——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–

She came into rescue in need of major surgery. She had been living in pain, ears scarred shut from persistent, neglected infections. One had a hematoma.

For sweet 8-year-old Buffie, love was an unknown concept. But the kind folks at the Ramapo-Bergen Animal Refuge, Inc. helped her learn.

Buffie had to undergo intense medical procedures. Her right ear was too damaged to save and required amputation. She also needed bilateral ear ablation (doctors created new ear canals).

Like so many of this rescue’s animals, Buffie is a survivor and a winner who overcame years of abuse. She is also forgiving and loves unconditionally. For Buffie to be living the life of a rescued dog today, and one who has won the hearts of so many people through her participation in Tournament of Tails (she became the champion!), is incredible. Hers is the ultimate underdog story of survival and triumph against the odds.

Buffy, who weighs 64 lbs., is sweet and gentle and good with other dogs. She loves going on walks with her friends here at the shelter. She also loves cuddling up in her bed! Please visit the shelter and consider opening your home and your heart to this wonderful girl! Visit the Ramapo-Bergen Animal Refuge website if you’re interested!

 

With a name like Cinderella, it’s only fitting that this darling senior pug gets nothing short of a fairytale ending.

 

Cinderella’s date with destiny began in September 2016, when dog lover Jessica Aliff came across the blind senior with diabetes in a Facebook group for pug rescuers.

 

Aliff, who already owned three dogs, recalls the sense of urgency she felt in wanting to give Cinderella a good home. “I knew I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I didn’t at least try to get her,” she told petMD.

 

After meeting with Cinderella’s foster family, Aliff adopted her and brought her home to meet her new pug siblings, Poncho, Nikki, and Ollie.

 

Though “life is a bit more hectic” with four dogs in the house, Aliff is able to give them all a happy, healthy, and familiar lifestyle while taking care of Cinderella’s specific needs. “I have to be on a much stricter feeding schedule because of [Cinderella’s] insulin needs, but I always tried to feed them at scheduled times,” she said.  

 

In addition to insulin, which she needs twice daily, Cinderella has to have her blood glucose levels tested and eats prescription foods from her veterinarian. (“Treats are limited, but she does get small treats when she gets her insulin and one each night before bed,” Aliff said.)

 

Even though Cinderella is blind (she had her eyes removed to relieve pain), she still has the energy and personality of any other pug.

 

“Cinderella does not act any differently than she was before surgery,” Aliff said. “She still charges around the house trying to keep up with me.”

 

While Cinderella does sometimes need assistance with getting up and down stairs, Aliff said she makes her way around the house, and through life, with determination.

“She is very feisty and persistent,” Aliff said of Cinderella. “If one of our other dogs starts roughhousing, she gets right into the action. She has no idea she’s the smallest of the bunch!”

 

Cinderella has changed Aliff’s life in ways big and small over the past year, and she hopes her story inspires others to give senior dogs, especially those with special needs, a chance to thrive.

 

There may be financial obstacles along the way, and you have to surround yourself with a good support team, but taking care of a dog like Cinderella is worth it, Aliff noted. “You may have to give a little more TLC,” she said, but these grateful, wise, and caring dogs will give it all back and then some.

 

 

Social media has become an important tool in how the world communicates these days, and a general way of life for most. It creates a smaller world, where people you know from a distance are part of your everyday life. This network brings people together, and allows us to help one another in ways that weren’t so easy before. It also creates a bond between people over common interests and is a great way to get to know others—including animals.

 

Many animal shelters and rescue organizations are using social media to their advantage. It helps spread information about adoptable pets to far reaches that they may not have been able to access in the past. When used appropriately, social media can be a priceless asset, as it automatically enlists the public as promoters. People see a cute photo of a dog who needs a home, and they can instantly share it with everyone they are connected with. 

 

Promoting Shelter Pets for Adoption

 

Through social media, people can post photos, spread the love, and share rescue tales that can help get homeless pets placed in their forever homes. When people read an interesting story about a special needs cat, for instance, they can help get that cat adopted with the simple click of a button. Even the most cantankerous of cats can have his 15 minutes of fame. Just look at Mr. Biggles, an “utter bastard of a cat” whose adoption listing went viral thanks to the cunning of a rescue group out of Australia.

 

Thank Dog I Am Out Rescue Society uses social media as its primary adoption and promotional tool. On the group’s Instagram account, you can view hundreds of posts of adoptable dogs, success stories, and adoption events. Its Facebook page offers immediate contact and chat capabilities, offering help to any dog who needs it. You can also follow rescue organizations like this to stay up-to-date on their most recent events and stories. And, again, you can share posts with all of your friends to help these pets get adopted.

           

Some shelters are creatively attracting potential adopters by posting background stories and fun photographs. The MSPCA Boston Adoption Center uses Facebook to post pictures and bios of its available adoptable pets. The group is able to share heartwarming stories of animals who may have special needs or disabilities, and reach people worldwide thanks to social media.

           

There is no easier way to reach the masses of strangers of this world than to use social media. It is a network of unlimited potential that can be used for so many good reasons. One “like” or “share” can reach hundreds, if not thousands, of people in a way that grassroots promotion could never do. Not to mention, a clever marketing campaign has the potential to go viral. Many shelters and rescue organization have used this to their advantage, posting photos of pets dressed up, creating enticing and intriguing bios, and helping so many animals touch the hearts and lives of people worldwide.

 

Natasha Feduik is a licensed veterinary technician with Garden City Park Animal Hospital in New York, where she has been practicing for 10 years. Natasha received her degree in veterinary technology from Purdue University. Natasha has two dogs, a cat, and three birds at home and is passionate about helping people take the best possible care of their animal companions.

 

By Samantha Drake

 

The Animal Medical Clinic of Gulf Gate in Sarasota, Florida, has a special staff member dedicated to putting canine patients at ease. That may not be unusual for a veterinary clinic that treats injured or sick pets every day. What’s unusual is that this staff member is a cat.

 

Raisin, a 2-year-old Sphynx, has become a dog’s best friend and the clinic’s mascot. But first, Raisin needed help herself.

 

Raisin was surrendered to Helping Hands Pet Rescue in Micanopy, Florida, because of a severe eye ulcer she had since birth. Helping Hands ensured Raisin got the medical treatment she desperately needed, with the help of AVS-Affiliated Veterinary Specialists Animal Hospital in Gainesville, Florida, and a veterinary student who fostered the cat during treatment.

 

Finding a purebred Sphynx at a rescue is relatively rare, notes Ruth Heffernan, a vet tech at the Animal Medical Clinic, who had heard about Raisin and wanted to meet her. Heffernan promptly adopted Raisin and began bringing her new pet to work. She started noticing that Raisin liked to cozy up to the dogs who seemed in need of comfort. “She’s extremely caring. Raisin picks up on when an animal is nervous,” Heffernan explains. “She gets in there and cuddles.”

 

The staff is mindful that not every dog wants Raisin around, but those who are receptive get a new friend during a stressful time, Heffernan says. “We said, ‘OK, let her do her thing.’”

 

The outgoing, affectionate Sphynx distracts canine patients with kisses and nuzzles as they have blood drawn or hangs out in the room where dogs recover from surgery to snuggle and offer reassurance, she notes. One of Raisin’s favorite friends is a blind Pit Bull named Fenway. Heffernan recalls watching Raising approach Fenway for the first time. “She sensed that he needed her,” she says.

 

Raisin comes into the clinic with Heffernan every day and has her own business card that says, “Nurse Raisin.” She’s become well known in the community, and staff from other local clinics have stopped by just to meet the Sphynx, Heffernan says. Pet owners have even switched to the clinic because of Raisin, she says. “Raisin loves all the attention.”

 

Raisin visits elementary schools and has gained her own following on her Facebook page and Instagram account. Mail and gifts for Raisin come from around the country, and Heffernan reports that a fan from Australia even altered his U.S. travel itinerary just so he could meet the cat.

 

At home, Raisin spends her time relaxing after a long day at the clinic and interacting with Heffernan’s Greyhound and Manx cat. She also enjoys the pampering that hairless, sensitive-skinned Sphynx cats require, including twice-weekly bubble baths and long naps on a heating pad, Heffernan says. Raisin’s eye is completely healed, although the cat does need daily eye drops, she adds.

 

But when it’s time to go to work in the morning, Raisin goes right into her cat carrier. “It’s like her second family here,” Heffernan says. “She’s at the clinic every single day.”