If you don’t know much about resiliency, you need to hear Blackie’s story…

Blackie was adopted by a loving family only days before he escaped from his new home in Gurnee, WI on October 1st, 2011. A while later, a family saw Blackie visiting their neighbor’s yard. And, then, the family members saw Blackie stop by their own backyard! Blackie obviously preferred the yard that belonged to the family that spotted him because he began to return to the yard night after night.

Realizing Blackie was a lost pet, the family started to leave food for Blackie to enjoy each night during his visits. And, each night, the family moved the food they left for Blackie a bit deeper into their yard, a bit closer to a storage shed at the edge of their property line. Finally, the family left Blackie’s dinner at the entrance to the shed. Blackie was too happy to take the “bait” and soon found himself secured in the family’s shed…and then, in their house!

Blackie was missing from his adopted family’s home for 147 days before being reunited with his owners on February 25, 2012. His adopted owners told us, “We are so happy to have him home!” And all of us are happy he’s home with you, too!

Welcome home Blackie! And, thank you to Blackie’s second family, his rescuers!

Bossy is home!

Bossy is home!

I just wanted to take a minute to say thank you to everyone involved with getting our dog, Bossy, back home.  Rose, Jeremy, Joey, and I remain grateful for everything everyone did to reunite Bossy with us after he was on the loose for two days in not-so-good weather.  Thank you to the woman who picked Bossy up and brought him to the MG Animal Hospital!  We’re still waiting to hear from you, by the way, so we can express our sincere appreciation to you personally.

It’s because of the efforts put forth by the kind-hearted stranger mentioned above, Jilzee, the staff at MG Animal Hospital, and the volunteers at Lost Dogs Illinois that Bossy is sitting here beside me as I’m typing this.  The flyers that were dispersed enabled the people at the MG Animal Hospital to recognize Bossy the instant he was dropped off at their facility.  Because of information included in the flyers, they also knew to scan him for a microchip and…

BINGO!  Moments later, my wife received the best phone call we could have hoped for!  Bossy was found alive, well…and waiting for us to pick him up!  I cannot express how glad I am that we had Bossy micro-chipped.  And, after this experience, I cannot emphasize enough how important it is for every pet owner to have their pets micro-chipped.

Thank you all, again!  We love and appreciate each of you!  Bossy does, too!

Another Happy Home at Last!

This was a dog found by a Good Sam… “I made flyers of this lost dog who is called ‘Wrinkles’ and my husband started posting them in Pet Supply Stores within a 2 miles radius and saw that there was a post for a lost dog Identical to our picture post so my husband called me and told me about it and I asked him to bring me the flyer that the family posted. I then called and talked to Wrinkles dad and asked him to identify specific markings the no one else would know and he did then I asked him his address and said I would bring the dog to him to meet me outside so I could see Wrinkles reaction and as soon as Wrinkles saw the little girl I knew. He offered me a reward and I refused it but asked him to please use that reward to get Wrinkles Microchipped and neutered also he said he would. I told him next time he may not be the blessed to get him back should he get out. Wrinkles dug under the fence and got out… by the time I spotted him it he was about three miles away from home maybe more and had crossed a multitude of busy intersections. Thank you Jackie for everything you do!!”

Keep Your Dog Safe during the 4th of July Holiday!

The 4th of July holiday is a time of parties and celebration. Unfortunately, Animal Control facilities nationwide report a spike in dog intake during this holiday. Make sure your dog isn’t one of the holiday statistics by following these tips:

  • Take your dog for a walk or to the dog park before the fireworks start. This allows your dog to exercise, release pent up energy and go “potty”.
  • Keep dogs indoors. They may even feel safer if they are placed in a smaller interior room. Give your dog an interactive toy like tasty treat filled Kong.
  • Close your windows. Dogs can try and get out of the house by pushing out the screen. Turn the air conditioning or radio on.
  • Make sure your dog has a license and an identification tag on a properly fitted buckled or martingale collar and is microchipped.
  • If your dog is shy and/or fearful, walk the dog with collar and a harness, clipped together or with two separate leashes.
  • During this time of festivities and fireworks, do not let your dogs out alone even in a fenced yard. Keep a leash on your dog – dogs have been known to scale fences to get away from the noise.
  • Most importantly, please do NOT take your dogs to the fireworks celebration!

Fireworks and Reuniting Lost Dogs with Their Families

aspcafireworks

Last year we were honored to present a free webinar for ASPCA Pro that included a lot of helpful information for shelters and owners for dogs that go missing after the fireworks on the 4th of July. Please feel free to share this link.
“In preparation for July 4, experts from Lost Dogs Illinois and Lost Dogs of Wisconsin will give you practical advice to offer support, resources, and tips to worried families searching for their lost dogs. Teaching people how to find their lost pets and avoid common mistakes can avoid heartbreak for many people and animals.
This free, 60-minute webinar will benefit staff and volunteers from any animal welfare agency.”

Click this link to view the webinar slides and access the webinar recording: http://www.aspcapro.org/webinar/2014-06-18/fireworks-rto