I stopped by a pet supply store the other day to fit “Ouzo” for a harness.

As we were browsing the store, tackling all the junk food barrels, which are strategically placed on snout level….all over sudden, in an otherwise fairly quiet store, a  big ruckus errupted…

..“ohhhhh” and “aaaah” *pupppppy!!!!…

Not just a puppy – it was a purebred chocolate Labrador Retriever pup, fresh from the breeder.

I just stood there for a moment, in disbelief – numb – thinking of all the cute puppies that were being murdered today in death camps around the country.
And here was this guy standing in front of me…beaming like a young father holding his first born.

We made eye contact – he smiled – waiting for me to chime into the “ohhhh & aaaahhhh” choir.

Instead I asked him: “Did you get him from a breeder?”

He blushed, looked at me like a young boy caught with his hand in the cookie jar…. “yeeeaah”

I just rolled my eyes, turned around and walked away with my GORGEOUS, PERFECT THREE-LEGGED UNIQUE Chilean Lava Hound.…..

It would have been pointless trying to educate him about the importance of spaying and neutering, why we should adopt and not buy from breeders..

he KNEW…and did it anyway.

That evening, I went online to check out Petfinder, and there are over 1000 chocolate labs waiting for a home RIGHT NOW…..

Granted, not all of them are purebred labs, but the point is that there are rescues for every single breed out there, and that each and everyone of us has a responsibility to stop this insanity of breeding pets for profit. It begins with the hamster for your kids, the cute little baby bunnies you give your children on Easter and to the shelter by Whitsun.

BE The Change…

~Misha & Ouzo

We would like to thank everyone for your generosity and support in saving Genny’s life.

We could have truly not done it with out you.

Hooray For Genny & You!

Every single Dollar, Euro and Lira made a difference – there was no contribution too small and certainly not too large.

Genny has beaten the odds and is now in a new foster home, awaiting to meet her soul mate. Her final home, where she can have a sofa to call her own or at least share ♥
….where she can relax, knowing that she’ll be safe and treated like the princess she is.

Here are some current photos of Genny and her foster siblings…

They are guaranteed to bring some happy tears to those who have been following her story over the past month or so. They left me with a big smile all day…… Enjoy!

...just five more minutes...

*Doggie Bliss*

Thank YOU!

Please continue to support our work.

We currently have several special needs animals in vet care.

Apologies for the graphic image – but you need to see what we deal with here.

Meet LATTE…

Latte is fighting for his life

Latte was found nearly dead..

He has been lucky. We happened to have the most effective remedy available for this disease.

We are confident we will be able to save him.

Stay tuned and connected.

BE The Change! ♥

~Misha Dee

Esmeralda, a Let's Adopt! dog from Turkey, found her forever family and some wonderful new canine siblings overseas.

We’ve been talking a lot this week about animals in Bali, Turkey, and other places. Today I’ve got some ideas that might hit a bit closer to home.

Here are three ideas for ways to show your love for animals this Valentine’s Day weekend…

1. Make a rescue kit for your car so that you’re prepared next time you find an animal in need. I keep a big bag of items in my trunk, and virtually everything in there came from discount stores like Big Lots. I always watch for sales and have been known to buy every collar in stock! Even if I don’t need it in my trunk, there’s always a local rescue that does. You don’t need to spend much money at all; in fact, you probably already have most of the items you need.

This list should get you started:

• cell phone
• phone numbers for local animal control, local ASPCA and Humane Society, local rescue group(s), and local wildlife rescue group(s)
• phone number and directions to your nearest 24-hour emergency vet
• cat carrier or cardboard box (Cat cardboard boxes are quite inexpensive and can be found at rescues, pet shops, and vet clinics.)
• collars (a small one for cats and one for dogs that adjusts to a wide range of sizes)
• leashes (heavy enough to hold a large dog)
• heavy blanket and towels
• large bottle of clean water
• bowls for food and water (I use inexpensive plastic ones.)
• several cans of tuna, sardines, or anything that smells good to an animal
• animal first aid kit (the basics: gauze rolls, adhesive/first aid tape, hydrogen peroxide, antiseptic cream, tweezers, and scissors)
• roll of paper towels and a bottle of cleaning spray (for any clean-up jobs)
• flashlight
• pair of heavy duty working gloves (to protect your hands and forearms from scratches or bites while trying to pick up an injured animal)

For more detailed information about pet first aid and emergencies, refer to my earlier blog post on this topic.

This Let's Adopt! kitten is one of three brothers who were lucky enough to find a home together!

2. Don’t forget that the 16th annual Spay Day is around the corner. It falls on February 23rd this year, and it’s all about spaying and neutering pets as well as feral cats.

You can put in your zip code to find out about Spay Day events in your local area. Why not help raise awareness in your community this weekend by publicizing some of these events by word of mouth, by using local blogs, or even by putting up posters? Many people might not know about low-cost spay/neuter options, but if we spread the word far and wide, more people might go ahead and spay or neuter their pets.

And if you’re up for a bit of fun…

There’s still time to enter the Spay Day online photo contest which helps raise funds for the Humane Society and helps make events like Spay Day possible.

There are some pretty fabulous prizes up for grabs!

Here are some resources to help with low-cost spay/neuter any day of the year:

• Love That Cat List of Spay/Neuter Resources
• SPAY/USA (not the same as Spay Day)
• Spay Alabama: 1-866-9-SPAY-AL or www.spayalabama.org
• Spay California: 1-866-PET-SPAY or www.spaycalifornia.org
• Spay Colorado: 1-877-654-SPAY or www.spaycolorado.org
• Spay Florida: 1-888-SPAY-FL or www.spayflorida.org
• Indiana Spay/Neuter Alliance: 1-866-957-SPAY or www.spayneuterindiana.org
• Spay Maine: 1-800-367-1317 or www.spaymaine.org
• Spay Massachusetts: 1-888-495-SPAY
• Spay Michigan: 1-888-5-SPAY-HELP orwww.allaboutanimalsrescue.org
• Mississippi Spay & Neuter: 1-866-901-SPAY or www.msspan.org
• Spay Ohio: 1-877-644-6446 (4 to 8 pm) or www.spayohio.org
• SPAY/TEXAS: 1-877-TEX-SPAY or www.spaytexas.org
• Vermont Companion Animal Neutering: 802-223-0034 or www.vt-can.org
• Spay Washington: 1-877-4-SPAY-WA or www.spaywa.org
• Spay Wisconsin: 1-877-510-PETS or animalfriendlywi.org/spaywi
• Kentucky: http://www.kycentral.org/spayneuter.htm

another Turkish puppy who found a forever home overseas thanks to Let's Adopt!

3. Get registered with a rescue transport coordinator so that you can help by driving animals from shelters to rescues. This can take as little as an hour or an hour and a half of your time as you form part of a chain to move dogs and cats from Alabama to Maine or from South Carolina to North Dakota. There’s even one transport this weekend going from Bowling Green, Kentucky, all the way up to Prescott in Ontario, Canada, and they still desperately need drivers on a few of the legs. If you’re anywhere in Kentucky, Ohio, Michigan, or Ontario, Canada, and could help drive a leg on Saturday or Sunday, please check the run sheet and contact the coordinator, Lucy, at lmoye0617@sbcglobal.net .

This is a huge two-day effort to move about 20 dogs out of an extremely high-kill shelter in western Kentucky, and they need all the help they can get!

Here’s one great list of transport coordinators, but check with your local shelters and rescues to find out which transport coordinators assist them. Then get yourself registered and watch for weekend runs through your area. In many cases, your mileage will even be tax-deductible!

In the same spirit, get registered with your local shelter or rescue as a foster home. Unfortunately, there is always an influx of pregnant animals and babies every Spring. Getting registered now will save precious time when your help is needed.

Harley is another Let's Adopt! beauty from Turkey who found her forever home (and a new pair of glasses!) overseas.

And one last thing…

The USA Network will be running the 2010 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show on Monday and Tuesday. The show is sponsored by Pedigree.

I don’t even need to tell you how many animals there are in our pounds across America.

So why on earth do people keep breeding animals?

Well…

Dog shows such as this one are not helping in any way. In fact, Westminster decides each year to recognize “new” breeds which only encourages a ton of breeding in the lead-up to this recognition and in the fall-out afterwards as people decide they, too, want to own one of these “rare new breeds.”

Take a moment to tell the Westminster Kennel Club, the USA Network, and Pedigree what you think about dog shows. Let them know that you don’t value a purebred dog any more than a mixed breed one. Tell them that you would rather see sponsorship of and programming about the truly important issues in animal welfare. Why not suggest they sponsor or run programming about low-cost spay/neuter programs? Tell them about Spay Day 2010, and let them know that the breeding encouraged by groups like Westminster is part of the problem.

Ask them if they saw the study about how unaware most people are of the pet overpopulation in America, and ask them if they are doing their part to raise awareness and prevent 4 million animals from being killed in our shelters each year.

Have a great weekend, everyone. Help save one.

While you’re here, don’t forget to join the Facebook group of Let’s Adopt! (USA).

MYTH: “My pet will get fat and lazy.”

The truth is that most pets get fat and lazy because their owners feed them too much junk food (canned or dry) and treats loaded with HFCS, and don’t give them enough exercise. A run around the yard is NOT exercise.  Consider switching our animals to a raw diet, which will keep them healthy, happy, lean and your visits to the vet at a minimum.

Read Viktor’s blog about why Let’s Adopt insists feeding our animals a raw diet.

MYTH: “It’s better to have one litter first.”

Actually,  science indicates just the opposite!!!
In fact, evidence shows that females spayed before their first heat are typically healthier. The best time to spay your female dog or cat is before her first heat. Early spaying greatly reduces the incidences of mammary cancer.
Both pregnancy and birth can be very stressful for the animal.
Animals giving birth sometimes die from complications.
Many veterinarians now sterilize dogs and cats as young as eight weeks of age.

MYTH: “I’ll find good homes for all the puppies and kittens.”

You may find homes for all of your pet’s litter. But each home you find means one less home for the dogs and cats in shelters who need good homes. Also, in less than one year’s time, each of your pet’s offspring may have his/her own litter, adding even more animals to the population. The original problem of crowded kill-shelters is created by just one litter at a time. 

"FREE to good home"... the "wonders of birth" come at a high price for the animals AND our communities

There’s no need to breed – PERIOD!
This must stop!

I once had a lady from Jehovah’s Witnesses knock on my door to tell me about her vision of doomsday and all….while we were chatting, two of my five foster kittens jumped on the window sill and played in the sun.

orphaned kittens under the age of three weeks are euthanized on arrival at a shelter near you.... too much work, too little resources.

I told her that these kittens were born in my house to a rescued homeless cat, who was barely a year old herself.
The lady was so excited seeing the kittens, that she didn’t listen to a word I was saying beyond “babies”.
Said the following: “I want to get a cat for my children so they can witness the wonder of birth”.
I explained to her how this was exactly part of the problem, and asked her to take her children to a city shelter to show them hell on earth first.

Perhaps consider fostering for a local rescue like myself, and not only show the kids the wonders of birth, but also educate them (and obviously herself) about the consequences.
She said she couldn’t do that. Foster pets and then give them away…. “I don’t know how you do it”, she said.
“I get joy out of seeing them united with their adoptive home, and there’s always a never ending supply new fosters…”
The lady walked away, on to the next home to tell them about doomsday, not realizing that her thinking perpetuates the ultimate doomsday vision for every pet out there.

MYTH: “But my pet is purebred.”

So is at least one out of every four pets brought to animal shelters around the country. There are just too many dogs and cats; mixed breed and purebred.
Your purebred’s testes aren’t any more valuable than those of a mixed breed. They’ll contribute to the same problem.

MYTH: “I want my dog to be protective.”

S/N does not affect a dog’s natural instinct to protect home and family. A dog’s personality is formed more by genetics and environment than by sex hormones. The only changes in behavior you’ll see are positive ones.
Tom cats tend to reduce their territorial spraying depending upon the age they are neutered. If neutered young enough, before they begin spraying, they may never develop the behavior.
Neutered male cats and dogs fight less, resulting in fewer battle scars, contagious diseases such as Feline Leukemia and horrible abscesses.
And since they aren’t interested in pursuing females in heat, they also wander less, greatly reducing their chances of being hit by a car or getting lost.

MYTH: “I don’t want my male dog or cat to feel like less of a male.”

Pets don’t have any concept of sexual identity or ego – HUMANS DO!
He doesn’t suffer any kind of emotional reaction or identity crisis when neutered – HUMANS project that onto them.
If your dog’s balls mean so much to YOU, and you have the resources to spend, consider Neuticles. </sarcasm>
However, you might consider getting a larger pair for yourself, and give your dog a break!
When I worked with a city shelter in the San Francisco Bay Area, I witnessed a young man trying to pick up his lost dog from the pound.

It was an intact pit. Very sweet – his owner not so much. He was informed that they wouldn’t release an un-neutered pit, and that by claiming the dog, he had to get the animal neutered within a certain time frame. He made a huge scene about how his beloved dog can’t be neutered. He couldn’t have his “baby’s balls cut off….”

The argument went on for a while.

Pitbulls are likely one of the most misunderstood and most abused breed in our society.

He finally said – “F*ck it – keep the stupid dog!!” - and stomped out.

Left his beloved dog, his baby there, on death row. Now jumped from “stray” up the death row chart to “owner surrender”. Needless to say – this once beloved baby was destroyed.
Why did I not do anything. Because our rescue was already over capacity, boarding dogs because foster homes were full and I personally had a house full of orphaned “wonders of birth”-kittens to foster.

neo natal orphaned kitten - death by ignorance of humans. Kittens like these are euthanized by default if no rescue will take them. And most won't/can't because of the lack of volunteers..

There are no resources.

Volunteers are hard to come by, and the ones shelters and rescues are so very lucky to have are exhausted!

MYTH: “It’s too expensive to have my pet spayed or neutered.”

The cost of spaying or neutering depends on the sex, size, and age of the pet, your veterinarian’s fees, and a number of other variables.

But whatever the actual price, spay or neuter surgery is a one-time cost; a relatively small cost when compared to all the benefits.

It’s a bargain compared to the cost of having a litter and ensuring the health of the mother and litter; two months of pregnancy and another two months until the litter is weaned can add up to significant veterinary bills and food costs if complications develop. Most important, it’s a very small price to pay for the health of your pet and the prevention of the births of more unwanted pets.

Many counties offer free or low cost spay/neuter clinics or vouchers.
Yesterday, I posted a list of low/no cost spay/neuter resources.

Contact your local HS or SPCA for more information. If it turns out that there are no resources in your area, consider getting involved in you community, and help organize a yearly event. Thanks to social networking it is getting easier and easier setting up events and get the word out.
Use this tool!
Remember to BE THE CHANGE – don’t wait for others to do it for you!

Fix your pets, educate your friends and family, and don’t forget to you join us on Facebook, so we can network and delegate the resources each of us has to offer.

~Misha

Marijo was injured and left paralyzed in Istanbul. While looking for a safe place to give birth to her four kittens, she fell on a metallic blind. She and her kittens were all rescued by Let's Adopt!, and her kittens all found homes. Marijo now lives in New York because no family could be found in Turkey to adopt her.

My dear friends:

A few months ago I decided to make a change in Let’s Adopt! strategy.

Today, and after having to deal with three very unfortunate cases, I have decided that enough is enough.

From today, Let’s Adopt! Turkey will operate in a completely different way.

1. We will not be able to take up ANY new cases. For the last two years, I have been writing about the need for animal lovers to be responsible for their own rescues. Instead, people abused the system and dumped animals on me. The result has been a massive backlog of cases and astronomical bills left in pensions and vets in my name.

2. The animals we currently have will be rehomed overseas. If any of your previous adoptants wants to adopt another animal, they are more than welcome to contact me, but we won’t be seeking any new adoptive families locally.

3. From today, Let’s Adopt! Turkey will focus EXCLUSIVELY in the rescue and rehabilitation of blind, disabled, and elderly animals.

Let’s Adopt! has intended, from the beginning, to be an educational network. Rehoming was just another way to show people the meaning of responsibility and humanity, two issues that most parents seem to forget to teach their children and that schools seem not to pay any attention to.

I encourage all our members and friends to continue working with us, continue enlarging the network, and continue rehoming their own rescue animals by following our adoption rules. Be the change you wish to see in the world. Don’t wait for me to push you. Take action…TODAY!

For more information about our change of policy, please click here.

Have you joined the Let’s Adopt! member map?

This interactive map will be used for the following purposes:

- Re-homing logistics
- Volunteers needed at a special location
- Coordination of foster homes
- Coordination of flight volunteers
- Locations of trusted veterinary doctors
- Locations of Istanbul shelters

In short, we need to know where you are. Please be as specific as possible whilst keeping the level of privacy you wish. Being able to locate you quickly will help us be more efficient when we try to mobilize.

To access the map, please click here. This map will be published in search results and user profiles. I would like to encourage you to add your location as well as the location and details of those vets you trust. This will be a collaborative effort. The success (or failure) of this common resource will depend exclusively on the degree of input from our members.

Whenever there are natural disasters, I always think about everyone affected – the people AND the animals. All too often, the animals are sadly forgotten as we scramble to help the human victims.

On Dec 26, 2004, I was due to be in Sumatra or Borneo to live out a lifelong dream of seeing orangutans in their natural habitat right at the time the tsunami hit. My plans changed and I was not there, but I couldn’t stop thinking about all the animals who experienced the tsunami.

The wildlife, domestic animals, street animals, and farm animals are the silent victims of natural disasters. So many of them die every year in Australian bush fires, and so many of them died in Hurricane Katrina right here in America.

Right now, many animals in Haiti are suffering alongside all the human victims of the earthquake.

Many of us do not have the qualifications, skills, or abilities to travel to affected areas and add real value to rescue and relief missions after natural disasters. In many cases, the best we can do is donate money to help support those organizations and the individuals working for them to do the amazing work they do.

When the earthquake hit Haiti, I knew from my own background in public health that my donations would go to Paul Farmer’s Partners in Health and to Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors without Borders). That decision was easy.

It has taken me a bit more time to research the animal rescue and relief efforts in Haiti because I did not know anything at all about the situation for animals in Haiti prior to the earthquake. Today, I would like to share with you some of what I have learned so that you, too, can follow the plight of Haiti’s animals and make informed decisions about how to donate your money.

First of all, if you don’t already have it bookmarked, I would suggest keeping up with the World Society for the Protection of Animals blog: Animals in Disasters.

On January 20^th, the Haitian government asked for the WSPA’s immediate assistance with the animals affected by the earthquake. The WSPA and the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) have come together to lead the Animal Relief Coalition for Haiti (ARCH).

Members of ARCH include the following organizations:

• World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA)
• International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW)
• American Humane Association
• Best Friends
• RSPCA (UK)
• In Defence of Animals
• American Veterinary Medical Association
• American Veterinary Medical Foundation
• Antigua and Barbuda Human Society
• ASPCA
• United Animal Nations
• The Kinship Circle
• One Voice
• Swiss Animal Protection
• Palo Alto Humane Society (PAHS)
• People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)
• Finnish Federation for Animal Welfare Associations
• Animal Welfare Care Foundation (AMCF)

Humane Society International also does a great amount of work for animals in disaster situations. They are working independently in Haiti, but their existing relationships around the globe will ensure they are able to provide a great amount of assistance for the nation’s animals. HSI was the first international animal welfare organization on the ground after the tsunami, and they have a track record of sticking around well after the disaster.

A Facebook-based group called Operation: Haitian Dog Rescue has also been formed to charter a rescue plane and create a directory of adoptive homes in the U.S. They are currently seeking pilots able to assist Animal Rescue Flights with the transportation of staff, volunteers, and supplies to Haiti.

Although their website does not mention any work with Haiti at present, I will be keeping an eye on Pilots N Paws to see if they plan any flights to Haiti.

Haiti has long been the poorest country in the western hemisphere. An earthquake would be devastating even for any of us here in the United States, but it is truly paralyzing for a country like Haiti. The animals in Haiti were already suffering greatly even before the earthquake. There were no shelters, no animal control agencies, no veterinary colleges, and no animal organizations to advocate for the nation’s voiceless citizens.

Perhaps this is an opportunity to create lasting change for the animals of Haiti. I know that the rescue and relief work for humans and animals will carry on for many weeks and months to come. Let us not forget to support those organizations and individuals who are on the ground carrying out this work.

Have you ever worked with animals after a disaster such as the earthquake in Haiti? Do you know more about the animal rescue and relief work going on in Haiti? We’d love to hear from you in the comments section!

Don’t forget to join the Facebook group of Let’s Adopt! (USA).

Oliver on the day he came home with me...and before he got his first Martingale collar!

Greyhounds found their way into my heart back in 2007 in Australia when I got involved with an RSPCA raid to save starving, neglected animals on the property of an animal hoarder just outside Sydney. Several Greyhounds were among this group of animals, and some of them were lucky enough to make it out alive. One of them, Oliver, made it into my home. He was possibly the biggest of the Greyhounds in that group, and yet my mean little Mr. Claus picked him. (I’ll write about Mr. Claus and fear aggression in dogs in a later post!)

I will spare you my rants about everything that is wrong with the Greyhound racing industry. Suffice it to say that I strongly believe it should be outlawed altogether. Oliver and I were in the newspaper back in Sydney after a Greyhound died in the back of his negligent owner’s car outside a pub on a hot summer day. Raising awareness is important – especially in a country like Australia where nearly 95% of all Greyhounds are put to sleep (or worse) by age 2 or 3 when they are no longer “racing material.” That’s why I always encourage adopters to consider Greyhounds. Dogs seem to find their way to me, but if I were to handpick a houseful of dogs to adopt, you can bet that there would be several Greyhounds among them.

Greyhounds are perfect couch potatoes. One of the biggest myths about them is that they need a lot of exercise. In fact, they usually prefer to “roach” on your couch most of the day. (If you’ve never seen a Greyhound roaching, do yourself a favor and look up some images on the Internet. It’s hilarious!) One thing to keep in mind when adopting a Greyhound is that they are similar to puppies. Because they have never been treated as pets in anyone’s home, they do not know about hardwood floors or steps, for example. Sometimes they take a while to understand their new home and any other dogs and cats who share it. Keep in mind that the only other animals most Greyhounds have ever met are other Greyhounds. They are not socialized with other animals at all when they are brought up in kennels and on racetracks. I’ve heard it said that if you are having problems with your Greyhound all you need to do is adopt another Greyhound! I’ve also heard it said that Greyhounds are one of the few breeds who remember/recognize their littermates if they are reunited later in life.

I can’t think of a gentler, more sensitive, or more wonderful dog than a Greyhound. They are amazing creatures, and I would encourage you to go and meet some at your local Greyhound rescue. I’m willing to bet you’ll fall in love and want to adopt at least one! Let their last race be into your heart…

Here are four great links for more information about Greyhounds and rescue groups in your area:

The Greyhound Project, Inc.

Greyhound Pets of America

National Greyhound Adoption Program

National Greyhound Foundation, Inc.

Do you already have a Greyhound? Tell us what you love about him or her!