Are You FOR the Animals?

 

Hi again.

There is a lot I’d like to share with you this week, so there have been many posts.

I am going to get straight to it then.

Over the past week or so Irwins Animal Rescue Centre has been in the news. i don’t particularly want to get into the arguments going on between those in welfare as i believe that what people feel and think is irrelevant, unless what they are saying is shed in a positive light for the animals concerned.

That being said i would like to get you informed on the task at hand.

I received this email last night from someone who had been to the centre herself.

Please read it with an open heart with the animals in mind, and then I will tell you a little bit more about how you can help.

Dear All,
There has been a lot of publicity lately regarding the Irwins Animal Rescue Centre.  I was there yesterday, after receiving an email advising that the centre was opening their gates to the public as part of a rehoming campaign undertaken by a group of volunteers.

 

As I understand the situation, they have a deadline pending the outcome of a court case against the owner, to drastically reduce the number of animals at the shelter by 10 March 2012.  Should the case be finalised, the relevant authorities will decide on the fate of the remaining animals which is unlikely to be positive.

The volunteers that I met are a wonderful group of dedicated people, with the animals' best interests at heart.  I know there has been much negativity, but I would like to appeal to all animal lovers not to criticise what may have happened in the past - whatever has taken place, no matter whether we agree or disagree - it is the PAST.  We need to focus now on trying to get as many animals rehomed as possible by the deadline.
It is not all doom and gloom when you visit the centre - I would say comfortably that around 95% of all the dogs were interested in the people who came to see them and freely came up to the cages to be petted and enjoy the attention.

Although the enclosures are not fancy, they were neat and clean with shade cloth and kennels in each of them providing good shelter.  There was food in the bowls (I was there at feeding time), and as can be seen from the pictures, the water bowls were clean and full.  None of the dogs were thin, in fact some were a bit chubby!  There is such a variety of dogs available that there would be a dog to suit anyone's needs and lifestyle.

Please open your heart and send this appeal to anyone whom you know will not mind receiving this email.  Strict adoption procedures will be followed with home checks being carried out by people with relevant experience.  All animals leaving the shelter will be sterilised, vaccinated, dewormed and treated for ticks and fleas.  An adoption fee will also apply to cover these costs.  If you or someone you trust, can offer a loving, forever home to these very special dogs, please contact Allison on 083 269 9102 for further information. 

They will be hosting adoption days every Sunday from 10h00 to around 16h00 - come and visit the animals, and offer your support.  They are also in need of additional shadecloth, and labour to clear some stony areas.  Any other donations whether food, cash, collars, etc. would be greatly appreciated.

Regards,
Helen Taylor

As you can see in Helen’s letter, there is an open day every Sunday at the rescue centre.

Besides that there is a Facebook page set up called “Irwins Angels”. The main function of this page is to show case the adoptable animals at the centre. Adoption forms will be available at the centre on Sunday open days. The amazing Emma O Brien has been round to the centre and has taken some photos of the doggies which are now posted on the page.
A group of volunteers have organised some shampoo and sponges to be collected and they will be bathing and dipping the doggies on Sunday. This will all be happening on Sunday 26 February from 10h00-16h00.

NOTE: The Address for Irwins is Plot 25,... 7th road, Walkers Fruit Farms, Walkerville. There aren't any signs except for a rock with IRWINS painted on it in white. Turn left into South and then take the second dirt road on your right - which is 7th road. Irwins is right at the top of the road, on the left! 

There is also a food drive on the go, organised by Linsey. This drive has been organised to keep the flow of food for the doggies coming in.
it is unfortunate but sponsors usually pull out when negative publicity surrounds a centre and the ones who end up suffering are the animals.
If you would like to contribute to helping the Irwins animals this is how you can do it:

You can either donate to linsey’s food drive:

please put the ref as IRWINS
L Rautenbach, FNB, ACC NO: 62066091556 BRANCH: SELCOURT

or you can take some food and treats, toys, collars, hoofs etc through to the centre on Sunday.

If you have any bright ideas on how to help this Rescue centre or help one in your area, comment here.
(the simplest way of commenting is by clicking anonymous but you can use one of the various profiles suggested)

I would love to hear from you.

Have a super day further.

Di

xx

Just 1 litter

 

Hi Everyone,

This is a very long email I received this week but it is VITAL that you read every word written and understand it.

I will not say more than that as I understand every word and see the value of sharing it far and wide.

Please share this! Put it on your social network profiles, email it. Do what you can to spread the word.

Please don’t copy and paste as the person reading may be educated by another article posted here. It is VITAL that we educate so people understand the issue at hand.

if you don't believe it, go to my facebook page and see how many animals are placed daily for adoption… and that isnt ALL of them!!! it is only the tip of the ice berg!

“You want your dog or cat to have just one litter for your children to witness the miracle of birth? Then you should be prepared to complete their education by allowing them to witness the miracle of death in the backroom of a shelter” ~ BAT

IN A PERFECT WORLD EVERY DOG WOULD HAVE A HOME AND EVERY HOME WOULD HAVE A DOG"~unknown"

This means that there are 45 cats and dogs born for every person"

Did you know... :

• 1 out of 10 dogs born ever get a home

• 1 out of 12 cats born ever find a home

• 2-3 millions pets are euthansed in the United States alone because people won't stop breeding

When you get yourself that cute puppy or kitten and decide to have just 1 litter - do u actually realize that you are bringing an estimated 67 000 puppies and 420 000 kittens into this world?

Apart from that for every puppy or kitten that you sell you are responsible for a shelter animal loosing it's life just because you chose to breed!

People need to start understanding how serious this problem is and how out of hand it is getting! People need a SERIOUS wake up call and need to start realizing that this is not about offending anyone, this is about educating people who are breeding until it sinks in, because quite plain and simply, you have absolutely no idea what a complete stuff up you are causing by breeding with your animals!!

I work in animal welfare myself, in fact I have even been told by my family that my life revolves around it! I get to see and deal with 100-200 emails a day and none of them are pretty! Every single one is cats and dogs needing loving homes, and its always the same old thing, Unwanted, breeding, immigration, moving into non pet friendly houses, you name it. All my fosters that I have hand reared and brought up were innocent puppies that had been born from people who couldn't be bothered to spay their female dogs.

Chiquita - you all know my dog

Chiquita - she was a foster - abdandoned in a township, another lot of puppies that I fostered were literally dumped on my doorstep to become my problem and my very recent foster dog Angel was wired to a tree and beaten, kicked and starved!!!

So forgive me if a person comes to tell me they are going to breed and I get a bit ratty about it!

Those of you who don't work in this field have absolutely no idea what it is like for us who do and you have no idea how difficult you make our job sometimes just because of your greed and irresponsibility

The bottom line is you are being selfish if you are breeding, and before you come and wave a finger in my face, I have been doing this a LONG time and think I may just know a little about what I am going to talk about here!!! If you want to breed, come with me, for just one day to one of the animal shelters and I promise you, your mind will be changed in 2 seconds flat!! I will say this again, if you are breeding, you have no idea what damage you are causing!

Some of the most ridiculous excuses for breeding that I have heard was "I wanted my child to witness an animals birth" Well guess what? I never witnessed one and I turned out pretty okay!!! Another favourite of mine is "they just so cute, we had to breed" PATHETIC!!!! but my most favourite and most used excuse of all time is "It wasn't supposed to happen" PEOPLE!!!!!! What the hell did you expect to happen? They are animals for goodness sake!! When a female goes into heat, the male will be attracted!!!!!!!!!

STOP WITH THE EXCUSES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you want pets, you need to start understanding that they have certain needs and requirements and if they breed, it is YOUR FAULT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In my experience with working in the animal industry, I have found that most of the time, people who choose to breed have absolutely no clue what they are doing and think they will find good homes for the puppies or kittens they have bred with, but in short, what is a good home? In many of these cases, because people that are having just "1 litter" have no experience when it comes to choosing the correct family and think that any old home where food, water and shelter are provided is more than enough for qualifying as a 'good' home

Well I have news for all of you who want to have just 1 litter!!!! First of all, breeding is not profitable and quite honestly it is just disgusting that you want to sell innocent animals for money. Most of the time, females have to be rushed in for emergency caesarians because the inexperienced twit of an owner who has bred with them have no clue what they are even doing! I know someone who bred a huge male with a tiny female and then wonders why the female nearly died during birth!!

What these backyard 'breeders' cannot get through their heads is that their idea of a 'good' home is not enough!!! You have to interveiw the puppy or kitten buyer's, you have to do homechecks, you have to put sterilization contracts in place, you have to ensure that the animal will be made part of the family - the list goes on......

In short - you are bound to those babies for life!!!! I am still in contact with people who adopted some puppies that I hand reared and I have had the pleasure of seeing them all big and grown up now! I warn all people that adopt my fosters - you are stuck to me for life!!! And if you don't like it - tough!!!!

AND THIS IS WHY WE IN ANIMAL WELFARE GET SO ANGRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Because this is not being done!!!!!!!!!!

 

When I just out of interest called a breeder pretending that I wanted to buy one of her puppies, I actually asked her if she would need to come and evaluate my home and if I must spay the puppy - her reply was " when you have paid me, it is your puppy to do with what you want" I was speechless to say the least - Does this woman have any idea how irresponsible she is being?? Actually when I look back now, I think she does know, but couldn't give a damn!! In my line of work, I get to see a lot of people who buy puppies from breeders and I always ask them about the breeder that they bought from. Do you know that I have come across exactly 1 breeder that actually follows correct protocol?
1 breeder - that is shocking and scary! It is plain and simply sick and revolting! What I'm trying to say is that when you have your 1 litter and sell your 5 puppies or kittens, I can guarentee that with 1 of those babies that you sell, the supposed 'good' home will also decide that they want to have just 1 litter. Then they sell that litter of babies, and then those people who buy them also decide to have just 1 litter.

Do u see where I'm going with this? It's never just 1 litter!!!!! The vicious breeding cycle just continues and continues!

Please read this and think about what I am saying to you! It is not worth it!!!!

Please stop leaving us (animal welfare) to clean up your mess!!! Just stop - please.

Enjoy your pets as companions and furry children. Please stop exploiting them for money.

Stop using them as breeding machines - Please stop!!!!!!

Please be part of the solution, not the problem

Help us to educate/ convince others to neuter and spay. It is the biggest present you can give a pet!

Thank you all for taking the time to read this and my biggest hope for this email is that I manage to change just one persons mind with breeding!!!

The Rainbow Bridge

 

This is one of the most awesome stories. Its a must read for each and every pet owner… enjoy…

 

The story tells of a green meadow located "this side of Heaven" (i.e., before one enters into it). Rainbow Bridge is both the name of the meadow and an adjoining bridge connecting it to Heaven.

According to the story, when a pet dies it goes to the meadow, having its body cured of any illnesses, frailties and/or injuries. The pet runs around and plays with other pets, missing only one thing – the love and companionship of its owner, who is still alive on Earth.

Upon the pet owner's death, on his/her journey toward Heaven s/he crosses the meadow. While doing so, the pet (along with any other pets the owner had while on Earth) spots its owner and runs to greet him/her. Reunited, the pet(s) and owner cross the Rainbow Bridge together into Heaven, never again to be parted

Rescuer at the Bridge

Unlike most days at Rainbow Bridge, this day dawned cold and grey, damp as a swamp and as dismal as could be imagined. All the recent arrivals were confused and concerned. They had no idea what to think for they had never experienced a day like this before. But the animals who had spent some time waiting for their beloved people knew exactly what was happening and began to gather at the pathway leading to the Bridge to watch. They knew this was something special.

It wasn't too long before an elderly animal came into view, head hung heavy and low with tail dragging along the ground. The other animals on the pathway...the ones who had been at Rainbow Bridge for a while...knew the story of this sad creature immediately. They had seen it happen far too many times.

Although it was obvious the animal's heart was leaden and he was totally overcome with emotional pain and hurt, there was no sign of injury or any illness. Unlike the pets waiting at the Bridge, this dog had not been restored to his prime. He was full of neither health nor vigour. He approached slowly and painfully, watching all the pets who were by now watching him. He knew he was out of place here. This was no resting place for him. He felt instinctively that the sooner he could cross over, the happier he would be. But alas, as he came closer to the Bridge, his way was barred by the appearance of an Angel who spoke softly to the old dog and apologized sorrowfully, telling him that he would not be able to pass. Only those animals who were with their special people could pass over the Rainbow Bridge. And he had no special beloved people...not here at the Bridge nor on Earth below.

With no place else to turn, the poor elderly dog looked toward the fields before the Bridge. There, in a separate area nearby, he spotted a group of other sad-eyed animals like himself...elderly and infirm. Unlike the pets waiting for their special people, these animals weren't playing, but simply lying on the green grass, forlornly and miserably staring out at the pathway leading to the Bridge. The recent arrival knew he had no choice but to join them. And so, he took his place among them, just watching the pathway and waiting.

One of the newest arrivals at the Bridge, who was waiting for his special people, could not understand what he had just witnessed and asked one of the pets who had been there for some time to explain it to him.

"That poor dog was a rescue, sent to the pound when his owner grew tired of him. The way you see him now, with greying fur and sad, cloudy eyes, was exactly the way he was when he was put into the kennels. He never, ever made it out and passed on only with the love and comfort that the kennel workers could give him as he left his miserable and unloved existence on Earth for good. Because he had no family or special person to give his love, he has nobody to escort him across the Bridge."

The first animal thought about this for a minute and then asked, "So what will happen now?"

As he was about to receive his answer, the clouds suddenly parted and the all-invasive gloom lifted. Coming toward the Bridge could be seen a single figure...a person who, on Earth, had seemed quite ordinary...a person who, just like the elderly dog, had just left Earth forever. This figure turned toward a group of the sad animals and extended outstretched palms. The sweetest sounds they had ever heard echoed gently above them and all were bathed in a pure and golden light. Instantly, each was young and healthy again, just as they had been in the prime of life.

From within the gathering of pets waiting for their special people, a group of animals emerged and moved toward the pathway. As they came close to the passing figure, each bowed low and each received a tender pat on the head or a scratch behind the ears. Their eyes grew even brighter as the figure softly murmured each name. Then, the newly-restored pets fell into line behind the figure and quietly followed this person to the Bridge, where they all crossed together.

The recent arrival who had been watching, was amazed. "What happened?"

"That was a rescuer," came the answer. "That person spent a lifetime trying to help pets of all kinds. The ones you saw bowing in respect were those who found new homes because of such unselfish work. They will cross when their families arrive. Those you saw restored were ones who never found homes. When a rescuer arrives, they are permitted to perform one, final act of rescue. They are allowed to escort those poor pets that couldn't be placed on Earth across the Rainbow Bridge. You see, all animals are special to them...just as they are special to all animals."

"I think I like rescuers," said the recent arrival.

"So does God," was the reply.

--Author Unknown--

Fork In The Road

 

Marriage or Relationship?

If you want someone who will eat whatever you put in front of him..

Then adopt a dog.

 

If you want someone always willing to go out, at any hour..

Then adopt a dog

 

If you want someone who will never touch the remote,and can sit next to you as you watch romantic movies....

then adopt a dog.

 

If you want someone who is content to get on your bed just to warm your feet and whom you can push off if he snores..

then adopt a dog !

 

If you want someone who never criticizes what you do, doesn't care if you are pretty or ugly, fat or thin, young or old, who acts as if every word you say is especially worthy of listening to, and loves you unconditionally....

then adopt a dog.

 

BUT, on the other hand, if you want someone who will never come when you call, ignores you totally when you come home, leaves hair all over the place, walks all over you, runs around all night and only comes home to eat and sleep, and acts as if your entire existence is solely to ensure his happiness.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

then adopt a cat!

You thought I was gonna say... Marry a man, didn't you?

No, not at all!!!

I AM SAYING PAWLEEEEEZE COME TO CLAW & ADOPT ONE OF OUR GORGEOUS FURBABES

WILL U SEND ON THIS EMAIL & HELP US TO HOME THEM?

Each animal that is featured

in this email is available for adoption

CALL: JENNIFER 072 642 0850

www.claw-sa.org

DONATIONS ARE MOST WELCOME!!!!

Acc name: CLAW

Account number: 190 512 5232

Bank: Nedbank, Florida Branch Code: 190541

CLAW relies heavily on donations of:

-Pet food-Leads and collars

-Dog and cat feeding and water bowls

-Kennels

-Pet carriers and cages

-Kitty litter

-Veterinary supplies & medication

-Blankets and towels

-Cleaning supplies (rubbish bags, mops, brooms, bleach, hand soap, laundry soap)

-Buckets

-Dry dog food & cat food (we are REALLY low!)

-Canned dog, cat and puppy food

-Shelving unit for cat room

-Heaters for winter

-Fans for summer

-Newspapers

PS…..

'Hear our humble prayer, O God, for our friends the animals. Thy mercy & pity, & for those who deal with them we ask a hear of compassion & gentle hands & kindly words. Make us, ourselves, to be true friends to animals, & so to share the blessings of the merciful.'

A Loan From God

 

I came across this stunning poem and thought I’d share it with you.

A loan from God

 

God promised at birth of time,

A special friend to give,

His time on earth is short, he said,

So love him while he lives.

 

It may be for eight or ten years,

Or only two or three,

But will you, till I call him back,

Take care of him for me?

 

A wagging tail and cold wet nose,

And silken velvet ears,

A heart as big as all outdoors,

To love you through the years.

 

His puppy ways will gladden you,

And antics bring a smile,

As guardian or friend, he will,

Be loyal all the while,

 

He’ll bring his charms to grace your life

And though his stay be brief,

When he’s gone the memories,

Are solace for your grief,

 

I cannot promise he will stay,

Since all from earth return,

But lessons only a dog can teach,

I want you each to learn.

 

I’ve looked the whole world over,

In search of guardians true,

And from the folk that crowd life’s land,

I have chosen you.

 

Whatever love you give to him,

Returns in triple measure,

Follow his lead and gain a life,

Brim full of simple pleasures.

 

Enjoy each day as it comes,

Allow your heart to guide,

Be loyal and steadfast in love,

As the dog there by your side.

 

Now will you give him all your love,

Nor think a labour vain,

Nor hate me when I come to call,

To take him back again?

 

I fancy each of us would say,

Dear Lord, thy will be done,

For all the joys this dog shall bring,

The risk of grief we’ll run.

 

We’ll shelter him with tenderness,

We’ll love him while we may,

And for the happiness we’ve known,

Forever grateful stay.

 

But should the Angels call for him,

Much sooner than we’ve planned,

We’ll brave the bitter grief that comes,

And try to understand.

 

If by our love we’ve managed,

Gods wishes to achieve,

In memory of him that we have loved,

And to help us while we grieve;

 

When our faithful bundle departs,

This earthly world of strife,

We’ll get yet another pup,

And love him all his life.

By Author Unknown

Beauty in the “Beast”

Each of the pets I’ve ever had has their own story.

In this post my aim is to try and dispel some myths and try to turn you over to adopting a pet rather than buying one. To me preventing an animal from ending up in a shelter in the first place is a route that people wanting pets should also think about.

Never just decide that because you’ve heard that a certain breed of dog is dangerous that they actually are.
“So-called” dangerous dogs can come from the worst conditions and still end up being the most loving family pets with a little bit of love.

Our family were blessed to witness a truly beautiful transformation.
We brought a Rottie home that had been used in the concrete dam fighting rings. What these dogs endure in their short lives is nothing short of horrific.

To make this gentle soul more vicious and angry, these ‘morons’ would burn him behind the ears with cigarettes and cut his hind legs and testicles with razor blades.

It was hard to look at this poor Rottie and imagine the torture he went through with every fight. His paw pads were raw from having to fight on the rough concrete floor, so walking was difficult. His body was sore from the cutting and completely inhumane ways of the world of dog fighting. Then he had his battle wounds and scars.
We literally rescued him from the euthanasia needle. It was believed that he would be too vicious to be adopted.

We brought him home, nursed his wounds and gave him the love he deserved. Instead of being the monster he was thought to be he became our protector and play mate.

He would bounce up and down in a playful way, he loved fetching tennis balls, and ensured you were soaked with a good shake after a bath.

My brother was only two when we rescued Turbo. One day while my mom was in the kitchen washing dishes she saw my brother’s head pass the kitchen window. She darted outside when she realised that he was still too short for her to see any part of him through the high window. To her surprise Turbo had decided that he was a good horse.

During his remaining years he became husband to my Dobermann Racy. He also became a father when we rescued his white son, Rocky (a Samoyed).

Turbo lived on to the ripe old age of 12.

I strongly believe that any animal - no matter how abusive their back ground was - will thrive in a loving, affectionate environment.

If you are thinking of adopting, don’t turn away an entire breed, you may be losing out on very special moments…

Doggy Style…

Beware of the Dog


Upon entering a small country store, a stranger noticed a sign saying DANGER! BEWARE OF DOG! posted on the glass door. Inside a harmless old hound dog was asleep on the floor besides the cash register.
He asked the store manager, "Is that the dog folks are supposed to beware of?"
"Yep, that's him," he replied.
The amused stranger inquired, "That certainly doesn't look like a dangerous dog to me. Why in the world would you post that sign?"
The owner responded, "Because, before I posted that sign, people kept tripping over him."


            


Dog Farts

A young man was delighted to finally be asked home to meet the parents of the young woman he'd been seeing for some time. He was quite nervous about the meeting, though, and by the time he arrived punctually at the doorstep he was in a state of gastric distress.
The problem developed into one of acute flatulence, and halfway through the dinner the young man realized he couldn't hold it in one second longer without exploding. A tiny fart escaped.
"SPOT!" called out the young woman's mother to the family dog, lying at the young man's feet.
Relieved at the dog's having been blamed, the young man let another, slightly larger one go. "Spot!" she called out sharply. "I've got it made," thought the fellow to himself. One more and I'll feel fine. So he let loose a really big one.
"Spot!" shrieked the mother. "Get over here before he shits on you!"


 


The Eukanuba Diet

I was buying a large bag of Eukanuba dog food at my vet and
standing in a queue at the check-out. A woman behind me asked if I
had a dog.
On impulse, I told her no, I was starting the Eukanuba Diet again,
although I probably shouldn't because I'd ended up in hospital last
time, but that I'd lost 22 kilos before I awoke in an intensive care
unit with tubes coming out of most of my orifices and IVs in both
arms.
I told her that it was essentially a perfect diet and that all you do
is load your pockets with Eukanuba nuggets and simply eat one or two
every time you feel hungry. And I told her that the food is
nutritionally complete so I was going to try it again. I have to
mention here that by now, practically everyone in the queue was
enthralled with my story, particularly a guy who was behind her.
Horrified, she asked if I'd ended up in hospital in that condition
because I'd been poisoned. I told her no; it was because I'd been
sitting in the street licking my balls and a car hit me.
I thought one guy was going to have a heart attack, he was laughing so
hard as he staggered out the door.
Stupid cow... why else would I buy dog food?