Happy Valentine’s Day! Roman and Triple Crown

Posted on February 14, 2015August 23, 2021 by True Blue Animal Rescue

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Roman is doing well and has been gaining weight and energy. He’s coming out of his shell and his personality is blossoming. Triple Crown Nutrition has agreed to sponsor his rehabilitation by providing their high quality senior feed for him. This feed has 10% fat with no carbohydrates. It also has all the minerals and vitamins he needs to recover quickly. He won’t need to eat as much grain to get the same results. I’m excited to see his progress! To make sure Roman starts on Triple Crown right away one of their top representatives Jerral Seale personally delivered the first 20 bags of feed. Roman couldn’t have asked for a better Valentine’s gift than that!!

Protect Your Pet From Heartworms

Posted on February 10, 2015August 23, 2021 by Jess

It’s almost Valentine’s Day! We love to treat our four-legged furry Valentines on February 14 (and, let’s be honest, every other day too), but we also wanted to take a moment to talk about something serious that relates to your pet’s heart: Heartworms.

At True Blue Animal Rescue every single dog we take in is tested for heartworms and is started on preventative or heartworm treatment (depending on if they tested negative or positive for the disease). When we adopt a dog out we are sure to explain to their new family the importance of keeping them on their preventative or treatment, because heartworms are the silent killer of pets across the country and if the dosage is stopped the dog will suffer.

Heartworms are spread by mosquito bites and affect your pet by infesting their heart and enlarging it. In Texas your dog has a 100% chance of contracting heartworms if they are not on preventative medicine. That means ALL dogs should be given a monthly does of Heartguard (or other prescribed medicines, whether in pill, topical, or injection form) to ward off this terrible condition. If not, it is likely that your dog will contract the disease which results in a slow and painful death unless they are diagnosed and then put on a heartworm treatment regimen.

If your dog is not already on a preventative, we recommend you take them in to your local vet. Heartworm testing can be expensive, but it is worth it to ensure your pet has the proper care.

What are warning signs that your dog might be infected?

A persistent dry cough
Inactivity or lethargy, excessive sleeping, fatigue after simple actions such as eating or going out to go to the bathroom
Weight Loss, refusal to eat, loss of appetite
Labored breathing
Bulging abdomen or chest area
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We know you love your pets, and we want you to have many more Valentine’s Days with them, so make sure you are informed and take them in to your veterinarian to get the best treatment for their heart!

Cats are not the typical host for heartworms, as the parasite does not often make it to adulthood in their bodies. In the case that your cat is infected with adult heartworms, it can be fatal and often goes undiagnosed until it is too late. If you have concerns, talk to your veterinarian.

To read more about heartworm disease, visit The American Heartworm Society

#2 Cavalia Odysseo Ticket Auction Benefiting TBAR

Posted on February 1, 2015August 23, 2021 by True Blue Animal Rescue

ANOTHER pair of tickets for Cavalia Odysseo being auctioned off on ebay for True Blue Animal Rescue! The winner of this pair will get to choose a date to attend through Feb 22nd. They are also VIP tickets! Read the flier for more information. Here is the ebay link for the tickets: Click Here

Do not let this amazing opportunity to see this fabulous show by giving a tax deductible donation to True Blue Animal Rescue!i
PLEASE SHARE!

Pit Bull Month: Spay/Neuter $20

Posted on August 10, 2014August 23, 2021 by True Blue Animal Rescue

Animal Friends of Washington County (in collaboration with PetSmart Charities) is offering a special this month for Pit Bull awarness month – you can get your pet fixed for only $20. Call 979-277-0400 and book your appointment today!

Looking for a Pit Bull of your own to give a happy and loving home to this month? True Blue Animal Rescue has many bully breeds waiting for their forever homes, including some senior pits that would love a soft cushion, some AC, and an owner to pet them for their last few remaining years. Please consider looking at our listings and opening your home to adopt or foster from TBAR!

Ace and the incredible Rescue Transport Network

Posted on August 5, 2014August 23, 2021 by True Blue Animal Rescue

Angie Hewett is a longtime supporter of TBAR (as she is one of founder Melanie’s sisters!) and recently she adopted her second TBAR dog! Where Angie lives, in Buffalo New York, it is much less common to see animals in need of rescue and adoption due to many factors, one of which is animal overpopulation control with the heavy promotion of spay and neuter programs. In many areas in the North it is much more common for spay an neuter to be enforced (otherwise you have to pay high licencing fees for your animals), and because of this there are many fewer unwanted pets in shelters than there are in the south (some even call it “pet underpopulation”). This with the combination of technology (websites, pet databases, etc) has created a whole new networking situation in the US today – people in the North want our unwanted pets, and a whole bunch of volunteers are ready to pull together to do rescue transport for dogs to get them up to their new forever home! In fact, compared to purchasing a pup up North, the transport option is still less expensive! Keep reading to hear about how rescue transport for dogs brought Jack and Ace together in their new family!

Jack and Ace are 2 dogs that we adopted from True Blue Animal Rescue. How lucky we are. We live in New York State and True Blue is located in the state of Texas.

We saw pictures of these amazing Dachshunds on True Blue’s Facebook page. I saw their pictures and really felt like somehow they belonged with me. I also could not imagine how I’d ever get them since I lived so far away from TBAR. I also was a little nervous because what if I found a way to get the dogs here and I found that they really weren’t good fit for our family.

As I previously mentioned Jack and Ace do live with us and here is how It all worked out.

TBAR Dog Transport (1)

Did you know that there is a transport service that will deliver reduce pets to anywhere in the US? Did you know that the fee to do this is not very much and the animals are very cared for and comfortable as they travel?

Well these services do exist, and it is exactly how we got both Jack and Ace

Now for the other concern I had. Both Jack and Ace were with one of TBAR’s foster homes. These people are amazing. They take these dogs in and do whatever they need to do to heal these dogs and allow them to be successfully placed in forever homes. The foster that had our dogs is named Shellie. Shellie is amazing. She started with sending us lots of pictures of the dogs and even sent us videos so we could really get a good idea of the dog’s personality. We also talked to Shellie several times over the phone.

TBAR Dog Transport (2)

We have young grandchildren and wanted to be sure Jack and Ace got along well with little kids. We also have another larger dog and wanted to be sure the little dogs would be ok with big dogs.

Well, Shellie solved this for us too. She took the little dogs to a friend’s house who had little children. Jack and Ace did well with them. She also went to another friends house who had a big dog. Another success.

After the conversations with Shellie and finding out how easy it would be to transport the dogs across the country we decided to adopt Jack and Ace, and I must tell you we couldn’t be happier.

TBAR Dog Transport (3)

I want you to know how worth it that it can be to adopt a rescue dogs. Sure there’s an adjustment period, you have to get used to each other (generally they tell you it takes at least 2 weeks for them to settle a bit and start to show their personality), but once this is accomplished you couldn’t have a better pet. Rescue animals really appreciate it when they feel safe and are finally in their forever homes.

Please don’t ever rule out taking a look at True Blue Animal’s website. If you see the perfect animal listing I promise you that transporting the animal to you will be easier than you could ever imagine, and you will be able to talk to the person fostering the animal to be sure this animal will be a good fit for you and your family.

We love Jack and Ace so much and we are so happy we took the chance. They really complete our family.

If you are interested in any TBAR animal, don’t let distance stop you from inquiring! Email [email protected] or call (936) 878-2349 and we can discuss with you our rescue transport for dogs!

Community Spotlight: Wal-Mart

Posted on August 2, 2014August 23, 2021 by True Blue Animal Rescue

Today we want to thank our community supporter, Wal-Mart, for their regular donations of animal food! It is the wonderful workers at the store that find the bags that are eligible for donation and put them aside for us, and then call us to come pick up the donation. These food donations are so valuable to us because they really make a huge difference in our costs. This regular donation allows us to feed more animals while keeping food costs low so we can and put donated and fundraised money toward medical care for all of our horses, dogs, and cats.

Thank you Brenham Wal-Mart and associates for making a difference in the community by donating to TBAR and helping to save more lives!

How can you work with TBAR to save an animal in need?

Posted on July 29, 2014August 23, 2021 by Jess

How can you work with TBAR to save an animal in need?

When possible, TBAR works with the community to network animals on our RAIN (Rescue Animals in Need) Facebook page. This posting also goes out to our networking email list, and is normally used for personal rescues when the person is able to pay the vet costs and provide shelter for the animal.

However, we do work with people who choose to volunteer their home (or find someone who is able to volunteer theirs) to take in an animal in need as a personal rescue. Sometimes there is a very time-sensitive window for people to pull animals from a shelter before they are euthanized, and the shelters will only release to an approved rescue. TBAR has the following established procedures to work with community members with their personal rescues (but please note that the TBAR officers must vote and approve the intake before this process begins):

APPROVED FOSTER HOME: The person agreeing to take in the animal must have a Foster Home application on file and have standing as a TBAR approved foster home. TBAR is a no-kill animal rescue, and this means we have limited space and depend on our foster homes having availability or a new one opening before we can take in a new animal. New foster homes have to be approved by our officers because when TBAR takes in an animal we are committing to said animal that they will go to a good home that is willing and able to give them proper care and treatment while they wait for their forever home.

INTAKE FEES: There is an initial intake fee of $150 for each new dog or cat. This covers the basic vet care (including intake evaluation, shots, worming, and other needed attention). Puppies or litters of puppies cost an additional $50 per puppy for their initial shots and worming. You can donate the fee yourself, or do your own online fundraising event and ask for pledges on sites such as Indiegogo or GoFundMe (and if you raise more than the fee for that animal it can go toward existing bills or future personal intakes). All donations made to TBAR are tax deductible. Those that participate in TBAR fundraising events throughout the year do not have to raise the initial intake fee as they have already contributed.

LISTINGS AND NETWORKING: Animals taken into TBAR will be listed on our website, Petfinder and other Pet Networking sites. They may also be listed as “Pet of the Week” to gain exposure on local radio , in local newspapers, and on our Facebook page. You can also submit photos and story for the pet to be posted as a “Foster Feature” blog on our website and Facebook.

ADOPTION APPLICATION: Prospective adopters for EVERY TBAR animal must fill out and submit an application before meeting the pet so we can check references.

MEET AND GREET: Once an adopter is approved a meet-and-greet is set up. The foster home can work with the adopter to set this up and help decide if it is a god match.

ADOPTION FEE AND CONTRACT: Adopters must pay $110 adoption fee for dogs (and puppies) and $75 for cats (and kittens). This fee covers spay/neuter costs (if the pet they are adopting has not been spayed/neutered then they will be issued a certificate to cover the expense when the pet is old enough). Each adopter must sign a contract promising to care for the animal.

TBAR operates entirely on donations and solely out of foster homes. In order to continue to make a difference in the community we must adhere to our intake and adoption guidelines to provide the best care for our current and future animals. This ensures that we do not go over capacity and end up creating an unhealthy situation for our organization. As much as we’d like to save them all, we can only do so much, which is why we need community members to step up and become foster homes and help us with fundraising efforts!

TBAR is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and is a no-kill animal rescue operating in the Brenham, Texas area. Please consider donating, fostering or adopting. Every little bit helps us to help another animal in need of safety and rehabilitation. Save a life: adopt instead of shop and spay or neuter your pets!

Foster Blog: Kassy

Posted on July 15, 2014August 23, 2021 by Olivia

As you know, dear readers, Jason and I took in our first foster dog on St. Patrick’s Day this year (and we even named him Patrick)! He was with us for three months, and when he left Jason and I felt like the house was a little quieter. It had been four years since we had worked with a puppy and our dogs are now at that blissful stage in life where sleeping is the main goal for about sixty five percent of the day (unless there is a yard man near by!)

Another Tbar member, Casie Cooper, brought to my attention a group of dogs that needed to be saved or they faced certain doom. Rescued from a hoarding situation, these dogs were moved into the Sealy pound. Casie shared pictures of the dogs in need and my heart strings were tugged on by the image of a dog cowering in the corner with a hand holding up her little face. I was nervous about taking on another dog as I remembered how bringing Patrick home caused a stir (to say the least) with my corgi mix, Jack. It took about a month until all was well and my dogs became a happy pack. Did I want to do that again? And so soon? I confess when Patrick left I had a good cry but that feeling of helping a dog and a family find each other was such a good feeling it overpowered the sadness. In the end Jason and I knew we wanted to do that again, so I decided to take Kassy.

Kassy was only 30 lbs, smaller than Jack, but by height only, and being female I knew Jack would have less of an issue with her since she was not any competition. Casie and her wonderful husband Cody went to give Kassy her freedom ride. The dog smelled terrible and was so scared she was messing herself and the crate she was in. I have never seen a dog so full of fear. I would liken her fear state to that of a spooked horse. To be safe we carried her in the crate from the truck into our back yard. I could see this new dog bolting and since she didn’t know us the chances of us catching her if she got loose were slim. That alone made me a tad nervous, but we got her into the yard and gave her a bath. It was hard for her to be bathed, and believe me it was for Jason and myself as well, but it had to be done. Not to be too graphic, but she was covered in her own messes. Once inside the house our dogs smelled the cage (now cleaned) that Kassy was in, but they were pretty bored about her arrival into the house. Lucia, our oldest, really could have cared less. Chloe, our middle dog, once again behaved the way she did when Patrick came into the house (Kassy could be a table for all she noticed). Jack, after his experience with Patrick, did so well; no growling, no sizing up, he just smelled her and moved on. I was impressed and so proud of him (I may have sprouted off a few tears). Kassy’s first days with us were surprising calm. At first the new dog made no sounds at all and always wanted to be in her crate. Making her go outside to potty was hard and often resulted in accidents when we would touch her. No eye contact was ever made and she even refused to point her nose in our direction. If we walked near her kennel she would shake uncontrollably and ram herself into the corner as far away from us as possible. All the while Kassy was too afraid to point her body or head at us. I started to sing around the house to get her used to my voice and Jason would talk to her non stop once he got home. Still things were tense, and basic things that many take for granted were hard. Feeding time was a nightmare because she would pee as soon as I went to put her food into the crate. Not wanting her to get used to the smell I would have to get her out of the crate and get her a new towel and wash the crate floor out. Then the struggle of putting her back in the crate started. All the while my other dogs are starting to unravel while waiting for their food. Getting her outside was a chore and I am sure each time I went to let her out I was grinding my teeth. She started to pee the moment I opened her kennel and peed all the way to the door. We had to move all the furniture around in the kitchen to get her cage right by the back door. Success! The new system worked for her and made her feel more in control of her movements but most of all she seemed to feel safe. I started to get a little tense when it was potty time for the pack. Once outside she ran around non stop. I mean she was always moving. Only when she was exhausted would she finally go potty and then she would lay down far away. My dog seemed to sense she was scared and gave her space but I wanted her to have more of a life. I fretted as I watched her on the third day. She held herself differently something had changed. Jason and I were in for a surprise…. To Be Continued!

Happy 4th of July!

Posted on July 4, 2014August 23, 2021 by True Blue Animal Rescue

TBAR is wishing you and yours a great Independence Day! Please remember that pets are often frightened by fireworks, so keep them safe today!

This photo is of our two week old puppies, Moose and Eddie, who are currently being bottle fed by one of our foster homes. They will both be available for adoption in four weeks. If you or anyone you know are interested in giving a forever home to a Corgy mix puppy you’ll want to get your application in now so we can have you approved and ready!

Visit our how to adopt page, email [email protected] or call 936-878-2349 for more information on how to adopt from True Blue Animal Rescue. We have lots of kittens and puppies that need to be rescued by you!

Press Release: TBAR a Semi-Finalist (help us by voting!)

Posted on July 1, 2014August 23, 2021 by Jess

TBAR Selected as Semi-Finalist for Community Program Improvement Funding

Vote for TBAR to reunite them with Ty Pennington!

Washington, Texas — True Blue Animal Rescue (TBAR) has been chosen as one of 50 semi-finalists in the Ultimate Neighborhood Give Back Challenge hosted by Guaranteed Rate! This is a contest that will award five runner-up prizes of up to $10,000 for their community project, and one Grand Prize Winner will get $50,000 for their Community Project AND help for a day from Ty Pennington!

You may remember that Ty Pennington has helped TBAR in the past – back in 2005 he brought his team from Extreme Makeover: Home Edition to build a new home for the DeAeth family. When Ty, EMHE, and the Community made-over the DeAeth home they increased the capacity that TBAR had for saving animals, and allowed them to make a bigger impact in the area. Since then TBAR has helped save and rehome thousands of animals (including dogs, cats, horses, donkeys, and more).

In the past five years TBAR has branched out in their efforts to decrease animal abuse by starting the Animals Bridge Love and Education (ABLE). These camps allow hands-on experience to develop compassion and empathy in children toward animals to make them better pet owners and future advocates for animals and people. The programs under ABLE include Foster Family Fun Days, Field Trips, Scout Troop Days, Church Groups Days, and Community Service Volunteering.

In order to continue to expand this program we need to make some improvements, including air conditioning and an accessible bathroom in the classroom area, new fencing, and better walking paths. Being one of the six finalists in this competition will allow us to make some of these improvements so we can reach more children and help even more animals than ever before.

Please vote for TBAR by CLICKING HERE and vote for “Educational and therapeutic equine program improvements – Washington, TX”! Don’t forget to share this link with everyone you know so we can advance our animal education program in the Brazos Valley!

This Round 2 of voting closes on July 8^th, and the 6 finalists will be announced on July 15.

About True Blue Animal Rescue: TBAR is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and is a no-kill animal rescue located in Brenham, Texas. If you would like to help their cause please consider donating, fostering or adopting. Every little bit helps us to help another animal in need of safety and rehabilitation. Save a life: adopt instead of shop and spay or neuter your pets!