Contact Us
517.599.0995
1161 E. Clark Rd
Suite 262
Dewitt, MI 48820
Newsletter
Sign up for our newsletter email:

Archive for the ‘Animal Rescue 911’ Category

Dear ICACS Volunteers and Staff: Thank You.

Friday, March 28th, 2014

icacs ha 4 Recently, the Ingham County Animal Control and Shelter (ICACS) bestowed an amazing honor on AnnaBelle’s Pet Station: Corporate Humanitarian of the Year for 2013. We are honored, proud, and humbled. There are many amazing people, businesses, and organizations who contribute so much to animal welfare in our community in countless ways.

icacs trisha dylanWe support events, promote the animals available for adoption, help raise money for the shelter, and offer free and discounted training services. But, each and every day, there are dozens of people at the shelter walking dogs, caring for puppies, kittens, bunnies and more, cleaning up after the animals, and giving their love to all the animals in the shelter and foster care. Every day, they are on the roller coaster of amazing success stories and heartbreaking cases of abuse and neglect. These are the people who give not just their time; they give their blood, sweat, tears, hearts and so much more to animals in need in our community.

icacs HAYes, we have made contributions to ICACS in many ways and love to do so. But, the honor of this award was even being included in the same room with all of those who are working in the trenches, saving lives, and making our community safer every day. We want the shelter staff and volunteers know how much we honor and respect their work. And without them, our small contributions would be meaningless.

Thank you shelter friends, for all you do. Much love, from the Team at AnnaBelle’s.

email

What Happens To Animals When You Die?

Thursday, November 17th, 2011

Turner!

Working in animal rescue, you come across more than your fair share of heart-wrenching stories and animals who have survived terrible conditions and yet still want nothing more than to be loved by everyone. When Voiceless-MI pulled Turner and his partner in crime Hooch from the animal shelter, the volunteers discovered that Turner had some health concerns and had to undergo surgery. Even with all the changes, this little guy’s spirit just could not be shaken.

It turns out that Turner and Hooch were brought into the shelter because their owners had passed away. I had a hard time imagining that the extended family of Turner and Hooch’s owners could decline the sweet faces of those dogs who had just lost their owners. But sometimes people simply do not have the ability to take in two dogs unexpectedly. So, without any other plans in place they were forced to take Turner and Hooch to the local animal shelter. Turner, with his adorable “smile” and spunky attitude, then became the Fido’s Future spokes-dog–a project started as a way to educate pet owners about actions they can take to plan for their pet’s future when faced with unfortunate events like unexpected owner hospitalization or even death.  Turner may have lost his family, been in a shelter and gone through surgery, but he has a second chance and he couldn’t be happier.

Willoughby When He Was Found

Shortly after we started Fido’s Future, we heard another story from a Good Samaritan about a dog found wandering alongside the road. The dog, named Willoughby, was placed in the same foster home where Turner and Hooch were living. Willoughby was dirty and his fur was matted and it was very clear that he had been wandering for quite a while on his own. Voiceless-MI took Willoughby to the veterinarian to be examined and they found that he had a micro-chip implanted. Everyone was excited to find Willoughby’s owners and return him to his home.

Willoughby After Some Pampering

Even though Willoughby’s owner had originally lived only a few towns over, he had died EIGHT months before the dog was found wandering in the road. The Voiceless-MI volunteers attempted to find out where Willoughby had been for those eight months, but their best guess was that he had been wandering around on his own during that time. Willoughby’s constant desire for attention, or even to just be touching a human, reinforced their fear that he had been alone for that entire eight months. Willoughby got a bath, his hair trimmed and eventually found a new forever home, as did Turner.

But not all pets get that lucky.

An estimated 400,000 pets per year must be re-homed because their owners pass away. Around 150,000 of those animals end up in local shelters after their owners pass away. For older pets, ending up in a shelter can be traumatic and they are often passed over for adoption by people seeking kittens and puppies. And the sad truth is that for many older pets, being brought to an animal shelter is likely a death sentence.

Most people would realize that an injured person has children at home that needs care, but not everyone thinks about whether the injured person has pets that are alone. We want to help pet owners think about these scenarios and put plans in place to protect their pets. We want to help keep dogs like Turner from ending up in an animal shelter when it can be avoided with a little planning.

Just In!

Hooch is mentioned as Turner’s partner in crime. They had the same owner and were pulled from the shelter together. When Hooch was brought into the rescue some x-rays showed a large mass in his abdomen and we were told that he would not survive much longer. His foster mom was amazing enough to offer him a place to live out his days. After a few months, Turner was adopted and Hooch did not seem to be getting any worse so they took him back to the vet. They did new x-rays and the mass was gone. The vet said it may have been a shadow or gas, but that he was healthy. But now he is looking for a home without Turner, and he is having a problem finding a forever home because he is a bit older. If you know someone who can adopt Hooch, please contact us.



About the Author

Guest writer Becki is a recent law school graduate who rescues animals in her free time. She is heading up Fido’s Future and hopes that if you are an animal lover you will show support by following the project on Facebook.

Barney Rubble’s Story

Thursday, September 30th, 2010

Barney Rubble at his home in Detroit

Barney's old dog house and the new dog house Mary bought for him

We’d like you to meet Barney Rubble, a 100 pound Rottweiler, who despite living outside on a chain in Detroit, was pretty well-cared for and has a super-sweet, loving disposition. His family saved him from being a guard dog at a local business, but they didn’t have the means to care for him. A kind soul named Mary, driving through his neighborhood in Detroit on her way to work, stopped by and asked his family if they needed help caring for him. Thankfully, they said yes. For over a year, Mary stopped to see Barney Rubble twice a day, feeding and watering him, changing the straw in his new dog house that she got for him, giving him love and affection, and playing ball with him – his very favorite past-time!

Guardian angel Mary took Barney to the vet, and had all his vaccinations done, as she had done with other dogs in this neighborhood. She made sure Barney was very well-fed and he was even a little chubby – she liked to call him her “little cow.” Between Mary and his family, Barney was loved.

All in all, Barney didn’t have such a bad life. Until his family’s house burned down. His family, under their dire circumstances, left Barney in Mary’s care. Unfortunately, Mary could not take Barney home with her because she lives in a small apartment. Mary’s mother, another guardian angel, had already taken in three large stray dogs and could not take another. Mary could not bear the thought of Barney Rubble being picked up by animal control or being taken by someone with bad intentions. She contacted the Rottweiler Rescue to see if they could help. Coincidentally, the folks at the Rottweiler Rescue knew that AnnaBelle’s was looking for a foster dog to go through training classes, be socialized in day care, and turned into a upstanding member of the community.  And so the match was made! Barney became AnnaBelle’s first foster dog.

Barney's Family Home After it Burned to the Ground

Barney’s First Day at AnnaBelle’s

Erinn Hadley, trainer and professional handler, temperament tested Barney Rubble and found him to have a sound temperament, with no toy or food aggression. Thankfully, Barney does not have any fear of people and clearly views them as the source of all good things for him. He has a true affection for people and just wants someone by his side. After giving Barney some time to adjust, our groomer and professional pet stylist, Michelle van Kleef, gave Barney a good scrubbing. Michelle reports that Barney was a very well-behaved during the grooming process, despite the fact that he’s probably never had a bath before!

Next, Barney went to see veterinarian and good friend of AnnaBelle’s, Dr. Joyce Heideman at the Southside Animal Hospital. Dr. Joyce said Barney was in pretty good shape – except, he was heartworm positive. Not surprising news, but a little disappointing. The Rottweiler Rescue offered to pay for his heartworm treatment and soon, Barney Rubble was on his way to good health.  He is now nine weeks out from his heartworm treatment and doing very well!

Happiness!

Barney just started his beginning obedience classes. Our wonderful interns from the Michigan State University Pre-Veterinary Medicine program, began working with Barney in classes with Carol Hein-Creger and Erinn Hadley of the Canine Training Center this week. This is no easy task. While Barney is sweet and kind, he is also 100 pounds of determined Rottweiler and has had no previous training whatsoever! But our interns are doing an amazing job. They have even volunteered to work with Barney on the weekends so that he gets practice, activity, and positive reinforcement.

Barney also loves other dogs. He still gets a little over-excited when he meets new dogs, but loves to romp and play with other large dogs, especially other Rottweilers and pitbulls. Last week, he spent several days at Carol Hein-Creger’s house and got to play with her long-haired foster Rottweiler, Skye, and another Rottweiler, Amos. Barney had so much fun! Soon, Barney will be neutered (Skye and the rest of us will be very thankful) and the AnnaBelle’s Team will continue to work on his house training and getting him well-socialized in AnnaBelle’s Day Care Depot. We hope that Barney will be ready for adoption in a few months, after he completes 12 weeks of training classes.

This is been such an amazing team effort at AnnaBelle’s. All of our staff (and many friends) have pitched in, cared for Barney, worked with Barney, loved Barney, and fought over who he loves best. When we find the right family, it will be difficult to let him go, as anyone who has fostered a dog knows. But making Barney Rubble the best possible canine companion and finding him the right forever home is our goal, even if it makes us tear up and sniffle … a lot.

UPDATE: After only week on Petfinder, through a courtesy posting by Voiceless-MI, Barney Rubble found his forever home! He was adopted by an experienced Rottweiler owner, who lives in Grand Blanc, MI on a large property with plenty of room for Barney to run and play with his new Rottie sister!

Urgent Rescues or Fosters from the Rottweiler Rescue of Michigan!

Sunday, October 25th, 2009

From the Rottweiler Rescue of Michigan:

GratiotmomURGENT – ADOPT or FOSTER by TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27

This very special family needs your help to save their lives. Through no fault of their own they are in one of Michigan’s saddest shelters where happy endings for the pets are far and few between. All pets who are not lucky enough to be reclaimed by their owners or adopted by new families go to a class B animal dealer. Class B animals dealers make their living from selling pets for research. A fate far worse than death.

GratiotlitterMom looks to be about 2 and the puppies are 6 weeks old. And if you foster for the Rottweiler Rescue, they will take care of the dog’s medical needs. Rescue is all about hopes and dreams – you can make the difference between this family having their dreams of a happy life come true, or, the worst possible nightmare of becoming a research experiment. They’re depending on you! Please note MSU is having many problems delivering the website online applications. Since time is of the essence please email silvar@msu.edu and the Rottweiler
Rescue
will send you an application by email that you can fill in and send back just by hitting your ‘reply’ key.

Have Questions About Adopting a Pet? We’ve Got Answers!

Sunday, July 19th, 2009

links3As we written about before, AnnaBelle’s is dedicated to all dogs, but we have a special soft spot for rescue dogs. We encourage those looking for that special addition to their family to look to their local animal shelters and rescues. The right dog might just be waiting out there for you!

We have some tips from Adopt-A-Pet.com to help answer your questions about pet adoption and rescue dogs. Adopt-a-Pet.com is the world’s largest non-profit pet adoption website. They are like an ad agency for shelters and shelter pets. Sadly, there are 4 million healthy adoptable companion animals killed in shelters each year due to overcrowding. Adopt-A-Pet.com does its best to relieve that problem and put pets from shelters in the homes of pet seekers all over the country. Their website makes it easy for anyone with an internet connection to find profiles and pictures of adoptable animals by location, breed, gender, age, size, and color. Over 8,000 shelters posts pets on their website, displaying over 125,000 pets available for adoption at any given time. Adopt-A-Pet.com also help volunteers connect with shelters, and currently hosts thousands of people listed in its volunteer database for shelters.

Common Questions About Pet Adoption

Question: Although there are literally millions of pets in shelters, pounds and other ‘temporary housing’, many pet-owners-to-be don’t think about pet adoption when they’re looking for their new four-legged friend. Why do you think this is, and what can be done to turn that around?

Answer: Many people who want to get a pet just are not aware of how many pets are available at shelters. They might also have the misconception that pets are shelters might be there because there was a problem with the animal. In fact, most pets end up in shelters not because of any problem pet behavior, but because an owner died, moved, or simply didn’t have the time or money to care for the animal. In some cases animals are lost and never found by their owners.  These animals are healthy and very eager to please. Rescues pets are wonderful- just ask anyone who has one.

Some people are seeking purebred animals or puppies and think these are not available in shelters. In fact, nearly a quarter of all animals in shelters are purebred. Often someone buys an expensive purebred animal and then attempts to breed that animal to recoup their money. Often these puppies or kittens are not placed in homes, and end up in the shelter. Puppies and kittens often up in shelters as well, but it is important to note that young animals, especially puppies, require a lot of work and training and can be quite destructive (peeing on the carpet or chewing shoes). Puppies are great, but often people are much happier getting a dog who is older, and whose size and temperament is a known quantity.

With Adopt-a-Pet.com and without even leaving their home, people can search all their local pets and see pictures and descriptions of the animals. This way, they can find the exact pet they want, call the animal shelter or rescue group, and get information on how to adopt that specific animal.

532252586_fyCGD-M-4Question: What are the 5 most important things a potential adopter should consider when choosing their new pet?

Answer:

1. You need to make a real commitment to care for your pet for its entire life.
2. Verify in advance that you’re allowed to keep a pet where you live.
3. Never adopt a pet on a whim or because you feel it’s love-at-first-sight
4. Provide sufficient exercise and stimulation, especially during the first several weeks, this will help the pet adjust.
5. Make any necessary modifications to your yard and fence to provide for your pet’s safety.

See more reasons at: http://www.adoptapet.com/public/guides/permanentpets.html.

Question: What are 5 positive aspects of pet adoption, and why it’s a good option?

Answer:
1. When you adopt an adult animal, you can see his/her size and temperament. This helps ensure that the pet is right for you and your family.
2. It feels great to know you have saved an animal’s life and everyone you meet will give you kudos  for years to come.
3. Adopted pets are very loyal and grateful that they have been given a new home.
4. Adopting a pet can be an important lesson to teach your children–both about the value of life, and also about civic responsibility and even recycling- in this case recycling a living and loving animal into a new home.
5. Choosing a mixed breed animal can help avoid many of the genetic health problems that have developed in purebred animal due overbreeding and inbreeding.

We hope that if you’re looking for a new furry family member, you’ll consider adopting a rescue dog.  AnnaBelle’s has listed several rescues located in the Greater Lansing Area on its website. Many more can be found on Adopt-A-Pet.com.