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Entry bubble Donating to Animal Shelters This Holiday

By: Ginger | December 11, 2009 | Category: General

Ginger's Note: Our guest blogger this week is my dog. The blog below is his story... I just typed the words for him.

Ginger's dog, ConroeHello, I'm Conroe. Over 2 years ago my human was taken to a hospital. Someone was supposed to come take me in, but no one did, so I remained on the porch of my house waiting for my human to return. I waited for a long, lonely time. Thank goodness for the kindness of some neighbors who brought me food and water.

The Converse Animal Shelter staff would occasionally stop by to check on me. They invited me to go to the shelter with them, but I declined. I needed to stay at my house so my human could find me when he came home. All I had was my blanket and a chew toy to keep me company. I waited for as long as I could for my human to return, but he never came. One day, I went to the car with the shelter ladies. When they invited me to come, I looked back at my house one last time and I knew that it was time to go.

Life at the shelter was good. I had regular meals and other animals to talk to. I liked being around the shelter folks too. They took me for walks, petted me, and made me feel welcomed. Life was very busy at the shelter for me. I had important jobs like barking at strangers and sniffing other dogs to make sure they passed muster.

Lots of people would come to the shelter looking to adopt a pet. We would all get so excited with the hope of getting a home and some new humans. I would always wag my tail fiercely and be very friendly, but many times the humans were looking for kitties or puppies. Sometimes humans would come in looking for an adult dog, but when they found out I was 8 years old and I had a heart problem, they would pass me by.

I was in the shelter for about a year. I was promoted to shelter greeter. I would meet visitors at the door and show them around the place. Despite really loving my job and being happy enough at the shelter, I still hoped for a home of my own.

Then last Christmas a lady came to the shelter. I greeted her and showed her around the place. She looked briefly at the kitties and puppies. The whole time she kept bending over to pet and talk to me. She went up to the desk and told a staff member that she was looking to rescue an older dog and she asked about me. I was so excited!

I held my breath when they told her my age and about my heart problem. The lady bent down, held my chin, looked deep into my gentle, brown eyes, and then she said the most wonderful thing in the world, “Even a sweet old-timer with a faulty ticker needs a good home, right?” She adopted me and took me home for Christmas!

I love snuggling up with my lady and being petted. I have 2 other dogs and a cat to hang out with. I love my family, although I have to keep a close eye on the cat. Keeboo is always swatting my behind and raising her paw to give me a high five. She seems to think she is a football player.

If it hadn't been for the shelter taking me in and giving me a safe place to live until I was adopted, I probably wouldn't be here telling this story today. If you have the resources, please consider adopting a pet this holiday from an animal shelter.

If you can't adopt an animal, the Humane Society, American Society for the Prevention and Cruelty to Animals, or your local animal shelter can always use cash donations to pay for medicine, spaying/neutering, and pet supplies. You can always donate supplies or volunteer to help out around a shelter.

On a final note, animal abuse generally increases during tough economic times. As people get more stressed they can begin taking their frustration and anger out on family pets. If you of know of animal abuse, please check out this reporting animal abuse page or contact the ASPCA.

To my fellow rescued pets, please post a comment and share your rescue story. I will have my human help me post your comments!

| View Comments [22] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: animal_shelters   donating   ginger   pet_adoption   pets  

Comments (22):

blue comment bubble Posted by Sandy on December 11, 2009 at 03:45 PM EST

Hello Ginger,

Re: Donating to Animal Shelters This Holiday:

Such a creative, sweet, funny, and touching blog post. The 2nd paragraph was heartwrenching! It truly put a story & face on the issue. I couldn't find the link to add a comment, so I'm emailing you instead. My hat's off to you for adopting Conroe and writing about it. I can't adopt a pet, but I'm thinking of donating to my local shelter now, thanks to your article.

Thank you!

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blue comment bubble Posted by Tika on December 11, 2009 at 03:46 PM EST

Conroe, please tell Ginger that I can't find the "post a comment" link at the bottom of your blog. I'm all paws when it comes to computers!

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blue comment bubble Posted by Conroe on December 11, 2009 at 03:49 PM EST

Tika, sorry for the confusion. My owner said the blog was experiencing some problems, but hopefully it's ok now. Thanks for reading! I hope you got a good home too!

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blue comment bubble Posted by Ginger on December 11, 2009 at 04:08 PM EST

Sandy, thanks for your comments. Conroe is the sweetest animal. Saying goodbye to him was a very emotional moment for all of the shelter folks... me too. Lots of tears and hugs! We are taking Conroe with us to the shelter this afternoon so he can say hello to his friends there, when we drop off our supply donation. I am pleased that you said you might donate, because there are so many sweet animals out there relying on the kind hearts of humans!

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blue comment bubble Posted by joan on December 11, 2009 at 04:32 PM EST

Hi Conroe and Ginger,
Aww, this was a two-hankie blog post. What a sweet story.
In this "throw-away" society, it really takes a special person to see the rewards that older pets bring to us.
Bless you both!

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blue comment bubble Posted by TribeFan on December 11, 2009 at 10:40 PM EST

In the two-plus year's of GovGab's existence, this is by far THE BEST post (but then I'm a sucker for talking dogs and pet stories with happy endings).

Please let Conroe write more posts! He's got a fresh voice and a perspective we don't hear often enough.

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blue comment bubble Posted by Noora on December 12, 2009 at 06:20 AM EST

Ginger, wow. You must be an ultra-human to have written (ahem! -*conveyed*) that lovely post. Thanks for the kind message.

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blue comment bubble Posted by Aileen (for Stalfos, the Husky) on December 12, 2009 at 02:31 PM EST

This is a wonderful post! I am a 2-year old siberian husky and was adopted by my humans when I was 6 months old.
I was brought to a shelter by my former humans, who apparently did not want me ... I heard my humans say something about me being a few inches too tall to be bred. But they don't care.
I live a good life here, together with a cat and two water turtles. They are tiny though and I am sure they don't really know I am there. The other cat is outside, which is a good thing, I guess, because she is very shy and fearful.
The other cat, Kyle, is my friend ... although he has no tail and I think he is jealous of mine *hehe*
Anwyay, Merry Christmas to all animals and humans alike!

~Stalfos, VA
***

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blue comment bubble Posted by Conroe on December 12, 2009 at 08:12 PM EST

Joan, thanks for reading my story. We older pets can be awesome! Most of us our housebroken! And, as rescued animals we are so very grateful. We know that we were saved by someone truly special. Even though I am a bit portly, I love climbing up on Ginger's lap and showing her how much I love her!

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blue comment bubble Posted by Ginger on December 12, 2009 at 08:21 PM EST

Noora, thanks for the compliment. It was a pleasure to write for Conroe. All people should have the opportunity to "step into" an animals paws for a while. What an eye opener, that would be!

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blue comment bubble Posted by Conroe on December 12, 2009 at 08:23 PM EST

Stalfos, the Husky, I was very pleased to read your story! I am so happy you found a good home too. Happy Holidays!

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blue comment bubble Posted by Conroe on December 12, 2009 at 08:25 PM EST

TribeFan, thanks for your kind words. Being a humble sort, your compliments made be blush! Hopefully, I will write more posts in the future. I think Keeboo, the cat, has been wanting to write a blog post too. She's a real pistol, so that ought to be interesting!

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blue comment bubble Posted by Unknown on December 14, 2009 at 08:12 AM EST

Great post!

Another wonderful organization is the Washington Animal Rescue League (WARL www.warl.org). They are located in DC, but take in animals from all over the country (puppy mills, natural disasters, etc. Their amazing medical center also allows them take in animals from other shelters that can't provide medical care.

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blue comment bubble Posted by TribeFan on December 14, 2009 at 09:45 AM EST

Conroe,

I think that would be great if Keeboo were to write a post or two as well. Cats definitely have a lot to say, and I'm sure Keeboo is no exception.

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blue comment bubble Posted by Hollis Mason on December 14, 2009 at 09:54 AM EST

Awesome post! My name is Hollis and I'm an orange tabby cat. I'm really not sure how old I am because I never bothered to keep track, but my vet thinks I'm anywhere from 6-9 years old. I don't feel a day over 3, though!

My life before the shelter is a bit of a mystery, though I came to the rescue as already declawed and neutered, so it was obvious I was someone's cat before. Did I run away? Was I dumped on the street? I'm not saying, because I'm saving that for my memoir!

I had lungworms when the nice ladies at the rescue saved me from the street, and though I received great treatment, it left me with some internal scarring that resulted in me being QUITE a noisy cat! I snore, I hum, and when I purr its VERY loud and sounds like a pigeon cooing. How many cats do you know that can make bird calls? I've got talents! Anyway, my foster mom loved me very much and I think she didn't really want to let me go, but she knew there were more cats out there that needed foster homes, and she parted with me so I could go to my new parents. That was in November 2008, and what a happy holiday season it was for all of us last December, with me under the tree knocking off all the ornaments! I'm loved very much and happy to be spending yet another Christmas with my forever family.

Happy Holidays to all my fellow shelter pets,
Hollis Mason

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blue comment bubble Posted by wondolyn 007 on December 14, 2009 at 06:49 PM EST

I feel it's very important to donate to the shelters animals is an extension to our families and should be cared for. I believe as good stewarts of the earth it's our morale duty to see that all animals are taken care of.

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blue comment bubble Posted by Ginger on December 15, 2009 at 07:12 AM EST

Hollis, it sounds like you've got yourself a wonderful human. Although my friend Keeboo was rescued off the streets, she too had clearly been someone's pet. She still had her flea collar on. We don't know her story, but we are very happy that she is part of our family.

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blue comment bubble Posted by Ginger on December 15, 2009 at 07:19 AM EST

Wondolyn 007, I too feel a responsibility towards animals. When I hear stories of animal neglect and abuse, it sickens me. I think people sometimes forget that animals feel... they feel pain, sadness, and fear. They also feel happiness and joy. It is wonderful to see an animal that was sad and fearful regain happiness, when it is put back into a safe, loving environment.

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blue comment bubble Posted by Tiffany on December 16, 2009 at 01:22 PM EST

I just wanted to say that i was crying my head off at work while reading this... It is such a sad and a happy story!
My mom adopted a doggie who had been abandoned from a shelter last year at Easter and he is just the sweetest doggie ever. If you are looking for a dog, my suggestion would be to adopt because there are lots of little doggies out there who need our love and attention!

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blue comment bubble Posted by Hollie on December 17, 2009 at 08:38 PM EST

Along with donating directly to shelters, it's worth noting that many pet supply websites also make donations when you purchase items from them. The Camping Dog Supplies website (http://campingdogsupplies.com) is one such - in fact, there is a list of favorite rescue groups that it contributes to. And there are many others, as well.

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blue comment bubble Posted by http://bestantisnoringdevice.com on January 23, 2010 at 08:15 PM EST

i just like your post. Anything on snoring keeps curious

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blue comment bubble Posted by Joany on February 05, 2010 at 10:53 PM EST

I love it!! Rescue dogs are amazing- thank you for this post! I have had as many as eight dogs at a time and all of them rescued. ( clearly I have a problem.) My latest additions name is Willie and we got him from the nashville humane as a puppy, I have one older girl who was an abuse rescue and even after nine years if I think about why she has one eye my heart still breaks and last I have a ten year old pit bull that is a giant cuddle bug! Well again thanks for the post!

~Joany~
http://www.jrgbprospective.com/dogtrainingcourses-sit-stay-fetch

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