In the 80’s no pet was allowed to be taken from Animal Control in El Paso except by the owner.  While sitting next door to a nonprofit rescue, pets were all routinely put down unless the owners came forward and paid the fine.  At that time the principals in Pet Guardian Angel formed a group called Animal Alliance to change this policy.  At that time pets were disposed of in a gas chamber driven by an auto engine.  The process was not quick or humane and pets gasped out their lives struggling to breathe and trying to fend off other animals placed in the same chamber.  This organization, now out of operation, under that name, (now Pet Guardian Angel) spent personal time, money and effort to change this.  It was a fight with city hall, the health dept and other nonprofits to do this but eventually this was accomplished and change to bottled gas was approved by the city-county governments.  Not happy with gas methods of euthanasia, the fight continued until it was decided to go with the method of injections as the most humane way of disposal.  While no one wants to put any pet down, it is unrealistic to believe a city could ever reach the status of nokill.

People often ask what no kill means because of conflicting definations.  The truth is there is no legal description of this.  It has come to mean in most cases that a true no kill shelter does not put any viable pet down for any reason.  A pet becomes not adoptable for several reasons.  If it is very old, very sick or very aggressive it is unlikely it could be put out with the public for reasons of econmics or safety.  Most no kill shelters end up with a few elderly pets or pets requiring too much medical care for ordinary public adoption.

What does an  organization owe the public?  It owes the public who comes to them unaware and unfamiliar with problelms and asset any particular pet can bring them.  I believe it is unfair to let a prospective client select a pet that isn’t going to be satisfactory.  Large dogs or those deemed to become large need obedience training, human interaction and a place to run and play.  This means the entire family will have to walk, play with and love a large dog and clean up after it, provide nourishing food not a discount brand.  I believe a person can largely be judged on how they’ve treated their pets.  A couple who comes to us to adopt and is sad about the passing of their dog they’ve had for years and have kept into old age.  To me this means they have cleaned up after it, tended to its needs and provided it with loving care to the end however it came.  If it came by eventual euthanasia by a licensed vet or died at home in their arms they have shown remarkable responsibility and compassion and will be considered qualified for any dog or cat we have for adoption.

The field of pets available to everyone starts to narrow when people tell us they got rid of pets for unreasonable reasons.  Perhaps they were moving and didn’t want to take the pet with them.   The dog was shedding or digging up the flower bed.  The kids didn’t want to take care of it.  It didn’t get along with a new dog they’d bought.  It was impossible to house break. While we take these mentioned pets into our kennel we are not anxious to adopt to those who give them up for such flimsy reasons.  It really means they took a pet because it was perhaps free, cheap, a gift or a whim and when the going got tough they got going discarding the pet.

This also suggests the kind of person they are in their heart.  They have taught their kids that someone else should assume their responsibility.  Here we guarantee to find that pet a home if it meets our requirements of disposition, health and age.

Through years and years of working in rescue I have encountered many situations.  I recall a boy of about 9 coming to adopt a puppy and how happy he was with it.  Three weeks later the mother and son came back with the puppy in tow and he was crying and begging and she shoved the puppy back at us saying “I told him if he didn’t take care of it we’d get rid of it.”  I felt such pain for the child and would say to anyone that kids are likely going to forget and be preoccupied with other things and it is your responsibility as a parent if you allow a pet in the house to expect to have to remind your child and perhaps do some things yourself if a pet comes to live with you.  What she taught her child was a lack of compassion and to discard a responibility if it became to much.

Pets should be selected with forethought.  What size pet do you want?  How much hair care will you be willing to pay for or put up with?  Do you realize many pets shed?  Are you going to be willing to attend an obedience class?  Pets cost money and should visit a vet once a year.  Shots can be given for discounts but this skips the vet visit and pets do need a yearly examination.  A pet is not like live stock.  They were bred for companion animals which does not mean to be shoved in the back yard and ignored like a lawn ornament.

Dogs regularly need to have their anal glands excised and nails cut.  This can be done at a groomer or vet or you can learn to do it yourself if you do it correctly.  Dogs are going to eat something and vomit from time to time and even well trained dogs can make mistakes in the house from time to time.  Are you willing to live with this?  Are you going to be willing to pay for the essential tick and flea treatment necessary for a healthy pet year round?  Here in El Paso heartworms kill many dogs by taking a drop of blood at a time.  Are you willing to acquire and give your dog and cat heartworm prevention?  The more a dog’s ears flop over the more the tendency for ear mites.  You should look into your dog’s ears weekly and do a sniff test besides looking.  It is amazing to me that people bring their pets to us with foul smelling ears.

What do we offer at Pet Guardian Angel?  We do spay neuter clinics sometimes offering services at a discount and everyday we are open we offer microchipping. Animal services offers free spay neuter on spaymobile, 842-1000. We do the actual chipping for $10 and we register the chip on our computer.  The city law says it has to be registered at Animal Services and while there is no charge for this, your dog must have a current rabies certificate.  Sometimes a vet will drop by to give rabies,  Parvo-distemper shots. Texas law states any dog under a year which has a series of 3 shots given at spaced intervals of about 5 weeks is set for life against parvo distemper or if dog is over a year, one shot will do this.  It is not healthy for the pet to pump parvo distemper shots into the dog every year and people who have the mother dog should understand you cancel out shots if you do not separate mom and pups for 3 full days prior to giving any shot and never allow contact with mom again, nursing causes the shots to become ineffective.   For dogs with unknown history   which are over 1 shot is recommended.  Past this no further parvo distemper shots are recommened by Texas Veterinary Board.  We furnish cats Felovac.  Shots are given only when a veterinarian is on the premises.   Our aim is not to compete with other veterinarians or to become your veterinarian of choice but to take care of lower income people and their pets.  However no one will be turned away. If you have doubts about number of shots or intervals there is website www.critteradvocacy.org. Rabies shots are given once every 3 ears after pet is a year old. Some vets mark the box for 1 year knowing the pet is old enough for 3 year shot so if you are sure and can  prove your pet is a year or more insist the box checked for 3 years be checked.

If we agree to accept your pet for rehoming, there is no charge but donations are always welcome.  We also appreciate donations of office supplies, furniture, dog and cat toys and food, blankets and papers, beds and cages, plastic dog houses, pet carriers.  Nothing goes to waste.  To answer some questions presented to us recently people ask if a large dog breeds with a small female what will happen when large puppies try to push through the birth canal.  I asked Dr. Medina because we had a very small Chihuchua which had been bred with a  much larger dog.  While the mating was undoubtedly painful and dangerous, the puppies he said, would be the right size to push through at a reasonable weight.  When puppies are born they should not be taken away from mom for kids to play with or carry off to the grocery store as mom shops. This is really cruel and they can go into stress and die to say nothing of Mom’s stress. The longer puppies stay with mom or at least 6-8 weeks the better pet they become with mom teaching them they need to  leave the nest to do their business, not to eat feces (unless she is one who does this which can be broken)  not to bite too hard in playing, how to groom themselves and so on.  8 weeks is a good time to remove the puppies for a well rounded dog.  Until puppies have been injected long enough for mom to discourage any nursing they should not return to mom whose milk off sets the effects of shots.