PAWS is dedicated to saving Philadelphia’s homeless, abandoned, and unwanted animals. PAWS is Philadelphia's largest rescue organization and only no-kill shelter, working to make Philadelphia a city in which every healthy and treatable pet is guaranteed a home. Through its adoption locations, special events, and foster care network, PAWS finds loving homes for thousands of animals each year.
 Support for PAWS funds lifesaving initiatives including adoption and foster care programs, spay/neuter surgeries, low-cost vaccinations, and other efforts, all of which help reduce and will ultimately eliminate the unnecessary killing of Philadelphia's animals. www.phillypaws.org |
The Pennsylvania Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals addresses the needs of thousands of homeless animals.
Please visit www.pspca.org for more information on adoption centers, services, news & events.
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 | Streettails Animal Rescue, affiliated with Chic Petique, helps homeless, unwanted, and special needs animals by providing medical attention, educating the public on the importance of spaying and neutering, and placing animals in appropriate, compatible, loving homes. www.myspace.com/streettails |
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When Armon met Lucy the Greyhound in the
Piazza; it was love at first sighthound! She raced into his life
and heart, Armon gave her his couch and realized that he wanted to do
more to help these gentle, lovely creatures. The idea was created: LIFE
IN THE FAST LANE!
Greyhound Adoption Day & JCKC Hound Benefit
OCTOBER 2 - Piazza, N 2nd St & Germantown
Join this enthusiastic group of animal lovers working together to support pet adoption with ONE goal -- to raise awareness and funds to assist in re-homing Greyhounds from the JCKC Track through Pam Davis' efforts. Click HERE & HERE to see inspiring footage.
JCKC is at the lower tear of all tracks. These hounds truly have no where else to go. Once they are retired from racing, Pam Davis does her best to have have them re-homed. She is on the front lines for the safety and security of these hounds.
JCKC provides very little support to these hounds, it is up to donations & Pam Davis to provide food, shelter, and medical care for them until they can be moved into adoption programs. She's placed over 400 hounds per year from the track into adoption programs.
We can't change the world for all greyhounds but one Greyhound getting a home will change the world for many....
Author Ryan Reed will be on hand to sign copies of 'Born to Run' chronicling his life traveling Greyhound tracks, shattering misconceptions about the controversial sport.
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ARTICLES: Rescue & Adoption
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The State of Animals in the City of Philadelphia
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Nakiah, A Fosters Story
It should come as no surprise that animal shelters across the country are seeing an increase in surrenders/return adoptions in recent months. With the economy in such a state of turmoil, people everywhere have to make incredibly difficult decisions regarding their family’s well being. Parents are being forced to determine where to cut costs when money gets tight. Sadly, pets often don’t make the cut, especially when it comes down to the making a choice between feeding your children or your dog.
Pet owners are forced to give up members of their families in record numbers. In recent month, the Pennsylvania SPCA has taken in more dogs and cats because of foreclosures or financial hardships than ever before. These people do not take this situation lightly, by any means. All too often, people leave the PSPCA sobbing and heartbroken because they have to say goodbye to furry family members who have meant so much. A tremendous sense of ‘helplessness’ seems to be the overriding feeling I get.
One such case is the heart-wrenching story of “The Sisters. These two “girls” I’ll call them Minnie and Mim, spent their entire lives together. Without a care in the world, they lived happily over 9 yrs with a loving family. Due to circumstances unforeseen, the entire family is thrust into what can only be described as a nightmare situation. Not only do they find themselves staring at homeless status, but in addition, they are forced to give up two sweethearts who have stood by them through thick and thin. Thin indeed.
Minnie, a rather stout chocolate lab mix and Mim, an equally girthy shepherd mix -- find themselves in a foreign physical environment, scary and noisy. It is a far cry from what they are accustomed. Their only comfort and saving grace is each other. But even that isn’t always possible. The girls have clearly led the good life and because of the lack of space, their size makes keeping them in the same kennel almost impossible.
Much is being done to accommodate their bond. They spend their days side by side, in kennels where they can ‘converse’. They go out for walks together, lounge and lie together in the grassy yard. Every effort is made to have them spend as much time with each other as possible. They’ve been to several adoption events, where they relax and have interactions with people. Mim is clearly needy and if Minnie is taken out of sight for more than a minute, she cries. Not a normal dog cry and not quite the plantiff wail, but something in between.
It’s somewhat moan-like and terribly sad. Once her sister comes back into view, all is right with the world again. When they are out and about in the fresh air, they walk side by side or lie down alongside each other in the grass. It is absolutely imperative that they be adopted together. And honestly, they deserve to spend the remainder of their days just being with one another,.
There are several other reasons behind the increase in surrenders. For some, even basic care can be tough in times of adversity considering that general health and upkeep for a pet runs an extra 1000 dollars a year. A great deal more people give up their pets solely based on the rising cost of health care. Prior to the economic downswing, people could afford to have their pets treated for minor and not so minor injuries or illness. With their pet’s health taking precedence, they were seeking care for whatever ailed them, even if it might set them back a bit. Nowadays, that doesn’t seem to be the case. The economy has hit many hard and people have to decide whether to actually pay their bills, put food on their table or pay for the surgery/procedures that Max requires. It’s the hard and painful truth.
As Ben Franklin wisely said, " An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." Starting and maintaining a healthy lifestyle is the best way to ensure a better, longer life for your pet. Feeding a healthy diet, giving them proper exercise and keeping up to date with necessary vaccinations is the best way to make sure that your pet lives a long and happy life. Of course, no one can predict accidents or unforeseen emergencies, but the healthier an animal is in the first place, the better a prognosis, treatment and subsequent recovery.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Rita-Anne Provenzano is the Special Events Coordinator at the Pennsylvania SPCA rprovenzano@pspca.org Please report abuse or neglect 1-866-601 SPCA
Nakiah, A Foster’s Final Message
By Bette Hanson
It was a tough decision. Euthanasia always is.
With a sad heart I decided it was time to end Nakiah’s pain and put her down. She left peacefully at 3:45 pm, on a sunny afternoon in early August, 2008.
You wouldn't know that my foster dog was suffering to look at her. Her coat was glowing from an obsessively healthy diet, her eyes displayed an uncommon strength of spirit and her heart clearly beat love and devotion.
But that's not the way she entered my life.
It was her eyes that I noticed first.
In early November, I was walking past a neighborhood pet store when I was stopped in my tracks by the saddest eyes I had ever seen. Philosopher Martin Buber wrote: "An animal's eyes have the power to speak a great language." And this animal’s eyes seemed to be reaching out in a language meant only for the two of us. They seemed to be saying “I’ve lost hope” and were focused directly on me.
The sad eyes framed a very skinny looking Shepherd/Doberman cross with a loosely fitting vest with the words "Adopt Me" written on it. Her handler told me her name was Nakiah and that as an older dog between eight and ten years, she was not handling the shelter environment very well.
Compassion took hold of me; I told her to call me if no one adopted her and I'd take her home as a foster.
As I left, I envisioned a nice, quiet companion for my dog Sascha to pal around with while I was at work.
When no one called, I assumed that Nakiah was adopted and was amazed to see her days later, on a local news show in their weekly pet adoption segment. It MUST be fate, I thought to myself! I contacted a friend who worked on the show to ask about the appearance and she warned me the dog had nipped the handler several times. Nakiah’s sad eyes kept flashing messages in my brain overriding my friend’s warning. That night, I went down to the shelter to pick her up and take her home.
Seemingly defeated, Nakiah’s eyes drooped behind the chain-link fence of the kennel. She had urinated on the cot bed and was curled up in a ball against the gate. She barely lifted her head upon my arrival, but when she did her tail thumped a greeting. I could not leave her there destined to fate. I didn’t think she’d last another day.
I made arrangements to take her home immediately as a foster with reassurances that I was getting a nice, quiet, older dog to share my home.
Boy was I in for a surprise. On the car ride home, the dog was distressed and I had my first taste of what was to come: she whined, struggled and lurched about the seats and into my lap. I had to pull over to try and calm her down and secure her for both our safety. She was inconsolable.
Shaken, we barely got home in one piece.
I found out later that this was not Nakiah’s first stay at the shelter. One does not have to read the research to know what insecurity and over-exposure to shelter life can do to some dogs. The excessive noise can often exceed the decibel level of a jackhammer and can physically and psychologically stress dogs, leading to behavioral and physiological responses. Some dogs do not acclimate, and shut down after surpassing their tolerance level. Despite the obvious loving care at the shelter, Nakiah did not acclimate and had become stressed.
As much as my heart went out to her, I was NOT prepared for or in any shape to deal with a stressed out dog. I was in my own distress, suffering from a debilitating shoulder injury, in exhaustive rehabilitation, and dealing with 24/7 pain that kept me from sleeping at night. Add a stressed dog to that equation and what do you get? In my condition, I didn’t think I had the patience to endure the answer. What a pair we made.
Little did I know that Nakiah had her own rehabilitation in front of her, and I was her therapist? My life was now an adjustment in patience and perseverance.
In the following days and weeks, she shredded a door, whined, barked nervously at strangers and strange sounds and acted out towards my dog Sascha while acclimating to her new home. She urinated on my floor after eating, and would cower and urinate when reprimanded while learning the rules of the house. She thought the concrete in my basement was her personal bathroom, and LOVED eating garbage. The kitchen counter top became the new home for my garbage. She accidentally bit one of my friends on the hand when he mistook her for my other dog and reached to pat her on the head; she had obviously never been leash trained or properly socialized. While on a leash, she lunged and reacted aggressively to other dogs within sight. As a city dweller, this was a problem.
With Nakiah’s history, visitors had to go through the ritual of being introduced with biscuits in hand to retrain her to trust. Her behavior was indicative of mistreatment and possible abuse in her past. So was her body.
She had a deformed ear from a hematoma as a result of an ear infection that was left untreated. Weeks into her stay, I discovered she had a large, deep wound on her chest that had healed over and re-opened. God knows what horrific incident happened to injury this dog so severely. No wonder the dog had trust issues!
I was out of my league and had no idea how to re-train and rebuild trust in a stressed dog. It crossed my mind many times to give up and give her back to the shelter. But how could I? How could I be another person to give up on her? So I hung in there. It was all I could do and the only thing to do.
And despite her behavior - this dog ached for love and exuded devotion. She followed me everywhere in the house --- even into the bathroom, sitting in front of me or on the bath mat while I showered. I tried impossibly not to get attached.
But that was then….
Sooner than I imagined, her eyes softened, losing her sadness and morphing into deep love which seemed to tell me a thousand times over that I am her reason for being.
With time, with love, with research, with help, with patience, with perseverance, with training and with luck, Nakiah bloomed, blossomed and grew into a loving, caring, trustworthy pet.
She'd rest against my leg or thump her tail at the smallest glance or smile --- she was loyalty in perfection. What a change!
Her behavior and appearance had so improved that it was impossible to recognize the dog I had rescued from the shelter many months before.
Except for her LOVE of all things garbage (strawberries were especially tempting), she again trusted people and walked enthusiastically on a leash.
At long last, she was ready to be adopted and I posted her picture and biography online and at the pet store where I first noticed her. We also attended adoption events. In my mind, I wanted her to have undivided attention with a forever family and home. I had a few nibbles, calls and visits --- but there seemed to be ONE big deterrent. She had lumps on her chest that were growing bigger and more noticeable.
I did research and took her to see several vets. Even when I learned that her breast tumors had a 50/50 chance of being malignant, I remained optimistic. HOW could a dog that had come so far be at risk? It just wasn't fair.
Well, life isn't fair, I guess.
A little more than a month after the vet determined that the cancer in her mammary had metastasized into her lungs, she finally showed me that she was in pain and struggling in ways that were obvious. I didn't want her to suffer any longer. On a hot August day, I made the decision and the call.
The night before, I took time to tell her ALL she had meant to me while she graced my home and my life. I thanked her for teaching me about the meaning of patience and devotion and about how to overcome obstacles with love. She brought understanding where before I was ignorant. And with her head on my knee we shared a secret comfort of healing each other’s hurts, calming each other’s fears and protecting each other from the dark that can enter hearts unexpectedly...It was hard to sleep.
I got up early to take her for a last walk. She LOVED being outdoors and I delighted in her joy as I watched her athletically loping through the dew stained grass, eyes alert and darting about looking for furry prey or following her nose through the brush in search of enticing smells!
Nature had a way of transforming. You wouldn't realize in this moment that she was in pain or struggling with a terminal illness. Yet I knew.
A dear friend came over and we all shared a goodbye ceremony that I had prepared specifically for this occasion. We lit candles and read specific poems and prayers chosen to honor her life and usher her into her next life. Tearfully we read to a poem about angels and prayers that prepared her spirit for passing over.
Spontaneously, I had grabbed a book of selections form ‘A Course in Miracles’, a goldmine filled with both psychological and spiritual insights. Next, each of us randomly turned to a page in the ‘Course in Miracles’ book and read the selection that we had arbitrarily chosen.
What followed amazed and inspired me to share this story with you.
The following excerpts seemed to represent Nakiah’s messages of her soul’s path on earth.
Through her struggles with an abusive past, Nakiah’s spirit chose a topic she was intimately familiar with. My friend had turned to a poem appropriately called ‘Anger & Attack’, reflecting the futility of rage and the value of redemption:
“Every loving thought is true - everything else is an appeal for healing and help regardless of the form it takes….
“Anger is never justified. Attack has no foundation.
It is here escape from fear begins, and will be made complete.
Here is the real world given in exchange of dreams of terror.
For it is on this forgiveness rests.
And is but natural.”
The poem I had chosen ‘Body’ summed up Nakiah’s divine purpose and journey on earth:
“To see a body as anything except a means of communication is to limit your mind and to hurt yourself. Sickness is anger taken out upon the body, so that it will suffer pain…
Healing is the result of using the body solely for communication.
Forgiveness lets the body be perceived as what it is: a simple teaching aid, to be laid by when learning is complete.
Who transcends the body has transcended limitation.
I am not a body, I am free
For I am still as God created me.”
Pablo Picasso said, "I don’t believe in accidents. There are only encounters in history..." Nakiah reaffirmed this belief through her inauspicious entry into my life and two meaningful choices of poems. Not only did her eyes speak to me on that very first day we met, but on her final day her soul touched and reassured me.
My foster did not enter my life randomly, and as she exited her message of forgiveness, hope and freedom will live on as inspiration for my journey…with love.
About the Author: Bette Hanson is a journalist who has worked for CBS, NBC, ABC, Animal Planet and Discovery Education. She also is Founder and President of the Natural Pet Expo.
