Lucy

Meet Lucy, a Sheltered Paws pup whose bond with an SPCA volunteer landed her the forever home she truly deserved…

We first learned about Lucy when Joel was volunteering with the SPCA.  He would go up to the Sharonville shelter to walk the shelter dogs since life circumstances at the time were not conducive to having a dog of our own.   Each time he visited the shelter, he would come home and tell me about some of the dogs at the shelter, and it was pretty clear he really wanted one of his own.  One day in early 2010, he came home from the shelter and told me about an old, skinny dog named Lucy.

Lucy had been left in a house somewhere, without food or water, for who knows how long.  She was brought to the Sharonville shelter extremely underweight and mistreated, but with a spirit that just could not be broken.  Joel saw her in her run one day, noticed how skinny she was and thought it looked like she could use some TLC and a nice romp around the park.  He started walking her (and subsequently coming home talking about her) every time he was at the shelter.  And every time he was at the shelter, they bonded more and more.  He had read the info card attached to her run and noticed it said she was old (thought to be about 8 at the time) and dog-aggressive – two things that are not usually conducive to finding that forever home.  Soon the Lucy Updates became, “Oh, she is so sweet and happy, but she’s old and has issues!  No one will ever adopt her!”  At the time, we really wished there was a way we could swing adopting her, but it was just not a good idea.  We both had jobs that required either a lot of or unpredictable travel, and we didn’t want to get a dog just to have it go to the kennel every other week.  Joel had been planning a career change to something with much, much less travel, so we decided that if/when that happened, we would see if Lucy was still up for adoption and go from there.  

A few months later, I started volunteering at the Sharonville shelter too.  During the orientation/tour of the shelter, I did a quick look around the runs to see if Lucy was still there.  She wasn’t, and figuring that she had been adopted, I told Joel that she wasn’t there anymore.  We were both OK with that, since it likely meant that she found her forever home!

Fast forward a few more months…Joel had changed jobs and was no longer traveling, and I was volunteering at a Mobile Adoption Event with Jennifer Schneider.  I mentioned to Jennifer the bond that Joel had made with Lucy and that he wondered whatever happened to her.  Jennifer jumped at the chance to tell me she was actually still up for adoption, and in a foster home!!!  I got her foster mom’s contact information from Jennifer, and started putting the wheels in motion to see if Lucy would be a good fit for us.  After no less than two visits to Lucy’s weekly obedience class and one in-home visit to ensure compatibility with our cats, we were approved to adopt her!  

We officially adopted Lucy in November 2010, and our lives have not been the same since.  We quickly realized more and more what a special dog Lucy is.  Her happiness and sheer joy for life (when it isn’t storming!) is infectious.  Our neighbors just love to see Lucy out on a walk with us – so many of them tell us how they just stop and smile when they see her because she is just so happy and joyful.  She loves to go for car rides, sleep in on the weekends (hence her nickname SnoozerPooch!), and play fetch with a ball at a nearby fenced in playground.  Sure, we spoil her rotten…but she deserves it.  Lucy is the biggest goofball, and her personality is one that just makes us laugh every single day.  She loves to play, play, play…and then hit one of her (many) beds for a good snooze.  Lucy is far from perfect, but knowing how far she’s come since being rescued is something to marvel at.  The employees and volunteers at SPCA Cincinnati and Sheltered Paws worked with Lucy so much during her time of need and gave her so much love and care.  Joel and I know that they laid the foundation for this dog to blossom into the loving (and loved!) animal that she is.  We will always be grateful to everyone that helped get her healthy, and to those people that realized she was a dog worth saving.  

Lucy’s story was provided by her adoptive parents, Alli and Joel

Fly the Friendly Skies? You can, but your pup can’t.

United Airlines — of the famous “Fly the Friendly Skies” slogan — just got a lot less dog-friendly. Last week, the company decided that some dogs can’t fly with their families, because United doesn’t like the way they look.

The airline has singled out nine different breeds of dog as “dangerous,” judging pets on their appearance instead of how they behave. These kinds of breed discriminatory policies fuel the misconceptions about dogs like pit bulls that lead to breed bans and the deaths of thousands of innocent dogs.

Jessie Huart discovered the policy when she was trying to book a ticket to travel with her dog, a 10-year-old pit bull named Slaw. She was told by the airline that because he’s a pit bull, Slaw couldn’t go, so she started a petition on Change.org to ask United to treat all dogs equally, regardless of breed. Click here to add your name to Jessie’s petition: http://www.change.org/petitions/united-airlines-remove-breed-discrimination-from-pet-policy?utm_source=action_alert&utm_medium=email&me=aa&alert_id=XRKHXNpWeV_sCkATDBrVB

These types of policies are opposed by every major dog-related organization. The American Veterinary Medical Association and the National Animal Control Association argue that physical appearance isn’t an effective way to predict or address aggression. And public officials are starting to listen to the outcry for more effective, breed-neutral policies, too — just last month, the country’s only statewide breed discriminatory law was repealed in Ohio. But canine profiling in a major company like United could turn that tide back against the dogs.

United Airlines adopted the discriminatory policy last week when it merged with Continental Airlines, making it the world’s largest air carrier and the only US-based airline that labels some dog breeds as “dangerous.” But while United is still adjusting to its merger with Continental, the company is listening closely to customer feedback. If thousands of dog-loving United customers sign Jessie’s petition, the airline will have to listen — sending a strong message to other companies and lawmakers that breed discrimination isn’t the way to go.

Sign Jessie’s Change.org petition asking United to make the skies dog-friendly by dropping its breed-discriminatory policy:http://www.change.org/petitions/united-airlines-remove-breed-discrimination-from-pet-policy?utm_source=action_alert&utm_medium=email&me=aa&alert_id=XRKHXNpWeV_sCkATDBrVB

Thanks for being a change-maker,

- Stephanie and the Change.org team

Animal Blood Bank

We all know how important blood banks are for our human friends, but have you ever thought that our furry friends might need one too? The Cincinnati CARE Center for emergency needs did!

At the Cincinnati CARE Center they are currently recruiting dogs to be a part of their team of blood donors. But, why should you sign your dog up to see if he/she is eligible?? According to the CARE center, “in addition to knowing your dog is helping to save other dogs’ lives, there are further benefits to participating in the Blood Bank program, including:
• Free bag of IAMS adult dog food (30 lbs.) and biscuits with every donation
• One complimentary Care Center emergency office visit ($90 value) per year
• No cost for blood donor screening ($697 value)
• Complimentary laboratory screening ($169 value) per year
• Complimentary blood products should your dog ever become critically ill and require a transfusion”

Interested in more details or want to see if your pup is eligible? Check out the CARE website here: http://www.carecentervets.com/bbSurvey.html

Hot Shots volleyball is back!