Lost Pets Get Free Ride Home in Kansas City

Kansas City, Missouri recently launched their new pet licensing "Free Ride Home" program.  What a barking good idea!

Licensing your pet increases the chance that you'll be reunited with your pet if he/she is lost.  Licensing a pet in KCMO is only $10 and has the following benefits:

• Licensed lost or stray pets will be taken home instead of to the animal shelter - Free Ride Home!
• One time per year - no ticket for running at large.
• No shelter fees if the owner is home when the pet is returned, half fees if the owner cannot be located and later reclaims their pet from the shelter.

 
For more information about Free Ride Home in KCMO fetch www.petdata.com

Joplin Tornado Dog: Bring Hannah Home

I grew up in tornado country.  Tornadoes were both a cause of fear, while at the same time a source of awe.  The tornado warning sirens were common sound in spring and summer.  I can remember standing on the back porch and watching the storm clouds boil and swirl on the horizon.  I can also remember the destruction of property and lives that they left behind.

I've lived in hurricane country.  Rain pouring down the chimneys;  trees blown horizontal.  Dogs so upset that even days later they required a vet visit for some medication. 

Now I find myself living in the heart of tornado country.  Again. An animal lover, my first concern at the approach of any storm, is my animals.  What would I do if something happened to them?  How would I cope?  What if any one of them became lost?  These questions have always fermented my mind, but especially since this past spring.  I'd like to think that I could be like Kari Wilkes.


On May 22 a deadly EF5 tornado raged through the city of Joplin Missouri leaving over 100 people dead and one third of the town demolished beyond repair.  Hundreds of volunteers rushed to the area to try to find tornado survivors.  Among those volunteers were animal welfare organizations, as well as caring individuals like you and I, who dashed to Joplin to rescue the pets affected by the storm.


One of those pets is Hanah, an all white American Bulldog with one blue eye, 5 years old and 110 pounds before the storm.  Hanah survived the tornado and was spotted the next day near her old neighborhood long enough for a quick photo to be taken.  Unfortunately, the tornado sirens sounded another alert (for yet another cluster of twisters) and Hanah took off before anyone could secure her.

Hanah survived the tornado that demolished Joplin MO

Hanah's family was devastated by the tornado.  Hanah's owner, Kari Wilkes, immediately launched an all-out campaign to locate her baby.   To date the Bring Hanah Home Facebook page has 9,816 members all working together to find Hanah and other lost "tornado dogs".    Currently it is thought that some well intentioned pet rescuer took Hanah out of the area.  She could be, literally, anywhere.  They’ve learned of a woman who had more than 4 dogs she’d taken in (she left a note on a bulletin board at a church). There was a Texas vet who had placed a Craigslist ad stating she was headed in to help, and admits to taking at least one pet back to Texas for treatment.  And there are many other examples.


Please take a look at this Bring Hanah Home video.  Then please share it on Facebook, Twitter, your blog, wherever and whenever you can.  You could be the link the chain that brings Hanah home to her family.




On a much more upbeat note...  Talking Dogs wants to bark a welcome to our new sponsor Black Friday.  You can check out their link on our left sidebar.  Our tails are wagging because we always like a bargain.  Fetch Black Friday for great deals on pet supplies from your favorite stores.  You can choose from online shopping, as well as getting first peek at the annual in-store Black Friday special sales.  Plus, you'll find great discounts and sales already listed for your early holiday shopping.  What are you waiting for? Fetch great deals at Black Friday now!

Joplin Tornado: Cocker Spaniel Dog Sugar Found 12 Weeks Later

Joplin tornado victim, Sugar, a Cocker Spaniel, has been reunited with at least part of her family.  Twelve weeks after the May 22 tornado devastated Joplin, there is some good news for the family of Johnnie Richey.

Richey was killed with the twister flattened the Joplin Elks Lodge.  His home was also destroyed.  Richey's family spent days after the storm trying to find him, only to learn that he had perished in the storm.   In addition, Richey's constant companion, Sugar, a 9 year old blond Cocker Spaniel was also missing.

Richey's sister, Kerri Simms,  began a campaign of missing posters and created a Facebook page just for the purpose of finding Sugar.  As the weeks passed, the family worried about just how slim the chance was that Sugar would be found. 

On August 12 a taxi cab driver in Joplin, Chris Ruport, noticed a stray dog who looked "pretty beat up" on the street and decided to pick it up.  His wife posted a photo of the dog on Craigslist.  Within hours the Richey family had been notified that a dog matching Sugar's description had been found.   Richey's sister traveled to Joplin, identified Sugar and took her to the Emergency Pet Center in Joplin.  

Sugar was treated for severe eye and ear infections, flea infestation, and severe dehydration.  Richey’s mother, Joyce Richey, said Sugar was weak when the family picked her up.

“When we first saw her, she was shaking real bad like she didn’t have the energy to stand, but they put her on (intravenous fluids) and kept her overnight, and she was better,” she said.

Kerri Simms, Richey's sister, has taken Sugar home and said Sugar has spent a lot of time sleeping and eating.  Finding Sugar has given her a new connection with her brother, Simms said.

“It means having part of my brother back,” she said. “We can’t bring him back, but we can at least have her. Now we don’t have to wonder. They wouldn’t let us see my brother after the tornado, so I don’t want to say it’s closure, but we know now that she’s OK.”

Saving the Vick Dogs: Jim Gorant's book The Lost Dogs

New Book:  The Lost Dogs is due out next month, September 2010.  Author Jim Gorant offers an insider's view into what went into saving 49 legendary dogs from Vick and then, the system that wanted them destroyed.

Promises to be a good read for all dog lovers.