Guard Your Heart by Guarding Theirs

By Alecia

What's your favorite thing about spring? The birds? The flowers? The trees coming into bloom? Kids playing outside again or you, yourself, getting outdoors to play? How about those mosquitoes? Oh, not the latter? Yeah, me neither. Not only are they pesky little things, but for our dogs, cats and ferrets, they can be fatal. 

In Ohio, and many other states, our mosquitoes have the potential to carry tiny roundworms called Dirofilaria immitis. Never heard of it? Probably because we know it better as "heartworm." If your beloved pet is not kept up on heartworm preventatives, and they are bit by a mosquito carrying this worm, you can expect the worm to travel into the bloodstream ultimately settling, growing and populating in your pet's heart and the arteries of the lungs. These worms can grow up to twelve inches long and can live between 5-7 years in the typical dog. When left untreated, the worms will continue to grow and populate until the heart and/ or lungs begin to rupture, fatally affecting your pet. So, you'll just get them treated if your pet catches it, right?

Wrong. Heartworm is not the kind of ailment you can simply treat and get rid of. The primary treatment in our area consists of two painful arsenic-based injections injected into the meaty muscle running down the spine. The injections are given a day apart and leave the animal's back sore for quite a while. Once the injections have been given, the animal must be on restricted activity for several weeks so that the body can absorb the dead worms without causing any further damage. A lot of the time, this means crate or kennel rest, which would drive most animals mad. If the animals are not kept on restricted activity, the worms can clot up and rupture arteries or find their way to the lungs wherein pulmonary failure is not uncommon. This treatment not only costs hundreds of dollars (over a grand at some clinics) but it causes both the animal and its loving family great stress. Any animal that must go through heartworm treatment more than once, often dies from complications of treatment, so it is important for them to stay on preventatives, even after having been treated for them in the past.

Click "lungs" and "heart" to see real photos of heartworm infestations. WARNING: Photos are extremely graphic!

But that won't happen to you, right? Wrong again. Heartworm is becoming more and more prominent as the years go on. Heartworm was originally only reported in the southern most muggy states, like Texas, but the problem has traveled all across our country. There have even been reports in Alaska! Anywhere that there are mosquitoes there is a risk of heartworm. Ohio is especially vulnerable with the muggy summers and falls. The mild winter and early warm weather we have had over the past year means that the risk has increased exponentially. Many vets once thought mosquito season was the only time to keep animals on preventatives. Now, all vets seem to suggest year-round preventative to keep pets safe with the unpredictable weather patterns of the past few years.

Barry, still looking for his home!
I never thought that my animals were at risk. Heartworm was a big, intangible disease like avian flu or SARS, affecting only people I've never heard of in places I've never been. Getting involved in rescue, I have been tip-toeing around it in my own backyard! I, personally, have fostered several fosters that have been through heartworm treatment: Makin, a sweet rottweiler mix; Bessie, an adorable border collie; Emari, a handsome boxer mix; and Barry, a super cuddly golden mix. Of the four, I lost one (Emari) from complications of treatment, and trust me, it is devastating, even as a foster. As an owner, ever more so. Below is an excerpt from a message Jennifer M, one of our beloved supporters, had written me about her heartworm positive dog:
We fell in love with Molly the first time we saw her in the pound. Then I got the call that every adoptive pet parent dreads... yup... Molly was heartworm positive. I was heartbroken but thought she was worth it to try to save her. She was in our family for 5 weeks before she passed from complications from her heartworm treatment. She died on July 24, 2011 right around noon. I will never forget when I got the call from her vet... see, she was in the hospital because she was having trouble breathing. I fell to my knees and cried like a baby! She is buried on a close friend's family farm. Gone from this earthly life ... but is waiting at the rainbow bridge for us and will NEVER be forgotten.
Polo- one of the first 2 treated under our
program and looking for a home!
In Summit County, we are so blessed to have all of the rivers and lakes and creeks, etc around. This also means we have huge potential for our pets to become heartworm positive. Summit County Animal Control (SCAC) averages about 2-3 heartworm positive dogs a month, one of the dogs that made this statistic was sweet Molly, adopted by Jennifer M. Seeing the problem in our community, we have decided to join forces with SCAC, and when one of their dogs test positive for this deadly worm, we pay for treatment through One of a Kind Pets, keep the animal in quarantine with SCAC after treatment and then have them added to the adoption floor with a clean slate. Of the first two dogs treated under this program, one made it into our foster care, the other was rescued through PetSmart Charities's Rescue Waggin Program. Both will have the happy ending that heartworm at another shelter may have robbed them of.

Very few things hurt as badly as losing your beloved companion. Guard your heart by guarding your pet's; keep them on heartworm preventatives and make sure they are getting their annual heartworm tests. By keeping the worms from their heart, you can keep the break from yours! :)

Please help us help the animals of Summit County by Chipping in to our Heartworm Fund below! Read the stories of our Summit Heartworm Dogs by clicking here! I've also added links for those that would like more information on heartworm below.







http://www.medicinenet.com/pets/dog-health/heartworms_in_dogs.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dirofilaria_immitis#Treatment

http://www.heartwormsociety.org/pet-owner-resources/faqs.html

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Fosters get More than they Bargain for

By Alecia

When you were a kid, did you tell everyone that when you grew up you were going to have a farm and take all the un-wanted cats and dogs there so they would have a place to live? Do you still say that? Do you watch the commercials with the sad dog and cat pictures and think to yourself, “I wish I could make a difference?” Do you already have a pet or two and know that there is more room in your heart for another, but, not enough money in your checking account to take on that responsibility? Fosters at Paws and Prayers share all of these thoughts. They have taken their desire to help animals and turned it into the largest foster based rescue in Ohio. Last year, Paws and Prayers placed 1,460 cats and dogs into new loving forever homes. 

When most people think of a pet rescue or shelter, they imagine cold, brick buildings with kennels lining the walls just full of barking canines and hand whacking kitties. Adopters from Paws and Prayers, however, are met with an entirely different experience. Every animal in their care is in a foster home, save for a few cats ready to be shown at the cat sanctuary at the Chapel Hill PetSmart. Adoption events are held every weekend at various pet store locations where anyone looking for a pet is met with cage-free kisses and a happy (human) face ready to tell you about the animal they are handling. 

“The way we operate is this: we take the animals that have been at the pound the longest. We bring them into our homes, help them get reacquainted to a life with a family that loves them and then we see them on to their forever homes. After that, we are able to rinse, wash and repeat for the next animal down on its luck. It’s a cycle of love and life-saving that just can’t be beat,” explains Alecia Waddell, foster of three years. 

Leah Swanson, foster since August 2010, likes to see it a different way: “These are neglected souls that have been reborn into loving, caring homes.” Part of Paws and Prayers’s mission is to rehabilitate the “unwanted” cats and dogs that pass through the thresholds of their network of foster homes. That “rebirth” that Swanson mentions is seeing a scared dog trust again or bringing a starved cat back to life. 

“I started fostering after losing my pet of 11 years; I have a need to nurture,” states Stacey Rege, foster since just last summer. Fostering not only fulfills her need to nurture, she points out that “they (the dogs) accept you as you are.”

In addition to the pets that accept you just as you are, Paws and Prayers' network of around 60 fosters offers a support system that can’t be beat. They laugh together about dogs with oversized ears, celebrate the adoption of a pet long overdue for its new home and they mourn together when an animal just can’t be saved; like the daschund mix they had taken after she had been in labor for two days and abandoned by her owners. 

So, if looking for a new friend or just a new challenge in life, Paws and Prayers is a great place to check out. It’s where volunteers have lots of fun playing with puppies, senior cats and everything in between, do good for themselves by fulfilling a need to nurture or help out their community, and do more for others by helping the people of their community find new friends, and the animals new homes. 

To learn more about Paws and Prayers, visit their website at PawsandPrayers.org where you can also see a list of upcoming events and available animals. There you will also find an application for those wishing to foster. Paws and Prayers can also be found on Facebook and Twitter. Have any questions? Feel free to email info@pawsandprayers.org to find the answer.

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January's Facebook Fan of the Month

By Alecia

Debby is our Fan of the Month for January. She decided to do something a little different than the Q&A from last month; she insisted on writing her own blog post! We could not be anymore happy with what she has written and know that you will love her story as well! :)

"My story begins a long time ago as a little girl. I was in love with our family dog, Sassy; a big old brindle boxer that guarded me, played with me and loved me with all of her might. She was the first dog of many that would come into my life.

As I grew, my love for animals grew right along with me. I brought home every stray that I found and loved every dog I saw beyond reason. I think that is something you are born with and when I began having my children, they inherited that trait.

The first dog that we had when my kids were old enough to participate was a stray that someone dumped. My kids encouraged her to “stay” by feeding her when I was at work. She was a mixed breed “mutt” (the best kind really). We ran ads in 3 different newspapers for weeks to see if someone would claim her, and when no one responded, we had a family meeting and decided to adopt her. Her name, fittingly enough, was “Finder”, because we did…. :o) And a few weeks after she was licensed and vetted, we found out she was pregnant and probably the reason she was abandoned. She was with us for 15 wonderful years and we loved her beyond measure.


During the time we had Finder, my 2nd oldest daughter brought home a puppy she found running loose on a very busy highway. The pup was dirty, scraggly, and very hungry…. my first impression was “eeww…” stinky and we already have a dog. We need to find her a home. But the minute I held her in my arms, I knew she was my dog. Another “mutt” but just as beautiful as Finder for sure. Her name was Maggie and we loved her to pieces.



When we had to have Finder put down because of a cancer that couldn't be operated on, Maggie went into a grief that we couldn't console. She made herself sick and had many visits to our vet. At that time I did some research on “pet grief” and found that there hasn't been as much research done on it as human grief, but there were some experts that were kind enough to send me all sorts of wonderful articles to read. And then someone else intervened (God looks after the pets as much as He does us, I believe) and my son found a tiny puppy that someone had dumped on South Street in Akron. If you know the area, you know that it isn’t a very nice area and it’s a very busy street and here was this little 6 week old puppy that had no clue where it’s mommy was or why she was cold and hungry. When we adopted her, Maggie’s grief disappeared and Emme, as we called her, found the “mommy” that she so desperately needed. Once again we had 2 dogs. 

Throughout all these years with all these dogs, my kids were growing up and moving out, I had a wonderful new husband, who by the way was a dog lover, too, and our family adored the dogs we had. Then 2008 rolled around…. Maggie was 14 and Emme was 9 and they were healthy as can be, or so we thought. One day when my granddaughter was visiting and we were playing on the floor, Maggie came upstairs to see what was going on and her back legs gave way. She started flopping around on the floor trying to get her legs to do what they were supposed to do and her attempts to gain control of her legs were futile. I rushed her to our vet and Dr. Robyn found a huge tumor in the crease of her leg. I can’t tell you how many belly rubs I’d given this dog and I didn’t see it. The tumor had gotten so big that it now had taken the use of her back legs away and had spread to other organs in the meantime. All the while, we were unaware and I felt SO guilty and awful. Dr. Robyn gave her a shot and said if it was going to work we might be able to give her a little more time. So we took her home and we laid her on her favorite pillow and watched her like a hawk. She couldn’t walk, she wouldn't eat and we were devastated when a week later, our vet told us the most humane thing we could do was to put her out of her misery. That was another terribly hard trip to the vet. We brought her home and buried her under my favorite bush. That was a couple days before Thanksgiving of 2008

Now we were back to one dog, Emme…. I was looking forward to being able to spend more time with her, concentrating on her and making her feel as special as she was. She was a little lethargic and we thought she was grieving, which I’m sure she was. She and Maggie had bonded from the first moment they sniffed each other. After a couple weeks of this, I decided to take her to the vet, just to get checked out and make sure she was okay. Dr. Robyn did a routine blood panel and physically she seemed fine. She told me to phone her back in a day for the results of the blood tests. My husband and mother and daughters kept telling me they were sure things were fine, that I was worrying for nothing. I kept telling myself they were right… I was praying they were right. The results of her blood work were shocking to all of us, to say the least. Emme was dying of kidney failure and we were absolutely devastated. On Christmas day, she crawled under the Christmas tree, turned around and laid down and looked at us as if to say “don’t forget what a gift I’ve been”. That was the last picture of her we ever got. She died at home with us 3 days after Christmas and was buried with Maggie under my favorite bush. Within 6 weeks we had lost both of our beloved dogs and I was inconsolable.

People kept telling me to get another dog and I just felt like I couldn't… I just couldn’t get over my grief of Maggie and Emme dying so close together. It just wasn't fair… Emme was so young and still had so much life in her. But little by little I started to get curious about what dogs were out there. I wasn't even sure how to go about looking for a dog, as all of ours were “sent” to us as gifts…(I believed). So I scoured the internet for ads and rescue groups and I found Paws and Prayers. I read all about them and looked at their dogs and loved many of what I saw, but was still reluctant to try to adopt. Then I saw “Gracie”…. she looked so sweet and I have always wanted to have a golden named Gracie and although she wasn't a golden, she was golden in color and I knew needed a loving home to call her own. So I filled out an application and they accepted us to be doggie “parents”. Jen told me that another family had already expressed an interest in Gracie, but that we could come and meet her at the Chapel Hill Petsmart. We did meet her and I fell in love with her, but the other couple drove 6 hours to meet her and they also fell in love with her, so Gracie went home with another family. I was very disappointed and felt like maybe I shouldn't be adopting yet. But believing that everything happens for a reason, I kept looking. We found a breeder, in a round about way, and they bred boxers. Well, when their female boxer was ready to be bred, a sneaky lab got into their kennel and low and behold, the cutest boxer/lab mix puppies you've ever seen were born. I talked with the breeder and they were giving these puppies away. I told her I wanted a female (all my dogs had been females up to this point) and she said she only had one female left, but there were people coming to look at them over the weekend. I kept putting off seeing them, so my daughters talked me into it and I decided to go and look at them on Monday morning. The one female was still there and when we got there it was love at first “lick”. I picked her up and she licked my face and I knew…. “Marnie” had found her forever home. 

Life with Marnie was so much fun! She was wild and had SO much energy! There is never a day that goes by that Marnie doesn’t make us laugh! We lovingly nicknamed her “Marnie the Maniac” and for good reason. She had an endless amount of energy and it was so good to have a dog again. My granddaughter, Zoey, loved her and Marnie just adored Zoey, too, and we were so happy about that! Marnie saved me from my grief and we just loved her so much.

But I couldn’t stop looking at Paws and Prayers dog pictures. Jen would send me dogs to look at, but I kept coming back to the picture of “Alvin”. A male border collie/lab mix whose face I just couldn’t seem to take my eyes off of. But I kept thinking “he’s a male” and we don’t want any males”. Hmmm…. then why couldn’t I stop thinking about him. Every day I would go to Paws and Prayers website and look for him, thinking he probably was already adopted. And when he wasn’t, I felt relief…. I looked at his picture every day for a long time and finally decided maybe we should go look at him. So my husband and I took the trip and met “Alvin”. He was so shy, but so beautiful and he had this look on his face… the same look that haunted me in his picture. The look that to me said, “we belong together, please make me yours”. And that is exactly what we did. The next day, my daughter and I went to pick him up and the foster lady kept telling me about this “weird thing” that Alvin did with his mouth; that it looked like he was being vicious, but that wasn't what it was. She didn’t want me to see it and be fearful of him and in turn not want him anymore. We went to Petsmart to get his bed and some other things we’d need. He was quiet and shy, but at one point while we were sitting on the bench waiting on my daughter, he gave that wonderful “doggie sigh” and leaned against my leg and I knew we were going to be alright. And about the “weird thing” thing that he did with his mouth….. well, every time we go away and come back, I see that “weird thing” smiling in the door way at us and I’ve never mistaken it for anything other than what it was…. Finnegan SMILES at us! It’s amazing and it makes me laugh every time I see him do it.



Alvin became Finnegan and he settled into his new home just fine. He’s been here over a year now and he’s still shy about some things… someone was abusive to him when he was young, so he’s very fearful of a lot of things. But we are working with him and he’s getting better every day. It’s so great to watch him experience things for the first time, like treats he’s never had before and toys… sometimes now he picks up toys to play. That is more heartwarming than you know… well, I’m sure anyone who is reading this does know how that feels.

We are so grateful to Paws and Prayers for working with us, for being patient with my grief and for waiting for us to find the right dog. Finnegan has been another wonderful gift and he and Marnie are the best of friends. They are the same age, within a month, and just have the most fun playing and romping around. We have been so blessed in the past with all the wonderful pets we’ve had. But I feel especially blessed by Paws and Prayers for their immense love for dogs and doing what they do. Uniting a family with the right dog is a special gift for so many people AND dogs. Sometimes when I look at Finnegan and he walks over to me with that ”grin” on his face, I know he feels as grateful to be here as we are grateful to have him. Thank you Paws and Prayers for every single thing you do to rescue and unite the dogs and cats that you do every single day! You are special, wonderful people and I applaud you for all the hard work you do!"


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Helping Solve the CATastrophe

By Alecia

Sad Cat is Sad

Cats are constantly being ignored. It's a sad, sad truth but just about any rescue would agree. Cats are always being ignored. Hop onto any legitimate rescue page and you'll clearly see dogs outnumbering cats. Even Facebook pages geared towards saving pets on death row like Pet Pardons and No Kill Ohio are primarily flooded with information on this dog or that dog that needs saved although cats are euthanized 10% more than dogs. Now, why is that?

  1.  Over-excess of cats. A lot of shelters, rescues and community volunteers/ advocates are simply overwhelmed by the great number of cats in need. To focus on all of them is also to detract from all of them. Also, as more and more cats come flooding into shelters, others are euthanized to make room for them, so your higher volume shelters may only have a cat for three days which is hardly enough time to vet it, get it on the adoption floor and then adopted out.
  2. The ease of access to cats. This brings us to a couple of different problems, the first being that anyone can get a cat. Just take a look at all of the "free kitten" ads on Craigslist and you'll see what I mean. Anyone can get these cats whether they are responsible owners or not. This means no background checks, no vet checks, no ensuring that current cats are spayed/ neutered, so now, other intact felines may come into the home, reproduce and continue the cycle of unwanted kittens. The second issue (which will also lead us into our third point) is that many people will opt for the free Craigslist kitten when given the choice between them and a fully vetted, spayed/ neutered kitten with a fee.
  3. Lack of support for Rescues that work to save cats and kittens. As noted in our previous blog post about fees, it costs us about $90 to fully vet (FIV testing, boosters, rabies, wormer, flea treatment/ preventative, spaying/ neutering) a cat or kitten which does not include any extended care that they may need. When people opt out of adopting a rescue or shelter cat, they opt out of helping their local rescue or shelter in ending the cycle of pet-overpopulation. We are a very fortunate group to be able to take on the financial hardship of rescuing cats in spite of the fact that we lose money on our cat program annually. Our dog adoptions and donations from our true supporters are the only things offsetting the deficit to make our program successful. Other rescues simply do not have the resources to help out without that support via their fees.

So, the chips are stacked against us but we know we are going to break through this year by implementing Operation Meow! Operation Meow is our personal declaration to find homes for 1,000 cats for 2012! Last year we adopted out 626 cats, but with our main cat gal, Kelly, leading the charge, we KNOW we can accomplish the tremendous goal Jen D'Aurelio (our Executive Director) has set for us!

Operation Meow's primary goal is for finding homes for cats in need. That being said, we are hoping, whether successful or not, that just by leading this campaign we can help raise awareness of the real problem- the over-population of felines. And, of course, getting those 1,000 cats all spayed/ neutered will help cut the cycle of over-breeding so that we can help maintain the feline population's numbers which means less cats and kittens winding up at the shelter. Less shelter cats means less cats being euthanized which means more happy kitties! :)

Reproduction Rate of Unaltered Cats in a 16 Month Period


How you can help:
  1. Share. Spread this post. The more people know, the more they can empower themselves to become responsible pet owners and to set a great example in their community.
  2. Adopt. When it comes time, always opt to adopt a rescue or shelter pet. You are not only saving that animal, you are helping to save all future animals that may find themselves in the same predicament. By supporting your local rescue and shelter, you are supporting all homeless and neglected animals in your area
  3. Advocate. Help find animals homes by sponsoring them online. Urgent Ohio Dogs (UOD) features dogs on the chopping block in Ohio in hopes someone will see them and adopt them, rather than letting them get to the alternative. Facebook's "share" button allows you to easily save photos and bios of dogs with everyone on your friends' list. The more exposure they get, the greater their chances are of being saved. UOD is currently working on an Urgent Ohio Cat page soon to be released as well! Nationally, you can advocate for Pet Pardons which posts dogs and cats on death row all throughout the United States (they are also operating in Canada now too). 
  4. Volunteer. The more volunteers a rescue or shelter has, the more balanced the workload becomes for everyone. Essentially this means that everyone can focus more on finding the animals homes as others are chipping in to help with the daily upkeep, whether it be helping out with feeding, socialization and/ or exercise. 
  5. Donate. As mentioned earlier, we are only able to have a cat program because of our wonderful supporters. Funds are extremely limited for animal rescue and we can only save what we monetarily are able to save. Whether donating to us or another worthy rescue/ shelter, you are directly benefiting the animals and giving rescues/ shelters the means to continue their wonderful work.
  6. Alter. Spay/ neuter those pets! Spunky may be fine now and may be an indoor pet, but when he escapes that one time, you don't know what he's doing... But we have a good idea! Also, neutering your males eliminates the chance of testicular cancer and greatly reduces the chances of prostate cancer. Spaying reduces or eliminates the chances of uterine or ovarian cancer as well as mammary tumors. For more info click here. One of a Kind Pets Spay and Neuter Clinic also offers a low-cost feral cat spay/ neuter package, which helps reduce the numbers of feral cat colonies that also drive up the feline population. If interested in learning more about One of a Kind Pets, click here.
As humans, it is our responsibility to help bring dignity and enrichment into the lives of all living creatures. Whether those creatures be neighbors that don't understand the responsibility of pet ownership, a feral cat colony that you could help catch and release to get spayed/ neutered or an animal on death row you could fight tooth and nail to find a new family for, you (and everyone else reading this) must take responsibility. In the end, there is not much to lose, but oh-so-much to gain! Whether we hit 1,000 cat adoptions this year, or not, we know that Operation Meow is going to be a huge success! :)

Betty says "Thank you!" She is currently up for adoption.
Please visit PawsandPrayers.org for more info.

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The Honest TRUTH About our Fees

By Alecia

This weekend was an awesome weekend for us! We did a lot of adoptions which means we will be pulling a lot of cats and dogs next week, and what could feel better than saving more animals? I know, saving even MORE animals! But I digress.

I, personally, didn't think that this weekend was going to be as wonderful as it turned out. Winter is always our slow time as people don't want to start a new dog walking program with their newly adopted or to begin potty training in the snow. In addition to that, I personally have always felt that days have their own individual tones. The tone that morning, for me, was a very unbalanced one which I thought would leave everyone a little bit "off" of their game. Being the loyal girl I am, I always tend to take criticism a little personally until I remember that the only criticisms we ever really receive at Paws and Prayers are just the result of a vague misunderstanding. So, I wanted to take the time to type something up to hopefully help out those that may not understand what it is that we do here. So, here it goes...

Pocahontas- PDA (heart condition) $3,115
Saturday morning we had received an anonymous phone call from a woman that was upset with our adoption fees. She was interested in a puppy whose fee is currently $300 (the highest that any of our fees will ever go). The woman believed that we were a scam and "knew" that she could get an AKC puppy for the same price as one of our beloved mutts. She felt that if we were trying to find good homes for our dogs, then we should be "selling" them for much cheaper. Of course, a valid point if we were actually selling our dogs. But we don't sell dogs, we adopt them out. 

The thing about rescue is that you are rescuing animals that not everyone wants. You are taking in animals that not everyone can invest the time, money and love into. You are saving animals that others had already deemed "unadoptable." If we were taking in adorable, medically sound, behaviorally stable, youthful dogs, we probably could afford to simply give some dogs away. But we're not that rescue. 

Sky- Victim of double cherry eye
and an over-sized cone $700
Our rescue is the rescue that takes in the seniors, the dogs that jump at the cage and bark at you while at the pound, the sick, the frightened, the deformed, the truly left behind. These dogs do not find homes quickly. In the meantime, they live not in a kennel but in a loving foster home where they are given special one-on-one attention. Our fosters are provided toys, crates, food, treats, collars, leashes, bedding and just about anything else a cat or dog may need to live comfortably in their foster home environment. Fosters are also provided needed items for training and behavioral issues. All of these cost money. All of our fosters have these as needed.

Of course, that just covers the basics. We also medically update our cats and dogs. This includes the spay/ nueter, feline leukemia test, FIV vaccines, dewormer, rabies vaccines and monthly flea preventatives for our cats. For our dogs it's spay/ nueter, DA2PPvL vaccines (distemper, adenovirus, parvo, etc), rabies vaccine, bordetella vaccine (kennel cough), heartworm test, dewormer and monthly heartworm and flea prevention. Again, all of these cost money. Again, every animal needs and receives this care as age and health allows.

Now that is our basic medical updating. This is not including the 60+ dogs that tested positive for heartworm with each costing hundreds of dollars to treat. We had one foster dog that was in such advanced stages of heartworm that she had to forgo the treatment twice. Add that to our dogs with cherry eye, with double cherry eye, with ACL tears and the ones unlucky enough to contract viruses like parvo and pneumonia. Add those to the cats from hoarding cases with mange and ringworm, upper respiratory infections and coccidia. Add those to our seniors, like Olaf, who end up with cancer or skin tags or need bad teeth removed. Add that to the rare, but still present, mystery cases that cost thousands of dollars in exploratory surgeries to find out they have something one in a million dogs don't even contract. Medical miracles, these guys.

Saps- born with a hernia, split open her
abdominal wall $405
Take all of that debt already accrued and add that to this little factoid. Our average cat costs about $90 to update medically. After that $90 is spent, we can still only adopt the average cat out for $60. That is a loss of $30 per cat with every adoption, on average. There is a reason that so many cats are euthanized on a daily basis both locally and afar. There is a reason we are one of few groups that take in cats, and that's the reason. Last year we adopted out 626 cats. If those numbers held true for every cat (which this isn't including special cases requiring more money or taking into account the kittens we were able to adopt out for $100) we would be looking at roughly an $18,000 deficit from simply having a cat program.

We can't adopt every cat out for $90. We can't adopt out a dog that has been treated for heartworm for $379. We cannot adopt out a dog that had pneumonia for $1,212. So how do we stay afloat?

Khadija- Pneumonia $1,212
1.      We are a very lucky group with a lot of amazing supporters. We are not government funded so do rely heavily on donations. Our supporters donate and donate and donate until they have nothing left to give, and once they are at that point, they nag their friends and families to give until their loved ones grow tired of it and smack them a few times. Luckily, it does nothing to their momentum. 

2.      We have AMAZING fosters and volunteers. Anytime that we are at a loss for something, they dig deep, do some research, pull together and bring about whatever is needed. This can range from getting the beds for our kennels used during intake to getting us grants that will assist us through the year. From garnishing us attention through the Dr. Marty Becker Giveaway from last year to simply setting an amazing example of responsible pet-ownership in their community.

3.      Our adoption fees. A lot of times we find ourselves doing a whole lot of balancing: a $300 puppy must help balance out the deficit of a $50 senior ($50 doesn't even cover an office visit). A $200 youth that required little care may help balance the cost of a dog that sadly did not make it. A $250 purebred may offset a $75 mongrel that no one is giving the time of day. A whole litter of healthy puppies may offset the cost of a whole other litter of unhealthy puppies that contracted parvo in transport, as we saw this summer. You never know what you're getting into with the animals you take in so the balancing act is never perfect. We never break even here. 

JackJack- several teeth extractions $248
Those are the top three ways that we have been able to make it over the years. There is no magical cure or fantasy fairy dust that we sprinkle on these guys to get them into homes so that we can pocket the difference. It takes strategy, a lot of checkbook balancing and a lot of heart to save the animals we save. In the end, no one is lining their pockets here. I don't see a cent for all that I do. Of course, puppy breath and dog snuggling is of much more value to me anyways. :P

The one thing that I think does need to be mentioned again, in more detail, is that we do not sell pets, we adopt them out. A lot of people don't understand the difference so I'm going to explain that now...

Spot- Parvo and kennel cough $2,179
When you adopt a dog or cat from us, you're not just adopting that animal but you're adopting an ideal. Your adoption fee is paying to end pet overpopulation, to end euthanasia of healthy castaway animals, to help establish responsible pet ownership, but ultimately, to give animals that would not otherwise have it a second chance. By adopting from any great rescue, you are adopting all of these things and more. I think a wiggly butt or the purring of a kitten more than pays for itself, especially after considering the lifetime of your pet. 

So, for some people, maybe $300 is a little steep. But those aren't our people. Our people are those out there making a difference. Our people speak for the animals with no voice. They're responsible pet owners and don't fund irresponsible breeding. They know the true worth of a pet, not as a symbol of status, but as a real companion; a loyal and loving companion. Our people wouldn't bat an eye at an adoption fee knowing what is behind it. And, hopefully, in reading this, we have found some more of our people today. 

I am going to leave you with one last thought... If you have a rescued animal in your home right now, please go snuggle them. Imagine, if you will, that people didn't have compassion for animals. Imagine that $300 was too steep so there were no rescues, there were no mission statements, there wasn't any relief from their suffering. Where would your rescue pet be right now?

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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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