Category Archives: Blog

Pet Sitter Appreciation Week

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This week is Pet Sitter Appreciation week!

From all of us at TBAR, and all of our personal and foster pets, we want to THANK everyone who steps in when we have to step out. Sometimes it’s for fun things, like a vacation, sometimes it’s for sad times, like a funeral, but no matter the reason your pet only knows that you are gone. Some pets get sad and confused, and even might refuse to eat. Sometimes our pets may be old or sick, and our pet sitters make sure they get special love and their medicine on time. That is why we have to pick certain special people whom we know can be there for our pets. So for all those people that we trust to come into our homes, or to take our pet into their own, we thank you for being responsible and also loving to our pets.

Having a pet doesn’t mean you can’t get out and travel if you want/need to, it just means you’ll have to find someone who can take great care of your pet while you are gone! Visiting Pet Sitters International is a great way to locate a sitter. One of our TBAR volunteer staff members, Amy, is a regular pet sitter and offers the following advice to those looking for a pet sitter, or looking to become a pet sitter:

“I chose to take on pet sitting as secondary income to help pay surgery bills almost 2 yrs. ago. I wanted something with flexible time & didn’t want PT work after my FT job and something in retail or fast food. I love animals so sought out to get my name out there. I’m registered on care.com & sittercity.com Most of my success has come from care.com & word of mouth. I have a few regulars right now and love all their animals as if they are my own.

Always make sure to meet the owner & animals before the job starts to learn the routine, get emergency contact #s including their vet, trusted neighbor or friend, etc. Interact with the animals so you can get to know them & vice versa.

I love the interaction with the animals especially after a hard day at work. There is nothing more relaxing than talking to “someone” who is happy to see you, listens, & loves you unconditionally.”
– Amy Hemsell, TBAR Staff (and TBAR Pet Sitter)
Amy pet sits for the 10 mile radius from downtown Brenham and can be reached at 713-992-4700 or email [email protected]

And here is some advice (and notes of appreciation) from some of the TBAR Officers and Staff!

“As an owner of multiple dogs and cats, vacation time can either be stressful or not considered at all. We ask ourselves ‘how can we afford to go anywhere?’ A ‘Pet Sitter’ who comes into your home to care for your animals is the best way to go. Especially if you have large animals like horses or donkeys, someone who can come to your home twice a day to feed and check on your extended animal family is the best way to go. Be sure to provide a safe environment for each animal as the care taker will only be checking on them twice a day. Supply all medications, food, access to water and emergency phone numbers for your care taker.  Planning ahead will make your vacation time away from home much more enjoyable.

My friend Harriet Patrick does “In Home Boarding” for limited number of dogs. She temper tests her boarders because they  must get along with her own personal dogs. She likes to meet your dog in her home before you leave on vacation. There are certain advantages to an “In Home Boarding” environment over a professional kennel. Dogs are in the house interacting as a family.  This situation causes less stress on the dogs. Harriet provides Pickup and Delivery if you are in a rush to get to your appointment or airline flight. Don’t worry about coming home to a dirty dog that has been in a small kennel while you are away. Harriet will also bath and groom on request. Harriet has 30 years training and showing dogs, and she has experience with older dogs and those with special needs.

Larriet Spaniels, Home Environment dog boarding: 11818 Beinhorn Dr (Houston, TX 77065), 281-705-0364, [email protected]”
– Linda Taylor, TBAR Marketing and Events Director

“I’d like to thank my sister and future brother-in-law for pet sitting my little furry man, Archie. Knowing I was going to be leaving him for two months was difficult enough, but having family there to care for him while I was gone was a huge relief.

Being trusted with someone else’s fur child is a big responsibility, but being able to bond with animals you don’t see every day is always a joy and can hardly be considered work! That is unless you’re pet sitting for TBAR. That’s hard work and all of the furry friend love you could handle in a single day!

You wouldn’t leave your children in the hands of strangers and neither should you for your pets! Always check references from previous clients for potential pet sitters.”
– Alissa Cannon, TBAR Secretary

“Finding a sitter that you can rely on is hard. But finding one that you know can take care of all your pets needs is even harder. My pets are my children and all have different little needs. I am grateful that I have a friend that is taking the time to try and bond with all my pets, even my most shy dogs.”
– Olivia Moore, TBAR Photographer & Journalist

“In our last city we had a great pet sitter. He loved his dogs and loved all dogs. Our dogs loved going there, and even used to stare out the back window and whimper when we took them back! I learned from his facility that a good pet sitter should be willing to let you visit them and show you where your pet will be staying. This will help alleviate YOUR stress, which will make your pet more at-ease as well.

In our new city we have not found a new pet sitter, so the pups have been staying at camp – that is, my parents’ house, and home to about 35 TBAR foster dogs! My dogs have so much fun running around with all the other dogs! Thanks Mom and Dad for taking in your ‘grand-dogs’ so I can take a break!”
– Jessica Ripley, Webmaster

“True Blue Animal Rescue is a volunteer organization made up of foster homes. We don’t have a facility with staff to take care of the animals. They are all cared for by the families who foster them. Foster homes usually have more pets than most people, making pet care a challenge. As the largest foster home in Tbar I know this first hand. I also know how important it is for us to take breaks from caring for the 30 or more dogs and over 35 horses that my family fosters at our home. To us, a good pet sitter is very important. We love and care for all of our pets and foster pets and we couldn’t leave and relax if we didn’t feel comfortable with our pet sitter. For us a pet sitter is someone who will not only feed and water the pets but will also be observant and look around and see how they are all doing. If they have any questions they can call and we can make sure that our pets are getting everything they need whether we’re there or not. With that type of dedication and communication we get to take the breaks we need so we can continue caring for this many animals and that’s what keeps Tbar going. So, on behalf of all the animals we help in True Blue Animal Rescue I want to say ‘thank you’ to the pet sitters we’ve had here and to all the pet sitters everywhere. I hope you know how important you are!”
– Melanie DeAeth, TBAR President

Our Facebook Page Reaches 3000 Fans!

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bannerlikethankyouTBAR has slowly been nearing the 3000th “Like” on Facebook, and with all of the help of our fans we were able to make that milestone today! In this past week we gained over 80 followers, and our post asking you all to share our page was seen by more than 2000 people!

For those of you that don’t know, Facebook does not show all of our posts to all of our fans, in fact, Facebook only shows posts to about 16% of page followers! That is why it is so important for us to receive your “likes”, Comments, and “shares” on posts we upload to the TBAR Facebook and RAIN pages. The more interaction a post gets the more Facebook will share it with others. That is why it is so OUTSTANDING that we reached so many people through your shares this week. We can’t THANK YOU all enough for being such great supporters!  The animals thank you as well!

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Friday Fluff: Pyrenees Dogs

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This past February True Blue Animal Rescue was asked to assist 4Paws Farm, a rescue center located in Hempstead, Texas, who was helping place sixteen Pyrenees dogs whose owner had passed away. Placing that many dogs at once would be hard on any rescue group and that is why networking with other rescue centers is so important. Thankfully the Great Pyrenees Rescue Society took seven of these lovely dogs and Golden Retriever Acres Senior Sanctuary took the female Golden Retriever in the group and the senior Pyrenees dog as well. True Blue Animal Rescue was asked to help place six dogs and the last senior female went to Betty Neblett who does private rescue.

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Two of the beautiful dogs that Tbar was helping with were adopted out almost right away to an approved Tbar family. The remaining four were transferred to Tbar and vetted while they waited patiently for their new homes in New Jersey where the Eleventh Hour Rescue found adopters for them. While these dogs wait for their transport they are being worked with on socialization and being taught to walk on a leash. Now when their big three day trip to New Jersey comes and it is time to meet their new families they will be ready for them!

Thanks to the tremendous team effort of Nancy Stoorza of 4 Paws Rescue, Della Lindquist with the Great Pyrenees Rescue Society, Rhonda Blaschke and Kelly Gasser of Eleventh Hour Rescue and T-bar, these dogs have a second chance at a happy home life! We also want to congratulate the Miron family on their newest family members from adopting two of these lovely dogs in need. Remember if you or a loved one has a dog that needs to find a new home, never offer the dog for free, contact a rescue center for help finding them a quality new home. Adoptive homes are checked out by rescue groups and this will insure a safe new home life and environment for them, and the rescue can help you network your animal while you maintain them as a “foster home”.

TBAR is a 501(c)(3) non-profit no-kill animal rescue organization. If you would like to help animals such as these please consider donating to TBAR, volunteering 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!

*Edit and Update*
From Facebook:

Brenda Standefer Brady: I just read the blog. It was Great Pyrenees Rescue Society that went to the farm and took 6 dogs (not Texas Great Pyrenees Rescue). We loaded them in my 4-runner. Very happy to say they are all in NW in forever homes.

Read about the transport and adoption of Delia and Porthos here!

 

Spay Day 2014

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February 25, 2014 is “World Spay Day” as organized by the Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society International.

TBAR would like to take today to once again share our support for getting all animals spayed or neutered to help prevent pet overpopulation and increase the quality of life of your pet. Spay/neuter is a proven way of saving lives and an important part of our community outreach. Ensuring your pet does not procreate ensures that their offspring doesn’t end up having offspring that end up homeless. In addition, animals that are fixed are less likely to have roaming urges (that end up in them getting into fights or hit by cars) and less likely to get certain types of cancer. We urge everyone to spay or neuter their pet, and to adopt new pets from animal rescues – there are more than enough to fill your hearts and homes!

TBAR has a special fund set up to assist people that need help paying for spay expenses. At this time, this fund allows us to pay for three spays a month using one of two low-cost clinics: The Animal Friends Connie Clinic on Hwy 36 in Brenham and CCC Clinic in Bryan (a new facility).

If you would like to donate to this fund you can do so by clicking here: Donate to the Spay/Neuter Fund

If you would like to apply for Spay Assistance please fill out THIS FORM and return it to [email protected]

For more information on Spay/Neuter you can visit:
Why You Should Spay/Neuter Your Pet
World Spay Day

Here is a great video series from the Humane Society that gives great information about Spay/Neuter and aftercare for your pet:

Spaying or Neutering Your Pet
What it Means to Spay/Neuter
What to Watch Out For after Spay/Neuter

We hope World Spay Day has helped to encourage you to spread the word on the importance of Spay/Neuter!
Again, here is the Spay Assistance Form:
TBAR Spay Assistance Request Form

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Dog Care Day

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February 16th was a day that True Blue Animal Rescue put aside for Volunteers to visit and contribute to dog care. While being housed at our T-bar foster homes and waiting for their forever homes the dogs receive the best of care possible, including getting their medicine. While a spoon full of sugar may go a long way for kids, the dogs seem to love wet food more.

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True Blue Animal Rescue founder and president Melanie gives the dogs their heart worm medicine and flea protection with a nice serving of wet food and love. Since her foster home houses more than 30 dogs at a time (including dogs that will never be fit for adoption) giving medicine out is a bit of a job. One of the important aspects of this job is making sure the dogs eat their food up and don’t leave anything behind. The medicine is costly but thanks to donations from our loyal supporters and regular fundraisers, T-bar is able to give the dogs the care they need.

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Keeping the dogs up to date on their medicine makes the adoption process smoother for families ready to take a dog home with them. Thanks to the hard work of T-bar volunteers the adoptive families taking in a True Blue Animal Rescue dog can be secure in the knowledge that their dog has been under great care. The Volunteer staff may have helped make medicine passing out go faster, but as we watched them we remembered that everyday Melanie and Dale do feeding times all on their own. This made us appreciate all the hard work that is put into the daily care even more!

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TBAR is a 501(c)(3) non-profit no-kill animal rescue organization. If you would like to help animals such as these please consider donating to TBAR, Volunteering 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!

 

 

October 16: Feral Cat Day

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National Feral Cat Day 2013

 

October 16 is National Feral Cat Day, as broadcast by Alley Cat Allies.  This is an awareness day that seeks to spread the word about Feral Cats – to teach people the difference between pet, stray, and Feral cats, and to teach the community that Feral cats can have full and happy lives living outdoors.

The difference between stray and Feral cats is that Feral cats have been born and raised outdoors, enjoying the freedom that comes with “returning to the wild”.  They are not socialized and they do not have the ability or desire to become domesticated.  Once trapped and re-homed, it is unlikely that Feral cats will warm up to humans, and they will not prefer their new indoor captivity to the life they were used to outdoors.  In contrast, as stray cat is one that has been lost or abandoned and is able to be rehabilitated and re-homed.

Because most Feral cats cannot be re-homed, TBAR does not support the trapping and surrendering of them, and so we are unable to place them in Foster Homes that can rehabilitate them.  That being said, TBAR is a huge supporter of the Trap-Neuter-Return initiative, which not only takes care of spay/neuter, but also takes care of vaccinations.  In these situations we ONLY help people if they are willing to feed and monitor the returned cats. We have special funds that supporters can donate to that allow us to pay for fixing and vaccinating Feral cats and helping to control the population.  We are also able to take in kittens that were born outdoors and socialize them before they become Feral, thus allowing them to become adoptable.  If you have Feral cats in your area, please take a look at these tips for helping to manage them:

–  Consider a Trap-Neuter-Return program.  If you need to borrow a trap, or if you need assistance in funding, please contact us.  Click here for more info from Alley Cat Allies on Trap-Neuter-Return.

–  Feed and monitor your feral cat community, but only in safe locations (do not feed close to roads, or neighbors with aggressive dogs).  Animal control should be alerted if you have a cat that looks sickly in your cat community.

–  Feral kittens have a short window in which they can be collected and socialized.  Keep an eye on your Feral community and identify any pregnant Feral cats so you can know when the kittens are born.

–  If you know anyone that is considering trapping and surrendering, please offer them advice on deterrents.  The use of deterrents is an effective way to convince Feral cats to find a new location to live in.  Some deterrents are very easy and affordable: lemon peels, coffee grounds, chopsticks, rock beds, and car covers.

–  Inform others of the vacuum effect:  once one cat is removed it only creates space for another Feral cat to move in the territory.  Trap-Neuter-Return prevents the continual rotation of the population.

–  Click here for a brochure with even more information on living with cats in your area

Fun fact:  one of the greatest examples of a Community Cat program is in the “Happiest Place on Earth”:  at Disneyland!  The Disneyland program cares for around 200 cats and has done so for at least the past 25 years.  They practice Trap-Neuter-Release (which includes spays/neuters and vaccinations), they adopt out kittens, and they also have a community management system that watches over the health and well-being of the cats and feeds them in secure locations away from the public.  In return, the Feral community controls the rodent population of the 85-acre theme park in Anaheim, California.  Don’t expect to see these cats though, they are great at hiding during the day and prefer to be active at night, when the park is empty of crowds.

Post by Jessica Ripley

TBAR is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and is a no-kill facility.  If you would like to contribute to the spay/neuter fund which is used to help control Feral cat populations, you can click click here to donate and just make a note that it is for the Feral cats! Every little bit helps us to help the cause.




 

Please note:  as a no-kill animal shelter TBAR is not a part of the statistics this video notes about the deaths of feral cats in pounds and shelters.  TBAR does not take in any feral cats out of their home environment because they are not adoptable and it is considered inhumane to try to hold them against their will.  This statistic does refer to those that trap feral cats and dump them at their local pound or shelter.  Please consider the above-mentioned alternatives to trapping and removal.

Resources from alleycat.org

Please see this brochure for information on how-to Trap-Neuter-Return:  Click Here

“How to Live with Cats in my Neighborhood” Brochure:  Click Here