A Banner For All

Groovy
Originally uploaded by Calsidyrose

Here's a shout-out to those from the Woodstock years (I was only in elementary school!) with an important twist. Feel free to download a copy from my Flickr photostream for your site--all I ask is for a link back to my blog.

Something for Everybody But Nobody Came

What We Took to Off-Site on Saturday, August 15th
--One three-legged black Lab female dog
--One stag red Miniature Pinscher male dog
--One German Shepherd mix female puppy
--Two yellow Lab Mix puppies (one male, one female)
--One black Lab Mix female puppy
--One red-nosed pit bull female puppy
--One Flat-Coated Retriever Mix female dog
--On Lab Mix male dog
--Two pit bull mix male dogs (one golden-brown, one brindle and white)
--One Australian Shepherd Mix male dog
--One Catahoula-Australian Cattle Dog Mix male dog
--One Dachshund-Beagle Mix male dog
--Two purebred Akitas (one male, one female) Owner Surrender dogs

What We Adopted:
--One German Shepherd Mix female puppy.

We had an awesome selection of dogs, but only moderate traffic at the Off-Site, which was hosted by our local "Hooters."

There's nothing like going inside a "Hooters" early on a Saturday night to fill up one-gallon jugs of water for stinky Shelter dogs to make me feel more middle-aged, pudgy and grubby. I don't frequent "Hooters" on principle, but the "Hooters" girls were cute as buttons--sweet, quick and perky beyond belief. Too bad we couldn't have them showing off our dogs.

-*- Artwork: Scan of a vintage postcard.

Laws of Dog Adoptions

1. The potential client will want to adopt the one puppy in the pen that has already been adopted but is awaiting its new owner to return with a crate.

2. The client will want to adopt the dog that belongs to the off-site coordinator.

3. The client will want to adopt a dog seen in a blurry photo on the Shelter website but which, for some reason we can’t determine, cannot be located at the Shelter or at an Off-site event. This client will become infuriated because he “finally found the dog I wanted” and we’ve deliberately misplaced an animal he has never even met face-to-face.

4. The client will want a puppy “just like the black one,” but in yellow. We will not have any yellow puppies available.

5. The client will insist that the dog in her printed-out photo came from our web site even when another Shelter’s name is listed.

6. The client will adopt a puppy if we can guarantee for certain that it will not bark or chew things up.

7. The client will want to adopt a Yorkie when all we have are labs, pit mixes, cattle dogs and rat terriers.

-*- Artwork from a scan of a vintage children's book.

Min-Pin Mania

I have a "thing" for miniature pinschers. My own dog, Taco, was adopted from a Rescue in Belle Chasse, Louisiana in 2001. I currently volunteer at the Montgomery County Texas Animal Shelter, and my addiction to these funny, energetic little dogs is well-known.

So far I've fostered three min-pins--all red! Dancer was oversized and skittish, while Pudge was very typey but as round as a Tootsie Roll. Rusty, my current boy, could be Taco's long lost brother, except he's bigger.

Miniature Pinschers are great little dogs. They are NOT related to Doberman Pinschers, though. The American standard dictates that they stand no shorter than 10 inches and no more than 12 inches at the shoulder and weigh no more than 12 pounds. Three of these dogs (Taco, Rusty and Dancer) violate the 12-12 rule. They are shown in America with cropped ears and docked tails.

Min-pins can have red, stag red (red with black hairs), chocolate brown, or black coats, with black or beige leg markings and eye-brow kissy-spots. White markings are not permitted. When you see min-pins in the Shelter, docked tails indicate that the dog came from a breeder. Cropped ears are required on show dogs, but many pet-quality min-pins have natural ears.

Min-pins are busy-bodies with a sly sense of humor. Some can be nippy, but most are big cuddle-bugs. Most love to sleep with their people. They are confident beyond reason, so you have to be consistent with training or they will run your life. Bred in Germany, miniature pinschers are among one of the older breeds. Originally, they were used in stables and kitchens as a vermin dog ("pinscher" is German for terrier). My dog, Taco, has a very high prey drive and kills rats and moles. He spends a lot of time in our back yard hunting.

Min-pins are great travelers and do well in multiples (they are sort of like Lay's Potato Chips). They are wicked-smart escape artists and can run like blitzen. The smaller ones need to be watched around little children--min-pins don't hestitate to snap if roughly handled. However, they are great clowns and will make up their own tricks to entertain you, especially if treats are involved. If you've never been owned by a min-pin, you're missing out on a world of jumpy, barky fun.

Checking In

It's been awhile since I've posted--I've been on the road in the great state of Texas: down to Galveston, then out to Port Arthur, then to Spring Branch (near San Antonio).

My 15-year-old daughter has Band Camp, so I'm back to being a Band Mom. Plus, I am slated to have two root canals tomorrow. I haven't been to the Shelter in 10 days due to travel and tooth issues--the pain meds for the infection in my teeth make me feel loopy, so I'm limiting my driving.

So, for fun, I'm including this photo of my fluffy dog and daughter. I will be back to doing Off-Site Adoptions this weekend, so I'll have updates on Blackie (my bully dog) and hopefully will find Rusty the MinPin a good home. Although if you ask Rusty, he thinks he's got a good home already.

Should Tax-payers "Spare Strays"?

On Thursday, July 23, 2009, one of our local papers in Montgomery County, Texas, The Conroe Courier, ran an editorial entitled, "How deep will we dig to spare our strays?" You can read the piece here.

Here is the second draft of my response:

Dear Editors:
In regards to the Editorial “How deep will we dig to spare strays?” (July 23, 2009) I have five proposals:

1) I invite the Editors to come and visit the Montgomery County Animal Shelter to witness first-hand how many people enter the doors of the Shelter to surrender animals. Listen to the stories (some heart-wrenching, others just poor excuses) as to why people have chosen to bring these animals to the Shelter. And be sure to count how many animals are arriving—the Editors might be astonished to realize that during a single day the MCAS may do intakes on more than 120 animals. Many are not “strays.” I’m sure the Shelter Staff would appreciate any advice the Editors could give on how to stem the tide of disposable animals. Unfortunately, when a citizen arrives with a box of kittens or a crate of unwanted puppies, this can't be undone.

2) I invite the Editors to step up as Shelter volunteers. Wear old clothes, tennis shoes or rubber boots, and bring gloves (latex are best) and your own sturdy leashes. Join the already over-worked (not to mention totally unpaid) Shelter volunteers in cleaning kitty litter boxes, wiping down cat cages, swabbing out concrete dog kennels, bathing puppies and washing soiled, stinky towels. Experience for yourselves the joy of a grateful dog who pines for a kind touch or a cat’s contented purr as you rub its back. These animals may be “strays” but they are living creatures, too.

3) I invite the Editors to set a wonderful example for our community by generously contributing their donations (cash is good) to the fine non-profit groups that support the Shelter, including the Friends of the Montgomery County Animal Shelter (www.fmctas.org) or The Woodlands Dog Park (www.thewoodlandsdogparkclub.org). These groups donate thousands of dollars each year to alleviate the suffering of the sick and injured animals that arrive at the Shelter every day. All donations are tax-deductible, of course.

4) I invite the Editors to donate items such as canned dog or puppy food, canned kitten food, bleach, PineSol cleaners, laundry soap, dry dog food, puppy training pads, paper towels, and Dawn dish-washing soap—we need these basic supplies to provide safe conditions for not only the animals but for the people (many of whom are residents of our county) who come to search for a lost pet or find a new pet.

5) I invite the Editors to sponsor Pet Adoption Events. Please, do more than just run a couple column inches the day before. Instead, I suggest that all the Editors band together as volunteers and have The Courier underwrite a series of fun and educational Pet Adoption events. Adoption Events are one of the best venues to educate the public about the importance of spaying and neutering pets. The Editor-volunteers can arrange for the location and permits, acquire and erect tents or canopies, and set up dog crates, tables and chairs. The Editors can make and post signs and send out flyers, and they can join the Shelter volunteers at the Adoptions. The work done by the Editor-Volunteers would make it possible for the regular Shelter volunteers (who do all the above already) to focus on getting more animals out of the Shelter so that the pet-loving public can interact with them in fun surroundings.

If all of this sounds too daunting, or seems like too much of a commitment to make in the community in which we--Editors, volunteers, tax-paying citizens, stray animals and pets alike--all live, I have one final suggestion:

I encourage the Editors to refrain from acquiring a pet. After all, that pet may one day get lost and might end up in our Shelter, picked up as a “stray.” Sadly, many of our “strays” are obviously well-loved pets—with lush coats, clipped nails, and even collars (but, alas, all too often without tags). If we’re wasting tax-payer money on only “strays,” we certainly wouldn’t want the Editors or their family members to suffer the grief of finding out that their beloved dog or cat ended up the Shelter, thus costing our tax-payers even more money.

I am a resident, voter, and tax-payer who lives in Montgomery County. I am a regular Shelter volunteer. I make cash donations, foster animals and coordinate Adoption Events. I am not nearly as dedicated as many of our Shelter volunteers, but I do what I can. Instead of complaining about money spent on “sparing strays," the Editors should be part of the solution through their volunteer efforts and contributions to our County and City Shelters.

-*- Artwork: Post-digital creation based on the famous "Big-Eyed Puppies" made popular in the late '60s.

Shelter Update: FOX 26 News Report

Our Shelter is undergoing a lot of changes at the current time, and so no one was surprised when the local FOX News affiliate showed up to make a report:



We're making progress, but it is tooth-grindingly slow.