for the weak. It is work and a true work of art. It is more than the initial oooo's and ahhhhh's. It is so much more than picking up poop and making sure everyone ate that day. It is more than having a beautiful female and a huge male in the backyard who make pretty and different colorings than we are used to seeing. It is more than that $500 bucks you placed in your pocket for the crappily half vetted puppy you threw out there. Breeding is for those who have time and complete dedication to what they do. It is not a half assed job.

So those of you out there who are supporting the backyard breeder i must ask you why? I must ask why you think it is okay to pump out those crazy new colors which come with a lifetime of health issues? I ask you why you think it is okay to plop up a website and honor a breeder who is out to make a dollar? Again don't you know true breeders never make money? I ask you why you think these females dropping two litters a year should have to live this way?

So what i ask? I ask that those of you supporting these things do your homework. If you want to make others aware of breeds of any kind.....you want to promote a breeds wellness, you want to better your breed and make rescues all but vanish....do your fricking homework. Quit rattling off a bunch of uneducated crap in the face of others....it has only earned you disrespect.....and made you a fraud. I ask that you better your breed next time you want to pump out puppies (because their cute....) by going to a REAL breeder....not a hobbyist, a backyard one timer, a backyard old timer, but a REAL BREEDER with REAL CREDENTIALS with a RIGHT IDEA and get some education. It takes years to find the right dogs......many wait a long time for them. They didn't get a rescue dog, nor create a litter and keep one to continue breeding with two they already have (Their parents, etc.

If this is your idea......to breed from your backyard......or to promote backyard breeders......then call a recommended breeder first. If you would like a list of recommended breeders i can give you one....for any breed of dog you like. Save up your money because it is going to cost you big. And get prepared.....to set out dogs who are in the right health from birth. Is it really too much to ask? I really dont want my heart broken again. I dont want that for others either. And most of all......i say it to many of you every day....i dont want it for the dogs as i came for them.

If you are reading this and thinking it might be about you....it probably is. If you think it is about you then i ask that you take a long look at what you are doing because some place your guilt has gotten the best of you. I am on a roll right now because i am watching the breed that i love the most be destroyed by those like you. I am watching your puppies end up in shelters by 12 months of age or dumped when they become ill with medical issues the average people cannot afford. I am cleaning up your mess and am damn sick and tired of it. Find a new hobby will you? Collect stamps, glass bottles, hobby cars, but for Gods sake quit ... fricking quit screwing up LIFE. These dogs are LIFE......

And lastly.......the challenge to the guilty ones? I dare you to run my rescue out of business. I dare you. I challenge you to that day....and upon it....i will happily take off my hat to you. Hell for that matter you can even have my best shoes and we all know how i love those. The shirt off my back.... and i will kiss your tail in Times Square. Beat me out......i am waiting.

Ground Work.......

It is once per week at least i hear of conflict between rescue groups. One differs in policy from the other. One doesn't like someone who volunteers for this group or for that person. The reasons for rescuers to be at the throat of one another goes on and on until hate brews between groups and it is something in which can never be buried. It is a politic of rescue in which i don't understand and quite frankly i don't want to.

With Dames for Danes there are times in which we have been under fire for the way we did something. Be it a person others think are a qualified adopter that we didn't or vice verso. Be it that perhaps our customer service to a caller or someone who applied was answered not in a timely fashion or even at all. In honesty i must admit that customer service to those who are not our adopters already is lax. It is something i don't place alot of focus on as in honesty i came for the dogs....not the people. Does it make me a terrible person or a bad rescue? I have to think not as my primary goal is to take care of the fur flesh in which has my entire heart. So at the end of the day i don't really care what another rescue thinks about my practices, my opinions, or the way i do things. I care that my rescue partners, my adopters, my foster parents, and my good friends know where my heart truly is.

I thought for several hours today about those of us who are rescuers. We devote the majority of any personal time we have left after families, our pets, school, our jobs etc to saving the lives of these fur creatures in which we love. I cannot tell you the last time i sat down without the phone in my hand, a dog on my lap, and actually had a good silent cry. I cannot tell you the last time i have been to the restroom alone, been without a foster, gone a day without talking to my rescue partners, taken a call for a dog, jumped on someone who wanted an unaltered dog, preached spay and neuter........or had a vacation. Vacation is something that isn't within my vocabulary and i ha vent seen one in years. Through these thoughts i gathered that other rescuers are the same and at the end of the day what we have in common is the love for an animal in which we are desperate to save.

Why is it that we don't work together? Although there are some rescues that i literally would damn to hell for their horrible practices, the majority of the difference i may not like about another rescue is not the battle i want to fight. To not spay or neuter is a black mark upon my book for someone calling themselves a rescue. However small issues like how one rescue does their home visits or what they name their dogs is something i cannot quibble over. Does anyone have any idea what we could do together?

I think how many dogs have died in the past because one group didn't want to work with the other? We are brothers and sisters in this fight. Senior rescues are those in which we learn from as there are none of us who are perfect. We at Dames for Danes learn new things each and every day.....and we are proud of that. If there is a younger or even senior rescue with practices i question, i ask. If i don't like the answer then i try to educate with my opinion and help someone do this better. I want to see every rescuer be successful. And quite frankly folks none of us are successful if our dogs are still dying in shelters.

We are supposed to help one another. It takes every solider to win the war and if we all are opposing one another then where are we really? I ask each one of you to mend fences, reach out, and try to band together for the welfare of the cause in which needs our full concentration. I am not asking you to love someone....or even like them. I am asking that your love for an animal be stronger than your petty personal opinions. I am asking that you be the change........instead of the opposition. Look back when you have helped a rescue in which needed your guidance and feel good about what you have done. Give yourself the inner credit and move on to the next. And please.........leave your drama at the door.

If there is someone you need to make up with for the greater good......do this today and let us quit hurting one another. Let us do it for the dogs.....the cats....the guinea pigs......i could care less what it is.......let us get moving. I challenge you to make that make up call tonight and lets get on with what we were born to do....with the support we should have. And for those who are too small to consider the challenge.......i pity you as you are hurting no one but the animals you are trying to save. Get a life.

Happy Mother's Day All

Generally my rescue blog contains stories about the dogs coming and going through my life. Today however i wanted to talk about the picture many never get to see. The honor goes to the family who is behind my passion. Since the birth of my son he has always been privy to witness the comings and goings of all of the animals that have passed through our lives. He has been subject to poop scooping, brushing, bathing, and general care for these wild beasts that grace us with their presence. Although he may at one time or another say….”No Mom, we are not keeping it”, always he has been supportive of my passion and always supported my heart.

As mother’s day approaches it is one in which is sad and holding a type of grief for me. My son, my only child and the very root of my heart will graduate in a few days from high school. Each time there has been a landmark birthday…….13 was his first year as a teenager. 15 we got the learners permit. 16 the driver’s license and I cried inside and out as I watched him drive away for the first time. This year it was 18 and a registration for draft, as well the graduation. I only thought the pain of letting a foster dog go was horrific until being faced with this aspect.
Although there have been times in which having a child pulled at the very being of my sanity, those times were so far and in between. Face it we all think our children are perfect but I swear to you mine is. He is well mannered, loving, compassionate, smart, giving, respectful, thoughtful, and above all else a man of honor. I watched as he walked through my living room last night the man before me……and I again felt such an incredible sense of pride.

There are days I catch a vision of that tiny curly headed boy who held on to me for dear life. The child who lay his head within my lap and felt the safest within my care. The child who comforted me when the world was falling apart with sweet little ‘I love you Mommy’s’ in which melted my soul. I remember the days when other kids saying ‘My Dad will beat your Dad’, my son replying ‘Well you don’t know my Mom’. Logan always knew Mom would make sure all things were right.

Last Mother’s Day I was gifted with a beautiful butterfly necklace in which this child spent far too much money on and it took my breath when I opened the box. It has not been off my neck since that time. It has become my most prized possession and will always remain such. Not only did he know I would love this gift he cared enough to know that I love butterflies and found one in which matched who I am. What a gift…….. larger than the actual possession itself.

And as I watched him walk back into my view, the man I saw before me is one I am proud of. Logan is long and lean with my eyes and his father’s voice. A blend of two very different individuals but yet his own person. A child with the vision to see the good in the world yet be cautious enough when stepping into the unknown. A quiet soul like his father who is not expressive on his thoughts unless he wants to be, but a social butterfly most like his mom with a love for people in general. This is a child whom is an old soul, simply reborn to make a difference with his presence in this world.

I have said my entire time as a Mom if ever I am nothing more than Logan’s Mom it is enough for me. It is the greatest gift and the most pure great love I have ever known. So I say Happy Mother’s Day to me…….as I am the mother of one of the most special people on earth.

And Happy Mother’s Day to each of you out there who love someone more than you love yourself. A mother is a beautiful thing and I thank God every day for allowing me this chance.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHQ_aTjXObs

God Bless Our Southern States People and Pets

April 29, 2011

I sit here today making sure to remind myself that although life isn’t perfect I am alive. All those in which I love are safe within their homes. The tornados that ripped through our tiny towns in the South have not been this lucky. Today many are still searching for their missing family members and looking at shreds of what their lives used to be. To even begin to imagine the feeling of hopelessness that these families are feeling is beyond my measure.

I sat this morning looking through this house I love and the things I have collected and know in my heart it is simply nothing more than a gift in my life. There is no way to measure what one person’s home means to them. There is no way to measure the feeling if I were suddenly standing where my home used to be. How do we say we are sorry for those who have lost everything? The words “I am sorry” don’t even seem to measure up.

Today I am so grateful to be within the comforts of my home. My son safely at school, Sean working, my parents, siblings, and my friends are all moving through the day as normal. Although none of us are without issues and some forms of our own sadness we are here. We are breathing, living, and being given the gift of yet another day. How much more beautiful can that be? We have babies on their way and can look to our futures when so many through the South cannot right now. How lucky and blessed we are.

I watched a video earlier in which a woman dug through the rubble of what remained of her home digging her dogs out from under the debris. She cared not that she no longer had a piece of clothing, not even a piece of underwear, but she cared about the dogs in which were lost underneath. My heart breaks for these people. My love is out there for every one of them. To imagine having to flee for your human life and making the choice to leave your pets behind is one of such anguish. How do we ever live through making that choice? How could we ever say what we would or would not do when our very lives were on the line?

I can speak for myself on this matter as I sat in a walk in closet with my dogs during the storms for a while the other night. There were moments where things got rough and I was afraid. I flashed back to the memory of Hurricane Katrina where I watched a woman of color lift her small children into rescue baskets from a roof top sending them up to the helicopter. I remembered when she went to place her two dogs in the basket them saying to her she could not send the dogs up. This woman then refused to get into the basket herself saying she would wait until someone could rescue them all. She allowed her children to be taken to safety but stayed behind with her dogs. This woman had my heart from that moment on. I will never know her name but forever I am her fan.

Could I have let my human child go into that basket without me? No I could not have. It is in honest I tell you every day I say my animals are my children and I do love them as such. However my human child is and will always be my priority. Would I have killed myself getting back to my animals? You can bet your very life on it. Would it have ripped the very heart I carry out? All day long you can make bets that it would have. I would have gone back.

The thoughts of leaving my animals behind is one in which I can barely think of. It is something I say I would never do. And if all made possible I never would. My life revolves around the joy that my dogs bring me and I love them beyond measure. Losing them is heart and gut wrenching for me. All who know me will tell you when I lose a pet that is beloved it is much more than I can bear and the grief is so raw it hurts to feel it. This very day I am checking off my list in case of my untimely death who will take which animal. Who will care for it as I do? I have made arrangements for all of my pets in this event. It is something I have to think of.
Each dog I have is so special and so spoiled it is not comprehensible to most human beings. You have to be a dog person to understand the love another dog person has for them. I have Ginger my oldest who is 14, covered in tumors, and her vision is failing, but as sweet as the day is long and has been with me for years. Teddy my 9 yr old Pit/Chi mix is my watchdog, my ears, my eyes, and is such the character. My Ruthie 7 yrs….what a nasty Peke she is! However her antics and the sweet way she allows me to hold her despite her horrible history in life is what gives me hope. My sweet but stupid Girl Sophie, 21 months is as rotten and hyper as possible, but she is sweet willing to learn, and follows me wherever I go. Sophie gives me the bit of youth I am losing. And then there is my Jake. Jake is 3yrs old and the light of my heart in itself. As unfair as it seems he is the one…….and will forever be that most special one. Jake knows what it means when I give him a look. We communicate with one another without verbiage. He is compliant and good loving everything and everyone around him. And then Scooby….okay so maybe I am saying out loud he is my dog, maybe I am not. I am going to continue to call him foster for now despite the fact most already know better. The largest beast at 7 yrs of age I have ever laid eyes on. Scooby is nothing but pure and gentle love inside. Despite his failing limbs and back he does not hesitate to place that huge head on your shoulder and demand his love. So could I possibly leave them behind? It would be the hardest thing I would ever have to face even thinking of it. I just cannot say what I would or would not do if faced.

Our goals are great in life and we all have thoughts and opinions but until faced with the situation there is no way to know how we would react. I have emergency plans which include my pets and I encourage all others to do the same thing for their beloved pets. Our pets are with us because we wanted them and we must protect and cherish them. Pet ownership is a gift and should never be considered a right. It is our responsibility to care for what we brought in and there are no excuses for not giving them everything they deserve.

Please pray for the humans and the animals across the South right now. They have lost everything and those of you who are reading this are rich in wealth in many ways. Feel blessed and call those that you love and tell them so. Give your pets extra special treats and love today. To all of those who have lost I send my love my prayers and a piece of my heart for the pain they are feeling.

Asking for the Biggest of All in Rescue- Love Scooby

Every day there are another hundred dogs in my inbox. Their pictures staring holes through my heart. I have gotten tougher as the years have gone by and know in my heart that many of them i have to say no to. Saying no is the worst part of being a rescuer. The past week has been especially tough. Every place i looked there was yet another senior Dane who was being thrown away by their owners. Not only is it something i dont understand but it is something that places that small space of hatred within my heart for those people who so carelessly throw away what i find so special.

How often does the size of a Dane take my breath anymore? Not many times. I can name the last time it happened. It was picking up Andrea Reynolds beautiful Rocket from the shelter. They brought him out and i said "Holy Hell" how will i ever ask this family new to the Dane world to take this GIANT BEAST home with them? It would take two trips this day to take both mother and son to the Reynolds home. And graciously the Reynold's did it. That Rocket....i see him now with his beautiful face and the look that claimed the heart of a gal named Andrea .... who i have come to love so much. May Rocket rest in the fields of green chasing those butterflies in large circles. He is a Dane i will never forget.

I had this same feeling yesterday. Amy sent the photos of this nice looking senior Fawn male named Scooby. Looking at his photos i thought he is a nice size. I as well became angry to a huge boiling point wondering about the owner who left their 7 yr old at a shelter. I looked at the photo some more.....thought for a second and told Amy....i am going to get him. I cannot sit here and let a 7 yr old die in a shelter. So i did......driving with some radio blaring...eating some McD's and smiling in my heart.

I walk into the shelter and the young man standing at the counter says after sizing me up...."Do you know how big this dog is"? And i said no but i would like too! And then there was Scooby. Taking my breath like the first Dane i ever saw.....like my Rocket..........like Phil Parrot's Apollo. And i thanked God for that feeling. It is like riding the roller coaster....the biggest tallest most loopy one........the size of this dog took my breath. I was quickly ticking in my mind.....looking at this massive fawn with the most perfect black mask. It was two minutes and he was leaning on me with such force i had to find a wall to back up to. I knew right then i was right to go and bring this boy to safety.

On the way home he made he way between the front seats and rested his head on my console. A sweet kiss to the hand that petted him. I smiled as i thought of him not paying any mind to the cats and other dogs roaming free at the shelter. I was taking him straight to Dr. Shaw for evaluation and shots. We got to the vets office where there was the usual chaos of dogs coming and going and he was seemingly unaffected as we sat and waited to see the vet. I knew from watching him stand at the shelter we were in some trouble with his legs and hips but i had high hopes the news would be good. I just knew it should be good because this is one super great dog!

The news was not good. Scooby has a spine, hip, and back leg problem. This is one surgery will not take away. It will only progress and become worse each day. Dr. Shaw was honest when he told me that Scooby would be a short timer. Scooby is not in pain......not yet but one day he will be. With prayer and good care Scooby will have 6-12 months before it is his time to leave this life. This beautiful Dane with such a short time left........do i cry...scream......???

I didnt. I sat down in the car with Scooby once more resting between my seats to come home. I am not going to scream....i am not going to cry..........i am going to love him. I am going to make sure he gains no weight, place him on the supplements that may help, walk him daily and keep him moving. And i am going to love him. This dog is such pure love already there is no choice.

Scooby is wonderful with kids but needs a home without them. He cannot have kids placing weight on his frame. One day he will hurt and this means the kids must be older and respectful of an aching Dane. So i ruled out kids under the age of 12. Scooby is BEAUTIFUL with other dogs and cats. So those are okay but he should not go to a home with puppies under the age of 2 as one day he will hurt and cannot be jumped on. Scooby needs someone dedicated and caring and i want the perfect family for him. I want the very best for the last 6-12 months of this boys life. And with the proper love and prayer..........WHO CAN SAY????

So i challenge all of you...........Find Scooby the perfect home. Someone who isnt afriad to love an old dog. Someone who will make each and every day he has left ones in which are filled with love and light. I want this to be the person Scooby chooses to meet at the Rainbow Bridge one day. I will accept no less than PERFECT for this massive beautiful boy! NOTHING LESS! And if there is nothing in which fits that bill........i will do this job. I am unemployed, struggling right now, and i already have five dogs....Scooby would make six......but he deserves the best of everything in life. I know i can do it.........but i know some place there is someone who can do better than making him 1/6th of their life. Scooby deserves far more.

FIND SCOOBY THE PERFECT HOME! SHARE WITH ALL THOSE THAT YOU KNOW!