Tuesday, June 02, 2009

Eight dogs meet two big hearts

These kinds of stories are better than a good cup of strong coffee: Two unemployed brothers took on eight abandoned pit bulls in Phoenix this week when their owner was deported. They seem like great guys and great dogs. Donations are pouring in to help them with the burden of vet care costs.

Two paws up for random acts of kindness today! Phoenix Story


Hat tips to Samantha!

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

Warms my heart! Although I think both men are showing typical pit bull lovers' behavior..... who couldn't help those sweet faces?

s&b/m

Anonymous said...

Hi Donna,

Any info on where donations can be sent?

Thanks for sharing this awesome story!

Marie

Susan Cava Ruimy said...

What a big, beautiful random act of kindess! Doing a happy pit bull wiggle in honor of the men and hope that the Pitties get placed immediately.

Kirsten said...

Good on them. :)

KathrynDale said...

Thank you for posting this. I got in contact with Chris, and will be washing the dogs with him early tomorrow morning and then working with him attempting to find good places and solutions for these dogs. I am happy I can contribute hands on to this, and appreciate you giving these wonderful men exposure. As always, thank you BadRap!!

KathrynDale said...

Donna,
In follow up to my last comment- These dogs are being given away to anyone who calls and says they can take one... Not good. I am working on finding a group to help foster and spay/neuter the dogs... There is a local pit bull rescue that I am in contact with, but they are full and can only offer one foster home. I am new with this, can you please advise me on how to try and ensure these dogs go into responsible homes? Any ideas? I don't want them to end up in another bad situation out of urgency and desperation...

Kathryn Dale
Iamkathryndale@gmail.com
602-459-5306.

Anyone with advice, please contact me.

Donna said...

KD - You're so good to let yourself get involved in this! I like PBRC's page on selecting homes. Give it a look:

http://www.pbrc.net/adoption/screening.html

If you run into walls getting the spay/neuter surgeries, let us know.

KathrynDale said...

Donna,

The spay/neuter issue is covered... I spoke to Chris, and he has already given two of the dogs away. He has 5 dogs of his own, and the burden of eight additional pit bulls is too much for him to handle, regardless of the contributions he has received. He does not have any sort of screening process and is willing to give these dogs to anyone who calls and says they want a pit bull. Tomorrow, I am hoping I can set up some type of screening process to ensure these dogs go to good and safe forever homes.. I have only been able to find one so far. He is anxious to get rid of them as he can't handle them long-term.. There is only one pit bull rescue in Phoenix and they are offering to help spay/neuter, but only have a spot to foster one dog. I am going tomorrow to try and evaluate which one will work best in the provided home, being that I know both dogs that currently reside in the house he/she will be living.
I am just very concerned that these dogs are going to be sent to anywhere, to whoever calls and says they want a free pit bull... Ideas on what to tell or advise Chris tomorrow when I see him?

Donna said...

These are situations where you have to decide to either get in deep or hope for the very best. Not easy either way. Maybe Chris would be willing to slow down a bit if he had someone helping him with care and home selection. On the same hand, it's very possible that the homes attracted by the news report are motivated for all the right reasons and will do a fine job. Feel free to print some hand outs from our website to offer the homes that show up: http://www.badrap.org/rescue/search.cfm

A little education and support might be all that's needed. Best luck and thank you again for sending your good energy to this situation.

Anne Good said...

A touching story but I agree with you and Kathryn, these dogs need to find homes that will care for them over the long haul.

Many blessings to the dogs and all the people involved in helping these animals.

leigha said...

these guys hearts are in the right place, but it is very important that these dogs are spayed and neutered asap. we don't need these abandoned dogs to produce more abandoned dogs. i am glad to hear that those of you in that area close to the situation are getting involved hands on and helping these two guys get these dogs to new homes that are responsible. many times the local spca will spay/neuter for little to no money. i would be willing to pay for the spay/neuter fee for one of them if still needed. i am in richmond but could certainly send a money order that way for spay neuter fees. if needed let me know, my email is jadie68@hotmail.com. it does seem that some guidance is needed to help these generous kind men guide the dogs to the proper furever homes.

One voice counts said...

Oh. Thank you for sending out this story. So good these days to hear - umm - happy stories. How is NELLIE doing?

Dianne in DC said...

KD,
You're doing a great job. Please keep coming back here if you need support, have questions, and to let us know how its going. I agree with Donna that sometimes you just have to trust that the folks who step forward to help are good folks and will do the right thing.

Anonymous said...

Thank you to everyone who is getting involved and making every effort to help these dogs.

While many of us are not involved hands-on in rescue, every once in a while something comes up that allows us to do what we can to make a difference. For some of us, it's writing a check. For others, it's volunteering at our local shelter.

KD is showing me what a single person, in the right place at the right time can do. Bless you, KD.

Donna: do you have a date/time/location set up for the Watsonville Shot Fair?

s&b/m

KathrynDale said...

Hey All,

Just an update on the dogs-
We have managed to get all of the dogs washed and de-ticked (they had over 200 ticks per dog, poor things). They have had their shots, big thanks to a donation.. And, they will all be getting fixed on Monday. I have been able to get one fostered already, and also had the lady who administered the shots take one as well. We are still working on finding homes for the parents, and four of the remaining puppies. But, they are enjoying living inside and away from the hot AZ sun for the first time ever! Thankfully, the man who took them in has A LOT of dog knowledge, and after spending the day with him, I don't think they could have fallen into the lap of a more wonderful person. We have had donations for food and vet care, and are doing the best we can to find good homes. The older male dog has some kind of absess on his back foot that we are trying to treat, but we are taking it day by day and learning a lot from these wonderful little guys. People have donated so many items for them which has helped a lot.. We might even have an overflow of crates to send off to BadRap!
Thank you to everyone who commented and had something to say about this. This is my first opportunity to help hands on, and although you see how ugly people can be- you also realize how many people care and are willing to help out. I am off to go see the foster puppy, Dharma and check in on how she is acclimating to her new owners and brothers/sisters. Again, thank you to everyone and especially to Donna!

Donna said...

Fantastic report! It never ceases to amaze me how many good sorts are out there, doing good deeds. Thanks for being one them KD!

Pam said...

Kathryn, you are amazing, big-hearted, and brave to just jump right in to help make things as right as possible for these deserving dogs. Thank you!!