Dog Pile!

This is how I found all three dogs - Franny, Greta, and Dewey - napping the other day!

Welcome Franny!

Miss Francine is our newest Rebound Hound. She is a 17 year old sweetheart with limited vision and very little hearing. She joined the fold last weekend and she definitely fits right in with Miss Greta, our blind and paralyzed Dachshund, and Dewey, our little tripod of uncertain pedigree.

Until last week, Franny didn't have a name. She was surrendered to our city shelter by a concerned neighbor of her former owner. Apparently, the woman was about about to be evicted and was not taking care of her dog.

We don't know much about her past, but judging by the pitiful condition we found her in, it seems pretty doubtful that Franny has ever been treated well. She was emaciated and filthy. For the first few days, she would flinch each time we went to pet her. She still seems unused to sleeping on soft beds and getting regular meals. All the evidence would suggest that this small Chihuahua has had a harsh, largely loveless life.

It's a heartbreaking story, one that I've seen over and over again at the animal shelters I've been involved with. When a dog becomes old and feeble, they become disposable.

I know I can't save every senior dog that needs saving, just as I know that the overnight anonymous "drop boxes" will be filled with more unwanted animals at our city shelter each morning, but I am so grateful that at least we can give Franny some time in a safe, loving home. She has a delightful spirit and we are enjoying each new day as we get to know her.

Lessons From Mac, A Deaf Pit Bull

While I was curled up on the couch with the dogs surfing the web, I found this beautiful blog post about Mac, a deaf Pit Bull who spent years in isolation and misery before being adopted. Although Mac's story is heartbreaking, it has a very happy ending and it offers hope and insight for other guardians of deaf rescue dogs. I especially love the conclusion that Nikola, Mac's mom, offers: "At the end of the day it is always important to remember that deaf dogs don't know they are deaf; they are dogs first."

Give Your Mobility Impaired Dog A Helping Hand With An Assistive Harness

As our beloved canine friends age, they often need an extra hand getting up and around. One of my fellow volunteers at the shelter recently wrote a testimonial on the volunteer message board about an assistive harness that helps her 12 year old dog get up the stairs and in and out of the car, despite his severe hip dysplasia.

It's called the Help Em Up Harness, and when I checked out the website (www.helpemup.com), I was touched by the mission of the product's designers -husband and wife team Cary and Lindsey Zimmerman - to address the "challenges of mature pets and pets with disabilities."

If you have a mobility impaired dog in your life, including a medium or larger sized tripod, I highly recommend looking into this helpful assistive harness!

Injured Turtle Overcomes Adversity With Wheels

"Operation Small Dog" A Success!

As many San Francisco Bay Area residents know, we are experiencing a serious small dog overpopulation crisis, along with much of the rest of California. Local animal shelters are literally overflowing with Chihuahuas, terrier mixes, and tiny mutts of all stripes.

To help alleviate some of the overcrowding at our local city shelter, Oakland Animal Services, we rented a van this past Saturday and transported a dozen small pooches to Reno, where they were able to get a fresh start at the Nevada Humane Society. It was a great experience and the dogs were excellent little passengers - only two out of twelve had accidents in their crates!

These are some photos documenting "Operation Small Dog." Hopefully, it was the first of many transports!

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P.S. Learn how you can help save lives as a transport volunteer! Click here for details from a previous post I wrote with a list of various transport groups across the country.

Pit Bull Mixes Need Our Help!

Help spead the word that Pit Mixes can make great companions!

2010's Most Popular Names For Adoptable Pets

Hello and Happy New Year everyone!!! We thought we'd kick things off by looking back at the most popular names for adoptable pets in 2010. Here are the top ten dog and cat names from the 300,000+ adoptable animals listed on www.petfinder.com last year:

2010's Top 10 Most Popular Adoptable-Dog Names

1) Buddy
2) Max
3) Daisy
4) Bella
5) Lucy
6) Jack
7) Molly
8) Charlie
9) Sadie
10) Rocky

2010's Top 10 Most Popular Adoptable-Cat Names

1) Lucy
2) Midnight
3) Bella
4) Molly
5) Smokey
6) Tiger
7) Oreo
8) Max
9) Princess
10) Charlie

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P.S. The dapper little fellow shown here has Petfinder's #1 canine name - Buddy - and he's available for adoption in Southern California! Buddy will celebrate his fifth birthday this April and is described as "sweet and loving" by his foster family. Unfortunately, like so many Dachshunds, Buddy suffered a spinal cord injury and was surrendered to a vet to be euthanized. He got a second chance from the vet's office, and has since recovered. Buddy is back on his paws, but he is considered special needs because of his past injury. Click here for more details about this adorable guy and help us spread the word: ADOPTION IS THE BEST OPTION!