When You are Failed by Your Role Models

For as long as I can remember growing up on Tybee, Jack Kingston has always been our congressional representative. He's done so much for us, making sure our beaches survive with beach renourishment and working to keep our military bases open. He's good with the people, participating in local festivals, even donning a crazy costume as the Tybee Island Beach Bum King last year. Twice in my life he's presented me with honors, first my sophomore high school year when I won the national Propellor Club essay contest, and last year when Coastal Pet Rescue was named a Purina Rally to Rescue Ambassador of Excellence. I've always thought of Jack as a great friend of the community, but was deeply saddened when I found that he isn't much of a friend to animals.

Two months ago, I attended a day-long workshop by the Georgia Legal Professionals for Animals on Prosecuting Animal Cruelty. In one of the sessions, they talked about the need for animal welfare individuals to communicate with their representatives about the need for legislation to prevent incidents like the Michael Vick case. They then proceeded to tell us how our representatives voted for the national legislation Bush signed into law earlier this year... and Jack Kingston voted against. I was stunned. But today, for whatever reason, maybe because of my recent cases with Rusty and Lady and three Pitbull puppies, that I couldn't remain silent anymore. So, I decided to email Jack through his website. I'm sure many people will disagree with me, but my hope is that Jack Kingston and other representatives remember that although the pets they vote against protecting can't vote, the people who do care about them can.

Dear Congressman Kingston,

I have wrestled for the last two months about contacting you, but I now feel it is my duty to do so to make informed voting decisions.

Two months ago, I attended a day-long workshop on St. Simon's on Prosecuting Animal Cruelty. I was shocked when I found that you did not vote in support of national legislation to ban this abomination. Are you aware of the other illegal activities that accompany dogfighting, such as illegal gambling, drugs and interpersonal and gang violence? I have looked to you as a role model since our St. Michael's class trip to see you in DC in 1993. I had always thought of you as a person who wants to see greatness for his community. I was even greatly honored when you recognized my efforts for the animal welfare community in Savannah last year by having a flag flown for Coastal Pet Rescue. So why would you not support harsher penalties and ending these cruel sports?

Maybe dogs can't vote, but there are thousands of animal lovers in your district who can. I have already spoken at Magnolia Manor in Richmond Hill on the topic of dogfighting and your lack of support for the national bill. I have also spoken in smaller groups on Tybee about my displeasure. As the island residents regularly support my organization, I felt they should also know where their representatives stood in support of similar issues.

I would appreciate a response with your reasons for not supporting this legislation. I sincerely hope it is not a trend that will continue.

Remembering Pet Safety When Traveling

It's never easy when you lose a pet, but it's even harder when you realize the tragedy could have been prevented.

Last Friday night, a Chihuahua was killed in a car crash. She had been riding in the owner's lap when the air bag deployed and crushed her. How many of us have allowed our sweet, little pooches to travel this way? We never think it could happen to us, but this accident shows otherwise.

So, how do you travel safely with your pets? Here's a few ideas:

1. Seat belt restraint. Several manufacturers produce harnesses that will snap into your seatbelt buckles in your car. Petmate also makes special leashes that have the snap as well.

2. Use a pet gate. These gates sit behind the driver and passenger seats and keep active pets from jumping up front. They are great for SUVs.

3. Keep your pet in a carrier or crate while traveling. This is my preference. I use crates when transporting dogs from animal control or to the vet. I put a puppy pad on the bottom that helps for accident clean up, especially if a pup gets car sick.

4. Never let your pet ride in the back of a truck. In many areas, including Chatham County and Savannah, this is illegal, but also very dangerous. Animals can get thrown from the vehicle in a crash or jump out when stopped. If your pet must ride in the back of a truck, place them inside a strapped crate with adequate ventilation.

We are often tempted to make allowances for our pets that we would not do for our children. There are reasons they have safety laws including booster seats, and we should remember to keep our pets just as safe.

Rent a Pet for Busy Lives

This morning, I was watching the Early show on CBS, and they showcased a new business that allows people to rent a dog for hours up to seven days. The business is called FlexPetz, and get this: it costs members over $1,400 a year to be able to rent a dog whenever they want. The idea behind the program is to allow people who "love" dogs or desire their companionship but don't have the time to care for them full-time to at least get a chance to for a little while. The proprietor stresses that they get these animals from shelters, train them to socialize with anyone and everyone, and live in cageless daycare when they aren't in homes.

Unfreakinbelievable. How can this possibly be good for the dogs??? The nature of the human-animal bond will never be established here, and the dogs will bounce from one routine to the next, causing much stress on them. And what about health issues? If different people see this dog each week, who will be able to notice when something isn't right and the pup needs to see a vet?

Most of this week the media has spent saying how outrageous it was that a rescue agency would not allow a pet to live a happy life with a home that had children under 14. But this just irritates me. I know most would say it is better than them being euthanized in a shelter, but it should be about quality of life, not quantity.

There are so many other options to renting a dog. Become a foster parent for a couple weeks, volunteer your free hours at an animal shelter or rescue, or help out at community pet events. There are lots of ways to interact with pets without requiring a lifetime of responsibility and increasing stress of the pets.

Adoption Contracts Are Made to Prevent Heartbreaks, Not Cause Them

Contracts are supposed to be made to protect parties involved, but when contracts are broken, other people can be the ones to pay the price.

This week, Ellen DeGeneres replaced her usual humorous and witty opening monologue on her show with a plea to Mutts and Moms rescue to return a dog she adopted and then gave to another family. Per the adoption agreement between DeGeneres and Mutts and Moms, if the adoption did not work out, DeGeneres was to return the dog to the rescue, not give it away.

This is not an unusual clause in an adoption contract. This clause exists to reiterate to adopting families the commitment a pet needs from the family and also ensure that the animal has a better life than the one that landed him in the rescue.

Coastal Pet Rescue has a return and transfer of ownership clause in its contract that also requires families to return the pets to them if the adoption does not work. The organization has had a small number of returns, but always keeps the doors open for their rescued pets.

We try to follow up on our adoptions periodically. We use the follow ups to help us with enhancing our program as well as sharing adoption stories with others to encourage adoption. Only once can I recall being told a pet had been given away. We didn't ask to take the pet back, but to have the family's contact information to update the microchip. It was admitted to us then that the pet had been having massive behavior problems and the vet had recommended euthanasia, which they followed. There was really nothing more we could do; suing wouldn't bring the dog back, and it would only cause the family more pain. So we let it be.

In addition to a return policy, Coastal Pet Rescue's adoption contract has a reclaim policy that allows the organization to reclaim any dog if any part of the agreement is not upheld. In the last three years, we have only reclaimed two pets via the contract and are in the process of reclaiming a third.

Last Wednesday night, I received a phone call at 9:30 from another rescuer. She had been called by a neighbor that had found a stray dog. As luck would have it, he still had my ID tag on him. The rescuer knew me personally and called me directly. After calling one of my adoption coordinators at home to look up the adopter's information in our database, we determined the dog to be Rusty, a five-year-old golden cocker spaniel. I called the rescuer back and told her that I would pick Rusty up the next morning. She told me he was badly matted, but I really just had no idea.

My heart completely sank when I arrived at 8 am to pick up Rusty. I could smell him before I even saw him. He was matted head to toe, and I couldn't even move the collar he had on, which was the same one he had when we adopted him out back in February. I was crushed. I got Rusty in the car and composed myself, calling our vet to see if they could see me immediately. It was going to be an hour before they could work me in, so I headed home to get my digital camera and copies of the adoption contract, intending to go file neglect charges with animal control after we left the vet's office.

I walked into the vet with Rusty, as we had done when he was with us before. But this time, I just had so many tears, it was hard to talk. I got the usual, "Aw, is he a new rescue?" and heard the gasps when I explained that no, he had been adopted from us back in February and this was what they did to him.

We spent the next two hours trying to clean him up. The vet checked him over, and determined he had yeast infections in both ears and an eye infection. But there was a smell we couldn't determine. We thought it was just the feces that had gotten caught in his fur, but then I found what I thought was a small wound on his left ear. The vet got the shaver out and started to shave... and then we uncovered the mystery smell: a colony of maggots had taken up residence. I cried some more.

Photos can never tell you what it was like being in that room, Rusty on the table and muzzled, being handled by two techs and a vet trying to do the best they could for him. I was just incredibly sick, not from the smell or the sights, but knowing that someone who knew he was a rescue, knew he had not always had an easy life, manipulated us into thinking they would give him the same love and care we had been doing.

I had an animal control officer meet us at the vet's office. They took my documentation and took more photos. I was lucky it was an officer I had worked with when I worked at animal control, and he promised me that we would have a day in the court for her to be charged with neglect.

I got Rusty in the car and called our groomer, pleading to see if they could work him in that day. They were in shock as well when we arrived, and promised to do the best they could. Over three hours later, he was shaved down and ready to go home. They saved all the fur for me to use in my evidence... it weighs a couple pounds. Rusty felt like a new dog, being able to walk without all the weight and restriction from his fur that had matted together, being able to shake his head, and showing his happiness with his tail wags.

Rusty is now safe in another foster home where he is receiving five medications two to three times daily. He is getting along great with other dogs and eating up all the attention his foster home can give.

Adoption contracts usually provide provisions to ensure proper care of the pet, such as requiring the spaying or neutering if not already done, maintaining yearly innoculations, administering monthly heartworm preventative, and providing humane care at all times to include adequate exercise, food, water and shelter. It is sad that this seems to us to be such common sense, but is so hard to follow by others. But having this in our contract gives us one more reason we can demand legal ownership of Rusty from his adopter.

I see the Ellen DeGeneres situation as a learning experience for our organization. There is never an always right or always wrong answer to these types of situations. You have to evaluate them, learn from them, and adjust your procedures accordingly. And maybe people thinking about adoption will spend a little more time making sure it is a responsibility they can handle and that the pet is just the right match for their home, which is the reason we do applications and pre-adoption in-home interviews.

My heart goes out to all the parties involved in the Ellen situation. It's hard to explain to people why rescues are so protective of their pets. But it is hard not to be jaded when you see first hand the suffering these pets endure and overcome.