From the Kansas City Star

Dog rescue groups are advocates for their breed
By SU BACON
Special to The Star

Besides fostering Dobermans, Janice Thom of Riverside also owns Kyle, a 5-year-old Doberman. Thom is president of Kansas City Doberman Rescue Inc.

Whether it’s the love of a Labrador, the bravery of a Brittany or the dignity of a Doberman that you crave, chances are a Northland rescue group has the pet for you.

Breed rescue groups take in and care for homeless dogs. When the dogs are ready, the group makes them available for adoption. They come to rescue groups from owners who no longer want them, from puppy mills where they’ve been abused or neglected and from the streets and animal shelters.

While pet-quality purebred dogs can cost anywhere from $500 to $1,500, the adoption fee for a rescue dog typically averages $150 to $250.

And that’s a bargain.

“Our dogs have had some obedience training; they’re housebroken, spayed or neutered, micro-chipped and have had their shots,” said Janice Thom, president of Kansas City Doberman Rescue Inc., based in Riverside. “Our adoption fee doesn’t cover what we put into a dog.”

The group’s average fee is $225.

“People often think that rescue dogs aren’t as good as dogs bought from a breeder, but our dogs were all bought from a breeder at some time somewhere,” Thom said.

Thom is a retired animal technician who serves as a full-time volunteer for the rescue club. Right now, she is caring for Treasure, a young female Doberman who was removed from a puppy mill near Lebanon, Mo., in November. Though full grown, Treasure weighed 30 pounds, less than half of what she should weigh, when the rescue group took her in.

By feeding Treasure well and nursing her back to health, Thom has brought the dog’s weight up to 50 pounds — and she’s still gaining about 5 pounds a week.

Rescued dogs like Treasure live in foster homes with volunteers who socialize and care for them.

Sometimes, the dogs that come to visit never leave.

“Bailey was an unruly little guy, about 7 months old, at the time we took him in to foster him and he’s now 11 years old,” said Phil Severson of Parkville about one of his Golden Retrievers. Severson is past president of Kansas City Golden Retriever Club. Rescue work is one of the club’s activities.

Training turned the misbehaving pup into a pet — and it’s just what a rescued dog needs.

“Rescue dogs don’t need babying — they need training and consistency,” Thom said.

They also need responsible owners and good homes. If you’re considering adopting a rescued dog, prepare to be screened.

Chinese Shar Pei Rescue in the Northland, for example, requires an application, references, an interview and fenced yard. When possible, the group checks out the home of the applicant, too. Dogs are expected to live indoors.

An effort is made to educate potential owners about the behavior and medical needs of the breed.

While Shar Pei dogs are loyal and loving pets, they are also high maintenance and susceptible to ear infections and eye problems that often require more than routine veterinary care, said Mary Crafton of Kansas City, North.

Rescue groups consider themselves advocates for their breed. They strive to match the dog’s needs and wants with a prospective owner’s lifestyle and household.

Bird dogs, for example, may look good in field trial demonstrations on television. But they’re not the dog for owners whose primary recreational activity is watching television.

“All sporting breeds are high-energy dogs who need lots of exercise,” said Cynthia Williams, a member of the board of directors for The Pet Connection, a Kansas City adoption center.
For about eight years, Williams worked to rescue and foster Brittanys. Her Parkville household includes a 16-year old Brittany and two mixed-breed dogs.

“Rescue dogs make wonderful pets,” Williams said.

For most rescue groups, once they accept custody of a dog, the dog becomes a permanent and continual concern if necessary.

Kansas City Doberman Rescue requires owners to sign an agreement to return the dog to the club if the adoption doesn’t work out. The agreement also allows the club to reclaim any dogs not being properly cared for.

“We work for the dogs,” Thom said. “We’re responsible for the rest of the dog’s life.”

Chinese Shar Pei Rescue
www.weluvpaws.com

Kansas City Doberman Rescue Inc.

www.KCdoberescue.com

Kansas City Golden Retriever Club

www.goldenrecovery.org

Other breeds:

www.petfinder.com

Enter the name of the breed in the left-hand column under “Search for a Pet.”

American Kennel Club Breed Rescue

http://www.akc.org/breeds/rescue.cfm

From ABC News Australia.

Dogs may get bravery awards for saving toddler

The RSPCA says it is considering giving bravery awards to two dogs who saved a north Queensland toddler from drowning.

Police say the dogs followed the two-year-old boy when he wandered from the family home in Andergrove in Mackay yesterday morning and then dragged him to safety when he fell into a dam.

The RSPCA's Mark Townend says the actions of the dogs deserve to be recognised.

"That's the first time that I've heard recently of some dogs rescuing a child from a dam and I just think it's tremendous but it's just typical of our animal world," he said.

"I learn every day that animals are very loyal and you can trust them and, compared to people, sometimes animals are the best friends you can have in the world."

From the San Francisco Chronicle.

Taiwan? There are dogs in shelters here from Taiwan? Yes, there are. In some parts of the United States there is a shortage of adoptable dogs, not an overpopulation. Dogs are being imported to the U.S. from Puerto Rico to as far away as Taiwan to fill shelters here so people can adopt them. It's currently easy to import dogs into the U.S. though, as diseases like the canine version of rabies are eliminated here, more people are worrying about the diseases that such dogs may bring with them into this country.

Prison program turns problem dogs into pets
Eileen Mitchell
Friday, December 14, 2007

Last year, Melody was just another typical mongrel from Taiwan: sharp features, pointy ears, curly tail. A fat scar around her muzzle looked as if it had been closed with electrical tape, leading her Taiwan rescuers to believe she had been destined to be somebody's entree.

When the 35-pound mutt arrived at the Marin Humane Society, she was frightened, wary and withdrawn, refusing to leave her crate even for food. Today, Melody is thriving as the beloved pet of Dick and Sandy Drew. Their union came about thanks to Pen Pals of San Quentin, an innovative partnership between the Marin Humane Society and San Quentin State Prison.
The program, funded entirely by the humane society, shows inmate handlers how to teach basic obedience skills and make shelter dogs more adoptable. Since 2005, they have helped at least 86 dogs find homes.

The idea for Pen Pals hit Larry Carson, canine behavior evaluator at the society, after he caught an Animal Planet channel show called "Cell Dogs." The award-winning television series profiled inmates in more than 120 prisons throughout the country who care for and train shelter dogs. Immediately, he envisioned a partnership between the humane society and San Quentin prison, and pitched the idea to his colleagues.

They loved it. So the retired Marin County building contractor traveled to Carson City, Nev., to meet with the Nevada Humane Society and the warden of Nevada State Prison. Since their program, Puppies Up for Parole, was introduced three years ago, prison violence has dropped by 30 percent.

"The warden told me this is the greatest program they've ever had," Carson said. "Prisoners build fences based on ethnicity and geography, but introducing the dogs has lowered those fences and given both inmates and staff an excuse to talk to one another. Because of this animal, they're on common ground."

Using the Nevada program as a prototype, Carson approached San Quentin officials, and they were all for it. Well, most were.

"Some staff didn't think the inmates deserved dogs, plus they had security and health concerns," Carson said. "But after the program was in place and they saw the benefits, their resistance melted. Now most are in favor."

Many prisons conducting similar programs do so in the cell blocks, but this isn't feasible at San Quentin because of its age and lack of space. Instead, Pen Pals is limited to the prison firehouse. Located on the prison grounds but not within the walls, the firehouse is staffed by inmate firefighters who are low-risk, low-security prisoners convicted of nonviolent crimes. They are carefully screened for histories of violence and animal abuse, must have a record of good behavior and have enough time remaining on their sentence to complete at least one full year.

"Humane Society staff and volunteers visit every Tuesday and Thursday," Carson said. "We conduct continuous training classes, follow up on each dog's progress and help with any issues the inmates might be facing. We're in constant contact. It's a real team effort."

Each dog lives with its handler, and canine "sentences" vary from a couple of weeks to six months. Recuperating medical fosters, which constitute 60 percent of Pen Pal dogs, often stay longer because they require close care and monitoring.

About 20 percent are shy dogs that need socialization, and the remaining 20 percent are naughty adolescents in need of basic manners. Aggressive dogs are not considered for the program.

Each inmate keeps a daily log that is monitored by humane society trainers. After the dog leaves San Quentin and is adopted, the new owner gets a copy of the log so he or she knows exactly what the dog experienced during its time in prison. Inmates get a binder with a certificate of completion, photos of their dog, plus paperwork and evaluations. As soon as one dog leaves, most inmates get another one the same day, which makes it easier to say goodbye.

"They take their responsibilities very seriously," Carson said. "That's the most positive thing about the program. They don't feel like they're just wasting their time in prison. Adopters often write to the inmates, through me, saying thanks for the work they put into their new dog."

One such dog was Tigre, a hefty brindle greyhound mix who was 20 pounds overweight and in dire need of training. Carson laughs about photos of the dog on the treadmill. "He was there for a month, lost 15 pounds and returned to MHS with a spring in his step."

Shortly thereafter, retired nurse Pat Flyer adopted Tigre. "The program is terrific. They do a wonderful job," she said. "Tigre was very well trained and listens to everything I say. He's the best dog I've ever had."

The Drews, who adopted Melody, agree wholeheartedly. "They gave us her handler's daily log. He wrote about her with deep care and compassion and expressed the desire to take her back if no one adopted her," Sandy Drew said.

"We have this preconceived notion about inmates, but most of them aren't different from people you meet on the streets," Carson mused. "They just made a mistake or exercised poor judgment. Almost everybody inside is going to be outside. It's our job, through programs like this, to make them the best people possible. Animal shelters and prisons are both in the rehabilitation business: We put out good canine citizens and hopefully they put out good human ones."

Pen Pals of San Quentin

The program teaches specially selected inmates how to train and socialize dogs in preparation for adoption. To learn more about the program, go to www.marinhumanesociety.org

E-mail freelance writer Eileen Mitchell at home@sfchronicle.com.

From NineMSN Australia.

Toddler's best friends save him from drowning
Thursday Dec 13 19:00 AEDT
By Wade O'Leary
ninemsn

The old adage that dogs are man's best friend can now be extended to young boys after a Queensland toddler was apparently saved from drowning by his family's pets after he fell into a dam.

The two-year-old had wondered off away from his home at Andergrove, north of Mackay, at around 11am and into a neighbouring property about 300m down the road.

It is believed the family pets — a Rottweiler cross and a Staffordshire bullterrier — followed him to the dam on the property.

Sergeant Eric Close of Mackay police station told ninemsn the toddler apparently fell into the dam before being rescued by the dogs.

"The boy was found covered in mud with both of the dogs beside him," he said.

"He also had several scratches and abrasions on his arms that were consistent with the dogs dragging him out of the dam."

"If that's what actually happened, then it's quite remarkable."

The boy was taken with his mother to Mackay Base Hospital, from where he was released in good health after a check-up and a wash.

From WTSP Tampa Bay

Barking, scratching dogs save Dunedin woman from house fire
By: Dave Balut

Dunedin, Florida - Heidi Moller has only known her roommate's dogs a few weeks, but a white pit bull mix named Alligator, and a Great Dane named Maverick, are her new best friends.

"Oh my God, I love them,” said Moller.

Moller's roommate Jennifer was at work and she was still sleeping about 7:30 last Friday morning. The dogs wouldn't stop barking.

They kept scratching the hallway door until Heidi let them in. Then they led her to the garage door.

"The white dog she started barking at the door and then I opened the door, saw smoke coming in there was like flames coming up in my face," said Moller.

Moller and the dogs got out and she called 911. Dunedin firefighters stopped the fire before flames got into the attic.

"If it wasn't for the dogs because I sleep so hard the smoke would have reached me before the flames if they wouldn't have woke me up and then I wouldn't be able to wake up by the time the flames hit my room," said Moller.

Dunedin Fire Marshal Bill McElligott says the dogs got Moller out of the house before smoke detectors went off.

"It was a good volume of fire in that garage area and she's very fortunate she had the animal give her the early warning," said McElligott.

McElligott says the fire was started by poor ventilation that caused the dryer to overheat. Moller and her roommate lost most of their clothes and are now moving what they have left.

"The dogs were ok, I was ok that was the important thing," said Moller.

And she'll never forget how Ali and Maverick saved her life.

The dogs have been getting lots of hugs and kisses and some big bones since they woke up Heidi, and got her out of the burning house in time.