Little Boy Blue (33 page)

If you want to help a dog but cannot adopt one permanently, then please consider fostering. The number of dogs that rescue groups can pull from the worst shelters is directly correlated to the number of homes where those dogs can be temporarily housed.

If your local shelter is killing more dogs than it saves, especially by means such as a gas chamber, then please seek out local advocates and ask how you can add your voice to the chorus for change. The typical path toward success includes hiring shelter personnel who believe in rescue versus killing, appropriating funds to follow that philosophy, and reaching out for help and grants from national organizations. If you cannot get access to your local shelter’s kill-rate statistics to determine what’s happening inside, then look at the shelter’s hours of operation. Shelters trying to save dogs are usually open at least some nights and weekends, when potential adopters are able to visit.

If you have old towels and blankets, unused dog food and supplies, or anything else that a hardworking shelter or rescue group can use, then please donate. Some shelters will not allow rescuers to remove dogs without leashes and collars, so the dogs die even when rescuers have room for them. The donation of an old dog collar that has been sitting for a year in your basement could save the life of a dog like Blue who is scheduled to die in a gas chamber tomorrow.

If you would prefer to give money instead of supplies or time, then please donate to rescue groups and shelters, or to spay/ neuter clinics, that are working tirelessly to save dogs’ lives and stop more homeless puppies from being born. Many of these groups are recognized with 501(c)(3) charity status, so your donation will be tax deductible. Donations may be made online, through the mail, or even at the checkout counter of major pet stores such as PetSmart and Petco. Some groups, including the ASPCA, allow you to make a gift in memoriam of a beloved family pet who was lucky enough to die with compassion after living a long and wonderful life.

Acknowledgments

My literary agent, Jessica Faust of Bookends, Inc., believed in this book exactly as I envisioned it, helped to shape its proposal for a maximum chance of success, found the book a home with a publisher who shared my vision, and guided me exquisitely through the publishing process.

Literary agent Brandi Bowles of Foundry Media helped me to see my concept clearly and follow my original instincts even if it meant taking
Little Boy Blue
to another agency.

Editor Angela Tartaro at Barron’s was helpful to me and supportive of the
Little Boy Blue
project from the day it landed on her desk. She also helped me to handle legal issues that arose with everyone from shelter directors to national advocacy organizations that attempted to control the book’s content. Tartaro’s edits and guidance made the final draft of this book far better than the first. Thanks also to everyone else at Barron’s who dedicated their time and efforts to help make
Little Boy Blue
a success.

Jim Gorant wrote a beautiful foreword with every bit of the talent that made his own book
The Lost Dogs
a best seller on
The New York Times
list. I am honored to have my work appear alongside his.

Countless people in multiple states graciously shared their knowledge, forwarded me information, and helped me dig up records. Some who provided great help behind the scenes include reporter Grey Pentecost at
The Courier-Times
, tireless cross-poster Cathy Restorick, reference librarian Vickie Clayton and the entire staff at Person County Library, and numerous rescue advocates from SPCAs, Humane Societies, and independent organizations across America.

The Brian Dean Book Club reviewed an early draft of the manuscript and provided thoughtful, helpful comments about how to make the book more interesting for a general-interest audience.

Trainers Anita Zack, Dianne Posteraro, and especially Shelley Clawson of Top Dog in Flanders, New Jersey, gave hours upon hours of their time to help Blue learn basic skills, overcome early fears, and earn the AKC Canine Good Citizen Certificate for obedience. Clawson continues to help Blue at her new facility, K-9 Coaching, in Lafayette, New Jersey.

Dr. Allison Milne and her staff at Mendham Animal Hospital have been dedicated in their care for Blue’s health from Day One. He loves them and trusts them so much, he actually wags his tail when going for routine shots.

Jeanne Craig helped me conceive the title
Little Boy Blue
over artichoke dip that turned out to be well worth every calorie. Michelle George kindly listened to the entire book outline even though Blue’s story made her cry at my kitchen table. Stacy, Eric, Erika, Andrew, and Rocky Weiss continue to be Blue’s favorite playmates in the neighborhood and welcome him regularly into their home. Brandi Bartolomeo, Adam Machala, and Avery Machala helped Blue learn to be around young children, and to share toys and food in their home. Janice, Vaughan, Jordan, Sean, and Lauren Abel helped Blue learn to feel comfortable around older kids, even when they’re yelling while kickboxing against the XBox. Copper Abel taught Blue how to respect older dogs with aplomb.

Patti Storm and her staff at Well Bred in Chester, New Jersey, as well as the staff of PetSmart in Mount Olive, New Jersey, continue to help Blue learn confidence with strangers. They give him treats and allow us to hang out in their store aisles, where other patrons pet Blue to teach him that most people are kind.

Almost everyone who visits the Long Valley Dog Park in Washington Township, New Jersey, and especially the park president, Harriett Chomen, has helped Blue to feel safe, happy, and loved. They are among his most vociferous champions.

My parents, Marc and Donna Kavin, and my sister, Michelle Kavin, immediately welcomed Blue into our family and continue to give him all the love in their hearts. Their dogs, Quincy and Sadie May, also adore Blue no matter how often he tries to steal the bones from their mouths.

Rhonda Beach and Annie Turner pulled Blue out of the cages for “non-preferred dogs” at Person County Animal Control. He would have been dead before he turned four months old had they not intervened.

Michele Armstrong and Jane Zeolla marketed Blue for adoption, coordinated his transport to New Jersey, and chose my application from among several that they received from people who wanted to give Blue a good life. They are the reason that he and I are together.

Blue is a wonderful dog who brings many smiles to many faces, including mine every single day. I am most thankful to have him in my life, lest anyone think he’s the only lucky soul in this story.

“If I have any kind of belief or philosophy, it is that hope is
not a strategy.”

—Ken Mehlman

The Petfinder Foundation, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) public charity, saves homeless pets by helping shelters increase adoptions, prepare for and recover from disaster, and become more sustainable. Its mission is to ensure that no adoptable pet is euthanized for lack of a home.

Since 2003, the foundation has provided over $20 million in grants to
Petfinder.com
shelters and rescue groups.

Visit
petfinderfoundation.com
to learn more or to donate.

The Petfinder Foundation
4729 East Sunrise Drive #119
Tucson, AZ 85718
(520) 207-0626
[email protected]

Help a homeless
pet like Blue!

Text 4PETS and your email address to 20222 to donate $10 to the Petfinder Foundation.

Join us on social media.

Like our Facebook page,
facebook.com/petfinderfoundation
, to learn about the newest ways we’re helping pets, see success stories and photos and interact with like-minded animal advocates. Join our
Causes.com
community at
causes.com/petfinder
for updates on how you can take action to help homeless pets nationwide.

Looking for your new furry friend?

Visit
Petfinder.com
, the largest database of adoptable pets on the Web, to browse the photos and profiles of more than 300,000 pets at more than 13,500 shelters and rescue groups.

North Shore Animal League America is the world’s largest no-kill animal rescue and adoption organization. The non-profit group conducts hands-on rescue missions throughout the United States and internationally, saving dogs and cats from death.

Since its founding in 1944, Animal League America has rescued and found loving homes for more than 1,000,000 dogs, cats, puppies, and kittens. Each animal is given the extensive support, care, and individual medical attention it needs to live a long and healthy life. It is estimated that 8 million dogs and cats are brought to shelters each year, and tragically, about 4 million are euthanized.

Animal League America is leading the way in promoting the adoption of dogs and cats in shelters through the Mutt-i-grees
^®
Movement. The Movement elevates the status of shelter pets, which encourages the public to adopt “Mutt-i-grees”—rescued shelter animals, whether mixed or purebred, canine or feline.

Animal League America pioneered the concept of mobile adoptions, using state-of-the-art Mobile Adoption Units to bring shelter animals into hightraffic areas where potential adopters can meet them face to face. The success of that program led to the creation of several national adoption tours, done in cooperation with shelters, rescue organizations, and animal welfare groups. These events result in the rescue and adoption of many thousands of animals around the country every year.

The Mutt-i-grees Movement also includes the Mutt-i-grees Curriculum, a unique educational approach in Pre-K through high school that builds on children’s connection with animals through lessons and activities that teach empathy, compassion, and responsible decision-making. The Curriculum, now in more than 1,300 schools, represents a new research-based approach to humane education.

The Animal League also promotes educational initiatives to increase spay/ neuter programs, reduce animal cruelty, and advance the highest standards in animal welfare.

To learn more visit
www.animalleague.org
or
www.facebook.com/theanimalleague
.