Churches Take Steps to Show Love for Animals

U.S. - New York Times

Churches Take Steps to Show Their Love for Animals

By MARK OPPENHEIMER

Published: October 14, 2011

In a culture obsessed with dogs, dog whisperers and domestic pets of all kinds, religious groups are paying attention, too, with many megachurches sponsoring groups for pet lovers.

911 Dogs: Do They Remember?

The twelve 9/11 search dogs who are still alive:

Their eyes say everything you need to know about them. Just amazing creatures.

True heroes of 9/11 still with us today...




Moxie, 13, from Winthrop, Massachusetts, arrived with her handler, Mark Aliberti, at the World Trade Center on the evening of September 11 and searched the site for eight days.



Tara, 16, from Ipswich, Massachusetts, arrived at the World Trade Center on the night of the 11th. The dog and her handler Lee Prentiss were there for eight days.


Kaiser, 12, pictured at home in Indianapolis, Indiana, was deployed to the World Trade Center on September 11 and searched tirelessly for people in the rubble.



Bretagne and his owner Denise Corliss from Cypress, Texas, arrived at the site in New York on September 17, remaining there for ten days.



Guinness, 15, from Highland, California, started work at the site with Sheila McKee on the morning of September 13 and was deployed at the site for 11 days.



Merlyn and his handler Matt Claussen were deployed to Ground Zero on September 24, working the night shift for five days.



Red, 11, from Annapolis, Maryland, went with Heather Roche to the Pentagon from September 16 until the 27 as part of the Bay Area Recovery Canines.



Abigail, above, was deployed on the evening of September 17, searching for 10 days while Tuff arrived in New York at 11:00 pm on the day of attack to start working early the next day.



Handler Julie Noyes and Hoke were deployed to the World Trade Center from their home in Denver on September 24 and searched for five days.



Scout and another unknown dog lie among the rubble at Ground Zero, just two of nearly 100 search and rescue animals who helped to search for survivors

During the chaos of the 9/11 attacks, where almost 3,000 people died, nearly 100 loyal search and rescue dogs and their brave owners scoured Ground Zero for survivors.
Now, ten years on, just 12 of these heroic canines survive, and they have been commemorated in a touching series of portraits entitled 'Retrieved'.
The dogs worked tirelessly to search for anyone trapped alive in the rubble, along with countless emergency service workers and members of the public.
Traveling across nine states in the U.S. from Texas to Maryland, Dutch photographer Charlotte Dumas, 34, captured the remaining dogs in their twilight years in their homes where they still live with their handlers, a full decade on from 9/11.
Their stories have now been compiled in a book, called Retrieved, which is published on Friday, the tenth anniversary of the attacks. Noted for her touching portraits of animals, especially dogs, Charlotte wanted 'Retrieved' to mark not only the anniversary of the September 2001 attacks, but also as recognition for some of the first responders and their dogs.

'I felt this was a turning point, especially for the dogs, who although are not forgotten, are not as prominent as the human stories involved,' explained Charlotte, who splits her time between New York and Amsterdam. 'They speak to us as a different species and animals are greatly important for our sense of empathy and to put things into perspective.'

The Real Story of Toto

History hounds, perk up your ears! Did you know that Terry, the Cairn Terrier who played Toto in The Wizard of Oz, was once a rug-wetter who wound up being abandoned by her people at a Los Angeles dog training school? This very same pup would go on to make more money a week than the Munchkin actors on set and was so beloved by actress Judy Garland that she tried to make a pet out of the canine superstar.
Bone up on Toto trivia here.

After the Tornado

Some good comes from a disaster.

The story begins with the rescuers finding this poor little guy they named Ralphie. Someone had already taken him under their wing but they weren't equipped to adopt.

Ralphie, scared and starved, joined his rescuers.

I wouldn't think anything could live through this.... but we were wrong.

This little lady also survived that wreckage.

Here she is just placed in the car - scared, but safe.

and then..they are no longer alone!

Instant friends, they comforted each other while in the car.

.

 

Add two more beagles found after that... the more, the merrier!  

Oh boy, a new traveler to add to the mix...(Note: the cat coming over the seat needing shelter...)
Now just how is this going to work? (and remember they are all strange to one another)

It's going to work just fine, thank you very much!

Wow! The things we learn from our animal friends...

If only all of mankind could learn such valuable lessons as this.
Lessons of instant friendship;of peace and harmony by way of respect
for one another -- no matter one's color or creed.
These animals tell you... "It's just good to be alive and with others."
Yes, it surely is.
So... Live, love, laugh.

"Life's a Gift... Unwrap It!"

Does Your Dog Watch Too Much TV?

Does Your Dog Watch Too Much TV?
How much TV is too much for our four-legged friends? Here is the good, the bad and the ugly.

Read more: Does your dog watch too much tv?

NEBTR Member Featured in Star Ledger

NEBTR member Mike Pravec and his wife Stacey Arbeit-Pravec are the founders of Special Needs K9, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping the most needy of shelter dogs. They help those given up on by everyone else, and give them a second chance.

Recently, they were featured in the Star Ledger and Bergen Record. Mike reports, "We were very fortunate today to have an article written and published about our rescue on the front page of the Star Ledger Newspaper (New Jersey section) and on page 4 of the main section of the Bergen Record Newspaper. I also received a phone call from a radio station 1450AM this morning and had the opportunity to speak live on radio about animal rescue. Here is a link to the on-line version which also includes a video of us with the Star Ledger."

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/05/nj_couple_devotes_life_to_resc.html

Mike Pravec

SNK9

Congratulations to Mike and Stacey for this recognition of the amazing work that they do. Visit their website, Special Needs K9, as well to read more about the pups they have lovingly helped.

Stamps to the Rescue

With these 10 stamp designs, the U.S. Postal Service hopes to raise awareness of the need to adopt shelter pets.

Photographer Sally Anderson-Bruce found these beautiful, adopted pets in her hometown of New Milford, Connecticut. Each of these animals was given a good home thanks to animal rescue shelters and the families who adopted them.

One of the featured pups is a Boston Terrier.

You can also pre-order them online on April 30 at Stamps to the Rescue.

-- Contributed by Lisa Vaughan

Special Needs K9 Organization in the Press

Mike and Stacey Pravec, who are the heads of Special Needs K9,Org, were recently featured in The Leader Newspaper. The Pravecs, who are also NEBTR members, having been instrumental in the placement and care of Mr. Blue, a Boston Terrier, have founded Special Needs K9 to help with the medical bills for medically challenged pups, works on finding foster and permanent homes for them, and coordinates rescues.

You can read the complete article here.

From that initial dog, the organization grew. “Mr. Blue is the reason this all started,” Mike said.Special Needs K9 began when Stacey started volunteering at the Teterboro shelter. “It was the day before Thanksgiving and I said I had a lot of thanks to give in my life,” said Stacey, who has suspended her interior designing business to focus on Special Needs K9, Inc. “I have a love for animals, so I thought, ‘What can I do to give my thanks back?’ It’s not about me; it’s about giving. So, I went down to the shelter.”

Shortly afterward, Stacey began volunteering and Mike followed suit. At first, Mike said he was hesitant, because he knew he would become emotionally attached to these dogs in need. “When I started volunteering, I saw what these animals had to endure and go through and they don’t have a home,” said the retired police officer from Paramus. “What I was afraid of happening has turned into the best thing in my life. … It started as something on the side, but very quickly, within weeks, it spiraled to something full-time, full-blown, full-steam ahead.”

To help in their small way, the Pravecs are asking for help. “We need some people who are willing to open their homes to these animals, even if temporarily just to foster, not even adopt,” Mike said.

Stacey added that all the funds raised by Special Needs K9, Inc., which is an accredited 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, have gone to the dogs. All over-head has been taken care of by the Pravecs. And although they have three special-needs dogs themselves, no funds are used on Stacey and Mike’s pets.

Their own dogs have similar stories to the animals they are trying to place in homes.

Tater Tot is a Boston terrier who was rescued after eight years of never visiting a veterinarian. Ruben is a shar pei who has had eye surgery, blood clots, stones, allergies and mange. Lily is a pit bull who has had mange, a urinary tract infection and hip problems.

NEBTR thanks Mike and Stacey for all their tireless work on behalf of these pups.

Hurt Dog Shows up at Emergency Room

FARMINGTON, N.M. (AP) - The patient was only slightly injured when he limped into a hospital in the northwest New Mexico city of Farmington.

The only problem was, he was a dog.

When the automatic doors at San Juan Regional Medical Center's emergency room slid open Saturday night, the pooch walked in, blood on his nose and paw, and a puncture hole in one leg.

Animal control officer Robin Loev (LOHV) responded to a call from the hospital and suspects the puncture wound was from the bite of another dog.

Loev says the German shepherd mix appeared to be intelligent and calm - and knew enough to go to the right place.

The animal was taken to the Farmington Animal Shelter and claimed by its owner.

Animal Abusers Registry

An article of interest regarding animal abuse appeared in the NY Times on Monday, 2/22/10, Page A10. The article by Jesse McKinley indicates that California is considering a law listing animal abusers in an online registry, complete with their home addresses and places of employment. The bill was introduced Friday by the State Senate's majority leader, Dean Florez. The law would be the first of its kind in the country and is just the latest law geared toward animal rights. Under Florez's bill, any person convicted of a felony involving animal cruelty would have to register with the police and provide a range of personal information and a current photograph. That info would be posted online, along with info on the person's offense.

An Assistant Attorney in the Commonwealth of VA , is a supporter of the bill saying such a registry could also be valuable in tracking people who run puppy mills and animal-fighting rings as well as hoarders who collect hundreds of animals resulting in neglect.

The bill is also endorsed by the US Humane Society.

Write California's State Legislature in support of this bill and write your state representatives acquainting them with the proposed law and asking for consideration in your state.

Adopt a Shelter Pet Stamps

First Day of Issue: April 30, 2010, Burbank, CA 91505

With this pane of 10 stamp designs, the U.S. Postal Service hopes to raise awareness of the need to adopt shelter pets.

The pets depicted on the stamps were photographed by Sally Andersen-Bruce near her home in New Milford, Connecticut. All had been homeless at one time; all but one had been adopted when they were photographed.

-- Contributed by Isabella Marcotrigiano

Dickens Dog Collar Sells for $11,000

A leather and brass collar belonging to one of the greatest writers of the 19th century has sold at auction for $11,599.

That is one sturdy and very cool dog collar. You can imagine Dickens’ hands buckling it around his dog’s neck. Being that the collar is 23 inches, it probably wasn’t for one of his smaller dogs. Dickens’ Pomeranian,  Mrs. Bouncer, was not likely the wearer.

The description on the Bonhams web page states that “Like many Victorians, Dickens maintained a strong fondness for animals, dogs in particular.”

It then goes on to quote from an 1870 article in the Atlantic shortly after Dickens death:

Dickens shares a relaxing moment in this 1900 engraving in Life

Dickens shares a relaxing moment with his dog Turk in this 1900 engraving in Life

“All animals which he took under his especial patronage seemed to have a marked affection for him. Quite a colony of dogs has always been a feature at Gad’s Hill. When Dickens returned home from his last visit to America, these dogs were frequently spoken of in his letters. In May, 1868, he writes: ‘As you ask me about the dogs, I begin with them. The two Newfoundland dogs coming to meet me, with the usual carriage and the usual driver, and beholding me coming in my usual dress out at the usual door, it struck me that their recollection of my having been absent for any unusual time was at once cancelled. They behaved (they are both young dogs) exactly in their usual manner; coming behind the basket phaeton as we trotted along, and lifting their heads to have their ears pulled,—a special attention which they receive from no one else. But when I drove into the stable-yard, Linda (the St. Bernard) was greatly excited, weeping profusely, and throwing herself on her back that she might caress my foot with her great fore-paws. M.’s little dog, too, Mrs. Bouncer, barked in the greatest agitation, on being called down and asked, ‘Who is this?’ tearing round and round me like the dog in the Faust outlines.’ ”

And there’s a bit of dog-based literary history for your reading pleasure!

- From Dogster.Com

Missing Dog Found 10 Years, 1700 Miles Later

FREDERICKSBURG, Va. -- A dog missing from northern Virginia for a decade may soon be reunited with his owner after showing up in Oklahoma.

Tristan Rohde, 8, her family found Brindle under a bush in their Lawton, Okla., neighborhood a couple of weeks ago -- more than 1,300 miles from where he disappeared. The Rohdes thought Brindle was dead, but when he lifted his head, Tristan decided to take him in.

"If I didn't, then he would just be sitting there right now with no family, no friends, no nothing," she said.

The Rohdes took Brindle, who was near death, to a veterinarian who found a microchip with tracking information under Brindle's skin.

"I'm just so proud of my daughter being so caring like she is, taking in the dog that was probably knocking on heaven's door," said Tristan's father, Jon Rohde.

The family then used Facebook to track down Brindle's owner, Gary Rowley.

Brindle was a smart dog, Rowley said. He could open doors.

"He would hook his toenails into the side of the door and he opened it," Rowley said Wednesday.

On Super Bowl Sunday 1999, Brindle opened the door and never returned.

The circumstances surrounding Brindle's disappearance, past 10 years and incredible journey to Oklahoma are unknown.

"I'm not mad at the dog," Rowley joked. "All I want to ask him is, 'Why in the hell did you run off 10 years ago?'"

The reunion awaits Brindle's recuperation. He's not yet well enough to travel, but if the vet OKs him Friday, Brindle and Rowley could be together again next week.

World's Oldest Dog Dies at 21 - or 147

NEW YORK – A wire-haired dachshund that held the record as the world's oldest dog and celebrated its last birthday with a party at a dog hotel and spa has died at age 21 — or 147 in dog years.

The dog, named Chanel, died Friday of natural causes at her owners' home in suburban Port Jefferson Station, on Long Island.

Chanel, as stylish as her legendary namesake, wore tinted goggles for her cataracts in her later years and favored sweaters because she was sensitive to the cold, owners Denice and Karl Shaughnessy said Monday.

The playful dachshund was only 6 weeks old when Denice Shaughnessy, then serving with the U.S. Army, adopted her from a shelter in Newport News, Va.

Along with her owner, Chanel spent nine years on assignment in Germany, where she became adept at stealing sticks of butter from kitchen countertops and hiding them in sofa cushions in the living room, Shaughnessy said. She also liked chocolate, usually considered toxic to dogs, Shaughnessy said.

"She once ate an entire bag of Reese's peanut butter cups, and, you see, she lived to be 21, so go figure," Shaughnessy added.

Karl Shaughnessy nominated Chanel for the title of world's oldest dog after noticing the Guinness World Records book had no record.

Guinness World Records officials presented Chanel with a certificate as the world's oldest dog at a Manhattan birthday bash hosted by a private pet food company in May.

Chanel loved the party, especially the cake, which had a peanut butter flavor and had been made for dogs, Denice Shaughnessy said.

Chanel exercised daily and ate home-cooked chicken with her dog food, but good care wasn't entirely responsible for her long life, said her owners, who attributed God.

"Dogs are God's angels sent here to look out for us," Denice Shaughnessy said.

A dog from New Iberia, La., named Max, is vying for the record of world's oldest dog. Owner Janelle Derouen said Max marked his 26th birthday on Aug. 9. She said Guinness World Records officials were reviewing documents to authenticate his age; a Guinness World Records official in London didn't immediately answer an e-mail from The Associated Press requesting confirmation of that.

When asked the secret to her dog's long life, Derouen said she was shocked he's still with her.

"I have five kids, and all my kids are grown and gone," she said. "Now my grandkids are playing with this dog."

Hottest TShirt in Philadelphia

For Michael Vick

-- Contributed by Tony Ferrarese