ALGBR will have a booth at this year's Arizona Pet Expo on June 12, 2010 inside the University of Phoenix Stadium.  It's going to be a pet-lover's paradise, packed with information and events for all pet owners.  Best of all, your dog is cordially invited to join the fun, too!  Upon entering, you'll receive a card asking you to name the specific group you support.  The rescue that generates the most attendance will win 850 pounds of dog food!  You can imagine how much that would help ALGBR, so please plan to attend and write in ALGBR's name!  We'll be in booth #534.  Check out the website at http://www.phoenixpetexpo.com/ for a map of the exhibits and information.

Most of ALGBR's dogs come from owners who are unable or unwilling to take care of their dogs any longer.  Thankfully, the majority of the dogs we take in have been relatively well cared for, but some dogs come to us who have been neglected, sick, injured, or worse.  It's these cases that tug extra-hard on our hearstrings, and recently, we had the privilege of rescuing three dogs who were in dire straits, indeed.  Here's the story of Sharpie, Honey, and Princess:

We received a phone call from a woman who said that her house was going to be foreclosed upon that day at 3 pm, and she needed to find a place for her three Labradors.   The woman and her husband had taken them in order to help her brother, but now in the final hours, she realized they could not take the dogs with them.  We didn't have much time, but after a few phone calls, our intake team was ready to take a look at the dogs.  Before ALGBR intakes any dog, one of our volunteers evaluates the dog to assess its health, temperament, and adoptability.  We wish we could take in every dog that needs us, but due to our limited resources, we must be careful about the dogs that join our rescue family.

David and Dorothy James and I arrived at the home by 1:00.  No one was home, but we could hear the dogs in the back yard.  After a short wait, the owner showed up to let us take a look at the dogs.  We made our way through the home to the back yard.  There, amongst the dirt, the weeds, the waste, and the flies, we found three beautiful but badly neglected souls.  Sharpie, the black male, was friendly and sweet, and greeted us with happy tail wags.  Princess, a good natured yellow mama-dog, also seemed friendly and curious.  Honey, the baby of the bunch, was timid and scared.  She wasn't so sure about the new people invading her yard. 

The signs of neglect were obvious, but one touch of their bodies told us just how bad their situation was.  The lumps and bumps I felt as I ran my hands over their fur told me that these dogs were infested with ticks.  A closer look at their ears and eyes made us all recoil in disgust.  After some investigation, we learned that Sharpie had been bred to Princess, and that Honey was most likely their daughter.  This canine family had never had a collar on, had never been for a walk, or been allowed in the house.  All they had was each other.  Being Labradors, though, their spirits were still loving and kind, and I think they could sense that we were there to help.

 
The trio was taken to Scottsdale Pet Hotel, ALGBR's partner kennel, where the long, tedious process began to remove the ticks.  All three dogs were angels during the ordeal of being dipped, washed, and picked clean.  In fact, one of the dogs fell asleep during the four hours it took to remove most of the ticks!  In all, over 5,000 ticks were removed from these sweet dogs. 

 Sharpie soaking up the love from Dave and Dorothy
Princess is being treated like a queen at the Donnelly home

Honey is loving life with Anne

 

 

If you know anyone who might be interested in adopting a dog, please feel free to forward this newsletter and refer them to our website, www.azlabsandgiants.org  And, if you find yourself with time to volunteer, please click on the "Volunteer" button on the website!