A Little Blueberry: Yoggies

If you know me, you know that I call my doggies - yoggies. I don't know why, I just do. We are, as you know, dog lovers and this means we have a special relationship with our furry friends. We don't just love dogs, but all animals, and that is part of the reason why we only eat organic, free-range meat. My husband and I think that even animals raised for food should be treated humanly while being able to live a full life before being killed. If we could have our own farm, we would need money for land to do it, we would and it is something we hope to do one day.

And, here is my public service announcement for the day: I always say, if you love your dogs - put a collar on them with a name tag. No matter what, even if they are inside dogs. Our back gate was opened once, while we weren't home, and all of our dogs got out. Thank goodness our neighbors brought two of them back; but it took Zipper over 12 hours to find her way home (un-harmed and overnight - it was a miracle!). So, tag your dogs, they could get out someday without you even knowing it. :) And, if they do get out and you can't find them, put their bed or a piece of your clothing outside - they will sniff their way home (trust me, it works)!

Teaching in south Phoenix is awful if you are an animal lover. We run across a lot of mistreated animals in the neighborhoods surrounding our school and it is hard to see sometimes. There is a teacher at school who is also an animal lover, who told me once that "this is the reason I will stop working here one day" when I brought in yet another stray to his classroom. Not only do people leave their dogs outside year round (even in 120+ degrees) down there, but they also let them out the front door to pee/poop when they don't have a fence or have a collar or tags on their friend. Having had our beloved girl Lucy get hit by a car, this is dear to our hearts and it is so sad to see on a daily basis when we drive to/from work.

So, we pick up the pups we find who don't have tags or collars. The big dogs are scarier, they are raised differently down there (some for fighting) so we usually don't approach these but call the county to pick them up. If a dog/cat is hurt, no matter what size, I ALWAYS call but if it is a little pup we pick them up. It's strange because I've worked here 7 years and only in the last 2 have we found 3 pups, ever since our Lucy died. Maybe I just wasn't looking before or paying attention, but here are our 3 little friends - Rosie, Stanley and Herman:

(Rosie - a German Shepherd mix. Sweet but definitely a "street" dog, had ticks on her. Gave her to a nice family on Craigslist.)

(Stanley - my favorite. I cried my eyes out when I had to give him away. A very cuddly chihuahua, I think of him often. Gave him to an aide at our school.)

(Herman - a Pit Bull mix. Very lovable and followed me around everywhere, lots of energy. Gave him to a shelter who will adopt him out to a good home.)

None of them had owners who claimed them (we usually post flyer in the neighborhood that say LOST DOG and a phone #) so we found them a nice home or a shelter to take them to. These poor little babies could have been hit by cars, I'm happy we had a chance to help. Our school is so in the middle of all of it, there are stray dogs on campus ALL the time. Security usually takes them and locks them up (and calls the county) but if we get to them, and they are nice, we try to find someone that will take them home.

So, if you live in Arizona, I thought I’d share this information. Eventually, when I have more readers, I'd like everyone to post their city's rescues on here too so that maybe we can have a whole list available - no matter where you live. These are also places you can surrender an animal if you can longer care for them (instead of just opening your door and setting them "free").

The following are no-kill shelters. If you turn a dog or cat into Maricopa County Animal Control or the Humane Society, there is a risk that they may be put down if not sold/adopted. If you find a stray dog or cat, please do the following first:

Post flyers in the area. Post on Pets911 and Craigslist lost and found pages (please give very minimal description and be sure owners clearly and accurately identify the dog before releasing them). Take the dog to a local vet to be scanned for a microchip. If the dog is hurt or in distress, request an ambulance at 602.997.7585 ext. 2073. Services are free and available daily from 8am to 7pm.

If none of the above works, try family or friends that may be able to adopt the stray. Then, call one of the rescues below to see if they can take the animal. Don’t get frustrated, sometimes we call multiple times or have to just keep the dog/cat for a couple of days until a shelter can take him/her. If you absolutely have to turn in a dog/cat to Animal Control, please get the A# and Kennel # and keep trying to contact these shelters. If they have space open they can pull them.

If you’d rather not approach a stray dog/cat (some are scary!), at least call Maricopa County Animal Control at 602-506-7387 or the Human Society at 602-997-7586 to pick them up (just report where you saw them) so there is a chance they will be found by their owner or be sold/adopted out to a loving family.

Most of these are also non-profit organizations so if you are interested in volunteering or donating, check out their sites and see if it sounds like something you’d like to be a part of. This is also a good resource if you’re looking to adopt a pet, these rescue animals definitely need good homes. J In addition, here are the adoption pages on the Maricopa County site and the Humane Society site.

Four Peaks Animal Rescue

480-471-3520

Foothills Animal Rescue

480-488-9890

AZ Animal Welfare League

602-273-6852

623-252-2434

480-704-4628

(480) 948-2795

480-497-8296

Mayday Pit Bull Rescue

info@maydaypitbullrescue.org

And just so my babies don't get jealous (because this is a post about dogs and I have three of the best at home), I had to include some recent pics of ours: