Tag Archives: BtC4A

Adorable adoptables in northern Virginia: Coonhound edition

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As I mentioned last week, every Sunday I’ll be featuring adoptable pets from local rescue groups.  In particular, I’ll be sharing adorable adoptables from the Humane Society of Fairfax County (HSFC) and A Forever Home Rescue Foundation (A Forever Home).

This week, I’m featuring two Coonhound mixes.  Did you know that Coonhounds fall into that dreaded “less adoptable” category that makes it harder for them to find homes?  (As always, I’m convinced that “less adoptable” really means “awesome but people are too dumb to see it.”)  Check out this week’s post about Coonhound Companions over at Be the Change for Animals to learn more about this awesome breed.

Now, allow me to introduce you to some adorable Coonhounds who are looking for their forever homes…


First up, meet Scupper!  This guy is a Coonhound mix, and he’s approximately 3 years old.  Here’s his bio from A Forever Home:

“Scupper is a sweet boy with a great personality. He’s completely crate
and house trained. He loves to play tug-o-war with his foster brother
Bailey. Even though he’s skinny he’s a fairly tall dog, so he would do
best in a home with older children. Scupper would greatly appreciate a
new home with active people and a fenced back-yard for play time, and he
would make an ideal running partner. Scupper does have a little fear
of certain dogs and some men, however, I have not had any problem with
him when there’s been a proper introduction. Scupper takes a while to
bond with his caretakers, but once he does he’s forever yours, and has a
great memory for people. Please come visit him at the next adoption
event.”

If Scupper sounds like the running buddy for you, visit A Forever Home for more information or email Info@aforeverhome.org.  To view the other pets available for adoption at A Forever Home, click here.

A Forever Home also has a weekly adoption event at the PetCo in Chantilly.  For the address and to find out more info, click here. 
(If you have your eye on a specific pet, please email for information
first – not all pets will be at the weekly event.  However, there are a
lot of awesome pets in need of homes, so if you’re in the neighborhood,
stop by and meet some of them!)

Up next, meet Connie!  This lovely lady is also a Coonhound mix, and she weighs approximately 45 pounds.  Here’s her bio from HSFC:

“They don’t get any sweeter than Connie unless you dip
her in sugar. She’s a Black and Tan Coonhound and one look into her eyes
will have you hooked forever. She did not had a good life before coming
to us. She was emaciated when she came into our care and very
frightened. She has gained weight and learned to trust us completely.
Her personality shines through more and more each day. She’s great with
other dogs, is only a year old and tries her best to please you. Please
give this sweetheart a chance to show you how wonderful she is. Send in
your dog adoption application today and get ready to be loved
unconditionally.
Attributes: Super Sweet Missy!”

 

If you’re interested in meeting Connie, visit the HSFC website for more information on how to experience her sweetness in person.  To view the other pets available for adoption at HSFC, click here.
Do you have room in your home (and your heart) for one of these pups?  Then contact HSFC or A Forever Home.  If you know someone else who might be in the market for an awesome companion, please share this post.  Let’s find some homes for these great pups!


Bios and photos used with permission from HSFC and A Forever Home.

 

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Another trip down Memory Lane for #My7Links

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Last month, I was notified by Katie from Tripbase that I had been nominated to take part in My 7 Links.  (A huge and belated thanks to Kim from This One Wild Life for the nomination – sadly, it took me this long to write the post.  Oops…)

The goal of My 7 Links?  “To unite bloggers (from all sectors) in a joint endeavor to share
lessons learned and create a bank of long but not forgotten blog posts
that deserve to see the light of day again.”  Sounds like fun, right?  Here we go…

1.  My most beautiful post

This was kind of a tough call – I think that a lot of the photos I’ve shared of Bella are quite beautiful. (I’m biased, I know.)  However, I decided to go with something a bit wordier: “Lend me your eyes and I’ll write you a blog.” 

2.  My most popular post

According to my stats, my most popular post (based on page views) was one from my recent series recapping the BlogPaws pet blogger conference.  Specifically, the post entitled “BlogPaws Episode 2: Say hello to my not so little friends,” in which I discussed listening to the guys from Rescue Ink give the keynote on the first day of the conference.

(My photo post “Leave(s) it to Bella” was a very close second in the page views category, while I received the most comments on “Take a look at me now,” a post I did as part of the Pet Blogger challenge reflecting on my blogging experience.)

3.  My most controversial post

I’m not the most controversial of bloggers. (I love puppies and cupcakes and spend way too much time talking about pop culture, after all.)  However, I think that the post that qualifies as most controversial is probably “Dogs in hot cars: when will it stop?”  The story I shared in that post was horrifying on so many levels and did inspire some debate.

4.  My most helpful post

I’m not sure I’m that helpful either.  However, I was a bit torn on which post to list here – some of my recent BlogPaws posts have contained some useful information, but I wanted to go with something a bit older.  I do think that “Bella: the Great Houndini” was a pretty useful post – I shared some of our methods of Bella containment and I think that the ideas there would be helpful for others dealing with their own crafty canines.

5.  A post whose success surprised me

As you may know, I have a regular feature that I call No Frown Friday.  These posts are kind of a hodgepodge of things depending on what I have on the brain that week.  I never really know which ones will strike a chord and which ones will fly under the radar.  I find it interesting that the most popular of these posts has such an unassuming title: “That’s one way to stay cool.”

(Also interesting – the most commented on Friday post was “Appreciate a squirrel today.”  Guess it’s not always puppies around here.)

6.  A post I feel didn’t get the attention it deserved

This one was kind of a tough call.  There are many posts from the early days of the blog that never really saw much traffic.  If I had to pick one, I’d probably choose “She’s cute, but…”  This post is a perfect introduction to Bella.

7.  The post that I am the most proud of

I knew that the post I selected for this category would be one where I was blogging the change for animals or sharing an important cause.  I think I’ve settled on this one: “Blog the Change: Pets of the Homeless” (the first time I mentioned that particular cause on the blog).  I think that this is a really important organization, and I’m dedicated to spreading the word about it.  (I discussed it again as part of the recent Pay it Forward blog hop.)

So, those are my links.  Now, for the fun part – nominating five others to participate!  After checking the list of bloggers nominated so far, I think I’m not duplicating… if so, my apologies.  Anyway, I’m nominating these great bloggers:

Happy Monday!

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Less adoptable? Super awesome is more like it

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In honor of Petfinder’s Adopt-a-Less-Adoptable-Pet Week, I’m dedicating this week’s No Frown Friday to the less adoptable pets out there. This week’s motto?  Appreciate, don’t discriminate!

  1. Punny pet name:  Mike-howl Ian Black.
  2. Did you see my guest post on Grouchy Puppy earlier this week?  If not, check out 10 great reasons to adopt an older dog.
  3. Even better, Sharon from Grouchy Puppy did a guest post here as well (check it out if you missed it).  Remember: when it comes to senior dogs, appreciate, don’t discriminate! (For a host of senior dog resources, I also recommend that you visit Daley’s Dog Years.)
  4. Also among the less adoptable? Pop over to Something Wagging to learn about tripod dogs (a.k.a. dogs with three legs).  Don’t get too cocky – I have a feeling that many of them could beat me (and probably you) in a race.  You can also read about more special needs pets at Bessie Mac, Bringing up Bella, and browndog cbr.
  5. I’ve talked about Black Dog Syndrome before and introduced you to some of the awesome black dogs from my past.  Check out this post at the Northern Virginia Dog Blog for more info.
  6. Do any of your pets (past or present) fit into the less adoptable (a.k.a. “awesome but people are too dumb to see it”) category?  Tell me about them!  (You can also stroll down memory lane with some other bloggers this week, like Kim from This One Wild Life and Dr. V from Pawcurious.)
  7. Dawn from Affurmation shares why she prefers adopting those so-called less adoptable pets.  It’s a great reason!
  8. Warning: this story from Amazon Cares about the special bond between a less adoptable pet and his human might bring tears to your eyes.  (I promised no frowns, but I said nothing about happy tears.)
  9. Kim from CindyLu’s Muse reminds us why different is beautiful.
  10. As Marg’s Pets will tell you, it’s not just dogs that have to deal with this label.  Learn the facts about FIV-positive cats at Brian’s Home and check out some black cats at House of Carnivores and The Chronicles of Cardigan.

We end today’s post with a video of one of those less adoptable pets…

Based on how cute this “less adoptable” black dog is, I can only conclude one thing… people are crazy.

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BlogPaws Episode 6: Community & camera capers

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My series of posts on BlogPaws has more episodes than some TV shows… apparently I had quite a bit to say!

Anyway, it’s time to recap Day 2.  I was running a tad behind, but I managed to grab some breakfast and slip in just as the keynote speaker was getting started.  The morning began with a talk by Heidi Ganahl, the Top Dog at Camp Bow-Wow, which sounds like a pretty fun place for a pup to spend a day or an evening.

Heidi is quite the impressive entrepreneur as well as a philanthropist.  Her speech was quite inspirational; she shared the experience of losing her husband at the age of 27 and the journey that eventually led to the creation of Camp Bow-Wow.

For more on Heidi, check out her website and then read this pre-BlogPaws interview that Grouchy Puppy did with Heidi.  If you’re interested in finding out if there’s a Camp Bow-Wow near you, check here.  You can also check out the Bow Wow Buddies Foundation, a nonprofit arm that is involved in some great causes.

After listening to Heidi, I should have gone to a breakout session. I planned to – and from what I heard, the offerings in the first time slot were great.  However, I ended up hanging out with Diane and Cosmo from To Dog With Love and a few other bloggers, including Tamar from I Have Cat and Donna (and her pup Yaxley) from Raising a Super Dog.

Cosmo
Yaxley

I got so distracted by talking (and by cute puppies and that adorable kitten Tamar is holding in the photo above) that I completely missed the first session.  The dangers of being chatty, I suppose.

I got back on track in time for the second session of the day.  There were a few I was interested in, but I’m very happy with the one I chose, entitled “No Blog is an Island: Tools to Build Traffic & Community.”  The session was presented by Felissa Elfenbein from Two Little Cavaliers and Neil Brogan from Life with Dogs.  Neil was unable to make it in person.  However, thanks to the wonders of technology, he joined us via phone. While waiting for the session to start, I talked it up with Lisa the Pet Book Lady.  So glad I got to meet her!

The session began with an absolutely awesome video.  Seriously.  Go watch it.  I’ll still be here when you’re done.

Now that you’re back, a few notes about the session itself.  We had a great discussion of the concept of community, which led to last week’s Pay it Forward Blog Hop.  (I still plan to find some great guests posts from you from the hop… my to do list is just taking longer than I thought!  However, one of the lessons I took from the session was that guest posting is a great way for us to build on each others’ ideas within the greater community.) 

A few other highlights:

  • If you have the choice, go for threaded rather than flat comments.  (If you’re like me, “threaded comments” was a new phrase. However, you know how on some blogs you can reply to specific comments rather than just replying at the end of the discussion?  Those are threaded comments – discussions rather than just a linear list.  Blogger doesn’t offer this option.)
  • Follow the Golden Rule – deal with troublemakers quickly.  Consider posting rules for behavior so that your readers know your comment policy.  Don’t spend time arguing with your community members.
  • Don’t be the loudest voice in the conversation.
  • If you would consider it SPAM, don’t do it to your followers.

After that interesting session (complete with Felissa’s retelling of the Stone Soup folk story – a timeless classic in my book), I headed to lunch.  While eating, we were treated to a special presentation from BZTAT (a.k.a. Vicky Boatright).  She teamed up with Miah from Start the Change for a very moving performance.  Go visit BZTAT’s website to learn more about Okey’s Promise. I also recommend this great post about Okey’s Promise over at Bocci’s Beefs.

Oh, and did I mention that Saturday morning was when my fun photo shoot with Pamela and Honey from Something Wagging this Way Comes took place?  It was a good time!

Up next… one last session, finally meeting up with the fabulous lady behind Grouchy Puppy, and some closing thoughts.  We’re in the home stretch!

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BlogPaws Episode 5: Blogging with the stars

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Previously… I ate some cheesecake and finished the educational portion of Day 1.

After learning about various bloggy things, the first day of sessions was over.  It was time to head back out into that big lobby and chat it up once again before our screening of Spooky Buddies.  Luckily, I quickly encountered Kim from This One Wild Life, who was kind enough to allow me to be her wingwoman (wingblogger?) for the evening.

We grabbed a glass of wine (farewell to my final drink ticket) and some popcorn (in my book, wine goes with anything) while we waited for the evening’s festivities to get underway.

After mingling for a bit, the doors opened and we headed inside.  We picked up some movie snacks and grabbed a seat a few rows from the front.  Little did we know that the rows in front of us would later be removed and we’d be in the very first row… not that I’m complaining, but it was somewhat unexpected.  Anyway, Kim and I chatted for a while about this and that – it was like hanging out with an old friend.  (Kim, feel free to correct me in the comments if you thought it was more like hanging out with an annoying person who won’t go away… I kid, I kid.)

Here’s the coolest part… not long before the movie began, Kim and I checked our Twitter feeds (hey, it’s a blogging conference) to find out the results of the Petties (it’s like the Oscars, but for pet blogs).  Be the Change for Animals (which Kim co-founded) won for Best Cause Blog!  It was a pretty amazing moment – and fortunately, the BlogPaws photographer happened to swing by at the perfect time and get it on camera.

(Check out her acceptance speech – Be the Change for Animals donated its $1,000 to Best Friends Animal Society.  Pretty great, huh?)

Not long after that, it was time for the movie premiere of Spooky Buddies – BlogPaws was the first press screening in the country.  I’ll admit, I’ve never seen any of the other movies in the franchise, so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect.

The basic story – the five main characters (a.k.a the Buddies, a group of five adorable Golden Retriever puppies) encounter the legend of the Howl-oween Hound and must stop Warwick the Warlock’s evil plan before it’s too late.

The movie was cute… not necessarily one I would have sought out on my own, but I definitely think kids would like it.  I actually enjoyed it – there was something about the crowd (including dogs barking at the screen) that just made it a fun experience.  Here’s the trailer:

Obviously, I’m not the only blogger writing up her thoughts on her Spooky Buddies experience these days.  For a few more, go visit Bocci’s Beefs (and find out how many stand-ins each puppy had on set), My Tail Hurts from Wagging So Much (for an interview with the director), and The Chronicles of Cardigan (for a firsthand account of what it was like to watch the movie with your pups). 

After the movie, it was time for a Q&A session with the director.  I have to imagine that working with kids and puppies is quite the challenge, but he really seemed to enjoy it.

Once the Q&A ended, we had the opportunity to get our photo taken
with one of the stars – an adorable puppy dressed in a bunny costume. 
The photographer wasn’t very quick on the draw – which didn’t work so
well when a tired puppy was involved.

In the interest of getting these
photos done quickly so that the pup could get out of his duds and take a
nap, Kim and I did our photo as a duo.  Once I have a copy, I’ll
definitely share it here.

Once that was all done, Kim invited me to crash a Greenies happy hour that she was invited to attend at the hotel bar.  I was a bit hesitant, but I’m glad I let her talk me into it.  I had a fantastic time chatting with Doreen from Doggies and Stuff, Jess from Indy Dog Blog (a party crasher like me), and others.

Eventually, it was time for me to say goodnight and head home.  After I got home, I snuggled with Bella and caught up on Project Runway.

One day down, one more to go.  I was able to attend the second day, but I did end up ducking out a bit early due to the hurricane. Never fear, I still have lots to tell you.

Up next?  More sessions, some great speakers, a photo shoot or two, and meeting up with some more of my favorite bloggers.

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Pay it forward: Pets of the Homeless

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Last weekend at BlogPaws, I attended a great session by Felissa from Two Little Cavaliers and Neil from Life with Dogs.  I’ll be posting a bit more about the session in another post – I have a few more BlogPaws recaps in the queue, after all.

However, at that session we discussed the idea of community – what the word meant and how we as a community could help each other raise awareness and share each other’s causes.  From that discussion came the inspiration for today’s Pay if Forward Blog Hop.  Today, pet bloggers are sharing one (or more) of the causes that they are passionate about and adding it to the blog hop.  Then, those participating in the blog hop or reading through the posts can offer to help out with causes they are interested in or even solicit some guest posts for their blogs.  I will definitely be checking out the other causes, and I may approach a few bloggers about doing some guests posts to share their causes with you.  I’ve included the list for the blog hop at the end of this post – so I hope you’ll also take a moment to see what everyone is talking about today.

Today, I’m sharing a cause I’ve written about before.  I’d like to tell you about a group called Pets of the Homeless.  This nonprofit organization provides pet food and veterinary care to the homeless and less fortunate in local communities across the United States and Canada. For my last birthday, I told all of my friends not to buy me gifts.  If they absolutely felt the need to bring something, I asked that they bring a bag of dog food instead.  I then donated this dog food to Pets of the Homeless.  I couldn’t have asked for a better birthday gift – the chance to make a difference for pets (and their people) in need.

Imagine, if you will, that due to circumstances beyond your control, you find yourself homeless.  What do you do with your pet?  Your pet gets sick.  You can’t afford veterinary care.  Where do you go?  Or, let’s say you are currently homeless and encounter a stray dog who becomes your companion.  The nearest homeless shelter doesn’t allow pets.  Do you go to the shelter and leave your companion to fend for himself? 

These are tough choices.  Choices that I hope none of us ever have to make.  However, many people do have to make these choices on a regular basis.  Pets of the Homeless notes that the National Coalition for the Homeless estimates that as many as 3.5 million Americans are homeless.  Between 5 to10 percent of homeless people have dogs or cats – in some areas that number may be as high as 24 percent.

There are many reasons people end up homeless, including foreclosure, poverty, domestic violence, lack of affordable housing, unemployment, and declining public assistance.  The demographics of the homeless population show that anyone can be affected – young, old, and in between.  The homeless population is not just one ethnicity, gender, or age.  Their homes may have been destroyed by a hurricane or a tornado.  They are veterans, victims of domestic violence, the unemployed, families with children… and so many others.

Pets of the Homeless aims to help this population in many ways.  It has established collection sites to accept donated pet food.  This food is distributed through partnerships with homeless shelters, soup
kitchens, and other entities.  The organization also makes two types of grants:
one to veterinarians that go to where the homeless congregate and
provide veterinary care such as vaccines, spay/neuter and other needed
treatments; the other to homeless shelters looking for ways to allow
pets sanctuary with their owners.  

Want to know how you can help? If there is a collection site near you, donate pet food and supplies.  (If there’s no collection site near you, find out how to become one.) Pets of the Homeless also provides a list of other ways that you can donate your time (like volunteering at a distribution site) or money to this worthy cause.  You can also help by spreading the word about Pets of the Homeless to bring awareness to this cause.

If you have tissues handy, I urge you to read some of the success stories and view the touching photos on the Pets of the Homeless website. I hope you’ll check out this great organization as well as some of the others being highlighted in today’s blog hop:

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If you’re confused, just tilt your head

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It’s a three-day weekend!  I could not be happier to have an extra day off.  That being said… it’s time for some Friday linkage!

  1. This week’s punny goodness is inspired by a fantastic book I just finished.   In honor of the entertainment she provided during my brief hurricane-induced power outage, I give you… Catty Griffin.
  2. I would like to request that all sheet music do this from now on… not too much to ask, right?
  3. The face on this Corgi reminded me of Bella.
  4. Remember Edward Peanutbutterhead? Well, it appears that he has some competition.
  5. Eating peanut butter is one thing, but I wouldn’t recommend stealing it from the trash.  You might end up like this guy.
  6. You know I’ve had BlogPaws on the brain lately.  You may enjoy seeing these cute pets who were in attendance.
  7. Speaking of… there have been some pretty fun BlogPaws post over at Something Wagging This Way Comes this week.  Check them out!
  8. If you just can’t get enough BlogPaws (and can’t wait for my posts… they’re coming, I promise), then I have the link for you. Might I suggest you start with this great post from This One Wild Life about the ACES Pet Rescue Workshop?

Finally, just because it’s Friday… have some head tilts, or as we like to call it at my house: “making the puppy face.”



(via Cute Overload)

Happy Friday!

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BlogPaws Episode 2: Say hello to my not-so-little friends

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After the welcome reception on Thursday evening, I was feeling pretty good about returning to BlogPaws on Friday.  I wasn’t disappointed.  The day started out with a pretty great keynote speaker.  Or, more accurately, a duo of speakers:

Meet the men of Rescue Ink.  These are some pretty tough customers from Queens. If you’re looking for peaceful conflict resolution, they may not be your guys.  (Although I have a feeling they’re the type that can solve problems without knocking heads together if the situation allows it.)

In any event, they’re tough customers who care about animal welfare, as the dedication on their website makes clear.  They’re extremely committed to stopping animal abuse – you could really feel the emotion behind their words and their passion for this cause was evident.  That commitment was inspiring.

Rescue Ink is an international animal welfare organization dedicated to defending the defenseless.  (They joked that their lawyers wouldn’t let them go into too much detail about how they actually do that.)  Our two speakers are actually two of the founding members of the group.

Joe Panz (bio)
Big Ant (bio)

Rather than give you an exhaustive recap of their speech, I just wanted to share a few of the quotes I jotted down during the keynote:

  • “A rescue isn’t a rescue until you take it out of a bad situation and find it a better home.”
  • “You don’t send Boy Scouts to get rid of bad guys.  You’re gonna run out of Boy Scouts real quick.”
  • “They say that animals don’t have a voice.  We don’t mind speaking for them.”
  • “It takes 5 puppy mill puppies for one to survive long enough to make it to the pet store.”
  • “Money shouldn’t get between you and your animal.  Your animal is family.”
  • “We defend those that can’t defend themselves.”

You can learn more about the guys from Rescue Ink at their website, including some of their success stories.  I also recommend checking out this post at Kahuna’s K9s – Eryka did a great interview with them after their speech.  This recap at the Pet Health Care Gazette is also fantastic and perfectly describes how I felt listening to these two.  Finally, here’s a video of the interview that Miah from Start the Change did with Joe and Big Ant.

A shot of their logo on the big screen at BlogPaws

Up next: the sessions begin, I learn some stuff, more friends are made, and a puppy movie is screened.  In short… good times.

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Blog the Change: Happy birthday, Petfinder!

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Blog the ChangeIt’s that time again… another installment of Blog the Change for Animals!

I’ve focused on a variety of issues in the past (for my earlier posts related to Be the Change for Animals, click here), but today I want to keep it short and sweet.

As you know, Bella’s a rescue pup.  I found her using Petfinder… I’ll forever be indebted to that wonderful website for making these last 10 years of puppy love possible.  With that in mind, I’d like to dedicate today’s post to Petfinder… it’s Petfinder’s 15th birthday this weekend, after all.  Synergy!

Yesterday, I read an article about animal shelters and how both adoptions and donations have been declining due to the economy.  That’s why all I want to say to you today is this: if you’re thinking about getting another pet, adopt. Consider donating your time, money, or resources to your local shelters and rescue groups.  Petfinder has a wealth of info… read about how you can help and then find a local rescue group.  I’ve donated food and other items in the past, but I’ve decided that I want to do more.

Today, I renew my own commitment to helping animals and will be contacting at least one local group to donate my time.  I hope you’ll take a few moments today to think about what you could do to help animals in need.  (If you’re already involved with a rescue group in any way shape or form, I want you to know that you are my hero and I want to be like you when I grow up.)

Like I said, short and sweet.  (As short as I’m capable of anyway.) 

To read more fantastic Blog the Change entries, check out the list after the jump.  To participate in the blog hop, visit Be the Change for Animals for more information or add your link after the jump.


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Dogs in hot cars: when will it stop?

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Seriously… what is it going to take?  I dream of the summer when I won’t end up writing a post about the tragic tale of a dog left in a hot car to bake.  I use that term for a reason – on a hot day, you can actually bake cookies in a car.  Think about that for a moment.

You can bake cookies.

Would you put your dog in an oven while you whip up a batch of chocolate chip cookies?  That’s exactly what you’re doing if you leave your dog in a hot car.  Yet every summer, many people do just that.

I can’t sugarcoat this one for you – leaving your dog in a hot car is like giving him a death sentence.  So for the love of whatever it is you believe in… don’t do it.  Spread the word so that others don’t do it.  Please.

My Dog Is Cool
Today’s tale of woe comes from Loudoun County in Virginia.  (Thanks to my fellow dog lover Hey Love Designs for the tip.)  I admit, this story has a bit of a twist.  I warn you… you’re going to get angry.  Really angry at a whole bunch of people.  I am.  (Though you probably already figured that out.)  Allow me to set the stage…

A man goes to a party.  He gets in his car, leaves the party and decides, as many do, to stop for food before heading home.  He goes inside the restaurant, leaving his dog in the car.  He then falls asleep at the restaurant.  The manager calls the police, who then arrest him for drunk in public.

Point of anger #1 – If this man was drunk, why was he driving to IHOP in the first place?

Point of anger #2 – If this man was drunk, he was endangering himself, other people on the road, and his own dog (the helpless passenger).  I’ll reserve my commentary on this specific point of anger for another day, but I thought it was worth noting.

Point of anger #3 – The man left his dog in the car while he went to the IHOP.  I realize it was dark out, but I’m not really a fan of the idea of leaving your dog alone in a car for an extended period of time in any event.  You never know when you’ll be delayed and then your dog will be trapped and helpless, at the mercy of the weather and passersby.  (I recognize that others may have different opinions here – that’s just mine.)

The man was arrested in the early hours of the morning, around 5:15 A.M.  He allegedly told the cops that his dog was still in the car, and they allegedly told him not to worry about it.  He was taken to the county jail, where he allegedly begged the cops to help his dog, who was no doubt baking in the unattended vehicle.

Point of anger #4 – Really?  I mean… really?  Would the police (allegedly) have ignored the man’s pleas if he’d left a child in that car instead of his dog?  Did none of the officers have a heart?

Point of anger #5 – Did this man get a phone call?  If so, then why didn’t he call someone to go rescue his dog?  If not, then why?

I’m sure you can already guess the sad ending to this story.  It was over 100 degrees that day.  The man was released from jail late that night.  He returned to the parking lot.  The dog had collapsed.  The man rushed the dog to the emergency vet, but it was too late.  Rex was dead.

Point of anger #6 – How many people must have been in the parking lot of that restaurant that day?  Did none of them (or the management/employees of the restaurant) notice or care about the dog slowly dying inside that oven?

Honestly, I can think of enough points of anger to fill a book right now.  My anger is mixed with a deep sadness about what has occurred.  Poor, innocent Rex.  My heart breaks for him.

Loudoun County Animal Control has launched an investigation, as has the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Department.  To follow this saga, you can visit the Justice for Rex Facebook page.

Each time I read one of these tragic stories, I find myself rapidly transforming into a female version of the Incredible Hulk.  Right now, I’d really like to Hulk smash pretty much every terrible person involved in the story above.  You can find more information about the dangers of hot cars in my earlier posts:

You can also visit MyDogisCool.com for more info.  Please spread the word so that we can prevent needless tragedies like this one.
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