Will you be part of Gateway's largest Rescue ever?

We have 6, yes 6 dogs that need to be rescued. Plus, two of them just had puppies.

Let me just start by telling you who, when, how, where and why.

We call this pack Nigel's pack. We have been feeding them for close to a year now. There is a man who says that they belong to him, although he does not care for them. On Christmas, riding with PJ, a police officer pulled us over and confronted us about feeding this particular pack of dogs. A woman had called the police crying because she felt threatened by the dogs walking her son from school.

Let me just say that this is one of our favorite packs that we feed. I don't doubt that this woman was scared of them, but I do doubt that they were any sort of threat. The police officer said that if we do not pull them she will be calling animal control and they will all be put down. Not to mention that the puppies will not make it without their moms.

We have to rescue all of them if we are going to rescue any of them. This pack has been together for so long that we are not sure what will happen if we just took one or two. So, please, look at your house and see if you have room for one of these sweeties. They are gorgeous dogs and will be adopted quickly once we get them groomed and looking their finest.


The only one who is not part of the pack is Louise (smallish black with tan muzzle and tan feet) whom we pulled today. We think Louise was dumped by her owner. She is well mannered, friendly, does well with other dogs and is super sweet. She is probably about 40 lbs and was just freezing to death out there in the cold. So, PJ took her, but she will be in PJ's carport until we find her a foster home. Please warm this baby up!


Next up we have Nigel. We call this pack Nigel's pack because he is the most gorgeous dog and stands out among the crowd. Nigel has let PJ pet him a few times and gets very excited when we pull up. Once he realizes what a loving hand feels like, Nigel is going to be a great dog. He has a wiggly body when we pull up to feed him.


Nigella is Nigel's sister. She is on the shyer side, but will be sweet once she is taught what a loving hand is. She really wants to be warm. Nigella has a litter of puppies that we will have to find before we can rescue her. We will need fosters for her puppies as well.


Hooper's Girl is very shy. We will have to trap her in order to rescue. She always stands on the outskirts and waits for the other dogs to finish eating and for us to leave before she eats. Her puppies are about 4 weeks old and will need to be found and rescued as well. We will need puppy fosters for them too.


Nina is Nigel and Nigella's mom. She is so sweet and outgoing. All wiggles when we pull up. She runs to the car and will take a pet from anyone who reaches out to her. She is playful and is the leader of the pack. Nina is going to be a fun dog.


Albert showed up with this pack about a month ago. He was very beat up and scared. He was skin and bones too. Now he is the first to the car. As a matter of fact he sometimes hears us when we are a street over and meets us there. He really just wants to jump in the front seat with me. He does well with other dogs and LOVES people. He is the coldest of all of them with that thin coat. We would be ok with pulling Albert without the rest of them since he is so new to the pack. But, we will NOT leave him behind if we pull the rest of them. We seriously love Albert and anyone who rides along with PJ falls in love with him.


Ok, that's all. We need you! Help us make Gateway history and be part of our largest rescue EVER!

Thank you for all that you do. Please feel free to forward this onto anyone you think might be interested.

If you are unable to foster at this time, please remember there is still time to make your end of the year tax deductible donation to Gateway Pet Guardians. This money will go toward saving Nigel's Pack.

Sincerely,

Amie Simmons
President
Gateway Pet Guardians

Donations are tax-exempt to the extent allowed by law. Please consult your tax advisor for information specific to your tax situation.

Show-Me St. Louis Pet of the Week: Koda

Koda is a beautiful Lab Mix. All of her siblings died in a fire in East Saint Louis when they were puppies, and she was rescued. She is around 2 or 3 years old and fully grown, well behaved, & intelligent... a bit shy and skittish around new people, but warms up quickly. GREAT with other dogs and cats!

Koda weighs approximately 35 pounds and would make a great addition to any home. She is great around other dogs and cats.

She LOVES to go for walks (and is very well-behaved on a leash) and chase squirrels/balls/her people. Rarely does she make a peep, and she is crate-trained/house-broken.

She hasn't been around too many children, especially little ones, but the neighbor kids at her foster's house are working on her. She doesn't have an aggressive bone in her body. If you have a special place in your heart for the underdog, Koda is the pup for you. WARNING: She may snuggle you to death. And she steals the covers.

Show-Me St. Louis Pet of the Week: Bomber

Hey hey, it's a new week, which means we have a new pet featured on Show-Me St. Louis! 

Bomber is a mastiff/rotweiller mix--about 9 years old.

He is a lover, loves his fellow foster dogs, and loves to lay in his favorite chair and watch TV--When the Gateway Pet Guardians found him he was severely malnourished and with mange--Now his hair is fully developed and he looks beautiful!

Bomber is currently living in St. Louis (in Soulard) with 5 other dogs. He’s been off the streets for almost a year and his heartworm is gone. He’s doing great, has gained 30 pounds and although does have arthritis walks quite well now – but not long distances. He’s really more of a couch potato that moves to the yard in the nice weather. He really is an indoor dog and refuses to go out in the rain- even after it stops – if the ground is wet. Probably too many cold wet nights.

He’s fabulous, funny, loves attention but is mellow about it. He does like to play and interact (with dogs and people) but usually from a laying down position.

He is a very good watch dog and quite defensive of his new good fortune. He also thinks along with our very small fenced yard he also controls the alley next to our house and of course the sidewalk out front. Basically – he does not want anyone coming in and ruining his perfect life. 

Basically he is an old, slow, funny, friendly dog that is a complete pleasure to have in the house. 

At the present time, it is suggested that he live in a cat free zone. He is not aggressive, he just wants to chase and that’s not safe for any cat.

He does take medicine for his arthritis, this is not an expensive medication if you purchase off the internet.

Due to his time living on the streets, he had to contend for food amongst the other homeless animals. He has come a LONG way of his eating pattern. If you have another dog, it is wise to supervise all feedings as Bomber should be allowed to eat out of his own bowl. He is not as spry as he used to be and the gentle giant deserves to know his food is not going anywhere.

Bomber is a little aloof at first but when he warms up is very affectionate (once he knows you). He is house trained and has never been crated. He does like to sleep on the sofa or the chair when we are not home. I don’t know if you could get him into a crate (it would have to be a Great Dane size) because he has never been in one. He has never needed one and sleeps a lot – at least 18 - 20 hours a day. We think he is between 7-9 years old.

Bomber would love nothing more than to become a part of your family before Christmas. That is his Christmas wish!!

He is very tolerant of small kids and is very mellow around them.

To adopt Bomber, please visit www.gatewaypets.com! 

Save Jenga's Leg

Jenga hung out in the same yard for months with a broken leg. She seemed scared of us and would run, rather limp away when we pulled up to feed her. We did not think we would ever be able to catch her, especially because she stayed in the same yard all of the time and we were unsure if they would allow us to take her. One day, she just walked right up to PJ and said, "I have had enough of this pain, please help."

How could we refuse? We are writing you today to ask you to please donate whatever you can to try to save Jenga's leg. We have had her evaluated, and one way or another we need to do something about her poor leg. They are going to try to save it, but may have to amputate. They will not know until they get in there. Jenga would like to be pain free for 2010. Will you please donate to help her get that way? The cost is about $2000, so anything you can do to help is greatly appreciated, large and small.

Show-Me St. Louis Pet of the Week: Maurice

Maurice is a beautiful boxer mix--brindle brown and black. He is a couple of years old. He has an easy going personality--loves kids, other dogs and in general is a wonderfully adapted dog to his foster home!

To Adopt Maurice, head to www.GatewayPets.com

Beware: This post is going to make you angry.

STORY #1

You may remember this guy from our Show me St. Louis segment. We have been feeding him for a few months now. The photos are a snapshot from the Show Me piece (I did not have any pictures of him). Anyway, this morning, while riding with PJ she informed me that he had been shot. I immediately went into rescue mode, "Well we are taking him then. The guy will let us take him if he has been shot." PJ didn't seem so sure.

So we pulled up to the house and he was lying in front. He got up and sure enough, there was a hole on the inside of his leg. He could not set his leg down and it looked swollen. PJ fed him some soft enticing food. We were planning to just take him, but he won't come near us unless his owner is around.

PJ knocked on the door, the guy came out and we explained that his dog had been shot and that we would like to take him for veterinary care. The guy argued with us, saying that he had not been shot and that he had just been in a fight. PJ assured him that she had seen a bullet wound before and that is what it was. He asked us why we cared about his dog. I explained that we just don't like to see him suffer. He said, "Don't worry about my dog. He's my dog, I'll take care of him." Which we all know will not happen.

I left with tears in my eyes. Feeling helpless I decided to call Animal Control, thinking that at least they could go out there and help the dog. The lady said, "Is he on the guys property, ma'am?" My answer was yes, but not all of the time. She said, "Well, there is nothing we can do then." What? I said, "Do you go out to help dogs that are starving and chained if they are on someone's property? I would assume a bullet wound to the leg is just as pressing as starvation." She took my name and I think just appeased me saying they would check it out.


STORY #2

Next stop, our beloved Maggie. Maggie was laying by the garage out back today, which is unusual for her. We had to whistle quite a few time before she came. This is a dog who is normally waiting on the sidewalk for us, sitting patiently, before our car even pulls onto her street.

Maggie came slowly moving from the back area, limping and looking very somber. My heart sank. Not Maggie. She can't be hurt. "PJ, we're taking her." PJ said that we could not take her because the man inside the house will see us and he will be very angry.

"But what are we supposed to do, just leave her here?"

She had some fairly large punctures on her legs, I am sure due to a fight and she seemed quite sore. She has so much hair that it is hard to tell if there was anything else wrong. Although I have seen injuries much worse than these, it was heartbreaking to see Maggie injured.

I don't really know what my point is in writing about all of this. Most days with PJ are fairly easy and on the up side. We feed the dogs, they do their thing and we are on our merry way. Of course we would like to rescue all of them, but at least we know they are getting fed.

Here we have two animals that we cannot rescue because they are "owned" by someone. I wish we could change laws. I wish that animals were not considered property. There is something wrong with a people who disregard the pain, hunger and needs of those who are unable to help themselves. The problem that exists with the stray population in communities like this is a direct reflection on all of the other negative things that happen there.

What can be done?

UPDATE: I just spoke to the Humane Society of Belleville and they went out to look at Yeller (I think that's what the guy calls him). Anyway, they confirmed that it is definitely a gunshot wound and that there are flies all around it and it is very swollen. The rate of infection for these types of wounds is very high. He said they are going to go out there every day to feed him and hopefully be able to rescue him. I am hoping that they will be able to talk some sense into this guy. He wants to meet us out there this week. Unfortunately time is not on our side with this one, so send some good vibes.

Pet of the Week: Chi Chi

The response we received from the Show-Me St. Louis segment was so overwhelming, thanks to everyone who donated, adopted, or got involved from seeing the segment. Even more exciting is that they have agreed to continue featuring us on their show with a "Pet of the Week" segment! So without further adieu, Chi Chi is ready for his close-up! 

Chi Chi is a 4 year old chihuahua/rat terrier mix. He loves his sweater. He also loves to be on anyone's lap. He is a sweet boy who does well with children. He is kennel trained, house trained, neutered, up to date on shots, does well on a leash, and loves to play fetch. He will drop the ball right in front of you every time. His adoption fee is $150. To adopt Chi Chi or find out more information head to www.GatewayPets.com.

Fundraiser

Here's another great way to help raise money for Gateway Pet Guardians. Click the photo for a larger view. Click here to get the order form

Contact Jodie Galyon @ 314-420-1178

or jojorockstar@yahoo.com

Text Santa!

Hi there!  I'm Ashley, the new public relations specialist with Gateway, and this is my first blog post.  I wanted to tell everyone about the new partnership that Gateway Pet Guardians has with TextSanta.net this Christmas.

Text Santa allows you have personalized text messages sent to the mobile phone of anyone you wish, and they will recieve a custom message from Santa! For every order placed through Text Santa with the promotional code PAWS, one dollar will be donated to Gateway Pet Guardians.  Just visit the site, fill the order form, and don't forget to enter PAWS.  Send messages to your kids, husband, boyfriend/girlfriend, mom, dad, anyone you want.  If you can't think of anything to write, they have pre-written messages available as well.

So place your order, tell your friends, and help us raise some money for a good cause!

SHOW ME ST. LOUIS TOMORROW!

I know I mentioned in the last blog that we would be on Show Me St. Louis sometime in the near future. Little did I know that it would be tomorrow! We filmed this morning and it will air at 3:00 p.m. Wednesday Nov. 4th. Above is one of the dogs we saw this morning. This poor little girl is one that PJ has seen for quite a while now, but anytime we even pull the car on the street she disappears. Believe it or not she is looking better now than she did a few months ago. Her skin is still quite raw, but there is fur growing back in. She has trouble walking because her skin is so bad. I am ordering a kennel today. We need someone to foster her, so please let us know if you are interested. She will be a very rewarding pup to watch heal.

I took some pictures of Argyle and Tweed (below) at PJ's today. They are ADORABLE. Seriously, look at that little face. And look at the wiry hair on Tweed. We know who the dad is of Tweed and he is a VERY handsome fella. These two were the starving, dehydrated pups that were on the second floor of the falling in on itself building. I'll have to get some pictures of the building to show you what PJ goes into to do these rescues.

INSANITY.

These two need fosters as well. That was our major plea on Show Me St. Louis. FOSTERS! There are about 20 pups on the street right now that need rescuing. We knew where eight of them were and had made the decision beforehand that we were not going to rescue them today due to the fact that we have no where for them to go. But then the news lady said that she wanted to adopt one and said she would also foster another. After that we decided we could not leave the other six just in case the mom got a bright idea to move them, or in case one of the locals saw us and might want a new puppy. These guys are safe now, but we desperately need fosters for them.
Camera broke as I was taking pictures of them, so I will have to get back to you on pictures of them.

Thanks everyone, and don't forget to watch tomorrow at 3!

Argyle & Tweed

Few quick notes...Tomorrow we will be filming to be on Show Me St. Louis. They will be riding along with us as well as filming our little designer pups. Super excited about this and we will notify you of the air date. We have a TON of events coming up. Please go to our website calendar to check everything out and if you are not signed up for our newsletter, please sign up while you are there, so you will be automatically notified of all of the Gateway happenings.

On another note, we rescued two little sickly puppies named Argyle and Tweed from the second story of a building in East St. Louis. We went in looking for these pups a little over a month ago with no luck. The building is completely dilapidated, so I stayed outside with a camera (since I am pregnant) and PJ went in to do the searching. She was in there for about 45 minutes with no luck. We knew the mom was running out of milk, so we continued to leave food and treats thinking they would come out and get them. They never did, but the mom would bring the treats in, so we knew she must have been feeding her babies with them. It finally dawned on PJ that they were probably on the second floor and could not get down. We were unsure how sturdy the steps were since the entire building is collapsing on itself, but our brave PJ, along with our wonderful cinematographer Rebecca Ormond went in and were able to rescue these starving, dehydrated puppies. They have been given fluids and are recuperating at PJ's. They are tiny for 13 weeks due to malnutrition, but will surely catch up with themselves now that they are getting regular food and water. We need you to foster these puppies. Please let us know if you are able to.

Prada, Maggie & Gertrude

We have been feeding Prada for about 2 months now. She is a playful, but shy, little wiggly girl. Definitely a gem of a dog, she just needs the love and affection that a stable home will give her. She is 10 months old and about 18 lbs. She is staying in PJ's carport right now because of her age and the fact that PJ has had parvo in her house. We just don't want to risk it. Please email us if you are interested in fostering Prada, or better yet giving her a loving, fantastic home.


I have spoken about Maggie before on this blog. She takes her bones from us everyday. She loves the pets she receives more than her bones. She is ready to come home to someone. She is going to be the PERFECT dog. I have a great amount of affection for this dog. If I had an open spot in my home she would be my foster for sure. Please consider fostering Maggie. I want to get her off of the streets before she has to live through another winter of icicles hanging from her long, beautiful fur.

Gertrude is the last of the kitties that we want to rescue from the area. She meets us everyday and asks for food. The house she used to live in was knocked down (thankfully she was not in it). The one next store to it burned (thankfully she was not in that one either). She did disappear for some time after those incidences, but is back and begging for food everyday again. Please help us rescue this kitty before she is burdened with the freezing winter months. She is a lover. If you are interested in any of these pets, please email us at gatewaypetguardians@yahoo.com

Pierre

Pierre was owned by an older woman who lives in East St. Louis. She had Chi Chi too (who is now my foster). We pulled Chi Chi first and then found out she had another dog that she was not taking care of and letting run around the neighborhood. She said that she did not want him anymore and wanted to know if we could take him too. PJ brought him home immediately. Pierre is about 7 months old, is a small dog and is so incredibly sweet. He is a lover. He is at PJ's right now, unfortunately cannot come into her house due to the Parvo that she had a few months ago. Pierre has to be kept in a kennel because he has to be separate from the other two puppies that are still with PJ. Pierre is going to be an easy one to adopt out, so should not be a long term foster. The picture does not do him justice. He was still wet from his bath. Please help us find a loving foster home where Pierre can be kept indoors and given the love he deserves.

Designer Pups

These cuties are going to be featured in our upcoming film, Gateway Guardians. They are Designer Puppies, from left to right we have: Ellen Tracy, Bill Blass, Bob Mackie, Coco Chanel, Vivienne Westwood, Oscar de la Renta and Vera Wang. They are super sweet and still need fosters. Please pass this along. Thank you!

Help us Save this Sweetie!

We have seen this little sweetheart out on the streets for the past week. You can see her spine, she is so thin. You can also see her injured leg in this picture. It is healing, but it was really bad, whatever it was. I am wondering if there was bone damage with the way it looks. We would like to rescue her if we can catch her. Unfortunately, we will have to raise about $400 in order to be able to get her treated. Please help us save this sweet boxer face. She seems pretty scared on the streets. Whatever small or large amount you can donate will help. Thank you!

Puppies and a Purple House

We were draped in puppies today after the rescue. Seven puppies total from two separate houses next door to one another. We have been leaving notes for this woman asking her if we could take the puppies that have been staying on her front porch, but have not gotten a response. Luckily, PJ is persistent. Today the little boy that lived there was home. PJ asked him to get his mom and he disappeared. PJ knocked again asking him to get his mom again, explaining that we would like to get care for the pups. He shut the door and never came back. PJ knocked again. He came out and his mom followed. She was very nice and said we could take all of the puppies but one :( I will be thinking about the one until we are able to rescue her. The rescue went pretty easy. All of the puppies let us pick them up with a little coaxing except for one. Again, lucky for PJ's persistence. She had him cornered, but he escaped. He went under a car and she swept him out gently with a broom. Finally, he ran onto a mostly enclosed porch and PJ was able to trap him with all of the junk that was on the porch. Trapping him, and picking him up are two different things though. PJ went and got her gloves while I played defense in the doorway with the poor, frightened pup. This puppy cried like it was the end of the world when PJ picked him up. He snapped and struggled and screamed. It really sounds like we are hurting them, but she was not. I saw it with my own two eyes. The scared pup is already allowing us to pet him now. Just goes to show how quickly they come around once they are touched by a gentle human hand. We need fosters for all of these pups. Please tell all of your animal loving friends.




At the end of the rescue, as we were getting ready to drive away, I saw another small dog running around. I decided to try to go get him. What's another one after you already have 7, right? As I approached, he ran away, but a head popped up from the back yard of a purple house without making a peep. It was a very underweight, brindle pit mix tied to a 2 foot kinked up chain. I went to get him a couple of treats and my camera so that I could take a picture of this atrocity. As I was walking back to give him the treats, a woman was walking toward me. "What are you doing over there?" I explained that I was trying to catch the little white dog, but then was going to give the brindle dog some treats. She said that was her dog. I asked if I could give it treats and she said yes, but she better, because he isn't very nice. She was very well spoken, well dressed and seemed like a nice person. I thought about asking her about the too short chain, but decided that it was a matter for animal control. So, I called animal control on the purple house with the brindle pit tied to the fence on a two foot chain. Hopefully tomorrow, that dog will no longer be tied up. And if he is, hopefully he will have been given a longer lead. Wish we could save them all.

Sonny & Deacon are Saved! (but still need a foster)

Thanks to Paul Boyer, of Civil Engineering Design Consultants, we were able to pull Deacon and Sonny Friday. Paul offered to sponsor their stay at a kennel until we can find them a foster. We have one potential foster, but are still in need of someone for the other. They are both very sweet. Deacon (brown guy) is about two years old and is the more laid back of the two. Nothing much bothers him. I think that is why he got so beat up the other day. I don't even think he knew what hit him. Sonny (smaller and tan), on the other hand is about a year old and is all puppy. While Deacon laid quietly in my back seat on the way to the vet this morning, Sonny stepped on his head, back and forth from window to window, trying to get into my front seat, licking my neck, chewing his leash, etc. Sonny seems like he would be a lot of fun for someone who would like a dog with a lot of energy. They both seem to do well with other dogs. Although, Sonny might be too hard of a player for some types.


So, these two sweeties are being kept in a kennel, and although it is a nice kennel, it is a kennel, none-the-less. Their lives have been saved and they are not only safe from attacks from other dogs, but they are living the lap of luxury chewing on their $12 cow arms (sorry little cow) in their very small cage that they will be in until we find a foster for them. Remember, these two are used to running free, so this is going to be a crazy adjustment for them. Since I have never used the kennel before I asked to see the facilities. They are clean and decent, but the barking is killer and I would imagine extremely stressful for all of the dogs there. Not to mention the fact that they will be living in a 3 x 4 cage until we find a place for them to go. Please pass the word along that we need a foster home for these guys. My mission was to save them from being euthanized, and now my mission is to get them out of those tiny cages. It will be haunting me until I can get them into a home.

Sonny & Deacon Need Help Desperately!

Deacon (in front) & Sonny (lighter color) hang out around Richard's Mom and Manifred. I just will never understand dogs, because Manifred and Richard's Mom won't let them eat. Deacon and Sonny run away with their tails between their legs when we feed them because Richard's Mom and Manifred growl at them. It is so sad. There is a girl in heat around the area, and I guess Deacon and Manifred got into it over her. Deacon, being the lover he is, got the short end of the stick in the fight. To put it lightly, he lost. His face is so torn up. On top of that, there is a local church across the street and the people were outside and saw the whole thing. It scared them and they are saying that they are going to call animal control on these two dogs. Deacon and Sonny will surely be euthanized if they end up in animal control. We need fosters for these lovers. Deacon runs up to me when we pull up and hops on top of my lap. He is such a friendly guy. The two of them seem to get along with other dogs just fine, unless there is a lady in heat, that is. If you know anyone willing to foster, or if you know of another rescue that would be willing to help us out with these guys, please pass this along. These two are way too sweet to be put down. PLEASE HELP!

A question for you

The other day I received an email from a woman who was extremely upset about the post about Bruno. She thought that we were horrible for leaving Bruno's friend behind and would have preferred to not have read that story. It has left a terrible mark on her that she can't seem to shake. Firstly, I would like to thank all of you because we did raise enough money to rescue Bruno's friend when we come across him again. Secondly, I think I explained it in that post but would like to reiterate how we actually do regret leaving his friend behind, but we made what was a split second decision in a situation where we were unsure who was watching, and whether we would get in trouble by a local or not. I would also like to reiterate that his friend was not the least bit upset that we took Bruno. He was just thrilled to be untied from Bruno. He did not even look back at us as we drove away. I write this blog to give readers a glimpse into what we do on a daily basis. Animal rescue is not always a pretty thing. Decisions have to be made on who to rescue. We encounter dozens of dogs on a daily basis. Unfortunately, we have to make our decisions on who we feel is the most in need and who we know we will be able to place in a foster home, since we do not have a shelter.

My question is, as the reader, how heavy do you want this blog to read. I write this blog for you, so I want it to be something that you will continue to read in order to relay to you what it is we do. However, I do not want to turn people away by talking about things that are too hard to read. I know what it is like to go to bed and have an image or a thought in my head and not be able to get rid of it. That is one of the reasons that I do not post the super graphic pictures of these dogs. I do not want to see that, so I am pretty sure that the readers of this blog do not. The last thing I want to do is offend you. We do have happy stories, and I try to post them too, but for whatever reason, I get all fired up with writing about the insane, sad and tragic. We are human, and we make mistakes. I have never thought about trying to hide those mistakes from you. My intentions with the blog are to share the real stuff with you, our blunders, mistakes and all. Please share with me your thoughts on what you think of my posts so far and if they are too difficult for you to read. I would genuinely love to hear your opinions. Thank you.

Poor little Popeye...

First, I would like to thank everyone for their quick responses to Napoleon, Josephine and Lucy. All three are either in foster homes or have prospective foster homes in their future. Thank you so much for passing these posts along and making it possible for us to place so many animals.

Next, as you can see, little Popeye was an adorable puppy. We adopted him out about 8 months ago to a family with young children who were sure that they could handle a puppy with all kinds of energy. Unfortunately, they were not able to handle him and he is now in need of a new foster home. Popeye, now called Tucker has a lot of energy and would love to be in a home with another dog so that he can play, play, play! He is sooooo cute, isn't he? I bet he is a beautiful grown dog now too. I will post pictures of him as soon as we get more current ones. Please pass this along to your friends so that we can find a place for Popeye. We are full to the brim right now with foster dogs, so finding a place for him is going to prove pretty difficult. We need your help!...again!...always! We love you!

Napoleon, Josephine and Lucy

Worried that we would not be able to find/catch them if we waited much longer, PJ made an executive decision to pull the two we could find today even though we do not have fosters. So, now, again, we are in a pickle. Please pass this along to everyone you know. They put up a little fight at first when PJ picked them up, but are now, as you can see fairly calm for her. They are incredibly adorable. Please help us find fosters for these cuties!

Look who else I found today. Little Lucy was lying with her head down in the concrete looking pretty pathetic. I just could not leave her. She is skin and bones and would not have made it if I left her there on the sidewalk. She is at the vet now being treated for anything that is wrong. We desperately need a foster for Lucy as well. She let me pick her up with no problem, so she likes humans, which is a plus. Please tell all of your kitty loving friends :)

Bomber Needs a new Foster!

Remember Bomber? Bomber's foster mom and dad are in the process of moving to New York. They already have 5 big dogs, otherwise, I believe they would have kept Bomber. Bomber is in desperate need of a new foster home. He is such an easy, laid back dog to have around. He really just needs a place to lay. He does well with other dogs, children and loves people. Bomber is the quintessential sweet old man. If you have a little extra room in your home, or know someone who would like to have a sweet dog like Bomber around for a little bit, please email us at gatewaypetguardians@yahoo.com.

This lady had a litter of pups a while ago. They are about 6 weeks old now and ready to go into foster homes. Getting them this early prevents them from having to suffer through all of the pains of living on the streets. Not only do they get more fearful of us as they age, they also get mange among many other horrific ailments that street life brings to dogs. Not to mention the harsh winter months that are coming up. We know that there are at least four blonde pups that look like their mama. There might be even more. Please pass this along to all of your animal loving friends so that we can rescue these puppies sooner than later!

Thanks again for all of your support.

The Dilemma

When we go to East St. Louis, just about everyday, there seems like there is a dog in need of being rescued. Just two days ago, Lucky looked like he had a broken leg. We were going to put a plea out to pull him, but it seems to be miraculously healed now. And then, yesterday, Hank had a terrible puncture wound on his neck.

The dilemma comes from a few angles. First, we have to ask ourselves, do we have the money? Usually the answer is no. Next we have to find out if we can get someone to foster, which is no small task, especially for adult dogs who have lived on the streets all of their lives. I have said before that there are times where I take pictures of a dog that I really want to pull, come home, post pictures, write up a story and never find him again. That is heartbreaking. Which leads us to today's dilemma.

If you watch the video below, you will see one of the strangest things I have seen so far in East St. Louis. These two dogs were linked together with a short leash. What?! How long had they been like that? They were both very underweight, so I would imagine that it had been a while. Two dogs cannot hunt if they are tied together. As we pulled closer, PJ exclaimed, "Oh my gosh! it's Bruno!" She then went on to explain that Bruno was someone's puppy about four years ago who she vaccinated and had neutered for him. She also gave Bruno his monthly heartguard. PJ was smitten with Bruno. One day, about three years ago, Bruno disappeared. He was gone for quite a few weeks when PJ found him and brought him back home. About two weeks later, Bruno disappeared for good. Or so she thought.

This was two and a half years ago! PJ could not believe her eyes. Would she ever see Bruno again if she did not take him now? What if whoever tied him to this other dog came along and did it again? PJ and I know that per the rules of our rescue, we are not supposed to pull unless we have all of our ducks in a row. That is unless it is an emergency. Was this an emergency? And then, there is the question, how can we just take one? It is heart wrenching to have to leave any dog on the streets, much less to choose between two that have been tied together for who knows how long. But, alas, we had to make a decision. And quite honestly, we had to do it fast, because who really knows who might be watching and what kind of trouble we will run into if someone caught us removing the leash from these dogs, much less taking one home with us. My heart broke as we pulled away, leaving the other dog alone without his buddy. I would love to rescue him too if we ever see him again (and have the money and a foster).

All of that being said, we are in a little bit of trouble for pulling Bruno. And when I say trouble, I just mean that I feel really bad because we are trying so hard to get this rescue to the point where we can buy a shelter so that we don't have these dilemmas anymore. When we pull dogs that were not planned for, our shelter plan is set back that much further. Please help us sponsor Bruno so that we can stay on track for our shelter fund. Please help us so that we can save as many dogs like Bruno and his buddy as possible. We need about $200 for Bruno's fund. In order to pull Bruno's buddy, we would need about $300 more. Whatever you can donate is so useful, whether it is $5, $10 or $100. We can't tell you how much every dollar counts for a rescue like ours. Thank you for your support and thanks for listening to my long winded dilemma.

Not Exactly An East St. Louis Dog

But adorably lovable just the same. Tell all of your animal loving U.K. friends about E.T.!