No more homeless pets!

Hi everyone!

Well, a few months ago I got the dreaded surgery that for some reason people dont like to do to their pets. Why I will never know so many pets die each day cause there is not enough homes! I hope all your pets are! If there not PLEASE DO SO! It was not bad at all actually I was good to go the next day, but mom said I had to rest! Yeah Right!
Thank you to Catalina Pet Hospital and Dr. Cohen for taking such good care of me, he is the very best vet ever!!!!!!!!!!

Here are some reasons to have your pets spayed or neutered, pass it along and get it done

Love you!
River

Top 10 Reasons to Spay or Neuter Your Pet

1. Your female dog or cat will live a longer, healthier life.
Spaying—the removal of the ovaries and uterus—is a veterinary procedure performed under general anesthesia that usually requires minimal hospitalization. Spaying a female cat or dog helps prevent pyometra (pus-filled uterus) and breast cancer. Treatment of pyometra requires hospitalization, intravenous fluids and antibiotics. Breast cancer can be fatal in about 50 percent of female dogs and in 90 percent of female cats. Spaying your pet before her first heat offers the best protection from these diseases.

2. There are major health benefits for your male animal companion, too.
Besides preventing unwanted litters, neutering your male dog or cat—the surgical removal of the testicles—prevents testicular cancer, if done before six months of age.

3. Your spayed female won't go into heat.
While cycles can vary greatly, female felines usually go into heat four to five days every three weeks during breeding season. In an effort to advertise for mates, they'll yowl and urinate more frequently—sometimes all over the house. Unspayed female dogs generally have a bloody discharge for about a week, and can conceive for another week or so.

4. YouR male dog won't need to roam away from home…
An intact male in search of a mate will do just about anything to get one! That includes digging his way under the fence and making like Houdini to escape from the house. And once he's free to roam, he risks injury in traffic and fights with other males.

5. …and he will be much better behaved to boot!
Neutered cats and dogs focus their attention on their human families. On the other hand, unneutered dogs and cats may mark their territory by spraying strong-smelling urine all over the house. Indoors, male dogs may embarrass you by mounting on furniture and human legs when stimulated. And FYI, a neutered dog protects his home and family just as well as unneutered dog--and many aggression problems can be avoided by early neutering.

6. Spaying or neutering will NOT make your pet fat.
It's no use to use that old excuse! Lack of exercise and overfeeding will cause your pet to pack on the extra pounds—not neutering. Your pet will remain fit and trim as long as you continue to provide exercise and monitor food intake.

7. Spaying or neutering is highly cost-effective.
The cost of your pet's spay or neuter surgery is a lot less than the cost of having and caring for a litter. It also beats the cost of treatment when your unneutered tom escapes and gets into fights with neighborhood strays…or the cost of cleaning the carpet that your unspayed female keeps mistaking for her litter box, or the cost of…well, you get the idea!

8. It's good for the community.
Stray animals pose real problems in many parts of the country. They can prey on wildlife, cause vehicular accidents, damage the local fauna and scare children.

9. Your pet doesn't need to have a litter for your children to witness the miracle of birth.
We've heard this one a lot. But you know what? Letting your pet produce offspring you have no intention of keeping teaches your children irresponsibility. Anyone who has seen an animal euthanized in a shelter for lack of a home knows the trust behind this dangerous myth. There are countless books and videos available to teach your children about birth in a responsible manner.

10. It packs a powerful punch in the fight against pet overpopulation.
Millions of cats and dogs of all ages and breeds are euthanized annually or suffer as strays. These high numbers are the result of unwanted, unplanned litters that could have been prevented by spaying or neutering.

Help my boyfriend find a home!,

He's a good looking, in shape guy with a charming smile--A man's man who loves the ladies. Is it Mike "the Situation" from Jersey Shore...no, it's Chewy! Chewy is a GREAT foster dog and he deserves to find his forever home soon. He is super smart, he has a big smiley face, he thinks he's a lap dog and he loves children. He is good at the dog park, good with other dogs, He needs playtime, either at the dog park, a good run every day, or another active dog to play with. He is also sometimes overcome with wanderlust, so he needs a tall secure fence. If he is allowed to lounge around inside during the day, he doesn't care to go out much except to potty. He is housetrained and uses a dog door. He was rescued with his friend Beau from the desert south of Tucson in March by Angels for Animals. He had been shot by a small caliber gun. He has healed from his wound, and has been neutered and is up to date on all vaccinations. He really is awesome and I'm anxious for him to have real forever home with someone who adores him as much as I do. If you would like to meet him, call Lisa @440-8844. Thanks for considering adoption of a rescue dog!

Love River

Happy Memorial Day!

I know we are a little late but, this is breaking news people! Did you know in this big black box there is "meat" yup its true....it was a glorious day, and a wonderful find, I got to share a peice or two, it was yummy!!!!!!!!!! I love that black box!!!
Hope you all got to eat out of the black box!!

Happy Mothers Day!

To all the fur moms out there.....this is poem and flower is for you!
Love, River

Before I was a Dog Mom: I made and ate hot meals unmolested; I had unstained, unfurred clothes; I had quiet conversations on the phone, even if the doorbell rang.

Before I was a Dog Mom: I slept as late as I wanted and never worried about how late I got to bed . . . or if I could get into my bed.

Before I was a Dog Mom: I cleaned my house everyday, I never tripped over toys, stuffies, chewies, or invited the neighbor's dog over to play.

Before I was a Dog Mom: I didn't worry if my plants, cleansers, plastic bags, toilet paper, soap or deodorant were poisonous or dangerous.

Before I was a Dog Mom: I had never been peed on, pooped on, drooled on, chewed on, or pinched by puppy teeth.

Before I was a Dog Mom: I had complete control of my thoughts, my body and my mind. I slept all night without sharing the covers or pillow.

Before I was a Dog Mom: I never looked into big, soulful eyes and cried. I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop a hurt. I never knew something so furry and four-legged could affect my heart so deeply.

Before I was a Dog Mom: I had never held a sleeping puppy just because I couldn't put it down. I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was well. I didn't know how warm it feels inside to feed a hungry puppy. I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important.

Before I was a Dog Mom: I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache, the wonderment, or the satisfaction of being

Rivers Rescue

This is Duet....Rivers BFF!

Although so many people helped cared for and tried to help River. Daniele, and Duet were the two that were ultimately responsible for bringing River home, This is their story........


I usually walk all along the Rillito anywhere from Oracle to Sabino
Canyon. I had walked in this area of Columbus for about 12 years. I used
to walk my other dog Tosha before she passed away. I now have a dog
named Duet. Duet and I walk often in the area at different times of the
day (usually during the cooler weather months) usually on the path and
occasionally going into the wash area from the dirt road. The day I
first met River we cut through an area we usually didn't walk through
towards the wash to play in the running stream. On the way I was a bit
startled to see River jump up suddenly to see who were were. I am always
very cautious of stray or unsupervised dogs. I saw the contraption
nearby and thought it was a homeless persons camp. I felt bad for both
of them and decided to talk to her a moment before leaving. Then we went
on our way.

The next day I decided to go down there again and I saw River. I had
brought treats with me in case I saw her again. I decided to find out
about the contraption and discovered it was a trap to catch her. I was
relieved someone was trying to help her. I never saw her on the news and
I don't recall seeing any fliers about her specifically, but I see so
many. I may have and didn't remember. But I thought I would use the
treats to try to befriend her. Duet (always on a leash) and I always
approached her very slowly until she looked like she was about to leave
and then I would sit down immediately. Duet is usually very eager to
visit with dogs but she behaved differently this time( I think she
sensed River's nervousness). Duet had her back to River and was smelling
out the area as though River wasn't there. I threw some treats in
River's direction. She started getting more and more curious and came in
to meet Duet or at least smell her behind. She got close enough for me
to see that she had a collar on hidden in her coat. No tags though. She
took a treat from me and I didn't try to move suddenly or try to pet
her. I let her be in charge. She was very skittish and I knew better
than to try anything that may make her uncomfortable. This was our first
real meeting. If Duet or I moved too suddenly she would leap back and
far away. It wasn't going to be easy. I'd rescued another dog that was
living in a vacant lot across from my house for 2 months before I could
help her. I used some of the lessons I learned with her.

I decided not to go on our normal varied walking routines and just
focus on River and play in the wash with Duet. I called the people who
listed their names and phone numbers on the trap. I first called Marc.
He seems surprised at how close I had gotten to River and I told him I
would keep trying. I called Kelly and she filled me in on River's
history. I was shocked. I asked if anyone was interested in adopting her
if I was able to catch her. The three of us kept in close contact. So
that was how things got started.

For two weeks (minus three days I wasn't able to go see her) I visited
River. Right away I gained her trust by never forcibly approaching her.
I let her approach us. It was always on her terms. I would talk to her
and say her name and feed her treats. By about the third or forth day
she was eating treats out of my hand and I was moving my hand around
gently and slowly to desensitize her with more sudden movements. I was
eventually able to touch her on the side of her face while giving her
treats. This got easier over time as I was able to pet her later. At the
same time she got more use to her name, as when I would go to visit her
I would softly call out her name. She started coming out to play with
us. She would usually already be down in the wash and we would play with
sticks, hide and seek, and eat treats. People started to notice and some
started to feed her with treats the way I had started. I was pleased as
it was helping River to be more socialized. I figured the more people
who tried to help her this way the better. For me it was not a race. I
knew that I had to gain her trust on her terms only and I needed to take
the time. I needed to make sure I was able to catch her with 100%
certainty.

I started to get her to follow me. One visit I threw treats down while
we were walking and she followed. I thought I would try to get her to my
car and start training her to get use to my car, hoping I could
eventually get her in. She didn't like me trying (as she never let the
leash get close enough anyways) to put a leash on and so I stopped that
so she would continue to trust me. I felt the only way to catch her
successfully was to get her into a small area. The wash was too huge of
an area to control the situation. Then it dawned on me that after only
three times she had started to follow me without treats. So, I had my
eye on the park across the wash. It had fenced-in areas. So the last
three days I was visiting her, I chose a dug out cage on a batters
field. The first time Duet and I just sat in the cage, Duet eating
treats. River just stared at us from a distance and wouldn't come
anywhere near. I thought it was hopeless but I didn't give up. The next
day I tried again. I brought treats and canned food. Duet and I went in
and with much hesitation River joined us. She was very nervous, but I
let her come in and out as she wished. The third time she was inside
with us and very comfortable and I knew it was time to catch her. I
called and made arrangements with Marc who would help me after I caught
her.I would only have one chance. I was very nervous.So on the fourth
visit to the dugout was the morning I caught her at about 6am.

I couldn't sleep at all that night and at about 5:45 a.m. I went to find
her. She was sleeping near the bridge by the park to the east. I could
barely see but I had my flashlight. I called for her and I heard her
whimper. Then she joined us playing with Duet. We walked over to the
cage on the field. I got her in and I locked it up. It was about 6am if
I remember correctly. I called Marc and he was on his way. River was
calm the whole time eating and hanging out with us. Marc came about 6:45
. He came in with a crate. River was calm all the way up till he caught
her and put her in the crate. She hid behind my legs. My dog Duet , who
is usually scared and timid, seemed to be protecting River! But as soon
as River was in the crate River was calm again. The rest is history! It
couldn't have gone any better. River acted like she had been through it
before. She was so unexpectedly calm.

The reason I never forced her in a leash was I felt she wouldn't take it
well. What would I have done after I got her on the leash. I felt
strongly that she was going to fight it, which meant I was going to have
to drag her, only upsetting her more. Then what? Would I have to force
her into my car? I was not comfortable with that option. I trusted my
instincts and I did a lot of slow meticulous steps in order to catch her
and gain her trust. I tried to give her as much control as I could. I
let her think she had all the control . I gave her choices. I let her
decide whether to approach us or not etc. And it paid off. I was very
honored to have gained her trust and through her I met many wonderful
people, some of whom I hope will remain friends, all thanks to River. It
was one of the most memorable experiences of my life.

Happy Easter!

What a great day...great weather..... great food, River had a blast with all the excitment and smaells in the air, she does love food!

Got lots of goodies, from Grammy and mom! Even a special bit of ham! Loved the new toys too!

After all the excitment....

BATHTIME..... I did not like that to much, but no one did, but I sure do clean up nice and smell great!

Happy Spring everyone....Enjoy!