News and Stories - True Blue Animal Rescue

T-Bar Delivers Donations to Houston and Beyond

When the members of True Blue Animal Rescue heard about the devastation in Houston after Hurricane Ike came through the area they asked people to donate items and bring them to Parcel Plus in Brenham , Texas . Monetary donations were used to purchase more feed and supplies for the animals. Thanks to the generous response by caring people True Blue Animal Rescue Volunteers were able to bring a trailer and pick up truck load of dog food, cat food, horse feed and other supplies to the Houston SPCA on September 19th. We were met by volunteer coordinator Tim Raeke and other grateful people who helped us unload this bounty onto pallets so it could be handed out to people who were going back out to locations where animals are being cared for or given to foster homes picking up homeless animals or fed to the 100s of animals coming into the SPCA that have been displaced by Hurricane Ike. They were very happy to see such a large donation of supplies coming to them from Brenham , TX and we were glad to bring it.

The trailer of donations after we had already started unloading things onto pallets.

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Upon our return to Brenham we loaded up two trailers full of hay and used donated money to purchase 20 bags of horse feed so we could help the large animals that had no hay after Hurricane Ike ravaged the area and left the fields wet and mucky in it's wake. On Sept. 21st we went to Anahuac , TX , west of Beaumont and found that they had just received a load of hay and bags of feed that day. The only things they needed from our load was the water trough from Kaleigh and a large bag of cat litter that had been don ated. We were happy to see that some people had already brought the much needed supplies to this park where small animals were being kept until their owners could come for them.

The next place on our route was Fannett, a town 30 miles closer to Beaumont . We were directed to the Labelle-Fannett Fire Dept., a local Point of Distribution or POD, where people were lined up in their cars to pick up water, ice and MREs. The supplies were passed out to the lines of cars that drove up non stop while we were there. When we came in with hay their faces lit up and they gratefully accepted all of what we brought. The dog food and cat food was placed in the distribution line and passed out to people as they drove through. Meanwhile the ranchers had been called to tell them about the hay and feed we brought with us. The 120 square bales of hay we brought never touched the ground. It went right from our trailer onto the trailers of those who were desperate to feed their starving cattle and horses.

A Fireman helps unload the hay

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We were met with glad faces, pats on the back and even some hugs. Half of our lo ad was split between three ranchers along with some of the 20 bags of feed that we brought. We drove the other 60 bales to a grateful rancher who was overjoyed to see food for his starving cows and all the other displaced cows that had wandered onto his property looking for food and water. The rancher and his teary eyed wife were relieved to see us there with help for their animals. They spoke of the horror of watching the cattle go crazy near the coast from drinking salt water. They said that the cows were running in the streets and charging the people who were trying to help them. Others told stories of the horses who were left tied and ended up jowl deep in water with their necks straining as they concentrated on keeping their noses above water.
"We cut 'em loose and let 'em find high ground. That's all we could do before we went in to rescue more of the stranded people" was what one of the Firemen said with a horrified look on his face. "We help the people first but our animals are like family to us so we had to help them too. Thank you for coming and thank you for caring."

The sentiment was the same with everyone we encountered and as we drove away they continued to thank us but the looks on t heir faces was thanks enough. You could see that they felt good knowing that people they never met before from Brenham , TX cared enough to drive three hours to where they were to help them feed their animals. We gave them hope with our little caravan of feed. Their animals will have full bellies tonight and their owners will sleep just a little better knowing that.

Tbar member Lauren Lee and Colton DeAeth stand on either side of Karen Reneau. On the right is her Aggie son, Will, and her daughter who is holding a family pet. The Reneau’s are one of the families who were helped by the donations from Brenham.

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The support we brought to these people was only the tip of the iceberg for them and their animals. It will be months before their lives are back to normal. They will continue to need our help and support and the help of everyone who has the means and the time to do whatever they can to help. True Blue Animal Rescue will be working on getting more help to others that have been hurt by Hurricane Ike. Thank you all for your donations, support and well wishes. Without you, we wouldn't be able to help these people and the animals who mean everything to them.

Melanie DeAeth, President
True Blue Animal Rescue
www.t-bar.org

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HEB Helps TBAR Animals

Since November 2007, HEB Brenham has donated over $ 2000 worth of cat food and dog food to help feed the animals at the True Blue Animal Rescue (TBAR) shelter and foster homes, as well as pets of home-bound senior citizens in the community. Melanie DeAeth, Tbar founder, presents a Gold Star certificate of appreciation to Mark Schneider, Jeannie Rodriquez, Paulo Noronha and Kenny Callender."

Mark Schneider, General Manager of Brenham H.E.B accepts certificate of appreciation and a thank you letter from a True Blue Animal Rescue representative. At his suggestion Tbar volunteers have been collecting pet food from bags that are broken before they reach the shelves. This has helped, not only the homeless pets at Tbar and foster homes, but pets in the community who's owners are homebound and rely on Meals on Wheels deliveries. Now they can receive food for their pets too ! Thank you H.E.B !

Jeanie Rodriquez & Kenny Callender work in H.E.B's Receiving Dept.
and help coordinate the pet food donation program for TBAR.

Ms. Brinkmyer, Ms. Siemsglusz and Ms. Rod of Brenham Middle School recieve Thank You Certificate from Tbar.

Ms. Siemglusz organized a Christmas Drive for the homeless pets at True Blue Animal Rescue. The students and faculty donated so many toys, supplies and food items that the dogs were positively giddy with excitement ! Thanks Brenham Middle School !!

BlueBell Creameries Santa Paws Christmas Drive
Ashley Derkowski, Amanda Wellman and Shannon Meyer from the Bluebell offices organized a special drive to collect much needed food, toys, beds, coupons and cash for the unwanted, homeless pets of True Blue Animal Rescue in Brenham. This will be a very Merry Christmas indeed for Buddy, Jack, Popeye, Shadow and all the rest!

Petsmart's Photos with Santa Paws
Dec 8 & 9th was a big success! Over 90 pictures taken!
Below is Taylor playing Santa on Sunday

BLUEBONNET EQUINE HUMANE SOCIETY AND TRUE BLUE ANIMAL RESCUE TAKE IN TWENTY FIVE NEGLECTED HORSES IN ROBERTSON COUNTY, TEXAS - ORGANIZATION IN DESPERATE NEED OF ASSISTANCE

After seizing approximately 25 horses and 100 cattle from a Robertson County property near Franklin, Texas, Robertson County Sheriff's Deputies called Bluebonnet Equine Humane Society (BEHS) late last week to ask for their assistance with the horses. Deputies first investigated the case after receiving complaints of dead animals visible from the road. They found several dead cattle and two dead horses on the property. Due to the number of animals involved, Robertson County officials knew they needed assistance, and BEHS Executive Director Dr. Jennifer Williams said the organization was pleased to be able to help, "Our goal is to make life easier for the authorities when it comes to horse neglect cases. We'll help investigate reports of neglect, try to teach the owners to take care of their horses when possible or take the horses in after they've been permanently removed from their owners - whatever the authorities need."

BEHS is a 501(c)(3) organization incorporated as a non-profit in both Texas and Arkansas and is funded through donations and fundraisers put on by volunteers, but the organization' s resources are running thin. They worried that they couldn't help all 25 horses, so they called True Blue Animal Rescue (TBAR), a 501(c)(3) rescue helping both horses and small animals in Washington County, Texas. TBAR's founder and President, Melanie DeAeth, quickly agreed to take half of the horses. When asked why she agreed to help Bluebonnet, Melanie said, "Two rescues working together is a great way to show how many rescues there are and how many horses need help." TBAR has responded to many horse neglect cases this year in both Burleson and Washington Counties.

When asked why the organizations were so busy, Dr. Williams responded, "Winter is always a tough time for horses. The grass dries up and some owners don't realize that the horses need hay and grain. We can teach those owners how to take care of their horses, but some owners aren't willing to feed enough to keep the animals healthy. If the horses are suffering, we have to step in."

Both organizations rely on volunteers for help, and there are several ways that horse enthusiasts can help the rescues help more animals:

- Foster! If you have space for even one more horse, please become a foster home. Foster homes are the heart of both organizations - they rehabilitate the horses and give them a second chance at life. Mentoring programs pair up new foster homes with those who are experienced at rehabilitating horses. The experienced foster homes guide and instruct new foster homes so that they can learn how to help the horses who need them.

-Adopt! If you are considering adding another horse to your family, look at the rescue horses. Both organizations have many horses who are broke to ride and others who are at a perfect age to start training. There are talented horses who can become your next ranch horse, trail horse, or even show horse. And if all you want is a pet/companion, the rescues have those, too.

-Join! By becoming a member, you support the work of BEHS and TBAR. Your membership fees help run the rescues and pay the vet bills for these horses as well as the cost of performing seizures and investigations.

-Volunteer! Both BEHS and TBAR need people who can help investigate neglect, help check out potential foster/adoptive homes, check up on the organization' s horses, work at fundraisers, find donations, and more. If you have the time, the rescue can find a volunteer spot for you.

-Donate! It takes months of rehabilitation for starved horses to recover, and during that time they wrack up veterinary bills, farrier bills and feed bills. The rescues need money to help care for the horses, pay vet bills and the costs of investigating neglect. If you have used or new tack you don't need, you can donate that for the organization to sell and raise additional money. All donations are tax-deductible as BEHS and TBAR are both 501(c)(3) organizations.

There are hundreds of horses, donkeys and mules who need your help. Together, we can make a difference.