Black Cat

I am now a cat momma. There I said it. What, whoa, whatchutalkinboutwillis? Greek Girl you have five dogs... That is exactly what I was thinking when I saw a skinny, dirty little black cat sitting on my moms doormat meowing his little head off.

My animal loving heart was saying, "Scoop this little fur baby up and keep him". My inside voice was saying "Cat... um, you have not one, not two, not three, but actually five dogs who do not particularly care for cats, did you forget?"

Now I know most everyone is probably more interested in the upcoming election and the latest wikileaks document dump, and Project Veritas videos than in my little black cat rescue story. However since almost everyone is on election overload, why not take a mini brain break? I mean even Hillary said looking at Cat gifs can be therapeutic. That she is right about. That may be the only thing in my opinion, but hey that’s a blog for another day.

So back to the story of how I became a cat mom. While we were on vacation in Greece and my mom was pup sitting our five furkids a little black cat starting sleeping on her doormat. Why didn’t she just bring him inside one may wonder. Well, that is because she already has a big fat spoiled rotten cat that does not like other cats. Besides, her own two dogs, and my five who were gracing her with their presence.

Fast forward to our return from vacation. We went upstate to her house and when I saw him I just couldn’t help myself. My mom had already brought him inside briefly to give him a bath, and try to get her cat to maybe accept him, which was not happening.

So for the few days we were there, I tried my hardest to find someone who could adopt him. I must have called or texted everyone I know, and got nothing. Sadly, since there are so many stray, abandoned, neglected and abused animals out there everyone I know is already over burdened with more pets than they ever planned.

Since Halloween was looming, there was no way I was going to leave a little black cat who was very friendly out on the streets for some lunatic to do God knows what to. He would actually go up to people walking by on the street meowing and following them. He clearly wanted a person of his own.

So, the day we were leaving I was on the way back from an appointment with the Mr. I started to ask him what we were going to do about the cat, knowing I didn’t really feel right about leaving him outside. Before I could even finish my sentence he blurts out “I think we should just keep him”. After I picked my jaw back up from the floor, I said “Really?” and he said “yup”.

So we made a pit stop to go buy kitty supplies. Carry bag, toys, food, etc. We got all the necessities. I let the Mr. name him, since it was his idea after all, his name is "Jaxson".  Then we made the three-hour drive home with five dogs in the car and one little black cat at my feet in his brand new carrier.

Since then I have learned the skill of wrangling animals. I keep the dogs in one area of the house locked into a few rooms, and the cat gets the run of the joint. Or, the dogs are out with run of the house and the cat is safe in his room along with his kitty dream house in front of the window, and about a bazillion toys.

I have learned all the things about being a kitty momma that I never knew before. Such as, if he eats too much too fast (which he likes to do since he was a stray) he will vomit and that can lead to an expensive vet trip, eh hem. Along with not to leave any kind of toys that have little strings out as they can cause a blockage due to cats tongues grabbing onto.

I have learned that kitties think they are ninjas, and that he pretty much can scale a small building in a single bound. The best thing I have learned though is that there is no greater feeling than to save the life of a helpless animal. Yes it may be a lot of work; yes you may spend money you did not plan to spend. At the end of the day though, when they are all curled up in your lap and they look up at you with that gaze that almost seems to say “thank you for saving me”, it makes it all worth it.

Can't forget to share the doggies in their Halloween Costumes...

October is “Adopt a Shelter Dog Month". Dog or cat, it’s always a good time to save a life and bring a little happiness to your life. Hey it’s good for your health too. Having a pet can lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol; bring companionship, and so much more. So what are you waiting for? Make everyday a happy day, don't shop adopt... your life will never be the same.

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

Second Chances

Unconditional love... requires so little yet gives so much.

I'm an animal nut, I admit it. This has already been throughly established in my over two years of blogging. Currently we have four fur kids in the Aston abode (it was five until our ten and a half year old Maltese "Itty Bitty" died of congestive heart failure back in September). I do not hesitate to rescue, rehome and have been angrily referred to as a "Doggie Rescue Ambulance" by "Punkin" our talking fur kid, the one with her own channel on my your tube page. (see Punkin videos here)  She can be a jealous little Pekingese and does not like to share her momma with other fur kids.

She gets especially mad when she sees her momma cheating on her looking at homless doggies on the internet. I try to explain to her that sharing these little faces helps to get them jail broke from the kill shelter where they may end up being put to sleep, but she doesn't care. Like I said she is jealous. She has her warm bed, toys, organic food, and has her momma trained so well that she gets brocccli mixed into her little food mash every day. That along with plain kefir, glucosamine & chondroitin, and even a little wet food. I tell her she has no idea how good she has it, or what kind of horrors happen to doggies in the world every day. She super especially does not like her brother "Pepe" who was pulled from a kill shelter whom she thinks steals all of momma's attention.

So over the weekend I was enjoying a hot cup of happiness a la Dunkin's looking at one of the pages of the amazing rescue's that I subscribe to and I learned about a fundraiser were doing to raise emergency medical funds. When the shelter calls with an emergency case that they are unable to care for, this rescue steps up (as much as it can afford to and even beyond that many times) and gets that animal to an emergency vet to make sure they get the advanced care they need. Otherwise they would be euthanized at the shelter. I know, sad but true. It amazes me what human beings do to animals on a daily basis. Honestly I don't know how some people sleep at night.

Having just had our four furkids at the vet on Saturday and having spent a pretty penny for their yearly shots. It got me to thinking... I know vets have to make money and don't get me wrong, but I think they have gotten just a bit out of control. In the long run it ends up leading to animal neglect. The funny thing is this year we even did their rabies shots at the county clinic which was only a $5.00 donation per dog... total of $20 bucks. At the vet that would have added another $80 to our already near $500 total.

It's great that places like Petco do shot clinics, however to get advanced vaccines like Lyme if you live in an area where you need it like we do, the shot clinic vets charge $40 each just for that vaccine. So no matter how you slice it, it ends up being about $120 per dog to do the shots. Which if you have more than one dog, starts adding up very fast. I'm not complaining, don't get me wrong. I have four fur kids and pay for what they need no matter what. It just makes you think when a vet charges anywhere from $50-100 and up just for the office visit. Then anywhere from $20-40 for a vaccine that costs less than $3.00. I'm all for capitalism and profit, but doesn't a vet get into medicine because they love animals? Or did I miss something along the way?

Shelters all over the country are full of dogs and cats that are dumped because people can no longer afford to care for them. Or even worse people keep them and just let them go with no shots, and leaving medical conditions untreated for years on end. Then for one reason or another the animal ends up at the shelter with an advanced condition that in many cases ends up taking their little lives. This is so stupid and so preventable. I understand that a vet goes to medical school, they are a Dr. and just like Dr.'s they should be rewarded for their hard work. However there should be a line somewhere. A line between making a profit and being obscene to the point where people can not afford to care for their pets. A vet I love and used to go to in this area for example used to charge $40 for an office visit. It is now over $100 for a regular office call, and an emergency visit is $150.

I don't know it just seems to me that if you care for animals and love them so much that you go to school to be able to care for them for a living... when you get out and open a practice, that you will not become so greedy that you forget that the animals are the ones who suffer when you decide to start raising prices, and raising, and raising, and raising. Making it harder and harder for people with multiple dogs to have multiple dogs. Which leads to less dogs being adopted from shelters. Just my two cents.

I want to see more dogs who are sitting in shelters get a second chance at life, and vets continuing to charge into the stratosphere for care is not helping the situation at all. So when you see a rescue posting on Facebook or somewhere asking for donations, know they are the only chance for these creatures. Your taking a minute to share and give $1, $5, $10 or whatever you can afford to do can and will make a difference. If everyone who sees these posts takes the time to do it, the rescues can save more innocent animals.

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

Bad Dog

"Creature" The Hero Pitbull

Anyone who knows me knows one thing, Greek Girl loves animals, dogs in particular.  What else could explain how I ended up having five of them?  So it's not surprising to me when I see a story like the one I'm about to share with you.

Recently a Pitbull named "Creature" saved an elderly woman with Alzheimer's Disease in New Jersey.  The woman had wandered off, her daughter and son in law called the authorities.  They came in droves, and even had helicopter's aide in the search to find her.  They were having no luck at all.  Meanwhile an unsuspecting woman was walking her Pitbull "Creature" that evening.  Creature kept taking her back into the woods, she would try to leave and he would turn back leading her to the woods.  She came upon the elderly woman trying to get up, but every time she did the branches she was lying on would break and she would fall back down.

So heartwarming, and so special one might say.  Really it is not uncommon of a Pitbull at all.  Despite being the world's most misunderstood breed of dog, they are also immensely intelligent.  How do I know all this stuff about Pitbulls you might be wondering?  "Pitbulls and Paroles" on Animal Planet of course! ;D  Seriously though... I have rescued many a dog in my day (Pitbulls included) and all dogs are good dogs.  There are not "Bad Dogs", just bad people.

People who abuse, mistreat, neglect, do not spay/neuter, backyard breed, abandon, torture and do unthinkable things to animals.  I can not understand it, they are God's creatures.  All dogs want is to love us and to make us happy.  A safe place to sleep (preferably in our beds) lol, food in their little bellies, and love.  It's that simple.  Too many people view them as dispensable, and get rid of them if it becomes inconvenient.  Or they think maybe they can make a couple of bucks by breeding them.  Not realizing that those are not cupcakes.  Chances are not all the puppies in that litter will have a long happy life with the owner who bought it.  Many will end up in shelters, and that is why thousands upon thousands of dogs are euthanized every single day.

There are dogs living in the streets who have been discarded.  The cat situation is even worse.  The Ferrell cat problem is almost epidemic in some ares.  They are not vaccinated, not people friendly, and just breed out of control.  So many things like feline leukemia, feline aides, rabies, and a whole bunch of other things that are all preventable.

Not everyone has the patience to deal with a dog that has been abused.  Some you would never know they had been abused, they are so loving, like it never happened.  Yet others like my "Pepe" are so scarred, even after almost five months in a loving safe home he still does not fully trust and is afraid.  Our poor guy had his fang tooth knocked out, burns all over his back of his little body and weighed only 9 lbs when we took him in.  He's now a plump 14.5 - little chow hound.

It's not the dogs fault the people do bad things.  Just like it's not the Pitbulls fault they are bred to feed the disgusting industry of dog fighting, and are treated like garbage.  They are not "Bad Dogs".  Yes temperament and health issues can be passed along especially in backyard breeding.  But to label and entire breed of dogs "Bad" just because people have abused it for decades it not right at all.

Creature is a hero and just one example of the incredible Pit Bull.  Right now there are dogs in shelters across the country waiting to get a second chance.  Waiting for someone to love them.  My little "Pepe" is not a Pitbull, but I can tell you that when I see him sleeping on his side, doing his little exhale and in full relaxation.  My heart breaks a million times over for what he went through.  To see his little face light up when we go for a walk or in the car for bye bye, his life is changed forever.

Could you imagine someone abusing this little face?... Well they did.
I'd like to meet them in a dark alley. Just sayin.

I've rescued and helped place all kinds of dogs including Pitbulls and they are so special.  If anyone is thinking about a companion... before you shop, please won't you consider adoption?  There are rescue's all over the country, and all kinds of breeds, including mutts.  Visit www.petfinder.com, type in your zip code, what kind of pet you are looking for, and you are on your way to saving someone's life.

Blessings, Love & Music ~

Ava :D xox

www.avaaston.com

Pit Bulls and Parolees

Tia Torres of Animal Planet's Pit Bulls and Parolees

I stumbled upon a show on Animal Planet, it's called Pit Bulls and Parolees.

As most of you know I am a huge animal lover. My main weakness is dogs, especially ones that have been given a bum rap in life through abuse or neglect.  They are defenseless little creatures and none of them ever asked for what life dealt them. So then, there is pit pulls, who I feel are misunderstood from the get go. Combine the misunderstanding about the breed and sprinkle in rescued abused pit bulls with parolees and you have a great reality series concept. This series had me  at woof!!

The show is set around one very strong lady named Tia Torres who runs Villalobos Rescue Center, now the largest pit bull rescue facility in the country.

After learning about this woman I will never say I have had a tough life again because Tia really has had a tough life. She came from a broken home and experienced a tumultuous childhood. She longed for a family of her own from very early on and eventually began to adopt neighborhood dogs and stray cats.  Multiple marriages have ended with her husbands being sent off to prison.

Despite all of her struggles, she has always wanted to help others. She entered the Army with hopes of helping other people as a gang counselor. That is where she met one of her husbands. Unfortunately, he was a drug addict and ended up in prison. Wow, I would have never seen that coming.

After this marriage broke up it was scary going out on her own with approximately 100 pit bulls to care for and as a single mother, a positive change took place. During a rescue that concerned a dog whose owner was involved in a criminal case, Tia stumbled upon Web sites that advertised "prison pen pals." Tia spotted a man whose photo hypnotized her and she met husband #3.  (Do you notice a pattern here? Hello. ) She said he looked like a modern-day vampire, yet there was something gentle and kind about his photo. But then again, don't all ex-convict vampires have a gentle side - just sayin'?

The journey to save pit bulls was a rough one for Tia as pit bulls were in the news every week as public enemy number one. Tia worked feverishly trying to earn a reputable reputation saving the most maligned type of dog in the world. In March of 1999, things finally changed in her favor.

A pit bull attack on a two-year-old child prompted a city-wide panic. Hundreds of pit bulls were turned into shelters, let loose on the streets and some were even found tortured and tossed out like garbage. The shelters couldn't cope with the number of pit bulls being turned in, so they turned to Tia for help. After meeting with city officials, Tia created the Pit Bull Support Group, which combined free obedience classes, spaying and neutering, medical assistance and training seminars. Her goal was to restore a sense of calm in LA and let people know that their beloved pets were not going to turn on them. Having successfully launched this effort, Tia finally felt she made a true difference. Shelters from around the country asked her to speak as a pit bull expert and cities began to implement the same type of program and became proactive.

Tia eventually married that convict. Husband #3. Together they realized how difficult it was for parolees to succeed in this society. So, they came up with the idea of employing parolees to work at Villalobos Rescue Center.

In 2006, with the help of her family, Tia built a program called The Underdawgz, which serves as an entity within the Villalobos Rescue Center. The Underdawgz pairs parolees and pit bulls — both men and dogs nobody else wants. The parolees feed the dogs, clean the kennels and learn how to train the pit bulls in preparation for adoption.

Each day is a battle, but Tia finds conviction in her mission to turn society's trash into treasure and by the dogs who work their magic on the "baddest" good guys in town.

Ok, maybe her skills to pick out a wholesome clean-cut guy for marriage material could use a little work, who cares? I think she has a heart of gold and there is a special place in heaven for Tia.

Some day I plan on visiting her rescue and meeting Tia. I know I have also decide to try to help support her in any way I can. She really touched my heart and I am in awe of how she just always keeps picking herself up and going on despite what life throws at her....I think she is part pit bull. I mean that in a very good way.

Blessings,

Ava

xox