2010 Failure

Today, a total bitch challenged me on how I personally help animals.

Now, she doesn't know me. She is an ugly, washed-up, talking-head hag who is protecting her shitty company and their shitty policies. She doesn't know that I helped to start The Pet Project Midwest (sorry for swearing in a post about you, I know you won't like it) and I left to do the magazine, which is 100% adoption focused, and to work on direct care. In monetary terms, I donated a ton of kitty litter and dog food to TPPM, I bought a $400 dog house from Pet Project Midwest as a fundraiser. I also helped to build a wall at Heinz 57's Pit Stop, and am planning to help them build another wall really soon. I went to two Petland protests. I wrote at least 8 letters to elected officials on the Iowa Puppy Mill Bill that passed in March. I wrote and designed and sold ad space for the magazine and I personally recruited at least 15 non-profit rescues to be part of a fundraiser through the magazine. I really hope it comes back strong in 2011. I went to a court hearing of a puppy miller, to support the rescues that took his abused and neglected dogs. I also did some other things that I can't talk about. But if you read this, and you were a part of it-- you'll know.

But she struck a nerve. She hurt my feelings. She pushed me over the edge, because I am sitting here on the last day of 2010 feeling like a FAILURE. Because I had a goal at the beginning of 2010, and I didn't make it. My goal was to directly help 100 dogs in 2010.

Direct Help, to me, includes:

1. Directly transporting in my car.

2. Directly fostering in my home.

3. Finding a foster home for a dog.

4. Cross-posting in a way that leads to an adoption or a foster home

AND MAYBE: 5. Giving money to help an individual dog's situation--health bills come to mind. I did this 6 times, in increments from $5-$20. So, 6 dogs, if we count this.

So, how many others did I help?

5 Bassets over Christmas 2009 had to be re-transported in early 2010

2 mill poodles to Columbus, OH, on my way to BlogPaws 2010

1 Pregnant Pyr

1 Foster, transport, foster home for Stewie Basset was also in-home for a total of three nights

1 Foster--Solomon

1 Foster--Jimmy (adopted by Tim and Vicky)

1 Charlie (originally Bailey) (adopted by Tim and Vicky)

2 Yorkies--found foster home with Kelly and Andy

4 Recruited Molly Nagel to take Scooter, who needed surgery. Scootie was adopted, he was going to be put down because he growled when he played. Molly fostered Bailey and Nina from Joplin, Missouri, and foster-failed Bailey. (YAAY!) Molly began her own efforts, and I believe helped over 50 animals this year?? I also helped her by going to Red-something Iowa to retrieve Dallas, a dog that had gone astray. I'm counting that!

1 Puppy Mill Survivor "Little Red"

1 The Weeg, the Basset the Fernandez family adopted.

19 dogs total

Transports --according to my mileage log for taxes, I helped with a few transports this year.

20 dog transport--helped to load/unload, overnight, walk and tag. Does this count? I think it does, because I spent over 4 hours doing it.

12 dog transport

6 dog transport

5 dog transport

5 dog transport

7 dog transport

4 dog transport

4 dog transport

8 dog transport

2 mill dogs to Williamsburg

4 dogs needed rides to Pella, Iowa

77 dogs transported

( I was asked to do 14 weekend transports, and I did 9 of them, the others were special trips)

SUBTOTAL: 97 dogs. Does money toward vet bills count? Because then it is TOTAL 103 dogs helped.

SO, technically, I barely made my goal of helping 100 dogs. So, looking at my failure, how am I going to change in the New Year? First of all, on January 1, I am transporting. I am taking two dogs between Des Moines and Williamsburg, IA. I am going to keep transporting, as much as I can, every weekend I can. Because I personally could have done more.

Recruiting. I am going to recruit and train fosters and drivers. I think I only recruited about 6 people to help

Posting. I am going to post more on Facebook and Twitter about dogs that need help.

Engaging other communities. Earlier this year, I had a thought about helping get dogs adopted in Northern Minnesota. I think I want to pursue that...

What are you going to do?

Cookies!

Thanks to www.RecipeGirl.com I discovered the wonderful tastiness that is this recipe last night

VANILLA COOKIE DOUGH
½ cup (2 ounces) powdered sugar
¾ cup (1½ sticks, 6 ounces) unsalted butter
½ tsp salt
1½ tsp vanilla extract
1½ cups (6¼ ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour

Cream the sugar, butter and vanilla. Add flour. Mix and roll til it's dough, then press into forms or cookie pan. Bake on 350

It makes the most lovely short-bready-flaky cookie bordering on biscuit. I highly recommend, and I'll be making these for my neighborhood cookie exchange next week!

The recipe yields about 20 cookies in the shaped cookie pan I was using.

Little Red

Last week, a puppy mill in Eastern Iowa begrudgingly gave up all of their breeding stock, because they lost their USDA license. They were encouraged by the USDA to euthanize the "stock", rather than giving them up to rescues. Luckily, they wanted to give their stock up to other breeders, and somehow A Heinz 57 Rescue got into the loop, and prevented this from happening. See, millers HATE rescue. We give dogs away for free, compared to them (Usually $75-175, depending on vetting compared to $400-1,400 for a purebred puppy) and we drive down the cost and the demand for breeds.

The mill consisted of mostly mutts--"designer" dogs-- malti-poos, yorkie-poos, shih-tsu-poos (shit-poo?) and beautiful, friendly, social Golden Retrievers. It was obvious that the millers were only really interested in Goldens, the other dogs were an afterthought--a way to make fast money.

When the transport arrived, it was late at night, freezing cold, and the Heinz 57 staff weren't even sure what all they HAD in the van, they simply accepted absolutely everyone that the breeder was giving away. No health records, no names, no breeds were explained. They were simply man-handled over to the rescue, who had been called only the day before. They were originally to hand over 20-ish, dogs, they turned over 42. Because of the larger number than originally planned, not all of the dogs had a place to go for the evening...when the staff pulled out a red and white Cocker Spaniel, and lamented that she had no place to go, I knew I couldn't say no.

So, P and I are working to rehabilitate a puppy mill dog. And I am incredibly proud of the progress she's making. In a week's time:

She does not run away from us when we walk around the house. At first, she would run laps, run away from where we were, constantly check the perimeter of the first floor. She was always panting. You would, too, if you were always running. Now, she follows us from room to room, she is curious about what we are doing, and wants to be near us.

Stairs. She can now go up and down, she was terrified of them when she arrived. Most mill dogs don't have a clue how to do stairs, they never have occasion.

Recognizing her name. We named her Prudie, as a joke, because she kept presenting herself to Copper, our dominant male. The name didn't stick, she comes to "Little Red" when called. She will come up and allow you to stroke her head and ears. She will also take food from your hand, as well.

Housetraining. She understands we wish for her to do her business outside. Her lack of training has not been a problem, because we are crate training, we are always supervising her food and water, and we let her and the other dogs out to do their business on a consistent basis.

Walking on a leash. She has been for a few walks, and is beginning to make progress being on a leash. Things we take for granted, scare her. Like mailboxes. And shadows.

I attribute all of this progress to a few factors. First, dogs. We have her in a house with 3 other dogs. She has someone to show her the ropes, to model how to act--to take her to the yard, the food, the water and most importantly, show her how to RELAX.

Second, Noise. There is a LOT of noise and activity at our house. I clean almost every day, we watch tv, the dogs bark, the phone and doorbell ring, we entertain friends. There are a lot of noises and a dog gets used to a home with commotion quickly. We go for car rides, and we meet strangers. This is all part of socializing a dog, and giving them confidence that strangeness will not hurt them.

Third, No expectations. We don't take it personally that she wanted nothing to do with us at first. That she has yet to consistently wag her tail. That she may not be potty trained. That she has to learn things we take for granted in our hounds and Sophie.

Eventually, we will be looking for the right home for Little Red. We love her, but we are well-equipped to help other dogs, and we want to have room in our home for more dogs to be helped. Little Red will need a home with other dogs to show her the ropes. She will need a fenced backyard, and an owner who will recognize that she can easily revert to mill ways--being frightened, being skittish, trying to bolt when she sees a chance to escape. With the progress she is making right now, she might be ready to go to a new home as soon as January!