A Tremendous Article On The Happy Stories Of Rescue From Guest Blogger Isla

HAPPY TALES AND FOREVER HOMES

It’s easy to feel helpless in the face of homeless animals and overflowing shelters. But there are thousands of success stores and happy endings out there. Here are just a few to inspire you the next time you think about rescuing and animal from life in a shelter.

The Little Black Dog : Jack’s story is a mystery. Abandoned at an OSPCA shelter, Jack was a six- year-old lab and collie mix, severely underweight and totally unsocialized. Overwhelmed by fear, Jack spent nine months cowering in the corner of a cement enclosure. It was clear that he had been neglected and subjected to terrible abuse. After three failed adoptions, he seemed doomed to a life of loneliness and misery. Believing that Jack had no chance at a life outside a cage, OSPCA staff made the decision to end his pain and put him to sleep. Sometimes, though, fate intervenes when it is most needed. An OSPCA volunteer was determined to save the little black dog who had experienced such a tragic life, so she reached out to friend of hers who was also a canine trainer looking for a second dog to add to her home. Reluctantly, her friend took the time to visit with Jack, bringing along her current canine companion. While Jack had no interest in the people around him, he immediately bonded with the trainer’s dog and a lifelong partnership was formed. Jack – fearful, abused and aggressive – went home that same day with his new canine guru and became a happy member of a loving family. Now 14 years old, Jack continues to live a joyful life filled with all of the kindness and companionship that every dog deserves.

Happy Birthday – Have a Dog! : It’s never a good idea to give an animal as a birthday present, but that is how Scooby began her life with people. A six-month-old stray adopted from the OSPCA by a well-meaning friend, Scooby was an absolute terror and a hurricane of destruction. Three couches met their maker thanks to her determined work, and walking in the park was an exercise in uncontrolled chaos and exploration of mud puddles. It was only the determination of her new companion that saved Scooby from being returned to the shelter, and that effort was repaid a thousand times over. As Scooby grew older, and her companion learned the basics of obedience training, she became a friend, a compatriot and an incredible dog. By the time
Scooby was four, she was able to accompany her companion to work and even attended lectures at UofT. (It should be noted that, while Scooby contributed little to classroom debates, her presence was always welcome.) Throughout her life, Scooby had many animal companions and embraced the world around her.
After nearly 14 years of love and laughter, she went peacefully to sleep in her companion’s arms. 

One Snowy Night : Snow and sleet were covering the Toronto streets on the night that Horton was found curled and shivering in the shelter of a doorway. A feral kitten only six weeks old, he was malnourished and in need of veterinary care when he was discovered by a young student. On impulse, she took him to her local vet and then into her home. Too young to be separated from his mother, Horton was hand fed a mixture of
cat milk and softened kitten food, bonding with his new companion in the process. With time, kindness and patience, he eventually flourished into an indomitable character; curious, fearless and confident. Today, Horton is the 18 year old patriarch of a house filled with other animals.

A Bunny Runs Free : Small animals such as rabbits are often impulsively brought into a home much to the delight of young children who quickly lose interest in these amazing animals. This was the case of Patches, a two-year-old Rex who had been consigned to a small cage in a dark basement once his young owners had turned their attention to a new puppy. It was simple luck that changed Patches’ life when a house guest, heartbroken by the state of an isolated and ignored bunny, made the decision to transform his world by taking him home. From basement cage to free run of an entire house, Patches returned to the social, engaging and curious creature that he naturally was, living out the rest of his life in the company of animals and, occasionally, venturing out into the wondrous world of the backyard garden.

TAKING ACTION: WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP

Each of these stories is different, but they do have a single theme in common. One action makes a huge difference. One rescue changes a life. It is easy to be overwhelmed by the sheer number of animals in need of rescue, but focusing on a single action that will change a single life makes the challenge manageable. One person cannot change the world, but one person can change the life of an animal in need. The stories of Jack and Horton, Patches and Scooby, all demonstrate that rescue happens in small steps…but those small steps make an incredible difference.

About the author : Isla Campbell is a freelance writer, editor and communications strategist specializing in non-profit advocacy and public relations. She happily shares her life with a number of animal companions and is an active advocate for animal welfare and wildlife protection. islacampbell@sympatico.ca

Another Guest Post From adoptapet.com!

What is Adopt-a-Pet.com?

Adopt-a-Pet.com is the world's largest non-profit pet adoption website. We are like an ad agency for shelters and shelter pets. Sadly there are 4 million healthy adoptable companion animals killed in shelters each year due to overcrowding. We do our best to relieve that problem and put pets from shelters in the homes of pet seekers all over the country. Our website makes it easy for anyone with an internet connection to find descriptions and pictures of adoptable animals by location, breed, gender, age, size, and color. Over 9,000 shelters posts pets on our website displaying over 130,000 pets available for adoption at any given time. We also help volunteers connect with shelters, and currently host over 14,000 people listed in our volunteer database for shelters.

What Makes Adopt-a-Pet.com Unique:

On our website, people can use something we call “Search Saver.” This feature will notify users by e-mail when a particular pet of their specifications in available for adoption. For example, I can tell “Search Saver” where I live, and what type of breed I am looking for. When that animal is available, I am notified the next time a pet matching my search is added on Adopt-a-Pet.com.

As of this summer we have now made it easy for our visitors to find pets and then recommend them to friends and family via Facebook, Twitter and other social applications. We are calling the idea “Social Petworking.” Here is how it works; once you have searched and found a pet in need, on the pet details page simply hover over the button labeled “SHARE,” there you can send the pet details page to any of your friends. For more information visit this page http://www.adoptapet.com/socialpetworking/signup.

In addition to dogs and cats, we now feature all kinds of pets for adoption, including rabbits, farm animals, ferrets, hamsters and other small animals, horses, reptiles, amphibians, birds, and even fish. This was a major initiative that took many months to research and program into the site, and it is being well-received within the shelter community.

By teaming up with the renowned street-artist Shepard Fairey, who designed the iconic Obama "Hope" image, we have available a number of stylish ways to promote pet adoption. Shepard was able to translate his work with Obama to an image that can be used to represent pet adoption support. Merchandise can be found at http://www.muttslikeme.com

We have begun blogging and created a Twitter Page along with a Facebook Page. Our blog is located at http://blog.adoptapet.com/, there you can join our Facebook Group, or follow us on Twitter.

Great Advice From adoptapet.com

Common Questions About Pet Adoption

Q: Although there are millions of pets in shelters needing homes each year, many pet-owners-to-be

don’t think about pet adoption when they’re looking for their new four-legged friend. Why do you think
this is, and what can be done to turn that around?

A: Many people who want to get a pet just are not aware of how many great pets are available at
shelters. They might also have the misconception that pets in shelters might be there because there was
a problem with the animal. In fact, most pets end up in shelters not because of any problem with pet
behavior, but because an owner died, moved, or simply didn't have the time or money to care for the
animal. In some cases animals are lost and never found by their owners. These animals are healthy and
very eager to please. Rescued pets are wonderful- just ask anyone who has one.

Some people are seeking purebred animals or puppies and think these animals are not available in
shelters. In fact, nearly a quarter of all animals in shelters are purebred. Often someone buys an
expensive purebred animal and then attempts to breed that animal to recoup their money. Often these
animals are not placed in homes, and end up in the shelter. Puppies and kittens often up in shelters
as well, but it is important to note that puppies require a lot of work and training and can be quite
destructive (peeing on the carpet or chewing shoes). Puppies are great, but often people are much
happier getting a dog who is older, and whose size and temperament is a known quantity.

Through Adopt-a-Pet.com and without even leaving their home, people can search all their local shelters
and see pictures and descriptions of the pets available for adoption. This way, they can find the exact
pet they want, call the animal shelter or rescue group, and get information on how to adopt that specific
animal.

Q: What are the 5 most important things a potential adopter should consider when choosing their new

A: We actually have a blog post on this highlighting the top 10 things we believe are important when

adopting. Here are five, the rest can be located by visiting this page http://www.adoptapet.com/public/
guides/permanentpets.html.
1. You need to make a real commitment to care for your pet for its entire life.
2. Verify in advance that you’re allowed to keep a pet where you live.
3. Never adopt a pet on a whim or because you feel it’s love-at-first-sight
4. Provide sufficient exercise and stimulation during the first few weeks, this will help the pet adjust.

A:

1. When you adopt an adult animal, you can see his/her size and temperament. This helps ensure that
the pet is right for you and your family.
2. It feels great to know you have saved an animal’s life and everyone you meet will give you kudos for
that for years to come.
3. Adopted pets are very loyal and know they have been given a new home.
4. Adopting a pet can be an important lesson to teach your children-- both about the value of life, and
also about civic responsibility and even recycling- in this case recycling a living and loving animal into a
new home.
5. Choosing a mixed breed animal can help avoid many of the genetic health problems that have
developed in purebred animals due overbreeding and inbreeding.

Q:

If someone reading this isn’t in a position to adopt a pet right at this time, but still wants to help
homeless pets, what are 5 things they can do to get involved?

A:

1. People can do Social PETworking and Twitter Critter! They can run a search on Adopt-a-Pet.com, find
a pet they want to help get exposure for, and use the share tools on our site to post the pet link on their
Facebook, Twitter, MySpace or other social network page. Or, they can email the link of a pet in need
from our site to their friends.
2. They can place a link/graphic or even a search widget for Adopt-a-Pet.com on their personal website
to encourage their users to see pets in need at local shelters.  http://www.adoptapet.com/public/searchtools/
3. People can add their info to our volunteer database  http://www.adoptapet.com/volunteer/
signup so shelters who need volunteers can find them.
4. People can search Adopt-a-Pet.com to find a local shelter, and make a cash donation to that shelter to
help them with the costs of housing, feeding and medical care of shelter animals.
5. People can encourage other pet owners to spay or neuter their pet
http://www.adoptapet.com/public/spay_and_neuter/index.html) to help prevent unwanted births.