Success Story: Star

TBAR-Adopted-Dog-StarRemember Star? she was in the streets, alone and afraid. Lots of people walked past her but nobody would help till Gisele saw her and couldn’t get her out of her mind. . She went back and took it upon herself to rescue this poor hairless dog. She treated her demodex and showed her what it was like to be loved. Gisele planned to put her up for adoption when she was healthy but before too long it was obvious that a bond had been made and Star was there to stay. Just look at Miss Star with Gisele on vacation. You can see the happiness and love. It is with joy in our hearts that we are announcing this foster failure. Hooray for Gisele and Star. Please consider fostering or adopting. Go to www.t-bar.org and look at all the animals that are waiting for their forever homes.

Foster Feature: Family Circle Chis

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A few weeks ago we introduced you to our Charlie Brown family of Chihuahua pups – now meet our Family Circle bunch!

*UPDATE*  We now have folks wanting three of these puppies — PJ, Dolly, and Jeffrey are pending adoption but Billy and mom Tina are still available!

I wanted to say how exciting it can be to foster a litter of puppies!   Watching their eyes begin to open and when they begin to focus on the world around them.    One key is preparation.   We used an inexpensive child’s swimming pool for our whelping box.   This is easy to find this time of year and allows the mother to get away from her puppies while leaving them safe and confined.   Combined with puppy pads for the floor, the surface is easy to keep clean.  These pups were big enough to climb out at about 4 weeks when they started trying to eat soft, moist kibble.   We put two doggie exercise  pens together to make  a 6 x 3  pen for them to learn to run and play in.   It will be still be several weeks before these pups are completely weaned.   During that time,  it is important to socialize and handle all the puppies.    Get them used to different types of surfaces beneath their feet, different noises, different types of toys.  Also, rub their toes, rub their ears, turn them over — establish a human-dog trust.     This will help your puppies to develop into well socialized,  outgoing puppies at an early age and keep them from being shy or fearsome.   Thanks TBAR for the opportunity to raise this cute litter!   Linda and James

TBAR depends on foster homes to help us save animals, as we do not have a shelter location. We hope this story has inspired you to consider becoming a TBAR foster home. If so, please email us at [email protected] or call (936) 878-2349 and help us save more lives!

Success Stories: Patrick

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Patrick was found on the streets of Bellville with his buddy, Roxie. These two were starving, homeless and in need of veterinary care. True Blue Animal Rescue took them into their foster program and sent them straight to the vet to for a full exam, deworming and vaccinations.

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Patrick thrived in his foster home with his dog and cat siblings. He loved chewing his toys while laying in his doggie bed or running around the yard playing with his doggie friend, Jack.

Patrick needed a few months to regain weight and adjust to being part of a family, but he was finally ready to find his forever home. It didn’t take long for someone to meet Patrick and fall head-over-heels for this sweet little boy. Now, Patrick has his own family and will even have a new fur-brother to play with in his big back yard during the day before it’s time to come in for bedtime.
TBAR is a 501(c)(3) non-profit no-kill animal rescue organization. If you would like to help animals such as this one please consider donating to TBAR, volunteering, fostering, or adopting. Donations go directly toward care, feed, and veterinary care of the rescued animals and every little bit helps us to help another animal in need of safety and rehabilitation. Save a life: adopt instead of shop and spay or neuter your pets!

Foster Feature: Sage

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Late in May True Blue Animal Rescue received a call that a dog was living at a rest area in Washington County. Melanie, the founder and president of T-bar, went to pick the dog up. What she found was upsetting. The Staffordshire Terrier mix was a senior dog in poor health and in need of food. More upsetting was the lack of concern people nearby seemed to have to an animal in need.

Melanie had to load the dog by herself and it wasn’t hard because the dog, later named Sage, was eager to leave her harsh surroundings. Once at True Blue Animal Rescue the dog was given shots and a dewormer pill to set her on the path to being sound. However, on closer inspection, poor Sage was missing hair, had skin growths, had many small cuts and had a serious eye infection that needs antibiotics.

Sage’s case is one that is sad because she is a senior pet, close to ten years old, that must have had a family at one point, but they decided to let her go. Melanie stated the dog had a lot of health issues but the answer is never throwing an animal away. Aside from the eye infection it is obvious that somehow Sage had injured her hip or her leg and it healed incorrectly. When standing in front of her looking her head on her right leg sticks out farther than her left. Surprisingly, Sage tested negative for heartworms.

Sage is a very shy dog and in dire need of a lot of TLC. Her recovery will be long and costly. If you would like to help Sage out with a donation, no matter what size please visit the T-bar web site at www.T-bar.org and hit the “Donate Now” button. No matter how big or small your donation will mean everything to this older dog’s recovery.

(Warning, images below may be too graphic for some viewers)

 

Infographic: TBAR Animal Adoption Process

At TBAR our mission is to save animals and educate the public to increase compassion and empathy towards animals (and decrease abuse and neglect and general mistreatment).

Our volunteers often donate their services to us, and today we are pleased to share an infographic that our friends at YOURinfoGRAPHIC made for us! This road map takes you right through the animal adoption process, from intake to happily-ever-after!

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If you are a service professional and would like to donate your services to True Blue Animal Rescue you can contact us at [email protected] or call (936) 878-2349

TBAR is a 501(c)(3) non-profit no-kill animal rescue organization. If you would like to help animals such as this one, please consider donating to TBAR, volunteering, fostering, or adopting. Donations go directly toward care, feed, and veterinary care of the rescued animals and every little bit helps us to help another animal in need of safety and rehabilitation. Rescue a pet: adopt instead of shop and spay or neuter your pets!

 

Colonel

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This month law enforcement officers were informed about a donkey alone and wandering around. After being held to see if anyone would step forward for the male donkey he was classified as a stray and placed into the care of True Blue Animal Rescue. The donkey, named Colonel in honor of the up coming Memorial day, was fixed and given a stall while he recovers.

Colonel is what is known as a Jerusalem Donkey. So called due to the dark cross on it’s back. The story of the Jerusalem donkey is that it was the donkey that carried Jesus into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, and also followed him to Calvary out of pure love. Appalled by the sight of Jesus on the cross, the donkey turned away but could not leave his master. The shadow of the cross fell upon his shoulders and back, forever marking him and all of his descendants.

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Colonel is a very friendly donkey, and not only is he halter broken, but he leads well! Everyone so far that has come into contact with him is taken with his gentle eyes and kind nature. For those not familiar with donkeys they make great guard creatures and companion animals for cattle, horses and even sheep. Donkeys are very brave and bray loudly when someone or something new is nearby that they feel does not belong, much like a guard dog.

Many people with herds will tell you a donkey will protect their animals from things like stray dogs or coyotes. This past “horse day” Colonel took his job of braying seriously, announcing two cars pulling up to the T-bar barn. Once Colonel has recovered from his surgery he will be up for adoption to a good home.

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TBAR is a 501(c)(3) non-profit no-kill animal rescue organization. If you would like to help animals such as this one, please consider donating to TBAR, volunteering, fostering, or adopting. Donations go directly toward care, feed, and veterinary care of the rescued animals and every little bit helps us to help another animal in need of safety and rehabilitation. Rescue a pet: adopt instead of shop and spay or neuter your pets!

Pet of the Week: Patrick

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Patrick was found on the streets of Bellville with his buddy, Roxie. These two were starving, homeless and in need of veterinary care. True Blue Animal Rescue took them into their foster program and sent them straight to the vet to for a full exam, deworming and vaccinations. Patrick is thriving in his foster home with his dog and cat siblings. He loves to chew his toys while laying in his doggie bed or running around the yard playing with his doggie friend, Jack.

Patrick made it clear that his experience on the streets had given him encounters with bigger dogs already. Jack growled once and Patrick bowed his little head and hunched his shoulders. The puppy was going into a submissive stance to try and let Jack know things are ok. This dance has been repeated a lot in the first week with Patrick, through no fault of the new arrival. Jack has trust issues and Patrick is responding very well. He gives Jack space, he knows not to try and play with Jack unless Jack invites him.

Patrick picked up crate training pretty fast. If Patrick were an over-eager dog, or insistent on jumping on Jack or the cats, adding him to the foster’s pack would have required more work on their part. Thankfully, Patrick seems to be one of those dogs that is Heaven-sent. He already knows to nap on a dog bed, or sit there and play.

If you are interested in adopting Patrick, please email [email protected] or call (936) 878-2349 for more information.

Pet of the Week: Gracie

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Gracie was found at a business office as a recently pregnant stray, but when no babies could be found. She showed signs of needing immediate medical attention so she was taken to the local Houston shelter by an animal control officer. One of the ladies who worked at the business office wanted to help Gracie get medical attention and find her a home, but since her apartment doesn’t allow “bully breeds” they would not allow her to pull Gracie to be boarded at the vet for medical care while she searched for a foster or adoptive home.

Lily was touched by Gracie’s gentle, loving and trusting personality and couldn’t see this sweet dog be put to sleep. So she reached out to every animal rescue she could find on the internet for help pulling Gracie from the shelter so that she could get medical care and find a loving home. TBAR responded and helped pull Gracie from the shelter and Lily took her to the vet. Gracie had sarcoptic mange as well as a low positive heartworm result. She was treated for the mange and heartworms while being boarded by the vet and has been spayed. She has done well with the other dogs at the kennel she’s been moved to while an adoptive or foster home can be found for her.

If you are interested in fostering or adopting this sweet girl, please contact True Blue Animal Rescue by emailing [email protected] or leaving a voicemail at(936)878-2349 and we will return your call as soon as possible.

Pet Appreciation Week

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From the first of April to the fifth of May 2014 it’s National Pet Month! The goal of this time is to make the public aware of the benefits of owning a pet and the contribution pets can make to society on a whole. Let’s face it folks, when you get your first pet you never really know what is in store for your life. Some of us get that great dog that is low key and sweet, basically an angel in disguise. Others get a cat that meows non-stop at all hours of the night, only to snooze happily by day as you stare at them in wonder with your second cup of coffee.

For people who are pet owners or “animal people” you have already learned that you are a part of another group of people. You are a part of a select group that has learned that a dog is not just a dog nor is a horse just a horse (of course). When you get a pet what you are really getting are life lessons in a cute package because believe me, when you meet another “animal person” the stories you will share will make you laugh and recall your own instance with a pet either from your youth or one you are currently blessed with. On the whole, the things they teach you can be basic or complex, but one lesson they teach you is how much something, that everyone else calls just an “animal,” can own such a large piece of your heart.

I have had the pleasure of meeting animals briefly that have made huge impacts in my life and my outlooks. As a child I was an adamant cat person. Dogs were silly things that slobbered on me as far as I knew, and then I got my first dog…

Logan How hard can it be to take care of a dog? Boy what a silly question. I am sure many dog owners smiled at that question. But the best lesson Logan Marie taught me was that dogs love you unconditonally. They are always happy to see you. Logan was one of those rare perfect dogs. If I had not gotten her first, I doubt I would be the person I am today. That may sound like I am being dramatic but the truth is, she taught me that life without a dog is like the sky without the sun. If I didn’t have Logan I would have never gotten my second dog, Lucia, and I would never have come to volunteer at T-bar. Nor would I be the doggie foster mom I am today. It’s funny how one simple act like getting your first dog can cause so many other things to happen. Some teachers have four legs.

Jasmine

Animals can also teach us how to overcome something. For me that was a lesson I really needed to learn after coming back into work after a year of being horribly sick and in and out of hospitals. Once well, I had been given labels that now were added to who I was. Illness labels I did not want and I felt almost ashamed of and then I met Jasmine. Jasmine is a beautiful horse at T-bar that is blind, at best she may be able to see shadows. Even so when I first took her picture and met her, she moved around so well that I had no clue she could not see. I snapped away thinking she was just another pretty face and then Melanie explained to me that she was nearly sightless. I was breathless. Since horses are easily spooked at times I did a double take at the calm creature that was tilting her head to the side with, what looked like, a grin on her face. She moved around, she was alive and she was happy. I went home that night and took her example to heart. I wasn’t going to be sad about my new labels anymore. I was going to embrace them and move on! Thank you Jasmine for being my inspiration. Jasmine is also used at Kid Camps at T-bar to show kids that being different doesn’t have to slow you down. They meet her first and pet her, and only after are they told of her condition. All the kids react the same way I did when I was told.

Lucky

I confess that being a cat person as a child made me think I knew everything about cats. And then I picked up a stray off the side of the road. Jason and I had friends that had lost their cat and we thought we found him. We had not. Instead we found our new cat, Lucky. We tried to find him a home because our other cat Sarah wasn’t thrilled he was around. But anyone that wanted him wanted to place him outside which would not work because he is crossed eyed. Lucky surprised me because he wasn’t a cat at all but a dog in cat’s clothing. He came when called just once, he went out with the dogs and came back in when they were done playing outside. His personality didn’t match his looks at all and I made the choice to keep him when I was asked by a possible adoptor if he had blue eyes. She didn’t want a cat with blue eyes! I looked down at him with the phone in my hand and watched him snuggle between Logan and our dog Lucia. He sighed so contently I didn’t have the heart to rip him from his pack. Who knew a cat could be a dog?

Jack Moore

After already owning four dogs I figured I knew it all. You would think Lucky would have taken me down a peg but hey I was younger then. I got Jack after Logan passed away. It wasn’t an easy decision but Lucia was grieving worse than even I was, so I adopted Jack. He is the first male dog I have ever had and holy cow what a ride. As with Logan and Lucia and our other dog Chloe, I put Jack in a crate, taught him how to walk and tried so hard to get him used to people but for reasons I cannot explain he hated being around people. He was afraid of everybody. He still is to this day. I look at him puzzled at times wondering where I went wrong only to come to the conclusion that not all dogs are the same, some are going to test you. The only other person Jack likes, besides Jason, my husband, is my mother and it took her a year, and boy was she patient! I even took Jack to the shop I was working in at the time so he could get used to people. I took him to gatherings and nothing helped. I have concluded that Jack lives with a lot of fear. I do know that even though things are more challenging with Jack I love him dearly and I am thankful that he has taught me that love knows no bounds and not every dog is going to be the same. I am sure we have all had that one pet that just makes us shake our heads as we think about them. For me that is Jack, and like you and your pet, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Oliver

When I met Oliver and Julian I was covering the revamp of K’s Mutt Hut. I asked to see Oliver, who at the time was laying down on his bed. He had a huge doggy smile on his face. When Kathryn, the owner of the Mutt Hut, opened his cage I was shocked that he was, well, different. He had no front legs. None the less he hopped up and down excited to meet a new friend. She suggested we take “them” to the grass. I had no idea who the other one was. Once outside I saw Julian, who also did not have any front legs. I was nothing short of amazed. Both dogs moved about on their chests with happy faces. So many new people to meet! They didn’t care that they were different, they didn’t care about how hard little tasks were for them and they certainly didn’t look sad! As Oliver bumped his way to me with that doggy grin I felt like all my worries were pointless. Oliver and Julian were in the moment and it was a great one. To share that with them is definitely something I will not forget anytime soon. Life is great, so smile is what they both seemed to be telling me.

Julian

When people rattle off reasons why they love their bird, donkey or cat I am sure they sometimes forget to think of the lessons that each one has given them, because as animal people we take these lessons to heart. They become a part of who we are. Perhaps that is why when we meet another horse person or cat lady we can fall into instant understanding because we have all had THAT experience. That doesn’t mean that having a pet makes you an “animal person.” Not by a long shot. You have to earn that by watching your pet, listening to their lessons and actually growing from what they have passed on to you. So that you, in turn, can pass it on to others.

We hope this post will inspire you to share your Pet Appreciation this week! If you or anyone you know are in need of a new pet to fill your heart with love, please look at our adoptable cats, dogs, and horses/donkeys! They are sure to enhance your life!

TBAR is a 501(c)(3) non-profit no-kill animal rescue organization. If you would like to help animals such as this one please consider donating to TBAR, volunteering, fostering, or adoptingDonations go directly toward care, feed, and veterinary care of the rescued animals and every little bit helps us to help another animal in need of safety and rehabilitation. Save a life: adopt instead of shop and spay or neuter your pets!

 

 

 

 

 

Pets of the Week: Three Musketeers

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This week T-Bar got in the Three Musketeers: three beautiful donkeys that are looking for a home. Once you have a donkey, they are in your life forever. Their antics with people and with other four legged creatures are a sight to behold. Porthos is brown and 4 years old,
Athos is white and 10 years old and Aramis is a two year old white donkey. Like the three Musketeers they wandered a neighborhood in Burleson County. When nobody claimed them the sheriffs dept took ownership of them and asked us to take them. They now have had their tetanus shot, gelded, and ready for their new home. They are sweet and gentle and didn’t cause any problems with any of the people or animals in the neighborhood they wandered around in. If you’d like one, two or even three donkeys these sweet boys are available for adoption or foster.
If you can’t take a donkey but would like to help please donate toward their vet bill by sending a donation to T-Bar at http://www.t-bar.org, paying by pay pal or send a payment directly to Brenham Vet Hospital 2455 Highway 290 West Brenham TX 77833-6806 or call them at 979-836-2472. T-Bar never recoups money on vet bills from adoption fees alone. We need everyone to help by donating.

 

TBAR is a 501(c)(3) non-profit no-kill animal rescue organization. If you would like to help animals such as this one please consider donating to TBAR, volunteering, fostering, or adoptingDonations go directly toward care, feed, and veterinary care of the rescued animals and every little bit helps us to help another animal in need of safety and rehabilitation. Save a life: adopt instead of shop and spay or neuter your pets!