The end came much too soon

My sweet Noir was diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver three months ago. This week she hadn't eaten for a few days and wasn't drinking. In spite of all the efforts of the wonderful Dr. DeHaan, there was nothing more to do for her but give her a quiet day without shoving things down her throat.

This afternoon she ate and drank a little, then took a blissful nap curled up with me, a memory I will treasure forever. A little after 4PM, Dr Lisa Shaw from Indian Land Animal Hosp came and helped her cross over to the rainbow bridge. Later her body was removed by Marlow and Brown for cremation.

She is gone, never forgotten. She was a rescue, she became a rescuer herself, and I found my inspiration for rescuing and transporting in her.

Please say a little prayer for my sweet girl, that she have only healthy, sunny, fun days at the Rainbow Bridge while she waits for Jim and I to cross over with her. We know we made the right decision for her, but are inconsolable nonetheless.

She is not gone, she has just run ahead to a better place and waits for us there.

When Irish eyes are smiling...

...they're usually up to something!

With a maiden name like Houlihan, you have to know St Patrick's Day is special to me. So in honor of St Patrick, we led 55 dogs and cats out of Spartanburg and on to freedom! I hope you enjoy the little video I posted below. And check out the kiss I got from that beautiful boxer!

56 lucky dogs, cats, puppies, and kittens

This weekend a huge group of people transported 56 dogs, cats, puppies, and kittens from shelters in South Carolina. The pets were bound for Virginia, Baltimore, and all sorts of points North and East.

As usual I took a lot of photos in Spartanburg, SC, and Charlotte and Salisbury, NC and have assembled them into a little video. My favorite dog this trip was Gem. Poor boy was so scared he didn't want to come out of his crate and had to be carried to the next car. Thanks to Jeff Boyd for his tender care of Gem as he carried him to Judy's car in Salisbury. Gem is a sweet boy and I hope his receiving rescue knows they have a true Gem on their hands!

Valentine's Day Transport

This morning countless volunteers arose with a single mission on their minds: rescue. Thirty-nine dogs and two cats are on their way to freedom and new lives on the day that symbolizes true love. Enjoy the video and photos as we do the the work we love to do.

Ramona the Dog writes to her RESCUERS!!

Dear Miss Cindy and Miss Maria,

Thanks fer gittin me outta that shelter this morning! I was kinda going crazy with boredom in there. I had fun riding with you and also with Miss Edie. Thanks for making my crate so comfy and soft and for giving me a chewie. Between that and the milk bones Miss Edie gave me I had a great ride to Concord! I even got a little nap and Miss Edie said as a special favor to me she was not going to sing!

I know you help lots of other doggies like me who are down on their luck and I want to thank you for them and especially for me. To show you how grateful I am, I'm going to be an extra good girl my whole life just so you'll know it was worth all the effort you put in to save me. Well, at least I'll try to be good tomorrow. ;-)

I am already at my new foster home and I'm very happy. I have toys and I love my new foster mom!

Thank you again, U guys R lifesavers!
All my love furever and ever,
Ramona xoxoxoxox

PS - A special thanks to Mr Jim for lettin me ride in his car. :-)

Ramona's ride to freedom

Ramona's big day:

First she was picked up from the Union County Shelter and transported to Camp Bark by Cindy Starkey (Camp Bark's owner) and Maria Kearney:



Here she is on her way to Concord with Edie Elting, enjoying a few milk bones along the way:



Saying goodbye to Edie:



Saying hello to new foster mom Angela (right) and Anne, her fellow AARF volunteer:



Gas round trip to Concord: $8.50
Five milk bones: $1.25
Freedom for one sweet pit bull: PRICELESS!!

Ramona the Dog writes letter to God

Dear God, and Guardian Angels,

Hi! Its me Ramona. I am 8 months old and I'm begging for your help. I was picked up by the dog catcher 2 months ago and I landed in jail. The people here have been pretty nice to me, but ya see, they aren't allowed to adopt out pitbulls. :-(

Lucky for me, I have a great personality, a pretty face, and I've been told I am very Charasmatic (wink,wink) The people here have grown fond of me, which is why I've lasted this long, but I overheard someone say today "my time is almost up". (GULP!) They have tried to help me get out of here, but sadly there arent many takers for a girl like me.

I promise if someone will give me a chance, I'll be the best I can be. I'm smart, and funny, healthy and fully vetted...I have a contagious smile and I've never met a stranger. I have a docked tail that doesnt stop wiggling when I meet you., Did I mention how funny I am???? I love everyone, and I need to get outta here ASAP!!!!. I am starting to get a little stir crazy here since I'm just a pup, and I need to run and play. I pray those days arent over, God Please help Me! Please answer my prayer and send a rescuer my way! Please tell all your peeps to Call or email my friend Cindy to find out how to save me!

Sincerely Thankful,
Ramona (pawprint) xoxo

NOTE: Ramona is being rescued! I am transporting her to Concord this morning where she'll be picked up by AARF (Animal Adoption and Rescue Foundation) and taken to her new foster home in Winston-Salem! YAYYYY!! Many thanks to my friend Cindy Starkey of Camp Bark for her hard work on behalf of Ramona!

45 fur kids moved to freedom!

Here is a video of yesterday's transport, legs 2 & 3 from Spartanburg, SC to Charlotte, NC, then on to Salisbury, NC.

I dedicated this run to my new friends, Maryann Bloos and her family, and their newest adopted family member Smokey, my former foster puppy!

Union County Animal Control and a local rescue group partner to rescue 24 dogs

On January 20, 2009, Union County, NC Animal Control released 24 dogs taken from a puppy mill to Animal Adoption League. The volunteers in the photo, led by rescue volunteer Cindy Starkey (front row, center), transported the dogs and coordinated their intake and movement to foster homes.

One of the dogs, now named Bella, has health problems and is about to deliver puppies. She has her own blog! I hope you'll take some time to read about her.

• Bella's Blog: Puppy Mill Survivor
• Union County Weekly article:
  "County, adoption league partner to rescue puppy mill dogs"
• More photos of the transport and intake

The medical care for Bella and her soon-to-be-born puppies will be provided by a local rescue group. Costs are expected to reach or exceed $2,000. All donations are tax-deductable, and we are grateful for your help! There is a donations button on her blog page.

When a rescuer dies

This year several rescuers I knew, or knew of, passed away. It's a sad day on Earth, but here's what happens at Rainbow Bridge. This explains why I will never stop rescuing. And this describes the reward I will receive when my days on Earth are finished

The Rescue Rainbow Bridge

Unlike most days at RainBow Bridge, this day dawned cold and gray, damp as a swamp and as dismal as could be imagined. All the recent arrivals were confused and concerned. They had no idea what to think for they had never experienced a day like this before. But the animals who had spent some time waiting for their beloved people knew exactly what was happeningand began to gather at the pathway leading to the Bridge to watch. They knew this was something special.

It wasn't too long before an elderly animal came into view, head hung heavy and low with tail dragging along the ground. The other animals on the pathway...the ones who had been at RainBow Bridge for a while...knew the story of this sad creature immediately. They had seen ithappen far too many times.

Although it was obvious the animal's heart was leaden and he was totally overcome with emotional pain and hurt, there was no sign of injury or any illness. Unlike the pets waiting at the Bridge, this dog had not been restored to his prime. He was full of neither health nor vigor. Heapproached slowly and painfully, watching all the pets who were by now watching him. He knew he was out of place here. This was no resting place for him. He felt instinctively that the sooner he could cross over, the happier he would be. But alas, as he came closer to the Bridge, his way was barred by the appearance of an Angel who spoke softly to the old dog andapologized sorrowfully, telling him that he would not be able to pass. Only those animals who were with their special people could pass over the Rainbow Bridge. And he had no special beloved people...not here at the Bridge nor on Earth below.

With no place else to turn, the poor elderly dog looked toward the fields before the Bridge. There, in a separate area nearby, he spotted a group of other sad-eyed animals like himself... elderly and infirm. Unlike the pets waiting for their special people, these animals weren't playing, but simply lying on the green grass, forlornly and miserably staring out at the pathway leading to the Bridge. The recent arrival knew he had no choice but to join them. And so, he took his place among them, just watching the pathway and waiting.

One of the newest arrivals at the Bridge, who was waiting for his special people, could not understand what he had just witnessed and asked one of the pets who had been there for some time to explain it to him."That poor dog was a rescue, sent to the pound when his owner grew tired of him. They way you see him now, with graying fur and sad, cloudy eyes, was exactly the way he was when he was put into the kennels. He never, ever made it out and passed on only with the love and comfort that the kennel workers could give him as he left his miserable and unloved existence on Earth for good. Because he had no family or special person to give his love, he has nobody to escort him across the Bridge."

The first animal thought about this for a minute and then asked, "So what will happen now?" As he was about to receive his answer, the clouds suddenly parted and the all-invasive gloom lifted. Coming toward theBridge could be seen a single figure... a person who, on Earth, had seemed quite ordinary... a person who, just like the elderly dog, had just left Earth forever. This figure turned toward a group of the sad animals and extended outstretched palms. The sweetest sounds they had ever heard echoed gently above them and all were bathed in a pure and golden light. Instantly, each was young and healthy again, just as they had been in the prime of life.

From within the gathering of pets waiting for their special people, a group of animals emerged and moved toward the pathway. As they came close to the passing figure, each bowed low and each received a tender pat on the head or a scratch behind the ears. Their eyes grew even brighter as the figure softly murmured each name. Then, the newly-restored pets fell into line behind the figure and quietly followed this person to the Bridge, where they all crossed together.

The recent arrival who had been watching, was amazed. "What happened?" "That was a rescuer," came the answer. "That person spent a lifetime trying to help pets of all kinds. The ones you saw bowing in respect were those who found new homes because of such unselfish work. They will cross when their families arrive. Those you saw restored were ones who never found homes. When a rescuer arrives, they are permitted to perform one, final act of rescue. They are allowed to escort those poor pets that couldn't place on Earth across the Rainbow Bridge. You see, all animals are special to them... just as they are special to all animals."

"I think I like rescuers," said the recent arrival.

"So does God," was the reply.

No truer words were ever spoken...

I saw this signature on an email from my rescue group.
So true, so true!!

"I am involved in dog rescue:
my wallet & gas tank are always running on empty,
my house is never quiet & free of dog hair, nor is my car;
my inbox is full of ongoing despair & misery,
but my heart & soul are replenished with
unconditional love, loyalty, & joy that can only come from a rescued dog!"



.....Author Unknown

An "EASY" transport day? What's that??

In almost a year of transporting, I've never experienced a day like today. Maybe it's because we only had 26 dogs and cats. Maybe the stars were perfectly aligned in the heavens. I don't know what it was, but I sure wish there were more days like today!

We left Spartanburg on time, left Charlotte early, and got to Salisbury before even the next leg's drivers! And they even left on time. WOW!

Everything went smoothly, except for the usual puppy pooping and the two or three vocal passengers. I even had time to take a lot of photos, which I compiled into a little video. Enjoy!!

Rescue Transports - 2008

Here's a little movie I made of some of the photos I've taken of some of our passengers this past year. Most of the photos were taken in Spartanburg, SC, Charlotte, and Salisbury, NC along our regular transport route. Most of those dogs came from Greenville and Newberry, SC. Other photos are of dogs we've pulled from Gaston County, NC and York County, SC and transported to adoptive homes, foster homes, and other rescues.

This is just a small sampling of our transports. We remember every one with a smile, one or two with great sadness.

I present this movie in honor of all transporters, especially my friend and mentor Mari, and our passengers, and in memory of Jasmine, a beautiful, sweet border collie. She was pregnant when we transported her. We found out later that neither she nor her pups survived the delivery.

The Holiday Express Transport

Today our group of transporters moved 45 dogs from shelters in South Carolina to rescues and forever homes from Virginia to Connecticut.

Aside from a 10 minute delay along I-85 at the North/South Carolina state line, everything went pretty well. Bailey the puppy whined a little, but seemed to quiet down when I talked to her or shoved her kibble through the holes in the crate!

Tomorrow the transport may be delayed because of bad weather as they head north. Pray for the safety and comfort of all our drivers and passengers.


Mari and Oslo


The van from Charleston, SC met us in Salisbury, NC to drop off some animals heading north on our transport. I would LOVE to have a van like that for transport! We could fit a lot of crates in there!


Newberry Animal Control transferring animals to us in Spartanburg, SC

My Passengers:

Sunny

Bailey

Missy

Farmer

Brownie

Beloved pets and people remembered

Love Lights, held last night at Camp Bark in Waxhaw, NC, was a beautiful and special event where we honored and remembered our cherished loved ones. Luminarias were lit in honor or memory of a special person or pet for a small donation to a local rescue group.

It was a crisp winter evening, but we were warmed by the memories of our loved pets and friends. The luminarias made a warm glow down the winding driveway and along the path to the pond and memory garden at Camp Bark.

I placed candles on the stone memorializing my special dog, Floyd who passed in 1995. She was a special dog, I loved my "little woofer".

Sissy is my co-pilot

It was another large number of dogs and cats on the transport Saturday - 34 dogs and puppies, and 2 kittens.
My passengers were all really well behaved, sweet dogs. First in was Thumper, a 50 pound Australian Shepherd mix. He hopped right up and into his crate like he was ready for an adventure.

Next loaded was Aussie (Austin), a red merle Austrailian shepherd, who had just been neutered Friday. It was a delicate surgery because he was cryptorchid. His testicals never fell, and one was found attached to a kidney. Poor baby! We carefully lifted him into and out of the car. I walked him first and when he had a bowel movement he cried out in pain. I felt so terrible for him, to be just out of surgery and have to travel all day.

I also had two scruffy dogs, Holly and Mickey D. And then there was a little heart stealer named Sissy. She's a scruffy Jack Russell Terrier. I tethered her to the front seat and she curled up and went to sleep. I scratched her ears and petted her all the way to Charlotte, then Mari grabbed her for her lap for the leg to Salisbury.

Thumper

Aussie


Holly

Mickey D

tan puppy

Mari had two puppies who weren't getting along in the one crate, so I put one of them in my extra crate and the cutest little tan retriever mix rode with me to Salisbury.

I love driving transport. I can't imagine a time when I wouldn't jump at the chance to participate. Most of the people we meet are great, and I look forward to seeing them every time.

Thursday afternoon Mari and I drove to the horrible Gaston shelter again and pulled one dog and transported it to Huntersville. This is the shelter we swore we'd never go to again. BUT.... we knew we couldn't live with ourselves if we avoided the place to ease our minds, and left dogs there that could get out with our help. So we went. One of the shelter workers brought the dog out to our car. Then he handed me the leash and said, "Oh, by the way, she's aggressive to strangers. That's why her owner turned her in."

LOVELY. So here we stand, two 50+ year old women, with a 50 pound dog that needs to get up into the back of Mari's Ford Expedition. The dog was scared spitless. We weren't much better! But I finally steeled myself, talked to her in a low voice, and with my very best Dog Whisperer-style calm, assertive mindset, I slowly picked her up and put her in the crate. Then sighed a huge sigh of relief! She hadn't so much as looked at me. :-) Of course, I had pictured myself with a bite to the arm or neck. But she was a very good girl. She was nervous, sat in the crate all the way to Huntersville. She calmed down pretty quick once she got out of the car and went into a pen. She even wagged her tail before we left.

You just never know!

You can support rescue transports with a tax deductable donation to Animal Adoption League

Animal Adoption League is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

Thank you!!

Mari and I cried our eyes out

Our usual transport wasn't running this Saturday, and Mari and I decided not to pick up on another one. Instead on Friday we ran two local transports.
It started when an urgent plea and a picture of a border collie came from our friend at theYork County shelter. "Please save this sweet girl, she's out of time!" I love border collies, and my friend that owns Camp Bark does too. I wrote her and told her if she could foster her I would transport her.

Since Mari and I never like to do just simple things, we picked up on another urgent need to pull some dogs from the Gaston County shelter and move them to Huntersville.

We headed out early and on the way to York, my friend from Camp Bark called. "There's a chihuahua there that's terrified. Just bring her." Then the group that needed us to pull from Gaston called and said York has a rat terrier, can we bring it too. So instead of pulling a border collie at York, we also had a chihuahua and a rat terrier.

From York, SC we returned to Waxhaw, NC and dropped off Heidi the Chihuahua and Rita the Border Collie.

We dropped the two passengers at Camp Bark, then stopped at Mari's house to let Buddy and Foxy, her dog and foster dog out. Buddy's an old guy and has to go out every 4 hours. Then we stopped for a quick lunch, and headed to Dallas, NC to the Gaston County shelter.

Gaston is known as a high-kill shelter, not friendly to rescues. We felt it the minute we got there, like they were not happy that we were pulling dogs. The place is so sad. We had to go into the horrible shelter to pull the dogs. The first one was a terrified chihuahua that snapped and snarled and had a sign on his cage "Biter! Not adoptable". The shelter worker wouldn't go in to get it, he was too afraid of the dog, so Mari and I did. He put up a real fight, but once we got him into the crate he settled down.

Next we pulled another rat terrier, then a dalmation mix. No struggle there. Next we got a chocolate lab. I didn't have enough crates so we tethered him in the back. It was horrible there, to see all the dogs that looked at us as though to plead, "Take me too!" Old dogs, puppies, dogs that looked like they'd never had a bath or had spent their life at the end of a chain, dogs that looked like they'd been fought. It was heart wrenching and at times Mari and I looked at each other and sobbed.

We were loaded and started to drive away and Mari started crying. There was another chocolate lab that had been dumped there by it's owner... a mother and pup that were found tied to the gate a few mornings before. I turned around and went back in and got her. We made room for her behind the passenger seat. All she wanted was to put her head between us and nuzzle our elbows. Such a beautiful sweet lab/ basset mix.

The car was packed. Crates were crammed in on top of other crates. We had bungee cords criss-crossing, holding them in place. Finally we left. I never want to go back there again. The images are etched into my brain and my heart.

Once underway, the first chocolate lab that was tethered in the back started to heave. And poop. All over everything, including the dog that was crated next to him. Oh, did I mention I was driving Jim's Toyota Highlander? Yep. What a mess. We couldn't open the windows all the way, either, because in the course of being sick he had slipped out of his slip lead tether and was trying to climb over crates to get to the front, spreading the mess around even more.

It was a stressful, sickening ride, in an hour we had gotten lost twice, but finally arrived at Great Dane rescue in Huntersville, NC. The farm worker held up a remote and opened the big iron gates. He motioned us to follow him back to the kennels. One by one he carefully unloaded the animals, and they seemed calm and ready to follow him. Even the "biting killer chihuahua" that had put up such a fit was suddenly sitting in his lap kissing his cheek. This guy had to be the second coming of the dog whisperer! He was constantly followed by a chihuahua mix named Ricky, that trotted behind him.

He was great, helped us clean ot the car, clean out the crates, and disposed of all the blankets and towels that were too disgusting to keep.

At 4PM we were back home, cloroxing crates and cleaning the inside of the car so you couldn't tell what a mess had been made!

Alas, I have no pictures of the Gaston dogs. But the dogs we transported from there will long be remembered. And the ones we left behind we will remember with our tears. By now they have all been killed.

It is not merely an offhand choice to make whether to spay and neuter your pets. It is a mandate from the heart that has seen shelters like this and know that irresponsible breeding causes an exploding pet population and more of these animals being killed merely because they were alive and no one would take them in. It's sickeing.

Many times I have heard people defend breeding dogs, saying,"I want my child to witness the miracle of birth". My answer is, "Then they should also see the horror of those same animals dying in a gas chamber." Because that's where most of them will end up. But mine are pure breeds, you say? 40% of the dogs killed in shelters are pure bred. Too expensive? Let me tell you where the low and no-cost spay neuter clinics are.

Can you tell I'm angry? Damn right. Come visit a shelter in the Carolinas some time and see why.

Pukers and pee-ers and poopers, OH MY!

Oh, yeah, another transport. Fortunately the puking, peeing and pooping was going on in everyone else's cars! My passengers were quiet as little mice, settled down and slept all the way to Salisbury. Our friend Alex had the worst offender, in her brand new Buick Enclave! :( Mari helped her clean it up in Charlotte. UGH. Then on the way to Salisbury Mari called me to ask me to pull off at Popler Tent Road because one of her dogs had puked and peed in the crate, which was sitting on the front seat. And then the crate flipped and everything came pouring out. A good reason to have leather seats!!

We got that all cleaned up and got back on the road, but with all these events, we were late getting to Salisbury and they were 45 minutes late leaving for Greensboro. That puts every leg of the transport late, but sometimes it just can't be helped.

Add to all this trauma the fact that there has been very little gas in Charlotte. I waited in line a half hour yesterday to pay $4.09 a gallon. Fortunately when we got to Spartanburg this morning they had gas, $3.65 a gallon, so I topped off the tank.

Here's a little math: The transport run from my home to Spartanburg then to Charlotte, then to Salisbury, then back home is 250 miles. Jim's Highlander gets 18 miles to the gallon. So it takes about 14 gallons, or somewhere between $51 and $57 to make the trip.

Below are some more photos of my passengers. In all we transported 36 dogs today! THEY'RE ALL GOING TO FREEDOM!

Freddie


Freedom


Lena


Les

And here's Mari with her little puker Madeline. Such a sweet little dog to have made such a big mess!!! LOL

On the road again

Transport Saturday! This time Mari was out of town so wasn't driving. Instead I drove, and Kylie, another friend from Animal Adoption League, drove too.
Kylie took mostly puppies and one tiny little kitty. I had big dogs as passengers - a 50 pound shar pei named LuLu who was as sweet as could be, a 35 pound chocolate spaniel mix named Dovey, a 35 pound yellow lab mix named Goldie who loved to give hugs, and a little 20 pound chow mix named DeDe. The picture at left is of me and LuLu just before we loaded her up for the next leg of her trip, Salisbury to Greensboro, NC.

It was a perfect day, mid 70's temperature, a nice cool breeze, light traffic on I-85, and my passengers didn't make a peep, just settled in and went to sleep. Kylie's day was a little less perfect, she had to clean out puppy crates and replace the newspaper in them. Puppies that are less than 6 months old aren't allowed to touch the ground during transports because they are at risk of getting parvo. So they have to stay in their crates or be held by a person wearing rubber gloves while their crate is cleaned out. On transports, puppies are called "poopies". :-)

Here are a few pics of my passengers:

Dovey

Goldie


DeDe

Thanks! (you made my tail wag)

Yesterday I ran a transport for a good friend. I drove up to Concord, NC to pick up a scruffy gray labradoodle mix named Buddy. If my friend hadn't pulled him, he would've been euthanized yesterday evening. He was a good rider, laid down and slept all the way back to Waxhaw. Such a good boy!

Last night I attended the monthly meeting of a local rescue group, and I got a thank you card from Gus (Buddy has been renamed!)
Here's what he wrote:

Miss Ediee,

Thanks fur picking me up today.
My new mom is nice.
I'm really glad you git me out of that place.
You R A lifesaver!

Love,Gus
(the shaggy grey dog)

You really know you've done something great when you get a thank you card from a dog!!! This is one card I'll treasure forever, because to me it means I'm doing my life's work well.