Mid-Atlantic Pug Rescue, Inc. Info

Note from Kathy: In these economically challenged times, many people are struggling not just to keep their homes, but to keep their pets. Please dig deeply into your pockets and help the rescue of your choice!

We at Mid-Atlantic Pug Rescue, Inc. are a group of diverse individuals who have united for the purpose of rescuing Pugs. We come from many walks of life, and have agreed to donate our many and varied talents so that pugs everywhere can live out their lives with comfort, love and care.

We are all volunteers, with no paid employees. Each person serves in the way best suited to their lifestyle and individual skills.

We are proud of the way we have built this organization. We have determined that our common welfare and the welfare of the pug breed must come first. Our leaders are but trusted servants, in that they do not govern. There is no power structure, just a service structure.

The only requirement for membership is a desire to help homeless pugs and promote education about the breed and the need for domestic animal population control.

We allow, and strongly encourage participation in other groups, rescues, and shelters, as it is the best way to strengthen the rescue effort and make sure that our motto is upheld: “Let no pug go unloved.”

Mid-Atlantic Pug Rescue, Inc is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, dedicated to providing for the short and long term needs of abandoned or surrendered pugs. We give rescued pugs veterinary care, a nurturing foster environment, and permanent placement into a loving home. In addition, we offer education to the public on the special responsibilities of pug ownership and the need for domestic animal population control.

BLATANT SALES PLUG: Visit The Blissful Dog Shop and purchase Pug Butter to donate to the MAPR! I will even ship it at no charge to the Rescue Pug of your choice.

More Dogs In Rescue

I got a note from my friend, Mary Dike, with the Mideastern Atlantic Pug Rescue and she told me they have over 70 Pugs in their rescue right now…70! That news truly saddened me, yet I am grateful for amazing volunteers like Mary. So, I “googled” around a bit and found this article I wanted to share….

In Animal Shelters, Reminders of the Economy
By GERRI HIRSHEY
Published: May 11, 2008

ON Valentine’s Day, a loved one named Riley found himself being led back into the same noisy institutional building where he was also known as No. 08-447. The floppy-eared 2 ½-year-old Rottweiler-Doberman pinscher mix had been adopted as a puppy a year earlier from the Stamford Animal Care and Control municipal shelter.

Riley’s return wasn’t a behavioral issue; according to Linda Hollywood, Stamford’s animal control officer, he is a sweet, easygoing dog who gets along well with other animals and children.

“He was clearly well cared for and loved by this family,” Ms. Hollywood said. “But their home had just gone into foreclosure, and they were unable to find an apartment that would permit pets. In general, only the more expensive rentals allow them.”

Riley could be a poster pup for a growing problem at animal shelters nationwide and in Connecticut: pets given up for adoption or abandoned when their owners lose homes owing to foreclosure or tough economic times.

The extent of the problem is impossible to quantify, because some people merely abandon pets on the street or decline to give reasons for surrendering them to shelters. But pets left homeless are putting such a strain on shelters that the Humane Society of the United States has begun a nationwide Foreclosure Pets Grant Program to help animal control agencies, shelters and pet owners cope.

“We find kittens in the mailbox, dogs tied to our dumpster,” Ms. Hollywood said. “Some people find it too upsetting to come in. But for care and adoption purposes, we’d at least like to know the animal’s age and vaccination history — whether it gets along with other dogs or cats.”

The more a shelter knows about an animal, Ms. Hollywood said, the easier it is to find a home for it.

Adrienne Stafford, shelter director at PAWS, a privately run shelter in Norwalk, said it has noticed a slight increase in people giving loss of home as a reason for giving up a pet. “We’re also getting more calls from folks worried that they can’t afford to keep their pets.”

Ms. Stafford and the volunteers at PAWS collect donations of food and supplies to help, along with information on financial options, such as no-interest medical care credit cards that can help owners pay veterinary bills over time.

Municipal shelters must accept surrendered pets, whenever they arrive.

“It’s just horrible now — every day,” said Jimmy Gonzalez, animal control officer for Bridgeport. “But honestly, it’s always bad here.” He said that his shelter is the busiest in the state, averaging 5 to 10 “owner releases” a day, and that those numbers have stayed fairly steady over the last few years.

Mr. Gonzalez said that half of his shelter’s population was abandoned cruelly and indifferently, on the streets or in vacated dwellings. But lately, during his intake interviews with people bringing in their pets, he has seen more signs of owners feeling guilty about releases attributed to economic problems.

“People are coming out and saying that they’re losing their homes and can’t keep the pet,” he said. “It’s such a big problem now, they seem to feel able to tell you the exact reason, beyond a simple ‘I’m moving.’ ”

Even the owners showing the steeliest resolve as they fill out the paperwork have difficulty with the questions Mr. Gonzalez gently asks to make sure they want to leave the pet behind. “Usually, they break down,” he said. “Or I find them outside in the back afterward, crying. Really, they’ve just given up a child. I hate to see that pain. I hate to lead the pet away. You can’t imagine the stress in this job.”

Mr. Gonzalez and his staff of three must manage adoptions, intake and care for a capacity of 40 dogs and 25 cats (soon to be increased to 80 dogs and 52 cats in a new facility, without any growth in the staff). He said that nearly every day, his team arrives at work to find dogs tied to the fence outside. They field constant calls from panicked landlords and real estate agents. “They’ll send someone in to clean a just-vacated apartment or home and find five cats or three pit bulls inside.”

Hope does spring eternal, yipping and purring, within the cages. “Adoptions are high here,” Mr. Gonzalez said. “Yesterday, 62 people came in to look, and we had 13 adoptions.” Still, as the animals continue to arrive, he feels as if he’s trying to plug an ever-weakening dike. “It’s an awful thing to see. I’ve had tough gang bangers come in to look around and go, ‘Man, is it that bad out there?’ ”

The Internet has been a boon to shelters and rescue groups trying to place animals. And it was a mouse click that changed Riley’s luck. In Wethersfield, Michael Morreale, the owner of a floor covering company, found Riley’s photo and description on Petfinder.com. He drove to Stamford with Max, the family Doberman, to see how the two might get along.

“I paid $1,000 for Max,” Mr. Morreale said. “He’s a great dog. But I’ve always felt that guys like Riley should have a chance, too.”

Max and Riley hit it off, and off they went to a comfortable home with a big fenced yard; two eager children, Alexa, 9, and Nicholas, 15; and Mr. Morreale and his wife, Annamarie.

“Riley has been a total gentleman from day one,” Mr. Morreale said. “He’s great with the kids, and we often find him in my daughter’s room. He seems to find a lot of comfort there. It makes me think there was another little girl who loved him.”

The name and cellphone number of Riley’s former family cannot be disclosed by the shelter. The family did not respond to an interview request, relayed to them by Ms. Hollywood.

“I think they’re still in Stamford,” she said. “We know Riley’s had a very happy landing. I wish we could be as certain about that family.”

E-mail: conn@nytimes.com

Is the Pet Industry Recession Proof?

Is the pet industry recession-proof? So far, New Yorkers still spending on pets

BY Lauren Johnston

DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Updated Tuesday, March 31st 2009, 10:42 AM New Yorkers are finding all sorts of ways to save their pennies as the economy worsens – but so far it seems Fluffy and Fido have been spared the household budget cuts.

Americans spent $43.2 billion on their animals in 2008 and are on track to shell out $45.4 in 2009, according to a report from the American Pet Products Association.
 
Calls to several of the city’s high-end pet boutiques confirmed that (for the most part) sales for toys, treats and grooming are holding steady though the shopping lists these days are not quite as extravagant.

For example, the Upper East Side deluxe boutique Le Chien has not sold any of its made-to-order $6,500 pet cabanas lately – and even had a client cancel an order – but they are moving tons of toys and treats.

“People are not exactly buying the mink throws or alligator collars, but they are still coming for the grooming every week and the toys,” said Edward Alava, who has been a manager at the shop for more than a decade.
 
Grooming at Le Chien starts at $125 and most patrons add on services like hot oil skin treatments and teeth-cleaning.
 
He’s also had a steady stream of long-distance business from clients who may have been laid off and are spending longer periods of time at their country homes instead of going to work in the city.

“A lot of people are asking me to set up a store in the Hamptons,” he said.

Chad Conway, co-owner of the Manhattan’s three tony Canine Styles shops, said his grooming business has remained robust as a matter of practicality – and hygiene.

“No matter what they’re going through in their lives, people are not going to deal with a dirty dog,” he said – adding that his clients report they are traveling less to save money and have the extra cash to  <span class=”fullpost”>splurge a bit on their furry friends.

The cheapest haircut at Canine Styles is $100 and grooming packages go up to $225.

And he can’t say for sure – but Conway suspects some clients are continuing to spoil their pets even after they’ve been hit with a pink slip

“There are people we never used to see – who were just names on the appointment book – and the nanny or butler picked up the dog, but now we see the owner,” he said.

Denise Paradiso – who handles merchandising at the East Side deluxe boarding house The Ritzy Canine – said her daycare profits have remained strong even as some clients have lost their jobs and now spend the day at home.

Private rooms for pets there go for up to $175 per night and daycare packages range from about $45 per day to between $550 and $660 for a 20-day package.

“We’ve seen people stretch their daycare package a little bit. People say, ‘I may have to only come three days a week,’ because they’ve gotten laid off, but they are not giving that up,” Paradiso said.

The Ritzy Canine hosts between 50 to 65 daycare dogs each day, she said. At Didi’s Dog Boutique in DUMBO, patrons might make a beeline for the sale bin, but they are still coming, said Felix Fung, who runs the shop with his wife Sonia.

Fung described his shop as “cheap chic,” and said his regular clients continued coming even after the shop left its home on the Bowery last year and crossed the East River to set up in Brooklyn.

Alava says customers at Le Chien have not only continued to shop for their pets – they’ve talked about adding pets to their animal broods.

And he said he’s not surprised that pet shops haven’t suffered financially – at least so far.

“Times are tough, but pets come first. Your best friend comes first,” he said. </span>

President Obama’s Animal Friendly Posts

President-elect Barack Obama has made his most animal-relevant Cabinet appointments: Secretary of Agriculture and Secretary of the Interior. Former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack has received the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS)’s resounding endorsement as the next Secretary of Agriculture. Approximately 90,000 animal advocates petitioned Obama through the HSUS website to appoint Vilsack for this post based on his solid record of animal protection.

U.S. Senator Ken Salazar of Colorado will serve as Secretary of Interior. His appointment marked a disappointment for animal advocates, given Salazar’s mixed record in support of animal legislation. As Secretary of the Interior, Salazar will oversee the enforcement of wildlife laws, including the Endangered Species Act and Migratory Bird Treaty Act. For his part, Vilsack will assume responsibility for enforcing laws relating to puppy mills and animal fighting, as well as oversee the Animal Welfare Act and Humane Methods of Slaughter Act.

Kelly…Animal Communicator Saves the Day!

My dear friend, Kelly, sent me this email. Her excitement and relief is just palpable…My mom called about 4 pm this afternoon in hysterics.  Her 17 year old terrier mix, Harley was missing. They have a doggie door which Harley would go out, do his business and come back in.  Mom worked today and while she was a work, Wally wasn’t paying attention to Harley’s whereabouts.  They typically don’t have to because Harley is blind and deaf, so he doesn’t stray.  

Well today Harley decided to stray.  Mom and Wally searched the neighborhood for hours.  They live in rural central AZ.  Tonight it’s dropping down to 20 and they are expecting snow. I told mom to email a picture of Harley to me.  I sent it to a friend of mine who is an animal communicator.

She went online and got a satellite picture of Mom’s neighborhood.  Linda was able to get in touch with Harley.  He decided to go on an adventure and got lost.  Linda told him to stay still, to find a bush to lay next to, since he is blind he couldn’t see where to go.  Linda then told my parents that Harley was between Telephone Rd. and Encanto Dr.  They know Telephone Rd., but never heard of Encanto Dr.  So Wally took off and drove down Telephone Rd., he pulled over and walked down a path, thru a field and found Harley laying next to some tall grass.  

Wally looked at a map to see when Encanto Dr. was, he said that was exactly where he found Harley.

Now, mind you, my step-dad WAS a HUGE skeptic, he only drove down Telephone Rd. because of his guilt of not watching the dog. We are all still amazed and thankful that Harley was found and is safe at home.

I’ve used Linda for animal communication, but never for a lost animal.  She is amazing.