Monday, May 18, 2009

Great Things Happening At New Hope!

First, let me start by thanking everyone who joined us at our first (but certainly not last) volunteer appreciation picnic. We had SO much fun hanging out with you all and I hope you all had a good time and got to know each other a little better too! (We'll have pictures soon so be sure to check our blog often!) I think our little presentation of "Reli-A-Bull Awards" was a great surprise for everyone, and I hope we encouraged more folks to join in the fun. Marva, Amie and Kathe were our first recipients, because they've been with us - pretty much from the get go, and they've really helped us gain so much support. We also want to recognize the hard work and dedication of our foster homes, and we plan to do something special for you all very soon. After all, without you we wouldn't be able to save these amazing dogs!

Don't think I forgot Bill and Beryl! Thank you all SO much for joining us and bringing Golda out with her fur-friends! It was so GREAT to see her again and we can't thank you enough for giving her such a wonderful, loving and happy home. Thank you for everything you've done to help other New Hope dogs in making their lives better. We just can't thank you enough!

We want to thank Jersey Mike's for donating a party platter of delicious subs for our picnic. The tray was beautiful and I think it filled everyone up pretty well. We will be sending a letter of appreciation to Jersey Mike's this week, and we'd love it if you all would support their business by becoming regular customers (if you're not already), or purchasing your next party platter from them.

There's still one more award that we will present, today, to team at Central Veterinary Hospital. These folks do such an amazing job with the dogs in our program and they have gone above and beyond to help save lives. We want to recognize them and thank them for everything they've done for us and our NHPBR dogs!


Now, in other GREAT news... Mickey Mouth and Mr. Bones Mcghee are SAFE! We had some wonderful foster applications come in to help these dogs and we want to thank everyone who stepped up to open their hearts and homes. For those of you who aren't fostering Mickey or Bones, we'd still love your help in getting more of these wonderful dogs out of shelters and harms way. And if you're not able to foster, but still want to help - we have LOTS of stuff planned for the coming months. Fill out our volunteer application and let us know what your special skill is and we will find a way to "put you to work"!

Don't forget! We still need foster homes, we ALWAYS need foster homes! So if you want to become a part of a rewarding and life changing experience, please - please, read about our foster program and fill out our foster home application today!

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Their Time Is Running Out!

Mr. Bones Mcghee and Mickey Mouth are both in urgent need of foster homes! These dogs have less than 1 week to live and we desperately want to help them. Please don't think that someone else will do it. These dogs need YOU!

Mr. Bones Mcghee is waiting for a foster home to open up for him. We got to spend some time with Bones when we took these pictures and he is just a great big love bug! He likes to lay down on his back for belly rubs and he thinks he's a big lap dog.



Don't judge a book by it's cover!

Our next urgent dog is Mickey Mouth. Mickey has a story very much like Golda. You might remember Golda, who we rescued back in August of last year. She was found emaciated and weathered and she was missing part of her bottom lip. With the help of a WONDERFUL foster home and our vet team, Golda made a full recovery from her former life of (only Golda knows) and she has since been adopted into a loving home and is living it up at the beach! We want Mickey to know that kind of love!

We have found a vet who can help us fix Mickey's lip, but we need YOU to give him a foster home while he undergoes surgery and gets all the medical attention he needs.

Our friends over at Bama Bully Breed Rescue said we could share some pictures of Gabe, a dog they had in their program who's lip was missing like Mickey Mouth here. It's amazing what a little reconstructive surgery can do for a dog, and Gabe is now living life to its fullest in his new forever home!

Golda and Gabe are only 2 stories of amazing dogs who may have looked scary before... but with some TLC all things are possible and they have been able to show folks just how truly loving even the "ugliest" dog can be!


Be a part of something wonderful! Please apply to foster a dog in need.

Meet Sassyfras

Sassyfras came to us from upstate after she was confiscated in an animal cruelty case. We are not at liberty to give much info about her case, but we can tell you that we are extremely disappointed in the outcome. Sassy was found tied to the front porch of a home in the upstate area with no food, water or shelter. She was starved nearly to death and her rescuers weren't sure if she would make it. The man who was charged less than $150 for restitution and vet fees.

After nearly a month of waiting, we were finally able to pick Sassy up and bring her to her into our program! While in on hold for the court case, Sassy was able to enjoy regular meals and water and she gained a considerable amount of weight. It's amazing what a little bit of TLC can do for a dog! Sassy is not out of the woods yet however. She has tested positive for heartworms and we're not sure yet how much internal damage was done by her being starved and dehydrated. We will be taking her to our vet this week for a full exam and to begin planning the best course of treatment for this beauty.

We have started a Chipin to help raise money for Sassy's heartworm treatments, because (and thanks to generous donors like you!) we have treated other dogs in our program and know the cost already. Sassy will also be vaccinated, microchipped and spayed before she will be ready for adoption. We are praying that all goes well for her, and that the abuse she suffered didn't have too much impact on her health beyond what we already know. This poor girl has been through so much, and we only want to give her the life every dog deserves from here on out!



A little bit about Sassy's breed: Sassy here is what many people nowadays know as an American Bully. It's a relatively new "breed" generated over the last 2 decades to look a bit different from the American Pit Bull Terrier. Although these dogs are VERY similar to pit bulls and are marketed as such, they are very much different dogs as far as body structure and potential athletic ability. Many American Bully fanciers like to tout that their breed doesn't and will not wind up in shelters because of what they are and how expensive they are (we're talking $2,000 plus in many circumstances). Well...we hate to be the bringer of bad news but these dogs can and DO end up in shelters. No amount of money or reflection on status can ever protect these dogs from the abuse they are very frequently subjected to. Please, just remember that!

Tax Deductible? Why YES!

May 7th was a WONDERFUL day for us! We received our 501(c)(3) tax exempt determination letter! All donations ever made to us dating back to February 6, 2008 are tax deductible! We apologize for so many exclamation points but seriously, we have SO many more opportunities now to help out more dogs :)

Friday, May 1, 2009

Remember When...

This video was posted on the blog of our friends over at OurPack. It can be so easy to get caught up in all of the sadness, fear, pressure to conform or whatever reason one might have for giving up on our dogs. Take a minute to watch this heart warming video that celebrates Americas dog and, for a moment, brings back a time when the APBT was a cherished part of our country and society.