March 2007 

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

Bridge Kids/Angel Dogs were Rocky FKA Chico, Sophie FKA Pixie, & Cole Camp pound dog Sugar, FKA AngelMist.

Foster Care finds Misty & Ringo still in Fur-ever Foster care with Colleen & Alex, doing well with TLC, small pack life. Misty celebrated her one year anniversary Feb. 16 with Colleen, a fur-kid we only expected to live 3 weeks. LOVE makes a difference!! Savannah is fostered by Marti (Welcome back Marti after her extended medical leave). Susan fosters Hoppy & Lil Willie. With the recent arrival of Hospice basset pup, Mustang Sally, Susan will be a Hospice puppy foster home. We're trying something new & not sure how much stress this will create. We expect old fur-kids to die, just not expecting this to happen to such a young pup. She will foster no more than 2 Hospice pups at a time so they may keep each other company. If this becomes too stressful Susan will take a break. We need more foster homes, Hospice foster homes.

Good Samaritan Care Center visit was made by Bitsey after she, Cinderella & Snow White had a day at the spa, Polly's Precious Paws, new groomer in Cole Camp, for make-overs. The residents & staff do so love a freshly groomed fur-kid visiting. Several were able to pet Bitsey as she is such a lap dog. With the improvement in weather, we hope to get back to our full schedule of visits.

Adoptions were quite nice in spite of 5 weeks of hibernation ice/snow in the valley. Horatio, Jannay, CopperMyst, Bear all found fur-ever homes. Brandy was adopted via Carol while waiting for a ride to come back here after the ice melted. Mustang Sally, our first Hospice pup, was adopted by Susan, failing Fostering 101 again. We also took 6 dogs/pups directly from breeders, sent them to other rescues that spay/neuter prior to adoption. Doug with Dieckman's Auction Service helped with 4WD shuttle service to make sure some of the fur-kids got out for vetting or in for rescue.

Garage sale time is nearing. We could use gently used bath mats, kitchen mats, the kind that are non-skid on one side, rug type fabric on the other. Those work great as liners in crates under blankets & pillows for bed time for the fur-kids. We would also welcome gently used medium to large sized gift bags.

Both Savannah & Spyder Murphy needed fresh dentals in less than a year. Please look at your fur-kids' teeth as some need dentals every 3 or 6 months. A healthy mouth means a healthy body. You may ask your vet or groomer to give you a basic lesson in monthly ear care, dental check, nail trims, things you may do at home where your fur-kid is more relaxed.

Karl has a meeting with his State Senator the first of March to discuss changes in the law relating to "Livestock" & "Companion Animals." Karl has become more aware of the plight of rescue/shelter animals since Susan began to foster. Karl failed Fostering 101 with Lil Buddy FKA Lil Alan. Some of Karl's peers are finding more custody cases involving fur-kids. For your pet legal concerns, you may contact him at Karl Timmerman M.A.J.D. <karl@karltimmerman.com>.

Mustang Sally has found herself somewhat of an educational star, a favorite of Jeanne, a school teacher. Sally's diary & pictures are being shared with the students. Daily Drool, a basset group, is also helping Susan care for Mustang Sally. Sally is listed on Chappy's Place, diary, pictures http://www.chappysplace.net/fosters/sally.html

We had a brainstorming session on the 27th, with Dawn & Debbie from STAFF in Laurie, Paula our local groomer, Trina our obedience instructor/behavior modification specialist. We all want pets to be adoptable, well behaved. Owners wanting to surrender their dog may first want to invest in training for behavior problems. Trina has offered to help other shelters/rescues to train some of their dogs to prevent a failed adoption. She offers one complimentary session for each adopted dog. Paula is offering a grooming discount to adopted rescue/shelter dogs. It's all TEAMwork, Together Everyone Achieves Much, to make sure happy family pets stay with their family. Trina's classes will be resuming soon. We will post the date on our home page.

We have made changes to our home page & profiles on the fur-kids, especially those over 10 years of age, special needs. We have reluctantly stated adoption fees to cut down on the number of e-mails or phone calls with just the Q "How much?" We now get just those serious adopters like most of you good people reading this newsletter.

Please remember to check out www.petfinder.com weekly for training tips, products for your pets, a wealth of info at your fingertips.

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. Rescue life is good, yet a fur-ever home is best. We could not do this work without your continued support. God bless you each & every one.