Jingle Bells!!!

Shelby is still doing well. We have some fun videos to post of her, but they have not been edited yet by the volunteers at the Humane Society, so I will post them as soon as I can.

But I tell you, she is really, really ready to go to her home.

She is meant to be loving with and on someone. My time with her is so special, and I know that she is not meant to be sitting in the shelter. She is meant to be basking in the sun, lounging on the couch, and going for lots of walks.

Dear Santa...please bring Shelby Angel her family for Christmas.

On to October!

Hello! Shelby is still doing well. She is my best sweetie in the world, and I look forward to seeing her every Friday. She goes insane when I walk through the door, and all of the kennel workers just can't believe how excited she gets to see me. They have told me she does not react that way to anyone else. You see... she has this HUGE heart for people that love her. I know she will have this love for her forever family.

So, yesterday we took our normal walk and then had snuggle time. I generally don't take her to the play pen because she ends up spending our time obsessed with toys. I want her to have the chance to be a normal dog that interacts with people, not a kenneled dog that overcompensates in the play yard with her toys. I think the more normal activities in which she can participate, like walks, the better. None of this toy-obsession when she is with me...we just won't do it.

The funniest thing happened yesterday. We had already taken a nice walk and she used the bathroom several times and was good to go. (BTW- completely house broken...never an accident in my home). When we sat down for snuggle time, she got so excited when we were kissing and snuggling that she peed a little bit. It was hilarious! She was just so excited, and I have never seen her do that. I had a good laugh over that one. I know for a fact that Shelby Angel loves me. I just really hope someone else will get to experience this with her.

Below I have attached a letter that has been circulated on facebook. I have read this letter before, and I wish more people would read it, especially those people that will not spay and neuter their animals. I recently had a co-worker that bred her yorkie....again. She is not a show-dog. My co-worker knows nothing about breeding and bloodlines. She just has a dog she thinks is cute and chooses to breed her. It really makes me sad. So, read below and feel free to circulate. If we keep at it, maybe one day people will be more educated. Maybe.

A Letter from a Shelter Manager - anonymous in North Carolina

I think our society needs a huge "Wake-up" call. As a shelter manager, I am going to share a little insight with you all...a view from the inside if you will.

First off, all of you breeders/sellers should be made to work in the "back" of an animal shelter for just one day. Maybe if you saw the life drain from a few sad, lost, confused eyes, you would change your mind about breeding and selling to people you don't even know.

That puppy you just sold will most likely end up in my shelter when it's not a cute little puppy anymore. So how would you feel if you knew that there's about a 90% chance that dog will never walk out of the shelter it is going to be dumped at? Purebred or not! About 50% of all of the dogs that are "owner surrenders" or "strays", that come into my shelter are purebred dogs.

The most common excuses I hear are; "We are moving and we can't take our dog (or cat)." Really? Where are you moving too that doesn't allow pets? Or they say "The dog got bigger than we thought it would". How big did you think a German Shepherd would get? "We don't have time for her". Really? I work a 10-12 hour day and still have time for my 6 dogs! "She's tearing up our yard". How about making her a part of your family? They always tell me "We just don't want to have to stress about finding a place for her we know she'll get adopted, she's a good dog".

Odds are your pet won't get adopted & how stressful do you think being in a shelter is? Well, let me tell you, your pet has 72 hours to find a new family from the moment you drop it off. Sometimes a little longer if the shelter isn't full and your dog manages to stay completely healthy. If it sniffles, it dies. Your pet will be confined to a small run/kennel in a room with about 25 other barking or crying animals. It will have to relieve itself where it eats and sleeps. It will be depressed and it will cry constantly for the family that abandoned it. If your pet is lucky, I will have enough volunteers in that day to take him/her for a walk. If I don't, your pet won't get any attention besides having a bowl of food slid under the kennel door and the waste sprayed out of its pen with a high-powered hose. If your dog is big, black or any of the "Bully" breeds (pit bull, rottie, mastiff, etc) it was pretty much dead when you walked it through the front door.

Those dogs just don't get adopted. It doesn't matter how 'sweet' or 'well behaved' they are.

If your dog doesn't get adopted within its 72 hours and the shelter is full, it will be destroyed. If the shelter isn't full and your dog is good enough, and of a desirable enough breed it may get a stay of execution, but not for long . Most dogs get very kennel protective after about a week and are destroyed for showing aggression. Even the sweetest dogs will turn in this environment. If your pet makes it over all of those hurdles chances are it will get kennel cough or an upper respiratory infection and will be destroyed because shelters just don't have the funds to pay for even a $100 treatment.

Here's a little euthanasia 101 for those of you that have never witnessed a perfectly healthy, scared animal being "put-down".

First, your pet will be taken from its kennel on a leash. They always look like they think they are going for a walk happy, wagging their tails. Until they get to "The Room", every one of them freaks out and puts on the brakes when we get to the door. It must smell like death or they can feel the sad souls that are left in there, it's strange, but it happens with every one of them. Your dog or cat will be restrained, held down by 1 or 2 vet techs depending on the size and how freaked out they are. Then a euthanasia tech or a vet will start the process. They will find a vein in the front leg and inject a lethal dose of the "pink stuff". Hopefully your pet doesn't panic from being restrained and jerk. I've seen the needles tear out of a leg and been covered with the resulting blood and been deafened by the yelps and screams. They all don't just "go to sleep", sometimes they spasm for a while, gasp for air and defecate on themselves.

When it all ends, your pets corpse will be stacked like firewood in a large freezer in the back with all of the other animals that were killed waiting to be picked up like garbage. What happens next? Cremated? Taken to the dump? Rendered into pet food? You'll never know and it probably won't even cross your mind. It was just an animal and you can always buy another one, right?

I hope that those of you that have read this are bawling your eyes out and can't get the pictures out of your head I deal with everyday on the way home from work.

I hate my job, I hate that it exists & I hate that it will always be there unless you people make some changes and realize that the lives you are affecting go much farther than the pets you dump at a shelter.

Between 9 and 11 MILLION animals die every year in shelters and only you can stop it. I do my best to save every life I can but rescues are always full, and there are more animals coming in everyday than there are homes.

My point to all of this DON'T BREED OR BUY WHILE SHELTER PETS DIE!

Hate me if you want to. The truth hurts and reality is what it is. I just hope I maybe changed one persons mind about breeding their dog, taking their loving pet to a shelter, or buying a dog. I hope that someone will walk into my shelter and say "I saw this and it made me want to adopt". THAT WOULD MAKE IT WORTH IT.

Let's Get The Word Out!

Okay, everyone that has facebook access, please go to Shelby Angel's link on Petfinder and "like" her. This could be one step we can do to make her more visible.

http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/17939038

I am going to speak with the media contact at the Humane Society to get some press updated on Shelby Angel. I think it would help provide a more clear picture of her.

For one, as a dog walker at the Humane Society, I walk a lot of dogs that "pull." Shelby is not one of these dogs. In the petfinder description, it describes her as a dog with a lot of energy that likes to run on leash- it almost gives the impression that she is a "hand full." In reality, she can run about 1 mile (when it is not hot) and she stays right by your side. She is not a puller. Initially, when getting out of her room at the Humane Society, she will pull for a couple of minutes out of excitement, but then she settles down. She is one of the easiest dogs to walk. And, as she has lived in my home, I can attest that she was HANDS DOWN the easiest dog to walk. She wants to be right by you- she is not a big explorer.

So, I think with a little time and effort, I can help make these messages clear to potential adopters. She is a GREAT walking dog. She is a VERY CALM dog.

She has never growled or barked at another passing dog. She has never lunged at a nearby dog. I think these are some things to which I can attest, that others may not know. The only aggression we have seen from her has been over...toys. Yep. Toys. Not even food. So, I am going to keep trying to step up and get the message about her clear. Please like her petfinder link on your facebook page to help out. Thank you so much.

And, just a fun note- last weekend I was stranded at Shelby Farms after a 3 hour run. Exhausted and sweaty, I made my way over to Shelby Angel while waiting for a ride and just sat in her kennel with her and snuggled for about 30 minutes. I just miss her so, so, so much. She is a complete BFF.

Too Hot!

Several of our Friday night dog walking sessions have been canceled from the excessive heat here in Memphis. I have not seen Shelby Angel in 2 weeks! :( No bueno!!!!

So, hopefully this Friday I will get to see her.

Also on my "to do" list is to talk to John at the Humane Society and find out if I can post some cute pictures or a nice little sign linking visitors to her blog on her kennel. Bekah and I had originally put some cute pictures, a print out of the blog, and the Commercial Appeal article on her kennel when she first arrived at the Humane Society. Everything has since gone MIA.

I think having a little extra information on her kennel would be great. I want people to see that she is just as special as all of the dogs there and that she has a story. I also want them to know that there are people that do know her and her behavior and can answer some questions!

I hope everyone is surviving the heat. I am going to put out a little extra water bowl on my front porch in case there are some critters in need of hydration. :)

Shelby Angel and the Pool

A volunteer shared this with me from the Humane Society. Pretty funny :) Shelby Angel is very much needing a loving home. Please share her story with others!

Two new pictures :)

Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy! I told you she was a happy girl and got excited when I would come visit! What a great smile she has!
And kisses :) You know I am a big, big fan of Shelby Angel kisses. Bring them on!

Beyond the Myth and updates ;)

I didn't realize I really had any readers for this blog anymore- and then I got a comment reminding me that some people do want updates! So here I go again!

Shelby Angel is still at the Humane Society in Memphis. She has a "lifestyle" room, which is really great because visitors can see her through the glass. Lucky girl! I am still volunteering as a dog walker, so I get to see whenever I get a chance. She just goes nuts when I come around. :)

Shelby is the epitome of loyal. The other day another dog walker had her out in a pen for some playtime. When I arrived, she was really, really excited to see me and we had a chance to play a little bit. When it was time for her to go in, the dog walker could not get her to budge. Shelby just planted her feet and refused to budge a single inch...looking back over her shoulder at me the whole time. I had to walk in with them so she would follow me. I mean, she is just a lover and a good girl...just soooooo loyal. She loves people, and she really, really loves specific people! ;) She just has an amazing ability to bond and attach strongly.

But, her forever home still has not come along. I generally leave her in tears- it is just so frustrating to me. But, I am also frustrated for all of the other great dogs up there as well. I could go on and on and on about this..... the blind eye our society turns to animal abuse, my ignorant co-workers that want to breed their dogs even though there are millions of animals put to sleep every year, the tons and tons of people I know that refuse to spay/neuter.

Okay- so here is my plug for today. Please go see this movie, buy a ticket, or just make a donation. I am a huge supporter of pit bulls. I have had nothing but positive experiences with them and I am PISSED that they are so abused. If people were fighting labs, there would be a huge outcry. But because "pit bulls" have received a bad reputation, it is as though people just don't really care that they are tortured in ways we cannot fathom. I do have a goal- Shelby Angel has given me a goal. I know I cannot do it now, but I am forever plotting and planning. One day I will have a place where all pit bulls will be welcome to come and rest, live, and love. (and then I might become a cop at age 50 and bust up and lock up every single animal abuser- someone has to do it!!!!!)

GO SEE THIS MOVIE!!!!!

Wednesday, June 15th 7:00 PM, Malco Studio On The Square

Advance movie tickets $12 each, $15 at the door

Movie and after movie party, $27 advance- Slider Inn,

(2117 Peabody Ave. at Peabody/Cooper Ave.)

Purchase tickets at:http://www.beyondthemythmovie.com/screenings.shtml

Performance by soundtrack artist, Kimber Cleveland

It has been a good 2 weeks walking at the Humane Society. I am falling in love with so many different dogs, and no matter how tired I am on Friday night, by the time I leave...I am in a better place.

Shelby Angel and Aunt Bookie

Me and Shelbs

I had a good talk with John, the director at the Humane Society about Shelby Angel on Friday. We talked about her special needs with finding a forever home. She continues to have a huge fixation on toys and refuses to give them up, will try to take them from your hand, and can be aggressive with them. Since she is not an aggressive dog, it is really frustrating to see her act that way with a toy. She was not as fixated on toys when she was living at our home (although she was starting to become more problematic with them) ...but as John says, she knows now she only gets a very limited amount of time with a toy and it changes the way she views them.

So this Friday, I had her spend a good deal of time with me with NO toys. And it was great to have the friendly, loving Shelby just snuggle, hang out, chase, and chill. She is so easy for me to handle- I had to leash her 6 x so other walkers could cut through our yard, and Shelby is just as calm as can be. She is a good girl. And seriously- she just smiles and smiles when I am there to visit her. It is wonderful to see how she really knows and loves me.

Now we just need to find a home where someone can really work with a headstrong dog that needs a lot of work getting over her toy aggression/possession. John keeps saying that home will come...so I keep praying. And in the meantime, I keep giving her some BFF love. ;))))

I have resorted to stealing pictures of Shelby Angel because I haven't seen her in two weeks! I am now an official dog walker at the Humane Society, but dog walking has been canceled tonight because of the weather. Here are some facebook pictures of the cutie :)

Happy 2011, Anakin Buddies, and More!

Eek!!! I just realized I haven't blogged since November!

First of all- Happy 2011. Shelby Angel hopes this is a great year for you...and of course a great year for her.
I am excited to tell you that Shelbs is now an "Anakin Buddy." What does that mean?

Anakin was a dog that lived at the Humane Society for 3 years before finding a forever home. Can you imagine getting passed up time and time again before you finally get a chance? There is now a program in honor of Anakin to help other dogs get some attention and find their forever homes too. As an Anakin Buddy, all adoption fees are paid by a private sponsor to get them one step closer to a good home.

When I found out about the Anakin Buddy program, I immediately wanted to sponsor Shelby Angel. Of course, right? Well, ha ha on me. She had already been sponsored!!! And, there were already several requests to sponsor her!!!! I have been telling you guys, this girl is wonderful and everyone loves her!

So- get up to the Humane Society. Check out Shelby Angel and every dog up there. There is a best friend waiting for you!

And if you aren't ready to adopt a dog, call and ask if you can sponsor a dog to be part of the Anakin Buddy program. 901-937-3900