Andrew the Orphan

My name is Andy. When I was a little pup, I lived outside with another dog that was always picking on me. Every day, I hoped that my owner would come into the yard to play with me, or let me come inside to snuggle with him. But that never happened. One day, he left me at a place called Canine Connection, which was AWESOME because I got to play with lots of other dogs, sleep inside, and gives lots of kisses to the staff there. All the humans loved me, and I felt so lucky. 

But I’ve been here for a really long time now.  Most of the other dogs get dropped off early in the morning, run around the yard for a while, and then a human comes to pick them up when it gets dark. I wonder why no human comes to pick me up. All I want to do is give lots of kisses, run around with my girlfriend Angel, and have a human to call my own. 

I have TWO basic obedience certificates. The trainer people said that I was the star pupil of the classes. I know sit, down, stay, come, touch, and watch! I’m super-focused on my people, and I’m highly food-motivated.  I love every human I’ve ever met, even the little ones. Every night, when the dogs at Canine Connection go home with their people, I wonder if I’ll ever be so lucky. I want a home too, cause I deserve it. 

-Andy  

Biloxi does the right thing

After seizure, the dogs spent over a month
at the County Farm in Gulfport

For the past month, The Sula Foundation has been working (at no fee) with authorities in Biloxi, Mississippi, in response to a recent case in which twenty-five dogs were seized after being found tethered on a rural property, covered in wounds. The Biloxi police were determined to find the person responsible, and also determined to save any of the dogs that were sound enough to become pets, which is what the dogs deserve.

This girl had no reason to trust humans,
but welcomed us with open arms. 

One can never know what to expect when called to assess a group of dogs like this, yet we still weren't prepared for the condition the dogs were in, and the dignity with which they still managed to carry themselves. Several had to be euthanized due to gangrene. Others were so traumatized that they would only crawl along the ground in our presence, never rising up onto their feet.

Dogs of the 9th Ward, For the Love of Pits, and Animal Farm Foundation each generously offered to take one dog into rescue, but we're still working toward finding placements for some of the rest. It's been a rough month, as we inevitably bonded with many of the dogs who's futures are still uncertain.  At the same time, it's been incredibly rewarding. Today, the star of the evaluations, Mama, will arrive in Cleveland, Ohio to begin a new journey...learning what it means to be part of a family.  Each of the survivors deserves the same fate as Mama; we can only hope that there are enough resources available to afford them the chance at life they're entitled to.

Mama soaks up some New Orleans sun
before heading to Cleveland, Ohio