Cuddles in the Sun

As you may know from reading my blog- I am infinitely jealous of people whose pitties cuddle up in adorable balls together because Winnie and Bruno would rather curl up in to adorable balls NEXT to each other. But this Sunday, as the sun shone through our apartment window into a nice warm patch on the carpet, the pups decided to give each other a chance as they squished themselves into the tiny patch of sunlight...

 

hmm.. Bruno's butt is actually a decent pillow..

 Mom, are you going to let me sleep?

Panic in the Elevator

"HELP ME! HELP ME!" These were the screaming words of a woman in our building when she found herself sharing the elevator with me and my two pit bulls...

Normally, my boyfriend and I try not to walk our dogs unless there is a one-to-one ratio- we have found that in our neighborhood it can be difficult for each of us to handle both dogs at once unless it is late at night and no one is around.

Bruno gets very anxious around certain people and when one person can focus on him exclusively, he can be calmed down much more easily. However, if I have both Winnie and Bruno on leash, in the unlikely event that they both get anxious around a certain dog or person, they are not very hard to control per-say, but hard to keep quiet.

Still, once in a while we will walk them both out on the way somewhere and one of us will leave (go to work or elsewhere) and one person will take them both back upstairs.

This is just what happened yesterday- my boyfriend was leaving to work for a few hours yesterday afternoon. We walked the dogs, he left me in the lobby with the dogs, and he left for work. I brought them in to the elevator, which was empty and pressed the button for our floor.


Around the corner, our neighbors' nanny came rushing. They were leaving on a trip and must have forgotten something. I held the elevator for her.

I was wary because we had just seen them on our floor- the whole family with two nannies, two kids, and lots of luggage. The mother had chosen that as a time to tell us how afraid of our dogs she was and we decided to stay back and take the next elevator. While waiting, Winnie jumped gingerly, tail wagging, on the nanny, who replied with a disdainful "Are you serious?" to my boyfriend. (I had been waiting around the corner with Bruno, because I didn't want him to bark).

They had asked how the dogs were with children and dogs and were surprised to learn that Winnie loved children and they were both comfortable around dogs. They entered the elevator and the next time we saw them was loading the car downstairs. Thinking these skeptics were no longer an obstacle, I entered the lobby, said goodbye to my boyfriend and was looking forward to spending the rest of President's Day on the couch.

That's when the Nanny entered the elevator.

Bruno began barking at her instantly. He can sense when someone doesn't like him. People who are dog friendly never bother him- he can ride quietly in the elevator with a whole crowd as long as people don't ignore him or stare at him strangely. Once a person is afraid however, he barks. He could sense the Nanny's hurriedness and barked at her before she even entered the elevator. Knowing her fear of dogs, I was surprised she came in with us.

When she leaned over to press her floor (mine, which was already lit) she began to freak out- Bruno appeared to want to escape his gentle-leader and began squirming behind me.

She yelled "HOLD THE DOGS," to which I replied, I have them, sorry he is barking!" At no point did Bruno get closer than 4 feet away from her, but his barking and wriggling obviously threw her into a panic.
She began screaming at full-volume and crying hysterically and banging at the elevator door, yelling "HELP ME! HELP ME! HOLD THE DOGS" (as if I was going to let them go at her!)

Finally, when the door opened, she ran out, arms flailing down the hall, yelling bloody murder. I have never heard someone scream so loudly in my life- nor have I been around anyone who truly believed they were going to die.

I understood that Bruno was scary- he scared me the first time I met him when he barked at me. I felt horrible that I made her feel so unsafe. I cried most of the day on the couch and was sure the family would complain to the door man and building management.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized- my dog never touched her, there was never a possibility of him touching her as I had him secure on the leash near me in the corner of the elevator. He was only guilty of barking at her- and of course he was just as terrified of this screaming maniac as she was of him. He slept the rest of the day and I worried that he would now be traumatized by strangers and elevators.

I also noticed that the more times I retold my story to friends and co-workers, the funnier it became- everyone laughed at how crazy this woman was. It still really affected me and I am going to be much much more careful with Bruno from now on to make sure he feels safe all the time, but I am hoping that it doesn't have a lasting impact on me. I just look forward to the day when I can have a big yard and not as many neighbors so Bruno can enjoy himself and run around like a crazy puppy.

Has anyone else had to deal with this kind of person, experience or prejudice? I'd love to hear any stories you have and how you dealt with it.

Sponsor Your Best Friend

If you are maxed out on space and time (like us) and can't possibly own or foster another dog, but desperately want to help more animals in need, you can sponsor an animal!

Best Friends Animal Society Sanctuary in Utah has over 1,700 animals on any given day and 244 animals that need sponsorship, each with a unique story and personality, needing constant care, attention, food, shelter, medical care, and love.

Of these 244 animals, 110 are dogs and 22 are dogs from the Vick estate in Virginia. Other dogs are survivors of Hurricane Katrina, animal abuse cases and abandonment. They are all so equally deserving of the resources that Best Friends can give them, but of all the dogs, the dog I'd most like to take home and spend time with was Squeaker.

Here is Squeaker's story & description:

"Squeaker is such a sweet, shy girl who lacks a little confidence. She gets really shy around new people and is very submissive when being handled. The caregivers are working with her to help build confidence and start prepping her for Canine Good Citizen classes.

She spends a lot of time over at Dogtown in the laundry room where it is quiet and she can rest, although, she does like to watch all the people zoom down the hallways. Sometimes when she is really happy she will get the zoomies and loves to run around around and gets so excited! She is also a big cuddle-bug. She likes to come and lay her head on her favorite caregiver's shoulder. She is such a cute girl!

Squeaker is one of the dogs rescued from the property of former NFL quarterback, Michael Vick. She is so happy to be safe and loved now. She has a million dollar smile and she is looking forward to a bright and wonderful future.

Won't you be apart of Squeaker's journey to confidence and success? Be her sponsor today!"

I am now sponsoring Squeaker with a small donation every month and look forward to hearing about her progress.

If you would like to sponsor an animal, click here.

Best Friends is an model for every shelter in the country and a wonderful place to visit- I am eager to plan a visit, myself, and maybe even get to meet Squeaker. While there, visitors can volunteer and even take some animals for sleep-over visits.

Think Before You Breed:

It is becomming harder and harder for me to watch so many dogs be put to sleep each day- every single one a pit bull mix.
Thanks to Mena Viana on FB for this poem:

(Terrified 3 year old Kate was pts today.)

 "Today is just another day - to me they're all the same

I have the worst of genes you see, I bear the "Staffy" shame.

The shame is in our numbers, there's thousands with no home.

Thousands just like me you'll find, in kennels all alone.

My mum was "just a Staffy", my father - well who knows?
Mum, too, became unwanted, as the last puppy goes.
And then begins the process, of money-making deals
A life of "moving on" unfolds, who cares how the Staffy feels?
If you have the cash to hand, the Staffy pup is yours
But that pup is getting bigger now, just look at those big paws.

You brought me for your image, thought I'd make you look more tough
But you'll find my boisterous nature has already got too much.
If you had thought to train me, with kindness and with praise
You would have had a faithful friend to share your darkest days.
I would lay down my life for you, but you simply cannot see
You make sure you get your money back on what you paid for me.

And on it goes, until one day, I'm no longer worth a dime
The retail on an adult staff - not worth the waste of time.
So what happens to a Staffy now? Do you really want to know?
Do you care what will become of us, when we leave our final home?

Have you ever thought to wonder, "Where is that Staffy now?"
The "Staffy" has another name; he's become a "stray" somehow.
Me, I was put into a car and driven far away
The door held open, I jumped out, I thought to run and play.
It was with joy and happy heart I turned to look for you
You drove away with all my trust and a piece of my heart too.

I wondered round for many days before I was brought here.
Now I wait with heavy heart, trepidation and with fear.
Seven days is all I have you see, seven days for you to claim
The little dog that you threw out, for which you have no shame.

This is my last goodbye now my seven days are up

If only more thought had gone into the future of that pup

As the needle empties to my veins I lay down with one last sigh

I'm sorry I was born a Staffy, because it means that I must die."

This is the story of these dogs (and others)- who breathed their last breaths today;

RIP Ciarra and Crook

S.O.S.!

The NYC Shelters are completed over-burdened right now. They are beyond full-capacity.

Now is the time to consider rescueing/fostering/adopting, as the foster/rescue groups in the city are at capacity and Animal Care and Control has dogs living in cages in the hallways.

Close to 30 dogs have been killed in the last two days alone, many of them mild and adoptable. To see the dogs lost today, click here.

RIP Princess

What a horrific Valentine's Day for the animals.

Valentines Day in the slammer!

Happy Happy Valentine's Day All!

I am so glad that my pups have each other as Valentines, even though they don't always love each other.
Every time we see Winnie allowing Bruno's heavy head to rest on her or vice-versa, we get all excited!!

Unfortunately, Bruno is spending the majority of his Valentine's Day in the crate :(

(Look at those guilty eyes :))

We hate leaving him in there but since we left the baby gate at my parents' house last weekend, we have had some issues with Bruno. Usually Bruno spends the day in the Kitchen with the gate up so he can't get into trouble in the living room, and Winnie sleeps the day away in the bedroom. We trust her not to get into any trouble since she doesn't destroy anything like she used to. (A baseball cap, a belt, a tie, a pillow... but all that was when she was a puppy.)

But on Friday night, when I was given a nice big box of Godiva chocolates for Valentine's day, Bruno got out of the kitchen by pushing at the crate we left in front of the kitchen door. He ate the WHOLE box of chocolates while we were out! We got home and were terrified as we did the math and called poison control. Luckily, Bruno didn't show any signs of being sick - not even the next day!

On Saturday, we decided to change the angle of the crate so that he would literally have to PULL it with his teeth to get out. We also removed all items we didn't want destroyed from the living room (Bruno has a habit of also eating inedibles: earmuffs - total count to date- two pairs destroyed). However, when we got home a few hours later- he was out again! And this time, he had gotten into some maple syrup that was out from breakfast that we had overlooked! It was all over the carpet, and Bruno had eaten probably half of the bottle! We were nervous because the vet had told us that high fructose corn syrup is very dangerous for dogs and can dehydrate them, but once again- he never got sick or anything!

Finally, we realized without the baby gate, he is an escape artist, and until we have time to replace it, we have to keep him in the crate. Poor baby. I am surprised now that something as simple as a half-height gate will keep him in the kitchen!!!

Anyone else have their own special escape artists at home?

Consider Attending:

NYC CACC Flyer Drop in Times Square.
Saturday, February 26
2:00-5:00pm

Bring awareness about the failures of the Shelter System.

Print Flyers to post elsewhere if you cannot attend!

Be Heard:

These two dogs were killed even though they had adopters anxiously waiting to take them home:

 RIP Shadow & Lola

Please call, write, email, fax, the Mayor, the ACC Board members, the City Council members, and the media and also send letters to the editor.  Here's a sample letter; please personalize, if you wish and use your own thoughts and words to convey your anger and dissatisfaction with the status quo:



Dear Mayor Bloomberg, Board members of NYC Animal Care and Control, Speaker Quinn and City Council members:

Thousands of our companion animals are being needlessly killed in the shelters of NYC Animal Care and Control.  Reports are rampant of "mistakes" (e.g., killing animals who had rescues waiting), intentional mislabeling as "ill", or failure to treat easily treatable "illness", in order to justify killing. We demand a thorough investigation into the mismanagement, mistreatment and on-going killing of our homeless companion animals, for which there is no end in sight.

I am writing to express my outrage and concerns about the appalling and unacceptable situation at the NYC Animal Care and Control shelters, resulting from an unconscionable failure in management and leadership at every level and recent severe budget cuts. Service cuts in the shelters have resulted in increased numbers of animals killed and animals forced to live in unhealthy and neglectful conditions. This was reported in the recent ABC Eyewitness News undercover exposes, which have brought shame to our City and its citizens: http://tinyurl.com/29bemct; also http://tinyurl.com/2c3zh2h; and http://tinyurl.com/2ce9wzg. NYC has always ranked among the lowest major cities in the per capita monetary allotment for shelter animals, but now the situation and its dire consequences are even worse.  Hideous numbers of animals continue to be routinely killed.  In addition, the animal shelters for the Bronx and Queens, which were mandated by law and subsequent court ruling, have not been built, after more than 10 years of delay tactics and stalling by the City.

The Nevada Humane Society, among many others, is part of a growing trend sweeping the country that has transformed one of the highest kill rate shelters in the US into one of the lowest. This should be a "how to" example for New York City.  Please see how they did it. http://www.nevadahumanesociety.org/pdf/HowWeDidIt11-08.pdf

It has recently been reported that the City Council will be considering a proposal that will cost $10 million of taxpayer money to install Wi Fi capability in our City parks.  While this may be a progressive endeavor, if funds are available for such a project, where are the funds to improve the conditions and most importantly, save the lives of thousands of NYC companion animals?  Their needs have been put on the back burner, with little or no attention paid to their suffering and deaths.

I consider this situation to be intolerable, unconscionable and unacceptable.  I urge the Mayor, all ACC Board members and all City Council members to address this urgent situation immediately and take all necessary actions to investigate and rectify it.

Sincerely,

Name
Address

CONTACTS:

• General email contact for all City Council members:
• members@council.nyc.ny.us
• If you wish to find the name and contact info for YOUR City Council member go to: http://council.nyc.gov/html/members/members.shtm
• You can send a letter by using "Contact Us" form for the following members with no email address at: http://council.nyc.gov/html/members/members.shtm : Dromm, Greenfield, Quinn, Vallone  
• No email contact at all (must call, write or fax) :Arroyo, Barron, Dickens, Nelson, Reyna, Rose

Email Contact info for all other Council members not mentioned above (some have both email and Contact us forms on the City Council website http://council.nyc.gov/html/members/members.shtm ):
gbrewer@council.nyc.gov ; fcabrera@council.nyc.gov; chin@council.nyc.gov; comrie@council.nyc.ny.us; ecrowley@council.nyc.gov; Edilan@council.nyc.gov;mathieu.eugene@council.nyc.gov;jferreras@council.nyc.gov ; LFidler@council.nyc.gov;foster@council.nyc.gov; garodnick@council.nyc.ny.us; jgennaro@council.nyc.gov; vgentile@council.nyc.gov; Sgonzalez@council.nyc.gov; dhalloran@council.nyc.gov; Ignizio@council.nyc.ny.us;rjackson@council.nyc.gov, ljames@council.nyc.gov;pkoo@council.nyc.gov;okoppell@council.nyc.gov;Koslowitz@council.nyc.gov;lander@council.nyc.gov;
lappin@council.nyc.gov;slevin@council.nyc.gov;mviverito@council.nyc.gov;darlene.mealy@council.nyc.gov;rmendez@council.nyc.gov; lkaplan@council.nyc.gov;joddo@council.nyc.gov;apalma@council.nyc.gov;drecchia@council.nyc.gov;Joel.Rivera@council.nyc.gov; yrodriguez@council.nyc.gov, jsanders@council.nyc.gov; cmseabrook12@yahoo.com; eulrich@council.nyc.gov; jvacca@council.nyc.gov; jvanbramer@council.nyc.gov;avann@council.nyc.gov , MWeprin@Council.NYC.gov;Ruben.Wills@council.nyc.gov

City Hall
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg
New York, NY  10007
Tel: 212 788 3000  Mayor’s Action Line 212 788 9600
mbloomberg@cityhall.nyc.gov

Commissioner, NYC Department of Health & Mental Hygiene
Chairman Of ACC Board: Thomas Farley, M.D.
125 Worth Street, 3rd floor, New York, NY 10013
Tel: (212) 788-5261  Fax: (212) 964-0472
TFarley@health.nyc.gov

There are 7 directors on the AC&C Board.  Three of them represent these City Departments: Health, Parks, and
Police. They are called “ex officio” directors.  In effect, the Mayor appoints them.

The 3 "ex-officio" board members from the City are:

Commissioner, Department of Health
e-mail: tfarley@health.nyc.gov
Adrian BenepeCommissioner, NYC Department of Parks & Recreation
The Arsenal, Central Park, 830 5th Avenue, New York, NY 10021
Tel:  800 201-Park; Dial 311 for all Parks & Recreation Information
Benepe occasionally attended board meetings, but for the past several years, has sent a designee.
Demonstrates little or no interest in improving the plight of shelter animals. To e-mail Comissioner Benepe, go to http://www.nyc.gov/html/mail/html/maildpr.html

[You’re limited to 150 words or less, so you may have to divide your message into 2 or 3 messages to him.  Or you can send him a letter.]
Lt. THOMAS J. SWANSON
Representative for NYPD Community Affairs.
The AC&C offers no information regarding Lt. Swanson, nor a direct contact for him.
thomas.swanson@nypd.org    


JAY KUHLMAN, DVMThere are 4 "independent directors," who are all selected by the Mayor’s Office. Gramercy Animal Hospital
37 East 19th Street
New York, NY 10003
Tel. 212-477-4080
sjkuhlman@aol.com

John M.B. O'Connor
joc@jocnewyork.com

BRUCE DONIGER
Appointed in Oct 2004. President and CEO of The J.E. & Z.B Butler Foundation, a non-profit that benefits at-risk youth and individuals with special needs. AC&C's Treasurer. 


PATRICK NOLAN
Appointed in March 2007 to fill a nine-month vacancy and now apparently a
permanent member of the Board. A VP of Marketing at Penguin Group publishing in Manhattan. He remains an
unknown entity.
His office e-mail: Patrick.Nolan@us.penguingroup.com
B. DONIGER
bbdoniger@yahoo.com 
Former partner at JP Morgan Partners and now CEO of J.H. Whitney Investment Management in Manhattan.   Was ACC's treasurer for four years. A blood sport hunter and ACC's most hostile board member to animal welfare issues.  His concern is not to embarrass “his friend,” Mayor Bloomberg.
212-363-0868  

THOMAS FARLEY, M.D
A veterinarian. Genuinely cares about the plight of shelter animals but has never publicly protested the DOH’s stewardship of the ACC or the actions and inaction of his fellow board members.

NYC defies court order to build more Shelters

Every day in New York's 5 boroughs, homeless animals are put to sleep. If you follow URGENT Part 2 (on facebook) you see the faces of these dogs and how many lose their lives. Each day city-wide 20-30 dogs are routinely put on the list. Rescue groups and caring people are responsible for bringing that number down to the point where most likely only 5-10 dogs will be put to sleep every day. But why are there so many rescue groups absorbing this burden, when the city of New York was mandated to expand its facilities over a year ago! Rescue groups are stretched thin; lacking foster homes and adequate donations because they are trying to do the job of the City Shelters.

On September 9th, 2009 the city was given 60 days to come up with a plan to implement the Animal Shelters and Sterilization Act- an act passed in 2000 and since blatantly ignored. The law required full-service shelters to be built in all five boroughs by 2002. Since then, Queens and the Bronx have only small part-time receiving shelters that fall well-short of the space, time, man-power, and adoption networks required. Full service means the following: "a facility ... that houses lost, stray or homeless animals and (1) accepts dogs and cats 24 hours per day, 7 days per week]; (2) has an adoption program open 24 hours per day, 7 days per week; and (3) provides sterilization services for dogs and cats ."(§§ 17-802 c), 17-809) The law also requires that all animals be sterilized before leaving a licensed shelter for adoption or return to its owner, except in specified situations."

In 2009, the judge in the case, Judge Shafer said, "[The city has]... blatantly failed to comply with the mandatory requirements of the Act, which unambiguously requires shelters in each borough, not in 3 out of 5, open 24 hours per day, not 12 or "as needed." That was a year and a half ago.

The City has appealed the decision in an effort to keep costs down, but citizens of Queens and the Bronx rightly contend that they are paying taxes for services that other boroughs are receiving and they are not.

It is estimated that 43,000 animals end up at the shelter each year and half of them are euthanized; with more room, the animals get more time- more time to languish in the filth of the city shelters, but also more time to find that one person or one family that cannot resist them and brings them home. Many dogs are given as little as 2-4 days before they are put to sleep, more space could mean giving them another few days to find homes.
Instead of complying with existing laws, Mayor Bloomberg has signed into law "Intro. 328" to increase dog licensing fees for unaltered pets from $11.50 to $34.00. The income will be used for spay and neuter services. The act also bans tethering for more than 3 out of every 12 hours and the use of heavy steel chains. While spay and neuter is a crucial part of the fight against over-population, it is clear to me that the city is turning its back on the already alive population of strays in favor of charging the tax-payers to prevent overpopulation in the future. I see this as an attempt to maintain the status-quo in the shelters. Bloomberg and the City have a legal responsibility to not only prevent overpopulation but to care for the population of animals that exist right now.

Meanwhile, beautiful dogs like these, that were put to sleep in the last two days in New York City, will never live to see a happy family and a warm home.

Mack

Kiko

Magic

Read more here, here, here, here, and here.

Home sick with the Pupps

The past two days I have been home sick in bed. Nothing could be more comforting than two cuddly pit bulls to help me feel better . Yesterday all morning Bruno slept under my covers and kept me warm. They even seemed to sense that I didn't have the energy to break up raucous puppy play make them play nicely- and for the first time in months, they laid back-to-back and seemed to like it!

(I have been writing on other Blogs asking how on earth their pitties are so friendly and cuddly with each other. I am hoping that it just takes time and familiarity. Right now the pups are like pre-teens who quarrel over everything-- attention from us, food, toys, etc. Winnie even growls at Bruno when he lays his heavy head on her bum. She won't do anything about it, but just sit there and growl for about 2 minutes until she decides to give up.)

Today, since I am feeling a little better, its nice to have them up and about... except when Bruno sits right on our ottoman directly in front of the TV!

"What? Am I in your way?"

My legs are Bruno's jungle-gym :)

"Nom nom nom..."

Bruno's Story

This morning, while searching for my tax documents, I came across Bruno's old release documents from the shelter. On the first page, it gave the location of where he was found. I found the location of googleMaps.

This is where Bruno was found, no collar, not tied up, just laying injured on the sidewalk.
The Medical reports on the following pages described him as "dull, depressed, lethargic, recumbent, falling down." It says he had been hit by a car and sudden breathing was seen. It said that he "made an effort to hold his body up, but for a brief moment, then collapses." Within a day, his appetite picked up and within 2 days he had contracted Kennel Cough and was going to be put to sleep.

Interestingly, it says that on his third day he had a "fantastic appetite" and actually tried to bite the vet and "dog tried to nip at me when I initially tried to pet in cage. Dog tried to bite two other times during exam and growled when tried to get back in cage."

I was shocked by this because Bruno never growls or shows any attempt to nip or bite except when Winnie tries to eat his food (which is rare, usually he is stealing her food.) In fact, he willingly puts himself in his crate when he has misbehaved. The only thing I can assume is that he was so traumatized by this point that he didn't trust anyone or anything and was in serious pain.

It really surprised me that they rated him a "No Concern" because usually they use any excuse to put a dog down, especially if they try to bite the vet or handlers - but I guess they already had enough reason to put him down with his injury and cough.

I am just so glad that he is the dog that we got and that we saved him and gave him a better life. I wish I knew exactly what his life had been like - maybe he was happy? I noticed a small scar on his tummy the other day which means he had some sort of surgery (it looked like Winnie's spay scar) which means that someone cared enough about him to give him medical care, and his owner did apparently call in to claim him- but never showed up. I know that he is afraid of being punished and hides in the closet or the crate when he has an accident, but I can't really tell how he was treated in his last home-- maybe he snuggled in bed with his old family. Maybe he was beaten every time he peed in the house.. I wish I knew. All we can do is put together the little pieces of information we have.

On the road to my Shelter

Since Winnie and Bruno came into our lives I realized my calling in life was to help dogs- to be around them every day. Our two dogs make my life so full of happiness, especially at night when I lift up the covers and Bruno climbs in face-first and falls alseep cuddled up against my legs under the blankets. (As you may have read, we have tried to kick him out of the bed and the bedroom before but he gets so anxious being alone that he actually pees himself!)

I want to be the person that makes those valuable connections between dog and human. The relationships that bring life to dogs that could have been put down and bring companionship and meaning to the people that save them.

Last weekend, while volunteering at Animal Haven, I finally got the opportunity to interact with potential adopters, which I found to be a much more exciting experience than walking the dogs and cleaning their carralls. First, I brought out Violet to a couple that was pretty sure they were going to adopt her- they had seen her the day before and didn't have eyes for anyone else.

Violet

I have so much knowledge about dogs, especially pit mixes, and I knew Violets' history (she came from ACC) so it was really fun to be able to help this couple learn about adopting their very first dog.

The next couple that came in couldn't have been more different, they looked at 7 dogs! From puppies to adults, from Italian Greyhound to giant Mastiff! I enjoyed helping them but I felt a little frustrated that they might not be ready to adopt or know what they wanted. The wife clearly loved Issie, the mom whose puppies have almost all been adopted, and who is a staff favorite at AH.

Issie





I can't wait to open my own shelter and be able to educate people about mixed-breeds and shelter animals and to be able to be that important bridge that connects man and best friend :)

I'm going to be doing some research soon about how to start a shelter, and even though I know it will take me some time to be in the place in my life to start one, it doesn't hurt to do the research now.

Here are some of the helpful guides I have found so far:

From Best Friends

From ASPCA

Operation Pit

The ASPCA's Operation Pit offers FREE wellness care to healthy Pit Bulls 3 months - 6 years.

Every Tuesday and Thursday by appointment
Bergh Memorial Animal Hospital
424 East 92nd Street (between 1st Ave. and York St.)
New York, NY
Call (877) 900-PITS

This is a fantastic program because it offers free spay and neuter and free microchipping/vaccinations to spayed and neutered pit bulls. They even recieve a free bandana and doggy tank top :) For many pit owners in New York City, these procedures are taken care of by the shelter that the dog came from. (Shelter dogs in New York must be spayed or neutered, vaccinated, and microchipped.) But for owners who buy their dogs from the internet or a neighbor whose dog had a litter, may never get these important procedures done. Hopefully this will help reduce the pit bull population in NYC.