Posts Tagged ‘Dog Rescue’

In the swampy woods behind Julie’s house, there lies a hurt dog. As her neighbor, Jo Ann and she get closer to the dog, who appears close to death, the dog jumps up and takes off. They think they see a wound on the dog’s back leg and Jo Ann had heard a gun shot a few hours before.

This was five weeks ago. Julie and Jo Ann have been putting food and water out for this poor, extremely frightened and probably injured dog every morning and every evening. They cannot get within a few hundred yards of the dog before he tears off into the woods again. This is as close as they can get:

Tom Wargo, founder of Daffy’s Pet Soup Kitchen and The Backyard Sanctuary was notified of this poor dog and he felt that immediate action should be taken. Tom traps feral cats all the time, but not so many dogs. He has a coyote sized trap and took it to Julie’s, put the food in and waited.

About 4 hours later, the dog wandered into the woods where he usually gets his food and walked right into the trap. Unfortunately, the trap didn’t hold up to the terribly frightened dog’s struggling and kicking, so he busted out of the trap and left.

We are hoping someone will have a large trap that we can use, and a rescue who will know what to do with this terrified pup, or just for some tips or advice. Thank you for any help that you can give.

Contact: Tom Wargo, 404-345-6821 or Valerie Pegg, 770-363-0827

Not to hurt our humble brethren (the animals) is our first duty to them, but to stop there is not enough. We have a higher mission–to be of service to them whenever they require it… If you have men who will exclude any of God’s creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men.
– Saint Francis of Assisi

I read the story below, written by Josh Green, Staff Writer at Gwinnett Daily Post and it really warmed my heart. This makes me very proud to live in Gwinnett County, as this is the first time a program like this has been supported in the state, and possibly in the country. Sheriff  Butch Conway, you deserve a medal for this one.

Dogs and humans have a special bond that I would never want to live without. I know that being around animals can soften a person, I’ve seen it a thousand times! How many of you have seen a big guy with a little dog talking sweetly and in a funny voice? Or a “macho” guy walking down the road with his big, fierce looking Rottweiler and stopping to check the dog’s paw because he thought he had noticed the dog limping. This story from the Gwinnett Daily Post is a fine example of what can happen when you get dogs and humans together and I hope it gives you a smile.

A second chance: Saved from being euthanized, inmate-trained dogs ready for adoption

LAWRENCEVILLE — Josh Terza, a tatted-up Woodstock man with a stocky build and vice-grip handshake, was sentenced recently to five years in Georgia prisons for trafficking methamphetamine. But that’s not his chief concern today. Doggie jealousy is.

Locked up in Gwinnett County Jail since April, the doldrums of confinement were weighing on Terza until he was paired with “Mick” — a 1-year-old Catahoula-Aussie mix with a salt-and-pepper face, a frenzied feather of a tail and a tipsy disposition.

They hit it off. The inner dog-trainer in Terza came out. But once Mick’s tendency to jump on laps and yap at everything subsided, Terza had to take his skills elsewhere. This time to “Ramses,” a full-blooded German shepherd named for the peace-loving Egyptian ruler.

A dog-inmate-dog triangle emerged.

“You get emotionally attached,” Terza, 30, explained Friday in a jail yard, feeding Mick “good dog” treats from a pouch wrapped around his jail jumpsuit. “I feel like I’m cheating on my dog.”

The first round of the life-saving experience that is Operation Second Chance, in the estimation of those close to it, has been a success. Experts have deemed the first five animals led through the inmate-training program — Mick and pals that include Chow, Labrador and Anatolian mixes — ready for adoption.

Each dog was scheduled to be euthanized weeks ago.

Instead, the animals have endured a sort of doggie boot camp behind bars, sleeping in cages near their inmate handlers and undergoing constant training. Leaders say the program is a win-win on all fronts, in that it literally saves the animals from death while giving inmates purpose and — perhaps — viable job training for their life on the other side.

James Wilson, a housing unit deputy, said he’s noticed a “kinder, more patient” attitude among the 28 inmates chosen from 100 applicants to reside in the dog unit. Inmates accused of violent or sex crimes are weeded out in a screening process.

“In regular pods, (the inmates) like to play games,” Wilson said. “In this pod, they actually police each other” in fear they’ll loose the privilege to stick around, he said.

Only 11 fortunate pooches can be trained at one time. The sooner those are adopted, the quicker more in the Gwinnett County Animal Control euthanasia line can be cycled in, said Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman Stacey Bourbonnais.

It’s the first jail program of its kind in Georgia — and likely the country, she said.

Professional trainers with Twelve Paws Canine Academy in Lawrenceville make volunteer visits to instruct inmates on proper training, even doling out “homework” assignments.

Adopted dogs come with built-in training worth about $1,500, said trainer Michael Louviere.

“They’re really getting the same social skills they’d be getting in a home setting,” he said.

The brainchild of dog lover Sheriff Butch Conway, the program is supported by the Society of Humane Friends of Georgia, who provide all necessary care, training, food and veterinary services for the dogs. Leaders stress that the cost to taxpayers is nil.

Society president Dennis Kronenfeld said adoption applicants are subject to a screening process that includes home visits. Candidates will be able to preview the dogs at the jail or area pet retailers, he said.

As for Terza, he hopes to be released in December, with credit for time served. He’s mulling the idea of printing up some business cards, maybe marketing his dog-training skills to pet care chains like PetSmart.

For now, his four-legged compadres are a substitute for his family, he said.

“I got two kids I ain’t been able to hug for a year,” he said. “This brings you joy.”

Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole. -Roger Caras

We didn’t plan on adopting a new dog as quickly as we did after our sweet Sammie passed away. Ok, so I was definitely keeping an even sharper eye out for strays than I usually do, but that was really it.

I decided to write a blog on the rescue groups in our area. I was checking the links to make sure that they connected correctly. I started casually looking at all of the pictures and reading the little paragraphs that each rescue group puts down for each dog. That’s when I saw Josie (her name was Missy then)….I had to meet her.

My husband, Denny and I had a trip planned, so I contacted the rescue group, Georgia Humane Society, asked them a few questions about Missy/Josie, and told them that we wouldn’t be back in town until the next week, but that we would like to meet her.

Josie’s story before the rescue group liberated her is unclear. A kind soul from Georgia Humane pulled Josie out of  Carrollton Animal Control a while before we met her. We do know that she had survived a terrible virus, Parvovirus, that she had been adopted by someone who decided for one reason or the other to return her, and, she’s a happy-go-lucky dog who got along great with the other dogs in her foster mom’s home.

When we met Josie a week and a half later in Newnan, GA, she met Jake and Gizmo with puppy-ish excitement. Jake didn’t know what to think and Gizmo didn’t seem too happy either. She was extremely rambunctious, but we wanted to give her a chance. Jake tends to be stand-offish with new dogs and Gizmo is a bit bossy, so we couldn’t judge this on a first time meeting in a Petsmart parking lot!  We decided to “Foster to Adopt,” giving us the option of changing our minds if she didn’t fit in or if she wasn’t good with the cats.

Josie was great in the car, very calm. It’s about an hour drive, but we decided to stop at my sister’s house (Laura Fields of  BabySteps ) in Powder Springs to see how Josie does with our 5 and 3 year old nieces. She was super sweet with Maddie and Grace and got along fine with Laura’s elderly sheltie, Buddy (RIP, Buddy). Big score for Josie!

When we got her home, we followed the “rules” of introducing a new dog to your home for the first time. First of all, we took her, Jake and Gizmo on a nice, long walk. For more “rules” of introducing your new dog to your home, try this link: Dog Rescue Network.

After our walk, we brought Josie inside to see how she did with the cats and how her manners were. She was a little exuberant, but she’s practically a puppy (1.5 years old), and in a new situation. Our first mistake was leaving out all of the dog toys. We had a large container full of toys that Jake and Gizmo were allowed to play with at their will.

Everything was ok the first couple of days, but we noticed that Josie was giving Jake some pretty sketchy and sideways looks, especially around toys. Then, Gizmo was kind of throwing around a toy and Josie “jumped” on him. She didn’t bite him hard enough to make any marks, but it was loud and kind of scary. A few more incidents occured, mostly with Jake.  Josie could have all of the toys, and Jake would be playing with one. She would leave hers, run to Jake and bite his neck and grab the toy and take it to the rest of her toys. The last time this happened was about two months ago and it was over, get this, a pair of shorts. That’s when we started reading up and trying to figure out where we went wrong so we could fix it! We were starting to think that we may have adopted the wrong dog….we were completely off base.

We decided to pick up all toys and only let the dogs play with them when Denny or I had the time to be completely involved with their playtime. We haven’t had another incident, it was that simple. In fact, Josie, Jake and Gizmo play together like crazy maniacs (without toys) and not an issue has arisen. Josie’s progress was amazing and continues to be.

Here is a list of some of the books that we read to help us:

The Loved Dog, by Tamara Geller

It’s Me or the Dog, by Victoria Stilwell

Mine! A Practical Guide To Resource Guarding in Dogs, by Jean Donaldson

Be the Pack Leader, by Cesar Millan

The Dog Listener, by Jan Fennell

“It came to me that every time I lose a dog they take a piece of my heart with them. And every new dog who comes into my life, gifts me with a piece of their heart. If I live long enough, all the components of my heart will be dog, and I will become as generous and loving as they are.” ~Unknown

The following blog lists several of the pet shelters and rescues in the Gwinnett County area, including Lawrenceville, Suwanee, Dacula, Duluth, Snellville and Lilburn. Whether you are looking for a certain breed or just the “perfect” pet for you, there are plenty of rescue groups and shelters in the area to find the pet you are looking for… and you’re saving a life. 90,000 dogs and cats die in Atlanta area shelters every year! Please, consider adoptions instead of purchasing a pet. If I’ve left any shelters or rescues out, please let me know and I will happily add it to this list.

Dacula

Canine Pet Rescue

Duluth

Cindy’s K-9 Angels

Companion Animal Rescue League

Lawrenceville

Gwinnett County Animal Control and Welfare

Gwinnett Humane Society

Society of Humane Friends

Lilburn

Alcovy Pet Rescue

Atlanta Boxer Rescue

Pets To Be

Snellville

Hightower Farm and Animal Sanctuary

Stone Moutain

Boston Terrier Rescue

Suwanee

English Springer Rescue America

Georgia Humane Society

Georgia SPCA

Southeast Pug Rescue and Adoption

“He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion.” – Anonymous