A Place to Bark and Meow Blog by Bernie Berlin

Friday, June 23, 2006
On The Move Again..

I just can't believe how time just escapes me..
Never enough time in the day..
This is just a quick post to let you know, I'll be gone for the next week.
My hubby will be home having "Manfest" with his buddies:)
The guys are just going to hang out at the house and watch the big screen all weekend while I'm on the road.

I'm doing another transport of puppies and kittens up north.
If this keeps up, which I'm pretty sure it's going to, I'll have to get a cargo van:)
The numbers of litters of animals down here is just mind boggling. I have just had litter after litter.
Horror stories one after another about how these animals came to me, via dumpings, abuse or taking them from animal controls the day they are to be put to sleep.
I promise to catch up when I get home, till then here are few of the many making the trip up north to new lives with me...


I have to be up in just a couple of hours so nitey, nite!!!
I'll be without a computer all week:(
Talk to you when I get back...
Monday, June 19, 2006
In Memory Of "Dolly"

I write this in remembrance of "Dolly".
My intention is not to bring sorrow to you, but for us to remember those animals who are out there waiting..
This is not a graphic story, but a story of a little dog that taught me a big lesson about love.

It's up to us as a nation to care for and take responsibility for the animals who are out there in the world.
For every dog that dies in a shelter, there is someone, somewhere responsible for its death..
Awareness is half the battle. I know it's easier to close our eyes to the evils that men do, but it doesn't change things.
Thru you, those who share my stories, cry and laugh with me, you too make a difference in the world by just knowing...
Little by little, one person at a time, those who know the truth, those who help and care, is how great change can happen.
One animal at a time...

Dolly graced my life for several weeks. She made me smile with her cute and loving ways.
Born in the sewage drain at animal control, she had a systemic infection from her first days of life...
I've learned to cherish each and every moment of life and I cherished her.

This poem is by a very remarkable woman with a vision ahead of her time.
A woman who had great command of the English language in a very profound manner..
I share this poem and web site with you in honor of Dolly.

http://www.ellawheelerwilcox.org

Voice of the Voiceless
So many gods, so many creeds,
So many paths that wind and wind,
While just the art of being kind
Is all the sad world needs.

I am the voice of the voiceless:
Through me, the dumb shall speak;
Till the deaf world's ear be made to hear
The cry of the wordless weak.

From street, from cage and from kennel,
From jungle and stall, the wail
Of my tortured kin proclaims the sin
Of the mighty against the frail.

For love is the true religion,
And love is the law sublime;
And all that is wrought, where love is not
Will die at the touch of time.

Oh, shame on the mothers of mortals
Who have not stopped to teach
Of the sorrow that lies in dear, dumb eyes,
The sorrow that has no speech.

The same Power formed the sparrow
That fashioned man - the King;
The God of the whole gave a living soul
To furred and to feathered thing.

And I am my brother's keeper,
And I will fight his fight;
And speak the word for beast and bird
Till the world shall set things right.

Dolly and her brothers, Gopher and Bumble
M.I.A.
I've been down with the stomach flu...
Ickee poo poo:(
I also lost one of my little pups, so it's been a sad few days.
I'll be playing catch up tomorrow....

Nothing like the little ones to make you smile no matter how sick you feel:)

Monday, June 12, 2006
Morning......

I awoke this morning to glorious sunlight...
The warmth of it on my face was a good start to the day.
This past week has been one of lessons for me.
Trying to be a part of change is so challenging, challenging to the point that why would anyone want to do it???
At times you feel so defeated..
But I don't quit.. I will never quit for the animals...
Quotes are very powerful and this is one of my favorites:

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.
Edmund Burke (1729 - 1797)

Nothing could have prepared me for the day that await..
I went to pull two Great Pyrenees for a friend from Animal Control, today was euthanasia day..

As I passed the cages that were marked for death, I saw a mother dog and her 2 babies..
She was a pit mix, something about her was very soulful. I stooped down to talk to her. She walked over to me with sadness in her eyes, licked my hand as to thank me for taking the time to acknowledge her and walked to the back of the cage. One of her two babies followed, she put her head down and the baby did the same. Something about that moment in time brought me to me knees.. I don't normally get this detailed nor this overwhelmed, but feel that this is a story I have to share.
There was no hope for her as they do not adopt out or allow rescue to take pits. They were kind enough to allow me to take the pups. This picture says a million words..
Please help spread the word of spay/neuter to everyone you know..
It will help save lives and initiate a movement for the animals.



I'm getting pretty good at bottle feeding the kittens. Two bottles in one hand:)
I'm just exhausted 3 litters of bottle fed kittens is too much.. The upside is just a week or two left to go.


We've decided to name this little guy "Turbo" even with a broken leg he is faster than mine with all good legs.
Isn't his new cast cute!!


These are the two Great Pyrenees that we pulled. Arent' they beautiful!!!
I am greatful that I have such a wonderful animal loving husband. His health is declining every day, but he still finds strength to hug and pet all the animals that come thru our house, no matter how much pain he is in.



Give a hug and kiss to all your pets today!!! They are very LUCKY to have loving homes!!


Blessings and Light to you all....
Saturday, June 10, 2006
Happy Pictures

Here are some "Happy Pictures" as I promised...
In seeing the animals in need on a daily basis it truly makes me appreciate the happy pictures I have to share with you....
Much to tell about the past week but for now I will focus on this day and on the moment..
Have a GREAT Sunday and hope these pictures make your heart smile:)

This is our little "Bumble" He is a Great Pyrenees/Shepherd mix. One of the new pups here, he has 2 siblings which look nothing like him. His brother "Gopher is in the first pic with me on the blog.



This is "Momma Valentine" She is a stalker:) You will find her anywhere there is someone who will pet her. She is so love starved. She is constantly peeking from behind doors or hiding underneath your bed sheet when she knows you are headed for bed. She has had a very difficult life. She is 4-6 years of age and just the best dog!!! She is available for adoption.

She also is fine with cats:)

A little Bobtail kitty named "Bob".
VERY, VERY, Busy!!!


Meet some of my family:
These are my guys!! Zeus is my Doberman. He is my mellow guy. He is certified as a therapy dog.
Jack is the Jack Russell he is my Alpha dog. He trains and socializes all the dogs that come in. A perfect alpha in the sense he is a good disciplinarian but is tempered with compassion. If a dog is sad or hurt he is always the first to comfort it.
Chico is the Chihuahua. He is just my naughty dog. I acquired him by default. He was to go to a family who had been waiting for a Chihuahua, but when adoption time came he was not suitable to adopted. He has Lupus and is naughty to people. He will be here till his last days and that is fine with us:)
As you can tell Chico likes to talk to Jack, in fact his sole purpose in life is to torment him. Jack is really good about it and basically just laughs at him as you can see...



This is Gypsy!! She is a Chinese Crested. I've always wanted one of these but could never justify buying one, since my money would be better spent helping the animals. One day I received a call from animal control and there she was my dream dog.
I have very strange taste in dogs, but have to blame it on the artist in me. I LOVE her and she is my little jester. She makes me smile when I'm sad.. If you're not familiar with these dogs, they can get very oily and get pimples. They need to bathed and moisturized on a regular basis, not to mention sunscreened so they don't burn.



This is Mac and Hans. You've met Mac before. His full name is Macabee McFuzz. He is a Brussells Griffon. He is a little furry mom. Totally in touch with his femine side, he nurtures all the animals dogs and cats. When my husband had all his spinal surgeries 6-7 (I lost count) in the past 4 years Mac would sit with him all day and nite, just leaving to go outside or eat. Hans has a brother named Franz, both really great cats also looking for homes.

Wednesday, June 07, 2006
Reflection of Days Past...


The days pass too quickly for me..
Wishing I could clone myself or stop time.
Stop time for those animals who wait for life or death.
Stop time for those whom I have fostered and just want to snuggle them a few minutes longer, before I send them into the world in hopes that they find responsible owners that will keep them till their last days.
Stop time catch up on everything I am always behind on....
(((and I am WAY behind)))
The picture below I find very symbolic, the road ahead..
What does it hold?? Where does it lead??? I hope it leads to a good life of Love and Happiness...



The past week I have sent my puppies up North to the Humane Society, via Rescue Waggin, sponsored by Pet Smart Charities.



They went up on the website today and by the end of the day were all adopted.
It's a Great thing and I'm thrilled they have their own people now, it's just a very bitter/sweet feeling, caring for these little ones and then sending them out into the world not knowing the people adopting them.
Wondering if you will ever see them again.. I dream of seeing them on the streets again someday, by chance or by fate.
The hardest one was "Ernie" He was one that almost died on me. He had such a personality!! Truly pulled on my heartstrings and I wanted so bad to keep him, but I can't keep them all, it just wouldn't be fair...



Without the Rescue Waggin Program & the Humane Societies, I don't know what so many of the animals in the south would do.
Well I do know, they would perish...

I want to Thank Everyone again for helping with donations, you help me to continue helping the animals...
This week I received donations of money, towels, receiving blankets, toys and some much needed vaccine.
We are just slammed with the need to vaccinate all the pups at the shelter, so that they can have a chance and not die due to Parvo or worms.
It is all so VERY much appreciated!!! I had enough in donations to buy enough wormer for the next month and catch up on some of my vet bills. Yeah!!! Every little bit helps:)

This is one of our new tenants, we took him in yesterday, he is very shy and scared..
His name is Bandit. He was thrown over a fence, had some wounds to his face and has a broken leg.
Only a few months old, I can't imagine why someone would do such a thing:(



The momma cat we took in a couple of weeks ago, her kittens just opened their eyes and have an awful infection going on.
I've never seen anything like it, the whole litter went to the vet today and most should be o.k. with medication, but this little one will most likely be blind. Please keep him in your prayers that he recover. I truly believe that miracles happen each day and prayer never hurts!!



I just got a call from animal control..
Just when I thought I was done bottle feeding kittens.
There are 4 there only 7 days old, so after I post this, off I'll go to go get them.

Tomorrow, I will post some Happy pics..
Have to dwell on the good, but not forget those in need..
Much Love to you all!!!
P.S. I have this weekend planned to play catch up and respond to all my comments & e-mail:)
Thanks for being so patient with me...
Thursday, June 01, 2006
Memory Collective...((Heavy Long Post))

Yesterday was a very difficult day..
I think of myself as being strong, but the day brought me to my knees.
I felt weak, vulnerable and helpless...
Something I hate to feel. I don't like being weak..
After leaving the shelter, I cried in my car for a long time...
Feeling the anguish just ebb from my body....













My mind, my collective memory is starting to fill...
The faces, the howls, the death that I see will forever haunt me.
As you can see from the pictures in this post.

The needless waste of life. It is everywhere, in this country and around the world.
There are many of us fighting for the animals, but we are not enough, we need more who care...
Together we can make a difference.
No matter what level you can help at, no matter where you live or what you do, you can help those of us that help the animals.
Help the animals by donating time to your local shelters and rescues. Your talents are needed, be it art, computers, website, that is all needed for marketing purposes and generating revenue. Recycle gently used pet items, old towels, if you can sew make pet bedding and most of all say prayers for the animals and those that do rescue or work in animal related professions. Money is always needed as is medical supplies.
For example the cost of kitten formula for feeding 3 kittens is $20.00.
So you can imagine what the our medical costs are every month, since we caring pets who are malnourished, parasite ridden & living in substandard conditions.
Since I have lived here the past 5 months, I have treated 20+ cases of Parvo.
Fostered, medicated and transported 107 animals.
I'm very tired and emotionally exhausted but believe in the cause.
Some days, I don't know how I'll pay the next vet bill or buy the next round of vaccine. I am never forsaken, always an Angel shows up & something always comes thru.
Faith gives me hope for a new day..
Love gives me Faith that someday my vision will come to fruition.
I struggled with putting this heavy post up, but felt the need to.
I don't like to focus sadness, but also don't want to pretend that it doesn't exist.
So now you have a view into a difficult day in my world..

HSUS Pet Overpopulation Estimates
Number of cats and dogs entering shelters each year: 6-8 million (HSUS estimate)
Number of cats and dogs euthanized by shelters each year: 3-4 million (HSUS estimate)
Number of cats and dogs adopted from shelters each year: 3-4 million (HSUS estimate)

Number of cats and dogs reclaimed by owners from shelters each year:
Between 600,000 and 750,000 -- 30% of dogs and 2-5% of cats entering shelters (HSUS estimate)

Number of animal shelters in the United States:
Between 4,000 and 6,000 (HSUS estimate)

Percentage of dogs in shelters who are purebred:
25% (HSUS estimate)

Average number of litters a fertile cat can produce in one year: 3
Average number of kittens in a feline litter: 4-6
In seven years, one female cat and her offspring can theoretically produce 420,000 cats.
Average number of litters a fertile dog can produce in one year: 2
Average number of puppies in a canine litter: 6-10
In six years, one female dog and her offspring can theoretically produce 67,000 dogs.

I could not leave the shelter with a dog, I have no more room...
All my crates are full, all my bowls are being used. We have 30+ animals here in rescue. This is my all time high.
Until my building is built, I will have to help what I can and try to focus on that and not what I can't...
Most of the dogs will be leaving on Sunday for transport to my networking of Humane Societies.
It is their only chance out of here.
I have worked with these Humane Societies for years and they have always been my strongest allies.
I did take a kitten out of the shelter, the euthanasia rate here is 99.9% for cats.
If they end up there they never make it out..
So here is the little guy that made it out, he's fuzzy, but all skin and bones. He also has no tail.
It's weird to see him without a tail, but I think it adds to his personality. Any name suggestions??
The Flame Point mix I have his name is Sammy, he has adopted the little guy:) I have to say I am blessed to have such wonderful animals that take care of each other..



The animal controls that surround me, euthanasia every 3 or 5 days. It makes me shudder.
I feel even worse for the people who do this for a living....

The one thing that caught my eye as I was walking away from the building was a rose bush. It was blooming in the most amazing way.. I found it ironic. In a place of such sadness and death, there was a symbolic message that spoke to me..
Hope, there is ALWAYS Hope for tomorrow...
I've always believed that Beauty and Love can be found if we look for it and there it was..



This quote really spoke to me, so I will share it with you..
"These birds and animals and fish cannot speak, but they can suffer, and our God who created them, knows their suffering, and will hold him who causes them to suffer unnecessarily to answer for it. It is a sin against their Creator."
George Q. Cannon (Animal Activist)

Again sorry for the dreary post..
I truly appreciate you taking the time to read.
Time for me to sleep...
Blessing and Light to you all....

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