Guthrie

Guthrie was impounded as a cruelty case. He'd been hit by a car but his owners never took him for medical care. Skinny and in constant pain, his chance of rescue seemed slim. But shelter staff decided to give it a try and posted his photo on their website.

WAG posted Guthrie's story on several rescue message boards and it caught the attention of Whispering Woods Rescue in NY. A flurry of phone calls and emails ensued. Guthrie's happy ending came when WAG pulled him from the shelter and took him to Countryside Hospital for Animals for evaluation and pain medications. The next day a volunteer with Atlanta's Angels Among Us Rescue picked up Guthrie from Countryside to foster him. Because the vet suggested amputation, Guthrie will have his surgery in GA and recuperate before heading to his new home in NY.

One more happy tail!

The Nuts and Bolts of Rescue

There's a lot of work involved in rescue, but a lot of good stuff, too. Seeing a rescue dog blossom in foster care, a happy adoptive family and their new pet, the bouncing enthusiasm of a dog finally freed from a shelter kennel.

Rescue is definitely a "takes a village" effort. So many people help in many different ways. We'll take a look at some stories coming out of the Walton shelter. You'll see what what we mean.

Enjoy the tales.

'til later,

Buddy

WAG Spring fun

Here are a few dates to note:

April 10 is our Spring Fling Adoption Extravaganza at the Loganville Petsmart from 11 a.m - 4 pm. Over 100 dogs and cats will be hoping for new homes. Come and "Let Love Blossom" with a new pet!

Saturday, May 8 is our first annual WAG 'n Walk, a community dog walk/festival in downtown Monroe. Bring your family and pets out to walk a 1.5 mile route through beautiful downtown Monroe. There's a $10 donation for entry, OR get your friends/family to sponsor you. The more sponsor money you get, the more goodies you'll receive - WAG t-shirts and lots of other fun stuff.

So it's a busy spring season for us. Hope you can join us!

'til later,

Buddy

The ice is gone- it's time to "Beat the Heat"

Thanks goodness we're done with January. The temperature dipped into the teens, and that's REALLY COLD for Georgia. I know - we look like wimps to those who have dealt with real winter weather, snow, ice and all that stuff. Whatever. I still spent a lot of time under my blanket in the basement. Brrrrr.

February is spay/neuter month and WAG wants to spay a lot of cats through "Beat the Heat," a joint promotion offered by Paradox Clinic, WAG, Pound Puppies rescue and Save Our Strays rescue. Cat owners will pay only $25 to spay a female this month through participating vets. But this is a limited offer and only a select number of surgery slots are available, so don't wait. Call us at (770) 207-1896 for more info.

Happy Holidays

'Tis the season for thanks, so here it is - on behalf on WAG I want to thank all the people who've helped us this year! You're our heroes!

Here's some of what we've done in 2009:

• Rescued 224 dogs/cats from the shelter
• Paid for spayed/neuter of more than 80 pets of deserving families
• Paid for lifesaving medical treatment like amputations, eye surgeries, heartworm treatments, and other procedures to help rescue pets start their new lives
• Drove to Connecticut with 140 pets for a 3-day adoption event, found homes for 136 of them.
• Started a pet food pantry for pet owners struggling to make ends meet
• Went into schools and talked to students about supporting pets and humane care.
• Held a holiday adoption event that gave more than 45 pets a new home for Christmas.

None of this would have happened with support of the animal-loving public. Some of you sent $10, some $100 or more - whatever the amount, it allows us to help lots of deserving pets and people. Fundraising is no fun - we'd much rather hang around with dogs - but a necessity for us. To each of our contributors, we're incredibly grateful you chose to help WAG!

And now I will say, as I turn off my light,

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Good dog

I haven't mentioned Jackson lately, but he's doing great. No more jumping on people and nibbling when he's not supposed to. He leash walks, sits and lies down when asked. He sits nicely for his supper and has finally found some much-needed doggy etiquette.

But the one thing I can't make him stop is biting my legs! Drives me nuts!! I can tell I'm getting older - all that playtime is tough. But Jackson loves to run, play and wrestle. Not that I can't keep up, mind you, but he'd probably have fun in a home with a younger dog. 'Cuz I'm missing a lot of nap time lately.

Home for the Holidays

Our biggest news? The success of our Home for the Holidays adoption! There were 41 new families created that day - that's how many dogs/cats were adopted! Plus, in the week before the adoption, 5 more went home with people who couldn't come to the event and wanted to adopt early. So nearly half the animals that came to the adoption found new homes. Amazing!

Lots of WAG volunteers busted their tails that day but if I started naming them I'd forget someone. They know who they are - we love ya! Thanks to rescue groups like Pound Puppies and Kittens, Georgia Rescue and Rehab and Bliss Animal Haven who brought lots of furry friends needing homes. More thanks to the community that showed up and supported us all - you guys are awesome. You can't do much better than saving a life during the holidays.

Hope your new year is a happy one.

'til later,

Buddy