December's Volunteer of the Month!

By Alecia

We have some amazingly, wonderful selfless volunteers! So selfless, in fact, that many people (no matter how long you've been following us) don't know any of our names! So we decided to start putting a face (and some back-story) to our names. This month's Volunteer of the Month is our beautiful Jenny R! You would not believe how many Jens/ Jennys/ Jennifers we have in our group but each one stands out in their own remarkable way. Read about Jenny R below and see why we love her so! :)






ABOUT YOUR PETS


How many pets do you have and what are their names?
I have 3 pets. Meka-Lab Mix,Callie-GSD/Husky, and Ollie-Cat All Rescues!!!
Meka
Callie

Do you use cute “pet names” or middle names for them?
"Cal-Bell" "Meekmeek" Before my nephew could say Ollie, he would call him Lala.

Come on… Who’s your favorite and why?
I will always have a special place in my heart for all my animals, but especially Callie because she was my first pet since moving out of my parent's house. Brian and I adopted her together and specifically found a place to move that accepts pets.

What is your favorite thing to do with your dogs?
We do a lot of hiking. They love it and get so excited. We also take them on vacation with us every year to Manitoulin Island in Canada. They get to be outside all day and can swim in the lake anytime they want. Callie also does dock diving.

How many fosters have you had so far?
I honestly have no idea. Including the Humane Society and Paws and Prayers, it would be around 60. I do have pictures of every dog we have fostered.

Who was your favorite so far and why?
Maddox without question. She was a sweet boxer mix from Summit that I immediately fell in love with. I begged Brian everyday to let me adopt her. If I had not been pregnant at the time, I think he would have said yes. I even started crying when the people who ended up adopting her just started to fill out the application at Petsmart. I won't even describe how I was when I had to leave their house after dropping her off. Lol
Maddox
What has been your greatest challenge in fostering?
A dog named Val. She was so sweet, but did not trust people very easily. Once she bonded with you, she would protect you till the end. She also was notorious for escaping my house/yard. I have never chased a dog around my neighborhood so much. Being 7-9 months pregnant, that was a lot of fun.

Val

It has also been challenging to balance fostering with a baby and working full-time. My husband and I make it work because rescue is very important to us.

What do you feel has been your greatest accomplishment in fostering?
Fostering the scared, very under socialized dogs that you think are going to take a long time to rehabilitate and find a home for. Once you get them into your home and they start to feel safe, it is amazing how fast they come out of their shell and start acting like a typical dog. A foster home can make a world of difference for a dog.


AND NOW A LITTLE PERSONAL

What made you interested in fostering?
I have always loved animals and always had pets growing up. We always adopted or would keep strays that we were unable to find the owners. At one point I had dogs, cats, hamsters, hermit crabs, snakes, lizards, frogs, gerbils, and turtles. Needless to say, I think I drove my mom slightly crazy. :-) I remember going to the pounds and shelters when I was young and how sad I felt for all of them. I wanted to help get animals out of the pound and into loving homes.

How did you first get involved with Paws and Prayers?
I was at Petsmart and noticed a table set up with Paws and Prayers information on it. I started to talk to the person that was at the table and they gave me more information on fostering. I was fostering with the Humane Society, but puppies were getting to be too difficult with my work schedule.

How long have you been involved in animal rescue?
I would like to say all my life :-) I have been involved with fostering for over 3 years. This is my second year with Paws and Prayers.

What is your life like outside of rescue?
What life?! LOL I really enjoy hanging out at home with my husband, my 5 month old son, and all my animals. I also enjoy hiking, going out with friends and family, and reading books.



Any siblings or significant others we should know about?
My husband, Brian, who helps out a lot with our fosters. I also have a sister, 2 brothers, and a nephew. My nephew is my "test dummy" to see if my foster is good with kids.
Brian with baby Liam
Finish the sentence: The one thing that ALWAYS puts a smile on my face is…
My son, Liam. He makes me smile and laugh multiple times a day. I especially love when he looks at the dogs and "talks"to them. The dogs also make him smile and laugh a lot.



Greatest thing this year has brought you?
I again will have to say my son, Liam. I never could imagine that someone so little could bring so much joy to my life.

So, that is our amazing Jenny R in a nutshell! If you ever see her at an event, make sure to say "hi." She always has a smile on her face and it's one of those contagious ones that can make a bad day go good. Thank you for everything you do!

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Zylo's Happy Tail

By Alecia

Ok, we do a LOT of talking about how fostering is the greatest thing in the world and it's so "bittersweet" and how seeing our fosters off to their forever homes is the best thing ever and blah blah blah. Ok, well, I guess it's not ALWAYS like that. I'm going to take a moment to reason with you here and give you the complete, 100% honest truth... The majority of us have at least one "failed" foster. One sweety that we just could not give up. This story is about the dog that I gave up but could not give up again. His name is Zylo.

Zylo's SCAC intake photo

Zylo was picked up as a stray by the Summit County Animal Control (SCAC) back in December of 2009. He earned the nickname "Mr. 004" from his pound number 12-004 and the fact that he was so reserved yet charming that they swore he was a doggie Bond. At the time, I had been assigned the task of cross-posting the dogs that had been at the SCAC the longest in hopes that by listing them on our site we could get them adopted before they would even need to be brought into rescue, but that's another story.

I was on a theme: "A New Beginning." 12-004 was a rugged and manly looking dog, maybe even a little scary. This "akita mix" needed a manly name to commence his new beginning. I settled on Denovo, italian for "anew."

Denovo sat at the pound for a WHILE. Two months, to be exact. I had just adopted out my latest foster, Romeo, a nutty but loveable mastiff pup, so was looking for my next project. Denovo was the top of the list, having been at the pound for weeks longer than anyone else. To be honest, a part of me didn't want to take him. He was kind of scary looking in his pictures and it made me nervous. Fortunately, in rescue you don't pick and choose who you take, you take whomever is in the most need! So, Cory and I trekked down to SCAC to meet Denovo.

Zylo seeing Momma Mary Shelley through delivery
I was secretly hoping that Cory would be frightened by him too and we could just tell Jen (at this time our President) and have someone else take the scary dog. Hey, we were new fosters then! When we arrived at the pound we found that Denovo was currently being prepped for his neuter: there would be no seeing him today. So Cory and I strode around, leisurely looking at the other cats and dogs not about to have their genitals whacked, and then left.

Denovo was still on our site so when we got home, I decided to show Cory Big-Scary-Dog and sure enough, Cory decided he WAS scary looking! But in an awesome way. He declared that Big-Scary-Dog looked like a WEREWOLF! And with boyish enthusiasm, Cory asked if he could name him. I knew I didn't have a chance. Cory chose the wereworlf name, Zylo, from a video game called Shining Force.

The next day I drove back down to the pound to pick up Zylo. I was somewhat relieved to see he was much smaller than I had anticipated, which in turn, made him much less intimidating. He didn't seem too interested in me, was just taking in his surroundings, happy to be outside in the sun and able to sniff around the comfortably cool winter air. We did a little walk around so he could go potty before he made his way into my car. He wasn't a "puller" so I kept the leash pretty lax in my hands and just enjoyed the short walk right along with him.

One of Zylo's many clown faces!
When it was time to turn to the car, the leash slipped from between my fingers and Zylo was off at a slow trot towards the gate! I followed after him and my heart slowed as he started to hit North Street. Luckily the cars had seen him coming and came to a stop. I was able to catch up, plant a firm foot on his leash and sheepishly lug myself and Zylo back into the gated parking lot. I never told anyone that story until now because I was afraid I would never be allowed to pick up a dog from the pound again! A little sweat and some flushing of my cheeks became the first bit of mortar that was going to bind us.

Cory was excited to see Zylo when he got home from work. The sweet boy met Ari, our personal dog, and two foster puppies we had at the time, Tifa and Yuna. He fit in like he had always belonged. As Cory walked through the door Zylo stole one of the puppy's toys and began tossing it to himself. Just one of his many silly whimsies that I would come to enjoy.


That weekend was the first weekend of many adoption events to come. We sat patiently waiting for potential adopters to come meet Zylo and fall endlessly in love. It never happened. Zylo was very stand-offish with new people, never aggressive, just always observing as if he didn't trust you or was silently playing the part of juror. He was cold with everyone that met him and no one wants to adopt the cold dog. They want the butt-wiggling, face kissing, always smiling dog to brighten up their life, not another entity to judge them. The only real interest he got was from a family looking for a guard dog. Zylo still looked the part of Big-Scary-Dog in person, but in our home, he had become a sweet and loveable clown the puppies loved to bounce on. I wanted someone that would love him, not use him.


I found that someone in our second month of fostering Zylo. It was a family from a suburb of Cleveland that just so happened to wander into the Fairlawn PetSmart where we were hosting an adoption event. I have no idea how they wound up there of all places but it seemed like fate to me! The husband fell madly in love and set up an appointment for his wife to meet Zylo and to bring him home the next day. It was amazing!

As I drove Zylo to our appointment, the JERK decided that of all the times to show affection, pulling into the parking lot for his adoption would be best! He nuzzled my neck as I prepared to hook left into our parking space. He had never nuzzled me before and I found great comfort in it. He had given me love.

Zylo dock diving
I wish I could say that I spoke with the lady and told her I was never, ever giving this dog up because I had fallen MADLY in love with him, but again, that's not how rescue works. You see them off to their new home and give yourself a pat on the back while you help the next dog on to their new life. We went over all of the adoption paperwork, I took her check and she took Zylo's leash and off he was to his new family. My current foster, Pavlov, is foster number 81. Out of the 81 animals I have fostered, Zylo was the only one that made me cry.

I got a call from Zylo's new family a couple weeks later. His new aunt had been diagnosed with a very aggressive form of cancer and was terminal. A lot of family members have been in and out of the house, and with Zylo's stand-off nature, he was becoming extremely stressed under the circumstances. The family was very upset to have to let him go but decided it was not right to keep him living in a situation that brought him great discomfort. So, Zylo found his way back into my heart and home.

Bringing his ball back for another go
When Zylo walked back through our doors, I knew there was no giving him up again! We crossed the threshold, closed the door and I bounced to the floor to wrap my arms around him! He gave a little growl, which we came to know more as a little moan of elation, and he threw his head into my chest to slide down on his back for belly rubs.

He has, at times, been the sole reason for me being able to trudge along in a battle against my manic and depressed episodes. He is my jogging partner, my cuddle buddy and my "happy." I often joke with friends that I am on the anti-depressant "Zylo" because there is just no being sad with him around. You see his silly little clown face and you can't help but smile. He snuggles you and you know there is no other place he would rather be. How could that not make you feel good?

Since joining my home, Zylo has been brought up to a healthy weight. He absolutely adores his sister, Ari; the two are inseparable! He loves going to the dog parks and his favorite thing in the whole world (besides me of course!) is dock diving! He's been in a couple of competitions and loves the extra attention he gets. It's there that we found he is a Dutch Shepherd (look them up, they're beautiful!) and not an "akita mix." His cool attitude that kept adopters away garners him great praise at competitions because he is so well behaved and acts like the things he just accomplished are "no big deal." He literally plays it cool. I couldn't imagine Zylo having a happier life and I could not imagine having a happier life without him; the dog that I gave up but could not give up again. :)
Zylo (right) with his sister Ari

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December's Facebook Fan of the Month!

By Alecia

Everyone meet Joyce! We figured she was a prime candidate for the very first Fan of the Month as she is one lucky gal! Back in October she won our status contest which won her a ticket to our fundraiser in November. In November, at our fundraiser, she then won our 50/50 raffle! We're going to make it at least a 3 month winning streak as now in December she's our Fan of the Month! Joyce was mom to two wonderful dogs named Bernie and Roscoe and she just exudes "animal-lover!" We were happy to meet her at the fundraiser and are happy to have you all meet her now!


How many pets do you have and what are their names?

My last two forever dogs were Roscoe and Bernie. They both lived around 14 years.
Bernie (left) and Roscoe




What was your first connection to Paws and Prayers?

Years ago I saw a scared dog in the park across from my house. He was living there. I started putting out food and water for him but he was too scared for me to approach him. After calling several places I did find a groomer from petsmart who came to my house and helped me catch him. At the time I had my two dogs. I cared for him in a crate in my spare room. The girl from Petsmart helped me get him connected with Marty who got him into Paws and Prayers. I kept him a few days until they could move him into a foster home. Even though he was scared I could tell he was happy to be somewhere safe…and that he had food and water and TLC like he deserved. He was adopted through Paws and Prayers.

Then a couple years later I again collected a scared, exhausted dog from the park. I asked Paws and Prayers for help. With the helpful advice from the many members of Paws and Prayers I did find her owners. She lived several blocks from me and escaped from her yard over July 4th.

What is the best thing about rescue pets?

Knowing they were given a second chance to find a wonderful forever homes!

You find out that all television shows are to be cancelled except for the ONE show you can save! What show is it?

Sorry…I can’t think of one TV show worth saving. Just give me a good book!

Christmas is right around the corner; have you been good?

Yes

Finish the sentence: The one thing that ALWAYS puts a smile on my face is…

a happy photo of a dog, cat, or other animal.


Greatest thing this year has brought you?

A family gathering in Erie, Pa. Photos of my ancestors from 1900 and 1908. I am big into family tree research and preserving older family photos.


Congratulations on everything, again, Joyce! You are a wonderful woman and we are so happy to have you as a supporter! You are an important cog in our rescue machine! :)

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