Snoozin' beagle

Snoozin' beagle, a photo by scoodog / digging iPhoneography on Flickr.

This is Skipper, a beagle that I've been fostering since early July. Skipper was rescued right before the 4th of July weekend, just hours before he would have been euthanized. The rescue group that saved Skipper was the St. Louis Senior Dog Project. Skipper, who is only 5-6 years old, is a wonderful, wonderful dog. He's playful and energetic -- and, as seen here, likes to take it easy, too...

Sara

An update about my dog Sara on the St. Louis Senior Dog Project blog:
http://ping.fm/84R8o

Introducing Sara

Yesterday I adopted a new dog! Her name is Sara and she's from the St. Louis Senior Dog Project. She's 9-10 years old and had lived at the end of a chain on a small rural farm in North Carolina for most of her life. Her story is documented on the St. Louis Senior Dog Project blog here, here and here.

So far, Sara is doing great! She seems very happy and I love having her. Read more here.

Five hundred!

Congrats to Ellen Ellick and the St. Louis Senior Dog Project for finding homes for 500 dogs in 2008! As Ellen points out on her blog:

They came from everywhere -- shelters, owners, puppymills, the streets, and even a few from a research facility. Some came to us in good shape, ready to slide easily into new homes. Others needed a lot of work before they were ready. We hope they're all happy now.

I've adopted twice from the St. Louis Senior Dog Project. There was Maddie, who I adopted in 2003 and who passed away in 2006, and Dawson, who I adopted two weeks after Maddie's passing and who continues to be a lot of fun!

Below is one of my favorite photos of Maddie. She's on the left and is with Brandy (who I also lost in 2006). For some reason I had woken up at 5 AM (very early for me!) to find Maddie and Brandy on the same dog bed. I don't think either of them realized that they were sharing the bed until I turned the light on. Camera in hand, I was thrilled to capture the stunned look on Maddie's face!

Giving up a pet for a significant other

On her blog, Ellen Ellick of the St. Louis Senior Dog Project writes about pet owners who give up their pets at the request or insistence of a new boyfriend/girlfriend or spouse:

Shouldn’t a request like this make you pause? Do you really want to be with someone who asks you to give up your pet? Is this something you ask of someone you love?

One of the stories that Ellen shares is a remarkable one with a rare outcome:

Snuffles, a Pug, lost his original home when his owner met a guy who wasn’t a dog person, so she gave Snuffles away to what she thought was a good home. Ultimately, the romance fizzled, and Snuffles’s former owner cried on the shoulder of a friend about the great dog she’d given up for this loser. She didn’t know how to contact the people who’d taken Snuffles from her. And she didn’t know they’d given Snuffles away.

Then things got interesting. The friend checked out Petfinder.com one night, trying to find a Pug as great as Snuffles. That’s when she saw a Pug named Snuffles now with the Senior Dog Project. A phone call determined that this was the same Snuffles, once again in need of a new home.

In this case, we accomplished a great happy ending. Snuffles and his former owner left my home determined to grow old together. Tears flowed, and this is one woman who will never again give up a pet for anyone.

Santa and the dogs

From PetSmart, earlier today. Upper photo (left-to-right): Dawson, who I adopted from St. Louis Senior Dog Project in April 2006; Bose, a deaf Corgi I'm fostering for Pet's Second Chance Welsh Corgi Rescue; Oliver, who I rescued in January from the streets of North City during the Mattie search; and Scooter, who I've had since 1998. Lower photo (left-to-right): Rusty, who my friend Carolyn & I rescued from St. Louis Animal Control during the summer (again as part of the Mattie search) and who my friend Mark is fostering; and Andy and Chilly, Mark's permanent dogs who he's had for one year and five years, respectively. Related gallery of photos here.

Dawson the beagle

Here's a blog posting about my dog Dawson from Ellen Ellick, founder of the St. Louis Senior Dog Project, the not-for-profit rescue group I adopted Dawson from last year.

Dawson is shown below with Cherry, who cared for him for his first eight years and with whom I have become dear friends.
More photos of Dawson in the blog posting.

Please consider the St. Louis Senior Dog Project for your next dog. They have nothing but the best intentions -- for both the dogs they've rescued and the people wanting a loving pet. Since their volunteers foster care for the dogs in their homes, they'll be able to tell you -- with fairly high confidence -- how a particular dog will work out in your household, with your family members, with your schedule of being home vs. not being home, and so on.

As Ellen mentions in her blog, I've adopted two dogs (Dawson and Maddie) from them. And I won't hesitate to adopt from them again in the future.