Great start to 2013

 Wag On Inn had 27 adoptions in January!! That is a huge number for an animal rescue who relies solely on volunteers!

 

 Sammy and Ty (above) came from a neglected situation, where they were left in the crate for most hours of the day. They were timid and relied only on each other for comfort.  We had two foster families help with their transition where they learned to trust humans again.  We knew that they could not be separated after being together for such a long time. But finding an adopter who will make the commitment to take two dogs at one time is a rare thing because of the big financial and emotional commitment it takes. Our foster persevered to find the best possible home for them and Sammy and Ty are now in a loving forever home...together.

Takara, formerly known as Beauty was scheduled to be put to sleep on January 3rd, the day before our big transport was to arrive with 13 dogs of various breeds. Our transporter said "no way" and made room for Takara. We did not have a foster for her but a very special woman stepped up so Takara did not have to go into the kennel to wait for a foster home to open up.  Luckily, Takara was in a new foster to adopt home within a few days! Takara was adopted by a great family who adopted another WOI dog Sabrina(below) just after Hurricane Sandy. Sabrina was also scheduled to be put to sleep before she came, for no other reason than lack of space in a shelter down south.  The girls love one another and have two human brothers to play with in all of this snow that we got last night! The girls are loving their new home and I hear that they dine on chicken and quinoa with dog food nightly. Lucky girls! Can you imagine? Both of these babies would not be here if WOI volunteers did not step up to bring them up north. We cannot save them all, but we can try to save as many as we can!

A new dog and her puppy came up last week, Cinders and Celeste. Cinders is a tiny 10 lb Feist mix who was found with a piece of chain link fence around her neck that was used as a collar.  She also had a baby, Celeste (both below). Wag On Inn heard about the two and had to bring them up.  Cinders came up positive for heartworm, a condition which is caused by mosquito's and can be deadly for the dog infected but is not contagious.  This is why it is so important to give your dog Hartguard and topical treatment like Advantix every month, this is a very preventable condition! Cinders will need to go through various treatments and be carefully looked over, luckily for Cinders, WOI does not hesitate when a dog has heartworm, even though the costs can be a burden we believe that every dog deserves a chance.  Celeste is healthy and ready for adoption, Cinders will be ready in three months when her heartworm treatment is over.

 

If you would like to contribute to Cinders heartworm treatment or sponser a dog in need please visit our website www.wagoinn.rescuegroups.org and click on Donate tab.

Thank you on behalf of all of the pups and volunteers.

It takes a village...

On January 4th, we had a huge transport of dogs come up from North Carolina, fourteen in total. As of today, all but a few have been adopted already! The others are sure to be home soon!

There are so many people that go into rescuing each dog. It starts at the people from the shelter down south who work so hard with so very little resources.  They try desperately to get the dogs adopted, but if they cannot they know that a trip up north to a rescue is the best option to find these pups a loving home. The pups are transferred here by van, and it is a long journey, imagine traveling with at least a dozen animals! It is very slow going.

Then the dogs arrive, and then go to their new foster homes. Foster homes feed, love and care for the foster dogs until that perfect application from the perfect adopter comes along. In the meantime, fosters work on training the dogs and teaching proper household manners, as many dogs have never seen the inside of a house before. Foster parents spend many hours with their dogs and come to outreaches to meet the public.

Behind the scenes we have a whole team who constantly works to keep the rescue running. Applications have to be screened, visits have to be made, transports have to be arranged, and all this is done by volunteers.   Each month is a struggle to keep afloat but we must to keep saving the lives of these dogs and cats.  We are diligent about fundraising because that is how the rescue keeps moving.  We are always thinking of new fun ways to help out the pups, next month we are having a Puppy Love Jazz fundraiser on 2/10 just in time for Valentines day! 

Wag On Inn hopes some day to have a building of its very own so we can help save even more dogs than we do now, it may take a while but its in the plan! Hopefully sooner rather than later!

If you would like to contribute to our building fund or sponsor a dog please go to www.wagoninn.rescuegroups.org.  

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!  I hope you all had a great holiday season! Now to get through the winter snuggle up with those dogs of yours. Don't have one?  We have a bunch of new arrivals coming up from a high kill shelter tomorrow morning!

 I want to highlight a pup who has had a lifelong struggle, but has a very happy ending!

Poppi, a lab-mix girl who oozed sweetness despite her terrible struggles. Here is her story.

 

 January 2012, Poppi was transported to New Jersey. She brought with her some very special cargo, 3 blessed pups.  She brought them into the world healthy and strong and mothering them so lovingly. All three healthy puppies were adopted to loving forever homes.  Then we found out some news.  Poppi was not only left in that shelter to fight alone for her babies, she also was left to struggle with Heartworm.  Poppi was in the fight of her life. She had a very tough time with the treatment.  We were very worried for her quite a few times.  We found out that she had two tick related diseases that contributed to her having difficulty walking.  Upon further x-rays...Poppi was found to have a bullet lodged in her hip.  Turns out that this sweet girl we first met was also not as young as first thought.  She is definately 8+.  Months of antibiotics later...I'm happy to report that Poppi is heartworm free and exploring the back yard with the other dogs.  She is happy and on her way to a full recovery! (submitted by Karen L.)

 

 

Poppi was recently adopted by her foster mom after almost a year in foster care. Her foster mom was the last to know that Poppi adopted her, but the rest of us knew she wasn’t going anywhere! Congrats to Poppi and her forever family!

Poppi can now rest comfortably. Her babies are safe and she does not have to worry about anything!

We have about a dozen or so dogs coming up, if you would like to foster or sponser a dog in foster care please visit our website at www.wagoninn.rescuegroups.org

 

Wag On Inn tries to save as many dogs as possible! With that we incur a lot of costs, we have to hold fundraisers to pay for vet bills, medicine, food, and transportation of our dogs and cats.  If you would like to suggest a fundraising idea please email me at addiemaranda@yahoo.com. We also collect donations and products for our gift auctions at our various events throughout the year. Every bit is appreciated! Thank you!

Holiday Season

The holiday season is upon us and all of Wag On Inn is buzzing with excitement and are as busy as can be! Things are slowly getting back to normal (were they ever?) although the rescue took a big hit during the storm we plan to continue to work toward our goal of saving as many dogs and cats as possible this season.

Saying that, we have to remind people that puppies and kittens are NOT gifts, they are lifetime commitments. It is one thing for parents to get their child a dog for the holiday (assuming they were begging for one like most kids), but it is another thing to give someone an animal without them approving of it. It is a 15 + year commitment, and we hate to see dogs returned. So please do not give pets as gifts unless it is already agreed upon! Still I think that people should pick their own pets!

We had four dogs come in this weekend. Two of those dogs were owner surrenders from NJ. These sweet babies have a story. So does the person that surrendered them.

Her mother passed away, her mom was the owner of the pups. They are around 4 and 5. These dogs only had each other and were kept in a crate. When she went to her mom's house she found the dogs. She tried to keep them, but she has two other dogs. Both she and her husband work and these dogs need a lot of love. They have now experienced life outside the crate and human interaction. They did not think it was fair to the dogs to keep them when they could not fulfill their needs.

This woman lost her mom, and these sweet pups a few weeks apart. :( To me, she was selfless in surrendering the dogs to Wag On Inn. She said that she knew I could find them the best forever home. It was very painful for her.

These boys have lived years in a crate together. They feel like they only have each other when they are nervous. Therefore these dogs need to be fostered and adopted together. They would absolutely grieve without each other. I have them at my house, seperate from the other dogs. They are confused....but oh so sweet! (from Karen L.)

Ty and Sammy

TY and Sammy need a foster home!

 

 

We also had pebbles who comes with a very sad story. Pebble's is a 5 month old shepard mix who came from the south.  Pebbles was  found when someone had taped up a box with her in it and put it in someone's trash can. When the garbage men came the box fell over and Pebbles was able to get out and ran onto the homeowners porch.  The homeowner's were going to keep her because they had fenced in yard but their dogs didn't like her and were mean to her (jealousy maybe?). So, the daughter took her temporarily but had too many of her own and put her in shelter there in hopes she would get adopted. She was very sad to see her go, but knew that Pebbles would have a better chance of getting adopted in NJ with a rescue. 

How anyone could hurt an animal is beyond my comprehension. There have been some people in my life that I would have liked to slap but I could never ever thing of hurting a dog or any animal. ( Never actually slapped anyone, I'm a pacifist :))

This sweet, gorgeous girl needs a home where she will be spoiled with love, long walks and biscuts!


Another girl I would like to mention is a bit older than Pebbles but still has a lot of spring in her step!
 

Shelby is 10 years young and is a Shepard mix. She was minutes away from being euthanized because her family could no longer keep her because of a move. Shelby was going to be killed through no fault of her own when one of our very dedicated volunteers stepped in to save her. Shelby was placed in a foster home but has been overlooked because of her age. Shelby would be a great companion, she loves leisurely walks and just spending time with people!

Say Cheeeeze Shelby!

 

 

Visit our website to see Shelby and all of our adoptable pups and the events!

Wag On Inn could use your help this holiday season! Our wish list from Santa is below:

 

Food

Any premium dog food

Any premium puppy food
Gift Certificate to Petco or PetSmart

Cleaning Supplies

disinfecting wipesbleach paper towels
Toys and Suppliescollars leashes
kongs
Nylabones

puppy/dog toys puppy/dog shampooprinter paper  

Flea Prevention

Frontline/Advantix any size

 

Monetary donations are always welcome also.
Checks can be mailed to:
Wag On Inn Rescue
P.O. Box 221
Oakhurst, NJ 07755

 

Thank you and have a great holiday season!!!!!

The last few weeks have been intense for us all, but we continue to do what we love, save dogs and cats! For most of us, our animals are a great source of comfort to us when we are feeling sad, lonely or are just having a really bad day. "There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face!"  I have a poster of that saying that I plan to hang in my office when I (eventually) open up a therapy practice. I also plan to have therapy animals there as well. My animals are the best for cheering me up when I'm low, what would we do without them?? I hope that you are all taking comfort in your animals during this stressful time. If you don't have an animal, well.... we have plenty to share!

I have a great success story to share, Myalina is a beautiful puppy with a very sad past. (Some of the pictures below may be graphic for some people, but it is a reality for some rescued dogs).

Myalina was a sweet six month old puppy when she was found wandering the streets. This poor thing had a deeply imbedded harness.  The harness was probably put on when she was very small, and never taken off, Myalina contiued to grow and her skin grew around the harness.  Who knows what other pain she endured during her short life, but this was too much for one dog.  Despite being in pain, she is a very sweet gentle pup.

Myalina was all fixed up by some very kind people who would not let her down and sent to New Jersey to join the Wag On Inn pups!  She will always bear the scars of her past a reminder of what happened, but I am happy to report that Myalina was adopted soon after arrival to NJ. She can now finally get the love that she deserves!  Here is a letter from her new mom.

 

When we heard her story about how she was found it broke our hearts. Then, we saw her picture and even though we were not looking for another pet, we decided we must give her the love she deserves.
She came to us and quickly became "friends" with our 11 year old female yellow lab and our 7 year old 20 lb. Maine Coon! She is very affectionate and follows us everywhere we go. My three children love her as she always wants to play and be petted. She has a lot of energy and gets extremely excited when anyone enters the house. She won't leave you alone until you acknowledge her enthusiastic greeting!
She has been great on the leash and absolutely loves to run around in the backyard with our lab and the kids. She's very smart and follows many commands already. We do have to hide our shoes, though- she likes to take them and hide them all over the house! We are very happy to have her as part of our family and I'm pretty sure she's quite happy, too!

Myalina in her new home!

 

 

I am also very happy to report that Mayia and Christina, both long time WOI fosters, were both adopted yesterday!!

Maiya- Adopted!

 Christina- Adopted!!!

 

 

Love reporting such great news!! 

 

Wag On Inn also has the opportunity to help even more animals, but we need help! Wag On Inn is looking for volunteers to care for foster cats at Petco in Howell. Petco is located on Rt 9 in Howell Commons. We would need to care for them twice a day. They need to be fed, litter cleaned and LOVED. We are really hoping we can place some cats at this location. (4) max. If you or someone you know is willing to help, please let me know..ANY time is greatly appreciated. One time slot a week would be a tremendous help. Please contact Wendy @ 732-618-4285 asap..There are cats sitting in shelters in need of a loving home. We would hate to see them euthanized if we can make a difference....Thank you!!

 

 

This is a great opportunity to help if you cannot foster or donate. It only takes a little while, although I'm sure some people stay to play with the cats!

 

Please visit our website at www.wagoninn.rescuegroups.org

 

We are also on Facebook... "Like" Friends of Wag On Inn and share with friends!!

 

 

 

Getting Back to 'normal'

Things are slowly getting back to normal for some of us, others will deal with months of stress and difficulty.  If anyone out there needs assistance, whether that be volunteers to help with your home, clothes, food (people or dog) please let us at Wag On Inn know. We are here for animals AND people.

We had our first outreaches after the hurricane and nor'easter this weekend. Adoptions have been very slow over the last few months, painfully slow.  It breaks our hearts because the more adoptions we have, the more animals we can save and the longer we can keep the rescue running more smoothly. But... after this weekend I am happy to report that things are looking up!

Jessie-Adopted!

 

   Jessie the three year old shepard mix was adopted a few weeks ago!! This beauty can finally rest her head after sadly having to leave her family. 


Arley and Linda were adopted on Sunday! Arley and Linda were a Pilots and Paws dogs who were flown up from the south to find their forever homes.




Arley-Adopted
 

Linda- Adopted!Linda- Adopted!



Last night, Shena was adopted. Shena (Shay-Shay as I called her) is the black lab that was days away from death, and she was a mess when she can up. She is healthy and beautiful now, she gained some much needed weight and all her skin healed.  Shena was spayed so she would no longer have to give puppies up and could focus on being a happy dog.  She found her forever home with very nice people and a brand new doggy best friend. My sister, Dad and I were all sad to see her go, very bittersweet, but we are happy to see her have a nice big yard and just know that she will be spoiled!

 

 

 

Shena before...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shena now!

 

 

I would like to focus on yet another dog who has been fostered with WOI for quite some time and I really do not know why! Sophie is a love bug! Sophie is a three year old Puggle that was found as a stray. After being taken in, her foster parents realized that she was pregnant. Sophie delivered four healthy babies a week later and cared for each one of them until they all found loving homes. Now it’s Sophie’s turn to find her forever home. Sophie is a loving, constant companion who gets along with small dogs and children. She is happiest at your side, keeping you warm on those long cold nights!

                                                                  I mean look at that face!!!!

Wag On Inn is still facing struggles especially after the storm. If you would like to help in any way please visit our website at www.wagoninn.rescuegroups.org 

Wag On Inn is in need of supplies to helpo keep our rescue running

Supplies we need:

Dog/cat food

Kitty litter

Advantix in all sizes

toys

cleaning supplies

Gift cards or monetary donations are always welcome and accepted.

 

Also if anyone has an idea for a fundraiser and/or would like to help raise money for WOI please email me at findforeverhomes1@gmail.com

 

Thank you, and I hope to report more success stories very soon!!

Post Hurricane

It is very difficult to put the last week into words, but for my own sanity I will try. Hurricane Sandy destroyed what we knew of our Shores, but we will restore and stay strong.  It is amazing to see that people are now coming together, to donate, volunteer, sort, and help anyway that they can to help their neighbors and friends. There have definitely been the complaints and whining. Believe me sitting in the dark and cold is not an ideal way to live, but we will get through it because we are Jersey Strong.

For anyone still without power, it is coming, my husband and father work for JCP&L and they are working 16 hour shifts until all of the power is back on. I am lucky enough to have my pups to keep me warm while Mike is working. And Oliver to protect me at night.  Anyone else noticing their dogs becoming super protective or was it just me?

            We finally got power back Saturday night (we were lucky to only be out for 5 days) ; I did a dance with my dog Oliver for about twenty minutes after. You don’t realize what you have until it’s gone. I realize how extremely lucky I am, my house is intact, my family (including my pups) and friends are safe. I realize that others are not so lucky, so now is the time to help out where we can, and not just for the few weeks that the media will stretch this out, but for months and months that it will take to rebuild our community.

            Wag On Inn had to relocate our cats to Milltown Petco, as Eatontown is still out of power. If anyone can help with the cats please contact Andrea at azelanko@yahoo.com, even one time would be a huge help to us!! I am praying that our foster homes are safe and that everyone is okay. It has been difficult to communicate and I know everyone is focused on their families at this very difficult time. Wag On Inn is going to need new fosters more than ever at this time. If you were lucky enough to have no damage to your home and can spare a little space and love please contact us to foster.

Some good news now and something that many people thought would never happen. Glory is being adopted!  Glory came at the end of July this year from a high-kill shelter in North Carolina.  She was the most terrified dog I have ever dealt with before.  She was terrified of people  she would run and cower. She was first at my dad’s and sister’s house being fostered, but she would not eat, walk, go to the bathroom for three days. They tried with her, it broke my heart that she was so afraid of everything.  I thought that maybe if I brought her to my house she would do better (couldn’t do any worse).  Slowly she started to eat (warm hotdogs).  She needed my dogs to show her the way, and that I was safe. I would literally have to kiss my dog  on the top of her head for Glory to come near me. I had a lot of tricks with her to do normal everyday dog things. Whatever made her comfortable I would try, she ended up sleeping under my bed because that’s where she was comfortable.   Every day she progressed a little bit, eating normally, going outside, and I even got her to go on a walk on a leash! I thought that the leash was impossible, but she had come to love going on walks with me. 

Glory watching squirrels

Glory Girl!

            Glory and I really bonded, I had seen her immense progress and it warmed my heart.  She trusted me, no one but me, and I became very protective of her.  Glory got many applications and had many meetings but none of them were a right fit. She was adopted for one day, and it didn’t work out because she was afraid and needed more time to open up, she needed patience and love.  Glory is so beautiful many people wanted to adopt but she was so scared around new people. I thought that she would live with me forever.  Which I wouldn’t have minded, IF she liked my husband, at all. But I was willing to foster for as long as it took to find her the right home.

            Glory’s lucky day came at the Halloween parade for WOI.  We met a wonderful woman with two dogs, Glory seemed different with her. I had never met this woman before but she was friendly with my dad.  We walked to a grassy area where Glory warmed up to her two dogs immediately. Then Glory did what I though she never would, she took a treat from her hand!! You see, when Glory was stressed she would eat, anything. The fact that she took a treat from her, I knew this was the home for her. 

            The next day, I took Glory to the house for a playdate at her house. The dogs wrestled and ran around and really took to one another.  I was going away that weekend to run a 5k in Maryland (we went and then had to turn around because it was cancelled) and she offered to watch Glory while I was away.  Glory stayed the weekend, which turned into the hurricane, and needless to say she is still there.  Glory found her forever home finally, and I couldn’t be happier for her ::tear::

 Glory in her new home

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wag On Inn appreciates all of your dedication and support. We expect some incoming displaced dogs from Hurricane Sandy. If you would like to donate supplies or funds to the rescue towards their care or foster a dog or cat please visit our website at www.wagoninn.rescuegroups.org or email me at findforeverhomes1@gmail.com. Thank you

 

We can use any donations at this time including:

Dog/cat food, dry or wet

treats, toys

advantix

cleaning supplies (bleach, paper towels, wipes)

monetary donations and gift cards

Please stay safe everyone.


We desperately need help with the cats in Milltown NJ, near New Brunswick NJ. Even one shift would help it only takes about an hour or so to feed and change litter. Please contact azelanko@yahoo.com if you can help! Thanks