This evening on KGAN we had a story from Robert Price of CBS2 in Cedar Rapids about FOA in Tipton. You can check it out with the link below.
www.kgan.com/shared/newsroom/top_stories/videos/kgan_vid_1098.shtml
Update 11/25/08:
Riley has found his forever home!! 
Update 11/17/08:
Rocky & Willow have found their forever homes!! We will miss you both so much.
Riley has several pending applications for adoption. :)
Update 11/06/08:
Scout has found his forever home!! We’ll miss you so much sweet boy!
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On September 15th, 2008 four adorable (but very frightened) 6 week old puppies were found along the side of the road between Tipton and West Branch. We have nicknamed them, “The Highway Puppies” and we are very pleased to introduce them to the world:
Willow
Riley
Scout
And last but not least Rocky
These four sweet little angels were afraid and dehydrated but thankfully had not been hit by any passing cars. All four had upper respiratory infections, internal parasites and coccidiosis but after several trips to the Vetrinarian and lots of love and good care, they are all now in perfect health and ready for adoption. All four have now been spayed/neutered, had their back dewclaws removed and are up to date on their shots and deworming. In addition these puppies are quickly learning basic obedience such as “sit”, “come” and how to walk properly on a leash. They are also doing VERY well with housebreaking. They will ask to go outside when they need to go potty or will use newspaper or puppy training pads if going outside is not possible. They are great with children, great with other dogs & friendly to cats (although they do occasionally want to give a few too many kisses to the cats!).
We aren’t sure what breed they might be. The 3 boys look like lab/blue heeler mixes but the one female (Willow) has markings almost like a beagle but her fur is soft like a bunny…go figure? Our vet is guessing Willow, Riley and Scout will be around 35 to 40 pounds full grown but Rocky (who is also nicknamed “Tater”) the vet estimates may be larger. All four are very, very sweet and love to be held and cuddled with.
Adoption applications can be downloaded from our website by clicking here or at our shelter. Please note that Willow, Riley, Scout & Rocky are avalible for a meet and greet by appointment only. If you’d like to set up a time to come meet them please contact us.
~How Could You Do It?~
You loaded us into the car,
And drove us far away.
When no one was looking,
You turned us into strays.
Did you look back in the mirror?
Were we even worth a tear?
How could you do it?
How could you leave us alone?
How could you do it?
All we wanted was a home!
Alone by the road,
with traffic speeding by.
We were oh so afraid,
but no one heard our cries.
No Mamma to feed us,
or keep us safe from harm.
No one to make sure,
we were happy and warm.
How could you do it?
How could you leave us alone?
How could you do it?
All we wanted was a home!
The worlds a big place,
but maybe you’ll see this someday.
We just wanted you to know,
you crushed our hearts that day.
But you do have a chance,
to make this wrong okay;
If you have a heart at all,
you’ll tell Mamma we are safe.
Puppies are not garbage,
to just be thrown away.
Take our Mamma to the vet,
and please have her spayed.
“The Highway Puppies”
Willow, Riley, Rocky & Scout.
*Update 4/9/08 (scroll down for older news)-
Roscoe, Robbie & Ralphie have all found their forever homes!! We will miss them all but are so happy we were able to help them on their journeys to start new lives. :)
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Our sweet little Rose found her forever home with a wonderful couple. We are all so happy for her but will miss her very much, she was our little baby doll & would follow us around the shelter while we were doing chores.
Roscoe is also ready for adoption and we are currently taking applications for him. Roscoe is a riot and is ready to play anytime day or night. He has really come along way and will make a wonderful family pet. He is doing well with learing how to walk on a leash and is not too afraid anymore of going outdoors. Roscoe has discovered the endless joy of dog toys!! He used to be a little afraid of them but now can’t get enough of them. He is really loving as well and will give kisses endlessly.
Ralphie is working really hard on being brave and saying “hello” to new people. He is still afraid of going for a walk but the outdoors isn’t quite as scary to him as it used to be, he can sit outside on a leash without shaking too bad now. With time and more practice he’ll be fine & walking on a leash like a pro. He has really warmed up to all of us and turned out to be a real flirt. He is just cute as a little button! He has a special friend named Cookie. Cookie (A.K.A. “Cookie Monster”) is a sassy & outgoing little diva that has decided Ralphie is her boyfriend now. Ralphie doesn’t seem to mind one bit (he’s a “yes ma’am” kinda guy it seems).
Little Robbie is making progress slowly but surely. Out of the 4 dogs he is the one who we are the most worried about. He is still quite afraid of all of us and will run & hide when we clean and bring him food, but if we sit quietly near him he will come up and gently kiss our hands. Poor little guy, he doesn’t understand yet how much we care about him and want to help him. Hopefully he will let down his guard soon and let us brush him, fuss over him & go for nice long walks. He has no idea what life can be like for a dog who is loved.
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Friends of the Animals is proud to introduce 4 of our newest shelter residents:
Rose-
Roscoe:
Robbie:
And Ralphie:
As you can see by their pictures they are a bit afraid and need some grooming but what you may not be able to tell is that these four little guys are survivors of a horrific form of animal abuse known as “Animal Hoarding”. These dogs originally came from Ottumwa when on Feb 22nd 112 dogs and 14 cats were rescued by the Heartland Humane Society. They were all living together in a single home with only one caregiver in unimaginable conditions.
FOA is very happy we were able to help in some small way by taking in these 4 little guys. If we had a larger shelter we would have gladly taken in more but our current building is pretty small and already pretty much full with our other shelter animals. When they first arrived Friday they were really terrified but have shown some small progress, especially Roscoe & Rose. We will keep working with them until they are well, no matter how long that may take. With some time & proper care these guys will be ready to start a new life in a real home. We will continue to post updates & pictures on this site. Any donations to help provide for Rose, Roscoe, Robbie & Ralphie’s care and vet bills would be greatly appreciated. Please visit our Donations page for more information on how to help any of the wonderful pets we have in our shelter.
If you suspect an animal is living in an abusive situation PLEASE contact your local police and report it. And please take a few minutes to learn more about hoarding so you too may be able to spot a potential hoarding situation and help save an animals life:
The Hoarding of Animals Research Consortium
The AMVA:How to Identify a Hoarder
Friends of the Animals is happy to announce the opening of our new Cafepress store. All proceeds from our store will go directly to the care of our many wonderful homeless pets.
FOA would like to give a HUGE thank you to Melissa Regennitter of the Muscatine Journal for the wonderful story published about our shelter. Please click here to read this story online.
Thank you Melissa!