Sadie

[aly]

Well Banjo is fairly new and we've had this dog Mocha for going on 3 months now. They took me aside today and asked me if I'd take Mocha through class because she needs a dedicated trainer. I am sad that I won't be able to take Banjo but hopefully Mocha and I can get a lot of work done and get the girlie adopted!



[This message has been edited by aly (edited June 20, 2001).]

[Gio]

Aly,

good job you live across the ocean or I would have to rob a bank and buy a huge house. if I lived near you I would adopt all the dogs you post pictures of!

Gio

[Sudilar]

Aly, you are the best. I admire you so much. You are one of the most kind-hearted persons in this world. You have made a difference in the lives of so many animals. You have saved so many lives. I admire your pure love and dedication to saving the lives of the unloved and unwanted. You are "Person of the Year" in my book!
Thanks for saving so many.
Sue, Killian and Shiloh

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[RachelJ]

Aly, you probably know that I agree with what Sue just said. You are the person I would hope to be "in my next life". It amazes me that someone so young has so much compassion and dedication to her ideals.

Is that picture of Banjo or Mocha? Congratulations on Piper's adoption. I know she will remember you.

[aly]

Thanks you guys so much for all your kind words. Its encouragement like that that keeps me going in this emotionally taxing work. Working with a dog, seeing their progress, and then watching them get adopted is the most wonderful feeling in the world. I am going to need a lot of encouragement this weekend. I will be taking in 6 feral kittens to tame and find homes for.

The pic I posted is of Mocha. She's starting to get stressed from being in a kennel for 3 months. She came in with a sibling who got adopted a week after their arrival. We generally try to adopt them out together if they come in together but sometimes we have to seperate them to get them into homes sooner. Our annual telethon is coming up in a week and a half. Hopefully after telethon, someone will come adopt Mocha. I'm nervous. I'm taking Benji and Mocha on tv

[Logan]

Alyson,
You will be a "star"!! You're already a star in my mind anyway. What you do is astounding! I'm just not sure how you find time to study!
Be sure to let us know how the telethon goes. Sure wish we could see you "live and in person"!
Logan

[aly]

Its SO hard to find time to study. I usually stay up late to study and fall asleep on my books! On the weekends when there are more volunteers at the shelter to walk dogs, I'll take my school stuff with me. I get a kong and take a dog with me to the 'real life room'. This room at the shelter is designed like a living room, it even has a working tv and refridgerator. We teach the dogs that they need to be calm in a setting like this. So I teach the "settle" command while I study! Multi-tasking is how I live my life, hehe. Right now I'm eating dinner while I check these boards

[aly]

Mocha had her first class tonight. She did beautifully catching up with the rest of the class. I was a little worried because I had a bad migraine that was making me nauseous so I wasn't sure if I'd be able to control her if she went bonkers. I exercised her for an hour before class so she did wonderfully. She played with her squeakies while the instructors were talking and didn't bark once (unlike the silly cockapoo who never stops ). She's very treat motivated so she did great with all the commands I started teaching her. I think she will be adopted at the telethon next week! She's a quick learner. We're going to probably clear house at the telethon which is GOOD because then we are going to stock up with dogs from the kill shelter in town. We rescue from there once a week but during and after the telethon, we will be taking as many as humanly possible. I'm so excited.

BTW, Benji was adopted today

[Daisy's Mom]

Good job Mocha, and yay for Benji! (Didn't you call him Banjo before?)

[This message has been edited by Daisy's Mom (edited June 21, 2001).]

[Sudilar]

YEAHHHHHHHHH Benji!!! Good for you!
That sounds great, Aly. I hope all are adopted so you can get a lot out of that kill shelter! Good luck to you!
Sue

[aly]

Bridget - Benji is the great dane/shepherd mix who I wanted soooooo bad but didn't like cats. Banjo is a shepherd mix who I wanted to take through obedience but Mocha needed it more. Then I also wanted to take Bonnie who is a greyhound/shepherd mix and a complete sweetheart.

Check out the shelter's webpage: http://www.austinspca.com/
Under the adoption section they have some pics of some of our dogs and cats

Mocha is this week's featured dog!!!

[This message has been edited by aly (edited June 22, 2001).]

[Stenograsaurus]

Oh, Aly, I wish our local humane society was more like yours. I was there one day and there was a guy looking at a dog. He asked the volunteer if she was chipped. They said they had no way of checking that Isn't that the whole purpose of having dogs chipped, so you can find their home if they get lost? Every time I've been there, I've found something wrong. Yours sounds so great!!!

[aly]

Thanks Stenograsaurus! It is so great there. It is my home away from home and the staff and volunteers are such great people, just like all of you here on Pet Talk

I would think it'd be easy to check for a chip. Just scan the dog and if it doesn't work, no chip! Some shelters have people who just don't care enough, like the kill shelter here in town. Its my worst nightmare going there because it is so dirty and the people are mean. Not all the people but the people I have come in contact with. It is like pulling teeth to get someone to help you. I am thinking about trying to volunteer there too. Its going to probably emotionally kill me but all the dogs there are neglected and need attention so bad. At my shelter, we regularly walk the dogs (5+ times a day for potty). At the other place, they have to go in their kennels. The kennels are not even cleaned on a regular basis so there is pee and poop everywhere. The dogs are filthy. I am still trying to work up the emotional courage to go spend time there. The parking lot is bad enough because their pleading cries and hacking coughs ring throughout your ears. Ugh, I better stop

[This message has been edited by aly (edited June 22, 2001).]

[Stenograsaurus]

Your local kill shelter sounds like our humane society. I thought the same thing about the chip. They said they didn't have the equipment to scan it.

[shais_mom]

OH ALY! I can definately see the greyhound and the shepherd in Bonnie!!! She is so pretty!!
Keep up the great work!!

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~~~"Noone appreciates the very special
genius of your conversation as a dog does."
Christopher Morley