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Friday Morning, February 12, 2021

Gem of the Day: “While it is February one can taste the full joys of anticipation. Spring stands at the gate with her finger on the latch.” ~ Patience Strong

Good February Morning Small Pawsers!

Many parts of the country are covered in snow and ice, but here at Small Paws warm fuzzy hearts abound!

I’m going to tell you about them now and yes some are up for adoption!

But I also want to talk to you about something else.

As I’ve been telling you, since Covid, there is a small dog shortage, both in shelters and also regarding Owner Surrenders.

American Humane Society declares ‘dog shortage’

But as the article says, when people go back to work and school, look out and KATY BAR THE DOOR!

The little furry one that kept them company during a pandemic, will then be rushing into our waiting arms.

We, as well as every other small dog rescue, will be bombarded.

But as for now, we are very low on dogs. We are getting an average of 25 applications to adopt, each and every day. That’s an average of 150 a week. 600 a month. My heart breaks for these people who are so desperate to find a dog to love.

We don’t have 30-40 Bichons like we used to have.

So I have made a decision and I hope you all will understand.

With so few dogs and so many hundreds of applications, our Small Paws people who have supported us, are going to be considered first for adoptions.

Foster Parents, Transporters, Application Processors, Team Leaders, Adopters, and Donors, have shown that they have supported this organization through thick and thin, and that they should be considered first.

I can’t guarantee that you will get the dog that you want or that you will even get a dog. (sigh)

That particular dog may not be a match for you and if there is one thing in which we take much pride, it’s matchmaking for a lifetime!

But I can tell you that if you are a supporter in some way of Small Paws Rescue, you will be considered first. We need to take care of family first, when possible, during these difficult times.

Ok! Are you ready to see our newest babies? But first an update on little smushed (is that a word??) almost flat by a car Emmie near Chicago!

Remember Emmie? We repaired her busted little self with extensive surgery and now she is starting to walk! Wanna see the video?

Aww, ok! Here you go!

Click here to see Emie walk for the first time since surgery! Give it a minute to load!

Thanks to all of you who helped little Emmie! It will be a couple of months until she is fully rehabbed and ready to be adopted.

Next meet 2-3 year old “Bella” who came from a South Texas shelter. We are calling her a Bichon Mix. She seems to approve, giving you a smile as big as Dallas! She is still in quarantine but will be up on Petfinder’s soon!

While our volunteer was picking Bella up at the shelter, (this is sounding like a game of Candyland) they said they had another small dog that had just been surrendered. DETOUR!

She was sitting RIGHT THERE LOOKING AT BELLA so I know for a fact she had met a Bichon Mix who had once met a Bichon, so of COURSE we grabbed her, ran and never looked back.

 

Meet Skye. This was her name when she came in so she gets to keep it. On the phone the shelter said she was a shih-tzu. (Kind of like when Bichons are all called p**dles.)

Welllll, I said in my finest southern accent, (cough, cough, wave wave,) I do believe this child may have some Bichon Havanese in her. Skye is between 2-3 years old and is located in Texas. She’s a cutie! She’s still in quarantine and it will be a couple of weeks until she is ready to be adopted.

Next, look at that smile! We have 7 year old “Buddy” (yes, that’s his real name) near Chicago. He was abandoned at a veterinarian’s office and they knew who to call and Buddy seems to be thrilled. He has a very slight heart murmur, but we are getting it checked out with a complete cardio work up. Ok. No fighting over Buddy!

Next, way down yonder in Alabama, we have an owner surrender named “Missy”. She is four years old. She is a Bichon in a p**dle haircut. She TRIED to tell them but they just kept shaving her face. How embarrassing. Missy is having some GI upset so we are going to get that worked up and then she will be ready for adoption, IF you can drive towards Birmingham AL. to get her.

                                               

Next, meet “Bedford”. We got this little guy from a shelter in south Texas. 

They told us he was seven years old but the vet says he’s more like ten. (Bedford, not the vet tech).

He has a grade two heart murmur so we did a cardio consult and the Cardiologist said it is benign and will not cause any problems. 

Bedford also has the very start of kidney disease which can be controlled with a special diet. I think someone dumped him for getting old. 🙁 Would that all of our beloved dogs would someday get old.

Bedford also lost five rotten teeth with two of them falling right out during his dental.

He is a lover and needs a home with a lot of love to give. His foster Mom says he is a real lap dog, preferring to lounge on the couch and watch Soap Opera’s. (She didn’t really say that about the soaps. I just made it up. He looks like a “The Young and The Restless” kind of guy to me.) Is Bedford your new boy?!

As you my know, we don’t just rescue perfect dogs! In fact, that doesn’t happen a whole lot these days. What with Bedford and Buddy’s heart murmur work ups, Missy’s GI work up, Emmie’s upcoming rehab work, well, their bills are higher than the $1000-1500 that we normally spend per dog if nothing’s wrong.

We spay or neuter, do heartworm testing and treatment if needed, do fecal exams for parasites, do dentals if needed and they are almost always needed, we remove questionable lumps and bumps and send them to pathology, and we quarantine every dog for ten days to protect our Foster parents own dog in case one of our dogs breaks with a shelter disease like kennel cough or parvo. Yes, it’s expensive to do that, sometimes $25.00 a night, (Didn’t they use to have a cheap Motel Six?) but our own dog’s safety must come first.

I’m here (where else am I going to be? There’s a pandemic and the roads are covered in ice here in Tulsa. I live in Oklahoma. We don’t have a clue what we’re doing driving on snow and ice. If we are already out, driving, and the roads start getting slick, we just try to get home, keep driving and cover our heads.  For your own safety, STAY AWAY! We are dangerous here!) But I am here is there are any matching challenge donations for me to issue.

What Is A Matching Donation Challenge? 

All My Love on this Blustery February Day, Robin

We have also now added Text-to-Donate feature! It’s simple and secure. You can use any major credit card as well as Google Pay and PAYPAL! Text the number 44321 (how easy is THAT number to remember?!) and type the letters SPR ( all capitals) in the message area. A secure link will come up with simple instructions. After that, you can text a donation of any amount to Small Paws anytime without filling out your information again! We hope you enjoy the ease and security of Text-to-Donate, to help the Bichons!

 

 

 

What Is A Matching Donation Challenge? 

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Donations from AmazonSmile to Small Paws Rescue received to date $19,264.55.

Humphrey Sisco