C.A.R.E. has. since its inception, worked hard to help save lives not only at the local county run kill shelter, but before the animals go into the shelter.  While this can sometimes cause a huge headache, it is worth it in the long run as it helps save more lives. 

You may ask why a headache?  Many times people first want to surrender to rescue, rescue gets everything set up and then people change their minds.  That could mean other animals could have been saved while time was spent on those that the people changed their minds about.  Many times we will go on sites trying to convince people  to give to rescue, and some people do not understand the reasons why rescue is the best choice.   1)Rescue vets the animals no matter what is needed and makes sure animals are spay/neutered before going to forever homes. Dogs receive heartworm treatment if needed and are on preventive. Injuries are treated.  2.) Most rescues do vet checks, reference checks, and home checks.  3,) Rescues have adopters sign contracts which bind them to return the dog if the adoption does not work out.  4.) And most importantly, are willing to take the time to wait until the right adopter comes along for each dog.  Why would you want to give any animal especially new puppies or kittens, to a complete stranger with no checks whatsoever?  How does one know who they are giving them to without checking references and doing home checks?  Are their lives not worth it?

No matter what the headache, what the issue, C.A.R.E always puts the animals first.   That is what rescue is about.   All the pictures you see in this blog are animals that were in need of rescue in the community. None of these babies were at a county shelter.  We worked with the people in our community to take them into either our rescue and/or one of our rescue partners.   Many of the adults were injured, some having thousand of dollars of surgeries. Many had to be treated for heart worms.  Puppies that broke with parvo, had coccidia, mange.  It does not matter what the problem, we do our best to provide whatever is needed to help them.

 

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We also believe in pet retention and will try to help the people in our community keep their animals if at all possible by providing food and vet care whenever possible. ( we are volunteers and depend on fundraisers and donations)  We would much rather you baby stay with his or her family than have to be uprooted if possible.  When not possible, we will try our best to help find a place in our foster care until we can get the dog fully vetted, and then start the adoption process.  We do not have our own facility ( yet) so we have to depend on volunteers to help foster the dogs in our rescue in their homes. That is why fosters and volunteers are so very important to us.

I think another very important point that many shelters overlook is how this helps them. How many more would be in the landfill if not for rescues taking these babies before they wind  up at an open intake shelter.  How many times do you already hear, ” we are full”, ” we have no empty kennels”.    Rescues taking in animals before they take up space at the county facilities and/or helping the public actually keep their animals is another way to help save lives.  

It is past time that shelters and rescues check their egos at the door and start focusing on the animals.  I am very tired and disgusted with  county run shelters who play the part of the victim instead of doing everything possible to save the lives of the true victims… the animals.      WE CAN SAVE THEM ALL…. please take a moment to read the attached ” No Dog left Behind”    A Publication of the No Kill Advocacy Center, Meeting the Needs of Behaviorally Challenged  Dogs. 

https://www.nokilladvocacycenter.org/uploads/4/8/6/2/48624081/no_dogs_left_behindv2.pdf

 

( All the pictures in this article are animals that were rescued that never entered a shelter by C.A.R.E and/or our rescue partners.  These are just a handful of the ones we have done through the years.  We will try to put together a gallery of  them and add until we get them all together.   We are here for the animals and we will always advocate for the animals)

 

 

 

He lies there, wrapped around the tree, huddled up on the ground, cold, waiting for his humans, hoping they will come out and acknowledge his existence. Hoping for even a pat on the head, a rub on his ears, a friendly voice.  Day after day, 24/7, this is a chained dog’s life.  You can see the sadness in his eyes.  What I cannot see is how his human family can let him live like this?

This article and several more to come, will explore many of the dogs in Cleveland County and their lives on chains.   Many say a picture is worth a thousand words, and in this case I would say a picture is worth a million words.

This sweetheart lives in the house you see behind him and he is also attached to a chain.  As you can see, his house has a huge hole in the roof.  Rain, sleet, snow, can easily come inside.  Again the sadness in the eyes.  Dogs are social animals.  They want to be with their people, not chained outside.

This boy has a very huge, heavy chain. This is in our city limits and yes that is piles of trash behind him. Some may say but look, he has an igloo dog house. Yes he does, but lets notice his water bucket ( I suppose as its the only bucket I see) is turned over) and no food in sight.  The lonely eyes staring at us, wanting someone to come and be with him.   Why have a dog to use as a yard ornament?

PLEASE look in the eyes of these babies.. can anyone honestly tell me they see happy dogs?   Heavy chains, improper housing that would not protect them from the weather whatsoever, trees to get wrapped around, why?   Dogs love us unconditionally.  Have you ever watched even a dog whose human has not been the best to him? That dog still loves him.   Rescue dogs are so grateful when we get them out of the shelters and/or out of bad situations and they know they are safe. I honestly see dogs I have pulled years later, and they still know me.    Dogs that live on chains will most likely be labeled unsocial or worse if taken to a shelter as they have never been off those horrid things.  Many end up on the euthanasia list through no fault of their own.

Houses with holes, houses apart into pieces, no housing…. chains hanging from the fence, another dog wrapped around the tree, chains inside fences, this is beyond pitiful…. this is our county people.. this is so very wrong.

Dogs are naturally social beings who need interaction with humans and/or other animals. Intensive confinement can damage them both physically and psychologically.  A dog that would otherwise be friendly if continously chained can become neurotic, unhappy, and often aggressive.   Many chained dogs are easily ignored causing physical ailments too. Collars can grow into their skin, necks can become raw, they are vulnerable to insect bites, snake bites, parasites, other dogs that may be loose, strangulation, and so much more.

Yes there is a dog in that barrel.   And yes there is a chain attached up to the tree, not on a pulley system, just attached up to the tree.  All these dogs would have loved to have been inside with their humans.

As you can see this house is boarded up.  The house looked like it had at some point had a fire. No one lives there, that was for sure.  Two dogs, in the back, on chains, barrels for housing.  The red circles are where the dogs were on those pics.  It was hard to get them in the back of the house from the road. Again, how can anyone say we need to let this continue?

While out we also saw more, one of my SD cards malfunctioned, on it there was a young pup, chained to a cinder block, with a plastic travel crate as shelter???????   It was cold on the early morning that we went photo shooting.  All photos were taken from the road with a zoom lens.  At no time did we step on anyone’s property.  All photos were taken mainly within one neighborhood.  All were taken inside city limits.   We will be out again, taking more.    Laws need to be changed and changed drastically. Someone said we did not need to reinvent the wheel… if it takes reinventing it to fix this, then yes we do… it is time for us to have compassion for God’s creatures.