Bloggers Unite for Dog Rescue

We interrupt our regularly scheduled blogging to bring you this important announcement:

Today, July 23rd, in coordination with Be the Change for Animals, Dog Rescue Success and Blog Catalog, bloggers all over the world are blogging to promote the importance of dog rescue and adoption.

It's probably no surprise to anyone who's read even just a few posts on the blog that I am a vocal (and active) advocate for shelter and rescue dogs. My Saturday's Dog series features dogs available for adoption through local shelters and rescues. Stories about rescue transports and adoption events make occasional appearances. Even the stray URGENT request to find a dog a new home can find its way in to a post.

And yet, on this day of world-wide blogging to make a difference in the life of rescue and shelter dogs, I find I have no idea what I want to say. How can I talk to anyone about the joy of adopting a dog from a shelter when I'm writing a blog about how messed up my own dog is?

Speechless? Not quite.

I certainly would like to encourage anyone reading this post to consider getting their next dog from a shelter or a rescue organization.

I would also like to rail at the world for allowing the current tragic state of "man's best friend" to persist:

• The HSUS estimates that animal shelters care for 6-8 million dogs and cats every year in the United States, of whom approximately 3-4 million are euthanized.
• In Puerto Rico, a U.S. Territory and Bella's homeland, of every 100 dogs that enter a municipal shelter, only 3 make it out alive.
• "Between 2 million and 4 million dogs are born in U.S. puppy mills every year."

And I would like to dispel a myth about shelter dogs even though my own may seem to validate it.

Myth: Shelter dogs are damaged dogs.

Studies show that most shelter dogs were given up for reasons that have more to do with the human than the animal. In fact, the top 3 reasons for animal surrenders are:

1) Owners are moving,
2) Landlord does not allow pets and
3) Too many animals in household.

The vast majority of dogs I have met and worked with in rescue and shelters would make wonderful family pets. They are rigorously assessed for temperament. I have had as many as 5 dogs crated in my Subaru Forester without a hint of drama or reactivity. Several have given me kisses. Others have fallen asleep in my lap.

Yes, some rescue/shelter dogs carry the emotional and physical scars of their history as Bella does. Bella's genetic hodgepodge indicates she is a street dog born of a street dog born of a street dog. Her instincts and sense of self-preservation kept her alive in impossibly hostile circumstances. She bears the scars of physical abuse on her back, malnourishment on her face and emotional trauma in her behavior.

But Bella was deliberately chosen by us with full knowledge that she had 'issues'. No one at the shelter tried to pretend she didn't. They gave her to us because they knew me as a former volunteer. They knew my commitment and were aware of my handling skills.

Every dog should be so carefully placed by the rescue/shelter and no dog should ever be purchased or adopted without a full understanding of the responsibilities required to appropriately raise a dog. The onus is on both the prospective owner and the shelter to see that through.

Bruised, not broken.

Breaking the cycle

As animal advocates, we need to work on multiple levels to help change the condition of our "best friends". We need to promote and subsidize spay/neuter programs. We need to work diligently to shut down puppy mills and over-breeding for simple greed. We need to educate the public and we need to continue to save the lives of dogs who find themselves, through no fault of their own, homeless, abused, neglected and abandoned.

Finally, I'd like to ask anyone looking to add a dog to their family to please consider carefully the commitment you are about to undertake. Before you adopt from a shelter or buy from a reputable breeder, please educate yourself.

Dogs are not trifles. They are living, breathing, thinking, feeling, sentient beings who can live up to 15+ years. They are a commitment. They cost money. They have accidents, injuries and illnesses. They need to be taught and trained. And they need someone who is going to stick by them when the new baby comes or the furniture color changes. They require your time, attention and energy.

And for all of that, they will give you nothing more than endless affection, devotion and entertainment. Let's try to do better by them, shall we?

Ways you can help:

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Adopt your next companion

Donate to a local dog rescue organization

Foster a dog

Volunteer at a local shelter or rescue organization

Share these posts across all forms of social media and encourage others to participate!

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Have you heard? About July 23rd?!?

Today is Be the Change 4 Animals' quarterly "Blog the Change" event and this quarter the goal is to make bloggers (and blog readers) aware of the upcoming "Bloggers Unite for Dog Rescue" global event addressing the importance of dog adoption.

It took me a few reads to make sure I understood what's going on here today - I'm writing a post today to tell people they should join me in writing a post next week to talk about how important it is to adopt your next dog? Okay, I think I get it - takes me a few tries sometimes.

But actually, I do get it and here's why. Back in June when Pedigree Foundation was running its "Write a Post, Help a Dog campaign, I found out about it on the very last day of the campaign. A few of my readers mentioned they knew nothing about it either. So today, BtC4A is giving everyone a week's notice for the "Bloggers Unite" event by getting bloggers to tell other bloggers about next week's campaign. Very cool.

So here's the deal:

On July 23rd, BtC4A, in coordination with Dog Rescue Success and Blog Catalog, is hosting a global blogging event to promote dog adoption. "Bloggers Unite for Dog Rescue" invites everyone to spread the word about how important dog rescue and adoption is to the lives of so many animals.

And here's where YOU come in:

Have a blog? Awesome! Write a post about a rescue or shelter in your area or any dog rescue-related topic that interests you. You DON'T have to be a pet blogger to participate. In fact, that's the whole point: we want to get every blogger to write a post so everyone who reads blogs of all kinds will see these posts and learn why dog adoption is so very important.

If you don't have a blog, you can still participate by tweeting blog posts and sharing them on your Facebook walls. Stick posts on Pinterest, ♥ them on Tumblr, "Like it!" on StumbleUpon or the who knows how many other social media platforms available. (Don't use any of those social media tools? Got email? Share posts that way!)

The goal is to reach as many people as possible about the importance of dog adoption.

But just why is dog adoption so important?

Did you know:

• "Millions of dogs are euthanized" every year "because not enough people are adopting dogs through local rescue groups and shelters."
• Many people still buy dogs at pet stores (or worse - online!) even though most pet store dogs come from puppy mills.

We here in the pet-blogging and animal welfare community know most of this already but so many people outside our circle remain uninformed. And since pet stores often go out of their way to misrepresent the facts and confuse the consumer about where their puppies come from, even people who want to do the right thing may not realize the dog they are buying comes from a puppy mill.

It's our job, our responsibility, to get the facts out there so everyone knows. So pick a topic about dog rescue and join us next week to tell the world how to save a life by adopting their next dog.

Bella says "Thank you."

Thank you!