Beginning and end......

Today is the beginning of a new week.. and the end of a month. In rescue there are always many beginnings and ends. New beginnings of love and hope for dogs taken into rescue and turned over to a foster home.... endings.. when fosters turn their foster pups over to adoptive families.... and beginnings again for a dog and their new family... and with a sigh the foster goes home... ending a time of patience, determination and most of all love for the one that was in their care "for a time". LLP has seen lots of beginnings and endings in their 3 short years... each day brings new challenges, new demands on finances, the ever on-going search for more fosters for the "oh so many" dogs in need.. the hopefulness of "new beginnings". But there is also the underlying knowledge of endings.. endings that come because there are so many dogs, so much disease, and so much cruelty in a country that has so much compared to others. When will the human race learn that they were given this place in life and in time to do GOOD... to take care of the rest of God's creations... not exploit for money.. abuse an innocent - just because you can.... I believe it is way past time for us to wise up and realize what we've created - a nation filled with people that feel entitled because...??? Ill leave you readers to fill in the last of that sentence.
I leave you with this thought... the Golden Rule still applies today as it did when you were young.... "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" - in simple plain ole English.. treat others the same way you want them to treat you... this applies to animals as well as humans.

Love like there is no tomorrow... sing like no one is listening... dance as if no one was watching.... and look after those less fortunate than you.

And for one of our sweet LLP girls... Lydia...she has decided it's time for the end of her pain and struggle... thoughts are with you Toolie.... just know you gave that girl all the love in the world and she is the happier for it.

Of course it was a spaniel.....

British rescuers say a dog that chased a seagull and fell off a 300-foot (90-meter) cliff into the sea has survived with only minor injuries.
Paul Legendre of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution search and rescue service says the springer spaniel was rescued Feb. 14 after it darted off southern England's scenic Seven Sisters chalk cliffs.
Legendre says the spaniel fell straight into the sea but there was just enough water to cushion the fall.
He says the owners sought help after they went to the edge of the cliff and saw their pet swim to shore.
"They heard it barking as well, bless it," Legendre said Tuesday.
He said the spaniel suffered a shock and a partially collapsed lung but looked in good shape.
Spaniel high dive

Fact or Fiction?

How many "facts" have you gotten in your inbox that ended up being "myths"? Some are harmless "myths", but some are just plain wrong. How about this thought: Is a dog's mouth really cleaner than a human's? No doubt, you've heard that the dog's mouth is cleaner ... but is that really fact or fiction?
It is FICTION!

So how did this popular myth get started? It probably stems from the thought that most diseases are species-specific. This means that most communicable canine diseases, with the exception of rabies, do not generally affect humans. While it is true that dog bites are less likely to transmit a communicable disease to a human, they are still quite capable of causing an infection.

Dogs' mouths are filled with all kinds of bacteria, depending of course upon what the dog recently had in its mouth. When you consider that dogs use their mouths much like people use their hands, the bacteria counts in their mouths can be quite high. Next, imagine that after sampling the world with his tongue, your dog comes back inside only to smear his saliva and bacteria-filled kisses all over your hands and face. While canine kisses can be sweet, you really should consider thoroughly washing your hands and face afterward.

You should also consider brushing your dog's teeth.
Yes, brushing your dog's teeth makes a world of difference. Healthy teeth and gums are important for biting and chewing, and even more important for your dog's overall good health. Tooth and gum disease can lead to serious health problems, including infection, kidney problems and heart disease!In fact, the American Animal Hospital Association says brushing your dog's teeth could add as much as five years to his life. So if brushing your dog's teeth is not something you are already doing, you really must start. You need to brush your dog's teeth at least three times a week.

You know from brushing your own teeth that the right toothbrush is important. So, find a good doggy toothbrush. We make our kids brush their teeth every night so they have healthy teeth and gums. Our dogs are no different.

Remember, a dog's mouth is not "magically" clean. If you do not brush your dog's teeth it is very likely that your dog has "doggy breath", yellow teeth and/or swollen gums.

Thoughts????

Living with a sight challenged dog......

Do any of you out there have a sight challenged dog? If you do, then you know what life is like and how much fun everyone can have with a blind dog. Most dogs are comfortable in their blindness.. after all.. a dog's first keen sense is the sense of smell... especially in spaniels.. they are scent dogs.. not necessarily sight driven. You may have to "remind" your dog to use his nose instead of depending on eyes. Of the blind dogs I know, they are remarkable... they cruise around their homes like you wouldn't believe.. know the boundaries of the yard, where the water dish is.. and definitely are not at a loss when it comes to food time... even if it's YOUR food time...lol

Our foster Delilah (pictured) is losing some vision.. she still sees distance okay (shadows and movement really) but close up is going... and she definitely suffers from snow and sun blindness.. she can't find the door at all when she's been outside... and will run straight into the wall. We constantly talk to her so she can focus direction with our voices.. but that is working less and less since she is also losing her hearing. The neighbors (if we had any close enough) would probably wonder what in the heck we are doing yelling "Delilah..come here.... DeDe.. not that way.. over here sweetie.. Delilah.. DELILAH!!!!! Oh for goodness sakes.. Cinnamon go get that old girl before she gets lost!" I know some blind dogs like to play with balls.. so the giggle or babble balls are great for them... see how long you can last listening to that.. lol

Do you have a blind dog or a deaf dog? Or a dog that has special challenges that you can share? They are all special in their own way.. but I believe the ones that have special challenges are absolutely amazing!

Have a great day.. hug a dog!

Rescue Angels

Tail tucked between your legs,
Confusion in your eyes -
I know it's hard to understand
That someone heard your cries.

When loneliness is all you know
And pain is all you feel
And no one can be trusted,
And hunger's all too real...

That's the time the Lord sees you
And lets you know He's there
That's when He sends His messengers
The hearts that love and care.

Yes, rescuers are angels
You cannot see their wings,
They keep them neatly folded
As they do their caring things.

The medicine to make you well
Good food to make you strong,
And finally to help you learn
That hugs are never wrong.

The perfect place then must be found
The home where you can live
Secure and safe and happy
With joy to get and give.

When you reach your Forever Home,
Your place to feel whole,
The Angels smile, and off they go
To save another soul.

~Author unknown

Thoughts of the day.....

I was sitting here thinking about what to write.. or say... the Winter Olympics are going on... Westminster is going on... and it dawned on me this is the beginning of LLP's 4th year. I find that absolutely astounding as well as amazing. For those out there that might not know - you have to understand LLP started as an idea of Toolie's and her passion for the sight challenged cockers.. take in maybe 2 a year.. 3 tops... but it was soon discovered there was a great er need than just for the sight challenged... so LLP came into being.. basically an internet gathering of like minded people wanting to do what they could to help cockers. How in the world could we pull this off? None of the people that wanted to get involved lived anywhere near the others.. but grow we did.. work together we did... with help from so many directions there are too many to name for fear of leaving someone out. Our first year we took in maybe 60 dogs and got about 54 adopted out.. that was 2007... in 2008, we had about 60 dogs before getting halfway through the year... 2009 - still an overwhelmihng increase in dogs and toward the end of the year - so many surrendered because of the economic downturn in the economy. And it isn't getting any better in 2010. We are overflowing with dogs as are other rescues - we depend so strongly on our fosters.. without them, things couldn't be done that are being done. Without our volunteers.. it couldn't be done. In the past 3 years Bob and I have seen 12 fosters come into our home and steal our hearts. Of those 12, we have seen 4 go over the Bridge after they were adopted. I've loved all the fosters we've had in one way or another but these 4 hold a special place with us... Abigail - my Abs, the sweetest girl ever, Tucker - the handsome boy who loved beyond belief....Zoe - the funniest little love bug around...and Lucky - sweet, sweet Lucky man. I am comforted in the fact that even though these furbabies are across the Bridge... they were loved by Bob and me as their foster family... and more importantly, they were loved fully by their adopted families.

I have always loved animals, but until I got into rescue.. I had no idea the depth of the love that is given back. For all your rescuers, transporters, fosters, contributors of all kinds, etc.. YOU know that feeling. To those that don't.. find a rescue - a shelter.. dontae some time, some of your talents.. foster.. transport.. anything.. you have no idea how rewqarded you will feel - may you know the unconditional love that is given so freely by these dogs.

Again... Happy 4th year LLP... let's make it even better than before!

Jane

February 16, 2010

Okay.. so we are trying something new here at Life's Little Paws... seems that there is a world outhtere that I have little knowledge of.. and that is "blogging". So here goes a possibly hilarious experiment... I get to talk about LLP, the directors, the volunteers... if I have carte blanche - this could be dangerous. The stories that I could tell are endless.. like a new foster dog learning to go "out" the doggy door but not "in" and the foster Mom chasing said dog around the yeard for over an hour or more trying to catch him... or better still.. going to an adoption and forgetting to take the phone number or address of the adopter with you... my job whenever we transfer dogs is to be totally accessible by phone so that I can relay all that information that was forgotten. So bear with me.. feel free to comment.

And last but not least.. hug your furfriend(s) and make the most of each and every day!

Jane