Today I read in the paper that a 70 year old man who had owned a pit bull for sometime had been mauled and killed by his pet. It was stated he loved the pet and there was nothing to indicate the dog was mean or dangerous. People need to realize that all dogs descended from wolves and their thinking and pattern of  living can revert back to that species. Mother dogs still flip arrogant puppies over on their backs to discipline them and places her mouth carefully  over their neck until the puppy submits thus establishing authority. When a dog first enters a household it is likely to be all sweetness and peace but an alpha dog whether male or female and females are more prone to be alpha, means this dog will always want to move up the ladder in authority so if existing dogs agree it might work out well but other alpha dogs want to exert their authority past the point of eating first, claiming the best bed or nicest toy.   It is not a case always of size although size can enter into this. People who have dogs that act out and show teeth or lift their lip or refuse to move or growl menacingly, body rigid would do well to get professional help to bring them into tow. When the dog is large like a Pit Bull or Rotty, it can challenge its owner and the owner feeds it, brushes it and lets it sleep on the bed buys the very best dog food  but this alpha dog believes he or she  is  the pack leader, ordering his owner around and he or she might badly injure or kill another pet in the household but whatever they certainly can make the smaller or less aggressive dog’s life miserable and unhappy as it slowly loses rights such as sitting on the owner’s lap, going for rides, getting to eat  a decent meal. By taking over often silently and behind the owner’s back the alpha dog can not only rule the roost where all animals are concerned, but will eventually take over the bed, the favorite chair etc. by growling at the owner or just showing authority. This is a dangerous dog. These aggressive actions are not cute, it is not funny that a dog will lay on the lap of a person snapping at whomever tries to interact with that person by a hand shake or handing over an object, a simple touch.  I have had people call me with the frantic plea “My dog won’t let my wife come to bed”.     The owner or person in the household may take this action as flattery but should read it as the beginning of the end for the dog to reside there because eventually the dog will make life so unbearable it will have to go and where will it go?  The future is dim for dogs that test their safe haven in this manner because the law will eventually enter into most cases when the dog bites an outsider.   People who find themselves in ownership of such a dog can expect this dog to eventually challenge children or impaired people and elderly or physically less agile people and do bodily harm to them. At first it might start by a bump which is intentionally delivered to the legs of the person. Taking food from the person by force and disrespecting the person by urinating on their possessions or legs. Dogs all understand what disrespecting means and it is one reason young children do not work out well with some breeds they touch the dog’s private parts by accident or step on their tails etc. The dog has to evaluate whether it is intended as disrespect or they should over look it and all dogs must over look what young children do without a fuss and adults should monitor what is going on in the household. If dogs are showing disrespect are of the bully breeds, Pit Bulls, Rottweilers, Dobermans etc. they can back up their intentions with aggression and even badly injure or kill a family member. Two dogs, one an alpha dog,  in a household,  both  can gang up on humans. If your dog is smaller and showing these undesirable traits they can be put on their backs and hand on neck as mom once did until they show submission and then allowed to return to the household having been chastised. With a dog that is large, even the Husky, not known for aggression,  can do serious harm and it is better to get the dog out of the household than to be sorry a few days later. People must think things through when getting a puppy it forms its disposition as it grows but if you take a full grown alpha dog into your home never leave a child or elderly person alone with the dog until its behavior is established. A full personality profile is not going to be evident for some time. When we take dogs in here we test them for disposition. They must allow food to be taken away from them which is their life source. They must allow noise and action to go on around them without going bonkers. It is not unusual for people to fib about the disposition of their pet to get him or her off their backs and on to someone they think can train or deal with them. Owners like this love their pets and do not want them to be put down.   We try to keep our faces out of the face of any dog we are considering taking in from a donor and suggest if you get a free dog or adopt a dog you watch for any disrespect of your person or that of a family member or pet before you agree to keep it.  Many people believe there is no such thing as a bad dog but we are deluged by people having to give up their pit bull because the military will not allow them in their housing areas and many local landlords will not allow them to be owned by tenants.  A Pit Bull has the ability to do serious bodily damage to people to the point of killing and often does kill less aggressive pets or those unable to defend themselves. Most Pits are sweet and lovable and I have owned many but if something triggers the kill instinct in one of these dogs it  is a disaster.  A Pit is a distinctive breed which was originally bred years ago for the purpose of  killing bulls.  If the breed instinct to kill kicks in a dangerous scenario can occur.  Be watchful of your dog’s actions as described above.  No point in getting rid of a dog you have which has never shown ‘take over’ traits but  be safe not sorry.

People who own their home or rent or lease think they can make the decision about bringing another pet into the circle but this decision is going to really be made by the resident pets. Dogs sniff to get acquainted and they go through a process of introducing themselves to the new arrival and the meeting and remembering the scent of the new arrival. What passes to humans as nonsense or just an interesting fact is really the decision of which dog will be boss dog even though the new comer may take over the post of the former pack leader. As long as dogs work it out without a physical confrontation just let it be but if one dog is really hurting the other it is time to step in, put offending dog on his/her back and hold her down until she or he submits and then release and continue to keep eye on the introduction and prepared to break up any squabbles that might continue. Do not leave new arrivals alone with resident dog for few days to be safe.

The Humane Society director, Betty Hoover, has said in effect that the laws are not working because they get more dogs and cats offered to them now that any other year. I disagree and I’ve had a 30 years I’ve worked in pet related nonprofits as my own groups and have seen things first hand while Betty Hoover worked for Planned Parenthood as director, I do not see how that qualifies her at all but she is pleasant and agreeable and accommodating to me and others so cannot possibly dislike her. It is a case of her view points and statistics turned in about how many dogs and cats that are taken in and how many are adopted out and after seeing the Humane Society in action for 30 years which was my reason for getting into pet rescue i felt they did such a sorry job that i was going to try and do something for the hundreds of dogs they euthanaised yearly while alluding to pet donors their pet would get a good home. In minutes from the Humane Society for a few years they claimed to have taken in about 500 pets a month and adopted out about half. A woman who volunteered for me a few years ago was sent off to jail when she got into a ruckus with her live in who brought home another woman. This woman who volunteered is named Elba and she adored her dogs. They were hers and she doted on them they were every one up to date on shots and in her name not his name at all and all were microchipped and rescues from out of state and young, healthy. While she was in jail he took them to the Humane Society and signed them over and they put them down. She was absolutely devastated. She took them to court and the judge on Alameda as I recall found them not guilty they’d offered her a thousand dollars to just go away but she wouldn’t and she refused any compensaion she went to court without a lawyer and she sill pays the price of sorrow today. I wonder what the Humane Society thinks is humane if they’d called us we’d have taken them but in some ways they are ethical in that they tend not to send us sick dogs or their own dogs that come back because it would upset me if they did that i could not save them. To go back to covering what I believe is the situation with the mayor, he did a good thing to prevent unaltered pets from being sold on parking lots or back yards it is obvious this has caused back yard breeders to curb their breeding. Not with all but we are seeing a large increase in pregnant dogs which had been breeding dogs, puppies and unwanted dogs that have not been fixed. I think we have a better view of this than the Humane Society. We were blessed recently when we had a dog brought in with an embedded neck chain and K Fox did a piece on us and we were abel to raise the money to get her operated and on her way back to health.

Usually service people come here, often their first tour of duty and generally young and inexperienced. My husband and I owned a government based concession for years first at Biggs Army Air Field then Biggs Air Force Base and finally Ft Bliss Army Base which spanned a period of 20 years or so. We knew about military and got along well with them. We never had a single registered complaint in all those years. It is not unusual for ordinary citizens but more likely with military to adopt a dog or cat with good intentions and then find they cannot keep them. Without asking for a refund they take them back to where they adopted them and the most animals in El Paso are adopted from the Humane Society or Animal Rescue. Certainly the Humane Society is a wealthy organization with stocks and bonds a couple of million in the bank in portfolio and millions invested in a for profit euthanasia center which had been originally run as a for profit cemetery and called a nonprofit which gave them tremendous tax advantages unfairly. They routinely get large amounts of free publicity and are the darlings of donations by car dealerships and rich people in El Paso. Where do the dogs and cats come from that are adopted out by the Humane Society and Animal Rescue? In some cases Granny is entering assisted care and may donate into hundreds to send her cat or dog off believing it will be adopted and get a forever home. Everyone pays something to take in a pet there or so I’ve been told by those who gave up their pets at that facility or inquired about doing so. With us it is not contingent on us taking the pet but we do ask if they can donate. Anyone can turn a pet down for rehoming for any reason. But back to Granny’s dog. As promised the dog is adopted and they get a fee for adopting which helps defray the expenses of the kennel. Let’s say that two days later the dog jumps through the plate glass window or the landlord demands a high deposit the dog must get out and the naive adopter goes back to the Humane Society or Animal Rescue or New Hope Rescue if they can find them and asks them to take the dog or cat back they are not asking for a refund, they have read the propaganda put out by these groups that they really care about pets and are shocked to hear that they are full and can’t take the pet back. The adopter is horrified and frantic when this happens they tell these agencies they don’t know anyone who will take the pet and they get a shrug and are told “take it to Animal Services, yes they probably will put it down but we are full, sorry.” Our policy has always been to take our own pets back. Obviously we cannot do this forever and with large breed puppies we generally put a disclaimer that they have 90 days to exchange but past that point if the dog has no obedience training of the most most ordinary type we might not be willing to accept it back. By then if they haven’t done this the dog could weigh 80 pounds and jump over fences and knock people down and be a liability. If we can take it back we do, we take back probably 100% of our own smaller dog adoptions up until the dog is around 5 years old and by then we figure the owners should consider the dog part of their family but if we can find a foster home and space we probably would take back our own healthy dog.Other agencies have to know Animal Services charges to put down dogs and some just drive out to the edge of town or Basset Center and turn them loose to die under wheels of cars or be torn apart by wild animals or starve. I think a law should be passed that nonprofits who do not pay tax and benefit from this financially along with free publicity to some who are are favorites of the El Paso Times but not us and not all (some seem to be in rescue more as a hobby and tax break and adopt so few dogs and cats as to be ridiculous to call themselves a rescue but get tons of publicity). I think it would be fair to make it clear that you can not take dogs back even if it less than 24 hours if they don’t have the space and you do not refund. This should be covered and not just signed in the excitement of the adoption so the adopter actually understands the contract. Yesterday a big guy, a soldier, his wife had suddenly left leaving him with his child ,he loves his child and his world is now upside down. He clung to his cat he said he got at the Humane Society and the cat was meowing and scared. He cradled it in his arms gently, likely the same arms that would bear a rifle before the year is out. I didn’t need one more cat but I took her in because I hate it that other agencies snub their responsibilities. Our air conditioner man whose name is Nelson , told me he adopted a dog, a lab,. from Animal Rescue. He took the dog home and it was a handful much more than even this big guy had expected and his seven year old was being battered around and was scared to death of the dog so back he goes to Animal Rescue within about 2 weeks as he tells it. “No room in the inn” He laughed and shifted feet and threw his head back and said “I know how to handle those things so I took out my wallet and handed over $80.00 and the dog was immediately accepted back.” I have a dog named Murphy on my website which came from Animal Rescue you can read on if he has not been adopted. On Christmas eve day a park ranger working the canyon above Beaumont Hospital called us saying he’d found a lab running loose up there and no lab ever walked miles to get to that isolated place. He scanned the chip and it came back to the Humane Society who gave him the owner’s name but he said did not take it in. The owner had given the dog away to someone who lived in Sunset Heights, far from McKleggon Canyon. The dog was taken to Animal Rescue and it is my opinion they took it in but he denied this. I feel differently because the dog could not have survived as many days as he claimed without food and water. He was told to call us he says or perhaps he called on his own and we agreed to take the dog in. He didn’t get here until closing and of course everyone is wanting to go home. We gave the dog a cursory examination and our first thought was ‘the dog is pregnant” but we knew it came from Humane Society who puts their dogs out fixed and anyway second look proved he was a male. His body was bloated and he just looked sick and the ranger is saying probably because he was exposed without food or water for so long. It was snowing at that time and we thought he might have licked snow to live. The next morning I did not come to work but the kennel people work 365 days a year and the manager, John, called me and said “Martha, this dog drank a gal of water something is wrong with him” and I said “I’ll come out there and look at him” and I did and I thought “this dog is likely diabetic” I am diabetic and we called our vet who told us how to test him and what readings to expect and we did and we repeated later and dog was badly diabetic. This dog was only six months old and it is possible and to my way of thinking, likely, it was diabetic from birth and had it been my adoption we would have replaced the dog. There is almost no one who is going to deal with a diabetic dog in rescue unless they get publicity and we get very little so we called Animal Services who took the information from original owner and followed up with the give away owner. They were exremely helpful. And while the man stuck to a story the dog ran away the dog was so weak and sick he couldn’t likely have gone far and I believe in my heart he was discarded by the give away reciepient to die by thirst or hunger or by wild animals, he seemed extremely remorseful. He then took the dog to his own vet who said what our vet had verified, the dog had diabetes. He could not afford to treat him and he was then humanely euthanised and I am grateful for the assistance of Animal Services who helped me deal with this problem even though they just traced the second owner and notified him. I could not have done this. So a give away dog is usually a throw away dog. In this case I am happy we could help the dog but no one paid a cent for his keep, cleaning up after him etc for the time he was here. Sending a dog from agency to agency is really a prank not being helpful. It is possible the entire litter was diabetic I don’t know and will never know. We are a poor charity. It has been a sort of game for some agencies to deliberately send their sick dogs to us as the messenger poses as a good citizen who found a dog and hereby dumping their sick animals who might have come to them with a donation or certainly they got praise and publicity for being such a wonderful group only to pawn their sick dogs off on us. Now when someone comes to us with personal identification from certain areas we insist on testing all dogs coming from these sources either asking for enough money to treat heart worm or ehrlicia or both or rejecting the dog as a candidate that probably would not ‘make it’. or we cannot afford to keep. If we pick up a dog running loose that has these diseases and often others we treat them and one such case is Batman who hardly had enough hair to tell what color he was . He had mange. He has now grown out being treated aggressively for months and is being fostered with a friend named Rat Dog. We do what we can..with what we have.

It was an ordinary Friday when Fred Johnson, a man who lives in Montana Vista, came in with a female terrier with a badly embedded collar. She dragged an 18 ft chain and whimpered with pain. We simply do not have the kind of money it takes to fix something of this nature. Veterinarians are expensive but they also went to school spending thousands to prepare themselves for their profession and are under no obligation to discount or help nonprofits or the poor. We are grateful for our Veterinarian, Dr A Medina, who comes as he has time and donates his time for us and to help poor and their pets. In this case major surgery was required and we went to a vet with a clinic who did a beautiful job stitching her up. K Fox did a wonderful piece on us and we received the necessary donations to take care of her needs and she will be adopted when she has recovered and has been spayed. We are praying for her because she likely had no parvo-distemper shots and we started her series immediately and we hold our breath she does not come down with any diseases.

Mission Early College Comminity Service Organization at the Pet Guardian Angel Welfare Association in El Paso Tx

When I was young,
I wept so much,
no one could feel my pain,
I hoped for a miracle,
to make me smile again.

The wish came to be,
not through love so true,
but in the gesture of giving,
as found in pet rescue.

Every furry body,
brought me happiness and love,
as if God had chosen me himself,
and blessed me with their love.

People often scoffed at me,
and riddled me with scorn,
sometimes I had to wonder why,
I was ever born.

I loved each little kitty,
everyone the same,
each one a special color,
each one a special name.
When I pass to the other side,
no children mourn me here,
but many friends, all of whom,
I feel are so dear.

At Heaven’s gates in splendor,
the portals open wide,
and there, hundreds of furry kittens,
playing there inside.

I pick up a tiny baby,
and hold him to my heart,
we never met each other,
but of each other we are part.

In lofty rooms as I pass by,
I see kitties everywhere,
they venture up and touch me,
with appreciation that they share.

The tears I shed so long ago,
are lessened now in peace,
I know the trials I faced on earth,
now will surely cease.

Everything is beautiful,
no cat is thrown away,
I think I will love it there,
a purrfect place to stay!

© Martha Williams

I Stood By Your Bed Last Night
I stood by your bed last night, I came to have a peep. I could see that you were crying, You found it hard to sleep.

I whined to you softly as you brushed away a tear, “It’s me, I haven’t left you, I’m well, I’m fine, I’m here.”

I was close to you at breakfast, I watched you pour the tea, You were thinking of the many times, your hands reached down to me.

I was with you at the shops today, Your arms were getting sore. I longed to take your parcels, I wish I could do more.

I was with you at my grave today, You tend it with such care. I want to reassure you, that I’m not lying there.

I walked with you towards the house, as you fumbled for your key. I gently put my paw on you, I smiled and said “it’s me.”

You looked so very tired, and sank into a chair. I tried so hard to let you know, that I was standing there.

It’s possible for me to be so near you everyday. To say to you with certainty, “I never went away.”

You sat there very quietly, then smiled, I think you knew, in the stillness of that evening, I was very close to you.

The day is over… I smile and watch you yawning and say “good-night, God bless, I’ll see you in the morning.”

And when the time is right for you to cross the brief divide, I’ll rush across to greet you and we’ll stand, side by side.

I have so many things to show you, there is so much for you to see. Be patient, live your journey out … then come home to be with me.

- Author unknown

It is Christmas Eve day and the Jones family has a new puppy.  The children are excited as the puppy romps and plays amid the packages as colorful lights flash on the tree.  The children are laughing and happy.  Behind the scenes things are not so beautiful. Dad is taking their pet, a 9 year old dachshund, Nicole to a lonely dirt road outside town and puts her out of the car to fend for herself.  The kids, ages4,6, and 8 have been told she will find another home and a new puppy is better, more playful and younger.  After being shoved from the warmth of the car, Nicole is bewildered.  She reasons a mistake has been made and soon her family will notice and come back for her.  No one would deliberately abandon her like this.  She whimpers and walks in a small circle.  Her dark eyes peer down the road as taillilghts fade away.  She has never been out of her yard without a leash.  She stands rigid, afraid to sit down and wanting to be alert when her family returns.  By standing she can see further and better.  Snowflakes balance on her long eyelashes.  From time to time she shakes them off as she strains to see the road in the fading light.  Finally too weary to stand, she lays down.  The ground is cold and wet and she shivers.  Her stomach aches but it is not as empty as her heart.  Way in the distance she spots headlights and reasons it is her family coming back to her.  She is very excited and dances around in anticipation of the reunion where she’ll be picked up and snuggled and warm.  She is barely able to step back to avoid being crushed by a caar that never notices her.  Hours pass, Nicole shivers from the bitter cold, her short coat offering no protection.  She howls like a wolf trying to get another dog to respond to her cries.   She knows she must find a human if she is to survive but is reluctant to leave the spot where she lost her human.  In the distance of the cold night she can hear music.  Music means humans so she finally decides to try and find them.  She is incredibly scared and her wobbly legs barely support her soaking body.

The music is streaming from a small mobile home in the desert.  A small light shown inside.  Hesitantly Nicole whines, barks, once, twice, three times.  The door opens and she can see the silouette of a young boy, his name is Juan.  He shields his eyes to search the area and spots Nicole.  Quickly gathers her up and snuggles her to his chest.  Nicole’s heart is bursting with gratitiude.  He speaks in Spanish to his mother who is equally drawn to Nicole.  They will love and share all they have with Nicole as long as she lives.  Although they have little, they are indeed rich in spirit.  Across town dad returns from his trip to the desert.  The storm clouds are gathering and it is sleeting, the roads freezing over.  He is drinking.  In a miscalculation, he spins out and strikes a light standard and dies instantly.  Later in the week his widow sobs out of control at his funeral.  One of the little children seeks to ease her pain.  In his child voice he whispers, “Don’t worry mom, dad will find a good home and we can get another daddy who will be better and younger, everything will be okay.”

In rescue work we seldom see Yorkies so I was surprised to find one has come to our shelter.  She looked up at me with soft brown eyes that could not belie her pain.  A cursory examination of the dog was disturbing.  She had several mammary tumors and one leg was permanently rigid from birth.  More than anything, she was panting hard indicating a pet in distress.  Her temperature was soaring and she refused water and food.  She was laboring to breathe.  In rescue work, the decision maker must weigh the cost of saving one pet at a high veterinary cost against saving several pets which are proven healthy and viable.  People who donate to us like to believe their money is spent wisely.  I couldn’t bring myself to put this dog down.  The veterinarian gave her the shots, he looked across the table and said “This is one dog you might want to think about not saaving.”  She was put on a nebulizer.

To bolster her spirits we went everyday to see her and finally started picking her up at night and taking her home.  Dozing in a recliner she laid on my lap often seeming not to breathe at all.  I’d lift her up and her tail would barely wag.  I started calling her Yorkie Yay.  Her fever stayed high and an operation was necessary to remove a badly infected uterus.  Obviously some puppy mill had bred the life out of this dog squeezing the last possible dollar out of her and then discarding her like trash.  Eventually she came home and one day she met me at the door.  Progress was slow but steady and I knew I’d have to find her a home but who would want a crippled, sickly dog that might require more medical care along the line.  It was Christmas and I was hoping but not expecting another miracle.  A miracle did arrive form of a wonderful couple who took Yorkie Yay into their home to live with others of the same breed.  Today she scampered up and down stairs and smiles that special Yorkie smile.  What value does one life have?  I personally paid the bill for this dog which wiped out my Christmas budget.  There are many things that bring happiness and that year she was my gift, for everyting else there was Master Card!