Are you looking for your own version of "Grumpy cat"?- well Oliver just might be the guy for you! and Hoss and Lizzie are a girl's best friend

Oliver- just a grumpy cat looking for the right home!

Our guest blogger this post is Stacie Gooch- animal lover 

We live on a 74 acre farm in Southern Tennessee with pasture, wooded area, a running stream and a couple of ponds.  Every farm and every young girl needs a good dog.  Mostly for companionship but on occasion critter control as we have a wide variety of critters including deer, turkeys, coyotes, bobcats, and snakes.  We have the good fortune to have two good dogs.  Hoss, named after the good natured, gentle giant from Bonanza and Queen Elizabeth, Lizzie for short.  They are solid white German Shepherds.  Known for loving their family, they were once used as protection for royalty.  They are generally larger than other varieties of German Shepherd.

Michaela was in the fifth grade and had a mysterious illness. Her legs would give out on her, she couldn’t walk and would be in intense pain.  She would have good days and the doctors said to let her do whatever she felt like on those days.  Thank the Lord she overcame it although we never found the cause. 

It was a chilly, fall day. She felt good and wanted to go for a walk by herself in the woods.  We said ok but take the dogs with you.  Hoss and Lizzie were about two years old at the time.  Off the three of them went, up the hill and into the woods. 

About 30 minutes passed and it started getting a little dark.  We began calling Michaela and the dogs with no response.  Mike and I started looking.  Through the first wooded area there was a pasture clearing and up the hill was another wooded area.  When we reached the edge of the first area we saw them.  Michaela’s legs had indeed given out.  Lizzie was sitting beside her on the ground keeping her warm.  Hoss was circling about 15 feet from them on high alert.  His ears were up and he was watching everything, constantly circling the perimeter.  He caught sight of us but couldn’t distinguish who we were from that distance.  He barked his “don’t come near here” bark and ran immediately to Michaela and Lizzie.  Lizzie was on her feet in an instant maintaining her position at Michaela’s side.  Hoss took the other side.  Both dogs were barking, growling and had there hackles were raised.  Nothing was going to get by them.  Nothing was going to get their girl.

Mike ran to get the truck to bring Michaela down from the hill.  I went to her.  That night the dogs received a hero’s reward of special attention and treats for doing their job.

Is my halo showing?

Oliver is a true "grumpy cat" but who can blame him??? His people dumped him, not once, but twice!!!

This older guy is not really friendly, and he's not very loving, but you can tell he is so grateful that he doesn't have to fight for his meals any longer, and he loves his cat tree in the sun. Oliver is a gorgeous tuxedo male.

He has lost quite a few teeth, but we believe him to be about 10 years old. Oliver has a long life ahead of him. 

He does have a flea allergy, so he will need to be on monthly prevention the rest of his life. Also, we don't really need to say this, but he need to be indoors only. 

If you love the grumpy ones and you don't mind getting scratched (or you move fast!!!!)  this could be the perfect match. He is better when there aren't as many cats around, but he does get along fine with one or two.  However he really hates dogs and children!!!

Are you fast enough?

To meet Oliver, contact info@forrescue.net

If you would like to contribute a story to the FOR blog, please mail the contents along with an image or two to blog@forrescue.net.

 At the end of 2014 individuals who submitted content for the FOR blog will be entered in a drawing for a free pet portrait. 


You can make a donation or sponsor an animal by clicking here

"Just Sam" found his forever home but Tito is still looking...

Tito
A brindle pit bull mix, 4 to 5 months old, 30-35 lbs.
He will be at the Huntsville Animal Services' adoption event this weekend (2/15/2014)

Sam
Our guest blogger today is Susan Turner, failed foster parent- fortunately for Sam.

"Just Sam"

 Sam, that's his name. He's full of life and always happy and makes me laugh.  I recently adopted Sam from the Athens dog pound. I hadn't been searching specifically for a dog at that time, however I knew my heart needed one. I've had a dog, or two, in my life for

over twenty years and when both mine went to rainbow ridge over the past two years, there was a part of me missing without that happy face and wagging tail looking up at me daily. I temporarily fostered two puppies for HAS, a FOR pup for a long weekend and a pup from Athens Dog Pound (ADP) that needed some time to run before transport to New York. This convinced me that a dog would always be a part of my life. I saw "Sam" at ADP when I was there to pick up my foster. I asked to see him and when he hugged me and gave me kisses, I was hooked! So, I have a furry kid named Sam who is a happy every day. Some may say I "saved him" but it is Sam that has brought joy to me everyday.

Tito is a 4-5 months old brindle pit mix who weighs 30-35 lbs.  He was found in the Triana/Johnson area late last year.   Tito came to the Huntsville Animal Shelter with some neurological issues.  He has typical symptoms including a head tilt, nystagmus ( a vision condition in which the eyes make repetitive, uncontrolled movements, often resulting in reduced vision), and some depth perception issues. His neurological issues may be congenital or abuse/trauma related.  The right side of his head by his eye is flattened like he was hit with something.  

Because of these issues, he probably should not be allowed to go up or down stairs without supervision and he occasionally runs into walls and the sides of furniture.  This has not slowed him down though.  He is very active and spends his free time running around throwing toys in the air, especially tennis balls.  He LOVES tennis balls.  He likes to carry his favorite ball around everywhere.  When he is done playing, he hides the ball in his crate to save for later. He gets along great with other dogs although he may play a little too rough at times for some smaller dogs.  Tito is a lap dog at heart.  Whenever he gets the chance he will climb into your lap to take a nap.  He seems to be very intelligent and responds well to treats (very well).  He has been taught too sit and is working on other commands.  He is being house trained and doing pretty well although still has an occasional accident.  Tito will require some special attention but not too much.  It may take a little longer for him to learn some things so you'll need to be patient.  He is a great dog and anyone who adopts him will be lucky to have him!

  

For more information about Tito please contact the Huntsville Animal Services  at 256-883-3782.

If you would like to contribute a story to the FOR blog, please mail the contents along with an image or two to blog@forrescue.net.

 At the end of 2014 individuals who submitted content for the FOR blog will be entered in a drawing for a free pet portrait. 


You can make a donation or sponsor an animal by clicking here.

A Tail of Two Dogs and Stylish Sally needs a Forever home.

Stylish Sally
She could be yours!

Tripp and Huxley

Our guest blogger today is Andrea Dickason, animal lover and FOR volunteer.

A Tail of Two Dogs

Huxley

I don't remember a time when I didn't want a dog. Growing up, my whole family was allergic to them and so I settled for a guinea pig. In college, I could afford neither the money nor the time to get a dog. But the day I accepted a job offer, I started looking for a dog. Never mind that I was still 3 months away from actually moving to the area. It took me a month of searching petfinder until I found him. His name was Huxley, he was a German shepherd- lab mix, and I loved him the second I saw him. There was no question, I just knew I wanted him. I checked petfinder every single day to make sure he was still there until the day I moved to Alabama. And the day I signed the lease on a house (found with the condition that it was large-dog friendly), I contacted FOR. It was agonizing waiting for their response to see if he was still available. I scoured their Facebook page, looking to see if he had been posted as adopted. I hit refresh on petfinder repeatedly, hoping his picture wouldn't disappear. It felt like forever (but really was probably barely 24 hours)and I got a response: he was still available. Kids on Christmas can't hold a candle to how excited I was. I knew Huxley was supposed to be mine. Even the warning that he came with a bite history and limitless energy didn't deter me at all. And on January 14, 2012 it became official.

I got into fostering because I wanted a buddy for Huxy while I was gone at work. He loved every foster. Each one was a new friend, a new playmate. I've now fostered somewhere around 30 dogs-- once I got started, I couldn't stop. The one thing he didn't like was strange men. And any man he didn't know was a strange man. He was my security system. Nobody dared come near the house with him at the door. Even delivery men would stay 10 ft back from the door, gesturing that they would leave the package right there before they turned and ran. My now- boyfriend learned this the hard way, as Huxley caught Alex's lip when Alex tried to introduce himself on our first date. Alex ended up with four stitches, but there surprisingly was a second date anyway!

Sadly, and unexpectedly, we lost Huxy to (suspected) cancer on Sept. 3, 2013. The pain of losing him was unbelievable. It seemed so unfair; he wasn't even 4 years old. I had planned on at least another 10 years with him. I didn't know how to live without a dog anymore, so the very next day I picked out another foster. The next week I picked out another. Alex got his first foster. Soon we had a house full of dogs again. But something was still missing. I knew I could never replace Huxley, but I wanted a permanent dog again that I could bond with. Around that same time, I started dog sitting the foster that Huxley's old foster mom had. I had dog sat that same dog in March when his then-foster family went out of town. 

Tripp

Huxley had loved playing with him, which was normal, but Hux had liked this dog so much that he let the new dog cuddle with him. Huxley was not a cuddly dog. Regardless of how much he liked someone, he liked his own space more. So the fact that Huxley cuddled with Tripp was significant. I couldn't forget that picture. And the similarities piled up. Tripp had a bite history. He now had the same foster mom Huxley had. He had been in the program for months and months. He'd had applications fall through. He liked to run. And he was a total sweetheart and a wonderful dog. I finally realized that Huxley had picked his own buddy months ago and I just hadn't known. Tripp became mine on Oct. 23, 2013. I'll probably always miss Huxley. But I'm so thankful for the time I got with him, and I'm thankful for a new dog to love, and thankful for FOR for bringing both of them to me.

Stylish Sally

This is Sally, she is 12 years old, not super active.  Loves to roll on her back like a little wiggle worm.  She is very Stylish in her pink jacket.  She would be a fantastic pet in a single dog home and is totally housebroken.   She is a shelter favorite at the Athens/Limestone Animal Shelter.

 

For more info about Faith or becoming a foster parent emailINFO@FORrescue.net

If you would like to contribute a story to the FOR blog, please mail the contents along with an image or two to blog@forrescue.net.

 At the end of 2014 individuals who submitted content for the FOR blog will be entered in a drawing for a free pet portrait. 


You can make a donation or sponsor an animal by clicking here.

Bud has found his forever home - Lulu is still looking for hers!

LuLu- looking for her Forever Home

Bud

Today’s guest blogger is Mary Harris, an animal lover who works with 2^nd Chance Shelter.

About a year ago Sophie and I were on our daily walk when we saw what appeared to be a new fallen log on the side of our path.  When we got closer, the “log” jumped up and ran into the woods.  It was a boxer bulldog.  We began to see him daily on our walks, curled up in the same spot asleep in the sunshine.  I began to talk to him, even though he ran as soon as he saw us.  I just talked and talked.  Anybody watching would have thought I was a lunatic.  After several days, he began to follow us at a great distance.  I was never aware of exactly when he appeared.  He just seemed to materialize.  If I stopped walking and turned around to look at him, he stopped and sat down and tried to look inconspicuous.  One day he followed us all the way home, but ran away.  Finally after about three weeks of this, I sat down in a hayfield during our walk and he ran all the way up to me.  We were virtually nose-to-nose.  I didn’t know if he was going to kiss me or kill me.  Sophie lunged at him and he ran away.  The next day, I sat down in the field again and he ran up to me again, but Sophie again attacked him.  On the third attempt, I managed to restrain Sophie so that she couldn’t lunge at him and I reached out and touched his face.  I cannot describe the look of absolute relief that flooded his beautiful boxer face.  He came home with us, with his head touching my thigh the whole way home!  He has never left us.  A trip to the vet’s office revealed that he had an advanced case of heart worms, but we are all through with treatment and he is a healthy, happy boy!  I named him Bud – short for big ugly dog. 

Lulu is a true sweetheart. She is a lab mix and like a lab she is very calm and gentle. She is a little timid until she knows she is in a safe place, but once she settles in, she is a happy, happy girl. She has wonderful manners, and is just so thankful for all kindness. She is really blossoming in foster care and will make a wonderful FORever family member. She is good with other dogs and cats and has just discovered toys! She LOVES toys!!!!!. And her big fluffy bed. She LOVES her bed!!! She is just adorable!

She is 6 years old, petite and really beautiful with her shiny black coat with a sprinkling of black freckles on white on her chest and toes.

She weighs about 55 pounds and is house and crate trained. She was turned into the shelter because she had a snake bite and her family couldn't care for her. She has healed and has no ill effects from the bite. She is up-to-date with her vaccinations, is heartworm negative and has been spade. She is ready to go to her new home---her toys and bed go with her. :-)
Lulu is up to date on HW and Flea prevention, all shots, and is spayed. For more info email INFO@FORrescue.net

If you would like to contribute a story to the FOR blog, please mail the contents along with an image or two to blog@forrescue.net.

 At the end of 2014 individuals who submitted content for the FOR blog will be entered in a drawing for a free pet portrait. 


You can make a donation or sponsor an animal by clicking here.