At the shelter

A little of this-and-that from the shelter: Santa Paws (pet photos with Santa) will be held on Saturday, Dec. 5, at The Pet Stop. More details to follow. 'Red' the red-heeler who went to the prison in Central Kentucky in the Death Row Dog program, has been thoroughly trained and is now a companion dog who will fetch to help a handicapped person. We are thankful he was selected. When a pet is adopted from our shelter, two lives are saved: the one who is adopted and the one who takes its place. We are always appreciative of everyone's donations. The 4-H Club recently held Giving Day and donated 50 bags of cat litter, two live humane traps and a bag of towels.

Here are some staggering figures for you. According to the Humane Society of the United States, one female dog, through herself and her offspring, can produce 67,000 puppies in a six-year period. A female cat can churn out 420,000. Do the math. In any calendar year, 25 million dogs and cats are born in this country. Only one in every eight dogs born finds a home; only one in every 10 cats. We take in 100 pets a week, sometimes more, 52 weeks a year. This past Saturday, we took in 16 dogs, plus some cats. This will never change until people become responsible pet owners and spay or neuter. It is heartbreaking to have wonderful pets that have to be euthanized simply because there are not enough people to adopt them and we have run out of room. It is never ending.

The following two dogs have been at the shelter too long. Their time is up and they are desperately seeking loving homes. They have been previously featured and this is their last chance. If you have room in your home for a pet, please consider them. #49580, 'Sadie,' is a bouncy, cute basset/mix who is brindle colored. She is a happy dog, full of life, and is very affectionate. Please give her a second chance. #49767, 'Andy,' is a buff-colored yellow lab. He is calm and would make a perfect devoted companion dog. He is very loving and so hopeful someone will want him. #49699 is 'Nellie,' a heartworm-negative chocolate spaniel. She is such a sweet little girl and gets so excited when someone stops by her cage and talks to her. Nellie would make an excellent indoor family/companion pet. #49733 'Red,' a redbone coonhound, is heartworm negative and a charmer. Like most coonhounds, the redbone derives from foxhound ancestors. Scottish immigrants brought red foxhounds to America in the late 1700s, and they may have formed the basis of the breed. George Birdsong, a hunter from Georgia, influenced the breed's development in the 1840s. Early dogs were crossed with Red Irish Foxhounds and called Saddlebacks because they tended to be red with black saddles. However, breeders emphasized color for several generations, preferring the solid-colored red dogs. The breed became known as Redbone Coonhounds either in recognition of its color or after Peter Redbone, a Tennessee promoter of the breed. In 1902 the redbone became the second coonhound breed recognized by the UKC. Almost 100 years later, in 2001, the AKC admitted it into its Miscellaneous class. Redbones are generally easygoing, gentle dogs. They want to be with their people, are eager to please and get along well with people, children, and dogs. (Source: Coile's Encyclopedia of Dog Breeds) We have three rows of runs filled with equally deserving dogs. Please visit the shelter and meet them. Their lives depend upon adoption.

Our three cat rooms are full of pretty cats and adorable kittens. Please stop by The Pet Stop and see a selection of shelter cats and kittens offered for adoption. Check us out on Dyerhumae.org or petfinder.com. Type 38024 zip. The Pet Stop's "Almost Home" rescue has saved 351 shelter dogs since Sept. 12, 2008. Many of these dogs would have been euthanized due to lack of people to adopt them. Jill Joyner's "One Step Closer to Home" is a friend to the shelter, also. Jill rescues many of our pets who languish at the shelter because they are heartworm positive or other reasons. She also saves four-legged friends in the West Tennessee area and acts as a sister to all larger rescues.

A wonderful way to honor and remember your loved ones and beloved pets is by making a tax-deductible donation to the shelter. Please specify how your donation should be directed. The Beagley Fund (heartworm treatment) is depleted and in need of replenishing. Heartworm-positive dogs face certain death without treatment. Other options are Save a Life Makeover (professional grooming), General Fund, and Memorials. Help us keep our doors open and help local homeless pets. Please mail your donations to Dyersburg-Dyer County Humane Society, P.O. Box 223, Dyersburg, TN 38025-0223.

We love our volunteers and the animals love the attention while they are waiting for a forever home. Join us today and hand out treats and toys, walk dogs, bathe pets, socialize, or whatever way you would like to help, on your schedule. We always appreciate donations and supplies such as dog blankets, canned food for special-needs cats and dogs, dry cat/dog food, bath towels, and regular litter.

The Dyersburg-Dyer County Humane Society is located at 1120 E. Court and phone number is 285-4889. Shelter hours are 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday through Friday and 9 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturday.