Friends of the Animals

*Update 4/9/08 (scroll down for older news)- 

Our sweet little Rose found her forever home with a wonderful couple. We are all so happy for her but will miss her very much, she was our little baby doll & would follow us around the shelter while we were doing chores.

Roscoe is also ready for adoption and we are currently taking applications for him. Roscoe is a riot and is ready to play anytime day or night. He has really come along way and will make a wonderful family pet. He is doing well with learing how to walk on a leash and is not too afraid anymore of going outdoors. Roscoe has discovered the endless joy of dog toys!! He used to be a little afraid of them but now can’t get enough of them. He is really loving as well and will give kisses endlessly.

Ralphie is working really hard on being brave and saying “hello” to new people. He is still afraid of going for a walk but the outdoors isn’t quite as scary to him as it used to be, he can sit outside on a leash without shaking too bad now. With time and more practice he’ll be fine & walking on a leash like a pro. He has really warmed up to all of us and turned out to be a real flirt. He is just cute as a little button! He has a special friend named Cookie. Cookie (A.K.A. “Cookie Monster”) is a sassy & outgoing little diva that has decided Ralphie is her boyfriend now. Ralphie doesn’t seem to mind one bit (he’s a “yes ma’am” kinda guy it seems).

Little Robbie is making progress slowly but surely. Out of the 4 dogs he is the one who we are the most worried about. He is still quite afraid of all of us and will run & hide when we clean and bring him food, but if we sit quietly near him he will come up and gently kiss our hands. Poor little guy, he doesn’t understand yet how much we care about him and want to help him. Hopefully he will let down his guard soon and let us brush him, fuss over him & go for nice long walks. He has no idea what life can be like for a dog who is loved.

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Friends of the Animals is proud to introduce 4 of our newest shelter residents:

Rose-

Roscoe:

Robbie:

And Ralphie:

As you can see by their pictures they are a bit afraid and need some grooming but what you may not be able to tell is that these four little guys are survivors of a horrific form of animal abuse known as “Animal Hoarding”. These dogs originally came from Ottumwa when on Feb 22nd 112 dogs and 14 cats were rescued by the Heartland Humane Society. They were all living together in a single home with only one caregiver in unimaginable conditions.  

FOA is very happy we were able to help in some small way by taking in these 4 little guys. If we had a larger shelter we would have gladly taken in more but our current building is pretty small and already pretty much full with our other shelter animals. When they first arrived Friday they were really terrified but have shown some small progress, especially Roscoe & Rose. We will keep working with them until they are well, no matter how long that may take. With some time & proper care these guys will be ready to start a new life in a real home. We will continue to post updates & pictures on this site. Any donations to help provide for Rose, Roscoe, Robbie & Ralphie’s care and vet bills would be greatly appreciated. Please visit our Donations page for more information on how to help any of the wonderful pets we have in our shelter.

If you suspect an animal is living in an abusive situation PLEASE contact your local police and report it. And please take a few minutes to learn more about hoarding so you too may be able to spot a potential hoarding situation and help save an animals life:

The Hoarding of Animals Research Consortium

A Legacy of Suffering

AnimalHoarding.com

The AMVA:How to Identify a Hoarder

Friends of the Animals is happy to announce the opening of our new Cafepress store. All proceeds from our store will go directly to the care of our many wonderful homeless pets.

Click here to visit our online store now!

Thanksgiving is just a few days away. I love this holiday. I like to take stock of all my blessings in between holiday festivities and the madness ahead. With all I had on my mind I almost forgot a very important thing – to give thanks for my precious kitties…all rescues. I have so many reasons to feel thankful for them, but here are a few.

Thank you precious Luna for:
Comforting me when I’m sick or down.
The way you carefully watch my every move before breakfast.
Your many colors
Mommying me
Reminding me to brush you every morning
Creating miracles for nursing home residents when you were a pet therapy cat
Gracing my lap every so often
Your love and kisses

Thank you Lily, my little imp for:
Being self-confident and resilient
Putting up with Luna’s death threats when we first adopted you
Becoming best friends with Luna, even after she may have been plotting your demise
Winning charming and cute points even when being annoying
Having the most funny long meows ever
Letting me pet your silk-like fur
Your adorable masked face
Being class clown
Your love and kisses

Thank you Corky, my shy, loving boy for:
Being the most gentle orange tabby on earth
Being a handsome boy with the most unusual green-blue eyes on your lion-like face
Being a mush cat and loving tummy rubs
Your smiles (I promise you this cat smiles!)
Trusting me even though you are a semi-feral cat
Allowing me to hug you
Your love and kisses

Now it’s your turn. Take a moment to contemplate or write down what your pets give to you each day. Include them in your time of thanks this season. Now’s a good time to show them how much they mean to you. Appreciate them, and the blessings seem to multiply.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your pets!

FOA would like to give a HUGE thank you to Melissa Regennitter of the Muscatine Journal for the wonderful story published about our shelter. Please click here to read this story online.

Thank you Melissa!

Notes From Rainbow Bridge is an upbeat story about where our pets go when their time on earth is through. The tale is narrated by Chloe, a Samoyed dog and recent arrival at the Bridge, who’s been assigned by Big Dog himself to let the humans know what the place is all about.

There are many areas of the Bridge to explore like the Volunteer Center and Virtual Reality Library where animals can “try on”  what it’s like to be different species. Chloe’s favorite part of the Bridge, however, is where reunions take place between the animals and their humans; she tells stories involving several different animals, although she couldn’t possibly pick any favorites.  She even meets her former human’s pet newt and relays a message to her from him. 

Portions of the proceeds of the book are going to various animal organizations. There is also a place on the site where visitors can send pictures of their own angel pets for inclusion on Chloe’s memorial page.  

For ordering information, reviews & much more please visit the author’s website:

 www.notesfromrainbowbridge.homestead.com