We would like to thank everyone who kindly donated towards Jack's surgery.  As you can see from the photographs below Jack has now had the surgery and is well on the way to complete recovery and mobility.   Your donations allow us to take care of the medical procedures for dogs and cats who require more expensive vet care or surgeries.  Jack will soon be available for adoption - he needs a little more time to recover from the amputation surgery before he can be neutered.  He is shown here with this foster sister Daisy.

Thank you to everyone who supported us at Barktoberfest - sponsors, vendors, rescue groups and everyone who attended - you all made our event a great success.  Once again the weather was perfect and we hope everyone had a fun day.  Thanks to your support we raised funds to allow us to continue rescuing homeless dogs and cats.

Please click  on Barktoberfest Photographs to see the photos taken at this year's event by our photographer AJ, as well as past years.

Here's another link to a Barktoberfest video made by our friends at Silver Star Pictures

And this link will take you to the proofs of the wonderful photographs taken by Silver Star at Barktoberfest - all proceeds were very kindly donated to Frisco Humane Society

Logan and Cole recently had a birthday and they asked all their friends, instead of bringing gifts for them, to bring gifts for the Frisco Humane dogs and cats.    Look at all the smiling faces - and the dogs and cats were so happy too.

We believe it's important for children to understand the necessity of being kind to animals - Logan and Cole are great examples of this.

 Thank you again from all the dogs and cats and we hope you had great birthdays!!

This little 18 month old, 6 lb Chihuahua was rescued from a shelter on June 6th.  She had been left at the shelter by her owners because their other dog (also left at shelter) had bitten her and damaged her eye - they didn't want to pay for vet expenses. 

The bite occurred about 30 days ago which means she had to have been in great pain for about a month.  At the time of rescue her eye was severely infected and after taking one look at her, our wonderful vet at East Dallas Surgical Center stayed late on Saturday afternoon to perform the surgery to remove the eye.

Winkie's foster mom says that despite horrible pain she's the sweetest little dog imagineable .. when she met Winkie for the first time at the shelter, she picked her up to soothe her (holding her breath because of the awful smell coming from the eye), and the little dog just hugged her and wouldn't let go.

Please consider making a donation towards Winkie's surgery - we have had several high-cost surgeries this month and we are grateful for all donations (tax deductable).

100% of your donations go towards our vet bills.   You can donate by via PayPal by clicking on the Donate Button at the left-hand side of this page.

Winkie will be available for adoption when she has recovered from her surgery.

Girl Scout Troop 898 visited us at our Adopt-A-Pet recently and presented us with a basket of goodies for our foster dogs and cats.   We are always pleased when young people are aware of how important it is to be kind to animals - here's a big THANK YOU for the troop from our dogs and cats.

Hi my name is Jeepers.  I was found wandering around the Duncanville area.  The nice people at the
 Tri-Cities shelter took me in and waited for my family to come for me.  They never did L  I was such a nice boy that when my family didn’t come to get me I was put up for adoption in hopes of finding a new family to love and care for me.  I was a happy boy who loved attention and I was looking forward to finding a new forever home. 

While I was at the shelter I got sick.  The nice people at the shelter asked for a rescue group to help me and The Frisco Humane Society drove all the way to Cedar Hill to pick me up.  My foster mom took me to the doctor so he could find out why I wasn’t feeling well.  The doctor kept me overnight to run some tests and give me some special care.  My foster mom was busy making plans for me to come home.  She was going to give me a nice warm, sudsy bath and get me nice and squeaky clean.  I was very dirty and I know a bath would have made me feel so good.  My foster mom had a nice warm, soft bed waiting for me too.  She had a lot of plans for helping me become healthy and finding a wonderful family to give me a home. 

I guess I was lucky for those few days because the nice people at the Tri-Cities Shelter, Willowbend Veterinary and The Frisco Humane Society cared enough to look after me.

 My doctor said the news was not good for me.  You see because someone didn’t care enough about my health they didn’t give me heartworm preventative.  I wasn’t that old, maybe 3 years old and yet I had heartworms so bad that my little body was giving up.  Even with all the love, care and hope for me I could not continue.  My body was shutting down because my heart had not been able to function due to being clogged with heartworms.  I crossed the Rainbow Bridge on December 30^th, 2008.  My foster mom held me in her arms and mourned for me as I died.  So many hopes and plans would never be realized because no one cared enough to give me a simple heartworm pill once a month.

RIP Little Jeepers

We had some very special visitors join us at PetSmart this last Saturday, August 2nd.

Ten-year old Reese decided a dog-themed slumber party would be fun for her birthday, especially since her parents had recently adopted a little puppy, Snickers.  One of the activities was a home-made dog treat bake-off!!  The lucky Frisco Humane dogs were the winners because they were the recipients of the treats and I'm sure they tasted wonderful - I was tempted to try one myself.  

Reese is joined in the picture by her birthday puppy Snickers and her friends and co-bakers Rachel and Elizabeth.

Julie and Pedro (foster Chihuahua) are pleased to accept the treats on behalf of the Frisco Humane Society dogs.

And then we had another surprise visitor - Christina (shown below with Julie and foster Mickie) decided for her birthday she would ask friends to bring gifts for homeless dogs and cats rather than for herself.   We were honored to receive those gifts and once again our dogs and cats were the lucky ones to benefit from the generosity of a young girl who thinks more about animals than herself.

Thank you Reese, Rachel, Elizabeth and Christina!!

  July 21 - Fernando was rescued from a local shelter on June 20 following an urgent plea by Animal Control - they said he had been hit by a car and was in a considerable amount of pain. Fernando is about 9 months old and weighs in at 2 lbs. 14 oz. 
We rushed the little guy to our vet where x-rays confirmed he has a broken pelvis. 

Donations toward Fernando's vet bills are tax-deductible.

Click here to read his story.  **Updated July 17th .. read more about Linus**

We would like to thank the many people who have been touched by the story of Linus - because of your generosity we have received enough donations to completely pay for his cart!   Your response has been amazing.

We will continue to post updates about Linus.

Thank you so much for caring about a little puppy.

And click on Read More below for a special message from Linus

Brianna recently celebrated her 8th birthday and she asked her friends coming to her party instead of giving her gifts to bring donations that could be given to the cats of Frisco Humane Society.

She did this in honor of her recently deceased kitty, Leo.

Brianna was able to donate 7 bags of dry food, 12 cans of wet food, 4 bags of litter and a cat toy and she is shown here with those donations and one of Frisco Humane foster cats, Lilly.

Thank you for caring about homeless cats and kittens, Brianna.  It's always great to meet young people who care about and respect animals.

As usual I was browsing the animals that needed fostering, wishing I could save them all.  In one of the cages was a little Tibetan Spaniel.  He looked scared and lonely.  I went to bed that night and couldn't sleep knowing that he would be euthanized that Saturday.  The next morning I let FHS know that I would foster him.

Kristin picked him up for me, and it was love at first sight! He had such a precious face. He was very shy and had seemed to have lost hope.  Within hours he was cuddling up to me and getting his share of TLC.

My neighbors had recently lost their little Yorkie, and were heartbroken so after a few days I took Darby over and knocked on their door.  I knew they would be a perfect home for him - and I was right, they just loved him.  (Click on Read More for the rest of Darby's story)

Like to give Kitties some TLC?  Want to help rescued animals?  Frisco Humane is currently looking for cage cleaners for our Frisco Petsmart adoption center.  The shifts in need are Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings.  Cleaning cages requires you to scoop the litterbox, freshen up their food and water, and straighten out the kitty's cage.  A morning cleaner can come anytime between 7am and noon to clean.   You can volunteer for one or more days.

Please fill out a Volunteer Sign-Up Form if you would like to give some of your spare time to help out the cats and kittens.

Sharie Vance , a full-time student of film, has written and produced this short documentary entitled:  "Shelter Walkers"

The following is an email we have received from one of our adopters:

"We JUST LOVE our new little girl!!! She is so sweet and she is such everyone’s buddy and loves all. We are so lucky that she came to us; she has really lifted all our spirits… my little girl (daughter) now has a little buddy her size and plays a lot with both the dogs. It also has really helped having Bailey because now our other dog is engaged in playing with my daughter and Bailey!! As for my self I have missed the affection of a dog that follows me and sits on my lap… now both of the dogs want all my attention….I feel so loved!!!! I had a friend who said they would never adopt a dog from the “pound” or a rescue center because they are rejects… I just want you to know that this statement is so one sided thinking and untrue. I want you to pass this message along to all … every living thing deserves a second chance… the first time if it did not work out… I think it is not one or the others fault but both needing to find their true perfect match, as one is out there for everyone, whether it be animal or human.
Happy Mothers Day… from Bailey…. She thanks you for giving her a second chance!!!! "

Petvideo.com, created by the founders of Petfinder.com and Petsincredible, provides free online training clips. Just click on the button below to view informative and fun videos on such subjects as Crate Training, Introducing Your New Pet, Digging and many, many more. (Note: Clicking on the link will take you away from the Frisco Humane Society website)

I have been a rescuer of animals my whole adult life.  After moving to Frisco I met other rescuers at Frisco Humane Society.  I really loved the care they gave the pets, and how particular they were about placing the animals that came into the program.

I have been fostering cats for the past few years and  every adoption event at PetSmart I would pass the dogs and their wonderful foster moms.  Darryl kept asking me if I was ready to foster a dog.  I finally said "yes".  To my suprise, (LOL) they found one for me right away.

There was a little dog in a shelter in Abilene - he had been there for two weeks.  The owners were called and no longer wanted him.  Another rescuer drove him here to be fostered by us.  When Kristin called me, I went to pick him up.  It was love at first sight.  There stood a beautiful Lhasa-Tibetian terrier mix.  He had beautiful brown and red hair. He was a little skinny but otherwise seemed fine. I figured I would find out all of his bad habits when I got him home.  I was wrong, he didn't have any!  Rusty is a gentle, kind and special little dog.  I couldn't help but believe he was sent to us for a special reason.

So my next responsibility was to find Rusty a new home that would love and take care of him for ever so that he would never be unwanted or homeless again. 

This editorial slideshow was created by the Longview News Journal. It is about life in an animal shelter.

Reality Puts a Grim Face on Pet Overpopulation

and

In Hope - An Animal Shelter Story - A film by Robert Valentine

**Warning** - contains graphic pictures of pets that were euthanized.

Please do your part - adopt from rescue groups/animal shelters and spay and neuter your own pets.

Frisco Humane Society was recently invited to visit the children of St. Philip's Preschool in Frisco.

The Truth About Declawing

1.        "Declawing is an inhumane, unnecessary procedure that has many alternatives. It is never in the cat's best interest. With declawing, we are interfering with a species' nature because of our own whims, mis-conceptions, misinformation, and sometimes, laziness." Neil Wolff, D.V.M.

2.        Dr. Nicholas Dodman, author of The cat Who Cried for Help, and director of the Animal Behavior Clinic at Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine has the following to say about the procedure: "Declawing fits the dictionary definition of mutilation to a tee. Words such as deform, disfigure, disjoint and dismember all apply to this surgeryÉin veterinary medicine, the clinical procedure serves as a model of severe pain for the testing of analgesic drugs."

3.        Declawing is actually multiple amputations comparable to the removal of human fingertips at the first knuckle. Sensory and motor nerves are cut, damaged, and destroyed. Recovery from the surgery is a slow and painful process. This procedure can hamper the sensations and enjoyment involved in walking, running, springing, climbing, and stretching.

4.        While declawing is a popular and lucrative practice in the United States , it is not practiced in European countries. It is, in fact, against the law, in many countries including England , Germany , and Switzerland .

5.        Cat Owners who elect to have their paws declawed generally do so with the belief that they will never have to deal with fabric damage due to destructive scratching problems. However, paw sensitivity resulting from the declaw operation may result in litterbox avoidance and urine-soaked furnishings or carpeting.

6.        Without its #1 defense system many declawed cats resort to nipping or biting with very little warning. They often use oral means to express their insecurity and this may also result in destructive chewing problems.

7.        Cats, like people, react differently to physical handicaps. Some appear to be unaffected and others become nervous and defensive. When a dramatic temperament or behavior change occurs, the cat owner often decides to take the cat to a pound or shelter or have it euthanized by a veterinarian.

Destructive scratching problems are 100% correctable. Providing the cat with suitable scratching targets to satisfy this instinctive behavior and encouraging appropriate behavior is generally all that is required.

Kids and Cats

Children and cats can share a relationship that is mutually beneficial provided each is old enough to respect the other. The good-natured dog may put up with a child's playful tousling, but the dignified cat may be less tolerant. From the start the child should be taught how to properly hold the cat, providing support under the chest and under the back legs. Touching the sensitive stomach area will bring a natural reaction of "grab and bite" and the child should be alerted to this. He should also be taught some basic feline body language so that he will know to back off when he sees the ears flatten and the tail twitch. This important lesson will help to prevent some tears later on.

Helping the child see things from the cat's point of view will not only ensure a healthy relationship between child and pet, but it will help to build an empathy for all living creatures. The Golden Rule is a standard that when learned and practiced, will benefit the child for his lifetime. Nothing is more satisfying than loving and being loved--something our feline companions have known since they decided to curl up on the first lap five thousand years ago.

If you have children under 6 or 7 years of age, it is best not to adopt a kitten under four months old. An overly affectionate toddler can injure a small kitten with a well-meaning hug. A more mature kitten or cat can better withstand a young child's noise and quick movements, but even an adult cat may swat at a tail-pulling child. The key to harmonious interactions between young children and cats is adult supervision.

Parents are always looking for ways to teach children responsibility and often try to give children cat care duties. This is usually not a good idea. Children can be forgetful and easily distracted and it is the cat who will suffer if they forget to put out fresh food or water or clean the litterbox. Even if they are conscientious about their chores, having to care for the cat, midst parental reminders and scoldings, can build a resentment toward the animal. Instead, they should be given tasks that do not involve the welfare of a dependent living creature, such as emptying wastebaskets or setting the table.

Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV)

Canine heartworm infection causes disease primarily in the small pulmonary arteries and secondarily in the heart. Dirofilaria immitus adults are thin worms that reach 10 to 12 inches in length. The adult worms live in the peripheral branches of the pulmonary arteries and produce large numbers of microscopic offspring (microfilaria), which circulate throughout the bloodstream.

By Dogscouts of America

If you have a new puppy the information contained in these pages is absolutely critical for you to know. The Frisco Humane Society is an organization that seeks to teach responsible dog ownership and improve the bond between people and their dogs. We want to keep you and your puppy together, by teaching you about what kinds of behavior to expect, and how to encourage good behavior instead of allowing bad behavior and creating a dog juvenile delinquent! When you adopt a dog, it should be a commitment for the life of the dog.

by Vicky DeGruy

This article by Vicki DeGruy, originally published in Dog Owner's Guide, was the winner of a 1993 Dog Writer's Association of America Maxwell award for best article in a canine newspaper. Kids and dogs are wonderful together -- when adults use good sense and put safety first.