February 2007

Senior Pets for Senior Homes www.7bellssanctuary.petfinder.com

January found Longview, the Handsome Black Prince of the Sanctuary, joining the other Rainbow Bridge kids. He joins Romel, fur-kid of Jeani & family.

Colleen still cares for Misty & Ringo in Fur-ever Foster care. LOVE has definitely improved Misty's condition. Susan is fostering Hoppy, Cinderella, Marcy, Jannay & Bear. Marti has not yet been released from her medical leave. Please continue prayers for her.

We were thankful for the adoptions in spite of the winter storm. Krandal, Stella, Johan, Margie, Meg, Ben, Elvis all found their fur-ever homes. Mazee was adopted, then returned. Sometimes things just don't work out. Wabbit was finally able to return to Judith, doing better, still needing leash work. Two out of the four Cole Camp pound dogs were adopted. One was returned to the owner. Canfield is still waiting to get out of the pound. Please put ID on or a microchip in your pet.

Johan & Ben were special delivery to Mindi & Steve via Allan & Mona, local Cole Camp residents taking a trip to Omaha. The fur-kids rode along. Sherry is doing a fabulous job keeping 1-800-Save-A-Pet & Pets911 sites updated. Susan is helping keep petfinder.com updated on the fur-kids in her care.

We now have a Senior Fur-ever & Always Program. It is patterned after Love A Golden's Senior Life Program. Your original adoption donation is perpetual. Adopt the first over 10 fur-kid, you may adopt another appropriate senior (10 years & older) fur-kid from us after this fur-kid passes to the Rainbow Bridge, becoming an Angel Dog. We do this in honor of Charlie Brown & Sir Alex & all those others that live their last days, weeks, months, years being cherished until Death they do part in a family. Rescue life is good, yet a fur-ever home is even better.

The ice storm that hit Springfield MO and SWMOK9s was a wake-up call for many of us in rescue. Pets were still at risk, news reports telling folks to leave their pets home, shelters were not accepting them. This is unacceptable! Temperatures were below freezing, small pets, senior ill pets, could NOT be left home alone. Laws will take time to implement. It would be prudent for all pet owners to have a personal back-up plan for pets. We are suggesting crate training begin NOW. We also suggest obedience training/behavior modification NOW. Vicious or misbehaving dogs may not be allowed in shelters once those are set up to accept pets. It is our responsibility to make sure our own pets are well behaved, crate trained, that we take along food & Rxs for our pets to endure days or weeks in a shelter. Ask friends, relatives NOW if they could offer shelter to you & your pets for any future disaster.

With the increased risk to our homeland, any evacuation means immediately grabbing your pet, leaving an unsafe area. Thus, please let us all begin NOW to have an escape plan in place. "We" are the government. "We" must take responsibility for our own pets, not leave it up to anyone else.

Please remember to check www.petfinder.com weekly as always a weath of information is there.

We give thanks to each of you who so generously give of your time & talents to help these fur-kids as they wait patiently for their fur-ever homes. We could not do this work without your continued support. God bless you each & every one.