I was fortunate to walk four dogs yesterday in downtown St. Louis: Tic Tac, Mr. Pants, Nectarine and Revolver. What a joy on this mid-80-degree (F) day.
Tic Tac – a gorgeous lady – 7yr. old 55lb. female Terrier
Mr. Pants – a Pit Bull on a Corgi body
Nectarine – a joyful tripod – 3yrs. old 42lbs. male Terrier
Revolver – an energetic playmate – 2yr. old 48lbs. male Terrier
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In the right home, each of these dogs would be a furever fur friend.
If you cannot adopt a dog, please adopt an animal rescue shelter.
What does unconditional love look like? Below are two of the four fur friends I walked yesterday in downtown St. Louis.
Aeshma – 2yr old female Terrier 51lbs.
Tic Tac – 7yr old female Terrier 55 lbs.
I also walked two males, Orville and Skidmore, but forgot to take pictures. Next time.
All four dogs are beautiful creatures and I feel so lucky to walk with them. My greatest wish is that they are adopted soon so that they can be with a loving human seven days a week.
Today’s pupryu: Fur Friends
greeted so warmly
trusted so quickly – I’m awed
by the love you give
Check with your local animal rescue facility for some unconditional love opportunities.
Walked four beautiful girls, one at a time, downtown St. Louis yesterday. All available for adoption through Stray Rescue of St. Louis. Hard to imagine that they haven’t been adopted already. I can certainly vouch for each one as prime candidates for best fur friends forever: BFFF!
Greta Garbo may have wanted to be alone, and Cher had a huge hit when she sang, We All Sleep Alone, but trust me, your newly adopted rescue dog would prefer to sleep near you.
Below is the beginning of a short article by Deanna Euritt, self-professed dog lover:
Your Rescue Dog’s First Night! Where Should She Sleep?
Bringing your new rescue dog home for the first night is exciting and heartwarming, but where should she sleep? You want your new family member to feel welcome and safe, so sleeping arrangements can be an important part of helping your new dog with this big transition to her new home.
Dogs who have lived in a shelter setting may have abandonment and anxiety issues. Dogs are pack animals and very social. So, even if you plan for your dog to eventually sleep in a separate room or place, allow her to sleep close to your bed for the first night if possible. Make sure she has a comfy bed with sufficient cushion and blankets especially if it is chilly. If your new dog is a puppy or if you are unsure about how housebroken your adult dog is, you may want to put newspaper down around her bed. You might also consider a crate until you have a better sense of your new dog’s behavior.
“Pet shelters are packed while pet owners grapple with high costs. By Axel Turcios, AP, March 21, 2023
Shelters are filling for a multitude of reasons, including a lack of vets and as pet owners’ home and financial situations change.
Rising economic costs have made it difficult for pet owners to keep animals they adopted during the pandemic, and for rescues to pay for their care.
While the national animal shelter intake numbers are still below pre-pandemic levels, many animal welfare organizations, like the Animal Care Centers of New York City, are struggling with capacity challenges, with more animals coming into the shelters than leaving. They say one of the causes of the rising numbers in shelters is that they are staying longer at the sites.
“As they stay inside the shelter longer, it’s not great for them mentally or physically, and many of them will break down,” said Katy Hansen, director of marketing and communications at Animal Care Centers of NYC. “They’re stressed, so they’re not showing well to potential adopters that come in. We went from an average length of stay of eight days pre-pandemic to now we’re at 13 days.”
The Shelter Animals Count database released a report in January 2023 that shows nationwide shelter animal intake was 4% higher in 2022 than in 2021, though still lower than it was in 2019. This report also revealed that the number of animals leaving shelters remained flat in 2022 versus 2021, meaning space for animals in shelters is shrinking.
“I think this is a great time to reach out to your local shelter and see how you can help,” Caceres-Gil said. “Even if you cannot adopt an animal right now, there are many resources, there are many other ways that you can help, volunteering in becoming a foster parent.”
According to the February Consumer Price Index, year-over-year pet food is up 15%, and pets and pet products are up 12%. The ASPCA estimates that the average annual cost of a dog is $1,391, while the average annual cost of a cat is $1,149.”
Eighteen months ago, Officer Boyd took custody of an abandoned elderly male Chihuahua and placed him in one of the compartments holding stray rescue dogs in the Animal Control Shelter. Officer Boyd then placed public announcements in various publications, including Facebook posts, attempting to notify a possible human guardian. No guardian was located so the dog was available for adoption. Thankfully, I was the lucky one to make his acquaintance. Below is a poem that describes this more:
Yesterday, in addition to walking The Supreme, I walked four new dogs downtown St. Louis, Missouri. Here’s how it went:
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Firstly, Stray Rescue STL is 2 miles directly west of The Gateway Arch which is what I see every Wednesday morning when walking dogs. It’s a beautiful view although the road traffic can be quite busy and sometimes distracting for the dogs.
I met four new dogs this week and walked each a little over a mile for their morning exercise. I have an eight-to-12-mile block route that I vary based on the eagerness and pace of the dog. This distance takes 20 – 30 minutes and provides the staff time to refresh their apartments before we return.
The first dog was Rose Apothecary, a 3-year-old, Pit Bull Terrier. She weighs in at 60 pounds and could afford to lose a couple of pounds with someone eager to take her for multiple walks a day. Rose has a very sweet nature, yet can be a little skittish, perhaps due to her limited vision.
Next comes Tyre (pronounced tie-ree). He’s a large mixed breed 1-year old also weighing in at 60 pounds. He too is a little nervous on the busy downtown streets and hugs my side as we walk. Fortunately, he moves at a comfortable pace due to his size even if he’s a little hesitant at times.
Third comes Tic Tac. She’s a 7-year-old Terrier weighing in at 55 pounds. She’s loves going for walks and snuggling with her human companions. She likes kids and some other dogs but is not keen on cats; strong prey drive, you know.
Last, but not least, is Manifest. She’s a 7-month-old, medium-sized, mixed breed female full of energy and a real sweetheart eager to play and be by your side. She’s relatively new to the facility so there’s not a lot to share except she would be a wonderful companion for someone able to give and receive her love.
“Sir Henry Cole, a member of the British civil service, created the modern concept of the Christmas card along with his artist friend, John Horsley, in 1843, as a means to encourage more people to use the new British postal system. Their first card was sold for one shilling or about 24 U.S. cents. By the 1860s, the practice of sending Christmas cards was more or less in full swing in Britain thanks to the rise and advent of the printing press ….
What is a pedigree? Recorded ancestry, especially upper-class ancestry, a pure-bred.
What is National Mutt Day? “A holiday that celebrates mixed breed dogs. It is also an unofficial holiday that proclaims that these dogs are as special as their pure-bred counterparts and should be afforded the same love, affection, and respect.
This day should also serve as a reminder that there are millions of mixed breed dogs in shelters all over the United States who are just waiting for a family to take them home and love them.”https://www.holidayscalendar.com/event/national-mutt-day/
Why adopt a mutt versus a purebred? They’ve got the best temperaments.
Most purebreds were bred for specific traits, so they’re likely to have a more extreme personality. Mutts, on the other hand, have a blend of traits from different sources, which often leads to a more mellow mood. In fact, purebred dogs are more likely than mutts to have genetic disorders, including cataracts and hypothyroidism.” https://nationaltoday.com/national-mutt-day/
One more thought for consideration. My father would sometimes smile and with a twinkling eye say: “I’m Irish, English, Scottish and Dutch and a little bit German but not very much.”
“National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week takes place during the first full week of November — November 6–12 this year — in recognition of the various shelters that provide care to millions of displaced animals in America. …. The observance also serves to acknowledge the hard-working people supporting the efforts with their work at the shelters. Local shelters are great at finding new homes for homeless pets, but it’s not all they do. They rescue and rehabilitate injured or abused animals too, and they reunite lost pets with their original families. They serve communities by saving their animals every day.” https://nationaltoday.com/national-animal-shelter-appreciation-week/
Life Matters 