Friendly Beasts, Day 26: K-9 LifeSavers

(Eep playing a bit of catch up again.  Here we go!)

http://www.k-9lifesavers.org/

This is the place for dogs who might not otherwise receive a second chance.  Rescued from high-kill rate shelters and other risky situations, the dogs at K-9 LifeSavers are cared for by a team made up of volunteers, foster families, trainers, kennels and professional health care providers while the dogs are screened for personality and behavior information, and then carefully matched into forever homes.

The territory covered by K-9 spans multiple states where shelter "holds" are only a few days.  Once the dogs are rescued and screened, they are adopted out through events held throughout the greater DC Metro area.  Because they rotate locations, this enables the group to outreach in multiple places at a time, introducing their precious canines to a wider audience and, hopefully, better matches.

What they won't do is rush the adoption process; people interested in taking one of their dogs home need to be patient with the process.  Adoption counselors interview the family, make sure landlords and the environment will accept the dog, and may even conduct home visits to ensure the dog's new home is the right place for him.  Every effort is made to ensure that K-9 LifeSavers is a once-in-a-lifetime stop, and not a revolving door.  Their success at this is reflected in the "Happy Tails" section of the Web site, where grateful puppy parents have provided updates on their new additions.

People in the greater DC Metro area who are looking to adopt a dog can view the available pooches at their Web site listed above, lovable dogs who are waiting, like sweet Jill pictured above.  Anyone else interested in supporting them can check them out on Twitter (@k_9lifesavers) and on Facebook under "K-9 LifeSavers" (where you can also view available dogs.  Huzzah!)

Friendly Beasts, Day 25: Meow Foundation

http://www.meowfoundation.com

Founded in 2000, MEOW Foundation has a no-kill mandate, believing that, with time, all of the stray/abandoned cats that find their way into the Foundation's care can and will be matched with a permanent home that best suits the needs of the individual cat.  This takes both patience and perseverance, which their volunteers and staff have in spades.

In addition to their adoption listings (provided in a "cat"alog, of course!), their Web site offers helpful links regarding bringing a new kitty home, how to care for feral colonies in the community, and resources for TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return) programs.  And if you need some uplifting stories, check out their DEAR MEOW section featuring the follow-up notes from some of their previous residents; they help demonstrate how every permanent place is a win in the fight against homeless and abandoned pets.

Canadian residents interested in volunteering or visiting one of their events should check out their calendar.  If you aren't lucky enough to live nearby, you can still sponsor an animal-in-waiting and help to care for them until they find a forever placement.  Whatever help you can offer provides new opportunity for kitties like Tiberius, pictured above and waiting patiently for his match.  Visit their Web site, mentioned above, or check them out on Facebook at "The MEOW Foundation".

Friendly Beasts, Day 24: Best Friends Animal Society

After a couple days off for the holidays, we're back in the blog-saddle...

http://www.bestfriends.org/

Working to eliminate the term "homeless" when referring to our feathered and furry companions, the Best Friends Animal Society follows a very simple yet effective philosophy: kindness to animals builds a better world.  Since its inception in the 1980s, the number of animals killed in shelters has dropped from 17 million to somewhere around 5 million.  Still too many to be sure, but the decrease has been due, in part, to the BFAS's work in championing spay/neuter programs, and grassroots efforts to place animals previously considered unadoptable.

Through rescue and outreach, along with networking with local groups, BFAS is now hoping to impact some of the greatest populations that inhabit the shelters: the bedraggled cats and kittens from feral colonies who may not be in the best physical or mental condition when on display in the shelter's adoption zones, the pit bulls abandoned and passed over because of their aggressive reputations, and the castoffs from puppy mills who are dropped off when their owners are unprepared for the level of care needed.  These are where some of the greatest floods of unwanted animals are coming, and BFAS hopes that through networking and education, these numbers, too, will begin to drop.

They are also among the first to arrive during disaster and rescue recovery efforts, from natural elements like Hurricane Katrina to the heartbreaking devastation humans inflict when they selfishly hoard animals like baseball cards.  And for those animals who may have no other options...too ill or traumatized from past experiences...BFAS offers an animal sanctuary.  Most of the animals that come stay just briefly for care before they are ready to be adopted into loving homes.  For some, though, it will be their last stop and will be a safe and loving one for the remainder of their days.

To help the Best Friends Animal Society, please visit their Web site above, or on Facebook at "Best Friends Animal Society".  Pictured above, Louie and Cheech ask you, "What better way to spend holiday-time than with your best friends?"

Friendly Beasts, Day 23: Itty Bitty Orphan Kitty Rescue

http://www.ibokrescue.org/

Another nominee from a friend who has adopted some of her own furr-faces from this organization, Itty Bitty Orphan Kitty is located in San Jose, California, and is primarily dedicated to the rescue of orphaned, pre-weaned kittens.  Because this group is at higher risk for euthanasia from overcrowded shelters due to their more intense care, IBOK seeks out pre-weaned kittens from local shelters and feral colonies, bottle-feeds them, and then takes care of finding them new, permanent homes.

Also, because of their involvement with the feral cat colonies, they partner with other local groups to help with TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return) programs that will, hopefully, eventually, reduce the need to rescue these kittens at all.

In addition to foster and adoption programs, and fun fundraisers like their annual Santa Paws photoshoots which help raise money for their ongoing maintenance, IBOK also serves as a resource for the community in the event someone should find themselves with an orphaned kitten (or four) and aren't sure what to do.  They are a treasure-trove for kitty-lovers everywhere.

Visit the gallery on their Web site to ooh and ahh over the cuteness, and check them out on Facebook (search for "IBOK Rescue").  Thanks, Michelle, for telling me about IBOK!

Friendly Beasts, Day 22: Animal Welfare Institute

http://www.awionline.org/

Since 1951, the Animal Welfare Institute has worked toward decreasing the overall total of cruelty inflicted on animals by people using them to further their own aims.  From the overcrowded, filthy, and painful conditions of factory farming to the vicious and unnecessary jaw-traps used in the fur trade, representatives from AWI regularly attend trade meetings and regulatory summits surrounding these and other issues to ensure that objections are voiced concerning these matters.

In addition to fighting for laws, regulations, and industry policies that impact these animals directly, AWI works on efforts to minimize the impact of human actions that are indirectly affecting animals and their habits, such as sonar testing that injures and disrupts ocean life in its path and pollution that is damaging the world's forests and the habitats these animals require to survive.

The Web site listed above provides information regarding legislative and advocacy programs AWI is currently involved with, along with information regarding how those interested can help.  But they also provide valuable information for those wanting to help animals closer to home, such as how and where to adopt pets, and what to consider when making a choice of where to adopt.

People interested in all aspects of animal care and welfare should consider a visit to their Web site, join their Facebook page under "Animal Welfare Institute", or follow them on Twitter (@AWIOnline) for helpful tips and links to articles about current animal events.

Friendly Beasts, Day 21: Furry Friends Rescue

http://www.furryfriendsrescue.org/

As an all-volunteer non-profit companion animal rescue organization, Furry Friends Rescue faces especially challenging hurdles because they work within such a heavily populated area.  Focused on dogs and cats that are scheduled for euthanasia in the shelters of the Greater San Francisco Bay Area, these champions provide medical care, including spay/neuter surgery, and fostering until the animal is in a behavioral place where they are adoptable.  Because many of these animals come from violent or neglected backgrounds, they may have aggressive or fearful personalities, and because so many shelters are inundated with pets that people surrender, these animals are often overlooked in favor of the more friendly, personable animals by adopters who may not have the patience to work with them.

Essentially, in a nutshell, what they give these animals is time, time that the shelters may not want to or have available to give.  Since 1998, this has translated into new forever homes for approximately 1,000 animals--every year.

One of their biggest reasons for success has come from a skill that Bay Area residents excel at: networking!  In addition to their own volunteers that foster and care for the animals, FFR works with other shelters, rescue organizations, private medical centers, trainers, sponsoring companies...essentially anyone with a love for these animals and a desire to see the region become, eventually, a euthanasia-as-mercy-only place to live.

Bay Area residents interested in joining the network can connect with them on Twitter (@FurryFriends) or on Facebook ("Furry Friends Rescue").  If you live outside the SF Bay Area but would like to help this very worthwhile organization as they strive to build a multi-acre animal sanctuary, please visit their Web site, noted above.  There are animals, like the lovely Lady pictured above, who could really use your helping paws.

Friendly Beasts, Day 20: Paws and Stripes

http://www.pawsandstripes.org/

Providing second chances to service veterans and shelter dogs, Paws and Stripes is a non-profit organization that assists wounded veterans suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and/or traumatic brain injury by adopting and training shelter dogs to become service dogs.  The dogs and training are provided at no cost to the veteran, and the organization only uses shelter dogs, providing not one but two rescues with every match they make.

At this time, because most insurance companies do not cover the costs associated with obtaining, training, and caring for service dogs for this purpose, there is a considerable gap in the care to cover the needs of our returning veterans.  As the long wars in Iraq and Afghanistan gradually come to a close and more troops return home, this need is growing significantly.  Paws and Stripes, through the generous donations of its supporters, seeks to close this gap.

What makes the program especially unique is that, unlike many service dog programs and providers (all worthy and valuable in their own right), the dogs are not pre-selected from those trained and bred specifically for that purpose.  For this program, the veteran is actively involved with finding and choosing a dog that they like best through local shelters or dog foster programs, thus giving the shelter dog a new lease (leash?) on life.  That dog is then trained, with the veteran, by professional dog trainers who can adjust the training to the dog's personality, the veteran's personality, and the individualized needs of that veteran.  It's a custom-made match, every time.  The dogs are not pets when they graduate from the program (though they are certainly a part of the family).  Each dog is an acknowledged working service dog and is protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act, like Miss Dallas pictured above, from their Facebook gallery of active service dogs.

For more information regarding how to help this amazing effort, please visit the Web site listed above, or find them on Facebook under "Paws and Stripes" when you search.  Helping our veterans live in peace after what they've been through is one of the best gifts and thank yous we can give.