True Blue Animal Rescue hosts a page called RAIN Networking. We use that page to network Rescue Animals In Need. That means they haven’t been officially accepted into TBAR because they don’t have a foster home so we ‘network for a home’ We do pay for spay / neuter if they aren’t fixed but we list them before that’s done to find a foster or adopter quickly. We post with the contact for the person who has the animal so we don’t always hear back to find out if they found a home. This week we did hear that these two DID find homes. Networking works and we can use your help. Like our RAIN Networking Facebook page and share to help our networking pets find homes!
Tag Archives: Networking
Foster Feature: Oliver and Opal
Imagine being an animal waiting for a foster or forever home. Just for a moment, think about seeing so many nice smelling people come and go and yet, it’s not your turn. Finally one day you think salvation is in your paws. Someone points to not only you, but your friend that you are fond of. Both of you are going to be together in a real home. A safe place were the elements cannot touch you, a quiet place where other dogs or cats crying will not unsettle you. A place where you have your own bowl, bed, spot to nap and yard.
Oliver and Opal in early February believed that they had that kind of salvation, as they waited in Amarillo, Texas, for a special person to find them. But what happened to these two dogs was unbelievable and part of a sad person’s attempt for attention. The dogs were sent to a woman that swore she wanted to foster to adopt. So with hopes high on the rescuer’s part and the dogs, off they went to what was believed to be a fresh start and a happy ever after.
After the woman, that claimed she wanted Oliver and Opal, posted pictures of herself on Facebook of welcoming the dogs into her life, she ran out of use for them. After just one day she placed a call to her local dog pound and claimed that both the dogs, that thought they hit the jackpot, were strays! To add insult to injury, she did this knowing full well the rescuers that she got the two dogs from would have gladly taken them back.
Opal and Oliver could not explain to the animal control officer that responded to the call that it was all a horrible turn of events. They had been saved already once, but now they were heading to a pound as forgotten souls while the woman, that said she wanted them, went looking for more animals to adopt. But thankfully Oliver and Opal, in their own way, could speak. They could tell the animal control people that they were not strays, that they were in fact registered. Opal and Oliver were scanned for a microchip and with that new device their life story was played out.
The dogs were registered to Rhonda Tatum who supports the Amarillo Shelter where these two dogs had been living. Since Oliver and Opal were now in Bryan, Texas, Rhonda and her group now faced the task of getting the dogs back and to safety. Thankfully, Rhonda is very resourceful and found out that the woman who had these dogs had also contacted True Blue Animal Rescue (TBAR). Rhonda contacted Melanie DeAeth and explained the whole story. At that point everyone agreed that these dogs needed to be rescued again! With a lot of team work and networking it was decided the dogs would be placed in TBARs care.
Planning for getting the dogs was a group effort. Transport for the dogs from Bryan to Brenham, Texas, was provided by TBAR volunteer Ellen Spahni. Opal and Oliver came into TBAR care at a time when our foster homes were full. But rather than turn the dogs away, TBAR raised funds to have the dogs housed at K’s Mutt Hut in Brenham. Run by fellow animal lover and rescuer, Kathryn Eyster-Kwiatkowski, K’s Mutt Hut works with rescue groups all year round with a special discount rate for dogs that need a place to go in a hurry. Once Ellen dropped the dogs off, Jason and myself were able to meet the duo and take their pictures. Oliver and Opal were a little shy at first, but once toys were thrown around and we ran around the big play yard at K’s Mutt Hut, they soon got into the swing of things. Oliver is a sweet Shepard mix that loves to run off with toys, while Opal likes to catch a toy and just chew on it. Opal has a beautiful personality and is very calm, yet happy to play. The dogs got extra play time with the photographers because they were too awesome to leave too early.
While Opal and Oliver are now safe, their story could have turned out very differently. With a simple microchip, a dog has a voice that no one can take away. While all rescue groups do their absolute best with screening people that try to find a way to beat the system, every group has been burned; every rescuer has had a person do something that has made them jaded. With the microchip system, dogs and cats are given more security and rescue workers have more peace of mind. It’s why True Blue Animal Rescue will now be microchipping their animals upon intake starting March the first of 2015. It gives them footprints, much like a baby, and it will always lead them home, even when people stack the odds against them.
Oliver and Opal are miracle dogs. Dogs that were saved not once, but twice. Special dogs that were meant to be saved to find their perfect family. If you would like to learn more about Opal and Oliver you can visit them at K’s Mutt Hut. Please call to make an appointment at 979-661-0840
Foster Feature: Honey
Today’s foster feature is Honey. Written by Shellie Bellinghausen.
I got tagged in a Facebook post for a dachshund and a chiweenie (chijuajua/dachshund mix) one Friday evening recently. Yes, I’m THAT dachshund lady that everybody tags. A shelter in a town two hours away had an emergency situation and had to find homes for some of their dogs ASAP, or they would be put down Monday morning.
I replied to the post and started emailing with the shelter that evening. Their sheriff’s office had seized a large number of dogs that day in a cruelty case, and it took up half the shelter’s kennels. The kennel these two dogs were in was tagged for euthanasia. The dachshund was a year or two old, and the chiweenie about five months old. Two young and healthy dogs, perfectly adoptable.
Thankfully the owner of the dachshund claimed him on Saturday, but the chiweenie was still there. So TBAR pulled her from the shelter, and since we had an event all day Saturday, I met a transporter half way on Sunday to get her.
Turns out, the “chiweenie” hasn’t got a lick of dachshund in her, but is probably a corgi mix (shorter legs/longer body also). She showered me with kisses from the moment I first held her. Adorable hardly describes it. I named her Honey since her fur and her eyes are honey-colored.
The sad thing is this precious little puppy would have had her life ended prematurely because this shelter, as do many across the country, had limited space and was greatly over capacity. Some of
these shelters have kill rates as high as 85%. Let that sink in. 85% of the animals that come in to some shelters die there.
Now before you get angry at the shelters, please know that the majority of the people working at these shelters are loving, caring, giving people who genuinely care about these animals. They do their best to adopt them out or find foster homes or rescues that can take them in order to avoid having to needlessly kill them. But with so many animals coming in their doors, their hands are tied.
In Septemberr, TBAR received a request from a local shelter to network an older Red Tick Coonhound. We networked her for a few days before receiving notification from the shelter that she was on the euthanasia list that day due to overcrowding. Again, TBAR pulled her, I picked her up that evening after work, and we had a pending adoption for her the next morning. Annabelle went to her forever home that Friday after a quick trip to the vet. What a difference a day made for her!
The reason we were able to find a home for her so quickly was through social networking. Facebook has allowed us to share pictures and descriptions of these animals with lightening speed! And friends share these posts, who share these posts, and so on, and so on, and so on (anyone remember that commercial from the 70s?). And someone out there sees it and steps up to foster or adopt. Networking works!
TBAR has even created a separate networking page on Facebook for just this purpose, called RAIN Networking (Rescue Animals In Need). Anytime we receive calls or emails for help with animals, we post them here first, and often times we don’t even have to officially bring them into rescue because these animals find homes through this page.
So whenever you see the countless posts from those of us active in rescue, even if you can’t help any other way, you CAN share the post, because you never know when someone you know may find an animal they can help.
And just as important, you can foster through a local rescue. You may have to fill out a foster application, which only takes a few minutes, and when an emergency situation comes up (and they do often!), the rescue can immediately respond because they have foster homes available. (Just like shelters, rescues are limited by the space they have available.) The rescue covers all the vet care (and many provide food and crates), you provide the love and one-on-one attention, which socializes them.
Fosters are able to share additional pictures and information about these animals, such as temperament and whether the animal is good with children or other pets. When potential adopters read this information, it often seals the deal, and they know this pet is meant to be theirs. That’s what happened with Annabelle! Her adoptive family saw a picture of her that a friend had posted on Facebook. That picture reminded them of a Blue Tick Coonhound they had that was no longer with them. They knew Annabelle was theirs!
And Honey? Well, after seeing her pictures, my mom decided this little girl was for her (much to my surprise)! I’m telling you…networking works!!
Event Recap: Horseman Market Days 2014
Equestrian Market Day was successful for another year. This event was held at the Brazos County Expo and sponsored by The Brazos Valley Driving and Riding Club. It’s a great opportunity for horse enthusiasts to buy things for their equine hobby at bargain prices. Even though it was hot, humid, dusty and a lot of work, at the end of the day, we want to do it again. For Tbar it’s a great opportunity to make money to help the animals. Thanks to the many wonderful people who donated horsey items for us to sell, we did just that. Lots of people stopped by to say hi and to browse through everything Tbar had displayed to sell and to learn more about rescue. This type of exposure is very important for the public as well as a learning experience for our volunteers. Thank you to all who braved the heat and worked hard to make this event a great success. The following pictures show a great turnout both from Tbar and the public. It is events like this that take lots of work and dedication from our volunteers, as well as officers and staff.
Ace and the incredible Rescue Transport Network
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.
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.
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.
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!
Foster Feature: Lucy and Pups!
On May 12 TBAR officers mobilized to save a mother Chihuahua and her 6 puppies (that were only days old) from a high-kill-rate shelter. We were alerted to their situation thanks to a Facebook group called Houston, Save Lives is our Mission. It was important to move fast because the shelter was giving them only three days, the babies were too young to be separated from their mothers (so they were unadoptable), and they were so young (un-vaccinated) and susceptible to illness. TBAR volunteers, Linda and James Taylor, were able to pick them up and temporarily foster them, and quickly we had a foster volunteer, Michelle Marburger, that offered to take in the family until they could be adopted.
- First photo from their time in the shelter
- Second photo from their time in the shelter
When the family was removed from the shelter the babies were covered in fleas so they all got dawn baths, but they thankfully they weren’t terribly anemic, probably because they were so young. The family of Mom, 3 boys and 3 girls, were named after Charlie Brown characters: Lucy (Mom), Patty, Sally, Marcie, Charlie, Shermy and Linus. Lucy settled in with her babies quickly, knowing she was safe now.
From her temporary foster home (Linda and James):
Wanted to say that Lucy checked the box and counted her little family every time we took them away from her. She is a great mom and very trusting. She is a loving little girl and we fell in love with her from the start.
From the foster family:
Mama is adjusting great. She is very smart and well potty trained. She loves to play in the yard a few minutes when she goes out to potty but then she ready to come back in and count her babies.
This first picture is funny… She was yawning showing how hard of work it is to feed all of these babies. The second one I finally got her to sit still and look.
I have had her out in the living room quite a bit with us today because she seems to want to be a social butterfly when she hears us.
Another update:
Ms. Lucy is REALLY doing great (as are her pups). She is very smart! Potty trained, knows sit, and lay. She warmed up to me and my older son really well initially and she has slowly warmed up to my husband and our 6 year old. She even left her room this afternoon when my husband stopped by the house to let her out to potty… yesterday she just sat there and growled at him when he tried to let her out… lol. So today he gave her a treat when she finished.
When we get home from work we let her out of her room and bring the puppies into the living room where we are. She is still counts them and she doesn’t leave their side much then. However, I have found if we go put her puppies back in the her room and we leave the doors open then she runs and plays and wags her tail and jumps on the couch beside us. She loves attention and she is so sweet! She is much different when it’s just her in the room.
Most recent update (yesterday, May 24):
Here is a basket full of love! Lucy and her 6 chi puppies… The basket was originally to transport the puppies from their room to the living room with us at night but this morning when I put them in there little Ms Lucy decided to crawl in and take a cat nap
One of the puppies has it’s eyes open but the others are still closed for now. Lucy is SO sweet!!!
These puppies will be available for adoption once they turn 8 weeks and they will be listed for adoption once they are 4 weeks.
This family owes their second chance to the group, Houston, Save Lives is our Mission (this situation being social networking at it’s finest!), the TBAR volunteers, and most importantly, to the Marburgers who quickly stepped up and offered their home, love, and care to these animals in need. TBAR depends on foster homes to help us save animals, as we do not have a shelter location. We hope this story has inspired you to consider becoming a TBAR foster home. If so, please email us at [email protected] or call (936) 878-2349
Success Stories: Annie
Who would have thought this beautiful girl could ever live a life unloved and alone? Sadly, that is the life Annie was living before coming to True Blue Animal Rescue. We are so grateful, each and every day, for the fosters who open their homes up to an animal when TBAR receives a report of abuse or neglect. TBAR’s “True Fosters” don’t just provide food, love and shelter for these animals; we are lucky enough to have wonderful foster families who see animals in need and step up without being asked. This is the case for this lucky little Red Tick Coon Hound. Julee, a TBAR True Foster, saw a plea that was sent out by a Smith County volunteer desperately searching for a foster home for this emaciated little girl.
Annie was hours away from being destroyed at the Smith County shelter due to her poor health and a lack of space in the shelter. Julee contacted TBAR because the shelter would only release her if a 501c3 animal rescue was willing to “tag” and “pull” her from the shelter. TBAR officers worked with the shelter employees to receive approval to pull Annie. Once pulled from the shelter, Annie would need to hitch a ride to her new foster home.
TBAR arranged Annie’s overnight transport back to Brenham so that she could get to a vet for medical care. One of True Blue’s loyal volunteers, Ellen, stepped up to transport Annie from Rusk, TX to a temporary foster home for an overnight stay so that she could make it to her TBAR foster home the next day. Once Annie made it to Brenham, she received the needed medical attention so that she could begin her recovery and journey to find her forever home. What our sweet Annie didn’t know was that she had already captured the heart of one of the several people involved in her rescue!
Annie’s road to recovery was extended when she was diagnosed with heartworms and had to receive treatment before being spayed and available for adoption. Thankfully, she lucked out and had a very dedicated and loving foster home for her recovery period with Julee. Dogs in Texas who are not receiving monthly heartworm preventative are extremely susceptible to becoming infested with heartworms, which is fatal if left untreated. It’s not a matter of “IF” – it’s a matter of “WHEN”.
Annie’s recovery went as smoothly as we could hope and she was finally ready to find her forever home, but it seems her forever home had already found her! Ellen, the volunteer who picked Annie up from the shelter, decided that Annie had already made a home in her heart and that it was time to finally give Annie her forever home that she has long deserved.
Annie will never again know a life without a home, food or love thanks to the networking efforts of Smith County shelter volunteers and compassionate True Blue Animal Rescue volunteers who stepped up for a skinny, sick little dog in need. A rescue organization could not ask for better supporters and we are so thankful to all of our volunteers for their hard work. So much of the work volunteers do everyday goes unseen or unrecognized, but Annie’s story is proof of the dedication shown by TBAR volunteers and she shows her appreciation everyday with the love she shares with her forever family!
TBAR is a 501(c)(3) non-profit no-kill animal rescue organization. If you would like to help animals such as this one, please consider donating to TBAR, volunteering, fostering, or adopting. Donations go directly toward care, feed, and veterinary care of the rescued animals and every little bit helps us to help another animal in need of safety and rehabilitation. Rescue a pet: adopt instead of shop and spay or neuter your pets!
RAIN Success: Echo!
RAIN Success: Because of the networking efforts of our community on the RAIN page, we were able to help this Catahoula find a great loving home before being taken to a shelter. Her new family has named her Echo and they are all in love!
From Stacey (her adopter):
Oh my goodness… She is absolutely a dream. She’s soooo good. Knows how to play fetch and brings the ball right back! She’s actually pretty calm for a puppy, we are so impressed and grateful to have her as a part of our family. She’s happy and very loving and fits right in. She likes to gather her toys and keep them surrounding her bed but drags this little fox we got her around in her mouth wherever she goes, so adorable. We have given her a name that seems to fit her, she even answers to it already! “Echo” is her name! I totally believe she was meant to find us, and I’m thankful everything happened the way it did.
She is so smart she even figured out how the iphone works to take her first “selfie” hahaha here she is with my daughter… They are inseparable. 🙂
Rescue Animals In Need (RAIN) is a referral animal networking group run by volunteers of True Blue Animal Rescue for animals in the community who have been rescued and are now looking for a forever home.
True Blue Animal Rescue gets more calls, emails and Facebook requests to take more animals than we can help. The RAIN Facebook page was created as a way to network those animals to the public in search of foster or forever homes.
Pyr Story
In February Olivia shared the story of the Pyrenees Dog rescue. We are pleased to follow that up with the happy success story ending for these dogs!
On March 12, 2012, after their final round of vet care, True Blue Animal Rescue sent Delia and Porthos, two Pyrenees rescue dogs, to New Jersey to be placed in forever homes through Eleventh Hour Rescue. In doing this we learned that northern states have done such a great job of eliminating their overpopulation problem that they currently have a shortage of rescue animals. With this demand for rescue animals in the north the southern states are now shipping hundreds there on a regular basis.
We linked up with PETS, LLC., one of the transport companies that brings dogs all over the country to their new homes. We met with this transport team in Houston, TX where there were another 40 dogs loaded into an air conditioned semi truck by compassionate people who were knowledgable about dogs and how to care for them in a transport situation. We were comforted and happy to receive updates and pictures of our dogs during this three day trip. Then when they arrived in New Jersey we were notified and sent pictures to assure us that they made it safely.
Since it means saving more lives we plan to try and place more dogs in homes in states that have less rescue dogs than we do but we also know that this is not the answer to ending our overpopulation problem. Thirty years ago these states had the same overpopulation problems that we see in the south. I worked in an SPCA in New York State and experienced this first hand. Since then They enforced licensing laws, developed spay / neuter programs and educated the public in order to become no kill states. Knowing this gives me the assurance that we can do the same thing here in Texas, and other states who are still working to decrease and then eliminate their euthanasia rates.
TBAR is a 501(c)(3) non-profit no-kill animal rescue organization. If you would like to help animals such as this one please consider donating to TBAR, volunteering, fostering, or adopting. Donations go directly toward care, feed, and veterinary care of the rescued animals and 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!
T-Bar is Looking for Additions to our Volunteer Staff Team
During 2013, True Blue Animal Rescue underwent many changes in our structure and policies, and our administrative volunteer staff have worked very hard to ensure that all animals who come through our doors are met with a loving family and outstanding veterinary care. In order to continue improving T-Bar, we need help from our loyal supporters. We are looking for dedicated individuals who are able to donate some of their time to the T-Bar mission through volunteering. T-Bar is in need of additional administrative staff in the following committees: Adoption, Spay Assistance, Medical, and Intake and Processing.
Adoption Coordinator:
As one of T-Bar’s Adoption Coordinators, you would be reviewing a portion of adoption applications received, performing vet and personal reference checks on applicants using a pre-made form, filing applications and completed reference forms in T-Bar’s online filing system, recording adoptions in T-Bar’s files, and conducting, tracking and reporting follow-ups with adopters.
Approximate time needed per week: 5-10 hours
Medical Coordinator:
As one of T-Bar’s Medical Coordinators, you would be maintaining T-Bar’s medical spreadsheets to track the dates of vaccinations, worming, deworming, coggins, etc. to help fosters know when it’s time to take their animals to the vet for their annual exam and vaccinations. You will also request updated vet records from all foster homes annually and work with other T-Bar staff in adding new vet clinics as partners in different areas as our foster homes increase.
Approximate time needed per week: 5-10 hours
Spay Assistance Coordinator:
As one of T-Bar’s Spay Assistance Coordinators, you will track T-Bar’s available spay assistance funds and spays T-Bar is assisting with, sending follow up emails to assure the animal was spayed and is doing well after surgery, and provide information for T-Bar’s networking assistance for spayed animals who are now looking for an adoptive home.
Approximate time needed per week: 1-5 hours
Equine Listing Coordinator:
T-Bar was accepted into Equine.com’s A Home For Every Horse Rescue Program this past year and we need a volunteer who is able to post our adoptable horses to the website and maintain the ads.
Approximate time needed per week: 1-5 hours
If you are interested in taking on the responsibilities of any of these positions, please email [email protected] or call (936) 878-2349.