Blind Joey Update - Great News

It was almost two years ago that I wandered into the shelter in downtown LA and found a small, black dog sitting all alone in the middle of a kennel. This dog intrigued me and I could not figure out why. I studied the dog and upon closer examination found out she was blind. A seven year old BLIND dog, dumped at the shelter... I was furious.

Joey would be one of my first rescues and one of my most memorable videos, check out her video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpQJ99ECGLg

I sent Joey off to a great rescue in New Orleans, Gypsy’s Eye Blind Dog Rescue. Michelle was an angel. We worked out the details and I flew Joey to her rescue a few days later. We kept in touch a bit, and I knew that Joey had found her home, but that was about it.

Then, just the other day, I received a message on facebook from Joey's new family. I got all choked up (of course)... and I want to share a little of the story with you here...

Hey Robert, I got your youtube message, but it thinks it's easier to send pics in a facebook message. Here's what my wife, Erin, wrote about Joey:

Cade had grown up with schnauzers and wanted to get one, but I was a cat person and thought a dog would be too much work. But I do love animals, and I’m big into animal rights. I gradually warmed up to the idea of a dog, but insisted that we rescue one, not buy one from a breeder. Cade began looking online and came across Joey, a partially blind schnauzer who had been sent to Louisiana from a shelter in California. We met with Michelle, who runs Gypsy’s Eye Blind Dog Rescue, and took Joey for a short visit. She was very wary at first but quickly got used to us. We grew to love her and decided to adopt her officially. Now she follows me around the house and growls at anyone who comes near me, including Cade! I still love my cat, but I am definitely a dog person now, too.

We groom her ourselves ... well, we try to. She won't let us get the clippers anywhere near her head. So she has a giant, fluffy head until we get her to Petsmart or someplace for some expert grooming.

And the attached picture is me and my wife at a dog birthday party with Joey.

Welcome to Kentucky - where killing a dog ain't a crime

Is this picture disturbing to you? I received it in an email from a fellow rescue working. Seems a guy in Kentucky gets in a fight with his wife and then decides to kill her dog. Guess this is the same area of the US where not too long ago a black man could be hung and not much would be done about it. The lowest common denominator in this is how we see fellow animals. Lets face one thing right here the only thing that separates us from our fellow animals, be they human, feathered, furry or swimming is OUR consciousness. Is it right to denigrate a human based on the color of their skin or their sex? Is abusing animals ok because they can't vote? That is the question to ask. Why aren't animals given a right, because they can't serve a greater purpose in our selfish world.

This picture outrages me to no extent, as the animal was killed by no fault of its own. It was a loving pet of a person who was with a moron of a boyfriend. Should we also look at the situation that most acts of violence against animals is committed by men? Could that be something to look at? Cowards who kill animals with weapons because they are too cowardice to look at their lives with a grip of reality. Do I suppose that murdering this dog will lead to solving the problems, no!

Even more disturbing, the dog will be taken down, probably disposed of and that will be that. All the stupid people that are involved in this including the alleged suspect, the cop who would do nothing, the police chief who turns a cold shoulder, the governor who cares more about elections than compassion will go on in their selfish lives. Why? Because it ain't a crime to kill a dog that is a nuisance in Kentucky. If this outrages you, stop for a minute and think what you can do to change the world. Can your vote, your voice make a difference? Can you take the time to stand up for a creature that can not stand up for itself? Will you do this before its too late? Will you feel shame to do this in front of your friends who will tell you "It ain't cool to talk like that."?

Look at the picture and ask yourself, "If I was there, would I have stopped it?" This is not the first time I've seen this type of lunacy. I've seen videos of people shooting dogs and worse. If you want to do something about this dog named DUSTY, put in a call to the governor of Kentucky: http://governor.ky.gov/ As them why its not a crime in Kentucky to shoot a dog?

in memory of a wasted life....

We Love Our Pets

Soo.... lets figure this out. Someone drops this little guy at the shelter and basically leaves him to die. I get an email from my good friend Kim, who is an angel to any animal in need. The pleas go around and PeiPeople steps up to take him. Thank GOD! Now lets examine the facts.

This little guy is is covered with mange. Mange is a relatively easily treatable condition in dogs... when it is caught early. Look at this poor dog and tell me when you think it might be early enough. To what level can some selfish human allow a dog to get to before its time to do something. Did they think it was gonna go away? There are plenty of vets and vet clinics that work at reduced rates. There are numbers available at local shelters. I would say farm more of these services are available to animals than middle income Americans. But, the question remains, who would take a dog in this kind of condition to a pound? What is wrong with humans.

The good news in this post is that through the efforts of many HUEY will be saved. Please help PeiPeople by donating. They need to raise about $750 to pull this off, and its not that much money. visit their website, they are good friends of mine and do great work. I support them and hope you will too.
www.peipeople.com