Senior Dogs Need Love Too

An amazing poem shared by a Facebook group called United Against Animal Abuse.  

One by one, they pass my cage, too old, too worn, too broken, no way!
Way past his time, he can't run and play. They shake their heads slowly and go on their way. 
A little old man, arthritic and sore, it seems I'm not wanted anymore.
I once had a home,... I once had a bed, a place that was warm and where I was fed.
Now my muzzle is grey and my eyes slowly fail. Who wants a dog so old and so frail?
My family decided I didn't belong, I got in their way, my attitude was wrong.
Whatever excuse they made in their head can't justify how they left me for dead. 
Now I sit in this cage where day after day, those younger dogs get adopted away. 
When I had almost come to the end of my rope, you saw my face and I finally had hope!
You saw through the grey and the legs bent with age...and felt I still had life beyond the cage.
You took me home, gave me food and a bed...and shared your pillow with an old tired head.
We snuggle and play, and you talk to me low. You love me so dearly, you want me to know. 
I may have lived most of my life with another but you outshine them with a love so much stronger.
And I promise to return all the love I can give, to you my dear person, as long as I live. 
I may be with you a week or for years; we will share many smiles, you will no doubt shed tears. 
And when the time comes that God deems I must leave, I know you will cry and your heart, it will grieve. 
And when I arrive at the Bridge, all brand new...my thoughts and my heart will still be with you.
And I will brag to all those who will hear...OF THE ANGEL WHO MADE MY LAST DAYS SO DEAR. 
~ Author unknown

What Is A Rescue Dog?

Dog of the Week

TEDDY BEAR

Australian Shepherd

3 years old, Male

Teddy is a shelter favorite because everyone loves to take him out (off leash) to play fetch or frisbee. He is such an athlete and so very intelligent.  Teddy loves most people and can be with dogs of all sizes, ages and breeds.  Teddy is the kind of dog that will bond with one person in the home and would love to be that one persons friend for life.  He is the most loyal and most affectionate dog and is just missing that 'person' in his life right now.  He needs a lot of TLC as he recovers from a non-contagious mange.  His hair is think, his skin is red and irritated, but he's doing well with his treatment.  Teddy needs a best friend and if you do too, then please ask Mostly Mutts about him. 

Teddy needs to be with a forever family who can let him do what he enjoys most...running, chasing and jumping! He will not be happy just being a family pet; this boy needs to run and release all his energy.  He is great with other dogs and "needs a job" as possibly an agility or frisbee dog.  

If you think you can provide a home for Teddy or know someone who can, please go to our website for more info.  

(Teddy does not come to adoptions on weekends.)

Keeping Your Pets Cool This Summer

Summer is arriving this week so here are a few tips to keep your pet COOL. 

*  Have your pet groomed.  Pets with long hair or 'double  

   coated' hair need to have their undercoats stripped. 

*  Have plenty of clean and cool water available at all

   times. 

*  Ice cubes are a nice cool treat...make it more fun by

   freezing a carrot inside. If you are gone for long periods

   of time and want the water to stay cool, freeze a 'cool

   whip' size cube. 

*  Keep pets inside in cooler temperatures.  

*  Make available a very cool shady place if the pet must

   stay outside.  A dog house is NOT sufficient shade and

   could actually cause more harm to the dog because it

   lacks circulation.

*  Change bedding from flannel or wool-like material to a

   simple cotton bed sheet.   

*  NEVER leave an animal in a car.  The interior of a car

   can quickly reach over a 100 degrees even if the

   outside temperature is in the 80s.  Call 911 if you see

   an animal inside of a hot car.

A dog's normal temperature is 101.5.  Take a dog's temp rectally if you suspect the dog is suffering from heat exhaution.  Place gauze on the pads of a dog that is over-heated and soak the gauze in rubbing alcohol.  Spray cool (not cold) water over their entire body and call the veterinarian immediately to get I.V. fluids administered. 

Please take extra precaution in extreme temperatures and call your local animal control if you know of an animal living in conditions that are dangerous. 

Does Your Dog Chew?!

A guest written blog from two of our Mostly Mutts experts!  

Chewing is a perfectly acceptable and natural behavior for dogs. The problem arises when they chew on inappropriate, dangerous or expensive items.

Just like babies putting everything in their mouth, puppies and young adults will chew on anything.  Your job is to teach them what is appropriate to chew on and what is not.  This is an important job for you to curb your frustrations, the safety of the dog and to prevent a dog from losing their home

Reasons dogs chew: Boredom and frustration, Teething, Attention, Anticipation (some dogs chew just before their owner is due to arrive home), Separation anxiety (occurs if you work long hours)

Make Prevention the Priority:

Temptation: Puppy proof your home.  Pick up the remote controls, your shoes, and hide rechargers and computer wires.

Toy box: Fill a toy box with a variety of toys such as a stuffed animal, a tennis ball, a squeaky toy, a Nylabone, etc.  When you purchase a new toy, instead of giving it directly to the dog, place it in the toy box first.  

Chew toys: Replace an inappropriate item with a dog toy.  Provide your dog with a few tasty chew toys. Make it perfectly clear to your dog that if he/she needs to chew, it must be on the chew toys. It's a good idea to toss a dog toy stuffed with some tasty treats as you leave for work each morning.

Keep your dog in a safe and confined area while you are away from home. This could be a dog crate, kennel run or any secure room in your house. Of course you should provide a few chew toys in this area and ensure that there are no dangerous objects present.

Increase exercise:  For aggressive chewers, increase the amount of exercise (physical and mental), especially prior to your leaving.

Deterents:  Use a foul tasting substance (non toxic) such as bitter apple, cayenne pepper or Tabasco sauce.

Put some tasty treats in the area, the chewing behavior will hopefully shift straight over to these.

Corrections: When you catch your dog in the act of chewing, give a firm "No!" and replace the inappropriate chewing object with a tasty chew toy. Give your dog praise when he starts chewing the toy. Never ever reprimand your dog if you don't actually catch him in the act of chewing.

TWO SECOND RULE:  You wouldn't reward a dog a minute after he/she did something good, so don't correct your dog if you missed your opportunity.  In dog training, you have two seconds to reward or correct a dog.  Supervise the dog better if you keep missing his/her bad behaviors. Leash a dog to you indoors if they 'sneak off to chew'.

Emily Shervin, CPDT

The Gratefull Dog

www.thegratefulldog.com  

Ain't Too Proud to Beg!

It's tax time!  Don't forget your contributions. 

For this year, please consider joining our

Ain't Too Proud to Beg campaign (ATPB).  

Mostly Mutts has developed an impressive reputation  for rescuing homeless pets with extreme orthopedic injuries. If we don't step in to help, the only other choice is euthanasia.  We want to continue to help, but without financial support from the community, we will have to start saying "no" to these unfortunate dogs.  Here are a few special orthopedic cases in just the past few months (all surgically performed by specialists):

Bolo - Rear leg amputation

Joe - Femur fractured - Surgically repaired

  Rocky - Two Ulna and Radial fractures - Surgically repaired (both front legs)

Cassidy - Ulna and Radial fractures - Surgically repaired

Cookie - Femur fracture - Non-surgically repaired (casted)

 Doug - Front leg amputation

Pending:  Puppy with fractured femur at an emergency clinic and a Cocker mix at an animal control with a suspected fractured hip.

Our ATPB campaign allows us to pay for these extremely expensive surgeries.  Join this today and at the end of the year you will have a nice tax-deductible donation.  Every one of you reading this can afford to be a Happy Hound :)

A contribution to this campaign makes a wonderful gift for your animal-loving friends and family member. 

Become a:  

Happy Hound ($10.00 a month),

Furry Friend ($25.00)

Tail Wagger ($50)

Best Friend ($100),

True Companion ($500)

and we know you are out there and we

would love to find you...our

Leader of the Pack ($1000.00 a month)

Thanks to those of you who are already participating. 

We challenge you to find one friend to match you!

Everyone from Mostly Mutts appreciates your support, but special thanks comes from the dogs themselves!  

Contact intownadoptions@mostlymutts.org for more information on the Ain't Too Proud to Beg campaign.

From Puppy Mill to Mostly Mutts to....Your Home?

5 yrs, 15 lbs. If you've heard about me before, I'm going to sound like a completely different dog! I spent my whole young life in a puppy mill.   There is no socialization in puppy mills so I'm a little behind with those skills.  Each day I learn more and get more comfortable being a house dog and a companion.  My teeth look like a 10 year old dogs teeth because they were damaged by years of chewing on metal cages.  My tongue permanently sticks out because of my bad teeth.  But the vets agree that I'm not older than 5 because my eyes are so young looking.  My new home MUST have other dogs because I enjoy the company of other dogs. I know there is someone out there who will provide me with a loving home and allow me to work at my pace. My foster mom is so excited about my improvements and you will be too. 

Dog of the Week-Miss Maddie!

We love our Miss Maddie but are sad for her because she has been looking for her forever home since 2010. Her wonderful foster mom brings her to Petsmart adoptions every weekend but Maddie consistently gets overlooked.  Maddie is such a good girl and she would be great with a family who works during the day and wants to come home to a dog that hasn't destroyed the house.  Or, a retired couple who are home most of the day and would love the companionship of a four legged friend.  Maddie can live with other dogs, cats and older kids.  She has an old break in her tail so she is sensitive in that area (so no young children).  Let's all find her a home by spreading the word.  Mostly Mutts will rejoice!

When Mostly Mutts Loses a Pet

Sadly, not all rescue dogs find loving homes.  Some come to us too late to save, too old to handle the stress of being abandoned, too diseased to survive and some are just taken too soon.  When a Mostly Mutts dog passes away, we have a few options as to what to do with the bodies.  One option is to leave them at the vet clinic for the county to pick up and incinerate.  Mostly Mutts believes this is not how a homeless dog should be treated.  Another choice is to take them to a place where they cremate the bodies, however the cost is too expensive for a rescue group.  This is where we feel extremely blessed to have the love and support of Dreamland Pet Memorial and Cremation Services.  Dreamland has allowed MM to forever keep our dog’s spirit with us.   

Kevin Marcy and family started Dream Land Pet Memorial and Cremation Services five years ago because of a passion Kevin’s family had for pets.  Being a licensed funeral director, he wanted a business that duplicated the human death care services for pets.  “After some research, I found out that there wasn’t a pet crematory in the state of Georgia that cared for pet parents after the loss of a pet nor was there a pet crematory in the State that cared for pets like they were human.   Every pet crematory requires the vet clinics to place the pets into a freezer until their driver comes around to pick up all the pets.   Dreamland tries hard to arrive the same day as called to pick up a pet, so they do not have to be placed in a freezer.  We saw the need for compassionate, same day service, where the families are cared for like they have lost a child, Because that is what it is like”. 

Mostly Mutts founder, Paige O’Neill, called Kevin a few years ago to ask if they would handle the cremation of one of the rescue dogs.   Because MM is local and Dreamland wanted to help as much as possible, Kevin graciously agreed to handle all the MM cremations then and in the future as a way of giving back and helping our cause.  “After meeting with Paige, Dreamland has been passionately supporting MM, due primarily to Paige’s fresh energy and a passion I hadn’t seen duplicated in many rescue group founders and that’s what it takes to make any rescue effort successful.”  Dreamland has taken care of over 50 dogs to date.  

Dreamland Pet Cremations and Mostly Mutts have one huge thing in common.  They love and support the homeless animals in the community and when it’s time to say good bye, they deserve the same care and respect as dog’s in loving homes.  Paige states:  “It’s a great feeling to know that when we lose a dog in our program we have Dreamland to take care of their bodies, while we take care of their souls.  Their ashes are spread on to our scatter garden that was designed by a Girl Scout a few years ago.  Our dogs can now rest in peace in a beautiful area near the shelter and are visited by deer, rabbits and lots of squirrels. “

We want to give a special thanks to Kevin Marcy for taking time to answer our questions about his work with Mostly Mutts as well as the services his company offers to pet owners when they lose a beloved pet. 

   

Mostly Mutts lovingly remembers all the animals who have passed through our shelter and spent their last days being loved by our volunteers.  We wish them peace and joy as the play on the other side. 

Volunteer of the Week-Tammy Turley

The Turley family is deeply involved with Mostly Mutts.  They foster dogs in their homes (including our special needs dogs), they close the shelter every Tuesday night and Tammy comes to adoptions to approve applications, etc.  Tammy also helps with interviewing applicants during the week, she runs our BFF (best friend finder) program and she coordinates the shelter committee. Without volunteers like Tammy and her family, Mostly Mutts would just be an average rescue group. She makes MM exceptional.

Thank You For an Awesome 2011!

Here is a video thank you from the Mutts to all our supporters, volunteers, foster and adoptive families.  This video says it all!  We hope you will see the lives we have touched and want to be a part of our work in 2012!

http://youtu.be/_owmjar3QcA

Bottling Feeding and Hand Raising Puppies

*This is a guest post written by one of our talented volunteers/foster parents.  She is a huge help to Mostly Mutts when we have puppies that need a temporary home.  

I have been rescuing kittens and puppies for 15 years.  Over the years, I have learned some useful tips that may help you if you are raising an orphaned animal. It is a lot of work, but so rewarding when you raise a happy, healthy puppy or kitten that would not have made it otherwise. Please remember even with the best care we all lose a puppy or kitten from time to time, with no explanation. Sometimes no matter what we do we cannot save them all, but please don’t give up and not try again. I promise the rewards are worth it all!!

I found a formula recipe on-line several years ago and have had great success with it. It can be used for any orphan animal and they all seem to love it. You can make this formula at home and it has 11 calories per CC.  The problem with commercial formulas that you buy at the store or vet’s office is that it only has 1 or 2 calories per CC. This formula makes for fat happy puppies!! I have used this formula several hundred times and it works better than any others that I have tried. I also think this formula helps them from getting diarrhea as easy and they seem so satisfied after eating it.

Here are some general rules for bottle feeding puppies:

I prefer human baby bottles over the pet bottles.  If your puppy has a good sucking reflex, they should work just fine.  It will take a couple of feeds for the puppy to catch on.

Take time to check the hole in the nipple before using the bottle the first time. The hole is the right size if, when you turn the bottle upside down, milk drips from the nipple with only a gentle squeeze of the bottle.  If you need to add holes to the nipple, heat a needle and poke into the nipple several times.

A puppy may have little bubbles by his mouth, but there should not be milk running out if his mouth.  Burp your pups after feeding them.

I feed every 4/5 hours for a healthy puppy. Most puppies will eat ½ to 1 oz. a feeding.  But, it may take a couple feedings to figure out your puppy. Keep a record of each feeding and the amount they took.  This way you start to see a pattern. Remember over feeding is worse than underfeeding.  By this I mean, feed less often but more at one time.  A healthy puppy will stop eating when they are full. If a weak puppy refuses to eat wait 30 minutes and try again. (At this point try Karo Syrup, if he still does not eat).  Sometimes a very young weak puppy has to be fed with an eye dropper, but be very careful not to put too much in his mouth at one time.  You do not want the puppy to aspirate it into his lungs.  Just be patient and the puppy will latch onto the bottle in no time. Just make sure the puppy eats something every 4 hours.  If he eats a lot at one feeding and then not that much the next time it is ok. This formula is heavy and stays with them a while, which means less feedings and more sleep for you. I usually feed at around 2 pm, 6 pm, 10 pm, 2 am, 6 am, and 10 am, the first week. After that if the puppy is eating well at all feedings I delete the 2 am feeding.   Yeah!! As long as your puppy is gaining weight things are heading in the right direction. A kitchen food scale with grams is the best way to weigh your little one. Keep a record that you can easily refer to.

 I always place pups on newspaper in a different Rubbermaid container for a few minutes after eating, this helps them get use to going potty in a different place other than their bed. If pups still need to be stimulated, I still place them on newspaper while I clean up the bottles and then I stimulate them and put them in their bed. You can start a routine at an early age so housebreaking later is easier. Once puppies are 3 to 4 weeks old, I give them a big area with a sleeping place, eating place, play area and newspapers for going potty.  The first few days in the playpen are the most important. If the puppy potties on the newspapers don’t clean it up. Just add another piece of paper over it.  This way the smell is still there and they learn that this is the “area” to potty.  Also, if you catch the puppy in the right “area” praise him right away.

Bottle Feeding Recipe

1.       10 oz. can of goat’s milk. You can buy it at Wal-Mart, Publix and Kroger. It is with the evaporated can milk.

2.       1 raw egg yolk

3.       1 cup of whole yogurt (avoid skim or fat free)

4.       1 Tsp. Karo Syrup or Corn Syrup (Not Honey!!!)

Place ingredients in a blender and blend or use a wire whisk. Be careful not to over blend and create a milk shake full of bubbles. Keep refrigerated and discard leftovers after 7 days.  Remember this recipe has raw egg in it, so whatever you don’t use at a feeding must be thrown away.

Warm formula to room temperature before feeding the puppy. Never feed cold formula or a cold puppy. Always warm the puppy before feeding them.

At about 3 to 4 weeks, I start adding moistened food to the formula and let them lick it up.  Slowly decrease the formula until your puppy is eating solid foods.

Newborn puppies cannot regulate their body temperature very well. They can quickly become chilled, or hypothermic, if their mother, their siblings, or their environment does not keep them warm. You will need to keep your puppy on a heating pad for the first couple of weeks.  I use a large Rubbermaid container with a heating pad under it to help keep the puppy warm.  Make sure it does not get too hot and the puppy has a place to crawl away from the heat.  Keep several towels between the pad so the puppy does not get burned. Also, keep heating pad on very low. In addition, avoid drafts by placing the puppy’s box away from windows, doorways, and any air conditioning vents. If you are raising a litter, the temperature can be a little lower because they will huddle together and keep each other warm.

The normal rectal temperature for a newborn puppy is 95-99* F. If its rectal temperature is below 94* F degrees you are dealing with a potentially life- threatening case of hypothermia. The pup needs to be warmed immediately. But, be careful not to overheat the puppy or warm it too quickly; this can be fatal in a weak puppy.

Here is a copy of a chart that I keep on each litter when bottle feeding. This helps make sure no one gets left out and you can keep tabs on how much they are eating and when you stimulate them.  I put a “P” when they go to the bathroom.

Date/Puppy	2am	6am	10am	2pm	6pm	10pm	weight	notes
9/1 Hugo	½ oz	1 oz	¾ oz P	½ oz	½ oz	1 oz P	9 oz.	Has crusty eye

HYPOGLYCEMIA IN PUPPIES

Hypoglycemia quickly develops in a newborn that is not nursing frequently. If this worsens, the puppy will become progressively more depressed and weak and could lead to being unresponsive and comatose.

If it is showing any signs of this, place a few drops of corn syrup on its tongue. This simple procedure is often sufficient to revive a hypoglycemic puppy. Add another feeding to his schedule for the next couple of days to avoid this from happening again.

Orphaned Puppies Need Help Defecating

Mothers stimulate their puppies to defecate (pass stool) by licking around the puppy’s anus. To prevent your orphaned puppy from becoming constipated, you’ll need to mimic this action by using a soft cloth or cotton ball moistened with warm water. Gently stimulate the puppy’s anal area after feeding for the first 2 weeks of its life.

Be a Part of the Mutts in 2012!

Mostly Mutts is proud of our success each weekend at pet adoptions held at the Kennesaw PetSmart and the Pet Supermaket at AnsleyMall.  We get excited when our furry friends find loving homes.   We also use this time to promote Mostly Mutts…what we do and why it’s so important.  We take every opportunity to  raise awareness about spay/neuter and how this alone will save the lives of so many animals.  We receive generous donations which allows us to continue with our mission.  With the start of a new year, we will take a deep breath and find the energy to continue rescuing and adopting.    

The many Mostly Mutts volunteers donate a lot of love!  They also donate their time and energy.  Working with MM is fun and meeting new friends is a highlight.  After reading our post you'll want to be a part of Saturday and Sunday and share in our success of finding homes for the sweet animals that come through Mostly Mutts.

As soon as Sunday adoptions are over, we start working on the next weekend.  Volunteers monitor our phone lines and our many emails with inquiries about our dogs.  Potential "parents" are referred to our website where they can find profiles and photos of every dog and kitten available for adoption.  Applications that are submitted during the week are approved (hopefully) so these families can come to our adoptions events one step ahead of others.  Applicants are interviewed, counseled and references (including vets) are checked prior to approving apps.  We offer advice on dogs we feel would fit well into the family.  Matchmaking is our specialty!!

As dogs get adopted during the weekend, new rescues come in during the week.  Their intake involves baths, health checks, vaccinations, intake paperwork, housing them (either in the shelter or in a foster home) and offering them lots of love and attention.  Once they are spay/neutered, a volunteer will write a profile on each dog's personality to post on the web site. Volunteers are crucial for making these dogs happy during their stay with Mostly Mutts. 

On Saturdays, approximately 40-50 dogs come to the Kennesaw PetSmart to attend the adoption event.  At least 35-40 people take action every Saturday helping with shelter work, transportation, set-up, and walking the dogs throughout the day.  About 30 foster families drop their dogs (and kittens) off at 11:30 and then pick them up at 4:30 if not adopted.  Some take new dogs home to foster if theirs were adopted. 

All of this has be have one coordinator.  She sets up shelter transporters, ‘senior’ and ‘junior’ volunteers to help with the set up, volunteers to help with break down at the end of the day.  She has to train the ‘junior’ volunteers each week as these are often college kids who need college credit.  This person supervises the set up, gets profiles on the kennels, bedding in each kennel/playpen, supervises the dog walkers, etc., etc., etc.  It’s HARD work but it goes so smoothly week to week.  Often we have PetSmart customers watch us and comment about how we work like a ‘fine oiled machine’.  This is a nice compliment. 

Sundays are adoption days too and need coordinating.  Dogs available from the shelter are loaded on the van to travel to Ansley Mall’s Pet Supermarket.  Along the way, the transporter stops and picks up some of the foster dogs that will be going to adoptions.  Our “Intown” adoption team is waiting with kennels already set up and things ready to go when the van pulls up.  At the end of the day, foster families meet the van (if their dog is not adopted) and the others come back to the shelter until the next adoption event.  

Our volunteer coordinator is one busy girl!  She coordinates everything above and her work is rarely ever done!  She also monitors and updates our remarkable FaceBook Page.  This includes updating profiles, photos, etc.  Each week a newsletter is created to send by email, called our “Flea-mail”.  She prepares this by adding photos, comments and updates the volunteer’s names for the next issue.  She has too many jobs to mention but it’s a full time job with no pay.  

 Mostly Mutts had a successful  2011 due in part to our volunteers.  By our count, we adopted out roughly 550 animals for the year.  How awesome is that?!

If you would like more information  about how you can help volunteer, foster or be involved with Mostly Mutts, please visit our website at MostlyMutts.org or email us at volunteer@mostlymutts.org