January 30, 2012

PG and babiesA Poi Dog and her Pups

 

For everyone asking about the very pregnant blue-nosed pitbull mommy.....from Alicia Maluafiti, PDP President.

 

I ended up keeping her with me instead of boarding her at the Animal House in Ewa Beach. It was just better for her health and the health of her puppies and no one else was able to foster her. PG (short for Pretty Girl) is an SP (sweetie pie!). So sad that people perpetuate the many misperceptions and misinformation about pits.

 

Long story short - I had to rush her into Animal House for an emergency C-section. This all happened while I was on the way to the rally! Turns out one of the puppies had gotten stuck in her birth canal because the puppy was too big. The vet said at least 2 other puppies would had similar challenges. Sadly - the first puppy could not be revived and died. She came home with 9 puppies!  The vet said that they were the biggest puppies she'd ever seen. Wow!

 

Unfortunately, PG wasn't interested in nursing her babies. She was still in shock:  "what the heck are these things!"  She woke up to a bunch of puppies nursing on her. So the for the next 24 hours, I got to play midwife by forcing PG to lay down while I switched out the puppies to nurse every 3 hours - making sure all of them got enough milk. I had to put tape on their heads to make sure I didn't miss anyone.

 

By noon today, she figured out that she was a mommy and in true mommy fashion, her instinct took over. Such a good girl. I still check each puppy to make sure that they are all healthy and fat and getting enough to eat. Sadly - #1 had not been actively nursing since the 3 a.m. feeding and I spent most of today trying to get her to take the nipple. I even tried bottle feeding and force feeding. She just wouldn't do it. So I lost her at about 8 p.m. tonight. I also have a puppy - #7 - with a hernia so we are watching her closely.

 

You're probably wondering "why don't you name them all instead of referring to them as just a number?" Well - if you've ever fostered, you'd know that as soon as you name them, you get attached. And as much as you want to see them all adopted into forever homes with families that will give them all the love they need, its heartbreaking to let them go. And I really need to find these babies homes.

 PG cleaning baby

The good news is that I do have a foster family waiting for the puppies once they are weaned. And then when they're big enough, they'll be up for adoption at Petco Pearl City - spayed/neutered, microchipped, and first shots.  Which will leave me with PG. She deserves the best home of them all because she's had a rough life and been the best mommy to her babies.  I think God has a special place in heaven for mommies....and she has a special place in my heart. 

 

For more photos of Pretty Girl and her babies, as well as photos of the Roadside Rally, go to our Facebook page.

 

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Mahalo to All the 
Roadside Rally Supporters
 
Puka PantsFor all of you that joined us at the Roadside Rally ..... we'd like to think that the Luke ohana has finally gotten the message: 
 
It's time to find a new line of work!
 
People who treat pets like commodities can color their hair, but their roots never change. From moving their puppy mill operations to the big island to opening two different pet stores on Oahu - while they're facing animal cruelty charges - it clear that their only interest in puppies is profit.  Hawaii can do so much better.
 
Keep up the pressure.  Don't let the Luke family puppy-mill business take root in your community. PDP would like to see a breeder registration and licensing law implemented which would also apply to sellers of pets. And there are a number of worthy bills introduced this legislative session including Senate Bill 2504relating to the sale of dogs and cats being heard on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 9 a.m. in a joint hearing by the Senate Consumer Protection and Economic Development committees.
 
The bill would require pet sellers to implant a microchip identification and sterilize any cat or dog sold. The sellers would also have to provide documentation about the dog or cat including the breeder and veterinary information. We love this bill!  "Sellers" is defined as any person or entity selling pets to the public or to a pet store but it excludes nonprofit animal welfare organizations.
 
Since any respected and credible animal welfare organization already sterilizes and microchips the pets that they adopt, there is NO reason to exempt us. We welcome the mandate! If you or anyone you know has adopted a pet from a nonprofit that was NOT sterilized and NOT microchipped before adoption, then shame on them.
 
Submit your testimony asking Chair Rosalyn Baker and Chair Carol Fukunaga to amend the bill by deleting the exemption for nonprofit animal welfare organizations. And tell them why! 
 
Submitting testimony online is so easy. Please kokua.
 
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Please consider sharing the PDP Post with friends and family so we can expand our outreach and our kokua to people that need the help the most.
Please show your "aloha" and help pets in need. Pet food is always a blessing. 
We can pick it up!  Your monetary donation can also help in a number of ways:

  • $5 - microchip a pet
  • $25 - sterilize a feral cat
  • $100 - sterilize a male dog
  • $250 - build a kennel for a chained dog