I know, I have been absent for a while, and I apologize. I’ve been working a lot and I’m also trying to finish up my dissertation. And because I’m still volunteering at the shelter, there is not much time left for other things. But because of recent events I am taking the time now. Let me first tell you about something that happened a couple of months ago, and this is the way it should be: I had just gotten home from work and let my dogs out. While I was doing stuff in the house I heard my dog Nate barking like crazy (which is a normal occurrence, because he’s somewhat territorial, so he barks every time our neighbors are in the yard or there is a deer or a rabbit). I went outside to see what was going on and to calm Nate down and there was this gorgeous Husky outside of our fence. I brought my dogs inside and went out the front door to check it out. It was a very friendly dog and she came right to me. SHE WAS WEARING TAGS! The tag had her name and her owner’s phone number on it. I called the number and it turned out the people were already out looking for her and they picked her up within two minutes. Everything got resolved very quickly, because the dog was wearing tags.

Fast forward to last week. It had been very hot for a few days, and it was hot again that Tuesday. I got home from work at around 2:30 p.m. and it was around 95 degrees with a somewhat higher heat index. I got my mail and when I walked back to the house there was this little white dog next to me. I didn’t really know what to do with him, because I couldn’t take him in the house because of Nate (he does not like strange dogs in our house). So I got him some water and called the shelter. HE WAS NOT WEARING ANY TAGS! Long story short, I took him to the shelter  where he was out of the heat. I put up posters and posted him on several lost dog websites. A few people called, but it as never a match. On Monday I finally got a call and it turned out to be the owner. I took him back home on Monday afternoon. Happy end, right? That’s what I thought. I got an e-mail today that the dog got out again! Seriously, people. I really hope that he was wearing a collar and tags this time, but I kind of doubt it. I really hope someone finds the little guy, but if they don’t know about as many resources that I was familiar with, he might not get home this time, which makes me sad, because he’s an old dog.

What do we learn from this? TAGS ARE ESSENTIAL! If a dog is wearing tags the chances of him getting returned to their owners are so much greater. Even if they lose the tag with the owners phone number, the rabies tag will give a clue about the vet, and if they are registered with the city the dog lives in it’s another chance to find the owner quickly. If you lose your dog, you should also consult lost dog websites and post flyers in your neighborhood. Also, check out neighboring neighborhoods. Maybe there are flyers up there. Who knows how far a dog can travel. The little guy I found was about 3 miles away from home. He had crossed about three neighborhoods. So, all you dog owners, dogs do get out sometime, but make sure it’ll be easy for them to get back home: PUT TAGS ON YOUR DOG AND HAVE HIM/HER WEAR A COLLAR AT ALL TIMES!

Tyson and Nate wearing their tags proudly.

After a long break I’m back. I’ve been busy lately, so please forgive me my lack of blogging. As you might remember I talked about commitment a few months back, referring to the commitment that volunteers bring to shelter life daily. There’s another kind of commitment, however, that some people take very lightly. I’m talking about adopting a dog (or any pet for that matter). Adopting a pet brings a lot of responsibilities. Those creatures depend on us: for food, for treatment, when they are sick, for love. Before adopting a pet one should be aware of this responsibility and of the financial costs that this brings with it. And that, depending on the breed of the dog and how old the dog is when people adopt him, a dog shares a humans life for ten to 16 years (if not longer). You might ask, if not everyone takes this into consideration. You would think. But many people are not aware of the commitment they are getting into. At the shelter we encounter it on a regular basis, that people return the dogs they have adopted from us. There are reasons that are understandable: you can’t really do anything about losing your house. But just moving is a reason I do not understand. For those people it is just inconvenient to find a place that accepts pets. I could never imagine not to take my pets when I move. They are part of the family. Other reasons are divorce or having a baby. I can imagine that it’s hard on parents at first (I don’t have children, so I don’t speak from experience) but I’m sure there is a way to get your dog used to the baby. There people out there who are professionals and who are able to help you. The reason for returning a dog I understand the least, is when people adopt a puppy and then bring her back after a year, because she is not small and cuddly anymore. A lot of the times those dogs have never been worked with and have no social skills. One dog that was adopted as a puppy and returned a year later is Wendy. She was returned five years ago and lives still at the shelter. 

I don’t understand why, though, because she is a great girl. Wendy so deserves a happy ending and a forever home! Everyone at the shelter loves her dearly, but it’s not the same as a family that’s just hers.

So, please, if you consider adopting a dog or other pet, be aware of the commitment. They are not disposable items. They are loving creatures who have feelings. It’s always a sad day, when a dog gets returned. We feel for them, we are sad for them and we hope that another family will come along who will adopt them and make them part of their family. I LOVE having those great dogs at the shelter, but that is the selfish me. I love seeing them every day, but I would love it even more if they found a family that commits to them. I’m sure, Wendy is just waiting for the right family to come along and find her. Until then, Wendy-girl, you are loved by everyone at the shelter!

First of all I apologize for having neglected my blog. Sometimes life (in my case work) gets in the way of things. But I’m back and I’ll try to write more regularly again.

One trend that we see at the shelter lately is dogs that come in overweight. This is a problem for dogs as well as it is for humans. And it’s hard to shed the pounds. It might be a little easier for the dogs, though, because we can monitor their food and they can’t sneak food out of the fridge. :) We try to help the dogs that are overweight shedding their pounds and I think we are doing a good job. One of the dogs that came in overweight is Nell. She’s a Spaniel mix and really pretty, just really chunky. Since she came to FOPAS she has lost 10 pounds and we are very proud of her. Like for people overweight can cause health issues for the dogs. They can develop arthritis, because they have to carry around the extra weight, or thyroid problems and more.

I totally understand that as dog owners you get lazy when you have a fenced-in yard. I am one of those people. I know I should walk my dogs more often, but then I end up just opening the back door and let them out in the yard. Especially when you have multiple dogs it is hard to walk them all on a regular basis. It’s still possible to monitor their weight. Don’t feed too much, no table scraps , less treats. Some people think that showing their dog how much they love him/her is to give them lots of food. It will hurt them in the long run. Just think about how hard it is for you to shed the pounds, it is hard for your dog, too. So, sometimes less is more and just show them you love them by giving them an extra cuddle or play fetch with them or …. just take them for a walk. I really try to get better and take my boys on more walks. It’s hard, because my laziness will get in the way, but I’ll try….. And you should do the same. It’ll be good for the whole family, because it’s not just exercise for the dog, it’s exercise for you as well.

Days like the one today I dread. It shows me that it’s not always enough what we do for the dogs. We are trying to save every single one who find their way to theshelter, but not all of them can be saved. After a long struggle with her breathing, we lost Nigella today. The heartworms had damaged her lungs so bad that breathing was torture for her at the end. I am happy that she found love and care  during her last couple of months, even though it wasn’t on someone’s couch. She was loved by everyone who met her and that makes me feel better. We’ll always keep her in our hearts, and I want to believe that we’ll see her again at the rainbow bridge. Farewell, baby girl, I’m glad you are not in pain anymore, but we’ll miss you.

Rocky and Newberry from the heartworm entry have been adopted! Booker is still at the shelter having fun with his friends (he even moved into the run with his girlfriend Wendy), and Nigella had to go back to the vet. Her breathing is really bad, and it seems that the heartworms have done more damage than we thought. Hopefully she’ll be able to recover soon!

This morning, when my alarm went off at 5:30, I really didn’t want to get up. Sometimes it’s hard to get out of bed, but the dogs don’t care: they have to be taken care of; they need to go potty and they need their food – rain or shine. And early in the morning. We get to the shelter at six in the morning, which means that the dogs have been in their kennels for approximately 12 hours. Most of them keep their kennel clean, which is amazing to me, because I can’t hold it for 12 hours. And also, the dogs don’t care if it’s a weekday, weekend or a holiday – they need to be taken care of. Being a dog shelter volunteer means above all one thing: commitment! You really have to be committed to get up this early every single day. We are many dedicated volunteers, so not everyone has to be there all the time. For example, I don’t go to the shelter every morning. I’m only there two mornings a week and three afternoons. Kathy, Becky, and Donna on the other hand get up early every day. I admire that. On holidays we are usually a little short on staff, because some volunteers leave town, but the show must go on.

This was last year Christmas morning. I wasn’t able to go and help, because I spent Christmas with my family in Germany, but thanks to Becky, Aaron, Kathy, and Lori the dogs were taken care of. And, as you can see, heat or snow, the dogs need volunteers to take care of them. Not every volunteer has to commit to several days every week to come to the shelter. We have many dog walkers who “only” come once a week. But we couldn’t do it without them. They take time out of their busy schedules to walk the dogs and spend time with them. I want to thank all the volunteers out there, because without you those dogs could not be rescued!

Here Auggie and Beth are walking through the deep snow after Auggie’s yard time. I bet he would prefer having that snow instead of the unbearable heat that’s going on right now. :)

One problem that we as volunteers but mostly the dogs have to deal with is something that everyone is very familiar with: the humid heat in Missouri. We are trying not to leave the dogs out for too long in the afternoon, because it’s just too hot for them. Especially the black dogs suffer in the heat. So if you can’t stand the heat wearing shorts and a T-shirt, imagine how you would feel wearing a fur coat in this weather. As humans, dogs can suffer from heat exhaustion. We experienced that at the shelter right after it started getting hot. Chance, a black Border Collie/American Staffordshire Terrier mix (our best guess), started behaving very uncharacteristically: normally he’s a goofy, friendly guy who loves being with people and getting attention (he greats everyone with a great big hug and a wet kiss), but he started being lethargic, not wanting to eat or play. We moved him from an outdoor kennel in an inside kennel, because we thought the heat was too much for him. He seemed to enjoy being inside, but he still seemed to be depressed and not feeling well. Eventually we took him to our vet, and it turned out he was dehydrated.

When dogs are dehydrated they don’t want to drink, because it makes them feel sick. And because they stop drinking they get more and more dehydrated. So, basically, it’s a vicious circle. Chance got fluids at the vet’s and now he’s back being his goofy, loveable self again. We as volunteers learn new things every day, and now we know how dehydration can look like, so when another dog shows similar symptoms, we know what to do. Of course it could be something else, but I’m very glad that for Chance it was such an easy fix.

Chance has been at the shelter for almost two years now. Being part pit bull (at least that’s the assumption) doesn’t make it easy to find a home for him, because many cities and towns have banned the breed. This is a topic for another time, though, because there is so much that I want to say about this topics. Chance deserves a great home, and I’m hoping that the right family or person for him is somewhere out there. He will wait for them as long as it takes. Until that day comes he’s loved at the shelter by all volunteers (especially by Tom and Donna) and he has lots of play time with his girl friend Pandora. Good luck, Chancey! The right people will find you eventually!

So, the best place for your dog during those hot months is inside in air-conditioned houses. They can spend time outside, but not too long! Like you they suffer if they have to stay outside too long in this heat.

One of the problems, we as shelter volunteers have to deal with on a daily basis, is heartworms. A heartworm is a parasitic roundworm that can infest the heart of a dog. If not caught on time and if not treated it can lead to the death of the dog. Heartworms can be treated, it is, however, a fairly expensive treatment and it is not pleasant for the dog. It is much easier, and cheaper, to prevent heartworms in the first place by giving the dogs a so called heartworm pill once a month. My dogs love their heartworm pills. It’s like a special treat they get once a month.

Every dog that comes in the shelter is checked for heartworms by our vet. If the test comes back negative, great. If the test is positive, not so good. Most shelters don’t treat heartworms, I assume because of the costs, and they put the dogs with heartworms down. Every dog that comes to FOPAS with heartworms will be treated. Most dogs recover from the parasite and you can’t tell they’ve ever had them. Some, however, have started treatment too late or they were too weak to make it. Since I’ve been volunteering at FOPAS that was the case with two dogs (we’ll never forget you Chaucer and Frack!). I am so grateful that FOPAS treats heartworms, because if they didn’t, my husband and I wouldn’t have our wonderful black lab, Tyson. He had heartworms when he first came to FOPAS, but he overcame them, because he was treated.

Right now we have three dogs at the shelter that are heartworm positive, and one that just recovered from them.

Booker, whose breed we don’t know, but a DNA test will give us a clue soon, was heartworm positive when he came to the shelter, but he recovered very well from his treatment. This goofy guy is still at the shelter. At first we thought he didn’t like other dogs too much, but now, after not being sick anymore, he has found a lot of new friends. I think the heartworms just made him feel bad. I know that I’m grumpy towards other people when I don’t feel well. After being through so much, this boy deserves a home with people who will truly love him.

Nigella is a Husky mix. She just finished treatment, but she’s not 100% yet. She was in such bad shape that we feared she wouldn’t make it, but this girl is a fighter. Right now she struggles with the heat and her breathing after the treatment, she can go only for very short walks to go to the bathroom. Although she went through so much, she is still a very affectionate girl who loves people a lot. It would be great if she could finish recuperating on someone’s couch.

Newberry, the black lab, is in the middle of his treatment, while Rocky, the Golden Retriever, will start his pretty soon. These two dogs are just so great! Newberry is about a year and a half old, and I’m sure he would love to play in the yard and run around with the other dogs, but one thing that is really important while they go through treatment is that they have to be kept calm. This is not the easiest thing to do with a young, energetic dog. Dogs with heartworms are taken for slow and relaxed walks by me and my fellow volunteers. I don’t think Rocky minds the slow pace too much. He’s about 5 years old and he seems to have some problems with his hips. But he’s taking something for that, and the hip problem has gotten much better. It would help his hips immensely to get off the concrete at the shelter. Someone will be lucky to get this wonderful boy as an addition to their family.

So please, in the name of the dogs, I’m asking every dog owner to spare their dogs the painful experiences of heartworms! It is very easy to prevent.

Being a volunteer at a dog shelter has everything: happiness, sadness, excitement, ... Sometimes everything happens all at once. Last Thursday  was one of those days for me. We had a lot of adoptions for one day, especially for a Thursday. Little Newt went home with a new mom and a new brother who could be her real brother. The two look so much alike! Rochelle, a German shepherd girl also found her new forever home. Lyndon even went to his “real” home, which means his owners found him after he was missing for quite some time (I LOVE these stories). And also my special boy Alvin got adopted. I’m so happy for my boy, but I’m so sad that he has left at the same time. Yes, he deserves a family of his very own. And yes, I’m sure he got a great family. And I’m happy that he doesn’t have to be at the shelter anymore. But then there is this little selfish part in me that wishes he would have stayed at the shelter, so I could see him whenever I’m there. I’m sure many volunteers feel the same way about a certain dog that has a special place in their heart. We all are happy to let go. We all are happy for our special dogs (or cats) to have found their forever home. But we will never forget the ones that were special to us.

Don’t get me wrong, all the dogs at the shelter are special, and we love them all. I know I do. But once in a while there is one that becomes especially special and bonds with us in a way that the others don’t. Alvin was my special boy. I remember when Becky and I drove to another shelter to pick him up. We knew we’d take three dogs, and because it was December and the new Alvin and the Chipmunks movie was coming out we knew they were going to be Alvin, Simon, and Theodore. There were two shepherdy looking dogs that became Simon and Theodore, and three black labs. Oh, it’s so hard to pick only one! We would have loved to take them all, but that’s just not possible for a little shelter like ours. And when I saw Alvin I knew, he was the one coming with us! I was ready to fight Becky for this one (it wasn’t necessary, she agreed right away) and he came with us. Two weeks later I flew to Germany to spend Christmas with my family. While I was gone, Alvin got adopted. As it turned out, it was not a perfect match. Alvin came back to the shelter in the beginning of July. How anyone can give up such a great boy is beyond me!

Alvin, I really hope that you found the perfect family now and that you have your own happy ending. I will never forget you and I hope to see you at Paws in the Park and the reunion in October. I love you, baby boy!