Sniffles is Safe. Now He Needs A Home
April 17th, 2008
After a lot of concern and attention, we are happy to report that Sniffles is Safe!
He has a great foster home with an OPP volunteer, Jody. We know there is a perfect home out there ready and waiting for Sniffles… so spread the word about this special pup.
Here is what we know so far…
Sniffles came to us from Douglas County Animal Shelter. A shelter worker told our intake person, Sandy Adcock, that Sniffles is
“A really special guy that they are trying to get into rescue if possible…he is basically missing his nose and some of his upper jaw/front teeth. Dr. Lugar believes its a birth defect and that he seems to do okay in spite of it. The staff doesn’t want to give up on him and Chuck is willing to hold off on putting him down if they can find a group that takes in special needs guys.”
Sniffles is a young adult Shar Pei mix that came in as a stray. His name is fitting, because he does snort a bit. It seems as if he has not always been a stray, as his weight was okay and he’s not a puppy (he can eat wet food). He’s afraid of being on leash at the moment but we are working with him on that.
Sniffles is now in a great OPP foster home! We are appreciative of all of the public and fellow-rescue group support we have received. Sniffles has a great life ahead of him!
We want to use this space for updates on Sniffles. He has a couple of vet appointments ahead of him as we make sure he is ok. At this point, we want to understand how his facial deformity effects his functioning and what, if anything, needs to be done. Holding his needs first, we want to make sure any proposed procedure or treatment is in his best interest rather than just for cosmetic reasons that are only really for our own (human) comfort. However of a more immediate concern, he’s beginning to show signs of kennel cough and we just aren’t sure how this will effect him given his deformity.
Our Pal’s Place has a special fund, Lizzie’s Legacy Fund, where we set aside money to care for special needs animals. Additionally, we are founded on the principle that we honor the desires of donors in regards to where there money is spent. Given we just don’t know what to expect the needs of Sniffles will be, we greatly appreciate donations on his behalf. Donations in Sniffles name will go directly into Lizzie’s Legacy Fund. If Sniffles does not need all the money donated for his care, the excess will remain in the Lizzie’s Legacy Fund and be earmarked to provide needed care for other special needs animals who would face certain death if not rescued from the shelters.
Stay Tuned for More on Sniffles…
Shamrock and Roll was a Rockin’ Success
March 19th, 2008
Thanks to Thomas for sending along these great pictures from the Shamrock and Roll 2008 at Atlantic Station. Our Pal’s Place volunteers and dogs had a great time. By all reports, the dogs were all tired out after their big day socializing with all the runners.
Now it is time to start planning for the GREY DOG GO 2 mile walk on Saturday
April 5th at Wills Park in Alpharetta, and the Radiant Sprint for Cancer
5K/10K at Atlantic Station on Sunday April 20th. If you are interested in participating, please contact Thomas Johnson or Russ Boles.
Los Angeles Passes a Spay/Neuter Ordinance
February 27th, 2008
Thanks to the Bumper Foundation for this news tidbit.
WOW! What a way to make a difference. Here’s a quotation from the press release.
“By requiring that all cats and dogs be spayed or neutered, we can help to humanely decrease the number of pets abandoned and euthanized each year,” said Mayor Villaraigosa. “This ordinance, which contains clear guidelines and enforceable penalties, creates a valuable tool to take this city another step closer toward eliminating the unnecessary euthanasia of animals.”The Spay/Neuter Ordinance will require all pet owners in the City of Los Angeles to have their cats and dogs (four months of age and older) spayed or neutered, unless otherwise exempted because the animal competes, serves as a rescue or service animal, or unless the pet is a registered breeder.
Any person violating the spay/neuter law will be cited, and could be subject to up to a $500 dollar fine or 40 hours of community service.“This spay and neuter will move Los Angeles towards being the most humane city in America by educating pet owners to be more responsible, making our streets safer, reducing the number of animals killed each year in our shelters and allowing us to more effectively use our resources,” said Councilmember Alarcón.
The beauty is that such ordinances are easier to pass in cities. So why take on the mess that is state legislature when a difference could be made locally. Now there is a precedent. Could this work in Marietta, Roswell, Alpharetta?
Calling All Youth Groups!!!!
January 9th, 2008
Calling All Youth Groups
Our Pal’s Place now offers Saturday morning workshops.
During the workshops, children will learn about our organization as well as responsible animal care and participate in hands-on activities with our dogs.
In order to provide a fun and safe experience at OPP,
we request no more than 10 children per workshop.
All groups are welcome including Brownies, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, Church Groups, Home Schoolers, and School Service Clubs.
Cost: $5.00 per child with a $40.00 minimum.
Availability: 1st and 3rd Saturdays of each month.
Time: 9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
To register or for more information, please contact:
Dee McGowan by Email: dee.mcgowan{at}ourpalsplace.net
Help us Gather 1 Million Pennies to Save More Puppies
November 4th, 2007
Starting November 1, 2007 and running to February 14, 2008, Our Pal’s Place is running a campaign to collect 1 MILLION pennies. You can help by:
- Starting a Family Penny Jar at home and collecting loose change.
- Starting a Penny Jar at work and asking co-workers to contribute.
- Picking one of the dogs at Our Pal’s Place and starting a penny jar to help sponsor that dogs needs.
If you have more ideas on how to help, please post a comment. We love to hear your great ideas!!!!
FDA offers Informational Phamphlet on Anti-inflammatory Medications for Dogs
October 11th, 2007
Many pet owners have hear of medications like
- ETOGESIC (etodolac)
- RIMADYL (carprofen)
- DERAMAXX (deracoxib)
- PREVICOX (firocoxib
- NOVOX (carprofen)
These anti-inflammatory medications are often given to animals to help with pain and swelling. While reading the Pet Connection Blog, I recently learned that the FDA has recently issued a well-balanced and informational flyer on these medications.
If your animal takes one of these medications, you may want to click here and read the flyer, “Treating Pain in your Dog,” so you understand the risks, benefits and warning signs of serious side effects associated with the use of these medications.
To find out a little more about use of these medications in dogs, you can also read the full post on The Pet Connections blog… it brings up a lot of good issues that may need to be discussed with your veterinarian.
Celebrate Animals! Event Update
October 4th, 2007
We had a great day at the Celebrate Animals! Run/Walk – Pet Expo – Super Adoption Event this past weekend. Over 60 pet vendors and pet rescue groups participated including OPP. The goal of the event was to raise money for a new animal welfare medical clinic and for the construction of a new dog park in Sandy Springs. The goal of the Super Adoption was to place 300 orphaned pets into new homes.
Our OPP tent and booth was up and ready by 8:00am just in time for the arrival of 4 of our dogs. Thomas, Marsha, Kelly and Michele transported Cooper, Lucy, Wally and Domino to the event. The dogs were extremely excited and energized by all of the commotion. What made this race event unique was that rescue organization’s were encouraged to form walk/run teams. Each member of the team was able to create their own fund-raiser page and we raised over $500 for OPP in sponsors! The 5K run started a little after 9:00am. Kelly and Wally set off in a quick pace and they were the first out of our group to cross the finish line. I ran with Cooper who sprinted the first two miles but he eventually tired to a fast walking pace. Marsha was paired with Domino and they ran along side of Thomas and Lucy. Thomas drew a lot of attention for his choice of running attire – he was dressed as Elvis and the outfit included a wig. While our dogs were running in the race Michele managed the booth and she spoke with several people who stopped by to learn more about the OPP organization. Wally’s energy was still high after the race and he attempted to meet each and every dog at the event. I hope that whoever the family is that adopts Wally has another dog for him to pal around with or that they plan to take him to a dog park often. Cooper actually settled down quite a bit and a few interested people stopped by to meet him. We received an application on him too. Cooper finally retired to one of the crates. The costume contest was a big hit. Marsha dressed as Bat Women and her partner against crime was Domino. They both sported matching capes. People actually pulled Marsha to the side to have their picture taken with her and Domino. Thomas aka Elvis was escorted by his “hound” dog Lucy. Unfortunately neither of them won the contest. BUT they both landed a TV interview.
Around noon Cindy and Heather showed up to help. Cindy brought along Bernice- the new St. Bernard that she is fostering. I think Bernice was the largest dog at the event………she was bigger than all of the miniature horses! She got lots of attention and is a very laid back lap dog. One of my favorite moments during the event was when we spotted one of Bess’ puppies. Of course he was no longer a puppy - he was a very large dog but there was no mistaking the distinct black and white marking. Jr Mint (now Jake) was there with his family. Jake looked great! He is very handsome and very well cared for. The event wrapped up around 3:00pm with some tired yet relaxed dogs. It was a fun event and I want to thank Michele, Marsha, Thomas, Kelly, Heather and Cindy for their help with making this event a success. And a special Thanks to Jim and Marsha Sasser for loaning us their tent.
We’ve already got our sites set on our next race event. The Jingle Jog will be held on Saturday December 15th (more info to soon follow). Last year we participated and we brought almost everyone of our dogs. Even Teddy made a guest appearance. Over 3,000 people attended the race and many brought along their family dog dressed in jingle bells. If your interested in attending this event please contact me at russell.boles@ourpalsplace.org.
Puerto Rican Stray Dogs Make Their Way to the US to Find New Homes
September 29th, 2007
The Save A Sato Foundation — “sato” is Puerto Rican for mutt — recruits volunteers to bring dogs back to the US on commercial flights. Each year they are able to transport between 1,500 and 2,000 dogs a year from Puerto Rico to American shelters (Mostly in the Northeast US), where they are often quickly adopted.
Click here to read the story.
Here’s the Situation
Puerto Rico does not have any animal registration laws nor does it promote or encourage spay/neutering. Subsequently, shelters are overwhelmed, numerous animals are killed due to overpopulation, and even more sadly, large number of animals die because of starvation, illness, and injury.
If you’d like to help, Save a Sato Foundation is asking folks to send a postcard to the Governor of Puerto Rico to ask him to take leadership in developing a humane plan to stop the overpopulation on the island. To get a postcard, email twig@saveasato.org
Noah’s Ark in Locust Grove Needs Pet Food
September 22nd, 2007
Russ Boles has just notified me that Noah’s Ark in Locust Grove, GA is in desperate need of pet food donations. Click here to see their food needs.
For those of you who do not know of Noah’s Ark, they are an exceptional organization with the mission of “Bringing children and animals together for the purpose of providing unconditional love, unconditional service and a future of hope.”
To do this they run children’s care homes and a refuge and rehabilitation center for all types of animals.
If you would like to donate food, the address can be found by clicking here. You can also find a way to make a donation if you just don’t see a trip to Locust Grove in your near future.
Let’s Do Lunch: Dogs Interview Potential Owners Over Lunch
September 20th, 2007
Here is a cool story about a Boston-based animal rescue organization that are taking dogs that need a home out to “have lunch” with potential new owners.
CLICK HERE for the story.
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