UPDATE September 6th,2010:

SOPHIA HAS BEEN ADOPTED!

Thanks to everyone who helped save her….

——————————————————————-

Many of you might remember my rescue trip to the San Francisco Bay Area in July.

leaving Portland for San Francisco

I was able to bring back ten dogs of which we kept two with Let’s Adopt! in Portland to re-home locally.

The lucky two were Sophia, a 2-year old Chi-Rat X, who found the greatest foster home in the city, Our very own Donde.

The other is Esperrranza “Espie”, a 1-year old Chi-Pin X, who is rooming with my little tribe.

Both have been vetted, spayed, and well socialized. They’ll have a play date with potential adopters over the weekend.

Let’s recap real quick why we had to rescue these dogs…

They were on death-row – on the kill list of the shelter for the very day I got my hands on them.

Espie wasn’t even available for adoption to the public. Her crime? She was “Timid”…TIMID! After 2-3 weeks in the madhouse, all that noise day in, day out, in a cold kennel, on concrete, did I mention the noise? I WOULD BE TIMID.

The instant she was out of the building and in the parking lot with us, she gave kisses…something she’s now famous for. In fact, she chases Ouzo down on the sofa and basically gives him a complete dental at least twice a day. Very sweet girl. After weeks at the pound she needed a refresher on the house training, which she is doing well with.

Sophia is a little speed devil. She’s proud to walk on leash and can’t wait to get to the dog park to play with the other dogs and meet all the people…oh and treats of course.

I don’t even remember why she was on death row, but it strikes me as hideous that perfectly healthy animals are being killed in our municipal shelters.

With OUR tax dollars.

Can’t we do better than that?

I think we can.

Please read this week’s blog on how to become a *gulp* community organizer. To bring true change in your own community. It is time that YOU and I step up to the plate. Are you ready?

Meanwhile…sign up as a foster for us, rescue a dog or cat from your local kill pound this week, and foster it for a few days or weeks….we’ll assist you in re-homing it through our network…surprise me…

BE THE CHANGE

-Misha

Dear friends,

Today we are going to try something that, as far as we know it has never been done before, something that just a few years ago it could have never been attempted without a massive advertising expenditure.

pls read carefully and at the end PLEASE SHARE.

One of the most challenging aspects of our mission is to find foster homes. A network of foster homes is absolutely essential for the good fonctioning of any rescue organization.

A foster home is,  a temporary home where the animal gets chance to recover from the stress of being in a shelter or abandoned.  Additionally, the foster volunteer has the opportunity to work with the animal  to introduce him to family living (if its a puppy or a kitten) or to correct some of the behavior problems that may have led to him being abandoned.

Quite simply: Fostering Saves Lives.

So this is what we are going to do here today. Today we are going to use our entire network to build up our network of foster homes.

To do this we are going to need YOUR help. I need you to do three things:

1. Please feel free to use our poster, Foster Saves Lifes as avatar in your Facebook profile. You can just save the picture in this post. Alternatively you can download the small version  HERE

2. We need to have the involvement of your trusted veterinarians in this campaign. For this I would like you to download the Hig-Resolution Poster HERE, print it (in colour please) and ask your veterinary clinic to put it in its announcement board. I understand this may be a bit too cumbersome to some, but it is the fastest and most efficient way to have an inmediate distribution of this poster all over the world. It will also help us stablishing a link with our members trusted vets all over the world.

DOWNLOAD HI-RES POSTER HERE

3. Finally, I need you to share this post with your own networks. You can share it on your wall, you can email it, it doesn’t really matter, but I need you to please become personally involved in this campaign. We cannot do this alone we need you. The animals need you. PLEASE SHARE.

This campaign is being launched in our Global, USA, Canada, French, German and Turkish networks simultaneously and the homes will be available to our friends at Soi Dog / Let’s Adopt (Thailand), that are doing such an incredible job in the Far East.

If you would like to have the poster designed in your language to be used in your veterinary clinics just drop me a quick email on viktor@myletsadopt.com and Ill make sure it gets translated.

Come on.. let’s get to work.. this is very exciting! help us build a truly global foster home network.

Fostering Saves Lifes!.. Let’s get to work! That’s what we do! Save Lifes!

Start fostering today!. Contact me on: viktor@myletsadopt.com

Viktor

Dearest Friends + Supporters of Let’s Adopt!

I would like to thank you for your tireless support and votes in the Pepsi Refresh Challenge.
We have come to the realization, that we now have a zero chance to come close of making it into the top 2 of the $250k – grant category.
For that reason, we have decided to move on to focus on the urgent cases waiting for us to be handled.
We have numerous special needs dogs and cats in great need of new homes and/or vet care.
We’re also looking for volunteers in many areas.

So, I’d like to invite you to become permanent tribe members of our wonderful family, by joining your closest Let’s Adopt! network.
I have listed a few of them below:

LA! Global:
http://www.facebook.com/LetsAdoptGlobal

LA! USA:
http://www.facebook.com/LetsAdoptUSA

LA! Canada:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=101251555667

LA! Germany/Austria:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=99371202835

LA! Turkey:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=223594502500

visit http://myletsadopt.com/
to find a network near you!
I hope to see you on the other side…

Please continue to support our work.
We are not only looking for contributions,but are also in desperate need of VOLUNTEERS!

Flight Escorts
-
are you traveling a lot? Especially to/from Europe? – You can be a
lifesaver! At no extra cost to you. Just donate a little extra time at
the check-in/out and customs

Foster Volunteers
-
we need you in all countries!!
We’re desperate in Turkey.
TRULY desperate for foster homes. There are too many animals we can’t take in
because no one will step up and make a little space in their homes to
them….
We also need your help in Germany, France, USA, Canada, Bulgaria…everywhere

Activists
- you know who you are.
Annoyed by PETA, and a little scared of ALF?
We might just be the right place for you to land…

Contributors - our silent supporters who make so much of our work possible…
The Simba Fund:
http://bethechange.chipin.com/

Please download and add our foster flyer as your profile picture on FB for the next few weeks to raise awareness of the importance of fostering.

BE The Change

-Misha
contact me:
misha@myletsadopt.com

We’re doing well!

KEEP VOTING!

This race is about endurance, and we’re in for a virtual “Ironman”.

http://www.refresheverything.com/letsadopt

I believe this little video will “speak” to each and everyone of those who watch it…

We are in a long distance run…

Come run with us…

Please vote for Let’s Adopt at the Pepsi Project… and SHARE…

Even though Let’s Adopt! supports and recommends a species appropriate raw diet for dogs and cats (see rawlearning.com for details), I realize that there are many pet owners in the current tough economy struggling as it is to feed their pets – period.

If you only have one dog or one cat, switching to raw might actually be a good time. It is less expensive than the high quality commercial food, You’ll need less cat litter or doggie bags, because your animals will poop, shall we say “healthier”. And finally, it will keep your animals healthier longer, which means less trips to the vet.

If  you simply can’t even afford a bone for your dog anymore, it’s time to reach out- NOW.

Do not be too proud to ask for help. Many cities have now pet food banks to help the unemployed keep their pets.

The economy and foreclosures are one of the main reasons at the moment why we see so many dogs at the shelters. The majority of them will undoubtedly be killed, due to the lack of adoptive homes and simply space.

Does your companion really deserve to die because you can’t afford to feed him?

I didn’t think so either.

Below is a list of petfood banks around the country. Please make use of it and let us know if there’s one we missed.

We will gladly add new resources to the listings.

PET FOOD ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS IN THE U.S.

ALABAMA:

Animal Friends Humane Society
240-B Johnston Street SE
Decatur, AL 35602
Phone: (256) 351-2347
Email: animalfriendshs@bellsouth.

currently no known resources.

Many thanks to the Pet Assistance Network for gathering the base of these listings, amended by Let’s Adopt! USA

Please share and spread the word.

If we can safe at least one dog from death row, because his owner can feed him this week – it’s worth it.

BE The Change

-Misha

Last week I posted about my trip to the San Francisco Bay Area, where
we were able to rescue ten dogs who have since settled  in nicely, some have already been adopted.
Our two Let’s Adopt! girls Sophia and Esperrranza are awaiting their spay surgery and glamour shots…
One of the dogs we pulled was a dog we named Jester. We were told he just needed a dental and had some nail problems, but was otherwise in good health.

Well – in actuality, Jester’s organs were shutting down and he was dying.
It is with great sadness that I have to report Jester’s passing. He was the 8 yr. old Aussie shepherd mix, who in the end could barely walk, and was unable to hold his bowels.
After long talks with my rescue partners, two different vet opinions, I made the decision to relieve Jester from his suffering.
Here’s what I wrote to my fellow rescuers that day:
I picked up Jester from Dogstar at about 12:30PM.
I had planned to take him on a nice walk, feed him some steak and then take him to the vet.
Unfortunately, his hind-legs wouldn’t cooperate, so we took him straight into my car.
We arrived at my vet’s clinic with lots of time to spare – so we sat down, soaked up some sun, Jester had his steaks which he loved so much, he licked my fingers clean
I gave him big belly rubs, thinking of all of you, who have shown so much goodwill toward this boy.
When it was time, we strolled into the office – everyone knew and was so kind.
They took him back to set the catheter. My vet gave him a quick exam and agreed that this was a dog in A LOT of discomfort.
I brought a cozy blanket for Jester, and we settled down for a while. I gave him more hugs and kisses. Mark, the vet entered the room, set down on the floor with us and asked me whether I was ready. Well, when are you ever ready for this, but this was about Jester not me, so I said yes.
The first order of business was to find the cookie jar.
Mark fed Jester lots of cookies. Then it was my turn, while Mark did his work…. Jester literally passed away while munching on cookies.
We agreed that we wanted to be fed Sundaes as well before we “go out” some day.
This was the best we could have done for Jester and he wasn’t scared, he wasn’t  stressed. He was calm, happy, a belly full of steaks and cookies.

I am still very upset with the shelter or whoever gave this false information. Jester should have NEVER spent a week at Martinez. They should have put him to sleep the day he came in. That would have been humane. Whoever had a chance to look at him for more than 2 minutes, MUST have seen that there was something terribly wrong with this dog.

I am annoyed with his former companions, I am sure he was a loyal friend to. How dare they just dumped him at a killer pound, with all the stress and noise to have him sit there in pain, confusion, suddenly abandoned with out the comforts of home. What has he done? He was sick, not a criminal. The least an animal’s caretaker MUST do is give their animals a dignified death. This should be a budget item in everyone’s household. As important as rent or a mortgage. To dump this poor dog after 8 something years was so cruel.

Why not take him to a vet and have him go with dignity.

What is wrong with our world?! Has everything and everyone become disposable?

On the other hand I am very glad, he had a week here in Portland where he was loved (the staff at DogStar adored him, and we didn’t have the heart to tell them where we were taking Jester…), well fed, relatively happy considering the pain he must have been in – and we were able to give him a dignified passing.
I’ll get his ashes back in a few days and will spread them at my favorite place here in Portland. A little beach, where the Columbia and Willamette rivers meet…

…Fare well, Jester <3

you touched so many in just the few days we shared.
~Misha

Dear Friends Of Let’s Adopt!

Cheeta during initial critical treatment

Cheeta was rushed to our clinic last week with a totally destroyed leg.

The damage was so great that it had to be amputated.

Cheeta recovering- finally a safe place to cuddle and exhale

She is now a gorgeous three legged kitty.
…
Hairy Steak (named that way because Peke sees her as a potential lunch) had an equally tragic story.. she fell into a semi-empty pool and she was left there for two days.

By the time she arrived,  she was in a coma and blind.

Hairy Steak’s first steps recovering
Lots of care made her get out of her state and she is now an amazing kitty as you can see in the pictures.

snuggle time “zzZZzzzZZzzZZ”

Bearing in mind that they are very good friends and have gone through so much, we were keen on re-homing them together.

UPDATE: Cheeta + Hairy Steak have been adopted to TEXAS!!

and moved with the help of a flight volunteer!!!

kisses goodbye….

Thanks to all of you who are making our mission possible.
As you can see, we are all volunteers with no federal grants or deep pockets. We finance all of our rescue missions with kind contributions to our Simba Fund + out of pocket.
What’s unique about Let’s Adopt! is that we have zero overhead. Every single cent of your contribution (after PayPal fees) goes directly the care of our animals!
Chances are that most of the funds you see listed on the Simba Fund Chip In, have already been spent and put into action.

Thank You for your continuous support and making our global vision a reality.

BE The Change
Misha Dee

Early July, I received a cry for help from rescuers of the Contra Costa County death camps.
Listings after listings of perfectly healthy, beautiful animals slated to go down any time.
Something had to be done – NOW.
But how? We have no fosters in the area.
Martinez is almost 700 miles away, my car was too small, renting an SUV or van + gas was too expensive. So, what could we do? As you know, Let’s Adopt! is a volunteer run organization. We don’t have a fleet of vans or SUVs at our disposal.
We don’t run shelters or a day care. We work with foster homes. Unfortunately we don’t have enough yet, but we’re growing and I am optimistic that this story will inspire some of you to sign up to become not just another foster, but a viable lifeline!

I contacted my friend Amy with the Pixie Project, and just asked her whether I could borrow the rescue’s  SUV for a long weekend.
It was a long shot and I held my breath, hoping, but really thinking she’d laugh me off telling, me “nice try, but I’m not giving you my car to drive it 1400 miles across state lines“.
Well, Amy did not only call me back right away, she contacted a fellow rescuer in town who immediately offered to take 5-7 dogs in addition to the ones Let’s Adopt! was about to rescue. It took some scheduling and wiggling the details, but in the end we sorted it all out.

leaving Portland for San Francisco

I started my trip from Portland to San Francisco on Saturday, July 10th at sunrise. A SUV packed with empty cages and kennels and a whole lot of hope and arrived in the Bay Area late afternoon, managed to reconnect with some old rescue friends from my time of living in SF. I learned the shelter wouldn’t be open until Tuesday, so I had time to connect and touch bases about the current status of animal rescue and welfare in the Bay Area.

…And it doesn’t look good at all. I spoke to one of the managers of the SF Animal Care & Control who described in despair how the city is shaving dollar after dollar off their budget, that could potentially safe lives. Yet the city uses funds to create silly projects like some “Good Samaritan fund” that rewards people who did the right or a good thing.
We’re now “bribing” people to do what’s right?
What a world.
This deserves its own blog. Stay tuned for an interview with a SF AC&C official.

Sunday: I receive the euthanasia list from the shelter.Pages after pages … Chihuahuas, Poodle Mix, Pit bulls, Pomeranian mix, King Charles Spaniel – another spaniel mix… the list was overwhelming to go through, but I had to. I needed to choose, who I could save. I had five to seven spots. That was it. Now many of you are already questioning the following: HOW DO YOU CHOOSE?
How does one choose?
I don’t know. At some point you have to put emotions past you and look at it from a rational point of view. As rational as one can be in a situation such as this. You look for temperament, adopt ability. I knew I couldn’t bring any Pits or Pit X, because I didn’t have a foster for one, and the other rescues can’t take them due to liability issues. Both rescues run day-cares and the prejudice against this breed is alive and well…..Something we will have to discuss another time.

With Pit bulls excluded, I made a list of 12 dogs and rearranged it from there. When I got to the shelter on Tuesday, there were already a lot of people in line. Some to adopt, others to claim their animals and then there were those that were waiting to surrender their pets. I was greeted by Annie, who held yet another more recent kill list in her hands. We compared notes and just rushed inside to look at as many dogs as we possibly could, knowing “they” are starting the killings in just a few moments. We had 5 dogs in no time, added another 2 – that was it!!
Or was it?

Annie + Lori doing the paperwork

While we checked out the first dogs with the help of Lori of Good Newz Pittie Pups Rescue,  Annie, presented me with 3 wire crates another person donated to the mission. I had dividers in them!!!By taking some of my larger kennels out and using those crates, I had more room. We pulled an older Aussie Shepherd, who we since named Jester.

More about this boy later. He is a special needs boy, who happened to bite me on the way back home,during one of the breaks. It’s not an aggression issue, he did that out of fear, stress, pain combined, when I tried to get him back into the car after a potty break.

Aaaanyway:

While I was outside arranging the crates and animals, I realized that I had more space. So I called Annie on her cell inside the shelter: “I’ve got room for two more, Annie….!!!”.

She zoomed into the euthanesia room, and snatched two dogs straight out from under the needles.

Safe! Pulled with minutes perhaps even seconds to spare!

safe! one has already been adopted!

safe! sweet, skinny little Pom mix

On the Road again....Portland here we come

After getting everyone settled in the car, sorted out the paperwork, we hugged and I went on my way back to Portland.
Because of time “lost” at the shelter and during some potty breaks with the dogs, I arrived back in Portland at 2:30 AM on Wednesday morning.
Theresa from DogStar waited for me, keeping herself entertained by doing some much needed bookkeeping. We unloaded the car, put everyone in a kennel, gave them some food/water and kisses, and went home. Mission accomplished – ten dogs save – alive!
Got home at about 3:30AM, Ouzo greeted me with kisses and hugs. I snuck upstairs, kissed Al “hello”. Ouzo squeezed in between us snuggling with me, licking my bite wounds…. I fell asleep thinking….What a trip!

Would I do it again? ABSOLUTELY – ANYTIME!

All started with a small idea and the desire to help. It takes a community to do this. I still need fosters – everywhere. When I sent out a call for local fosters, Donde Buckowski stepped up immediately, and offered her home to one of the rescues.

Safe! Sophia (foreground) is available for adoption with LA!USA

Little “Sophia” is a Chihuahua mix with cow markings. Great with dogs, loves kitties, full of energy. Sophia has already a solid interest – after only few days.

safe! ESPERRRANZA, available for adoption via Let's Adopt!USA

I have little “Esperrranza”, a Chi( MinPin?) mix, who was going down for behavioral. “TIMID” her card said. I found her shivering in the back of her kennel, low to the ground, the noise level in her unit was unbearable – impossible to talk. Can you imagine a little dog in there for 2-3 weeks? I would be TIMID too. As soon as she knew she was safe – she gave kisses and one could just see the big sigh of relief in her entire body language. “Esperrranza” is available for adoption as well. There is some interest for her, but we’re still accepting applications for both of these dogs.

The standard Let’s Adopt! Adoption requirements apply:

• Must have another animal dog

• will be part of the family, not live in the garage, basement, or ever be left on a tie out or unsupervised in the yard.

• We are supporters of a species appropriate diet and all Let’s Adopt! animals are being fed a raw diet. (see http://www.rawlearning.com for more info).

• Adopter has to sign up with Facebook and create a photo album to share with the Let’s Adopt! community that shows the animal’s progress. (Or adopter can send pictures to me and I’ll set up the album for them)

We do not apply an adoption fee. Adopting one of our animals is a privilege not mercy. One can’t put a price tag on any of our animals.

Even if you can’t adopt, but would like to support our mission and rescue operations such as this, please contributing to the Let’s Adopt! Simba Fund

Many thanks to the following rescuers and agencies for their support and collaboration.

Annie Wong – Big Dawgs Rescue

Lori Wilson – Good Newz Pittie Pups Rescue

Melody Chen – FB cross poster and rescuer for the Contra Costa County Shelters.

Amy Sacks – Pixie Project

Theresa Shire – DogStar

and of course thanks to Billie+ David for housing and feeding me “HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAVID!”, as well as “Matela” for sharing HER sofa with a human.

BE The Change -

it is not THAT difficult if you just put your mind to it.

~Misha

…GET TO WORK…

dog slated to be killed because he was no longer wanted.

Unfortunately,
thousands of dogs and cats will be euthanized tomorrow.

Many perfectly healthy, sweet, with out fault.
…Some will get gassed like Jews during the Nazi regime,
others will be (if  ‘lucky’) sedated, and then a needle will be rammed into their heart.
Others will get a needle in the leg –
“they” like to call that the most humane method of murdering animals.

What they all have in common is that they are HUMAN WASTE.

Discarded by a

• family that had to move, but couldn’t be bothered to search until they could find housing for ALL their family members,
• bimbos who had to copy Paris and Nichole and Britney and had to have their own little purse dog. These dogs were born in concentration camps, have a couple of months of questionable fun and then they’re dumped to die at a death camp. How truly cruel is that?!! Think about it for a moment.

• because the boy/girlfriend is allergic,

• ohhhh -my favorite: they’re having a baaaaaby…so let’s dump the furkid.

• Backyard breeders who thought they could breed and make a couple of quick bucks.

All these people dump their animals at the pound, and then WE are expected to clean up after them.

yes - YOU!

There’s got to be a better way.
I am hoping someone will take a few off death row.
Let’s Adopt!USA is in the process of taking in a few dogs from a high kill shelter in Northern CA.

We want to do more – but we need more volunteers and fosters.

The “ohhhhs” and “aaaahs” about dogs sitting
on death row are not cutting it. We need action!!!!

We need people who will open their homes to one of these creatures.

A safe place, a spare room, some good meaty bones and a little chicken for the summer…

Is that too much to ask for?
I wonder……

2 foster babies from seasons passed...Lila + Dexter

BE The Change – What does it take?

~Misha

Dear Friends,
last month I asked whether, we as a community could save 100 animals this summer.

What has happened since…

I’ve met Mary Ann, a wonderful lady from NC.She saved several cats from a property, who’s owner threatened repeatedly

Using cats for target practice for procreating? An oxymoronic situation considering who's doing the shootin'

to just use the cats  for target practice.
Mary Ann and her patient husband set up traps, and over the course of a week were able to catch all of them.

trapped kitty - ready to be spayed

All have been altered, vaccinated and an older kitty is being treated for a couple of fighting wounds.
Stay tuned for Mary Ann’s story…..

a new lease on life instead of a never ending cycle of kittens

Then there is Daniela, who literally took us up on our challenge the very next day. She lives in Atlanta, went to a high kill shelter in Rome, GA and saved a beautiful English shepherd mix from death row.

Daniela named him Borgo, after a district in Rome.

Borgo on Death Row at the Rome, GA animal pound

Within days Borgo came down with the kennel cough. Daniela spent hours taking him to the vet, treating him, comforting him.

After several baths, a trip to the groomer, lots of love, vaccinations and finally getting neutered – Borgo is ready to move to his new home, which is already waiting for him in Indiana.
Unfortunately, Daniela is a poor student, with a minimum wage job on the side and has exhausted her resources.

She needs help with transport and/or shipping Borgo to Indiana. Please contact Daniela if you can help. dragomirovad@yahoo.com

What about the challenge?

We are a community of over 2000 members in the US. I think we can do better. Daniela, a student, with a minimum wage job, living in a small apartment has proven that there’s always a way to save a life.

Borgo and his personal angel, Daniela

Every life is worth saving. No matter how old or broken an animal is. We owe it to them to make things right.
If we don’t intervene, who will?
What can WE – as a community, as individuals do this coming month?

Step ONE: sign up as a volunteer with us.
if you can’t volunteer please consider supporting us via the Simba Fund.
100 cents of each dollar go to the care of our animals, and funding of special rescue operations. Let’s Adopt! does not have any overhead, because we are ALL volunteers.
This sets us apart from any other big organization.

• Send me your stories and pictures of the animals you saved.
• Sign up to volunteer for us. We are looking for volunteers in ALL 50 States and also in Canada RIGHT NOW.

Shoot me an email with your information:

• Name
• Location
• Volunteer Interest

Let’s make this summer one to remember…

Let's Adopt! Summer Of Luuuuv 2010

The summer we saved 100 animals - TOGETHER!

BE The Change
~Misha