Safe and Sound

Just after the "Ava Aston" Doggie Rescue Ambulance picked up little "Scotty"

So I'm minding my own business Saturday afternoon running around with my very favorite person in the whole wide world. We were hungry and decided to stop to grab a quick lunch somewhere that would be fast. Since we didn't want "fast food" we decided to stop at a place that was a little off the beaten path, right next to a grocery store that has healthy made to order grub.

We walked up to the door when at the same time a man tied a little dog to a cigarette pole outside the entrance to the grocery store and the place where we were about to eat. It was less than 20 degrees outside, the dog was under ten pounds, not wearing a sweater or collar, and had a beat up old leash tied around it's neck. It was shivering uncontrollably and looked like it was suffering. My husband looked at the dog, looked at me and I could literally see the words in a bubble over his head "oh no here we go again." Being that this was not my first time to the rescue rodeo, of course I walked right up and started petting and talking to the little guy trying to see what was going on. My gut told me this was a very irresponsible dog owner, and that this dog was not safe with the man who had just tied him to the pole.

My husband sat down with the dog on the bench and the dog put his little paw on my husbands leg as if to say "please don't leave, help me". Then about 10 minutes later the guy comes strolling out with his $200 headphones on wearing Nike sneakers that cost upwards of $150. He proceeds to say "Oh you loving on him, you like him?... you want him? I gotta get rid of him - he cost me too much money. He broke a lava lamp and he's too much work." I tried and really wanted to have a rational conversation with the man but once he told me "cut his nuts off, no way I would never do that, take away his manhood - that is cruel" when I had asked him if the dog was neutered; meanwhile complaining the little dog was too "rambunctious" (which neutering would solve that issue he was complaining about calm him down - but that would be you know "cruel") I knew there was no rational conversation to be had. Best thing to do in my noggin, get the dog away from him, and to safety. The man literally gave him to us right there just like that. So even though we were visiting my mom out of town, have four dogs of our own that were visiting with us, and my mom has two dogs, making for a grand total of six dogs staying in her house already.... I scooped him up into my arms and away we went with little  Mr. Scottish Terrier/Dachshund mix.

Look at that little face... here he is after a bath,                           a good meal, and a warm bed.

Next thing, to text my mom a picture to make sure we didn't get lambasted when we walked in her house with a strange little doggie. The poor thing smelled like a giant cigarette, was dirty, starving, skinny as a rail and was so cold. I wrapped him in a blanket, then we got him a hamburger, a new red collar, matching step in harness and leash, some food and off to grandmothers house we went to give him a proper bath.

He met all the fur kids and well lets just say it was one great big fat muckery sandwich. None of our fur kids liked him. Probably the fact that he was not neutered and his constant humping might have had something to do with it. We were thinking to maybe keep him ourselves having lost a furbaby to congestive heart failure a few months back, but the fur kids not taking to him and in fact two of them trying to kill him made that an impossibility. We decided it would be best to re-home him to a safe loving forever home. So after a fun filled night of having him sleep in a crate, taking him out about a dozen times during the night to potty, several chaotic episodes including almost setting my moms power cord on fire when he dumped a can of soda onto it... a friend who runs a reputable rescue agreed to take little "Scotty" and make sure he gets a loving forever home, after he is fully vetted, gets all of his shots, and is neutered. They won't just let anyone adopt, they take applications, screen potential adopters, as well as do vet and home checks to ensure the adopters are going to be forever homes where the pet will be safe. Check em' out at HubbardsHounds.com

So after 24 hrs of muckery little "Scotty" is now safe and sound from a very unsafe situation. Who knows what kind of life that little guy might have had if we had not decided to go to lunch where we did that day. Turns out we never even ate there as we left as soon as the man said we could take him, and after all of that ended up eating "fast food" the very thing we were trying to avoid in the first place via Wendy's, and little "Scotty" had some too. Just before he went onto have his bath and organic, human grade fur dog food at grandmothers house of course.

The moral of the story... so many people just walk on by when they see something that seems a little off. They think in their mind things like: I'm too busy, it's not my problem, someone else will do something. You know what?... Sometimes that "someone else" is YOU. Don't ignore your gut and that little voice telling you to do something. You might just be the answer to someones prayer. I know we did the right thing that day by helping that little doggie. Yes it was time out of our plans, yes we spent money to buy him things and donate to the rescue who would pay for his vetting, but it was well worth it to change that little dogs life around. Think you can't afford to help like we did? Think again... even if he were taken directly to a local shelter (which would have been free), he would have still been a million times better off then with a man who would make an approximately six month old dog walk in freezing cold weather malnourished with no protection from the elements and then tie him unattended to a pole.

Yes we are dog savvy and knew things to look for and do before ever exposing him to our own pets for safety reasons, as well as de-worming him in case he had any worms, not allowing our dogs to be in contact with his poo, and all that stuff. At the very least even someone who isn't "dog savvy" can help a pet in peril by simply reporting the abuse or abandonment to the proper authorities, or just take it and instead take the pet to a shelter or rescue.

So many people think of pets as dispensable, or even worse as a cash cow, pets are not for making money. They are God's little creatures and we were given charge over them to care for them. Not to make a living from by backyard breeding the heck out of them. For the life of me I can't understand why people do not spay/neuter. There is just no excuse, low cost options are available almost everywhere. Not giving shots and flea/tick prevention is inexcusable as well. Almost every chain pet store holds low cost shot clinics monthly all over the country. If you can't afford to keep a pet up to date on shots and properly protected from fleas, ticks and heart worm, then you shouldn't have a pet.

I'm not for "more regulations" but there is a very simple solution to the epidemic animal abuse and overpopulation. Stop selling dogs/cats in pet stores, period! Stop breeding for profit, pets are not money making machines. For anyone who wants to show dogs and breed for betterment of the breed, showing, etc. they can take a test like a Dr. and get a "license" and pay a high yearly fee. This will keep out the people who overbreed for money, puppy mills and the "backyard or kitchen breeders".  Unless someone is dedicated to betterment of the breed and trying to get to the Westminster Dog show then they have no business breeding their dogs.

Animal shelters and rescues are beyond full. People do unthinkable things to animals daily, abuse, dumping senior pets at high kill shelters when they are done with them for a new puppy, dog fighting, leaving out in elements, etc. Every day thousands of pets are put to sleep in shelters all over the country simply because there are not enough people to adopt them all and too many ignorant people are still out there breeding making more. I'm beyond disgusted with how little regard people in our world give to Gods creatures.

BTW who gives a flying flip about what "breed" a dog is?... All dogs are beautiful! ~ Don't shop Adopt! ~ It's Super easy... just go to petfinder.com

OK stepping down off of my soapbox for now, I'm so happy that little "Scotty" has a new leash on life and it is my prayer that one day all animals will be safe, sound and loved.

Here is little "Scotty" at Hubbard's Hounds Rescue          meeting some new friends.

Blessings, Love & Music  ~
Ava xo
www.avaaston.com

Beauty for Ashes

Is it possible that anything good can come from something so horrible?

There are a lot of things readers of my blog know about me from reading over the past few years, one of which I hope is that Greek Girl loves & adores animals.  There are very few things that upset me more than a helpless animal hurting.  Some people argue that they are just animals and they don’t really matter.  I have to argue (I’m Greek remember we invented arguing along with acting, politics and the Windex) that God made them therefore they matter.  They are His creations and the decision to abuse or walk by and ignore one who is clearly in need of help is an expression of your character and God sees everything we do.

I’ll be the first to admit many of my animal rescuing episodes have led to muckery.  What kind of muckery you might be wondering, well let’s see: rescuing a dog tied to a parking meter on Houston St. in NYC, chasing down and rescuing a dog on Hollywood Blvd. in LA for over three hours, rescuing a dog while on vacation in FL, etc., is it any surprise that I ended up having five dogs?  Until recently of course when my beloved Maltese “Itty Bitty” passed away of Congestive Heart Failure, so now we only have four.  Even with all the joy and heartbreak, it’s a muckery I wouldn’t change for anything in the world.  To have an animal who was hurting either from neglect, or abuse to have them in your care to see the change, to see them safe and loved it is something that would never trade.

So like most people when I heard about the horrifying situation with NFL Star Michael Vick back when it came out I was not only sad but also angry.  It’s been some time now, he paid fines and you know I'm all about forgiving people but really? Michael Vick took not just one life, the innocent life in this photo is just one of many lives.

It’s so upsetting that a person could easily jump to thinking something like: “Not only is he "not rotting in a jail cell" but he gets to continue to do what he loves play football, make obscene money and to add insult to injury own a dog. This is so wrong!  If anyone buys his clothing line they need to have their head examined.  What moronic investor would put up good money to fund such a venture?”

Well that is exactly what I was thinking until I learned that he is actually a “Born Again” Christian who apparently got saved after being arrested and pleading guilty to the charges.  In fact he is being mentored by Tony Dungy a well-known and outspoken Christian retired NFL coach for the Indianapolis Colts.  So it makes sense that he would call his clothing line “Redemption - V7”.

Since his salvation he has written a book titled “Finally Free”, started the clothing line called “Redemption” and is giving proceeds from both the book and clothing line to the Humane Society’s “Pets For Life” Program, and also to programs for Youth at Risk as well.  How much of the proceeds I am unaware, my hope is that it is most of the proceeds.

My first thought when hearing about him being able to return to playing football was here we go again.  This is just another example where we are promoting and rewarding "Mediocrity" in this country.

Be vulgar and obscene sell a bazillion records, abuse and torture animals and no worries you get a slap on the wrist and are back playing in the NFL in no time. People wonder what is wrong with society today…. Take a good look. Sad… very sad.  Michael Vick has over One Million "Likes" on Facebook? What exactly is it that people "like" ?

Then I had to stop and ask myself if I had done something like that wouldn’t I too want a chance to be forgiven?  If his heart is truly changed and if he wants to try to stop animal abuse and raise money to help animals, why shouldn’t he be allowed to play again?  It’s definitely a situation that makes you stop and think.  As an animal lover I can be very quick to turn my heart off to anyone who has done such despicable things, yet as a Christian I am called by my creator to not only forgive him but also to hope he succeeds.  So that he may in turn be able to make a larger impact.  Not only to demonstrate the grace and goodness of God, but also to illustrate to people that it is wrong to do those things to animals.  God willing maybe even make a dent in the horrible Dog Fighting epidemic in this country.

Honestly I am torn because I see the photos, my heart breaks and I am enraged.  Then I think of the funds that can be raised by him being able to continue to play, selling clothes and books.  Which can enable helping abused and neglected animals and youth and then my heart softens.  One could also argue he is just using Christianity as a front to garner sympathy so he can sell a lot of merchandise and continue to live the lifestyle in which he was accustomed.  No one but Michael Vick knows what is in his heart.

In no way shape or form do I condone what he did, or what happened to his animals.  To be honest if I ever ran into him I'm quite sure I would not be able to stop myself from giving him an unfiltered piece of my mind via my Big Fat Greek Yap trap.

However, I for one am hoping it is a true heart change and that in this horrible, awful situation there truly can be beauty for ashes.  That something good can come from so much bad.

Blessings, Love & Music ~
Ava :D xo
www.avaaston.com

Heat Wave

Looks like me after my workout ;o) lol

Is anyone surprised that I complained all winter about how I couldn't wait for summer to hurry up and get here so I could get back to nice long dates with my sneakers via my much loved runs outside, and now that it's finally here I'm complaining about how hot it is?  Well if you are you shouldn't be, HELLO I'm Greek people!  We invented drama along with the windex, politics, and believe it or not yes even - complaining.  What else would we do when we sit around a table for hours upon hours at all the diners we own if not complain? ;o)

Seriously though it's a scorcher and set to only get worse before it gets any better.  Time to batten down the hatches, draw the curtains, and hunker down with the air conditioning.  This goes for everyone including the fur-kids.  Speaking of fur-kids anyone in their right mind knows that you do not tie your dog out to a tree or a dog house, or bring your dog out to do errands or go shopping with you in extreme weather.   Further to never leave a dog in a hot car in the summertime, right?...  Wrong.  Yup I just ran into a brainchild who apparently didn't get that memo and this guy actually had the audacity to stand there and argue with me about it when I went into Schooling mode Greek Girl style.

Most everyone who knows anything about me (besides my music) knows this one thing, I Love Animals, dogs in particular!  I have five dogs (yes I said five 5 - I know, I know I'm a special kind of crazy) and I will not stand for animal abuse.  Part of how I ended up with five, two of them are rescues.  I have chased dogs down  all over the country from Los Angeles, to NYC and lots of places in between.  If an animal is in need, lost, hurt, whatever I'm on it.  I can't help it, I love them and can't stand to see them suffer, especially for things that are so preventable.  It never ceases to amaze me how ignorant people can be when it comes to the care of animals and how some can turn a blind eye when one needs human help.

Living in the Hudson Valley of New York State has some neat attractions and one of those is an outlet mall called Woodbury Commons not too far from where I reside.  So I'm sure it's no shock that I frequent it often, again the Greek genes take over.  Remember Greek is also another word for Thrifty ;D In other words if I can get it for less,  that's how I'm getting it.  So I was at Woodbury Commons over the weekend scoring lots of sale loot.  As was walking back to my car I saw in the car parked right next to mine a big old beagle in the back of a giant old station wagon.  The windows were rolled down, and he did have water, but that is irrelevant.  It was 99 Degrees outside.  About noon smack dab in the hottest part of the day, and this clown was walking around and about the outlet alone, then making trips back to the car to check on his dog.  Meanwhile the dog is sitting in the car panting, and basically cooking.

I waited about twenty minutes when I first spotted the dog for him to come back to the car and asked him about it.  He proceeded to tell me "well the windows are rolled down and he has water, mind your own business".  I then proceeded explain to him that in New York State there is a law against leaving animals in parked cars in extreme weather and then to hand him a "you could be cooking your dog card" that I carry in my glove box for just incase such an occasion ever occurs.  He was so angry he was getting grumpy and started to take it out on the dog.  So I did what any good Samaritan would do, yup I called security.

Well after fifteen more long hot minutes security finally arrived and I told them what I observed and they informed him of the law and took it from there.  After a bit more talking with the security officer he got in his car and left.  I was annoyed that they did not actually call the real police and site him with a ticket.  What upsets me even more is this dog is not the only one who will be sitting in a hot car while some yahoo for whatever reason is out galavanting.  Seriously... if you see a dog in a car in the hot weather, please do something.  It might take a few minutes out of your day, but you could be saving a life.  The life of an animal who can't speak for them self, who only wants one thing in life to be safe and loved.

Here's a link to some of the states with laws on the books about animals in parked cars: http://animallaw.info/articles/State%20Tables/tbusdogshotcars.htm   So heavens sake please keep your fur-kids inside, cool, safe and with plenty of water.  If not I'll have to send "Punkin" Aston out to find you and send you straight to jail without passing GO! ;)

Keep your fur-kids cool and safe or "Punkin" will come to lay down the law!

Blessings, Love & Music ~

Ava :D
www.avaaston.com