Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Reese

This is the newest addition to my family. Reese was an owner surrender who has cancer and had a very hard time finding a home. I decided to hang on to her, Winston is very happy. She loves to be on furniture and this is what she is trying to do in this video.... Please ignore the mess and the bras in the background. :0)

Shaggy Upate




Shaggy went to the Rolex this weekend and he had a blast! Here are some of his new pictures. He is so handsome. He really loved being around all of the horses and he did so well.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Dolly



We pulled Dolly from Scioto Co. She had 5 puppies who were about a week old and we couldn't leave them there. There was another mom who had 3- 2 week old puppies who they were going to put down b/c the mom bit someone when they tried to take her puppies. We decided to see if Dolly would accept them and luckily she did. Now Dolly has 8 puppies. Her fosters are going to be bigger then she is in no time :)

3 fosters



Here are Dolly's 3 fosters

Dolly's puppies






Dolly's puppies are growing up so fast. We have 8 but here are her 5. She is fostering 3 others.

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Lucy



We picked up a 4 month old Great Dane yesterday! She has some pretty bad mange but it is clearing up very well. She is very sweet and HUGE! She has not grown into her feet so she is a little clumsy still. She comes with her AKC Papers too!!! She is going to the vet in the morning and will hopefully get this all cleared up soon.

Cloey Happy Tail

Cloey was adopted yesterday by an amazing family. She is so lucky they found her. Of course I cried when she left... I wonder if I will ever get used to all of this. I didnt even spend any time with Cloey, it just makes me so happy she got a second chance at life and made a family so happy, I just cant stand to think that she shouldn't even be alive right now. Just breaks my heart.... Good luck Cloey, you deserve all the happiness in the world!!!!

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Lets see how far we can take this....

So I just wrote this email to the commissioners at Gallia, the city of Gallia, the state of Ohio and so many more people who could possibly get some things changed....... Please pass on to anyone you know...

PERMISSION TO CROSS POST


My name is Karen Zapkowski. A little over a year ago I co-founded Nileydog Rescue. We are a nonprofit group of committed volunteers whose mission is to rescue, transport, foster, spay/neuter, and re-home abandoned and abused dogs from high kill shelters. Our main focus has been on pulling dogs from Gallia County, Ohio. Over the past year we have helped to pull hundreds of dogs from this shelter and not only have them go to our rescue but to other rescues in Ohio, and other states.

We understand that when you are pulling dogs from county shelters you are going to come across a wide variety of illnesses and diseases. After we pulled our first dog with Parvo we decided to help the county by buying bleach and a sprayer to spray down the dog runs. At this time only a water hose was being used to clean the runs after each dog. This is not a sanitary way to clean and only spreads disease.

I thought that this would help a little bit. It did not. The dog runs are constantly full of feces that has been there for days. There is urine all over the dogs. The first thing we do when we get home is bathe the dogs to get rid of the smell. Again we understand dogs being pulled from shelters are not in good shape, but this does not mean they need to be sitting in feces and urine.

This past week, we pulled 8 dogs from Gallia, County. During the course of this week we have had to euthanize 5 of those dogs. 4 had Parvo, 1 had Lepto and we are currently treating one for Distemper. All of these diseases are ones that can be vaccinated against with a vaccine that cost about $1.50. Instead we have spent over $5,000 this week alone trying to save these dogs and then had to euthanize them all because they were too far gone.

We are 4 women who work full time and go to school and yet we run a dog rescue because it is our passion. We have had many up and downs and yet we still do what we do because we know there are so many amazing dogs out there. We are unable to continue to pull any dogs from Gallia, County until we are assured measure will be taken to clean up the shelter. We can no longer afford the expense that comes along with the inefficient ways things are being done there.

There is only one assistant dog warden who runs the entire shelter, this is not a realistic thing. One person can not keep up with the cleaning and feeding of all the dogs that come in on a daily basis, no matter how hard they try.

I just want you to be aware of what is going on out there and as long as sick dogs are being pulled, rescue groups will start backing off. I have already talked to a few who were planning on pulling dogs but decided to go to Scioto Co once I told them of the sick dogs we pulled from there last week. Adoption rates will drop drastically unless the proper precautions are taken and people are assured the shelter is being sanitized after each dog.

We are contacting the state of Ohio also and our local media sources to guarantee things will be changed. I never want to have to euthanize another dog due to unsanitary conditions of the shelter. These dogs would have had a better chance at survival if they were left on the streets, the only reason they are dead is because they were placed in the shelter at Gallia, County. The Improved Standards for Laboratory Animals Act states that better care is required for dogs in laboratories, why is this not the same in shelters?

Public Law 99-198 Food Security Act of 1985, Subtitle F - Animal Welfare
Also called "The Improved Standards for Laboratory Animals Act" and enacted December 23, 1985, this section clarifies what is meant by "humane care" by mentioning specifics such as sanitation, housing, and ventilation. It directs the Secretary of Agriculture to establish regulations to provide exercise for dogs and an adequate physical environment to promote the psychological well-being of nonhuman primates. It specifies that pain and distress must be minimized in experimental procedures and that alternatives to such procedures be considered by the principle investigator. It also defines practices that are considered to be painful. No animal can be used in more than one major operative experiment with recovery (exceptions are listed). The establishment of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) is introduced with a description of its roles, composition, and responsibilities to the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). Also included is the formation of an information service at the National Agricultural Library to assist those regulated by the act in prevention of unintended duplication of research, employee training, searching for ways to reduce or replace animal use, and to provide information on how to decrease pain and distress. The final section explains the penalties for release of trade secrets by regulators and the regulated community. --http://www.nal.usda.gov/awic/legislat/usdaleg1.htm



Please let me know what can be done about this situation. We want to pull as many dogs as we can from Galllia, but we need you to help us.

If anyone knows how we can go about changing this please let us know.

Monday, April 13, 2009

NDR has a new bank account


We are no longer using 5/3 for our banking... Donations can be made at any National City

RIP Marley

We just had to put Marley down. Marley is the 5th dog we have gotten from Gallia that we have had to put down this week. Marley had Lepto, he was vomiting blood and his abdomen was full of urine. He would have died a very painful death tonight if we did not put him to sleep. When I first met Marley, Jason, the dog warden told me he was not a very friendly dog and that he wasn't sure we should take him. I saw him in his run and he was shaking, he was terrified. I did something I really have never done before when Jason told me a dog was aggressive. I opened the door and went in and sat down on the floor in his run. Now if you were to see this shelter this is not something a normal person would want to do. Ignoring the piles of poop and pee Marley ran over to me sniffed me and jumped right in my lap. I know from the moment I saw him that he was an amazing dog. D.J. decided to foster him and this was the first dog he had ever had. Marley was not able to survive the disease but becasue of Heather and D.J. he knew what it was like to be loved. For a short Marley knew what it was like to be in a home that loved him.

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Upside Down Dogs


My cousin Chris showed me this website and it is so funny!

http://upsidedowndogs.com/

The Dangers That Lurk in Your Easter Basket


Beyond the risks of sweetners and chocolates, there are plenty of risks in that sweet looking Easter basket. First up, those hardboiled eggs may taste fine to a pet now (dyed shells and all – yuck!) but, if he decides to bury it in the backyard and dig it up later, he can get very sick from eating those rotten eggs. What other threats lurk inside? Find out when you read more.

Small children's toys may also look like toys to a pet, too, but these fragile knick-knacks can wreak havoc on a pup's delicate tum. They're definitely not gonna hold up to his chompers and, if he gets plastic bits stuck inside, he may have to have surgery. Plastic eggs often smell of the treats inside tempting a pooch to take a nibble. And, if those treats are jellybeans, forget about it. Jellybeans are hard for many children to chew and can cause a choking hazard, imagine what it'd do to a pup.

Even though the paper grass pictured here is not as risky, the shiny, decorative Easter grass can lure in a curious cat, but pose the same problem as tinsel – strands can't be digested, get stuck in their intestines, and totally mess up the digestive system. If you're celebrating this holiday, I recommend not leaving the treats for the two-legged family members unsupervised from the furry friends. And, if you are hiding treats around the house, keep pets in another room and total up all the prizes after they're found to make sure none have been hidden too well for a person . . . but not for a pup's nose!

Marley update

Marley is doing a little bit better this weekend, but he is not out of the woods yet. Keep your fingers crossed we will get some happy news tomorrow!

Marley


Marley came from Gallia and he has Lepto. This is a very serious virus that has a death rate higher then Parvo. Again a vaccine that costs $1.50 could have stopped this from happening. We are not sure if Marley will be able to pull through or not but we are praying he is ok.

Happy Tail




Happy Tail is one of our newest and luckily we got him from Scioto Co so he is still healthy!!

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

RIP Spot



We had to put another one to sleep today. Spot was a 5 month old Husky from Gallia Co. Again he was so sick b/c of the conditions of the shelter and how his previous owners treated him. Just when I think things out there are getting better, this just proves they are only getting worse. Spot was an amazing dog and deserved an amazing life. Sorry we didnt get to you sooner little man.

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Newest Friends







Sunday dog Secrets




RIP puppies



We had to put down 3 puppies today b/c they had Parvo. We have 2 more that are in iso at the vet hoping they do not start showing signs. If only people would vaccinate their dogs and clean the shelters we would never have to run into this issue. Now 3 Lab puppies had to die b/c people dont understand the importance of taking care of their animals.

Sunday, April 5, 2009

Rescue trip


We pulled over 20 dogs yesterday (not including the 4 puppies we saw running on the highway) from Gallia and Scioto yesterday. I will post some pictures soon. That brings our total to 375!!!!!!!!

RIP little Arlo


Arlo went to be with Gracie in Heaven last week. He took a turn for the worst and there was nothing we could do for him anymore. He is no longer in pain and he is with his sister again.