Good Shepherd Animal Sanctuary,inc inc We’re Not Just Another Shelter A Little Can Go a Long Way March 2011 One day, I was walking down the road on the way to the gas station trying to figure out if I had enough gas to put in my gas can to get to work that day. My paycheck was not due for another 2 days and I had to raid the penny jar just so I could try to get the truck started. As I walked cut down the alley, I saw a skinny dog trying to find something in a garbage bag next to the dumpster. My heart went out to him. I didn’t want to scare him off so I continued to the gas station. I managed to have enough to fill my gas can and discovered I had 50 cents left over. I bought a package of those peanut butter and crackers. I walked back down the alley and as I approached the dumpster where I had last seen the dog, he was still there scavenging. I opened the crackers and tossed them to the pup. He devoured them down and came in for a pat. Next I was surprised to hear, “Diamond! Come here boy!” The dogs ears perked up and ran towards the man at the other end of the alley. “Thanks on Diamond’s behalf.” he stated. I introduced myself and he apologized for how skinny his dog was. He had been out of work for a few months and didn’t qualify for assistance because his unemployment made him too much. He explained he was struggling and dog food was so expensive. I told him I may have a way to help. I go to Kibble Korner on occasion when things were really tight. It is a food pantry for pets. They help provide food for pets so they can stay with their families. He told me he would check them out. I returned home and went to work. I ran into Diamond and the man a couple of months later when I was out walking my dog. He said that Kibble Korner saved Diamond’s life. The day I met him he was letting diamond have his last romp before taking him to the pound because he couldn’t afford to keep him fed. Diamond looked good now, all filled out and the life in his eyes. With a handshake and a pat on the head, we parted ways. I was grateful because I know that there are so many families that are in the same spot. Can I continue to afford to feed my dog while I am struggling through this crisis? Kibble Korner is one of those places that makes that difference between home and shelter. All it took was a bag of dog food. Help us help Kibble Korner. We will be accepting donations of dog and cat food (and critter food) to take to Kibble Korner to feed dogs like Diamond and other pets. Bring on March 12th to Petco at our Adoption Event. Should you not be able to attend, Contact us to arrange a pick up. Thanks on behalf of the families that are able to stay together because they don’t have to make the impossible choice to feed or surrender their pets. Adoption Events Mark your calendars March 12-13th,2011 11-3 Petco East State, Rockford,IL March 19th,2011 11-3 Terry’s Pet Center Loves Park, IL Homeless Dog Deserve a 2nd Chance What do you think of when you think of homeless? A dirty, rough, thin looking person in a flannel shirt maybe riding a bicycle with all his belongings? What do you think of when you picture a homeless dog? A dirty, rough, thin mutt running the streets? Not all homeless dogs are that way. Shep was a beautiful, working line German Shepherd pup of about 8 months old when he was found wandering farm fields for at least 3 weeks. Of course he needed a bath, but he was not skinny, he was very social, and he just wanted someone to feed him and play with him. I drove 140 miles round trip when I got the email that a farmer had finally caught him and was willing to provide temporary shelter until we could pick him up. They contacted Good Shepherd because the local pound was full and they didn’t want to see a dog put to sleep because Shep would be taking it’s place. Adoptions and Additions Dotty is a 2 yr old Husky/ Golden mix waiting for her forever home. Dotty is a calm, gentle girl who is housebroken, dog and kid friendly, and with a small bit of training could pass CGC and become a therapy dog. She is very even tempered and takes to people very fast. Donation Spotlight We received $25 from Ayn to cover the initial vet and transport fees for Bear so he could become part of us . Thanks you so much for your generosity and kindness. We have begun to receive gift baskets and sponsors for the Bowling Extravaganza. Thanks to Terry’s Pet Center, Boone County Dart, and Petco for starters. Help us be able to triple our adoption rate. Our goal is 30 adoptions this year. Tell a friend or a stranger. Donations of aluminum cans and scrap metal help us and the environment at the same time. Contact Vicki to schedule a pick up goodshephersanimals@gmail.com We are looking for creative people to help us raise $250.00 in March. For every $250 we raise another dog can be saved. Donations can come in the form of a gift certificate to Terry’s Pet Center to help us buy a bag of food. If you have any leashes, collars, crates, treats, or toys that you no longer need, they can help us not have to purchase those items. We use a lot of paper and ink printing out our contracts and flyers, and educational literature. Consider donating those items to help us get the message out about no more homeless pets. "Dogs don't know I hopped in my truck with my gear and drove to the famer’s house. about beginnings, and Out came this bundle of energy. He was whining and barking and they don't speculate jumping because he thought it was play time. His whole body wiggled on matters that ocwhen I pet him. He hopped into my truck and slept the 70 miles back curred before their to Rockford. I placed found ads up in the local papers in the town he time. Dogs also don't had been found in. Spoke with Barry from Lee County Animal Control know — or at least and gave him our contact information in case someone called him don't accept — the looking for Shep. I placed ads in Craigslist under lost and found pets. concept of death. I made an appointment with our vet to have Shep checked out and to With no concept of get him his vaccinations and to have him scanned for a microchip. I beginnings or endings placed him in a kennel at my house and fed him his 1st dinner at dogs probably don't Good Shepherd. He devoured it as if he hadn’t eaten in days. Shep know that for people became part of my family. having a dog as a life The vet was unable to locate a microchip, gave Shep his vaccinations, gave him some medicine to get rid of intestinal worms, and some treats because he was so well behaved for his visit. I went to the front desk to check out and then it hit me. The receptionist handed me the bill. That short 20 minute visit had cost Good Shepherd $90.00. We still had to neuter him too. That was going to be an additional $100.00 plus because he was a pup, he would need a 2nd distemper booster. I am so glad we had people willing to come to our bowling event last year. The $200+ that we are spending on Shep came from people who came out for a fun couple of hours and made it possible for Shep to be rescued, receive his medical care, and feed him while he was with us for 3 months. 4 hours, 3 games of bowling, pizza, and awesome raffles. All that means Shep is safe and sound. And so are Peppe, Gretta, Rusty, Powder, Lola, Hurricane, Chevy, Wrigley, Max, Jake, and Lily. Won’t you join us this year so we can save more? If you don’t come, who will be left by the wayside? We need you to come and help save Jessie, Dotty, Blackjack, Nala, and Bear; plus all those that are waiting to come into the sanctuary. It is time to form those teams and prepare for an awesome afternoon supporting our pups. By coming to our bowling fundraiser, you will be helping a dog or puppy in foster care and allow us to fill open foster homes with dogs that desperately need to be given that 2nd chance. If you don’t come, who will? We have 2 new members to our family, Blackjack and Bear. Blackjack was an owner surrender due to a medical condition and Bear was rescued from high kill animal shelter . Both are in loving foster homes awaiting adoption. More Details Some dogs struggle more than others Have you ever been frightened? I mean really scared. Has everything you know suddenly changed and you had no voice in the matter? I know Nala has. Nala was in a family with a single mom and they lost their house. Mom and her son were able to move in with a family member, but because of that family member’s medical condition, drs would not allow a dog to be there too. Nala had no where to go. Good Shepherd was her last hope. Nala was already a scared pup when we met her. She belly-crawled out of her kennel across the floor, talking and tail wagging up to us. She was insecure and startled at loud noises. After about 15 mins, she was taking treats and sitting for pats on the head. After an hour long conversation with her mom and Nala becoming our friend, Nala’s world changed. She was given a 2nd chance. She was not going to have to go to the pound. She hopped into the truck and didn’t know it meant good bye to her previous life. Nala is in foster care with an awesome family. Nala gets scared easily and becomes very energetic when that happens. She jumps up to get attention sometimes. If your voice gets loud at all, her belly hits the floor and she cowers. She appears to have been hit before and is sensitive to gentle touch. She loves to cuddle and lay with her head on you. Nala is kennel trained and housebroken. She just needs someone who can continue helping her learn that she does not have to be afraid any more. She needs to find a family of adults with no younger children who can give her the time and training she needs to continue on her journey to feeling secure. Nala believes she is a lap dog and is meant to be with her person all the time. She loves to run and needs a fenced in back yard. If you know Training Tips— Carmen’s Corner companion provides a streak of light be- How To Train A Puppy - It's Not All Fun And Games! It shocks some new puppy owners when their puppy acts like, well a puppy. The little critter is a pooping machine who chews barks, digs, cries and much more! But we still love them anyway - we just need to provide them with some direction and boundaries to follow. If you're anything like me you probably just want to get your puppy off to the best possible start in life, and also set them up to thrive as adult dogs. Early puppy socialization and puppy training are the keys to your success as a dog owner. Bringing a young pup into our lives is a big responsibility and commitment to fulfill. Our puppies have a long list of requirements and deadlines that must be met for their well-being and longevity. Tasks like puppy house training, crate training, puppy socialization, leash training and basic obedience need to be addressed right from the very start. How To Train A Puppy - The Positive Way It's important with all dog training but especially with young puppies to use lots of encouragement, praise and rewards (positive reinforcement) in your training. Start your puppy training sessions as soon as your little puppy arrives at your home - it's never too early. Set your puppy up to succeed, Fostering has allowed us to make such a difference in the lives of concentrate on developing desirable habits in your puppy and preventing undehomeless dogs. Shep needed the consistency and love that can only be sirable behavior. It's much a better alternative to put your puppy on the provided by a family. Shep was able to find a wonderful home with an right path from the start, rather than trying to correct established problem amazing family because you came out and bowled with us. You probehaviors later on. vided his food. You provided his medical care, and you provided the Keep your training sessions short, consistent and always have fun. The key opportunity for not only Shep, but for all of the dogs at Good Shepto shaping your puppy's behavior is to start out with very easy commands, herd. Our foster families work hard to help the dogs with training, continue to build on these successes and apply heaps of repetition. Base your socialization, and basic home living skills. The money we raise goes to training sessions around trust and mutual respect rather than old school methhelp the dogs with food, kennels, treats, medical needs, spaying & ods based on punishment, avoidance and harsh corrections. In this environneutering, and training. ment you will find that your puppy loves his training sessions and his confi- We need to see you there. We can’t do it without you. Won’t you help make that difference? For a small donation you get 3 games of Scotch Doubles Bowling and an All you can eat Pizza Buffet. There will be Door Prizes, a 50/50 Raffle, Gift Basket Raffles (supplied by awesome donors). It will be fun for all ages. Come for the fun, Make a difference for a lifetime. Single Bowler w/ dinner $25.00 Couple Bowler w/ dinner $40.00 Dinner Only Single $8.00 / Couple $14.00 Tickets can be picked up at Petco on 2/19 or you can order through paypal on our website. Tickets are going fast so get yours today. Invite your friends, neighbors, relatives, co-workers. Come support the dogs and make that difference. GET YOUR TICKETS HERE dence will grow with each and every session. Always remember that you are dealing with a very immature young animal. Be realistic, flexible, patient and always fair during puppy training sessions. Your puppy doesn't just automatically know this stuff! It's all new to him and he is bound to have the odd slip up and mistake along the way. Don't worry about these mistakes, just move on and do your best to prevent them in the future. Enjoy this fantastic time in your dog's life. His puppyhood is the time where you will lay the foundation for your puppy's life. It's also where you will develop, build and strengthen the special bond you will share with your dog for life. To remove your name from our mailing list, please click here. Questions or comments? Email us at goodshepherdanimals@gmail.com or call 815-962-4456