Posts Tagged ‘adopt’

The icons in the right sidebar of my website have been updated on all pages to include Facebook. I’ve added a Facebook graphic to the YouTube and Twitter icons because I now have a CorkyTheShelterDog Facebook page to promote pet rescue.

Here are bigger versions of my social icons that link to my social networks on YouTube (20 videos and counting), Twitter (over 3,700 followers) and now Facebook (with X number of likes).

In addition to these accounts, new social bookmarking icons are at the bottom on each page and under the date of each blog post of my website, also.

Those allow you to use your accounts to Google +1, like on Facebook, or tweet about the page you are visiting. Mouse over the share button next to those and a flyout menu offers over 300 more social bookmarking website choices.

Visit my social sites to meet my connections and learn more about adopting a shelter dog, rescue dog, or other pet. When considering adding a pet to your family, adopt instead of buy, and make sure to spay or neuter.

Dad and I went to the park for an early photo shoot at Lake Toho in Kissimmee Florida this morning, and I met a new doggy pal, Saturday. Oops, you’re thinking? It’s Thursday Corky! Yeah, I know.

My new doggy pal is named Saturday! That’s him in the photo here with his Dad, David, plus me standing on 3 legs. Saturday is a lab mix rescue dog like me! He is 1-1/2 years old and loves to run and play, plus he’s very well behaved, so we were both allowed off leash.

Several fishermen walked by us and we didn’t bark. Well, maybe I did once.

Saturday’s forever home story began when he was adopted from the doggy jail (dog pound). He is brilliant when it comes to interview techniques. Again, like me, he leaned into his new parents to let them know he has a whole lotta love to give! Remember that secret if you ever end up in doggy jail. It works!

Saturday and his parents live in Kissimmee and come to Lake Toho 1 or 2 times a week, so we could be friends for a long long time. Guess what? He has a Facebook page, too! We’ll connect later online and have lots of photographs and stories to share.

The chance to meet a new pal is just one more reason to get up and out early. Life is grand.

Lifeline Dog Rescue in Central Florida is a non-profit dog rescue and division of Central Florida Weimaraner & Dog Rescue, Inc. You don’t need to live in Florida to adopt a Weimaraner purebred dog. Lifeline Dog Rescue has options to transport newly adopted dogs including out of state.

Enjoy this Lifeline Dog Rescue photo slideshow presentation showing their property, lake, and many many dogs!

Does Lifeline Dog Rescue provide the food, shelter, and care to place just Weimaraners? No. They specialize in Weims yet accept all breeds of dogs.

If you are thinking of a dog for Christmas, view this slideshow, and then visit the Lifeline Dog Rescue website to find Weimaraners ready to adopt.

Just like little Goldilocks, our new resuce kitty Dexter still doesn’t understand. Caught in the act it’s not just somebody sleeping in MY bed, it’s Dexter! I’m Corky the shelter dog shown here squeezing in, but it could ruin a doggy’s reputation sharing his bed with a c-a-t.

Dexter the rescue kitty has been in our family since July 5, 2011. At the time he only weighed 1.1 lbs. soaking wet. He went to 2.6 lbs. in just 2 weeks. Now he doubled that to 5.2 lbs. since our vacation in August.

On the bright side he’s big enough to play wrestle with me. Being a polite puppy I let him win. On the not so bright side, Dexter kitty is likewise big enough that it’s time for a visit to the vet, aka jewel thief. Yup. Dexter has an appointment to be neutered on Monday.

Besides me and Dexter, our older brother Sam the cat is missing his jewels, too. That’s the price we pay for being rescued into a loving family. If you are thinking of adding a pet to your family, PLEASE visit the local pet shelter.

Millions of healthy pets are euthanized every year because too many people buy pets instead of visiting a pet rescue organization to adopt a cat, kitten, dog, or puppy. With unconditional love from a pet who likes to snuggle, you won’t mind saying you caught “Somebody sleeping in MY bed!”

Sam our cat and I, Corky the rescue dog, have a new brother as of 5 July 2011. The photo collage shown here is my little younger brother Dexter the rescue kitty. He is an original cutie patootie who can give lessons on cuteness!

That makes 3 male rescue pets with a rescue dog, a rescue cat, and now a rescue kitty in our family, plus Mom and Dad!

Similar to me, who was dumped on the street and sent to doggy jail before being rescued, Dexter was dumped on the street in our neighborhood at night on July 5th. The poor little rascal was confused and scared because he is a teenie tiny little baby kitty.

Lucky for Dexter, he found us before the animal control people found him. He is a very young kitten and weighs exactly 1.1 lbs. which happens to be an important number. In Osceola County Florida shelter pets must be at least 2 lbs. to qualify for spay or neuter and adoption, so any stray pets captured under 2 lbs. are immediately put to sleep!

Once my parents heard that (and were told “Bring him back next week when he’s at least 2 lbs.”) they decided to keep him as our newest family member. They didn’t have a name picked out because they were unsure about keeping him. After watching him for 24 hours and thinking of cool names, they decided, so now Dexter joins Sam our cat, and me – Corky the shelter dog, for one big happy family.

For now we can only guess based on Dexter weighing 1.1 lbs. that he’s about 5 weeks old. Dexter the rescue kitty has brown tabby colors with tufted ear tips which look very much like a Maine Coon breed cat. We’ll find out if he is truly a Maine Coon Cat when he grows a little more and pick out a birthday from advice when he goes to the vet.

Today marks two years in my forever home since being rescued from doggy jail. Visit Corky the shelter dog videos on YouTube and you can see me captured and put in my jail cell or my interview with Mom before being adopted on this day in 2009.

I was a scruffy puppy when I was dumped on the street at 4 months old and left to wander. Having a nice family with 3 beds, food and safety, and a little older brother Sam the cat means life is grand.

As shown in this portrait of me in my forever home you can see I cleaned up pretty good for a street pup.

Want to help celebrate my anniversary?

Not all pets are as lucky as me, so on this two year forever home anniversary for Corky please consider adding a shelter pet to your family. I’m a mutt and sometimes a rescue mutt is your best choice for a special friend who stays loyal forever.

In my short puppy life the photo here shows how Corky celebrates Christmas 2010. My Christmas 2008 was as a 4 month old orphan dumped on the street.

I was rescued from doggy jail the next month and adopted into my forever home. Christmas in 2009 and now in 2010 have been MUCH happier times!

Shown here is me under our Christmas tree today, 25 December 2010, and I’m holding a stuffed raccoon toy with squeaker. I usually chew new toys apart to remove the squeaker. We call that a squeakerectomy.

I can’t explain why unless maybe I’m just more mature, but I’d rather play with my new toy than chew it open.

Though Christmas is a time to celebrate the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ and for giving gifts, the best gift you can give a dog or cat is giving them a forever home. As you celebrate the Christmas season consider our 4-legged friends being held in animal shelters, and make room in your home and add a rescue pet to the family.

If not for rescue parents, Corky the shelter dog would not have a website with videos and the opportunity to tell his life story. Yes, Christmas is about giving, yet for abandoned pets looking for a home it will be enough if all you can afford is love. Trust me. I know.

I connected recently on YouTube with another rescue puppy, Vinny, rescued by ShelterMuttLover, and favorited one of their videos which is a PSA Public Service Announcement promoting rescue pet adoption. That, dear readers, is one of MY favorite subjects. Watch the video as Vinny the shelter dog explains how an empty cage saves a shelter pet:

Is that incredible?!! Vinny the rescue dog has amazing dog stories, and fantastic doggy tricks, which prove you don’t have to be a thoroughbred to display the talents of a show dog. Yup, just like me Vinny is a mutt! Besides my life being saved, I never realized that when I was rescued from doggy jail I left behind an empty cage which made room for another shelter pet.

If you are considering adding a pet to your home, please visit YOUR local animal shelter or rescue organization. Cats, dogs, and other pets including exotics are waiting for a loving home. Millions die every year because they run out of time.

The animal shelter where I was rescued changed their holding rules from 7 to 3 days. Cute, lovable, healthy pets enter the system and get 72 hours to impress a guardian. That’s 72 hours, or else, because new pets arriving for adoption are so numerous, and beautiful companions like Vinny or Corky are put to death to make room for more. Won’t you help and empty just one cage?

This past week of interacting with animal and human pals in Twitter has created an unexpected emotional toll of pain building up as pet parents type news about pawpals crossing the Rainbow Bridge. Perhaps this pretend Pet Letter from the Rainbow Bridge will help you or someone you know who has lost a pet.

Yes, it is a person behind those tweets typing for their pet and sharing that unique personality from their perspective, yet that persona becomes as real as if that pet could actually talk and type. Here’s a letter they might write if they could.

Pet Letter from the Rainbow Bridge

Dearest Friend,

I crossed the Rainbow Bridge much sooner than you or my guardians expected. It happens to human pals and their friends or family, too. Please don’t be sad or disappointed, at least not for long anyway. There are reasons I left that you may not understand until it’s your turn to pass over.

For now I have permission to let you in on a secret. Truth is there is no secret because God has already revealed words of comfort in the bible for us to find. Perhaps this verse will help you understand why I left so soon.

The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart: and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come. Isa 57:1 (KJV)

See? As much as you wanted me there, the path my life was taking may have been an even more painful experience for you to witness. Besides being “taken away from the evil to come”, I have work to do making people happy on this side of the Rainbow Bridge. While waiting for you I greeted a human baby, very old kitty, and a grandmother this week. Here’s another secret that’s not really a secret.

But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 1 Cor 2:9 (KJV)

Either me or someone you love will be waiting. For now, read that last verse again. You cannot imagine the joy on this side of the Rainbow Bridge, yet the details are not yours to know until you have completed your time on earth and it’s your turn to cross over, so I can’t elaborate.

Time will heal your sorrow. As a parting message, consider one reason behind the short lives of animal friends. You cannot replace me or our special relationship. However, most humans will outlive their pets and the loss of one is an opportunity to rescue another. When the time is right, please search your heart to make room and adopt a shelter pet.

The real forever home awaits on this side of the Rainbow Bridge where there is only joy and no fear or pain. However, there is no limit on pets or people to share your love for eternity. Until we meet again I forever remain…

Lovingly,

Your Faithful Friend

To all my fans, and especially my friends on Twitter, hopefully this pretend pet letter will help ease the pain of losing a loved one and sharing the grief of bad news. If nothing else, understand that life is truly fragile and unpredictable, so make the best of each moment to love and appreciate those around you.

Cat and dog owners can safely assume a person in reasonable health will outlive their pet.

The facts don’t change the feeling of loss when your senior pet dies, yet there’s more to consider when letting go of aging pets. My guardians were enlightened by their veterinarian in a discussion about the elderly dog who was in our family before me.

The dog was near her natural end of life with serious health complications due to aging that could not be reversed. Besides vital functions shutting down she was incontinent. Within weeks she stopped eating and could not walk.

After a thorough examination and comparing notes from recent visits, the vet advised a humane and peaceful end.

The facts about pets and pain which the vet shared helped the guardians in their decision. Dogs are stoic meaning they tolerate pain without letting you know. This is true of cats, as well. Here’s a quote with a link to more information about how dogs and cats handle pain.

Dogs’ responses to pain vary. Some dogs are very stoic, and will show few outward signs even when in extreme pain.
Source: Dr Barchas, DVM http://drbarchas.com/pain

Letting go of aging pets is not easy. Seek professional advice from your veterinarian to know the right thing to do and when. Understanding the stoic nature of pets, extending their life by all possible means may not be in their best interests if they’re in agony.

Appreciate your pets every moment of every day while you can. Supress selfish feelings and let them go peacefully with dignity when the time is right. Finally, as you heal and consider another pet, please adopt from a local shelter. Millions of abandoned yet healthy cats and dogs are waiting.