Emmy Lou and the Bandit

Taking care of business

My nephew, Eric, and I drove to Center Valley yesterday, to meet two dogs, Bandit and Emmy Lou.  We transported Bandit (who stole my heart) to his foster mother, while Emmy Lou had the pleasure of meeting her forever parents, who picked her up there.

We first made the transfer of Emmy Lou from her transport driver to her new forever folks.  I had to be sure her paperwork was received properly, and that she was safe on leash until inside her new family's car.

Emmy Lou was an adorable, well-behaved sweetheart, with a serene-looking face and expressive brown eyes.  Her new mother was thrilled to finally have her in her arms. 

After discussion about how well Emmy Lou rode with her transport driver, and whether she needed to perform her doggy business, Emmy Lou made it clear that she wasn't about to ride in the back of the van.  After all, she's people too!  So her new Mom decided they could both ride shotgun, and moved her to the front seat and closed the door while we tied up loose ends.  Emmy Lou didn't want to miss a thing, though, as you can see.

Emmy Lou knows her basic commands, walks great on her leash, and has a carefree nature.  She's gentle, calm and quiet, and I'd say her new family is very lucky to have her!

In the meantime, Eric took the reins of Bandit, our transport charge.  Bandit was a strong boy, and I was glad I had my sturdy nephew with me (no offense, Carol!).  Bandit, a hound mix, weighed in at about 50 pounds of muscle.  Thankfully Eric too had plenty of brawn and muscle himself!

I did have to chuckle, though, because Bandit was peppy in his walking, and while Eric is an energetic young man, from my vantage point, it looked like Bandit was taking Eric for a trot.  But Eric enjoyed their little cardio workout.  At least that's what he told me.

Bandit seemed to like me a lot, and we bonded within a few moments as he enjoyed my head scratches and ear tugs.  I loved the markings on his face with the patches around his eyes, and he soaked up the attention.  I'm told Bandit was quite the ham when they took his picture so we could ID him throughout his transport.  And after his photo session, with some coaxing baby talk, he flipped over on his back and begged for belly rubs.

Once we got on our way, Bandit settled in on the backseat, and we just couldn't resist taking another picture.  Look at him -- looking so adorable and smiling for the camera!

When we arrived at our destination, Bandit met Liz, his new foster mother.  He took to her right away, and it seems to me they were both very happy to make each other's acquaintance, don't you agree?

Bandit is a thief -- a heart-stealing thief!  He was in a shelter in the south for over two months, and the staff named him their favorite.  That tells you a lot about Bandit, and I'm sure once his new family finds him, he'll make a great addition to their household.  Not only will the ham within him shine brightly, he'll steal their hearts too!

Lovely Lily

Lily

 

There's a wonderful, new girl in town!  She's a five year old lab-boxer mix named Lily.  Through no fault of her own, Lily is looking for a new home.

 

Lily's owner was recently incarcerated for embezzlement.  Whenever Lily is on her walk, she looks expectantly at every female who passes, hoping she's come to take her home. 

Lily is looking for someone who not only can give her a new loving home, but can help her attain a slimmer waistline.  At 60 pounds, she's could be considered a plus-size girl.  But she has just the right amount of energy and would slim down quickly with proper diet and daily exercise.  Her foster mother doesn't notice any issues with Lily's behavior and finds her to be sweet and calm.  Lily would do best in a home with no small kids or cats, due to her size.

You can read more about Lily on PetFinder:  http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/25332401?rvp=1    
Or you can contact Andrea.

 

Linda's Dolly

Dolly asked Linda to send me an updated photo of her.  As you may remember, Dolly is the dog Linda adopted when she first got involved in the dog transporting effort.  Dolly has become more beautiful then ever, and has made Linda a proud mama, who enjoys Dolly every single day.

Riley and His Supersonic Smile



What a cute smile!

One of our Almost Home volunteers, Colleen, fosters and cares for dogs who don't necessarily show well at adoption events, due to a variety of reasons.  Maybe they're shy, older or aren't all that great with children.  Because these dogs have a tougher time getting adopted, I am going to feature them occasionally on Underdog Railroad, to give them more exposure, in hopes that you or someone you know might open their home and heart to a wonderful pet.

Please meet Riley, an 18 month old, 16 pound Jack Russell terrier mix. Colleen tells me Riley has just the right amount of energy. He loves to chase balls and play with squeaky tug toys. He walks well on his leash as he enjoys the sights and smells of the great outdoors.  And he's very smart, as you can see in the video below.

Riley is usually cautious when meeting strangers, and prefers they ignore him, which gives him a chance to check them out first. Tasty treats thrown his way, however, can do a lot to persuade him to be your friend.

Once he feels comfortable, Riley is a lovable, fun companion, although he doesn't enjoy being left home alone or being stuck in a crate. He would do best with someone who is home most of the time or has other dogs to keep him company. Riley is a cat person, but small children make him nervous, so a home with older children would work better.

Riley would do super at a dog sport like flyball or agility.  Just click on the video below to watch Riley in action as he proves he's a serious problem-solver too.  Notice his robust tail-wagging!  I hope someone will give Riley the chance to become a valuable family member, who will entertain and delight them.  Please contact me via e-mail if you know anyone who would be interested in learning more about Riley and I will put them in touch with Colleen.

 

Beaten to the Punch

Friday, April 26th, I got word that another transport was arriving on Saturday, so I e-mailed to let the coordinator know I could do my usual Center Valley run.  Within minutes, I got this reply:  Linda is doing it.  My friend, Linda, had snatched this transport right from under my nose!  I really have created a monster.  Now she's stealing my transports.  I have this to say about that:  Harrumph!  I'm stick licking my wounds.  Maybe by next month, I'll get over it.

Anyway, here's the story of Maggie and Lil Bit, the two sweetie pies Linda had the privilege of transporting (darn her! -- oops, I didn't mean that...well, not much).

Sadly, Lil Bit and Maggie ended up in a shelter in the south after their human guardian passed away. 

Maggie

They were two of about 110 dogs, cats and kittens that arrived in two large transport trucks this time.  Linda reports that these two pooches are very sweet and well-trained.  Maggie, the little Pomeranian, who spent a lot of her time standing on her hind legs inside the crate, is 8 years old, and Lil Bit is 6.  They must be adopted together because they are such great friends after all these years.

Linda took on these two little charges by herself this time.  They weren't exactly giant killers, so I thought it would go smoothly.  She had great plans of putting Maggie in the crate, and Lil Bit would ride on the seat beside the crate.

Lil Bit

Here's Lil Bit riding shotgun in the passenger seat.  The best laid plans...  I'm thinkin' Linda fell under the spell of Lil Bit's sweet, soulful eyes, and he got his way.  Now, if I'd been driving, that would never  have happened.  Yeah, right!

Because this was such a huge transport coming from Kentucky, Linda snapped a few pictures of many of the other animals.  Here's one lucky puppy dog in the arms of its forever mom.  This, of course, is the best scenario of all. 

Also below are photos of a few other lucky passengers who were rescued and going to either foster families or to their forever homes.  The weariness of the long trip is so well worth it.

Cats and Kittens

And by the way, I really do give kudos to Linda, who has become an integral part of the transport operation in Pennsylvania.  It's heartening to know that volunteers are ready, willing and able to help whenever they can.  The more volunteers we have, the more dogs and cats can be saved.

 

Now, if we could only get everyone to spay/neuter their pets, and convince shelters that finding homes for their animals is much better than destroying them! 

April is Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month!

Jackie Got Adopted!

This happy little girl, Jackie, whom my nephew, Eric, and I transported on March 2nd, got adopted.  As you will recall, she went to her foster home with Brian and his very involved neighborhood.  In less than a week, Brian sent me the following e-mail:

I wanted to let you know that Jackie found her furever home with a wonderful family in Ottsville, PA. She has two human sibling brothers, 4 and 9 years old.

I'm all smiles for Jackie, and I'm sure you are too!