Happy New Year, Route 66 Rescue Friends,
I hope your holidays were full of love and good times with your family and pets. Did you make resolutions?  I'm sure you can guess the Route 66 Rescue resolution is to put more of our homeless dogs into loving forever homes and to work toward the goal of opening a shelter--a safe, happy place to wait for adoption. 

The end of 2012 brought quite a few adoptions and new foster homes, and of course more homeless dogs needing help.  Several dogs needed us because they were sick or injured, and with the poor economy, owners, or those who picked up the dog, could not take care of them.  Without a safe shelter that takes the homeless from the streets, people are hesitant to pick up a stray.  Almost every call we get is from a person who has found a dog they cannot take home, or an owner that can no longer keep their dog.  They know the Humane Society takes from the public, but can not guarantee the dog will not be euthanized.  What is the person to do?  The easy solution is to look the other way, or "dump" the dog.  Folks, we need a safe place for these dogs to go, and it needs to be large enough to make a difference.  A few people cannot do it.  It definitely will take a village.

Thank you so much to those who shared your Christmas with us.  There is nothing that means more to us than being able to save one more because someone cared enough to help.  We still need foster homes.  We took in five chihuahua babies because they were to be given away with no vetting.  Believe me, there are plenty of chihuahuas and chi mixes already.  These five didn't need to be out there reproducing.  One of these little ones is already home, three have applications, and it won't be long until all five are spayed/neutered and in forever homes. 

Chihuahuas seemed to be the dog of the season.  ChiChi and her son, Paco, both seniors, became homeless when their mom lost her home.  They were living outside, in a wire pen with a blue barrel to sleep in.  Now, they are safe and warm in a foster home, and will be a blessing to whomever adopts them.  Then, there were nine chihuahuas living outside, with a blanket in a well house for a bed.  We took seven, and were blessed since only one of the girls was pregnant.  Journey and her two baby girls will be ready for adoption in another six weeks.  She is a wonderful mother and if you would like to see pictures of fat little Hope and Grace, please check the Route 66 Rescue Facebook page.  There are pictures of the newborn babies on day one, when they were a week old, and now that their eyes are open I will post more tomorrow.  If you've ever wanted to adopt a chihuahua, there's no better time!
Remember the four starving black dogs rescued last summer?  Mom and her male puppy were adopted very quickly, and they have totally put their past behind them.  Tucker is in a wonderful foster home and is ready for a forever home any time--and--he has an application to adopt!  Cross your paws that it is the forever home he has been waiting for.  Jasmine, the female puppy was the last one to be trapped, and has had the hardest time learning to trust people.  After all, she knew starvation, and had watched littermates run down and left to die in the streets.  She was the most hesitant to eat the food left as long as a person was close.  Tick covered, ribs poking out, and distrustful, she actually screamed in terror, and maybe  bit of anger, when she was trapped.  She was boarded for quite some time before a long-time rescuer said she would like to work with Jasmine.  She had no illusions about this being an easy undertaking, and she understood progress would be on Jazz's time.  Jazz's time was faster than any of us imagined.  Lynn soon was walking Miss Jasmine on a leash.  There were ups and downs in turning this little scared, wild child into a lady.  She dug under the fence one time and was gone.  We had visions of her being injured or killed, returning back to the wild, running until she dropped far from any signs of civilization.  No, at dinner time she was on the front porch "home" ready for her food!  Another day, she went for a car ride and was as mannerly as if she had been chauffeured every day of her life.  She was ready!  And now, Jasmine has been adopted, and is in her forever home with a Lab older sister.  Way to go, Jazzie!
Chase, the little guy dumped with his sister and spending the day in a ditch, still needs a forever home.  He looks like a small Lab mix.  He has a wonderful foster home, and hopefully you can meet him Saturday at our Meet and Greet.
Our naked Xolos were either adopted or went to rescues, and what an experience they are.Most of us didn't know how hot their little hairless bodies are.  There's a reason they're called the arthritis dogs.  Gracie and Blewsy are blue chihuahuas, and their hair is very fine and thin.  Their bodies are also hot.  Everyone loves to snuggle the blues.
We didn't have anyone volunteer to store the scrap metal.  I understand.  Most of us are using any storage area for our own things.  We do have people gathering and holding metal for our pick-up day.  We have one area that has metal dumped away from the road.  If anyone is real industrious and would get a group together to haul it out piece-by-piece I will put you in contact with the land owner.  We are planning to have another day in the spring for pick up and drop-off. 

As mentioned, next Saturday will be a Meet and Greet at Doggy Styles Grooming on Hwy. 14, in Nixa.  Any chi puppies still needing a home will be there.  Gracie, Blewsy, Hercules, Mimsy, and several others will be there.  Please stop by and introduce yourself and give a homeless dog a hug.  Sydney is a little cutie picked up by the side of I-44.  A business agreed to hold her until they closed, but then, she would have to be put outside.  You can meet Miss Sydney, Saturday.  We need temporary fosters for the dogs in boarding so they can come to the Meet and Greet.  There's Keller, the little blind shih tzu, and the two girls, Angel and Bunny.  If we're real lucky, they will already be in foster or forever homes by the weekend, but if not, they will need a temporary foster Saturday evening until Monday when they can go back to boarding.  Please let me know if you can have these sweet weekend guests.

I've already today had calls about three more dogs needing help.  Hopefully, they can be with us on Saturday, too.  If you're in the area, stop, even if it's just for a minute or two.
We love meeting and getting to know Route 66 Rescue faces instead of knowing only an email address.

We will continue spreading the word of our mission to have a shelter, and let's hope 2013 is our lucky year.  Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for caring, and for your support.
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Route 66 Rescue Inc.                          
PO Box 335                           
Nixa, MO 65714-0335