Journey of a Rescued Puppy

Posted on January 19, 2013 by arkanimalcentre

During February 2012, I decided to join in for a day at the SPCA to help feed, dip and deworm some dogs from a local township. Francois and I spent the morning handing out food to children bringing their puppies and dogs in.

One small boy came along with an incredibly weak, sick looking puppy and as he walked away she just collapsed in front of us. Francois rushed her to the vet’s room at the SPCA but found no one there. In the front office, the lady at reception reckoned the puppy had maybe a few hours to live but without a vet they couldn’t euthanize. Francois quickly rushed her to the nearest vet and was met with the same story, and if we wanted to try we could just take her home and see if she makes it through the night.

The first person I thought of who would be willing to take in a sick puppy was Tracy from Ark Animal Centre, without question she told us she would be at the shelter waiting. We were all a little shocked at just how yellow Gina’s eyes, gums and skin was from the biliary, unfortunately the vet had dewormed her which didn’t help matters. She was taken home so Cara could treat her (Tracy promised me Cara could save ANYTHING!).

Within just days she looked like an entirely different dog, still recovering from the biliary, burn marks and having no food but with a little more life in her wagging tail. We visited every few days while deciding whether or not we would be able to keep her. It was astounding how she improved day by day, turning into a little monster until we could barely remember the sad little pup we first brought in.

Now we’re sitting with a 10 kg puppy with more life in her than we can handle and a whole lot of character! And she still has those beautiful gentle eyes she uses to get whatever she wants. As I’m writing this, she’s lying in the back of the car on her favorite bed, holding a toy between her oversized paws. She’s exhausted after a weekend of running around Clarens, meeting dogs everywhere along the way and sleeping in a king sized bed. Because life is just so tough…!

So we just want to say a huge thank you to Tracy and Cara as well as the rest of the family (dogs included of course) for allowing the monster into their home so that we could find the perfect home for her with us.

Gina Update: She’s DOUBLED in size and weight. Yes, that Jack Russell sized dog is now heading on 20kg with Great Dane legs on the way! She’s a proper lady and the most precious thing first thing in the morning when she yawns like a bear and hides under the blankets to avoid the cold ♥ We couldn’t be happier!

By: Stephanie Emmy Klarmann (Gina’s Mom)

101 Humorous Animals by Carly van Heerden

Posted on January 14, 2013 by arkanimalcentre

Carly van Heerden is the author of ‘101 Humorous Animals – The Lighter Side Of Anthropomorphism’. Her new book is out and available on Kindle & Amazon.com and is filled not only with high quality pictures of some of the world’s most beautiful creatures, but beneath each picture you will find a few interesting facts relating to the creatures in the pictures, making this book the ultimate combination of humor and fact, emphasized by superior images… which for many is the perfect recipe for enjoyable entertainment.

Here is a little more on Carly and her awesome book…

I have spoken on behalf of animals for most of my life now – not only as an activist; I have the tendency to imagine what animals are thinking, and I know I’m not the only one! When I started studying animal behaviorism, one of the first points we are made aware of is that when it comes to training animals, we as humans make the mistake of likening our animals to people; we think we know what they are thinking when they look at us ‘that way’.

This is known as anthropomorphism (explained in detail in the book). Anthropomorphism becomes an obstacle when we presume what our animals are thinking, even though we know full well they can’t speak English (or any other human language), and they do not think in a spoken language we can understand either. This can lead to our misunderstanding our animals’ needs on occasion; for example, when your dog chews your shoes and looks at you ‘that way’, you think they are saying ‘sorry’ or ‘I didn’t do it’, or ‘please don’t be mad’, when in actual fact they are just looking at you, wondering why your facial expression and body language is changing shape… so suddenly.

There’s a lot to it, but at the end of the day we only ‘speech bubble’ our animals because we love them, and to us they are human – so if the shoe fits…

Facebook often provides the perfect daily dose of comedy when it comes to pictures of animals, which have been ‘captioned’. Sometimes I’m left in tears and stitches by the captions I read, and they are usually so appropriate. So, where did I get my inspiration from? I’d have to say… captioned pictures on Facebook.

To make the book that much more interesting, I spent my time researching the animals in the pictures, hoping to make this book into something more than ‘just a picture book’. To me, one of the best forms of entertainment is a well-structured combination of non-fiction and humor, which allows me to smile and learn something new at the same time. For me, that’s getting what I need and like for the money I spend.

Watershed Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation Fund came into the picture toward the end. My ‘Mushroom’ (SPCA rescue Greyhound) was flown to me in Sedgefield from Gauteng, and Steph from Watershed organized the flight through ‘Bidair’. Because I was in Sedgefield, Margot from Greyhound Rescue Group SA organized absolutely everything for ‘Mushroom’ in Gauteng; having a crate made especially for her, driving for hours from here to there to make sure all was perfect for Mushroom’s first (and only) flight. Another one of my books (Animal Stories for Children Everywhere) therefore has 10 % of its sales dedicated GRGSA, and 10% of all sales of this book will be given to Watershed for their tremendous efforts, not just where Mushroom was concerned, but for anyone needing their assistance.

To me if there is ever an opportunity to promote the good work of animal shelters and rescue organizations, I will make good use of it; hence the decision to add the pages for ‘organizations needing assistance’.

Seeing the excellent effort that ARK puts towards rescuing and rehabilitating mums and pups, I asked if I could make mention of them in this book, and they agreed to let me. The great thing about this being done on Kindle is that folks from all around the world, who purchase the book, can make donations directly to Ark, Barking Mad, and Tico’s Pawket (USA – with focus on providing rehabilitation wheels to paralyzed dogs) from their computers, even while they read the book. I hope the donations are made and that Ark, Barking Mad and Tico’s Pawket can continue to do all they do for our four legged companions who can’t speak for themselves.

Thank you Candice and all at ARK – may all your needs be met and your premises protected. Thank you for dedicating your lives to the animals, and for having the courage to face adversity in the tough times; never giving up.

– Carly van Heerden