©Turtle Gardens Animal Rescue Society. Have your pet spayed or neutered today.

I received this email this morning while visiting my sister Carol ( I will be home again Thursday)- she has an computer AND high speed internet!! I love it!! Spice was adopted on our November 9th dog run. She bolted out th edoor before Dave left so on his way home he stopped, let out Harley his beautiful black pittie and Spice of course came right up to her - she knew her well.� Spice wore a leash - drag for a week or so to ensure her safety but she has joined the family as a very loved member! Here is her Happy Ending -

�Spice saying goodbye to Dave.

©Turtle Gardens Animal Rescue Society. Have your pet spayed or neutered today.

Hello from sunny Ontario! On our way to the airport Dave and I stopped in at the Driftwood Vet Clinic to pick up our newest rescue - Cindy a 6 year old, purebred, red, cocker spaniel. Her crime - her puppies died so she was useless to them. She also had an infection and will need to be spayed - so she was no longer a money maker. They paid to have her euthanised - killed but then did agree to allow us to rescue her.  She was a quiet traveller to Lorna’s and Dave tells me that she is an awesome little companion. She has joined his group of apple dumplings and follows him eveywhere. She sleeps cuddled to the old cocker - Sasha on the bed. What an incredible little girl she is and what a waste it would have been to kill her.

The trip was a marathon of delays. Instead of arriving in Toronto at 6am Wednesday I arrived at 2:35 Thursday to find that Air Canada refused to tell my sister if  I was on the later flight - security reasons - eventhough she told them that she was going back to Sudbury. So when I arrived - I was stranded in Toronto.  I took the express bus to the greyhound station - the one in the seediest part of downtownToronto instead of the one in the mall close to the airport - extra money you see. So I missed the bus by 10 minutes and had to wait 5 hours for the next one at ….1am.  The seats are difficult to sleep in but my dad was waiting at the bus depot when I arrived at 6 am Friday morning. A true marathon of endurance!! After a wonderful homecooked breakfast and a 3 hour nap - I was good as new.

The weather is gorgeous - sunny and warm - +9 today! I hear Dave is snowed in, Dave and Dixie and Stan had no power for two days. Look at what I am missing!! My mom and dad and sister Carol and her daughter Charlene all say hello to everyone and I will be back home again on Thursday. Please keep tuned. Dave has taken in 4 more pound puppies from Burns Lake so lots of pictures and stories will come. And snow pics. Look at the bookmarks we have for sale as stocking stuffers and help out a rescue dog! Take care and see you soon.

©Turtle Gardens Animal Rescue Society. Have your pet spayed or neutered today.

Christmas gifts

�“Happy Endings” by Turtle Gardens Animal Rehab Societ- Dec 3, 2002

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Christmas is nearly here with thoughts of the perfect gift. What to buy for that special person? Here are a few ideas for the animal lover. A book of animal stories is a gift that lasts. There is Dog or Cat Lover’s Companion which is a beautiful diary with pictures and a wealth of animal detail likely to fascinate even the most knowledgeable pet owner. An animal calendar is a prized present that gives pleasure the whole year through. Or a paid spay/neuter voucher to help spay/neuter the pet is a very thoughtful gift. An idea for the person who has everything - a donation to “Sponsor a pet” in the person’s name. This gift enhances the life of a homeless animal and gives a warm feeling of giving both to the person receiving the gift and the one giving the perfect gift. For the person that is thinking of a new pet, pet supplies are welcome gifts or a training video such as our “A Beginner’s Guide to Clicker Training” which helps spay or neuter homeless dogs (a double gift). A voucher from a local shelter or breeder�for a pet of their choice after the rush of the holidays is an inspired gift. It is never a good idea to give a live puppy or kitten as a Christmas gift.�The person who wants the animal should be the one to choose the new pet or have the new pet choose him. An animal is part of your life for 12 to 15 years and should be a serious undertaking.�Sometimes what we think a person should have, is not what that person really wants. When a pet is lost thru death, the grieving process has to be dealt with before the introduction of a successor. If the time isn’t right, then the new pet is an interloper not a loved companion. Time heals, but everyone heals differently.�Only the person grieving knows the right time for the new addition to his family.

Christmas is very stressful so it’s not a good time to introduce a new pet to the family. Pet supplies with a picture of the proposed animal and maybe a stuffed animal that looks like it could be under the tree. The live pet could arrive on Boxing Day when the hullabaloo dies down - to be the focus of the family. The new pet will be a part of the family for a long time so an extra day won’t hurt.�The anticipation will be heightened by the wait while the new pet benefits from the quietened atmosphere. The perfect gift awaits you.�� Ensure your gift is thought out thoroughly before an animal’s life is at stake. Many unwanted pets end up in shelters and pounds after the holidays.��

Turtle Gardens has a variety of spayed neutered teen to adult dogs and cats as well as puppies and kittens. Phone 696-3188

©Turtle Gardens Animal Rescue Society. Have your pet spayed or neutered today.

Choosing a shelter dog

“Happy Endings” by Turtle Gardens Animal Rehabilitation Society

�Choosing a new addition to your family can be a daunting task. What size of dog? What length and texture of coat? What personality are you looking for?�Is it trained to walk on leash? To sit? Has it ever been in the house? Do you have other pets to consider? Is the new dog, cat friendly? Is the new dog used to children?�What is his/her activity level? Does it bark at strangers? Other dogs? Strange noises? The wind, leaves rattling etc? Does it dig? Does it chew? Is it bored easily or does it play by itself? These questions and others can and are answered at Turtle Gardens. A lot of the dogs that reside here, live here for awhile. I get to know their quirks and personalities. Lorna, our clicker trainer also assesses their personalities and their ability to learn as she works with them. In this way the dogs are advertised with a personality item to identify them. Mogli walks very seriously and evenly. He would be an ideal companion for a power walker or jogger. Heel is his most important learned activity. Louie is a�medium lab mix who has learned to play with a stuffed dinosaur; throwing it in the air and catching it. A black dog, Louie is hard to place yet he sticks around, listens very well and is just a very nice dog. These dogs are not easily bored and know how to pass the time quietly. They would be good companions for a couple who both work but wanted a friend for walks after work to unwind.

�We encourage prospective adopters to bring the whole family to choose the new pet.�How does the dog interact with women or men? Children? If this is a second pet, how will the older dog react to the usurper? Turtle Gardens is neutral ground for the pet to meet the dog of your choice. Take both of them for a walk down the road and see how they get along. Take your time. This is for a long term commitment. A life is in the balance so be very sure the dog you adopt will suit your family lifestyle. Often we research the purchase of a car or stereo more carefully than the pet we bring home. Like the car or stereo, there is a warranty and guarantee with the pet adopted from Turtle Gardens. If for any reason you cannot keep the pet it is welcomed back at Turtle Gardens. Even after 7 years! And Cosmo was rehomed in only 2 weeks.

�Choosing a new pet from a shelter requires planning and research. Or you will be overwhelmed by the choices that abound here - every colour, size, shape and age group, every personality. But they all have one thing in common. They are all lost souls looking for a home.

�To adopt phone - 696-3188 or email turtleg@uniserve.com or mail Box 230, Topley, Bc, V0J 2Y0.�

©Turtle Gardens Animal Rescue Society. Have your pet spayed or neutered today.

(Sorry for the wait I lost my harddrive :< but I still have some of Mom’s treasure to share. Stan)

Don’t breed your dog “Happy Endings” by Turtle Gardens Animal Rehabilitation Society

There in the Smithers Feed Store was posted one of the reasons for euthanasia of healthy puppies. “Looking to breed a LAB CROSS female with a lab male or golden retriever. Contact …..” Who it is, is not important but the message is.  The pounds and shelters are full of lab cross puppies. Why are you breeding your dog?

        Coco Bear and Speckles were scheduled to be euthanised or in layman terms - put to death because they had been in the pound for their allotted time. They were four months old. Cute as only puppies can be, one is chocolate brown the other white with reddish flecks, both males yet supposed to die. Dazzle is a fluffy, golden retriever mix just like what you are planning to breed but she was scheduled to die too. Dazzle is eight weeks old. Ranger is a ten week old lab/ shepherd mix. Smart, eager to learn, friendly, he was in the pound. Although not a lab mix, Bernie was rescued minutes from death as the veterinarian, knowing how overloaded we are, thought him too big and hard to place. At over one hundred pounds and thirty two inches tall, he was a big boy although under a year old. But he is also a gentle giant. And rehomed in five days. Someone bred their Saint Bernard to a Great Pyrenees. How many will end up in the pound on death row?
 
Dog pounds are the greatest source of unwanted pets that we see here at Turtle Gardens. If we don’t take them, they die. It’s as simple as that. They need vaccinations and worming. Usually in poor condition, they also need good quality food to build them up. And they need to be spayed or neutered. This week, a lovely little collie mix came in. She was in season when picked up, bred of course(they got the male too, but he was redeemed) and very thin. She is scheduled for a spay in early February and hopefully our bank account will have improved.  We were too late to spay Mariah so she blessed us with four puppies on January 24th. She arrived on January 11th from the pound.  She can be viewed on the Latest news page of www.turtlegardens.freehomepage.com   Her puppies will have their pictures taken when they are two weeks old and will be offered for adoption when seven weeks old. Mariah will be spayed before adoption.

There is no good reason to breed your mixed breed dog. Puppies are dying every day. Save a life and adopt a puppy from your pound or local shelter.
 Please Be part of the solution - Spay or Neuter your Pet.
To contact Turtle Gardens, email turtleg@uniserve.com , phone 696-3188 or write Box 230, Topley, B.C.  VOJ 2Y0

©Turtle Gardens Animal Rescue Society. Have your pet spayed or neutered today.

Internet adoptions

“Happy Endings” by Turtle Gardens Animal Rehabilitation Shelter - Aug 14, 2002

Successful adoptions are the rhyme and reason of Turtle Gardens. To date 115 dogs and kittens have found their forever homes. The internet has played a role in placing some very stressed border collies, tiny puppies, scared teenagers, and long term residents as well as local adoptions. My web site has pictures of the available dogs, cats and kittens. Www.geocities.com/turtle_gardens�Sandi was chosen from his picture�and now lives in Houston. Morgan was also chosen from her picture. Her new friends have renamed her Panzer as she went through the fence in the first minutes in her new yard. I have several beautiful pictures of Panzer in my email. Kip was a rescue from the Burns Lake Pound. A short coated border collie he caught the eye of Sharon and Simon when they visited the Independent Border Collie Rescue for BC web site. They had listed Kip there with a link to my web site. After many email and more pictures Sharan and Simon filled out my online adoption form and asked to adopt Kip. Border Collie Rescue visited Sharon at home to ensure it was a good home for Kip which was approved with flying colours. Kip flew down to Vancouver by Hawkair. His first hurdle was the elevator. He had never encountered a moving room before!�Kip has been in Vancouver for five months. He has earned his Sheep Herding Instinct Title, has completed basic obedience, trains with Simon for marathons and started his first class in agility on Wednesday. Not bad for an unwanted pound dog.

The internet also helped me place four guinea pigs that had lived at Turtle Gardens for five months. Not one person was interested in adopting one little guinea pig never mind all five. I posted a request for help on a message board and had a reply from Donna that same day. He found a placement for them with the Surrey SPCA Youth Program that has children learning about responsible pet care with small animals. Hawkair donated the flight for the piggies. Thank you Hawkair. The four piggies will be spayed and rehomed. The fifth little piggie stayed home. Bear liked the little white one so she lives in my greenhouse then into the house once the new kennel is complete. My own dogs have lived with small animals before.

The Bulkley Valley Fall Fair is next weekend and Turtle Gardens will be there with spayed or neutered teenagers and adults. We will also have some crafts available including gourmet doggie biscuits. Donations of crafts welcomed All proceeds benefit�the Turtle Gardens spay and neuter fund. So that every animal adopted from Turtle Gardens will be altered before adoption, as well as vaccinated , wormed, well fed and trained.�Phone 696-3188 or email turleg@uniserve.com for information.

©Turtle Gardens Animal Rescue Society. Have your pet spayed or neutered today.

“Happy Endings” by Turtle Gardens Animal Rehabilitation - August 6, 2003

I had no plan to accept this dog. We were too full! He stopped in on the chance that we would take her in so he wouldn’t have to shoot her… again. She had been shot once all ready - the small caliber bullet had lodged in the bone under her eye. Thinking the job done, she was left where she fell. Two days later she had made her way back home. Now her fate was sealed. She had to go! I made the mistake of looking at her face. I checked her wound under her eye. She rested her head on my arm. I probed and felt the bullet. Looking her over I noticed the reason for her death sentence. She was heavily pregnant; days from whelping. With a deep sigh, I faced the inevitable, untied the rope tied to her collar and helped out of the truck box. We watched the man drive away and then started “Alix” on her “rehabilitation”. First her wound was cleaned and as the pus and gore was removed the bullet came out easily. An antibiotic cream sealed the cut. A full dish of kibble and canned food was soon devoured and Alix settled in. Three days later Alix blessed us with eight husky mix puppies - six boys and two girls. They are possibly mixed with lab as two are pure yellow and have the shape of a lab. The others have the husky masks and colors - all are cute as only puppies can be.   They will be ready for new homes September 1^st after their vaccinations, worming and vet check. Then Alix will be spayed and ready for her for her “Happy Ending”.

Alix’s story is neither unique or unusual. Turtle Gardens Animal Rehabilitation has saved many dogs just like Alix - simply by being here. We are the only facility north of Fraser Lake and south of Terrace that take in the unwanted; vaccinate, worm, spay or neuter and rehabilitate all the animals that come in our doors. We are funded by donations and adoption fees. Without your help these animals have no one to turn to. How many more will die?

Turtle Gardens has several spayed or neutered adult dogs waiting for new homes. Phone 696-3188

©Turtle Gardens Animal Rescue Society. Have your pet spayed or neutered today.