“If there is no heaven for dogs, then I want to go where they go when I die.”

-Anonymous

Adoptions begin Tuesday for four dozen homeless dogs

By Merritt Melancon – merritt.melancon@onlineathens.com

Published Tuesday, January 10, 2012 Updated: Wednesday, January 11, 2012 – 12:07am

The collection of small dogs confiscated from a Barnett Shoals Road home Monday won’t be available for adoption until Tuesday, but Animal Control officials have already seen a lot of interest from people who want to adopt them.

“We’ve gotten a number of calls from people who are interested in these dogs,” said Athens-Clarke Animal Control Superintendent Patrick Rives.

The 48 dogs, mostly shih tzus and small terrier mixes, were impounded Monday after their 47-year-old owner died of natural causes in her home.

About half of the dogs, mostly the nursing puppies and pregnant dogs, were turned over to local rescue groups, including Athens Canine Rescue, Helping Paws Rescue and Circle of Friends Animal Society, Rives said.

The two dozen or so that are held at the Athens-Clarke County Animal Control Shelter are getting bathed and groomed by volunteers to make them more comfortable and ready for adoption.

“They are in surprisingly good shape, considering,” Rives said.

By law, Animal Control has to hold the dogs through Sunday evening to make sure that none of the former owner’s relatives claim ownership, Rives said. The department is closed Monday and will start offering the dogs for adoption Tuesday, he said.

“We won’t start scheduling adoptions until Tuesday,” Rives said. “But we are accepting the applications now on a first-come, first-serve basis, so anyone who is interested should submit an application.”

People interested in adopting a dog can call (706) 613-3540 or visit the animal control department’s website at www.athensclarkecounty.com or follow the link at www.athenspets.net and download an application. Fax the application to (706) 613-3545 or drop it off in person on Thursday or Friday at 125 Buddy Christian Way.

The Animal Control Department is closed to the public on Wednesdays.

Photos of the dogs have not been posted on athenspets.net, but a list of some of the impounded dogs is available at www.athensclarkecounty.com.

“It’s no coincidence that man’s best friend cannot talk.”
Anonymous

“Where’s your will to be weird? ”
― Jim Morrison

My goal in life is to be as good of a person my dog already thinks I am.  ~Author Unknown

THE FOSTERS WE FOUND HOMES FOR IN 2011….

PRINCESS BUTTERCUP, NOW GIGI…ADOPTED BY LINDA

LILI, ADOPTED BY RACHEL AND JIMMY

AND HER PUPPIES….WILLOW, TONKA, BERNIE AND MAIZIE MAE

BERNIE…ADOPTED BY MY SISTER, LAURA AND HER HUBBY AND KIDS

MAIZIE MAE, ADOPTED BY DIANE, LAURA AND ROC

TONKA AND WILLOW, ADOPTED BY CAROLYN AND ELORA

AND THE FOSTERS WE DECIDED WE COULDN’T LET GO OF….

BENJI AND MEMPHIS

I talk to him when I’m lonesome like; and I’m sure he understands.  When he looks at me so attentively, and gently licks my hands; then he rubs his nose on my tailored clothes, but I never say naught thereat.  For the good Lord knows I can buy more clothes, but never a friend like that.  ~W. Dayton Wedgefarth

5.

Our dogs love all the flavors of Old Mother Hubbard treats!

4. 

These are great! You can buy them for big or small dogs, but it’s 4 treats in one that you snap off or give to them whole!

3.

The WellBars are a little big for our shih tzu, but our dogs love Wellness and that is also the brand of food our cats eat!

 

2.

Any flavor, any time, our dogs go nuts for Zukes!

 

1.

They go kooky for Dogswell!! These are their faves!

Runner Up (and another favorite):

Ever consider what they must think of us? I mean, here we come back from a grocery store with the most amazing haul — chicken, pork, half a cow. They must think we’re the greatest hunters on earth!    — Anne Tyler

Lili and Her Puppies

Below is an update on how each dog is doing in their new homes!

Lili

Lili is doing great in her new home! She was adopted by Jimmy and Rachel right here in Lawrenceville. Jimmy saw Lili while she was at adoption day at Red Bandanna in Suwanee. He took a picture of her and a Georgia Humane adoption application and went to show his wife, Rachel, the dog he wanted to bring home. She agreed and they haven’t looked back! Rachel says that Lili is now a “spoiled suburban dog.” She has a Jack Russell brother and a Chow sister and is loving life! She still has some of her street dog traits, but she is getting more and more used to the spoiled life and is very playful and loving. Below are a couple of pictures that Rachel and Jimmy provided me with.

Bernie

Out of all four of the puppies, Bernie stayed with us as a foster dog the longest. He is so sweet and loving, I wanted to keep him. The problem was, our dog Josie attacked him pretty badly once and I’m just not willing to take that chance. So, for months, we lived in a “divided home.” We had it down to a T and it wasn’t a big deal, we just took the dogs out in cycles instead of letting everyone out at once. We were taking Memphis, our Catahoula Leopard Dog (until we decided to adopt him), and Bernie (and Lili until she got adopted) up to adoption day at Red Bandanna in Suwanee and we had a lot of people oohing and ahhing over the dogs, but no one had filled out an application.

One day, I made a joke to my sister, Laura, after her foster dog Skipper got adopted, that she could take Bernie. Our nieces, Maddie and Grace already knew and loved Bernie from spending time with him here at our house with Denny and me. Laura, who never fails to surprise me with her easy going attitude, said “Okay, cool!” A week or so later, I took Bernie to Laura’s house. He started as a foster dog, but Laura, her husband Chad and the girls were pretty sure that he was a perfect fit as a permanent furry family member. They adopted Bernie officially and have not regretted it for a minute. He is just as sweet and wonderful as I knew he would was! Pictures of Bernie below.

Maizie Mae

I was doing my best from the get-go to make sure these puppies and mama were getting as much attention as possible. I posted them on Facebook, Twitter, and anywhere else I could think of, and of course, we had the awesome Georgia Humane Society backing us as a foster home, providing the dogs with vet care, blankets, etc. and Daffy’s Pet Soup Kitchen helping us with food when needed. A fellow pet sitter Facebook friend of mine knew that a good friend of hers had recently lost their beloved dog and that they were considering adopting a new dog. She shared Lili’s and her puppies’ story and Diane, her husband Roc, and sweet daughter, Laura gave me a call and set up a time to meet the puppies when the pups were only 5 weeks old or so. They came over and immediately took to Maizie, filled out an application and waited patiently until she was old enough to get all of her shots, get spayed, heal and come home with them! She is doing really great in her home, and is extremely spoiled and happy and loved on. She is scared of her own shadow, which seems to be a trend with these puppies, but loves to play with her human “sister.”  Below are a couple of pictures that Diane provided me with.

Tonka and Willow

Carolyn‘s name has been mentioned several times in my blog articles because she is as crazy as I am when it comes to animal rescue. No, crazier. She was there for me when I was driving over to where Lili was a stray and feeding her until we found her puppies; we couldn’t take Lili out of there knowing that puppies were there somewhere. Carolyn went to feed Lili and look for the puppies when I was out doing my Spring Break pet sitting visits. She also came and helped with them when we found the puppies and brought them to our house. Her daughter, Elora, knew that one of these puppies was going to be hers, but I’m not sure Carolyn knew that from the beginning. Well, after knowing and loving them all, they decided to adopt Willow (the black female pup) and foster Tonka (the brown with black muzzle pup). I don’t think it took that long before I got a text from Carolyn saying that they decided to adopt Tonka as well. Both dogs have been through obedience training and are as spoiled as can be. Tonka, like Maizie Mae, is afraid of his own shadow, but Carolyn is a pro when it comes to socializing dogs and is doing a fantastic job!  Below are pictures.

The one absolutely unselfish friend that man can have in this selfish world, the one that never deserts him, the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous, is his dog.” – George Graham Vest

Here is a video of Lili so you can see how playful and sweet she is, and also of her adorable puppies!

If you want others to be happy, practice compassion.  If you want to be happy, practice compassion.  ~Dalai Lama

That being said, last Saturday, 3/19/11, I was walking my client’s dog Maggie and noticed a very sad looking dog who had obviously had puppies sitting on the front porch of a house. She was looking as if she was waiting for someone. There was a little girl outside and I asked her if she knew who’s dog she was, but she wasn’t sure.

This was the first picture I took of mama dog, who we are now calling Lili. I was walking another dog and didn't want to get close, but had to snap a picture to see if she was a missing dog online.

I walked Maggie back to her house and gave her some love, playtime, treats, dinner and fresh water and then went back to the house where I saw mama dog. I keep dog food in my trunk, so I pulled some out and started walking toward her. Poor girl was pretty freaked out, so I approached very slowly, walking with my side to her, being silent so she could use her nose instead of her ears, and just being very conscious of my body language. I put the food down for her and I got her some water as well and decided to peek around the side of the house to see if I could hear or see puppies. Bad idea on my part, I guess I wasn’t thinking clearly…she came in an arc at me and never came close enough to bite me, but let me know that she didn’t want me over there. I bowed my eyes and moved away respectfully. I knew I had to find the puppies, but I also knew that I would be gaining her trust first.

I called my friends Penny Cogdill from Huffs Flowers and Carolyn Stewart from CS Baskets the next day, both huge animal lovers and rescuers that I knew would help this mom and babies. I also called Tom Wargo from Daffy’s Pet Soup Kitchen and Michelle Humphries from Georgia Humane Society and they immediately sprang into action in helping to spread the word about the situation. Tom filled my trunk with puppy food for mom to eat, and boy did she. We were feeding her 4 cans in the morning and a few cups of dry food, and 2-3 cans in the evening. She wouldn’t let me pet her the first night, but she would take a treat.

Lili did a lot of submissive licking of her mouth at first, but didn't want me to pet her yet.

I was pretty sure she would warm up fast because this picture was from the first evening, the second visit with her and she took a treat out of my hand. She wagged her tail a little between her legs, too.

In the meantime, we are worrying about the puppies. None of the neighbors have seen the puppies, or even heard the puppies. They said she had shown up around a month and half before. I was pretty shocked that no one had reached out to this dog. She’s only 25 pounds and adorable. That’s for another blog post, I guess.

After a few days of going over and feeding mama dog, she had really warmed up to me. Really. She was in my lap before I knew it, kissing me, and her entire body would wiggle when she saw my car pull up. I HAD to get her out of there. It’s not the best of neighborhoods; one man told us that the reason the Lawrenceville Police kept driving by was because there had been so much crime there lately.

On Friday morning, 03/25/11, I pulled up and Lili was very happy to see me. I grabbed her canned food and started to feed her, but she wouldn’t eat. That’s a first, because she had been chowing down for the past almost week. I started my usual hunt for puppies, as she followed me around with a “What are we looking for” look on her happy little face and and I noticed a hole in the fence to the house’s backyard, so I went across the creek and under the hole and started looking around. No puppies, yet again. I saw that she was pooping, and gross enough I knew I should look to see if she had worms or what not. There was blood in her poop, and I was worried, so I decided to take her to my vet, Woods Animal Hospital.

Well, this would be a new venture, seeing if I could get her in the car. Or, better yet, get her to want to be in the car. I had to go to my midday pet sitting and dog walking visits before I went to the vet. I also stopped off at home for some extra delicious treats to try to lure Lili into the car.

I got back to her around 3pm and started to give her the chicken outside the car. Then I sat inside the car and gave her chicken. Then, I put the chicken on the floor of the car. Then the seat and she was in. I sat in the backseat with her for a few minutes to make sure she was ok with this, all the while giving her little pieces of chicken. I climbed into the front seat, and off we went to Norcross to the vet.

Lili wasn't too sure about the car at first, but by the end, she was looking out the window and sniffing the air

At the vet’s office, they looked her over, gave her the vaccines that she could get as a nursing mother and checked her out to see if they could tell if she had been nursing. The doctor told me that yes, she had definitely been nursing. I called Denny and let him know that there are definitely puppies to be found, and we were determined to find them. We decided that we would do a stake out all night if we had to.

I swung by our house on my way back from the vet, picked Denny up and we went back to the empty house that Lili was hanging around. Mind you, Penny Cogdill, Carolyn Stewart, Denny and I had looked for many hours and days for these pups, to no avail.

When we got back to the empty house, I went ahead and fed Lili since she apparently wasn’t going to leave our sides. I went to my car to put the garbage in a bag in my trunk and got a tennis ball out. I tossed the tennis ball to Lili to see what she would do and she ran happily over to it, grabbed it in her mouth, and ran over to a big tree that was between her house and a neighbor’s….and disappeared. Denny followed her and found a hole in the base of the tree and called out to me, “We have puppies!”

I couldn’t believe it. I walked over and there was Lili in a tree. You could barely even see her; the tree was hollow on the inside and they were way down inside it, nursing. I called Penny, who promptly brought a crate over. I put Lili on a leash and led her to the other side of the house, so not to upset her with Penny and Denny around her babies. Denny is a tall guy (6’5) and had to lie on his back and put his arm all the way in the hole to get the four puppies out.

Here's Denny reaching into the tree hole to pull out the four very healthy puppies

We put the puppies in Penny’s crate and brought them back with Lili to our house.

And, here they are!

The puppies and Lili are now Georgia Humane Society foster dogs. They and their sweet mama will be available for adoption in about 4 weeks. If you are interested in applying to adopt or foster, please go to www.georgiahumane.com and fill out either an adoption application or foster application.

This guy has a stubby tail.

There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face.  ~Ben Williams

Athens Regional Spay and Neuter Center- 1781 Mars Hill Rd. Watkinsville, GA- 706-353-2287

Atlanta Humane Society- 981 Howell Mill Rd. Atlanta, GA 30318- 770-830-2763

Casper’s Fund- 678-318-1886 or info@caspersfund.org

Cat Care Hospital- 1106 Powder Springs Rd. Marietta, GA 30064- 770-424-6369

Cherokee County Humane Society- 770-972-5067, Ext. 2 or jorgancchs@hotmail.com

Conyers/Rockdale Humane Society- 770-922-4618

Crosshair Veterinary Services- 210 W. Main St., Lexington, GA- 706-743-7614

Dekalb County Humane Society/PAWS Atlanta- 5287 Covington Hwy. Decatur, GA 30035- 770-593-1155

Friends of Animals (Certificate Program)- 770-662-6033 or 1-800-321-7387

Fulton Animal Services- 860 Marietta Blvd. NW Atlanta, 30318- 404-613-0358

Georgia Animal Project-770-704-7297

Georgia Department of Agriculture Spay and Neuter License Plate Program- 404-656-3667

Georgia SPCA- 1175 Buford Highway, Suwanee, GA 30024- 678-765-2726

Gwinnett Humane Society- 770-798-7711

H.E.L.P. Low Cost Spay Neuter Clinic- 12 The Crescent Dr. Newnan, GA 30263- 770-304-7911

Heart of Suwanee Animal Hospital- 750 Peachtree Industrial Blvd. Suwanee, GA 30024- 770-271-8222

Helping Prevent Homeless Pets, Inc.- Douglas County

Henry County Animal Care and Control Department- 527 Hampton St. McDonough, GA 30253- 770-288-7387

Humane Society of Northeast Georgia  Low Income Spay/Neuter Clinic- 845 West Ridge Rd. Gainesville, GA 30501- 770-532-6617

Humane Society of Northeast Georgia- 845 West Ridge Rd. Gainesville, GA 30501- 770-532-6617

Leftover Pets, Inc.- Elbert, Jackson, Stephens, and Whitfield Counties, GA- 1-800-978-5226 or 706-654-3271

Lifeline Animal Project- 129 Lake St. Avondale Estates, GA 30002- 404-292-8800

Low Cost Spay and Neuter for West Georgia- Serves Douglas County, Carroll County, and the cities of Newnan and Peachtree, GA- 770-942-4984

Madison-Oglethorpe Animal Shelter- 1888 Colbert Danielsville Rd. Danielsville, GA 30633- 706-795-2868

North Fulton Humane Society Low Cost Clinic- Alpharetta, GA- 770-772-7472

Paradox Farm Spay and Neuter- 5791 Old Highway 138 SW, Oxford, GA 30054- 770-972-5067

Paulding County Animal Control (Financial Assistance)- 779 Industrial Blvd. Dallas, GA 30132- 770-445-1511

Paulding County Humane Society- 770-443-3565

Peach Pets Animal Hospital- 6955 McGinnis Ferry Rd. Suite 104, Johns Creek, GA 30097- 770-814-9000

Pet Assistance and Welfare Society (PAWS) of Athens- 706-310-0663 or operations@pawsofathens.com

Pet Wellness Clinic Value Care @ Apalachee Ridge Animal Hospital- 1250 Auburn Rd. Dacula, GA 30019- 770-962—9660

Planned PEThood of Georgia- 2860 Buford Highway, Bldg. F, Suite 2, Duluth, GA 30096- 678-561-FIX1 (3491)

Pit Bull Rescue Central- Click link, fill out application

Project Spay Neuter @ Pet Vet, Inc.- 4630 Martin Rd. Cumming, GA 30041- 770-887-1565

Save Our Strays- 404-729-2671

Society of Humane Friends- Lawrenceville, GA- 770-962-4301

Spay and Neuter Team of Atlanta (S.A.N.T.A.)-470 Franklin Rd. Suite 105 Marietta, GA 30067- 678-581-4055

Spay Elijay- 706-698-HOME

Spay Georgia- (Certificate Program)- 770-662-4479 and follow directions on message

SPOT (Stopping Pet Overpopulation Together) (Financial Assistance)- 404-584-7768

The Sterile Feral(feral cats only)- PMB210 3 Central Plaza, Rome, GA 30161- 706-232-2418

WellPet Humane- 5342 Peachtree Rd. Chamblee, GA 30341- 770-455-1011

West Georgia Spay/Neuter Clinic- 525 E. Montgomery St. Suite B, Villa Rica, GA 30180- 678-840-8072

Woods Animal Hospital- 11 Thrasher St. Norcross, GA 30071- 770-448-6735

Each day 10,000 humans are born in the U.S. – and each day 70,000 puppies and kittens are born. As long as these birth rates exist, there will never be enough homes for all the animals. As a result, every year 4 to 6 million animals are euthanized because there are no homes for them.

Here's Benji! He's adoptable through Georgia Humane Society. He is neutered, up to date on vaccines and one of the most laid back dogs you'll ever meet!