"Boomer-ang-thang," a breath of fresh air

   Boomer, whom I affectionately call, "Boomer-ang-thang," is a 12-14 week old puppy that we recently pulled from a local shelter. He's about as cute as cute can be, happy, healthy, bouncy, fuzzy, fun and affectionate. I'm totally head over heals for this little guy.

   Little guy now, who's probably going to be a good sized guy when grown! Boomer is at that all important age for puppy socialization. So I've made it my personal mission to make sure he gets the best start in life that he can. He goes everywhere with me! I'm introducing him to as many new places, people, dogs, cats and situations as I can. He greets each with the confidence of a puppy who has never been abused, neglected or mistreated. What a joy!

   This past weekend, I made the three hour trip to visit my grand boys. And of course, Boomer went with. He was happy to make the trip, alternately playing and sleeping along the way. Once there... happiness overflowing! Two young boys to follow around, two cats to check out, a gorgeous day playing in the park and a wonderful backyard to explore. What more could a pup ask for!

   In rescue, we see a lot of puppies and dogs who haven't been as fortunate as Boomer. As much as we love what we do, it's tough to see all the abuse, neglect, illnesses and injuries. So Boomer has been a breath of fresh air for me. This little guy loves life, is not afraid of anything, and brings smiles to everyone who meets him.

   Thank you Boomer! I needed that!

Tara

   Here are some pictures from our trip:

  



  

MS: Stop HB. 1261 - A Dangerous Bill That Would Hurt


This will only take a minute of your time, please help!


http://www.capwiz.com/bestfriends/issues/alert/?alertid=64043356&type=CU




      It is very important that everyone contact the officials to STOP THIS BILL! Wasting taxpayers' money and giving police the right to shoot your dog just because he "looks" like a Pit Bull is not the way to solve the problem of Pit Bull overpopulation. This money should be spent on stopping animal abuse, neglect, overpopulation and dog fighting! NOT infringing on the rights of responsible pet owners! Please take a moment now to help!

Southern Friends, born from passion, growing with dedication

For most of my adult life, I've searched for my passion, the thing that would make me complete. I've enjoyed the journey. I've traveled to places I never knew existed, I've tried my hand, and my voice, to discover musical talents - not so much talent. But I do love music and learned a lot! I've danced in ballrooms, ran in races, wrote a book (won't be published), discovered various religions and cultures, read a lot of books and watched a lot of movies. I enjoy photography, but not so much the mechanics of getting that great photo. The list is longer, but I'll stop there.

I stumbled into animal rescue when my husband and I adopted our first dog together. She was with a local rescue, that I eventually did some foster work for. My interest was piqued! But fostering didn't work out so well with our adopted dog. She wasn't very keen on having strangers in her house. We adopted a second pup, a little puppy, and she took to him like a mother.

Our first dog showed more and more symptoms of instability the older she got. I wanted badly to help her and didn't know how. There began my interest in training and becoming a dog trainer. The dog training work was so rewarding and fulfilling that I wanted to share this with shelter pups, to help them become more adoptable. Thus leading me to meeting Terri Esther, the founder/co-founder of Southern Friends.

Terri and I first met three years ago. From day one we have walked this path together. Along the route, we met and added to our Board, Lisa Marlin, Trisha Standard, and the newest, Sherry Nicholson. The glue that holds us together? Our passion. We want a better world for the animals that share with us this earth, especially for the ones who share with us our homes. I've never met a group so dedicated: Tender hearts, hard workers, tenacious, loving, gentle, caring, and when needed, tough as nails.

Finding my passion has made me complete. I sometimes feel like I'm an infant, born again and given the gift of starting life all over. I have my whole life ahead of me. A life filled with a cause, a purpose, love, support, and the best of friends, both human and canine.

     ___________________________________________________________________________


We had such a wonderful day at the Sanctuary yesterday! So many volunteers and several on their first visit! The dogs were ecstatic! We give them so much: Large runs, warm shelter, medical care if needed, food, toys and treats, but what they want more than anything, is human companionship.

As I walked around, saying hi to the old and new, it made me think about all the new friends I've made since getting involved in animal rescue. I love and respect dearly each of our Board members. And I admire, appreciate and enjoy so much our network of volunteers, many who have become my close friends.

So THANK YOU guys! You're the best!

Tara

How can you do that?

     As a foster, I get the question over and over, "How can you do what you do?" Interpretation: "How can you bring these loveable pups into your home, care for, get attached to, sometimes watch them morph from scared, frightened, little creatures into happy, bouncy, outgoing critters, and then let them go?"

     Every foster pup is different, so to answer in whole, for every foster pup who has graced my home, I would have to share their story. Too many to do that. From the 4-week-old, abandoned, emancipated, dehydrated, little guy who I fed with an eye dropper and who sat on the fence of life and death for 4 weeks, to the healthy, bouncy, happy 12-week-old who is in my home now, the experiences all do have one thing in common... life.

     Life? Yes, life. I would say love, but that is so obvious. I wouldn't be in rescue if I didn't love animals. Joy? Yes, there's joy in the care of these creatures. Satisfaction? Yes, that too. Satisfaction of a job well done when the outcome is good. But what about the times when the outcome is not so good? The pup doesn't get well? The aggression gets worse instead of better? And what about all the times the perfectly healthy, friendly, loving pup doesn't get even one application for adoption?

     Yes, life in animal rescue is full of all these things. the good, the bad, the sad, the unexplainable... That's why my answer is simply, "Life." We take it as it is, we improve it when we can, we accept it when it takes us in a direction we had not fathomed - or fight it with tooth and toenail!

     Life. My newest foster is little Boomer. Boomer is a 12-week-old puppy who was surrendered to West Memphis Animal Shelter. I don't know why the owner couldn't or wouldn't keep him. I can say that he has been well cared for. He's happy, healthy, unafraid and secure. He greets life with enthusiasm. Waking up in the morning - It's time to eat! Out for potty - It's time to play! Back inside - It's time to tug on human's housecoat! In walks BIG foster sister - It's time to make friends! After all this - It's nap time in his warm, comfy, safe place. He sleeps with abandonment and sweet dreams.

     I am in love with little Boomer, and Brycie, and Charlie, and Rio, and the list goes on and on. Each foster pup, and each Sanctuary pup, has brought to my life a new element... An element of love, and element of joy, and element of happiness, an element of satisfaction, and sometimes an element of mystery. And the hard parts... an element of sadness, an element of frustration, an element of anger, an element of grief.

     Is it worth all this? YES!

     FOSTER ~ RESCUE - ADOPT!



Boomer's Freedom Ride - out of the Shelter!

Cloudy Days, not so cloudy, at the Sanctuary!

On December 30th I wrote about a "Sunny Day at the Sanctuary." Today, I'm writing about a cloudy, damp, miserably cold day at the Sanctuary, January 2nd.

I waited till last minute to head over to do my, three times a week, daily chores of feeding, watering, poop scooping, and the various other, endless, duties of a Southern Friends' Sanctuary volunteer. The reason I waited was because the weather was so depressing... Cold, damp mist with occasional sprinkles, and the sun not peeping through a bit all day. And with the rain that had already fallen previously, MUD! I'm not a fan of winter. I wear sweaters in the summer time, and I especially don't like to be cold AND wet! So my thoughts were to just run over, feed quickly, check water pails, and scoop the obvious poop.

When I arrived, all was quiet. But my dear little Charlie soon picked up on my arrival and announced to all the other pups, "Feeding time!," and the bark fest was on. To all of us dog lovers, and especially in Rescue, this is music to our ears.

So I get busy with my chores, entering each run, greeting each dog, and soon my yellow slicker was covered in brown mud. And I'm not even mentioning that, in their excitement, they sling or splash a few bits of mud on my face, try to pull my gloves off, nip my back side, and I accidentally dump cold rain water all over myself while clearing a tarp, that covers the dog houses, that was not draining properly.

Not a fun day? Actually it was!

Years ago, when I started studying the skill of dog training, I quickly discovered that, in working with dogs, I was learning so much more about myself, than I was about dogs. I'm still learning lessons today, and I know that this pattern will continue for as long as I'm in association with canines, hopefully for all of my life.

So on this miserable day, I stooped in the rain to talk to each pup, and of course give pats, rubs and a special treat. And each pup in return, wiggling with joy, eyes shining, gave back to me so much more... love, loyalty, honesty, appreciation, adoration.

The human-canine connection. What a gift!

Tara

Reduced Adoption Fees throughout January

No matter your resolutions, adopting a homeless pet this month will help you stick to them: https://www.facebook.com/sfaspets/app_1479219758980675