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

Posting

OK, so I've been doing a poor job of updating my blog. In fact, they're threatening to let Walter take over the blog. This is Walter - a scheming feline who would like nothing better than to make me look bad. So since it's late at night and I can't sleep, I'll post a bit about our latest happenings.

Take that, you conniving cat!

Loving Homes Wanted

Heads up - our Home for the Holidays adoption is coming! Saturday, December 19, we'll be at Petsmart in Loganville with over 100 rescued dogs/cats/kittens/puppies that are looking for homes. These guys don't deserve to spend the holiday in a cold kennel. but rather need a loving family for Christmas. So come out this weekend and find your new friend. All the animals have been spayed or neutered and are current on vaccinations.

Save a life this holiday season. Adopt!!!

B.

Jackson

Meet Jackson. This sweet boy is about 7 months old and has lots of love to give. But Jackson found himself in a situation all-too-familiar in the animal shelter - he was signed over by his owners.

Jackson was adopted when he was 12 weeks old by a wonderful family. They loved him but as the months wore on he became "too much" to handle. He jumped on people, dragged humans behind him on a leash, ran around, banged into stuff, knocked the kids over, was mouthy, play-nips and didn't listen. Plus he began having problems getting along with their other dog. Finally the family reached the end of their rope and Jackson became one of over 300 pets turned into Walton Animal Control in October.

So where did Jackson go wrong? Being too much of a puppy.

Where did his family go wrong? Underestimating the challenges of a too-much puppy.

Let's face it - puppies are adorable. These sweet, furry cute little creatures are nearly impossible to resist. While older shelter animals work hard to get noticed, puppies bring attention to themselves without even trying. Who wouldn't want one of those cuties?

But here's the thing - dogs are born with great senses of smell, hearing, eyesight, and the ability to love unconditionally. That's it. Pet owners have to put the icing on the cake. Good manners, habits, training, rules, boundaries, and respect are all lessons that must be taught.

It can be time consuming. Just like children, all pups are different. One litter will have a wide assortment of doggy personalities: mellow, stubborn, laid-back, passive, independent, high-energy, submissive, meek or dominant. And like a Cracker Jack box, you won't know what's inside until you bring it home.

But back to Jackson - he's out of the shelter now and in a foster home. Jackson has the distinction of being WAG's first VIP - Very Incorrigible Pup. But not for long.

Because with a bit of schoolwork, Jackson will become an all-new VIP - Very Impressive Pup. This rowdy adolescent will again be the loving great family dog he's meant to be, albeit a milder version. So stop by in the weeks ahead to see how Jackson's doing. Our goal is to find him a new home by Christmas. We're excited, he's excited, and time will no doubt go by quickly.

Will Santa come through?

'til later,

Buddy

Finale of Hogs for Dogs

Cold. Rainy. 'Nuff said.

Score: Mother Nature 2
WAG O

Mercy Me

Here's a Mercy update - she's doing well and seems to be finally relaxing a little. She still gets tired easy, but we're letting her decide how much exercise she wants. She is such a sweet girl and just wants to be hugged. Here's a few photos.

Mercy is also starting to steal toys, so she must be feeling a little better! She's gained about 2 lbs and enjoying all the extra attention she's getting. I'm still trying very hard to not be jealous.

Meanwhile, back at the hospital..

Our patients are doing fine. Lucky is getting better and starting to eat again, although she's pretty picky about the menu. She's still at the vet clinic - maybe a bit longer before she moves on to a foster home.

Mercy is improving a little bit every day. Her incision staples came out today and the healing looks great. Her hair has grown out a smidgen, which at least keeps her from having that post-surgery naked chicken look. Camera battery is dead, but when it's charged we'll post a new pic of her. She's seems to be enjoying her foster home and gets along with everybody - me included. Oh, did I mention she's staying at my house?

We really appreciate everyone who's donated on her behalf. She's definitely a worthy recipient!

B.

Uhmm......

Well, I don't think the news story mentioned the name Walton Animal Guild, said much about Mercy's surgery or anything we hoped it would say. And maybe it will come later, but as of now there's no link on the news stations website, so I'm not sure anyone will be able to find us.

Oh well, at least it was an semi-interesting trip downtown.

A new TV star

Thanks to our friends at Channel 46, CBS Atlanta, Mercy's story will hit the airwaves tonight at 11 pm. We were proud to show off this sweet girl and hope others find her story as moving as we did!

B.

See Mercy Run

It's gonna take awhile for Mercy's remaining back leg to strengthen up for the extra weight, but she's doing pretty good so far. Speaking of weight, right now she tops the scale at 45 lbs. That won't last long, though, with her foster dad whipping her up yummy meals three times a day!







She heads out into the backyard a few times a day to run around - she moves pretty good for a three-legged dog!

Mercy seems really grateful for the help she's getting and gives lots of kisses to everyone - me included! Oh, one good thing - as she's feeling better I'm seeing a certain twinkle in her eye when she looks at cats. Yeah! I'd love to have some help ridding our home of those annoying furballs.

'til later,

Buddy

Glamour Girl

Today was a day at the spa for Mercy. Thanks to Rhue Jefferson at Countryside Vet, she's been bathed, coiffed, manicured, pedicured and perfumed. She was kinda grungy, so no doubt she feels much better now. Here's she is, post-beauty treatment.

Compared to the rest of us dogs, Mercy is chowing down pretty good. Breakfast today was scrambled egg, rice and peanut butter toast. She ate dog food for lunch, then had steak and rice for dinner. Not a bad deal! I'm kinda jealous, but she's pretty skinny and certainly needs the extra calories. Here she is eating breakfast:

Mercy's surgery

Mercy is on the mend. On Friday Dr. Lazarov led a 3-hour surgery to remove what was left of her back leg. She came through well and was even up and taking potty breaks later that evening. She's adapting fairly quickly - probably because she was already accustomed to not having use of the leg.

She went to her foster home today and will be fattened up, brushed, bathed and spoiled for awhile. Right now I can't think of a dog that deserves it more!

B.

Mercy info

Thanks to all who have donated to Mercy. Animal lovers are an amazing bunch of people.

To update, we found she's very anemic and may need a blood transfusion before her surgery. Currently she's getting pain meds, antibiotics, etc and is being kept as calm and comfortable as possible. Her crate is in a quiet spot and she really seems to like being in there - thank goodness!

We'll keep you posted as time goes on.

Thanks again for your kindness!!

B.

Mercy

You may have seen Mercy's story on our site. I can't imagine what this girl went through, forced to chew off her own leg to survive. We're doing our best to help her. She'll undergo surgery soon to amputate what's left of her right back leg. It may take awhile to adjust, but we hope Mercy will be back to her happy self soon.

To donate toward Mercy's medical care, visit our website at www.wagwalton.com and donate via PayPal, or mail donations to WAG, PO Box 169, Monroe, GA 30655.

Thanks for caring!

B.

More stuff

Seems I have a lot of catching up to do!

Mother Nature rained out our Hogs for Dogs on 9/19, but we're determined to try again. Saturday, October 17 2009 seems like a good day for a motorcycle ride. So we'll be at Atlanta Boss Hoss on that date. Check our website for more details.

Saturday, September 26 is the date for our adoption at Boss Brothers Country Store, unless more rain keeps up away. Please come out and see all the great dogs (and a few annoying cats) looking for homes.

We'll also be at the Social Circle Festival on 10/3 saying hello to all you animal lovers out there. Stop by and see us.

A few more adoption dates ahead in October - I'll let you know more about those later.

'til later!

Buddy

Schatzi's story

Schatzi, a bouncy Sharpei mix, was turned into the Walton County shelter in September, 2008. We thought she was cute—surely she would find a home quickly. We were wrong.

Schatzi spent several months post-rescue battling a stomach bug. When she finally recuperated and went to adoption events, nobody noticed. She sat quietly in the pens watching people pass by her. Nobody asked to see her or expressed any interest in this sweet girl.

Months went by and Schatzi lived alone in her kennel. Lots of rescued dogs came and went on to new homes, but not Schatzi. So we decided to take her to the Connecticut adoption event. Maybe she’d finally find her own someone special to love.

But Day One at the Connecticut adoption started the same way. Schatzi wagged her tail hopefully as people passed her cage, but no one stopped. Same thing on Day Two. Our hearts ached for this loving dog.

Then on Day Three it happened. A young boy spotted Schatzi and put his fingers through the pen. She gave a tentative lick. “She looks like Scooby-Doo,” he squealed. His parents weren’t impressed and tried to interest him in other dogs. But four-year old Dylan knew.

As soon as Schatzi came out of the pen to visit with Dylan, he threw his arms around her. “This is MY dog,” he said proudly to anyone who’d listen. As the happy dog snuggled next to him, the bond was immediate and obvious—even to his parents. A life lesson in love was beginning.

And finally, after ten long months, Schatzi was going HOME.

Operation Homeward Bound Report

AMAZINGLY AWESOME!!!

Total number of dogs/cats taken to Connecticut - 140.
Total returning to Georgia - 4

Total adopted - 136

An absolutely incredible weekend and a very emotional one, even by dog standards. So many new happy families - formerly homeless dogs proudly walking on leashes next to beaming new pet owners. Hollywood hasn't written better happy endings.

Check back - we'll be posting stories soon - once my paws recover from the long journey home.

'til later,

Buddy

The countdown begins

Three days to go - we leave July 8, Wednesday evening, on our Homeward Bound journey.

Gotta say this - a lot of people have put in tons of work, particularly Paradox vets and staff who've seemingly been spaying and neutering in their sleep. Plus, gathering vaccination records, completing health certificates and loading Petfinder with info on all the dogs has been a logistical challenge and a pain-in-the rump. But you can't get around the benefit of 125 dogs finding new homes. So we'd gladly do it again.

There's still plenty to do. We're doing a mock-load on Monday, working out how the crates would best fit in the trailers. Gotta iron on the kinks out before adding excitable dogs into the mix. Still more paperwork left to do, a few more surgeries remaining, and plenty of dogs to wash and spruce up.

Whew. I'm tired and it's only Sunday!

'til later,

Buddy

Homeward Bound

Check out some of the furry faces going to Connecticut:

Dogs and more dogs

Wow, have we been busy! Just a few weeks left before our trip up north with 125 dogs available for adoption. We've been rescuing 8-10 dogs each week. Today we pulled 10 dogs and 5 cats from the shelter. They were happy to leave, but afraid. If they only knew - things will be a lot better from now on.

Lots of fundraising efforts going on, too. Not our favorite activity, but money is needed to pay for the medications and sterilization surgeries. Check out the Operation Homeward Bound page on our website for more info. Sponsoring a dog would be a HUGE help to us.

And we dogs will be grateful to you for all eternity!

'til later,

Buddy

Wagons Ho!

We've got some big news. WAG will be traveling north in July, transporting 125 rescued dogs to new homes. We've arranged to bring animals to a mega-adoption event held by a regional humane society in New England. At their last event, over 150 dogs were adopted in 3 days!

Can you imagine - 125 dogs finding homes in one month? That's ten times more than what's usually adopted out locally in the same time period. So this is HUGE for the animals. Check out the details at http://www.wagwalton.com/Operation_Homeward_Bound.php. And please help by sponsoring a pet if you can - we accomplish a lot more when we all pull together.

'til later,

Buddy

Shelter update

For those of you watching progress or lack thereof on the new government shelter, here's the latest - The bids came in too high so we've taken two steps back. Time to reassess the plans, the money options or whatever else needed to get this project going.

Unfortunately, after the new office building was completed the old kennels were demolished, reducing shelter capacity by about 40%. Meanwhile the staff struggles with 300+ animals a month coming through and trying to squeeze all those into 20 two-sided kennels. Let's hope government officials address this soon. It's important to remember these aren't old filing cabinets being stored until the new building is complete - it means animals are dying because there's no room at the inn. Big difference.

Kittens? Ewwwwwwww!

It's my favorite time of year - when we try to eradicate the world of those nasty cats!

Well, maybe not that extreme. But WAG is offering free spaying surgery for mother cats of recently weaned kittens. The kittens should be at least 8 weeks old. Act soon, because this program is for a limited period of time. Plus, if you don't act fast mama will be pregnant again!

(sniff) Cats are such shamless hussies. We dogs have much more class.

'til later,

Buddy

Gigi Gets Lucky

Check out these before/after photos. Gigi was found wandering the streets by Walton Animal Control. She was a matted, nasty, smelly Pekingese mess. But we were determined to find the diamond buried underneath. Thanks to the staff at Countryside Veterinary Hospital, Gigi was soon groomed and smelling soooooooo much better.

Once all that hair was gone we found Gigi was blind and a tad hearing impaired. But she's a spunky sweet girl that needs a new home. We're gonna be picky about Gigi's new family because she's so special. Being blind poses a few extra challenges but Gigi meets them head-on. She's a little slower to warm up to new people, but is an extraordinary talented snuggler and loves sitting with people while watching tv or reading.

If you're looking for a perfect dog specimen, Gigi isn't the one. But if you're looking for a wonderful girl who deserves a loving home, will reward you with years of loyalty and needs just a little extra help, you're on the right path.

B.

Who's Your Daddy?

You can't call me a mutt anymore!

I got the results from my DNA test. Seems I'm the product of a Great Pyrenees, Siberian Husky, Akita, Labrador Retriever and Dalmatian -hopefully not all at once. But it's like I always say: the more ingredients, the better the stew.

Yes, amateur philosophy is one of my hobbies.

Anyway, I feel better knowing my heritage. If your pet is curious about their background, do them a favor and check out http://www.biopetvetlab.com/dnahome.htm I got my test kit at Boss Bros. Country Store in Loganville. Results come back in about 2 weeks.

Mixed breeds rule!

'til later,

Buddy

Time to meet

Remember the WAG meeting 6:30 pm Tuesday, March 17 at the Monroe-Walton library in Monroe. I won't be there, but plenty of other people will be.

Here's a couple of updates. Since the adoptions started at the new PetSmart in Loganville two weeks ago, 7 cats have been adopted. (Although I personally fail to see why anyone would want those hissy, snobbish furballs!) I'm told that's a good thing. About a dozen dogs also found new homes. Lots of people following the good advice - Opt to Adopt! If Oprah does it, should we all?
http://tiny.cc/inVkI

Jeepers Creepers!

Check out this YouTube video - this is Jeepers, a very-senior male Chihuahua being fostered by Jessie and Nancy, two of our more ardent animal lovers. Jeepers combines his bathroom duties with some dazzling gymnastic skills.

http://tiny.cc/7C1GI

Is that talent, or what?

Wanted - You!

Looking for a way to give back to the canine (or feline, although I don't know why you'd want to) community? Want to meet fellow animal lovers and have a good time? Want to use your brain or brawn power to find new homes for animals and end euthaniasia in our shelter? Join us!!

There are plenty of ways to get involved, and some of it can be done right from the comfort of your home. Cyber-volunteers can help from their home computers, entering dates of our events on Petfinder and other sites. No computer wizards required - this is easy stuff. Phone helpers make calls to pets owners interested in our spay/neuter program.

If you have marketing or graphic design skills, our programs and brochures could use your talents. If you enjoy meeting people and educating the public, our events would be perfect for you.

We've got a great group of enthusiastic and talented people. But we've still got room for you, whether it's for only one hour every other month or 20 hours a week!

For more info, drop us an email at wagwalton@yahoo.com, or come to a meeting on the 3rd Tuesday of each month at the Monroe library on W. Spring St and say hi! We'd love to get acquainted.

New stuff

Time for another update. We've been pretty busy getting our plans scheduled for the year. Adoptions, fundraising events, pet shows, and plenty of other fun stuff.

First, we'll be popping up at Walmarts all over Walton County. Look for us in Monroe the first Saturday of each month beginning in April, and in Loganville on April 18. We'll have brochures and lots of information about adoption, spay/neuter, animal care and WAG.

Here's something new - let your old cellphones go to the dogs! We'll be collecting use consumer electronics (cellphone, iPods, laptops, digital cameras, digital video cameras and used ink jet cartridges) for recycling. Every piece donated provides funds to help the animals. So clear out your junk drawers and help us at the same time.

More coming soon. In the meantime, pet a dog!

Better Late Than Never?

Seems I'm rather behind on blogging. But Christmas was busy - we were fostering kittens (gag) around here - and then vacations came along, etc. But I'm here now and ready to update you on WAG happenings.

Our results for 2008 were great. We rescued over 150 cats and dogs from the Walton County animal shelter and sent them on their way to new homes. We paid for 100 spay/neuter surgeries for low-income residents, preventing scores of unwanted kittens and puppies from ending up in the shelter. Several rescued dogs needed surgical care to get them 100% healthy and we were glad to arrange that for them.

Walton County animal lovers have been fantastic and eager to help. And there's plenty of them. Do you know there's an estimated 18,000 pet-owning households in our county? Can you imagine what we could accomplish if each household gave just $10 a year? We'd make a great leap toward ending euthanasia in the shelter. And that's what this is all about - finding great homes for needy pets and helping people become the best pet owners they can be.

Breeding season is coming up soon, so we're planning a spay/neuter drive. In June of last year more than 200 kittens were turned into the shelter. Unfortunately most failed to live happily ever after. Rather than watch that happen each year, let's get those mamas fixed. February is Spay/Neuter month and we're ready to party!

If you'd like to help, visit our website at www.wagwalton.com and look for the PayPal link on the "how to help" page. Every donation moves us farther along!

And thanks for caring.

'Til later,


Buddy