Friday, June 13, 2014

Buddy's Story - How You Can Help

Buddy joined the GPPR family in March.  He was vetted, had some lumps removed and was moved to a foster home.  Okay, he was moved to our home. His lumps were mast cell tumors and while at first we thought his prognosis was good, now we are finding his status has changed. He is having an additional lump removed next week.  We''ll know more about his status then.




This will sound funny, but we feel pretty darned lucky to love this guy. Sometimes our fosters find their forever homes, sometimes we are that forever home. While our dream is placing them with a loving family, sometimes we are blessed to be that family.  We feel bad for him. We wanted him to find a fabulous home and live happily ever after.  We always have high hopes for our fosters, and fall in love with them in the process. Seriously, isn't making a commitment to love, honor and cherish what pet ownership is all about? Why would fostering be any different.

The decision has been made to change Buddy's status from adoption ready, to sponsorship only.  What this means is Buddy will live out his days with us. Rest assured he'll be loved, pampered, kept comfy, and we pray it will be for many, many days.  He'll get his romps in the country, naps in the sun, and we'll work closely with our vet to make sure comfort is his first priority.  If you'd like, you can sponsor Buddy, or dogs in situations like Buddy's.  Your donation will go directly to the medical needs of that dog.  Sponsorship donations are every bit as important as adoption fee's.  Your contribution makes a difference.  Your donation will help us keep Buddy a happy guy. 

We love this old boy.  We know you would to if you could meet Buddy.  Help us care for him.  Loving them to a new home, or until they cross the bridge, is part of what we do at GPPR.  Please share this journey with us. 






Saturday, June 7, 2014

Why Dogs Come Into Rescue Programs....the Good, the Bad and the Just Plain Ugly Excuses.

Don't get me wrong, we are tickled pink to have dogs come into our program. And while we'd love not having dogs to adopt, and others waiting to come in to the program, we love giving them a second chance in life.  We live for that. We understand that second chances are the best possible outcome for dogs in unfortunate situations.  

People often ask why people surrender their dogs.  Many of these answers will infuriate you, sadden you, will make you shake your head and roll your eyes. Believe me, that's our response too.  Here are the ones we see most frequently.

 1.  We had a baby, or are expecting a baby and we just don't have time.

 2.  Tank got too big for us, too active for us, and he sheds!

 3.  Wesson won't hunt.  He gun shy and worthless.

 4.  Buster is too old and we need space for a new puppy.

 5.  Spot has accidents in the house, separation anxiety.

 6.  Champ goes crazy when it storms.

 7.  Fido ate a bird and freaked the kids out.  

 8.  Sidney's owner died.

 9.  Moving, divorcing, relocating, deployed and can't keep him/her.
                
10. She is to old to breed anymore.

11. Fence jumping.

12. Health issues...in the dog.  Health issues....in the owner.

13. Rufus is completely untrainable.

14. My girlfriend/boyfriend doesn't like dogs.

15. He barks.  Or, he doesn't bark and I wanted a guard dog.  

16. Daisy killed the chickens, or the cat.  

17. She/he is aggressive when the kids pull, push, crowd and tease.

18. I didn't expect them to be so energetic.  

19. King doesn't get along with the new puppy.

20. Dog chews on the furniture, the crate, shoes.

21. They are too needy.

22. Sarge gets loose and won't come when called.

23. They howl, bark, dig holes when left outside all day and night.

24. We can't afford the dog's food and medical needs.

25. We wanted a lower maintenance dog.

26. He kept biting the testicles of the other dogs in the house.  


So...these are just some of the reasons/excuses we hear.  Honestly, you can't make this stuff up.  It is what it is, and why the world has rescue programs.

We encourage you to know the breed you are adopting and recognize that owning a pet is a life long commitment.  It is not jumping blindly into pet ownership.  It's not about seeing a puppy and impulsively buying it. It's a big deal and a big decision.  After all, the dog you choose depends on you. Don't let them down.