Foster Feature: Star!

True-Blue-Animal-Rescue-Foster-Feature-StarFoster feature, from Star (with help from her foster mom, Gisele Milsaps-Flanigan)

Excuse me, I said excuse me! My name is Star and I’m a True Blue Animal Rescue doggie and I want to tell you my story.

I don’t understand what I did so wrong but I ended up homeless and living on a country road for a long time. It was hard finding food to survive and I was so cold. I don’t know what happen to all my pretty hair either, it just kept falling out!  People were not kind to me they would throw things at me, stomp their feet, clap their hands and yell GET! I just wanted someone to help me. My life was miserable and I was losing hope.

Then one day a TBAR volunteer drove by saw me and stopped, I was so scared of her you know, because no one has wanted me close to them for a long time. I kept running away from her but she kept coming back! I’m very now happy that she didn’t give up on me and rescued me because I don’t think I could have made it through another cold night.   She is my foster Mom now, and she gave me my name, Star! She said that when I get all fixed up I’m going to shine like a twinkling star.

I now have a soft warm bed, all the food and clean water I want. I feel loved and safe, how cool is that?!  When she pets and kisses me it still feels funny, since no one has touched me in a long time. I’m still learning to trust because I’ve been hit and abused. She’s taken me to the doggie doctor and we learned that I have Demodex, also known as red mange. I’m taking medicine to fix it and my hair is slowly coming back. I’ll look totally different in a few more months, you just wait and see! I now also have my pretty figure back, and I weigh a perfect 13 now! My foster Mom and Vet say I’m a Rat Terrier mix, maybe with Chihuahua. I’m living with five kitty cats and one is my new best friend!  I like other doggies as long as they are not too big. I really like going for walks in the woods. I do best with going to do my potty business on a leash.

My foster Mom tells me I’m such a quiet sweet little thing. I’m not quite ready to be adopted but I will be soon. Please follow me and watch me shine!  I’ll let you know when I’m ready to be part of your family. Until then, will you please consider becoming a foster Mom or Dad? TBAR can only save my fellow brothers and sisters if we have a temporary home to go to to heal! I’m one of the lucky ones I have a loving  foster home! Thank you for reading my story, isn’t it a happy one?

Help Us Name our Newest Rescued Horse!

True-Blue-Animal-Rescue-Texas-New-Rescue-Feb-21Thanks to Austin Co Deputy, Nathan Hale, this sweet mare will live to know a full belly again! She was found in a pasture alone and starving. Her pasture mate didn’t survive and was on the ground beside her. Lucky for her Nathan removed her from this situation and certain death. She arrived at Brenham Vet Hospital yesterday and was determined to be about 25 years old and healthy enough to make a full recovery. She’s sweet, trusting and loving. She’s spending the weekend at the vet hospital while we wait for coggins results and then she’ll be moved to a True Blue Animal Rescue foster home for rehabilitation. After she’s gained a little weight she’ll have her teeth floated and then on to full recovery.

Now all she needs is a name! Please post your name suggestion in the comments below.
Donations toward her care are appreciated. Donate through our Facebook page or website www.t-bar.org

Thanks for helping us help the animals!

Throwback Thursday Success Story: Baby (Sinatra)

Throwback Thursday Success Story True Blue Animal Rescue Texas Sinatra aka Baby

#ThrowbackThursday Success Story

TBAR found this boxer/austrailan shepherd/terrier mix as a stray, took her in, and named her Sinatra. We remember what a beautiful color pattern she had, as well as her bright blue eyes! In 2007 she found her forever home, and this week they sent us an update!

“Just a note to let you know-

This girl went home with me in May 2007. You called her Sinatra, (a terrible name for a sweet girl), so I have called her Baby ever since. She grew to a healthy 55 lb., 18-19″ tall. She is still doing fine in a big fenced yard with a male playmate of her size, a warm bed (under a heat lamp when it’s really cold) in the garage and plenty to eat. She travels well, gets along with my small dogs and loves to be petted. Her blue eyes are still amazing!”

Her owners sent us this update after they received our newsletter this week. We couldn’t be more pleased to received updates like this from forever homes! It warms our hearts and helps us to keep rescuing when we see the good lives these animals get to live. Our thanks for sending us the updated information on Baby!

Success Story Wednesday: Penny and Rusty

True-Blue-Animal-Rescue-Texas-Success-Stories-Rusty-PennyPenny was taken into TBAR when her owners could no longer keep her and she was at risk of being surrendered to a high kill rate shelter. Normally TBAR tries to work with owners to network their unwanted pets and find them a new home, but in this case there was no other option. Penny had puppies, and all of her puppies were found homes and Penny had to wait a bit longer for her perfect family to find her. Thankfully they did, and Penny is now living happily ever after with her human and doggy siblings!

Rusty was also adopted last week! Rusty was abandoned at a shelter and terrified. The shelter has a high euthanasia rate so they contacted us to see if we would take him. Luckily someone came forward to foster him. The same family quickly fell in love with Rusty and decided to adopt. You can see what bad shape Rusty was in before he went to his foster family, and how great he is doing now after their love and care helped him heal! He even has a boy of his own to play with in his forever home!

Thank you to everyone who has opened their hearts and homes to these two dogs! If you or someone you know is looking for a new furry family member, please view our dogs, cats, and horses available for adoption, and take a look at our adoption policies and procedures. We are always in need of new foster homes as well! If you have any questions, you can contact [email protected] or call 936-878-2349 and one of our volunteers will get back to you as soon as they can!

Help Get Diego Home!

Diego Goes Home

Diego has had a heck of a week! One of our TBAR volunteers found him in Sealy, Texas. He was lost, and our volunteer couldn’t find anyone who had seen him before. His tags identified him as belonging to a Military Family in Elgin, Florida. Our Volunteer contacted the base and was able to find his owners!

Diego’s family explained that he was adopted through craigslist and no sooner had he settled in and become a member of the family, the family got their orders to move to a new base in California. The family was driving to their new location and had stopped in Sealy, Texas for gas. Unbeknowst to them, little Diego snuck out of the car! They could not spend the time needed to find him, because orders are strict and they had to report to their new base in time. They desperately love him and their hearts were broken when they had to give up their search. We are beyond grateful for Casie Cooper, for doing the work to find where this little guy belongs! Now to get him home!

Thank you for everyone who has tried to find options to get Diego home. We’ve made the decision to send him with our volunteer, Colton DeAeth, rather than sending him cargo through an airline or many miles with multiple other dogs being transported. Colton will be Diego’s personal escort to reunite with his family in California. Colton has a lifetime of experience dealing with the skittish nature of Chihuahuas (we say he was “raised” by his nanny, a small black Chihuahua named Marble), and he also has years of experience driving cross-country, and has even done small-dog transport for TBAR before. Colton will ensure Diego is taken on the quickest and most direct route to his family, and he will be given the one-on-one love and attention that his own family would give him.

The family has offered to pay the gas money, but we do not want to ask anything from this family that has not only given everything to serve this country, but has now recently dealt with the chaos of moving across country and also the brief disappearance of their beloved pet. We have several people who have stated they will donate to the transport, and if you would also like to it would be very much appreciated! Donations can be made via PayPal!

If all goes well, Diego will leave Texas tomorrow (Wednesday) and be with his family on Friday!!!

Pet of the Week: Tag

Tag

We have another dog for this pet of the week. He is so fun that is how he got his name. Tag is fun loving and friendly. He’s ready to play at any time and gets along with other animals too. He’d be a great family dog for anyone. Labs are smart and loyal and Tag has those qualities! Tag is also a  young male and will be large as most Labs are. If you or anyone you know is interested in Tag, please please adopt instead of buying.

We have so many animals that need homes, even full blood lines. T-BAR is a no-kill rescue. Not only do we like having our animals adopted out, we also are in dire need of foster homes. That way we can help more animals out there, who are in perilous times alone on the streets. Please save a life by adopting a pet, instead of buying a pet and please have all your pets spayed and neutered. It is the right thing to do. You can go to our website to look at Tag, or another animal you may be interested in just go to www.t-bar.org and see all the animals that deserve a second chance and fulfilled life full of love, email[email protected] or call (936)878-2349 and one of our volunteers will get back to you as soon as possible. Adoption Fee: Please email [email protected] for adoption fee! Adoption fee includes neuter or spay, up to date vaccinations, heartworm tested if old enough or started on heartworm prevention as a puppy, deworming and a one year TBAR membership.

Happy Valentine’s Day! Roman and Triple Crown

True Blue Animal Rescue Roman and Triple Crown Valentine's DayHappy 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!!

Success Story! Ares!

True Blue Animal Rescue Texas Success Story AresWe love sharing success stories with you, and today we get to share that another one of our recent rescues has found a forever home. Here is Ares, one of the three husky puppies rescued from a high-kill rate shelter. You can see how much love he now gets from his new mom and new sibling! What a happy trio! Congrats on your forever home, Ares! And THANK YOU to Ares’ Mom for opening her heart and home to him!

Protect Your Pet From Heartworms

True Blue Animal Rescue Tommy Boy Protect Them From Heartworms

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
  • Collapse

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

Friday Fluff: Macy the Mini Pit


Macy was in a shelter soon to be euthanized. It doesn’t matter that she has a huge smile, because many people only see the sharp teeth and the strong jaws that give bully breeds a bad reputation. Macy, like other well-raised pit bulls, isn’t unruly or vicious though, and she is very thankful to the member of True Blue Animal Rescue who pulled her from the shelter before she was put down. Now Macy can rest easy in this no-kill animal rescue at her foster home until she finds her forever home. If you or anyone you know who is looking for a sweet girl who is dog and cat friendly, leash trained, housebroken, and an all around great dog, please consider Macy! Her personality is just as big as her smile Consider adopting. Email [email protected] or call 936-878-2349 and read more about pitties at http://www.dogster.com/dog-breeds/pitbulls