Kennedy

This is Kennedy, one of the cutest puppies I've ever seen. He is a lovely chocolate brown with tan markings and light green eyes outlined in brown. He's an exotic looking little boy!

Kennedy was found in one of our local parks by a kind woman who worried about the cold temperatures that night and asked if we could help him. Kennedy is available for adoption at: www.homewardbound2u.rescuegroups.org.

Sweet Avery

Meet Avery, one of our newest foster boys.

A few weeks ago, I was asked to consider helping a beautiful yellow lab in a Georgia shelter who was in danger. I took a look at the website and called about the dog. He had already been adopted, but I couldn't get the faces of the others I had seen out of my mind, and we made a seven hour trip to pull six of them. Avery is one of the sweet dogs who came home with us. He's a real love, 6-8 months old, and a collie mix. He's playful and full of joy now, very unlike the dog of just three weeks ago, who was heartwrenchingly sad.

Avery is available for adoption through Homeward Bound of PA: www.homewardbound2u.rescuegroups.org. Check out his web page there.

Lessons From the Rescue Front

Without doubt, I have learned many things from my involvement with dog rescue. One of those things is that there are many good people in this world trying to do good things. The bad stuff that you hear in these efforts is sometimes enough to make you question how God continues to put up with us - case in point a dog whose human had poured gasoline over him to get rid of what was thought to be a case of mange - these are the days when the whole thing just seems impossible.

But then there are days like yesterday when good people step forward to help others that remind me it's not all bleak. Lost Dog Rescue - www.lostdogrescue.org - a group in Fairfax, VA took in 4 of our foster dogs yesterday. Melanie S. returned home with wonderful reports of the Lost Dog Ranch and the lovely people involved with the group. Thank you so much to them and to Melanie for spending her day driving Paulie, Sophie, Shep and Lydia to Fairfax where they will hopefully find their new families.

For Melanie, this wasn't easy. Letting go of dogs that you've fostered and become attached to is painful. That's the hardest part of this effort, really. Each dog takes a little piece of your heart with them, and no matter how many times you do it, it really doesn't get easier. But it is only in letting one go on to another home that you can help another. That is why we continue to do this. There is always another dog or cat in need of the same opportunity.

Above: Lydia, known to our family as Ly-ly.

Many Thanks

After a 13 hour drive - one way - 12 dogs from the Franklin County Animal Shelter arrived safe and sound in New Hampshire last night at about 6:30 p.m. These were all adult dogs who will hopefully be adopted into families who will see them for the special individuals they are. Thank you so very much to all the staff at the NHSPCA Stratham. We are grateful. Here, Owen, one of the Retriever-mix boys getting a new start on life.

New Hampshire Bound

Great day today for our rescue efforts. The New Hampshire Stratham SPCA -www.nhspca.org - agreed to take 12 of our dogs, many of whom we pulled from our county shelter last week when an influx of dogs meant there was no more space for these and their number was up. This is a wonderful group who usually places the dogs very quickly, and we are so grateful for their continued willingness to help. Above, Baxter, one of the boys hitching a ride on our loaded Excursion bound for New Hampshire tomorrow.