Not so lucky Lucky Luke

Lucky Luke used to have a family but the mom and dad got a divorce and nobody wanted to keep him. He is a really beautiful mix of a husky and bernese and he is very nice and calm. My mom and dad picked him up from the pound. Usually I go too but today I was going to visit my grandmother. I wasn't supposed to meet him but when my mom took him to the foster home she couldn't leave him there because the foster's dog didn't like him at all and my mom thought the fosters were too young and didn't have enough experience to handle it so she brought him home to our house while Paws for Life looked for another foster home. Our cats Simba and Chester loved him. He kept going up on my sister's bed to take her stuffed animals. He loved to fetch so we played with him outside in the hallway. Luckily Paws found him a new foster that night. I think we would have kept him if our dog Ginger liked other dogs.

People shouldn't get rid of their dog because they get a divorce. Our dog Ginger is part of the family and we would never just give her away.

Another crazy day saving dogs and cats

Today my mom and dad and me went to pick up two dogs and two cats from the pound for Paws for Life. It was crazy in the car. My mom sat in the back with the two cats and the black lab. The cats were in cages but they were afraid of the dog so my mom sat in the middle and had to block her from sticking her face near the cages. I sat in the front with the little shihtzu that we decided to call Jack. We took the cats to a mall in Laval where we gave them to another rescue. My mom was very glad when the cats were gone because the lab finally relaxed. We took the lab to meet her foster's near our house but we couldn't arrange to get Jack to the rescue that was taking him until later so we took him home for the afternoon.

We don't know why these little guys were at the pound but I think they were strays because they didn't have names and usually if they are dropped off by the owners they have a name.

It was Saturday and we had to leave very early for the pound because we had to be home by 1 oclock for my sister's family birthday party but since we got lost dropping the cats off at the mall my parents were worried that we wouldn't get home in time and everybody would be sitting outside waiting for us. By now our whole family knows that if there is nobody else that can do it we will always go and rescue the animals even on days when we have other things to do.

It was fun having Jack at our house during Emma's party and Ginger didn't really mind him. We took him to another rescue that night. I hope he gets adopted really soon. I think he will because he is very, very cute and the small dogs usually find homes faster than the big dogs.

Luna

Today after my swimming lesson we drove to the pound to pick up a little terrier that was dropped off and since nobody adopted her the pound was going to euthanize her. She looks just like Radar who was my mom's first dog so when my mom saw her picture on the Paws for Life page she decided we would foster her and find her a home. Luna's owner just decided she didn't want her anymore so she dropped her off with her bed and some of her favorite toys. I don't know how somebody can just do that. The dogs at the pound are usually very scared and nervous and they bark a lot but then when they come out of the cage they are so happy and just want to get in the car and leave. I think about how my dog or cats would feel if we just left them at the pound and it makes me very sad to think about all the animals whose owners abandon them.

While we had Luna it was kind of crazy. At first she was very excited and barked and wanted to chase the cats so we kept the cats locked in the kitchen and dining room. Every time someone wanted to go into the kitchen someone else would have to hold Luna. Then my mom decided to just get it over with and let Luna meet the cats. First we let our foster Simba out because he really likes dogs. Luna barked and got very excited but didn't want to hurt him, then we let Chester out and Luna got excited again, then we let Maddy out and Luna wasn't so excited and by the time Muffin an Ally came out Luna wasn't really interested in the cats anymore. There was a lot of hissing and barking at first but then they all got along.

We had Luna for about two weeks until we found her a really good home with a girl who works at Bark and Fitz. I am very happy for Luna but I miss her.

Moppy and Simba (the big surprise)

Today while I was at school my mom and dad helped transport a little dog, 2 siamese cats and one orange kitten. When my mom came to pick me up after school she had the little dog who is named Moppy. My mom still had her because the foster could only pick him up later. The two siamese cats went to another foster home together. It was really fun walking Moppy home because it was different walking a playful dog (our dog Ginger isn't very playful). When we got home we were waiting downstairs for the foster and my sister wanted to go upstairs to get something to eat. My mom said ok but don't go in your room because there is a surprise in there. We were so excited that my mom told us we could go upstairs and see. It was the orange kitten!! I was so happy to find out we were going to foster him. We named him Simba.

For my teacher's end of the year gift, instead of giving her something that I bought at the store I made a donation in her name to Moppy. I gave her a card with Moppy's picture to explain what I had done and she really liked the gift. In the summer I got a letter from my teacher Mrs. MacDonald saying that she really appreciated the gift. She has a pomeranian named Antoinette and Moppy was part pomeranian. I think it is sometimes better to make donations than buy things.

Austen

Today there were quite a few dogs at the pound who needed to be saved and a lot of people were needed to do transport. We helped transport a yellow lab to his foster named Karen who named him Austen. Austen was abandoned by his owner but he is still a very nice dog. He was very excited and friendly. It was a school night at we got home very late and we didn't have supper until we got home but it was worth it. I am sad to say that one of the dogs that needed to be rescued didn't make it out of the pound. Paws found him a foster but when he went to pick him up he was not in his cage and the man at the pound said he was euthanized. I am very sad. People who don't take care of their dogs make me mad.

The transport took 3 hours

Update: Austen was adopted!

The Underdogs at Family Day

Today was Family Day in Westmount Park. The Underdog club was there to let people know about the work they do and to try to create awareness about the club and maybe get some dogs adopted. Sophie's dog rescue brought 5 dogs their names are: Babe, Spike, Flow, Idefix and Bungee.

Bungee has been there for a really, really long time. It makes me feel bad for him. I really like him. I walked him around the park and whenever he saw food he would try to get it. My cousins Amy and Izzy fed him some little bits of hamburger. Bungee is the greatest, craziest dog in the world and I hope he is adopted very soon. Now! This minute!

Babe is deaf and Sophie thinks she might be autistic. When Sophie wets her head she doesn't shake. She was from a breeder who didn't care about what happened to her. Spike was found the night before Family Day. I think he was tied up in an alley. A lady came to see Spike. I think he got adopted. Someone also came from Ontario to meet Babe. Babe and Spike are the two puppies playing together.

Idefix and Flow are very shy and sweet. I didn't spend a lot of time with them because they were sitting on people's laps.

The underdogs are very nice dogs and even if some of them are old, ugly or unpopular they are fun and loving and they deserve good homes.

The underdog website is http://www.underdogclub.org/

Update: September 12, Bungee and Babe are both adopted!!!

The 3 dog transport

Today me, my mom, Dorothy and David transported 3 cute, cute, cute dogs from a pound where they would not keep them anymore. They were being rescued by Paws for Life. It was really fun! There were two big dogs and one small dog. Even though we were in a big van they all crowded in the front. The little dog Dori kept jumping on David's lap even though he was driving. We had to take Sisi who is the white dog to the vet because she had a bladder infection and could not pee. We had to wait at the vet a long time while she got x-rays and tests. On the way to the fosters Harley, the golden retriever sat on my mom's lap for the whole ride.

Sisi's owners just dropped her off at the pound because they were moving. That is a really dumb reason. There are a lot of people who just decide to stop taking care of their animals. It makes me feel very angry that people don't take care of their animals. My mom said imagine how Sisi feels being sick and scared and not even knowing any of us. Dori got dropped off at the pound because her owners had a baby and didn't want to keep her anymore. Harley was found by somebody but nobody came to find him. Paws for Life found them foster homes to stay at and then they will be adopted. I hope the people who adopt them are nice and responsible. I am glad that there are nice people to help take care of animals that don't have homes. Today I spent 6 hours because it took a long time at the vet.

Note: Paws for Life rescues many dogs and cats from high kill pounds. The rescue pays the release fees, has each animal vet checked and then sends them to foster homes where they are safe until adopted. Most rescues are foster based. If you aren't sure you can commit long term to a dog but would like to help one in need on a temporary basis, fostering is a great way to support the rescues. Transporting animals from the pound to fosters or to the vet is also an important way to contribute your time. CK

You can find paws for life on facebook or go to:

http://search.petfinder.com/shelterSearch/shelterSearch.cgi?shelterid=QC47

http://www.pawsforliferescue.ca/

Long day

Today my mom and I went to the SPCA. We had not been there for two weeks. It was a very rainy day and we were the only two volunteers there. First we walked the hound dogs. Three of them were in cages in the front room because they are trying to crate train them. The ones left are all very shy and nervous. First we walked Benson and Candace, then Chloe and Suzy, then Justin and Melanie. After that my mom walked Walker, Tia and Baxter and I played with some of the cats. This is a picture of me with Suzy. She had her tail between her legs because she was nervous but she was hugging and licking me. My mom told me she needed to feel safe and loved.

After all of the dogs were walked it was late and we were going to leave but Kalifi was the only person working there so my mom asked her if she needed some help feeding all of the cats. There are about 40 cats there now. She said yes so we decided to stay.

First we had to put all of the cats into cages to make sure they didn't fight over the food and to see which ones ate. It took awhile to get them into their cages. Then we had to feed them dry food but for the ones that didn't eat much we put some wet food in. After that we had to collect all their bowls and empty all the food that they didn't eat into the garbage. We also let them out of their cages. Before we left we helped wash the bowls. Kalifi was really nice and I found out that she also knows a lot about how bad palm oil is.

I was really tired so we asked my dad if he could come pick us up. At first he didn't want to because he was watching the hockey game then he felt bad because we had done so much work so he did come to get us.

Pet Day

My sister Emma and I had a PED day today so my mom said we could go to the SPCA. We mostly spent time with the cats. One person had 40 cats in his house but he couldn't take care of them so they had to be taken away from him. The black cat I am petting in this picture is just like my cat Alley but bigger. He is very scared but I pet him to make him understand that he is safe and to get him used to people. Emma played with all of the cats. Then we walked two of the hounds that are still there. It was a sunny day so we let them lie in the sun. They kept trying to eat leaves and ants.

Marilyn who works there said we were having a PET day instead of a PED day. She said we were still learning lots of things. Today I spent 5 hours at the shelter.

Izzy (now Chester) Arrives

Izzy was found alone on the streets and rescued by Eleven-Eleven Rescue. Caroline Ross who runs Eleven-Eleven thinks he was dumped there by his owners. She needed to find him a safe place to live until he was adopted. Caroline asked if we could foster him. She said he would be okay here because he is a very easy going cat so he would get along with our other cats. I was very excited. He was supposed to arrive at 8 at night but Caroline and her mom could only bring him at 10:00. They were very tired and still had to go pick up a dog that needed an operation but his owners wouldn't pay and wanted to euthanize him.

We decided to call Izzy Chester instead. He loves to look out the window and watch the birds and squirrels.

Eleven-Eleven rescues stray cats from the street and they find them foster or adoptive homes. Montreal has a lot of homeless cats. They live in back alleys and under porches. It is very hard for them to live outside because winters are very cold. One February we were coming home from a birthday party and we saw a cat that came running out from under a porch meowing and shivering. There was a nasty man on his porch who told us she didn't have a home and that he didn't like her coming to his door. We couldn't just leave her there so we took her and gave her to my godmother Sandi. Her ears had frostbite and practically all of both of her ears fell off.

It is good that eleven-eleven does this for cats. They sometimes have them fixed and release them but if they don't think they will survive outside they try to find them a home. People who who see stray cats should try to help them by feeding them and giving them shelter when it is cold. Eleven-Eleven also rescues dogs.

http://www.elevenelevenanimalrescue.org/

Update: We adopted Chester!

March against gassing

Today I went with my mom to a march against gassing dogs and cats in pounds. It is a very mean and sad thing to do. It isn't the dog or cat's fault that they are born but nobody wants them. It was cold and rainy and not too many people came. This is a picture of me at the march with Louise (with some of the dogs she has rescued) and Sheryl. Louise saves dogs and cats by taking them and finding homes for them and Sheryl comes to help at the SPCA.

puppy mill dogs

Today I went to the shelter because there are some little dogs from a puppy mill who need to spend time with people so they can learn not to be scared and to trust people. The little guy on my lap is blind. The others want to be cuddled but are very nervous. Since they come from a puppy mill where they are treated very badly they haven't been loved and cared for. When I was leaving, a cocker spaniel arrived with a bunch of new born puppies. Their owner didn't want to take care of them. The SPCA found a foster home for them. There were also some black lab puppies. We snuck in to see them when their mom was on a walk. My mom says too many people don't take enough responsibility for their animals and let them have puppies. It makes her mad to see so many dogs that need homes. It makes me mad too. Neil who works at the SPCA told us there are about 2000 puppy mills in Quebec and until more people start to care and do something to stop it there will always be sad, sick dogs needing to be rescued. People need to stop buying dogs from pet shops because they come from puppy mills. If you want to find out more about what you can do to help stop puppy mills go here:

http://www.hsicanada.ca/companion_animals/puppy_mills/
http://www.nopuppymillscanada.ca/

Today I spent 3 hours.

Goodbye to Ben

Today we went mostly to see Ben. He has been at the shelter since December 20th. He is one of the dogs that was taken from a man who kept them tied to trees outside. He is sad and doesn't want to be in his cage anymore so my mom tries to see him a lot and takes him for really long walks. Today we took him to the park. He is going to a foster home tomorrow. I am soooo happy for Ben but also sad to say goodbye. I love Ben! I also played with some pitbull puppies. Lots of people think pitbulls are mean dogs but they are very nice if they are treated nicely. Today I stayed for 2.5 hours.

Update: May 14. Ben cannot stay at his foster. He needs a new one. I am very sad for Bennyboy!
Update: May 20. Ben is in a new foster home. I hope he can stay there forever because he is old and I think he must not like to have to keep finding new homes.

Meet the hounds

Today I went up to the SPCA with my mom. There are lots and lots of hound dogs that just arrived. It is different from the huskies because the huskies had to be kept in cages but the hounds are all together. The girls are in one room the boys are in one room. Some of them are very, very shy. My mom didn't want me to go into the room with them until she was sure they were nice but I got to see them all through the door window. They came from a lady who didn't take them for walks. She didn't take care of them at all. They pooped in the house and didn't have enough food to eat. They are very skinny. Today I spent around 1 hour.

Update: May 21. Only two hounds are still at the SPCA. Some were adopted and some went to rescues to find homes. I am sure they will be happy now.

Update: June 5. Walker, a very shy hound was taken into foster by eleven eleven rescue. His new foster "mom" is very committed to helping him become a "normal" dog. Thank god there are people out there willing to take on the more difficult animals. Without them, many would never get a second chance.

Transporting dogs

Today I went to St-Adele with my mom and dad to pick up two little dogs from a pound where they were not going to keep them anymore. Paws for Life Rescue found them a foster home where they will be safe until they find a home. I hope they find a home together because they really love each other. I don't know why the old owners didn't want them any more. Today I spent 2.5 hours.

Update: They were adopted together. I am soooo happy!!!

Good luck Marty

Today I went up with my mom. I was anxious to see Marty but he was gone. He went to a rescue in Ontario to find a home. More will go soon to other shelters where they will find them homes. I really hope Marty finds a good home. I hope they all find good homes. Today I volunteered 3 hours walking dogs.

Huskies liberated

Today I am glad to say that we found out that the huskies did not have to get sent back to their old owner. Now they can find them homes.

Fun in the snow

Today I went to the shelter again with my mom. There were a lot of people there so we decided to take Arlo out for a long walk because he is very energetic and he loves to play in the snow. I threw snowballs for him and we ran up and down the snow piles in the parking lot. He was very excited and he kept licking my face. Then we took crazy Arnold out to play. He is kooky. I really hope Arlo and Arnold find a nice home with a big backyard so they can play in it whenever they want. I hope all of them find a nice home.

Then we walked Myles. Myles is very shy and he didn't want to come out of his cage at first but then once he was outside he was a little more active and he even played a little. He was very happy when he found a little yogurt container. He picked it up in his mouth and carried it all the way back to the SPCA. I feel sad for Myles because he is so shy and scared. Today I spent 2 hours.

My First Day - Meeting Marty

It was a very, very cold day. My mom and dad and I drove up to the SPCA emergency shelter to help walk the dogs. There are over 40 husky mixes who were saved from a bad owner who did not take care of them. They all needed to be walked. We started with the shy girls named Bettina, Hope and Nanouk. They were very happy to go outside even though they were skinny and it was cold. Some of the dogs were very nervous and didn't like being outside. It was very sad to see them so scared. Some of the dogs like Arnold and Lola loved going for walks and liked to chase old coffee cups. The most fun though was meeting Marty. Marty is a big goofy golden retriever mix that loves to hug. He didn't even want to walk just hug.This was my first day ever helping with the rescued dogs at the shelter. We stayed for over 4 hours. It was cold and I am sad that the dogs do not have a home but it was fun to see all the dogs. My dog Ginger had a mean owner who left her tied to a tree in a snowstorm without any food. She is still a little bit scared. I am glad we adopted her.

Note: These dogs were seized in late December from a hoarder who wants them back. They were tied to trees and many are emaciated. Some are very timid and fearful, some are a little aggressive with other dogs and others are very well adjusted. A court date is set for February 8. Until that time the dogs cannot be adopted out and must be kept in cages. They need as many volunteers as possible to help socialize and walk these poor dogs. Some really dedicated people show up as much as 3 times a week but it takes over 7 hours to walk all of them even if only for 15 minutes each. CK

Update: The owner released them to the SPCA and all have gone to fosters, rescues or have been adopted.