Spay/Neuter License Plate

Although the Pierce Brosnan illustration that complements this most important message may be a turn-off, it is worth considering investing the $50 to spread the word about the need to spay and neuter all cats and dogs. If there is one thing that could lower the numbers of dogs coming into our shelters significantly, it would be mandating spaying and neutering. Of course, we all know that many of the dogs who fill our shelters are the result of backyard breeders who would not heed this mandate, even if it were codified into law; however, it is still not a bad idea to get people who don't make the connections between pet overpopulation, high euthanasia rates and spaying and neutering, thinking, as they sit in traffic behind a car bearing the message.

Go to http://www.caspayplate.com/ for more information about ordering this special interest plate.

An adoption salute to Miley (now Edie)

For this entry, we have a guest writer. It’s the most beautiful blogger this site has ever had – my wife Holly!



I suppose each volunteer has their own rubric for selecting a dog to walk on any given day. My criteria involves: charm, good looks, and swishing tail. Oh, and I usually look at the walk cards to see who hasn’t been out too. The stars and prong collars aligned and one regular Sunday I found myself with Miss smiley Miley.

An early photo of Miley - grinning from the get-go


Who doesn’t want their first date with a new dog to involve a little cuddle time, a crooked smile, and a lot of sniffing?! Miley and I immediately hit it off. It made me feel good too, to give her a long walk around the lake that first day. And so became our tradition of Sunday walks around the lake. The timing was perfect really – my husband, Joel, was at Bad Rap class with Azul. I would take the hour to do the lake with Miley and then we would meet up afterward. I loved it.

But, I realized I was ready for my next challenge as a volunteer and Miley was ready to learn a few things. So, two months ago, my favorite pittie princess and I showed up to Bad Rap. Well, wouldn’t you know, this girl took to it like a charm! Week one was a little overwhelming – lots of things to see and smell! But, by week two she had mastered sit. By week three she had look. And, by week four down and stay! We were on a roll. This past Sunday she was even reviewed by Bad Rap who told us she was nearly ready to move to the advanced class.

Showing off her 'stay' skills at BAD RAP class


Would you like some mustard to go with this HAM?


Miley’s other pals, two of whom are named Nancy, have been taking her on lots of long walks during the week and on non-Bad Rap days. All the time with her human-friends really paid off. A nice young couple watched Miley’s good work at Bad Rap and were impressed with how she was the perfect combination of attentive and affectionate. I’m so happy that Miley has found her forever home with great new human friends, Jason and Lizzy. I know I’m one of many who’ll miss seeing her down in kennel 21, but I have a feeling we’ll be seeing her around flashing that goofy grin as she wiggles on by. Huzzah for Miley!

On to new adventures

Join us for a special BADRAP class on Saturday, October 23

In case you haven't noticed, BADRAP's pit ed classes have been gaining a lot of visibility. Thanks to a lot of good publicity and tireless educational/outreach efforts, BADRAP has been attracting lots of fans nationwide. The pit ed classes - conducted just down the street from our shelter - are one of their most popular activities. Read BADRAP's blog or Facebook pages to see how many people in communities all across the country wish they had this type of program.

The added interest has also increased the number of BACS volunteers who are interested in attending class. This means that lots of BACS pitties have been going to class with devoted volunteers. The dogs learn manners and basic obedience, gain socialization, and they get to be seen by potential adopters.

Well hold on to your prong collars, because next week we are having the mother of pit ed classes (to date, at least). BADRAP has been hosting occasional "open house" classes where the public is invited to watch and learn. But to celebrate National Pit Bull Awareness Day on October 23, they are pulling out all the stops. Refreshments, games, books autographed by celebrity dogs, door prizes, you name it. We've got everything but a Justin Bieber appearance. And BACS pitties will be prominent co-stars of the occasion!

Imagine a scene like this. But with lots more stuff.


Donna's post over on the BADRAP blog has all the details, so all I need to say is please do drop by for all the fun. And support your favorite BACS pitties in action.

Most of our pits started out life as strays or neglected backyard dogs, and arrived at the shelter not knowing a leash from a ham sandwich. But thanks to hard work from our volunteers and our partnership with BADRAP, many of them are now out showing off their skills at class, helping change the public's perceptions of pit bulls, and eventually heading on to become happy family pets.

I hope you can make it, and bring a friend. It should be fun for everyone!

A Dream Come True

Shirley bathed in sunlight while on a walk in the woods.

Gearing up for a car ride.

Smiling happily in Montclair's business district.

Shirley (calmly) watching the passersby in Montclair

Shirley waiting for treats.

Shirley's Couch

Shirley is adjusting well to being in a home, immediately calming down from the hectic, stressful life of the shelter. She now is a much calmer dog. And I think the major reason she was looked over at the shelter was because her loud and constant bark scared adopters off. This is a silly reason given that in the whole time Shirley has been with us she has only barked twice.

The rest of her time she's either going on walks, begging for food, or sleeping on the couch which has now exclusively become her couch. She loves to go on walks to new places so I try to take her on new paths but usually she ends up making the regular weekday loop. On the weekends though we pack her up in the car (which she loves to ride in) and take her to a new place like Lake Temescal or a path up in the hills, and she just loves it.

Overall she is a great dog and her easy to love character has spread to all of the family. My dad who in the beginning of the adoption process has said, "No pitbulls and that's final," is now infatuated with Shirley and plays with her every second he has, including often lying on the floor as asking Shirley for some kisses.

She is a great friendly, loveable dog who also knows boundaries and won't jump up on a bed or couch without being asked. She is also much more well behaved with other dogs now that she is out of the shelter. My grandparents came over to see her with their dog (a tiny Shih tzu mix) and Shirley did absolutely fine with the other dog. In fact the other dog was the one with the problem and kept growling at Shirley but still she just wanted to play and he ended up having to sit in the car.

She loves playing with new toys (squeaky toys especially), but she is a bit of a princess when it comes to toys. She'll only play with toys if they're new and haven't been played with other dogs before. As soon as she gets them her main goal is to break them and as soon as she does, she never plays with the toy again. Well I guess that's why she's named Shirley Temple.

But really she is a great dog, and as she gets more and more accustomed to our home, she just gets happier and happier as you can see in the pictures. I am sad that Shirley had to spend 15 months in the shelter but in the end I'm glad she did, because if she hadn't stayed that long I wouldn't have found her. In the end Shirley got a home, and I got what I had been asking for since I could talk, and we couldn't be happier.

Matt

Rico is Seeking A Dog with Person to Call His Own

When Rico first came to the shelter (8/7/10), he was a terrified little ball in the corner of his kennel not wanting anybody to come near him. Fast forward one month later and now meet RICO THE GREAT! Rico is lively, fun, and full of confidence. His favorite past time is playing in the office with Neffie the doberman. This spunky guy is just itching to get into a home - it would really be an added bonus if this new home came with a doggie friend in it.

September's Volunteer of the Month

Karen

This month we salute Karen, who spends most of her volunteer time helping out in the office. Every time I take an overanxious, intestinally-distressed dog for a long walk on a hot day, I start to think that she might have the right idea. Thanks for all your hard work Karen! And please try to make sure that I don't keep walking out of the shelter with a key around my wrist!

What do you do when you're not at the shelter?

I spend time looking for a job, which leads directly to...

Why did you initially decide to volunteer at BACS?

Since being laid off from my job as an administrative assistant at the state Public Health Lab in Richmond, I now have the free time to volunteer. I've always wanted to do this, but full-time work didn't make it easy. Now, however, I have lots of time available and I love volunteering at BACS so much that I often forget that my main "job" should be looking for another one!!!

While I do spend most of my volunteer hours in the office, I also visit the cats and dogs frequently, and have been helping out lately with taking the staff's dogs out for walks.

What are your favorite things about volunteering?

The incredible job the staff does with handling so many different animals, people and situations! I have a lot of respect and affection for these wonderful staff members and they've made me feel very at home at BACS. This also applies to the many other volunteers I've met these past months. And even though I'm frequently on a computer or updating the lost & found books, the bonus is that the whole time I'm in the office, I'm surrounded by the staff's marvelous dogs (constant puppy love!) and those 3 fabulous kitties (Squirrel, Wilma, and Madu). If I ever get another job, it'll be tough to give up the wonderful perk of being with loving animals all the time! Volunteering at BACS has given me tremendous appreciation of the hard and challenging work people do to save and protect and find homes for our animal buddies. Being a part of this community is a priceless experience and I'm very grateful for it!

I wish the best to everyone who is associated with BACS!!