Clifford's Army Rescue

Meanest Dog Ever? , Reckless Revisited

In June of 2017, I was asked to check out a small dog in the bite quarantine at CCAC for possible rescue. While in the quarantine building, I noticed the dog next door to the one I went to visit. There stood a GSD, barking his head off, and as usual I immediately looked at the former rescue coordinator and said, ” What’s his story?”. Here is where the story gets different. Where perception and training truly becomes life or death for so many animals dumped at shelters across the country. Her response was, ” That is the meanest dog I have ever seen. We can’t get near him. He won’t stop barking.” What did I see? Well first let me say, I am no expert, but I did grow up with GSDs and being in rescue for almost nine years now, I do try to sponge up any and everything I can. So I saw a very frightened and nervous GSD. One that was trying to take the flight instead of fight, but being in a kennel could only flight so far. And I also knew I was coming back with help with a mission to save this boy, because sometimes you just know.. and I just knew that this emaciated boy was scared to death and needed out of that confined kennel.

Once home, I called GSD eval expert and good friend Aliceia Atkinson and enlisted her help. Shelly and I met her over at Animal Control, and of course the staff was convinced this boy was aggressive so with a staff member in the building, but as much out of the dog’s site as possible, Aliceia went to his kennel and went to work. Check out the videos in the kennel which took her maybe five minutes?

Then Reckless and Aliceia came out of the kennel and walked around outside and everyone met this sweet boy. Well most all, I think there was maybe one staff member that was still a little frightened of him but most realized he was as frightened of them as they were of him.

The amazing Shellinda Fisher-Hardie with Jericho’s Wish pulled him and he was off to the vets for his skin and everything else needed. Awesome Jan Lineberger Young stepped up to foster Reckless while he was in Cleveland County until transport. The Army was at full force, and this boy was safe!

Reckless did wonderful in his foster home. He had previously lived on a chain where no one really checked on him. His skin started to heal, he started to gain weight and he showed what a wonderful dog he was. He then transported up to New Jersey to Shellinda where he landed in his failed foster/forever home with the Craft family. He has two GSD siblings and he is so very happy.

I do believe everything happens for a reason, and he was the true reason I was suppose to be in the bite quarantine that day. He was crying for help with his barks and frightened trying to flight or fight in a kennel. Reckless is one of many many examples as I said, that happen daily at shelters across the country. Dogs die labeled as aggressive, feral, and other terms when it is simply fear. Put yourself in their place. Dumped, taken out of the only place they have known as home, and in a frightening place to them. Shelters need to get their employees training to be able to not only identify these issues correctly but to be able to work with the dogs on them. We as animal advocates should be trying to save as many as possible and shelters should be hiring animal advocates, people who care and people who want to learn how to help these poor precious souls who are being dumped daily at the shelters.

So the next time you hear a dog barking, or think a dog huddled in a corner in fear makes the dog aggressive or feral, take a moment to think about it , truly think about what that dog is going through. You may just change your mind.

March 1, 2019/by Deb Hardin

"The Bitch Barks"

PLEASE TELL ME WHY?

Why do I have dogs? They are the most loving social companions I have ever met. They are my family. We are a pack. We live together and let me stress, we LIVE TOGETHER. We do things together. They are part of my life. My dogs bring me great joy in that when I come home from wherever my day has taken me, they are there waiting on me, happy to see me. If I feel sad, they immediately sense it, and they comfort me. They are so in tune with my feelings, much more so that humans.

So that brings me to my next question. Can someone please tell me why anyone has a dog to put out in the yard like an ornament and never pay the dog any attention? To barely acknowledge the dog’s existence? To hardly ever pat the dog on his/her head? To leave out in all kinds of weather without even a thought to what the dog is having to endure?

A dog who lives indoors with his/her family will be better taken care of, his humans will know when he has health issues much quicker as they will see symptoms that will never be seen with the dog living outside all the time. The indoor dog gets to have social time with humans and any other indoor family. Indoor dogs are also protected from the elements of the outside. We had a horrible storm and one of my babies was so freaked out inside, I cannot even imagine what those poor babies who were left alone outside were enduring.

I cannot say it enough, dogs are social animals. They do not want to be isolated alone by themselves. For the life of me, I will never understand if a human does not want to interact with their dog, why do they want a dog in the first place? If you want a yard ornament, go buy one that does not live and breathe in the garden center at Wally World but leave the living creatures to those who will truly provide for them.

February 24, 2019/by Deb Hardin

"The Bitch Barks"

C.A.R.E. RESCUING COMMUNITY ANIMALS

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.

Click to access 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)

February 23, 2019/by Deb Hardin

"The Bitch Barks"

Coming Soon: C.A.R.E. UNCHAINS CLEVELAND COUNTY ONE DOG AT A TIME

Clifford’s Army Rescue will be launching a new program in an effort to break loose the chains that bind so many dogs in our county. Attached to a chain is no life for a dog. Dos are very social animals and want to be with their people. Not only is it no life for them, it has been proven that life on a chain brings out aggression in dogs. Please be sure to read the information under references at the end of this post.

A kennel program is in the works which will provide a kennel in place of the chain. While we are firm believers that dogs are very much social animals and should be a part of the family, in the house with you, we also know several people in our county do not keep their dogs in the home with them on a regular basis. We would much rather help them keep the dogs safe and secure with a kennel than have them attached to a chain and suffer the damage that comes along with that attachment.

There will be some requirements for the kennel. The main one being the dog will have to be spay/neutered. If not, and you need help, we will try to assist and/or find assistance for you.

As firm believers in pet retention, we will also be starting a food bank shortly. We are working on requirements and/or ways to distribute food for those in need.

We are fine tuning the details on both programs and hope to launch them both soon. Be sure to stay tuned for more details on both these exciting new programs.

(Want to help? Volunteer to help pick up/ put up kennels. Volunteer with fundraisers. Know of anyone with kennels they are no longer using? Ask them to donate to C.A.R.E. We will be collecting both new and used to help those in need. )

References:

http://www.unchainyourdog.org/Facts.htm

http://www.unchainyourdog.org/LawsHowTo.htm

Chaining Dogs Unleashes Bad Behavior

February 19, 2019/by Deb Hardin

Rescues

KILLIAN

We received a call around 445 pm from one of the employees at Cleveland County Animal Control. A small dog had been brought in by one of the ACOs barely alive. With no medical help available, the only option the staff was given was euthanasia. Clifford’s answered and we met Tyler at our vets and immediately took over treatment of this sweet baby. Dr. Luke Martin could barely get a pulse on the dog, his blood pressure was non existent, body temp was 92, completely dehydrated, and he could not even find a vein to put in an IV. SubQ fluids had to be used, ran through warm water, hot water bottles put all around him, and everything possible was started to try to save this boy. We named him Killian, German for Little Warrior, as we knew he would need to fight for his life.

No blood could be drawn. We really could not do anything but wait. By later that night, he was a little better, ate a little AD food, but immediately threw up, had bloody mucus in his stools. He continued to struggle, but each day he got a little better. and we kept the prayers coming and our awesome vets kept working with him

Killian continued to improve and was able to go into foster care but did develop an infection on his back. The following picture shows how it looked almost like a burn down the center. ( the vet shaved the surrounding area)

Through all this, this sweet boy, loved everyone he met. He continued to improve and thrive and we were so thankful we were able to save him. This is just one example why we say that ” all lives matter”. How can one distinguish who we try to save? Yes, he did have a long road to recovery, but he was adopted by a wonderful family locally, and he has the most wonderful human sister, who keeps us updated and we could not be happier for this sweet boy. There is no price tag on saving lives, they all matter. He deserved a happy life, not the life he was given by some uncaring human who had him chained outside in the summer heat, in terrible conditions without caring one bit what happened to him. Thanks to rescue, and caring people who support us, he has that life.. we love you Killian.. and we are so happy for you!

February 19, 2019/by Deb Hardin

"The Bitch Barks"

UNCHAIN CLEVELAND COUNTY

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.

February 12, 2019/by Deb Hardin