Top things DREAM dachshunds are thankful for November 24, 2009

I polled all the dachshunds in DREAM’s foster homes, and they all were thankful for something different!

Eli was thankful for tennis balls, which he now chases as much as possible (sometimes for hours), and for his foster mamas who throw the ball for him.  Over and over and over. And over.

Stan was thankful for his new foster dad, who is teaching him about the crate being a safe place.

Nicodemus is thankful that his teeth don’t hurt any more. And for his dashing eyepatch.

Wendell is grateful that he has a safe place to sleep, with other dachshunds around.

Sweetness is thankful for her arthritis medicine, and her warm bed.

Fritz Gerald is grateful that he isn’t with that lady who turned him into DREAM, carrying the new puppy in her arms that she had just bought from a breeder.

Maci is thankful that she has someone to sit next to on the couch and watch movies.

Miss Dolly is grateful for her bed and her pretty yard.  That’s all she really needs, she says.  She is retired.

Zap! is grateful that everyone he meets loves him as much as he loves everyone he meets.

Yodel is thankful to be in a foster home with no other dogs.  He likes all the attention all for himself. And for being so good-lookin’.

Zucker is thankful that someone came to get him after he was so scared and all alone on the street, and turned him into a vet who then found DREAM.

Jerry Beasley is thankful that anyone puts up with his grumpy old self.

Missy is grateful for her foster mama, who loves her old old face with her tongue sticking out the side.

Simon is grateful that he doesn’t have all those heartworms anymore.  They made it really hard to breathe.  And for the people who are going to adopt him tomorrow.

Brandy is thankful that her mom didn’t take her to the vet for the “blue juice” when she moved into an apartment that didn’t take dogs. And for DREAM.

Havarti was grateful for the training he is getting at Canine PHD to help him not be so scared.

Tonka is thankful for the dog park.  When can we go again?  And for his foster sister Delia, who plays “wild mustangs” with him.

Angus and Nessa are grateful that their dad’s friend knew how to find DREAM when their dad died, so that they didn’t go to the shelter.

Fella said he was grateful not to be in that dark  garage any more, where he spent 4 years before coming to DREAM.  Also warmies in his crate to help his arthritis.

Shannon is thankful that such a nice lady wants to adopt her, even though she has had skin cancer.

Rosie is grateful for her understanding foster family, who drove her around so much when she needed those surgeries on her mammary tumors and her bad tooth.  She feels so much better now!

Pumpkin is grateful that she and her 8 babies are not in the animal control anymore, and the babies are not sick.  That is no place to have your babies! (Soon she will be grateful that they are all in their forever homes.  She is tired of nursing.)

Buttercup is thankful for her nice quiet foster home in Savannah. And that her eye doesn’t hurt anymore.

Mouse is thankful that her foster home has a big ramp, because she is too little for stairs, and their doggie door is on the second floor!

Starling is grateful for FOOD.  But she doesn’t like her foster mama’s tricks to slow her down so much.

Manchego is grateful for the lady who found him at animal control and called DREAM.  And also for his foster dad who is taking care of him while he finishes heartworm treatment.

Brady is thankful for bellyrubs.

Kirby is thankful that the lady at the dogpound found DREAM, because the mean man who dropped him off at the pound knew he’d be put to sleep that night and left him anyway.  And he’s just a baby!

Olivia is grateful that she isn’t in a scary concrete run anymore at animal control.  No place for a teeny chiweenie!

John-Boy is thankful that he is going to a foster home today that has another young dog that loves to play play play!

Duncan is thankful that his foster mom understands that he doesn’t mean anything by it when he tries to go on an adventure.  (And for his new harness.)

Mattie is thankful for her adoptive mama, who drove up to see her from Columbus and is going to take her home as soon as her heartworm restriction period is over.  And for her foster mama who took care of her during all of that.

We at DREAM are thankful for all the people who love the dachshunds and care for them their entire lives.  We wish there were more of you.

I am thankful for our foster homes, who show these dogs so much love (sometimes for the first time in their lives), and then send them on to their forever homes, so they can help the next dachshund who needs them.

AH, a rainy fall with dachshunds October 13, 2009

HowlOWeenie is behind us, and it was glorious.  We now turn our sights to fall, when a young rescuer’s thoughts lightly turn to thoughts of ….. murder, mayhem, and rage at the machine.

No, not really.  But there are a few things I’m pretty hacked off about right now.

1.  Arnold Schwarzenegger.  He vetoed a bill to outlaw puppymills.  Seriously, Arnold? A “responsible breeder” is not going to have more than 100 adult dogs on his / her property.

2. Stories I heard today about a certain county south of Atlanta where—

A) they “adopted” a mama dachshund and her 4-day old puppies, along with an unneutered male, to a backyard breeder.  Georgia law says that dogs coming out of a shelter must be altered by the owner, but this shelter is not one of those that follows up on that.  So, nice life coming for that crew!  And not even any registration papers for the puppies.  So these will be cheap puppies.  And that means, they will get no vet care, because that costs money.  Nice!

B) one of the county commissioners let his unneutered dachshund run free.  Picked up by AC several times.  Last time, didn’t come claim him.  So eventually a rescue got him.  Dog was heartworm positive, had all the intestinal parasites.  And who knows how many litters he’d sired on his adventures. County commissioner is suing the rescue group.  Wanted his dog back.  But the dog had died because it wasn’t healthy enough to survive the heartworm treatment.

I know there are a lot of crazy rescuers out there.  There are some animal rights nutjobs, and there are some overzealous people doing overzealous things.  But when we are just trying to save the lives of the real dogs that are right in front of us, and the “authorities” not only don’t help, but actively oppose, it makes my stomach hurt.

Recent victories:  Rosie from Chattooga County.  Sassy from Dekalb County.  Lester from Fulton County.  And getting another tomorrow.

HowlOWeenie 2009 is upon us! October 1, 2009

Hope you’ve got your dachshund’s costume fitted!

Hope you’ve exercised your dachshund’s tail wag muscle!

Hope you’ve practiced your starting block technique for the race!

Hope you’re prepared to satisfy your shopping urge at the artist market – and packed lots of cash and checkbook!

Hope you’ve packed your lawnchair so you can relax for the Roxie Watson bluegrass!

Hope you’ve stretched your tummy for lots of hotdogs!

Hope you’ve limbered up for the dachsie hokey pokey!

Hope you’ve memorized your best dachshund joke!

Hope you’ve practiced your “Dachshund Idol” trick!

Hope you’ve perfected your howling duet!

Howl-O-Weenie is here! Click for complete details and schedule!

Nightline Show on Puppymills March 27, 2009

Hi everyone — set your TIVO’s for a show about puppymills tonight, Friday 27th, at 11:35 PM.  I can’t stress enough how much suffering is caused by these people.  As our board member Ivy’s email signature says,

“Puppy mills thrive on secrecy. The people who buy puppies from pet stores or the Internet have been duped into
believing that the high price they pay means that their puppy has been carefully bred, his parents loved and treated well. Nothing could be further from the truth.”

It is such a relief that this veil of secrecy is beginning to be pierced.

From a local rescuer to the Lancaster County puppymills, and part of tonight’s show:

**************************

ABC Correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi and investigators from Nightline travel the byways and back roads of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania – visiting numerous puppy mills and filming Main Line Animal Rescue’s volunteers as they rescue breeding dogs and puppies from Lancaster County’s notorious Amish commercial breeding facilities.

This promises to be a very special program.  If you are involved in rescue, advocate on behalf of the millions of puppy mill dogs interned in our nation’s commercial dog breeding facilities, or if you just simply love animals, you will not want to miss this.

Sharyn Alfonsi interviewed, on camera, an Amish breeder while touring his facility – a first for network television.  With approximately 500 dogs housed on his property, this commercial breeder speaks openly about an industry cloaked in secrecy and suspicion – the cruel factory farming of man’s best friend.

PLEASE tell your friends, your family, your coworkers – ABC Nightline investigates puppy mills – this Friday at 11:35 pm (Eastern Standard Time).  Please take the time to forward this to all the rescues, shelters, and legislators in your area.

It has been almost one year since Oprah’s puppy mill show aired.  That program received the highest viewer response of any Oprah Show in years.  Now we need to spread the word about this very special Nightline.  Only by educating as many people as we can, will we be able to help these animals.  And after you watch the program, please don’t hesitate to contact ABC and Nightline to thank them for casting such a strong light on the plight of our nation’s puppy mill dogs.

Bill Smith
Main Line Animal Rescue

Dogs and Emotions December 11, 2008

I am continually amazed at the depth of denial people can be in.  Especially people who say that dogs don’t have emotions.  Are they kidding?  I know my dogs love, hate, get pissed off, and fear.

So dogs can’t say what they feel, in words.  Does that mean it doesn’t exist?  Do the emotions of infants not exist, or of mutes?  What more evidence do you need than the expression of love on a dog’s face, the sighs of contentment, the joy of greeting, the growls of rage, the wildly wagging tail, or the tremblings of terror?  Come on, people!  That’s evidence of emotion, not just some Skinnerian conditioning!

A couple of video / audio pieces I think you’ll enjoy, if you’re interested in this topic.

http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1659825399/bclid1716449804/bctid4328463001 (click on the “Chile’s Hero Dog” to the right).  TEARJERKER WARNING.

New Experiments show that dogs understand fairness, feel jealousy. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=97944783 (The “listen” version is better than the printed one.)

The British are always ahead of the US on dog-related stuff.  http://www.purina.co.uk/Home/All+About+Dogs/Living+Together+Dog/Get+More+Out+Of+Life+Dog/Do+Dogs+Have+Emotions.htm

And lastly, a somewhat contrarian point of view.  I question, though, his conclusion that because a dog transfers its loyalty to a new home, that the dog didn’t really love his old family.  I believe this is proof of a dog’s limitless capacity for love.  http://www.rps.psu.edu/probing/dog.html

As I write this, I have five dachshunds all snuggling me, and not because they are cold, or insecure, or because they think they get status from being around me (the royalty of the house).  They want to be close to me, because they love me.  No one can convince me otherwise.

And that is why it is so heartbreaking to walk through places like the DeKalb Animal Control, where there are currently more than 30 dogs, many of them who wagged their tails hopefully as I passed, hoping I would be the next one they could love.  I got one out, but only one, and only because she had short legs.  The rest didn’t understand.