4 The Love of Animals- animal rescue, wildlife, pets, and more!

Kira came to us from a shelter at about 1 year of age. She had been a stray they picked up, so they didn’t know anything about her. She was very afraid of people and dogs and wouldn’t let them walk past us on the street. She would lunge barking and snarling to keep them from getting too close. She taught me an enormous amount about dog behavior and fearful dogs especially. She did go on to compete in agility and do some obedience workshops.

She is now 13 yrs old and has kidney disease, and has come a long way since we intially brought her home. I have three dogs and I never thought I would say this about her, but she is my easy dog. She’s very sweet, and a wonderful gentle soul. I’m very greatful to have her in my life.

Thanks for sharing with us Clynch! What a great thing you have done to add a rescue animal to your family.

AdrianG wrote:

Two stories so far… (there will be more as we will always get rescued dogs from now on).

Sam ‘Rufus’ Greig- Age 14 years old Rescued 1996. Dumped at the vet, to be put down, in an unloved state. Hair well over grown, dirty, huge tick on his cheek. Previous owners were moving and simply didn’t want him anymore. He has had 12 great years with us and we can’t imagine life without him.

Annabelle Greig - Age 4 years old Rescued 2 weeks ago. Product of a divorce with neither partner wanting her. A beautiful dog (with issues). However, in her 2 short weeks with us she has become best mates with Sam and has a light in her eyes that is infectious.

A new way to celebrate Furry Friday!

Laurel writes about Zappa the border collie… around 3 y/o…

He was found running loose as a stray alongside a busy road near a horse farm south of Tampa. The folks who owned the barn spent nearly two weeks trying to catch him. When they finally did catch him, they were keeping him in an empty stall (to keep their dogs from him) until they turned him over to Skyway Border Collie Rescue in Palmetto, FL, just before Christmas. They called him Nick at the rescue.

In January I contacted Skyway looking for a BC and they told me his tale and evaluated our compatibility. The first week of February, I drove down from Orlando to meet him in person. He was shy and a bit overwhelmed by the several other madly hyper borders in the house, but he warmed right up to me and we took him home that very day!

He’s just the sweetest little fuzzball I’ve ever known! Best thing to ever happen to my life! And while he may not have the extreme herding drive typical of his breed, preferring more laid-back pursuits, he’s still a wonderful dog. He may never be a sheepdog, but he’s a born trail dog.. he loves nothing more than to get out and explore the woods with me. =)

A lot of pet parents cook meals for their pets. After the recent recall of major pet foods, it’s becoming more popular. The best way to find out about cooking for your pet is from your vet.

Recently we switched our dog to a homemade diet due to liver failure. She wasn’t a fan of the liver diet dog food, and when we asked what else we could do our vet gave us some recipes. It’s pretty simple, and she is loving the food.

We use a basic recipe of cooked brown rice, turkey, and cottage cheese. The recipe also calls for broccoli, which she happens to love as a treat, so we often leave it out of the meal and keep it as a treat. It’s not too hard to whip up a batch either, and she thinks she is getting the royal treatment by eating “people food”.

Anyway, it’s worth asking about if you are concerned with the saftey of your pet’s food. You can even cook for other animals as well, our bird loves the “birdie bread” recipe (cornbread with veggies cooked into it).

This is a great story, although it is also a very sad story. The citizens of Moscow banded together after a homeless dog was stabbed to death. They raised funds to create a monument called “Sympathy”. Click here to read all about it and see the monument.