Romeo

It is hard to imagine Lucky Tails has only been up and running two months.  What a ride we have been on.  Starting a company is hard work.  There is a lot of thinking to do, strategic planning and coordinating different people.  Most of the activity is done on the computer.  It is an extraordinary and magical process to see your child who has been reliant on you most of her short life just manage so well without you, especially in areas you have never ventured yourself.

I have been learning so much from her.

To start with she has used Legalzoom to incorporate and then file for non profit status.  She signed up for the business advantage plan and gets very low cost legal advice.  She has an attorney at her disposal in Stratford, CT.  She is having to fill out legal documents and can walk through this process confidently with the help of legal professionals (without me!)  She makes appointments and things just seem to get done.  She has found out that if she becomes a member of her corporation she can be given executive control by the Board of Directors and Officers of Lucky Tails. Because she is a minor, she can't be an officer but her parents can!  She has found out that wording is crucial when crafting legal documents and the attorney's advice has been very helpful.

She has managed to get her rescued dogs on various adoption sites such as Petfinder, Adoptapet.com and Paws.  She had to get letter signed by the vet care provider of Lucky Tails and have a phone interview before she was allowed to post dogs on their sites.  She now has her own accounts at Petfinder and Adopt a Pet.

Her biggest obstacle has been finding foster families.  Fostering is a big deal.  Foster families have to commit to bringing the dogs to adoption events and caring for their dog for an unknown period of time.  Sometimes the dogs have just been spayed or neutered or they are recovering from parasites or infections.  Foster families are special people. Claire has 3-4 potential foster families.  Some we know well, others she found by emailing over 700 people, a service provided on Adoptapet.com.

She has organized an adoption event September 9th at Choices Pet Supply in Danbury, CT.  She has her contacts and will branch out and partner with other rescue organizations at their adoption events soon but she needs her 501c non-profit status first.  Everything takes time and effort.

This is 3 legged Lucky, an adorable Pitbull mix

Her goal is to save dogs from euthanasia.  She rescues dogs from "kill shelters" up to two hours away. Some shelters have a legal adoption day (day they get euthanized) policy.  Dogs can only be picked up on that day.  If they are not picked up, they die.  It is so sad.  Many other rescue organizations are also trying to rescue these dogs.  Dogs are available one minute and gone the next.  It is hard to plan and you don't know about the history of a lot of these dogs.  You have to check in the morning and see if any of the dogs being euthanized that day are what you are looking for, then call and go! Other shelters that have more room can keep dogs longer. 

 Shelters are loud, smelly and overwhelming places.  The dogs bark and jump when you enter.  Most of the dogs in the shelters are Pitbull mixes. They need exercise and a cooped up all day in these small enclosures.  They have large strong jaws.  I wouldn't want one near my baby.  Yet they are so sweet natured for the most part.  We are enjoying having Lucky stay with us.  She is fitting in beautifully.  But Pitbull mixes are difficult to find homes for. The sad reality is that most of them will be put down.  The City of Hartford Animal Shelter has a higher than 50% kill rate.

Claire's website is coming along nicely.  I am sure her latest rescue Romeo will be posted soon.  We picked him up this morning.  He is a cute three year old boy.  He was in such great need of a bath but such a great dog.  We walked him and he was very responsive and affectionate. He was found on Jane St, in Bridgeport.  He had been hit by a car and left.  He was found by the police and taken to the shelter.  The vet saw him but they were only allowed to give him a shot for pain. A month later he was in quarantine as a dog near him in the kennel died of what they think may have been the Parvovirus.  We thought he would be a very adoptable dog once he was cleaned up a bit, neutered and free of parasites.  We took him to Ridgehill Animal Hospital where he is currently being tested and if he is free of Parvo, he will be neutered early next week. Claire has been invited to give him a pre-surgical bath and to watch his surgery.

In the dog enclosure

In the car on the way he was so inquisitive and loving.  He loved being in the car, putting his head out the window, sitting on your lap and just getting a little love that he has been craving.  He has been in the shelter 5 weeks. We heard this afternoon that a staff member at the hospital might want to adopt him.  He is really a special little guy and made me want to keep him in the 30 minute trip to the vet!

At the shelter

At Ridgehill Animal Hospital

Meeting our vet, Adnan Cosar