Sunday, June 13, 2010

IT'S A DOG'S WORLD CUP

In honor of the 2010 FIFA World Cup tournament, currently being held in South Africa, Continental Soccer World, a U.K.-based website for soccer fans offered up the following World Cup canine connection...

"The whole of England was getting ready for the 1966 FIFA World Cup on home soil. Then all of the sudden the FIFA World Cup trophy, the Couple Jules Rimet, disappeared. At a stamp exhibition in London. A case for Scotland Yard.

The theft led the English Football Association (FA) to becoming the laughing stock of the whole world for a few weeks. There was a ransom demand of 15,000 pounds. But was it attempted extortion? Not at all!

Fearing they would have to make a replacement trophy, the English then had all the luck of efficient organisers. A week after the robbery, on Sunday, 27 March 1966 to be exact, the barge worker Dave Corbett went out for a walk with his dog "Pickles" in south London. Suddenly the dog disappeared. Shortly after the master and his dog had left the house, Pickles began sniffing around amongst the bushes in the vicinity. Corbett firstly found his dog again and then came across a piece of metal wrapped up in newspaper. It was the Golden Goddess, the Coupe Jules Rimet, the stolen FIFA World Cup trophy. Little Pickles duly became, to all intents and purposes, a national hero. As a reward Pickles and his owner were invited to the celebration dinner after England's win and it is said that the dog licked the plates clean.


(RSQ soccer fans can go to www.contisoccerworld.com for the latest World Cup results.)

Pawnote: Pickles has been described as a "black and white mongrel dog" of high intelligence. To find your own "black and white mongrel dog" please go to www.petfinder.com

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Friday, June 11, 2010

RSQ WANTS TO GIVE A BARK-OUT TO...

Riverside County Department of Animal Services Officer Jessica Leitz-Lightfeldt for tying a rope around her waist and wading into a freezing catch basin in Hemet, California in order to save a small dog.

(FROM KTLA NEWS
4:15 AM PDT, April 1, 2010)


HEMET -- An animal services officer rescued a small dog stranded in the middle of a catch basin in Hemet.

The little Maltese mix was stuck on a small island in the middle of a catch basin near a Winco supermarket, says John Welsh of the Riverside County Department of Animal Services.

"We kept calling it," Officer Jessica Leitz-Lightfeldt said.


"But it wouldn't come. Then he started putting his head down in the water and that's when I knew I had to go in."

Officer Leitz-Lighfeldt wadded out into the catch basin, unaware of how deep the water was.

She had a rope tied around her and Lt. John Stephens held the other end on the shore of the muddy catch basin, says Welsh.

"The farther I went out there, the muddier it got," Officer Leitz-Lighfeldt said.

"It felt like I was being sucked in. I'm glad I had that rope around me."

Once Officer Leitz-Lightfoot brought the dog to shore, he was rushed to the Animal Medical Center in San Jacinto.

(RESQAK9 sends another bark-out to KTLA News for filing this report and to KTLA.com for covering this story.)

IT'S A DOG'S WORLD, ER, UNIVERSE

"By ethical conduct toward all creatures, we enter into a spiritual relationship with the universe."
--A. Schweitzer

Thursday, June 10, 2010

PUP RALLY FOR RSQ

PURINA® PRO PLAN® RALLY TO RESCUE® ASKS AMERICA TO VOTE FOR THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY PET RESCUE SURVIVAL STORY
Doing More™ for Pets Rescue Stories Contest Shines Spotlight on Pet Adoption and Goal of Finding Homes for 400,000 Deserving Pets by the End of 2010
St. Louis (June 7, 2010) /PRNewswire/ — Many pet rescue stories tug at our heart strings and show the unique bond between pets and their owners. Ten such stories represent some “paw”-inspiring tales of lovable canines that make up the finalists in the 2010 Purina® Pro Plan® Rally to Rescue® Doing More™ for Pets Rescue Stories Contest. Now, America has the chance to vote for the most remarkable story and help choose the winner.

The rescue organization Ambassador, rescue pet and owner featured in the winning story will be awarded with a trip to the National Dog Show presented by Purina® in Philadelphia in November. The winning pet rescue organization will also receive $5,000 in Purina® Pro Plan® brand pet food coupons.

This nationwide contest promotes the amazing but often untold stories of pet rescue and raises awareness about its importance. Doing More™ for Pets honors rescue pets that have overcome great odds to survive and thrive under harrowing circumstances, thanks to the incredible hard work and dedication of small pet rescue organizations. Nearly 100 stories were submitted, and a judging panel selected the 10 most inspiring success stories as finalists.

Through October 1, pet lovers across the country can visit www.rallytorescue.org to view the 10 finalist pet rescue stories and help make one canine the top dog with their vote.The contest winner will be determined by a combination of a popular vote and judges’ scores.

“These 10 stories are truly inspiring and pull on the heart strings of the pet lover in all of us,” said Heather Gettys, senior brand manager for Purina® Pro Plan®. “We’re proud to help shine the light on these special pets and the amazing people who rescued them.

Doing More for Pets Rescue Stories Contest Finalists
Pets honored as the 10 finalists in the Purina® Pro Plan® Doing More™ for Pets Rescue Stories Contest include:

Asher, submitted by Tennessee Valley Golden Retriever Rescue (Knoxville, TN)
The transformation from sick and fragile to gorgeous and loving has made Asher the golden retriever’s life with his new family more meaningful then they could have ever imagined.
Bubbles, submitted by Raining Cats N Dogs (Redding, CA)
After intensive surgery and endless care and attention, a sick six-week-old puppy, weighing only six pounds and starving, soon found health, happiness and a wonderful home to call her own.
Buddy, submitted by Border Collies In Need, Inc. (Phelan, CA)
Found severely mauled when he was used as a bait dog for competitive dog fighting, Buddy is now thriving. In fact, the gratefulness of this once-mistreated Border Collie has inspired others to realize that no matter what life hands you, a good heart will always overcome the bad.
JoJo, submitted by From the Heart Rescue (Canutillo, TX)
Once abandoned with a broken leg, this courageous dog now uses her own journey through life to inspire humans recovering from orthopedic injuries as a service dog.
Kaylene, submitted by Husky Haven (Houston)
Within the first few months of her life, a petite Siberian husky puppy went from being abused and abandoned on the side of a road to finding a forever home with her new best friend through the help of a devoted pet rescue organization.
Kobe, submitted by Dalmatian Rescue North Texas (Dallas)
Hit by a car, stranded, starving and left to fend for themselves on the side of the road, a Dalmatian mother and her pup are now strong on their road to recovery, and hopeful about finding a forever home.
Leopold, submitted by Great Lakes Weimaraner Rescue (Gary, IN)
After being rescued from a cold, lonely shelter, an injured yet hopeful Weimaraner had to give a little in order to gain a lot. An injury forced veterinarians to amputate his leg but he now has a loving family and a future thanks to many strangers who helped along the way.
Ollie, submitted by Animal Guardians of America (Plano, TX)
When it seemed that no one could keep up with the high-energy needs of a dog named Ollie and foster homes with other dogs weren’t working, fate brought in someone who was just his speed.
Ten, submitted by Alabama Pug Rescue and Adoption, Inc. (Birmingham, AL)
Found starving and severely malnourished, a spirited pug’s life was threatened by an infection. But thanks to dedicated rescue workers, each day was a milestone and today he has exceeded all expectations and is a true perfect “Ten.”
Wishbone, submitted by PupeLuv Rescue, Inc. (Waterford Township, MI)
When a kind soul was encountered by an abused, malnourished dog, his outreach to those who cared meant a new chance at a healthy life and a loving, forever home for this lucky dog.
About Pro Plan® Rally to Rescue®
Smaller pet rescue organizations help place nearly half a million dogs and cats in homes each year and represent nearly 45 percent of all pet adoption agencies. However, they are often overlooked by potential donors due to more limited fundraising and marketing resources.

The Purina® Pro Plan® Rally to Rescue® campaign is committed to Doing More™ to help pet rescue organizations nationwide raise funds and awareness via local adoption events. The program helps pet rescue organizations give rescue pets the nutrition and care they need and the loving homes they deserve. To help raise awareness and promote adoption, Rally to Rescue® Ambassadors host adoption and fundraising events at pet retailers across the country and sell Doing More™ for Pets T-shirts onsite, online at www.rallytorescue.org and at Rally Across America events this summer and fall.

About Pro Plan® Rally Across America
Encouraging pet lovers to Do More™ for rescue pets and the organizations that care for them – by adopting, volunteering and giving – is the focus of the fourth annual Purina® Pro Plan® Rally Across America national road tour. This year, the tour has set a goal of 400,000 pet adoptions by year end, building on the current total of more than 320,000 adoptions since the Rally to Rescue® program inception in 2005. The tour also encourages pet lovers to contact local organizations and offer to help rescue pets by volunteering a few hours or by giving pet care items or a monetary donation, both of which provide valuable help.

In addition, event goers can receive training tips from Purina® Pro Plan® trainer Melissa Heeter with her rescue dog Viola. Heeter provides training techniques customized to pets’ varied and unique personalities. Pet owners can use these techniques at home with their own pets or their newest four-legged friend.

“When looking for a furry addition to their family, some potential pet owners may feel reluctant about adopting rescue pets out of concern they were given up because of behavioral problems or because they may have been abused,” Heeter said. “But that’s not the case with many rescue pets and the truth is, just like any other pet, they can be a loving, wonderful, life-long companion. Often it just takes a little training and patience for rescue pets to feel more at ease with their new environment.”

To find a pet rescue event near you, view the complete stories and vote in the Doing More™ for Pets Rescue Stories Contest, or to apply to become a Rally to Rescue® Ambassador, visit www.rallytorescue.org or www.facebook.com/rallytorescue.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

FURBALLS AND DUSTBUNNIES: SECRET WEAPONS IN GULF OIL SPILL

Many of The Bark magazine's enthusiasts follow regular contributor Lisa Wogan, and in the May 6 issue, Lisa writes about the Gulf oil spill and how we can help:

"Every day news of the expanding oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico gets worse. Hundreds of thousands of gallons of oil gush into bio-rich waters. Looking at satellite images and reading the stories, it’s easy to feel helpless. But there is a unique opportunity for pet owners to help out. The nonprofit charity Matter of Trust is facilitating donations of clean pet fur, mostly from groomers—as well as human hair, mostly from salons—which are woven into hair mats that are extremely effective at soaking up oil or stuffed into donated nylons to create oil containment booms for the Gulf clean up. Matter of Trust estimates that one pound of dog hair can soak up one quart of oil in one minute! I have a new respect for my dogs' furballs.

We learned about this ingenious reuse program from two participants: Pet Paradise Resort, a Jacksonville, Fla.-based pet boarding, daycare and grooming operation, with 13 locations including several along the Gulf Coast; and Camp Bow Wow, a boarding and daycare operation with more than 200 franchisees in the U.S. and Canada. Both organizations are collecting and donating hair and fur to the effort, which won’t end with this spill. There are an estimated 2,600 oil spills each year."


(Check out http://www.matteroftrust.org/ for more information on how to contribute furballs and dustbunnies. Lisa Wogan's most recent book, "Dog Park Wisdom: Real World Advice on Choosing, Caring For and Understanding Your Canine Companion" is available at Amazon.com )


RSQ'S REVIEW: FIVE PAWS TO THE BARK MAGAZINE

The Bark Magazine is a valuable source of information about your four-legged friends. For those who are housebroken and no longer use paper, The Bark online (www.thebark.com) is a must-read and offers up regular contests and opportunities to show off your canine companions and writing skills. Send The Bark photos of your dog with a brief description to: editor@thebark.com and winners online will receive a subscription (new or renewal) to The Bark magazine. Winners in the magazine will receive a subscription plus a "Dog Is My Co-Pilot" t-shirt. Adventurous typists can try out The Bark's new interactive digital editions.

DARYL'S DOGUMENTARY

RSQ humanitarian Daryl Roth has co-produced a new movie and Bloomberg News was on the scent...

By Bloomberg
Thursday, June 3, 2010

NEW YORK -- The elevator opens on Daryl Roth's Park Avenue apartment to the barking of what sound like hungry German shepherds.

Roth emerges carrying a compact, furry loewchen. A second one ambles by her feet.

"They think they're guard dogs," she said with a laugh, introducing 18-year-old Leo and Lucy, 12.

The two appear in Roth's Playbill biography for the dozens of plays she has produced -- including "Proof," "Wit" and the current off-Broadway hit "Love, Loss and What I Wore." She also had their names affixed to a Central Park bench, a tax-deductible tribute benefiting the Central Park Conservancy.

Roth, 65, recently co-produced a 50-minute documentary, "My Dog: An Unconditional Love Story." Richard Gere, Glenn Close, designer Isaac Mizrahi and about 20 other stars of various fields describe what Richard Belzer in the film calls "this incredible interspecies bond that I don't think has been matched in all of human history." In Roth's library, Lucy reclines on a blue swivel chair and Leo, blind and deaf, twirls in circles. The producer, who has two adult children and four grandkids, says her love of dogs dates to her childhood in Wayne, N.J.

"We had collies," she said. "I relate to dogs. I feel there's a human quality about them, a knowingness. They connect us to something greater than ourselves." Her husband, Steven Roth, chairman of Vornado Realty Trust, the third-largest U.S. real estate investment trust by market capitalization ($14.1 billion), doesn't share her passion.

"He loves that I love my dogs," she said. "He's not as much of a dog lover as I am. But he's coming around, after 41 years of marriage." The idea for the doggy documentary, which had a budget of $150,000, started with Mark St. Germain, a playwright and screenwriter. He was meeting with Gere in the kitchen of the actor's house in Westchester, N.Y., to discuss a film script. Then Gere's dog -- a half-corgi, half-pit bull named Billie -- joined them.


"He was petting the dog and he started opening up," Roth said.

St. Germain called Roth, who had produced two of his plays. They agreed this could be a film. "We called our friends and people I had worked with, people we knew loved dogs," she said.

In the film, the celebrities offer testimonials and stories about how dogs enrich their lives. Both Edward Albee and Edie Falco note that humans can hurt and betray one another.

"No dog I know has ever hurt me," Falco says.

Mizrahi, flanked by his mutts Harry and Dean at his house, describes their loyalty and obliviousness to celebrity.

"If you have any kind of public persona, you start to wonder who your real friends are," he says in the film. "I never wonder about Harry or Dean." Danny Shire, the 17-year-old autistic son of the composer David Shire and actress Didi Conn, and the film's most affecting figure, is shown taking giddy pleasure in his dogs. His father points out that many autistic children obsess over inanimate objects.

"It's nice that he's fixated on something that's living and changing and something he can relate to," David Shire says. "It's a good thing it wasn't elephants." The film touches on canine overpopulation and the euthanizing of millions of animals every year.

Back on Park Avenue, Roth said when she encounters tough times in the theater she turns to Lucy and Leo.

"When I have a flop or things aren't working I return to my comfort zone," she said. "My comfort zone is with my dogs." Roth noticed that Lucy had migrated from her chair across the room to my feet. Ever the advocate, Roth offered to accompany me to a shelter to select a four-legged companion.

"This dog is the perfect size for you," she said.

My Dog: An Unconditional Love Story sells for $26.95 at Docurama Films. Roth said 20 percent of any money earned by the filmmakers will go to animal welfare charities designated by people in the film.

(RSQ reads Bloomberg News at www.bloomberg.com and gives high-paws to rescue advocate Georgina Bloomberg for saving Mable and Hugo. RSQ gives pawps to Vornado Realty's big dawg, Steve Roth, for developing pet-friendly, Manhattan luxury high-rise 1 Beacon Court and for providing an alternative for the clientele of pet-averse Park Avenue co-ops.)

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

FRANKLIN GOES TO HOLLYWOOD

Former Shelter Lab Stands in for Canine Hero in 9/11 Film


(From the May 2010 E-Newsletter of the Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals)

Massachusetts filmmaker Allison Argo of ArgoFilms needed to locate a yellow Lab to complete shooting a new film with National Geographic. The film is about individual experiences on 9/11. One of the film's characters escaped from the 71st floor of One World Trade Center with his guide dog Salty, a yellow Lab. Most of the filming had been completed, but Allison needed to shoot one more brief sequence in a Manhattan office, and she had only two days in which to complete the filming. Sadly, Salty had died, and Allison needed a stand-in for the crucial final filming in Manhattan.
Allison contacted the Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals for assistance. We reached out to Labs4Rescue, an Alliance Participating Organization (APO). Labs4Rescue's Ann Hilchey quickly identified an ideal candidate: Franklin (formerly known as Jake), a Lab who Labs4Rescue pulled from Animal Care & Control of NYC's Staten Island shelter in February and adopted to a Manhattan couple, Charles D'Autremont and Jane Sung.
Charles and Jane brought Franklin for his camera call, and Allison completed filming on time. She was thrilled with Franklin's performance, and made a donation to Labs4Rescue in appreciation for Ann and Charles' help. The film, tentatively called My 9/11, will be broadcast on the National Geographic Channel on or near September 11, 2010.

(The Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals, Inc., founded in 2002 and powered by Maddie's Fund, The Pet Rescue Foundation, with support from the ASPCA, is a coalition of more than 160 animal rescue groups and shelters that is working with Animal Care & Control of New York City (AC&C) to end the killing of healthy and treatable cats and dogs at AC&C shelters. To achieve that goal, the Alliance, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation, helps its Alliance Participating Organizations (APOs) work to their highest potential to increase pet adoptions and spay/neuter rates, with the goal of transforming New York City into a no-kill community by 2015. Additional information about the Mayor's Alliance can be found at www.animalalliance.org )

Monday, June 7, 2010

RSQ HEROES OF THE MONTH

Cathy and Harvey - and all of their wonderful volunteers at http://www.labs4rescue.com/


The amazing Linda Coletta at http://www.houndhaven.org/


The rescue groups and individuals who adopted/fostered from the recent influx of animals at the Polk County, Florida Animal Control


Joe Panza and the big guns at Rescue Ink http://www.rescueink.com/


The great Joan Vecsey for her tireless efforts to save Jude -- and the rest of the world.

KEITH KOHN: DOGGED EDITOR EXTRAORDINAIRE

(FROM THE ORLANDO SENTINEL by KEITH KOHN)

Compounded by more than 300 new arrivals from two major dog rescues since May 26, Polk County's animal shelter had reached a crisis stage Thursday with more than twice the number of animals than space allowed. That's when the Sheriff's Office put out a call for rescue groups and others to help ease the overcrowding.

The Sheriff's Office, which runs the county's pound, even cut the cost to adopt a pet to $5.

The moves seem to have worked.

Thursday and Friday, several pet-rescue groups from as far as Tallahassee and Naples, came out to rescue the rescuers. And by Friday, the Sheriff's Office put out the all clear: there were no more dogs available for adoption, and won't be for about a week.

"It was like ' Black Friday' the day after Thanksgiving," Sheriff Grady Judd said Friday in a news release after the public's response to the reduced fees and Thursday's call for help. "We are ever so grateful to the public for their undying support and for coming to adopt the many healthy dogs and cats here at Animal Control. The dogs and cats you adopted today are lives that you saved."

Thursday, 44 dogs were adopted or transferred from the pound. Friday, another 40 went out the doors to either new families, rescue groups or lost pets to their owners.

Several groups sent representatives to pick up dogs, including:

•Coastal Boxer Rescue of Florida, Melbourne

SPCA of Lakeland

Dachshund Awareness Rescue and Education, or DARE, Tallahassee

Golden Retriever Rescue of Southwest Florida, Naples

Tallahassee Big Dog Rescue, and its St. Cloud affiliate Florida Little Dog Rescue

Heidi's Legacy, Hillsborough County, in conjunction with Lost Wolf Rescue, Pinellas County

Animal Rescue Konsortium, or ARK, Deland

Gulf Coast Humane Society, Fort Myers

Florida Cocker Spaniel Rescue, Brooksville

SPCA Of Central Florida

Broward County Humane Society

Residents, businesses and rescue groups also donated food, shampoo, towels and medical supplies.

Meantime, about 100 new animals come into the shelter daily: strays, abandoned pets and bite cases.

May 26 and 27, Animal Services workers and deputies seized 261 dogs, many of them puppies, from the home of Charles "Chuck" O'Malley, 54, and Diana O'Malley, 52, of Polk City. They face hundreds of animal-neglect charges. They could not be reached for comment, but supporters say the seizure was overzealous. Authorities say little food or water was available for the dogs, which were kept in every room and closet in the house. It was the largest such seizure ever in the county.

On Thursday, another 62 dogs were seized from the Haines City home of James Lynn Odom, 55, who surrendered most to the county. He faces 49 civil counts of failing to purchase dog licenses and numerous animal-cruelty counts.

For information about pets becoming available daily for adoption, check out http://www.polkpets.org or call 1-863-499-2600. The Animal Control shelter is at 7115 De Castro Road, Winter Haven.



Keith W. Kohn can be reached at kkohn@orlandosentinel.com


(RSQ recommends checking out Keith Kohn's informative and potentially-lifesaving blog at: http://cancervivor.blogspot.com. For updates on the Polk County animal shelter crisis, please go to www.OrlandoSentinel.com )