In addition to the pets blog here at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, I also maintain a creativity blog at www.appalachianmorning.blogspot.com. There, I like to muse about the creative process, painting, drawing, collage, Artist Trading Cards, and various mixed media. Recently, I joined two Yahoo groups for those interested in Artist Trading Cards. Wow! What a wealth of information, friendship, creativity, and visual resources.

I began looking at some of the links to online databases for images of people with their pets. This led me to two websites that were goldmines: www.art-e-zine.co.uk and the Library of Congress.

The images that caught my eye gave me a glimpse into life with pets in an earlier time in American history. Here are a few I'd like to share with you:

The photos above are from www.art-e-zine.co.uk and I encourage you to go there to see more great photos on all sorts of subjects. These photos may not be used for commercial purposes, only for personal artwork.

The photos below are in the Library of Congress archives and the only bibliographic information is that they were taken by a Chicago Daily News photographer, no name given and publication unknown.

Here's an article about President Coolidge's pets--could they find new homes when he leaves the White House? Editorial note: couldn't the Coolidge family take the pets with them?

I'd love to see photos of your ancestors with their pets. Here's one of my mother, Dora Phelps.

Send photo images to OYH.PETS@gmail.com if you are interested. Be sure to credit the photographer if you can and include any background on the subjects. Also, by submitting the photo, you assure that you own the copyright to it. Otherwise, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer will not allow me to put in on their blog.

Photographing pets is a great hobby. Has been for a while!
Here's an ad for those Brownie cameras. Remember them?

For more on photographing pets, see this previous blog article.

For those interested, I will be on Blog Talk Radio talking about pets on Thursday, August 28, 6 - 7 pm EST and you can also listen to it anytime, here's the link:

www.blogtalkradio.com/mybuddybutchradio

The audiofile will also be available afterward on iTunes: "My Buddy Butch Radio Show."

The weekly one-hour show will cover current pet issues of the day, have a pet product feature review, and will be taking calls from listeners to discuss their pet problems, comments, and opinions. The show will also host special guests in the form of authors, veterinarians, trainers, pet product and food manufacturers.

The call-in number is: Call-in Number: (718) 664-9653

This "family-friendly" show will be hosted by author Jeff Marginean ahead of his upcoming book, My Buddy Butch -- Confessions of a New Dog Dad, which will hit the stores on September 5th nationally. The show is an extension of the book in that it is intended to engage families to come together as a group and discuss issues about the care of their dog or pet, opening a line of communication that might not otherwise be available to them. You can learn more about My Buddy Butch at www.mybuddybutch.com.

The My Buddy Butch Radio Show stems from the knowledge accumulated by author Jeff Marginean while trying to learn to raise his pup Butch, who was given to him by his father. The funny antics, the problems, and the bond between Jeff and Butch never cease to entertain and educate all of those whom they encounter. This is "Parenting, Boston terrier style!" ~ Publishers Weekly

My Buddy Butch is a trademark of Jemar Entertainment, Inc.

Quick, before the greens turn to browns and greys; before the sun sets at 7 p.m.; before school starts and everyone is busy, busy, busy. Before the local drugstore puts out its Halloween decorations... grab your camera and take photos of your pets.

Best (in my humble opinion) summertime pet photo emailed to OYH.PETS@gmail.com by OCTOBER 1st, 2008, wins a free hand-drawn, one-of-a-kind ATC (artist trading card). Be sure to include a caption for your photo, your mailing address, and verify that you are the person who took the photo.

Please remember to enter by EMAILING your entry and address to OYH.PETS@gmail.com. Comments are welcome, too, but winners are chosen from the emailed entries.

Here are some of my favorite all-time pet summertime photos.

Past summer favorites:

In my book, "Open Your Heart with Pets" I wrote in detail about the death of my beloved Goffin's cockatoo, Bailey. Bailey, and my Pekingese, Tyler, were the best of friends. Bailey was adopted first, then, the next year, Tyler was added to the family, which already contained two other dogs.

Bailey and Tyler loved each other, it was obvious. Bailey would go up to Tyler's crate when he was a puppy and tell him stories. They would sit next to each other on the back of the couch and look out the window (with a supervising adult nearby). One such supervising adult, (okay, it was I), was nearby the day (five and a half years into their friendship) that Bailey, in royal cockatoo fashion, decided to pick on Tyler and swooped down to pull his tail. He reacted like any dog would: feeling trapped on a chair, by a distracted me on the phone, he snapped back. I grabbed him, but not before another peck by Bailey, another snap by Tyler who pulled from my grasp and minutes later my beloved bird of 6 years was near death, I was crying more than I thought possible, and poor Tyler looked stunned to find just "being a dog" had something to do with the sadness filling our home. A horrible day, and one that's left me extra sensitive to the issue of multiple pets in the home and particular multiple species.

No matter how well behaved your dog or cat is with the birds in the house, please do not let them get too close together (only you can determine how fast they are, how far they can reach, what is safe). It is not worth the risk. Do no leave them alone together, ever. In fact, some parrots should not be left alone together. Imagine being locked in a cage with your childhood bully. Some parrots are bullies, well, to us. To them, they are just being ANIMALS. Following nature, survival of the fittest and all that. Survival of the fitness doesn't seem so good when your beloved parrot has bloody toes, as happened to a friend of mine yesterday. Species A parrot undid the lock on his cage and walked to the top of Species B parrot's cage. By the time she returned from a lunch date, Species B parrot had bloody claws and Species A parrot was doing something with his "friend's" cage-top toys (a roll of toilet paper) that is similar to what our dog, Tyler, does to a fuzzy dog bed he's determined looks most like his girlfriend should.

Fortunately, the wronged parrot has all his toes and claws intact. Barring a parrot-cam, my friend can't know just what happened. Why didn't the caged parrot retreat to the middle of his cage where he couldn't be reached?

The previous week, another friend's lively Quaker zipped over to check out the family's large (very tame, non-aggressive breed) dog's dinnerbowl. Moving faster than one might think possible by a big furry bear of a dog, the parrot was bit. Good news, the parrot survived, but not without an injured jaw and eye, a long drive to an avian vet, tears by all concerned, and an expensive vet bill. This is the price we pay for having muliple species families where parrots are allowed a measure of free flight. Free flight, which I support, as it adds to the parrot's quality of life. And, I believe it adds to a family's quality of life to have pets in the home.

Bailey's first owner, after I sadly told her of Bailey's death, kindly told me that she would have rathered Bailey have a short life with freedom than a long life in a cage. But, perhaps, I think, there are more than two choices. I do feel it was my fault Bailey died. I was distracted that day. On the phone while Bailey and Tyler were loose. They were on my desk, things were not in control, and it was my responsibility to not have more going on than could safely be handled. Sometimes we learn the hard way.

So, I got to thinking after my first friend mentioned earlier told me about her poor parrot's bloody toes. ... Was the parrot surprised to have been bit by his friend? (They may not be friends, but since they share a room, a home, a "parront", I call them friends, even though they never hang out on the same perch.) Or, if he could talk, more than he does, would he have said, "We are just being animals. That's what we do."

How much motivation does a pet bird have to alter its behavior to be more sociable? With dogs, I think there is much motivation to socialize, to fit within the framework of the family hierarchy. Our three dogs have found their system. A vet told me once to let the dogs choose the alpha dog and then support their choice. If they change alphas, I should change in my recognition of this too. Still, I have a tendancy, a common one I think, to want things to be equal and feel fair. But, perhaps in the wild things never are.

Our parrot, Gracie, has had many life changes. Life started as the only bird in the house, then many many other birds and two small children were added; then Gracie came to live with me, at age 6. She was the only parrot. Then another and another and some more were added. As well as three elderly dogs, who all died and were replaced with three more dogs, and a man. Then the other parrots were rehomed, or in the case of Bailey who stole a lot of attention from Gracie, died. Now, Gracie is the only bird in the house and she will remain that way. I haven't closed my heart, just realized the limitations of our home, our energy, our finances, and my asthma. Gracie seems to relish being the only parrot in the house and she has come out of her shell quite a bit in the last year, acting far more sociable with no other birds to upstage her.

But, back to Parrot Species B. Was he surprised when his toes were bitten? When one family dog bites another, is there surprise and confusion involved, or did the victim dog sense all along that trouble was brewing? Perhaps we humans just don't see the signals.

When I've watched the Dog Whisperer, I've been impressed with how he reads the signals, understands the nonverbal language of dogs. A whole dialogue is going on that the owners are oblivious to. This dialogue developed over decades and centuries of animal development. We are late to the dialogue; filling up our hearts and homes with pets we often don't take the time to understand, until something goes wrong.

Do you have multiple pets or multiple species in your home? What have they taught you?

Congratulations to Cheryl English, winner of the June/July contest here at Open Your Heart with Pets. Cheryl wrote about her dog, Beaner, and how he brought humor to their family's Christmas celebrations.

When my dog, Beaner, was a puppy, I would tell him the Santa Beagle was coming at Christmas time. He would get all excited. I taught him how to open Christmas presents, then I would cheer him on, and clap. He would take his mouth and paws and open the gifts. He would throw the pieces of wrapping away from the gift with his mouth. Then take the toy and walk around with it in his mouth. He was so proud of himself.

So when Beaner was about 3 years old, he got up before everyone else that Christmas morning, and thought that the Santa Beagle was really generous that year. He went into the living room and opened every gift under our Christmas tree. When my 2 sons got up on Christmas morning, they had no presents to open, because Beaner had opened them all. My husband and I just laughed. Our kids were not very happy with Beaner that day. It will live in my memory forever.

You can't blame a dog for trying, to think that the Santa Beagle can be just as generous to them as to my 2 sons. After all, they too are a big part of your family.

Beaner touched my heart in so many ways. My heart is still broken, after losing him to cancer on April 3, 2008. He was 14 1/2 years old.

My good news is, before he got real bad with the cancer, I rescued a puppy, and she spent 2 years with Beaner before he died. Schatzie became his best friend. And yes, the tradition continues, he taught her how to open presents. She also misses him so much. At least she got to know him. What a great honor.

I know why when you spell dog backwards it spells God. They are truly gifts from God. Hug your dog every day, and tell them you love them. They are your family too.
Cheryl English

Cheryl has won a signed print of the picture below. Thanks to all of you who sent in entries.

"Police raid Md. mayor's home and kill his dogs" reported the Associated Press yesterday. For details, read the full article, but in a nutshell:

FedEx delivered a package to the Mayor's house.
It apparently wasn't a package they had ordered, but part of a pot smuggling scheme using FedEx services (someone would come by later and pick up the package from the front porch of unsuspecting homeowners).
The police, who knew what was in the package and had set up the "sting", burst into the Mayor's home, handcuffed the mayor and his mother-in-law (not believing that he was the mayor, so much for research) for two hours, and killed the two labs who were the family's pets. I hardly know where to start.

Open-heartedness is the theme of this blog, so let's start there. Open-heartedness is not a whimpy attitude where butterflies flutter around one's head and all practicality flees. Open-heartedness must, at times, be practical, because we are in it (life) for the long haul and consistency and sustainability counts. Open-heartedness can be practiced by women, men, children, corporations, yes, profit-making businesses and even, gulp, law enforcement. Even during a sting.

First, if the police had done their research, they would have known the Mayor lived in this house and that the family had dogs (licensed I'm sure). A scream from a mother-in-law who seems to have seen a swat team (they had to have something to break in the door) should not have been unanticipated. This doesn't justify barging in and barging in and encountering protective labs does not justify shooting the dogs! What about mace? What about a taser for dogs (I'm not saying that's justified or humane, just that isn't there something between doing nothing and using a gun?).

I hope the Justice Dept. does investigate this and the people in charge of this sting are held accountable. I hope police training includes better ways of handling this type of situation and family dogs. I remember a few years ago seeing a video of a traffic stop where the cop shot the family dog who got out of the car. It was awful and I could see my Pekingese Tyler, getting the same sort of treatment, as he's very protective. Police have uniforms, they wear hats, they look intimidating. They cause people to feel anxious which dogs pick up on. Mailmen carry a mace-type product, can't police?

What a sad situation all around and my heart goes out to the Calvo family. Kudos to the Berwyn Heights police chief who's questioned the procedures used by the other police department involved.

I wonder if this sort of thing happens frequently throughout the U.S. Have you heard of other instances within the last year or two?

Postscript: This blog post has garnered more feedback than any other I've written to date; this incident in MD has really touched a chord with readers throughout the U.S., as it should. Whether one has pets or not, this event touches on something so fundamental to our rights as Americans, the sanctity of our home, and also on the honor and respect with which we want to hold those entrusted with serving and protecting us... It also touches on how most Americans consider their pets a part of their family.

I found, this morning, the Mayor's email detailing his family's experience. It is here: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-mayoremail0808,0,5812304.story

I'm back! Back to resuming a regular schedule of postings here at Open Your Heart with Pets at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Mark and I, plus dogs Farley, Tyler and Jackie and parrot, Gracie, moved from city condo to country home July 1st. Now we are in the beautiful hills of Appalachia (so sorry to say we do not live in Seattle, but not everyone can, you know)... (For more on the beauty of this area, I invite you to visit my art blog.

We are in southern Ohio, home of Ohio University. It is beautiful here... hills, cliffs, caves, a river, tall forests, a beautiful college campus... The town is so lively, people of all ages and cultures, lots of small businesses, lots going on. We have found our forever home and last weekend Mark and I celebrated our first anniversary, though I told Farley it was the one-year anniversary of my becoming her "mommy."

Each animal has found a place and continued a routine in our new home. Tyler spends the mornings alternating between the kitchen chair, the couch, the chair in my office, and, if he's tired, our bed. If anyone intimates they might want to take a nap, Tyler graciously shares the bed.

There are deer here, and the first time Tyler and Farley saw the deer, it was as if they said, "Holy cow! These are way bigger than the squirrels on Drummond Island!" The barking was ear-shattering. I've concluded that the deer will choose our neighbors' yards over ours. Even one yip from Jackie sends them running when they are across the street, as in the following photo.

Farley likes to spend the mornings in her bed in Mark's office, where she has a good view of Mark and the backyard. The sun comes in the skylights and warms her spot. She is in heaven! Farley's new thing here in Athens is the dog park. We've taken her three times and she's making some new friends. The funny thing was, on her first visit, there was another brindle coated dog and they immediately paired off and, after some initial shyness on Farley's part, ran together. Like humans, pets learn that new, fun experiences await them when they are open-hearted and try new things.

Jackie has found comfort in keeping her routine of having her bed under my desk. It's a new desk, in a new office, in a new house, and a new town. But it's her bed and the routine that comforts her. As does being with me on the couch at night while we watch TV and I work on crafts, spending time with Grandma on her recent visit, and sitting with Mark while he watches sports.

Gracie's cage is in my office in front of a window looking out to the backyard. She now has a cage on the porch too, and has enjoyed sitting out there looking at the trees and the sky. The funniest thing with her adjustment has been to see her in the shower. Her perch is in the shower, as it was in the previous house. But now there is a skylight overhead and she just can't seem to figure out how she can be in the shower and see clouds and trees!

When family and friends visited, the pets seemed as happy to see them in our new home as we were. It was as if they had things to share and tell them about too.

Jackie: "Look at where I sit now." "Here's my bed, just like always."

Tyler: "Here's where my food dish is kept." "Here's the fleece bed that I sometimes pretend is my girlfriend." "Here's where I pee outside; my favorite tree, the biggest one of course!"

Farley: "Here's where my cookies are kept. Here's where a squirrel walked in 2004, I believe."

Gracie: "Don't touch me, just look out this window at me, but first, go get me an almond from the kitchen cupboard. Farley can show you where they are."

Moving was stressful, but our routines, our support and love for one another, a good Sharpie marker, roll of packing tape, and stack of Post-its (plus coffee, and IcyHot in stick form), have carried us through. And now we can enjoy the old and the new as we embark on a new phase of family life.

Recently, Mark and I moved from the city to the countryside. We love our new-to-us home, the hillside covered with mature trees, which our backyard overlooks and the view from our kitchen window in the morning when the sun is rising and there's a bit of mist hanging around these hills. (For more on the beauty of this area, check out my art blog.) But we weren't the only ones to move. Our three dogs (Farley, Tyler and Jackie) and our parrot, Gracie, moved too.

Here are some tips that made things easier for all of us.

1) Early on we decided to board the dogs on closing day, moving day (the next day) and first day. So, we dropped them off at the vets on a Monday morning and planned to pick them up on Wed. afternoon. Making this decision in advance relieved worry over possible disasters such as them getting loose in our new neighborhood while the moving men were coming in and out; barking that would get on our nerves; paying attention to them instead of to the moving process; transferring our feelings of anxiousness onto them.

Since the dogs had stayed with the vet several times before, it was a familiar event. As it turned out, we had to leave them an extra day. Due to a fatal accident on the freeway, the moving van was delayed and didn't leave our home until 3:30 a.m. We were in no shape to pick up the dogs later that same day, so called the vet and had them stay an extra day. I know they missed us, and we missed them, but they were 1.5 hours away and we were over-tired. It was more responsible to leave them an extra day.

(For a helpful checklist for boarding, click here.)">

2) Before we brought the dogs home, we decided where in the yard we wanted them to "go." We're going to live here a long long time. They pee a lot! I didn't want it to be everywhere. They have picked up on the preferred spots really well and established good habits already. By keeping their area picked up, the yard is nicer for everyone. We have a small trash can (a metal wastebasket with a lid that looks like a trash can) that we keep outside with a kitchen trash bag in it. We use zip loc baggies and it's a workable solution that keeps the yard people friendly.

3) About three days after we moved in and then brought the dogs home, I was sitting with Tyler on the couch and told him "This is our new home, our forever home. We're staying here, isn't it great?" And I had an immediate image in my mind of his favorite toy, a lavender chick. Was he telepathically talking to me? It was as if he was saying, "Sure, YOUR stuff is all moved in. Where's my stuff?"

I got off the couch and went and found the box marked dog toys and said. "here are your toys, Tyler" and dumped them out onto the floor for all the dogs to see. At that point, they were moved in as well.

4) Like in our previous place, each dog has found his/her favorite spot. Jackie's doggie bed is under my desk. It's a new desk, in a new room, but to her it feels the same because she's in her doggie bed and I am working. Tyler likes to be on the couch because he can look out the big window and see what's going on in the backyard. Farley has her favorite spot to lie, a doggie bed for her by Mark's desk, with a view out the backyard as well.

There is less, much much less, foot traffic here in the countryside on our long, winding, hilly street, than in the condo in the city. Tyler likes to watch out the front door sidelights for something to bark at, but he seems to realize not much is happening in that regard. There is a small, old dachshund who is walked past our house each day, but it's hard for Tyler to see him what with all the shrubs and trees. The mailman, Tyler's nemesis, leaves the mail in the box across the street. He hardly merits notice to Tyler any longer.

But... there are deer here and I think Tyler saw his first one about a week ago. He was looking out the window (glass sliding door) to the backyard and went ballistic! Barking as if he wanted to shatter the glass with his voice; as if he was the king of the forest instead of the tiny dragon he is. I am sure there must have been a deer there and he was saying "what kind of a dog is that? what sort of weird world have we moved to?" By the time I got to the door to have a look, there was nothing there; but experience has taught me that the dogs know when something is there, so I'm sure it was a deer. A squirrel would not warrant such an energetic display.

The dogs learned really quickly where their water is kept, where each food dish is... It seems the routine and the patterns of our day are more important to them than the placement of furniture or layout of rooms. Maybe people should me more like this...

Gracie seems very happy with her new location. She was part of the moving day process, and it went smoothly. While the moving men were loading the truck, Gracie (in a travel cage) sat outside with me watching the belongings going into the truck. Soon, we heard a rattling, ringing sound. It was Gracie's cage making its way up the ramp. "There goes your house, Gracie!" Her eyes got wide and she tilted her head for a better view.

When it was time to drive to the new house, my van was packed (Mark stayed with the movers) and there was just enough room for Gracie's travel cage in the front passenger seat. She doesn't ride in the car much, but she was very excited and aware. She stayed awake the whole ride, with one claw on the side of the cage and one on the perch...she stared at the hills and green, lush trees as we made our way to our new Appalachian home. I couldn't believe that she stayed awake, when she had gotten up with me at 4:30 a.m.

When we got to the new house, I took her into a back room, put the cage inside the closet (so the moving men wouldn't bother her) and covered the cage with a sheet and told her to go to sleep. Even though it was only dinner time, she'd had a long day. I didn't hear a peep out of her and she was fine sleeping in the cage all night long. The next morning, I was able to put her into her usual cage, in its new location. She adjusted right away, showed great interest in the woods outside the windows and loved having "mom and dad" to herself for three days until the dogs came back from being boarded.

Gracie's cage sits in my office and looks out onto the backyard. She also has an outdoor cage and when we sat outside the other day, she did too; safely and happily. Also, she is very excited by her new shower! There is a skylight over the bathtub and she thinks that's just ducky.

All in all, keeping to routines, being sensitive to our moods and energy levels and their anxieties and possible questions (yes, I believe dogs have questions), have made this a smooth move.

Postscript: Readers who move long distances involving airline travel, and/or military families, might want to check out the following article on "Life Lessons of a Military Mom" on Moving with Pets.

Anyone who has been owned by a dog--opened their heart to it and brought it into the life of their family--finds themselves becoming more sensitive to the issue of homeless pets and the many, many "little loves" literally languishing in animal control facilities and dog and cat shelters throughout the U.S. What's a conscientious animal lover to do?

A group of folks found their answer and established Saving Shelter Pets [SSP] (savingshelterpets.com). Jane Winebrenner, Director of Communications, shared with me some background and the good work by this organization, whose mission is to "facilitate rescues from high-kill animal shelters and promote spay and neuter, in an effort to give all pets the chance at life they truly deserve."

JPW: Jane, SavingShelterPets.com is one of the best animal rescue websites, in terms of design, information, and professional approach, I've come across. How was the organization started?

Jane: Thanks for the compliment! SSP was started in the months after Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf coast in August of 2005. Much of the work rescuing and caring for homeless pets in that area was being documented and followed on Internet forums. In doing so, animal lovers from all over the country became aware of a need to provide ongoing assistance to companion animals in the Southeastern part of the country. A few of these animal lovers founded Saving Shelter Pets in late 2005.

JPW: I see you have four main programs:
1. Rescue & Transport,
2. Bernie's Buddies,
3. Puppy Promises, and
4. Spay & Neuter.

Please tell us a bit about the mission of each program.

Jane: SSP approaches our mission of helping pets in need from two sides – the pro-active and the re-active. Our rescue activities are the re-active side – an animal finds itself stuck in a shelter and we react to get it out. However, of equal or greater importance is the spay and neuter work, that is the pro-active side of what we do. Preventing unwanted animals from ever being born is the solution to the pet overpopulation problem.

Our Rescue & Transport program takes animals out of high-kill shelters in and around the Atlanta area, and moves them to carefully screened no-kill rescues in the Northeast. Each animal receives a vet exam, spay/neuter surgery, and a full set of shots. Any medical ailments are treated. All animals are quarantined a minimum of 10 days out of the shelter to ensure they are healthy to travel. Then the animals are professionally transported, in groups of 20-30 at a time, from Georgia directly to their rescues.

Bernie's Buddies is a fund that covers the cost of treatment for Heartworm disease, a treatable but potentially fatal illness common to dogs in Georgia and areas in the South. The treatment takes several weeks, during which time the dog must be kept calm and quiet in a boarding facility or a foster home. Saving Shelter Pets is committed to treating any dog we take into our Rescue program that tests positive for this disease.

Puppy Promises works with dog owners who find themselves with a litter of unwanted puppies. The owners agree to keep the puppies in their home temporarily, rather than surrender them to the shelter. In exchange, Saving Shelter Pets finds a rescue for the puppies through our Rescue & Transport program. Also – and this is what makes Puppy Promises unique – Saving Shelter Pets provides spay and neuter surgeries free of charge for the mother dog and every other pet in the family's household. It's a win-win for everyone – the puppies stay out of the shelter and go to a rescue, the mother dog keeps her home, and the family gets all their pets altered so the situation doesn't come up again.

Our Spay & Neuter program proactively address the pet overpopulation problem. We provide financial assistance and access to services for spay and neuter surgeries on pets in low-income households. We have sponsored free spay days for cats at the animal control facility in Murray County (GA). We have an ongoing collaboration with the Humane Society of Columbiana County (OH) and the RASCAL mobile surgery unit to provide low-cost spay/neuter clinics. And we have partnered with Catnappers, a TNR (trap-neuter-return) group in southwestern Georgia, to provide low-cost spay surgeries for feral cats.

JPW: What is unique about the homeless pet issue in Georgia?

Jane: The pet overpopulation problem is particularly acute in Georgia. Atlanta area shelters euthanize approximately 90,000 dogs and cats per year – more than New York City, and more than the entire states of Massachusetts, New Jersey, Connecticut, Oregon, Washington, or New Hampshire. In a typical year, the state of New Hampshire euthanizes 2 dogs and cats for every 1000 residents, while the rate in the metro Atlanta area is 21 dogs and cats per 1000 residents.

And in rural areas of Georgia, it's more difficult to gather accurate info, but our on-the-ground volunteers tell us that shelters in those areas are perpetually overcrowded. Many of them euthanize a dozen or more animals every week. Some euthanize animals by heartstick, or by suffocation in a carbon monoxide "gas chamber" – both generally considered to be inhumane methods of euthanization. Some counties don't even have an animal control facility to hold their homeless animals. The real shame is that many of the animals who are euthanized are young and healthy, and have sweet personalities – they would make great pets, but there is just no place to go with them.

JPW: How do shelters in the NE do things better? Or, is it a matter of number of pets, or community awareness, or dollars available? What makes the difference between what happens to an animal in Georgia and what happens in, for instance, New England?

Jane: Well, it's a complex issue. In general, though, I believe the most significant difference between those two areas of the country is awareness of spay and neuter as a part of responsible pet ownership. Pet owners in the Northeast are much more likely to have their pet altered than those in Georgia. As a result, there is less uncontrolled breeding and fewer unwanted animals in the Northeast. In fact, the rescues we work with in the Northeast typically have waiting lists of potential adopters, especially for smaller breeds and for puppies.

JPW: How does SSP select which animals to rescue?

Jane: The key to selecting which animals to save is knowing that they have somewhere to go. We cannot take a dog or cat out of the shelter with no plan in place – we have to know that there is a rescue willing to take them in. We also need volunteers in the area available to do the local legwork – getting the dog or cat out of the shelter and taking it to the vet office and/or boarding facility for us.

JPW: Do you adopt out dogs and cats to individuals?

Jane: No, we do not. Saving Shelter Pets is not a rescue. We coordinate and enable the transfer of animals from a shelter to a rescue, thus making it very easy for rescues in the Northeast to take dogs from Georgia shelters. We carefully research all the rescues that we work with, to be sure they have policies and procedures for screening potential adopters, taking animals back from homes if for any reason the owner no longer can care for them, etc.

JPW: What is your policy on spay and neuter?

Jane: SSP strongly believes that spay and neuter is the solution to the pet overpopulation problem. For this reason, SSP has all animals over six months of age spayed/neutered before they are transported to their rescues. The receiving rescue has the responsibility to follow up on spay/neuter for the younger animals. And we choose to work only with receiving rescues who share our strong belief in the importance of spay/neuter.

JPW: Your website has so much good information on it to assist folks in making a decision to become involved. I see the newsletter webpage lists links to the 2007 Year in Review & Annual Report. Would this be a good document for anyone thinking of contributing financially to Saving Shelter Pets?

Jane: Sure! In addition to the content in our website, our Annual Reports from 2006 and 2007 summarize our work and our accomplishments for the last two years. Links to them are available on our website, by clicking on the "About Us" tab. The archived newsletters are good too (especially the year-end editions) – we use them to keep our supporters updated about events, fundraisers, etc.

JPW: From your website I see that you have a number of online fundraising programs that benefit Saving Shelter Pets – Ebay and MissionFish, Amazon purchases, and some others. How can people get involved in those?

Jane: Yes, we love these programs because there is no charge to the purchaser, other than what they're buying anyway – and SSP receives funding from them!! These programs are a great way to support Saving Shelter Pets without making a direct contribution, and we encourage everyone to sign up for any or all of them.

If you click on the "Shop for SSP" link from our home page, each of the programs is explained. We especially like the GoodSearch and iGive programs, and have had good success with them. Also, the Amazon program gives us a nice percentage of proceeds from any purchases on Amazon.com made through this special link (also available on our website) – and the more shoppers, the higher the percentage! Ebay Giving Works (administered by MissionFish) is a great program that allows Ebay sellers to donate a chosen percentage of their sales dollars to us. We have an online store through CafePress, where we sell t-shirts and other SSP-themed gear. We even have a program to accept individual car donations!

JPW: How can people get involved and help, either through volunteering or donation?

Jane: Monetary donations in any amount are always appreciated, and they can be done online from our website (through PayPal). Every dollar of the donations received goes directly to one of our programs to help animals in need, and the donor can direct their dollars to a specific program (by indicating your preference in the donation note). We encourage everyone to keep in touch with SSP by signing up for our monthly e-mail newsletter, by clicking here. We recently started a blog too, where our supporters can find up-to-the-minute details of our work and some "behind the scenes" commentary from our volunteers. And anyone interested in volunteering can look for opportunities posted on our VolunteerMatch page.

JPW: Can readers find out about specific pets and their rescue stories? Is there any one dog or cat whose rescue touched you and epitomized for you just why you and the others in this organization are working so hard on behalf of homeless animals?

Jane: Our website has Success Stories on our Rescue & Transport program page, which contains photos and bios of just about every animal we have transported.

I was particularly touched by one rescue we did earlier this year. Princess' story is a little different than most – she wasn't at a shelter; she was living in a hoarding situation. This poor girl, a beautiful husky mix, had lived her entire life tied to a tree at the end of a six-foot chain. When SSP rescued her (working with a representative from Dogs Deserve Better, an anti-chaining group), she was completely covered in dried mud. Her coat, which had obviously never been brushed, was matted beyond belief. She had a flea problem so severe that it required treatment with antibiotics. As a result of chewing on the metal chain that confined her, she had cracked and worn down her teeth; 12 of them required extraction. Then, on top of everything else – she tested positive for Heartworm. But despite her health issues and living outdoors on a chain, totally neglected for three years, Princess is as sweet as can be, and craves attention from anyone who gets near her. She finished her Heartworm treatment and went to her rescue in June. There she was quickly adopted by a woman and her teenage son, who were moved by Princess' story and wanted her for their very own.

The photos below nicely exemplify the reason we do what we do. On the left is Princess' first home, the tree and chain that fully defined the tiny perimeter of her lonesome existence, every day – through scorching sun and torrential rain, oppressive heat and bitter cold – for three long years. And on the right is Princess after being rescued. Despite all that she's been through, her eyes speak powerfully to her singular desire to trust people, to love and to be loved unconditionally. And thanks to Saving Shelter Pets and our supporters, she now has a happy home, indoors, as a beloved member of a family. To me, there's not a more satisfying feeling in the world than knowing you helped make that difference for that dog.

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For more information on the topics in this article, see
Saving Shelter Pets
Humane Alliance, Asheville, NC
"Redefining Pet Overpopulation" National Animal Interest Alliance
"Will Surgical Spay/Neuter Soon Be Outdated?" Best Friends Community
The Ryan Newman Foundation
Atlanta Animal Alliance
Dogs Deserve Better (no-chain advocacy group)
Meet Your Match™ Good Mews (Atlanta)

This article © 2008 by Janice Phelps Williams, Author of "Open Your Heart with Pets: Mastering Life through Love of Animals" (DreamTime Publishing, 2007). All rights reserved.

Have you any stories about your pet and how they were smarter than you and just seemed to be waiting for you to "get it"?

I'd love to hear about it. The best story will win the next contest.

CONTEST RULES: Tell us about a time when your pet knew more than you did.
Deadline: July 30th, 2008
THE PRIZE: A signed print of "Flying Pigs" the illustration shown at the top of today's blog.
EMAIL your entry to me at OYH.PETS@gmail.com.
Include a photo of your pet, too, if you want.
Legal: This contest is being conducted by Janice Phelps Williams, a reader blogger, and is independent of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
By submitting your story, you agree to allow the story to be published in this online blog and in any future article or book written by Janice Phelps Williams who agrees to give credit to the person who submitted the story.