Sgt. Gwen Beberg, serving in Iraq, rescued a puppy from a burning pile of trash.

The problem is getting the puppy, Ratchet, into the U.S. due to rules prohibiting soldiers from adopting pets.

“I just want my puppy home,” Sgt. Gwen Beberg of Minneapolis wrote to her mother in an e-mail Sunday from Iraq, soon after she was separated from the dog following a transfer. “I miss my dog horribly.” Beberg, 28, is scheduled to return to the U.S. next month.

There have been exceptions thanks to the group Operation Baghdad Pups, they’ve gotten 50 dogs and six cats transferred to the U.S. in the last eight months.

Operation Baghdad Pups’ program coordinator, Terry Crisp, is scheduled to arrive in Baghdad on Wednesday. Crisp said the adopted dogs left behind face death on Iraqi streets.

She said Iraqis view dogs and cats as nuisances and carriers of disease, and U.S. soldiers have rescued many of them from abuse.

Let your bark be heard,  help in “Operation Ratchet”  by going to the petition site and putting your paw on paper to help bring this innocent puppy home.

This week’s tip really hits home.  We recently adopted Logan, a Bernese Mountain dog rescue, and we were told when he was saved his weight was only 64 lbs.

This is a dog who should be a least 90 lbs, he’s on the small size.  He is now around 85 lbs and doing well.  When we got him he was up to about 80 but still to thin and his hip bones stuck out.  Thanks Sunbear Squad for such a great tip!

WEEKLY WATCH TIP for week of Oct. 12

Watch for protruding backbones, ribs, and hips before winter coats hide these signs of neglect. Look at every pet you pass.

Be A Good Samaritan For Animals

In San Pedro, CA there’s a woman with a very noble mission.

Dorothy Matich  has started a grass-roots movement to raise money to refurbish the military dog cemetery.

The way Dorothy Matich sees it, the war dogs buried at San Pedro’s former Army base deserve a respectable resting place.

“They’re veterans, as far as I’m concerned,” Matich said.

Through the years, the cemetery for more than 30 military canines that helped guard the coastline during the Cold War years had fallen into disrepair.

Some of the bronze grave markers were stolen, along with a life-size statue of a German shepherd that once “guarded” the unique burial ground.

Steve Nelson, curator of the Fort MacArthur Museum located inside Angels Gate Park, had long wanted to restore the canine cemetery, but lacked the funds to do so.

While on a visit to the museum Dorothy Matich  learned of the cemetery and curator Steve Nelson’s wish to restore it.  A one woman dog loving machine Matich has managed to raise thousands to go towards the renovations.

Through teas and small-scale fundraisers, Matich and other San Pedro supporters - Florence Kleinjan and Alan and Liz Johnson among them - managed to raise enough money to install a new wrought-iron fence around the cemetery. Private donations also were solicited, with the Petco Foundation donating $1,000.

An irrigation system has been installed with new turf yet to come. Sculptor Eugene
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Daub is working on a design for a new dog statue for the cemetery.

Replicas of the bronze grave markers - although some are missing, others remain locked safely away in the museum - will be made and placed in the cemetery.

The markers bear the names of the dogs - Lance, Baron, Jack, Winner, Pancho, Fritz - along with their military service dates.

The museum has many very interesting exhibits,  including a history of the  “K-9 Command.”  It’s definitely worth visiting if you’re in the area.

For anyone interested in making a donation for the cemetery project you can do so online, or by sending a check made out to the Fort MacArthur Museum Association (designated for the “K-9 Cemetery”) to the Fort MacArthur Museum, P.O. Box 268, San Pedro, CA 90731.

On October 2nd  I posted Hailed A Hero, Buried A Pauper. It was about a man from Florida helping out after Hurricane Ike, who was killed saving three dogs trapped on a Texas highway.

Robert “Bob” Emery had been living alone, estranged from his family officials had noone to contact about his death.

Without anyone to claim his body, this hero risked being buried in a pauper’s grave.  All of that has changed, his long lost daughter has been located.

The e-mail from a stranger in Clear Lake was to the point, and an improbable end to a Pittsburgh woman’s 13 years of searching for the father she hadn’t spoken to since she was a kid.

“Is your father’s name Robert Emery? The whole city of Houston is looking for any relatives,” read the message.

Alaina Emery was startled as she stared at a computer screen while in the library at paralegal school.

Trembling and swept with emotion, she misunderstood the reason for the question.

“Why is the entire city of Houston looking for him?” she typed back.

The exchange would quickly lead to Alaina, now 25, realizing her long-lost father was Robert “Bob” Emery, the mysterious Hurricane Ike relief worker killed the night of Sept. 27 as he dashed onto the East Freeway to rescue three dogs stranded in the emergency lane hugging the median.

Robert Emery was a man that had many personal issues, he battled a lifelong drug addiction.  A problem that destroyed two marriages and a career as a construction worker.  However, regardless of his issues noone was surprised that he risked his life rescuing the dogs.  It seems that was the type of person he was.

For his daughter this is obviously a bittersweet ending.  In the end, after searching for her dad for many years and never finding him, it was a stranger that found her to let her know what happened to him.

“I am very saddened that I could not find him in life, but somehow he found me in death,” Emery told the Houston Chronicle by phone. “I wanted to hug him, to meet my son.”

We hope now, Robert “Bob” Emery, you can rest in peace.

What a great story to start off a Wednesday morning.  Buffy, a German Shepard, was honored posthumously by the Humane Society of the United States.

In 2007 she stopped a gunman who was robbing her owner a gunpoint, getting shot twice in the process. For this heroic act Buffy was named Valor Dog of the Year.

Buffy was chosen to receive the highest honor in the companion dog category of the Dogs of Valor Awards “because of the extraordinary courage she exhibited when she intervened during a robbery to save her owner’s life,” the Humane Society said.

On Jan. 10, 2007 in Oakland (CA), a gunman robbed Will Bartley of $400 and credit cards at his home.

That’s when Buffy ran from the yard and jumped onto the gunman, who fired two shots. One shot hit the dog in her left forelimb.

Although the vet was able to save Buffy, she eventually had to be euthanized due to complications caused from the injuries. The robber was never caught.

“We still love and miss Buffy dearly, but this award and the countless cards and letters of sympathy we have received have gone a long way to help us heal,” Bartley said in a statement.

Congratulations Buffy,  I can’t think of a more deserving girl.

October is  American Humane’s Adopt-A-Dog Month,  so I thought it was important to show people  how wonderful the dogs in shelters are.

Most aren’t given up because they’re mean or uncontrollable, the sad truth is it’s usually due to financial issues and  life changes.

The following list is compiled from the National Council on Pet Population Study & Policy.

1. Moving — Dogs can handle change, especially if their owners make the change fun. But so many people leave pets behind at shelters when they move. That’s much more traumatic for dogs than riding two days in a car with their friend to a new home.

2. Landlord issues — If you rent, then you must get approval from your landlord to have a pet. Some people lie about these things and then when the landlord finds out they have a pet, they end up getting rid of the pet rather than moving.

3. Cost of pet maintenance — Pets are not cheap to care for. The average cost of caring for a dog is estimated at about $400 a year. That includes food, toys, vaccinations, and an annual visit to the vet. It cost a lot more if your dog gets sick or injured, has special dietary needs, or takes medication.

4. No time for pet — That’s a big excuse that rarely holds water for most shelters. What that means is that the family has gotten bored with caring for a pet.

5. Inadequate facilities — What this means is that the person doesn’t have a fenced in yard or outdoor space to house the dog. Why not bring the pet inside then? The dog was probably an indoor pet at first, but something happened, either with the dog or the dog’s family, and the decision was made to put the dog outside.

6. Too many pets in the home already — This usually is the case when dogs are not spayed or neutered. Sadly, people often take the oldest dog to the shelter because the family wants to keep the most newly acquired pet. Isn’t that sad?

7. Pet illness – All too often, people are forced to give up pets when they can’t afford to pay for veterinary care for a pet’s illness. I sympathize with people on this one, since there is no place for pet owners to turn right now to get help with medical expenses for their pets.

8. Personal problems — Divorce, job loss, major injury, foreclosure on your home are many of the personal reasons people give for giving up pets. This is tough because certainly if you can’t pay your own bills, it may be tough to care for a pet properly.

9. Biting — When a dog bites, he’s usually out of the house. Although I think it matters why he might have bitten someone or if the bite was a real bite or a snap. Dogs that snap are often warning people they are stepping over the line and need some training. Dogs that bite can be a problem.

10. No homes for littermates — Many people refuse to spay or neuter their dogs and the result is a few litters a year. While the pet owner may be able to find a home for one or two of the puppies, more often than not, the remaining littermates end up at the animal shelter.

This list just emphasizes the fact that  dogs in shelters are sweet and loving,  deserving of a second chance.   Any type of dog you’re looking for can be found at the local shelter.  Big, small, adult, and puppies are available for adoption.

The beauty above is Dogster’s own Blizzard, he’s in the Greenville (OH) area and is available for adoption.   Isn’t it time you rock your world and adopt a new best friend?

A church in Weymouth, MA is now offering services for dog owners.  On Sunday, October 5 the church held  the first of its weekly “woof ‘n’ worship” services, which will be open to dogs and their owners.

“The idea came to me as I was sitting reading the Bible with my two dogs at my feet,” said the Rev. Rachel Bickford. “Psalm 150 says, ‘Praise the Lord, let everything that breathes, praise the Lord.’ And Psalm 148 reads, ‘Let all wild animals, creeping things and flying birds give God praise.’

“So I thought wouldn’t it be a wonderful thing to let all things praise God together and have families bring their dogs to church.”

I admire Rev. Bickford for being so open-minded and willing to try something a little different.

“Things are so tough on everyone right now that we forget to thank God for the good things and find the miracles of everyday life. Our animals always bring that. If you can’t pay the oil bill or had a bad day at work, your dog doesn’t care. He just thinks you’re wonderful. Dogs listen, they don’t talk back, and they give unconditional love. . . .

“I really see that as part of God’s blessing here on earth - to remind us what to be thankful for, and to find joy.”

The church was worried about allowing all dogs into the services, but Rev. Bickford did a bit of praying and a decision was made.  So, for all the Pit Bull lovers out there, don’t worry they can “woof n’ worship” too.

She’s pleased to report that all kinds of dogs will be welcome at the church, though they will have to be on leashes. When she first broached the idea, the church’s insurance company said pit bulls could not attend. But the church was able to pay a little more and win a dispensation for the breed, she said.

“This was something I had prayed about and thought about,” Bickford said of opening services to dogs. “Dogs bring such hope in a world where we’re surrounded by such hopelessness. As I’ve gone through my ministry, I’ve noticed how dogs change people’s lives. Studies show they can lower blood pressure. . . . And I thought it would be just so much fun.”

What a great story, we give Rev. Bickford two big paws up.  What do you think about bringing your dog to church?  Give me a bark.

Although this tip mentions teenage boys, it’s a good idea to be on the lookout for anyone that might be harming animals.  Here’s another great tip from our friends at Sunbear Squad.

WATCH TIP for week of Oct. 5

Watch and listen for signs of torture of cats or dogs by misguided teenage boys with nothing to do after school.
Be A Good Samaritan For Animals

Pepper, a 7-year- old Golden Retriever, disappeared last Christmas out of his Buckhead (GA) home.

While his owner’s, Liz and Stephen Carter, were away on vacation  Pepper  simply vanished into thin air.

All that changed when the Carters’ got a phone call last month.

“Do you have a dog named Pepper?” the stranger asked. “Yes. But we lost him on Dec. 23.”

“I have him,” the man replied.

The bigger shock: The call came from St. Petersburg, Fla., 425 miles from the Carters’ home.

“I was speechless,” Carter recalled Saturday. “I didn’t know what to do first.”

It’s not clear where Pepper was for nine months or how he got to Florida. Stephen and Liz Carter have no friends or relatives in the St. Petersburg area.

Pepper had walked into Jay Getman’s travel agency last month. Being a dog lover, Getman took a filthy flea ridden Pepper home to clean him up. A few days later he took him to the vet where the microchip was found, providing the Carters’ information.

After the phone call Liz Carter took a road trip to go pick-up Pepper and bring him home, where a very happy reunion ensued.

Back at home on West Paces Ferry Road, “he steals shoes and leaves them in exactly the same places he used to,” Liz Carter said, noting that Pepper got a clean bill of health at the vet last week. “It’s uncanny how he’s gotten back into normal life. He never missed a beat.”

Believing their beloved Pepper was gone for good, the Carters’  had adopted another Golden Retriever rescue into the family.  Now they have two wonderful dogs to love.  I wonder if they named this one Salt?

Any Dogsters out there have a lost and found story?  Give me a bark.

One of our Dogster friends, Mica, gave me a bark about the Animal Planet’s 2008 Hero of the Year.

Her big sister Mckenna has been an animal rescuer and advocate for decades. Presently she is working with “Project POOCH”, one of the nominees.

Joan Dalton, Project POOCH Founder and Director, has been selected as one of 10 finalists, out of over 10,000 nominations, for Animal Planet’s 2008 Hero of the Year!

Some Oregonians may know what this means, but Mica and I invite you to come see what it’s all about and why we ask for your support.

We hope you’ll vote for our ‘candidate’ of choice.  Although there undoubtedly are many worthy recipients, they don’t get this close to home where we CAN help make a difference every day.

I’ve read about each of the top 10 finalists, there are some amazing candidates.  I hope all the Dogsters out there will take a minute to visit Animal Planet and cast their vote, you have until October 13th.  To find out who wins, watch Animal Planet Heroes, Dec. 4 at 10PM e/p.