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$2Tuesday Inspiration |
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Many of you will remember last year we got this amazing card in the mail from Emily, who was 9. Emily isn't a child of one of our volunteers or anything, just an amazing young girl with a HUGE heart! We tried to get a great picture, but the text reads: "Dear Dog Rescuers, I am Emily, a 9 year old from Orlando, FL. I just wanted to say Thank You for saving these doggys. Maybe I can be one of you when I grow up. Oh, and I thought this would help a little. From, Emily." Along with the card were two neatly folded $1 bills.
Going to be honest, we all ugly cried when reading this, as it had been a very rough couple of months with all of the hoarding case dogs, puppies, and "normal" rescue dogs, that some of us were pretty close to breaking. Then this amazing card from a 9 year old who sees the good in the world and wants to help arrives, and we all are reminded we are making a difference, even on the days when we feel like it is fighting a losing battle. It was right as Covid was starting to appear, and within a month, we were all on "pause", with events and fundraisers grinding to a halt, but pups still needing help. It was really hard for us to ask for help and donations, as so many people were going through very difficult times, on so many levels. Through it all, Emily would still send us little projects she made for the pups and to promote rescue. She also realized the pups would still need help, so she took the initiative and Emily posted on Nextdoor, went to local restaurants & stores & hung up flyers at local stores, and knocked on neighbors doors (safely!) asking if they would help the pups needing rescue. Woofgang was also very kind and donated a huge box of samples to her. She did all of this just because she love dogs, and frankly, is a really good human with some awesome parents! She's 10 now, and still helping the pups, with this most recent car full of donations she dropped off to our fosters. She's honestly quite an inspiration to all of us at FLDR:)
So, this Tuesday, as we are facing another rough week, with a BUNCH of new pups needing our help, we have a challenge for all of you! In honor of Emily's amazing effort, will you also donate $2 to help the pups? We are going to call it the $2Tuesday Challenge, because $2 really does make a difference, as it adds up! Honestly, if every single one of our 53K+ fans donated just $2, we would not have to fundraise for almost a year - so it DOES make a difference. What we each do makes a difference, and no effort is too small or not helpful! All you have to do is go to www.floridalittledogrescue.com, click on the donation link, and Bam! pups are helped!! We will also pick a few random, lucky challenge-accepters to win one of the beautiful jewelry pieces that were donated to FLDR by Fundraising with a Cause. It's a super easy win-win-win way to do good and feel good this Tuesday! Please also like, share, react - as that helps spread the word - and for more people to see that everyone can make a difference, sometimes we just need an amazing 9 (now 10) year old to remind us of that!
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Want to Shop AND Help the Pups? |
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| Charlie and Missy, a Bonded Pair |
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| Meet Charlie and Missy! They are a very bonded duo, and are looking for a forever home together, as they can not (and will not) be separated! Charlie is a 9 year old male Pug and he weighs about 19 pounds. Missy is a 9 year old female Chihuahua mix and she weighs about 9 pounds. They arrived in rescue when their previous family could no longer care for them. They have settled into their foster home and are doing well, but would love a forever family of their own. Their foster mom says, "We were told that these two have been together for nine years and were doted on by their human. These two are two peas in a pod – they eat together, sleep together, go wandering through the yard together – they pretty much do everything together and they don’t like to be apart. Foster Dad says they always make him feel great when he comes home as they run up to greet him with wagging tails and smiling faces. You feel the love as they jockey for position to get the next petting, looking up with those loving eyes. Missy has a perpetual smile on that pretty face. When they came in to our family they had just been to the vet and had a dental that same day. Charlie lost quite a few teeth and will remain on soft foods. That doesn’t seem to be much different than the diet he had been on as it seems like both of them may have been hand or spoon-fed people food. Missy can be a tad pickier, the first few days of soft dog food she wouldn’t eat unless fed by spoon. She can turn her nose up and let you know very quickly what she thinks about something. They have now adjusted to the soft dog food with some baked chicken added every few days as a reward for how great they are doing. Both had a bit of weight to lose, have done a tremendous job losing that weight in a short period of time and have become more active. I feed them smaller portions several times a day and provide broken up soft treats as reward for their great behavior. Both Charlie and Missy get along well with the other pups in the house, but prefer to be by themselves. When given the chance they curl up with each other away from the others. The place they would rather be is snuggled up next to their human. They look to their human and you just know they want to be next to you. They willingly go into carriers and crates. Neither pup is fully housetrained and they do not really understand a puppy pad, but are good at alerting when they need to go out. They would do well with someone at home to let them out, as needed and with some time I they should do much better. They were great in the yard, aware of the pool, and friendly to everyone they’ve met. They do really well on a leash. They were comfortable in a carrier, but preferred to be together in one. They share their food and treats back and forth without issue, but another pup may not get the same treatment where food is concerned. Both love to be petted, brushed, loved on in any way and in return they will adore you. They live to be by your side. I would bet they would be up on the bed with you, if given the chance – they want to be where their human is. They were not around cats or children to know how they would react, but small children would likely not be a good fit. They are fully aware of noises and movement in the yard and can loudly proclaim their concern. At times, a shared fence line with a neighboring puppy would become quite the ruckus. Are you the right human for these two? They are easy to take care of, full of love, and provide endless entertainment." Charlie and Missy are spayed and neutered, up to date on vaccines, heartworm negative, microchipped and have had their teeth cleaned. They are fostered in the Orlando area, and their combined adoption donation is $500. |
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How Many Have YOU Helped Save?
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| Gizmo has found his forever home! |
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Faith Gave Us Faith |
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June 6, 2011: Early that morning I received a call from Samantha, one of the rescue coordinators at animal services, telling me "please check your email ASAP". Calls like that are usually never good and assure me 145% that my day is about to be turned upside down. I logged in to my email and saw one from her "Sweet Shih Tzu Puppy", with files attached. First thought was "hmm, this doesn't seem bad" with a feeling of relief as I waited for the email to open. It opened, and that relief turned to shock, then sadness, and as the tears rolled down my face as I frantically got dressed. I called Sam on the way out the door, then our vet, who graciously cleared his morning to get our newest pup seen right away. That pup was Faith. Faith was found tossed over the fence of animal services in her carrier, in the Florida heat, after the shelter had closed. She was matted so badly you could barely tell that she was a dog, heartworm positive, with a shattered pelvis and a shattered rear leg that was causing her tremendous pain. She had to be sedated just to have her face shaved down so animal services could try and evaluate her. Faith was barely a year old, if that, she still had some of her baby teeth retained. FLDR was still a tiny rescue, new, Facebook was still new for us, and "Saving Faith" required just about every resource, and pretty much every volunteer in our rescue. Fluids, meds, a leg amputation, teaching her how to walk (because she literally didn't know how because the matts had bound her so badly), slowly adding weight to her, heartworm treatment - everyone stepped up and took shifts the first few weeks, and through it all, Faith gave US faith. She immediately trusted all of us, gave us kisses, snuggled up, and her faith in us never wavered. Many of you followed her progress, came to our events to meet her and give her some cuddles (she truly did love everyone). After almost a year of rehab, treatments and recovery, Faith was finally cleared "as healthy as she will be" and ready for a true home of her own. Beth and David, fosters and volunteers with FLDR, had been instrumental in Faith's care from the beginning. They fell in love with her, especially Beth, but as much as they loved her, when approached with the possibility of adopting her (all the rest of us already knew in our gut that they were supposed to be Faith's family) they initially hesitated - citing concerns they they weren't good enough for her, worried that they would somehow "let her down" or "miss something" in her care. We, and Faith, had more faith in them than they had in theirselves. After speaking with her vets, and lots of thoughtful consideration, Beth and David welcomed Faith into their family, officially. Faith had a new brother, Bennett, one of FLDR's puppy mill rescues, and would go on to welcome Thor, another FLDR medically fragile pup, into their pack. Over the last nine years, Faith has been loved, cherished, treated like the princess she deserved to be, and barely spent any time away from her humans. She's vacationed, attended family celebrations, celebrated the wedding of Beth and David's daughter, and welcomed three grandchildren with them. If Faith had a theme song, we truly believe it would be "Don't Stop Me Now", as she was always having a good time, and never really slowed down. Until this past week. Faith's medical issues started to catch up to her, and despite all of Beth and David's best efforts and top notch medical care, Faith was finally tired, and let them know it was time. To say this has been devastating is an understatement. Faith was so loved, by so many, and she loved everyone back fiercely (attacks with kisses were a real thing!). We can not offer Beth and David enough gratitude, thanks, appreciation, hugs and love for loving Faith so so much, giving her the best life, and still sharing her with all of us. While for the last nine years she has been an official part of Beth and David's family, they always made sure to let us know she was still "ours" too, and our collective hearts are broken, as last night Faith crossed the Rainbow Bridge, while being held in the loving arms of her humans. As I am typing this, the tears are still flowing. We are all going to work really hard to focus on the many, many good years that Faith knew she was loved and cherished, while we grieve the fact that it still seems too short. Somehow, rescue can shatter your heart yet put it back together all at once, its hard to properly articulate the feeling in words, but this is as close as I can get at the moment. I sincerely hope that Carol was there to greet her at the bridge, and give her so much love and let her know "job well done" for rescuing so many humans and giving us all Faith.
Thank you Faith, for all the love, and all the faith. (Laurie)
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FOSTERS NEEDED!! |
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FLDR wants to save as many puppers as we possibly can and the only way to do this is by YOU joining our team!! We need fosters!! If you live in the Orlando area and would like to help save lives, we want you to join our pack! We are in need of foster homes willing to open their hearts and make a space on the couch for a rescued pup, usually just for a couple of weeks! We take care of the vetting, grooming, medications and you provide the love and snuggles! Please complete the "Adoption Application" and just put in the comments - "Want to Foster" and a Foster Coordinator will reach out to you right away!
We are also in need of people willing to do transports, usually from Winter Haven to St. Cloud or from north Orlando to St. Cloud a couple of times a month, during a weekday. Please email littledogrescue@gmail.com for more info on helping with Freedom Rides!
Welcome to Florida Little Dog Rescue Group!
Florida Little Dog Rescue rehabilitates unwanted, abused and abandoned little dogs and places them in loving and responsible homes to live out their lives as cherished family members. We would love for you to join us by adopting a dog, volunteering as a foster home or donating money to help save the dogs. We are a 501(c)3 Charitable Organization, and all donations to FLDRG are tax deductible!
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Save a Dog on Death Row!
They need YOUR help right now!!
Please help us save dogs on Death Row at local Animal Controls. These are dogs that can't be adopted out directly from Animal Control, mainly for medical reasons. When they can't be adopted, they need a rescue to save them when their time runs out. These pups desperately need our help, we are their last hope!
Click the Picture to Save One More!
Florida Little Dog Rescue Group rescues dogs from all over the state of Florida, but our main focus is the Central Florida area. Our volunteers live anywhere from Tallahassee to Tampa, but all of our dogs are fostered in the Orlando area. We are 100% volunteer-based, which means no overhead or salary costs. Your donation is used directly for dog care. We do not receive government funds. We are entirely supported by charitable donations.
We ensure that each dog is spayed/neutered, vaccinated, tested for heartworms and other parasites, examined by a vet and treated for any known conditions prior to adoption. All known medical information is fully disclosed to new families. While awaiting adoption, the dogs live in foster homes that provide love, patience and TLC to the pups! A pup's stay in foster care could vary from several days to several weeks, depending upon the dog's conditions and needs. Unlike shelter or kennel living, fostering the pups in a home environment allows us to personally evaluate each dog for behavior and temperament issues. We are able to see how they interact and react to other animals and children, if they are house trained, like to go for walks, play ball, etc. and that makes it easier to know what type of home/family would be best suited for them!
Please note, we are not a shelter. We do not have a kennel or facility that you can visit and see all the dogs. Each dog is fostered in an individual home. We do rescue out of our private homes and in our spare time. So, you cannot come visit our dogs until you have gone through the application and interview process and we have contacted you about scheduling a visit. We do not have set "hours" and we answer all calls and emails as quickly as we can!
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