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

Dear Friends,

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  Scary to think as soon as we turn around, Christmas will be here. 

Hopefully, the holidays are happy times for you, and hopefully we can make it happier for as many of our homeless furbabies as possible.Please consider a "gift" of a forever home, or even a foster home for one.

Route 66 Rescue has many dogs who still need forever homes.  Every one of the dogs mentioned as needing foster homes in the last newsletter still are homeless.  Whisper and Chance are in boarding and would love to have a foster home.  Living in a kennel is not fun, and these two guys are very young.  Inactivity is not normal for a kid!  They need guidance and love to help them develop into the good citizens they need to be for their forever families.

The scrap metal drive brought in several hundred dollars, and was a relatively easy way (for most of us, LOL) to help pay some bills.  A number of people have contacted me to say they have more metal, but they don't really want to "store" it until our spring drive.  If we had a huge load, we would turn it in anytime, but in lieu of a huge load, we are targeting a day in early spring to gather again and cash in.  Thanks so much for all the "donations" and the help.  William and Susan thank you, thank you, thank you.  Pat, thank you and your son-in-law again for the whole load you sent.

Does anyone have an empty shed, area in a barn, half of a garage, anyplace to store metal until we have enough to turn in again?  As you put the hose away, don't throw away the metal sprinkler, nozzle, hose holder that is broken, or doesn't work anymore.  If it's metal, it might pay for wormer for a stray puppy.   I thought I had cleaned out everything metal, and I already have a couple of metal file cabinets, an aluminum screen door, and some tins that had candles in them.  I don't really want to drive around with these things in the van until March, but I have no place to stash them, either.  If someone has a place, we could organize a list of people who would periodically pick up things and take them to store.  Please let me know if you can help with this, or if you have any better ideas.

We've had two Meet and Greets.  We adopted out two dogs, and put two in foster homes at each one.  We will have one more this year.  We will be at Tractor Supply Co. in Nixa again, and this time we will be inside.  It will be on Saturday, Dec. 8,  from 10:00 to 4:00.  We need two people to step up for Whisper and Chance so they will have the opportunity to meet people and show what great guys they are.  They will need a weekend foster to take them home after 4:00 Saturday and keep them until Mon. morning when the vet clinic opens.  Everyone with a foster dog, please come and help your little pal get his or her forever home.  Please have the dogs on a leash and halter, and it would be a good idea to bring a chair.  We need one person per dog, and anyone who can come and help, please let me know.  I will bring the dogs in boarding if we have weekend fosters, and I'll bring some of my fosters, so we will need help.

Trooper is safe and sound in Waveland, MS, and has quickly become a spoiled, much loved boy (pictured in picture insert above).  He uses his leg well, and we are so thankful we did not choose amputation for him.  We've had two more calls about dogs with critical injuries that no one was helping.  The first boy is a shepherd mix who had been shot in the face.  Some of the shot sites were infected and his nose was dripping blood and pus.  After X-rays to be sure his jaw was not broken, a ton of antibiotics, and with lots of TLC by his foster, Rambler is ready for adoption.  He is gentle and quiet.  He's fine with other dogs, and is housebroken.  He loves to lounge in his open kennel, and is finally at ease with his face being petted.  Thank you, Beth!

The second caller had a dog that a neighbor had shot.  She said it had happened four days before.  Yes, that's what she told me.  Four days ago a neighbor shot her dog's foot off.  Did I mention this was about 11:30 Thanksgiving Day?  After talking with her for awhile, we decided she would take the dog in to Dr. Germeroth, Friday morning.  I wasn't sure if she would do it, but by the time I got there Friday, she had taken him in.  The dog was not losing a foot, and he had been treated for infection.  This dog went back home, and the lady paid the bill.  Go figure.

What has the world come to that not only can people look the other way when an animal is in need, they intentionally injure or maim an innocent animal.  It is beyond my comprehension.  We still have quite a bill on Trooper's surgery and Rambler's emergency room visit if anyone is able to help with it.

Please remember as you winterize, antifreeze is lethal to pets.  It causes an excruciating death.  Guard your antifreeze as if you had small children in the house.

Happy Holidays.  Thank you for caring and for all you do to help us help the homeless.

One more time, please open your homes to one more pet if you can.  It's tough to be homeless, but it's agonizing to be homeless, cold, and hungry.  We get daily calls for help, and some days several.  There is such a need for a shelter.  If
anyone has any suggestions for fundraisers, please let me know.  We need land and money.  If anyone won the lottery tonight, congratulations, and please consider helping us get the shelter.

Connie

PS  If you get this twice, please let me know, and I'll take one off.  If you do not want to receive Route 66 Rescue news updates, tell me, and I will take off your name.

Well, winter weather is here.  There's lots going on.  There are more dogs needing help than we can even imagine.  First, a reminder--Please protect your animals from Halloween mischief.  This is not the time to let down your protective guard.

Now, an update on Trooper, the little Great Dane mix thrown from the back of a pickup.  He did very well through his surgery and is healing nicely.  He has a foster after this weekend until his transport Nov. 11.  Thank you, Kelli.  You are much appreciated.  Trooper's adoptive mom is in Waveland, MS.  Kathleen adopted a Lebanon Pound chocolate Lab from me years ago, so we've been friends quite some time.  She has since moved to MS where she is active in helping Katrina victims put their lives back together.  She also is helping orphaned Katrina canines.  Trooper and Route 66 Rescue Inc. have a Weebly website.  Please take a minute to like the site for us.  http://route66rescueinc.weebly.com    Also, please like us on FB.  Thanks a bunch.

We still have dogs in boarding which is better than where they were, but not ideal.  Please search your heart and if at all possible, foster a dog until his forever family adopts him.  Chance is a 4-month-old pup who, with his sister, Bella, was abandoned in a ditch by a busy road.  He is shy and has lots to learn.  He needs a safe place with people who have time to work with him and convince him he is loved.  Bella was adopted, and she is adjusting nicely with her forever family.  Her new mastiff brother has already taught her to play.  Please, someone, give this gift to Chance.

Yoshi, the sweet little fawn chihuahua needs a foster.  This little guy was seen out in a field for several weeks until he was finally trapped and taken inside.  How he survived, I have no idea.  Yoshi doesn't take up much room, and he certainly doesn't make any noise.  He has a wonderful disposition, and deserves a much better life than he has had.  He has requested a foster home with someone who would like to carry him around and sit with him all day.  He's a lovebug.

Jasmine has a foster home!  Thank you, thank you, thank you, Lynn.  I know that little girl is so happy to be out of a kennel and able to go outside anytime she wants to.  Lynn is a long-time rescuer who has lots of work with shy and backward dogs under her belt.  Jasmine went to the adoption day Saturday, and it was obvious how close she is to coming out of her shell.  She pressed against the kennel to let the Boy Scouts pet her!  For those of you who followed her story from starving, to trapped, to scared to death, to pressing close for children to pet, I think you will agree, she is on her way!

It's heartbreaking that Armstrong AKA Tucker had to go back to boarding from his fantastic foster home.  He dug under the chain link, and we couldn't take a chance that something would happen to this darling boy if he got out again.  He needs a home with a privacy fence.  Tucker came around very fast, and it was amazing to see him in the house with impeccable manners.  He walks well on a leash and is a wonderful boy.  Please help me get him out of a kennel.  He is not happy there.

Whisper is the little Doberman or minpin mix boy who can go over a chain link fence.  He's a bit shy when he first meets a person, but a treat is all it takes to win him over.  He's fine with other dogs his size and larger.  He plays too hard for little ones.  This beautiful boy walks well on a leash.  He loves children and ignores cats.  He needs a family to keep him safe until he is adopted.

MacTavish and Peppers are wire-hair boys  Mac is in boarding, and he so wants his own family and would love to have another dog or two to play with.  He is not crazy about younger children.  Peppers was taken in from the rain but cannot stay where he is.  He is full of energy and a fun-loving boy.  These two dogs are young and energetic.  Each is desperately in need of a family to teach him what he needs to know and to keep him safe until he is adopted.

There is a mother dog and five puppies who have been living in a state park in Taneyville.  Campers fed the mom, then her puppies this summer, but now the park has closed.  We think mom is a corgi mix.  The puppies are around 8 weeks old.  If you are able to foster mom or the puppies, or even one puppy, please contact me.

This Saturday is Make a Difference Day.  Won't you consider making a big difference in the life of a homeless dog?  You can see pictures of all but Yoshi, the mother dog, and puppies on Petfinder for Route 66 Rescue Inc.  If you do not live in the SW MO area, please make a difference for a dog where you live.  Everyone can do something--rescue, adopt, foster, donate.  We can make a difference, one dog at a time.

The Meet and Greet Saturday at Tractor Supply was fun.  Bella and Emma were adopted, and all of the dogs got lots of attention.  We will definitely be doing more Meet and Greet events depending on the weather.  Thanks so much for all who came and brought your fosters, then pitched in to help talk with people about the dogs.  Thanks, Marti, for taking dogs back to boarding so they had the opportunity to be there at least a few hours.

I hope you've been thinking about what you want to get rid of around your home that can go into the scrap metal drive.  November 2nd is the date for pickup, but we haven't decided for sure where we will park on the 3rd.  Since the scrapyard closes early on Saturday, we will be picking up large items on Friday, then, on Saturday the truck and trailer will be available from 8:00 to 10:00 for drop offs.  We hope we need a couple more pick ups, and a couple of strong guys to help William with the big items.  We have a gas stove, a treadmill, a semi engine to pick up, and many odds and ends that add up.  I snagged a bathtub yesterday.  Hard part was convincing Ron to put it on the back patio until the 2nd.  But he's a softie when it comes to the dogs.  Thank you all for helping make this drive a success, and especially thank you, Susan and William, for the idea and helping carry it off.  If you and your truck could be available and if you have large metal items to pick up, please get back to me as soon as possible.  [email protected]   A huge thank you and much appreciation to all of you who make life easier for our homeless pups.

Connie

Be a Rescuer
Connie Foster 10/28/2012

What is a rescuer? Why would anyone spend that much money, give up that much time, and be oblivious to smelling like wet dogs and poop?

I'm often told, “I could never do what you do. I'd want to take them ALL home.” If there was ever a declaration that makes me do a double take, this is it.  How does this person think any rescuer feels? Does he see a steel robot who can walk into a pound and bypass the dogs that will die, then pick up the little cuties that are easily adoptable, and exit with a smile on his face? Doesn't the well-meaning, misguided speaker realize that the rescuer's heart is breaking and his crying never stops. Even when a wonderful furbaby soul is taken into a loving forever home and the heart sings, it never heals for the ones left behind.

Does the speaker think the rescuer likes playing God, passing the momma nursing sick puppies--babies that would infect the others back in the shelter and in foster homes? Playing God, passing the matted girl with runny eyes, who coughs and watches his movement with hollow eyes. This girl's backbone sticks up above the mats and she is wracked with canine influenza or kennel cough, both treatable, but also highly contagious. Playing God, bypassing the mixed breed cowering and growling in the corner. His lip is raised and his back feet shake with fear, but how damaged is he? How long will it take to rehabilitate him and make him adoptable? How can anyone know the heartache and guilt of passing the black Lab and tagging the yellow or chocolate one because there's a demand for one color over another? Guilt rides his insides because he made a solemn personal vow to never value one dog over another, but he also knows to save any in rescue, he must present one that is adoptable.

Not everyone can stand it in the trenches. Most rescuers never thought they could either. The difference is that they reached an epiphany. A simple reality. It's not about ME.  When a rescuer goes into the pound to choose who lives and who dies, it doesn't matter how much he cries, how much his heart breaks, or how many hours he lies awake in his own sleepless hell at night. It is about one thing—the dog he can save. That's it.

There's no me in rescue. Everyone has a place in rescue. You may not be the “in the trenches” rescuer, but consider the impact you can make by fostering, donating, or adopting. You may not do what I do, but for every dog I rescue, there is a lag time between his vetting and his forever home. He needs a foster who will help get him ready for adoption.

Everyone can donate. Offer to pay for one spay or neuter a month, take care of puppy shots for a litter of rescued babies, buy heartworm or flea protection for two dogs a month. Consider adding to your family. If you don't have a dog, think about the way pets enrich and lengthen our lives. If you have one dog, chances are good that a second one will give the resident dog a new lease on life, and it will certainly enhance the lives of the people in the family.  Rescue, adopt, foster, donate--everyone can do something.  Lives depend on you.

Connie

This website is brand new.
Please check back soon as we will have this built this week and hope you become a "Fan"!
Connie - you can access this and write what you want.
You have to drag down the "Paragraph with Picture" to the "New Blog". I recommend always using a picture with your blog.