Dogs in Need: May 2011

Not a cheery post, but I see a lot of this in my Internet travels, and figured if I could help out by giving different causes exposure, it was worth a try.

First off is Japan Animal Earthquake Rescue and Support (http://jears.org/).  Until a few days ago, animals who were left behind when their owners evacuated the Japanese Exclusion Zone around the Fukushima plant were simply trapped there.  Apparenlty, some owners are being allowed back in, and some rescuers have snuck in anyway, removing animals that they could and feeding animals that they had to leave.  There have been a lot of heartbreaking videos of animals (and people) in Japan post-disaster; this is one way to donate and help them.

Next, is Tyson the Doberman.  For probably genetic reasons, he needs operations to fix his front legs, which have grown in a malformed and evidently very uncomfortable manner.  He seems like a sweet and well trained boy, and is an example of dogs produced when breeders do not fully health-test their sires and dams.  Funds for him are being raised by Second Chance Companions (http://www.sccpets.com/) through their PayPal; they just ask that you note if your donation is for Tyson's operation.  To my knowledge, to date, Tyson's breeder has not contributed to his care.

Also, Helping Udders (http://www.helpingudders.com/) is an organization with neat products, that donates a purchase percentage to the rescue of your choice.  They have an extensive list from which to choose, and also have a bunch of t-shirts with a rescue bent as well (t-shirts count as purchases that contribute).  They also have a portion of their website that showcases Military Working Dogs and the cooling vests that they require in places like Iraq and Afghanistan (http://www.helpingudders.com/MWD.htm). In keeping with that, there is also The Military Working Dog Foundation, which helps place "decommissioned" dogs, be it with law enforcement agencies or the public.

Finally, to plug them again, there's always Doberman Rescue Unlimited.  However, if your shelter has a website, they probably have a "things the shelter needs" list, and that's always a nice thing to check out.  These organizations only have so much in the way of funds, and fuel the rest of the organization through donations of various things.  Just something to think about.