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Paws in Print

October 2003

Adopting Buck

Dedicated to Jerry Scurrlock

The Brookhaven Animal Rescue League, also known as BARL, is now a huge part of my family's life. BARL's primary aim is to find homes for abandoned, abused, or other homeless animals. We are a volunteer organization with limited resources and time. We are driven by our love for the animals. There is a great rejoicing when we are able to find that special match of pet with owner. This is one of those stories.

Early in September I received a call from Christine Burks from Hazlehurst. She wanted to adopt one of our dogs as a companion to Rusty, a German shepherd mix adopted from BARL two years earlier. Rusty lost a companion dog that had recently passed away. Rusty and his dog pal were very close and he became deeply depressed. Christine felt that a new dog friend was just what Rusty needed.

There was only one problem: Christine was blind and needed to find a ride to our dog pens. She asked if I had any suggestions. Of course, I did: me. I told her that I would come pick her up and take her to see our selection of dogs. She asked if she could bring two friends, also blind, to help her pick out her new pet. Since I have an Isuzu Trooper with plenty of room for people and dogs, I eagerly approved. After getting directions to her place, I was on my way from Brookhaven to Hazlehurst. Upon arrival I was greeted by Christine, Jack aka J.R. (after the "Dallas" character) and Jerry (a rock-and-roll loving audiophile) as well as a bevy of house cats lounging on her front porch and obviously pleased with both themselves and their lifestyle. This trio were obviously animal people.

After loading up and heading south to Brookhaven, I plugged in one of my custom-made rock-and-roll mix CDs only to find J.R. and Jerry naming the performers of each track and giving me the date and history of each, sometimes singing along. We laughed, cruised, and rocked down the highway.

Arriving at the dog pens, we all navigated through the gates, dodging holes and muddy spots with no casualties. Christine was looking for a larger outside dog and I had dozens that fit the description. But there was one that seemed a perfect fit. Isaac! Isaac is a sweet-natured Golden Retriever mix that gets along well with other dogs. We won him over with doggie treats and loaded him up for the trip to his new home with Rusty. Christine renamed him Buck.

How two dogs will get along is never a guarantee. Apprehension abounded as Buck first entered the gate to Christine's back yard, but no worries. The two immediately sniffed one another in all the usual doggie places and romped joyously around the yard.

As we all walked to the front porch, Jerry suggested that we do more cruising and listening to CDs. Tempted, but declining, I headed home to some of my wife's even more tempting spaghetti.

Several days later: Coming home from a busy weekend on a Sunday, I had a message on my answering machine. Christine's voice told me of Jerry's death on Wednesday, September 17. My new friend had died in his sleep that night. Jerry gave me a gift before he passed away. A gift of laughter and friendship, one that I will remember always.

When I returned to take a picture of Christine, J.R., and Buck for this newsletter, I was greeted by two happy, healthy dogs. Now the best of friends.

Tom Ross

The Joys of Fostering

The Brookhaven Animal Rescue League has many ongoing needs, one of which is fostering. I began fostering animals for the League several years ago. Providing a temporary home for these animals has been such a rewarding experience for me and my children. These animals have brought so much joy into our lives. Many of these animals have recovered from surgery, rested after heartworm treatment, or just needed a little TLC.

I'm currently fostering a chocolate lab named Brownie. She has recently been treated for heartworms and needed a quiet place to rest for 30 days following. She has been super! I've learned so much about her and can't wait for her to find the perfect home.

Another current resident is a boxer named Spence. Spence came to the League several months ago emaciated and infected with sarcoptic mange. After being treated for the mange, Spence came to my house. His hair has grown back and he has gained a considerable amount of weight. He now is such a beautiful dog. What a great experience it has been to see him make such improvements. He now is being treated for heartworms and is recoveringat my house. He has made a special place in my family's heart. Spence also will undergo hip replacement surgery in the following months. All this would not have been possible without a foster home. And the joy was mine.

Stacy Walker

Have a Heart and Stop Heartworms

by A BARL Volunteer

Mississippi is often named as being "last" in a lot of things. And if you are like me, you get sick of defending our beloved state to other non-Mississippians. Unfortunately, however, sometimes the numbers don’t lie and we really are on the "bad" list or the "last" list. One of the most aggravating things about being on a "bad" list is that often there is an easy solution that will take just a little work to get Mississippi on the top of the list. For instance, we’ve all heard Mississippi’s former first lady do public service announcements about Mississippi having the worst litter problem in the nation. This is a problem for our state with what should be an obviously simple solution...don’t litter. If things were just that simple...

Oh well, on to my point, Mississippi (and the South) are on another "bad" list... up to 45% of untreated dogs in this area are heartworm positive. Again, a simple solution to a Mississippi problem...GIVE YOUR DOGS HEARTWORM PREVENTATIVE EVERY MONTH! This preventative can be bought from your veterinarian for $18-$36 per 6 month supply depending on the size of your dog. It can come in a "treat" form which you give your dogs monthly or a shot which is given every 6 months. My dogs take the monthly chewable "treat" and love it!

What happens if your dog gets heartworms? This potentially fatal disease is caused by parasitic worms living in the arteries of the animal’s lungs and in its heart. The final stages of heartworm disease are extremely painful. If heartworm disease is caught in the early stages, it can be treated. The Brookhaven Animal Rescue League has accepted several dogs who are heartworm positive. Though treatment is expensive (about $300 per animal), it is possible. We ask that you make a donation to sponsor a dog’s treatment. Even the smallest donation will help stop the disease in these dogs.

Due to generous donations, six BARL animals—Tillie, Maggie, Brownie, Barbie, Spence, and Honeybun—have been treated and are now heartworm free. Tillie has been adopted. Maggie has just been adopted to a loving home. Brownie, a female chocolate Lab, is ready for adoption. Barbie, a 1½ year old small Fiest mix, needs a home without cats. Spence and Honeybun (above) will be ready for adoption in November.

Mamie, a golden retriever, is waiting for treatment. (All these animals were infected BEFORE coming to the League.) If you can donate any amount, we can treat these beautiful animals. Please keep these pets in mind when writing out your monthly charitable checks. Send your donations to:

BARL Heartworm Sponsors
P. O. Box 3477, Brookhaven MS 39603

Visit www.barl.net to keep up with who has been recently treated. Also, remember to treat your own pets EVERY MONTH with heartworm preventative.

Volunteers Needed

The League has no full-time paid employees. Day-to-day care of the animals is handled by volunteers. You can help.

1. Medication Day. Twice a month a group of volunteers gives the dogs their heartworm preventative and other medications. We need volunteers to help wrangle the dogs, keep records, take photos, mix medicines, clean water bowls, and perform general cleanup.
2. Animal Transport. Animals frequently need to go to local veterinary clinics for vaccinations, treatment, or surgery. Volunteers are needed to transport animals to and from the clinics.
3. After-hours. Can't volunteer during the day? There are always things to do after hours—clean water bowls, repair fencing, spread gravel, mow grass, even scoop poop. Contact us, and we will arrange to meet you at the League's facilities.
4. Company Volunteer Program. Does your company, church, or club have a volunteer program? We will schedule a League work day at a time that is most convenient for you.
5. Foster Care. After surgery or heartworm treatment, dogs need foster homes while recovering. Often cats or kittens also need to be cared for. We need animal lovers to temporarily care for these animals.

Contact Stacy (757-6141) or Tom (835-0724) about volunteering or send us a message at BARL@tislink.com.

Petfinder.com Gives Shelter Pets New Byte

Over 125,000 homeless pets in over 6,000 shelters and rescue groups across the U.S. and Canada have their own home pages, thanks to one of the most unifying initiatives to ever hit animal welfare—Petfinder.com, the oldest and largest searchable directory of adoptable pets on the Web.

From the comfort of their own homes, pet seekers enter their search criteria, such as size, gender, breed, and age, and get back a list of adoptable pets ranked in proximity to the searcher's Zip code. Updated continuously by the animal welfare volunteers and staff themselves, the Web site gives potential adopters a photograph, a description of the animal, and contact information.

Shelters and rescue group members also have their own home pages on the site. Many of them attribute over 50 percent of their adoptions to Petfinder.com. Some have reported that their euthanasia rate dropped significantly within months of joining Petfinder.com. They also report that Petfinder.com adoptions are more successful, with fewer pets returned. This may be because the adopter's choice is more informed.

"Many people find visiting shelters traumatic, especially those who feel guilty when they can't take all the pets home," says Betsy Saul of Tucson, Arizona, who developed the site with her husband, Jared, in 1995 as a New Year's resolution to help homeless pets. "Petfinder.com allows you to focus your search from home, which makes finding your new best friend much easier." The site went national in August 1998. Petfinder.com, a labor of love for the Sauls, was the first searchable directory for homeless pets.

During its third year, Petfinder.com drew interest from The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), which was America's first animal welfare organization. "We recognized the success that Petfinder.com was having saving pets and knew we wanted to be a part of it," says Dr. Larry Hawk, former President of the ASPCA. The ASPCA is now actively involved in helping shelters join Petfinder.com, as well as helping educate shelter personnel once they become members.

Purina signed on as the Web site's premier sponsor. Purina provides nutrition and pet care information for Petfinder.com's online libraries and a breed selector to help visitors decide what breeds are best for their family. Purina will also be assisting in marketing efforts, helping to spread the word about the thousands of pets that need a new home.

Other exclusive sponsors are BISSELL Homecare, Inc., a manufacturer of home cleaning and floor care products, PETCO, a national pet supply retailer, Merial, maker of the flea and tick preventative Frontline®, and heartworm preventative Heartgard®, and PetCare Inc., a pet insurance company.

If attention is what its sponsors want, attention is what they'll get. Petfinder.com, whose founders are scientists by training, not business people, is among the busiest sites on the Internet. The Sauls attribute their site's success not only to hard work, but also to the press. "We never had to spend a dime on advertising," says Betsy Saul, who admits it was a good thing since, at the time, they didn't have any dimes to spare. "As soon as we launched and the press first got a glimpse of the site, we've been in a race to keep up with ourselves."

In 2000, Yahoo!, which named Petfinder.com a "cool site" shortly after its launch, recognized the site for a second time with a request for feeds for its new Yahoo! Pets site. Also in early 2000, America On Line honored Petfinder.com by prominently featuring it on its Pets channel. Both were a pleasant surprise to the Petfinder.com team, which immediately began working double-time to keep up with the surges in traffic.

Petfinder.com is free to use. Animal shelters and rescue groups can register to join Petfinder.com online and can start entering pets the same day.

"The site is a virtual shelter," says Jared Saul. "It is being able to sit down with your family and visit hundreds of shelters, get to know the pets, and not have to drive all around to do it. When someone finally does go to meet a pet because of Petfinder.com, they are more likely to be well suited for each other. What better use of the Web?"

Allergy Myth Updated

Kids and pets make great companions, but is it safe to have Rover and Princess around your new baby? For decades pediatricians, allergists, and parents thought having a pet increased the risk of infants developing allergies. Now research suggests the opposite may be true—pets may actually affect a baby's immune system in a way that can protect him or her against allergies and even asthma in the future.

Researchers at the Henry Ford Healthcare System in Detroit found that infants who live with at least two dogs or cats (or one of each) in their first year of life are half as likely to develop allergies later in childhood (by the time they are six or seven) than those who live with no pets. Why? Researchers suspect endotoxins, by-products of common bacteria that are increased when there are pets in the house, may have something to do with it. When kids inhale or come in contact with the substances in pets' saliva and stool, their immune systems are activated to resist a host of common allergy triggers. This may explain why those who grow up in fastidiously clean homes develop more allergies.

"The endotoxins trigger antibodies and alter the course of an infant's developing immune system, helping protect him or her from allergies not only to animals but also to grasses, mold, dust mites, and pollen," says Dennis R. Ownby, M.D., professor of pediatrics and medicine at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta and lead researcher of the study.

Having exposure to two or more pets during the first year of life was critical to increased protection, the researchers found. Children who had only one pet or who got pets after their first birthday did not have the same protection as those with multiple pets.

So should you run out and get a pet? That depends, stresses Ownby. If you are allergic to animals or don't have the time to care for pets, then it's not a good idea. Likewise, don't adopt pets with the expectation that doing so will make your child allergy-free. "Our findings show that having pets reduces but does not eliminate, the risk of developing allergies," says Ownby. "At a minimum, parents with pets should not feel guilty that they're increasing their baby's risk of developing allergies."

(Karen Horsch, "Breathe Easy," All Animals, The Humane Society of the United States, Summer 2003.)