awwwww!

Tundra went home today :)

testing shozu

the old man

Charlie Chaplin has found new home, new play pals, and a new name!

This is Charlie Chaplin.. now named Wolfgang… in his new home with his new family and friends!

I’m SOOOO happy for him I could cry.

3 legs didn’t slow him down at all.

Jen

Homecomings & Updates

This has been an extraordinary year of hard work, sadness, and happiness.  So many success stories make the hard work acceptable and many of the tearful moments are actually joyful moments as another sweet pet finally gets to go home.

PENNY’S GOING HOME PICS !!

Penny is doing wonderfully. She has adapted to our home beautifully. She is very affectionate and has made herself at home. Thank-you again.

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SCARLET the kitty (the one on the right in photo)

She is totally at home and a member of the family now. Every morning she watches the bunnies play. Every night she and my big grouchy, “I don’t like anything but food” cat actually groom each other. I never thought I would really see him enjoying any other cat. Scarlet won him over and although she may not want to admit it, she’s smitten with him as well. She loves all three dogs but especially Bindi and her favorite toy is whichever one of my hair scrunchies she can walk off with when I not looking. She loves to lay next to me on the couch, belly up, while I rub her belly. Scarlet is a perfect fit here.
Thank you!
~~Vikki

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BO aka Downhill Dog ! Bo is a VERY senior dog that was dumped at the shelter… all fly-bitten and skinny. He was adopted about a week ago by a lovely couple who just wrote us this update from new parents, Carmelo & Vic:

Bo is doing well for the most part. He’s a great sweet dog and we really enjoy having him in our home.

His age doesn’t really matter to me-he gets tired a bit quicker than most but he likes our apartment and likes us.  I can tell he’s had a rough life before FHPR took him in. We are very happy to have him.

Here’s a picture of him and me in Griffith Park-the asphalt was too hot for his paws….but he has this thing he loves to do which is running down hills! His nick name is ‘the downhill dog’.

Carmelo & Vic

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PRINCESS CINDEE is the new family member at Eric and Bette’s home

Princess Cindee is doing very well. The first couple of days she was scared. She is coming around and is no longer scared of us. She still will not hang out to long in the bedrooms. But she hasn’t even been here a week and she is already doing so well. At night when its dark she seems to want to be alone so we don’t push her. She is just a sweet little girl and loves to be loved.

Thank you again.
Eric, Bette and Princess.

Foreverhome Pet Rescue Needs Your Help!

We have never, in all of ouryears of rescue, been in such a position. Once in a while an animal will require extensive
veterinary care for one reason or another… but we have recently been hit hard with three major vet bills as follows:

Budweiser (formerly known as Harvey) is a 10 month old Golden Retriever mix – he was found on the side of the
freeway after having fallen from the back of a truck. He severed the nerve in his shoulder and without use of his entire
leg, it had to be amputated. We took him in to our adoption program to prevent him from going to a very high kill shelter
where his injuries would have meant certain euthanasia. He’s just a puppy, has no idea he’s now missing a leg…
he’s very waggy and wonderful and thankful to be alive. He is now in a loving foster home and available for adoption…
but of course his vet bill for surgery and after-care was enormous.

Hanna was a 4 year old Shnauzer/Silky mix that was rescued from the Lancaster shelter where she was scheduled
for euthanasia. She only had one working eye because at some point in her life someone kicked her in the head and the
injury was never treated. Hanna came to us scared and skin and bones, but quickly settled in to her foster home and
enjoyed some love and company and quality food. Only a few days into her rescue, Hanna became very ill and was
diagnosed with pneumonia and stopped eating. She spent several days at the vet’s office and after xrays and ultrasounds
was further diagnosed with an intestinal inclusion (her Intestines wrapped around eachother). She also had several
underlying congenital issues and would eventually need to have her eye removed because of that earlier injury. She was
miserable – and because of her condition was not a candidate for surgery…. because intestinal inclusions are re-occurring
and because her system was so weak from a lifetime of trauma – after much heartbreak and over a thousand dollars of
medical care, we had to let Hanna go.

Daisy is a 4 year old Corgi/Eskimo mix that wandered into someone’s backyard two years ago pregnant. She had her
puppies and when the puppies were about 4 months old the family decided they didn’t want them anymore and they
opened up their gate and turned the hose on them… but they wouldn’t leave. We were informed of the situation and rushed
over to get Daisy and her pups out of that nightmare. Her pups were all adopted, but she has been overlooked all this time.
Daisy was diagnosed with bladder stones this past weekend and requires surgery to remove them this week… which,
ultimately will cost over a thousand dollars. Daisy will also require prescription food for the rest of her life – and she
still needs a home…

Foreverhome Pet Rescue is a “mom and pop shop” grassroots nonprofit organization… we don’t receive any regular
funding – and easily half of our operating costs come out of our personal pockets. We are not an organization that
brings in 100K per year either – in 2007 we brought in 24K in donations, and spent well over 40K on the animals. We do
not have paid staff – we are all volunteers and we all work normal full time jobs like the rest of the world… but our
evenings and weekends are dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation and rehoming of abused, neglected and abandoned
animals in our communities…. and sometimes in that mission we “get in over our heads” and must ask for help.

If you are able to assist us with a donation towards these recent veterinary expenses, we can certainly provide you with a
tax deduction letter and a BIG waggy lick on the face! (or not!) J

The link to our Paypal donation page is here: http://www.foreverhomepetrescue.org/donate.html
please specify that the donation is for Buddy/Hanna/Daisy

Or, if you are more comfortable calling in a donation directly to our veterinarian with a credit card – please call:
East Valley Veterinary, 818-767-7116 – please specify donation for Foreverhome Pet Rescue, Inc.

Thank you for supporting our mission…. and thank you for caring about the animals!

Please also forward this email to anyone you know who loves animals and may be willing or able to help!
Posts on MySpace and Facebook would also be appreciated!

(Note: we BCC’d everyone on this email to protect your privacy)

Foreverhome Pet Rescue, Inc.
www.foreverhomepetrescue.org

Sorry we haven’t blogged in a while…

we’ve been obsessed lately with Facebook! Check us out on facebook for more regular updates…. pretty much daily!

An article that EVERY dog owner should read…

and certainly every rescuer should read:
HE JUST WANTED TO SAY “HI”

“We cannot expect our dogs to be saints – at least not until we can rise to that level of tolerance ourselves. And that’s unlikely to happen any time soon. We can expect our dogs to be tolerant to the degree that we educate them, socialize them and protect them – with respect to their individual needs and boundaries. ” – Quoted from “He just wanted to say hi” by Suzanne Clothier

Marley and Me: TWO PAWS UP!!!

By Lisa Lange
MCT FORUM

I recently attended a screening of Fox 2000′s new movie “Marley and Me,” which opens nationwide Christmas Day, and I left the theater hoping that everyone would go see this film. The movie’s important message — that adding an animal to the family means making a lifetime commitment to treat the animal like a family member even when he or she is unruly, hard to live with, ailing or old — is something that all of us need to hear.

Unless you work at an animal shelter, you’d probably be surprised at the reasons people give for getting rid of their dogs and cats. The animals, they say, are a bother. They bark all the time, take too long to house train, have fleas, keep getting pregnant, are too aggressive or are too timid. Countless people toss out their “pets” as they would an unwanted piece of furniture when they move or have a baby.

As the number of foreclosures goes up, the problem has gotten even worse, and some people are simply leaving animals behind to starve inside empty houses — although they manage to pack up their televisions and video games. Local authorities have found starving cats and dogs locked inside abandoned homes or chained in backyards; in desperation, some animals have tried to eat drywall, plastic and garbage just to survive.

When I lived in Louisiana, I used to volunteer at the local SPCA. One Saturday, I worked at the intake desk and watched as people came in and gave one sorry excuse after another for giving up their animals. “I got new furniture.” “She just sits there.” “She’s no fun now that she’s older.” One man brought in two sweet Doberman pinschers who’d had their beautiful Dobey ears chopped into triangles and their tails whacked to a few inches. As he dropped off his dogs, he said simply, “I am moving.” These are the people I hope will see this movie.

Dogs (and cats) are a part of the family, for better or for worse, and when we bring them into our homes, we have a responsibility to love and care for them the way that Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston (playing John and Jenny Grogan) love and care for Marley in “Marley and Me.” The Grogans stuck with Marley through tipped-over tables, shredded couches and eaten necklaces. They took the time to properly introduce him to their children and were with him as the aging dog began to falter and it was time to say goodbye.

I also applaud the filmmakers for changing the plot of the best-selling book by having the Grogans adopt Marley from a rescue group instead of buying a puppy from a breeder. Every puppy who is purchased from a breeder or pet store means that a potential home won’t be available to a dog in an animal shelter or a breed rescue group whose life depends on being adopted. People who are determined to have a specific type of dog or cat can adopt the breed of their choice at a rescue group or an animal shelter. And although I recommend giving an older animal a second chance at life, if you have your heart set on (and the time to spend with) a puppy or kitten, rescue groups have those too.

In the trailer for “Marley and Me,” Owen Wilson reminds us, “A dog doesn’t care if you are rich or poor. Give him your heart, and he’ll give you his.” I hope this movie inspires people to stand by their animal companions — even when it’s not easy — and to love them unconditionally, just as they love us.

So please, go see “Marley and Me,” and take a friend. And when you have the time, money and patience to bring a dog or cat into your life — after the hectic holiday season — visit your local animal shelter and adopt one of the many animals who aren’t as lucky as Marley was.

Last Year’s Christmas Present…

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
With no thought of the dog outside filling their head.
And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Knew he was cold, but didn’t care about that.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Figuring the dog was free and into the trash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the luster of midday to objects below,
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But Santa Claus – his eyes full of tears.
He unchained the dog, once so lively and quick,
Last years Christmas present, now thin and sick.
More rapid than eagles he called the dog’s name.
And the dog ran to him, despite all his pain;

“Now, DASHER! Now, DANCER! Now, PRANCER and VIXEN!
On, COMET! On CUPID! On, DONNER and BLITZEN!
To the top of the porch! To the top of the wall!
Let’s find this dog a home where he’ll be loved by all”

I knew in an instant there would be no gifts this year,
For Santa Claus had made one thing quite clear,
The gift of a dog is not just for the season,
We had gotten the pup for all the wrong reasons.
In our haste to think of giving the kids a gift
There was one important thing that we missed.
A dog should be family, and cared for the same
You don’t give a gift, then put it on a chain.
And I heard him exclaim as he rode out of sight,
“You weren’t given a gift! You were given a life!”

—Author Unknown