"If
you don't rescue, don't breed!"
I would've died that day if not for you.
I would've given up on life if not for your
kind eyes.
I would've used my teeth in fear if not for your gentle hands.
I would have left this life believing that all humans don't care
Believing there is no such thing as fur that isn't matted
Skin that isn't flea bitten
Good food and enough of it
Beds to sleep on
Someone to love me
To show me I deserve love just because I exist.
Your kind eyes, your loving smile, and your
gentle hands
your big heart saved me...
You saved me from the terror of the pound,
soothing away the memories of my old life.
You have taught me what it means to be loved.
I have seen you do the same for other dogs like me.
I have heard you ask yourself in times of
despair
Why you do it
When there is no more money, no more room, no more homes
You open your heart a little bigger, stretch the money a little tighter
Make just a little more room to save one more like me.
I tell you with the gratitude and love that shines in my eyes
In the best way I know how
Reminding you why you go on trying.
I am the reason;
the dogs before me are the reason
as are the ones who come after.
Our lives would've been wasted, our love never given
we would die if not for you.
By Kim Senke-Rocka
April
2007
The
beautiful girl below and her 7 puppies were found abandoned near a busy highway.
The babies were less than 2 weeks old. A friend of mine called and asked if I could help them. I took them in and
cared for them until the pups were ready for their new homes. They were given
warmth, love and lots of TLC. Also, they had their shots, and wormings before
they went to their new homes. Mommy was spayed and placed into a wonderful new
home. Puppies were all adopted with SPAY/NEUTER contracts and
found incredibly loving new homes! How could someone do something so horrible to
this special young girl and her little angel babies?
Thank
you to everyone who offered their love and opened their doors to these special
Angels...
"DAISY"
2
years old * Lab Mix * Spayed
Gone
to a wonderful new home!
Female
#1
Gone
to a wonderful new home!
Female
#2
Gone
to a wonderful new home!
Female
#3
Gone
to a wonderful new home!
Female
#4
Gone
to a wonderful new home!
Male
#1
Gone
to a wonderful new home!
Male
#2
Gone to
a wonderful new home!
Male
#3
Gone
to a wonderful new home!
In May
of 2006 we found 4 kittens under a building. Mommy was found deceased a few feet
away. The kittens were only about 1 week old and needed help right away. We
brought them home and started bottle feeding, every 2 hours. At that same
time our Cane Corso (Italian Mastiff) Toska had a litter of 10 puppies who were
just a couple of weeks old. Toska showed a great interest in the kittens while
we were handling them. She began to clean them and actually tried to take them
from us! We decided to put the kittens in her whelping box and immediately Toska
took over! She was a great help with taking care of the kitty's and they thought
she was their mommy. We have found a home for 2 of the kittens and have decided
to keep the other two. We love them dearly and they are doing wonderful! Toska
still keeps an eye on the girls and will forever be their mommy!
Pictures
below taken at 4 weeks old with "mom and siblings"!
9/7/2005
Freeway
has found a wonderful new home!
On
July 15th, 2005, this
lovely boy, who we call "Freeway" was dumped on, of course a freeway, in
Riverside, CA. He was running on the side of the freeway, frantically looking
for his so-called "family" that, for whatever reason, decided they no
longer wanted him. A friend of mine saw him and pulled over immediately. Unfortunately,
she was not able to get the license plate number of this horrible person. As
soon as she pulled off of the freeway, the little Mini Pinscher/Chihuahua cross
male ran to her car. She opened the door and he jumped right in. Shaking and
frightened, little "freeway", sat in the passenger seat like a perfect
gentleman. My friend checked all of the local animal shelters and placed ads in
several newspapers. Just as we expected, no response. So, "Freeway" ,
after gaining some much needed weight, is available for adoption. He is a
wonderful young man and loves children and other animals. We are offering
Freeway to a wonderful, forever home, FREE of charge. He will be
neutered. Please help us to find the perfect home for this special young man. He
deserves a second chance to give a family the love and kindness that he has to
offer...
On Thursday, January 1st, 2004, we decided to take a drive up to Phelan, a
little town here in California, to look at property. We drove around the town
for about an hour or so, up and down dirt roads, looking for a great piece of
land for our "future" home. While driving, we came to a river wash. We
contemplated whether or not to drive through it, but something told me to just
do it. We made it OK, however it was a bumpy ride! We drove down a dirt road,
where we saw several abandoned cars, and lots of trash. It was not a nice area.
A few blocks down we noticed the city dump. Ewwwww, what a horrible place!
"Ok, it's time to find our way out of here", we thought. We drove
several blocks, towards the main highway, when we noticed a dog, up ahead, in
the middle of the dirt road. I continued to drive up towards him, thinking he
may belong to someone nearby. Although, there were no homes at all, anywhere
near where we were. As we got closer, we saw something so horrible we had tears
in our eyes. What we saw was a male dog, maybe a Shepherd/Retriever mix, so thin
he looked like a skeleton with fur. He was frightened and shaking because of the
temperatures outside. I knew that we had to get him into the car somehow and get
him home immediately, or he would probably not make it through another freezing
night. I had a cookie in the car and decided to see if he would come to me for
the food. He was very hesitant at first, but as I threw tiny pieces of cookie
towards him, he came closer each time to eat. Finally, he came close enough for
me to touch him. I knew then that I had to save this starving boy. I decided to
try to pet his head and he flinched as though I was going to hit him. I talked
quietly to him, coaxing him closer to me. The fear and desperation in his eyes
was evident. I think though, that he knew I was sent there to help him. He let
me grasp his collar (yes, he had an old, worn out collar on) and I picked him up
and carried him to the car. I placed him in the back seat with my son. As we
started to drive towards home, we noticed another dog, down the road a bit. I
drove towards her to see her condition. She was also very thin. Not as bad a the
male, but much too thin for the size and type of dog that she is. She was also
very frightened and ran under a small tree. Again, I took a cookie out to her to
see if she would come to me. She was not as timid as the male, and eventually
came to me with her tail wagging. I gave her the cookie and put her in the car
with her friend. She gave my son kisses all the way home, in her way thanking
him for being her savoir! We drove the 40 minutes home, the whole while
thinking, "How could this have happened?" The next day, I called
the Animal Control Offices in all of the surrounding areas to see if anyone had
lost these dogs. Nothing. So, here they are, safe and sound, starting their
journey for a new beginning. The male will be here the
longest. It will take a long time to rehabilitate him. We have decided to call
him "Crusoe" , as he probably felt like he had been shipwrecked on a
terrible, deserted Island. We are still thinking of the perfect name for the
female. She is a German Shepherd Mix and is about 2 years old. Both of these
dogs are so sweet and gentle. They are going to the vet tomorrow (1/3/04) to get
check-ups and most likely, vitamin shots and supplements. As I sit here, telling
you this story, Crusoe is lying next to me, on a soft blanket, warm and cozy,
with a full tummy. His friend is asleep in the big comfy chair in my office. I
bet they're dreaming good dreams tonight. I will keep you updated on their
progress and will be adding more pictures. Please keep these special babies in
your prayers...
Here is
Crusoe, day one, 1/1/04:
"How
could this have happened?"
Crusoe's
partner, Maggie, has been placed in a wonderful new home on 10 acres. She was in
much better condition than Crusoe and is now doing wonderful and is VERY happy
in her new home!
Updated
pictures of Crusoe! Taken February 2, 2004, 1 month after his rescue...
Crusoe,
relaxing on HIS sofa!
VERY
happy and content, Crusoe, in his favorite place...
Our
wonder dog, Crusoe, is still gaining weight and is doing wonderful!
Crusoe
and his buddy, Lass, sharing his bed...
Update:
On Tuesday, August 10th, 2004, our special friend, Crusoe, crossed over the
Rainbow Bridge. Our vet said his heart and kidneys failed. We are devastated and miss him so
much. For the 7 months that Crusoe was here with us, he blessed us with his love
and kindness and also his appreciation for taking him from that horrible
life he had led. He was happy and content in his new home and was the most
loving, caring, considerate dog in the whole world. We will never forget you
Crusoe and we thank you for being such a special part of our lives.
Farwell
my sweet boy, until we meet again...
This
picture was taken on Tuesday, August 10th, a few hours before Crusoe passed
away. I had no clue that it would be the last...
I
love you Crusoe
In October of 2004. I rescued another dog, of course
the typical German Shepherd Mix type. She is a young female, maybe a year old,
maybe. She was running in a big open field, with nothing around except for a
small convenience store with a large dumpster behind it. When I pulled over to
get a better look at her, I saw that not only was she skin and bones, but she
was full of milk. I searched the entire area for puppies, but couldn't find any
at all. I asked the store owners if they knew her and they said no, but she had
been getting food out of the dumpster for several days. The weather had been
extremely cold and there was no shelter, no water, no food for this poor girl. I
called her over to my truck and she hesitantly came to me. I offered her some
leftovers from my lunch and she ate like there was no tomorrow. It was then I
realized she had been dumped. I'm assuming that she got pregnant on her first
heat cycle, had puppies (who knows what happened to them unfortunately) and the
owners decided to dump her so they wouldn't have to deal with her any more. I
lifted her thin body into my truck and told her she would be warm and her tummy
would be full soon! She slept all the way home. I had planned to get her back
into a healthy state and find a loving home for her, BUT, she's still here and
will be with me forever! Her name is now Josie (which she answers to!) and is
the most loving, kind, smart, caring, considerate (oh I could go on and on!) dog
in the world (well, right next to Crusoe that is). I just can not for the life
of me understand why or how people can do these things to such wonderful
creatures. Josie is now my constant companion and the "nanny" to all
the puppies we have. She helps to "baby-sit" them while they are being
weaned from their mommies and she just loves her new job and her new life!
Josie,
after gaining about 20 lbs so far, enjoying her new bed!
Happy
and content, no more cold nights or rummaging for food scraps in a dumpster...
Update:
February 2007
New
pictures of our VERY special girl, Josie
Update:
September 2008
Josie
and a few of her "friends"!
Notice
"Mr. Big", an orphaned Chihuhua, nursing from Josie. He is almost 4
months old in this picture. Josie was his surrogate mother and produced milk for
him when he was just a few days old! Mr. Big still loves his "mommy"
even at a year old. No more nursing though!
She is
truly and "Angel" sent to us from the heavens above...
e-mail:
lisa@getapup.com
