Remembering Our Pets – The Rainbow Bridge

Know how to treat and prevent this dangerous condition. ~ Robert Newman What is heatstroke? In simple terms, heatstroke occurs when a dog loses its natural ability to regulate its body temperature. Dogs don’t sweat all over their bodies the way humans do. Canine body temperature is primarily regulated through respiration (i.e., panting). If a dog’s respiratory tract cannot evacuate heat quickly enough, heatstroke can occur. To know whether or not your dog is suffering from heatstroke (as opposed to merely heat exposure), it’s important to know the signs of heatstroke. A dog’s normal resting temperature is about 100.5 to 102.5 degrees Fahrenheit. Once a dog’s temperature rises above 105 degrees, physiological changes start to take place, and the dog begins to experience the effects…

Dear God, please send me somebody who’ll care! I’m tired of running, I’m sick with despair. My body is aching; it’s so racked with pain, and dear God I pray, as I run in the rain. That someone will love me and give me a home, a warm cozy bed and a big juicy bone. My last owner tied me all day in the yard sometimes with no water, and God that was hard. So I chewed my leash, and I ran away. To rummage in garbage and live as a stray. But now God, I’m red and hungry and cold, and I’m so afraid that I’ll never grow old. They’ve chased me with sticks and hit me with stones, while I run the streets…

If you have lost or found a pet in Rutherford County, the best thing you can do is to get the word out in a hurry. If you have a picture of your pet, make flyers with large print of pet’s name, identifying marks or characteristics. Include the date and place your pet was last seen. Put them in places like the stores and Post Office near you. Post them at street corners. Call the local vets and describe your pet to them and then take posters for the veterinary offices. Check your flyers regularly to be sure they are still where you placed them and that they remain in good condition. Borrow a humane trap if your pet has been sited in a certain area. Check the…

~ By Rachel Seagrave To me, adoptable is almost indefinable. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, they say, and so it goes with the animals we love. And not just in terms of their outer beauty. There is no denying that a kitten or a puppy will get you every time with the cuteness factor. But what really drops me to my knees is the love of an old pet.  My ancient poodle would easily have been euthanized by most. Her hair wasn’t curly like it should be and she only had a couple teeth left. Her eyes unseeing, her head was almost always turned in anticipation of hearing my voice – which she would answer with her shrill little bark. All of…

~ By Jo Anne Benware Fostering dogs has been a joy for my husband and me – and for our dog Kirby! We have three cats who refuse to play with Kirby, although they’re gracious enough to tolerate him. So Kirby gets his fun and socializing from the parade of dogs and puppies that come in and out of our lives. Many of these dogs are strays who were starving – let go by their families to fend for themselves. With no real reason to hope that humans would be kind to them again, but still forever hopeful that someone…perhaps a boy or girl who needs a best friend…will give them their forever home. As much as I would love to adopt each and every…