- Karyn Stratton
A Note From The Editor :
People that work in animal rescue are all too familiar with frustration , anger , and grief . Frustration that no matter how many dogs and cats they save , there are countless others they cannot , and many more on the way . Anger that people let their animals breed irresponsibly , adding to the continuous problem of overpopulation , or take on pets they don ' t care for properly . Grief when they look in the eyes of a neglected or abused pet , and know they can ' t possibly explain to them why they were mistreated , and assure them it ' s not their fault and life will be better now . There ' s even a term for the condition many rescuers live with : compassion fatigue , which is simply emotional exhaustion , caused by the stress of caring for traumatized or suffering animals or people . The things that keep us going are the happy endings , and knowing we played a part in improving an animal ' s life . There was one of those instances this past month , in the recent case of the abandoned German Shepherd in Williamsport . The beautiful dog was left in a crate in a shopping center parking lot , on a bitterly cold and windy night in December . Thankfully , he recovered from his ordeal , and was adopted by a loving family . The woman who abandoned him faced sentencing in April , and was charged with a third degree felony of aggravated cruelty to animals . She was given 30 months of probation , and 100 hours of community service . The judge made the excellent suggestion that she volunteer at an animal shelter to understand the impact of mistreated animals . And the German Shepherd , appropriately renamed " Lucky ," now reportedly spends his days napping on the couch , chasing tennis balls , and enjoying the company of two Golden Retriever siblings . Living his best life , his new owners say , the way all animals should . And giving weary rescuers renewed hope that there will be many more happy endings like this to come .
- Karyn Stratton
In This Issue :
Pet Calendar of Events ........................................... page 2 Upcoming Pet Events ............................................. page 3 Around the Hydrant : News You Can Use ............ page 4 National Rescue Dog Day ...................................... page 4 Cats and Open Windows ....................................... page 5 Rescue Spotlight : Pets Come First ....................... page 6 Breed All About It - The Westie ........................... page 7 Cute & Crazy Critters ............................................ page 8 Health Highlights : Fresh , Clean Water ............... page 9 Adoption : A Loving Option .................................. pages 10 , 11 Pawsitively Delicious ............................................. page 12 Ask the Groomer - Ear Cleaning Tips ................. page 13 Win a Kong Cozie Dog Toy .................................. page 13 Subscriptions - Let Us Fetch Your Next Copy ..... page 15
On our cover :
" Winston & Wyatt "
Thanks to
Marlene Oman Emmons of Phoenix , Arizona
for providing us with their photo !
Pawsitively Pets -- May
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