Dog of the Week: Jack Benny

This week’s featured pup for dog of the week is Mr. Jack Benny.  Here he is to tell you a little about himself.

Hello I am Jack Benny, just Benny to my foster mom. I came to live with my buddy Sid Caesar and am doing well. I was rescued from a puppy mill and am grateful to be out of there and in a home setting, but I could sure use a forever home so I can learn to relax and just be loved!  I am a talker and follow Sid around wherever he goes. Sometimes Sid gets a little mad at me, but I think I will learn to be a little more independent in time. I am not too social with the cats and the cocker spaniel in the home, but I think it may be because all my focus is on Sid and my foster mom at this time. I don’t have any teeth, as I wasn’t being taken care of and they had to be pulled, but I have a good appetite, as long as you soften my food. I am not yet house broken, but we are working on that. I am very small at about 8 pounds. On my last check up, I was told that I am 8 years old too!  I still look and act like a puppy so don’t let that scare you off, my foster mom tells me that I am super cute!  Would you be willing to let me into your life? I would love you forever and ever.

How stinkin’ cute is this little guy??  My husband is lucky we already have two dogs in the house, or I might have adopted him myself. If you are interested in adopting Benny or any of our super cute adoptable dogs, click here to fill out an application to start the process.

Dog of the Week: Leo

My time flies when you are having fun….or when you are crazy busy! This week has flown by so fast I almost missed the dog of the week!  But I remembered, so without further adieu, I would like to introduce you to our featured dog this week, Leo!

Photo by Visions Photography

Leo is a very lovable 9-year-old black Lab with a shiny jet black coat. Leo loves to be hugged and petted and sometimes just wants to rub up against your leg for re-assurance. He does become scared during thunderstorms but seems to settle down if he can go to a small space.  Leo barks loudly whenever anyone comes close to the house however, generally warms up quickly to anyone willing to show him some love.  He does good with children and other dogs.  Leo loves to go on a long walks on a lead to get rid of some of his built up energy. He will play fetch for a short time but really enjoys sitting on the grass, soaking up the sun and watching the traffic go by on our street.  He follows the commands of “sit” and loves to give you a “shake.”

If you are interested in adopting Leo or any of our awesome adoptable pets, click here to fill out an application to start the process.

Help Wanted: Volunteers, Donations and Shopping – Oh My!

Last Hope is a 501(c)(3) non-profit group, which means it operates solely on the kindness of others in the form of volunteers, fund-raisers, and monetary and other donations.  This also means that all donations are tax-deductible!

Below are some of our current needs and volunteer opportunities.

Wish List

Dog Food (Dry & Canned) Cat Food (Dry & Canned) Treats Dog and Cat beds Blankets/towels (no comforters please) Puppy Pads Kitty Litter Crates – any size Leashes Collars/Harnesses Pet Safe Toys

Gas Cards Gift Cards (Pet stores, Sams) Office Supplies Color Printing Cleaning Supplies: Bleach 55 Gallon Trash Bags Paper Towels Pet Safe Cleaners Dawn Dish Soap

Frontline is also desperately needed – any size accepted. Wish list donations can be dropped off at Cedar Run Boarding in Hiawatha.

Volunteers

While you are dropping of donations at Cedar Run, stay a while help to take a rescue dog (or two) for a walk.  Cedar Run houses several of our rescue dogs and they always love visitors!  Even if you don’t have any donations to drop off, we would love for you to stop in and take a dog for a walk.  Stop in and ask any staff member about walking a Last Hope dog.

Other volunteer opportunities include making homemade dog treats and other homemade animal items for the Last Hope booth at the Farmers’ Markets and other events, bring an adoptable dog to an Adoption event (must be 18 or older to handle a dog), volunteer at any of our events (check out the calendar of events to see what is coming up), help with transport requests, help at the shelter in Shellsburg, and foster an animal (or two or three) in your home.  This can be a full-time foster or vacation/weekend foster.

If you are interested in becoming a foster, click here to fill out an application to start the process.  If you would like additional information for any of the other volunteer opportunities, email us at lasthoperescueblog@gmail.com and we will get you in touch with the right person.

Monetary Donations

Monetary Donations can be made online by clicking here. Checks can be sent to PO Box 75, Shellsburg, IA 52332.  If you would like your donation to go specifically to Scarlet’s heart surgery or Walker’s leg surgery, you can indicate as such when you make the donation.  Again, all monetary donations are tax-deductible.

Shopping

Have you heard of BOGO bowl?  when you buy one bag of dog food for your pet, you can choose to donate a second bag of food to Last Hope Animal Rescue.  there are seven varieties to choose from and your food will be delivered to your door!  Go to www.bogobowl.com for more information.

Maybe you don’t need to go shopping, but need to do a little fall cleaning – need to clean out closets, basements, garages – or maybe you just need to update your furniture, but don’t know what to do with all that stuff you need to get rid of.  Take it to Stuff, Etc on Blairsferry Road in Cedar Rapids and donate it to Last Hope Animal Rescue.  Ask them to donate to Account #4261 and we will receive 50% of each sale.

Please consider helping Last Hope Animal Rescue in any way you can – every little bit helps!

Suri gets to go to NYC!

As promised here is the story of our sweet little Suri. This lucky little girl was selected to appear on Animal Planet. (We’re not allowed to say what show so you’ll have to wait for that surprise too. : ) )  The shoot is October 3rd in NYC so we need to hurry and raise the money to get here there! I know I for one would not want to let this little sweetheart down, I mean, just look at those eyes. Click here to help make Suri’s dreams come true. 

 

 

Hi my name is Suri.  I’m a 12-week-old Husky puppy!   

 

I was a little bit of a surprise to my foster daddy.  You see my mommy and daddy were rescued from a hoarding situation.

 When some kind and caring Last Hope Rescue volunteers picked them up, their kennels were under 6 to 8 inches of water and they were very dirty.  Well they ended up at my foster daddy’s house but no one knew that I was on the way inside my mommy’s tummy!  Both my mommy, Jesse, and my daddy, Titan, were very skittish around humans.  My mommy said my foster daddy was very kind and patient allowing them both to accept him on their terms.  They soon started to trust my foster daddy.  Well my mommy Jesse was scheduled to get spayed about a week before I was born and if that had happened I might not be here.  You see my foster daddy got really busy that day and had to re-schedule that!  Well two days before my mommy’s second appointment, my foster daddy came home from a fair and found me in the crate with her!  I was quite the surprise for him and I think he got a little nervous when he saw me.  I remember him being on the phone to some people and the next thing me and mommy knew we were at a vet to make sure I didn’t have any brothers or sisters still inside mommy and that I was OK too!  See my mommy was kind of skinny when she had me!   It turned out we were both fine!  Growing up these past 12 weeks I’ve really gotten to know my foster daddy really well, we play every night and he takes great care of me.  I had my first vet appointment a few weeks ago and the vet said I was in perfect health and ready to pull sleds!  Tee hee!  

The way I got my name is a neat story too!  My foster daddy had it narrowed down to three different names and couldn’t decide which one was best. So he let my mommy choose my name.  He wrote the three names on different pieces of paper and put them on the floor with a treat on top of each one.  My mommy went to the one that had Suri on it!  It’s short for Surprise and also means Little Princess!  giggle

Well my foster daddy says I get to go to New York City to participate in a show on Animal Planet!  Not too sure what to expect yet but it sounds like lots of fun!  It will also be very good for the rescue my foster daddy volunteers for since the show will get media exposure and my picture and name and Last Hope Rescue will be all over websites and newspapers and TV locally and nationally!  Sounds like I’m going to be famous!!!  <blush>  I’m just a happy little girl who is very lucky to be here; I live everyday to the fullest and LOVE to play with my mommy and foster daddy!  

But we need your help to get to New York City, my foster daddy says hotels are very expensive there!  So would you please help a cute and sweet and sometimes sassy little girl get to be on TV and help Last Hope Animal Rescue get lots of attention which will help them save other doggies and kitties that are in the same or worse situations my mommy and daddy were in!  They save lots of lives!!!  Last Hope saved my mommy and daddy from a very bad situation and while doing that, they saved me also!  So please help them get me to New York City!  Thank you very much!  

Little Miss Suri

 

Now if Suri goes we also get to take along another puppy (and, luckily for me ;), another handler). Lucky little Bacon has been selected to go along. You may remember Bacon from just a couple weeks ago. This little man will be a world traveler before we’re done with him. From Florida, to Iowa, all the way to New York City… what a life. 🙂

 

Dog of the Week: JJ

After a two week hiatus, we are back with a brand new dog of the week.  This week, we are featuring JJ, who is my current foster dog.  I’ll let JJ tell you a little about himself.

Hi there!  My name is JJ and I am a white and black terrier mix.  I have a lot of energy at times but can settle down quickly when my foster mom sits down.  I can get vocal when I play with my toys, which can be pretty entertaining.  My foster brother and I like to play, but my foster mom thinks we are too rough sometimes and breaks us up.  One of us usually goes back for more playtime until we are told to go lay down.  My foster mom loves to watch me bounce up and down, which I usually only do when I am excited to go out.  She also loves my ears, especially when one is up and one is down.

I am completely house trained and kennel trained.  I sleep in the kennel when my foster family goes to work and at started in my kennel at bedtime too when I first got to my foster home, but I have now graduated to the bedroom.  I love going for walks and do great on the no-pull harness my foster family has for me.

I’m a little iffy with children,  so I would be best in a home without children, although my current foster home has a 3 year old and an 8 year old in the home.

JJ is a great dog, but he can be a handful at times.  JJ would be best for experienced dog owners.  I think he would benefit from the free obedience training Last Hope offers with adoption, and it would be a great way for his new owners to bond and get to know him. 

If you are interested in meeting JJ or any of Last Hope’s adoptable dogs, click here to fill out an application to start the process.

Puppy Mill Awareness

Have you heard of a puppy mill? The ASPCA defines a puppy mill as a large-scale commercial dog breeding operation that places profit over the well-being of its dogs—who are often severely neglected—and acts without regard to responsible breeding practices. This includes:

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• Dogs being kept in wire cages that hurt the bottom of their feet
• The cages allow for ventilation & excrement to fall away from their living surfaces
• These cages can be stacked on top of each other – which means excrement from the dogs on top falls on tops of the dogs below
• Dogs are not removed from the cages other than to breed or other basic necessities
• Often being exposed to climate extremes
• Female dogs are bred over and over again until their bodies wear out
• Dogs are not provided adequate vet care or nutrition

You may have heard of Puppy Mill, but thought that such a thing wasn’t in Iowa. You thought wrong. Iowa is now #2 in the nation in terms of the number of Puppy Mills.  Nearly 23,000 dogs in Iowa are kept in breeding facilities creating hundreds of thousands of unhealthy dogs each year, while even more shelter dogs are getting euthanized.  The adult breeding dogs are not considered pets, nor are they treated as such. They are often crowded together in small wire cages and typically receive little social contact with people and little or no professional veterinary care, even when open sores or other wounds are evident.

Please help Last Hope and Iowa Friends of Companion Animals  raise awareness of Puppy Mills.  You can register for this Sunday’s Puppy Mill Awareness Walk at Noelridge Park in Cedar Rapids.  You can also write a letter to your legislator.  Click this link to open a template letter provided by Iowa Friends of Companion Animals:  Letter to your Legislator (this will open a Microsoft Word document).

You may have seen our previous post about all of the puppy mill dogs Last Hope rescued earlier this year. My first foster dog Hundley was a puppy mill dog from this rescue, so I have seen first hand how dogs are treated in Puppy Mills. Last Hope is doing as much as they can to help these dogs, but we need your help.  Please take a little time out of your day to help us raise awareness of puppy mills and the terrible living conditions these dogs are forced to live in.

Hope to see you all at the Last Hope booth on Sunday!

From Florida with Love

I know everyone remembers Finnegan, our beautiful boy who joined us here in Iowa right around St. Patrick’s day. We’ll we’ve done it again folks. Bacon is the newest Florida resident to join the Last Hope Family. Here is Bacon’s story, as told by Kristina, who was very involved in the process of getting Bacon out of the shelter and safely to Iowa. 

Bacon is a rambunctious little 5 month old Pocket Pittie puppy. He’s a fast learner and very sweet. He came to us from a shelter in

Florida where he was going to be euthanized due to an eye infection. Last Hope got right on it and got Bacon pulled and to the vet ASAP. He had an old, untreated injury to his left eye which left him blind in the eye and would cause excruciating pain if he were to bump it. The vet recommended to have the eye removed, so that’s what happened. Bacon doesn’t let the fact that he has one eye slow him down. He runs like he’s a race horse. 🙂 He loves playing his foster brother, a Doxie mix named Slick. Bacon does really well with other dogs once he gets to know them. He’s very submissive and shy. Very sweet and loving. He

loves to give you big wet Pittie kisses and loves just lounging around in your lap. Bacon loves all people and animals. He is currently in a foster home that has cats and there have been no issues there. All in all bacon is by far the best dog you could ask for. Very well mannered and sweet. He’s a puppy so he will still need some basic obedience training but he’s a fast learner. 🙂 Once you meet Bacon for the first time you will fall in love. His pirate eye gets to ya and his wiggly butt is hard not to laugh at.

Sounds like some of Finnegan’s luck remained in Florida for a few extra months. Let’s hope that Bacon left some behind as well. These pretty boys from Florida are more than welcome to keep coming!