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Dogs

Stop saying “It depends on how they were raised.”

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We’ve all heard it and often times it’s said by pit bull lovers, but the truth is… the phrase is killing shelter dogs, especially our pit bulls, all across the country. Why? Because pit bull type dogs outnumber any other breed in U.S. shelters and are the most euthanized. Most of them come in as adults. That means when well-intentioned people spread the lie that “it all depends on how they’re raised,” they are actually saying… you can’t trust these adult pit bulls up for adoption because you don’t know how they were raised. This applies to every shelter dog really, though it’s most often said about pit bulls. Often times, we don’t know a dog’s background… all we know is what’s right in front of us and that is typically a happy dog ready to love a family. In most cases, shelter dogs were raised with love and compassion, and they either got lost or were surrendered through no fault of their own. And even in the cases where we know the dog has had a rough life prior to coming to a shelter, the beauty of dogs is that they live day by day and they are ready to forgive! We’ve witnessed dogs, including pit bulls, that have backgrounds of abuse and/or neglect, but the dog isn’t defeated! They still want to love and live a happy life! We know every one means well! But the more we know, the more we can help!! And, hey, if you don’t believe our claims… feel free to go volunteer at your local animal shelter. The proof that every dog, no matter their background, is an individual that deserves a chance to show how great they are is right there!

Happy Tails

Randy

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We got this update from Randy’s new mom Lori a while back. She tells the amazing story of how she came to find Randy who’s name is now Augustus or Augie! Lori found her new furbaby because our professional photo on PetFinder. We’re so happy that Augie has found his forever home and that he is obviously very loved. It brings us to (happy) tears knowing that an unwanted pet found love and security because of our organization! We love updates like this! Thank you Lori for choosing adoption 😀 Here’s the story in her own words: “A couple months ago I lost my best friend Buster to cancer at only 10 years of age. I was devastated, as anyone who has lost a canine family member can understand. Fortunately I still had the love and companionship of my Puggle, Mr Magoo. He was sad. I was sad. One day while browsing on petfinder I saw a Puggle in a Pay it Forward for Pets photo. I knew I had to find out more about him. He was named Randy by SCAC. I went to meet him and was told he had been adopted. I kept his photo as the wallpaper on my phone. A few days later I called SCAC and asked if by chance they had any other Puggles, and they told me one had just come in, so I raced to meet him. They directed me to his kennel, and as soon as I saw his face I recognized him. It was Randy! The previous adopters had returned him because he was not a good match for their family! All I could say was “I’ll take him!” Now that he is home with us I am so grateful that the other family returned him, because he is a gem! So loving, so grateful! He’s very smart, and he’s quickly learning proper doggy behavior. Before he left SCAC he was diagnosed as heart worm positive. I learned that the treatment is very costly, and I was unable to pay for it. After discussing all this with my vet, Dr. Lisa Mokas, she suggested I try to find a sponsor. I was thrilled to learn a few days later that an anonymous donor had agreed to pay for Randy’s treatment, which I believe was an answer to prayer. None of this would have happened if Pay it Forward for Pets had not posted that very professional photo. That’s what caught my eye, and that’s what saved my dogs life! I decided to give him a new name for his new life. It took most of the month of August to adopt him, so I named him Augustus, or Augie for short. Augie Dawgy is sleeping happily in his own cozy bed as I write this. Mr Magoo is sleeping nearby. Life is good. Thank you all for the work you do!”

General

Clapper Award

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Thank you Larkin … for accepting the Pay It Forward For Pets Clapper Award for us last night! Dr. Lisa Wilson, Veterinarian, brings so much to the taping and for her contributions we are grateful. A special “Thank You” goes out to our friends that watch the show on cable and voted on the taping and to WCTV for allowing us the opportunity to share our message and information on your station for the past 8 years! To our FB friends … thank you for your support of the show too.

Happy Tails

Jessie

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Jessie, photographed last week, found her forever home!!! She seems to have made herself right at home! We got an update from her family: Tabitha and her daughter adopted Jessie and that she is very happy. Tabitha says that Jessie is doing great and that “She is very at home and hates to be alone she is always following one of us.” We think that Jessie knows she has a family now and she doesn’t want to lose sight of them! Thank you for the update Tabitha, and for adopting this sweet girl! We’re very happy to get an update on one of the cats we’ve helped. If you’ve adopted a pet that we helped through one of our six programs, send us an update either on our wall or through a message. We would love to share your Happy Tail with our followers 😀

Happy Tails

Peanut Butter

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Peanut Butter was adopted on Saturday by his new dad, Damian. This adorable boy is only 7-8 months old and is so excited to be adopted. We know there will be many years of friendship to come between Peanut Butter and his daddy! Thank you Damian for choosing adoption and giving this pup a forever home!

Canine Assessment & Enrichment, Dogs

Doggie Treadmill Video

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Check out Willow’s first time on our treadmill! She’s quite the natural 🙂 We know that this new skill will help Willow prepare for her forever home as a treadmill gets dogs to a calm state, where they learn the most! Olivia Mandala, part of our Canine Assessment and Enrichment program, says “Willow is an awesome dog! She is very attentive and responsive to training. She has great eye contact, and frequently looks at her handler on what to do next. Willow does need some guidance on how to politely react to other dogs, and we think the treadmill will be a useful tool in this process.” Willow does act overly excited, but we’d like to clarify that it’s not in a mean way. This loving girl is preparing for her forever home at Summit County Animal Control​! She’s a joy to be around, and we’ll continue to work with her until she finds her family 🙂

Cats, Critical Care Assistance Fund

Rusty’s Story

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Rusty lives in the Green Twp. area and is a community cat. He is cared for by a 10 year old little girl named Leah. Leah cares for a couple other community cats too; however, Rusty is her newest addition. Responsibly, her neighborhood gets these cats spay/neutered, provides nutrition and outdoor housing for these lucky felines. Recently, Rusty came home dragging his leg. Apparent that it was useless, they contacted Pay It Forward For Pets for help. Crating this independent guy wasn’t the easiest; however, with Leah’s help PIFFP was able to get the cat transported to Dr. Lisa Wilson at Animal and Avian Medical Center in Brunswick (we love this doctor!!!). After x-rays and rest, it was apparent that Rusty’s leg could not be saved. After all, he’d been shot with a pellet gun and the pellet injured his spine which caused nerve damage and the leg dropped. What to do? This isn’t an owned cat. Do we responsibly spend donor dollars to treat this young feline? The answer was an easy one … yes! Why? Because we had a healthy cat that would adapt to 3 legs, we had a 10 year old little girl that loves Rusty and was caring for him properly and, lastly, this effort had “lessons” written all over it for the neighborhood children. As Rusty endured his surgery to remove the leg and convalesce, PIFFP and little Leah went to work on a flyer about Trap-Neuter-Release and community cats. Leah blanketed her neighborhood with the information and a picture of Rusty with his amputated leg. She told the story of him being shot and asked that any family possessing a pellet gun to “please” have a conversation with everybody in the home about kindness and compassion for orphaned pets. In closing, Rusty is now an “owned” pet and will, no doubt, get to live to love his nine lives. Do you agree with our decision to help Rusty? We want your feedback and opinions. Please visit our website at www.payitforwardforpets.org to make a donation to the “Critical Care Fund” to help the many cats out there that we get calls on that need pain-alleviating treatment – like Rusty. Contributions can be mailed to: PIFFP Office, 2136 Yellowcreek Road, Akron, OH 44333. Notation: “Feral/Community Cats.” We thank you … and the animals thank you too.

Dogs

All Dolled Up and No Where To Go

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“All Dolled Up and No Where To Go” came from the frustration of watching great dogs, who happened to be pit bulls, wait too long for a home. The dogs let us dress them up, put them in front of strobe lights that must have been scary, all while minding all the “sit” commands we asked of them. Sound vicious? No. Extraordinary? Yes. There was a time when the American Pit Bull Terrier was considered a family dog in this country. They were a symbol of courage during WWI and the mascot of The United States Marine Corps. They were present in children’s film, most famously “The Little Rascals”, that’s right… Petey was a pit bull. We all know this history! We are dog lovers, we do not discriminate! But the sad truth is that many people see the media stories about pit bull attacks and believe that every pit bull will maul them. They hear about dog fighting rings and gang violence, and they may pity the dogs, but they surely do not want to adopt a pit bull with baggage. Most pit bulls, fortunately, have never been in a fight. They have never attacked children. The truth is, they are dogs. We love them and they are beautiful, but there is nothing different about them. They love you unconditionally, just like any dog who is treated with kindness and love. All of these dogs are available for adoption at Summit County Animal Control. They are all looking for a chance to show how great they are. Remember that many dogs do not show well in a shelter environment. Insist on meeting any dog on a walk outside the shelter or rescue. They are happier outside and their personality shines through.     

Critical Care Assistance Fund

Critical Care Fund- Boss Overcomes Bloat

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Sharing another “behind the scenes” success story… Meet Boss. This 8 month old puppy was afflicted with bloat. Bloat is a condition that happens in dogs that are larger in size and older. In fact, we often hear about this ailment in horses so you can only imagine how rare of a case Boss is. Contacted for help by his pet-parent, this sweet boy was in deep distress. After learning more details about his condition, it was apparent that he was in horrific pain and was suffering in his home. After an entire day of phone calls to area veterinarians in an effort to seek pain alleviating surgery/treatment, and with no guarantee for survival, Boss was taken to surgery that night. We are so thankful that Boss survived and will now be able to live his life pain-free as a happy puppy. This young dog fought hard and wanted to live so we fought for him. We still have some vetting follow-up to do and we will see this case to fruition but we want you to see Boss now three weeks later!

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