Give Hope a Chance

Hope has come a very long way.

But the once stray dog, rescued just before she was to be killed in North Carolina, has further to go.

And she needs help.

Rescued by Lisa Dickal and Will Teplen just before Christmas, Hope was brought to Connecticut and it turned out the then-emaciated stray was expecting, Dickal said
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Hope had 14 pups but only seven survived, Dickal said.
The rescue team has since found homes for six pups, but one, dubbed Asia, shown in photo, still needs a loving family and so does Hope, Dickal said. Asia is now about 9 weeks old.

To help the process of finding a forever home, Hope and Asia will both be at New Haven Animal Shelter's Easter Bunny Portrait Fundraiser Event from 10:15 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, March 20 at TwoSmilingDogs located in The Playground Doggie Daycare 2 Toelles Road, Wallingford, Conn.

Dickal said among the disappointments in Hope's story was that what wwas to be a home was found for her, but the family then decided she was not the right match for them.
Dickal said that some "manners" Hope learned while she was a stray are still being worked out, including that she does have a sweet tooth for doughnuts she likes to snatch. But Hope is doing well with housebreaking, Dickal said. Hope is "extremely loving to people," and gets along with dogs and cats, she said.

"We are really desperately looking for a family that will give Hope patience, love and understanding," Dickal said. "We believe if someone could look past her flaws, and work with her to be a better dog, that they would have a wonderful lifelong companion."
The best circumstance for Hope would be a home that has a big fenced backyard and people to play with who would help her to become "the best dog we know she can be," Dickal said.
Hope is about 2 and is brindled Plott Hound mix; she is fully vaccinated and healthy, Dickal said. Plott Hounds are typically a rare breed to have; as they are the North Carolina state dog, she said.


For more information Dickal and Teplen, shown in photos with Hope, can be reached at dontshop.adoptapet@gmail.com


Editor's note: The information in this post was provided by Lisa Dickal

A very Unique dog

A Fidelco dog has done it again.

"Unique" the German shepherd led his legally blind owner out of a raging fire last July and last week was given the Animal Rescue Hero’s award by the American Red Cross Connecticut Chapter at their annual breakfast ceremony.

The fire occurred in Manchester, Conn. when violent thunderstorms swept through the state and a lightening bolt struck Bill Poldony’s home. The result, according to Battalion Chief Dan Huppe of the Manchester Fire Department, was a 30-foot ball of flame and a destroyed home.

But as the lights in Poldony’s home went out at 10 p.m. and fire began to consume the structure, Unique led him from the back of his home to the foyer where he was met by Huppe and the Fire Department.

According to Huppe, had two 500-gallon propane tanks erupted, “It could have been a different situation. In my long career as a fighter, I have never witnessed an animal response like this.”
Diane Auger, CEO, American Red Cross Connecticut Chapter, also praised the guide dog’s response.

“Unique’s quick reaction in the face of disaster seems to be a common, yet extraordinary trait among all our heroes who we honored today. We are so very pleased to recognize Unique for putting her owner’s safety first without regard for her own well-being," she said.
Eliot D. Russman, CEO and executive director of the Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation, Inc. said, the agency does "not specifically train our guide dogs for rescue work.

"However, their owner loyalty, focus on the job at hand, and intelligence comes to the surface when trouble arises. We are proud of Unique and most grateful that Bill survived the destruction of his home," she said.
The Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation, Inc., a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization based in Bloomfield Connecticut, breeds, trains and places a unique type of German shepherd guide dogs with people who have visual disabilities.

Editor's note: All of the information in this post was provided by Fidelco. It is only lightly edited here.

Saying goodbye to Rigby

By Ralph Villers

It happened far too fast.

Rigby had to be put down this Saturday morning. The details are not as important as what he meant to the whole family. Today, there is such an air of sadness around us, that's me, Patti and brother Linus - and the others who have been informed, Allegra, Cameron and Gooma (aka: Patti's mom).
As a cat should, he could sleep without provocation. Even on an old TV with an old B&W movie.
Patti has written about this most eloquently.
A winsome and cute fellow with his moo-cow markings, he loved to be skritched on and around his head incessantly. Too bad we humans had schedules so the all day sessions could not happen. No offense, he would just take a nap. He loved water, too! I had considered that perhaps he studied water to such a degree that perhaps he was trying to receive a PhD in hydrodynamics, or something. He also loved to get his water from the faucet.
A being who loved unconditionally, he was a fun fellow, the word winsome cannot be overstated. He had that happy-go-lucky air about him, always.

What a loss.

I am concerned about his brother, Linus, who is looking around for his brother now.
Who doesn't love Beanies??
Patti took Rigby to the vet, and but as I was home with Linus, and as the day moved along, he knows now is that he is missing - and wishes he were back, as do we...
A furry friend, three and one-half years is far too soon to be gone.

A loss that is immeasurable now.
Goodbye pal. We all will miss you :>(

A fish tale

It looks like Mo the fish is not going to get her own story.
But that does not mean Tesla's Love does not want to share her story. We know she's an African cichlid and she lives in New Haven, Conn. with a person who loves her very much.
And to show that loves comes with fins as well as wings and fur, here's a video of Mo.