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Summer Issue 2005
Tributes
If they could have asked for your help, would you have looked the other way?
Some people might mutter under their breath, What, TLC's having more fundraisers? (And this issue is chock full of them) Is that all they ever do is ask for money, I'm tired of hearing about it. I take good care of my pets, why should I worry about animals that are not mine. After all I didn't create these problems...
You do have a valid point, and just between us, I will be the first to openly admit, it's not your responsibility, nor is it mine to worry about what happens to these unwanted animals. But the problem with people like you and me is, we have a heart. There are times it would be much easier to look the other way, but you know as well as I do, we can't do that. You and I see beyond what is, and what is not our responsibility. We really hate asking for your help all the time, but we are not asking for ourselves we are asking for them... abused and unwanted animals whose voices can't be heard. We know had you seen these puppies in dire need of help, you could not look the other way and neither could we. We did what you would have done, and that was try to save them.
The pups pictured were part of a litter of 6, nine week old shepherd/lab pups brought to TLC with their mom, because the owner did not want them. Three of the pups were fat and sassy and robust, romping and playing like puppies are supposed to... but the other three pups in the litter were withdrawn and emaciated beyond belief, laying huddled together, they barely moved. While the robust pups ate with gusto, the latter three pups did not want to eat at all.
We had the pups and the mom vet checked. The robust pups were deemed to be in good health and were adopted out quickly. Maggie the mom had heartworm, which we had treated, then she was put up for adoption, and found a loving home. As for the emaciated pups, there was nothing found medically wrong with them. But it was apparent that they were going downhill fast, as if they had lost the will to live. We were told when the pups were brought in that there was always a fight for food, involving the mom and the three heartier pups, because there was not always enough food to go around. We came to the conclusion, after looking at some of the bite marks on the bodies of the frail pups, that the pups feared being bitten by the mom and their siblings, and the pain from not eating was the lesser of the two evils.
We were beside ourselves trying to coax the pups to eat. No matter what we gave them, they did not make a move towards the food, even force fed suppliments did not work. It almost appeared that they did not know how to eat! We were frantic! Then came a little ray of hope, when they started to eat some MooMooQue treats we tempted them with, up until that point we thought we would lose them all, they were virtually starving themselves to death! Little by little the pups began to thrive, but just when we thought the pups were out of the woods, one of the pups died unexpectedly. Although we were heartbroken, it made us strive even harder to save the last two.
It took an additional three weeks of intense care to bring the remaining two pups up to par. Up until then, the pups could barely walk, their pathetically thin legs were not strong enough to hold them up for any length of time and all they could do was wobble. But with each passing day, we could see them improve, finally becoming strong enough to actually play! We were finally able to take the pups for their first outside adventure, it was sheer delight to watch their playful antics.
All you have to do is look into their eyes and I am sure you will agree it was well worth all the time, effort and expense involved to save these pups. Your donations helped save their lives, and so many others. We know when we ask for your financial help you understand why, and you don't look the other way. You realize that this is an ongoing endeavor. Being able to save these two pups was wonderful, but there are other cats and dogs that hope we can all find it in our hearts to help them too! On behalf of all these animals we wish to say THANKS!
Every summer, on the news or in the newspaper we hear reports of dogs and cats and also children dying needlessly, having been left inside a parked car, without any way out. The party only intended to be in the store for a minute or two, but those minutes turn into sheer torture for those inside the vehicle. Even when car windows are left slightly open in the parked vehicle, the rapid build up of heat can reach well over 160 degrees in a few minutes.
Pets don't sweat like people do, they cool themselves through their lungs by panting. When air becomes too hot, the animal suffers heat stroke, where brain damage and eventual death results.
If you must take your pet along in the car, have another person stay with it while you are gone. Ask the one watching him to take the animal for a walk or some place to rest in the shade. Also provide fresh cool water to drink. These simple steps can easily prevent a horrible tragedy.
We wrote the dog up and put him in a cage. The little dog looked bewildered and forlorn, sitting in the back of the cage. We felt sorry for him, but we knew a nice little dog like that wouldn't have a problem finding a good home.
It was just a few hours later the husband returned to reclaim the dog, his wife had dropped off earlier. He said his wife and kids were in tears, and they had made an awful mistake. While he told us "his tale of woe" another family, had shown interest in the little dog, and said they were interested in adopting him. When the former owner heard that, he blurted out, "They can't adopt him, because I came to take him back home, we made a mistake." The family wanting to adopt the dog was visibly upset. The former owner said, "you can't adopt him because he's my dog." I gently reminded him of the fact, the dog no longer belonged to him, because his wife had relinquished ownership to the shelter. I also said to let his wife know, that their dog was within seconds of being adopted, and had the dog been, we would not, and could not take the dog away from the party who adopted him.
It wasn't until later that we learned these people had done the exact same thing with the dog, only at another shelter! We just wish we had known that a little sooner, or things would have turned out differently. We vowed that if they brought the dog back to TLC, they would not get it back.
It angers us to no end when people play silly games like this. Animals have feelings too, and to put an animal though that much stress is inhumane. "Pretending" to get rid of the dog or cat to teach a child a lesson, is ridiculous, it doesn't solve the problem, and may have an ending you were not prepared for.
The family was packed and ready for an enjoyable family vacation in the Wisconsin Dells, they even took their cat along. When it was time to go leave the family loaded up their vehicle to go home, with everything but the cat. Scared and alone, the cat wandered the area relentlessly looking for his owners, unbeknown to him that his owners were never coming back.
As much as the cat missed his owners, finding food was not a real problem, at least not at first. Other vacationers seeing the beautiful orange cat, readily gave him a hand out, but when autumn came, there were fewer people camping. There were less and less handouts, and as the went by the cat became thinner and thinner. The cats once luxurious coat had become filthy, entangled mess full of burrs and twigs.
The cold winter was very hard on the cat, and it was a miracle that he survived at all. The only food the poor cat found were the few scraps he could scrounge up in the garbage can at the campground, but the scraps were few and far between, as the cat became thinner and thinner.
Fortunately a couple from Illinois, visiting family members in that area, spotted the cat, and took pity on him. They knew the cat wouldn't survive if they left him there, yet they also knew that they could not keep him. They decided the best thing to do would be to bring him to TLC, but with the cat's coat in such awful condition, they knew anyone looking to adopt a cat would pass this one by, unless he was cleaned up. Cleaning him up, wasn't easy because of the sorry shape his coat was in, and the only alternative was to have him shaved down, giving him a lion cut.
As you can see a little TLC made a major difference for this cat. From what would have been no future at all, to being given a second chance and being adopted into a loving home.