Listed on GuideStar
The National Database of
Nonprofit Organizations

Paws in Print

February 2005

Adopting Ellie

When I was discharged from the hospital this last March as a result of a four-wheeler accident, I learned that my little partner, a terrier named Cricket, had been poisoned and died. I told my wife, Charlotte, that I did not want another dog. I had no intention of getting close to another animal.

The next night Jimmy and Tammy Torrey came by our house with a little dog named Ellie. I first thought they had brought their dog with them to visit. Moments later I learned they had brought her from the animal rescue league, and they thought we would give her a good home. She has a way of laying her head against my chest, rolling her eyes up at me that just says love me and I will love you. It took her about one minute to win my heart. Thanks to Jimmy and Tammy for bringing me the little “friend” I needed.

Jimmy Jones

Celebrity Dinner Raises $$$ for Building Fund

Wow! What a great event the Celebrity Dinner turned out to be. BARL raised $7,200 for the League’s building fund. Thanks to everyone who purchased a ticket and special thanks to our celeberity waiters: Bob Massengill, mayor of Brookhaven; Nena Smith, Nena Smith’s School of Dance; Gaye Laird, Majic 104; Kenny Goza, president of Chamber of Commerce; Drs. Bob and Dianne Watson, Brookhaven Animal Hospital; Lavern Hardin, Trustmark; Dr. Ryan Case, Animal Medical Center; Paul Henning & Greg Hoff, Stan King Chevrolet; Lea Barrett, superinten-dant of Brookhaven Public Schools; Dr. Linda Guy, Animal Health Center; and, Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith, state of Mississippi. The waiter who received the most tips was Lea Barrett. Event sponsors included State Bank, Stan King Chevrolet, Sullivan Ford, Animal Medical Center and Country Fisherman. Look for another Celebrity Dinner in Fall 2005!

Beth Adcock

Winter Well Being

Our weather seems to change daily, warm, cold, then warm again. Confusing for us and dangerous for our pets if we don’t pay careful attention to them.

All companion animals should be kept indoors in extremely cold weather, ice or snow. But even when the weather is only moderately cold, outdoors cats and dogs need special protections.

1. A warm, insulated shelter is vital, facing south if possible, away from the coldest winds. An L-shaped entrance to the shelter is best, but a heavy rug or piece of carpet attached to the doorway will help keep out drafts and body heat in.

2. The floor should be elevated several inches off the ground.

3. Use wood shavings or pinestraw for bedding, not old rugs or blankets. Your pet may track in moisture that can turn to ice in cloth. Hay may contain fungus that can cause respiratory problems.

4. The roof should be slanted so rain and ice or snow will not collect.

5. The house should be large enough for the dog to turn around inside and stretch out.

6. Make sure drinking water is not frozen. Pail “de-icers” which will keep water unfrozen are available from pet supply dealers. Avoid metal bowls where a tongue can stick to freezing metal.

7. Outdoor cats and dogs need more calories to maintain enough body fat for extra warmth. Consult your veterinarian about a proper winter diet.

8. Ethyene glycol–antifreeze–is deadly. Cats and dogs love its sweet taste, but just two tablespoons can kill a 65-pound dog. Clean up any leaks or spills immediately. Better still, use nonpoisonous antifreeze made of propylene glycol, such as the Sierra brand.

9. Outdoor cats often seek warmth and shelter near a car’s engine. This can result in injury or death if the cat is caught in the engine. Before starting your car, hit the hood or beep the horn to alert any cat inside.

10. Pay as close attention to your pet’s needs in cold weather as your own. They have only you to help them.

Microchip ID for Animals

Many veterinary clinics and animal shelters provide microchip identification. It is a safe and effective alternative to pet identification. Tattoos have been used in the past, but may be hidden by fur. Collar tags are also very effective, but can be lost off the collar. An implanted microchip won’t be lost.

The microchip consists of a tiny glass capsule about the size of a grain of rice that’s injected with a syringe (like a shot) just beneath the skin, usually between the shoulders. Inside the sterile surgical glass is a microchip that contains detailed information about your pet—name, age, description, and owner contact information. That information is catalogued on a corresponding database.

The microchip information can be read with a scanner, similar to the way grocery store check-out scanners read bar codes on products. Many animal shelters, including the Brookhaven Animal Rescue League, have scanners, so if your pet is lost and ends up at the shelter, scanning the microchip information can enable them to contact you and return your pet safely back home.

There are several companies that provide microchip technology to veterinarians and shelters. The cost of the programs generally includes implantation and maintaining your information on the database. The price varies from place to place, but a number of animal shelters routinely include microchipping with every pet they adopt. Contact your veterinarian to find out about the programs available in this area.

All BARL dogs have a permanent microchip (produced by the AVID corporation.) We use the microchip identification ID to identify dogs and keep track of medical treatment. All local veterinarians have scanners that can read the microchip.

League Update

Volunteers at the League have come to know Banjo, a big friendly black chow mix. He came to the League two years ago in pitiful condition, skinny and covered with mange. But with great medical care and caring volunteers, Banjo gained weight and healed. He became a fixture in the center pen. However, visitors who came to adopt a dog would overlook Banjo. He just wasn’t as cute as Honey or Cinnamon or Whitley. Until this month, when he found a forever family. We will miss Banjo, but he’s happy with his new family.

Another familiar resident was Harry, a “Labtriever” mix. His ears would only perk up if he was really happy. Volunteers loved to pet Harry and try to make his ears perk. Harry is now living with his new family in Louisiana. His owner saw his photo and story online at Petfinder.com and drove up from Lafayette to adopt him.

Sometimes it takes a few tries to find the perfect home. Because of her medical and behavioral problems Oreo’s first two adoptions didn’t work out. But she found her perfect family, and at last report is happily romping on a farm.

BARL does not have a suitable facility to house cats, so our felines are housed at local veterinary clinics. Our veterinary partners are wonderful about adopting these cats—over 90 percent get adopted, usually in just a few days. Every once in a while a cat will stay at the clinic longer than we’d like. Gracie is a four-year-old grey short-hair. She doesn’t make a good first impression–people think she looks “demented” and unfriendly. Recently we arranged a foster family for Gracie and discovered that she is not mean, just very, very shy. Her foster family is working with Gracie to socialize her a bit.

We still have some long-time residents who need a happy ending for their story. Clancy and Wayne are siblings, part of a large litter of puppies that looked so much alike we started calling them the “Billy Bobs.” Clancy kept winking at volunteers until we figured out that she had a medical condition, excess skin on her eyelid. She had surgery and is doing fine now.

If you haven’t been to the League recently, you’ll be amazed at the change in Vinnie. Vinnie has been at the League since he was a little puppy. He was terrified of people and wouldn’t even look you in the eye. Volunteers worked with Vinnie, but he didn’t make much progress. Then one day we found Vinnie hanging from the pen fencing by his leg. He had apparently tried to climb out of his pen and gotten caught. The vet tried to treat him, but told us that Vinnie’s leg would probably never heal properly. But something wonderful happened to Vinnie while he was hospitalized—he realized that people love him and that he can trust humans. When we brought him back to the League, his personality had changed dramatically. Despite the bleak future predicted for him, his leg has almost completely healed. Vinnie now lives in a pen with Beau, another shy fellow. While they both would love an adoptive family, they are content to have each other for company and friends that take care of them.

Our facilities are almost always at capacity. Since we are a no-kill shelter, the only way we have room for new animals is if another animal is adopted. Lately the situation has been a lot worse. When the City of Brookhaven shut down the animal control department in October, the only option for the Pound animals was euthanization. But a League officer couldn’t stand that thought and brought all eleven dogs to the League. Our resources were strained, and we had to say “no” to stray animals for a while, but it was the right thing to do. “Rescue” is part of our identity.

One of the rescued dogs, a huge Great Dane/Lab mix named Marmaduke, tested positive for heartworm disease, a potentially fatal illness. His heartworm treatment was sponsored by a generous donor, and he is now heartworm free.

Volunteers have been working on a special project on work days. Seven years ago the League sheltered fewer dogs, and the pens were clean and grassy. Years of doggie romps have worn down the surface of each pen, causing flooding and standing water when it rains (See photos below.) Another donor gave us a truckload of fill dirt, and we are slowly building up the level of the pens. If you can push a wheelbarrow, come help us next work day.

Tom Ross

BARL’s New Building Update

The photo at left was taken in 1999 at the Gove Canine facilities. The photo at right is the same area today. League animals need a new, clean, safe facility to replace the worn out pens.

In 2004, BARL, along with some very generous contributors and friends, was able to double the building fund balance. Actually it more than doubled. This brings some new light to 2005. What if we can double the balance again this year? Lofty goal, maybe, but not impossible. We are currently at just over $30,000. As you know, the land is cleared and ready. Hopefully, after the first quarter of 2005, when the wet season has passed, we’ll be able to get some dirt work done. Although we can’t get to the big stuff, we need to at least show some progress and keep the momentum going. So, stay with us and keep it going. We ARE going to be in that new facility. Keep up the good work and giving. Thank you.

Rusty Adcock

Work, Play, Laugh ... Volunteer

“Sometimes, we work so hard caring for animals that we forget to take a moment to laugh and play.”

This quote was taken from C. Kay McElroy, executive director of Cedar-hill Animal Sanctuary located in Caledonia, MS. She and her staff currently care for over 200 animals including dogs, cats, birds and big cats (Tigers, Cougars, Bobcats, etc.). Can you imagine?!

Here at the Brookhaven Animal Rescue League we only are in charge of caring for dogs and cats, and it is such an overwhelming job. Of course, we don’t have a “staff,” we are all volunteers who have to have “real” jobs and can only care for the animals in our spare time. This winter has been a particularly stressful time at BARL. We lost several volunteers, and our requests for grants were rejected by countless organizations. It is times like these we have to take a minute to laugh and play with the BARL dogs and remember why we do this work.

The rewards of volunteering far outweigh the time, the stress, or the headache which often comes with being a volunteer. The actual time spent with the animals...hearing their barks when you drive up...receiving their kisses and nudges when you feed them...all of this is what makes your heart swell and burst with pride that you are doing something good with your life FOR a life.

Would you like to make a difference in your life and in the life of an animal by volunteering with the Brookhaven Animal Rescue League? Whether you can volunteer one day a year, one hour a month, or 30 minutes each week...we (and the animals) could use you. Here are just a few of the volunteer opportunities available:

Update BARL’s website. One person is needed to keep meeting dates, adoptions, etc., current on the League’s website. This is a job for someone who might not be able to do the more physical work of cleaning the pens. It does require that you have your own computer.

Answer the League’s cell phone. This requires checking messages throughout the day and returning calls. This requires a commitment of keeping the phone for a week each month.

Feeding/Watering dogs. The dogs must be fed 365 days of the year, rain, sleet, or snow. Could you volunteer to feed the dogs one day a week? It takes about 1 to 1½ hours and is a physical job.

Cleaning the pens. With animals, comes the need for perpetual poop scooping. You could come to a clean-up day or pick another time that fits into your schedule. This is physical work that you could do one hour a week or one hour a month. It takes a lot of volunteers to keep the pens clean.

Exercising/Socializing the dogs. Many of the dogs are in small pens and they only get exercise when a volunteer takes the time to walk them on a leash or let them run. Socializing the animals is an important job. Would you be willing to teach a dog to walk on a leash?

Recording minutes. We need someone to come to the League meetings to take notes and type the minutes. Do you have clerical skills? We have about 6-8 meetings a year.
Make 2005 the year you to commit to help out in your community. Volunteer at the Brookhaven Animal Rescue League and make a difference in YOUR life and the lives of many homeless animals.

Beth Adcock