rescue dogs – Green Pets America Charities

Let’s Stop Lying and Stop Using the Words Euthanize and Animal Shelter

In our book RESCUE RENEW REHOME we laid out 20 intelligently thought out points to dramatically increase homeless pet adoptions in America. A 20 point program to end the killing of 4 million dogs and cats in our animal shelters each year. For this article we want to share with you point number #20.

To me this was the most difficult point to create. While the others are logical and use un-common, common sense, developed in our 10 years in dog rescue this last point was the hardest to say out loud.

I always try to be optimistic. I try to never judge anyone. I practice Zen and meditation and try to always focus on happiness. So this final point has weighed hard on my soul. But I could not write this book unless I expressed what I felt in my heart.

And that is: If we are to finally end the killing of healthy, loving, homeless animals in America we must speak the truth. We must look inside ourselves and really ask, why do we allow 4 million animals to be killed every year in America?

The first reason we kill shelter animals is because as I said earlier in this book… we are a disposable society. If we don’t like it we get rid of it. If something shinier comes along we get rid of it. If our pet acts out we get rid of it. If we tire of it we get rid of it.

The other reason is because as humans we always prefer to run from and avoid reality…and then lie to ourselves about it to make ourselves “feel good” rather than speak words of truth and own what we have done.

What are the two lies we tell ourselves?

The two lies are the two words we use to make ourselves feel good about doing something bad…something real bad…killing.

To deny it to ourselves we use two nice sounding words “Shelter” and “Euthanize”

But Shelter is not a truthful word. The definition of a shelter is …a place of safety and refuge. A shelter saves lives and brings help and hope to those that go there. So knowing that – why do we continue to lie to ourselves and use the word “shelter” when our supposed shelters are not shelters? What do you call a place that kills the homeless beings that come to it? I don’t need to name it, but we all know that “shelter” is not the name.

The other lie we tell ourselves to stay in denial and feel good about ourselves is the word “euthanize“.We tell ourselves that we “euthanize” homeless pets. We should use the word of truth – which is kill, not the lie of euthanize.

The definition of euthanize: (Medicine) to kill (a person or animal) painlessly, esp to relieve suffering from an incurable illness.

What incurable illness do our 4 million homeless animals have? What suffering do these 4 million homeless animals endure? And the procedure most shelters use is not a 2 step euthanize, but a one step. And that one step is not painless! What we are doing is killing. We must stop killing and stop using the word euthanize.

We must be honest with ourselves and our children and talk words of truth. The truth shall set you free. And if we start telling the truth we will set our souls free from the horrible burden we are bringing upon our society, by allowing innocent animals to be killed, while we use words that lie, keep us in denial and cover it up.

Steve Monahan, founder

Green Pets America

Author RESCUE RENEW REHOME

Please don’t discard precious lives

Please don’t discard precious lives.

In the throw away society we have become we cannot forget that each life is precious…human and animal

..all created by the same loving God.

When all the Animals Are Gone

“When all the trees have been cut down, when all the animals have been hunted, when all the waters are polluted, when all the air is unsafe to breathe, only then will you discover you cannot eat money”

Cree Prophecy

Support our Educational Programs to keep our animals alive

New Book – Rescue Renew Rehome

Finally!…a Ground Breaking Solution to a 100 Year Old Problem.

RESCUE. RENEW. REHOME

– ANIMAL ALCHEMY

A 21st century strategy for animal shelters, rescue groups and animal welfare organizations to dramatically improve their adoption success rate.

BOOK SUMMARY:

RESCUE RENEW REHOME

-ANIMAL ALCHEMY

Alchemy takes different elements and blends them together to create a new more perfect system or element.

The purpose of the old alchemist, and now modern scientists was to prolong life. Applying the concept of Alchemy to animal welfare takes four non related concepts and combine’s them together to create a new and more perfect animal welfare system in America. An Animal Welfare System that adopts, or as we call it rehomes’s all of America’s 8 million homeless healthy animals.

The 4 separate philosophies we blend and combine are:

Human Animal Bond

Green Movement

Cause Marketing

American Pet Industry

The result is an alchemy that creates a new, more perfect animal welfare system. An Animal Alchemy that Rescues Renews and Rehome’s all 8 million healthy, but homeless pets in America. A 21st century modern and humane alchemy that replaces our outdated and outmoded 19th century animal welfare system.

RESCUE. RENEW. REHOME – ANIMAL ALCHEMY will be available for purchase January 2015 at Amazon Books, Barnes and Nobel,

website: rescuerenewrehome.org

Scripture on killing shelter animals – Wolf Shall Lie With The Lamb

Scripture states that man was appointed by God to have dominion over the animals. My hypothesis for this blog is therefore everything a man does to an animal; particularly our companion animal is either a lawful exercise of that responsibility, or a sacrilegious abuse, of that authority and responsibility.

Genesis 1:26-28: And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

Jesus came to redeem; is it also worth considering that man, made in Gods image and with dominion over the earth and its creatures has a redemptive function to perform as well in that Stewardship ? Man, in creating companion dogs from once wild wolves has already redeemed dogs to lay with the lambs. Additionally, these previously wild, untamed dogs now live together in peace with man. Dogs and man now enjoy each others company and mutually benefit each other in protection, and emotional and physical health and wellbeing.

As to inflicting pain and worse death upon animals in our Stewardship of companion animals. Make no mistake about this point; inflicting pain or killing of mankind’s companion animals is not Gods doing, it is the doing of man the stewards of animals. Will God be pleased with our stewardship when we kill dogs and cats in the “shelters” we have created for their safe keeping?

Killing and pain inflicted upon dogs and cats is therefore not God’s handiwork – but begun by Satan’s malice and perpetuated by man’s desertion of his post and stewardship. What does man inflict upon his fellow man for desertion of his post?

Finally, there is the question of compassion and of justice. We know that dogs are sentient beings…meaning they experience pain and hurt just as man does. Would a good steward purposely inflict pain, or worse death on that which God the father required of man to be a good and wise steward of? If I killed my Fathers dog for no good reason what would my Father think of me? What will God think of those stewards that with no good reason kill his animals?

Numbers 22:32 And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? behold, I went out to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse before me.Proverbs 12:10 A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.

God has sovereign power over His creation and has delegated the authority to humanity to have dominion over the animals (Genesis 1:26,28). However, with the authority to rule comes the responsibility to rule well. There is an inherent accountability in the command to “subdue” the earth. The word subdue means “to gain an intelligent understanding of and mastery over.”

Man is to be the wise steward of the earth; he is to bring the material world and all of its varied elements into the service and good of all people, and he is to do so with love and understanding. Only then will dominion be truly according to God’s command. When God gave us dominion over the animals, it was in order to care for, tend to, and use animals in a just manner. At the time that God gave mankind dominion over the animals, humans did not eat meat (Genesis 1:29). Eating meat did not begin until after the Flood (Genesis 9:1-3). It was at that time that animals then started to fear humans. However, although we now eat “meat,” we still bear a responsibility to care for and to treat animals humanely.

Stewardship over animals does not mean we have the right to mistreat, misuse or indiscriminately kill animals. Stewardship over animals entails a humane management of them as the companions of man God has ordained them to be. We must fulfill our duty to manage the earth and the animals wisely until that time when the wolf shall lie down with the lamb in the kingdom of Christ (Isaiah 11:6).

I passionately believe if God cares for his animals should we not as well? Should we not love them, care for their needs, advocate for their lives and protect them from harm. Loving an animal is a selfless and Godly act. The care and compassion we show an animal entrusted to us is a gauge of ones personal integrity.

Steve Monahan, founder – Green Pets America

“A righteous man cares for the needs of his animal” (Proverbs 12:10)

Freedom of Speech being denied to Animal Rescue Group

Freedom of Speech in America -Freedom of speech in the United States is protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution and by many state constitutions and state and federal laws. Even criticism of the government and advocacy of ideas that some people may find distasteful or against public policy are almost always permitted.Additionally, Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted in 1948, states that: “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media.”

Freedom of Speech is today being denied to Green Pets America.Green Pets America has recently been told by the police and government of Clayton County Georgia that with a new police shelter manager now in place we must sign a legal document that we would not say anything to anyone about what goes on relative to shelter animals in their care in the Clayton County Animal shelter. It is a gag request. If we refused to sign away our rights to free speech and say anything about the care of animals in the shelter we would no longer be allowed to rescue and save death row dogs.Additionally to go into the government shelter we would be required to turn in our cameras and turn in our cell phones upon entry to rescue death row dogs. We were to be escorted by an armed police officer to get in to rescue dogs. We were required to get a costly Police Criminal Background check. We and our staff and volunteers are are being treated like criminals when all we are trying to do is save shelter animals.Courageously our Executive Director Kristen refused to sign this illegal agreement. She refused to give up our free speech rights – and now Green Pets America has been physically banned from the government shelter. Now GPA cannot save the lives of Clayton County Shelter dogs.Green Pets America is a state of Georgia non-profit.
GPA is an IRS approved 501c3 animal rescue non-profit animal advocacy organization. We are licensed by the Georgia Department of Agriculture, with a shelter license to rescue dogs from Georgia shelters.We have been recognized by the State Senate of Georgia and our home City of Woodstock, Georgia for service to Georgia’s families and animals. Yet we are being denied our freedom to rescue dogs per our State license. We and our thousands of supporters, all American citizens and tax payers, are being treated as criminals.We have rescued dogs for years from Clayton County. Under the previous shelter management we rescued and then vetted and cared for at our own costs, and adopted a thousand dogs. This has saved lives and perhaps $100,000 in euthanization and food costs for Clayton County. Green Pets America has helped improve their kill rate from 90% too much lower.We have saved hundreds of death row dogs from this shelter through the years and placed them into loving homes throughout Georgia…and now we cannot.

They have illegally taken away our free speech rights and refused our help to save lives.

Is this America?

We will not give up our constitutional rights. Too many soldiers have died for these rights. Too many wars have been fought to allow our First Amendment rights to be taken away by our own government. We will not give up our rights and we will sue Clayton County to stop this immediately.

Green Pets America Charities

Please do not take just our word for this. Read this email sent to us from the local Clayton animal humane society group that previous to the new appointment of a shelter director helped the shelter rescue thousands of the shelters animals.

This no-profit humane Society is rallying the local TV stations and media to make everyone aware of what is happening at the Clayton Animal Shelter.

Wednesday July 23, 2014

Clayton County Animal Control is a high kill “shelter” run by the police in the city of Jonesboro, GA. The captain in charge retired last month and his replacement has thrown out the volunteer group, the Partners, which over several years had saved thousands of dogs lives and slashed the kill rate, which had been 85%. This group saved Clayton County tens of thousands of dollars in fees the vet would have charged to euthanize. (The Partners and their attorney had very legitimate concerns about the restrictions the police Memorandum of Understanding would have placed on them. When they refused to sign they were asked to leave.) That highly effective group was replaced by one volunteer who resigned in less than two weeks due to the excessive restrictions placed on her by the police.

Volunteers had been able to take photos of the dogs to post on Facebook (Partners with Clayton County Animal Control). Now only Animal Control staff can take pics. You need an escort to go back where the kennels are — even to go to the restroom. And you cannot take a cell phone or purse with you. Licensed rescue groups and transporters need a police background check. These are proven people with established track records working with CCAC. Never needed it before.

Monday, July 28 2014, fifteen outdoor kennels which the humane society partners had donated to CCAC were taken down — 15 fewer kennels to hold dogs — and now CCAC is full again!

WEDNESDAY JULY 30, 2014:

Animal rescue organizations were told that Jonesboro, Animal Control would be closed on Thursday for maintenance and to pick up dogs on Friday. But then on Friday they were told that 22 dogs and 1 cat had already been euthanized the day before, including 7 that had confirmed adoption rescues.

What is a “Green” Animal Shelter?

Green Pets America eco green animal shelter

People often ask me; how did you come up with the name Green Pets America. They generally say I understand pets, and America, but why green? They laugh and ask are your rescued dogs green? Well they aren’t green, but green is very important to us. Green plants us {excuse the pun} into the green movement.

What is the green movement?

The green movement as we think of it today has evolved considerably since the early days. To understand the modern green movement, we have to trace its origins back to the beginning.

So, let’s get started: While many people associate the beginning of the green movement with Rachel Carson’s breakthrough book Silent Spring green environmentalism is in fact rooted in the intellectual thought of the 1830s and 1840s. In fact, the “environmental movement” is a significant thread in the fabric of American philosophical thought most famously accredited to Henry David Thoreau. And later tangibly expanded upon during the era of American pragmatism in the latter half of the 19th century. Green Environmentalism is at once innovative and practical, idealistic and active, one could easily define modern environmentalism as quintessentially American.

“Green Conservation is as American as Teddy Roosevelt”

Though the federal government had begun taking actions to preserve our open lands in the late 1800’s, it was Teddy Roosevelt and John Muir who publicized and popularized conservation. Teddy’s visit to Yosemite in 1903 gained national publicity. By 1916 the National Park Service had been established with leadership by Stephen Mather.

But just as swiftly, the World Wars – sandwiching the traumatic Great Depression – forced environmental concerns to the background of public thought. While the Sierra Club continued to grow rapidly and became instrumental in establishing many vast National parks during these years, environmentalism as we know it today was not a concern for most Americans – or, consequently, the federal government.

It would take disasters and threats to bring environmental issues out of the sciences into the mainstream America again. Green environmentalism in America today is defined as leaders who advocate and educate for the sustainable management of resources and stewardship of the land and the environment through changes in public policy and individual behavior.

And, in its recognition of humanity as a participant in (not enemy of) ecosystems, the movement is centered on wellness, ecology, health, and human and animal rights.”

What is a Green Business?

What does it really mean to be a green business? Sure, many businesses are talking the green talk, but are they really walking the green walk?

People, Planet, Profit – Triple Bottom Business Line

People, Planet, Pets, Profit – Quadruple Bottom Business Line

A “green business” has the environment, a social benefit to America, as well as profit. Hence the term Triple Bottom Line; standing for Profit, People, and Planet.

Essentially, the triple bottom line takes ecological and social performance seriously, building it into a three-part organization model that functions along three axes: people, planet, and profit. In other words, rather than considering only profit in measuring a business’ success, the triple bottom line gets companies thinking beyond money to social and environmental factors as well

“Green” is a term that’s thrown around a lot these days to refer to all types of things. From consumer goods, to automobiles, to building to lifestyle choices, everyone’s talking green.

At the very core, green businesses choose to operate in an earth-friendly fashion. They work to adapt their policies, practices, and principles so that they produce a positive result for the environment–whether they’re trying to solve an environmental or societal problem, or they’re just attempting to produce a product that has a smaller footprint.

Green Pets America is a green non-profit business. We have to mentally operate as a profit business however to carefully manage our resources and assets. We however go one step further. We add one more criteria. We expand from a triple bottom line to a quadruple bottom line. We add Pets. Our “Green” definition is People, Planet, Profit, and Pets.

So, in practical terms what does “Green” in our name have to do with the green movement? It means many things on multiple levels. It ties us into the green movement. People, who understand and respect green, understand our values. They understand and relate to our mission and goals. Green is a mission and a value to us. It means we focus on the triple bottom line as any good 21^st century business, planet, people, and profits.

But we also add pets. Those who practice “green” understand the desire to not dispose of garbage and pollute our waters and land. Those who respect our planet and people and businesses making profit understand if we should not dispose of garbage, shouldn’t we not dispose of our animals as well. So it means don’t dump, discard and dispose of 4 million shelter animals a year. To us green means recycle, it means fresh and new and sustainable. We educate about the green concept of rescue and recycle. Recycle means adoption. It means foster homes. It means save lives, not destroy lives.

And Green means community animal shelters that are built green. Green shelters protect the environment. They save money for taxpayers. They are cheaper to maintain. They respect the land. And green shelters are good for the animals and the employees and volunteers who work there. Green shelters are open and airy. They are beautiful places for the communities’ citizens to go reclaim a lost dog or adopt an abandoned dog or cat. Green shelters save more animals.

“Green Pets America – the leaders in eco green shelters. The future of animal welfare in America”

A New Model of Innovation – Compassionate No-Kill Community Animal Shelters

No Kill is an innovative, cost-effective model of animal sheltering that allows open admission animal control shelters to save all healthy and treatable animals. Unlike the “adopt some and kill the rest” form of animal sheltering that has dominated in the United States for the past 100 years and is responsible for the needless deaths of millions of healthy and treatable animals every year, No Kill shelters are saving as high as 99% of all animals entrusted to their care.

How It Works

No Kill shelters implement a series of programs and services collectively known as “The No Kill Equation.” The No Kill Equation decreases a shelter’s impounds and increases a shelter’s reclaims while vastly expanding adoptions. The programs of the No Kill Equation include augmenting paid staff with community volunteers, foster care for sick, injured, unweaned or traumatized animals, neuter and release for feral cats, medical and behavior rehabilitation, partnerships with rescue groups, pet retention and effective public relations among others. When implemented comprehensively and with integrity, these programs are transformative.

Achieving No Kill is not complicated, but it does require replacing the traditional model of animal sheltering which is passive, complacent and plagued by convenience killing, with a proactive, can-do attitude and work ethic that rejects killing. The programs of the No Kill Equation require dedication and effort and for this reason, are sometimes portrayed by the traditional sheltering establishment as “controversial.” They are not. They are simple procedures that Americans would be shocked to learn shelters are not already doing.

When a shelter director says they are “opposed to No Kill, It means they reject foster care in favor of killing, reject vaccinations and medical care in favor of killing, reject knocking on doors to get lost dogs’ home rather than killing, and reject adoptions in favor of killing. In other words, they are advocating killing in the face of readily-available, cost-effective alternatives to killing. The same is true of each and every program of the No Kill Equation, because when a shelter implements them comprehensively, they achieve No Kill.

Success across America There are now hundreds of communities representing roughly 500 cities and towns of every conceivable demographic (rich/poor, conservative/liberal, large/small, Northern/Southern, urban/rural) across America that are saving in excess of 90% of all animals.

They range from new communities which have recently achieved that level of success to communities which did so and have continued to do so for more than a decade; from small communities taking in a few thousand animals to large ones taking in as many as 23,000 animals a year. Even Communities with high rates of impounds, foreclosures, unemployment, poverty and transient populations have achieved save rates in the mid-90th percentile.

The vast majority of communities which have achieved success have done so in six months or less. Over one new community per week saved in excess of 90% of all animals in 2012.

More Cost-Effective Than Killing No Kill is good policy that reduces costs associated with killing, enhances community support, increases user fees such as adoption revenues, and brings in additional tax revenues.

Statistics Disprove the Traditional Excuse for Killing There are roughly three million dogs and cats killed in U.S. shelters annually because they lack a home, but about 23.5 million Americans add a new dog or cat to their households every year. We do not have a “pet overpopulation” problem; we have a market share challenge. When shelters compete for the market share of homes and keep animals alive long enough to find those homes, shelter animals are saved rather than killed.

Consistent with Public Safety Since the No Kill philosophy does not mandate that truly vicious dogs and irremediably ill or injured animals be adopted, it is consistent with public health and safety.

Good Public Policy – Popular with Voters Seven out of 10 American believe that it should be illegal to kill animals in shelters unless those animals are suffering or are dangerous. As such, No Kill is a bipartisan issue with broad public support. A No Kill shelter can be a public, municipal agency and there are many No Kill animal control shelters run by government to prove it.

America’s 4 Million Shelter Animals Deserve Better Regardless of whether or not a shelter director believes No Kill is possible, he/she is obligated to try. Even if a shelter director fails to implement the No Kill Equation to the point that it replaces killing entirely, they will certainly save more animals than they would without it, and that is worth doing.

In short, No Kill is a humane, sustainable, cost-effective model that works hand in hand with public safety while reflecting the compassionate, animal-loving values of the American people. To learn more contact Steve Monahan at Steve@GreenPetsAmerica.org

Rescuing “Starbucks” the Jack Russell Terrier

Jack Russell Terrier Picture GPA — “Starbucks”

Jill and I were just getting ready to leave Pet Smart about 5:00 pm on a cold Tuesday evening. Our rescue Group, Green Pets America is usually only at this Pet Smart in Canton, Georgia on Sundays, but we were here because I was making a special effort to get one of our lovable rescues a new home. This special rescue was a big scared lab and he needed a permanent home to feel safe and really loved again. So as we left I loaded Sam, the big goofy yellow lab in Jill’s little eco car and walked back in the store to make sure we left nothing behind.

All of a sudden this young guy comes running in with a little white and brown Jack Russell Terrier. The little dog was shaking and his leg was sticking out looking like it may be broken. Jack Russell’s are funny and crazy and always wired up. They all seem to be caffeine hyped 10 Starbucks ahead of all the other dogs we rescue.

The kid asked if I was “the rescue guy” that came on Sundays. I said yes. He immediately said he was in a hurry and was late to work, but I needed to take this dog. He said he was driving to work on the highway right near us and saw this little Jack Russell jump out of a car onto the highway and scamper to the side of the road. So this kid, I was referring to him in my head as “Lying Dude” said he turned his car around and picked him up and drove him here for someone to take him. I know I may seem coarse but we hear all kinds of reasons when someone wants to give up their dog. So I was hoping he was really a Good Samaritan, but skeptical that he may also just want to get rid of his own dog.

As we talked “Dude’s trying to get out of the store as quickly as possible. I’m holding the little scared dog…with his lease attached to his collar. So, I had to ask. When “Jack” jumped out of the moving car, did he have this leash on him at the same time?

He looked at me for a second, kind of dumb founded and said; yup he jumped with the leash as well. We talked a bit and just as he was leaving I said to him, looks like this poor dog he hasn’t eaten in a while. “Dude” said, no he ate this morning and ran to his car. So much for “Good Samaritan”

The truth is I am glad “Dude” did bring him to our rescue group at Pet Smart. He actually did the right thing. Sometimes “Dudes” abandon their dogs in the woods. Little house trained dogs just don’t survive long on their own. Or had he taken him to a shelter, as an owner turn in, with a broken leg as well, the little guy would probably be immediately euthanized. Many shelters feel if you as the owner turn in your own dog, the dog must have bad issues and they won’t readopt them, they euthanize them. Also, most shelters are community, tax payer funded kill shelters. As such most do not receive sufficient local government funding to surgically fix all the dogs abandoned.

So, “Starbucks” as I started calling him was saved. He was taken to a No-Kill Rescue Group. Our Tag line at Green Pets America is…Rescue – Recycle – Relove. Little Starbucks was now rescued. Over a couple of months in a Green Pets foster home he would be Recycled and made new. And when little Starbucks got adopted, which he did, he became reloved.

If you love dogs, please what ever you can to help your local rescue no-kill groups and local animal shelters. Volunteer at your local community animal shelter, or donate a small amount of money to a local rescue non-profit group like ours so they can rescue more little ones like “Starbucks” and get them Rescued – Recycled and Reloved into new homes.

P.S. Sam, the big goofy yellow Lab I had taken a special interest and took to Pet Smart that day also got adopted. My son Stephen and his wife Trish adopted him a couple of weeks later. He now lives happily after ever with four of their other rescued dogs. It seems rescuing dog’s runs in the Monahan family.

DONATE BUTTON

HAPPY RESCUE DOG STORIES – SWEET`PEA

A Very Yappy Ending.

I often wonder where she was born, what she was like as a puppy and why she became abandoned. She is just the most serene, and cutest pure bred miniature dachshund you could lay your eyes on. Your heart melts when she looks up at you with her big brown eyes. When I am in her company my energy is at peace. Like a clear lake top, peaceful and serene.

Our rescue group Green Pets America rescued Sweet Pea. She was left behind for some unknown reason in her empty home. Worse yet she was abandoned with her two puppies as well. They were just the most beautiful and adorable little family. We’re not sure if her owners were foreclosed on and left the 3 behind or if they went to jail. I can’t tell you how many times this is how we have wound up rescuing a dog.

I and our group used to cart Sweet pea and her puppies, along with a dozen of our other rescue dogs every Sunday to Pet Smart, where we would try to find them new loving homes. It is not easy work rounding all the dogs up, getting their cages in the pickup and cars and unloading them and setting up the puppy play pen and adoption table… but it’s a work of love. It allows us to be with these wonderful rescues and meet fellow pet lovers. And when we get one adopted we’re happy, but also sad to see them go. These little and sometimes big brutes become your kids.

Well after a few weeks both of Sweet Pea’s puppies did find new homes. I’d like to say they lived happily ever after, but one suddenly died shortly after adoption. Seems the little guy, being a nosy puppy opened the door under the families sink and ate some drain cleaner and died. I must tell you we all cried. I just don’t know why things like that happen in life. This poor little guy had a rough start and a rough ending. Thank God however when he was with us, he had a wonderful and happy middle. If you have pets please baby proof your home. These little ones are curious and will always be looking for new adventures. Please, please keep them safe.

Well with both puppies adopted we still had Sweet Pea. My wife started to really bond with her and one Sunday when I was heading off to Pet Smart Lynne said, “if she doesn’t get adopted today please lets take her ourselves”.

Well as life would have it just at the end of the adoption event a woman came up to one of our Directors and wanted to see Sweet Pea. So Susan took her out of the small dog play area. I watched the ladies eyes and in a flash I saw the woman immediately take to Sweet Pea. Adoptions are like that. There seems to be an immediate connection. Well I did something I never did before. I ran over and scooped little Sweet Pea from Susan’s arms. Susan looked at me like I was crazy I guess. But, my heart said that I had to step in and take Sweet Pea home that minute. I just could not bear to possible put her in a situation like what happened to her puppy. After 8 weeks of being with her I couldn’t let her go.

I put her in my car right that minute. After we packed up the pound puppies and big brutes as well Sweet Pea came home to live with us and our other three rescue dogs forever.

I have never regretted my crazy or rude act of sweeping her away and taking her home.

She is the calmest of all our rescues and she’s also the peace maker of the pack. Sweet Pea like all our rescued dogs is a true gift from God. They give everything and ask only for love and protection in return.

For Sweet Pea Monahan and for the whole family it was a Very Yappy Ending...