Who's a ham?

Sunday mornings at the shelter can sometimes be a little quiet...a little morose, even. But, for the last few weeks, there has been a big boy named Bopper waiting for me, and he is all sunshine and joy. And I'm going to admit it...he's my favorite. Could it be the resemblance he has to my girl dog at home? Maybe that's part of it. But, the guy is a clown, and he has me laughing at all of his jokes. Today we had a little impromptu photo session as we played games in the park. Isn't he just a natural?

Meet Berkeley,

our Saturday mascot. Not that we have one for every day of the week, mind you, we should be so rich, but this lad comes in every week to help his mommy, our fabulous and revered volunteer office administrator.

As you can see, he is back home and WIPED OUT from his chores - greeting folks who come to the gate, locating any extra treats that may have hidden themselves during the week - like most dogs, Berkeley cannot abide a dirty floor - and helping GADAB dog handlers who are taking our puppies out for a Puppy Socialization Shelter Tour (he loooooves puppies and no puppy is safe from Berkeley's copious kisses). Berkeley actually loves all species and is non-discriminate in his affections. Among his many talents, Berkeley knows how to say "please", and does it several times a day, since everyone gets such a kick out of it.

Berkeley is also in training for an Animal Assisted Therapy dog, along with his two pittie in-laws, and Aschley says that their training is coming along great, so it looks like this lad will soon have another job.

Does this guy just do it all or what?

Congratulations, Community Heros !!

Dear Corinne,

Congratulations! The local Chapter of the American Red Cross would like to congratulate you for being selected as the

2008 Animal Rescue Hero!

The Heroes Breakfast will be on Thursday, September 25 at the Marines' Memorial Hotel on Sutter Street (starts at about 8 a.m.).

The American Red Cross joins with San Francisco County civic leaders to recognize those in our community who have shown courage, dedication and character through acts of heroism and kindness.

Join us in saluting our 2008 Community Heroes:

Life Saving Hero, Youth: Daniel Bateman
Life Saving Hero, Adult: Jocelyn Rollins and Greg Lawrence
Act of Courage Heroes: Bill Mutch and Michael Waring
Community Service Hero, Individual: Sue Parcell
Community Service Hero, Organization: Champions Youth Ministry
Animal Rescue Hero: Give a Dog a Bone, Corinne Dowling, Founder

You may purchase tickets at http://www.redcrossbayarea.org/ or by calling (415) 427-8170 for $50 each. Proceeds benefit disaster preparedness and relief efforts throughout the Bay Area.

We are deeply honored not only to receive this award, but also proud to be part of this community. Thanks to all our special volunteers, past and present, you are all special and give so much, and thanks to those whose generosity continues to make our work possible.

Kudos to all of you who better the lives of shelter dogs.

Thank you for recognizing and contributing to the importance of the animal/human bond.

Not just our own beloved companions and for what they give us day after day after day, their unconditional trust in us; but those who do more: Disaster rescue dogs, animal assisted therapy dogs for seniors, for sick children, for vets - those people who find themselves unable to respond to other human beings but can give a soft smile to a four legged being, those who suffer from mental health issues, the homeless - the disenfranchised.

We make a difference and you can too: donate to our small cause and count yourself as a hero.

Because you are.

I want to be Bobbie's girl, I want to be . . .

Oh, I mean I am Bobbie . . . wait a minute, I've been adopted by Grateful Dogs Rescue, and my new name is Willa, gee, didn't mean to mislead you.
I am in my foster home now, learning more manners, and an older dog lives there too, goes by Abner, who lets me know when I get out of line. Which isn't often, of course. ; -)))). Always good to have a big brother to show you the ropes.

Here's a couple of great photos of me (no, I'm not shy at all). Annnnyway, about this big tennis ball, you can see I just love it to pieces, I chase it when the GADAB folks throw it for me, I wrestle with it, and carry it to important places in the shelter park. It's a bit flat, but all the better for me, I say. You might notice that my skin looks a little, well, sparse and crinkly. I have a pretty bad case of demodex, which if you don't know, is a non-contagious form of mange. It feels funky, so I'm on meds, plus while I was under the care of GADAB, I got what they call the full Spa Treatment, which I had no problem with, let me tell you. Orally, I got Ester C. and Omega 3's - only from the health food store, of course. (We don't get the drug store kind - too many fillers, and who the heck knows what is in them). They just put the vitamins in some canned dog food and I gulp it right down. And then, icing on the cake for me, I get Aloe Vera/Comfrey gel rubbed all over my body, all the bare spots, all the sore spots (you can see how swollen my feet are), and then a fabulous back rub while all the gel gets rubbed into my back. Oh, oh, ohhhh. That feels sooooo good.

And then this other photo of me is in the pool. Corinne had to use lots of treats to lure me into that pool, I must say. And even though in the photo, I'm giving her the fish eye, actually I learned to love going into the pool, it's been so hot lately. You can see the clicker in her hand - yes! I'm getting clicker savvy!!! And we, well, I, went through the hula hoop, over the broom jump, and walked on all kinds of surfaces. I understand that at GADAB, they want to get us used to as much "real world" things as they can, so what the heck, I went for it. Almost everytime I got a treat, and, everytime, they told me what a good, clever, beautiful girl I am.

I am still just a pup, so they did a lot of extra stuff with me, "cradling" - I hadn't heard of that one, and really was not too fond of it, but I did get used to it and accepted it. They handled me all over, to get me used to being handled by various people. You know, all that stuff that's going to make me a good solid, adult blue pittie. That's what color I'll be when all my hair grows back. I'm so excited, I love my new foster mom, my new big brother, and my forever home awaits. And blue is such a breathtaking color. Need I say more??

Thanks, Sylvia, for taking these fabu shots of me. I'll need some good head shots for when I begin my career and will be in touch.

Willa

Happiness is....

...watching Isis frolic in the park.


Let me tell you: This girl LOVES getting her picture taken. Honestly, don't you think she's in the running to be: America's Next Top Pitbull Terrier Model?
  Tyra? Are you accepting applicants?


Or wait maybe America's Pitbull Terriers Have Got Talent! is more appropriate...


...wherever you go, Isis: you've won our votes!!!

Almost 300 Days

That’s how long Pepper was at the shelter, in the Give a Dog a Bone program. Her owner took her home yesterday. And, yet, this is not a happy ending.

Pepper came into the shelter as a cruelty case. The four-year old female pit bull had come in looking like a skeleton. She was seized by Animal Care & Control due to her awful physical condition. Pepper had been starved, that was obvious. Who knew what seemed like a cut-and-dried case of animal cruelty would be anything but.

As a GADAB volunteer, I don’t know the details of every dog’s story. That is on purpose. But, I hear bits and pieces, and what I don’t hear, I can guess. I can fill in the blanks. A starving dog. An owner charged. The dog is taken away from the owner.

Yet, the last part never happened. This story didn’t end that way. And I still don’t understand why.

The owner fought the charge. While Pepper stayed in the shelter, in a kennel, her owner walked free for 10 months. She had to appear at court a few times, while Pepper served the entire sentence behind bars. Why? Why would someone who had starved their dog fight to get her back? And why would ANY judge who saw the photographic evidence ever let them succeed?

I saw the photo. I wouldn’t give the owner a goldfish. If it were up to me, the owner would never, ever be allowed to have an animal again. What is wrong with our legal system? A story was laid out for them, with photos and testimony. A living creature was mistreated. Starved. And the person responsible was not held accountable. For 10 months, Animal Care & Control fed, loved, trained, and took care of Pepper. And now the owner was getting her back, healthy. With even a little extra weight on her. How could it be that this person gets back the dog they starved? How can that be right?

The case was never heard. ACC lost the motion to suppress due to illegal entry. Apparently a starving dog is not an "emergency"... So, tell me, judge, what would be an emergency? A dead dog? Explain that to me.

The only good side I can think of in this case is that we all got to be friends with Pepper. Smart and funny Pepper. We took her out to the park, and Corinne was able to spend time with her in the GADAB office. We did so much to keep Pepper sane and sound. She was first to go out. She had a special place in the office where she could enjoy a kong on a cushioned bed. She learned so many things, and made so many friends. The perfect girl, we called her. I especially loved the way she trotted when out for a walk. She always trotted, like she had somewhere to go.

Like Corinne says--"it's pretty amazing to shelter a dog for 10 months and see her leave as temperamentally sound as when she came in, if not better socialized, more mentally stimulated, very playful, and with some new and fun tricks up her sleeve."

Oh, Pepper, big girl, you will be missed.

And, because we are helpless at this point, I am trying to think positive thoughts for Pepper. Maybe her owner learned something. Maybe her owner will realize she can’t handle the responsibility and we can help Pepper find another home. Maybe…

Yesterday I did a google search for “animal law.” Am I too old to go to law school? Because, if the case of Pepper came across my desk, you better believe I wouldn’t sleep until the roles were reversed. The human behind bars. The dog, free to go.

The Sweetest Pea

Sometimes, as a GADAB volunteer, you fall in love just a little bit with a dog. It may be a short-lived love, but it's immediate and real. In the case of my latest puppy love, Sweet Pea, this love is of the 100% feel good, happy variety. It's the giggly, squealing, the OH MY GOD YOU ARE SO CUTE kind of dog crush that makes it all worthwhile.

To be realistic, volunteering for GADAB isn't always easy. We see some things that are hard to see. We see dogs in very bad condition, often at the hands of humans, and that can be difficult to say the least. But, then there are the wiggly, happy, and grateful dogs. And then nothing else matters.

The last kennel run at the shelter is the isolation run. Often the dogs back there have kennel cough or skin problems, and the vet wants to keep a close eye on them. In the last run, I found Sweet Pea.


OH MY, I said out loud when I saw Sweet Pea, because Sweet Pea is my very favorite type of dog. Short, wiggly, and pitbull. I knew I was in love. When I saw that she was able to go out to the park, I was ecstatic. I was going to get to hang out with the little girl with the itchy, patchy skin....and that made my day.

We took Sweet Pea out the park. What a good girl...no matter that she is young and probably hasn't had much training (if any), Sweet Pea behaved herself beautiful. Yes, she was excited to get out, but she didn't get over stimulated. She didn't get mouthy, and she didn't jump up. Letting her off leash, and sitting on the cement step as she took off, I could feel her happiness. And before I knew it, Sweet Pea was in my lap. Just like I knew she would be. See, I have a lap pitbull myself (with the same beautiful yellow-green eyes as Sweet Pea) and I just KNEW that little Ms. Pea was of the same ilk. Rub me, rub me, scratch me, love me, she said. And the three of us in the yard did just that.

It's so important sometimes for the GADAB dogs to JUST BE DOGS. To run around the yard, chase a stuffed animal, and to feel kind human hands on them...this is what they live for. And this is why I volunteer.

I don't know if Sweet Pea will still be in the program next week. I never really know when I leave the shelter for the day who I will see again and who I won't. Some dogs with pending cases...I know they'll be there, and I look forward to seeing them. Others, like Ms. Pea...I'm not sure. But, that 20 minutes in the park....it was heaven. It was pure joy. It was sunshine, happiness, and love. For her AND for me.