Stanley, From “Just One Dog” Adopted!

Remember this powerful video of a sickly & dejected dog in a California shelter?

The video of Stanley inspired so many people to act.  Working together they rescued him and eventually brought him to a foster family in British Columbia.  He had surgery to fix his eyes, has been putting on weight, and is recovering from mange.  And the best thing of all—Stanley won’t have to move again because he’s being adopted by his foster family! What a lucky boy.

Sadly, the first part of Stanley’s story is all too common.  Shelters are filled with dogs & cats who need just one person to step up and change their life.  I’m sure you’ve heard it a million times, but please consider adopting before you ever buy a cat or dog.  Pure bred or mixed breed, juvenile or adult, spotted striped or solid, short hair or long, big or small, any possible color or temperament—whatever you’re looking for is out there, but most of them don’t have a lot of time.  And don’t forget there are rescue groups for all sorts of animals: reptiles, ferrets, pocket pet, exotics, horses, goats.  Please adopt!


Stanley today & his new brother Taylor


October Is Adopt-A-Dog Month

Adopt-A-Dog Month is a great time to consider adopting a shelter dog.  There are dogs of all shapes, sizes, and energy levels waiting to be rescued.  You can even adopt a pure breed dog, but mixed breed dogs are just as wonderful.

Make sure you’re ready to adopt and adopt a dog suited to your lifestyle.  All dogs need attention and training.  Here’s a good list of things to consider before adopting a dog.

The ASPCA has great tips on preparing for a new dog.

And don’t automatically go for the puppies.  Here are 17 excellent reasons to adopt an adult dog. I love puppies–who doesn’t–but, I’m so glad we adopted an adult dog.  Our dog Saffron was just as fun as a puppy, without all the extra chaos and destruction.

Maybe this is the month you save a life and enrich your own!

Fire At Seattle Animal Shelter

seattleanimalcontrol

First off, the good news is no animals or people were injured in the fire. However, the shelter did lose their commercial dryer and all the supplies in the laundry room.  They would really appreciate donations of:

  • blankets
  • towels
  • cat toys
  • dog toys

Take your donations to 15th West – one mile south of the Ballard Bridge at 2061 15th Ave West, Seattle, WA 98119.  You can also make a monetary donation.

We’re very fortunate here to have a pretty progressive animal shelter here in Seattle.  A new director, Don Jordan, came in 1996 with a plan to move beyond simple animal control & public safety.  The Seattle Animal Shelter began focusing on animal welfare too with extensive animal fostering, adoptions doubling, over 600 volunteers, low cost spay/neuter for everyone.  As I understand it, they’re are working to make Seattle a no-kill community.

Life With A Fearful Dog

icesleddogIt’s so encouraging to read about the happy outcome of one completely unsocialized dog named Ice who was rejected from a sled dog breeding operation and turned over to a shelter in Colorado.

Ice has come a long way from being terrified of doorways and ringing phones.   His story shows that with some real effort, even terribly fearful dogs can be rehabilitated.  What a fortunate boy that shelter workers and his adopted family committed themselves to helping him become a real dog.

Happy New Year! Recall, Rapper, First Cat, Second Dog

2009-copy

PetProject is back from the holidays.  It was a pretty quiet here with an unusual amount of snow for us in the Pacific NW.  We hope you had a safe and happy holiday and we wish you all the very best in 2009.

Here’s some of the recent news: