Category: Dogs

A new dog!

Another compelling story.

Yet another fantastic story of a dog being transformed, courtesy of The Dodo.

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Dog Is Completely Transformed After Groomers Give Her An Emergency Makeover

She’s unrecognizable.

By Stephen Messenger, Published on April 5, 2024

Recently, staff at the Wyandotte Animal Shelter in Michigan took in a dog whose condition was described as among the worst they’d ever seen. Pixie, as the dog is named, had fur so overgrown and matted that she could hardly move.

Gazing upon Pixie, one might never guess that an adorable dog existed beneath it.

Wyandotte Animal Shelter

According to staff at the shelter, Pixie was surrendered by her owner, who, regrettably, had neglected to give her the care and attention she needed — leading to her severely unkempt condition. Ultimately, though, his decision to surrender her is what Pixie needed most.

“He had a hard time letting her go but surrendered her to us so we could ensure she would go to someone who could give her the life she deserved,” the shelter wrote.

With that, Pixie’s world was about to change forever — and it would have to start with a much-needed haircut.

Wyandotte Animal Shelter

Staff at the shelter reached out to The Downriver Grooming Co. for what would be an emergency grooming session to help Pixie escape from her matted prison.

“[They got] her in within minutes of our call, and for [three] hours they spent freeing her from that matted fur,” the shelter wrote.

Wyandotte Animal Shelter

After all was said and done, the real Pixie had emerged.

She was totally unrecognizable from her former self.

Wyandotte Animal Shelter

“This little girl was only 5.5 pounds, but she seemed twice her size due to the matted fur,” the shelter wrote, adding that she was in remarkably good health, despite her ordeal beneath that overgrown coat.

Pixie’s world had changed for the better — but it wouldn’t be long until it improved even more.

Wyandotte Animal Shelter

Within days of Pixie’s transformation, thanks to the kindness of those who’d helped her, the little dog got the second chance she so desperately needed.

“Pixie was adopted,” a spokesperson for the Wyandotte Animal Shelter told The Dodo. “Her new family reports that she is doing very well in her new home.”

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We all need second chances from time to time, humans and dogs.

We humans!

No clear reaction comes to mind.

I came across this post yesterday and thought that it would make a good article for today. But the truth is that I, and I expect many other readers, do not understand the article.

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Employees Heartbroken When They See Someone Tied To ‘Do Not Abandon Animals’ Sign

She waited there 11 hours 💔

By Caitlin Jill Anders, Published on the 11th April, 2024.

Outside the front door of the Harbor Humane Society sits a sign. “Do not abandon an animal here,” the sign reads. “Wait until business hours. No fee for bringing an animal to HHS. For the sake of the animal, please be humane.” An older, outdated version of the same sign sits at the back of the shelter, too, near some picnic tables where employees can take a break. When they arrived at work one morning recently, there were no animals waiting for them out front.

Harbor Humane Society

Sadly, the same could not be said for the sign in the back.

Tied to the base of the “do not abandon animals” sign was a tiny dog who had been abandoned there the night before. Security footage showed the dog, later named Trixie, had been tied to the sign around 9 p.m. and wasn’t found until 7:30 a.m. the next morning, meaning she’d waited there for 11 hours.

Harbor Humane Society

“Our team member was just about to unarm the building (had just arrived to start their morning shift) when she noticed the dog tied to the signpost near our intake door located toward the back side of the shelter,” Jen Nuernberg, director of marketing and strategic initiatives at Harbor Humane Society, told The Dodo. “Initially, she was nervous and scared, barking at her. But once she crouched down and gave her some time, she quickly warmed up and crawled right into her lap. She has been very friendly ever since!”

Harbor Humane Society

Trixie was terrified out there all alone, wondering why she’d ended up there. As soon as she met her rescuer, though, all was well. She was rushed inside and eventually met the rest of the staff members, who were just as heartbroken by the situation. Thankfully, Trixie seemed to be pretty healthy, just a little confused — as was everyone at the shelter.

“When someone abandons an animal without any information, we are just left to guess,” Jen Self Aulgur, executive director at Harbor Humane Society, told The Dodo. “So we can assume she is about 3 to 4 years old, but we don’t know her story, her name, her likes, her favorite treats or toys. This is all information we try to get on animals when they are surrendered to the shelter.”

Harbor Humane Society

The shelter employees are still hoping someone might come forward to give them some information about Trixie before she’s adopted, just to make sure she’s getting the best care possible.

“This pup deserves to have her story and history known,” Self Aulgur said. “We do not want to shame or get you in trouble — we just want to help this poor pup.”

Harbor Humane Society

Trixie is safe now and will be available for adoption in about a week or so. Until then, she’s getting as many kisses and cuddles as the staff can give her while she dreams of her loving forever family.

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Let me add my wishes to the Harbor Humane Society in hoping that very soon Trixie will be adopted by that loving family.

Picture Parade Four Hundred and Twenty-Eight

Back to Unsplash!

Photo by Laula Co on Unsplash

Photo by Vincent van Zalinge on Unsplash

Photo by Karsten Winegeart on Unsplash

Photo by Shayna Douglas on Unsplash

Photo by sippakorn yamkasikorn on Unsplash

Photo by Kinshuk Bose on Unsplash

Until next week!

A dog train, no less!

Looking after their ex-rescue dogs.

This was an article on The Dodo and I thought it should be shared with you because it is a wonderful way of transporting their dogs.

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Couple Builds A ‘Dog Train’ To Take Their Rescue Pups Out On Little Adventures

“They just love it. They absolutely love it.”

By Stephen Messenger Published on the 15th March, 2022.

On Friday evenings, just before sunset, the din of traffic on the roads around Lehigh Acres, Florida, gives way to a sound far more pleasing — the cheerful chorus of happy pups on the move.

It’s at this time, like clockwork, a dog train takes to the streets just to brighten the lives of its furry passengers.

Alice E. Herrick

Alice Johnston and her husband, Paul, moved to Lehigh Acres about eight years ago, after years spent operating an animal rescue shelter in Costa Rica. But they didn’t relocate alone. They also brought along the more than a dozen dogs under their care there — all of whom had been saved from the streets.

Now in the suburbs, the Johnstons decided to get creative.

Alice E. Herrick

“We have so many dogs, of course we couldn’t walk them all or put them in the car to take them for a ride,” Alice Johnston told The Dodo. “So, my husband build a train so that we could take them out, drive around the community. He pulls the train with a lawnmower, and I ride a little scooter behind him to keep an eye on things, to make sure they’re safe.”

The happy gang is a sight to behold.

The idea for the Wonderland Express, as its known, was inspired by a Texas man who built a dog train for his own rescue pups. And the Johnstons’ dogs love it just as much.

“The dogs get so excited. They just love it. They absolutely love it,” Johnston said. “They know it’s Friday better than we do. It’s amazing how they know.”

But the pups aren’t the only ones thrilled about their weekly trips.

“We have people who wait for us every week [to pass by on the street],” Johnston said. “Some people come out and give the dogs treats. They really enjoy it.”

The Johnstons have put all that attention the train gets to some very good use.

“My husband has signs all over the train encouraging people to adopt, and not shop,” Johnston said. “There are so many homeless dogs, and they make wonderful pets. Anything we can do to encourage people to give these dogs a chance, we are happy to do it.”

The Johnstons don’t aim to publicize their Wonderland Express dog train, though they are glad people are happy to see it. For them, it’s all about their dogs’ enjoyment — and spreading the word about the joy of adopting.

“It gives us so much joy to know that dogs are getting a second chance,” Johnston said. “And it really gives us satisfaction knowing we’re giving our dogs a good life.”

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That last image I had real trouble with but I left it in the post just in case when it is published it comes out. But even without that photograph one gets the clear idea of the pleasure the Johnstons give to their dogs.

Perfect!

Picture Parade Four Hundred and Twenty-Six

More dog photos courtesy of Unsplash.

Photo by Vincent van Zalinge

Photo by gotdaflow

Photo by Kieran White

Photo by Kinshuk Bose

Photo by Ja San Miguel

Photo by Taylor Kopel

Photo by Clarke Sanders

Apologies for the re-posting of some of these photos.

I can’t stop thinking about our dogs

They are so precious!

We went to a Humanists garden party on Tuesday afternoon and two other attendees had brought their dogs with them. The dogs were so friendly and gentle, as well as being highly sociable, that the conversation frequently was about dogs.

In a similar vein, on The Dodo yesterday was this:

Dande
Rescue Vizsla mix, 3.5 years old.“Dande was rescued from Waco,Texas, after a hurricane and flooding. She probably got separated from her humans. She was very skittish and afraid of everything when I first rescued her. She has come a long way. She is the most affectionate dog of the four that I have owned. I love her so much!” — her person

In a world which seems so strange at present, thank goodness we have our dogs.

Picture Parade Four Hundred and Twenty-Five

Back to Unsplash.

Photo by Anthony Duran

Photo by Mia Anderson

Photo by Ayelt van Veen

Photo by Samantha Fortney

Photo by Joe Caione

Photo by Celine Sayuri Tagami

Photo by Anna Dudkova

The theme of today’s pictures is dogs playing.

There you are for this Easter Sunday and apologies if there are any duplications.

Dogs!

Just a reminder how special they are.

The first day that Pharaoh was passed across to me. Devon, June 2003.

That was before I met Jean. We met in December 2007 in San Carlos, Mexico. Jean’s husband had died in 2005.

(Believe it or not Jean and I were both born in London some 26 miles apart; albeit I was born a tad before Jean.)

Now the next photo is at our home in Merlin, showing Pharaoh standing in Bummer Creek just above the old dam wall.

I’ll just stand here and watch the goings-on!
Jeannie collecting Oliver

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Jean caressing Brandy

Dogs are so precious, and I am extraordinarily fortunate to have met Jean in 2007, when she had over twenty dogs.

Picture Parade Four Hundred and Twenty-Four

Back to Unsplash!

Photo by Kevin Solbrig on Unsplash

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Photo by Dylan Shaw on Unsplash

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Photo by Anantha Krishnan on Unsplash

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Photo by Sofia Shultz on Unsplash

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Photo by Michael Dziedzic on Unsplash

(And this one is a splitting image of Pharaoh!)

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Photo by Victor Chartin on Unsplash

More next week!

Another beautiful dog story

A story about a dog that was first thought to be dead.

Dear reader,

We had so much going on Wednesday afternoon that I was tempted to give this post a miss. But then I changed my mind considering how beautiful the story is.

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‘Dead’ Dog Abandoned In Amazon Box Turns Out To Be A Total Lovebug

He just needed someone to care.

By Maeve Dunigan, Published on the 7th March. 

Earlier this year, on a sunny day in Pennsylvania, a woman stepped out onto her porch and found a horrifying package. Lying in an open cardboard box was a fluffy white dog — and he wasn’t moving.

Alarmed, the woman quickly called her daughter, who works for Speranza Animal Rescue.

“[M]y mom called me in a panic because she found a ‘dead’ dog dropped on her porch in an Amazon box,” the rescue wrote in a Facebook post about the event. “Turns out this boy wasn’t dead, he was just unconscious.”

FACEBOOK/SPERANZA ANIMAL RESCUE

When rescuers arrived, they were heartbroken to realize the pup was barely a year old. His pupils were cloudy, and he suffered from seizures. Rescuers moved the sick dog, later named G.I. Joe, into veterinary care, where he began receiving necessary treatment.

FACEBOOK/SPERANZA ANIMAL RESCUE

Within days, G.I. Joe’s gentle spirit began returning. He moved in with Karen Spangler, an experienced foster mom, and made friends with his new dog siblings. Though she immediately loved G.I. Joe, Spangler initially insisted that the situation would only be temporary.

“I didn’t want another permanent dog to add to my family,” Spangler told The Dodo. “I told multiple family and friends I would not become a foster fail.”

FACEBOOK/SPERANZA ANIMAL RESCUE

But as the weeks went on, Spangler realized G.I. Joe, or “Joey,” as she calls him, was too special to let go. The curious, quiet rescue pup had already bonded with her grandchildren and with her other two dogs. Spangler adored G.I. Joe, and she wanted him to feel safe and secure.

“I could not put him through another change,” Spangler said. “That was it. I became a foster fail.”

KAREN SPANGLER

These days, Spangler can’t imagine her life without G.I. Joe. Her new pup has already proven to be a great influence on her other dogs, encouraging them to play and exercise. Spangler looks forward to G.I. Joe’s continued training and hopes to walk him on neighborhood country roads soon.

“They always say things happen for a reason, and this is so true,” Spangler said. “My family needed Joey. Never in a million years did I think he would turn out to be so sweet and smart. [I]m looking forward to seeing where he takes us.”

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Karen Spangler is a very kind soul and clearly loves dogs. Congratulations to her and to the Speranza Animal Rescue. Finally, many thanks to Maeve Dunigan for writing the story.