Lori Weise – Page 3 – Downtown Dog Rescue

LORI’S CORNER: Operation Safety Net Weekend

It was a really busy weekend for Operation Safety Net. We rescued four dogs that belong to homeless men that are their constant companions.

In the case of Felix’s pit bull, she had been in the shelter because she bit someone, a provoked attack, where they live in Sycamore Park. A long time breeder, he didn’t want to spay her. When we told him “no deal” he made the right choice, had her spayed, we paid all the fees, had her microchipped and they will be reunited today when he picks her up from the vet where she was spayed.

On Saturday morning, I went over to the South LA shelter with Wolf, who lives on 60th Street with three dogs. Three dogs is a little too much to handle for one man living on the street, so we agreed to take the two long time dogs, Dude and Princess out and return them to Wolf’s spot. Marla, his recent street rescue would be coming into our kennel after she is spayed and heals up. Tears of joy, from a man who has been living on the street for ten long hard years. The dogs are all that he has in the world for companionship and protection. He felt very vulnerable without his dogs and wow, they were so happy to see him when he got them out of the shelter! Everyone is now licensed, microchipped, has dog houses, fully compliant.

Without the suport of donors for Operation Safety Net, none of this would be possible. Total paid out for these two rescues was over $850. None of the dogs that we bailed out would have been adopted, all are large breed dogs and of the four dogs, three were pit bulls.

LORI’S CORNER: Rescuing dogs that take up “space”?

I recently had a good friend ask me why do we keep dogs like “Freeway”, since they are not adoptable and are “taking up space”. I guess what she meant is space in the kennel where we could rescue more dogs that are adoptable. I see her point, but I made a commitment to all of the dogs and this includes Freeway.

At our kennel, most all of the dogs are adoptable and are up for adoption. They might not all be what we call “Petco Dogs” , dogs that can go to Petco adoptions on Saturdays, but they do go out to adoptions and / or are shown by appointment at the kennel. However, I do have a handful of dogs that are off the table for adoption consideration and one of those dogs is Freeway. She is a special dog, one that lived with her homeless guardian almost all of her life. He went into a board and care situation, then Freeway was passed around for a bit and abused pretty badly during that time. I took her, biting, attacking other dogs, all of her! She wears a leash 24/7, which we don’t hold on to until we need to bring her in for a landing, into her run. She now trusts Billy and Richard and of course me. It’s all about keeping Freeway safe so that she can relax and enjoy herself. She “works” for Downtown Dog Rescue, helping us rehabilitate dogs that are adoptable. Same with Ms. Bertha, Simon and Chasui. They have a routine and they enjoy the dog pack life.

BERNADETTE

Our newest long shot adoption is Bernadette. She is extremely shy with new people, tentative with new dogs, just a ball of nerves. On top of all that, she is a black pit bull. What are her odds of being adopted? Pretty long, I’m guessing. I expect to have Bernadette live with us for years, not months. She will go up on Petfinder, where we might get an application this year for her but probably not. Should we not have taken her into the rescue and taken on more adoptable dogs, easier dogs?

LORI’S CORNER: “Get Your Pet Bull Spayed” Compton Spay/Neuter Clinic

“Lori, I want to get my Pet Bull fixed,” yells out Shortie, riding his bike across the parking lot towards me at 6:30 in the morning at East Rancho Dominguez Park in Compton. One of the cast of characters who call the park home, Shortie is a long time friend of DDR. When I write Pet Bull, no, that’s not a typo, he really did have a Pet Bull named Sherry, a 5 month old brindle sweetheart who we did spay + vaccinate + microchip but did not go back “home” with Shortie on his bike, since home is wherever he happens to land that night.

Chances are pretty good that he will never pick up Sherry because he will find another stray puppy who got too big for someone living in an apartment or maybe got too “hyper” and the former owner threw her away. People like Shortie are no different in many ways than people like us, who rescue dogs. For Sherry, Shortie was an important part of her chance for a stable home where she would never be sentenced to life in a back yard on a chain, being bred until she wasn’t worth anything. This way of life for many pit bulls in Compton is common but not for a Pet Bull like Sherry. I had to learn the difference between a Pet and a Pit and I guess you could say, I’m still learning. It’s sort of like yard dogs and house dogs, another theory about dogs that is something that leads to high numbers of dogs being euthanized at the shelters every day.

I originally met Shortie through David and Swanee, two men who drink too much for their own good and live in the park. All of the men are dog lovers and have helped me rescue countless dogs that have tried to live the street life and failed. Our feelings are all the same for dogs, we can agree that we don’t want to see a dogs fought, tortured, or man handled and disrespected, as these men call what we in the humane community might call animal cruelty. They, feel the same way that we do when it comes to dogs, we want to save them from the unspeakable harm that often awaits them in places like Compton as a street dog, dodging cars on Rosecrans Blvd, staying clear of the men who fight dogs on the weekends socially, or the gang members that spray paint and torture the street dogs just for fun. Taking a street dog to the shelter is sometimes the most humane option, compared to what the dog may face on the street.

After Sherry’s surgery, a young man […]

LORI’S CORNER: End of Life Issues

Sinbad

Saying good bye to a beloved pet is one of the most difficult thing that I have ever had to do. Just because I’ve done it many times, for various reasons, mostly health reasons due to old age, it’s never easy and it’s always heart breaking, even when one knows, it’s really time. When I had to put my lead dog “Sinbad” down, at the age of 15 years, I couldn’t even go to work. He had been my constant companion, going to work with me, meetings, out in the dog pack, helping me get other dogs ready to be adopted, the best dog I ever owned. At the end, he couldn’t use his hind legs. For such a regal, elegant dog, it was the end. I still cry now about losing him as I write this paragraph.

There were many others who have come into Downtown Dog Rescue to live out their final years in retirement from the street. Over the years, we have taken in many old ex-road dogs, allowing them a safe place to just chill. When I founded Downtown Dog Rescue, 14 years ago, I often wondered, what would have happen to these dogs if we didn’t take them into our rescue and what happens to dogs that are old, truly need to be euthanized because of medical issues that are often painful when the dog owner is homeless or is so poor that they can’t afford to euthanize their dog?

My guess was that most people in this situation take their dog to the pound. Even though the shelter, humanely euthanizes dogs, is it humane for the dog to be taken away from the owner who he/she has lived with perhaps, an entire lifetime and then put down? What about the owner’s feelings of regret that he/she had to do this just because they couldn’t afford to euthanized at a local vet where they could have elected to stay with their dog until the end.

I have the ashes of most of my dogs, like “Negro”, an old deaf pit bull that lived in my home with all of my dogs for almost two quality years before his tumor got too big and he just didn’t have the strength to keep going. This is not the case for the homeless and very poor dog owners, they have nothing when they are forced to walk away from their dog at the shelter just because they can’t afford to euthanize and cremate their beloved pet.

Operation Safety Net is set up to keep dogs out of the shelter. Most of the time, we work with the dog owner who has a medical issue or a behavioral issue and […]

LORI’S CORNER: Brandon Fouche Leader of the Pack for Aggressive dogs

On Sunday, I attended Brandon Fouche’s seminar, “Establishing Alpha” at Blue Collar Working Dog Supplies in Echo Park.

Brandon believes that establishing yourself as the “alpha” is the key to having a harmonious relationship with your dog(s). Most dog behavior problems (including aggression, leash pulling, bolting, excessive barking, house marking, fighting, destructive behaviors, etc) cease completely when your dog regards you as the alpha. However, few people truly understand how to attain and maintain this position. In the seminar, Brandon spoke in detail, his step-by-step method for attaining effective pack leadership. He brought two owners with three “problem” demo dogs that we were able to observe him demonstrate his techniques. Because the group was small enough in size, we all had the opportunity to ask questions and discuss any problems or concerns that people in the group were currently experiencing with their dogs.

For those of you who might not know who Brandon Fouche is, he has been touted as LA’s miracle worker. Rescues and shelters all over the country have employed Brandon’s services in turning “problem” dogs into adoptable dogs. He has saved the lives of thousands of dogs with his method of dog psychology called “The Fouche Way”.

If you had read about the seminar on Facebook or Twitter, what is written above is pretty much what you would have discovered about the seminar. It all seems very straight forward, easy to understand, something that can be easily followed. Well, not exactly. Brandon makes the extremely difficult look easy. Take for example the first client with the “problem dogs”, Ivan owner of two German Shepherds. The dogs were growling and actually trying to bite anyone that approached him. Brandon explained to the group why the dogs felt they needed to protect their owner and how to stop the behavior. Once Brandon took the leashes, the dogs began to walk behind him, people could approach the dogs and Brandon. Ivan watched and learned. Soon he was walking the dogs behind him and people could now approach him and the dogs. This happen in a period of about fifteen minutes. No training, no sits or stays, none of that was necessary.

Next came the dog aggressive Boxer, “Frankie”. He was a very typical dog aggressive dog, wonderful with people, very relaxed until he saw the black chow in the parking lot, 10 feet away. He roared and tried to […]

LORI’S CORNER: First Annual Pet Fair in Compton

Saturday was our first annual Compton Pet Fair, which was held in conjunction with our monthly spay/neuter event at East Rancho Dominguez Park in Compton. My goal for the Pet Fair was to get information out to community about caring for dogs, including proper feeding, health care and basic training. We also promoted the Dog Fighting Tip Line, handing out lots of postcard size reminders for people to call if they hear of someone fighting dogs. There is a $5,000 reward for any tip that leads to a conviction. However, I hear this phrase over and over from people in the community, especially the pit bull owners, “It’s not enough money to be a snitch.” This is a very sad reality.

I know that some of the youth and especially some of the older homeless men, like our friend and volunteer David, know people who are actively fighting pit bulls. Therefore, the best way to prevent dog fighting is to get the youth active with their pit bulls doing things other than fighting them. I’m proud to say, I work with a group of young men who own pit bulls that are very against dog fighting and dog breeding. My star example is Edgar, who volunteered all day Saturday, helping us translate in Spanish. He is the proud owner of Queenie, a red nose pit bull.

There is another small group who are definitely against dog fighting but are still actively breeding pit bulls or are contemplating creating their own blood line. Cris and Lando are two would be pit bull breeders who brought their dogs to the park on Saturday and decided to spay their female. We didn’t even discuss neutering the male pit bull because I know that’s “off the table for discussion” and I respect that.

Month after month, as Downtown Dog Rescue volunteers continue to raise awareness about the importance of making one’s dog a part of the family, we are seeing word of mouth referrals book appointments to the clinic and dog owners changing their minds about breeding. It’s an ongoing process that is built on trust and being there every month for one of the most needy communities in Los Angeles County. Compton is often considered a “write off” area, where nothing can be done because no one cares. Downtown Dog Rescue cares about the Compton community and the dogs who live there. Our goal is to eliminate the cycle of suffering, where packs of dogs roam the street looking for food and it’s very common to see dead dogs lying […]

Lori’s Corner: Pepper, a dog that touched my heart

If there were ever a dog that I was tempted to keep even though she is so adoptable, it would be Pepper. From the moment I laid eyes on her, I knew, she needed to get out of her horrible situation.

Her story is that she was attacked by an aggressive dog and he tore part of her leg off. The person did not take her to a vet and the leg healed on its own, without any professional veterinarian care. I can only imagine the severe pain that this sweet dog endure and yet she still loves other dogs, plays really well on her three good legs and is learning to trust people. Who could blame her, consider, it was a person’s fault that she lost her leg due to carelessness and being overwhelmed with too many dogs on one property.

I have to admit, when I watch her play, really running hard, enjoying herself with all of her new friends, Sasha, Edwina, Charlie and Bruno, I get tears in my eyes. She is a dog that makes me want to do more for all of the other “Peppers” that are out there that need help. South Los Angeles, Watts and Compton are full of stray dogs and dogs that have been injured in dog fights, hit by cars and just plain neglect.

If you can’t adopt one of our dogs, please consider sponsoring a dog in need. Pepper is ready for her forever home, please spread the word about this wonderful dog!

Lori’s Corner: “When the crisis is over the work begins!”

I don’t think that I’ve ever opened up my e-mails and not read about some crisis happening, going to happen or will happen if… Usually the “if”reads “if a rescue doesn’t step up and save this dog now!!!!” These rescue pleas can be overwhelming and frustrating if I don’t stay positive. My pack of about 20 rescued dogs, have for the most part, all survived some horrific situation or were rescued on their last day or last hour at the South LA shelter.

Perhaps the biggest crisis we ever responded to was the 61st Street kennel situation, where over 118 dogs were being neglected, allow to attack and often kill each other, right in our own backyard, in South Central LA. To date, all of the dogs that we could rescue are safe and lots of them have been adopted. We are now down to the last few 61st Street kennel dogs that still need a forever home.

Seven days a week, twice a day, for many hours, I’m with the dogs. We do lots of things together, including, going to the park, going on walks, going on car rides, and of course, Billy takes dogs out several times a week for special long hikes. Just feeding and cleaning up after 20+ dogs every day is a lot of work but when you consider that each dog comes with a complex set of challenges. One of the biggest challenges is how to say, “no more dogs”, saying it and meaning it, otherwise, one runs the risk of becoming another 61st Street kennel where the president of the rescue could not say the word NO. She kept taking on more and more dogs, all in the name of no-kill. Larry was one of the dogs that went to her “no kill rescue”

Larry is a wonderful dog, super sweet, who loves all female dogs, is tolerant of male dogs but hates small dogs. He was chained 24/7 at the 61st Street kennel. He is definitely ready for a forever home but not one calls, not one e-mails and zero applications have come in for this great dog. Rather than running to rescue another dog, we focus on working with Larry, making his life, while at our kennel, the best possible life he can have. Larry was a dog that at one time, was an urgent plea from a shelter dog network, offering a rescue group money to take him, and look where he ended up, in hell. Sure he was rescued but he was chained up with 117 other dogs. Sure he wasn’t euthanized but the suffering that this dog endured at that kennel was so great that if we had not come into truly rescue him, being euthanized would certainly […]

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