Saturday, July 25, 2009

The Best Dog for You

Do you want a dog that never has an accident in the house? One that does not shed, does not bark and can wait extended hours for you to come home from work or social activities? How about a dog that has excellent house manners from the start and takes no time to train or maintain? I have the perfect dog for you, a toy dog!

With a stuffed toy, dog you can enjoy perfect freedom as a pet owner. If you do enjoy the occasional "bark" you can buy one with a button that barks only when you need it. If perpetual puppies are your preference, they have cute little toy puppies too. I've even seen a few robot dogs that do know commands like sit and lie down.

The point is that any good relationship takes time and that includes our relationships with our dogs. Puppies and dogs don't come wired to be in a house. They also are not designed to function independently in our world. We have to teach them what to do and how to do it. It is not always fun. Last night I was out in the rain, praying that I would be spared execution from lightning as I coaxed a five month old Sheltie puppy to go to the bathroom. There were many other things I'd rather be doing at the moment, but I know that if I invest in this puppy now, I will have a long, happy future with a treasured pet.

So, if you are considering any pet, I urge you to count the cost of money, time and effort. I find my dogs worth it because of the bond we've developed and the relationship we share. However, if you don't want to give up freedom and flexibility, that's fine too, just make sure to shop for your pet in the toy aisle of a store. Honestly, you and your "pet" will be much happier you did.

Monday, July 13, 2009

Bringing Hope

As you can probably guess, many of the Shelties we bring into Indiana Sheltie Rescue (ISR) are not always in the best of shape. In many cases, we find Shelties at shelters that may be headed toward euthanization due to physically or emotionally issues. That is Mystique’s story.

If you click on the photos, you can see the transformation of Mystique, a blue-merle Sheltie.

http://www.kodakgal lery.com/ ShareLanding. action?c= 3xfuixss. aj3b46z0& x=0&h=1&y= ksbqpa&localeid= en_US.

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Heroic Rescue Effort

Recently Teresa Cotton the Director of Indiana Sheltie Rescue wrote up the efforts of one of our volunteers. While all our rescues may not be so hallowing, we feel very rewarded to see a Sheltie find its way home or find a new forever home.

This morning started out fairly calm then came a phone call from volunteer Don Miller. Doreen is out of town for a few days but Don is home . Don told me he saw a loose sheltie on Interstate 69 and was trying to capture it . After a few phone calls I decided to go out and see if I could help . On the way I phone the humane society for any reports of lost shelties in the area . Immediately I was told that yes there was one . I was given the owner's phone number and called her immediately . She was in down town Indpls at work but was on the road while we were still on the phone . She also phoned her son who was nearby me at the time . When I arrived I find Don with his truck in the median of the Interstate with 4 lanes of 65 mph traffic speeding by us ! He said the sheltie was in the median ! We of course were not supposed to be in the median which is reserved for law enforcement ! The owner must have flown up because she arrived in about 5 minutes with her son not far behind her . To try and picture this area please know that it is the exit where Verizon Music Center is located along with a large shopping center ! Traffic was thick all directions and lots of police were on crowd control for the Verizon Music Center . I dont know how Don was doing it but he had been out there about 2 hours in the heat with no water or drinks . I had no KFC on hand - sorry everyone - but grabbed a package of ham from my house , a large crate and leashes . I decided that strangers trying to capture this sheltie under this circumstances was just too dangerous for all concerned . My rickety old truck did not belong running up and down the Interstate - it's take off is way too slow . So I got off the Interstate and went to business alongside and parked and walked along the ditch .

At one point Don was in the median walking waving his arms . I am certain that passersby probably called 911 because the Indiana State Police arrived along with the Fishers Police . LO and Behold the owner spots the sheltie again and is chasing it ! Believe it or not the police stopped the Interstate traffic . Several semis and car drivers got out to help ! The lady finally caught her sheltie Max ! Safe and sound and so was everyone else . Turns out Max had gotten out of his fenced in yard when they forgot to close the gate after cutting grass 5 days ago . He is petrified of fireworks and the owner thinks just kept running when they were set off . He had made it at least 5 miles from his home already ! The owner thanked us and said she would be calling to make a donation and she was literally bawling to have her sheltie safely back !

Teresa Cotton, Indiana Sheltie Rescue

Saturday, July 11, 2009

About Indiana Sheltie Rescue

Hi, I am Charlotte, one of the volunteers for Indiana Sheltie Rescue. We have established this blog to inform you about our rescue as well as other news related to dog adoptions and rescue.
Many of us have felt the hardships of the current economic conditions and this has filtered down to our pets. Record numbers of people have abandoned animals or handed them over to rescues this year.

We are doing all we can to help care for Shelties in need. Some of our volunteers foster shelties in need of a new home. Others are involved in fund raising or educating people about our efforts in the central Indiana area. While you may not have the time to volunteer with rescues in your area, consider checking out their websites and helping with providing needed supplies. For example, do you have old or spare towels? Some group may just need those very supplies.

Our blog has a link to our website. Thanks for dropping by and look for future posts soon!