In Memory of Rocky – Until We Meet Again on Rainbow Bridge

 

By JoAnn, Marion, and Tim Algier

This past week, we lost our dear family member Rocky who had just outlived his “huep – na-napbdad”, Tom, by just a few months.  His perspective would have been interesting!!

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge (Author unknown) together….

Rocky brought much joy and love to all, including all the piano students who came to the house and especially to his pet-parents Tom and JoAnn and his extended doggie family Angel, Apachi, Angelina and Princess… a gift that came through a lot of enjoyment and commradere they enjoyed and will cherish forever~

‘Until One Has Loved an Animal, Part of Their Soul Remains Unawakened’, Something We All Those Who Have Know!!

Rosie

A Pet’s Plea

Celebrating Animals in the Afterlife

Meowsa! Do our pets go to Heaven?

A Dog’s Purpose – Out of the Mouth of Babes

China, Korea, South East Asia: Stop Cooking Dogs, Any Animals, Alive

Smartest Dog In the World, Chaser – 60 Minutes With Anderson Cooper

Quebec bill changes animals from "property" to sentient beings and includes jail time for cruelty

In Memory of Rocky – Until We Meet Again on Rainbow Bridge

By JoAnn, Marion, and Tim Algier

This past week, we lost a dear family member, Rocky, who had just outlived his “human pet-dad”, Tom, by just a few months.  It certainly would have been interesting to know what they thought and what experiences they had had in common!!

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together…

Author unknown…

Rocky brought much joy and love to all, especially to his pet-parents Tom and JoAnn and his doggie extended family Angel, Apachi, Angelina and Princess… a gift they have enjoyed and camaraderie they have cherished forever~

Related…

‘Until One Has Loved an Animal, Part of Their Soul Remains Unawakened’,  A Feeling All Those Who Have Known Remember Forever!!

Rosie

Rainbow Bridge

A Pet’s Plea

Celebrating Animals in the Afterlife

Meowsa! Do our pets go to Heaven?

A Dog’s Purpose – Out of the Mouth of Babes

China, Korea, South East Asia: Stop Cooking Dogs, Any Animals, Alive

Smartest Dog In the World, Chaser – 60 Minutes With Anderson Cooper

Quebec bill changes animals from "property" to sentient beings and includes jail time for cruelty

Hero Dog Saves Owner Clinically Dead for 30-Minutes

Life With Dogs:

A woman named Joanna Mellor had her life saved after going into cardiac arrest and being clinically dead for half an hour when her dog barked until her boyfriend woke up and called for an ambulance.

The UK woman was sleeping on January 2^nd when she suffered a heart attack and stopped breathing.  Her Lab, Leo, began barking frantically until her boyfriend, Andrew Rayment, woke up.  He called 999 and performed CPR until the paramedics arrived.

“I was half asleep when Leo woke me up,” Rayment told the Daily Mail.  “I heard Joanna’s breathing becoming erratic and I tried to wake her and tapped each side of her face, but she was unconscious so I called 999.”

“My first thought was that I didn’t want to waste the paramedics’ time but when I was on the phone her breathing went from in and out to every few seconds.  I tried not to panic and to stay focused. I kept thinking that the only chance she has relies on me doing the CPR properly.”

Mellor quite expectedly doesn’t remember what happened.

“I remember going to bed and drifting off the sleep and the next I know I’m in intensive care in hospital and told I’d suffered a heart attack,” she explained.  “The doctors say I was technically dead because it took Andrew 30 minutes to get my heart started.”

“Andrew said he woke up with Leo barking and jumping up at my side of the bed and going mad.  He says he could tell something was wrong with me and dialed 999 and the operator talked him through CPR.  At first the doctors said I might be at risk of brain damage and I couldn’t feel my legs and one of my hands was all limp, but I’ve now made a full recovery.”

She has since been diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, which causes the heart to beat abnormally fast and can trigger heart attacks.

Amazingly, because of Leo and her boyfriend, Mellor has made a complete recovery, which is rare.

“I’ve been on the job for 14 years and I’ve never seen anything like it,” said paramedic Glenn Radford.  “When people suffer cardiac arrests, quite often they are left with neurological problems. They don’t usually make a 100 percent recovery.”

“I owe my life to my dog and my boyfriend,” Mellor said.  “If Leo hadn’t woken Andrew up I might not be here today.”

Related:

Hero Dogs of 9/11

I WOULD RATHER SAVE 1 OF OUR HERO WAR DOGS,THAN TAKE BACK THAT DESERTER WHO COST THE LIVES OF GOOD MEN!

Pit Bull Hailed as Hero for Alerting Deaf Boy to Fire With a Lick

Under Obama Over 1,200 Military Dogs Put Down by Regime

Dogs of War – Photos From the Frontlines Revisited

Good Dog: Small Dog, Big Heart

Illustration by John Cuneo

by Wells Tower – June/July 2014  –  Garden &  Gun  –  Cross-Posted at Just One More Pet

The nervous work of owning—and finally loving—a Chihuahua

For many years, I thought that owners of small dogs harbored stunted souls. Parents of infant beauty queens. Weird bachelors with pet stairs by their beds. Adult hoarders of dolls and teddy bears. People deranged by an obsession with the adorable.

Then, in my late twenties, when I was living in  New Orleans, a good friend of mine found a bedraggled Chihuahua in a ditch and brought her home. It was a comical, toothless animal with a bullfrog’s tongue that would slap her in the eye on the recoil. That dog had a lot of ditch trauma to work through. She needed to sit on somebody at all times or she got the shakes. I was home most days, so I let the dog make use of my lap during business hours. When I moved back to North Carolina, I was surprised to discover a Chihuahua-size hole in my life.

So I started looking for a dog. I knew I wanted a pound animal, though not for any lofty moral reasons. I wanted a desperate dog, one without high expectations of whoever took it in. My family had dogs when I was a kid. The bunch of us should be arrested for how we let those animals down. They were outdoor dogs too disgusting to pet. We let ticks get on them and grow as big as minié balls. When the family went out of town, we’d leave the dog on the porch with a bag of cheap food. Eventually, they’d get sick of us and wander off. So my track record with dogs wasn’t the greatest, but I figured one otherwise bound for the gas chamber couldn’t really gripe about winding up in my care.

I spent long hours at the keyboard, browsing head shots at an online clearinghouse for discarded dogs. A Chihuahua was what I was after, but I didn’t want it to be too grotesque: too bug-eyed or hog-snouted or bat-eared or obviously rodentlike. Looking for an ungrotesque Chihuahua is like trying to find a dignified clown. It took a good bit of time.

At last, I found a candidate. The head shot showed a creature with a long, aristocratic nose and smart, Dobermanly ears. Her eyes were large but not hyperthyroidal. They seemed to reflect intelligence but also the right measure of desperation. She was waiting on death row at the dog pound in Winston-Salem, ninety minutes from my home. I gave them a call to see if the dog had yet been gassed. “Nope, she’s still here!” an exhaustingly jolly Southern voice exclaimed.

“Oh, you will just love this crazy little creature. We call her Tinsy, but you could call her Teensy-Meensy-Weensy-Eensy! She is that small! She’s one of them little reindeer dogs, you know. She’s just always bouncing all around on them little teensy reindeer legs. She is kinda licky and kinda barky but she’s a funny little ball of fun.”

I was in the market for a lap sleeper, a hot-water bottle in canine form. From the sound of it, this reindeer dog embodied much that is dislikable in the miniature breeds. But I had committed to paying the dog a visit, and I make it a point never to betray a promise to the incarcerated. I went and had a look. The lady I talked to on the phone dragged Tinsy out from where she’d been hiding behind a file cabinet. Tinsy, who was maybe a year old, had been found walking the streets of Winston-Salem naked. Like most women found in this condition, she was not in the greatest shape. She resembled a dog the way those caiman-head back scratchers resemble an alligator. Her face was okay, but the rest of her body was a bony rod upholstered in bald gray skin. I had seen rats with prettier tails. Hers was without a whisker and looked as though it had been set afire and extinguished under the needle of a sewing machine.

“You wanna hold her?” the shelter lady asked me, wagging Tinsy at me like a dishrag. I did not want to hold Tinsy. I wanted to leave the room. But Tinsy was thrust into my arms. This dog had long, scraggly talons, and she clung to my sweater like a bat to a screen door. I grimaced. The dog grimaced. “That’s a wrap!” cried the shelter lady. “That is your dog. She is absolutely your dog.”

I wanted to tell this woman that I wanted Tinsy like I wanted a case of shingles, but courage failed me. I wrote a check for the adoption fee. Then I carried the dog to my car and began calling every softhearted person I knew to see if they would take this creature off my hands.

At home, I took to my couch and fretted. What business did I have with a dog? I traveled for work eight months out of the year. And this dog? I didn’t want to look at her much less look after her for the twenty years Chihuahuas can expect to live. (The oldest living Chihuahua is 32+). Then the dog, who had been busy peeing on my bedroom floor, wandered over. She tilted her head at a sympathetic angle, then she jumped onto the sofa and clambered onto my shoulder, where she pulled herself into a sphere and went snortingly to sleep.

How easily we are gentled. The plan to ditch her got ditched. I started calling her Edie, whose vowel sounds she hearkened to as she had her prison name. I loaded her up on ludicrously expensive foods: Alaskan salmon, mutton jerky from New Zealand. She doubled her weight, from two pounds to four. I put her through expensive mange treatments, fed her fish oil, greased her in vitamin E to regrow her hair. After a couple of seasons, she fluffed out and the knobs of her spine receded. She began to look less like a back scratcher and more, as a friend described her, “like a cross between a wolf and a flea.”

“No man should have a dog like that,” my cousin once said to me. “We’re not careful enough. You could drop the Sunday paper on her and break her back. It’s like getting a crystal set. No guy should have a thing that fragile in the house.”

And it’s true. Owning Edie is nervous work. A few years back, I nearly lost her. Summoned from the house by the sound of raving crows, I went out to check on Edie in the yard. She was absent from her usual sunbathing spot. In the lower corner of the lawn, I saw a barred owl, spreading its wings over a small, still gray form. Edie was too heavy a piece of live cargo for the owl, so the bird was patiently trying to murder her. I nearly had to kick the bird off of her. A talon had made three bloody divots in Edie’s head, but no lasting damage was done.

At nearly twelve, Edie is deep in middle age and, repairwise, is not much less expensive than a ’55 Studebaker. I’ve put far more money into her mouth than I’ve put into my own. Before I got Edie, I’d have said that a fair definition of an insane person is somebody who takes out a thirty-three-hundred-dollar cash advance to pay for exploratory liver surgery for a dog. I did that three years ago. But when you get accustomed, every night, to a warm gentle presence stretching herself across your clavicle and easing you into sleep, it becomes as dire a habit as barbiturate abuse. Addicts do crazy things to keep withdrawal at bay.

It’s weird. One day, you’re a twenty-eight-year-old man of traditional tastes and accoutrements and the next, you’re a forty-year-old bachelor with a four-pound, big-eyed, molting pussy willow of a dog.

Still, I do what I can to keep the grotesquerie contained. When people ask what kind of dog I have, I tell them, “I don’t know, I got her from the pound.” I do not carry Edie around in a Snugli. I have never bought the dog shoes or a hat. I would like to tell you that my home contains no doggie sweaters, and that there are not dog stairs by my bed, but this would not be true.

For those of us who love small dogs… Chihuahuas, Chihuahua Mixes, and miniatures of any type, we know that they are great pets and are always happy when just one more person discovers how special they are or another person or family adopts must one more small dog… just one more pet of any kind.  Every pet deserves a good home! (JOMP)

“For the Love of a Pet”

Our gang of Chihuahuas and Chiweenies (JOMP)

Photo by The UCLA Shutterbug

Dog Mourns The Heart-Breaking Loss Of His Brother

 

Brutus Cries for Brother Hank

By Marion Algier – Just One More Pet

The message… animals have feelings too.

This shows one dog’s reaction to finding out his twin brother had passed during the night.

Brutus, does not want to leave his brother Hanks side even after he’s passed away. Brutus stays close, and lays his head on top of Hank’s.

The look in his eyes tells you everything you need to know about how Brutus feels without his lifelong friend.

The dog was crying showing that animals feel love and pain just like people.

Dog Mourns The Heart-Breaking Loss Of His Brother

Brettvett1 included the following message with the video:

Video:  Crying Rottweiler Grieves For Dead Brother. Animals Do Have Emotions

"I’m so sorry you guys…I wasn’t strong enough and had a breakdown in front of the dogs. Hank was right by my side with his Therapy Dog service and grieved with me as I was so upset. He looked so sad. I noticed Hank never came out of his grievance and stopped eating. He was still drinking and nibbling on food so I thought he was okay. A week later Brutus and I awoke to his peaceful body next to us as he passed in the night in his sleep. This is about 30 minutes after we woke up and were missing our baby. I normally don’t video record my real life catastrophes or share but decided I needed to send a message to the world and show how much pain my dog was in as he loved his Twin so much."

Published on Jan 24, 2015

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/he… Rottweiler wakes up to find that his twin Hank had passed during the night and gone to heaven. Brutus does not want to leave him and will not budge, laying on top of his head. Brutus has never whined or cried out in pain the two years I have had him…But clearly you can see in his eyes, he is crying for his brother who had passed as his world around him just crumbled. We both grieve and cry for our brother…This is proof that animals DO have emotions and feel pain just like we do 😥 Let the world know animals feel love and pain just like us. Don’t let Hanks passing die in vein with him… Please share our story.

I’m so sorry you guys…I wasn’t strong enough and had a breakdown in front of the dogs. Hank was right by my side with his Therapy Dog service and grieved with me as I was so upset. He looked so sad. I noticed Hank never came out of his grievance and stopped eating. He was still drinking and nibbling on food so I thought he was okay. A week later Brutus and I awoke to his peaceful body next to us as he passed in the night in his sleep. This is about 30 minutes after we woke up and were missing our baby. I normally don’t video record my real life catastrophes or share but decided I needed to send a message to the world and show how much pain my dog was in as he loved his Twin so much 😥
RIP Hank the Rottweiler Unknown–01-20-15

To help Brutus and his family buy a new home we have started a fundraiser in Hanks honor. Please donate here to put a smile on his face…https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/he…
This video is being managed exclusively by Newsflare. To use this video for broadcast or in a commercial player go to: http://www.newsflare.com/video/39136/… or email: newsdesk@newsflare.com or call: +44 (0) 8432 895 191

In Memory of Rosie – Until We Meet Again on Rainbow Bridge

Rosie

By Patricia D. Gillenwater

Our sweet Rosie passed on to the Rainbow Bridge today after succumbing to the Big C. Rosie came into our lives in a serendipitous moment. She needed us and, after two losses of two wonderful rescue critters for extreme health issues, we needed Rosie. She was with us for nearly ten years and traveled across country many times.

Rosie was different from our prior rescues in personality. She was quiet and had not a demanding bone in her body. She freely gave of herself through love and trust. We responded in kind.

As time went on we were treated to how intelligent she was — she entertained us, showing off her skill in rolling over, high five, high ten and crawling on her tummy when asked. She quickly learned commands that were needed to keep her safe.

Rosie was a worrywart. Pat’s neurological mobility issues were of great concern. She watched her like a hawk. While Rosie’s size did not allow assistance after a fall, she was always there encouraging Pat’s attempts to get up. Rosie and Chris shared a fear of lightning and thunderstorms. They were comfort to each other as both took shelter in a dark hallway glued together and taking drops of Rescue Remedy.

Rosie’s little rescue sister, a Manchester terrier named Annie, was the alpha dog. This fact seemed not a big issue for Rosie. Rosie only drew the line when her favorite bone was at issue.

Rosie loved to watch birds. She exhibited fascination with rabbits and loved an opportunity to chase. When she caught up with a rabbit, she would lie down as if to say “Run Rabbit run. I won’t hurt you.” Rosie loved receiving presents. Besides chasing rabbits, receiving a toy was the most exciting event of her life.

Rosie brought much joy and love to us. A gift we will forever cherish.

‘Until One Has Loved an Animal, Part of Their Sour Remains Unawakened’

A Pet’s Plea

Celebrating Animals in the Afterlife

Meowsa! Do our pets go to Heaven?

A Dog’s Purpose – Out of the Mouth of Babes

Angel… Our Mama Turns 10-Years-Old Today

Our Angel, a half-long-haired, half short-haired, light red and white, fawn-face Chihuahua stole our hearts and literally saved my life, or at least my sanity, during a very dark time for me.  Angel is the mama and the alpha dog at our house and of our little pack of Chihuahuas and Chiweenies.

According to her papers, Angel was born in Oklahoma on May 3rd and ten weeks later had made her way to our home and into our hearts.

Baby Angel

My husband was allergic to everything with fur and feathers.   But when our daughter was young we gave in starting with hamsters, mice, rats, geckos, lizards, fish, turtles… and then birds.  Then our daughter came home with a dog, Angel, while she was working part-time at a pet store, the summer after her first year of college.  She was supposed to be earning a little pocket money for the next year. Instead she pretty much spent all she earned and came home with a papered Chihuahua at the height of the Chihuahua craze… who became our Angel.

My husband said, “no way… absolutely not!” Our daughter was going back to the dorms and he was allergic, so he took Angel right back to the store.  They wouldn’t take her back because our daughter had signed the contract and they had given up a full paying customer to let her buy Angel at the employee discount, less than half of what they had had an actual customer for.  And of course, our daughter went back to school and the dorms about a month later with Angel in tow insisting she could sneak her in and keep her there. Less than an hour after her arrival at school with her 4-legged roommate, we were on our way to pick Angel up.  My husband went through 18-months of allergy shots after that so we could keep her.

A year later our daughter was off sailing around the world with the Semester at Sea program.  When she got back mid-year, she was assigned a lulu-bell for a roommate and bargained with us to get an off-campus apartment a semester early. She wasn’t there a month… when she brought home a Chiweenie puppy, Apachi, who was being given away outside the pet store, near school, where she had just gotten a part-time job after returning from her sail.  A pet store job is never a good idea for her.  Major Problem… it was a no pet apartment and we had signed a year’s lease.

Not long after getting Apachi, our daughter’s colitis flared up to an extreme level (I tend to think some vaccines that they got overseas might have exacerbated her condition adding to some stress in her life at the time and too much partying during that period and trip). After a stint at an alternative care facility, in an attempt to avoid radical surgery, she unfortunately ended up having to have 2 major surgeries and I spent a total of 54-days (24/7) in the hospital sleeping on a cot in her room, with her.  My husband, who was home with Angel and Apachi, visited daily.  With all that was going on we really didn’t think about the fact that neither 6 month old Apachi nor Angel had been fixed.  Angel was the best tempered Chihuahua with a really easy going disposition and everyone had said, if we could breed her with a like-type male, they’d love to have a puppy.  So I was looking for a mate for her and Apachi was just a baby,  and taking him in to be neutered just got lost in all the goings on.

Next thing we knew… we had 4 puppies: Goji Angelina, Magnum, and Princess (As Pictured Below)

Angel was a natural and terrific Mom who took great care of her little brood and Apachi watched over them from somewhat of a distance… until they were weaned, at which point he took over.

Angel Has Always Loved Riding in the Car and Going for Walks… Before and After the Rest of the Family Arrived.

Heading to Dana Point, CA for a Walk

Walks in Wyoming

Traveling From Texas to CA

Walking in Texas

The boy pups (Magnum and Goji) and Angelina went to new homes at 10-weeks of age and we decided to keep Princess, our ADHD girl…  Then a few weeks later Angelina came back to us, because her new family couldn’t keep her and we had requested that if anyone who took a puppy had problems that we would get them back.  Long story short… we kept Angelina too and that is how we went from birds, turtles and rats, at the time, to 4-dogs and a fish who survived being fed to our turtles.

Angel at Age 8

Angel (9) and Neighbor MaryAnn Playing

Angel’s 2nd Birthday

Angel’s 5th Birthday… USC Party

Our pups are now 7, 8 and 10-years old… We have always had separate birthday parties for everybody, but this year we are going to have a combined party next week, including for Rocky, our in-laws’ aging Cocker Spaniel.  But we had a mini-celebration today, on Angel’s actual 10th B-day.

Our Christmas Card the Past Couple of Years (Below)… Featuring our Furkids Singing.  The Rule Within the Pack Appears to be That Nobody Can Start Singing Until Angel Starts.

Related:

Apachi – Happy 7th Birthday

‘Until One Has Loved an Animal, Part of Their Soul Remains Unawakened’

Pet Parties – The Latest Craze

For these moms, a dog-day afternoon

The New Breed of Baker 

Travel Fun With Dogs

Photos By: UCLA Shutterbug

Happy New Year 2014 From Just One More Pet

Take a moment to enjoy the beautiful photographic train ride and the accompanying words: HERE. <– 

 

At the end of the year it has become a journalistic tradition to recap the year’s top stories, to recall the highlights and low points of the months and to remember those who have left us.  It is also a time to look forward with hope… This year that reach for hope and improvement seems more difficult than at anytime in my memory.

“It’s Auld Lang Syne time again. Robert Burns is credited with "collecting" the lyrics for the old Scots’ drinking and dancing ballad that’s become a traditional part of New Year festivities. The most memorable verses: "Should old acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind?" and the chorus, "For auld Lang Syne, my dear, for auld Lang Syne, we’ll take a cup of kindness yet, for auld Lang Syne," are oft’ described as reminders of "the good old times" amidst new beginnings. That’s a tough task this year. Saying goodbye to 2013 won’t be hard. But looking forward with hope for a better year in 2014 is a bit of a challenge!”

Happy New Year!

And if you possible can… adopt just one more pet (or two) in 2014 or become a pet foster parent and donate to your local shelter.  Our shelters are over-flowing and your help will save a life or perhaps many lives.

Technorati Tags: 2014,Holidays,Happy New Year,Remembering,Hope,Fun,Trains,Auld Lang Syne,JOMP,Pets,animals

Adopt a Pet This Christmas… Or Give Someone a New Forever Friend – WoC 2013

By Marion Algier  -  Adapted from WoC Series 2011 and 2012 -  Cross-Posted at Ask Marion – The War on Christmas verses the Spirit of Christmas Series at AskMarion – 12

The holidays are a popular time to get your children the pet they’ve always wanted. Who can resist an adorable puppy or kitten with a bow under the Christmas tree? If you are thinking about getting a pet this year, I encourage you to consider ‘adopting’ a pet instead of buying one. There are a lot of benefits to adopting a pet over buying one from a pet store. For some of the reasons why, please see THIS ARTICLE. Truly, good pets can come from anywhere, but I also recommend not picking a pet that is coming from a non-reputable breeder or puppy mill. For more information about what puppy mills are, please check out THIS ARTICLE.

A great way to give a pet, especially to someone who does not live in your home, unless you know the person really well, is take the future pet parent for to the shelter, rescue or store and let them chose the pet they want. Sometimes that is not possible… Sometimes if it is for your child your input is the final choice. Or sometimes you know grandma or grandpa would love a pet or needs one and taking them just won’t work out, so each situation is different. But if you can take them for a pre-visit or actually to choose their new friend it’s ideal. If not, choose a pet they would want, rather than one you want. And then adopt just one more for yourself as well, if you possibly can.  There are far too many pets who need forever homes.

If you are a pet lover, please donate funds and supplies or volunteer your time to local rescues and shelters or consider fostering or taking a pet home for the holidays… and then helping find them a permanent forever home.

Adopt (or rescue) just one more pet and you are not only saving a life but enhancing yours… or that of a friend, family member or just a lonely soul. Those of us who have pets know that loving an animal and having them love you awakens a part of your soul that changes your life forever!

With today’s economy, plus the return of pets to the shelter of people who think animals are toys, there are more pets who need homes than ever before, so please consider giving some of these pets a home for the holidays and forever.

Critter for Christmas Gift… Not Always the Best Idea… Unless It is Done the Right Way!

h/t to Cindy Wolff

If you are really thinking of surprising someone with an animal for Christmas, make sure it’s made of fake fur and stuffed. If you really want to get someone a pet for Christmas, give them a gift certificate or and IOU and then take them to find a pet, if they want one, of their choosing… or take them pre-shopping or along with you to pick one out.

Nothing says “I’m clueless” like giving an animal at Christmas to someone who was neither wanting nor expecting that gift.

After the oohing and ahhing at the precious animal, the reality of what you’ve done sets in.

You have just given someone a 10 to 15-year commitment (the oldest dog alive is 27) that can cost anywhere from a couple of hundred to thousands of dollars for care.

If you give a puppy, then you have further obligated them to be home every two or three hours to take the pup outside to use the bathroom.

They will spend the next year teaching their pup to be a good dog and not tear things up, don’t jump up, stop barking, house training and all the work that goes with helping the pet become a decent part of the family.

Cats are easier because you don’t have to go stand outside with them in 30-degree temperature on a freezing rainy day and beg them to use the bathroom.

But you are still obligating your beloved to the care of a pet. Also, why would you assume to know what personality of a pet suits what person? That’s a personal thing.

Pets are a very personal choice and the right fit is best for both the pet and their new parent. I’ve always adopted my pets based on their personality fit into my home. These are not plug-and-play toys. Some people prefer affectionate cats, while others don’t mind the aloof ones. Some like long-hair, some like short-hair.

Some people might actually feel like you’re given them a gift of obligation that never stops costing or needing, or insist you take it back.

So, if you want to adopt an animal for your family and you want your children to have a pet, that is one thing, but even then, you might consider buying a stuffed animal with a note attached that you will go as a family and adopt a pet after Christmas or even this spring.

Why spring?

People have more time off. They don’t mind being outside so much in the better weather. And your family can decide what pet fits.

Spend this time researching various breeds, figuring out which ones, like Dalmatians, are athletic and require a lot of exercise and attention and which ones, like Rottweilers, are couch potatoes.

You’ll learn that Jack Russell Terriers aren’t as sedate as the character Eddie on the television show “Frasier” and all puppies aren’t as bad as Marley.

But the biggest lesson you will learn is that pet ownership is not something you decide like choosing a lamp. It’s a long-term commitment of money, time and love. The reward is immeasurable, but it’s not usually something you decide for someone else. They often need to find it for themselves.

*And if you are getting a pet for a senior… make sure they are able to care for them and that there is supervision for the pets as well as for the seniors if they suffer from conditions like Alzheimer’s or dementia.

• Pet Therapy: Pets help Alzheimer’s patients by bringing them back to the present. Specially trained pups can also help alert others that an Alzheimer’s    patient has wandered into harm’s way. "Pets can provide a measure of safety to people with the disease," says Thomas Kirk, a vice president of a chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. 
• Pets are way better than Therapy!

The good news is that there are so many places to adopt a pet these days! Fees vary and many are often waived this time of year. Below are just a few resources:

Best Friends Animal Society

Petfinder and Adoptapet are two terrific resources to search all adoptables at local rescue groups – the cool part is that on Adoptapet you can save your search and plug in your email and they will email you when pets that match your search come up.

Adopt and Shop – An amazing new “pet store” with shelter animals in Lakewood. They get all pets from the SEEACA animal shelter in Downey. Here’s the best part: adoption counselors are available to help match you with the perfect pet for your family. Your new pet will come complete with leash/collar or food, litter etc. All vaccinated, microchipped and spayed or neutered and can go home that day! I am not sure about the prices so you will need to call them but will average around $100 compared to the thousands for a pet store puppy with no vaccines, microchip, supplies, counselors, after adoptions support and spay/neuter. Some pets available at Adopt and Shop:

Petco and PetSmart will have adoptions at all of their stores this season.

German Shepherd Rescue of Orange County

FoundAnimals Whisker Wonderland — A Holiday Adopt-a-Thon all over Los Angeles

"A Canine Christmas Extravaganza Adoption Event"

Increase the merry in your holidays by adopting your new best friend!

Ho ho ho! Attend a Jolly Adoption Event in Your Area Like the One at Paws-Abilities Total Dog Center!

Find your own Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, or Vixen!

Photos  are usually taken by the charities themselves or by photographers like PawPrints Pet Photography and they will make beautiful Christmas gifts!

10% to 100% of the proceeds from the purchased photos are generally donated to Animal Rescue Groups and Shelters…

Opt to Adopt and give the gift of a furever home to a loving dog for Christmas this year!

Shelter and Rescue Groups bringing their dogs:

• American Cocker Spaniel Rescue
• Barks R Us
• Collar of Hope
• Greyhound Pets of America, Greater Northwest
• Humane Society of Central Washington
• Left Behind K9
• Motley Zoo Animal Rescue
• NOAH
• Open Paws Resort
• Regional Animal Services of King County
• Res Q Angels
• Sunny Sky’s Animal Rescue
• Valhalla Canine Rescue
• Yakima Valley Pet Rescue

*Pawsitive Alliance’s mission is to end the killing of adoptable dogs and cats in Washington by increasing adoptions, supporting spay and neuter programs, and improving pet retention.

A Dog Named Christmas

Video: A Dog Named Christmas DVD (Hallmark Hall of Fame)

Pets and Toxic Plants, including Poinsettias and Herbs We Cook With for the Holidays

If you know of any local pet adoption events going on, please let me know and I will add them on here!

Related Fun Pet Christmas Posts:

Jingle Goats….

Unleashed…

Training Your Dog to Decorate Your Tree

Christmas for Pet People

All I want for Christmas Is You~

Pet Skunks Under the Tree

Animal Nativity

‘Until One Has Loved an Animal, Part of Their Soul Remains Unawakened’ – Join the NO KILL MOVEMENT

A Christmas Wish For a Two Legged Dog

Related: 

Best Christmas Season Movie Classics – WoC 2013

Santa Photos… Often Yesterday’s Oooops Are Tomorrow’s Treasures! – WoC 2013

Christmas Lights – WoC 2013

Nativity Scenes and Glories – The Reason For the Season – WoC 2013

European Markets or Christkindlmarkts Capture the Christmas Spirit – WoC 2013

St. Nickolas Day – WoC 2013

Hanukkah… The Jewish Festival of Lights – WoC 2013

God Rest Ye Merry Merchants – Christmas: An American Holiday and Tradition to Love and Preserve – WoC 2013

Where Does the War on Christmas Come From? A Worthwhile Read – WoC 2013

The War on Christmas verses the Spirit of Christmas Series 2013 at AskMarion – WoC 2013

ANOTHER FAILED IDEA: Woman gets laughed at after bringing up Obamacare at Thanksgiving…

The Twelve Days of ObamaCare

Huckabee’s ’12 Days Of ObamaCare’

Disney scores big with biblical values

Advent – The Season of Anticipation and Hope – WoC 2013

The Thanksgiving Illusion

Obama Thanksgiving and Christmas Disgrace

Keeping Pets Safe for the Holidays: The “Not So Safe” or No-No Pet Food List

Sarah Palin on Politics and Religion • 11/10/13 With Susan Page

The Cross – Billy Graham’s Message To America

Citizenship and Church Membership

Two great new books for the holidays: ‘Good Tidings and Great Joy: Protecting the Heart of Christmas’ (Kindle) and The Romney Family Table: Sharing Home-Cooked Recipes & Favorite Traditions (Kindle) Plus: Losing Our Religion(Kindle) by atheist S. E. Cupp

A Christmas Wish For a Two Legged Dog

LifeWithDogs: If you ask Roo, the two-legged, 1-year-old black and white poodle/shih tzu mix from Cheyenne, Wyoming, all he wants for Christmas is a home.

This energetic and lovable dog came to Black Dog Animal Rescue (BDAR) after spending some time at the Laramie Peak Humane Society in Douglas, Wyoming.

Roo doesn’t have front legs due to a birth defect, but his disability does not stop him from enjoying life.

According to BDAR, Roo’s motto is “No legs? No problem!”

“This little guy is a shining example of determination and adaptability. He is simply amazing!” states BDRA’s website. “His tail is always wagging and he always has a smile on his face. [Roo] gets around by hopping everywhere he goes. He follows his foster mom’s every move and when they get to where they’re going he either sits on his haunches or lies down until it’s time to get moving again.”

Roo ended up at the Laramie Peak Humane Society a month ago after his previous owners realized his special needs were something they could not take on.

Fortunately for Roo, he was placed into foster care immediately. His foster parents, Emilee Intlekofer and her husband Casey have fostered other dogs before and say that Roo a delightful pet.

“I’ve had harder cases, like separation anxiety and things like that,” Intlekofer told Wyoming News. “Roo’s not difficult, he’s just different. He’s real cuddly and sweet, his tail’s always wagging, and he doesn’t feel sorry for himself.”

Despite having just two legs, Roo is able to do what most four-legged dogs do.

“To eat and drink, Roo bends at a 90 degree angle and holds himself that way with his ‘abs of steel,’” said DBRA. “When he uses the restroom, he does all his business standing straight up and he never soils himself.”

The only thing Roo needs help with is when it comes to climbing up or down stairs.

“I have to carry him up and down stairs,” said Intlekofer.

The ideal family for Roo will be one that is willing to dedicate a lot of time to work with this lovable dog. Roo is still not 100% potty trained but he is working on that. He also suffers from separation anxiety, but this is very common in dogs that have been moved around from home to home at a young age.

“We want to make sure whoever takes him home understands there’s the possibility other things could come up later in his lifetime as a result of this,” Britney Wallesch, BDRA founder, told Wyoming News.

If you are looking to grant a homeless dog a Christmas wish this year, consider adopting Roo or any one BDRA pet. Visit their website at www.bdar.org and fill out an application. Please know that BDRA’s adoption program is 100 percent volunteer-run, therefore follow-up time can take longer than with a standard shelter adoption.