MOONSHINE CHOW CHOW RESCUE/ADOPTION
THEIR FATE IS IN OUR HANDS
I was going to take this poem down now that Christmas season is over, but perhaps it will do some good if left up all year long.
The Night Before Christmas
at the shelter . . .
Tis the night before Christmas and all through the town,
every shelter is full - we are lost but not found.
Our numbers are hung on our kennels so bare,
we hope every minute that someone will care.
They'll come to adopt us and give us the call,
"come here, Max & Sparkie - come fetch your new ball!"
But now we sit here and think of the days
we were treated so fondly - we had baby ways.
Once we were little, then we grew and we grew
now we're no longer young, and we're no longer new.
So out the back door we were thrown like trash,
they reacted so quickly - why were they so rash?
We "jump on the children," "don't come when they call",
we "bark when they leave us," and "climb over the wall."
We should have been neutered, we should have been spayed
now we suffer the consequence of the errors they made.
If only they'd trained us, if only we knew;
we'd have done what they asked us and worshipped them too.
We were left in the backyard, or worse - left to roam
now we're tired and lonely and out of a home.
They dropped us off here and they kissed us good-bye;
"Maybe someone else will give you a try."
So now here we are, all confused and alone;
in a shelter with others who long for a home.
The kind workers come through with a meal and a pat;
with so many to care for, they can't stay to chat.
They move to the next kennel, giving each of us cheer;
we know that they wonder how long we'll be here.
We lay down to sleep and sweet dreams fill our head;
of a home filled with love and our own cozy beds.
Then we wake to see sad eyes, brimming with tears;
our friends, filled with emptiness, worry and fear.
If you can't adopt us and there's no room at your inn,
could you help with the bills and fill our food bin?
We count on your kindness each day of the year;
can you give more than hope to everyone here?
Please make a donation to pay for the heat
and help us get something special to eat.
The shelter that cares for us wants us to live,
and more of us will, if more people give.
Please support your local animal care shelters.
Rather than buying a baby pet for Chirstmas or any other ocassion, consider adopting a lovely pet from your local animal shelter or purebred rescue.
Before searching for a dog to bring into your family, here are some questions to ask yourself:
- Does the dog's temperament match my own? Study breed books beforehand.
- Can I provide the attention the dog deserves?
- If no one is home for extended periods, get a cat instead.
- Am I prepared to go through training with the dog?
- Can I afford upkeep, including veterinary care?
CHOWS NEEDING A NEW, FOREVER, LOVING HOME:
*!*!* LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA CHOW RESCUE *!*!* This group is Adopt-A-Chow LA and their website is www.adoptachowla.com and email is Joan.Scoccimarro@fox.com
The Meaning Of Rescue
Now that I'm home, bathed, settled and fed,
All nicely tucked in my warm new bed.
I'd like to open my baggage
Lest I forget,
There is so much to carry -
So much to regret.
Hmmm . . . Yes there it is, right on the top.
Let's unpack Loneliness, Heartache and Loss;
And there by my leash hides Fear and Shame.
As I look on these things I tried so hard to leave -
I still have to unpack my baggage called Pain.
I loved them, the others, the ones who left me.
But I wasn't good enough - for they didn't want me.
Will you add to my baggage?
Will you help me unpack?
Or will you just look at my things -
And take me right back?
Do you have the time to help me unpack?
To put away my baggage,
To never repack?
I pray that you do - I'm so tired you see.
But I do come with baggage -
Will you still want me?
author unknown
A man and his dog were walking along a road. The man was enjoying the scenery, when it suddenly occurred to him that he was dead. He remembered dying, and that the dog walking beside him had been dead for years. He wondered where the road was leading them. After a while, they came to a high, white stone wall along one side of the road. It looked like fine marble. At the top of a long hill, it was broken by a tall arch that glowed in the sunlight. When he was standing before it he saw a magnificent gate in the arch that looked like Mother of Pearl, and the street that led to the gate looked like pure gold. He and the dog walked toward the gate, and as he got closer, he saw a man at a desk to one side. When he was close enough, he called out, "Excuse me, where are we?" "This is Heaven, sir," the man answered. "Wow! Would you happen to have some water?" the man asked. "Of course, sir. Come right in, and I'll have some ice water brought right up." The man gestured, and the gate began to open. "Can my friend," gesturing toward his dog, "come in, too?" the traveler asked. "I'm sorry, sir, but we don't accept pets."
The man thought a moment and then turned back toward the road and continued the way he had been going with his dog. After another long walk, and at the top of another long hill, he came to a dirt road which led through a farm gate that looked as if it had never been closed. There was no fence. As he approached the gate, he saw a man inside, leaning against a tree and reading a book. "Excuse me!" he called to the reader. "Do you have any water?" "Yeah, sure, there's a pump over there, come on in." "How about my friend here?" the traveler gestured to the dog. "There should be a bowl by the pump." They went through the gate, and sure enough, there was an old fashioned hand pump with a bowl beside it. The traveler filled the bowl and took a long drink himself, then he gave some to the dog. When they were full, he and the dog walked back toward the man who was standing by the tree.
"What do you call this place?" the traveler asked. "This is Heaven," he answered. "Well, that's confusing," the traveler said. "The man down the road said that was Heaven, too." "Oh, you mean the place with the gold street and pearly gates? Nope. That's Hell." "Doesn't it make you mad for them to use your name like that?" "No, we're just happy that they screen out the folks who would leave their best friends behind."
If you would like to list a dog for adoption in the state of California or would like more information on any of the dogs listed please send me an e-mail at chowfull@hotmail.com If you have a dog listed please let me know when it is adopted.
PRAYER OF A STRAY - Author Unknown
Dear God please send me somebody who'll care!
I'm tired of running, I'm sick with despair.
My body is aching, it's so racked with pain,
and dear God I pray as I run in the rain.
That someone will love me and give me a home.
A warm cozy bed and a big juicy bone.
My last owner tied me all day in the yard,
Sometimes with no water and God that was hard!
So I chewed my leash God and I raw away;
To rummage in garbage and live as a stray.
But now God I'm tired and hungry and cold.
And I'm so afraid that I'll never grow old.
They've chased me with sticks and hit me with stones
While I run the streets just looking for bones!
I'm not really bad God, please help if you can,
For I have become just a "victim of Man"!
I'm wormy, dear God, and I'm ridden with fleas and
All that I want is an owner to please!
If you find one for me God, I'll try to be good
And I won't chew their shoes, but I'll do as I should.
I'll love them, protect them and try to obey
When they tell me to sit, to lie down or to stay!
I don't think I'll make it too long on my own,
Cause I'm getting so weak and I'm so alone.
Each night as I sleep in the bushes I cry,
Cause I'm so afraid God, that I'm gonna die!
And I've got so much love an devotion to give,
That I should be given a new chance to live.
So dear God, please, please answer my prayer and
Send me someone who will really care . . .
That is, dear God, if you're really there!
How can you help rescue?
Many people think if they can't foster dogs, they can't help rescue. Nothing could be further from the truth! Here is a partial list of things YOU may be able to do. Please feel free to email additional suggestions if you think of any!
1. Apply to be a rescue representative for your area.
2. Pay for an ad in your local/metropolitan paper giving contact information for rescue.
4. Go to the local shelter and watch out for needy dogs.
5. Provide local vet clinics with contact information and/or educational materials on responsible pet ownership.
6. Attend public education days and try to educate people on responsible pet ownership.
7. Conduct a home visit or accompany a rescue person on the home visit.
8. Go with a rescue person to the vet to help if there is more than one dog.
9. Write a column for your local newspaper, club or rescue newsletter on dogs currently looking for homes, ways to help rescue, or responsible dog ownership in general.
10. Drive a rescue to and from vet appointments.
11. Talk to local vets and encourage them to offer discounts to rescues.
12. Maintain web sites listing/showing dogs available.
13. Help organize and run fundraising events.
14. Hang a poster at the grocery store, giving contact information for rescue.
15. Go to a foster home once a week to help socialize a dog.
16. Let rescue know when/where you'll be flying and that you'd be willing to be a rescued dog's escort.
17. Put together an *Owner's Manual* for those who adopt rescued dogs of your breed.
18. Provide post-adoption follow up or support.
19. Offer to test a foster dog with cats.
20. Microchip your own dogs if you are a breeder, and register the chips, so if your dogs ever come into rescue, you can be contacted to take responsibility for your dog.
21. Donate a small percentage of the sale of each dog to rescue if you are a breeder.
22. Have a yard sale and donate the money to rescue.
23. Make a financial donation (even the smallest amount helps).
24. Donate a dog bed or towels or other bedding type items.
25. Donate a sterilized bone, A chew toy, or stuffed squeaky toy.
27. Donate a blanket or baby blankets.
28. Donate a stainless steel food dish.
29. Donate a martingale, or collar and leash.
30. Donate some grooming supplies (shampoos, brushes, ear cleaner, toothbrush/toothpaste, etc.).
31. Donate some treats or a bag of food.
32. Donate long distance calling cards.
33. Donate a gift certificate to a pet store (one that sells supplies only).
34. Donate a raffle item if your club is holding a fund raiser.
35. Donate flea control products (Bio-Spot, Advantage, Frontline, etc.).
36. Donate a canine first aid kit.
37. Donate a spay or neuter each year (or some vaccinations).
38. Donate a bottle of bleach or other cleaning products.
39. Donate or loan a portable xpen to a foster home.
40. Donate printer paper, envelopes and stamps to your rescue.
41. Donate sheets of linoleum or other flooring materials to put under crates to protect the foster home's flooring.
42. Donate other types of dog toys that might be safe for rescues.
43. Buy two of those really neat dog items you "have to have" and donate one to Rescue.
44. Donate the use of your scanner or digital camera.
45. Donate the use of a photocopier.
46. Make book purchases through Amazon via the IGCA rescue link.
47. Host rescue photos with an information link on your website.
48. Loan your carpet steam cleaner to someone who has fostered a dog that was sick or marked in the house.
49. Use your video camera to film a rescue dog in action.
50. Pay the cost of shipping a dog to its new home.
51. Pay a house-cleaning service to do the spring cleaning for someone who fosters dogs all the time.
52. Lend your artistic talents to your rescue's newsletter, fundraising ideas, t-shirt designs.
53. Go with a rescue person to the vet if a foster dog needs to be euthanized due to incurable health conditions and suffering.
54. Go to local shelters and meet with shelter staff about how to identify your breed or provide photos and breed information showing the different types of that breed may come in and the different color combinations.
55. Go to local businesses and solicit donations for a rescue's fundraising event.
56. Help pet owners be better pet owners by being available to answer training questions.
57. Loan a crate if a dog needs to travel by air.
58. Donate a coupon for a free car wash or gas or inside cleaning of a vehicle for a foster home.
59. Make financial arrangements in your will to cover the cost of caring for your dogs after you are gone - so Rescue won't have to.
60. Make a bequest in your will to your local or national Rescue.
61. Donate your professional services as an accountant or lawyer.
62. Donate other services if you run your own business.
63. Loan your cell phone (and cover costs for any calls) to someone transporting a rescue.
64. Donate your *used* xpen/crate when you get a new one.
65. Organize a rescued dog picnic or other event to reunite the other adopters and volunteers.
66. Educate friends/family/coworkers on the reasons NOT to buy from a petstore. Encourage them to adopt from rescues or shelters, or to purchase ONLY from a responsible breeder.
67. Join your local kennel club or dog training club and become involved in community-level activities.
68. Volunteer at your local shelter/humane society.
69. Place a link from your own website to this page.
70. Donate a domain name and web hosting package to a rescue organization. Domain names cost as little as $12/year and nice webhosting packages can be found for $4.95/month.
71. Remember that rescuing a dog involves the effort and time of many people and make yourself available on an emergency basis to do *whatever* is needed.
72. Do something not listed above to help rescue.