THANK YOU DOGGY ANGEL LAURIE

This is Max. He is NOT up for adoption as he has already been rescued by the most wonderful guardian angel, Laurie, from Canada (sorry folks). Laurie was a bit camera shy and is letting her precious dog Max stand-in for her (LOL). Laurie provided us with a very generous donation (in the $1000s) to P.A.W.S. several months back. She literally saved more dogs than we ever could have imagined. Spays/neuters were performed, heartworm treatments provided, and other medical costs were taken care of thanks to Laurie. For several months, we were able to continue our efforts in peace knowing that no one would be euthanized due to lack of funding to provide care or transportation to Rescue Groups up North. It took us a while to track her down and we feel awful about not being able to properly acknowledge her generosity, but we are incredibly appreciative of everything she did for our sweet pups. You truly are the greatest- THANK YOU LAURIE!

VOLUNTEERS HARD AT WORK FOR ESPERANZA BONANZA FESTIVAL MAY 8, 9, 10

We apologize for the delay in postings on the Blog, however our P.A.W.S. volunteers are hard at work getting ready for the next fundraiser. P.A.W.S. is the non-profit organization (501 c-3) that helps to raise money for the Marion Animal Shelter. We have secured a booth at a local annual festival called Esperanza Bonanza. This is a family friendly festival that was founded it 1993. It features a barbecue contest, cajun boiled crawfish, live music, rides, and games. Held every year in May, attendance tops 15,000. Volunteers have worked tirelessly to obtain all sorts of wonderful items from community businesses for several raffles. We are astounded by the support of this small community. Items collected have been combined to make themed baskets such as a "Spa Basket" (massage, haircut, manicure/pedicure, jewelry, etc.), a "Manly Basket" (BBQ tools, tire rotation, oil change, etc.) and a few other great baskets. We also have autographed memorabilia from The University of Arkansas' football and basketball teams ("Go Hogs"). Back by popular demand are the homemade doggy treats that will also be sold at the festival in addition to adorable hand made dog and cat magnets. We hope to have a large turnout so we can raise much needed funds to help pay for our outstanding medical bills. As many of you know, we have had several emergencies that have cost $1000s to treat in addition to our ongoing treatment of heartworm positive dogs. We welcome donations in any denomination as they all really do make a difference and allow us to continue to save these precious lives. Plus all donations are tax- deductible using our non-profit organization, P.A.W.S. Check back for pictures from the festival! If you live nearby and would like to volunteer to help at the festival, please call Allison at 901-240-9848 or Lisa at 901-826-0292.

UPDATE ON HANDSOME SMOKEY

Smokey is doing great! He is currently in a foster home with a nearby Rescue Group and is recovering from heartworm treatment. Smokey underwent eye surgery several weeks ago, thanks to Doggy Angel, Jeff P., from California. We cannot thank you enough for your generosity! Smokey is on his way to finding a forever home thanks to you and other Doggy Angels!

UPDATED PICS: HALO

Thanks to Katie and her husband, Adam, we have updated pictures of handsome Halo in his foster home (that's one of their dogs, Annie, in the picture with them). Halo is doing fabulous according to his foster parents. He started heartworm treatment today, so check back for more updates under his profile on the Petfinder site. Apparently Halo is quite the puppy at heart. This is what his foster parents have said about him:

"He acts like such a puppy. He gets along very well with my male, Bear. They love to play. He liked my female, Annie, a lot until she told him she was not interested and it was HER house, so now he just licks her ears and tries to stay out of her way for the most part, but she has warmed up to him quite a bit today and tried to play with him a bit, but he's still a little intimidated! My husband absolutely loves him...He's so tolerant and friendly with everyone...He just needs work on keeping his feet on the ground :) We're making good progress with the house breaking...I've found he also loves squeaky toys and is very toy motivated. If no one will play with him, he throws it in the air for himself and chases it. He's a big clown."

Thank you both for taking such great care of Halo. We look forward to hearing about his progress! Halo will be available for adoption once his treatment is complete.

HOLLY HAS FOUND HER DREAM HOME!

Holly left her foster home after several months of TLC
(she underwent heartworm treatment during that time) and arrived in New Hampshire on Saturday! Her new owner, Beverly, has to be the most patient woman in the world to wait for this sweet girl for so many months. We want to thank you, Beverly for reaching out to Holly and adopting her without ever even meeting her (it takes a special person!). We couldn't have asked for a better home for her. The top pictures were taken the day she left Memphis and the bottom pictures show Holly in her new home. Beverly writes...

"She is really a big lovebug. She is so sweet...All is going very well. She has destroyed a pile of stuffed toys that I expected she would as any young dog does...She watches the cats move around and doesn't have any interest in them just curious sometimes. She has started to eat very well now and drinks alot... She really does listen well so I think once my daughter gets involved with her dogs things will be great."

Thanks Beverly for keeping us updated on Holly's progress and for being her Doggy Angel! Another big thanks to Janet for making this all happen- REALLY- We appreciate all your hard work saving all of our precious dogs!

HOORAY FOR ALI (aka RUBY): SHE'S A LUCKY DOG!

WOW-Look at sweet Ali in her new home! That's right Ali (now called Ruby) has found a forever home! In fact, a wonderful local family has decided to adopt this cutie pie! They report that she is doing very well. Her owner, Mike wrote a quick note:

"Thought you would appreciate that she is adopting well…and currently…thinks she runs the house despite the older dogs giving her the “eye” ! LOL! Glad we were able to save this wonderful pup".

Thanks Mike for providing her such a wonderful home!

PLEASE FOSTER HOMES...WE NEED YOU

Well we just received word that the shelter has at least 5 new dogs since last week (not yet on the website). Apparently, there are 2 dogs in nearly every kennel at the shelter right now. Unfortunately, they cannot stay that way. Therefore, we have almost 10 dogs that will need to go somewhere this week to avoid having to euthanize. We are desperate for short-term foster homes- can you help us? Please call Joan at 870-739-1145 right away. If you would like to fill out a foster application, please email us.

UPDATED PICS: PAIGE

Remember Paige? She's still at the shelter and doesn't have anyone to foster her to buy her some more time. Please someone help Paige. She is just about out of time. Paige is very strong and needs some leash training, but is a very sweet girl.

UPDATE ON SWEET DOUGLAS

Just a quick update on Douglas. Douglas is nearly finished with his heartworm treatment and is doing great! He is a sweet, friendly boy that loves the company of other dogs. Doug will make a terrific pet for someone. He is fairly active (but not hyper) and will likely make a great running parter (he loved going for walks before his heartworm treatment according to his foster mom). Because he is black, his pictures do not do him justice. He still has an outstanding bill at the vet's office if you'd like to contribute anything to cover his treatment (we would be extremely grateful because we can then continue to treat dogs).

GERMAN SHEPHERD LOVERS WE NEED YOU! MEET SHEP

So sad...meet Shepherd (Shep for short). Shep is an owner surrender. He was owned by an elderly woman who took good care of him. However, he is a senior (10 1/2 years old) and requires medication for arthritis (helps manage pain and inflammation). Unfortunately, the woman who owned him can no longer take care of him. Shep is a sweetheart. Apparently Shep is friendly with dogs, kids, cats, and even chickens! Seriously, this boy deserves to live out his life on a comfy dog bed, don't ya think? He still has many good years left! Look closely at those precious eyes (click on each picture for an enlarged view). Oh and he's heartworm negative- YEAH!!

MEET LONELY SHELBY

OH people never cease to amaze us. This sweet girl, Shelby, is only about 4-5 weeks old and should be with her mommy. However, some man decided to abandon her along with her mom and her sister at a nearby lake. Thankfully, a few young men who were fishing at the lake were able to bring both puppies back with them. They said the man indicated that he was keeping the males from the litter, but that he didn't want the females. Sadly, they could not catch their mom. Shelby's sister was taken home by one of the young men at the lake, but they could not keep both. So... she is all alone at the shelter and is barely able to eat on her own. She is desperate for a foster home so that she can get the attention she needs. Please help her!

WHAT A BEAUTY- MEET REBA

Meet Reba, an absolutely gorgeous Australian Shepherd/Border Collie mix. Reba is about 10 months old. She is having to live outside because the shelter is full. Do you have room inside your home for this gorgeous gal? If so, call Joan at 870-739-1145.