Quinn's story, a chocolate lab / beagle mix finds a forever home

Quinn is a dog that was set to be put down at a public shelter, but ARF SEPA volunteers came in to save the day and give Quinn a second chance at a loving home. Quinn had puppies that were adopted out through the shelter, but she was left behind. No one seemed to want an adult dog. Why we're not sure because this is one sweetheart of a dog! Quinn looks like a dark chocolate lab, but she's the size of a beagle - it's kind of hilarious, very cute and absolutely adorable. We took Quinn into ARF SEPA foster care, and this shy girl really opened up once she got to the home of one of our ARF SEPA foster parents, Eileen. Eileen, who has other dogs and cats, was able to help Quinn overcome her shy nature and feel some security that there would be a roof over her head, a steady supply of food, and lots and lots of love. Quinn stayed with Eileen for a few weeks, and when we got a certain application in we knew it would be the perfect fit for Quinn and for the adoptive home. Here's some emails sent from the adopter and from Eileen the foster mom:

Words from the adoptive family:
Jen, you were absolutely right! Eileen called me yesterday about Quinn, and she sure knows how to talk about her dogs and is very nice, and I took my son , daughter and husband to see Quinn last night and fell immediately in love with her. She is perfect for our family. My son had a "tougher" more macho look in mind, but I knew his heart would love her. He was trying to keep a straight face ... but hey, the shih tzu used to be his so he can't be all that macho!

We all agreed. We loved her immediately, so just wanted to let you know we will be getting her Thursday evening. And Eileen- foster mom- is a great advicate of your puppies/ dogs. She is really sweet and very knowledgable. She knew it was a perfect match! I'm happy to know someone cared enough to call, and work that hard for the puppy's benefit! Thank you! I will let all my friends and family and coworkers know , so in case anyone needs a dog / cat they will know to check out your adoptions.

Words from Eileen (the foster mom!)
I knew reading her application that Quinn was their dog, but more importantly, I knew they were the right people for Quinn. [The Adopter] did thank me for getting back to her so quickly when i called her yesterday. She said they had filled out applications for other dogs and the rescues never contacted them one way or the other. I will be sad to say good bye to Quinn, but so happy for her; Quinn is finally going to get the home and love that she deserves. Happy endings like this is why all of us with ARF SEPA do what we do. I love fostering the puppies, but I have found a passion for fostering the older dogs and being able to give them a second chance.

What a happy ending! Quinn's story is just one example of what ARF SEPA volunteers and other rescue volunteers do every single day. Volunteering for an animal rescue or shelter truly does make the difference in the life of each homeless pet that is saved. Hopefully someday we won't have a need for animal rescue groups like ARF SEPA, because that will mean every dog and cat has a permanent, loving home. Woof and meow to that!

2010 is getting underway

We had our first meeting of 2010 and the new year is getting underway. I'm excited. We've had ups, downs and lots of growth and changes over our first few years of doing rescue, and I feel like we have a group that can really work together and get things done.

2010 is the year to really start working for grant funding, doing lots of fundraisers and more to get the word out about rescue to the general public. It's so frustrating that people still go to the mall pet store to find a pet - don't they know that all those dogs are puppy mill dogs? No respectable breeder would ever give their dog to a store that's just going to sell it to the person who comes up with the cash first. A respectable breeder would want to see where their dog is going. So here it is in 2010, our challenge to raise funds so we can really start to advertise, educate and get the word out to "think rescue first."

It's been a while since we've posted, so just wanted to update that we raised more than $6500 at our Holiday Paw-ty fundraiser on December 4th! We had double the people at this year's event, so we need to look for a bigger event space next year. It was packed, so packed that not everyone had a seat but since the Phillie Phanatic was there and leading the line dancing all went well.

We did another beagle rescue - beagle mania! The rural shelter we work with is getting overrun with beagles and hounds because it's the end of rabbit hunting season down south so the hunters are just dumping dogs that aren't good hunters. Those dogs usually make great family pets because they've been around people, aren't aggressive hunters and they've been around other dogs. So we're here to help. We pulled 8 dogs last time around and we have to go back - the shelter has room for 22 dogs, and they had 45 before ARF SEPA and a few other rescues stepped in to help. It's a tragic situation. I had my eye on "Cricket" and I want to go back as soon as I can to pull her into foster care.

Follow up: "Normie" the husky/shepherd mix from our last blog posting on 11/13/09 (he's the cute husky pictured), has been adopted and he's doing great. He had a geriatric screening at our ARF SEPA vet, and he has elevated liver function so he'll be on some antibiotics and other meds for about a month (served in cream cheese so he's happy about that!) but he should be fine. He's going for walks in his new neighborhood and making all sorts of new friends. The vet thinks he's 8-10 years old, so I'm so glad we took him in because no one would ever have adopted a dog that old. We just love him, he's a fantastic dog. This is why we do rescue!!

So 2010 is here, and we have lots and lots to do at ARF SEPA to make a difference in the lives of homeless pets. Let's do it!!!