Doberman Assistance Network: Fundraising and new cases (warning, pictures are pretty sad)

It happens all too often, I suppose. Two needy Dobermans, Calla Lilly and Godfrey, from two different locations, have come into the Doberman Assistance Network's care. The poor things are able to walk under their own power, but they are all but skin and bones (the pictures are bad; they'll be under the cut at the end of this post, if you'd prefer not to see them).

I will show you this picture, though. Remember Blaise? He has a home now. And looks great!

(Picture from Doberman Assistance Network's Success Stories page)

You can help in a number of ways! On DAN's Sponsorship Page, you can sign up to give a $5 monthly sponsorship. You can also sign up to directly sponsor Calla Lilly or Godfrey's care. There is Gold level sponsorship at $250, Silver sponsorship at $150, and Bronze at $100. Veterinary care comes in at $100, food at $50, or general donations at $25. You can in fact donate any amount, through Paypal, and ever donation helps.

The Doberman Assistance Network also has a General Funds Wishlist on Amazon.com, and those items ordered would go directly to DAN and to Dobermans in need. These items range from toys to medications and shampoos, the kind of thing that every shelter and foster environment needs.

Also, as a reminder, there are 12 days left on the Flower Power Fundraiser. Funds raised for DAN are up to $258, out of a goal $1000. So, if you can, spread the word on that! I also posted about it here last Friday, if you want to share a post that does not include shocking images of Dobermans who have been starved. It isn't for everybody, I know. So why do I include them? As a reminder to myself, and others, that not dogs have all the toys they could ask for, or the treats, or the couches. Not all dogs even have even their most basic needs met, and that is horrible.

So, I'm not going to cue up sappy music and pan through the saddest animal pictures I can find. But I am going to share with you these two, who are in good hands, and on their way to learning about the good life.

Donations for Dobies!

There is a fundraising drive for the Doberman Assistance Network on Razoo.com

Their funding goal is $2500, and it will run for two months.

Current DAN cases include Roscoe, who is being treated for Parvo. 

And here is a current picture of Blaise, who is now out of DAN's hands an in a foster home, waiting for his forever home. He's come such a long way, appearance and health wise, in a little more than a month!

Doberman Assistance Network has a new case: Roscoe, who has Parvo

From the Doberman Assistance Network Facebook page:

D.A.N. has taken in a new boy who is in dire straits. Emaciated and sickly, test results have shown that poor Roscoe is Parvo-stricken. The next few days will be critical to Roscoe's recovery. You can directly help him by becoming a Gold, Silver or Bronze sponsor, helping pay for his veterinary care or food or making a general donation. No amount donated is too small. We also need to spread his story as the more people who know about his plight the bigger his support network will be. We are pulling for you sweet boy, hang in there and keep fighting.

To help Roscoe, and other Dobermans in need, please visit the sponsorship page on the DAN website.

Dog Bloggers Unite for Rescue

Even though I got Elka from a breeder, I do what I can to support dog rescue, and Doberman rescue, as well. 

Rescue is more than just driving cute puppies around, or finding a box of them on the doorstep. Rescue is heartbreaking, intense, and grueling work. I have nothing but admiration and thanks for people who are on the front lines in the rescue of any breed, and any animal. It takes guts, and stubbornness and patience. It takes faith that there will be money, that there will be a spot, that a vet can be found and a home.

Dog rescue relies heavily upon donations, of time, money, and supplies. Dog rescue survives because of peoples' generosity, and their unwillingness to let the cruelty or inattention of others to go unanswered.

Real dog rescue, where lives are saved, struggles and triumphs every day.

Real dog rescue is what took thirteen emaciated Dobermans, now twelve, from the home of a woman in Conklin, New York. The Broome County Humane Society is to thank for that, and the concerned citizen who reported his or her suspicions. Two of those dogs have found homes, and the other ten are evidently being made available for adoption next week, so they're accepting applications.

Real rescue is Doberman Rescue Unlimited, who takes in those Dobermans whose families had another baby. The Dobermans whose people are moving, and didn't find an apartment that takes dogs, or found an apartment that bans Dobermans specifically. DRU takes those dogs that ended up with same sex aggression when they reached maturity, the Dobermans who have thyroid disorders or Dilated Cardiomyopathy. The Dobermans who were "too energetic" and strong for their owners. 

There's the Doberman Assistance Network, that pulls Dobermans out of kill shelters and gets them into foster or rescue groups all over the country. People who transport dogs for them aren't paid to do so, or at least not in money. They volunteer their time, and are paid in thanks. A pregnant Doberman, dumped into DAN's hands, just had puppies not long ago. Who abandons their pregnant dog?

There's a Doberman who came to Distinguished Doberman Rescue because she got fleas....so her family decided to keep her outside instead. Without treating her. 

Then there are smaller ways to help. Freekibble.com donates kibble daily to dogs (and cats) in animal shelters. You just need to answer a question; you don't even need to get it right.

Every purchase on HelpingUdders.com will donate a percentage to the rescue of your choice.

A lot of people don't think about rescue, or don't think that rescue has pure breeds. A lot of pure breed rescues are in fact pretty full, and a lot of those dogs are surrendered for the same reason dogs end up in shelters: they're too big, too energetic, too destructive, etc. etc. Many people who get rid of their dogs do so rather than putting the time in to make their rather normal dog a good canine companion. They don't come out of a box like that, people! 

So, for your next dog, consider adoption or rescue. Look into what organizations exist around you. Taking one of these dogs in can be more rewarding than you realize!

Special Needs Dobermans: Creative Christmas Crafts Combo!

Well, it's that time of year. Giving, receiving. Receiving, giving. Baking. Being thankful.

I wrote about Special Needs Dobermans once before, when West Virginia Whisper's accident first happened. Now I'm writing about them again, because they're having a Creative Christmas Crafts Combo fundraiser!

There are a whole lot of things in their fundraising raffle, and tickets are $4 each, or 3 for $10. They can't use PayPal to take payment for the tickets, as PayPal has a thing in their ToS against gambling. So, per the SND site, tickets can only be purchased by check, sent to:

Special Needs Dobermans

144 Road 2776

Aztec NM 87410

You can email Donna Campbell at raffles@doberman911.org with "Name, address, and email address (add your phone number if you wish to be notified as a winner by phone)", per the SND site. Also, the drawing is on December 25. So, since it's so close, "Donna would appreciate it if you would email her to let her know your check is in the mail so she can give you your ticket numbers!" (quoted from the page that the fundraising link above.)

Without Special Needs Dobermans, a lot of Dobermans would go without care. Without Special Needs Dobermans, Whisper would have had a hard time getting her swag robo leg. Really? Four bucks isn't that bad, and neither is ten.

(note: SND logo pulled from their site. It is not mine)

Free Kibble!

There is a web site that I visit daily. Okay, well there are a number of them, but I want to tell you about this one specifically.  It is FreeKibble.com. The default is for dogs, but there is a cat portion as well.

The way it works is thus: if you go daily, and answer the trivia questions, they donate 10 free pieces of Halo pet food to shelter dogs and cats; here's the analysis of it on Dog Food Advisor. It isn't on Dog Food Analysis, that I could tell, but their search function can be wonky. It doesn't matter if you get the question right or wrong, you just have to go. 10 pieces of kibble isn't a lot, but if you count it out and look at it, it's better than nothing. Since Free Kibble started, many shelter meals have been provided through these donations.

In addition to that, they've just released their first book, Mimi and Maty to the Rescue! You can buy it on Amazon.com (linked below) and every purchase of the book donates FIVE BOWLS of food! Not pieces of kibble, bowls!  Also, for the first 100 copies sold, the Freekibble Foundation will donate 100 books to schools to "inspire young readers to help animals!"(link to the promo page on the Free Kibble site here). It looks like a cute book, and is certainly a great message and a good cause!

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.