BEAR WITH US

Regardless of the rumours you may have heard, our little rescue is not closing .

It is , however , in the midst of a huge crisis .

The cats will all be housed under one roof for now and any dogs not in foster homes will be boarded.

We wont be doing any intake until further notice. Period. We have no space for cats or kittens at this time . We may be able to assist with any dog emergencies but that will be determined by volunteer staff.

If you have trouble contacting us, you can leave a message with Karen, 519-423-9890.

We have called on several rescues to assist us and thankfully they have responded favourably.

We have pressing issues that need addressing . When those issues are resolved we will announce our new contacts.

Meanwhile, we still need your donations of towels, blankets, cat carriers, dog and cat food, toys and litter. If you can volunteer for cat care at the catery, please contact us right now : companionanimalrescue_oxford@execulink.com.

We refuse to give up on Oxford County. We CAN make a difference. We WILL continue.

Thank you
Heather Blancher
Director
C.A.R.O.
www.caro.petfinder.com

Global Pet

Global Pet, Woodstock has supported us from day one, and continue to surprise us with even more goodwill and donations.Tena and her staff have adopted our little group and have cooked up a get together at the store. We recently had several pregnant cats dumped in our lap , so to speak . When I told Tena, she flew into action . She contacted her suppliers for food donations , put up a Wish list in the store and now is having a `HOT DOG DAY` for us.

We have saved as many kittens as we could, since the moms weren`t in great shape . They wont be ready for adoption for a few more weeks as they were all very tiny and need the extra time to grow. Donated monies went on KMR , litter , canned food , and meds for the kitty families.

We still need to have all these new additions vetted before they can be adopted .

Please , if you are in Woodstock on May 15, stop by the store for a gab with me and my rescue friends and grab a hot dog. I`ll be the blue person outside the store with the smile frozen on my face . Its supposed to stay cold. I`d rather spend a day in the cold than see these cats and kittens fending for themselves in bad weather and without food.

Its more like a family outing for me as I feel like part of the Global family. I`d love to see any adopted rescues come out with their new family to help me spread the word about animal adoption and all the perks that go with it. Hope to see you there . If you have questions, I`m always available.

Hope to see you there . If you have questions, I`m always available.

PLEASE CROSS POST FAR AND WIDE. This is about saving lives of unwanted animals. And ask me about `No Kill `

Our puppies are 1 year old!

It's so hard to believe that Willow and Storm just turned 1! Seems like a few weeks ago we came and got them from you. I thought I would send this picture so you can see we don't spoil our girls too much with a birthday party (my grand daughter is a party planner!) and special made puppy cakes (kibble, yogurt & carrots) They thought it was ok but I don't think they were real keen on the hats!

Just wanted you to see how the girls are doing.

Take care & all the best in your endeavours.

Brenda, Chris & Willow, Gord & Storm

Molly Update

Hi Heather!

Just thought I'd give you an update on how Wonderful Molly is doing.

She was terrific in the car on the way home from your place and has continued to be perfect in the car ever since. Maybe she was a trucker in her last life? Anyways, it was good insight into her calm and patient personality. She's just about the best-behaved dog either of us have ever met. On our first weekend we did a needed run to the pet store to buy the essentials and, after a very unsuccessful attempt to get her into our bathtub, took a trip to the dog groomer's for a big old scrub in their tub. She actually did really well in the bathing place there, and only became jumpy when we tried to blow-dry her fur. Molly does not like blow dryers.

This week was Quality Time with Dad. Brock and Molly spend the whole day together every day, giving him a nice audience member while he works on the house and Molly some company too. I've been coming home at lunch every day as well, so we all spend lots of time together. We also spend that time walking. And walking. And walking and walking and walking. We were pretty excited for the first couple of days and took her for, gulp, 5 walks both days, then realized that maybe we were overdoing it. Now we're all cooling it down to 3 walks/day and letting her play in the back yard for the rest of her outside time. She's found two Corgies two houses down and will give them 3 little woofs if they're outside when she's out there, but no more than that.

Molly also had her first visit to the Royal City vet on Thursday. They said that she's healthy as can be, a great find. She weighed in at, get ready for it, 99 lbs. So now she's dieting (4 cups of kibble + 1/2 can of wet food every day) and exercising regularly, and should lose the 15 lbs. or so over the next number of months to a year.

Personality-wise, Molly is a gem. She doesn't feel like any responsibility, more like having a 30-year-old friend in the house. She LOVES being brushed, and loves her family time. If Brock and I are lying on the couch together, she'll come over and flop her head up against the closest part of me that she can find and reach her front paw out to touch the closest part of Brock she can find. We think it's her version of a group hug. Very cute. She sits, she stays perfectly, she shakes a paw, she lies down, she knows to go to her mat when she comes in the house so we can wipe her feet off, she doesn't go anywhere she knows she shouldn't or do anything she knows she shouldn't do - she really is a perfect dog.

Thanks again for taking her in. You've provided us with a much-loved new family member.

Kate, Brock and Molly

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

The past year has been a blur for us with so many cats and dogs coming and going. Now is the time to reflect on what we have achieved and where we need improvement. One area that we definitely cannot improve on is the ongoing support from certain people who believe in us.

Carol, who found Sassy in the dump and set up an account for us at Global Pet.

Teena and the ladies at Global for donations of anything that isn't nailed down all year.

Gerda who will drive hours to deliver a load of much needed food and blankets to us.

Wendy at Cranberry Kennels who believes all animals deserve a second chance.

Dave for his encouragement and assistance with our site.

Cheryl for taking on our extra dogs and placing them in terrific homes.

Linda for always having room for one more even when she`s full to the max.

Amanda who convinced her company to donate a good chunk of money to us.

Our vets in Norwich and Tillsonburg who are on call 24/7 when we have a sick pup or kitten and never say they haven't time for us.

Lewis and Nikita thank you most of all for their lives.

The good people who choose to remain anonymous and have paid on our vet bill.

And everyone who has dropped some change into our donation boxes.

We say “God Bless You. May He grant you peace and love for all time”

Winter Again?

Didn't we just get finished with winter?

Time has a tendency of getting lost for some of us.

We have spent the past six months caring for our charges and begging for funds to do it with. A large corporate donation gave us a boost and helped pay off some of our vet bill. We've had several dogs come and go, mostly to another rescue since we have few fosters and little money. But, we certainly haven't given up.

Is obesity in animals considered cruelty? Or is it compensation for not spending time with a pet? Whatever it means to each of us still has to be dealt with. A very well mannered older female dog came into care, facing death by a family that hadn't taken her to a vet since she was a youngster and because she was too fat to play any longer. For the cost of a blood test and a mere $15 a month, this dog will once again be able to run and play. She has hypothyroidism. Not unusual and not deadly unless left untreated. The poor girls legs could hardly hold her and her ankles would swell making it difficult for her to walk. More later about Nikita.

An older gentleman asked us to take in two pups or he was going to drown them. His reason? They didn't look husky enough. They will be up for adoption shortly. We took him some food last week for his huge dog family to find that two of the mother dogs had died, leaving 6 pups. While we were there we noticed several packages of open Warfarin and suspect that the moms had ingested some of it. We now have them as well. The three smaller ones need some extra time in care but Dr. Pet Vet says they are fine. So, you see, we are still here, fighting the good fight and praying that money will be there when we need it.

We were going to discontinue assisting kittys but there are just too many out in the world alone that needed us. We are right now trying to sort out who to post first and madly trying to find the money to get neutering done before there are more kittens to care for. We try to help Cranberry Kennels when we have an opening and this year we brought in 4 pregnant cats from there so she had some breathing room for the hundred others that have landed at that one pound.

It would be a good Christmas present if we could find someone who would work for free, 24/7, who had tons of personality, and lots of money contacts to run some sort of fundraising programme for us. Until that miracle happens, we still need your help to pay the bills. I know things are rough all over but even a few bucks or some kitten or puppy food would help us out immensely.

I have no idea why some of our dogs have been with us so long. They are much loved but really need homes of their own.

Both Shadow and Maddy would be excellent companions for someone who chooses not to run marathons and instead take time to enjoy the closeness these two older dogs offer. Please see them in the drop down menu.

Update on Bagels the Beagle

Bagels the Beagle has been on the minds of many Beagle lovers since I posted his story. Inquiries as to his health come in daily. This surprises me as I don't think of many people actually reading our home page. They want to see the animals so click past the postings. I am wrong and am very happy about that.

Rescuers are all unique and all have their own ideas of what needs to be done for each individual animal. No two dogs or cats are alike or need the same family types or vet care.

I have sat here for hours stewing on how we could afford Bagels surgery, planning fund raisers, going greyer. Oh me of little faith. The same day that little Rooster went to the bridge, my friend Robin from Grand River All Breed Rescue, contacted me and asked if they could take on Bagel and rehab him. I guess one of her foster homes is a beagle fanatic ( a good thing in a world full of hounds) and begged her to give this little guy the chance to walk right again. In my grieving mind, it was hard for me to comprehend what she was asking at first. After a few more emails, I had to smile and that smile turned into gratitude, both for Rooster and for Bagels.

Only a rescuer can truly feel the pains and needs of another rescuer.

Bagels will be going to his new foster home next week to begin his journey to health. Thank you just doesn't say enough.

To everyone who has emailed, prayed and wished us well, know that your thoughts made the difference. Please bear with us on OUR journey of love and hope for all the animals.
Heather Blancher
Director

What's My Name

Hello humans and fur friends.

I was chasing a bunny in some woods and got caught in a wire snare. I pulled and tugged and got free of it but I was lost. I didn't know where my family went. I wandered around the woods for a long time, eating whatever I could find. A man came with a wire box that had food in it. When I went in to eat the food, the door shut and the man took me to a big room with soft stuff on the floor where I stayed warm and ate some more. Then I went to see another man that poked me with something that made me feel woozy. I went back to the big comfy room for more days. My family didn't come.

Some Odd Lady came in one day to talk to me and the next thing I knew she had me at her house on a soft bed with other dogs and cats all over the place. She keeps poking a box at me that lights up every time I look at it. But she is happy with whatever it is I seem to be doing. My leg doesn't hurt as much since the man took that wire out of it but I still can`t walk right. I hope the Odd Lady doesn't want to take me for a long walk or she'll have to carry me. I heard her talking to someone on the phone about my leg and something called an operation, whatever that is.

It's been so long since I've seen my family that I forget what my name is. Can you give me one please? The Odd Lady will be able to read the new ones to me and I'll pick the one I like best. Oh, and I love the little snacks she gives me, if you have any spare ones, please.

You can contact her here: companionanimalrescue_oxford@execulink.com

Pets and Tenants Rights

Pets are for life. Natural life. Their natural life. We animal people know this, don't we? With the unsettled economy, many of our friends have to downsize. We have some information that you could pass on to them regarding their furkids. Please tell them that "YES" they can keep their pets no matter where they are moving to. Here`s the proof.

From the Ontario Tenants Rights Homepage:

PETS AND "NO PETS CLAUSES":
Q6: The landlord says I must either move out or get rid of my pet; Do I?
A6: Only if the pet is dangerous, causes allergic reactions or causes problems for other tenants or the landlord, must you get rid of your pet or consider moving elsewhere as per Landlord application to terminate tenancy based on animals. Even if you signed a lease with a "no pets" clause, if the pet is not a problem for anybody they can not enforce it; such no pets clauses are invalid under the law. You do not have to move or get rid of the pet unless the Board issues a written order to do so.

Landlords Tenat Act -"No pet" provisions void
14. A provision in a tenancy agreement prohibiting the presence of animals in or about the residential complex is void.
2006, c. 17, s. 14.

Lets help the animals stay with their families. There is no need to sell, give or turn over any of these creatures. Ontario may be a bit out of step but they do not allow discrimination just because you have a Fido or Fluffy.
Please tell them today.
And p.s..You don’t need a lease to ensure this right to keep your pets

Update on Mary the Cat

Well, I guess even the best of vets can make mistakes. Mary was not pregnant after all even though the vet gave us ball park delivery date. I bet several of you have contacted Michelle and were disappointed, but don't worry, spring is coming and we`ll have another pile of kittens for you to ooooooooo and ahhhhhhhhhh over. Many good people still aren't getting the spay/neuter message which is too bad . For the cats and kittens. But Mary still needs a home . As soon as we get an updated picture of her, we`ll post her.